KEYWORDS: Image segmentation, 3D modeling, Magnetic resonance imaging, Tissues, In vivo imaging, Data modeling, Animal model studies, Visual process modeling, Electrodes, Natural surfaces
Radiofrequency current energy can be used to ablate pathologic tissue. Through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), real-time guidance and control of the procedure is feasible. For many tissues, resulting lesions have a characteristic appearance with two boundaries enclosing an inner hypo-intense region and an outer hyper-intense margin, in both contrast enhanced T1 and T2 weighted MR images. We created a model having two quadric surfaces and twelve-parameters to describe both lesion surfaces. Parameter estimation was performed using iterative optimization such that the sum of the squared shortest distances from segmented points to the model surface was minimized. The method was applied to in vivo image volumes of lesions in a rabbit thigh model. For all in vivo lesions, the mean signed distance from the model surface to segmented boundaries, accounting for the interior or exterior location of points, was approximately zero with standard deviations less than a voxel width (0.7 mm). For all in vivo lesions, the median absolute distance from the model surface to data was <= 0.6 mm for both surfaces. We conclude our model provides a good approximation of actual lesion geometry and should prove useful for three-dimensional lesion visualization, volume estimation, automated segmentation, and volume registration.
KEYWORDS: Image segmentation, 3D modeling, Magnetic resonance imaging, Tissues, Electrodes, In vivo imaging, Visualization, Data modeling, Animal model studies, Thermal modeling
We are investigating magnetic resosance imaging-guided radiofrequency ablation of pathologic tissue. For many tissues, resulting lesions have a characteristic two-boundary appearance featuring an inner region and an outer hyper-intense margin in both contrast enchanced (CE) T1 and T2 weighted MR images. We created a twelve-parameter, three-dimensional, globally deformable model with two quadratic surfaces that describe both lesion zones. We present an energy minimization approach to automatically fit the model to a grayscale MR image volume. We applied the automatic model to in vivo lesions (n = 5) in a rabbit thigh model, using CE T1 and T2 weighted MR images, and compared the results to multi-operator manually segmented boundaries. For all lesions, the median error was <1.0mm for both the inner and outer regions, values that favorably compare to a voxel width of 0.7 mm. These results suggest that our method provides a precise, automatic approximation of lesion shape. We believe that the method has applications in lesion visualization, volume estimation, image quantification, and volume registration.
KEYWORDS: Image segmentation, 3D modeling, Tissues, Magnetic resonance imaging, Electrodes, 3D image processing, In vivo imaging, Laser ablation, Data modeling, Radiofrequency ablation
Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), real-time guidance is feasible for radiofrequency (RF) current ablation of pathologic tissue. Lesions have a characteristic two-zone appearance: an inner core (Zone I) surrounded by a hyper-intense rim (Zone II). A better understanding of both the immediate (hyper-acute) and delayed (sub-acute) physiological response of the target tissue will aid development of minimally invasive tumor treatment strategies. We performed in vivo RF ablations in a rabbit thigh model and characterized the tissue response to treatment through contrast enhanced (CE) T1 and T2 weighted MR images at two time points. We measured zonal grayscale changes as well as zone volume changes using a 3D computationally fitted globally deformable parametric model. Comparison over time demonstrated an increase in the volume of both the inner necrotic core (mean 56.5% increase) and outer rim (mean 16.8% increase) of the lesion. Additionally, T2 images of the lesion exhibited contrast greater than or equal to CE T1 (mean 35% improvement). This work establishes a foundation for the clinical use of T2 MR images coupled with a geometric model of the ablation for noninvasive lesion monitoring and characterization.
In megavoltage imaging, current commercial electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs), despite having the advantage of immediate digital imaging over film, suffer from poor image contrast and spatial resolution. In a previous paper, a prototype megavoltage portal imaging system was described that utilized a 3 mm thick 100 mm field of view CsI (Tl) transparent scintillating crystal (corresponding to a radiological thickness of 1350 mg/cm2) coupled to a liquid nitrogen cooled slow-scan CCD camera with a combination of two camera lenses to yield a 42 mm f1.0 macro lens and a 5:1 demagnification. The imaging display significantly superior contrast and spatial resolutions (1 lp/mm at 20% MTF) to that available from the commercial EPIDs, which typically consist of a CCD camera coupled to a relatively thin gadolinium oxysulfide screen (with a radiological thickness of 400 mg/cm2). However it required significantly higher dose than portal film. Subsequent effort has focused on optimization of the optics and scintillator thickness in order to reduce the required imaging dose, while still providing superior image and contrast resolutions to that of the commercial EPIDs. Improved images were acquired using a two- camera lens combination yielding a 50 mm f1.1 macro lens with a 7:1 demagnification. Subsequently, portal imaging with an even thicker 13 mm CsI(Tl) scintillator (corresponding to a radiological thickness of 5850 mg/cm2) was carried out. An increase in scintillator thickness was accompanied by only a small loss in spatial resolution (1 lp/mm at 17% MTF) by optimizing the optical geometry. The image quality was significantly superior to that of the commercial EPIDs (Elekta SRI-100 and Siemens BEAMVIEW), and comparable to that for portal film, while requiring an imaging dose that was less than or comparable to that for film or the EPIDs. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of spectral shifting and buildup material or imaging for this prototype system. The use of clear thick single crystal scintillators is relatively new in portal imaging. Early work on optimization of CCD based EPIDs dealt primarily with amorphous nontransparent scintillators, and the use of thick scintillators was abandoned due to a clinically unacceptable associated loss in spatial resolution. Optimization of CCD based EPIDs has been implicitly based on the use of thin scintillators. This recent imaging success of the CsI(Tl) scintillator CCD camera based system utilizing a relatively thick scintillator offers a possibly superior alternative to the current CCD based systems. This superior imaging was accomplished in the absence of any optimization dealing with the choice of buildup material or thickness. Such optimization presents the potential for further gains in imaging quality. Experimental results dealing with optimization of scintillator thickness and buildup plate thickness and material are presented. The effect on image quality due to a spectral shift in a 6 MV photon beam in the presence of phantom scatter is discussed.
In a previous paper, a portal imaging system was described that used a 101 mm diameter, 3 mm thick CsI (Tl) transparent scintillating screen coupled to a liquid-nitrogen-cooled slow- scan CCD-TV camera with a 40 mm f1.0 macro lens with a 5:1 demagnification. Meanwhile, improved images have been acquired using a 50 mm f1.1 macro lens with a 7:1 demagnification. These images were presented at an AAPM International Symposium on Electronic Portal Imaging in Detroit, MI, in May, 1997. Since the Detroit meeting, a 203 mm diameter, 13 mm thick CsI(Tl) crystal has been purchased from Bicron. This transparent screen has been used with a Nikkor 35 mm f1.4 lens to show the whole 203 mm circular field at 0.53 mm pixel size with the existing Astromed liquid nitrogen cooled CCD TV camera system. The geometry of the imaging system has been optimized to achieve high spatial resolution (1 lp/mm) in spite of the increased thickness of the screen. This increased thickness allows the high image quality achieved with the older screen at 72 MU to be maintained with the newer screen while reducing the dose to 1 MU. Images have been acquired with the new screen of lead bar patterns, low-contrast hole patterns in Lucite blocks, and anthropomorphic phantoms.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.