IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,315,149
Granted Patent B2
US 12,315,149 · App. 17/793,201 · Granted May 27, 2025

Systems and methods for utilizing synthetic medical images generated using a neural network

Inventors: Max Louis Olender (Cambridge, MA); Elazer R. Edelman (Cambridge, MA)
Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
G06T7/0012G06N3/045G06T5/77G16H30/40G06T2207/10101G06T2207/10132G06T2207/20081G06T2207/20084G06T2207/20221
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,315,149
App. No.
17/793,201
Filed
Jul 15, 2022
Granted
May 27, 2025
Kind
B2
Examiner
FLORES, LEON
Art Unit
2676
USPC
382/128
Abstract

A system for completing a medical image having at least one obscured region includes an input for receiving a first classification map generated using an acquired optical coherence tomography (OCT) image having at least one obscured region, the acquired OCT image acquired using an imaging system and a pre-processing module coupled to the input and configured to create an obscured region mask. The pre-processing module also generates a second classification map that has the at least one obscured region filled in. The system also includes a generative network coupled to the pre-processing module and configured to generate a synthetic OCT image based on the second classification map and a post-processing module coupled to the generative network. The post-processing module is configured to receive the synthetic OCT image and the acquired OCT image and to generate a completed image based on the synthetic OCT image and the acquired OCT image.

Claims (26)

1. A system for completing a medical image having at least one obscured region, the system comprising:

an input for receiving a first classification map generated using an acquired optical coherence tomography (OCT) image having at least one obscured region, the acquired OCT image acquired using an imaging system;

a pre-processing module coupled to the input and configured to create an obscured region mask and to generate a second classification map that has the at least one obscured region filled in;

a generative network coupled to the pre-processing module and configured to generate a synthetic OCT image based on the second classification map; and

a post-processing module coupled to the generative network and configured to receive the synthetic OCT image and the acquired OCT image and to generate a completed image based on the synthetic OCT image and the acquired OCT image.

2. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory coupled to the post-processing module for storing the completed image.

3. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a display coupled to the post-processing module and configured to display the completed image.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the obscured region mask is created based on the classification map or the acquired OCT image.

5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the completed image is generated by replacing obscured pixels in the acquired OCT image with corresponding pixels in the synthetic OCT image.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the generative network is trained using a conditional generative adversarial network.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the classification map is generated by identifying a wall area of a vessel in the acquired OCT image and classifying at least one type of tissue in the wall area using a convolution neural network.

8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one tissue type is one of calcium, lipid tissue, fibrous tissue, mixed tissue, non-pathological tissue or media, and no visible tissue.

9. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one obscured region is filled by determining the expected, likely or nominal classifications of a plurality of pixels in the obscured region.

10. A method for completing a medical image having at least one obscured region, the method comprising:

receiving a first classification map generated using an acquired optical coherence tomography (OCT) image having at least one obscured region, the acquired OCT image acquired using an imaging system;

creating an obscured region mask;

generating a second classification map that has the at least one obscured region filled in;

generating a synthetic OCT image based on the second classification map using a generative network;

generating a completed image based on the synthetic OCT image and the acquired OCT image; and

displaying the completed image on a display or storing the completed image in a memory.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the obscured region mask is created based on the classification map or the acquired OCT image.

12. The method according to claim 10 , wherein generating the completed image includes replacing obscured pixels in the acquired OCT image with corresponding pixels in the synthetic OCT image.

13. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the generative network is trained using a conditional generative adversarial network.

14. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the first classification map is generated by identifying a wall area of a vessel in the acquired OCT image and classifying at least one type of tissue in the wall area using a convolution neural network.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one tissue type is one of calcium, lipid tissue, fibrous tissue, mixed tissue, non-pathological tissue or media, and no visible tissue.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein filling the obscured region mask of the classification map includes determining the expected, likely or nominal classifications of a plurality of pixels in the obscured region.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 5, 2024
From: OLENDER, MAX LOUIS; EDELMAN, ELAZER R.
To: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Reel/Frame 066383/0276 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62962641 · Jan 17, 2020
Related Publication 20230076868A1 · Mar 9, 2023
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