Patent Document ID: 9846937
Application ID: 15060875
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for enhancing an image of an object having a plurality of pixels, comprising the steps of: producing the image of the object with an imaging device, wherein the imaging device is at least one of an MRI device and a CT device, wherein the object is at least one of a body cavity of a patient and one or more body organs of the patient, wherein the image is a radiological image of the object created by the imaging device, wherein the image has a first intensity of a first feature of the object and has a second intensity of a second feature of the object, and wherein the first intensity is greater than the second intensity; setting an intensity threshold at a third intensity level between the first intensity and the second intensity; defining an intensity attribute for the image; defining a correlative pixel group, wherein the correlative pixel group has a size, a shape and a spatial relationship to a pixel of interest in the image, wherein a first correlative pixel group is further comprised of a mediolateral rectangular correlative pixel group with a horizontal longitudinal axis, and wherein a second correlative pixel group is further comprised of an anteroposterior rectangular correlative pixel group with a vertical longitudinal axis; defining a correlative threshold, wherein the correlative threshold is a predefined threshold number of the pixels within the correlative pixel group; selecting a pixel as the pixel of interest; identifying a first set of pixels using the correlative pixel group relative to the selected pixel; determining a number of pixels in the first set of pixels that possess the intensity attribute; assigning a value to the selected pixel based on whether the determined pixel number satisfies the predefined threshold number in the correlative threshold; repeating the selecting step, the identifying step, the determining step and the assigning step with the mediolateral rectangular correlative pixel group and with the anteroposterior rectangular correlative pixel group for each of the pixels in the image to produce an array with a set of assigned values corresponding to the respective pixels; dividing the image into a plurality of segments, wherein each of the segments comprises a second set of pixels having a defined number of pixels; determining a density of the assigned values in each of the segments; setting an intensity for each of the segments based on the density of the assigned values to create a new image, wherein a first new image is created using the mediolateral rectangular correlative pixel group, and wherein a second new image is created using the anteroposterior rectangular correlative pixel group; and enhancing the radiological image of the object with at least one of the first new image and the second new image.