Breathing chest radiography using a dynamic flat-panel detector combined with computer analysis.

Kinetic information is crucial when evaluating certain pulmonary diseases. When a dynamic flat-panel detector (FPD) can be used for a chest examination, kinetic information can be obtained simply and cost-effectively. The purpose of this study was to develop methods for analyzing respiratory kinetics, such as movement of the diaphragm and lung structures, and the respiratory changes in x-ray translucency in local lung fields. Postero-anterior dynamic chest radiographs during respiration were obtained with a modified FPD, which provided dynamic chest radiographs at a rate of 3 frames/s. Image registration for correction of physical motion was followed by measurement of the distance from the lung apex to the diaphragm. Next, we used a cross-correlation technique to measure the vectors of respiratory movement in specific lung areas. Finally, the average pixel value for a given local area was calculated by tracing the same local area in the lung field. This method of analysis was used for six healthy volunteers and one emphysema patient. The results reported here represent the initial stage in the development of a method that may constitute a new method for diagnosing certain pulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, fibroid lung, and pneumonia. A clinical evaluation of our method is now in progress.

[1]  G Gamsu,et al.  Dynamic pulmonary CT: findings in healthy adult men. , 1993, Radiology.

[2]  S. Sakai,et al.  Bronchogenic carcinoma invasion of the chest wall: evaluation with dynamic cine MRI during breathing. , 1997, Journal of computer assisted tomography.

[3]  Harvey F. Silverman,et al.  A Class of Algorithms for Fast Digital Image Registration , 1972, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[4]  K Doi,et al.  Basic imaging properties of a large image intensifier-TV digital chest radiographic system. , 1987, Investigative radiology.

[5]  K L Lam,et al.  Dynamic digital subtraction evaluation of regional pulmonary ventilation with nonradioactive xenon. , 1990, Investigative radiology.

[6]  K. Doi,et al.  Image feature analysis for computer-aided diagnosis: accurate determination of ribcage boundary in chest radiographs. , 1995, Medical physics.

[7]  K. Esato,et al.  Impaired respiratory mechanics in pulmonary emphysema: Evaluation with dynamic breathing MRI , 1999, Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI.

[8]  M. Giger,et al.  Digital image subtraction of temporally sequential chest images for detection of interval change. , 1994, Medical physics.

[9]  S Tada,et al.  Parietal pleural invasion of lung masses: evaluation with CT performed during deep inspiration and expiration. , 1994, Radiology.

[10]  K Murata,et al.  Chest wall and mediastinal invasion by lung cancer: evaluation with multisection expiratory dynamic CT. , 1994, Radiology.

[11]  D M Hansell,et al.  Bronchiectasis: functional significance of areas of decreased attenuation at expiratory CT. , 1994, Radiology.

[12]  H. Arslan,et al.  Evaluation of diaphragmatic movement with MR fluoroscopy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. , 2000, Clinical imaging.

[13]  U Eysholdt,et al.  Imaging of vocal fold vibration by digital multi-plane kymography. , 1999, Computerized medical imaging and graphics : the official journal of the Computerized Medical Imaging Society.

[14]  M. Kallergi,et al.  Improved method for automatic identification of lung regions on chest radiographs. , 2001 .