Lung Image Analysis for Asbestos Exposure Quantification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Visual evaluation of asbestos accumulation in lungs is inadequate for diagnosing the extent of asbestos exposure, as it only partially reveals the affected lung area, making it difficult to quantify the illness accurately.
Innovation Solution
An image diagnostic support device connected to image acquisition means, featuring measurement range setting, chest wall extraction, thickened portion detection, and thickness measurement, allowing for quantitative analysis of asbestos exposure in lung fields.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual evaluation or measurement of partial wall thickness is used, then the diagnostic process is simple and quick, but the measurement precision and completeness of asbestos illness diagnosis is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lung image analysis into multiple processing stages: lung field extraction, chest wall extraction, thickened portion extraction, and thickness measurement. Each stage processes a specific aspect of the image, transforming a complex diagnostic task into manageable segments that collectively achieve comprehensive quantitative assessment of asbestos-related lung thickening.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent systematically extracts relevant features from the lung image: first extracting the lung field from the entire image, then extracting the chest wall from the lung field, and finally extracting thickened portions from the chest wall. This hierarchical extraction process isolates the diagnostic information needed for accurate asbestos illness assessment while filtering out irrelevant data.
2Loss of information
If visual evaluation methods are used, then the device complexity is low, but the quantity of diagnostic information obtained is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional visual assessment to three-dimensional quantitative analysis by measuring the thickness of thickened portions at multiple positions and calculating the total volume or extent of asbestos-related lung damage. This dimensional expansion provides comprehensive information about the quantity and distribution of asbestos exposure throughout the lung.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces subjective visual evaluation with automated computer-based image processing and measurement systems. The computer automatically extracts features, measures thickness, and calculates diagnostic parameters, eliminating human subjectivity and providing consistent, reproducible quantitative results for asbestos illness diagnosis.
Data Source
AI summary
An image diagnostic support device is configured to acquire a tomographic image including a lung region of an object to be examined and is provided with image display to display the tomographic image. The device is also configured to set up a measurement range, extract the chest wall from the image in the set measurement range, extract a thickened portion incidental to the chest wall in the measurement range, and measure the thickness of a thickened portion at each position in the measurement range.