Cross-referenced sectioning and reprojection of diagnostic image volumes

摘要

A CT scanner non-invasively examines a volumetric region and generates voxel values. A user adjustable 3D axis system defines mutually orthogonal sections and volume reprojections thus defining a cross reference relation between them. An affine transform translates and rotates the axis system from object space to image space whereby each axis defines the orientation of origin intersecting sections in one view port and the viewing direction of volume reprojections in another view port. An operator console selects an angular orientation of the coordinate axis. A cursor position designates coordinates in image space causing the cursor, typically crossed axes, to be displayed on a monitor at a corresponding location in each displayed image. The view port rotation and translation of the projected crossed cursors are reverse affine transformed to rotate and translate the axis system. While viewing and cross referencing the polyhedral volume reprojection, the cursor selects points along a curved object which are interpolated into a smooth curve to define curved section images. Multiple projection views define the medial axis within a straight or curved tubular structure. The medial axis generates transverse and longitudinal medial sections and sets of volume reprojections cross referenced to the projection views to generate the medial axis for side by side or fly through display.