Methods and apparatus for model-based detection of structure in view data

Abstract

In one aspect, a method for determining a value for at least one parameter of a configuration of a model, the model associated with structure of which view data has been obtained from at least one x-ray scanning device capable of producing x-ray radiation, the view data being obtained, at least in part, by scanning at least a portion of the structure, wherein the view data is attenuation data of the x-ray radiation attenuated by the structure as a function of view angle about the structure is provided. The method comprises acts of operating on the view data to detect at least one feature in the view data, and determining the value for the at least one parameter of the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least one feature.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for determining a value for at least one parameter of a configuration of a model, the model associated with structure of which view data has been obtained from at least one x-ray scanning device capable of producing x-ray radiation, the view data being obtained, at least in part, by scanning at least a portion of the structure, wherein the view data is attenuation data of the x-ray radiation attenuated by the structure as a function of view angle about the structure, the method comprising acts of:
 operating on the view data to detect at least one feature in the view data; and   determining the value for the at least one parameter of the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least one feature.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter includes an act of determining a value for at least one location parameter based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the model includes a plurality of primitives, and wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter includes an act of determining a location for at least one of the plurality of primitives in the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the model includes a plurality of primitives, and wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter includes an act of determining a number of primitives in the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter includes an act of determining a location for each of the number of primitives in the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the value of the at least one parameter is an initial value, and further comprising acts of:
 transforming the configuration of the model into view space to obtain model view data;   comparing the model view data to the view data of the structure to obtain a difference measure; and   updating the value of at least one of the at least one parameters based on the difference measure to obtain an updated configuration of the model.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the model configuration includes a plurality of parameters, and wherein the act of determining the value for the at least one parameter includes an act of determining a value for each of the plurality of parameters based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the view data includes at least one sinogram, and wherein the act of detecting the at least one feature includes an act of detecting at least one feature in the at least one sinogram. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the structure includes at least one blood vessel. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the model includes a plurality of cylindrical segments, and wherein the act of determining the at least one value includes an act of determining a location for at least one of the plurality of cylindrical segments based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the act of determining the at least one location includes an act of determining the location of a longitudinal axis of each cylindrical segment at an intersection with a plane associated with the at least one sinogram. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the act of determining the at least one value for the at least one parameter further includes an act of determining a number of the plurality of cylindrical segments in the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter further includes an act of determining a radius of at least one of the plurality of cylindrical segments based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter further includes an act of determining an orientation of at least one of the plurality of cylindrical segments based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the act of detecting the at least one feature includes an act of detecting at least one ridge in the at least one sinogram. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the structure includes a blood vessel network, the model includes a plurality of cylindrical segments, and the at least one parameter comprises a number of the plurality of cylindrical segments, a location of each of the plurality of cylindrical segments, a radius for each of the plurality of cylindrical segments, and an orientation of each of the plurality of cylindrical segments, and wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter includes an act of determining the number of the plurality of cylindrical segments, the location, the radius, and the orientation of each of the plurality of cylindrical segments based, at least in part, on the at least one feature. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter includes an act of determining a value of at least one parameter based, at least in part, on information detected in a plurality of portions of the view data, each of the plurality of portions obtained from a respective different slice of the structure. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the act of determining the value of the at least one parameter includes an act of determining a value of at least one parameter, at least in part, by determining at least one relationship between first information detected in a first portion of the view data obtained from a first slice of the structure and second information detected in a second portion of the view data obtained from a second slice of the structure. 
     
     
         19 . At least one non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a program for execution on at least one processor, the program, when executed on the at least one processor, performing a method of determining a value for at least one parameter of a configuration of a model, the model associated with structure of which view data has been obtained from at least one x-ray scanning device capable of producing x-ray radiation, the view data being obtained, at least in part, by scanning at least a portion of the structure, wherein the view data is attenuation data of the x-ray radiation attenuated by the structure as a function of view angle about the structure, the method comprising acts of:
 operating on the view data to detect at least one feature in the view data; and   determining the value for the at least one parameter of the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least one feature.   
     
     
         20 - 38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . An apparatus adapted to determine a value for at least one parameter of a configuration of a model, the model associated with structure of which view data has been obtained from at least one x-ray scanning device capable of producing x-ray radiation, the view data being obtained, at least in part, by scanning at least a portion of the structure, wherein the view data is attenuation data of the x-ray radiation attenuated by the structure as a function of view angle about the structure, the apparatus comprising:
 at least one memory to store the view data; and   at least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor programmed to operate on the view data to detect at least one feature in the view data and to determine the value for the at least one parameter of the configuration of the model based, at least in part, on the at least feature.   
     
     
         40 . (canceled)