Systems and methods of managing medical images

A system for encoding one or more medical whole slide query images for searching, the system comprising:

• a device processor operable to:
• for each medical whole slide query image,
• divide the medical whole slide query image into a plurality of image portions, each image portion comprising at least a specimen portion of a specimen being examined on that medical whole slide query image;
• for each image portion, detect one or more features within the associated specimen portion and assign that image portion to one or more feature groups based on the detected one or more features;
• from each feature group, select at least one image portion as a representative image portion for that feature group:
• generate an encoded representation based on the representative image portion of each feature group, wherein the encoded representation is generated based on one or more features of the representative image portion, and wherein an unselected image portion of at least one feature group comprises an image portion not selected as the representative image portion for the at least one feature group, the unselected image portion comprises a non-feature portion of the specimen portion, the encoded representation does not include the non-feature portion of the unselected image portion;
• and
• generate an index identifier for that medical whole slide query image based on one or more encoded representations generated for the one or more feature groups;
• and
• a management processor remote from the device processor, the management processor operable to:
• receive the index identifier from the device processor;
• compare the index identifier with a plurality of stored index identifiers to locate one or more analogous images;
• and
• retrieve the one or more analogous images.