Patent ID: 8594409

Claim:
An automation method for computerized tomography (CT) image analysis for quantitatively analyzing a degree of thoracic deformation of a target patient on the basis of a thoracic CT image using a CT image analysis unit, the automation method comprising: receiving the thoracic CT image; horizontally aligning the thoracic CT image on the basis of boundary information on the lungs in the thoracic CT image; storing boundary information of each plurality of regions comprising the lungs on the basis of the horizontally aligned thoracic CT image; generating an edge map on the basis of the boundary information of each region which has been obtained from the thoracic CT image; generating a GVF field corresponding to the edge map; extracting a contour line, which connects a boundary of left and right lungs and a boundary for bones, to set an initial contour line which connects the boundary for the lungs and the boundary for the bones on the basis of the boundary information of each region, the bones comprising a sternum, a spine, and ribs; extracting a thorax internal boundary by performing an ACM deformation such that the initial contour line which connects the boundary for the lungs and the boundary for the bones approximates an internal thorax boundary based on the edge map, according to the GVF field; and analyzing the thorax internal boundary to calculate a plurality of indexes for a degree of thoracic deformation based on a signature analysis technique.