ACQUIRING IMAGE DATA OF A BODY PART

Abstract

A method for acquiring image data of a body part of a patient by means of a ultrasonography device comprising the following steps: providing a transducer of the ultrasonography device, said transducer comprising a first orientation sensor; attaching a second orientation sensor to the skin of the patient above the body part; detecting the orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor and verifying, whether the relative orientation corresponds to a target value; and acquiring image data of the body part, once the relative orientation corresponds to the target value.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring image data of a body part of a patient by means of an ultrasonography device, the method comprising the following steps: providing a transducer of the ultrasonography device, said transducer comprising a first orientation sensor, attaching a second orientation sensor to the skin of the patient above the body part, detecting an orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor and verifying whether the relative orientation corresponds to a target value, acquiring image data of the body part, once the relative orientation corresponds to the target value.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the body part is the pelvis and the second orientation sensor is attached to the skin of the patient above the pelvis.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the second orientation sensor is attached to the skin of the patient above the sacrum and wherein, when the detecting comprises detecting the first orientation sensor is aligned to the second orientation sensor at least in a cranial direction and in a ventral direction, the target value of the relative orientation is reached.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the detecting the relative orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor comprises detecting: a first angle between the first and second orientation sensors with respect to a first axis of a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, a second angle between the first and second orientation sensors with respect to a second axis of the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system, and a third angle between the first and second orientation sensors with respect to a third axis of the three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the target value of the relative orientation is reached, when the first angle and the second angle each are in the range of −3° to +3°.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that sensor data from the first orientation sensor and from the second orientation sensor are transmitted to a portable data processing system, wherein the step of detecting the orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor is carried out by the data processing system.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that the data processing system is designed to generate a visual, haptic and/or acoustic signal(s) depending on the detected orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that the method comprises generating the visual signal, and wherein the generating the visual signal comprises outputting a graphical or numeric representation of the first angle, the second angle and the third angle on a graphical user interface.

9. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the detected orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor is continuously detected and compared with the target value and that the acquired image data of the body part is acquired automatically once the relative orientation corresponds to the target value.

10. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second orientation sensors are configured to detect an acceleration, a gravitational field, a magnetic field and/or an electric field.

11. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that an external magnetic and/or electric field is applied to a region comprising the first and second orientation sensors.

12. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the step of detecting the orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor comprises collecting first sensor data representative of an orientation from the first orientation sensor and collecting second sensor data representative of an orientation from the second orientation sensor, wherein the relative orientation is detected on basis of said first and second sensor data only.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the step of verifying whether the relative orientation corresponds to the target value, is carried out exclusively on a basis of the relative orientation that is detected on basis of said first and second sensor data.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the acquisition of said image data of the body part is triggered on basis of the relative orientation only.

15. A device for acquiring image data by means of an ultrasonography device comprising a transducer having a first orientation sensor and comprising a second orientation sensor to be arranged on a patient, wherein the second orientation sensor is configured for attachment to the skin of the patient, wherein a data processing system is provided, which is configured for receiving first sensor data from the first orientation sensor and second sensor data from the second orientation sensor and for detecting an orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor based on said first sensor data and second sensor data only, characterized in that the data processing system is designed for continuously detecting the orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor for comparing the relative orientation with a target value and for automatically acquiring image data of the body part once the relative orientation corresponds to the target value.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the first orientation sensor is detachably fixed to the transducer by means of an adapter.

17. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the second orientation sensor comprises an adhesive layer for attachment to the skin of the patient.

18. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that the data processing system is designed to generate a visual, haptic and/or acoustic signal(s) depending on the orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein a visual signal is generated, and wherein the generation of the visual signal comprises a graphical or numeric representation of the first angle, the second angle, and the third angle being output on a graphical user interface.

Description

[0039] The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment schematically shown in the drawing. FIG. 1 shows the device according to the invention in use on a patient.

[0040] In FIG. 1 the transducer of a schematically illustrated ultrasonography device 1 is denoted by 2. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the transducer 2 is connected to the ultrasonography device 1 via a cable 3 and carries a first orientation sensor 5 in a region 4. The first orientation sensor 5 is firmly connected to the transducer 2 via an adapter 6. A patient is designated by P. A second orientation sensor 7 is attached to the skin of the patient, for example, with an adhesive strip above the sacrum. The acetabulum is located approximately in the area marked with A. The relative orientation of the first orientation sensor 5 and thus of the transducer 2 to the second orientation sensor 7 and thus to the acetabulum can be determined precisely by processing the orientation data provided by the first and second orientation sensors 5 and 7. The orientation of the transducer 2 relative to the patient is adjusted by the physician until the system, based on a detection of the orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor, indicates that the ideal orientation required for the acquisition of valid images is reached. In this way, a reliable classification of the degree of dysplasia of the hip joint may be achieved.

[0041] To sum up, the invention provides a non-invasive method for guiding the practitioner to find the optimal relative orientation of a transducer of an ultrasonography device relative to a body part, wherein the absolute position of the transducer may, in addition, be found by other means, such as on the basis of the image data provided by the ultrasonography device.