Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Computer graphics processing – Shape generating
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-28
2001-10-30
Powell, Mark R. (Department: 2779)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Computer graphics processing
Shape generating
Reexamination Certificate
active
06310623
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to manual line graphics editing, particularly as applied to real-time applications, such as used for segment selection of an intravascular ultrasonic image. This invention applies specifically to closed contour editing for defining a boundary on a cross-sectional plane of a vascular image.
Manual editing is a very useful tool in medical imaging, especially when segmentation is needed to obtain measurements. Because no suitable automated methods are available to detect segments of medical images in known medical imaging systems, reliance on manual tracing is needed.
Manual editing is also very important for automated detection requiring observer supervision. In particular instances, there is a need to manually edit portions of the computer detection for further analysis.
Several manual editing methods are currently available for drawing closed contours. In one known method, a user can draw the contour using a computer mouse or other drawing device. During the tracing, the user must erase part or all of the drawing through a continuous process of deleting the current end point of the drawing. Once the drawing is completed, no modification is allowed except the deletion of the entire contour. In other known methods, the contour is segmented among a set of control vertices. By pulling the vertices, the user can adjust the contour locally. More vertices may be inserted while redundant vertices may be removed. Although this method provides the ability to change the contour, it requires substantial amount of user interaction.
Another method allows the user to indicate two points on the contour after which the user first deletes the segment to be changed and then draws the new segment. This method requires still additional interaction, and the user cannot compare the new segment with the old segment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a closed contour editing method for manually defining and for changing a bounded portion on an intravascular ultrasonic image comprises marking end points of a contour segment to be changed on a single lobe displayed on a computer screen, and/or drawing the change between the endpoints while leaving all segments displayed, calculating the three centroids for each of the three resultant regions which the segmentations of the contour defined and, based on the results, selecting the preferred segment to close the contour while simultaneously deselecting the undesired segment.
In this method, user is allowed to draw the contour either by continuously drawing the points of the contour or simply by indicating vertices of a polygon, and a visible line is generated to connect two consecutive vertices before the old line is deleted. Once the contour has been decided upon, the drawing is completed by automatically generating a replacement line to join the starting and end points closing the contour.
The core of this invention is the algorithm for editing segments of a contour. In this method, user can start to draw a new segment over any segment to be changed. The new segment can be drawn in any directions, clockwise or anti-clockwise. If done, the old segment will be replaced by the new one. This process can be repeated unlimited times until the user is satisfied.
The invention will be better understood upon reference to the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings.
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patent: WO 97/34261 (1997-09-01), None
Powell Mark R.
Sci-Med Life Systems, Inc.
Townsend and Townsend / and Crew LLP
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