Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06T—IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
  • G06T11/00—Two-dimensional [2D] image generation
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
  • A61B5/0059—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
  • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
  • A61B5/44—Detecting, measuring or recording for evaluating the integumentary system, e.g. skin, hair or nails
  • A61B5/441—Skin evaluation, e.g. for skin disorder diagnosis
  • A61B5/445—Evaluating skin irritation or skin trauma, e.g. rash, eczema, wound, bed sore
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H30/00—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images
  • G16H30/20—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G16—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATION FIELDS
  • G16H—HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
  • G16H30/00—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images
  • G16H30/40—ICT specially adapted for the handling or processing of medical images for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Definitions

• the invention relates to the field of data processing and, in particular, to the field of dermatological image data processing.
• the invention relates to the acquisition and processing of data for detecting the evolution over time of progressive lesions.
• a particularly interesting application of the invention thus relates to the monitoring of the evolution over time of the acne state of the skin.
• the monitoring of the evolution of a dermatological pathology, such as acne can be carried out by image processing.
• image processing it is necessary to use successive recording recordings obtained at different times of an organ to be monitored, in this case the skin, and to compare the data thus obtained in order to detect the appearance and development of new lesions or on the contrary, their disappearance.
• FR-A-2 830 962 in which, after visualization, the images undergo a pretreatment so as, on the one hand, to carry out a geometric registration of the images with respect to a reference image, and, on the other hand, on the other hand, to correct biases caused by more or less important differences in intensity between zones of the same image.
• the object of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks associated with conventional image acquisition and processing techniques and, in particular, to improve the proposed functionalities so as to facilitate comparisons between data, particularly image data.
• Another object of the invention is to propose a method and a device for acquiring data, in particular image data, which makes it possible to considerably reduce the evaluation duration of a processing.
• the object of the invention is therefore, according to a first aspect, a data acquisition and processing method for detecting the evolution over time of progressive lesions, comprising the steps of:
• At least one corresponding item extracted from the database is inserted into an image being viewed.
• the data comprises image data.
• images are successively formed according to different respective acquisition modes, so that at each instant of shooting a set of images obtained according to different modes is formed. respective acquisitions, the images formed in the database are stored and the images are displayed by selection and display of the selected images on a display screen.
• a region of interest is delimited in the image and a corresponding zone of an image extracted from the image is inserted into the image being viewed. database.
• the images stored in memories being associated with data relating to a parameter of the surface, at least part of said data of an exported image zone is inserted simultaneously into the region of interest.
• the storage of the images in a database allows an organization of the files in order, for example, to follow in parallel various types of processing and to facilitate the consultation of the images.
• a region of interest is delimited in the visualized image and a corresponding zone of an image formed at the same instant in a mode of operation is inserted into the image being viewed. different acquisition.
• the images stored in memory are associated with data relating to a parameter of the surface, and at least a portion of said data of an exported image area is inserted simultaneously into the region of interest. . It is also possible to insert in the image being viewed a corresponding area of an image formed according to a different acquisition mode.
• the region of interest being movable in the image being viewed, the portion of the image extracted from the database is dynamically updated so as to correspond to the region of interest being displacement.
• the method comprises a step of processing the images formed by geometric matching of the images.
• this processing step includes selecting a reference image and geometrically changing the set of images formed to match the reference image.
• a reference acquisition mode and the geometric modification of each image formed from the other acquisition modes can be selected to match the image formed from the acquisition mode. reference.
• the processing step includes the steps of;
• a similarity vector field is generated between respective areas of the image to be processed and the reference image and the transformation function is calculated from the developed vector field.
• the processing step may further include modifying the intensity of the processed image to match that of the reference image.
• the processing step may furthermore comprise a step for visualizing the transformation during which a mesh is applied to the image to be processed, the mesh is deformed by means of the function of transformation and one displays the deformed mesh on the screen of visualization.
• the object of the invention is also, according to a second aspect, a device for acquiring and processing data for detecting the evolution over time of progressive lesions, comprising data acquisition means adapted for acquisition sequentially of the data according to different acquisition modes, so that at each moment of acquisition a set of data obtained according to respective acquisition modes is formed, a database for the storage of data sequences thus acquired, a display screen for viewing data extracted from the database and a central processing unit comprising means for inserting into an image being viewed at least one corresponding data extracted from the database.
• the data includes image data.
• this device comprises means of shooting associated with lighting means adapted together for the formation of successive images according to different acquisition modes so that at each moment of shooting one forms a set of images obtained according to different acquisition modes.
• the central processing unit is associated with a human-machine interface comprising means for delimiting a region of interest in an image being viewed.
• the central unit may further comprise means for inserting in said image a corresponding area of an image extracted from the database.
• the means for inserting in said image a corresponding zone of an image extracted from the image base comprise means for dynamically developing said zone as a function of a displacement of the region of the image. interest in the image being viewed.
• the central processing unit further comprises image transformation means for geometrically deforming the images to make them correspond to a reference image.
• the image transformation means comprise means for delimiting at least one calibration zone in said images, means for calculating a coefficient of similarity between the calibration zones of an image to be deformed, on the one hand, and of the reference image, on the other hand, and for calculating a transformation function from the calculated coefficients, and means for applying said function to the entire image to be deformed.
• the CPU may further include intensity control means adapted to change the intensity of each transformed image to match that of the reference image.
• FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the general architecture of an image acquisition and processing device according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the structure of the central unit of the device of FIG. 1;
• FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the method of resetting the images
• FIGS. 5 to 9 show the human-machine interface of the device of FIG. 1 allowing the adjustment of display parameters and the choice of a region of interest;
• FIG. 10 shows the procedure for superimposing an area extracted from another image in the region of interest
• FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart illustrating the operation of the image acquisition and processing method according to the invention.
• FIG. 1 there is shown the general architecture of an image acquisition and processing device according to the invention, designated by the general reference numeral
• this device is intended to follow the evolution over time of acne lesions by taking successive shots according to predetermined periods of time of the skin of a patient, and to realize the archiving the images formed, their visualization and comparison.
• Such a device is intended to monitor the evolution over time of progressive lesions, such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea, pigment disorders, onychomycosis, actinic keratosis, skin cancers.
• Such a device can thus advantageously be used by practitioners to determine the effectiveness of a treatment or, for example, to implement clinical trials in order to likewise assess the effectiveness of a new treatment. product.
• the invention is not limited to use in the field of dermatology and may also apply mutatis mutandis to any other field in which it is necessary to carry out a comparative analysis of successive images of an organ or, in general, a surface to be examined. It will also be noted that it is not beyond the scope of the invention when one follows the evolution in time of progressive lesions from a periodic acquisition of data of other kinds, from an archiving of this data and further processing of this data.
• the device As seen in FIG. 1, in the illustrated embodiment in which the data is image data, the device
• a camera 10 essentially comprises a camera 12 placed on a fixed support 13 and a lighting device 14 connected to a central unit 15 comprising a set of hardware and software means for controlling the operation of the camera 12 and the lighting device 14 in order to take pictures of the skin of a patient P according to various lighting modes and this, successively and control the subsequent exploitation of the results.
• the patient P undergoes examination sessions, for example at a rate of one every days, for a period which may be of the order of one month and, at each visit, photographs are taken according to various lighting modes used respectively to assess various characteristics of the lesions or to acquire data relating to parameters of the patient's skin.
• photographs are taken under illumination under natural light, in parallel polarized light, and in cross-polarized light.
• the modes of shooting can also be performed by UVA irradiation or irradiation, near infra-red, by using an infrared thermography, or at different wavelengths (multispectral images). It is also possible to perform an arithmetic combination of these images thus formed.
• the image data could furthermore be combined with data obtained by means of various measuring devices, for example by means of an evaporimeter to determine the insensible loss of water of the skin, at the using a sebumeter to determine the level of sebum in the skin, or by means of a pH meter to determine, for example, changes in the skin due to an irritating treatment,.
• the image data may also be associated with microcirculation or desquamation information using appropriate measuring instruments, or with hydration using, for example, a corneometer.
• the lighting device 14 incorporates various lighting means for emitting the radiation chosen, for example, as indicated above, in a normal light, parallel or perpendicular polarized light. But in other embodiments, the lighting device 14 may further incorporate if one A UVA source, a source of near - infrared radiation or infrared radiation, or different wavelengths to form multispectral images or to achieve arithmetic combinations of such images.
• the central unit 15 is associated with an image database 16, or generally a database, in which all the images taken at each visit are stored and organized according to the various lighting modes associated with complementary data delivered by the measuring devices. It is also associated with a human-machine interface 17 constituted, for example, by a keyboard, a mouse, or any other means suitable for the intended use and comprising a display screen 18 for viewing the images formed. As can be seen, the device 10 can communicate by wired or wireless link with a remote user station 19 or a network of such stations making it possible, for example, to retrieve, consult, compare and remotely exploit the images stored in the database 16.
• the device 10 is completed by a support 20 placed at a distance and at a fixed height relative to the camera 12 in order to allow precise positioning of the patient's body area P relative to the latter.
• the support 20 may advantageously be supplemented by complementary means making it possible to position and precisely maintain the selected body area, for example in the form of a chin strap or bearing surfaces for the patient's head so that, at each visit, the patient's face is positioned precisely in relation to the camera.
• the central unit pre-processes the images formed by geometric registration of the images. images.
• this registration may be rigid, that is to say that it does not change the forms, or non-rigid, or affine, and thus modify the forms according to a certain number of degrees of freedom.
• this registration is performed with respect to a reference image, that is to say, on the one hand, with respect to an image formed during a reference examination and , on the other hand, with respect to a reference image.
• this reference image may be constituted by an image taken according to a predetermined acquisition mode, for example taken under natural light.
• the images, previously organized, are stored in the image database 16, so that they can later be consulted and compared.
• the CPU 15 comprises a set of hardware and software modules for image processing, organization and operation.
• a first module 21 for managing images or data making it possible to group patients suffering from the same pathology or to create a clinical study relating, for example, to a treatment of which the performance must be assessed, or an existing study selected.
• This module 21 makes it possible to define and organize, in the database 16, a memory zone assigned an identifier and comprising a certain number of patients, a set of visits, specific modes of shooting, zones of the body photographed, even regions of interest in the stored images and parameters to monitor, from the measuring devices.
• the first management module 21 is associated with a second image management module 22 which makes it possible to import images into the device 10 and to link them to a previously created study, to a patient, to a visit, to a region of interest and a mode of shooting.
• the central unit 15 is also provided with a module 23 for resetting the images.
• This registration module 23 comprises a first stage 23a ensuring the registration of all the images formed during the different visits on a reference visit and a second floor
• the registration of the images implemented by the central unit 15 is based on a comparison of an image I to be recalibrated with respect to a reference image I re f.
• this comparison is to develop a similarity criterion, for example a correlation coefficient of the reference zones Z ref to the reference image and consists in searching in the reference image, the area Z 'ref the most similar of each reference zone Z re f of the image to be recalibrated I.
• a similarity criterion for example a correlation coefficient of the reference zones Z ref to the reference image and consists in searching in the reference image, the area Z 'ref the most similar of each reference zone Z re f of the image to be recalibrated I.
• this calculation makes it possible to elaborate a vector field V each illustrating the deformation to be applied to a reference zone so as to correspond to a similar zone of the reference image.
• the image registration module performs a calculation of the transformation to be applied to the image I to obtain an exact matching of a zone of the body from one examination to another or, in general, from one image to another. It is, in other words, to look for the affine or free transformation which best represents the vector field and to apply this transformation to the whole image.
• the CPU 15 may optionally correct bias in the image by correcting the intensity of the imaged image so that its intensity is similar to the reference image.
• the central unit 15 After having performed this pretreatment, the central unit 15 proceeds to store the images in the image database 16, associated, if necessary, as indicated above, with complementary data. For this purpose, it uses a module 24 for generating a set of corrected images in order, in particular, to be able to export the images so that they can be used in processing software of other kinds.
• the central unit 15 further comprises a dynamic display module of the set of imaged images, designated by the general reference numeral 25.
• This module 25 is directly parameterizable by the human-machine interface 17 in conjunction with the screen 18 and includes all the hardware and software means for navigating within the image database 16 to display the set of recalibrated images, adjust the viewing parameters, such as zoom, brightness, contrast, the shooting mode displayed, delimit regions of interest or, as will be described in detail later, to incorporate into a region defined in an image being viewed, a corresponding region extracted from another image, for example an image taken according to another mode of shooting. Referring to Figures 5 to 9, to do this, the central unit
• the 15 causes the display, on the screen 18, a number of windows or, in general, an interface providing the user with a number of tools to allow such dynamic visualization of the images.
• a first window F1 makes it possible to display all the visits previously made and to select one of the visits in order to extract the corresponding images from the image database.
• a second window F2 (FIG. 6) makes it possible to choose, for each image, an acquisition mode and complementary images relating, for example, to other areas of the photographed face.
• a first icon II makes it possible to select the zone of the face to identify, for example the right cheek, the left cheek, the forehead, the chin, while a second icon 12 makes it possible to select the mode of exposure, eg natural light, polarized parallel or cross light,
• a control window F3 (FIG. 7) makes it possible to display, in a global image, an image portion under examination and to move rapidly in the image.
• the central unit 15 can also provide a control window F4 for adjusting the zoom level, brightness and contrast of the image displayed ( Figure 8) or a window F5 to select a slideshow scroll mode according to which the images of the different visits or a visit framing a selected visit are presented on the screen with an adjustable scrolling speed (FIG. 9).
• a control window F4 for adjusting the zoom level, brightness and contrast of the image displayed ( Figure 8) or a window F5 to select a slideshow scroll mode according to which the images of the different visits or a visit framing a selected visit are presented on the screen with an adjustable scrolling speed (FIG. 9).
• the processing unit 15 further includes an image processing module 26 which cooperates with the display module 25 to jointly offer the user a tool for selecting a region of interest R in an image being viewed, to select another image, for example an image taken in another mode of shooting, to import a zone Z of the selected image corresponding to the region of interest R and d. to integrate in image I the zone Z extracted from the selected image.
• the central unit 15 and, in particular, the processing module 26, extracted from the image corresponding to the selection, the zone Z corresponding to the region of interest and inserts it into the image in order to be able to dynamically dispose of another mode of shooting in a selected portion of an image being viewed.
• any other data extracted from the database can also be incorporated in the region of interest R in place of or in addition to the imported zone Z, for example any type of data obtained.
• a parameter of the skin such as pH data, insensitive water loss, sebumetry, hydration data such as skinchip or corneometry, microcirculation, desquamation, the color or elasticity of the skin.
• the central unit 15 is provided with an automatic lesion detection module 27 ensuring, for example, a comparison of the data associated with each pixel with a detection threshold value. of lesions.
• the intensity profile as a function of time has a perfectly identifiable peak when it is present on the skin, that is to say that the skin becomes more darker or lighter, or more red, depending on the type of lesion. It is then possible to automatically detect and qualify the appearance of a lesion by comparing the intensity profiles with a threshold value. For example, as shown, the variation profile of the red / blue signal ratio can be compared with an intensity threshold value corresponding to a value "2".
• the automatic lesion detection module 27 extracts, for each image, zone by zone, the values of the parameters monitored, and thus elaborates, for all the images formed successively in time, and for each parameter, a profile of variation of the parameter as a function of time.
• the monitored parameter can be constituted by any type of parameter related to the images, and in particular a colorimetric parameter, that is to say, in particular, the intensity of the red, green and blue components. and the component ratio, for example the ratio of the intensity of the red component to the blue component.
• the module 27 thus collects all the values of the parameters monitored over a configurable period of time and produces curves illustrating the evolution of these parameters to present them to the user. As illustrated in Figures 1 1 and 12, it is therefore possible, for example, to have the evolution of the values of the components of red, green and blue and the ratio of these components. For each of the monitored zones, the detection module 27 performs a calculation of the difference of the value of the parameters with a corresponding lesion detection threshold value.
• this calculation is carried out after selection, by the user, of one or more parameters, depending on the nature of the lesion to be detected and, if appropriate, after entering a threshold value or of several respective threshold values by the user.
• the threshold value which can be stored in memory in the central unit 15 or entered manually, is parameterizable and depends on the monitored parameter.
• the appearance of a lesion results in a variation in the damaged area of the color components.
• the lesion causes a relatively large decrease in the blue and green components, relative to the change in the red component, which results in a locally significant increase in the ratio of red and blue for the duration of onset of the lesion.
• Another threshold value is used when the detection of a lesion is made from another parameter.
• the detection of a lesion is carried out by the module 27, zone by zone.
• the dimensions of the monitored zones constitute a parameterizable value which depends on the size of the lesions to be detected.
• the central unit 15 proceeds to the successive acquisition of a set of images taken successively in time during various visits of a patient and, for each visit, according to various modes of Shooting.
• the central unit 15 implements the study and management management modules 21 and 22 in order to create a study or to assign the images formed to a study previously entered.
• the images are re-aligned according to the procedure previously indicated, by implementing the image registration modules 23-a and 23-b in order to, on the one hand, recalibrate the images.
• a set of staggered images (step 33) is then produced, which are then stored in the image database 16.
• the image data can be supplemented by data provided by other types of sensors in order to supplement the available information.
• the central unit 15 offers the user a number of interfaces making it possible to select display parameters, to choose one or more regions of interest, and to navigate from one image to another at the same time. within the region of interest, to choose various areas of a face, ...

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