Patent ID: 8036435
Filing Date: 2011-10-11
Classification: G06T

Abstract:
1. A method comprising the steps of: receiving a volumetric data set obtained by an imaging system from an object, said data set comprising voxels each having a radiation attenuation coefficient value; defining a first region of interest comprising a population of voxels of a first tissue part of the object to obtain a first distribution of radiation attenuation coefficient values; defining a second region of interest comprising a sample of voxels of a second tissue part of the object to obtain a second distribution of radiation attenuation coefficient values; distinguishing the second tissue part from the first tissue part using the properties of the first and second distributions of radiation attenuation coefficient values; wherein said first region of interest comprising the population of voxels consists essentially of a known tissue part having the first distribution of radiation attenuation coefficient values with a known parameter, said second region of interest comprising the sample of voxels consists essentially of a tissue part suspect of being cancerous having the second distribution of radiation distribution coefficient values with a sample mean, and said distinguishing step comprises determining a probability value that said sample mean is from the first distribution of the known tissue part by chance.