Longitudinal dermoscopic study employing smartphone-based image registration

Abstract

The evolution of a skin condition over time can be useful in its assessment. In an illustrative arrangement, a user captures skin images at different times, using a smartphone. The images are co-registered, color-corrected, and presented to the user (or a clinician) for review, e.g., in a temporal sequence, or as one image presented as a ghosted overlay atop another. Image registration can employ nevi, hair follicles, wrinkles, pores, and pigmented regions as keypoints. With some imaging spectra, keypoints from below the outermost layer of skin can be used. Hair may be removed for image registration, and restored for image review. Transformations in addition to rotation and affine transforms can be employed. Diagnostic correlations with reference image sequences can be made, employing machine learning in some instances. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION DATA[0001]This application is a division of application Ser. No. 14 / 276,578, filed May 13, 2014, which is a continuation of international application PCT / US14 / 34706, filed Apr. 18, 2014, which claims priority to provisional application 61 / 978,632, filed Apr. 11, 2014. Application Ser. No. 14 / 276,578 is also a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 14 / 206,109, filed Mar. 12, 2014, which claims priority to provisional applications 61 / 813,295, filed Apr. 18, 2013; 61 / 832,715, filed Jun. 7, 2013; 61 / 836,560, filed Jun. 18, 2013; and 61 / 872,494, filed Aug. 30, 2013. These applications are incorporated herein by reference.INTRODUCTION[0002]Medical diagnosis is an uncertain art, which depends largely on the skill and experience of the practitioner. For example, dermatological diagnosis tends to be based on very casual techniques, like observation by doctor, or on very invasive techniques, like biopsies. Skin condition degrades with age. It is difficult for people ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text is about a system that uses co-occurrence information to help make a reliable diagnosis of medical conditions. This information is based on the fact that certain diseases often have certain symptoms that make them easier to identify. The system breaks down the information based on the most likely diagnoses, making it easier for medical professionals to make a differential diagnosis and treat patients. The technical effect of this system is to provide a more accurate and efficient way of diagnosing medical conditions, reducing unnecessary doctor visits and lowering health care costs.

Problems solved by technology

It is difficult for people to differentiate the effects of normal aging from disease.

This leads to lots of worry and unnecessary doctor visits.

A skilled dermatologist may be able to accurately identify dozens of obscure conditions by their appearance, whereas a general practitioner may find even some common rashes to be confounding.

But highly skilled practitioners are sometimes puzzled, e.g., when a rash appears on a traveler recently returned from the tropics, and the practitioner has no experience with tropical medicine.

The former have been found to perform very poorly.

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