System and method for color-coding segmented chest image airways for assessment

1. A system for visualizing airways in a chest image, comprising:

a memory device for storing a program;

a processor in communication with the memory device, the processor operative with the program to:

compute a distance map of a segmented bronchial tree;

collect quantitative data about the airways in the segmented bronchial tree using the distance map, the quantitative data comprising an inner airway diameter or airway wall thickness of each airway in the bronchial tree using a full-width half maximum approach, the airway wall thickness being computed by estimating an outer diameter of the airway and subtracting the inner airway diameter from the outer diameter of the airway, wherein the airway wall thickness corresponds to a result of the subtraction;

visualize the quantitative data in a three-dimensional (3D) image of the segmented bronchial tree by fitting color-coded versions of the quantitative data to the segmented bronchial tree; and

in response to a point on the 3D image of the segmented bronchial tree being selected, wherein the point corresponds to a first airway to be locally evaluated and the first airway does not pass perpendicularly through an axial plane of the chest image, the processor is further operative with the program to automatically:

determine a long axis of the first airway by computing eigenvectors of a Hessian matrix of original data around the point;

determine a plane of the first airway's true cross-section with the eigenvectors; and

compute the first airway's inner and outer diameters at the point using the true cross-sectional plane by measuring a distance from each airway voxel to a closest voxel in the distance-map, determining whether neighboring voxels have a greater distance, and assigning a largest distance of the voxel and its neighboring voxels to the voxel and its neighboring voxels, wherein the inner airway diameter corresponds to the largest distance.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operative with the program to:

automatically segment the bronchial tree.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein when automatically segmenting the bronchial tree the processor is further operative with the program to:

perform an adaptive region growing from a point in a trachea of the bronchial tree.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operative with the program to:

receive image data of the bronchial tree from a 3D imaging device.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the fitting comprises assigning colors from a color table to the quantitative data and mapping the color-coded quantitative data to the segmented bronchial tree, wherein the mapping comprises placing the color-coded quantitative data at the same location in the segmented bronchial tree from where the original quantitative data was obtained.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operative with the program to:

provide, in real-time, a pop-up window displaying the first airway's inner and outer diameters at the point.