Methods and devices for quantitative analysis of X-ray images

• US 8,649,481 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Imatx, Inc. (Conformis Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Imatx, Inc. (Conformis Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lang, Philipp, Steines, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): THOMAS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US13/251,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20120087468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 378/18, 378/53, 378/54, 378/56, 378/62, 378/207
• US Class Current: 378/54
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/002 Monitoring the patient using a local or closed circuit, e.g. in a room or building A61B5/0017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4504 Bones A61B5/4547 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4509 Bone density determination
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4547 Evaluating teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4423 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/505 for diagnosis of bone
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/508 for non-human patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/51 for dentistry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/583 using calibration phantoms
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 23/04 and forming images of the material
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30036 Dental; Teeth
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/80 Analysis of captured images to determine intrinsic or extrinsic camera parameters, i.e. camera calibration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/155 use of biometric patterns for forensic purposes

Abstract

The present invention relates to network enabled analysis of x-ray images. Also described are devices comprising calibration phantoms; methods of using these devices; methods of formulating databases containing information regarding x-ray images; the databases themselves; and methods of manipulating the information and databases.

Claims

1. A computer program product for generating a density calibration curve from a digital x-ray image of an anatomic structure, the x-ray image including a calibration phantom comprising at least one marker positioned in an area of known density, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the computer readable program code comprising:

(a) program code for measuring attenuation at a multitude of points in the x-ray image of the calibration phantom;

(b) program code for measuring attenuation of at least one point of known density in the x-ray image of the anatomical structure;

(c) program code for generating a calibration curve that describes the relationship between attenuation measured in (a) and (b) and material thickness; and

(d) program code for translating the calibration curve describing thickness into a curve describing calcium concentration.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein each point in (c) is at a known distance from a selected part of the calibration phantom.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the calibration phantom comprises aluminum and the calibration curve describes aluminum thickness.

4. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the x-ray image is a dental x-ray.

5. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein the calibration curve is generated in a network environment.

6. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein, in (d), the at least one point of known density in the anatomical structure is in muscle, fat, or air.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein the fat is subcutaneous fat.

8. The computer product according to claim 1, further comprising program code for diagnosing osteoporosis if bone mineral density is below a reference standard.

9. The computer product according to claim 1, wherein the calibration phantom comprises a line or another geometric pattern.

10. The computer product according to claim 1, wherein the calibration phantom is a component of an x-ray assembly for obtaining the x-ray image.

11. The computer product according to claim 1, wherein the calibration phantom is an integral to the x-ray assembly.