US 5,542,003 A · Method for maximizing fidelity and dynamic range for a region of interest within digitized medical image display

Abstract

A method and apparatus is presented in which a medical imagery workstation provides an end-user interface which when activated, windows and levels a whole image or a region of interest within the image utilizing the pixel values within a selection area. The method and apparatus customizes the pixel values when the entire image is selected before calculating the window and levels to produce a higher contrast, then redraws the entire image utilizing the newly calculated window and level values. The present invention provides a method and apparatus to enable an operator to define a region of interest, that when activated, the image is redrawn utilizing only the pixel values from the region of interest, maximizing the brightness and contrast of the selected.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method for displaying a medical diagnostic image comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning an x-ray film image of a patient into a digital representation of pixels values corresponding to intensity of points on the x-ray film;
(b) displaying the pixels values on a workstation;
(c) selecting an area within the pixel values displayed on the workstation;
(d) calculating a window width equal to difference between MAX and MIN and a window level value equal to the window width divided by 2 plus MIN, for all pixel values displayed.

1 more element

A method for displaying a medical diagnostic image comprising the steps of:

(a) scanning x-ray film containing a diagnostic image of a patient into a digital representation of pixel values corresponding to intensity values for a particular point n the x-ray film;
(b) displaying the pixel values on a workstation;
(c) selecting an area within the pixel values displayed on the workstation;
(d) calculating a histogram for the selected area representing a number of occurrences of each pixel value which occurs in the selected area;
(e) determining a total number of occurrences of all pixel values which occur in the selected area;
(f) determining a number N equal to a selected percentage of the total number of occurrences of all pixel values which occur in the selected area;
(g) adaptively calculating a first sum comprising a number of occurrences of pixel values starting with a number of occurrences of a smallest pixel value represented in the histogram and preceding to add to the first sum a number of occurrences of a next smallest pixel value represented in the histogram and continuing to a number of occurrences of a next smallest pixel value represented in the histogram until the first sum of occurrences is greater than or equal to N;
(h) setting a variable MIN equal to a pixel value represented in the histogram when the first sum becomes greater than or equal to N;
(I) adaptively calculating a second sum comprising the number of occurrences of pixel values starting with the number of occurrences of a largest pixel value represented in the histogram and preceding to add to the second sum, a number of occurrences of a next largest pixel value represented in the histogram and continuing to a next largest pixel value represented in the histogram until the second sum is greater than or equal to N;
(j) setting a variable MAX equal to a pixel value represented in the histogram at which the second sum becomes greater than or equal to N;
and
(k) calculating a window width equal to difference between MAX and MIN and a window level value, equal to the window width divided by 2 plus MIN, for all pixel values displayed.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for maximizing fidelity and dynamic range for a region of interest within digitized medical image display

Life of this patent

Method for maximizing fidelity and dynamic range for a region of interest within digitized medical image display

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8