System, method and apparatus for small pulmonary nodule computer aided diagnosis from computed tomography scans
US7660451B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 29, 2008 |
| Grant date | Feb 9, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 29, 2028 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/30064
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention is directed to diagnostic imaging of small pulmonary nodules. There are two main stages in the evaluation of pulmonary nodules from Computed Tomography (CT) scans: detection, in which the locations of possible nodules are identified, and characterization, in which a nodule is represented by measured features that may be used to evaluate the probability that the nodule is cancer. Currently, the most useful prediction feature is growth rate, which requires the comparison of size estimates from two CT scans recorded at different times. The present invention includes methods for detection and feature extraction for size characterization. The invention focuses the analysis of small pulmonary nodules that are less than 1 centimeter in size, but is also suitable for larger nodules as well.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.