US 12,136,147 B2
Method for the improvement of radiological images in the course of an angiography
Sebastiano Zannoli, Bologna (IT); and Enrico Altini, San Lazzaro di Savena (IT)
Assigned to ANGIODROID S.R.L., San Lazzaro di Savena (IT)
Appl. No. 17/609,482
Filed by ANGIODROID S.R.L., San Lazzaro di Savena (IT)
PCT Filed May 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/054329
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 8, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/225764, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 12, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 102019000006616 (IT), filed on May 7, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0230368 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. G06T 11/00 (2006.01); G06T 5/50 (2006.01)
CPC G06T 11/008 (2013.01) [G06T 5/50 (2013.01); G06T 2207/10116 (2013.01); G06T 2207/20224 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30101 (2013.01); G06T 2210/41 (2013.01); G06T 2211/404 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for the improvement of radiological images in the course of an angiography exam, comprising introducing a fluid contrast medium in an examination zone (Z) of a human or animal body, obtaining digital radiological images (IMC1, IMC2, IMC3 . . . IMCn) of the examination zone (Z) when the contrast medium is introduced, subtracting from each image (IMC1, IMC2, IMC3 . . . IMCn) with contrast medium a mask image (IMM1, IMM2, IMM3 . . . IMMn) of the same zone (Z), and thereby producing a series of clean digital radiological images (IMM1, IMM2, IMM3 . . . IMMn) free of noise, wherein
each mask image (IMM1, IMM2, IMM3 . . . IMMn) consists of at least one image with contrast (IMC (2-1), IMC (3-1) . . . IMC (n-1)) chosen from at least one of the images prior to the image with contrast currently obtained, the method further comprising:
a) obtaining a mask image (IMM1), before entering the contrast medium;
b) obtaining an image with contrast medium (IMC1);
c) subtracting the mask image (IMM1) from the image with contrast medium (IMC1), thereby obtaining a first clean image (IMP1);
d) obtaining a new image with contrast medium (IMC2);
e) obtaining a new mask image (IMM2, IMM3 . . . IMMn) consisting of the image with contrast medium (IMC (2-1), IMC (3-1) . . . IMC (n-1)) immediately preceding the image with contrast medium (IMC2, IMC3 . . . IMCn) currently obtained;
f) subtracting from the image with contrast medium (IMC2, IMC3 . . . IMCn), of the respective mask image (IMM2, IMM3 . . . IMMn) constituted by the previous radiological image with contrast medium (IMC (2-1), IMC (3-1) . . . IMC (n-1)), thereby obtaining a corresponding clean radiological image (IMP2, IMP3 . . . IMPn);
g) repeating steps b, c, d, and until an end of the exam.