Method and system for detection of deformable structures in medical images

US8150116B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Shaohua Kevin Zhou · Plainsboro, US
• Feng Guo · San Diego, US
• Jin-hyeong Park · Princeton, US
• Gustavo Henrique Monteiro de Barros Carneiro · Lisbon, PT
• Constantine Simopoulos · Menlo Park, US
• Joanne Otsuki · Oakland, US
• Dorin Comaniciu · Princeton Junction, US
• John I. Jackson · Menlo Park, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 18, 2008
• Grant date: Apr 3, 2012
• Expiry date: Feb 2, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06V2201/031
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and system for detection of deformable structures in medical images is disclosed. Deformable structures can represent blood flow patterns in images such as Doppler echocardiograms. A probabilistic, hierarchical, and discriminant framework is used to detect such deformable structures. This framework integrates evidence from different primitive levels via a progressive detector hierarchy, including a series of discriminant classifiers. A target deformable structure is parameterized by a multi-dimensional parameter, and primitives or partial parameterizations of the parameter are determined. An input image is received, and a series of primitives are sequentially detected using the progressive detector hierarchy, in which each detector or classifier detects a corresponding primitive. The final detector detects configuration candidates for the deformable structure.