Computer aided diagnosis: design and development of a system for stroke MR image processing
Wieslaw Lucjan Nowinski, Guoyu Qian, Ihar Volkau, Qingmao Hu, Arumugam Thirunavuukarasuu, Nick Ivanov, Yu Qiao, Su Huang, Val Murray Runge, Norman J. Beauchamp · 2006
We designed and developed a CAD system for acute ischemic stoke MR image processing. This CAD system supports the thrombolysis algorithm, and provides rapid, automatic and quantitative assessment. The size of the infarct versus that of MCA territory and the diffusion-perfusion mismatch are calculated rapidly, automatically and quantitatively. For image quantification, two brain atlases are employed: atlas of anatomy and atlas of blood supply territories. Atlas-assisted analysis provides the complete list of anatomical structures and blood supply territories along with their volume and percentage contributions to the infarct and penumbra. Processing of MR images is very fast, as almost all operations are near real-time. The proposed approach shifts the paradigm in stroke image processing from a 2D visual inspection of the individual scans and maps to an atlas-assisted quantification and simultaneous visualization of multiple 2D and 3D images. Our stroke CAD system facilitates and speeds up analysis of data as well as supports decision making. It is potentially useful in diagnosis and research, particularly, for clinical trials.