Mammography/tomosynthesis systems and methods automatically deriving breast characteristics from breast x-ray images and automatically adjusting image processing parameters accordingly

• US 8,170,320 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Issued: 05/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Inventors: Chen, Biao, Jing, Zhenxue, Smith, Andrew Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): FULLER, RODNEY EVAN
• Application Number:
  US12/396,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20100226475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 396/132, 382/132
• US Class Current: 382/132
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/482 involving multiple energy imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/545 involving automatic set-up of acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30068 Mammography; Breast
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration

Abstract

Methods and systems that automatically identify breast characteristics such as x-ray density and breast texture from initial x-ray images of the breast and automatically adjust process parameter setting of image processing algorithms that operate on the initial images to derive processing images suitable for display or further processing.

Claims

1. A breast x-ray imaging method comprising:

acquiring one or more initial x-ray images of a patient'"'"'s breast, each of said images being represented by pixel values related to x-rays received at respective image pixel positions of an x-ray imaging receptor;

automatically deriving, from said one or more initial x-ray images of the breast, breast characteristics related to selected properties of the imaged breast;

automatically selecting, based at least in part on the derived breast characteristics, process parameter settings of image processing algorithms having adjustable process parameter settings;

processing said one or more initial breast images with said image processing algorithms using the selected process parameter settings to thereby derive one or more processed breast images;

obtaining one or more display images of the breast from said one or more processed breast images; and

selectively displaying the one or more display images for screening or diagnosis on one or more display devices.

2. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which the deriving step comprises deriving respective breast characteristics for different internal regions of the breast, the selecting step comprises deriving respective different process parameter settings for said internal regions, and the processing step comprises processing said internal regions of the initial breast images using the respective different process parameter settings.

3. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which said processing comprises applying to the initial breast images one or more of an unsharp mask filter, a multi-scale filter, and skin-line processing.

4. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which said process parameter settings are selected from the group consisting of weighting factors or effective filter kernel of an unsharp mask filter, and different frequency bands or different frequency weights of a multi-scale filter.

5. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which said breast characteristics comprise at least one of x-ray breast density and breast texture.

6. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which said breast characteristics comprise a mean x-ray density of the imaged breast.

7. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which a single set of said breast characteristics is derived from a set of several breast images of the same patient in said deriving step, said single set of breast characteristics is used to select a single set of process parameter settings in said selecting step, and the single set of process parameter settings is used in the processing step to process each of the initial images in the set.

8. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which the acquiring step comprises exposing the patient'"'"'s breast to imaging x-rays in a mammography system.

9. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 1 in which the acquiring step comprises exposing the patient'"'"'s breast to imaging x-rays in a breast tomosynthesis system and said initial images comprise a set of projection images of the patient'"'"'s breast taken at different angles of the imaging x-rays to the patient'"'"'s breast.

10. A breast x-ray imaging system comprising:

an acquisition station including an x-ray source, an x-ray imaging receptor, and a breast platform between the source and the receptor, said receptor acquiring one or more initial x-ray images of a patient'"'"'s breast positioned on said platform and irradiated with x-rays from said source;

a processor receiving said initial images and configured to automatically derive therefrom breast characteristics related to selected properties of the imaged breast;

said processor being further configured to automatically select, based at least in part on the derived breast characteristics, process parameter settings of image processing algorithms having adjustable process parameter settings;

said processor being still further configured to process said one or more initial breast images with said image processing algorithms using the selected process parameter settings to thereby derive one or more processed breast images; and

a display processor configures to receive said processed breast images, obtain one or more display images of the breast thereform, and selectively display said display images of the breast for screening or diagnosis.

11. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 10 in which said breast characteristics comprise a mean x-ray density of the imaged breast.

12. A breast x-ray imaging system as in claim 10 in which the processor is configured to derive respective breast characteristics for different internal regions of the initial breast images and select respective different process parameter settings for said internal regions and process said internal regions of the initial breast images using the respective different process parameter settings.

13. A breast x-ray imaging system as in claim 10 in which said processor is configured to apply to said initial images algorithms that comprise one or more of an unsharp mask filter, a multi-scale filter, and skin-line processing.

14. A breast x-ray imaging system as in claim 10 in which said process parameter settings selected by said processor comprise at least some of weighting factors or effective filter kernel of an unsharp mask filter, and different frequency bands or different frequency weights of a multi-scale filter.

15. A breast x-ray imaging method as in claim 10 in which said breast characteristics comprise texture of the imaged breast.

16. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory form in a physical computer program medium, said computer program product when running in a computer coupled with an x-ray imaging system that supplies the computer with initial x-ray images of a patient'"'"'s breast, causing the computer to:

automatically derive, form said initial x-ray images of the breast, breast characteristics related to selected properties of the imaged breast;

automatically select, based at least in part on the derived breast characteristics, process parameter settings of image processing algorithms having adjustable process parameter settings;

process said one or more initial breast images with said image processing algorithms using the selected process parameter settings to thereby derive one or more processed breast images;

obtain one or more display images of the breast from said one or more processed breast images; and

selectively cause a display device to displaying the one or more display images for screening or diagnosis.

17. A computer program product as in claim 16, causing the computer to derive respective breast characteristics for different internal regions of at least one initial breast image and select respective different process parameter settings for said internal regions and process said internal regions using the respective different process parameter settings.

18. A computer program product as in claim 16, causing the computer to apply to said initial images algorithms that comprise one or more of an unsharp mask filter, a multi-scale filter, and skin-line processing.

19. A computer program product as in claim 16, in which said process parameter settings comprise at least some of weighting factors or effective filter kernel of an unsharp mask filter, and different frequency bands or different frequency weights of a multi-scale filter.

20. A computer program product as in claim 16, in which said breast characteristics comprise at least one of mean x-ray density and texture of the imaged breast.