Abstract: A method and system for the computerized automatic analysis of lesions in magnetic resonance (MR) images, a computer programmed to implement the method, and a data structure for storing required parameters is described. Specifically the system includes the computerized analysis of lesions in the breast using spatial, temporal and/or hybrid measures. Techniques include novel developments and implementations of two-dimensional and three-dimensional features to assess the characteristics of the lesions and in some cases give an estimate of the likelihood of malignancy or of prognosis. The system can also allow for the enhanced visualization of the breast and its pathological states. The system also includes an option to merge the extracted features with those from x-ray and/or ultrasound images in order to further characterize the lesion and/or make a diagnosis and/or a prognosis.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system for assessing tumor extent in medical temporally acquired images. The method, on which the computer program product and system is based, includes obtaining image data corresponding to temporally acquired images including a tumor and surrounding anatomy and performing variance processing on the obtained image data to derive variance image data defining a variance image indicative of variation of voxels in the temporally acquired medical images. Techniques include novel developments and implementations of breast volume segmentation, breast border removal, lesion enhancement, determination of the bounding sphere, computation of a 3-D search volume, suppression of surrounding structures, and volume growing. Output from the methods yields an estimate of the extent of the tumor (lesion) in the breast.