This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/017,515, filed May 10, 1996.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates in general to processes for manipulating cephalometric images, and in particular to processes for interactively manipulating cephalometric line tracings to produce growth forecasts and treatment simulations particularly for use by orthodontists and maxillo-facial surgeons in planning treatments for their patients.

The prior art includes a computer program entitled QUICK CEPH IMAGE which allows a user to interactively generate growth forecasts and treatment simulations on line tracings and real images of patients. This included the steps of (1) recording a cephalometric image of a patient, such as a lateral view of the profile, maxilla and mandible of the patient, into a computer, (2) digitizing a plurality of landmarks on the cephalometric image to produce a tracing, (3) manipulating the tracing by moving hard tissue to show soft tissue changes, and (4) morphing the image to follow the new tracing. As used herein the term "morphing" refers to computerized image manipulation. The program can automatically generate a tracing and measurements for a chosen analysis. The program also produces growth forecasts, and allows a user to simulate the effects of a treatment by manipulating the tracing. By actuating a morphing function the program can revise a captured image to follow a new tracing instantly.

The prior art uses a plurality of straight lines or vectors to define the line tracings. This invention improves upon the prior art by implementing Bezier curves to improve the line tracings. The method of this invention provides a profound improvement in quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of this invention is to provide a cephalometric lateral profile that is extremely crisp and smooth. A further object of this invention is to provide a cephalometric lateral profile, as above, which is easily edited but yet precise, especially for growth forecasts and treatment simulations.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cephalometric lateral profile, as above, which is more adaptable to morphing than is presently available in the prior art.

A further object of this invention is to provide a cephalometric lateral profile, as above, without kinks or corners.

These objects, and other objects expressed or implied in this document, are accomplished by a method for producing a cephalometric lateral profile usable for a growth forecast and/or treatment simulation, the method comprising the steps: obtaining a lateral cephalometric image of a subject; creating a polyline outline of the lateral profile of the image; identifying a set of pre¬ defined points on the outline; and converting the polyline outline to a corresponding series of Bezier curves using the identified points as anchor points. The pre-defined points preferably includes a point on the polyline outline at which the ratio of the subject's soft tissue to the subject's hard tissue is known, e.g. the glabella, the soft nasion, the tip of the nose, the subnasal, the soft A- point, the upper lip, the upper lip embrasure, the lower lip embrasure, the lower lip, the soft B-point, the chin, and the soft menton. Preferably the step of creating a polyline outline is done by digitizing the lateral profile of the cephalometric image and providing the digitized points to a processor. The processor then identifies the set of pre-defined points by using certain correspondingly

unique geographical characteristics of the points. The method can also include the step of eliminating surplusage digital values from the ditigizing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is an outline, formed according to this invention, of a lateral cephalometric view of a patient's head showing certain pre-defined Bezier curve anchor points according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of the method used to derive the outline on Fig. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to Figure 1, illustrated is a line tracing depicting a lateral profile outline of a lateral cephalometric view. On the tracing are a preferred set of anchor points for use by an algorithm which produces a set of Bezier curves based upon these anchor points . Basically, a Bezier curve is a curved segment that is determined by start and end points, i.e. anchor points, and control points which define the curvature or shape of the segment. Algorithms for producing a series of Bezier curves from a set of polylines are well known in the art. The result of the method of this invention is a high quality line tracing comprised of a series of Bezier curves. The key to a meaningful orthodontic and surgical treatment simulation is the possibility to interactively manipulate curves in tracings of x-rays and photos. Simply converting digitized outlines (polylines) into mathematical curves (NURBS) does not enable the diagnostic software to automatically move soft tissue in a predetermined ratio to the hard tissue because these ratios are only known in specific locations such as Glabella, Tip of Nose, A-Point, Tip of Upper Lip, Tip of Lower Lip, B-Point, Chin, Menton, etc. This invention forces the Bezier conversion algorithm

into using these pre-defined points, which are preferably automatically located on the tracings by another algorithm, as the anchor points of Bezier curve segments, a special case of NURBS. This effectively allows the automatic and interactive manipulation of hard and soft tissue structures within the context known to the profession.

This invention preferably includes a computerized algorithm to automatically locate the preferred anchor points. The algorithm takes advantage of certain unique geographical characteristic of the points to locate them. Referring again to Figure 1, the Glabella is the most prominent point in the midsaggital plane of the forehead. The soft Nasion is the deepest depression at the root of the nose in the midsaggital plane. The Nose is the most anterior projection point of the nose. The Subnasal is the point at which the columella merges with the upper cutaneous lip in the midsaggital plane. The soft A-point is the deepest depression between subnasal and the tip of the upper lip. The upper lip is the most prominent point in the midsaggital plane of the upper lip. The upper lip embrasure is the end point of the upper lip. The lower lip embrasure is the end point of the lower lip. The lower lip is the most prominent point in the midsaggital plane of the lower lip. The soft B-point is the deepest depression between the tip of the upper lip and the chin. The Chin is the most anterior point of the chin, also called soft Pogonion. The soft Menton is the lowest most contour point of the soft tissue mandibular symphysis. However, any other method of precisely locating these points can be used.

Referring to Figure 2, this invention includes as a first step, obtaining a lateral cephalometric image 2 of a subject, e.g. by an x-ray machine and a video camera, which is preferably captured directly to a processor, such as a computer. Then a polyline outline of the lateral profile of the subject is created 4 from the lateral cephalometric

image, e.g. by hand tracing over the image using a digitizer or a mouse. Then certain pre-defined points on the outline or tracing are identified 6, i.e. located (preferably by a computerized algorithm) . In the preferred method, the points include the: Glabella, soft Nasion, tip of nose, subnasal, soft A-Point, tip of upper lip, upper lip embrasure, lower lip embrasure, tip of lower lip, soft B-Point, chin, and soft Menton. Then the polylines are converted 8 into a series of connected Bezier curves using the identified points as anchor points (start and end points of the segments) . The locations of control points of the Bezier curve segments (which locate tangent lines that define the shape and direction of the curve segments) are selected to best fit the segments to the polyline tracing.

Since the unconverted polyline outline is defined by a set of digitized points and typically there are a surplusage of points, this invention can also include the step of eliminating extraneous points. For example, this method of this invention can eliminate points until the tracing is defined by points about 3 mm apart.

This invention allows computerized manipulation of curved lines rather than multiple small straight lines to draw, manipulate and store the outlines of soft tissue structures and bones. This improvement has resulted in a profound quality improvement in growth forecasts and treatment simulations. The immediate benefits of the usage of curves produced according to this invention are:

1. Profile and bone outlines are extremely crisp and smooth, smoother in fact than would be possible with any hand drawing.

2. Editing of curves is very easy, flexible and precise.

3. Growth forecast is more reliable. 4. Treatment simulation creates smooth tracings without kinks or corners.

5. Treatment simulation is more reliable.

6. Morphed images demonstrate a fourfold increase in details.

The foregoing description and drawings were given for illustrative purposes only, it being understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is intended to embrace any and all alternatives, equivalents, modifications and rearrangements of elements falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, the above described set of anchor points is not the only set that can be used, but rather is only the preferred set which has been found to be optimal for the purposes of this invention. More or fewer points can be used depending, inter alia, on the degree of precision desired.

I CLAIM: