Patent ID: 6591004
Filing Date: 2003-07-08
Classification: G06T,Y10S

Abstract:
A method for reconstructing surfaces and analyzing surface and volume representations of the shape of an object corresponding to image data, in which the object has been modeled as one or more physically distinct compartments, said method comprising the steps of:specifying characteristics of a compartmental model in terms of the material types contained in each distinct compartment as defined by the image data and in terms of the nature of compartmental boundaries as defined by the image data; specifying an image model that includes image intensity functions for each material type and for each boundary type based on the specified characteristics; specifying gradient functions that characterize boundary types and some compartmental regions based on the specified characteristics; generating a set of probabilistic volume representations of the location of different compartments and the location and orientation of compartmental boundaries based on the image intensity functions and the gradient functions; and generating a set of segmented (binary) volumes that represent structures in the vicinity of said object, including those adjoining its perimeter, in order to identify and subsequently exclude said adjoining structures from the surface reconstruction.