Method of suppressing obscuring features in an image
AssigneeSiemens Computer Aided Diagnosis Ltd.
InventorNicolas J. Merlet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of removing obscuring features of relatively standard size and shape from an image comprising the obscuring features, features of interest and background, comprising the steps of applying a geometric transformation to generate a transformed image with the obscuring features aligned with an axis of image; applying an attenuation algorithm to the transformed image to suppress features having a dimension in direction of axis of range appropriate to dimension of the obscuring features in similar alignment, and applying a reverse geometrical transformation to produce a modified image with obscuring features attenuated.
Claims20
A method of removing obscuring features of relatively standard size and shape from an image comprising the obscuring features, features of interest and background, comprising:
- b) selecting Cartesian axes;
- c) applying a geometric transformation to generate a transformed image with the obscuring features substantially aligned with one of said axes of image;
- d) applying an attenuation algorithm to the transformed image to suppress features having a dimension in direction of one of said axes of range appropriate to dimension of the distracting features in same direction;
- and
- e) applying a reverse geometrical transformation to produce a modified image with distracting features attenuated.
A computer comprising:
- a processor, data input means, at least one data storage memory, random access memory, a user interface comprising user selectable keys and a visual display unit, said computer configured to receive a medical image having Cartesian axes of a body section with bone and/or cartilage depictions that obscures organs and/or soft tissue, wherein the image processing comprises the following steps:
- (a) applying a geometric transformation to align the bone depictions with an axis of the medical image;
- (b) applying an attenuation algorithm to suppress the bone and/or cartilage depictions;
- and step (c) applying a reverse geometrical transformation, thereby generating a modified image of the body section wherein the bone and/or cartilage depictions are suppressed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.