Patent ID: 8233686

Claim:
A method of processing image data from an imaging system for locating a plurality N of objects embedded in a body, comprising: receiving data for a first two-dimensional image of a region of interest of said body containing said plurality N of objects, said first two-dimensional image being obtained from a first imaging setting of said imaging system relative to said region of interest; receiving data for a second two-dimensional image of a region of interest of said body containing said plurality N of objects, said second two-dimensional image being obtained from a second imaging setting of said imaging system relative to said region of interest; receiving data for a third two-dimensional image of a region of interest of said body containing said plurality N of objects, said third two-dimensional image being obtained from a third imaging setting of said imaging system relative to said region of interest; determining two-dimensional positions for a first plurality of objects N 1 in said first two-dimensional image, each of said first plurality of objects N 1 corresponding to at least one of said plurality N of objects; determining two-dimensional positions for a second plurality of objects N 2 in said second two-dimensional image, each of said second plurality of objects N 2 corresponding to at least one of said plurality N of objects; determining two-dimensional positions for a third plurality of objects N 3 in said third two-dimensional image, each of said third plurality of objects N 3 corresponding to at least one of said plurality N of objects; calculating a cost associated with each of said first plurality of objects N 1 paired with each of said second plurality of objects N 2 to provide N 1 ×N 2 pair combinations, each said cost being indicative of a likelihood of a correct pairing; eliminating some of said N 1 ×N 2 pair combinations from further calculations based on a predetermined threshold to result in a reduced number n 1 of remaining pairs for further calculations, n 1 being less than N 1 ×N 2 ; calculating a cost associated with each of said n 1 pairs and each of said third plurality of objects N 3 to provide n 1 ×N 3 triplet combinations, each said cost being indicative of a likelihood of a correct triplet matching; eliminating some of said n 1 ×N 3 triplet combinations from further calculations based on said predetermined threshold to result in a reduced number n 2 of remaining triplets, n 2 being less than n 1 ×N 3 ; and calculating three-dimensional positions of each of said plurality N of objects embedded in said region of interest of said body based on surviving matches of objects in each said two-dimensional image, wherein said first, second and third imaging settings all are different from each other.