Graphical user interface for display of anatomical information

• US 7,633,501 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2006
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: MeVis Medical Solutions AG (Varex Imaging Corporation)
• Original Assignee: MeVis Medical Solutions, Inc. (Varex Imaging Corporation)
• Inventors: Doi, Takeshi, Zhang, Heidi, Wood, Susan A., Caspi, Anat, Romsdahl, Harlan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma; Tize
• Application Number:
  US11/438,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20070003124A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 345/419, 382128-134, 600/425, 600/443, 600/449, 600/587, 600/629, 600/630, 378/4, 378 21- 27, 378/901, 715/700
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30061 Lung
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/004 Annotating, labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/028 Multiple view windows (top-side-front-sagittal-orthogonal)
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/248 by interactive preprocessing or interactive shape modelling, e.g. feature points assigned by a user
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/25 Determination of region of interest [ROI] or a volume of interest [VOI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 378/901 Computer tomography program or processor

Abstract

A computer-aided diagnostic method and system provide image annotation information that can include an assessment of the probability, likelihood or predictive value of detected or identified suspected abnormalities as an additional aid to the radiologist. More specifically, probability values, in numerical form and/or analog form, are added to the locational markers of the detected and suspected abnormalities. The task of a physician using such a system as disclosed is believed to be made easier by displaying markers representing different regions of interest.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface for displaying anatomical information of a body part obtained from a computed tomography (CT) scan thereof, and for displaying information from a computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithm operating on a CT data volume derived from the CT scan, comprising:

a first display displaying a sequence of two-dimensional tomographic sections generated from said CT scans;

a second display displaying a first view of the body part and including an indication of the position on the body part of the section then being displayed on the first display, said first display and said second display each including one or more suspicious region of interest (ROI) markers corresponding to suspicious locations of the body part identified by the CAD algorithm; and

a navigational tool comprising a plurality of graphical identifiers, each graphical identifier associated respectively with one of said sequence of two-dimensional tomographic sections, said graphical identifiers being spatially arranged along said navigational tool in a manner associated with a spatial arrangement of said sequence of tomographic sections within the CT data volume;

wherein each of said sequence of two-dimensional tomographic sections is displayed responsive to a user selection of an associated one of said graphical identifiers on said navigational tool.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein said navigational tool comprises a linear scroll bar.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein said navigational tool comprises a first scrolling selector that allows sequential stepping by a user through said sequence of two-dimensional tomographic sections.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 3, further comprising a third display displaying a volumetric view of the body part, said volumetric view being enlarged around one of said suspicious locations associated with the currently selected graphical identifier on said navigational tool and with the associated currently-displayed two-dimensional tomographic section.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 4, wherein said navigational tool comprises a second scrolling selector that allows sequential stepping by a user through multiple ROI markers, if present, on the currently-displayed two-dimensional tomographic section, wherein said volumetric view is enlarged around the suspicious location corresponding to the currently selected one of said multiple ROI markers.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 5, wherein said first scrolling selector comprises up/down scroll buttons near said spatial arrangement of graphical identifiers, and wherein said second scrolling selector comprises left/right scroll buttons near said spatial arrangement of graphical identifiers.

7. A graphical user interface for displaying anatomical information of a body part from tomographic data obtained from a digital imaging apparatus, comprising:

a first display rendering a sequence of two-dimensional tomographic sections obtained from said tomographic data, a second display rendering a first view of the body part and including an indication of the position on the body part of the section then being displayed on the first display, and a third display;

wherein said first display and said second display each include suspicious region of interest markers corresponding to suspicious locations of the body part identified from said tomographic data; and

responsive to a user selection of one of said suspicious-ROI markers on either of said first or second displays, said third display renders a volumetric view of the body part, said volumetric view being enlarged around the suspicious location corresponding to the selected suspicious-ROI marker.

8. The graphical user interface of claim 7, wherein said volumetric view is user-rotatable around said suspicious location.

9. The graphical user interface of claim 7, wherein said first view is rendered from a viewpoint lying outside the body, wherein said second display includes a line on said first view identifying the tomographic section being rendered in the first display relative thereto, said line and said current tomographic section being inter-responsively linked such that user manipulation of said line position within said second display changes selection of the tomographic section being rendered in said first display to maintain correspondence therewith, and such that user selection within said first display of a different tomographic section for rendering changes the position of said marker in said second display to maintain correspondence therewith.

10. The graphical user interface of claim 7, said tomographic sections being axial sections substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis, further comprising a navigational tool in said first display comprising a plurality of graphical identifiers, each graphical identifier corresponding respectively to each of a subset of said tomographic sections containing one or more suspicious-ROI markers, said graphical identifiers being spatially arranged along said navigational tool in a manner corresponding to a spatial arrangement of said subset of tomographic sections along said longitudinal axis.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 10, said navigational tool further comprising a single-click input for allowing the user to navigate directly among said subset of tomographic sections containing the suspicious-ROI markers.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 7, said third display using distinctive colorations on pixels corresponding to suspicious locations within said body part.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 7, said third display being further characterized by superimposed graphical annotations to highlight pixels corresponding to suspicious locations within said body part.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 7, said tomographic data being current tomographic data, further characterized by a fourth display, a fifth display, and a sixth display displaying tomographic sections and volumetric data derived from historical tomographic data in manners similar to those of said first, second, and third displays, respectively, and concurrently therewith.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein said historical tomographic data is derived from known healthy tomographic data.

16. The graphical user interface of claim 7, wherein said body part is the human lung, said digital imaging apparatus is an x-ray CT device, and said suspicious locations comprise potentially cancerous nodules.

17. A method for rendering anatomical information obtained by tomographic scanning of a body comprising:

rendering on a first portion of a display a sequence of axial sections, the particular section being rendered at any time being selectable by means of a scroll bar or scroll buttons;

rendering on a second portion of the display a view of an entire region of the body encompassed by all of the axial sections, said view including an indication of the position on the body of the section then being rendered on the first portion of the display; and

rendering on a third portion of the display a volumetric view of a selected feature shown in the section then being rendered on the first portion, said volumetric view being selectively rotatable about multiple axes.