Patent ID: 8564593

Claim:
A method for processing image voxel data representative of 3-dimensional images of a colon having gas and stool tagged with stool tagging agent, to remove the effects of the tagged stool, including: providing a plurality of intensity-gradient models, each intensity-gradient model representative of the intensity and gradient relationship at a transition between two material types as a function of the amounts of the two material types, the models including at least a gas-tissue transition model representative of a transition between gas and tissue material types, a gas-stool transition model representative of a transition between gas and stool material types, and a stool-tissue transition model representative of a transition between stool and tissue material types; classifying the voxels into one of a plurality of material type classes including tagged stool, gas, tissue and unknown classes; processing the voxels classified into the unknown material type class as a function of the intensity-gradient models including at least the gas-tissue model, the gas-stool model and the stool-tissue model to classify the unknown material type class voxels into one of the two-material type classes including the gas and tissue material type class, the gas and stool material type class and the stool and tissue material type class; processing the voxels classified into the two-material type classes as a function of the associated intensity-gradient model to determine the amounts of the two material types in each voxel; and remapping intensities of the voxels classified into the two-material type classes as a function of the amounts of the two material types in the voxels.