Display of two-dimensional and three-dimensional views during virtual examination

Abstract

A system and method are provided for generating a three-dimensional visualization image of an object such as an organ using volume visualization techniques and exploring the image using guided navigation that allows the operator to travel along a flight path and to adjust the view to a particular portion of the image of interest in order, for example, to identify polyps, cysts or other abnormal features in the visualized organ, wherein one or more series of two-dimensional renditions of the organ, correlated to the flight path location, are provided to an operator to assist in analyzing the organ, and the three-dimensional representation, a display of the flight path, and two-dimensional slices are simultaneously displayed to the operator.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A method for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of at least one object, the method comprising: 
 scanning said object with a scanning device and producing scan data representative of said object, said scan data comprising a sequence of two-dimensional images of said object;    creating a three-dimensional volume representation of said object comprising volume elements from said scan data;    selecting a start position from said three-dimensional volume representation;    generating a defined path from said start position and extending within said three-dimensional volume representation;    performing a guided navigation of said three-dimensional representation along said path; and    displaying in real time volume elements responsive to said path during said guided navigation and simultaneously displaying at least one of the sequence of two-dimensional images based on a current location along the defined path.    
     
     
         2 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein displaying in real time is further responsive to an operator's input.  
     
     
         3 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein said start position comprises a sub-voxel position.  
     
     
         4 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 moving along the defined path in response to the current location; and    changing the at least one displayed image to correspond to the current location.    
     
     
         5 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein the object is an organ within a body.  
     
     
         6 . A method as defined in  claim 5  wherein said sequence of two-dimensional images comprises axial images of said organ.  
     
     
         7 . A method as defined in  claim 5  wherein the organ is a colon.  
     
     
         8 . A method as defined in  claim 5  wherein the organ is a lung.  
     
     
         9 . A method as defined in  claim 5  wherein the organ is a heart.  
     
     
         10 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising displaying a view of the defined path simultaneously with the display of the volume elements.  
     
     
         11 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein the current location includes x, y and z coordinates and the at least one displayed image corresponds to the z coordinate and is displayed centered around the x and y coordinates.  
     
     
         12 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein the current location includes x, y and z coordinates and the at least one displayed image corresponds to the y coordinate and is displayed centered around the x and z coordinates.  
     
     
         13 . A method as defined in  claim 1  wherein the current location includes x, y and z coordinates and the at least one displayed image corresponds to the x coordinate and is displayed centered around the y and z coordinates.  
     
     
         14 . A method as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 generating from the three-dimensional volume representation a sequence of two-dimensional images along the defined flight path, the images aligned with a second axis; and    displaying a particular image aligned with the second axis corresponding to the current location along the defined path simultaneously with the display of the volume elements.    
     
     
         15 . A method as defined in  claim 14  wherein the second axis is one of a coronal axis, a sagittal axis, and an axis perpendicular to the defined path.  
     
     
         16 . A method for performing a three-dimensional internal virtual examination of at least one organ, the method comprising: 
 scanning said organ with a scanning device and producing scan data representative of said organ, said scan data comprising a sequence of two-dimensional axial images of said organ;    creating a three-dimensional volume representation of said organ comprising volume elements from said scan data;    selecting a start position from said three-dimensional volume representation;    generating a defined path from said start position and extending within said three-dimensional volume representation;    performing a guided navigation of said three-dimensional representation along said path; and    displaying in real time volume elements responsive to said path during said guided navigation and simultaneously displaying one of the sequence of axial images based on a current location along the defined path.    
     
     
         17 . A method as defined in  claim 16  wherein displaying in real time is further responsive to an operator's input.  
     
     
         18 . A method as defined in  claim 16  wherein said start position comprises a sub-voxel position.  
     
     
         19 . A method as defined in  claim 18 , further comprising changing the one displayed image to correspond to the current location in response to the current location moving along the defined path.  
     
     
         20 . A method as defined in  claim 18  wherein the organ is a colon.  
     
     
         21 . A method as defined in  claim 18  wherein the organ is a lung.  
     
     
         22 . A method as defined in  claim 18  wherein the organ is a heart.  
     
     
         23 . A method as defined in  claim 18 , further comprising displaying a view of the defined path simultaneously with the display of the volume elements.  
     
     
         24 . A method as defined in  claim 18  wherein the current location includes x, y and z coordinates and the one displayed image corresponds to the z coordinate and is displayed centered around the x and y coordinates.  
     
     
         25 . A method as defined in  claim 18 , further comprising: 
 generating from the three-dimensional volume representation a sequence of two-dimensional images along the defined flight path aligned with a second axis; and    displaying a particular two-dimensional image from the sequence of images aligned with the second axis simultaneously with the display of the volume elements, said particular two-dimensional image corresponding to the current location along the defined path.    
     
     
         26 . A method as defined in  claim 25  wherein the second axis is one of a coronal axis, a sagittal axis, and an axis perpendicular to the defined path.  
     
     
         27 . An operator interface for a three-dimensional virtual examination system of an object wherein said virtual examination includes a guided navigation along a defined path within a three-dimensional volume representation of said object created from scanning data comprising a sequence of two-dimensional axial images of said object and then generating volume elements of the representation based on the axial images, the operator interface comprising: 
 a display screen having a plurality of sub-windows simultaneously visible;    a first of said sub-windows configured to display in real time volume elements responsive to said defined path and to an operator's input during the guided navigation; and    a second of said sub-windows configured to display one of the two-dimensional images corresponding to a current location along the defined path.    
     
     
         28 . An interface as defined in  claim 27  wherein the object is an organ within a body.  
     
     
         29 . An interface as defined in  claim 28  wherein the organ is a colon.  
     
     
         30 . An interface as defined in  claim 28  wherein the organ is a lung.  
     
     
         31 . An interface as defined in  claim 27 , further comprising a third of said sub-windows configured to display the defined path.  
     
     
         32 . An interface as defined in  claim 27 , further comprising a second sequence of two-dimensional images of said object, said second sequence of images generated from the volume elements and oriented along a second axis different from the axial images.  
     
     
         33 . An interface as defined in  claim 32  wherein the second axis is one of a coronal axis, a sagittal axis, and an axis perpendicular to the defined path.  
     
     
         34 . An interface as defined in  claim 32 , further comprising a third of said sub-windows configured to display a particular image from the second sequence of images based on the current position along the defined path.  
     
     
         35 . A computer-readable medium bearing instructions for an operator interface for a three-dimensional virtual examination system of an object wherein said virtual examination includes a guided navigation along a defined path within a three-dimensional volume representation of said object created from scanning data comprising a sequence of two-dimensional axial images of said object and then generating volume elements of the representation based on the axial images, said instructions arranged, when executed by one or more processors, to cause the one or more processors to: 
 provide a display screen having a plurality of sub-windows simultaneously visible;    display in a first of said sub-windows in real time volume elements responsive to said defined path and an operator's input during the guided navigation; and    display in a second of said sub-windows one of the two-dimensional images corresponding to a current location along the defined path.    
     
     
         36 . A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of at least one object, the method steps comprising: 
 scanning with a scanning device and producing scan data representative of said object, said scan data comprising a sequence of two-dimensional images of said object;    creating a three-dimensional volume representation of said object comprising volume elements from said scan data;    selecting a start volume element and a finish volume element from said three-dimensional volume representation;    generating a defined path between said start and finish volume elements;    performing a guided navigation of said three-dimensional representation along said path; and    displaying in real time said volume elements responsive to said path and to an operator's input during said guided navigation and simultaneously displaying at least one of the sequence of two-dimensional images based on a current location along the defined path.    
     
     
         37 . An apparatus for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of at least one object, the apparatus comprising: 
 scanning means for scanning with a scanning device and producing scan data representative of said object, said scan data comprising a sequence of two-dimensional images of said object;    volume-rendering means for creating a three-dimensional volume representation of said object comprising volume elements from said scan data;    selection means for selecting a start volume element and a finish volume element from said three-dimensional volume representation;    flight-path means for generating a defined path between said start and finish volume elements;    navigational means for performing a guided navigation of said three-dimensional representation along said path; and    display means for displaying in real time said volume elements responsive to said path and to an operator's input during said guided navigation and simultaneously displaying at least one of the sequence of two-dimensional images based on a current location along the defined path.    
     
     
         38 . An apparatus for performing a three-dimensional virtual examination of at least one object, the apparatus comprising: 
 a scanning device for receiving a plurality of two-dimensional image slices of at least one object;    a rendering device in signal communication with the scanning device for rendering a three-dimensional volume representation of the plurality of two-dimensional image slices;    a processing device in signal communication with the rendering device for locating a first set of features along a centerline within the rendered three-dimensional volume representation;    an indexing device in signal communication with the processing device for matching at least one feature in the rendered three-dimensional volume representation with a corresponding two-dimensional image slice; and    a display device in signal communication with the indexing device for displaying both of the rendered three-dimensional volume representation and the matched two-dimensional image slice.