Medical Image Coordinate Linking for Rapid Multi-Series Review
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical imaging technicians face challenges in efficiently identifying and displaying additional images containing a specific location of interest across multiple series, especially when using MRI scanners, which generate thousands of images, making it time-consuming to find related images with different scanning parameters or orientations.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allows technicians to select a location of interest on a first image, using a user interface, and automatically identifies and displays additional images from other series that intersect the same location by analyzing coordinate information stored with each image, enabling efficient comparison and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a technician manually reviews each image in multiple series to identify images containing a specific location of interest, then the technician can find related images, but the process is time-consuming and may result in missing related images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical review process with an automated computer-based system that uses coordinate information to automatically identify and display images containing the selected location of interest, eliminating the need for technicians to manually review each image while maintaining accurate identification
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces coordinate information as an intermediary element that links images to their spatial locations. By storing and comparing coordinate data, the system automatically identifies related images without requiring direct manual comparison, thus reducing time while preserving accuracy
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple series of images are opened in tandem for review, then the technician can compare images from different scans, but the device complexity and operation difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential information needed for comparison (coordinate data) from the full image sets and uses it to automatically identify related images. This allows the system to provide comprehensive comparison capability while simplifying the user interface to a single image display with automatic identification, rather than requiring multiple complex windows
3Reliability
If the number of MRI images is increased to capture all anatomical regions, then the completeness of diagnosis is improved, but the time required to review all images increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses coordinate information as an intermediary to efficiently navigate through large numbers of images. By storing spatial location data with each image, the system can quickly identify and display only the relevant images containing a specific location of interest, maintaining diagnostic completeness while dramatically reducing review time
Data Source
AI summary
An improved method and system for identifying and displaying related images obtained during an examination is disclosed. Each image includes both pixel data, corresponding to the image to be displayed, and location information, defining a relationship between the pixel data and a reference point. During a review of the images, a physician may identify an abnormality or particular region of interest in one image. The location information corresponding to the position identified by the physician within the image is obtained from the image file. Having identified location information for a particular location on the first image, the system analyzes the location information corresponding to the pixel data for each of the other stored images to identify any other image that intersects the identified location. All images that intersect the identified location may then be displayed adjacent to the first image for inspection by the physician.