Method and apparatus for providing mammographic image metrics to a clinician

• US 20030194115A1
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Eberhard, Jeffrey Wayne, Claus, Bernhard Erich Hermann, Kaufhold, John Patrick
• Granted Patent: US 7,783,089 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass

Abstract

At least one metric for a mammographic image is computed by a workstation, and provided on a workstation display along with the mammographic image. A clinician can select one or more different metrics to be computed for an image, as well as where they are to be shown and the manner in which they are to be shown on the display. Speech (may also be an audible sound which is not speech) may also be used in the workstation to audibly provide metrics information to the clinician.

Claims

1. An apparatus for use in mammographic analysis, comprising:

a workstation that includes,

an image receiving portion for receiving a mammographic image, for determining whether the mammographic image is in digital form, for converting the mammographic image to digital form if the mammographic image is not in digital form, and for outputting a digitized mammographic image;

a computation portion for computing at least one metric related to the digitized mammographic image; and

a presenting portion for presenting the at least one metric to an operator.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the workstation further comprises:

a menu that is presented to the operator by way of the presenting portion, the menu enabling the operator to select the at least one metric from a list of metrics that are capable of being calculated by the workstation.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for enabling the workstation to save preferences corresponding to mammographic image information and metrics information to be presented to the operator by way of the presenting portion.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presenting portion is a display that is capable of displaying the mammographic image on a first portion of the display, and displaying the at least one metric on a second portion of the display.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the presenting portion is a display that superimposes the at least one metric on the mammographic image that is displayed on the display.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an audio output device for audibly providing the at least one metric to the operator.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory that is configured to store at least one computer program for computing the at least one metric and for presenting the at least one metric to the operator.

8. A method for analyzing a mammographic image, comprising:

receiving, by a workstation, the mammographic image;

digitizing the mammographic image if the mammographic image is not already in digital form;

computing, by the workstation, at least one metric related to the digitized mammographic image; and

presenting the at least one metric to an operator.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

providing a menu, either on a display portion of the workstation or in an audible manner by way of the workstation, for enabling the operator to select the at least one metric to be calculated and presented to the operator by way of the workstation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the display portion is capable of displaying the mammographic image on a first portion of the display, and displaying the at least one metric on a second portion of the display.

11. A computer program product operable by a workstation for use in mammographic analysis, comprising:

first program product code for receiving a mammographic image;

second program product code for converting the mammographic image to a digital mammographic image if the mammographic image is not already in digital form;

third program product code for computing at least one metric related to the digitized mammographic image; and

fourth program product code for presenting the at least one metric to an operator.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, further comprising:

fifth program product code for displaying a menu on the display portion, the menu enabling the operator to select the at least one metric from a list of metrics that are capable of being calculated by the workstation.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the display portion is capable of displaying the mammographic image on a first portion of the display, and displaying the at least one metric on a second portion of the display.

14. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising:

sixth program product code for converting the least one metric to an audible signal and for outputting the audible signal to an audio device.

15. The computer program product according to claim 12, further comprising:

sixth program product code that is stored in a memory and that computes the at least one metric; and

seventh program product code that is stored in the memory and that presents the at least one to the operator.

16. An apparatus for use in mammographic analysis, comprising:

a computation portion for computing at least one metric from a digitized mammographic image supplied thereto; and

a presentation portion for presenting the at least one metric to an operator.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the presentation portion presents the at least one metric to the operator by at least one of an audio display and a visual display.

18. An apparatus for use in mammographic image analysis, comprising:

means for receiving a mammographic image and at least one metric obtained from the mammographic image; and

means for presenting the mammographic image and the least one metric to a user, by way of a workstation.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the presenting means comprises:

a first display portion for displaying the mammographic image; and

a second display portion for displaying the at least one metric.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the presenting means comprises:

a display portion for displaying the at least one metric superimposed with the mammographic image.

21. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the presenting means comprises:

a display portion for displaying the at least one metric; and

an audio output portion for providing information regarding the at least metric in audible form to the user.