Pleural nodule detection from CT thoracic images
US6766043B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 23, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jul 20, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 4, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S128/922
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An algorithm is disclosed that recovers regions of possible pleural nodules left out of an organ field or otherwise undetected due to the nature of low level image processing in the organ field. A morphological closing with an elliptical structuring element is performed on a region to detect nodules within the size of the ellipsoid. A deformable surface-based analysis is performed in distinctive regions for the identification of larger nodules. The integrated use of a deformable surface model and chamfer distance potential enables explicit representation of regularized, or smoothed, surfaces within which nodule candidates may be detected.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.