X-ray image quality control system
Inventors
Sun, Ken • CHEN, Mingzhi • Zhang, Xinyu • Zhang, Jing • She, Minggang
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-11478208-B2
Publication Date
2022-10-25
Expiration Date
Abstract
An X-ray image quality control system includes an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an X-ray image and determine the type of imaged body part and the type of projection mode. A quality detection unit is configured to detect an image defect in X-ray image with regard to the type of the imaged body part and/or the type of the projection mode. The quality control system effectively identifies image defects including inaccurate positioning, patient movement, external object artifacts, and poor exposure. The system provides feedback to the technician at the image acquisition point to adjust the image acquisition solution in a timely manner.
Core Innovation
An automated X-ray image quality control system includes an image acquisition unit and a quality detection unit. The image acquisition unit acquires a digital X-ray image of a patient anatomy and determines which body part is captured and the type of the projection mode used to capture the imaged patient anatomy, including a projection direction of the X-ray projection relative to the patient anatomy.
The quality detection unit detects an image defect in the X-ray image with regard to the body part that is captured and with regard to the direction of the X-ray projection relative to the patient anatomy. The quality detection unit uses a first detection parameter in response to determining that the imaged patient anatomy is a first body part and that the projection mode included a first projection direction, and uses a second detection parameter different from the first detection parameter in response to determining that the imaged patient anatomy is a second body part different from the first body part and that the projection mode included a second projection direction different from the first projection direction.
The quality detection unit extracts a feature set including position and orientation of bone structure and/or soft tissue structure, and locates or segments a region of interest. The system may include pre-processing by dividing the acquired X-ray image into a bone structure region, a soft tissue region, and a background region, and may detect a region of interest associated with a first image defect type using a histogram analysis algorithm.
Claims Coverage
The document contains two independent claims: an X-ray image quality control system and a computer implemented X-ray image quality detection method. The claim set centers on tailoring defect detection using different detection parameters based on the determined body part and the projection direction, with additional features for feature-based region of interest locating or segmentation, histogram analysis, and image partitioning.
Body part and projection direction determination for defect detection
An image acquisition unit acquires a digital X-ray image of a patient anatomy to determine which body part is captured and to determine the type of the projection mode including a projection direction of the X-ray projection relative to the patient anatomy, and a quality detection unit detects an image defect with regard to the body part captured and with regard to the direction of the X-ray projection relative to the patient anatomy.
Different detection parameters per body part and projection direction
The quality detection unit uses a first detection parameter in response to determining that the imaged patient anatomy is a first body part and that the projection mode included a first projection direction, and uses a second detection parameter different from the first detection parameter in response to determining that the imaged patient anatomy is a second body part different from the first body part and that the projection mode included a second projection direction different from the first projection direction.
Feature-based region of interest locating or segmentation using position and orientation
The quality detection unit extracts a feature set defining location and orientation of bone structure and/or soft tissue structure, and locates or segments a region of interest based on the extracted feature set.
Histogram analysis for detecting region of interest for a defect type
A quality detection unit uses a histogram analysis algorithm to detect a region of interest associated with a first image defect type.
Projection- and body-part-aware defect detection as a computer implemented method
A method comprising receiving a digital X-ray image of a part of a body, determining what body part is captured and the direction of the X-ray projection relative to the body, and detecting an image defect using a first detection parameter in response to determining a first body part and a first projection direction or using a second detection parameter in response to determining a second body part different from the first body part and a second projection direction different from the first projection direction.
Image pre-processing by partitioning into bone, soft tissue, and background regions
Pre-processing an acquired X-ray image by dividing it into a bone structure region, a soft tissue region, and a background region.
Overall claim coverage focuses on determining the captured body part and the X-ray projection direction, then detecting image defects using detection parameters tailored to the body-part and projection-direction combination, with refinements for feature-based region of interest locating or segmentation, histogram analysis for a defect-related region of interest, and partitioned pre-processing into bone, soft-tissue, and background regions.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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