Method and apparatus for creating a multi-resolution framework for improving medical imaging workflow

• US 20070014480A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Sirohey, Saad, Avinash, Gopal
• Granted Patent: US 7,489,825 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/240
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/027 characterised by the use of a particular data acquisition trajectory, e.g. helical or spiral
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/482 involving multiple energy imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20064 Wavelet transform [DWT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/10 using non-spatial domain filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/62 by frequency transforming in three dimensions H04N19/63 takes precedence

Abstract

Method and apparatus for handling data comprises decomposing data into a plurality of resolution levels using an integer wavelet decomposition. A transform module may be used to perform forward and inverse transformations on multi-dimensional data using integer wavelet transforms. A data stream is compiled comprising the plurality of resolution levels in a predetermined order. At least one resolution level of the plurality of resolution levels associated with a workflow application is accessed by a processor, and the workflow application is performed on the at least one resolution level.

Claims

1. A method for handling data, comprising:

decomposing data into a plurality of resolution levels using an integer wavelet decomposition;

compiling a data stream comprising said plurality of resolution levels in a predetermined order;

accessing at least one resolution level of said plurality of resolution levels associated with a workflow application; and

performing said workflow application on said at least one resolution level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying an item of interest within said data at one of said plurality of resolution levels;

identifying a data block representative of said item of interest; and

accessing said data block to perform a workflow application.

3. The method of claim 1, said plurality of resolution levels being a predetermined number of resolution levels based on at least one of a display resolution and a system capability.

4. The method of claim 1, said workflow application pertaining to a functional domain of one of acquisition, processing, analysis, display, archive/retrieval, connectivity, and beyond 3D.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said workflow application for said acquisition functional domain is one of Quick Preview, Quality Control, CAD, Artifact Reduction, and Acquisition Speed up.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said workflow application for said processing functional domain is one of Noise Reduction, Artifact Reduction, Image Enhancement, Image Reconstruction, and Storage of unprocessed data for future processing.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said workflow application for said analysis functional domain is one of Computer-Aided Detection, Segmentation, Computer-Aided Diagnosis, Pattern Recognition, and Registration.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said workflow application for said display functional domain is one of Volume Rendering, Volume of Interest Rendering, and Computer-Aided Detection results referencing.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

accessing a sub-resolution level within said plurality of resolution levels;

processing said sub-resolution level with at least one said workflow application of said display functional domain to form a three-dimensional image; and

displaying said three-dimensional image on a display.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein said workflow application for said archive/retrieval functional domain is one of File Format for three or more dimensions, Compression for three or more dimensions, and Region of Interest access.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein said workflow application for said connectivity functional domain is one of DICOM Multiframe and Rearrangement of Data.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein said workflow application for said Beyond 3 D functional domain is one of Dynamic 3D motion, Multi-Spectra, Multi-Tracers, and Multi-phase.

13. The method of claim 1, said workflow application accessing a sub-resolution level, said workflow application forming one of a Quick Preview image representative of an image created using a higher resolution level and a Quality Control image for verifying at least one of acquisition parameters and content of said data.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring said data with a Computed Tomography (CT) imaging system having a slip ring for transferring image data; and

performing said decomposing and acquiring steps substantially simultaneously to reduce bandwidth of said image data being transferred by said slip ring.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing said at least one resolution level with segmentation-based filters to reduce noise; and

forming an image having reduced noise based on a result of said processing step.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a portion of said at least one resolution level; and

analyzing said portion with said workflow application wherein said workflow application being one of Computer-Aided Detection, Computer-Aided Diagnosis, segmentation and pattern recognition.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a region of interest (ROI) within said data, said ROI comprising one of two dimensions of image data over time, three dimensions of image data, three dimensions of image data over time, and image data representative of multiple energy levels; and

identifying at least one data block within said data stream comprising said ROI at said at least one resolution level, said performing step further comprising said workflow application operating on said at least one data block.

18. The method of claim 1, said compiling step further comprising forming a header comprising information related to each said plurality of resolution levels, said information identifying at least one of a number of resolution levels, row and column values for each said resolution level, and a compressed size of each of said resolution level.

19. The method of claim 1, said compiling step further comprising forming a header comprising information about each said plurality of resolution levels, said information comprising at least one of a version of a multi-resolution scheme used in said decomposing step and a type of integer wavelet forward transform used in said decomposing step.

20. A system for handling image data, comprising:

a transform module for performing forward and inverse transformations on multi-dimensional data using integer wavelet transforms, said forward transformation producing a plurality of resolution levels;

a processor for compiling a data stream comprising said plurality of resolution levels in a predetermined order; and

a memory for storing said data stream, said processor accessing at least one resolution level of said plurality of resolution levels based on a workflow application.

21. The system of claim 20, said processor further comprising compiling said data stream having a lowest resolution level at a first end and a highest resolution level at a second end.

22. The system of claim 20, further comprising:

said transform module performing said forward transformation on said multi-dimensional data to form a first level of decomposition;

said processor identifying a first data block within said first level of decomposition, said first data block comprising a subset of said multi-dimensional data; and

said transform module performing said forward transformation on said first data block to form a second level of decomposition.

23. The system of claim 20, further comprising a display for displaying data processed by said workflow application, said plurality of resolution levels being based on capabilities of said display.

24. The system of claim 20, said system further comprising a Computer Tomography (CT) system utilizing a slip ring for image data transfer, said transform module decomposing said multi-dimensional data prior to said slip ring.

25. A method for forming a multi-resolution framework of data, the method comprising:

decomposing data into multiple resolution levels using an integer wavelet decomposition, said data comprising at least three dimensions, each of said resolution levels comprising data blocks representative of a volume of data;

compiling a data stream comprising said data blocks arranged in an order based on said resolution level;

accessing a first set of data blocks within said data stream at a predetermined resolution level, said predetermined resolution level being associated with a workflow application; and

performing said workflow application on said first set of data blocks.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving said data over a period of time; and

displaying images based on said predetermined resolution level during said period of time.

27. The method of claim 25, said data further comprising an anisotropic volume, the method further comprising, prior to said decomposing step, decomposing said anisotropic volume with said integer wavelet decomposition in at least one dimension to form an isotropic volume.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving said data over a period of time;

said decomposing step decomposing said data as said data is received; and

performing said workflow application during said period of time.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said data comprises first, second and third dimensions, said decomposing step further comprising:

successively decomposing said data in said first, second and third dimensions to form a first level of decomposition; and

successively decomposing said first level of decomposition in said first, second and third dimensions to form a second level of decomposition.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

accessing a sub-resolution level comprising a subset of said data blocks; and

performing an inverse integer wavelet transformation on said sub-resolution level to form a higher resolution level of said subset of said data blocks.