Estimation of anatomical locations using standard frame of reference in chest CT scans

We propose a method to establish the standard chest frame of reference (CFOR) using the rib cage in a lung CT scan. Such a reference frame is essential for referring to a certain location within a chest region and may facilitate the registration across multiple scans of a given subject as well as the comparative studies within a cohort of subjects. The robustness of the established CFOR was evaluated by estimating the anatomical locations within chest in the follow-up scan given the location in the first scan. Specifically, tracheal bifurcation point of airway tree and the center of pulmonary nodule were used as the anatomical points of interest. The CFOR was also used for exploring the spatial distribution of the anatomical location for a large number of individuals. The results show that on average the point of interest can be estimated accurately within 10.3 mm for the bifurcation point and within 12.5 mm for the pulmonary nodule's center point. Further analyzing the spatial distribution of the CFOR coordinates across 86 subjects shows that we can localize the bifurcation point to the small subregion within the CFOR.