Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.

Siemens Information Systems, Ltd.

Sarang Lakare

Luca Bogoni

Matthias Wolf

Dorin Comaniciu

Marcos Salganicoff

Le Lu

Gerardo Hermosillo Valadez

Anna Jerebko

Adrian Barbu

Yoshihisa Shinagawa

Dinesh Mysore Siddu

Sangmin Park

Shishir Dube

Hui Sun

Tin Man Lee

A method for automatically detecting pulmonary embolism (PE) candidates within medical image data using an image processing device includes administering radiocontrast into a patient. A sequence of computed tomography (CT) images is acquired. A level of radiocontrast at a pulmonary artery trunk of the patient is determined. One or more PE candidates are detected within a pulmonary artery tree of the patient based on the determined level of radiocontrast at the pulmonary artery trunk. The one or more detected PE candidates are displayed.

Pulmonary emboli detection with dynamic configuration based on blood contrast level

Described herein is a method and system for facilitating segmentation of images. A difference image is received and processed to extract at least one histogram (). A noise component is determined by fitting a symmetric Gaussian distribution to the extracted histogram such that the negative portion of the Gaussian distribution coincides with the negative portion of the histogram (). The noise component is then subtracted from the histogram to generate a probability distribution function (), which may be converted to a cumulative distribution function () and applied to the difference image to generate a probabilistic representation of contrast enhancement ().

Probabilistic segmentation in computer-aided detection

A method for obtaining a tissue volume, includes inputting a dataset including a plurality of voxels; initializing a tissue probability volume for the plurality of voxels to a pre-determined value; updating, by one of increasing or decreasing the tissue probability volume of each of the plurality of voxels, based on corresponding intensity values of each of the plurality of voxels; and generating the tissue volume by combining the updated tissue probability volume and the inputted dataset.

Tissue detection method for computer aided diagnosis and visualization in the presence of tagging

A method and system for polyp segmentation in computed tomography colonogrphy (CTC) volumes is disclosed. The polyp segmentation method utilizes a three-staged probabilistic binary classification approach for automatically segmenting polyp voxels from surrounding tissue in CTC volumes. Based on an input initial polyp position, a polyp tip is detected in a CTC volume using a trained 3D point detector. A local polar coordinate system is then fit to the colon surface in the CTC volume with the origin at the detected polyp tip. Polyp interior voxels and polyp exterior voxels are detected along each axis of the local polar coordinate system using a trained 3D box. A boundary voxel is detected on each axis of the local polar coordinate system based on the detected polyp interior voxels and polyp exterior voxels by boosted 1D curve parsing using a trained classifier. This results in a segmented polyp boundary.

Method and system for polyp segmentation for 3D computed tomography colonography

A method for characterizing a shape of an object surface includes acquiring image data including the object. The image data is analyzed at a locus of points that are at a predetermined distance from a point of interest proximate to the object surface to determine which of the locus of points represents a foreground and which of the locus of points represents a background. The shape of the object surface is characterized based on the characterization of the locus of points.

Circular intensity distribution analysis for the detection of convex, concave and flat surfaces

A method and system for providing a user interface for polyp annotation, segmentation, and measurement in computer tomography colonography (CTC) volumes is disclosed. The interface receives an initial polyp position in a CTC volume, and automatically segments the polyp based on the initial polyp position. In order to segment the polyp, a polyp tip is detected in the CTC volume using a trained 3D point detector. A local polar coordinate system is then fit to the colon surface in the CTC volume with the origin at the detected polyp tip. Polyp interior voxels and polyp exterior voxels are detected along each axis of the local polar coordinate system using a trained 3D box. A boundary voxel is detected on each axis of the local polar coordinate system based on the detected polyp interior voxels and polyp exterior voxels by boosted 1D curve parsing using a trained classifier. This results in a segmented polyp boundary. The segmented polyp is displayed in the user interface, and a user can modify the segmented polyp boundary using the interface. The interface can measure the size of the segmented polyp in three dimensions. The user can also use the interface for polyp annotation in CTC volumes.

User interface for polyp annotation, segmentation, and measurement in 3D computed tomography colonography

A method for segmenting image data includes creating a plurality of marching regions within the medical image data. Region-wise segmentation is performed on the plurality of marching regions. Region-wise segmentation may include a normalized cut performed on a graph wherein each marching region represents a node. Region-wise segmentation may also include or may alternatively include a min cut performed on a graph wherein each marching region represents a node. Voxel-wise segmentation is performed on a subset of the plurality of marching regions.

Structure segmentation via MAR-cut

A method for displaying computer aided detection markers from a digitized image includes marking a first set of locations of interest during a first read of the image, producing a first set of markers, receiving a second set of markers of locations of interest on the image from a CAD algorithm, combining the first set of markers with the second set of markers, sorting the combined set of markers according to a predetermined criteria, and presenting the sorted set of markers to a user for a second read of the image.

System and method for smart display of CAD markers

A method for computer-aided object classification, soft segmentation and layer extraction in computed tomographic colonography includes providing a contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) digital image of the colon, finding a foreground region of voxels with an intensity higher than a pre-defined foreground threshold, creating a 3D trimap of the colon where the image is segmented into the foreground region, a background region, and an unknown region between the foreground and background, starting from the background, extracting successive layers of the unknown region until the foreground region is reached, and classifying each extracted layer as background or foreground, and generating a foreground matte, a background matte, and an alpha matte, where alpha indicates a mixing ration of foreground and background voxels.

System and method for detecting tagged material using alpha matting

A system and method for segmentation of structures in an image based on curvature slope are provided, the system including a processor, a curvature slope unit in signal communication with the processor for computing curvature slopes in the image and discarding voxels having a slope not satisfying specifications, and a segmentation unit in signal communication with the processor for locating connected clusters of retained voxels; and the method including computing curvature slopes in the image, discarding voxels having a slope not satisfying specifications, and locating connected clusters of retained voxels.

Segmentation of structures based on curvature slope

A computer-implemented method for aligning sub-volumes includes receiving a data volume, providing a plurality of parameters of the sub-volumes, and determining a start point of each of the two or more sub-volume according to the plurality of parameters. The method further includes determining an amount of mis-alignment of the two or more sub-volumes, and shifting a start point of each sub-volume to align the start points with a grid of a virtual volume. The method may include determining a feature in the two or more sub-volumes, which have been aligned. The method may include visualizing the aligned sub-volumes.

Virtual grid alignment of sub-volumes

A system and method for segmenting a structure of interest are provided. The method comprises: segmenting a surface of the structure of interest; and interpolating a border of the structure of interest, wherein the border separates the structure of interest from other structures having similar properties.

System and method for segmenting a structure of interest using an interpolation of a separating surface in an area of attachment to a structure having similar properties

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Chester Springs, PA, United States of America

Sarang Lakare