System and method for detection of lesions in three-dimensional digital medical image
First Claim
1. A method for characterizing a point in a three-dimensional digital medical image, the method comprising:
- determining, by a processor, third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image at one or more points within the three-dimensional digital medical image;
determining, by the processor, at each of the one or more points, using the third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image, one or more invariant features that characterize a local geometry at the point, each of the one or more invariant features being invariant with respect to a parameterization of a surface which relates to the local geometry; and
characterizing each of the one or more points using the one or more determined invariant features; and
distinguishing a first area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to an abnormal tissue from a second area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to a normal body tissue, based on a contrast therebetween with respect to greyscale representations of points included in the first area and points included in the second area,wherein the characterizing comprises assigning a respective greyscale representation to each point in the three-dimensional medical image based on the determined third-order derivative for the corresponding point.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for characterizing a point in a three-dimensional digital medical image includes determining third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image at one or more points in the three-dimensional digital medical image. At each of the one or more points, one or more invariant or semi-invariant features that characterize a local geometry at the point is determined using the third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image. The invariant or semi-invariant features are used for automatic detection of lesions, abnormalities, and other anatomical structures of interest in the three-dimensional digital medical image.
-
Citations
24 Claims
-
1. A method for characterizing a point in a three-dimensional digital medical image, the method comprising:
-
determining, by a processor, third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image at one or more points within the three-dimensional digital medical image; determining, by the processor, at each of the one or more points, using the third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image, one or more invariant features that characterize a local geometry at the point, each of the one or more invariant features being invariant with respect to a parameterization of a surface which relates to the local geometry; and characterizing each of the one or more points using the one or more determined invariant features; and distinguishing a first area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to an abnormal tissue from a second area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to a normal body tissue, based on a contrast therebetween with respect to greyscale representations of points included in the first area and points included in the second area, wherein the characterizing comprises assigning a respective greyscale representation to each point in the three-dimensional medical image based on the determined third-order derivative for the corresponding point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 23)
-
-
11. A method for characterizing a point in a three dimensional digital medical image, the method comprising:
-
determining, by a processor, third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image, at one or more points within the three-dimensional digital medical image; determining, by the processor, at each of the one or more points, using the third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image, one or more semi-invariant features that characterize a local geometry at the point, each of the one or more semi-invariant features being calculated using Cartesian coordinate directions to yield an approximation of a corresponding invariant feature which is invariant with respect to a parameterization of a surface which relates to the local geometry; characterizing each of the one or more points using the one or more determined semi-invariant features; and distinguishing a first area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to an abnormal tissue from a second area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to a normal body tissue, based on a contrast therebetween with respect to greyscale representations of points included in the first area and points included in the second area, wherein the characterizing comprises assigning a respective greyscale representation to each point in the three-dimensional medical image based on the determined third-order derivative for the corresponding point. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24)
-
-
21. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, execution of which by a computing device causes the computing device to perform processes comprising:
-
determining third order derivatives of a three-dimensional digital medical image, at one or more points within the three-dimensional digital medical image; determining, at each of the one or more points, one or more invariant or semi-invariant features that characterize a local geometry at the point using the third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image, each of the one or more invariant features being invariant with respect to a parameterization of a surface which relates to the local geometry, and each of the one or more semi-invariant features being calculated using Cartesian coordinate directions to yield an approximation of a corresponding one of the one or more invariant features which is invariant with respect to the parameterization of the surface which relates to the local geometry; characterizing each of the one or more points using the one or more determined invariant features; and distinguishing a first area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to an abnormal tissue from a second area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to a normal body tissue, based on a contrast therebetween with respect to greyscale representations of points included in the first area and points included in the second area, wherein the characterizing comprises assigning a respective greyscale representation to each point in the three-dimensional medical image based on the determined third-order derivative for the corresponding point.
-
-
22. An apparatus comprising:
-
a communication interface which is configured to receive scan data; and a processor which is configured to determine third order derivatives of a three-dimensional digital medical image which is based on the received scan data, at one or more points within the three-dimensional digital medical image, and to determine, at each of the one or more points, one or more invariant or semi-invariant features that characterize a local geometry at the point using the third order derivatives of the three-dimensional digital medical image, each of the one or more invariant features being invariant with respect to a parameterization of a surface which relates to the local geometry, and each of the one or more semi-invariant features being calculated using Cartesian coordinate directions to yield an approximation of a corresponding one of the one or more invariant features which is invariant with respect to the parameterization of the surface which relates to the local geometry, wherein the processor is further configured to distinguish a first area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to an abnormal tissue from a second area within the three-dimensional medical image which relates to a normal body tissue, based on a contrast therebetween with respect to greyscale representations of points included in the first area and points included in the second area, the greyscale representations being assigned to each point in the three-dimensional medical image based on the determined third-order derivative for the corresponding point.
-
Specification