US 12,190,436 B2
Systems and methods for generating multi-view synthetic dental radiographs for intraoral tomosynthesis
Connor Puett, Durham, NC (US); Otto Z. Zhou, Chapel Hill, NC (US); Jianping Lu, Chapel Hill, NC (US); and Christina Inscoe, Holly Springs, NC (US)
Assigned to THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL, Chapel Hill, NC (US)
Filed by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC (US)
Filed on Nov. 18, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/529,346.
Application 17/529,346 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2020/047319, filed on Aug. 21, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/889,932, filed on Aug. 21, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0148252 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 15/08 (2011.01); A61B 6/02 (2006.01); A61B 6/51 (2024.01); G06T 5/70 (2024.01); G06T 11/00 (2006.01); G06T 15/20 (2011.01)
CPC G06T 15/08 (2013.01) [A61B 6/025 (2013.01); A61B 6/51 (2024.01); G06T 5/70 (2024.01); G06T 11/006 (2013.01); G06T 15/20 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10116 (2013.01); G06T 2207/20081 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30036 (2013.01); G06T 2210/41 (2013.01); G06T 2211/424 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for generating one or more multi-view synthetic dental radiographs using a chain of interdependent image processing steps, the method comprising:
generating or receiving a plurality of two-dimensional (2D) projection images;
manipulating pixel values contained in each of the plurality of 2D projection images by:
segmenting artifact-producing features in each of the plurality of 2D projection images; and
assigning pixel values to segmented regions by inward interpolation from surrounding pixel values for each of the plurality of 2D projections, thereby reducing imaging artifacts caused by the artifact-producing features;
reconstructing a three-dimensional (3D) image space from information available in the plurality of 2D projection images, the 3D image space comprising voxel values;
manipulating the voxel values in the 3D image space using one or more tunable weighting algorithms that can be adjusted to emphasize one or more features of interest of each image in the 3D image space;
generating a plurality of synthetic dental radiographs from multiple views using information available in the 3D image space;
fusing the artifact-producing features segmented from the plurality of 2D projection images into the plurality of synthetic dental radiographs to produce a set of final synthetic dental radiographs that comprise the artifact-producing features; and
displaying one or more synthetic dental radiographs of the set of final synthetic dental radiographs that comprise the artifact-producing features;
wherein the artifact-producing features are segmented in each of the plurality of 2D projection images prior to reconstructing the 3D image space.