IP Library Granted Patent US 10,937,164
Granted Patent B2
US 10,937,164 · App. 16/229,297 · Granted Mar 2, 2021

Medical evaluation machine learning workflows and processes

Inventors: Wade J. Steigauf (Bloomington, MN); Benjamin Strong (Minneapolis, MN); Shannon Werb (Sunfish Lake, MN)
Assignee: Virtual Radiologic Corporation
G06T7/0014G06K9/4623G06K9/627G06K9/6257G06K9/6263G16H30/40G16H40/20G06K2209/05G06N20/00G06T2207/10081G06T2207/10088G06T2207/10116G06T2207/20081G06T2207/20084G16H50/20
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,937,164
App. No.
16/229,297
Granted
Mar 2, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for processing electronic imaging data obtained from medical imaging procedures are disclosed herein. Some embodiments relate to data processing mechanisms for medical imaging and diagnostic workflows involving the use of machine learning techniques such as deep learning, artificial neural networks, and related algorithms that perform machine recognition of specific features and conditions in imaging data. In an example, a deep learning model is selected for automated image recognition of a particular medical condition on image data, and applied to the image data to recognize characteristics of the particular medical condition. Based on the characteristics recognized by the automated image recognition on the image data, an electronic workflow for performing a diagnostic evaluation of the medical imaging study may be modified, updated, or prioritized.

Claims (60)

1. A method of artificial intelligence data processing for medical imaging data, comprising operations performed by a computing device, with the operations comprising:

obtaining imaging data originating from a medical imaging procedure of a human subject;

classifying, using a trained image recognition model, at least one identifiable condition from at least one image of the imaging data, wherein a selection of the trained image recognition model is provided by selecting the trained image recognition model from a plurality of trained image recognition models, and wherein the selection and operation of the trained image recognition model is based on at least one characteristic of the medical imaging procedure indicated by metadata originating from the medical imaging procedure; and

defining properties of an electronic workflow that performs a diagnostic evaluation of the imaging data from the medical imaging procedure, based on at least one classified characteristic of the identifiable condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selection and operation of the trained image recognition model is based on the imaging data generated by the medical imaging procedure in combination with the metadata originating from the medical imaging procedure.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the metadata indicates an anatomical area or anatomical feature that is represented in the at least one image, and

wherein the operation of the trained image recognition model on the at least one image is modified based on the anatomical area or anatomical feature that is represented in the at least one image.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition includes at least one of: an identification of an area in an image in which the identifiable condition is detected, a likelihood of a medical condition being present in an image, a measurement in an image associated with a medical condition, a correlation of a first medical condition to a second medical condition detected in the imaging data, or a measurement of a: frequency, severity, or urgency of a medical condition detected in an image.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the properties of the electronic workflow are further defined based on results of natural language processing, the results of natural language processing being produced from analysis of data associated with the medical imaging procedure or data associated with a prior medical imaging procedure of the human subject.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition includes a detection value that corresponds to a level of feature recognition in the imaging data for a negative or positive finding of the identifiable condition, wherein at least one property in the electronic workflow is modified based on the detection value.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein defining the electronic workflow includes:

communicating data to establish, with the electronic workflow, a first assignment of the imaging data to a first evaluator; and

communicating data to establish, with the electronic workflow, a second assignment of the imaging data to a second evaluator;

wherein respective properties of the first assignment and the second assignment are defined based on the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein defining the electronic workflow includes:

determining an assignment, for at least a first part of the imaging data, within a first electronic worklist associated with a first evaluator, wherein the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition includes an indication of an urgent medical condition; and

communicating an indication of the urgent medical condition in connection with the assignment for the first part of the imaging data.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the urgent medical condition is indicated as a trauma or other time-sensitive medical condition, and wherein defining the electronic workflow includes determining a second assignment, for at least a second part of the imaging data, within a second electronic worklist associated with a second evaluator, wherein the first part of the imaging data and the second part of the imaging data are identified based on respective anatomical regions captured by the imaging data.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

identifying, from the imaging data, the at least one image as being associated with an anatomical classification or area, wherein the operation of the trained image recognition model is further based on the anatomical classification or area.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:

obtaining imaging data originating from a medical imaging procedure of a human subject;

classifying, using a trained image recognition model, at least one identifiable condition from at least one image of the imaging data, wherein a selection of the trained image recognition model is provided by selecting the trained image recognition model from a plurality of trained image recognition models, wherein the selection and operation of the trained image recognition model is based on at least one characteristic of the medical imaging procedure indicated by metadata originating from the medical imaging procedure; and

defining properties of an electronic workflow that performs a diagnostic evaluation of the imaging data from the medical imaging procedure, based on at least one classified characteristic of the identifiable condition.

12. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the selection and operation of the trained image recognition model is based on the imaging data generated by the medical imaging procedure in combination with the metadata originating from the medical imaging procedure, and wherein the metadata indicates an anatomical area or anatomical feature that is represented in the at least one image.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition includes at least one of: an identification of an area in an image in which the identifiable condition is detected, a likelihood of a medical condition being present in an image, a measurement in an image associated with a medical condition, a correlation of a first medical condition to a second medical condition detected in the imaging data, or a measurement of a: frequency, severity, or urgency of a medical condition detected in an image.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the properties of the electronic workflow are further defined based on results of natural language processing, the results of natural language processing being produced from analysis of data associated with the medical imaging procedure or data associated with a prior medical imaging procedure of the human subject.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein defining the electronic workflow includes:

communicating data to establish, with the electronic workflow, a first assignment of the imaging data to a first evaluator; and

communicating data to establish, with the electronic workflow, a second assignment of the imaging data to a second evaluator;

wherein respective properties of the first assignment and the second assignment are defined based on the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition; and

wherein the classified characteristic includes a detection value that corresponds to a negative or positive finding of the identifiable condition, and wherein at least one property in the electronic workflow is modified based on the detection value.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein defining the electronic workflow includes:

determining an assignment, for at least a first part of the imaging data, within a first electronic worklist associated with a first evaluator, wherein the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition includes an indication of an urgent medical condition; and

communicating an indication of the urgent medical condition in connection with the assignment for the first part of the imaging data;

determining a second assignment, for at least a second part of the imaging data, within a second electronic worklist associated with a second evaluator;

wherein the first part of the imaging data and the second part of the imaging data are identified based on respective anatomical regions captured by the imaging data.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , the operations further comprising:

identifying, from the imaging data, the at least one image as being associated with an anatomical classification or area, wherein the operation of the trained image recognition model is further based on the anatomical classification or area.

18. A computing system, comprising:

processing circuitry; and

memory comprising instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processing circuitry, configure the computing system to perform operations comprising:

obtaining imaging data originating from a medical imaging procedure of a human subject;

classifying, using a trained image recognition model, at least one identifiable condition from at least one image of the imaging data, wherein a selection of the trained image recognition model is provided by selecting the trained image recognition model from a plurality of trained image recognition models, and wherein the selection and operation of the trained image recognition model is based on at least one characteristic of the medical imaging procedure indicated by metadata originating from the medical imaging procedure; and

defining properties of an electronic workflow that performs a diagnostic evaluation of the imaging data from the medical imaging procedure, based on at least one classified characteristic of the identifiable condition.

19. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein the selection and operation of the trained image recognition model is based on the image data generated by the medical imaging procedure in combination with the metadata originating from the medical imaging procedure, and wherein the metadata indicates an anatomical area or anatomical feature that is represented in the at least one image.

20. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition includes at least one of: an identification of an area in an image in which the identifiable condition is detected, a likelihood of a medical condition being present in an image, a measurement in an image associated with a medical condition, a correlation of a first medical condition to a second medical condition detected in the imaging data, or a measurement of a: frequency, severity, or urgency of a medical condition detected in an image.

21. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein the properties of the electronic workflow are further defined based on results of natural language processing, the results of natural language processing being produced from analysis of data associated with the medical imaging procedure or data associated with a prior medical imaging procedure of the human subject.

22. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein defining the electronic workflow includes:

communicating data to establish, with the electronic workflow, a first assignment of the imaging data to a first evaluator; and

communicating data to establish, with the electronic workflow, a second assignment of the imaging data to a second evaluator;

wherein respective properties of the first assignment and the second assignment are defined based on the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition; and

wherein the classified characteristic includes a detection value that corresponds to a negative or positive finding of the identifiable condition, and wherein at least one property in the electronic workflow is modified based on the detection value.

23. The computing system of claim 18 , wherein defining the electronic workflow includes:

determining an assignment, for at least a first part of the imaging data, within a first electronic worklist associated with a first evaluator, wherein the classified characteristic of the identifiable condition includes an indication of an urgent medical condition; and

communicating an indication of the urgent medical condition in connection with the assignment for the first part of the imaging data;

determining a second assignment, for at least a second part of the imaging data, within a second electronic worklist associated with a second evaluator;

wherein the first part of the imaging data and the second part of the imaging data are identified based on respective anatomical regions captured by the imaging data.

24. The computing system of claim 18 , the operations further comprising:

identifying, from the imaging data, the at least one image as being associated with an anatomical classification or area, wherein the operation of the trained image recognition model is further based on the anatomical classification or area.

Assignments (12)
RELEASE (REEL 066660 / FRAME 0573) Recorded Jul 1, 2025
From: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
To: VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION; RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.
Reel/Frame 071781/0746 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2025
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.; VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 071575/0916 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT (FIRST LIEN) Recorded Jul 1, 2025
From: VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION; RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.
To: BARCLAYS BANK PLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 071781/0790 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT (NOTES) Recorded Jul 1, 2025
From: VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION; RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 071781/0802 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS Recorded Apr 5, 2024
From: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
To: RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.; VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 067530/0105 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 26, 2024
From: RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.; VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 066564/0242 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 26, 2024
From: RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.; VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 066564/0185 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 23, 2024
From: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
To: RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.; VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 066548/0715 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT (FIRST LIEN) Recorded Feb 22, 2024
From: RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.; VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
To: BARCLAYS BANK PLC, AS AGENT
Reel/Frame 066660/0573 →
FIRST LIEN SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Mar 5, 2021
From: VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION; RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.
To: BARCLAYS BANK PLC
Reel/Frame 055588/0246 →
FIRST LIEN NOTES SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Dec 16, 2020
From: RADIOLOGY PARTNERS, INC.; VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
To: WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Reel/Frame 054772/0211 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 14, 2020
From: STEIGAUF, WADE J.; STRONG, BENJAMIN; WERB, SHANNON
To: VIRTUAL RADIOLOGIC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 053202/0629 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 15809786 · Nov 10, 2017
Continuation 15168567 · May 31, 2016
Provisional Application 62169339 · Jun 1, 2015
Related Publication 20190279363A1 · Sep 12, 2019
Cited By (3)
US 12,406,360 US 12,567,500 US 12,639,808