Patent ID: 8565506
Filing Date: 2013-10-22
Classification: G06K,G06T

Abstract:
1. A method for computer-aided detection (CAD) of anatomical abnormalities in x-ray mammograms based on modification of a preexisting x-ray mammography CAD environment, the preexisting x-ray mammography CAD environment including (i) a primary CAD processing system programmed to apply a primary CAD algorithm to x-ray mammograms to generate DICOM Mammography CAD Structured Report Information Object Instances (SR-IOIs) associated therewith, and (ii) a review workstation configured to receive the DICOM Mammography CAD SR-IOIs and render their contents for display in conjunction with the associated x-ray mammograms, the method comprising: receiving a first x-ray mammogram at an auxiliary system, the auxiliary system being installed within a preexisting x-ray mammography CAD environment and being a separate hardware processing unit in operative data communication with and between the primary CAD processing system and the review workstation, the auxiliary system comprising at least one processor utilized to execute (i) at least one auxiliary CAD algorithm that is independent of the primary CAD algorithm, and (ii) a CAD voting algorithm; the auxiliary system receiving a first DICOM Mammography CAD SR-IOI incorporating a primary set of CAD findings generated by the primary CAD processing system based upon application of the primary CAD algorithm to the first x-ray mammogram; the auxiliary system processing the first x-ray mammogram according to the at least one auxiliary CAD algorithm to respectively generate at least one auxiliary set of CAD findings; the auxiliary system processing the primary set of CAD findings in conjunction with the at least one auxiliary set of CAD findings according to the CAD voting algorithm to generate a voted set of CAD findings; the auxiliary system generating a second DICOM Mammography CAD SR-IOI incorporating the voted set of CAD findings; and the auxiliary system transmitting the second DICOM Mammography CAD SR-IOI to the review workstation, the second DICOM Mammography CAD SR-IOI for rendering by the review station of the contents of the second DICOM Mammography CAD SR-IOI for display in conjunction with the first x-ray mammogram.