Inference Transparency System for Image-Based Clinical Decision Support Systems

Abstract

A method is provided for supporting determination of medical procedure by created adapted population data. The adapted population is determined by a user entered degree of similarity of the patient and is used to describe an adapted probability that the anatomical structure can be treated. The method further utilizes at least analysis of the medical image data from the patient. The created adapted population data describes an adapted population based on the user entered similarity and generates adapted outcome atlas data describing an adapted probability that a specific anatomical structure can be treated successfully by the medical procedure. The adapted probability is determined based on the generated adapted population.

1 - 13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . An image processing system, comprising:
 at least one display device;   at least one processor;   memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the memory stores instructions that when executed by the at least one processor cause the at least one processor to:   acquire, at the at least one processor, outcome atlas data describing a general probability that a specific anatomical structure can be treated successfully by a medical procedure, the outcome atlas data including reference medical imaging data taken from members of a general population;   acquire, at the at least one processor, general population data describing values of a plurality of statistical features relating to each member of the general population;   acquire, at the at least one processor, patient definition data describing values of the plurality of statistical features relating to a patient who is the subject of the medical procedure;   acquire, at the at least one processor, one or more additional traits of the patient determined from patient medical image data taken of the patient;   generate, at the at least one processor, a patient feature vector, wherein the patient feature vector includes, as features:   the values of the plurality of statistical features relating to the patient, and   the one or more additional traits of the patient determined from the patient medical image data;   compare, at the at least one processor, the outcome atlas data and the general population data to the patient feature vector to determine adapted population data that describes an adapted population of human bodies taken from the general population;   analyzing the adapted population data to generate adapted outcome data describing an adapted probability that the specific anatomical structure can be treated successfully by the medical procedure;   determine, by the at least one processor and based on the adapted outcome data and the patient medical image data, alteration probability data describing a probability of successfully altering the specific anatomical structure;   determine, by the at least one processor and based on the alteration probability data and the patient medical image data, alteration probability display data for displaying graphical information describing the probability of successfully altering the specific anatomical structure simultaneously with patient medical image data; and   send to display, the alteration probability display data describing the probability of successfully treating the specific anatomical structure simultaneously along with displaying the patient medical image data.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising instructions to:
 receive input of a degree of similarity entered by a user input through a graphical user interface on the display device illustrating the relationship between a similarity between members of the general population and the patient, and the number of similar members of the general population;   based upon the degree of similarity entered by user input through the graphical user interface on the display device, adjusting the adapted population data for calculation of case-adaptive inferences to adjust the adapted outcome data;   wherein the degree of similarity represents a division between patients from the outcome atlas data included in and excluded from, respectively, the adapted population data, and further represents the sample size of the adapted population data representing case-to-case similarity;   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the adapted population data is analysed, by the at least one processor, to infer a contrast-to-noise-property which describes the minimum size of a subset of members of the adapted population data that carries statistical significance with respect to an available property. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the available property is the outcome of carrying out the medical procedure on the patient. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the adapted population data is determined by the at least one processor, based on user input of a graphical user input slider entering a predetermined degree of similarity between the members of the general population and the patient. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the user input is a graphical user input of a representation of the slider in a statistical diagram illustrating the relationship between a similarity between members of the general population and the patient, and the number of similar members of the general population. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the anatomical structure comprises tumour tissue and wherein the general probability and the adapted probability each describe a probability that the tumour tissue can be successfully resected. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the adapted population data is determined by comparing the patient medical image data to the medical imaging data of the members of the general population in the outcome atlas data. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the comparing the patient medical image data to the outcome atlas data comprises selecting the adapted population such that the members of the adapted population are associated with medical imaging data having at least a predetermined degree of similarity to the patient medical image data. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein comparing the patient medical image data to the medical imaging data of the members of the general population includes performing image fusion on the patient medical image data and one or more individual images of the medical imaging data of the members of the general population. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the image fusion comprises elastic fusion transformation. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the elastic fusion transformation is used to determine degrees of similarity between the medical imaging data of the members of the general population and the patient medical image data 
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 25 , wherein a deviation between the elastic fusion transformation and an identity transformation is calculated by determining a difference between a determinant of the elastic fusion transformation and the identity transformation. 
     
     
         27 . The system of  claim 23 , wherein the image fusion comprises rigid image fusion. 
     
     
         28 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the alteration probability display data is displayed as a statistical map. 
     
     
         29 . A method implemented using one or more processors, comprising:
 acquiring outcome atlas data describing a general probability that a specific anatomical structure can be treated successfully by a medical procedure, the outcome atlas data including reference medical imaging data taken from members of a general population;   acquiring general population data describing values of a plurality of statistical features relating to each member of the general population;   comparing the patient medical image data to the medical imaging data of the members of the general population in the outcome atlas data, wherein the comparing includes performing image fusion on the patient medical image data and one or more individual images of the medical imaging data of the members of the general population;   based on the outcome atlas data, the general population data, and the comparing, determining adapted population data that describes an adapted population of human bodies taken from the general population;   analyzing the adapted population data to generate adapted outcome data describing an adapted probability that the specific anatomical structure can be treated successfully by the medical procedure;   determining, based on the adapted outcome data and the patient medical image data, alteration probability data describing a probability of successfully altering the specific anatomical structure;   determining, based on the alteration probability data and the patient medical image data, alteration probability display data for displaying graphical information describing the probability of successfully altering the specific anatomical structure simultaneously with patient medical image data; and   sending, to a display, the alteration probability display data describing the probability of successfully treating the specific anatomical structure simultaneously along with displaying the patient medical image data.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising analyzing the adapted population data to infer a contrast-to-noise-property which describes the minimum size of a subset of members of the adapted population data that carries statistical significance with respect to an available property. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the available property is the outcome of carrying out the medical procedure on the patient. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the adapted population data is determined based on user input of a graphical user input slider entering a predetermined degree of similarity between the members of the general population and the patient. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the user input is a graphical user input of a representation of the slider in a statistical diagram illustrating the relationship between a similarity between members of the general population and the patient, and the number of similar members of the general population.