Method for standardizing the MR image intensity scale
First Claim
1. A method for standardizing MR image intensity scales for imaging a region of the body of a patient, wherein the method comprises post-processing intensity transforming an MR image acquired by an MRI protocol, wherein a standardized intensity histogram is achieved for the MRI protocol, and for the region of the patient'"'"'s body, comprising:
- a) estimating for the MRI protocol and region of the patient'"'"'s body, certain landmarks from a given set of image histograms to form a standard scale histogram (a standardizer), b) imaging the region of the patient'"'"'s body by the MRI protocol to form an image histogram, and c) computing the standardized intensity histogram by mapping landmarks determined from the image histogram to corresponding landmarks of the standard scale histogram.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method for standardizing MR image intensity scales by the use of post-processing intensity transformation techniques applied to routinely acquired images. The method requires neither specialized acquisition protocols, nor calibration phantoms. The standardizing method offers previously unattainable consistency of intensity meaning of tissues by devising a transformation that is specific to a given MRI protocol and/or for any body region to provide standardized images. Essentially, the histogram of a given volume image is deformed to match a “standard” histogram for the corresponding MRI protocol and body-region, thereby minimizing or eliminating the human interaction required in the per-case manual window adjustments needed to visualize MR images at physician viewing stations. The method offers significantly more consistent tissue meaning for MR image intensities than the images before standardization. Also provided are MR images having standardized intensity scales.
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17 Claims
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1. A method for standardizing MR image intensity scales for imaging a region of the body of a patient, wherein the method comprises post-processing intensity transforming an MR image acquired by an MRI protocol, wherein a standardized intensity histogram is achieved for the MRI protocol, and for the region of the patient'"'"'s body, comprising:
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a) estimating for the MRI protocol and region of the patient'"'"'s body, certain landmarks from a given set of image histograms to form a standard scale histogram (a standardizer), b) imaging the region of the patient'"'"'s body by the MRI protocol to form an image histogram, and c) computing the standardized intensity histogram by mapping landmarks determined from the image histogram to corresponding landmarks of the standard scale histogram. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification