Patent ID: 9014456
Filing Date: 2015-04-21
Classification: G06K,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of classifying a pulmonary nodule, the method comprising: receiving image data associated with a chest scan; segmenting image data associated with lung tissue from the image data associated with the chest scan; equalizing the segmented image data; segmenting image data associated with a pulmonary nodule from the equalized and segmented image data; and classifying the pulmonary nodule as benign or malignant by applying a learned appearance model to pulmonary nodule image data for the pulmonary nodule from the segmented image data associated with the pulmonary nodule, wherein the learned appearance model is based upon visual appearances of a plurality of known pulmonary nodules and models voxel-wise conditional Gibbs energies, wherein classifying the pulmonary nodule as benign or malignant includes determining an intensity variation between voxels within the pulmonary nodule image data, and classifying the pulmonary nodule as benign or malignant based at least in part on the determined intensity variation.