Pre-scaled Mammography Image Generation via Overview Breast Window
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mammography systems face inefficiencies in processing and displaying image series, particularly with volume-based images, as they require time-consuming manual adjustments and significant processing demands, leading to delays and increased hardware costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for generating pre-scaled images by obtaining an overview breast window that encloses all tissue points, adjusting its size, position, orientation, and alignment, and applying it to each image in the series to create a consistent breast window image, thereby eliminating the need for manual zooming and panning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual zooming and panning functionality is used for each mammography image, then medical personnel can review images with focused attention on breast area, but the process becomes time-consuming and inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary processing to automatically determine and apply the optimal breast window and scale factor for each mammography image before display. This preliminary action eliminates the need for manual zooming and panning by pre-configuring the display parameters, allowing medical personnel to immediately review images without time-consuming adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The mammography system performs self-service by automatically calculating the breast window and scale factor for each image without requiring manual intervention. The system processes each image to identify the optimal viewing parameters and applies them automatically, enabling the system to serve itself rather than requiring operator intervention for each image adjustment.
2Stability of the object's composition
If breast window is calculated for each image in the series, then consistent scaling is achieved across all images, but significant processing time and hardware demands are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The processing is segmented into two phases: a preliminary phase where breast windows are calculated for representative images (such as the first image or an overview image), and a display phase where pre-determined scale factors are applied to subsequent images. This segmentation reduces processing demands by avoiding redundant calculations while maintaining consistent scaling across the image series.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculation of breast windows and scale factors for representative images before the full review session. These pre-calculated parameters are then reused for subsequent images in the series, reducing real-time processing demands while ensuring consistent scaling is maintained across all displayed images.
3Loss of information
If overview image approach is used for volume-based images, then all tissue points from multiple images are visible, but processing demands and hardware infrastructure costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential information needed for overview visualization by calculating breast windows and scale factors for representative images rather than processing all images in the series. This extraction approach provides sufficient tissue point coverage for clinical review while significantly reducing processing demands and hardware requirements compared to comprehensive overview image generation.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer implemented method for generating a pre-scaled image for at least one mammography image of a series, the series containing a plurality of mammography images, each mammography image displaying a breast having tissue points, the method comprising: obtaining an overview breast window, wherein the overview breast window encloses all tissue points; and, rendering the pre-scaled image based on the overview breast window. In some embodiments, the overview image, the overview breast window, or both may be stored in the database memory. In some embodiments, the overview breast window may be stored as the image breast window for each image of the series.