Methods and system for linking geometry obtained from images

Abstract

Techniques for linking geometry extracted from one or more medical images, the geometry including a plurality of geometric objects each having parameter values including at least one value for location and at least one value for direction/orientation, the plurality of geometric objects comprising a target geometric object and at least two candidate geometric objects, the techniques include: (A) comparing parameter values of the target geometric object with parameter values of the at least two candidate geometric objects, (B) selecting one of the at least two candidate geometric objects to link to the target geometric object based, at least in part, on the comparison; and (C) linking the target geometric object with the selected candidate geometric object.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for linking geometry extracted from one or more medical images, the geometry including a plurality of geometric objects each having parameter values including at least one value for location and at least one value for direction/orientation, the plurality of geometric objects comprising a target geometric object and at least two candidate geometric objects, the method comprising:
 (A) comparing parameter values of the target geometric object with parameter values of the at least two candidate geometric objects at least in part by:
 comparing at least one value for location of the target geometric object to respective values for location of the at least two candidate geometric objects, and 
 comparing at least one value for direction/orientation of the target geometric object to respective values for direction/orientation of the at least two candidate geometric objects, 
   (B) selecting one of the at least two candidate geometric objects to link to the target geometric object based, at least in part, on the comparison; and   (C) linking the target geometric object with the selected candidate geometric object.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of geometric objects further has at least one value for scale, and wherein (A) further comprises:
 comparing at least one value for scale of the target geometric object to respective values for scale of the at least two candidate geometric objects.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of geometric objects further has at least one value for response of a scale detection filter, and wherein (A) further comprises:
 comparing at least one value for response of the scale detection filter of the target geometric object to respective values for response of the scale detection filter of the at least two candidate geometric objects.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the geometry represents a vessel network and the target geometric object represents a cross-section of a vessel structure in the vessel network, and wherein (A) is performed by using a statistical model that provides a likelihood that a candidate geometric object of the plurality of geometric objects follows the target geometric object as a geometric representation of another cross-section of the vessel structure based, at least in part, on the at least one location value and the at least direction/orientation value of the target object and at least one location value and at least one direction orientation value of the candidate geometric object. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the statistical model provides the likelihood that the candidate geometric object of the plurality of geometric objects follows the target geometric object as a geometric representation of another cross-section of the vessel structure further based on at least one value for scale of the target geometric object and at least one value for scale of the candidate geometric object. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the statistical model provides a probability for parameters of a candidate geometric object conditioned on parameters of the target geometric object. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein comparing the at least one value for direction/orientation of the target geometric object to respective values for direction/orientation of the at least two candidate geometric objects is performed by using a super-Gaussian probability model. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 calculating the at least one value for direction/orientation of the target object based, at least in part, on location information of voxels in at least one segmented image.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one segmented image includes at least one scale image. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the calculating further comprises computing displacement vectors between at least one voxel location associated with the target geometric object and at least one voxel location in a neighborhood associated with the target geometric object. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising performing principal component analysis on a matrix formed from the computed displacement vectors. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one value for orientation is related to an eigenvector of the matrix. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for linking geometry extracted from one or more medical images, the geometry including a plurality of geometric objects each having parameter values including at least one value for location and at least one value for direction/orientation, the plurality of geometric objects comprising a target geometric object and at least two candidate geometric objects, the apparatus comprising:
 at least one processor configured to perform:
 (A) comparing parameter values of the target geometric object with parameter values of the at least two candidate geometric objects at least in part by:
 comparing at least one value for location of the target geometric object to respective values for location of the at least two candidate geometric objects, and 
 comparing at least one value for direction/orientation of the target geometric object to respective values for direction/orientation of the at least two candidate geometric objects, 
 
 (B) selecting one of the at least two candidate geometric objects to link to the target geometric object based, at least in part, on the comparison; and 
 (C) linking the target geometric object with the selected candidate geometric object. 
   
     
     
         14 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the geometry represents a vessel network and the target geometric object represents a cross-section of a vessel structure in the vessel network, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform (A) by using a statistical model that provides a likelihood that a candidate geometric object of the plurality of geometric objects follows the target geometric object as a geometric representation of another cross-section of the vessel structure based, at least in part, on the at least one location value and the at least direction/orientation value of the target object and at least one location value and at least one direction orientation value of the candidate geometric object. 
     
     
         17 - 19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform:
 calculating the at least one value for direction/orientation of the target object based, at least in part, on location information of voxels in at least one segmented image.   
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 20 , wherein the calculating further comprises computing displacement vectors between at least one voxel location associated with the target geometric object and at least one voxel location in a neighborhood associated with the target geometric object. 
     
     
         23 - 24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . At least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, perform a method of linking geometry extracted from one or more medical images, the geometry including a plurality of geometric objects each having parameter values including at least one value for location and at least one value for direction/orientation, the plurality of geometric objects comprising a target geometric object and at least two candidate geometric objects, the method comprising:
 (A) comparing parameter values of the target geometric object with parameter values of the at least two candidate geometric objects at least in part by:
 comparing at least one value for location of the target geometric object to respective values for location of the at least two candidate geometric objects, and 
 comparing at least one value for direction/orientation of the target geometric object to respective values for direction/orientation of the at least two candidate geometric objects, 
   (B) selecting one of the at least two candidate geometric objects to link to the target geometric object based, at least in part, on the comparison; and   (C) linking the target geometric object with the selected candidate geometric object.   
     
     
         26 - 27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the geometry represents a vessel network and the target geometric object represents a cross-section of a vessel structure in the vessel network, and wherein (A) is performed by using a statistical model that provides a likelihood that a candidate geometric object of the plurality of geometric objects follows the target geometric object as a geometric representation of another cross-section of the vessel structure based, at least in part, on the at least one location value and the at least direction/orientation value of the target object and at least one location value and at least one direction orientation value of the candidate geometric object. 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 25 , further comprising:
 calculating the at least one value for direction/orientation of the target object based, at least in part, on location information of voxels in at least one segmented image.   
     
     
         32 . (canceled) 
     
     
         33 . The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 31 , wherein the calculating further comprises computing displacement vectors between at least one voxel location associated with the target geometric object and at least one voxel location in a neighborhood associated with the target geometric object. 
     
     
         34 - 35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising evaluating at least one quantitative or qualitative assessment of vascular morphology based, at least in part, on linked geometry.