System for Removing Static Background Detail From Medical Image Sequences

A system for determining background pixel representative image data of medical images of patient anatomy, comprising:

• an acquisition processor for receiving pixel luminance data comprising a plurality of sequential medical images of a patient anatomical portion and luminance data of an individual image comprises a plurality of pixel luminance representative values of a plurality of individual pixels of said individual image;
• an adaptive filter including,
• a first filter function having a first response time for filtering received luminance representative values of a particular individual pixel varying in response to a first motion disturbance in said plurality of sequential medical images to identify a substantially minimum luminance value of said particular individual pixel in said plurality of sequential medical images and
• a second filter function having a second response time for filtering received luminance representative values of said particular individual pixel varying in response to a second motion disturbance having a higher rate of change than said first motion disturbance to substantially reduce variation in said luminance value of said particular individual pixel in said plurality of sequential medical images due to said second motion disturbance;
• and
• an image data processor for applying said adaptive filter in filtering luminance representative values of individual pixels of said plurality of sequential medical images to identify substantially minimum luminance values of individual pixels in said plurality of sequential medical images as background image data.

A processing device implemented method for determining background pixel representative image data of medical images of patient anatomy, comprising the activities of:

• receiving pixel luminance data comprising a plurality of sequential medical images of a patient anatomical portion and luminance data of an individual image comprises a plurality of pixel luminance representative values of a plurality of individual pixels of said individual image;
• filtering luminance representative values of individual pixels of said plurality of sequential medical images to identify substantially minimum luminance values of individual pixels in said plurality of sequential medical images as background image data of said plurality of sequential medical images by,
• filtering received luminance representative values of a particular individual pixel varying in response to a first motion disturbance in said plurality of sequential medical images using a filter including a first filter function having a first response time and
• identifying a substantially minimum luminance value of said particular individual pixel in said plurality of sequential medical images.