Patent ID: 8805044
Filing Date: 2014-08-12
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of identifying at least part of a pulmonary artery tree, comprising: receiving a data representation of a bronchial tree structure indicative of three-dimensional positions and orientations of bronchial segments of the bronchial tree structure, wherein the data representation of the bronchial tree structure comprises a surface model of the bronchial tree structure; receiving a data representation of a pulmonary vessel structure indicative of three-dimensional positions and orientations of pulmonary vessel segments of the pulmonary vessel structure; identifying a pair of a first bronchial segment of the bronchial tree structure and a first vessel segment of the pulmonary vessel structure, wherein the first bronchial segment and the first vessel segment are adjacent with respect to position and orientation; identifying the first vessel segment as arterial segment of the pulmonary artery tree; applying a spatial transformation to at least part of the bronchial tree structure and/or to at least part of the vessel structure, such that the first bronchial segment and the first vessel segment substantially coincide; identifying respective further vessel segments of the vessel structure which coincide with or are adjacent to respective bronchial segments of the bronchial tree structure using a surface model-based segmentation algorithm to adapt the surface model of the bronchial tree structure into a surface model of the pulmonary artery tree using high, directed image gradients as attractive forces, wherein the respective bronchial segments are comprised in at least part of the bronchial tree structure to which the transformation has been applied and/or the respective further vessel segments are comprised in at least part of the vessel structure to which the transformation has been applied; and identifying the respective further vessel segments as arterial segments of the pulmonary artery tree.