Apparatus and system for rule based visualization of digital breast tomosynthesis and other volumetric images
The invention provides, in some aspects, a system for implementing a rule derived basis to display volumetric image sets. In various embodiments of the invention, the selection of the images to be displayed, the generation of the 3-D volumetric image from measured 2-D images including the rendering parameters and styles, the choice of viewing directions and 2-D projection images based on the viewing directions, the layout of the projection images, and the formation of a video can be determined using a rule derived basis. In an embodiment of the present invention, the user is presented with sequential images making up a video displayed based on their preferences without having to first manually adjust parameters. The present invention allows for novel ways of viewing such images to detect microcalcifications and obstructions when reviewing Digital Breast Tomosynthesis and other volumetric mammography images.
1. A method for identifying a viewing direction that facilitates distinguishing features in a digital image of a body part of a patient comprising:
providing a server computer in communication with a remote computer, where the server computer:
a) receives a patient ID from the remote computer, where the patient ID corresponds with one or more medical diagnostic reports of the patient selected from a plurality of medical diagnostic reports;
b) executes a render server program comprising actions:
i) applying one or more Study Selection Rules based on the patient ID to select a Study from the plurality of medical diagnostic reports;
ii) applying one or more Protocol Selection Rules to select a display protocol adapted to define at least two viewports;
iii) constructing from the Study a volumetric image of the body part of the patient;
iv) defining a first viewing direction, where the first viewing direction is used to generate a first projection image;
v) defining a second viewing direction, where the second viewing direction is used to generate a second projection image, where the second projection image is not the first projection image; and
c) sends the first projection image and the second projection image to the remote computer to be displayed in at least one viewport according to the display protocol.
2. The method of claim 1 , where the Study is a Digital Breast Tomosynthesis study.
3. The method of claim 1 , where the display protocol selects the digital image displayed in the at least one viewport.
4. The method of claim 1 , where one or both DICOM Parameters and Abstract Tags present in the Study are used by the one or more Protocol Selection Rules to select the display protocol.
5. The method of claim 1 , where the display protocol selects a layout of the digital image displayed in the at least one viewport.
6. The method of claim 1 , where the display protocol selects one or more rendering parameters of the digital image displayed in the at least one viewport.
7. The method of claim 1 , where the display protocol selects a rendering style of the digital image displayed in the at least one viewport.
8. The method of claim 1 , where the at least one viewport identifies one or both a microcalcification and an obstruction.
9. The method of claim 8 , where the digital image displayed in the at least one viewport gives at least partial resolution of the microcalcification from the obstruction.
10. The method of claim 1 , where a video to be displayed in the at least one viewport comprises the first projection image and the second projection image.
11. The method of claim 10 , where the display protocol selects at least one digital image displayed in the video.
12. The method of claim 11 , where the display protocol selects a layout of the at least one digital image displayed in the video.
13. The method of claim 11 , where the display protocol selects one or more rendering parameters of the at least one digital image displayed in the video.
14. The method of claim 11 , where the display protocol selects a rendering style of at least one digital image displayed in the video.
15. The method of claim 10 , where the video displays a direct comparison.
16. The method of claim 10 , where the video identifies a microcalcification.
17. The method of claim 16 , where the video identifies an obstruction.
18. The method of claim 17 , where the video gives at least partial resolution of the microcalcification from the obstruction.
19. The method of claim 10 , further comprising storing one or both the first projection image and the second projection image in a cache.
20. The method of claim 10 , further comprising storing the video in a cache.