Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090003670 | Method and apparatus for thickness compensation in mammographic images - Methods and apparatuses perform thickness compensation in anatomical images. The method according to one embodiment accesses digital image data representing an image including a breast; estimates thickness of the breast at multiple locations inside the breast using an image data characteristic and a reference tissue in the breast; compensates thickness of the breast using a thickness model; and refines compensation of breast thickness from the compensating step. | 01-01-2009 |
20090060300 | Method and apparatus for image alignment - Methods and apparatuses align breast images. The method according to one embodiment accesses digital image data representing a first breast image including a left breast, and a second breast image including a right breast; removes from the first and second breast images artifacts not related to the left and right breasts; and aligns the left and right breasts using a similarity measure between the first and second breast images, the similarity measure depending on a relative position of the first and second breast images. | 03-05-2009 |
20100067769 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REGISTRATION AND COMPARISON OF MEDICAL IMAGES - Methods and apparatuses disclosed herein process medical images, for comparison and analysis of the images. The method according to one embodiment accesses digital image data representing a first medical image and a second medical image; registers the second image to the first image using a specific region preserving registration or specific regions preserving registration, to obtain a registered second image; and compares the first image and the registered second image. | 03-18-2010 |
20110122146 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MATCHING MEDICAL IMAGES - A system and method is provided for matching visual features in at least two related medical images. The differences in visual features between at least two related images are identified, such as separate mammography images of a left breast and a right breast of a patient. The visual features may include the image brightness, contrast, sharpness (or edge strength), alignment or dynamic range. The visual features of at least one of the images is then adjusted to match the visual features of the other image, or both images are adjusted to match a predefined value of visual features for a medical image. The adjusted images may then be displayed to a user, such as a radiologist or technician, who is able to more accurately identify physiological inconsistencies between the two images now that they have similar underlying visual features. | 05-26-2011 |
20110123074 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SUPPRESSING ARTIFICIAL OBJECTS IN MEDICAL IMAGES - A system and method are provided for altering the appearance of an artificial object in a medical image. An artificial object is first identified in the medical image, such as identifying a breast implant in a mammography image. The prominence of the artificial object is then reduced, for example by suppressing the brightness or masking the artificial object out altogether. The resulting medical image with the altered artificial object is then displayed to a user so that the medical image can be more accurately analyzed without requiring the user to adjust the image on his or her own. | 05-26-2011 |
20110123075 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MARKING A MEDICAL IMAGE WITH A DIGITAL INDICATOR - A system and method is provided for automatically detecting and marking a region of interest in a medical image. A region of interest is first identified in the medical image, such as a nipple of a breast region in a mammography image. The identified nipple is then marked with a digital indicator, such as a bright circle, so that a user viewing the image can easily identify the nipple. The digital indicator can be temporarily removed so that no portion of the region of interest is obscured by the digital indicator. A region of interest corresponding to another anatomical feature may also be marked, such as a pectoral muscle, which may be marked by placing a digital outline around the border of the pectoral muscle. A user viewing the medical image with the digital indicators can easily identify the marked regions of interest. | 05-26-2011 |
20110123086 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENHANCING MEDICAL IMAGES - A system and method is provided for enhancing a region of interest in a medical image to improve its visibility. A region of interest is first identified in the medical image, such as identifying a breast region in a mammography image. The identified region of interest is then enhanced using an image processing technique, for example by adjusting the intensity or contrast, or by performing edge enhancement. Other regions of the medical image outside the region of interest remain unaltered, or may be diminished, such that the clarity of the region of interest is improved in comparison with the other regions of the medical image. A user viewing the enhanced image is less distracted by the non-enhanced regions and is not required to adjust the image on his or her own. The user can more quickly and effectively review the medical image to identify abnormalities and diagnose disease. | 05-26-2011 |
20110123087 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MEASUREMENT OF OBJECTS OF INTEREST IN MEDICAL IMAGES - A system and method are provided for the measurement and display of attributes of an object of interest in a medical image. An object of interest is identified, such as a lesion or cluster of lesions in a breast area on a mammography image. At least one attribute of the lesion is then automatically measured, such as the area of the lesion, the width and height of a cluster of lesions, the number of lesions in a cluster, or the distance from one or more lesions to an anatomical feature such as the nipple, skin line or chest wall. The measurements are then displayed to a user, for example by displaying the measurements on the mammography image. Additionally, anatomical zones, such as standard, quadrant and clock zones of the breast area may be determined and displayed on the mammography image or diagram to display the location of the lesion as it corresponds to the zones. | 05-26-2011 |