Endoscope Image Processing for Missed Lesion Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In endoscope systems, attention areas within special light images can be missed due to the movement of the imaging section or brief detection times, leading to difficulties in finding missed lesion areas, which increases the burden on doctors during diagnosis.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and program that acquire special light images, detect attention areas based on pixel features, determine if these areas have disappeared from the display target, and generate guide information to help locate missed areas by tracking the movement of attention areas and outputting this information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the imaging section moves to capture different areas, then the coverage area is improved, but the attention area may be missed due to brief detection times
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of attention areas and stores their position information before the imaging section moves to that area. When the imaging section moves, the system compares the current position with stored attention area positions to determine if any attention areas have been missed, allowing for corrective action to be taken.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the position of attention areas and provides feedback about their movement and detection status. The disappearance determination section determines whether attention areas have disappeared from the display target area, and the guide information generation section provides guidance based on this feedback to help locate missed areas.
2Reliability
If the doctor manually searches for missed lesion areas, then the detection thoroughness is improved, but the time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting attention areas, determining their disappearance status, and generating guide information without requiring manual intervention from the doctor. The image processing device autonomously processes the images, tracks attention areas, and provides guidance to locate missed lesions, significantly reducing the time the doctor would otherwise need to spend on manual searching.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual search process with an automated image processing system. The computer-based detection and tracking mechanisms substitute for the doctor's manual visual search, providing automated detection of attention area disappearance and generation of guide information to locate missed lesions.
3Measurement precision
If the system tracks attention area movement continuously, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential information needed for tracking attention areas - their position coordinates and detection status - rather than processing all image data continuously. By extracting and storing only the critical position information of attention areas, the system achieves accurate tracking while reducing processing complexity and computational burden.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device includes a special light image acquisition section that acquires an image including an object image that includes information in a specific wavelength band as a special light image, an attention area detection section that detects an attention area based on a feature quantity of each pixel of the special light image, a disappearance determination section that determines whether or not the attention area has disappeared from a display target area based on a detection result for the attention area, the display target area being an area displayed on an output section, a guide information generation section that generates guide information about the attention area that has disappeared based on a determination result of the disappearance determination section, and an output control section that controls output of information including the guide information generated by the guide information generation section.