Automated method for digital image quantitation
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for quantitatively analyzing diagnostic images of approximately curvilinear bounded organs, including the steps of:
- a. generating a diagnostic image of an approximately curvilinear bounded organ;
b. determining a center-point for the approximately curvilinear bounded organ depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of filters is obtained;
c. indicating the position of the center-point in connection with the diagnostic image.
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Abstract
A method is provided for automatically determining quantitative characteristics of organ images, especially echocardiographic images. A diagnostic image is obtained and then a center point for the approximately curvilinear bounded organ is determined by repeatedly filtering the image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the filter set is obtained, whereupon parameters of cardiac wall motion, wall thickness and area change fraction may be determined to detect ischemic or other organ abnormality.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method for quantitatively analyzing diagnostic images of approximately curvilinear bounded organs, including the steps of:
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a. generating a diagnostic image of an approximately curvilinear bounded organ; b. determining a center-point for the approximately curvilinear bounded organ depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of filters is obtained; c. indicating the position of the center-point in connection with the diagnostic image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 17)
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6. A method for determining the motion of a border of an approximately curvilinear bounded organ, including the steps of:
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a. generating a first and second diagnostic image of an approximately curvilinear bounded organ, the diagnostic images being generated at different times; b. determining a center-point of the approximately curvilinear bounded organ for each of the first and second diagnostic images by repeatedly filtering each of the diagnostic images with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the corresponding set of filters is obtained; c. generating a first and second one-dimensional histogram of radial pixel values for each of a set of sectors centered on the center-point of each of the corresponding first and second diagnostic images; d. generating a first and second first derivative histogram for each sector from each corresponding first and second one-dimensional histograms of radial pixel values; e. determining the maximum cross-correlation of the first and second first derivative histograms for each sector; f. indicating the maximum cross-correlation in each sector as a measure of the change in position in each sector of the border of the approximately curvilinear bounded organ between the first and second diagnostic images. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A method for determining the lack of a sufficient image signal across the interventricular septum of an echocardiogram, comprising the steps of:
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a. generating a digital ultrasonic image of a heart; b. determining a center-point for the left ventricle of the heart depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of filters is obtained; c. determining the minimum average grey level of an image region in the left ventricle of the heart positioned around the center-point, thereby determining a background signal level; d. determining the maximum average grey level for a set of image regions positioned along a line from the center-point of the left ventricle to at least the interventricular septum, thereby determining a peak signal level; e. comparing the background signal level to the peak signal level; f. if the maximum ratio of the peak signal level to the background signal level is less than about two, then indicating that the image signal across the interventricular septum of the echocardiogram is insufficient.
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9. A method for determining the occurrence of a flattened interventricular septum from a diagnostic image of a heart, comprising the steps of:
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a. generating a diagnostic image of a heart; b. determining a center-point for the left ventricle of the heart depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of filters is obtained; c. generating a best-fit to the endocardial and epicardial borders of the interventricular septum of a pair of straight line filters oriented perpendicular to a line from the center-point to at least the interventricular septum; d. generating a best-fit to the endocardial and epicardial borders of the interventricular septum of a pair of circular arc filters centered on the center-point and encompassing at least the interventricular septum; e. determining a figure of merit Nc for the pair of circular arc filters and a figure of merit Ns for the pair of straight line filters; f. if Ns is greater than Nc, then indicating that the interventricular septum is flattened.
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10. A method for quantitatively analyzing diagnostic images of the heart, including the steps of:
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a. generating a diagnostic image of the heart; b. determining a first tentative center-point for and a region of search for the posterior epicardial border of the heart depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of filters is obtained; c. determining a second tentative center-point for and a region of search for the anterior endocardial and epicardial borders of the heart depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of coupled circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of coupled filters is obtained; d. determining a final center-point for the heart depicted in the diagnostic image as midway between the anterior epicardial border and the posterior epicardial border along a line through the first and second tentative center-points; e. indicating the position of the final center-point in connection with the diagnostic image. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for quantitative blood pool classification from diagnostic images of the heart, including the steps of:
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a. generating a diagnostic image of the heart; b. determining a first tentative center-point for and a region of search for the posterior epicardial border of the heart depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of filters is obtained; c. determining a second tentative center-point for and a region of search for the anterior endocardial and epicardial borders of the heart depicted in the diagnostic image by repeatedly filtering the diagnostic image with a set of coupled circular arc filters until a maximum value for the set of coupled filters is obtained; d. determining a final center-point for the heart depicted in the diagnostic image as midway between the anterior epicardial border and the posterior epicardial border along a line through the first and second tentative center-points; e. determining a best-fit elliptical arc model of the border of the heart, the elliptical arc model being centered at the center-point; f. classifying pixels within the elliptical arc model whose values do not exceed a threshold value as being part of the blood pool; g. summing the pixels classified as being part of the blood pool to determine a blood pool value, BP. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification