Medical Image Processing Apparatus for Barrett's Esophagus Diagnosis

The patent applies dimensionality change by projecting the three-dimensional tubular structure of the esophagus onto a two-dimensional developed view. This transformation unfolds the cylindrical surface along its longitudinal axis, converting depth variations into lateral separations on the display. The coordinate transformation system maps three-dimensional spatial coordinates (x, y, z) to two-dimensional display coordinates (X, Y), where the circumferential position is represented by angle θ and the longitudinal position by distance z from the reference point. This dimensional reduction eliminates geometric distortion while preserving diagnostic information, enabling clear distinction between columnar and squamous epitheliums.

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing the coordinate transformation parameters that define the relationship between the three-dimensional tubular coordinate system and the two-dimensional display coordinate system. The transformation equations, which involve trigonometric functions of the circumferential angle θ and linear relationships with the longitudinal distance z, are prepared in advance. This allows the developed view to be generated rapidly during actual diagnosis by simply applying the pre-established transformation relationships to the captured image data, rather than performing complex geometric calculations in real-time.