Image enhancement and segmentation of structures in 3D ultrasound images for volume measurements
AssigneeDiagnostic Ultrasound Corporation
InventorsVikram Chalana, Stephen Dudycha, Gerald McMorrow
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A segmentation algorithm is optimized to robustly locate and measure the volume of fluid filled or non-fluid filled structures or organs from imaging systems derived from ultrasound, computer assisted tomography, magnetic resonance, and position emission tomography. A clinical specimen is measured with a plurality of 2D scan planes processed by the segmentation algorithm to estimate the 2D based area the 3D based volumes of fluid-filled and non-fluid filled organs or structures.
Claims27
A method for determining areas of structures from an image, the method comprising:
- acquiring a digital image;
- enhancing the digital image using non-linear filters;
- segmenting the digital image using a spatial gradient algorithm, a initial point positioning algorithm, and an optimal path algorithm that combines the spatial gradient and the initial point positioning algorithms to produce homogeneous regions;
- and
- determining the areas of the homogenous regions.
A method for determining volumes of structures from a set of images, the method comprising:
- acquiring at least two digital images;
- enhancing each digital image using non-linear filters;
- segmenting the digital image using a spatial gradient algorithm, a initial point positioning algorithm, and an optimal path algorithm that combines the spatial gradient and the initial point positioning algorithmto produce homogeneous regions;
- assembling the digital images into an array;
- determining the areas of and the volumes between the homogeneous regions in the array.
A method to determine volume of a structure in digital images acquired from electromagnetic and non-electromagnetic sources, the method comprising:
- positioning a transceiver exterior to a patient such that at least a portion of the structure is within a field of view of the transceiver, the transceiver, configured to send electromagnetic radiation and to receive echoes of the electromagnetic radiation;
- sending the radiation from the transceiver to the structure;
- receiving echoes of the radiation reflected from the structure to the transceiver;
- associating the received echoes to form a plurality of 2D scanplanes so that they form an array;
- enhancing the images of the structure in each plane of the array using non-linear filters;
- and
- determining the structure volume spanning between and through each plane in the array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.