Systems and methods for airway tree segmentation
US10909684B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 19, 2018 |
| Grant date | Feb 2, 2021 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 4, 2039 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/30061
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
Novel systems and methods for airway segmentation are disclosed using confident airway volume, multi-scale topological and geometric leakage detection, exact leakage localization and correction, forbidden volume insertion and freezing, iterative shift in growing techniques starting with a conservative parameter/strategy and progressing toward generous ones, and a final pruning using machine learning, neural network, deep learning or artificial intelligence methods. The systems and methods are fully automated requiring no manual inputs or post-editing steps. The systems and methods use region growing-based segmentation to iteratively grow an airway tree starting with an initial seed, possibly inside the trachea, and a conservative segmentation parameter, e.g., a conservative threshold value for intensity-based region growing. The method then gradually progresses toward more generous values of the segmentation parameters until there is convergence.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.