Method and system for lesion detection in ultrasound images

A method for detecting lesions in ultrasound images, said method comprising:

• transmitting ultrasound information by an ultrasound transducer to a region of interest;
• acquiring reflected ultrasound information from the region of interest by an ultrasound transducer into a processor coupled to the ultrasound transducer;
• generating ultrasound images corresponding to the ultrasound information on a display system;
• determining using the processor, discriminative descriptors that describe the texture of a candidate lesion region within the ultrasound images;
• classifying using the processor, each of the discriminative descriptors as one of a top boundary pixel, a lesion interior pixel, a lower boundary pixel, or a normal tissue pixel;
• determining using the processor, a pattern of transitions between the classified discriminative descriptors, wherein the pattern of transitions comprises a transition matrix representing transitions between a plurality of pixels belonging to a lesion's top boundary, a plurality of pixels belonging to the lesion's interior, a plurality of pixels belonging to the lesion's lower boundary, and a plurality of pixels belonging to a normal tissue;
• classifying using the processor, the candidate lesion region as a lesion or normal tissue based on the pattern of transitions;
• and
• differentiating on the ultrasound images, a likelihood of the candidate lesion region being a lesion or normal tissue determined based on the pattern of transitions, by a respective intensity of at least one of:
• shade, color and hatching.