Cervix Elastography Foreground Selection for Accurate Softness Ratios
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cervical elastography methods rely heavily on manual selection of foreground and background regions, which are prone to errors due to technician variability and expertise, are time-consuming, and increase complexity, especially for inexperienced technicians.
Innovation Solution
An automated approach that guides technicians to indicate a cervix position on an ultrasound scene, allowing the system to analyze the entire scene and automatically select foreground and background regions based on a loss image, generating a softness ratio for cervical tissue analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual selection of foreground and background regions is used, then technician expertise can guide the analysis, but the process becomes time-consuming and prone to errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated selection of foreground and background regions using algorithms that independently identify and segment cervical tissue regions without requiring manual technician intervention. The automated region selection process calculates strain values and generates softness ratios through self-service computation, eliminating the time-consuming manual selection step while maintaining measurement accuracy through algorithmic precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of region selection with an automated computational system. Instead of technicians manually selecting regions based on expertise, the system uses image processing algorithms and automated segmentation techniques to identify and select the appropriate foreground and background regions, substituting human manual operation with automated mechanical-computational processes.
2Productivity
If automated region selection is implemented, then processing efficiency increases, but reliance on technician expertise is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The automated system performs all region selection and analysis operations independently without requiring technician expertise for these specific tasks. The system self-services by automatically identifying cervical tissue regions, calculating strain values, and generating softness ratios through automated algorithms, thereby increasing processing efficiency while the reduced reliance on expert judgment is compensated by the consistency and reproducibility of automated computational methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the qualitative expert judgment process into quantitative parameter-based automated selection. By defining specific parameters for region identification and using algorithmic rules based on image characteristics and anatomical knowledge, the system replaces subjective expert parameters with objective computational parameters, maintaining reliability through consistent application of defined criteria.
3Measurement precision
If shear wave imaging is used, then elasticity assessment is achieved, but high energy push pulses may be transmitted near the fetus
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the elasticity assessment function from the high-energy shear wave imaging process and implements it through alternative lower-energy methods. By separating the elasticity measurement capability from the high-energy push pulse mechanism, the system achieves the same diagnostic purpose (cervical elasticity assessment) without transmitting harmful high-energy pulses near the fetus, thereby removing the harmful factor while preserving the measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the limitation of lower-energy imaging into a benefit by using the available energy levels to achieve safe imaging near the fetus. Instead of being constrained by low energy, the system leverages sophisticated image processing and analysis algorithms to extract meaningful elasticity information from lower-energy ultrasound signals, transforming the energy limitation into a safety advantage that protects the fetus from harmful exposure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method increases processing efficiency, accuracy, and reduces reliance on expert knowledge, making cervical elastography more accessible and less invasive by focusing analysis on tissues near the cervix area, thus improving the prediction of pre-term birth assessment.
Implementation Method 1
An ultrasound probe comprising a plurality of transducer elements emits ultrasonic pulses which reflect or echo, refract, or are absorbed by structures in the body
Implementation Method 2
The ultrasound probe emits ultrasonic pulses which reflect or echo, refract, or are absorbed by structures in the body. The ultrasound probe then receives reflected echoes
Implementation Method 3
Elastography seeks to evaluate the mechanical properties of tissues, particularly their stiffness and elasticity, by analyzing how they respond to external forces or physiological processes
Implementation Method 4
One of the key parameters in elastography is strain, which quantifies the percentage of tissue deformation that occurs when static or oscillatory compression is applied
Implementation Method 5
Shear wave imaging analysis is an alternative approach for predicting pre-term birth. However, the shear wave method utilizes a high energy push pulse
Data Source
AI summary
Various methods and systems are provided for cervix elastographic analysis. In one embodiment, the method comprises acquiring an ultrasound scene comprising a plurality of frames, generating a first loss image for the plurality of frames, selecting a background and a foreground of the ultrasound scene based on the first loss image, and generating a softness ratio from the selected background and foreground.