Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TRACTOGRAPHY LABELING IN THE PRESENCE OF BRAIN
LESION
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This document is a nonprovisional application claiming the benefit of,
and priority to, U.S.
Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/155,898, entitled "System and
Method of Tractography
Labeling in the Presence of Brain Lesion," filed on March 3, 2021, U.S.
Nonprovisional Patent Application
Ser. No. 17/502,278, entitled "System and Method for Selectively Showing
Tractography in Areas
Containing Free Water," filed on October 15, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent
Application Ser. No.
63/161,585, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TRACTOGRAPHY LABELING IN THE
PRESENCE OF BRAIN LESION," filed March 16, 2021.
FIELD
[0002] Generally, the present disclosure relates to surgical planning. More
specifically, the present
disclosure relates to surgical planning for neurosurgery. Even more
specifically, the present disclosure
relates to labeling tractography from surgical planning data.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In the related art, tractography is used for subjective surgical
decision making. In particular,
surgeons visualize tractography, relative to a surgical trajectory, to inform
the path of least destruction to
the white matter. Different white matter fibers have an anatomical location in
a human brain and transmit
different pieces of information. For example, corticospinal tracts transmit
motor signals; and the arcuate
fibers transmit language signals. As such, tracts, representing these white
matter fibers, can be labelled as
to which anatomical fiber bundle these white matter fibers belong.
[0004] However, in the presence of pathology, i.e., a lesion, the fiber
anatomy is locally changed. Some
lesions (typically primary cancers) grow within the white matter itself and
are referred to as an infiltrative
disease or infiltration, wherein the fiber anatomy is cut by the lesion. Other
lesions (typically secondary
cancers) grow in between the fibers, and, like edema, wherein the lesion
pinches the fiber anatomy and/or
displaces the fiber anatomy to other areas of the brain which is referred to
as a mass effect or displacement.
[0005] Both types of effect (infiltration or displacement) change how an
automated, atlas-based tract
labeling algorithm should behave. In the case of infiltration, a labeling
algorithm should expect to find a
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reduced number of tracts in the area of pathology. In the case of
displacement, a labeling algorithm should
locally deform its atlas based on the size and shape of the lesion to obtain a
more accurate labeling result.
[0006] While labeling could be corrected manually, clinicians simply do not
have the time to invest in doing
that, and instead, work around these errors. Minimizing or eliminating these
errors provides them with a
more complete image of the patient's current anatomy, and would increase their
confidence in the data and
their approach. There is a desire to differentiate tract infiltration versus
displacement within the edematous
region identified by free water correction to locally deform the segmentation
atlas prior to tract labeling.
[0007] In neuroscience, tractography is a 3D modeling technique that is used
for subjective surgical
decision-making by visually representing nerve fibers (neural tracts) using
data collected by diffusion
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results of tractography are presented in
two-dimensional (2D)
images and three-dimensional (3D) images referred to as tractograms, whereby
surgeons use the
tractograms to choose a surgical trajectory having a path of least destruction
to white matter, i.e., matter
containing nerve tracts in the deeper tissues of the brain (subcortical),
which are surrounded by a white
myelin sheath or covering. Related art tractography algorithms can produce 90%
of nerve tracts, but are
confounded by the presence of edema (swelling) caused by an extracellular
fluid that can move in any
direction, referred to as "isotropic free water." This isotropic free water
hides anisotropic water, i.e.,
corresponding to the neural tracts, during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
[0008] In the related art, some methods for subtracting a signal corresponding
to the free water from an
MRI signal so as not to occlude a desired neural tract are referred to as free
water correction (FWC)
algorithms. Such FWC algorithms include, for example, those described in
Fraser Henderson Jr., M.D.,
Drew Parker, BSc, Anupa A. Vijayakumari, PhD, Mark Elliott, PhD, Timothy
Lucas, MD, PhD, Michael
L. McGarvey, MD, Lauren Karpf, BSc, Lisa Desiderio, RT, Jessica Harsch, BSc,
Scott Levy, BSc, Eileen
Maloney-Wilensky, NP, Ronald L.Wolfõ MD, PhD,Wesley B. Hodges, BASc, Steven
Brem, MD, Ragini
Verma, PhD, "Enhanced Fiber Tractography Using Edema Correction: Application
and Evaluation in High-
Grade Gliomas," NEUROSURGERY, Vol. 0, No. 0 (2021), hereinafter Henderson, et
al.
[0009] Currently, pathology causes many complexities for tract labeling.
Related art approaches all suffer
from incorrect tract labeling corresponding to a diseased area of the brain.
Since different pathologies, such
as glioblastomas and brain metastases, present free water differently, MRI
images of neural tracts in the
presence of different pathologies may be subjected to different degrees of
occlusion based on free water
content. Further related art technologies are incapable of pathology modeling
to locally modify an atlas for
tract labeling. Thus, a long-felt need exists in the related art for
addressing challenges in tractography when
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displaying non-pathological free water areas and different pathological areas
as well as in labeling
tractography in different pathological areas.
SUMMARY
[0010] In addressing at least some of the challenges in the related art, a
system and methods of labeling
tractography in the presence of a brain lesion are provided, in accordance
with embodiments of the present
disclosure. While accounting for at least one of an infiltration and a
displacement in relation to
tractography, the system and the methods of the present disclosure involve an
initial estimation of at least
one of the infiltration and the displacement as well as the provision of a
user interface (UI), e.g., to a user,
for facilitating adjusting at least one of an infiltration level and a
displacement level to intraoperatively re-
perform a tract segmentation in at least near real-time. The UI comprises a
graphical user interface (GUI).
The GUI comprises a tool, such as a software tool, e.g., a slider tool,
operable in relation to data from
surgical planning software. The system and the methods of the present
disclosure involve a semi-automated
approach comprising automating approximately 80% of the labeling work and
providing a tool configured
with fine control to facilitate manual operation by facilitating approximately
20% of the labeling work,
thereby saving clinical time.
[0011] In general, the system and the methods of the present disclosure
further involve modeling a force
that a lesion would exert on a brain by differentiating an infiltration from a
displacement within an
edematous region that is identified by FWC algorithm to locally deform a
segmentation atlas prior to
labeling a tract. The tool facilitates modeling a force that a lesion would
exert on a brain by facilitating
locally deforming a tract labeling atlas, relating to a tractography, in a 3D
space. This force is modeled by
using a size, a shape, and a displacement level as defined by the tool, e.g.,
a slider feature having a slider.
As a level of displacement increases, the force increases. In the case of
purely infiltrative disease, e.g., no
displacement occurring, then no force is modeled, and the atlas is not
deformed. Furthermore, the labeling
expects fewer tracts in the edematous region and takes steps to label neural
tracts, accordingly, including
labeling tracts in that area as belonging to the pathology itself.
[0012] In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, an MRI
user interface system for
labeling tractography from surgical planning data in a presence of a lesion in
a brain, the tractography
comprising a tract segmentation and a tract labeling atlas in relation to a
three-dimensional space,
comprises: a graphical user interface (GUI) comprising a tool, the tool
configured to facilitate: adjusting
a displacement for intraoperatively reperforming the tract segmentation in
approximately real time,
modeling deformation of the tract labeling atlas by facilitating modeling a
force exerted by the lesion on
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the brain, and defining at least one parameter of a size, a shape, and a level
of the displacement condition;
and a processor in communication with the GUI and configured, by a set of
executable instructions storable
in relation to a non-transient memory device, to: determine whether at least
one of an infiltration condition
and a displacement condition appears in the tractography; if at least one of
the infiltration condition and the
displacement condition is determined to appear in the tractography, estimate
the at least one of the
infiltration condition and the displacement condition; if the displacement
condition is determined to appear
in the tractography, instruct the GUI to render the tool and model the force
exerted by the lesion on the
brain by using the at least one parameter, whereby a new tract segmentation
and a new tract labeling atlas
are provided; and if the displacement condition is determined to be absent
from the tractography, refrain
from modeling the force, wherein a presence of only the infiltration condition
is assumed.
[0013] In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method
of providing an MRI user
interface system for labeling tractography from surgical planning data in a
presence of a lesion in a brain,
the tractography comprising a tract segmentation and a tract labeling atlas in
relation to a three-dimensional
space, comprises: providing a graphical user interface (GUI), providing the
GUI comprising providing a
tool, providing the tool comprising configuring the tool to facilitate:
adjusting a displacement for
intraoperatively reperforming the tract segmentation in approximately real
time, modeling deformation of
the tract labeling atlas by facilitating modeling a force exerted by the
lesion on the brain, and defining at
least one parameter of a size, a shape, and a level of the displacement
condition; and providing a processor
in communication with the GUI, providing the processor comprising configuring
the processor, by a set of
executable instructions storable in relation to a non-transient memory device,
to: determine whether at least
one of an infiltration condition and a displacement condition appears in the
tractography; if at least one of
the infiltration condition and the displacement condition is determined to
appear in the tractography,
estimate the at least one of the infiltration condition and the displacement
condition; if the displacement
condition is determined to appear in the tractography, instruct the GUI to
render the tool and model the
force exerted by the lesion on the brain by using the at least one parameter,
whereby a new tract
segmentation and a new tract labeling atlas are provided; and if the
displacement condition is determined
to be absent from the tractography, refrain from modeling the force, wherein a
presence of only the
infiltration condition is assumed.
[0014] In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method
of labeling tractography
from surgical planning data in a presence of a lesion in a brain, the
tractography comprising a tract
segmentation and a tract labeling atlas in relation to a three-dimensional
space by way of an MRI user
interface system, comprises: providing the MRI user interface system,
providing the MRI user interface
system comprising: providing a graphical user interface (GUI), providing the
GUI comprising providing a
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tool, providing the tool comprising configuring the tool to facilitate:
adjusting a displacement for
intraoperatively reperforming the tract segmentation in approximately real
time, modeling deformation of
the tract labeling atlas by facilitating modeling a force exerted by the
lesion on the brain, and defining at
least one parameter of a size, a shape, and a level of the displacement
condition; and providing a processor
in communication with the GUI, providing the processor comprising configuring
the processor, by a set of
executable instructions storable in relation to a non-transient memory device,
to: determine whether at least
one of an infiltration condition and a displacement condition appears in the
tractography; if at least one of
the infiltration condition and the displacement condition is determined to
appear in the tractography,
estimate the at least one of the infiltration condition and the displacement
condition; if the displacement
condition is determined to appear in the tractography, instruct the GUI to
render the tool and model the
force exerted by the lesion on the brain by using the at least one parameter,
whereby a new tract
segmentation and a new tract labeling atlas are provided; and if the
displacement condition is determined
to be absent from the tractography, refrain from modeling the force, wherein a
presence of only the
infiltration condition is assumed; and operating the MRI user interface
system.
[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a system and methods
involve selectively displaying
free water in tractography. In one aspect, free water data and post-processed
tract data are combined into
a single tractography set with a "degree of free water" value being assigned
to a geometry for each neural
tract and/or a geometry for each fragment of a neural tract, such as neural
tract segments and/or points. A
tool, comprising a slider is configured to facilitate dynamically adjusting a
free water threshold value for
controlling display of at least one of a geometry for each neural tract and a
geometry for each fragment of
a neural tract. For example, only a geometry for each neural tract and a
geometry for each fragment of a
neural tract, corresponding to a degree of free water below a threshold value
is displayed while other
geometry is hidden.
[0016] According to an aspect, a method is provided for selectively displaying
free water in tractography,
comprising: applying a free water correction algorithm to an MRI image and
assigning degree of free water
values, which can be actual estimated percentages of free water or other
metrics related to free water
content, to each tract and/or fragment of tract geometry in the MRI image;
comparing the degree of free
water values to a threshold indicated by a slider interface; and refreshing
the MRI image so that only those
tracts and/or fragments of tract geometry having degree of free water values
less than or equal to the
threshold are displayed, while others are hidden.
[0017] According to another aspect, a system is provided for selectively
displaying free water in
tractography, comprising: an MRI system for generating an MRI image, the MRI
system including a data
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
processing system for applying a free water correction algorithm to the MRI
image and assigning degree
of free water values to each tract and/or fragment of tract geometry in the
MRI image; a graphical user
interface having a first area for displaying the MRI image, and a second area
with user interface elements
for controlling aspects of the MRI image displayed in the first area; a free
water correction slider interface
in the second area for indicating a threshold of free water, in response to
which the MRI system compares
the degree of free water values to the threshold indicated by the slider
interface and refreshes the MRI
image so that only those tracts and/or fragments of tract geometry having
degree of free water values less
than or equal to the threshold are displayed, while others are hidden.
[0018] The details of one or more aspects of the subject matter of the present
disclosure are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the below description. Other features, aspects, and
advantages of the subject
matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of several
embodiments of the present
disclosure will be more apparent from the following Detailed Description as
presented in conjunction with
the following several figures of the Drawing.
[0020] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating functional subsystems of an MRI
system;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an MRI graphical user interface for
tractography having a free water
correction (FWC) slider interface;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the MRI graphical user interface, as
shown in FIG. 1, with the FWC
slider interface user interface set at a free water value of 0%;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of controlling and
selecting at least one of a tract
geometry and tract fragment geometry to be displayed, based on a degree of
free water in an image, e.g.,
the image, as shown in FIG. 2, by way of an MRI graphical user interface, as
shown in FIG. 1, wherein an
FWC slider, as shown in FIG. 3, is set at a free water value of 0%;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the MRI graphical user interface, as
shown in FIG. 1, with the FWC
slider interface user interface set at a free water value of 50%;
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[0025] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the MRI graphical user interface, as
shown in FIG. 1, with the FWC
slider interface user interface set at a free water value of 100%;
[0026] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating additional details of the FWC slider
interface user interface;
[0027] FIG. 8 is a screenshot illustrating an MRI user interface system for
labeling tractography from
surgical planning data in a presence of a lesion in a brain, the tractography
comprising a tract segmentation
and a tract labeling atlas in relation to a three-dimensional space;
[0028] FIG. 9 is a screenshot illustrating a slider feature of a UI, as shown
in FIG. 8;
[0029] FIG. 10 is a screenshot illustrating a cross-sectional view, along the
side to side axis, of the display
in the UI, as shown in FIG. 8, wherein the position indicator has been slid
along the track, as shown in FIG.
9;
[0030] FIG. 11 is a screenshot illustrating a cross-sectional view, along the
side to side axis, of the display
in the UI, as shown in FIG. 8, wherein the position indicator, has been slid
farther along the track, as shown
in FIG. 9;
[0031] FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an MRI user interface system for
labeling tractography from
surgical planning data in a presence of a lesion in a brain, the tractography
comprising a tract segmentation
and a tract labeling atlas in relation to a three-dimensional space;
[0032] FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of providing an MRI
user interface system for
labeling tractography from surgical planning data in a presence of a lesion in
a brain, the tractography
comprising a tract segmentation and a tract labeling atlas in relation to a
three-dimensional space; and
[0033] FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of labeling
tractography from surgical planning data
in a presence of a lesion in a brain, the tractography comprising a tract
segmentation and a tract labeling
atlas in relation to a three-dimensional space by way of an MRI user interface
system.
[0034] Corresponding reference numerals or characters indicate corresponding
components throughout the
several figures of the Drawing(s). Elements in the several figures are
illustrated for simplicity and clarity
and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of
some elements in the several
figures may be emphasized relative to other elements for facilitating
understanding of the various presently
disclosed embodiments. Also, common, but well-understood, elements that are
useful or necessary in
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commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted to facilitate a less
obstructed view of these various
embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] Various embodiments, features, and aspects of the present disclosure
are below described with
reference to details. The following detailed description and the drawings are
illustrative of the present
disclosure and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure.
Numerous specific details are
described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments of the
present disclosure. However,
in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in
order to provide a concise
discussion of embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0036] As used herein, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" are to be
construed as being inclusive and
open ended, and not exclusive. Specifically, when used in the specification
and claims, the terms
"comprises" and "comprising" as well as variations thereof denote the
specified features, steps, or
components are included. These terms are not to be interpreted to exclude the
presence of other features,
steps, or components.
[0037] As used herein, the term "exemplary" denotes "serving as an example,
instance, or illustration" and
should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other configurations
herein disclosed. As used
herein, the terms "about" and "approximately" are intended to cover variations
that may exist in the upper
and lower limits of the ranges of values, such as variations in properties,
parameters, and dimensions. In
one non-limiting example, the terms "about" and "approximately" denote plus or
minus 10 percent or less.
[0038] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of
actions; therefore,
"determining" includes, but is not limited to, calculating, computing,
processing, deriving, investigating,
ascertaining, searching, looking-up, e.g., looking-up data or any other
information in a table, a database, or
another data structure, and the like. Also, "determining" includes, but is not
limited to, receiving, e.g.,
receiving information, accessing, e.g., accessing data in a memory, and the
like. Further, "determining"
includes, but is not limited to, resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing,
and the like. As used herein, the
phrase "based on" does not denote "based only on," unless otherwise expressly
specified. In other words,
the phrase "based on" denotes both "based only on" as well as "based at least
on."
[0039] As described herein, functions of any features of any embodiment of the
present disclosure may be
stored as one or more instructions on at least one of a processor-readable
medium and a computer-readable
medium. The term "computer-readable medium" denotes any available medium that
is accessible by a
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computer or processor. By way of example, and not limitation, such a medium
may comprise RAM, ROM,
EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk
storage, or other magnetic
storage devices, or any other medium, including a cloud server, that is usable
for storing desired program
code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed
by a computer. A computer-
readable medium may be tangible and non-transitory. As used herein, the term
"code" may refer to
software, instructions, code, or data that is/are executable by a computing
device or a processor. A
"module" denotes a processor configured to execute computer-readable code.
[0040] As described herein, a processor includes, but is not limited to, a
general purpose processor, a digital
signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a
field programmable gate array
(FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic,
discrete hardware
components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the herein
described functions. A general
purpose processor can be a microprocessor. Alternatively, the processor
includes, but is not limited to, a
controller, or microcontroller, combinations of the same, or the like. A
processor can also be implemented
as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a
microprocessor, a plurality of
microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core,
or any other such
configuration. Although described herein primarily with respect to digital
technology, a processor includes,
but is not limited to, primarily analog components. For example, any of the
signal processing algorithms
described herein may be implemented in analog circuitry. In some embodiments,
a processor includes, but
is not limited to, a graphics processing unit (GPU). The parallel processing
capabilities of GPUs can reduce
the amount of time for training and using neural networks (and other machine
learning models) compared
to central processing units (CPUs). In some embodiments, a processor includes,
but is not limited to, an
ASIC including dedicated machine learning circuitry custom-build for one or
both of model training and
model inference.
[0041] As described herein, tasks illustrated in the drawings can be
distributed across multiple processors
or computing devices of a computer system, including computing devices that
are geographically
distributed. The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or
actions for achieving the described
method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another
without departing from
the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or
actions is required for proper
operation of the method that is being described, the order and/or use of
specific steps and/or actions may
be modified without departing from the scope of the claims, and are also
encompassed by the present
disclosure.
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
[0042] In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, a system
and methods for labeling
tractography in the presence of a brain lesion are provided. Some embodiments
of the present disclosure
involve combining a FWC tractography set and a non-FWC tractography set into a
single tractography set
with a "degree of free water" value assigned to at least one of a geometry of
a neural tract (a neural tract
geometry) and a geometry of a fragment of a neural tract (a neural tract
fragment geometry). A tool, e.g., a
graphical user interface, comprising a slider interface having a slider, is
introduced to facilitate dynamically
adjusting the free water threshold value that controls selecting and
displaying tract geometry and/or a
fragment of tract geometry. For example, only a geometry for each neural tract
and a geometry for each
fragment of a neural tract, corresponding to a degree of free water below a
threshold value is displayed
while other geometry is hidden.
[0043 In accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure, by
dynamically adjusting the degree
of FWC applied, at least one of a neural tract geometry and a neural tract
fragment geometry is selectively
displayable, thereby eliminating any need to reprocess or regenerate a tract
set. By assigning a normalized
value, indicating a degree of free water, to at least one of a neural tract
geometry and a neural tract fragment
geometry and dynamically adjusting a free water threshold value, at least one
of the neural tract geometry
and the neural tract fragment geometry is selectively displayable for a
plurality of distinct pathologies,
thereby avoiding false positive results otherwise resulting from
overcorrecting the free water threshold
value in relation to certain non-pathological free water areas, e.g., the
ventricles. Furthermore, a GUI,
comprising a tool, such as a slider tool, is used to vary the free water
threshold value. For example, by
moving the slider tool to a setting of approximately 80%, only at least one of
a neural tract geometry and a
neural tract fragment geometry, having a free water value of up to
approximately 80%, such as a geometry
corresponding to a ventricle, is displayed.
[0044] Referring to FIG. 1, this block diagram illustrates functional
subsystems of an MRI system 100, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The MRI system 100 is
shown for illustrative
purposes only, and variations, including additional, fewer, and/or varied
components are possible. MRI is
an imaging modality that is primarily used to generate images from magnetic
resonance (MR) signals, such
as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals that emanate from hydrogen atoms,
upon excitation, in an
object. In medical MRI, typical signals of interest are NMR signals that
emanate from the major hydrogen
containing components, such as water and fat, of tissues, such as adipose
tissue, upon excitation. The MRI
system 100 comprises a data processing system 105. The data processing system
105 generally comprises
one or more output devices, such as a display, one or more input devices, such
as a keyboard and a mouse,
as well as one or more processors coupled with a memory having volatile and
persistent components. The
data processing system 105 further comprises an interface, e.g., comprising an
interface 200 (FIGS. 2 and
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
3), that is adapted for communication and data exchange with the hardware
components of MRI system
100 that are used for performing a scan, e.g., an MRI scan.
[0045] Still referring to FIG. 1, the MRI system 100 further comprises a main
field magnet 110. For
example, the main field magnet 110 comprises at least one of a permanent
magnet, a superconducting
magnet, a resistive magnet, and a hybrid magnet. The main field magnet 110 is
operable to produce a
substantially uniform magnetic field BO having a direction along an axis. The
magnetic field BO is used to
create an imaging volume within which desired atomic nuclei, such as the
protons in hydrogen atoms, e.g.,
within water and fat, of an object are magnetically aligned in preparation for
a scan. In some
implementations, as in this example implementation, the MRI system 100 further
comprises a main field
control unit 115 in communication with the data processing system 105, the
data processing system 105
configured to control operation of the main field magnet 110.
[0046] Still referring to FIG. 1, the MRI system 100 further comprises
gradient coils 120 configured to
encode spatial information in the main magnetic field BO along three
perpendicular axis, for example. The
size and configuration of the gradient coils 120 are such that they produce a
controlled and uniform linear
gradient. For example, three paired orthogonal current-carrying gradient coils
120 that are disposed within
the main field magnet 110 are configured to produce desired linear gradient
magnetic fields. The magnetic
fields that are at least one of combinationally produced and sequentially by
the gradient coils 120 are
superimposed on the main magnetic field BO such that selective spatial
excitation of an object within the
imaging volume occurs. In addition to allowing spatial excitation, the
gradient coils 120 attach spatially
specific frequency and phase information to the atomic nuclei, thereby
facilitating reconstruction of the
resultant MR signal into a useful image. The MRI system 100 further comprises
a gradient coil control unit
125 in communication with the data processing system 105, the gradient coil
control unit 125 configured
to control the operation of the gradient coils 120.
[0047] Still referring to FIG. 1, the MRI system 100 further comprises radio
frequency (RF) coils 130. The
RF coils 130 are configured to establish a magnetic field B1 for exciting the
atomic nuclei or "spins." The
RF coils 130 are further configured to detect signals emitted from the
"relaxing" spins within the object
being imaged. Accordingly, the RF coils 130 comprise at least one of separate
transmit-coils and receive-
coils and a combined transmit-coil and receive-coil having a switching
mechanism for switching between
a transmit mode and a receive mode.
[0048] Still referring to FIG. 1, the RF coils 130 further comprise surface
coils, which are typically receive
only coils and/or volume coils which can receive and transmit coils. RF coils
130 can be integrated in the
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main field magnet 110 bore. Alternatively, RF coils 130 can be implemented
proximate the object to be
scanned, such as a head, and the RF coils 130 can be configured in a shape
that approximates the shape of
the object, such as a close-fitting helmet. The MRI system 100 further
comprises an RF coil control unit
135 in communication with the data processing system 105, the RF coil control
unit 135 is configured to
control the operation of the RF coils 130.
[0049] Still referring to FIG. 1, to generate an image, the MRI system 100
detects a presence of atomic
nuclei containing spin angular momentum in an object, such as those of
hydrogen protons in water or fat
found in tissues, by subjecting the object to a large magnetic field. In this
example implementation, the
main magnetic field is denoted as BO; and the atomic nuclei, having a spin
angular momentum, comprise
protons, e.g., hydrogen protons. The magnetic field BO partially polarizes the
hydrogen protons in the
object placed in the imaging volume of the main magnet 110. The protons are
then excited with
appropriately tuned RF radiation, e.g., the magnetic field B1, in this
example. Finally, a weak RF radiation
signal, emanating from the excited protons, is detected as protons "relax"
from the magnetic interaction.
The frequency of the detected signal is proportional to the magnetic field to
which the protons are subjected.
A cross-section of the object from which to obtain signals is selected by
producing a magnetic field gradient
across the object so that magnetic field values of BO can be varied along a
plurality of locations in the
object. Given that the signal frequency is proportional to the varied magnetic
field that is generated, the
variations in magnetic field allow assigning a particular signal frequency and
a particular phase to a location
in the object. Accordingly, sufficient information is provided by the acquired
signals to generate a map of
the object in terms of proton presence, such map being the basis of an MRI
image. For example, since
proton density varies with the type of tissue, tissue variations can be mapped
as image contrast variations
after the obtained signals are processed.
[0050] Still referring to FIG. 1, to obtain images from the MRI system 100 in
the manner described above,
one or more sets of RF pulses and gradient waveforms (collectively called
"pulse sequences") are selected
at the data processing system 105. The data processing system 105 passes the
selected pulse sequence
information to the RF control unit 135 and the gradient control unit 125,
which collectively generate the
associated waveforms and timings for providing a sequence of pulses to perform
a scan.
[0051] Still referring to FIG. 1, for tractography, the data processing system
105 uses diffusion tensor
imaging (DTI) techniques to map white matter tractography in the brain by:
measuring the apparent
diffusion coefficient at each voxel in the image, and, after multilinear
regression across multiple images,
reconstructing the whole diffusion tensor, thereby providing MRI images with
each anisotropy linked to an
orientation of the predominant axis (predominant direction of the diffusion).
Post-processing programs are
12
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
used to extract this directional information, and, by introducing a color
code, indicate a manner wherein the
fibers are oriented in a 3D coordinate system (known as an "anisotropic map")
where, for example, red
indicates directions in the X axis: right to left or left to right, green
indicates directions in the Y axis:
posterior to anterior or from anterior to posterior, and blue indicates
directions in the Z axis: foot-to-head
direction or vice versa.
[0052] Referring to FIG. 2, this diagram illustrates an MRI graphical user
interface 200 for tractography,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The MRI graphical
user interface 200
comprises: a first area 210 for displaying an image 201 acquired, for example,
by using the MRI system
100, as shown in FIG. 1; and a second area 220 having user interface elements
230 for controlling aspects
of the image 201 displayed in the first area 210, such as selectable features,
e.g., such checkboxes (not
shown), to select an option, e.g., "intersecting tracts only," or for
filtering data, such as hiding certain fibers,
e.g., blue marked motor fibers that run from head-to-foot, red marked fibers
running from left-to-right for
carrying information to different hemispheres of the brain, or green marked
projection fibers connecting
lower order processing regions and higher order processing regions of the
brain. The user interface
elements 230 comprise an FWC slider 330 (FIG. 3).
[0053] Referring to FIG. 3, this diagram illustrates the MRI graphical user
interface 200, as shown in FIG.
2, wherein the FWC slider 330 is set at a free water value of 0%, in
accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure. The image 201, as shown in FIG. 2, is enhanced, thereby
displaying a refreshed image
201' which includes a tractography set showing bundles of tracts, wherein an
area 325 denotes an area of
increased free water due, for example, to an edema. As discussed above,
whereas tractography algorithms
can identify approximately 90% of nerve tracts, such tractography algorithms
can be confounded by areas
of increased free water, such as area 325, which hide anisotropic water, e.g.,
tracts, during MRI. Therefore,
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second area 220 of
the user interface elements
230 comprises an FWC slider 330 to facilitate at least one of controlling and
selecting at least one of a tract
geometry and tract fragment geometry to be displayed based on a degree of free
water in the image 201 by
using a method M4, as shown in FIG. 4, by example only, whereby the refreshed
image 201' is displayable.
[0054] Referring to FIG. 4, this flow diagram illustrates a method M4 of
controlling and selecting at least
one of a tract geometry and a tract fragment geometry to be displayed, based
on a degree of free water in
an image, e.g., the image 201, as shown in FIG. 2, by way of an MRI graphical
user interface, as shown in
FIG. 1, wherein an FWC slider 330, as shown in FIG. 3, is set at a free water
value of 0%, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method M4 comprises:
applying an FWC algorithm to
an MRI image set and assigning at least one FW value to at least one of a
tract geometry and tract fragment
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Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
geometry, as indicated by block 400; comparing the at least one FW value to a
threshold (FWTH), e.g., as
user-selected, as set via an FWC slider 330, as indicated by block 410; and
refreshing the image 201, thereby
displaying a refreshed image 201' comprising a representation of at least one
of the tract geometry and the
tract fragment geometry corresponding to a FW value <1= FWTH, as indicated by
block 420.
[0055] Still referring to FIG. 4, at block 400, an FWC algorithm is applied to
the MRI image set resulting
in a tractography set with a "degree of free water" value (FW value) assigned
to each tract and/or fragment
of tract geometry. As discussed above, the FWC algorithm comprises any of a
number of algorithms, such
as described in Henderson, et al.. At block 410, the FW values assigned to all
tracts and/or and fragments
of tract geometry are compared with a user selected threshold (FWTH) indicated
by the FWC slider 330. At
block 420, the image 201 is refreshed as a refreshed image 201' so that only
those tracts and/or fragments
of tract geometry having FW values </= FWTH in the area 325 are displayed,
while others are hidden. If
the FWC slider 330 is set to 0%, as shown in FIG. 3, such that the refreshed
image 201' shows only
tracts/segments where the FW value </= FWTH = 0, no free water correction is
applied. Thus, the area 325
of the image 201 has gaps in tractography due to signal washout from increased
free water.
[0056] Referring to FIG. 5, this diagram illustrates the MRI graphical user
interface 200, as shown in FIG.
1, wherein the FWC slider 330 is set at a free water value of 50%, such that
the refreshed image 201' shows
additional tracts that are "barely" hidden by free water, e.g., tracts where
the assigned the FW values <
FWTH = 50%, in the area 325, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure. Setting the
slider 330 at 50% may or may not actually map to a 50% free water value,
since, in embodiments, the slider
value may be remapped via a look-up table to ensure uniform-visibility control
over the entire range of the
slider 330, thereby avoiding problems otherwise arising when a large portion
of the FW values fall into a
very narrow range such that an incremental movement of the slider would hide
too many
tracts/segments/points at one position on the slider, and otherwise removing
too little (or none) of the
tracts/segments/points at another position on the slider 330.
[0057] Referring to FIG. 6, this diagram illustrates the MRI graphical user
interface of FIG. 1 wherein the
FWC slider 330 is set at a free water value of 100% for effecting an
aggressive free water correction, such
that the refreshed image 201' shows all tracts, wherein the assigned FW values
< FWTH = 100%, e.g., full
free water corrected tractography, including tracts that were significantly
occluded by free water, in the
area 325, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0058] Referring to FIG. 7, this diagram illustrates additional details of the
FWC slider interface user
interface, comprising the slider interface 330, as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, and 6,
in accordance with an
14
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
embodiment of the present disclosure. The slider interface 330 comprises a
track 700 for facilitating setting
a range by a user. From left-to-right, the smallest threshold value appears on
the far left end of the track
700 and the largest value is on the far right. The slider interface 330
further comprises a position indicator
710, e.g. a "thumb" feature, configured to slide along the track 700.
Optionally, the slider interface 330
further comprises a value label 725 disposed in relation to the position
indicator 710, the value label 725
configured to display the value of its position as a numeral, e.g., "45" for
FWTH = 45%. As a further option,
the slider interface 330 further comprises tick marks (not shown) disposed
along the track 700, the tick
marks representing predetermined values, e.g., 0%. 10%, 20%, ..., 100%, to
which the user can set by
moving the position indicator 710. The slider interface 330 further comprises
icons 730L and 730R
disposed at respective ends of the track 700 to provide a visual
representation of a range of threshold values,
the icon 730L indicating no free water correction, and the icon 730R
indicating full free water correction.
[0059] Still referring to FIG. 7, for example, whereas the exemplary FWC
slider 330 shows the smallest
threshold value appearing on the far left end of the track 700 and the largest
value on the far right, the FWC
slider 330 can be implemented in the opposite direction, from right-to-left,
wherein the left position shows
the full water corrected set and right position shows the uncorrected set. The
system should therefore not
be limited by the above described embodiment, method, and examples, but by all
embodiments and methods
within the scope and spirit of the system. Thus, the present disclosure is not
intended to be limited to the
implementations shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent
with the principles and
novel features herein disclosed.
[0060] Some embodiments of the present disclosure also encompass MRI systems
and methods for labeling
tractography in a presence of a brain lesion. While accounting for
tractography infiltration or displacement,
these embodiments of the MRI systems and methods involve providing an initial
estimation of at least one
of: (a) an infiltration or an infiltrative and (b) a displacement or a
displacing effect; and providing a tool to
the user to adjust the level of at least one of: (a) an infiltration or an
infiltrative and (b) a displacement or
a displacing effect to intraoperatively re-perform the tract segmentation in
at least near real-time. For
example, the tool comprises a graphical user interface (GUI) slider tool for
use in surgical planning
software.
[0061] These embodiments of the MRI systems and methods further involve
modeling a force that is exerted
by a lesion on the brain by virtually locally deforming a tract labeling atlas
in a 3D space by way of the
tool. By example only, the tool comprises a slider. Modeling this force
comprises using at least one of a
size, a shape, and a level of displacement, as defined by the tool, e.g., the
slider, wherein using the slider to
increase a level of displacement virtually increases the force. In the case of
purely infiltrative disease, e.g.,
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
no displacement, no force would be modeled; and an atlas would not be
deformed. Further, the MRI
systems and methods would instruct the labeling feature to expect fewer tracts
in that area and to label
tracts, accordingly, including labeling tracts in an area corresponding to a
pathology, itself.
[0062] Referring to FIG. 8, this screenshot illustrates an MRI user interface
system S comprising a UI 80
configured for use with an MRI system, the UI 80 comprising a slider feature
820, the slider feature 820
configured to facilitate modeling a force exerted by a lesion on a brain by
virtually locally deforming a tract
labeling atlas in a 3D space per-region by way of the tool, e.g., a slider
830, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present disclosure. By example only, the UI 80 comprises a
display 80a of an object or
a subject, such as a patient, respectively showing a cross-sectional views 81,
82, 83, along three axes, e.g.,
a front to rear axis, a side to side axis and a top to bottom axis.
[0063] Referring to FIG. 9, this screenshot illustrates a slider feature 820
of a UI 80, as shown in FIG. 8, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The slider feature
820 comprises a slider
interface 830. The slider interface 830 comprises a track 800 for facilitating
setting at least one of a size, a
shape, and a level of displacement by a user. From left-to-right, the smallest
threshold value appears on
the far left end of the track 800 and the largest value is on the far right.
The slider interface 830 further
comprises a position indicator 810, e.g. a "thumb" feature, configured to
slide along the track 800.
Optionally, the slider interface 830 further comprises a value label (not
shown) disposed in relation to the
position indicator 810, the value label configured to display the value of its
position as a numeral, e.g., with
units. As a further option, the slider interface 830 further comprises tick
marks (not shown) disposed along
the track 800, the tick marks representing predetermined values to which the
user can set by moving the
position indicator 810. The slider interface 830 further comprises icons 830L
and 830R disposed at
respective ends of the track 800 to provide a visual representation of a range
of threshold values, the icon
830L indicating presence of a fully infiltrative disease condition, and, thus,
no displacement, no force
modeled, and no atlas deformation, and the icon 830R indicating full mass
effect, and, thus, displacement,
a force modeled; and atlas deformation. The slider feature 820 further
comprises a button 840 for triggering
relabeling of the tractography.
[0064] Referring to FIG. 10, this screenshot illustrates a cross-sectional
view 82, along the side to side axis,
of the display 80a in the UI 80, as shown in FIG. 8, wherein the position
indicator 810, e.g. a "thumb"
feature, has been slid along the track 800, as shown in FIG. 9, in accordance
with an embodiment of the
present disclosure. When the position indicator 810 is slid to the right, the
region is now identified as
introducing mild mass effect. At this point, clicking button 840 having the
indicium "Relabel" triggers re-
16
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
performance of the segmentation, wherein a "force vector" field corresponds to
a pathology region, and
wherein the atlas is locally distorted based on the force vector field.
[0065] Referring to FIG. 11, this screenshot illustrates a cross-sectional
view 82, along the side to side axis,
of the display 80a in the UI 80, as shown in FIG. 8, wherein the position
indicator 810, e.g. a "thumb"
feature, has been slid farther along the track 800, as shown in FIG. 9, in
accordance with an embodiment
of the present disclosure. When the position indicator 810 is slid farther to
the right, the region is now
identified as introducing stronger mass effect than that shown in FIG. 10. At
this point, clicking button 840
having the indicium "Relabel" triggers re-performance of the segmentation,
wherein a new "force vector"
field corresponds to a pathology region, and wherein the atlas is locally
distorted based on the new force
vector field, e.g., a stronger "force vector" field than that shown in FIG.
10.
[0066] Referring back to FIG. 12, an MRI user interface system S for labeling
tractography from surgical
planning data in a presence of a lesion in a brain, the tractography
comprising a tract segmentation and a
tract labeling atlas in relation to a three-dimensional space, the system
comprising: a GUI 1201, e.g., the
UI 80, comprising a tool, e.g., a slider feature 820 comprising a slider
interface 830, the tool configured to
facilitate:
adjusting a displacement for intraoperatively reperforming the tract
segmentation in
approximately real time, modeling deformation of the tract labeling atlas by
facilitating modeling a force
exerted by the lesion on the brain, and defining at least one parameter of a
size, a shape, and a level of the
displacement condition; and a processor 1202 in communication with the GUI and
configured, by a set of
executable instructions storable in relation to a non-transient memory device,
to: determine whether at least
one of an infiltration condition and a displacement condition appears in the
tractography; if at least one of
the infiltration condition and the displacement condition is determined to
appear in the tractography,
estimate the at least one of the infiltration condition and the displacement
condition; if the displacement
condition is determined to appear in the tractography, instruct the GUI to
render the tool and model the
force exerted by the lesion on the brain by using the at least one parameter,
whereby a new tract
segmentation and a new tract labeling atlas are provided; and if the
displacement condition is determined
to be absent from the tractography, refrain from modeling the force, wherein a
presence of only the
infiltration condition is assumed, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present disclosure.
[0067] Still referring back to FIG. 12, in the system S, the tool comprises a
slider feature, e.g., a slider
feature 820; and the slider feature comprises a slider. the GUI is configured
to render a display of at least
one of an object and a subject, the display showing at least one cross-
sectional view, the at least one cross-
sectional view comprising at least one view along at least one of three axes,
and the three axes comprising
a front to rear axis, a side to side axis, and a top to bottom axis. The
slider feature, e.g., a slider feature 820,
17
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
comprises at least one of: a slider interface, e.g., a slider interface 830; a
track, e.g., a track 800, for
facilitating setting at least one of a size, a shape, and a level of
displacement by a user, a representation,
e.g., an icon 830L, of the lowest threshold value is disposed on a far left
end of the track, and a
representation of the highest value, e.g., an icon 830R, is disposed on a far
right end of the track; and a
position indicator, e.g., a position indicator 810, configured to slide along
the track, the position indicator
comprising a thumb feature.
[0068] Still referring back to FIG. 12, in the system S, the slider interface,
e.g., a slider interface 830, further
comprises at least one of: a value label disposed in relation to the position
indicator, e.g., a position
indicator 810, the value label configured to display at least one of a value
corresponding to a position of the
position indicator, e.g., a position indicator 810, the value represented as a
numeral; a plurality of tick marks
disposed along the track, e.g., a track 800, the tick marks representing a
plurality of predetermined values
to which the position indicator, e.g., a position indicator 810, is movable;
and a plurality of icons, the
plurality of icons comprising a left end icon, e.g., an icon 830L, and a right
end icon, e.g., an icon 830R,
disposed at respective ends of the track, e.g., a track 800, to provide a
visual representation of a range of
threshold values, the left end icon, e.g., an icon 830L, indicating presence
of a fully infiltrative disease
condition, and, thus, no displacement, no force modeled, and no atlas
deformation, and the right end icon,
e.g., an icon 830L, indicating full mass effect, and, thus, displacement, a
force modeled; and atlas
deformation; and a button configured for trigger relabeling of the
tractography.
[0069] Referring to FIG. 13, this flow diagram illustrates a method M1 of
providing an MRI user interface
system S for labeling tractography from surgical planning data in a presence
of a lesion in a brain, the
tractography comprising a tract segmentation and a tract labeling atlas in
relation to a three-dimensional
space, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method
M1 comprises: providing
a GUI 1201, e.g., the UI 80, providing the GUI comprising providing a tool,
e.g., a slider feature 820
comprising a slider interface 830, providing the tool comprising configuring
the tool to facilitate: adjusting
a displacement for intraoperatively reperforming the tract segmentation in
approximately real time,
modeling deformation of the tract labeling atlas by facilitating modeling a
force exerted by the lesion on
the brain, and defining at least one parameter of a size, a shape, and a level
of the displacement condition,
as indicated by block 1301; and providing a processor in communication with
the GUI, providing the
processor comprising configuring the processor, by a set of executable
instructions storable in relation to a
non-transient memory device, to: determine whether at least one of an
infiltration condition and a
displacement condition appears in the tractography; if at least one of the
infiltration condition and the
displacement condition is determined to appear in the tractography, estimate
the at least one of the
infiltration condition and the displacement condition; if the displacement
condition is determined to appear
18
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
in the tractography, instruct the GUI to render the tool and model the force
exerted by the lesion on the
brain by using the at least one parameter, whereby a new tract segmentation
and a new tract labeling atlas
are provided; and if the displacement condition is determined to be absent
from the tractography, refrain
from modeling the force, wherein a presence of only the infiltration condition
is assumed, as indicated by
block 1302.
[0070] Still referring to FIG. 13, in the method Ml, providing the tool
comprises providing a slider feature;
and providing the slider feature comprises providing a slider. Providing the
GUI comprises configuring the
GUI to render a display of at least one of an object and a subject, the
display showing at least one cross-
sectional view, the at least one cross-sectional view comprising at least one
view along at least one of three
axes, and the three axes comprising a front to rear axis, a side to side axis,
and a top to bottom axis.
Providing the slider feature comprises providing a slider interface. Providing
the slider interface comprises:
providing a track for facilitating setting at least one of a size, a shape,
and a level of displacement by a user,
a representation of the lowest threshold value is disposed on a far left end
of the track, and a representation
of the highest value is disposed on a far right end of the track; and
providing a position indicator configured
to slide along the track, the position indicator comprising a thumb feature.
[0071] Still referring to FIG. 13, in the method Ml, providing the slider
interface further comprises
providing at least one of: a value label disposed in relation to the position
indicator, the value label
configured to display at least one of a value corresponding to a position of
the position indicator, the value
represented as a numeral; a plurality of tick marks disposed along the track,
the tick marks representing a
plurality of predetermined values to which the position indicator movable; and
a plurality of icons, the
plurality of icons comprising a left end icon and a right end icon disposed at
respective ends of the track to
provide a visual representation of a range of threshold values, the left end
icon indicating presence of a
fully infiltrative disease condition, and, thus, no displacement, no force
modeled, and no atlas deformation,
and the right end icon indicating full mass effect, and, thus, displacement, a
force modeled; and atlas
deformation; and a button configured for trigger relabeling of the
tractography.
[0072] Referring to FIG. 14, this flow diagram illustrates a method M2 of
labeling tractography from
surgical planning data in a presence of a lesion in a brain, the tractography
comprising a tract segmentation
and a tract labeling atlas in relation to a three-dimensional space by way of
an MRI user interface system
S, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method M2
comprises: providing the
MRI user interface system S, indicated by block 1400, providing the MRI user
interface system S
comprising: providing a GUI 1201, e.g., the UI 80, providing the GUI
comprising providing a tool, e.g., a
slider feature 820 comprising a slider interface 830, providing the tool
comprising configuring the tool to
19
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
facilitate:
adjusting a displacement for intraoperatively reperforming the tract
segmentation in
approximately real time, modeling deformation of the tract labeling atlas by
facilitating modeling a force
exerted by the lesion on the brain, and defining at least one parameter of a
size, a shape, and a level of the
displacement condition, as indicated by block 1401; and providing a processor
in communication with the
GUI, providing the processor comprising configuring the processor, by a set of
executable instructions
storable in relation to a non-transient memory device, to: determine whether
at least one of an infiltration
condition and a displacement condition appears in the tractography; if at
least one of the infiltration
condition and the displacement condition is determined to appear in the
tractography, estimate the at least
one of the infiltration condition and the displacement condition; if the
displacement condition is determined
to appear in the tractography, instruct the GUI to render the tool and model
the force exerted by the lesion
on the brain by using the at least one parameter, whereby a new tract
segmentation and a new tract labeling
atlas are provided; and if the displacement condition is determined to be
absent from the tractography,
refrain from modeling the force, wherein a presence of only the infiltration
condition is assumed, as
indicated by block 1402; and operating the MRI user interface system S, as
indicated by block 1403.
[0073] Still referring to FIG. 14, in the method M2, providing the tool
comprises providing a slider feature;
and providing the slider feature comprises providing a slider. Providing the
GUI comprises configuring the
GUI to render a display of at least one of an object and a subject, the
display showing at least one cross-
sectional view, the at least one cross-sectional view comprising at least one
view along at least one of three
axes, and the three axes comprising a front to rear axis, a side to side axis,
and a top to bottom axis.
Providing the slider feature comprises providing a slider interface. Providing
the slider interface comprises:
providing a track for facilitating setting at least one of a size, a shape,
and a level of displacement by a user,
a representation of the lowest threshold value is disposed on a far left end
of the track, and a representation
of the highest value is disposed on a far right end of the track; and
providing a position indicator configured
to slide along the track, the position indicator comprising a thumb feature.
[0074] Still referring to FIG. 14, in the method M2, providing the slider
interface further comprises
providing at least one of: a value label disposed in relation to the position
indicator, the value label
configured to display at least one of a value corresponding to a position of
the position indicator, the value
represented as a numeral; a plurality of tick marks disposed along the track,
the tick marks representing a
plurality of predetermined values to which the position indicator movable; and
a plurality of icons, the
plurality of icons comprising a left end icon and a right end icon disposed at
respective ends of the track to
provide a visual representation of a range of threshold values, the left end
icon indicating presence of a
fully infiltrative disease condition, and, thus, no displacement, no force
modeled, and no atlas deformation,
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
and the right end icon indicating full mass effect, and, thus, displacement, a
force modeled; and atlas
deformation; and a button configured for trigger relabeling of the
tractography.
[0075] The functions described herein may be stored as one or more
instructions on a processor-readable
or computer-readable medium. The term "computer-readable medium" refers to any
available medium that
can be accessed by a computer or processor. By way of example, and not
limitation, such a medium may
comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage,
magnetic disk
storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be
used to store desired program
code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed
by a computer. It should be
noted that a computer-readable medium may be tangible and non-transitory. As
used herein, the term
"code" may refer to software, instructions, code or data that is/are
executable by a computing device or
processor. A "module" can be considered as a processor executing computer-
readable code.
[0076] A processor as described herein can be a general purpose processor, a
digital signal processor (DSP),
an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate
array (FPGA) or other
programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete
hardware components, or any
combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A
general purpose processor can
be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be a
controller, or microcontroller,
combinations of the same, or the like. A processor can also be implemented as
a combination of computing
devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of
microprocessors, one or more
microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such
configuration. Although described
herein primarily with respect to digital technology, a processor may also
include primarily analog
components. For example, any of the signal processing algorithms described
herein may be implemented
in analog circuitry. In some embodiments, a processor can be a graphics
processing unit (GPU). The
parallel processing capabilities of GPUs can reduce the amount of time for
training and using neural
networks (and other machine learning models) compared to central processing
units (CPUs). In some
embodiments, a processor can be an ASIC including dedicated machine learning
circuitry custom-build for
one or both of model training and model inference. The disclosed or
illustrated tasks can be distributed
across multiple processors or computing devices of a computer system,
including computing devices that
are geographically distributed.
[0077] The methods disclosed herein comprise one or more steps or actions for
achieving the described
method. The method steps and/or actions may be interchanged with one another
without departing from
the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of steps or
actions is required for proper
21
Date Recue/Date Received 2022-03-03
operation of the method that is being described, the order and/or use of
specific steps and/or actions may
be modified without departing from the scope of the claims.
[0078] The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of
example, and understood is
that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and
alternative forms. Further
understood is that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular
forms disclosed, but rather to
cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the
spirit and scope of this disclosure.
While the foregoing written description of the system enables one of ordinary
skill to make and use what
is considered presently to be the best mode thereof, those of ordinary skill
will understand and appreciate
the existence of variations, combinations, and equivalents of the specific
embodiment, method, and
examples herein. The system should therefore not be limited by the above
described embodiment, method,
and examples, but by all embodiments and methods within the scope and spirit
of the system. Thus, the
present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown
herein but is to be accorded
the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed
herein.
[0079] Information as herein shown and described in detail is fully capable of
attaining the above-described
object of the present disclosure, the presently preferred embodiment of the
present disclosure, and is, thus,
representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the
present disclosure. The scope of
the present disclosure fully encompasses other embodiments which may become
obvious to those skilled
in the art, and is to be limited, accordingly, by nothing other than the
appended claims, wherein any
reference to an element being made in the singular is not intended to mean
"one and only one" unless
explicitly so stated, but rather "one or more."
[0080] Moreover, no requirement exists for a system or method to address each
and every problem sought
to be resolved by the present disclosure, for such to be encompassed by the
present claims. Furthermore,
no element, component, or method step in the present disclosure is intended to
be dedicated to the public
regardless of whether the element, component, or method step is explicitly
recited in the claims. However,
that various changes and modifications in form, material, work-piece, and
fabrication material detail may
be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present
disclosure, as set forth in the appended
claims, as may be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, are also
encompassed by the present
disclosure.
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INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0081] Generally, the present disclosure industrially applies to surgical
planning. More specifically, the
present disclosure industrially applies to surgical planning for neurosurgery.
Even more specifically, the
present disclosure industrially applies to labeling tractography from surgical
planning data.
=
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