AUTOMATIC SEGMENTATION OF TISSUES BY DYNAMIC CHANGE CHARACTERIZATION

摘要

A reconstruction processor (24) reconstructs diagnostic data from a diagnostic imaging device, such as a CT scanner (10), starting before a contrast agent reaches a region of interest (50), as the concentration of contrast agent in the region of interest builds (52), and at a contrast agent peak (56). The plurality of images generated while the contrast agent concentration is building are aligned (78). A change map is generated indicative of a rate-of-change (62) gradient or a time-to-peak (64) for corresponding pixels or voxels of the images generated during the time the contrast agent is building to the peak. A segmentation processor (70) uses the change map in segmenting the diagnostic images generated without contrast agent or at the contrast agent concentration peak.