Method and system for computer-aided lesion detection using information from multiple images

A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram of an opposite breast, comprising the steps of:

• locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram;
• computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast.

A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken from a second view different than the first view, and a third digital mammogram taken of an opposite breast, comprising the steps of:

• locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram of the breast, each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• locating a third set of potentially suspicious lesions in said third digital mammogram, each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the different view of the same breast, and (c) the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast.

A computer program product for directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram view of the breast and a second digital mammogram view of the breast, comprising:

• computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram view, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram view;
• computer code for computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics.

A computer program product for directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram of an opposite breast, comprising:

• computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram;
• computer code for computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast.

A computer program product directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a first breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken from a second view different than the first view, and a third digital mammogram taken of an opposite breast, comprising:

• computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram of the breast, each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computer code for locating a third set of potentially suspicious lesions in said third digital mammogram, each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computer code for computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• computer code for computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the different view of the same breast, and (c) the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the opposite breast.

A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram thereof, comprising the steps of:

• locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram;
• computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics;
• wherein said first digital mammogram and said second digital mammogram correspond to mammograms of the breast taken at substantially different times, whereby change in the breast over time that may indicate one or more cancerous conditions may be detected.

A computer program product for directing a computer-aided lesion detection apparatus to detect suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof and a second digital mammogram thereof, comprising:

• computer code for locating a first set of potentially suspicious lesions in said first digital mammogram, each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computer code for locating a second set of potentially suspicious lesions in said second digital mammogram;
• computer code for computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• computer code for classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the corresponding single-view feature vector and from the corresponding similarity metrics;
• wherein said first digital mammogram and said second digital mammogram correspond to mammograms of the breast taken at substantially different times, whereby change in the breast over time that may indicate one or more cancerous conditions may be detected.

A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken from a second view different than the first view, and a third digital mammogram thereof taken at a time prior to the time at which the first digital mammogram was taken, comprising the steps of:

• locating potentially suspicious lesions in each of said first, second, and third digital mammograms to produce a first, second, and third set of potentially suspicious lesions, respectively, each of said potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the second digital mammogram, and (c) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the third digital mammogram;
• wherein said step of classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions is performed using a classification algorithm in which the single-view feature vector associated with that potentially suspicious lesion is processed along with the corresponding similarity metrics, wherein a greater probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly similar to a potentially suspicious lesion in the second digital mammogram view, and wherein a lesser probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly similar to a potentially suspicious lesion in the third digital mammogram view.

A method for detecting suspicious lesions in a breast using information from a first digital mammogram thereof taken from a first view, a second digital mammogram thereof taken at a time prior to the time at which the first digital mammogram was taken, and a third digital mammogram of the opposing breast, comprising the steps of:

• locating potentially suspicious lesions in each of said first, second, and third digital mammograms to produce a first, second, and third set of potentially suspicious lesions, respectively, each of said potentially suspicious lesions having a single-view feature vector corresponding thereto;
• computing a similarity metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said second set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• computing a symmetry metric between each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions and each of said third set of potentially suspicious lesions;
• and
• classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions using information from the (a) the corresponding single-view feature vector, (b) the corresponding similarity metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the second digital mammogram, and (c) the corresponding symmetry metrics relating that potentially suspicious lesion to potentially suspicious lesions in the third digital mammogram;
• wherein said step of classifying each of said first set of potentially suspicious lesions is performed using a classification algorithm in which the single-view feature vector associated with that potentially suspicious lesion is processed along with the corresponding symmetry and similarity metrics, wherein a lesser probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly similar to a potentially suspicious lesion in the second digital mammogram view, and wherein a lesser probability of suspiciousness is determined if that potentially suspicious lesion is highly symmetric with a potentially suspicious lesion in the third digital mammogram view.