Systems, methods and apparatus for creation of a database of images from categorical indices

• US 20070081700A1
• Filed: 09/29/2005
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company, University of Washington
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Sirohey, Saad, Minoshima, Satoshi, Avinash, Gopal, Bridge, William, Blumenfeld, Janet
• Application Number:
  US11/240,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20070081700A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30016 Brain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/242 Division of the character sequences into groups prior to recognition; Selection of dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided through which in some embodiments, and database of images have categorized levels of severity of a disease or medical condition is generated from human designation of the severity. In some embodiments, the severity of a disease or medical condition is diagnosed by comparison of a patient image to images in the database. In some embodiments, changes in the severity of a disease or medical condition of a patient are measured by comparing a patient image to images in the database.

Claims

1. A computer-accessible medium having executable instructions to create an exemplary knowledge base of diagnostic medical images, the executable instructions capable of directing a processor to perform:

accessing image deviation data of at least one anatomical feature;

assigning a categorical degree of severity to each of the image deviation data; and

generating a database of the image deviation data and the categorical degree of severity to each of the image deviation data.

2. The computer-accessible medium of claim 1, wherein the image deviation data further comprises:

a measure of a deviation of an image from an exemplary image.

3. The computer-accessible medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one anatomical feature further comprises:

a brain.

4. The computer-accessible medium of claim 1, wherein the at least one anatomical feature further comprises:

a cardiac region.

5. A computer-accessible medium having executable instructions to create an exemplary knowledge base of diagnostic medical images, the executable instructions capable of directing a processor to perform:

accessing image data of at least one anatomical feature suspected of disease, the accessing performed in reference to a tracer;

comparing the image data of at least one anatomical feature suspected of disease to a normalized database in reference to the tracer;

generating deviation image data;

assigning a categorical degree of severity to each of the image deviation data; and

generating a database of the image deviation data and the categorical degree of severity to each of the image deviation data.

6. The computer-accessible medium of claim 5 further comprising executable instructions capable of directing the processor to perform:

creating a normalized database in reference to the tracer.

7. The computer-accessible medium of claim 5, wherein the accessed images are acquired using one of magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, computed tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, ultrasound and optical imaging.

8. The computer-accessible medium of claim 5, wherein the tracer further comprises:

a radioactive tracer.

9. A computer-accessible medium having executable instructions to generate reference diagnostic medical images, the executable instructions capable of directing a processor to perform:

accessing a database of a plurality of images of a normal anatomical feature that associated with a tracer;

accessing images that represent suspect areas of disease in the anatomical feature;

comparing the images that represent suspect areas of disease in the anatomical feature with images in the database, yielding a deviation between the images that represent suspect areas of disease in the anatomical feature with images in the database;

generating a plurality of images representing the plurality of deviations;

assigning categorical degrees of severity to each of the plurality of images representing each of the plurality of deviations; and

generating a database of the plurality of images representing the deviation and the categorical degree of severity of each of the plurality of images representing the deviation.

10. The computer-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the anatomical feature further comprises:

a brain.

11. The computer-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the anatomical feature further comprises:

a cardiac region.

12. The computer-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the accessed images are acquired using one of magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, computed tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, ultrasound and optical imaging.

13. The computer-accessible medium of claim 9, wherein the tracer further comprises:

a radioactive tracer.

14. A method to generate reference diagnostic medical images, the executable instructions capable of directing a processor to perform:

generating a plurality of images representing a deviation between a plurality images that represent suspect areas of disease in an anatomical feature with a plurality of images that represent areas of non-disease in the anatomical feature associated with a tracer;

assigning a categorical degree of severity to each of the plurality of images representing the deviation; and

generating a database of the plurality of images representing the deviation and the categorical degree of severity of each of the plurality of images representing the deviation.

15. The computer-accessible medium of claim 14 further comprising executable instructions capable of directing a processor to perform before generating the plurality of images representing the deviation:

storing a database of the plurality of images of a normal anatomical feature associated with the tracer;

accessing that images that represent suspect areas of disease in the anatomical feature; and

comparing the images that represent suspect areas of disease in the anatomical feature with images in the database, yielding the deviation between the images that represent suspect areas of disease in the anatomical feature with images in the database.

16. The computer-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein the anatomical feature further comprises:

a brain.

17. The computer-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein the anatomical feature further comprises:

a cardiac region.

18. The computer-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein the accessed images are acquired using one of magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, computed tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, ultrasound and optical imaging.

19. The computer-accessible medium of claim 14, wherein the tracer further comprises:

a radioactive tracer.

20. The computer-accessible medium of claim 14 wherein the plurality of images that represent areas of non-disease further comprise:

a normalized database in reference to the tracer.