Measurement of mitotic activity
First Claim
1. A method of measurement of mitotic activity from histopathological specimen image data, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) identifying pixels in the image data having luminances associated with mitotic figures;
b) selecting from among the identified pixels a reference pixel which is sufficiently close in position and luminance to another identified pixel to provide a reference colour;
c) locating pixels in the image data with luminances sufficiently close to that of the reference colour to indicate potentially mitotic figures;
d) incrementing image regions corresponding to potentially mitotic figures from the located pixels by adding pixels thereto, potential increments to image regions being implemented or rejected by according to whether or not their luminances are sufficiently close to respective image region luminances and sufficiently far from an image data background luminance;
e) selecting grown image regions on the basis of thresholds for image region area, compactness and width/height ratio; and
f) counting selected grown image regions as actually indicating mitotic figures on the basis of thresholds for number of such regions;
wherein the method is implemented by a processor.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of measurement of mitotic activity from histopathological specimen images initially identifies image pixels with luminances corresponding to mitotic figures and selects from them a reference pixel to provide a reference color. Pixels similar to the reference color are located; image regions are grown on located pixels by adding pixels satisfying thresholds of differences to background and image region luminances. Grown regions are thresholded in area, compactness, width/height ratio, luminance ratio to background and difference between areas grown with perturbed thresholds. Grown regions are counted as indicating mitotic figures by thresholding region number, area and luminance. An alternative method of measuring mitotic activity measures a profile of an image region and counts the image region as corresponding to a mitotic figure if its profile is above a threshold at an intensity associated with mitotic figures. A mitotic figure is also indicated if the profile does not meet the previous criterion but has three other values satisfying respective threshold criteria.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of measurement of mitotic activity from histopathological specimen image data, the method comprising the steps of:
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a) identifying pixels in the image data having luminances associated with mitotic figures; b) selecting from among the identified pixels a reference pixel which is sufficiently close in position and luminance to another identified pixel to provide a reference colour; c) locating pixels in the image data with luminances sufficiently close to that of the reference colour to indicate potentially mitotic figures; d) incrementing image regions corresponding to potentially mitotic figures from the located pixels by adding pixels thereto, potential increments to image regions being implemented or rejected by according to whether or not their luminances are sufficiently close to respective image region luminances and sufficiently far from an image data background luminance; e) selecting grown image regions on the basis of thresholds for image region area, compactness and width/height ratio; and f) counting selected grown image regions as actually indicating mitotic figures on the basis of thresholds for number of such regions; wherein the method is implemented by a processor. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen color image data, the method having the steps of:
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a) staining a histopathological specimen with a staining agent to color and delineate tissue and cellular structure appropriately for assessment of mitotic activity, b) obtaining color image data from the staining of the stained histopathological specimen, Wherein the steps c-g are implemented by a processor; c) measuring an intensity profile of an image region in the color image data, the image region corresponding to a potentially mitotic figure, d) counting the image region as indicating a mitotic figure if its intensity profile has a non-zero number of pixels with intensity associated with mitotic figure imagery, and that pixel number is greater than a prearranged threshold value, e) if one or more other image regions corresponding to potentially mitotic figures are available in the specimen image, repeating steps c) and d) for such region or regions, f) repeating steps c), d) and e) for additional histopathological specimen image data in order to obtain mitotic figure counts for a plurality of specimen images, and g) summing the mitotic figure counts obtained in steps c) to f) to provide an indication of degree of mitotic activity.
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11. A method of measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen image data, the method having the steps of:
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a) measuring an intensity profile of an image region corresponding to a potentially mitotic figure, and b) counting the image region as indicating a mitotic figure if its profile has a first value not greater than the prearranged threshold at a position in the profile having intensity associated with mitotic figure imagery, a second value greater than a prearranged second threshold, a third value greater than a prearranged third threshold, and a minimum value less than a prearranged fourth threshold; wherein the method is implemented by a processor. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. Computer apparatus for measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen image data, the apparatus being programmed to execute the steps of:
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a) identifying pixels in the image data having luminances associated with mitotic figures; b) selecting from among the identified pixels a reference pixel which is sufficiently close in position and luminance to another identified pixel to provide a reference colour; c) locating pixels in the image data with luminances sufficiently close to that of the reference colour to indicate potentially mitotic figures; d) incrementing image regions corresponding to potentially mitotic figures from the located pixels by adding pixels thereto, potential increments to image regions being implemented or rejected by according to whether or not their luminances are sufficiently close to respective image region luminances and sufficiently far from an image data background luminance; e) selecting grown image regions on the basis of thresholds for image region area, compactness and width/height ratio; and f) counting selected grown image regions as actually indicating mitotic figures on the basis of thresholds for number of such regions. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. Computer apparatus for measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen color image data obtained from a histopathological specimen stained with a staining agent to color and delineate tissue and cellular structure appropriately for assessment of mitotic activity, the apparatus being programmed to execute the steps of:
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a) measuring an intensity profile of an image region in the color image data, the image region corresponding to a potentially mitotic figure, b) counting the image region as indicating a mitotic figure if its intensity profile has a non-zero number of pixels with intensity associated with mitotic figure imagery, and that pixel number is greater than a prearranged threshold value, c) if one or more other image regions corresponding to potentially mitotic figures are available in the specimen image, repeating steps a) and b) for such region or regions, d) repeating steps a), b) and c) for additional histopathological specimen image data in order to obtain mitotic figure counts for a plurality of specimen images, and e) summing the mitotic figure counts obtained in steps a) to d) to provide an indication of degree of mitotic activity.
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24. Computer apparatus for measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen image data, the apparatus being programmed to execute the steps of:
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a) measuring an intensity profile of an image region corresponding to a potentially mitotic figure, and b) counting an image region as indicating a mitotic figure if its profile has a first value not greater than the prearranged threshold at a position in the profile having intensity associated with mitotic figure imagery, a second value greater than a prearranged second threshold, a third value greater than a prearranged third threshold, and a minimum value less than a prearranged fourth threshold. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26)
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27. A computer software product comprising a computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions and for use in measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen image data, the computer readable instructions being for controlling computer apparatus to implement the steps of:
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a) identifying pixels in the image data having luminances associated with mitotic figures; b) selecting from among the identified pixels a reference pixel which is sufficiently close in position and luminance to another identified pixel to provide a reference colour; c) locating pixels in the image data with luminances sufficiently close to that of the reference colour to indicate potentially mitotic figures; d) incrementing image regions corresponding to potentially mitotic figures from the located pixels by adding pixels thereto, potential increments to image regions being implemented or rejected by according to whether or not their luminances are sufficiently close to respective image region luminances and sufficiently far from an image data background luminance; e) selecting grown image regions on the basis of thresholds for image region area, compactness and width/height ratio; and f) counting selected grown image regions as actually indicating mitotic figures on the basis of thresholds for number of such regions. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A computer software product comprising a computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions for use in measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen color image data obtained from a histopathological specimen stained with a staining agent to color and delineate tissue and cellular structure appropriately for assessment of mitotic activity, the computer readable instructions being for controlling computer apparatus to implement the steps of:
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a) measuring an intensity profile of an image region in the color image data, the image region corresponding to a potentially mitotic figure, b) counting the image region as indicating a mitotic figure if its intensity profile has a non-zero number of pixels with intensity associated with mitotic figure imagery, and that pixel number is greater than a prearranged threshold value, c) if one or more other image regions corresponding to potentially mitotic figures are available in the specimen image, repeating steps a) and b) for such region or regions, d) repeating steps a), b) and c) for additional histopathological specimen image data in order to obtain mitotic figure counts for a plurality of specimen images, and e) summing the mitotic figure counts obtained in steps a) to d) to provide an indication of degree of mitotic activity.
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32. A computer software product comprising a computer readable medium encoded with computer readable instructions and for use in measuring mitotic activity from histopathological specimen image data, the computer readable instructions being for controlling computer apparatus to implement the steps of:
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a) measuring an intensity profile of an image region corresponding to a potentially mitotic figure, and b) counting the image region as indicating a mitotic figure if its profile has a first value not greater than the prearranged threshold at a position in the profile having intensity associated with mitotic figure imagery, a second value greater than a prearranged second threshold, a third value greater than a prearranged third threshold, and a minimum value less than a prearranged fourth threshold. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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Specification