IMAGING APPARATUS FOR IMAGING A FIRST OBJECT WITHIN A SECOND OBJECT

摘要

The invention relates to an imaging apparatus for imaging a first object (10) like a tip of a catheter within a second object being, for instance, a vascular structure of a person. A three-dimensional representation of the second object including a representation of a surface (23) of the second object and the position of the first object relative to the position of the second object are provided, and a projection (22) of the first object onto the representation of the surface of the second object is determined and shown to a user like a physician on a display. The three-dimensional spatial relationship between the first object and the second object is thereby shown in a way that is very native for the user, i.e. a visualization can be provided, which allows the user to easily and accurately grasp the three-dimensional spatial relationship between the first object and the second object.

主权项

1. An imaging apparatus for imaging a first object within a second object, the imaging apparatus comprising:
a representation providing unit for providing a three-dimensional representation of the second object, wherein the three-dimensional representation includes a representation of a surface of the second object, a position providing unit for providing the position of the first object relative to the position of the second object, a projection unit for determining a projection of the first object onto the representation of the surface of the second object based on the provided position of the first object, and a display for displaying the projection of the first object on the representation of the surface of the second object:wherein the projection unit is adapted to:
calculate for different surface positions on the representation of the surface of the second object a projection value that depends on the distance between the respective surface position and a further position that depends on the provided position of the first object, provide assignments between projection values and visualization properties, and assign visualization properties to the surface positions based on the calculated projection values and the provided assignments, thereby determining the projection.