Patent ID: 8608660
Filing Date: 2013-12-17
Classification: G06K,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method of tracing the likely contour of an anatomical element in a sectional image of an anatomical site, the image being composed of pixels having different intensities, the contour of the anatomical element being represented by pixels of identical characteristic intensity and bordered by pixels of different intensities so as to identify the anatomical element visually in the sectional image without defining a contour of the anatomical element precisely, the method comprising the following steps: a) forming columns of pixels passing through the anatomical element; b) assigning each pixel a pixel score representing the probability of the pixel being situated on the contour of the anatomical element; c) constituting a matrix of pixel scores from a plurality of columns of pixels and defining numerous continuous paths of pixels, each passing through a single pixel of each column; d) assigning each continuous path a path score that is a function of the scores of the pixels constituting the continuous path; e) selecting from a set of continuous paths the path that has the best path score, that path representing the likely contour of the anatomical element, wherein the step c) further comprises the following steps: