Abstract: Techniques and configurations for compression of image data in a progressive, lossless manner are disclosed. In an example, three-dimensional medical images may be compressed and decompressed with high-speed operations, through a compression technique performed on a cube (chunk) of voxels that includes generating a subsampled or filtered cube of voxels, and generating and optimizing a delta data set between the cube of voxels and the subsampled cube of voxels. This optimized delta data set is operable with a decompression technique to losslessly recreate the cube of voxels. Further, the compression technique may be progressively performed with multiple iterations, to allow multiple lower resolution versions of the images prior to loading or receiving the entire compressed data that is reconstructable in a lossless form. Use of this technique may result in dramatically reduced time to first image when visualizing 3D images and performing image data transfers.

Abstract: Techniques and configurations for compression of image data in a progressive, lossless manner are disclosed. In an example, three-dimensional medical images may be compressed and decompressed with high-speed operations, through a compression technique performed on a cube (chunk) of voxels that includes generating a subsampled or filtered cube of voxels, and generating and optimizing a delta data set between the cube of voxels and the subsampled cube of voxels. This optimized delta data set is operable with a decompression technique to losslessly recreate the cube of voxels. Further, the compression technique may be progressively performed with multiple iterations, to allow multiple lower resolution versions of the images prior to loading or receiving the entire compressed data that is reconstructable in a lossless form. Use of this technique may result in dramatically reduced time to first image when visualizing 3D images and performing image data transfers.

Abstract: Techniques for generating a hollow model from a medical image are disclosed herein. In an example, a hollow model may be created within a medical imaging visualization application through the generation of a mask of an interior space of a segmented anatomical structure, the extrusion of a shell mask from the mask of the interior space, and the generation of a visualization of the shell mask within the medical imaging visualization application. For example, the mask may be provided as a layer in the medical imaging visualization application, allowing a user to visualize the produced shell mask of the hollow model from the perspective of the medical imaging. In further examples, the hollow model generation techniques may be used with techniques for shell region modifications, variable shell thickness, multiple shell layer, and trimming of shell endpoints.

Abstract: A user interface for selecting clinical applications in a medical imaging system is provided on a display and is responsive to user inputs in the medical imaging system. A request to view a study that includes a plurality of images is received. The study to be viewed is then acquired from a medical imaging system database. The acquired study is analyzed with a rule engine that executes rules on image data from the acquired study. The rule engine identifies one or more clinical applications that are appropriate for the study and identifies at least one data set from the plurality of images suited for each of the identified one or more clinical applications. One or more icons each associated with one of the identified one or more clinical applications are displayed. The one or more icons are each selectable on the user interface to initialize the associated clinical application.

Abstract: A computing system and method for generating, displaying and manipulating synthetic 2D and 3D brain tissue viability images and associated metrics from multiple perfusion maps derived from CT or other imaging system input image datasets. Stored linguistic tissue classification rules characterizing infarct, ischemic and/or normal or other tissue classes as a function of one or more perfusion parameters are used. The perfusion maps are normalized to normal brain tissue regions. Elements of the input image dataset are classified into one of the tissue classes as a function of the normalized perfusion maps and the classification rules. The classification includes ranking each of the plurality of tissue classes for elements of the input image dataset, and assigning one of the classes to elements of the dataset as a function of the ranks.

Abstract: A method including searching image data corresponding to a series of axial image slices with a processor, searching axial image slices from a starting image slice and calculating a confidence score that an image slice includes a cross-section image of an aorta, identifying an image slice containing at least one seed disk, including an ascending aorta seed disk, from candidate image slices identified according to the confidence score, and growing a 3D segmentation of the ascending aorta by stacking ascending aorta image disks included in consecutive image slices beginning from the ascending aorta seed disk.

Abstract: A user interface for selecting clinical applications in a medical imaging system is provided on a display and is responsive to user inputs in the medical imaging system. A request to view a study that includes a plurality of images is received. The study to be viewed is then acquired from a medical imaging system database. The acquired study is analyzed with a rule engine that executes rules on image data from the acquired study. The rule engine identifies one or more clinical applications that are appropriate for the study and identifies at least one data set from the plurality of images suited for each of the identified one or more clinical applications. One or more icons each associated with one of the identified one or more clinical applications are displayed. The one or more icons are each selectable on the user interface to initialize the associated clinical application.

Abstract: A method of operating on volumetric imaging data representing organ anatomy includes determining whether a polyp location within a specified range from a viewing point is visible, or hidden by an anatomical feature, and marking the polyp as visible or hidden with a viewable indicator.

Abstract: A user interface for display or editing of a three dimensional medical image is provided on a display and is responsive to user inputs in a medical imaging system. The user interface includes a framing tool for defining a region of interest on the medical image. An image matrix is then provided on the user interface, which includes a plurality of cross-sectional images each corresponding to a cross-section of the medical image at one of a plurality of cut planes within the region of interest. One or more reference views of the medical image are also displayed, which each include a plurality of reference indicia, each of which corresponds to a location of one of the plurality of cut planes.

Abstract: A method including searching image data corresponding to a series of axial image slices with a processor, searching axial image slices from a starting image slice and calculating a confidence score that an image slice includes a cross-section image of an aorta, identifying an image slice containing at least one seed disk, including an ascending aorta seed disk, from candidate image slices identified according to the confidence score, and growing a 3D segmentation of the ascending aorta by stacking ascending aorta image disks included in consecutive image slices beginning from the ascending aorta seed disk.

Abstract: A method including searching image data corresponding to a series of axial image slices with a processor, searching axial image slices from a starting image slice and calculating a confidence score that an image slice includes a cross-section image of an aorta, identifying an image slice containing at least one seed disk, including an ascending aorta seed disk, from candidate image slices identified according to the confidence score, and growing a 3D segmentation of the ascending aorta by stacking ascending aorta image disks included in consecutive image slices beginning from the ascending aorta seed disk.

Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for efficiently calculating a colon segmentation from one or more candidate virtual three-dimensional objects. A sequence of image scans are analyzed and candidate segments are identified. Landmark segments are identified from the candidate segments. A characteristic path is generated for each candidate segment. The paths are joined using a cost network and reoriented to be consistent with a typical flythrough path. The connected path is then used to generate a continuous volumetric virtual object.

Abstract: A user interface for display or editing of a three dimensional medical image is provided on a display and is responsive to user inputs in a medical imaging system. The user interface includes a framing tool for defining a region of interest on the medical image. An image matrix is then provided on the user interface, which includes a plurality of cross-sectional images each corresponding to a cross-section of the medical image at one of a plurality of cut planes within the region of interest. One or more reference views of the medical image are also displayed, which each include a plurality of reference indicia, each of which corresponds to a location of one of the plurality of cut planes.

Abstract: A method including receiving data corresponding to an original three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed image, smoothing homogenous areas and enhancing edges of the original reconstructed image using edge enhancing diffusion (EED) to create edge-enhanced image data, and calculating a structural importance map. The structural importance map includes a measure of structural importance for each voxel of data in the original reconstructed image. Voxel intensities to be used to create a filtered image are determined according to at least one rule applied to the measure of structural importance.

Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for efficiently calculating a registration of multiple characteristic paths of a virtual three-dimensional object. Each path of discrete points is transformed into a piecewise linear parameterization as a function of path length. The paths are smoothed and normalized. The shorter path is partitioned into a number of discrete subintervals. The subintervals are mapped to the longer path using a minimization function that minimizes a cost function resulting in a locally optimal registration. The shorter path is incrementally positioned along the longer path and the minimization is attempted at each position. When the shorter path cannot be shifted any farther, the globally optimal registration is returned.

Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for efficiently calculating a colon segmentation from one or more candidate virtual three-dimensional objects. A sequence of image scans are analyzed and regions that represent air-filled objects and tagged-stool are identified as candidate segments. A characteristic path is generated for each candidate segment. The paths are joined using a cost network and re-oriented to be consistent with a typical flythrough path. The connected path is then used to generate a continuous volumetric virtual object.

Abstract: Computerized systems and methods provide occlusion culling for efficiently rendering a three dimensional image. The systems and methods calculate a set of occluder shields in a voxel dataset using a transparency value associated with each voxel of the dataset. Next, the occluder shields are applied to the dataset to identify regions of the voxel data that do not contribute to the final image. Finally, the voxel data set can be rendered, excluding regions that do not contribute to the final image.

Abstract: Computerized systems and methods provide occlusion culling for efficiently rendering a three dimensional image. The systems and methods calculate a set of occluder shields in a voxel dataset using a transparency value associated with each voxel of the dataset. Next, the occluder shields are applied to the dataset to identify regions of the voxel data that do not contribute to the final image. Finally, the voxel data set can be rendered, excluding regions that do not contribute to the final image.

Abstract: A teleradiology system provides the capability of rendering and studying of a remotely located volume data without requiring transmission of the entire data to the user's local computer. The system comprises: receiving station (300) under the control of a user (400); transmitting station (100); the connecting network (200); the user interface (32) with functionality of controlling volume data rendering, transmission, and display; and the interface with patient data source (10). The teleradiology system of the invention provides an integrated functionality of data transmission of current teleradiology systems and volume data rendering/visualization of current volume data rendering/visualization systems. The system may be readily used with an intranet, the internet (including the internet2) or via a direct dial-up using a telephone line with a modem, and can serve as an enterprise-wide PACS and may be readily integrated with other PACS and image distribution systems.

Abstract: A teleradiology system provides the capability of rendering and studying of a remotely located volume data without requiring transmission of the entire data to the user's local computer. The system comprises: receiving station (300) under the control of a user (400); transmitting station (100); the connecting network (200); the user interface (32) with functionality of controlling volume data rendering, transmission, and display; and the interface with patient data source (10). The teleradiology system of the invention provides an integrated functionality of data transmission of current teleradiology systems and volume data rendering/visualization of current volume data rendering/visualization systems. The system may be readily used with an intranet, the internet (including the internet2) or via a direct dial-up using a telephone line with a modem, and can serve as an enterprise-wide PACS and may be readily integrated with other PACS and image distribution systems.