System and method for generating a 2D image from a tomosynthesis data set

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9808215-B2
Application number	US-201615088844-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2016
Priority date	Nov 27, 2002
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A 2D mammogram image is synthesized from at least one of tomosynthesis projection images and/or the tomosynthesis reconstructed image data. In a simplest form, the mammogram may be synthesized by selecting one of the tomosynthesis projection images for display as a synthesized mammogram. Other methods of synthesizing a mammogram include re-projecting and filtering projection data and/or reconstructed data. The synthesized mammogram is advantageously displayed together with at least a portion of the reconstructed data to aid in review of the reconstructed data. The present invention thus provides a familiar image which may be used to facilitate review of a tomosynthesis data set.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for imaging breast tissue, comprising:
obtaining a plurality of tomosynthesis projection images;
processing the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images to generate a plurality of tomosynthesis reconstructed images;
analyzing a tomosynthesis data set comprising one or more of the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images and/or the plurality of tomosynthesis reconstructed images using computer aided detection (CAD);
generating a two-dimensional synthesized mammogram from the tomosynthesis data set; and
displaying the synthesized mammogram on a display device, wherein the synthesized mammogram comprises a synthesized two-dimensional image that simulates a conventional mammography image.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the two-dimensional synthesized mammogram from the tomosynthesis data set comprises generating the synthesized mammogram from only the plurality of tomosynthesis reconstructed images.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the two-dimensional synthesized mammogram from the tomosynthesis data set comprises generating the synthesized mammogram from only the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a CAD mark by analyzing the tomosynthesis data set using CAD.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising displaying the CAD mark on the synthesized mammogram on the display device.

6. The method of claim 4 , further comprising displaying the CAD mark on a tomosynthesis reconstructed image from the plurality of tomosynthesis reconstructed images on the display device.

7. The method of claim 4 , further comprising displaying the CAD mark on a tomosynthesis projection image from the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images on the display device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a tomosynthesis reconstructed image from the plurality of tomosynthesis reconstructed images along with the synthesized mammogram on the display device.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying a tomosynthesis projection image from the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images along with the synthesized mammogram on the display device.

10. A system for generating and displaying a synthesized mammogram, comprising:
a computer system, comprising:
a reconstruction engine configured to receive a tomosynthesis data set comprising one or more of a plurality of tomosynthesis projection images and/or a plurality of tomosynthesis reconstructed slices, and
a synthesizer configured to generate a two-dimensional synthesized mammogram from the tomosynthesis data set; and

a display device configured to display one or more images from the tomosynthesis data set and the synthesized mammogram, wherein the synthesized mammogram comprises a synthesized two-dimensional image that simulates a conventional mammography image.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the display device is a radiologist workstation.

12. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a storage device configured to store the tomosynthesis data set.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the computer system is configured to analyze the tomosynthesis data set using computer aided detection (CAD) to generate a CAD mark, and
wherein the display device is configured to display the CAD mark on the synthesized mammogram.

14. A method for imaging breast tissue, comprising:
obtaining a tomosynthesis data set comprising one or more of a plurality of tomosynthesis projection images and/or a plurality of tomosynthesis reconstructed slices;
transmitting the tomosynthesis data set to a display device;
generating a two-dimensional synthesized mammogram from the tomosynthesis data set; and
displaying the synthesized mammogram, wherein the synthesized mammogram comprises a synthesized two-dimensional image that simulates a conventional mammography image.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the synthesized mammogram is displayed on a radiologist workstation.

16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising storing the tomosynthesis data set.

17. The method of claim 14 , further comprising
analyzing the tomosynthesis data set using computer aided detection (CAD) to generate a CAD mark; and
displaying the CAD mark on the synthesized mammogram.

Assignees

• Hologic Inc

Inventors

• Ruth Christopher
• Smith Andrew P
• Stein Jay

Classifications

• G06T12/30

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

• G06T12/20

  Inverse problem, i.e. transformations from projection space into object space · CPC title

• G06T12/00

  Tomographic reconstruction from projections · CPC title

• G06T19/00

  Manipulating three-dimensional [3D] models or images for computer graphics · CPC title

• G06T19/20

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title