Method and system for automatic identification and orientation of medical images
View Patent ↗A method and system for computer-aided detection of abnormal lesions in digital mammograms is described, wherein digital films are processed using an automated and computerized method of detecting the order and orientation of a set of films. In one embodiment, anatomic features are used to detect the order, orientation and identification of a film series. In another embodiment of the invention, a technologist feeds films into the system in any order and orientation. After processing, the system provides an output on a display device to a radiologist that is in an order and orientation preferred by the radiologist. In yet another embodiment of the invention, films from one case are distinguished from films of another case. In this manner and through the use of a bulk loader, a large number of films can be stacked together and fed into the system at one time.
1. An automated method for displaying digitized mammographic images, comprising the steps of:
receiving in a computer system a plurality of digitized mammographic images in a received orientation and order;
determining by the computer system the received orientations and identities of the plurality of received digitized mammographic images by identifying marker images and chest wall locations on the digitized mammographic images;
using in the computer system the determined orientations and identities of the received images to display the received digitized radiographic images in a predetermined orientation and order that is not necessarily the orientation and order in which the images were received;
wherein said determining by the computer system the received orientations and identities comprises, for at least one of said digitized mammographic images, the steps of:
identifying a location of the marker image in the digitized mammographic image; and
using said identified location in conjunction with an established mammographic marker placement standard to determine the received orientation.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the mammographic images are from one case.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple mammographic images are from multiple cases and the computer system separates the multiple images into the multiple cases by identifying a plurality of case separator sheets, each case separator sheet having a case identification label identifying a case.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein further digitized mammographic images are oriented and displayed using information derived from the determining step of claim 1 .
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein orientation and display errors are corrected using information derived from the determining step of claim 1 .
6. An automated system for displaying digitized mammographic images, the system comprising:
a scanning device capable of producing digitized mammographic images;
a memory for storing the digitized mammographic images;
a display device for displaying the digitized mammographic images; and
a processing device capable of
receiving from the memory a plurality of digitized mammographic images in a received orientation and order,
determining the received orientations and identities for the plurality of the digitized mammographic images by identifying marker images and chest wall locations on the digitized mammographic images, and
using the determined orientations and identities of the received images to control the display device to display the digitized mammographic images in a predetermined orientation and order;
wherein said determining by the processing device of the received orientations and identities comprises for at least one of said digitized mammographic images the steps of:
identifying a location of the identified marker image relative to the digitized mammographic image; and
using said identified location in conjunction with an established mammographic marker placement standard to determine the received orientation.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the processing device is further capable of separating the digitized radiographic images into multiple cases by identifying a plurality of case separator sheets, each case separator sheet having a case identification label identifying a case.
8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the display device is capable of simultaneously displaying all views of a case.
9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the display device is capable of simultaneously displaying all views of multiple cases.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the chest wall location on a digitized mammographic image is identified by splitting the image into two halves, calculating the average pixel intensity of each half and selecting one half having higher average pixel intensity as the half including the chest wall location.
11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the chest wall location on a digitized mammographic image is identified by splitting the image into two halves, calculating the average pixel intensity of each half and selecting one half having higher average pixel intensity as the half including the chest wall location.
12. The method of claim 1 , each digitized mammographic image corresponding to an x-ray film and each marker image corresponding to a lead marker, wherein said established mammographic marker placement standard is specified by the American College of Radiology, and wherein said using said identified location incorporates at least one of the following factors:
that the chest wall is either on the left side or right side of the film;
that the lead marker is in the top half of the film;
that the lead marker is directed clockwise from the chest wall for right films; and
that the lead marker is directed counterclockwise from the chest wall for left films.
13. The system of claim 6 , each digitized mammographic image corresponding to an x-ray film and each marker image corresponding to a lead marker, wherein said established mammographic marker placement standard is specified by the American College of Radiology, and wherein said using said identified location incorporates at least one of the following factors:
that the chest wall is either on the left side or right side of the film;
that the lead marker is in the top half of the film;
that the lead marker is directed clockwise from the chest wall for right films; and
that the lead marker is directed counterclockwise from the chest wall for left films.