Medical Image Superimposition via Feature Point Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional medical image diagnosis systems face difficulties in effectively superimposing and visualizing three-dimensional images from different time phases, making it challenging to assess changes in medical conditions, such as tumor size and shape, when displaying images before and after treatment.
Innovation Solution
An image processing system that includes an extracting unit to identify regions of interest, a position determining unit to align these regions based on feature points, and a display controlling unit to change display formats and superimpose them in a way that highlights differences, allowing for clear visualization of changes over time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple three-dimensional images from different time phases are superimposed together, then comprehensive diagnostic information is obtained, but the images become difficult to view and distinguish
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the superimposed images by extracting and highlighting specific regions of interest (ROIs) from each time phase. By dividing the complex multi-temporal data into distinct, identifiable regions with different display formats, the system maintains comprehensive diagnostic information while improving visual distinguishability and ease of interpretation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by displaying different regions of interest from different time phases in mutually different display formats. This allows specific areas of diagnostic importance to be highlighted with unique visual characteristics, enabling clinicians to easily distinguish between time phases while preserving all diagnostic information in the superimposed view.
2Measurement precision
If conventional volume rendering is used to display three-dimensional medical images, then three-dimensional information is reflected, but changes in medical conditions over time are difficult to assess
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to the three-dimensional volume rendering by superimposing images from multiple time phases. This multi-dimensional approach allows clinicians to simultaneously view spatial three-dimensional information and temporal changes, enabling assessment of how medical conditions evolve over time while maintaining accurate three-dimensional representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses color and display format variations to encode temporal information across different time phases. By assigning mutually different display formats to regions from different time points, the system preserves accurate three-dimensional structural information while simultaneously conveying temporal changes in medical conditions through visual differentiation.
Data Source
AI summary
In an image processing apparatus, an extracting unit extracts mutually the same region of interest from each of a plurality of pieces of three-dimensional image data corresponding to mutually-different time phases. Further, a position determining unit determines, on the basis of feature points included in the pieces of three-dimensional image data, a position used for superimposing together the regions of interest extracted by the extracting unit from the pieces of three-dimensional image data, in substantially the same position of a subject. After that, a display controlling unit changes a display format of each of the regions of interest extracted by the extracting unit from the pieces of three-dimensional image data so as to be mutually different and causes a superimposed image to be displayed by superimposing the regions of interest together in the position determined by the position determining unit.