Method for maximizing fidelity and dynamic range for a region of interest within digitized medical image display
First Claim
1. A method for displaying a medical diagnostic image comprising the steps of:
- (a) scanning an x-ray film image of a patient into a digital representation of pixels values corresponding to intensity of points on the x-ray film;
(b) displaying the pixels values on a workstation;
(c) selecting an area within the pixel values displayed on the workstation;
(d) calculating a window width equal to difference between MAX and MIN and a window level value equal to the window width divided by 2 plus MIN, for all pixel values displayed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus is presented in which a medical imagery workstation provides an end-user interface which when activated, windows and levels a whole image or a region of interest within the image utilizing the pixel values within a selection area. The method and apparatus customizes the pixel values when the entire image is selected before calculating the window and levels to produce a higher contrast, then redraws the entire image utilizing the newly calculated window and level values. The present invention provides a method and apparatus to enable an operator to define a region of interest, that when activated, the image is redrawn utilizing only the pixel values from the region of interest, maximizing the brightness and contrast of the selected.
172 Citations
8 Claims
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1. A method for displaying a medical diagnostic image comprising the steps of:
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(a) scanning an x-ray film image of a patient into a digital representation of pixels values corresponding to intensity of points on the x-ray film; (b) displaying the pixels values on a workstation; (c) selecting an area within the pixel values displayed on the workstation; (d) calculating a window width equal to difference between MAX and MIN and a window level value equal to the window width divided by 2 plus MIN, for all pixel values displayed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7)
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6. A method for displaying a medical diagnostic image comprising the steps of:
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(a) scanning x-ray film containing a diagnostic image of a patient into a digital representation of pixel values corresponding to intensity values for a particular point n the x-ray film; (b) displaying the pixel values on a workstation; (c) selecting an area within the pixel values displayed on the workstation; (d) calculating a histogram for the selected area representing a number of occurrences of each pixel value which occurs in the selected area; (e) determining a total number of occurrences of all pixel values which occur in the selected area; (f) determining a number N equal to a selected percentage of the total number of occurrences of all pixel values which occur in the selected area; (g) adaptively calculating a first sum comprising a number of occurrences of pixel values starting with a number of occurrences of a smallest pixel value represented in the histogram and preceding to add to the first sum a number of occurrences of a next smallest pixel value represented in the histogram and continuing to a number of occurrences of a next smallest pixel value represented in the histogram until the first sum of occurrences is greater than or equal to N; (h) setting a variable MIN equal to a pixel value represented in the histogram when the first sum becomes greater than or equal to N; (I) adaptively calculating a second sum comprising the number of occurrences of pixel values starting with the number of occurrences of a largest pixel value represented in the histogram and preceding to add to the second sum, a number of occurrences of a next largest pixel value represented in the histogram and continuing to a next largest pixel value represented in the histogram until the second sum is greater than or equal to N; (j) setting a variable MAX equal to a pixel value represented in the histogram at which the second sum becomes greater than or equal to N; and (k) calculating a window width equal to difference between MAX and MIN and a window level value, equal to the window width divided by 2 plus MIN, for all pixel values displayed. - View Dependent Claims (8)
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Specification