Lesion linking using adaptive search and a system for implementing the same

A system for linking images of a lesion taken over different periods of time comprising:

• an imaging device that is operative to image one or more lesions present in a living being;
• where the imaging device takes a first image at a first point in time T1 and a second image at a second point in time T2;
• a microprocessor that is operative to receive the first image and the second image and to perform an adaptive search on the respective images;
• where the adaptive search comprises:
• selecting a first voxel in a first lesion in the first image;
• radially searching for one or more second lesions in the second image that share one or more overlapping first voxels with the first lesion in the first image;
• where the radial search is conducted continuously using progressively increasing radii up to a maximum radial threshold value t;
• and where:
• if no overlap is found upon reaching the threshold value t, then there is no correspondence between the first lesion and the one or more second lesions;
• or
• if an overlap between the first lesion and one or more second lesions is found, then a determination is made as to the number of first voxels that can fit into each overlapping volume between the first lesion and the one or more second lesions;
• and
• determining a probability based on a ratio of first voxels that fit into each overlapping volume between the first lesion and each one of the one or more second lesions;
• where the probability is calculated by dividing the number of first voxels present in each overlapping volume divided by the total number of first voxels in all overlapping volumes between the first lesion and the one or more second lesions;
• and
• labelling each voxel in the first lesion based on the probability.