Apparatus and system for rule based visualization of digital breast tomosynthesis and other volumetric images

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10820877-B2
Application number	US-201916531413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

The invention provides, in some aspects, a system for implementing a rule derived basis to display volumetric image sets. In various embodiments of the invention, the selection of the images to be displayed, the generation of the 3-D volumetric image from measured 2-D images including the rendering parameters and styles, the choice of viewing directions and 2-D projection images based on the viewing directions, the layout of the projection images, and the formation of a video can be determined using a rule derived basis. In an embodiment of the present invention, the user is presented with sequential images making up a video displayed based on their preferences without having to first manually adjust parameters. The present invention allows for novel ways of viewing such images to detect microcalcifications and obstructions when reviewing Digital Breast Tomosynthesis and other volumetric mammography images.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
(A) receiving at a server from a client computer a primary study of a patient, the server comprising a server digital data processor, and the client computer comprising a client digital data processor;
(B) executing on the server one or more render server programs which apply one or more Study Selection Rules based on the patient to select a Study of the patient, where the Study can be used to construct a volumetric image of an anatomical region of the patient;
(C) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which construct the volumetric image of the anatomical region of step (B);
(D) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which define at least three viewing directions to generate at least three projection images from the volumetric image constructed in step (C) based on one or more Protocol Selection Rules; and
(E) sending from the server to the client computer a video comprising the at least three projection images generated in step (D).

2. The method of claim 1 , where in step (D) the one or more Protocol Selection Rules are used to select a viewing direction that identifies:
i) a microcalcification;
ii) an obstruction;
iii) a microcalcification that includes two or more microcalcifications;
iv) an obstruction that includes a microcalcification and an obstruction;
v) an obstruction that includes two or more obstructions;
vi) a microcalcification using direct comparison; and
vii) an obstruction using direct comparison.

3. The method of claim 1 , where in step (D) one or more Protocol Selection Rules are used to select a viewing direction that improves:
i) identification of a projection image;
ii) comparison of a projection image;
iii) identification of a microcalcification;
iv) identification of an obstruction;
v) resolution of two microcalcifications;
vi) resolution of a microcalcification and an obstruction;
vii) resolution of two obstructions;
viii) direct comparison with a first projection image and a second projection image;
ix) direct comparison of a microcalcification; and
x) direct comparison of an obstruction.

4. The method of claim 1 , where the Study is a Digital Breast Tomosynthesis scan.

5. The method of claim 1 , where the video displays a dynamic comparison.

6. The method of claim 1 , where the video displays a direct comparison.

7. The method of claim 1 , where the at least three viewing directions are selected according to a periodic continuous mathematical function.

8. The method of claim 7 , where the three or more images are generated from viewing directions spanning one period of the periodic continuous mathematical function.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the video in a cache.

10. A method comprising:
(A) receiving at a server from a client computer a primary study of a patient, where the primary study can be used to construct a volumetric image of an anatomical region of the patient, the server comprising a server digital data processor, and the client computer comprising a client digital data processor;
(B) executing on the server one or more render server programs which construct the volumetric image of the anatomical region of the patient;
(C) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which define at least three viewing directions to generate at least three projection images from the volumetric image constructed in step (B) based on one or more Protocol Selection Rules;
(D) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which generate the at least three projection images at the at least three viewing directions defined in step (C);
(E) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which generate a video comprising the at least three projection images generated in step (D);
(F) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which generate one or more display instructions, where the one or more display instructions are based on one or more Display Protocols; and
(G) sending from the server to the client computer the video and the one or more display instructions.

11. The method of claim 10 , where in step C) the one or more Protocol Selection Rules are used to select a viewing direction that identifies:
i) a microcalcification;
ii) an obstruction;
iii) a microcalcification that includes two or more microcalcifications;
iv) an obstruction that includes a microcalcification and an obstruction;
v) an obstruction that includes two or more obstructions;
vi) a microcalcification using direct comparison; and
vii) an obstruction using direct comparison.

12. The method of claim 10 , where in step C) one or more Protocol Selection Rules are used to select a viewing direction that improves:
i) identification of a projection image;
ii) comparison of a projection image;
iii) identification of a microcalcification;
iv) identification of an obstruction;
v) resolution of two microcalcifications;
vi) resolution of a microcalcification and an obstruction;
vii) resolution of two obstructions;
viii) direct comparison with a first projection image and a second projection image;
ix) direct comparison of a microcalcification; and
x) direct comparison of an obstruction.

13. The method of claim 10 , where the primary study is a Digital Breast Tomosynthesis scan.

14. The method of claim 10 , where the video displays a dynamic comparison.

15. The method of claim 10 , where the video displays a direct comparison.

16. The method of claim 10 , where the at least three viewing directions are selected according to a periodic continuous mathematical function.

17. The method of claim 16 , where the three or more images are generated from viewing directions spanning one period of the periodic continuous mathematical function.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising storing the video.

19. A method comprising:
(A) receiving at a server from a client computer a primary study of a patient, the server comprising a server digital data processor, and the client computer comprising a client digital data processor;
(B) executing on the server one or more render server programs which apply one or more Study Selection Rules based on the patient to select a Study of the patient, where the Study can be used to construct a volumetric image of an anatomical region of the patient;
(C) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which construct the volumetric image of the anatomical region of step (B);
(D) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which define at least three viewing directions to generate at least three projection images from the volumetric image constructed in step (C); and
(E) executing on the server the one or more render server programs which define one or more viewing instructions based on one or more Protocol Selection Rules to construct a video comprising the at least three projection images generated in step (D); and (F) sending from the server to the client computer the video and the one or more viewing instructions.

20. The method of claim 19 , where in step (D) the one or more Protocol Selection Rules are used to select a viewing direction that identifies:
i) a microcalcification;
ii) an obstruction;
iii) a microcalcification that includes two or more microcalcifications;
iv) an obstruction that includes a microcalcification and an obstruction;
v) an obstruction that includes two or more obstructions;

Assignees

• PME IP Pty Ltd

Inventors

• Westerhoff Malte
• Stalling Detlev

Classifications

• G06T12/30

  Image post-processing, e.g. metal artefact correction · CPC title

• G06T12/00

  Tomographic reconstruction from projections · CPC title

• A61B6/466

  adapted to display 3D data · CPC title

• G06T2211/412

  Dynamic · CPC title

• G16H30/20

  for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS · CPC title