AUTOMATED PLACENTAL MEASUREMENT

• US 20110081056A1
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Placental Analytics, LLC
• Original Assignee: Placental Analytics, LLC
• Inventors: Salafia, Carolyn M.
• Application Number:
  US12/573,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20110081056A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10056 Microscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20056 Discrete and fast Fourier transform, [DFT, FFT]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20084 Artificial neural networks [ANN]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20096 Interactive definition of curve of interest
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20101 Interactive definition of point of interest, landmark or seed
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20168 Radial search
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30024 Cell structures in vitro; Tissue sections in vitro
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30101 Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/005 Retouching; Inpainting; Scratch removal detecting, correction, reducing or removing defects, e.g. non-responsive pixels of solid state image sensors H04N25/68, scratch removal for cinematographic films scanned by electronic image sensor H04N5/253
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/77 Retouching; Inpainting; Scratch removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/564 from contours
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/64 of convexity or concavity

Abstract

A method for analyzing the placenta in two or three dimensions comprising: selecting one or more placental samples to be analyzed; obtaining a digital image of each placental sample; and performing an analysis on the digital images, wherein a mathematical algorithm is applied to the digital image. The results of the analysis are correlated with data on health outcomes in infants, children, or adults and are used to assess future health risks to a patient.

Claims

1. A method of analyzing the placenta comprising:

selecting a placental sample to be analyzed;

obtaining a digital image of the placental sample; and

performing an analysis on the digital image, wherein the centrality of the umbilical cord is measured.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein centrality of the umbilical cord is measured using a Fourier analysis.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the centrality of the umbilical cord is used to assess the structure or function of the placenta.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the centrality of the umbilical cord is used to assess future health risks to a patient.

5. A method of analyzing the placenta comprising:

selecting four or more serial sections of a placental sample to be analyzed;

obtaining a digital image of each placental serial sections; and

performing an analysis on the digital images, wherein a mathematical algorithm is applied to the digital images to reconstruct a three dimensional model of the placenta.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the mathematical algorithm uses a level set method.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the three dimensional model of the placenta is used to assess future health risks to a patient.

8. A method of analyzing the placenta comprising:

selecting a placental sample to be analyzed;

obtaining a digital image of the chorionic surface of the placental sample; and

performing an analysis on the digital image, wherein the surface vascular structure is extracted by the algorithm.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the digital image is obtained using polarized light or a polarized filter.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the vascular structure is further analysed by a mathematical algorithm include segmentation, branching metrics, fourier analysis, or other graph or network metrics that are used to assess the timing of an event or stress including infection to the developing placenta or fetus.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the results of timing of an event or stress are used to assess future health risks to a patient.

12. A method of analyzing the placenta or placental tissue comprising:

selecting a placental sample to be analyzed;

obtaining a digital image of each placental sample; and

performing an analysis on the digital images using a mathematical algorithm, wherein the mathematical algorithm includes diffusion or diffusion screening equations.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the placental tissue sample is a histological slide.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the diffusion or diffusion screening equations are applied to the finer villious elements or terminal villi.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein individually segmented villi are analyzed using diffusion or diffusion screening equations.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the mathematical algorithms include diffusion, diffusion screening, segmentation, branching metrics, fourier analysis, or other graph or network metrics that are used to assess the timing of an event or stress including infection to the developing placenta or fetus.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the results of timing of an event or stress are used to assess future health risks to a patient.

19. A method for determining an observed/expected birth weight ratio, comprising:

selecting a placental sample to be analyzed;

determining the centroid of the chorionic plate area;

determining the centroid of the chorionic vascular area; and

calculating the distance between the centroid of the chorionic plate area and the centroid of the chorionic vascular area, wherein a greater distance between the centroids correlates with a lower observed/expected birth weight ratio.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein centrality of the umbilical cord is measured using a Fourier analysis.