System and method for navigating a tomosynthesis stack using synthesized image data
A system and method for displaying and navigating breast tissue is configured for or includes obtaining a plurality of 2D and/or 3D images of a patient's breast; generating a synthesized 2D image of the breast from the obtained images; displaying the synthesized 2D image; receiving a user command, or otherwise detecting through a user interface, a user selection or other indication of an object or region in the synthesized 2D image; and displaying at least a portion of one or more images from the plurality, including a source image and/or most similar representation of the user selected or indicated object or region.
1. A system for processing, displaying and navigating breast tissue images, the system comprising:
an image processing computer; and
at least one image display monitor operatively coupled to the image processing computer,
wherein the image processing computer is configured to generate a synthesized 2D image of a breast from a plurality of 2D and/or 3D images of the breast, and to display the synthesized 2D image on the at least one image a display monitor,
wherein respective images of the plurality contain one or more regions defined by X,Y coordinate locations that are common for multiple images of the plurality, and
wherein the image processing computer generates the synthesized 2D image of the breast by importing respective regions of individual images of the plurality into a merged image, wherein an image from which a respective region is imported into the merged image comprises a source image for that region, and wherein the imported regions are selected to be incorporated into the merged image at X,Y coordinate locations corresponding to X,Y coordinate locations of the respective regions in their source image based upon a comparison of one or more attributes of the respective region in each image of the plurality that contains the respective region.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of 2D and/or 3D images of the breast comprise acquired or synthesized X,Y coordinate slices at differing z axis locations of the breast.
3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a user interface operatively coupled to the image processing computer.
4. The system of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the one or more attributes is user selected through the user interface.
5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to receive or otherwise detect through the user interface a user selection of a region or of an object at least partially contained in said region in the displayed synthesized 2D image, and to cause to be displayed on the at least one image a display monitor at least a portion of a source image of the user selected region or object.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to generate an index map comprising identifying information of user selected images of the plurality of 2D and/or 3D images that are source images of regions and/or objects displayed in the synthesized 2D image.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to highlight the user selected object or region in the displayed synthesized 2D image and/or in the displayed at least portions of the one or more corresponding source image.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to highlight the user selected object or region in response to a received user command or to certain user activity detected through the user interface.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the object or region is highlighted in a manner indicating that the highlighted object or region is or contains a specified type of tissue structure.
10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the object or region is highlighted by a contour line representing a boundary of the highlighted object or region.
11. The system of claim 7 , wherein the object or region is highlighted in a manner indicating that the highlighted object or region is or contains a specified type of tissue structure.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of 2D and/or 3D images is selected from a group consisting of tomosynthesis projection images, tomosynthesis reconstruction slices, mammography images, contrast enhanced mammography images, synthesized 2D images, and combinations thereof.
13. A system for processing, displaying and navigating breast tissue images, comprising:
an image processing computer;
at least one image display monitor operatively coupled to the image processing computer; and
a user interface operatively coupled to the image processing computer,
wherein the image processing computer is configured to generate a synthesized 2D image of a breast from a plurality of tomosynthesis images comprising volumetric image data of the breast, and to display the synthesized 2D image on the at least one image a display monitor,
wherein respective tomosynthesis images of the plurality contain one or more regions defined by X,Y coordinate locations that are common for multiple tomosynthesis images of the plurality, and wherein each tomosynthesis image is of a differing z axis location of the breast,
wherein the image processing computer generates the synthesized 2D image of the breast by importing one or more objects and/or regions from the tomosynthesis images into a merged image based upon a comparison of one or more attributes of the respective object or region between respective tomosynthesis images that contain the one or more objects and/or regions.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein at least one of the one or more attributes is user selected through the user interface.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein a tomosynthesis image from which respective object or region is imported into the synthesized 2D image comprises a source image for that object or region.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to receive or otherwise detect through the user interface a user selection of a region or of an object at least partially contained in said region in the displayed synthesized 2D image, and to cause to be displayed on the at least one image a display monitor at least a portion of a source image of the user selected region or object.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to generate an index map comprising identifying information of user selected images that are source images of regions and/or objects displayed in the synthesized 2D image.
18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to highlight the user selected object or region in the displayed synthesized 2D image and/or in the displayed at least portions of the corresponding source image.
19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the image processing computer is configured to highlight the user selected object or region in response to a received user command or to certain user activity detected through the user interface.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the object or region is highlighted by a contour line representing a boundary of the highlighted object or region.