DETERMINATION OF AN IMAGE SERIES IN DEPENDENCE ON A SIGNATURE SET

Abstract

For the determination of an image series from a set of a number of image series, in each case of a signature is compiled for each of the number of image series. This signature is formed from a set of attributes of the respective image series. A signature from the signatures for the image series is ascertained that is most similar to a prespecified signature set. An action is performed with the image series whose signature was ascertained as the most similar signature.

Claims

1. A method for determining an image series from a set comprised of a plurality of image series, said method comprising: providing a processor with a set comprised of a plurality of image series and, for each image series in said plurality of image series, compiling a signature from a set of attributes of that respective image series, and thereby obtaining a plurality of signatures; providing said processor with a predetermined signature set; in said processor, identifying a signature among said plurality of signatures that is most similar to said predetermined signature set; and from said processor, controlling performance of an action with the image series having the signature identified as the most similar signature.

2. A method as claimed in claim I wherein said performing said action with said image series comprises: in said processor, creating a layout comprising a plurality of segments for depiction, at a display in communication with said processor, in which segments of the image series in said set of a plurality of image series are to be respectively displayed; in said processor, for each of said segments, compiling a segment signature formed from a set of attributes of that respective segment, thereby obtaining a plurality of segment signatures; providing said processor at least with one of said segment signatures as said predetermined signature set; and displaying the image series having said most similar signature in the respective segment of said display having the segment signature provided as said predetermined signature set.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising identifying said most similar signature by: for all of said image series in said set of plurality of image series, determining a distance between the respective signature thereof and the predetermined signature set; and determining said most similar signature as the signature of a respective image series for which said distance is shortest.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising determining said distance that is shortest as an average distance that a respective image series has between all other image series in said set of a plurality of image series.

5. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising determining said distance that is shortest as a weighted sum distance that a respective image series has between all other image series in said set of a plurality of image series.

6. A method as claimed in claim 2 wherein each signature has the same attributes, and determining said distance as a sum of differences between attribute values of a respective signature and each signature in said predetermined signature set.

7. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising identifying a segment among said plurality of segments having a signature that is second most similar to said predetermined signature set, and identifying an image series having a signature that is second most similar to said predetermined image set, and displaying said image series having said second most similar signature in said segment having said second most similar signature.

8. A method as claimed in claim 2 comprising also displaying a selected image series, among said set of a plurality of image series, that does not have said most similar signature, in a different segment in said display from the segment in which said image series having the most similar signature is displayed.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising identifying said most similar signature by: for all of said image series in said set of plurality of image series, determining a distance between the respective signature thereof and the predetermined signature set; and determining said most similar signature as the signature of a respective image series for which said distance is shortest.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising determining said distance that is shortest as an average distance that a respective image series has between all other image series in said set of a plurality of image series.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising determining said distance that is shortest as a weighted sum distance that a respective image series has between all other image series in said set of a plurality of image series.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein each signature has the same attributes, and determining said distance as a sum of differences between attribute values of a respective signature and each signature in said predetermined signature set.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising, for each image series, compiling said signature from the group consisting of a DICOM attribute of the respective image series, a description of the respective image series, scan protocol parameters of an imaging sequence used to generate the respective image series, values extracted from pixel values of the respective image series, a pixel value histogram of the respective image series, a Fourier spectrum of the respective image series, and information about anatomical landmarks that are visible in the respective image series.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein compiling said plurality of signatures includes compressing the respective signatures.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising determining said most similar signature by determining a degree of similarity, for each signature of each image series, to said predetermined signature set, and performing said action with said image series having said most similar signature only when said most similar signature has a degree of similarity that exceeds a predetermined similarity threshold.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising compiling the respective signatures of said respective image series while the respective image series is being created by an imaging system.

17. A system for determining an image series from a set comprised of a plurality of image series, said system comprising: an input interface; a processor in communication with said input interface; an output interface in communication with said processor; a performance facility in communication with said output interface; said input interface being configured to provide said processor with a set comprised of a plurality of image series, and said processor being configured to compile, for each image series in said plurality of image series, a signature from a set of attributes of that respective image series, and thereby obtain a plurality of signatures; said interface also being configured to provide said processor with a predetermined signature set; said processor being configured to identify a signature among said plurality of signatures that is most similar to said predetermined signature set; and said processor being configured to control via said output interface, performance of an action, by said performance facility, with the image series having the signature identified as the most similar signature.

18. A system as claimed in claim 17 wherein said performance facility is selected from the group consisting of a facility for image evaluation configured to perform said action as an image evaluation of the image series having the most similar signature, a facility for depicting an image series in an assessment report or cine sequence, and wherein said action is to depict said image series having the most similar signature in said assessment report or cine series, a facility for image post-processing that performs as said action a post-processing of said image series having said most similar signature, a facility for forwarding, which performs as said action a forwarding of said image series having said most similar signature, a facility for archiving, which performs as said action archiving of said image series having said most similar signature, and a facility for discarding, which performs as said action, a discarding of said image series having said most similar signature.

19. A system for compiling a plurality of image series and for displaying at least one image series for evaluation, said system comprising: an imaging apparatus configured to generate a set of a plurality of image series; an input interface in communication with said imaging apparatus; a processor in communication with said input interface; an output interface in communication with said processor; a performance facility in communication with said output interface; said input interface being configured to provide said processor with said set comprised of a plurality of image series, and said processor being configured to compile, for each image series in said plurality of image series, a signature from a set of attributes of that respective image series, and thereby obtain a plurality of signatures; said interface also being configured to provide said processor with a predetermined signature set; said processor being configured to identify a signature among said plurality of signatures that is most similar to said predetermined signature set; and said processor being configured to control via said output interface, performance of an action, by said performance facility, with the image series having the signature identified as the most similar signature.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 wherein said performance facility is a display, and wherein said processor is configured to control said performance of said action with said image series by: creating a layout comprising a plurality of segments for depiction, at a display in communication with said processor, in which segments of the image series in said set of a plurality of image series are to be respectively displayed; for each of said segments, compiling a segment signature formed from a set of attributes of that respective segment, thereby obtaining a plurality of segment signatures; identifying one of said segment signatures as said predetermined signature set; and displaying the image series at said display having said most similar signature in the respective segment of said display having the segment signature provided as said predetermined signature set.

21. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium encoded with programming instructions, said storage medium being loaded into a processor and said programming instructions causing said processor to: receive a set comprised of a plurality of image series and, for each image series in said plurality of image series, compiling a signature from a set of attributes of that respective image series, and thereby obtaining a plurality of signatures; receive a predetermined signature set; identify a signature among said plurality of signatures that is most similar to said predetermined signature set; and control performance of an action with the image series having the signature identified as the most similar signature.

22. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium as claimed in claim 21, wherein said programming instructions further cause said processor to: create a layout comprising a plurality of segments for depiction, at a display in communication with said processor, in which segments of the image series in said set of a plurality of image series are to be respectively displayed; for each of said segments, compile a segment signature formed from a set of attributes of that respective segment, thereby obtaining a plurality of segment signatures; receive one of said segment signatures as said predetermined signature set; and display the image series having said most similar signature in the respective segment of said display having the segment signature provided as said predetermined signature set.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0109] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of an imaging system according to the invention.

[0110] FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of a procedure according to the invention for the determination and depiction of image series in a layout.

[0111] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the method according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0112] FIG. 1 is a schematic depiction of a magnetic resonance system 5 as an example of an imaging system according to the invention. The magnetic resonance system 5 has a tomography scanner 3 with which the magnetic field required for the MR examination is created in a scan chamber 4, a table or stretcher board 2, a control computer 6, with which the tomography scanner 3 is controlled and MR data are acquired by the tomography scanner 3, and a terminal 7 connected to the control computer 6.

[0113] The control computer 6 includes an actuation unit 11, a receiving apparatus 12, an evaluating apparatus 13 and a memory 16. During the compilation of an image data set, MR data is acquired by the receiving apparatus 12 by means of the tomography scanner 3, wherein the tomography scanner 3 and the table 2 are actuated by the actuation unit 11 such that that MR data are acquired in a scan volume 15 in the interior of a patient O lying on the table 2. For the compilation of a signature of an image series, the attributes of the image series can be loaded by the control computer 6 into the memory 16 in order then to form the attribute or attributes of the signature in dependence on the attributes of the image series.

[0114] The evaluating apparatus 13 then prepares the MR data such that it can be depicted graphically on a screen 8 of the terminal 7 for example in a segment of a layout. In addition to the graphical depiction of image series, the terminal 7, which in addition to the screen 8, comprises a keyboard 9 and a mouse 10, can also be used for the configuration of a layout. The software for the control computer 6 can be loaded into the control computer 6 via the terminal 7. In this context, this software in the control computer 6 can also comprise the method according to the invention. In this context, it is also possible for a method according to the invention to be contained in software that runs in the terminal 7. Regardless of which software contains the method according to the invention, the software can be stored on a DVD 14 so that this software can then be read by the terminal 7 from the DVD 14 and copied either into the control computer 6 or into a computing unit of the terminal 7 itself.

[0115] FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of the procedure according to the invention for the configuration of a layout 24.

[0116] For example, a signature set or collection of signatures 20 can be compiled in a first step for each segment Seg1-3 of the layout 24. This configuration procedure can be performed at the manufacturer's premises, the customer's premises or at both the manufacturer's or customer's premises. To this end, exemplary image series BS1, BS2 are created for each segment. Then, a signature extractor 21 is used to create for each of these image series BS1, BS2 a signature Sig1, Sig2 which is stored in the associated signature set 20. The respective signature set 20 is then assigned to the corresponding segment Seg1-3 of the layout 24.

[0117] Usually, the layout 24 is configured at the manufacturer's premises, i.e. divided into corresponding segments Seg4-3 delivered to the customer. As described above, a corresponding signature set 20 is assigned to each segment Seg4-3.

[0118] For the examination of a specific examination object O, the corresponding imaging system image creates series ES1, ES2 from the examination object O. For differentiation from the above-described exemplary image series BS1, BS2, hereinafter these image series are called input image series ES1, ES2. The signature extractor 21 creates a signature Sig1 Sig2 for each of these input image series ES1, ES2.

[0119] In order to determine from each of these numerous input image, series ES1, ES2 the in each case most appropriate image series, which is depicted in one of the segments Seg1-3, each signature Sig1, Sig2 is compared by a distance metric 23 with the signature set 20 of the respective segment Seg1-3 in a comparison operation 22. For the signature Sig1, Sig2 with the shortest distance to the signature set 20, the associated input image series ESx is ascertained and then depicted as the most appropriate image series in the corresponding segment Seg1-3. This procedure is repeated for all segments Seg1-3 of the layout 24.

[0120] FIG. 3 depicts a flowchart of the method according to the invention.

[0121] In Step S1, a layout 24 comprising a plurality of segments Seg1-3 is created. In Step S2, for each segment Seg1-3, one or more exemplary image series BS1, BS2 are created, wherein for each of these exemplary image series BS1, BS2, a signature Sig1, Sig2 is ascertained in each case in the following Step S3. In Step S4, in each case a signature set 20 is assigned to each of the segments Seg1-3. In this context, the respective signature set 20 of a segment Seg1-3 comprises the signatures Sig1, Sig2 generated for the exemplary image series BS1, BS2, which were compiled for the respective segment Seg1-3.

[0122] For the examination of a specific patient, in Step S5, an imaging system creates (for example by means of a magnetic resonance system 5) a plurality of input image series ES1, ES2. However, it is also possible according to the invention for an image series created by another system to be loaded into an assessment system (for example PACS, syngo.via) in order to examine the specific patient. In Step S6, a signature Sig1, Sig2 is now ascertained for each of these input image series ES1, ES2. In Step S7, the signatures Sig1, Sig2 of the input image series ES1, ES2 are used as the basis for the ascertainment of the signature with the shortest distance to the signature set 20 of the respective segment Seg1-3. The signature ascertained in this way is then used as the basis for the ascertainment of the associated input image series ESx, which is depicted in the respective segment Seg1-3 in Step S8.

[0123] If the question in Step S9 is answered yes, a further patient is examined and hence the method according to the invention returns to Step S5. If, on the other hand, the question in Step S9 is answered no, the method according to the invention is completed.

[0124] It is also possible to pass through a number of layouts (assessment steps) for the assessment of a patient. It is also possible for a plurality of evaluation and scan facilities to be used before the assessment of the same patient is completed.

[0125] Although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art, it is the intention of the Applicant to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of the Applicant's contribution to the art.