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  Systems and graphical user interface for analyzing body imagesRelated Patent Categories: Image Analysis, Applications, Biomedical ApplicationsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070019849. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] The present application is a continuation application of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/908,508, filed Jul. 17, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference. The present application also is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/908,432, filed Jul. 17, 2001, entitled "Methods and Systems for Generating a Customized Lung Report" (Attorney Docket No. 021106-000320US) and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/908,466, filed Jul. 17, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,901,277 and entitled "Methods for Generating a Lung Report" (Attorney Docket No. 021106-000300US), each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates generally to systems, methods, software, and graphical user interfaces for displaying and analyzing body images and for generating organ reports. More particularly, the present invention relates to graphical user interfaces and systems for analyzing one or more thoracic CT datasets to track and analyze lung nodules and other lung parameters. [0003] Lung cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among both men and women. Advances in medical imaging, such as CT and MRI scanning, have made it possible to localize and track early stage nodules that were previously non-detectable. However, such scanning protocols on a CT or MRI scanner typically generate no less than 40 images during a thoracic exam, while multi-slice protocols may generate 300 or more axial images. In order to analyze the dataset for lung nodules, the radiologist must review all of the slice images to localize the lung nodules. If a nodule is found in one slice image, the radiologist must then attempt to locate the nodule in the adjacent slices. [0004] Unfortunately, such large amounts of data for each patient increases the probability that the radiologist will miss a potential nodule in their analysis of the image dataset, i.e., a "false negative." Tumors may be too small to be reliably detected, or their appearance may be obscured by the surrounding tissues such as vessels. Missed tumors may be detected months or years later in a follow-up examination. During this interval the tumor may grow larger and, in the worst case, metastasize. [0005] In their early stages of development, malignant lung tumors may not be detected even upon careful inspection of the image dataset. The early detection of lung cancer is of particular importance because the overall survival rate from the disease is very low. It is generally believed that early detection of cancer is beneficial, but in the case of lung cancer this is not established because of the recentness of the technique. This patent provides tools which will help to elucidate this question. [0006] To improve detection of lung nodules manual and semiautomatic pixel-based methods for segmenting CT images have been developed. One such method is manually creating a region of interest (ROI) delineating a nodule. A semiautomatic method requires a single, operator-defined seed point in which a computer algorithm will select similar contiguous gray-scale pixels that surround the seed point as the potential nodule. In another case it may be an operator-placed region of interest (such as a rectangle or ellipse) around the nodule. [0007] While the proposed imaging methods offer significant potential to locate early stage nodules, still further improvements are desirable. In particular, if a small nodule or nodules are located in a first imaging scan, the radiologist will usually recommend that the patient return for a second, follow-up imaging scan. When the patient returns for the follow-up scan, the radiologist must relocate the nodules in the image scan and analyze the parameters of the nodules. Conventional imaging systems and methods do not provide an efficient way to determine if the nodules have increased in size, stayed the same, or the like. [0008] Therefore, what is needed are reliable systems and user interfaces which allow the radiologist to quickly and accurately localize and track any changes in nodules found in an imaging scan. Furthermore, what is needed is an improved method for visualization and characterization of small malignant lung tumors on thoracic image scan that would enable earlier detection of these tumors or nodules so as to enable earlier detection. BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The present invention provides graphical user interfaces and systems that allow an operator to localize and analyze lung nodules in a baseline and follow up lung CT or MRI scan. [0010] The graphical user interfaces of the present invention can be displayed on a display that is coupled to a microprocessing device and a memory device. The graphical user interface can display an electronic representation of a first body image taken at to along a first plane and a second body image taken at t.sub.2 along the first plane. At least one of the electronic representations are stored in the memory device. The graphical user interface also can display an electronic representation of at least one composite image of the first body image and the second body image. [0011] The systems and graphical user interfaces of the present invention can be used to localize lung nodules and to determine the lung nodules relative position in the patient's lung, dimensions of the lung nodule, and other morphological parameters of a baseline image scan taken at t.sub.1. After the nodules are located in the baseline scan, through manual, semiautomatic, or automatic localization techniques, the nodule information derived from the images can be analyzed by the operator to determine if the potential nodule is a a benign or malignant nodule or merely a part of the patient's vasculature. [0012] The nodule information can be stored and later transferred to a follow up image scan taken at t.sub.2 to ease the localization of the previously localized nodules in the follow-up scans. The stored nodule information provides a method that allows the operator to quickly determine if the nodules localized in the baseline scan have increased in size, the amount of increase, and the like. Additionally, the present invention can also allow the operator to quickly locate nodules--either manually or automatically with an analysis algorithm--that were not located in the baseline scan. [0013] Typically, the graphical user interfaces of the present invention can be used to analyze thoracic images to track potential lung nodules over a time period. An operator can use the composite image to track the potential nodules (if any) in the first body image and the second body image. The composite image can provide the user a visual indication of any change in surface area, pixel area, or volume of the potential lung nodule. [0014] In exemplary embodiments, the graphical user interfaces of the present invention displays a first image along a body slice taken at t.sub.1 and a follow-up image of the same body slice taken at t.sub.2 on a user output device, such as a computer monitor. Typically, the first and second images are displayed adjacent to each other so as to allow the operator to visually assess changes in the nodules. [0015] Typically, each of the nodules can be localized on the image with a map of markers to indicate its lesion number and its relative position in the patient's lung. By choosing the marker, the operator can view the statistics of the marked nodule which can include, but is not limited to, nodule number, anatomic position, roundness, volume, surface area, major and minor axes, CT density or MRI signal intensity, density and signal standard deviation, signal histogram, roundness criteria, and the like. [0016] Optionally, to improve the visualization of the nodules, the nodules in the baseline and follow-up images are colored differently from the surrounding tissue. Typically, the nodules displayed in the first image are displayed a different color than the nodules in the second image. Thus, if the first image and second image are superimposed over each other, the operator can visually assess the change in size (if any) of the superimposed nodules. Generally, the change in size of the nodule will be displayed in a third, different color. [0017] A third comparison or composite image can be displayed on the user input device to illustrates changes (if any) between the first and second images. In particular, the comparison image can be used to illustrate the change in size of the nodules and any development of new nodules. Additionally, in some methods, a comparison chart can be displayed which quantitatively illustrates any change in size, volume, etc., of the previously localized nodules. [0018] In another aspect, the present invention provides a system for interpreting thoracic images. The system includes a storage device for storing a first image scan and a second image scan, a user interface for displaying information, and a processor. The processor is programmed to access the storage device to display on the user interface an image from the first image scan and an image from the second image scan. The processor is also programmed to compare a lesion from the image from the first image scan and the lesion on the second image scan. The processor is also programmed to display differences of the lesion in the first image scan and the second image scan. [0019] Comparing the lesion and displaying the differences of the lesion can take a variety of forms. For example, in some embodiments, the processor can provide a panel or chart which quantitatively displays changes of various parameters of the lesion (e.g., volume, surface area, diameter, number of pixels, or the like). Alternatively, the displaying of differences can include displaying the lesion in different colors so as to visually indicate the change in lesions. In yet other embodiments, the displaying of the changes can be shown via a composite image. The composite image can show the nodules superimposed over each other to visually indicate the change in size of the lesions. In the embodiments where the lesions are shown in different colors, the change in size of the lesions will generally be shown in a third, different color. [0020] It should be appreciated, however, that displaying the differences can include other convention methods of illustrating changes or it can include a combination of the above described methods. [0021] The systems of the present invention can further include an imaging device for collecting the image datasets. The image datasets can be coupled to a database or the systems of the present invention for processing. Optionally, the systems of the present invention can further include a printer for printing a body report, such as a lung report. Continue reading... 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