Multi-Phase Imaging Filter for Low-Dose Edge-Preserving Denoising
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Solution Overview
Problem
The widespread adoption of multi-phase medical imaging scans, such as multi-phase CT scans, is limited by dose considerations, and subtraction scanning processes are not commonly used in routine clinical practice due to these concerns.
Innovation Solution
A filtering method that applies a filter to multiple medical imaging data sets using information from different time periods, preserving intensity measures and utilizing gradient and edge information, and employs an anisotropic filter with a guide function to reduce noise and enhance edge definition, allowing for reduced dose multi-phase scans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multi-phase scanning processes are performed to obtain additional functional information, then diagnostic value and functional information are improved, but radiation dose increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple phase imaging data into a single integrated processing workflow. By merging the temporal information from multiple phases and applying joint denoising and edge enhancement, the system achieves improved functional information extraction while reducing the need for additional separate scans, thereby lowering cumulative radiation dose.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary denoising and edge enhancement processing to individual phases before combining them. This preliminary action on each phase improves the quality of input data for subsequent multi-phase processing, enabling better functional information extraction from the combined data while allowing for lower individual phase doses.
2Measurement precision
If subtraction scanning processes are used to enhance image quality, then diagnostic accuracy is improved, but radiation dose increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary processing stage that performs denoising and edge enhancement on individual phases before subtraction or combination. This intermediary processing improves the quality of the final subtracted images by reducing noise artifacts and enhancing edges, thereby improving diagnostic accuracy without requiring additional high-dose subtraction scans.
3Reliability
If filtering uses information from multiple time periods, then noise reduction and edge definition are improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the filtering process into distinct functional modules: denoising processing, edge detection, edge enhancement, and temporal combination. Each module processes specific aspects of the multi-phase data independently, then combines results. This segmentation improves image quality through comprehensive processing while managing complexity through modular organization and reuse of intermediate results.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to: acquire a plurality of sets of medical imaging data of a region of a subject, each set of data corresponding to a respective different measurement period; apply a filter to the plurality of medical imaging data sets to produce a plurality of filtered medical imaging data sets corresponding to the different measurement periods, wherein the applying of the filter to each of the medical imaging data sets uses at least some information from the other medical imaging data sets acquired at the different time periods and wherein the applying of the filter comprises applying at least one constraint or condition and the constraint or condition comprises preserving at least one measure intensity for each medical imaging data set.