Image Processing Device Noise Reduction Material Decomposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
In interventional radiology, energy subtraction techniques used in radiation imaging systems with flat panel detectors often result in noisy material separation images due to noise from materials other than the separated bone and soft-tissue components.
Innovation Solution
An image processing method that utilizes the continuity of human body thickness to generate material decomposition images with reduced noise by obtaining and processing radiation images at different energies, employing correction and signal processing units to derive bone and soft-tissue thickness images, and then generating a thickness image by adding these components together.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If energy subtraction is used to separate bone and soft-tissue images, then material decomposition capability is improved, but noise increases due to inclusion of other materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing the continuity constraint of thickness values across adjacent pixels. The processing unit enforces that thickness values in neighboring regions should be similar, adjusting decomposed images to satisfy this continuity condition. This reduces noise while preserving the material decomposition capability achieved through energy subtraction.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple radiation energy images are processed for material decomposition, then image quality improves, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified copy of the thickness information by generating a thickness map from the decomposed images and then using this map to guide noise reduction. Instead of directly processing the complex multi-energy images through multiple decomposition steps, the method copies essential thickness information and processes this simplified representation to enforce continuity, thereby reducing processing complexity while maintaining image quality.
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
The method effectively reduces noise in material decomposition images, improving image quality by separating bone and soft-tissue components accurately, allowing for better visualization of contrast agents and medical devices in medical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
an X-ray generation unit configured to emit X-rays
Implementation Method 2
Energy subtraction is an image-capturing method in which an FPD is used. In energy subtraction, thickness images for a plurality of materials, such as a bone image and a soft-tissue image for example, can be derived from a plurality of images with different radiation energies
Data Source
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AI summary
An image processing apparatus comprises a generating unit configured to generate, based on a plurality of radiation images captured at mutually different radiation energies, a first material decomposition image that indicates a thickness of a first material and a second material decomposition image that indicates a thickness of a second material, the generating unit generates a thickness image in which the thickness of the first material and the thickness of the second material are added together.