Structure-analysis system, method, software arrangement and computer-accessible medium for digital cleansing of computed tomography colonography images

A structure-analysis system configured for providing imaging information with respect to a patient obtained during a virtual colonoscopy, comprising:

• a virtual colonoscopy image processing arrangement configured to:
• generate at least one colonography image of at least one region of interest of the patient, the at least one generated colonography image comprising tagged bowel contents of at least one portion of a colon of the patient, and
• classify one or more morphological features in the at least one generated colonography image as at least one of a polyp or a fold,
• while at least subtracting or removing, either digitally or electronically, the tagged bowel contents from the at least one generated colonography image based on the morphological classification, either during or following the classification step, in order to provide the imaging information with respect to the patient, as a reconstructed, displayed, and/or stored image.

A structure-analysis method configured for providing imaging information with respect to a patient obtained during a virtual colonoscopy, comprising:

• a) generating as part of, or following a virtual colonoscopy at least one colonography image of at least one region of interest of the patient, the at least one generated colonography image comprising tagged bowel contents of at least one portion of a colon of the patient;
• b) classifying one or more morphological features in the at least one generated colonography image as at least one of a polyp or a fold;
• and
• c) applying a shape-based speed function on at least one portion of the at least one generated colonography image;
• d) while at least or removing, either digitally or electronically, the tagged bowel contents from the at least one generated colonography image based on the application of the shape-based speed function and the morphological classification, either during or following the classifying and applying steps, in order to provide the imaging information, with respect to the patient, as a reconstructed, displayed, and/or stored image.

A structure-analysis system configured for providing imaging information with respect to a patient obtained during a virtual colonoscopy, comprising:

• a virtual colonoscopy, image processing arrangement configured for:
• generating at least one colonography image of at least one region of interest of the patient, the at least one generated colonography image comprising tagged bowel contents of at least one portion of a colon of the patient,
• classifying one or more morphological features in the at least one generated colonography image as at least one of a polyp or a fold, and
• applying a shape-based speed function on the at least one generated colonography image;
• while at least subtracting or removing, either digitally or electronically, the tagged bowel contents from the at least one generated colonography image based on the application of the shape-based speed function and the morphological classification, either during or following the classifying and applying steps, in order to provide the imaging information with respect to the patient, as a reconstructed, displayed, and/or stored image.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions of electronically cleansing at least one generated colonography image of a patient, the at least one generated colonography image comprising:

• tagged bowel contents of at least one portion of a colon of the patient, wherein when a computer arrangement executes the computer-executable instructions, the computer arrangement is configured to perform structure-analysis procedures comprising:
• generating the at least one colonography image;
• classifying one or more morphological features in the at least one generated colonography image as at least one of a polyp or a fold;
• and
• applying a shape-based speed function on the at least one generated colonography image;
• and
• while at least subtracting or removing, either digitally or electronically, the tagged bowel contents from the at least one generated colonography image based on the application of the shape-based speed function and the morphological classification, in order to electronically cleanse the at least one generated colonography image which is then reconstructed, displayed, and/or stored.

A non-transitory computer readable medium which includes a set of instructions in order to electronically cleanse at least one colonography image of a patient, received by an image processing arrangement, the at least one colonography image received by the image processing arrangement, comprising:

• tagged bowel contents of at least one portion of a colon of the patient, wherein, when the image processing arrangement executes the computer-executable instructions, the processing arrangement is configured to perform structure-analysis procedures comprising:
• applying a shape-based speed function onto the at least one colonography image;
• and
• classifying one or more morphological features in the at least one colonography image as at least one of a polyp or a fold;
• while at least subtracting and removing, either digitally or electronically, the tagged bowel contents from the at least one colonography image based on the morphological classification and the application of the shape-based speed function, in order to electronically cleanse the at least one colonography image;
• and
• providing the electronically cleansed colonography image as a reconstructed, displayed, and/or stored image.