Method and system for computer-aided lesion detection using information from multiple images
DCFirst Claim
1. A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram view of the breast and a second digital mammogram view of the breast, comprising the steps of:
- locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram view, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram view;
computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; and
classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics.
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Abstract
A system, method, and computer program product for computer-aided detection of suspicious lesions in digital mammograms is described, wherein single-view feature vectors from a first digital mammogram are processed in a classification algorithm along with information computed from a plurality of related digital mammograms to assign an overall probability of suspiciousness to potentially suspicious lesions in the first digital mammogram. In one preferred embodiment, a greater probability of suspiciousness is determined where there are similar corresponding lesions in the first digital mammogram and in an alternate digital mammogram view of the same breast. In another preferred embodiment, a lesser probability of suspiciousness is found where there are symmetric lesions or structures located in the first digital mammogram and a digital mammogram of the opposite breast. In another preferred embodiment, a lesser probability of suspiciousness is found where there are similar lesions or structures located in the first digital mammogram and a digital mammogram of the same breast taken months or years earlier in time. In another preferred embodiment, the nipple location, which serves as a reference location point across different digital mammogram, is located using an algorithm that takes into account the chest wall, the skin line of the breast, and the general orientation of the fibrous breast tissue in the digital mammogram relative to the chest wall.
298 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram view of the breast and a second digital mammogram view of the breast, comprising the steps of:
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locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram view, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram view; computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; and classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram of an opposite breast, comprising the steps of:
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locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram; computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; and classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken from a second view different than the first view, and a third digital mammogram taken of an opposite breast, comprising the steps of:
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locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram of the breast, each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; locating a third set of potentially suspicious lesions in said third digital mammogram, each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions; and classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the different view of the same breast, and (c) the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A computer program product for directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram view of the breast and a second digital mammogram view of the breast, comprising:
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computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram view, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram view; computer code for computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; and computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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34. A computer program product for directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram of an opposite breast, comprising:
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computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram; computer code for computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; and computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast. - View Dependent Claims (35)
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36. A computer program product directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken from a second view different than the first view, and a third digital mammogram taken of an opposite breast, comprising:
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computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram of the breast, each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computer code for locating a third set of potentially suspicious lesions in said third digital mammogram, each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computer code for computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; computer code for computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions; and computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the different view of the same breast, and (c) the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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38. A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram thereof, comprising the steps of:
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locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram; computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; and classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics; wherein said first digital mammogram and said second digital mammogram correspond to mammograms of the breast taken at substantially different times, whereby change in the breast over time that may indicate one or more cancerous conditions may be detected. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41)
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42. A computer program product for directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram thereof, comprising:
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computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram; computer code for computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; and computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics; wherein said first digital mammogram and said second digital mammogram correspond to mammograms of the breast taken at substantially different times, whereby change in the breast over time that may indicate one or more cancerous conditions may be detected. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken from a second view different than the first view, and a third digital mammogram thereof taken at a time prior to the time at which the first digital mammogram was taken, comprising the steps of:
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locating potentially suspicious lesions in each of said first, second, and third digital mammograms to produce a first, second, and third set of potentially suspicious lesions, respectively, each of said potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions; and classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the second digital mammogram, and (c) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the third digital mammogram; wherein said step of classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions is performed using a classification algorithm in which the single-view feature vector associated with that potentially suspicious lesion is processed along with the corresponding similarity metrics, wherein a greater probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly similar to a potentially suspicious lesion in the second digital mammogram view, and wherein a lesser probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly similar to a potentially suspicious lesion in the third digital mammogram view.
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47. A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken at a time prior to the time at which the first digital mammogram was taken, and a third digital mammogram of the opposing breast, comprising the steps of:
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locating potentially suspicious lesions in each of said first, second, and third digital mammograms to produce a first, second, and third set of potentially suspicious lesions, respectively, each of said potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto; computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions; computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions; and classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the second digital mammogram, and (c) the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the third digital mammogram; wherein said step of classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions is performed using a classification algorithm in which the single-view feature vector associated with that potentially suspicious lesion is processed along with the corresponding symmetry and similarity metrics, wherein a lesser probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly similar to a potentially suspicious lesion in the second digital mammogram view, and wherein a lesser probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly symmetric with a potentially suspicious lesion in the third digital mammogram view.
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Specification