Method and apparatus for processing chest X-ray images

• US 8,433,112 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Huanzhong, Wang, Dejun, Lin, Mei
• Primary Examiner(s): LUU, THANH X
• Application Number:
  US12/365,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20090196481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/132
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30061 Lung
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A method for processing each of chest X-ray images photographed by an X-ray imaging apparatus, includes the steps of: analyzing characteristics of lung images in the chest X-ray images; sorting the chest X-ray images, based on said result of analysis; and displaying the result of sorting.

Claims

1. A method for processing each of a plurality of chest X-ray images photographed by an X-ray imaging apparatus, said method comprising:

analyzing at least one of size characteristics of pulmonary hila of lung images and a characteristic of intensity of each pulmonary-hilum image of lung images in the plurality of chest X-ray images;

applying a point to each characteristic in the chest X-ray images based on a result of the analysis of the characteristics of the pulmonary hila;

sorting the chest X-ray images into a normal group and an un-normal group based on a result of the analysis of the characteristics of the pulmonary hila, wherein sorting the chest X-ray images includes ranking the chest X-ray images based on the total points in each chest X-ray image; and

displaying a result of the sorting.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising analyzing a left-right symmetry of the lung images.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising analyzing characteristics of costophrenic angles in the lung images.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising analyzing a continuity of ribs in the lung images.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising analyzing a characteristic of a heart width in the lung images.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising analyzing a characteristic of intensity of each lung image.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein analyzing a characteristic of intensity comprises analyzing an average intensity.

8. An image processing apparatus configured to process a plurality of chest X-ray images photographed by an X-ray imaging apparatus, said image processing apparatus comprising:

a device configured to analyze characteristics of lung images in the plurality of chest X-ray images and apply a point to each characteristic in the chest X-ray images based on a result of the analysis of the characteristics, wherein the characteristics include a heart width and continuity of ribs;

a device configured to sort the plurality of chest X-ray images into a normal group and an un-normal group based on a result of the analysis of the characteristics, wherein sorting the chest X-ray images includes ranking the chest X-ray images based on the total points in each chest X-ray image; and

a device configured to display a result of the sorting.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the characteristics further comprise left-right symmetry of the lung images.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the characteristics further comprise characteristics of costophrenic angles.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the characteristics further comprise characteristics of pulmonary hila.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the characteristics of the pulmonary hila comprise size characteristics of the pulmonary hila.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the characteristics of the pulmonary hila comprise a characteristic of intensity of each pulmonary-hilum image.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the characteristics further comprise a characteristic of intensity of each lung image.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the intensity comprises an average intensity of each lung image.