Vertebral Level Coordinate System for Medical Image Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medical image analysis is hindered by the lack of uniformity in image scans, such as CT scans, due to varying subject sizes and scan focuses, making it difficult to analyze images from different patients.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method for anatomically indexing image scans by identifying markers like vertebral bodies, determining their locations in a coordinate system, and storing them in a database to create a vertebral level coordinate system, allowing for uniform referencing across scans.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If image scans are performed based on medical need with varying focuses and subject sizes, then radiation exposure is minimized and scans are performed only when necessary, but uniformity of image scans deteriorates making analysis difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the vertebral column into discrete vertebral bodies and identifies specific anatomical markers (vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs) as reference points. This segmentation allows creation of a standardized coordinate system based on these discrete, identifiable structures that exist across all scans regardless of overall scan uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary coordinate system based on vertebral level markers that mediates between the varying scan geometries and the requirement for uniform analysis. This intermediary system translates diverse scan data into a common reference framework without requiring the original scans to be uniform.
2Productivity
If image scans focus on specific body parts based on medical need, then unnecessary scans are avoided, but the ability to analyze scans from different patients deteriorates due to varying included portions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal coordinate system based on vertebral markers that can be applied across all scan types and body regions. The same vertebral level reference system serves as a common language for analyzing scans from different patients regardless of which body parts were imaged, enabling multi-functional analysis across diverse datasets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimensional reference framework by introducing vertebral level coordinates as an additional spatial dimension. This new dimension (vertebral level) provides a consistent referencing mechanism that transcends the limitations of traditional scan-based coordinate systems, enabling analysis across different body regions and patient populations.
3Productivity
If automated analysis is implemented to improve speed and efficiency, then analysis time is reduced, but the complexity of processing non-uniform scan data increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by automatically identifying and indexing vertebral markers in each scan before the actual analysis begins. This pre-processing step creates a standardized reference framework that simplifies subsequent analysis operations, reducing the complexity of processing non-uniform data while maintaining high automation speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method is provided for anatomically indexing a subject. The method includes: receiving image scan data representing a volume of a subject, where the image scan data is comprised of a plurality of image slices of the subject and includes at least a portion of a vertebral column of the subject; identifying the vertebral canal of the vertebral column of the subject in the image scan data; determining a plurality of markers for the vertebral column, where each marker is indicative of a different vertebral body of the vertebral column and includes its location in the image scan data defined in a coordinate system, such that the plurality of markers define a vertebral level coordinate system; and storing each marker along with its location in a database. The markers can subsequently be used to reference other anatomical components of the subject across different image scans.