Endoscopic ROI Display Timing to Suppress Lesion Marker Flicker
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical image processing systems experience flickering when reporting the location of a lesion, which hinders accurate diagnosis due to the constant change in detected lesion locations.
Innovation Solution
Control the display timing for emphasis regions with an update interval exceeding the medical image update interval, delaying the update of emphasis region locations relative to the medical image display, thereby suppressing flickering and improving visibility of regions of interest.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the detection result is displayed at the same update rate as the medical image, then the detection result is updated in real time, but flickering occurs that hinders diagnosis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by updating the emphasis region at a different rate than the medical image display. Specifically, the emphasis region is updated only at certain frames (e.g., every other frame or at lower frequency), creating a periodic update pattern that suppresses flickering while maintaining real-time detection capability. This resolves the contradiction by introducing controlled periodicity to the update mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing detection results for multiple frames before displaying them. The system accumulates detection data and prepares emphasis region information in advance, then displays it at optimized intervals. This preliminary preparation allows the system to maintain high detection speed while controlling the display update rate to prevent flickering.
2Productivity
If the update interval of the emphasis region is the same as the medical image, then the detection result is continuously updated, but the visual stability for diagnosis is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the update interval of the emphasis region adaptable rather than fixed. The system can dynamically adjust the update frequency based on detection confidence, image quality, or diagnostic needs. This dynamic adjustment allows high productivity when detection is reliable while maintaining visual stability when needed, resolving the contradiction between continuous updates and visual stability.
3Measurement precision
If the emphasis region is updated at every frame, then the latest detection result is always displayed, but flickering hinders accurate diagnosis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism between detection and display by implementing a buffer or queue that stores detection results. This intermediary layer allows the system to maintain high detection precision by continuously processing images, while selectively releasing results for display at intervals that prevent flickering. The intermediary buffer decouples the detection rate from the display update rate, resolving the contradiction.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a medical image processing apparatus, a processor device, a medical image processing method, and a program that may suppress flickering of display when a region of interest in a medical image is reported. A medical image processing apparatus includes an image acquisition unit (40) that acquires an endoscopic image (38), a region-of-interest detection unit (41) that detects a region of interest, an emphasis region setting unit (42) that sets a location of an emphasis region for emphasizing the region of interest in accordance with a location of the region of interest when the medical image is displayed using a monitor device (16), and a display control unit (44) that updates display of the emphasis region using an update interval exceeding an update interval of display of the endoscopic image.