Patent ID: 9378550
Filing Date: 2016-06-28
CPC Classification: G06T

Claim Text:
1. An image processing device for finding corresponding regions in two image data sets of a breast, the image processing device comprising: an image providing unit configured to provide a first image data set of the breast and a second image data set of the same breast, wherein one of the first image data set and the second image data set comprises a three-dimensional image and the other of the first image data set and the second image data set comprises at least two two-dimensional images, wherein the at least two two-dimensional images are projection images which correspond to different projection directions; a first region determination unit configured to determine a first region in the first image data set; a second region determination unit configured to determine a second region in the second image data set, which corresponds to the first region in the first image data set, wherein the second region determination unit is configured to: determine a source line in the first image data set depending on reference regions detectable in the first image data set and in the second image data set, wherein the reference regions are the pectoral line or pectoral surface, the skin line or skin surface of the breast and/or the frontal breast position, wherein the frontal breast position is defined by one of the following options a) the nipple position, b) the cutting point of the skin line or skin surface and the line that is perpendicular to the pectoral line or pectoral surface and crosses the center of mass of the breast, and c) the point on the skin line or skin surface having the largest perpendicular distance to the pectoral line or pectoral surface; project the first region onto the source line in the first image data set, thereby dividing the source line into two source sub-lines; determine a source ratio as the ratio of the length of one of the source sub-lines to the length of the entire source line; determine a target line, which corresponds to the source line, in the second image data set depending on the reference regions detectable in the first image data set and in the second image data set; and determine the second region in the second image data set such that a projection of the second region onto the target line divides the target line into two target sub-lines such that the ratio of the length of one of the target sub-lines to the entire length of the target line is similar to the source ratio; and wherein a source line and/or a target line is determined in at least one of the following ways: