Curved Planar Reformation for Easier Tubular Image Annotation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for crafting annotated medical images are excessively difficult and time-consuming due to the need for manual annotation of intricate, winding anatomical structures in their original image spaces.
Innovation Solution
A computerized tool that applies curved planar reformation to straighten medical images about a centerline, allowing annotations to be easily added to the straightened version, and then reverses the reformation to return to the original image space, reducing the effort required for annotation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual annotation is performed on original medical images with winding anatomical structures, then annotation accuracy can be maintained, but the process becomes excessively difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary straightening of the anatomical structure by applying a centerline-based transformation to create a reformatted image with a straightened tubular structure. This preliminary action simplifies the annotation task by transforming the complex winding structure into a straightened form that is easier to annotate accurately, while preserving the ability to map annotations back to the original image space.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual annotation is performed directly on original medical images, then annotation precision can be maintained, but the complexity of the annotation process increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces a reformatted intermediate image as a mediator between the original medical image and the annotation process. The centerline-based straightening transformation creates this intermediate representation where the tubular structure is straightened, making annotation simpler and more precise. The system then maps the annotations from this intermediate space back to the original image space, effectively using the reformatted image as a bridge that reduces annotation complexity while maintaining precision.
3Ease of operation
If curved planar reformation is applied to straighten anatomical structures, then ease of annotation is improved, but additional processing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the centerline-based straightening transformation as a preliminary action before annotation, creating a reformatted image where the tubular structure is straightened. This preliminary reformation simplifies the annotation operation significantly. The system then automatically performs the inverse transformation to map annotations back to the original image space, handling the additional processing steps automatically to maintain ease of use.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems/techniques that facilitate improved ease of image annotation via curved planar reformation are provided. In various embodiments, a system can access a first image depicting an original version of a tubular anatomical structure. In various aspects, the system can generate a second image, by straightening the first image about a centerline of the tubular anatomical structure, such that the second image depicts a straightened version of the tubular anatomical structure. In various instances, the system can generate a third image, by inserting an annotation into the second image, such that the third image depicts the annotation and the straightened version of the tubular anatomical structure. In various cases, the system can generate a fourth image, by un-straightening the third image about the centerline of the tubular anatomical structure, such that the fourth image depicts both the original version of the tubular anatomical structure and an un-straightened version of the annotation.