IMAGE ANALYSIS FOR ASSESSING IMAGE DATA

• US 20180197288A1
• Filed: 01/09/2017
• Published: 07/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Nunes, Camila Patricia Bazilio, Magalhaes, Marina Lundgren de Almeida, Ribeiro, Marcelo Blois, Oliveira, Dario Augusto Borges, Silva, Eudemberg Fonseca, De Andrade, Felipe Santos, Blumenthal, Marco, Palma, Giovanni John Jacques, Mueller, Serge Louis Wilfrid
• Granted Patent: US 10,282,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4405 the apparatus being movable or portable, e.g. handheld or mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5258 involving detection or reduction of artifacts or noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/586 Detection of faults or malfunction of the device
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 7/00 Details of radiation-measuring instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30068 Mammography; Breast
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

The present approach relates to providing image quality feedback to personnel (e.g., a technician) acquiring non-invasive images in real-time or near real-time. By way of example, the proposed approach may automatically assess the quality of images in real-time by evaluating the images for the presence or absence of non-conformities using processor-implemented, rule-based algorithms running partly or completely in parallel to one another. The proposed approach improves the image analysis pipeline by efficiently providing notification of and/or discarding low-quality or unsuitable images or exams after they are taken, such as in within seconds or minutes.

Claims

1. An imaging system, comprising:

data acquisition circuitry configured to generate one or more images that are transmitted directly or indirectly to a remote processing resource configured to execute a plurality of services which each evaluate the one or more images for a different type of non-conformity;

an operator interface and display configured to execute an application that displays identified non-conformities of the one or more images identified by the remote processing resource.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the imaging system comprises a mammography imaging system

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the imaging system further comprises:

an X-ray source configured to emit X-rays; and

a radiation detector configured to generate signals in response to the emitted X-rays incident on a surface of the radiation detector, wherein the data acquisition circuitry generates the images based on the signals.

4. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the remote processing resource comprises a cloud-based resource.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the one or more images are transmitted to the remote processing resource via a picture archiving and communication system intermediary.

6. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the identified non-conformities are displayed in substantially real-time.

7. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the identified non-conformities are displayed in less than 1 minute from the time a respective image is acquired.

8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the identified non-conformities are displayed while a patient is still at a site of the imaging system.

9. An image analysis architecture, comprising:

an application interface configured to be displayed at the site of an imaging system and to facilitate the transfer of one or more image files to a remote processing resource;

a plurality of services executable on the remote processing resource, wherein at least a portion of the services are configured to execute in parallel and wherein each service is configured to analyze the one or more image files for a respective type of non-conformity and to provide a notification of any identified non-conformities via the application interface.

10. The image analysis architecture of claim 9, wherein the remote processing resource comprises a cloud-based resource.

11. The image analysis architecture of claim 10, wherein the cloud-based resource comprises one or more application servers.

12. The image analysis architecture of claim 9, wherein the types of non-conformities include one or more of:

bad pixels, line artifacts, or components of the imaging system shown in the image.

13. The image analysis architecture of claim 9, wherein the one or more image files comprise mammographic images and the types of non-conformities include one or more:

absence of a breast/chest angle in an MLO view;

misalignment of a nipple and pectoral muscle in an MLO view, non-centered nipple in a CC view, absence of pectoral muscle in the CC view.

14. The image analysis architecture of claim 9, wherein the plurality of services provide the notification to the application interface in substantially real-time.

15. A method for remotely assessing image quality, comprising:

receiving an image of a patient or object generated at a site of an imaging system;

processing the image using a plurality of image quality analysis services, at least a portion of which execute in parallel, wherein the image quality service analytics are executed on a network-based architecture physical remote form the site of the imaging system;

transmitting one or more notifications of non-conformities identified by the image quality analysis services to the site of the imaging system in less than a minute from the time the image was acquired.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the site is a mobile site presently occupied by a portable imaging system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the network-based architecture comprises a cloud-based architecture.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the types of non-conformities include one or more of:

bad pixels, line artifacts, or components of the imaging system shown in the image.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the image comprises a mammographic image and the types of non-conformities include one or more:

absence of a breast/chest angle in an MLO view;

misalignment of a nipple and pectoral muscle in an MLO view, non-centered nipple in a CC view, absence of pectoral muscle in the CC view.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the types of non-conformities relate to clinical standards for the position and/or orientation of a body part being imaged.