Multi Camera Stereo and Tracking Patient Motion for Compensation in Spect Scanning Systems

Patient motion, which causes artifacts in reconstructed images, can be a serious problem in Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) imaging. If patient motion can be detected and quantified, the reconstruction algorithm can compensate for the motion. A real-time multi-threaded Visual Tracking System (VTS) using optical cameras, which will be suitable for deployment in clinical trials, is under development. This system tracks patients using multiple video images and image processing techniques, calculating patient motion in three-dimensional space. This book aims to develop and implement an algorithm for feature matching and stereo location computation using multiple cameras. Feature matching is done based on the epipolar geometry constraints for a pair of images and extended to the multiple view case with an iterative algorithm. Stereo locations of the matches are then computed using sum of squared distances from the projected 3D lines in SPECT coordinates as the error metric. This information from the VTS, when coupled with motion assessment from the emission data itself, can provide a robust compensation for patient motion as part of reconstruction. This book is directed to researchers and professionals interested in rigid and non-rigid body motion, medical imaging artifacts, feature matching and stereo imaging.