Methods and systems for performing segmentation and registration of images using neutrosophic similarity scores

• US 9,443,161 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yanhui Guo
• Original Assignee: Dimensions and Shapes, LLC
• Inventors: Guo, Yanhui
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, YON JUNG
• Application Number:
  US14/518,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20150242697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 694 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/24 Classification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10072 Tomographic images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10088 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10132 Ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30068 Mammography; Breast
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30096 Tumor; Lesion
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/14 Transformations for image registration, e.g. adjusting or mapping for alignment of images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/18 Image warping, e.g. rearranging pixels individually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0014 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/187 involving region growing; involving region merging; involving connected component labelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/194 involving foreground-background segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A medical imaging system includes an imaging device configured to scan a region of interest to acquire at least one of a first image including a first plurality of pixels and a second image including a second plurality of pixels, a processing unit configured to receive the first and second images, calculate respective first neutrosophic similarity scores for each of the first plurality of pixels of the first image, calculate respective second neutrosophic similarity scores for each of the second plurality of pixels of the second image, perform a template matching algorithm based on differences between the respective first and second neutrosophic similarity scores for each of the first and second plurality, respectively, to determine one or more registration parameters, and register the first and second images using the one or more registration parameters, and a display output configured to allow the registered first and second images to be displayed.

Claims

1. In a medical imaging system having an imaging device configured to scan a region of interest to acquire at least one of (i) a primary image including a first plurality of pixels during a first scan and (ii) a secondary image including a second plurality of pixels during a second, subsequent scan and a processing unit communicably and operatively coupled to the imaging device, the processing unit configured to receive the primary image from the first scan, transform a plurality of characteristics of each of the first plurality of pixels into respective first neutrosophic set domains, calculate respective first neutrosophic similarity scores for each of the first plurality of pixels of the primary image based on parameters in the respective first neutrosophic set domains, and segment the region of interest from a background of the primary image using a region growing algorithm based on the respective first neutrosophic similarity scores for each of the first plurality of pixels, the processing unit further configured to:

utilize the respective first neutrosophic similarity scores for each of the first plurality of pixels to provide a set of parameters, one parameter being a distance from skin to the region of interest, to localize a position of the region of interest in the secondary image; and

detect the region of interest in the second, subsequent scan based on the respective first neutrosophic set domains acquired from the first scan, including the distance from the skin to the region of interest obtained from the primary image to localize and segment the region of interest for further processing.

2. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the set of parameters of the respective first neutrosophic similarity scores are selected by an operator of the medical imaging system to be segmented in the secondary image.

3. The processing unit of claim 1, that the processing unit is configured to:

calculate respective second neutrosophic similarity scores for each of the second plurality of pixels of the secondary image;

segment the region of interest in the secondary image based on the set of parameters of the respective first neutrosophic similarity scores and the respective second neutrosophic similarity scores; and

facilitate displaying the region of interest in the secondary image.

4. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the set of parameters of the respective first neutrosophic similarity scores include at least one of pixel intensity, pixel gradient, pixel homogeneity, a position of structures of the region of interest, a shape of the structures of the region of interest, a volume of the structures of the region of interest, a distance between the structures of the region of interest, and an orientation of the structures of the region of interest.

5. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the primary image is a pre-operative image.

6. The processing unit of claim 5, wherein the secondary image is an intra-operative image.

7. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the secondary image is at least one of a pre-operative image and a post-operative image.

8. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the second, subsequent scan includes a plurality of second, subsequent scans to acquire a plurality of second images associated with the primary image.

9. The processing unit of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to:

determine a first distance from the imaging device and the region of interest;

determine a second distance from the imaging device to the skin; and

determine a third distance from the skin to the region of interest based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance.

10. The processing unit of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the first distance based on a first elapsed time for a signal to be sent by and return to the imaging device, and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine the second distance based on a second elapsed time for the signal to be sent by and return to the imaging device.

11. The processing unit of claim 10, wherein the third distance is further based on the difference between the first elapsed time and the second elapsed time.

12. The processing unit of claim 10, wherein the imaging device is an ultrasound imaging device and the signal is a sound wave.