System and method for analysis of imagery data

• US 6,768,811 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2002
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Manon Business Information Limited
• Original Assignee: Magnolia Medical Technologies Limited
• Inventors: Gordon, Goren, Dinstein, Doron, Gordon, Barak
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Jayanti K.
• Application Number:
  US10/152,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20030095694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/128, 382/129-133, 382/305, 382/306, 382/308, 382/254, 382/276, 382/279, 382/181, 600/300, 709/206, 709/231, 606/1, 606/32, 606/33, 378/1, 378/4, 378/37, 378/38, 378/91
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/30 of unstructured textual data document management systems G06F16/93
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

A medical diagnostics system and method enhanced by the application of an imagery data analysis instrument operative in the processing of imagery data for the purpose of generating meaningful imagery data summaries through the use of complexity calculation.

Claims

1. A medical diagnostics system having an imagery data analysis application operative in the processing of imagery data for generating meaningful imagery data summaries, the system comprising the elements of:

at least one imagery input device to acquire imagery data of at least one subject and to transmit a stream of the acquired imagery data to at least one associated data processing apparatus;

at least one data processing device associated with the at least one imagery input device, the data processing device comprising the elements of;

at least one data storage device to store the stream of acquired imagery data, to store imagery data processing control parameters and to store programs constituting the imagery data analysis application;

at least one processor device to process the stream of imagery data through the application of the at least one imagery data analysis application;

an imagery data analysis application for the generation of meaningful summaries of the imagery data received from the at least one imagery input device, the imagery data analysis application comprises the elements of;

an imagery data stream manipulation component to partition the distinct records of the stream of imagery data into specifically sized data blocks;

a complexity calculation component to assign complexity values to the partitioned blocks of the imagery data records;

an indicative parameter calculation component; and

a final result generating component; and

at least one user interface device to enable at least one user of the system to control suitably the operation of the system.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprises the element of at least one data communication network to enable remote access to imagery data control parameter sources across the network and to allow for the transmission of the imagery analysis result to remote targets across the network.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the data communication network is a Local Area Network (LAN).

4. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the data communication network is a Wide Area Network (WAN).

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprises the element of at least one imagery data recording device to allow for the recording of the imagery information.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprises the elements of at least one communication device to support a functional communication path to remotely located imagery data input devices, remotely located user interface devices, remotely located storage devices, and remotely located processing devices.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the data processing device further comprises the element of an operating system to supervise the operation of the program executing in the data processing device.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the imagery data comprises three-dimensional images.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein the imagery data comprises two-dimensional images.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the imagery data comprises of still images.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the imagery data comprises video.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the imagery data includes audio elements.

13. The system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the imagery data includes textual elements.

14. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the imagery input device is a Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) device.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14 wherein the imagery input device is a three dimensional ultra sound (3D US) device.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15 wherein the imagery input device is a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) device.

17. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the processor device is a Personal Computer (PC) device.

18. The system as claimed in claim 17 wherein the processor device is a microprocessor.

19. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage device is a magnetic/optical disk device.

20. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the storage device is a Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM) device.

21. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the imagery data control parameters include baseline imagery data.

22. A method for medical diagnosis utilizing an imagery analysis mechanism for the purpose of creating meaningful summaries of imagery data, the method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a stream of imagery data of at least one subject via at least one imagery input device;

processing the imagery data for the purpose of generating meaningful imagery data summaries, the processing comprises the steps of;

partitioning an imagery data record into data blocks having identical size;

assigning complexity values to the partitioned data blocks according to a pre-determined complexity factor;

generating an indicative parameter based on the complexity values of the partitioned data blocks; and

generating a final result to be displayed to at least one user;

presenting the meaningful imagery summaries to at least one user.

24. The method as claimed in claim 22 further comprises the steps of:

obtaining letter parameters from at least one three-dimensional image;

dividing the at least one three-dimensional image into at least two blocks;

dividing the at least two blocks into at least three reading frames;

creating a word size list for the at least three reading frames each;

utilizing word size lists and letter parameters for the calculation of the maximum different words possible.

25. The method as claimed in claim 22 further comprises the steps of:

obtaining shift parameters;

creating a word size value for at least three reading frames each;

utilizing the word size value to calculate the number of words;

calculating the number of words from the words and from the shift values.

26. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein at least one user of the system selectively controls the processing of the stream of the imagery data.

27. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the processing of the stream of imagery data is performed controlled and enhanced via the utilization of imagery analysis control data parameters.

28. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the acquisition, processing, analysis, control, and display of the stream of imagery data is performed in a distributive manner across the at least one communications network.

29. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the at least one subject is a medical patient to be observed and to be diagnosed.

30. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the presentation of the meaningful summaries to the at least one user is utilized for the purposes of medical diagnosis, prognosis, and evaluation of responses to therapies.

31. The method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the presentation of the meaningful summaries to the at least one user is utilized for the purposes of guiding invasive or non-invasive therapeutic procedures.

23. The method as claimed in 22 wherein the step of processing further comprises the steps of:

dividing at least one three dimensional image into at least two blocks;

dividing each of the at the at least two blocks into at least three reading frames;

calculating the complexity values of the at least three reading frames;

whereby the complexity calculation of three-dimensional images is achieved.