Medical Image Lesion Display Differentiation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical image interpretation is hindered by the presentation of all detected lesions, including those of low clinical value, which can obscure lesions of higher interest, and similar lesions may be incorrectly assumed to have the same degree of interest.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that classifies and differentiates the display of lesion regions based on their interest level, specifying similar lesions with low interest and adjusting their display method to avoid emphasizing them as much as higher-interest lesions, using image features and interpretation reports to determine interest levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all detected lesions are presented and highlighted in the medical image, then complete information is provided to the healthcare professional, but the interpretation efficiency is reduced due to visual clutter and difficulty in identifying important lesions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the display characteristics of lesion regions based on their clinical importance. High-importance lesions are displayed with prominent highlighting (e.g., bright color, large outline), while low-importance lesions are displayed with subdued characteristics (e.g., faint color, small outline). This allows all lesions to be visible (maintaining information completeness) while enabling rapid identification of critical lesions (improving interpretation efficiency).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the set of all detected lesions into multiple groups based on their clinical importance or degree of interest. By classifying lesions into categories such as high-importance, medium-importance, and low-importance, the system can apply different display strategies to each segment. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by organizing the visual information in a hierarchical manner that preserves completeness while enhancing efficiency.
2Device complexity
If similar lesions are assumed to have the same degree of interest, then the classification process is simplified, but the accuracy of interest level determination is reduced when similar lesions actually have different clinical values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic classification approach where the degree of interest for similar lesions can be independently adjusted. Rather than rigidly assigning the same interest level to all lesions within a similarity group, the system allows for flexible modification of individual lesion classifications based on additional clinical context, imaging characteristics, or user feedback. This dynamic adjustment mechanism maintains classification simplicity while improving determination accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms that allow healthcare professionals to provide input on the classified lesions. When a user reviews similar lesions and identifies that they should have different interest levels, the system learns from this feedback and adjusts its classification accordingly. This feedback loop enables the system to maintain simple automated classification processes while progressively improving the accuracy of interest level determination through user-guided refinement.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of supporting interpretation of medical images. An information processing apparatus includes at least one processor, and the processor is configured to: acquire a medical image including a plurality of lesion regions; classify a high or low degree of interest of at least one first lesion region among the plurality of lesion regions; specify at least one second lesion region similar to the first lesion region among the plurality of lesion regions in a case where the degree of interest is low; and make a display method of the first lesion region and the second lesion region classified as having a low degree of interest different from a display method of other lesion regions in a case where the plurality of lesion regions are highlighted and the medical image is displayed on a display.