Patent ID: 8600135

Claim:
A system for automatically generating sample points from series of medical images and identifying a significant region comprising: an image acquisition system configured to acquire the series of medical images of a region of interest (ROI) in a subject; an automated mask generator configured to review the series of medical images and automatically generate a parenchyma mask, wherein the parenchyma mask is used to designate sample points; an automated sample point generator configured to review the series of medical images and automatically detect portions of the series of medical images indicative of a material expected to be in the ROI and designate sample points therefrom using the parenchyma mask; a target-tissue identification system configured to utilize the sample points to create a mathematical description of a target tissue and an enhanced target tissue thin the series of medical images; a target-tissue change detection system configured to detect a change in the mathematical description of the target tissue within the series of medical images from a prior mathematical description of the target tissue within a prior series of medical images; a significant region detector to automatically identify a significant object in the series of medical images, wherein the significant region detector includes a training algorithm that generates a quantitative definition of significance; and wherein the automated mask generator is configured to construct a single-intensity histogram, apply a fish-bowl algorithm to find an air threshold, and, once the air threshold has been determined, generate an initial parenchyma mask by eliminating air using the thresholds provided by the fish-bowl algorithm.