US 12,433,477 B2
Contrast enhancement for medical imaging
Paul Roald Westwick, Vancouver (CA); Xudong Lu, West Vancouver (CA); Arthur E. Bailey, North Vancouver (CA); and John J. P. Fengler, North Vancouver (CA)
Assigned to Stryker Corporation, Portage, MI (US)
Filed by Stryker Corporation, Kalamazoo, MI (US)
Filed on Dec. 23, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/561,658.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/132,440, filed on Dec. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0211258 A1, Jul. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 1/00 (2006.01); A61B 1/04 (2006.01); A61B 1/06 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61K 49/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 1/043 (2013.01) [A61B 1/0005 (2013.01); A61B 1/0638 (2013.01); A61B 5/0071 (2013.01); A61K 49/0034 (2013.01)] 34 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of visualizing tissue of a subject, the method comprising:
receiving a fluorescence image of the tissue of the subject, wherein the fluorescence image comprises a plurality of intensity values;
analyzing the plurality of intensity values to determine a threshold intensity value such that intensity values that are associated with a first fluorescence emission that is from fluorescence agent that is preferentially accumulated or activated in a target region in the tissue are above the threshold intensity value and intensity values that are associated with a second fluorescence emission that is from fluorescence agent that is located in non-target regions in the tissue are below the threshold intensity value;
generating an enhanced fluorescence image by applying a non-linear transfer function to the intensity values that are below the threshold intensity value, wherein the non-linear transfer function is configured to reduce the intensity values that are below the threshold intensity value in accordance with a difference between the threshold intensity value and the intensity values that are below the threshold intensity value; and
displaying the enhanced fluorescence image in which intensity values corresponding to the non-target regions in the tissue are reduced relative to corresponding intensity values in the received fluorescence image and intensity values in the enhanced fluorescence image corresponding to the target region in the tissue are unchanged relative to corresponding intensity values in the received fluorescence image such that contrast in the enhanced fluorescence image is increased between the target region in the tissue and the non-target regions in the tissue, wherein at least a portion of the target region is diagnosed or treated based on the displayed enhanced fluorescence image.