Intraluminal Image Abnormal Region Detection via Blood Vessel Sharpness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current image processing techniques for intraluminal images struggle to accurately detect abnormal regions, such as tumors, by effectively identifying locally lost or obscured vascular patterns within the images obtained from medical observation devices like endoscopes.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that creates a blood vessel sharpness image to identify regions with decreased sharpness, and determines if these regions are abnormal based on extension information from neighboring blood vessel regions, using techniques like eigenvalue calculations and morphology processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional image processing techniques are used to detect abnormal regions, then the detection process is simple, but the accuracy of identifying abnormal regions is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing into multiple stages: creating a blood vessel sharpness image, extracting candidate regions with decreased sharpness, and determining abnormal regions based on blood vessel extension patterns. This segmentation allows each stage to focus on specific aspects, improving overall detection accuracy while managing complexity through structured processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of analysis by creating a blood vessel sharpness image that represents sharpness information as an additional layer. This transforms the original image into a multi-dimensional data structure where sharpness, location, and blood vessel extension patterns can be analyzed simultaneously, enabling more accurate detection of abnormal regions.
2Measurement precision
If blood vessel sharpness images are created and extension information is analyzed, then the detection of abnormal regions is improved, but the processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-processing the image to create a blood vessel sharpness image and identifying candidate regions before final abnormal region determination. This allows the system to filter and prepare data in advance, reducing the computational burden during the final detection stage and optimizing overall processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality analysis by examining blood vessel extension patterns specifically in the neighborhood of candidate regions rather than analyzing the entire image uniformly. This localized approach reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed in detail, improving detection accuracy for abnormal regions while minimizing overall processing time.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing apparatus includes: a blood vessel sharpness image creation unit configured to create a blood vessel sharpness image representing sharpness of a blood vessel region in which a blood vessel is shown in an intraluminal image; an abnormal candidate region extraction unit configured to extract a region in which the sharpness is decreased in the blood vessel sharpness image, as a candidate region for an abnormal region in which a visible vascular pattern is locally lost; and an abnormal region determination unit configured to determine whether the candidate region is an abnormal region, based on extension information indicating a state of the blood vessel region extending in a neighborhood of the candidate region.