Interactive image enhancement of CR and DR images

Maikael A. Thomas, Alan H. Rowberg, Steve G. Langer, Yongmin Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

There is continual pressure on the radiology department to increase its productivity. Two important links to productivity in the computed/digital radiography (CR/DR) workflow chain are the postprocessing step by technologists and the primary diagnosis step by radiologists, who may apply additional image enhancements to aid them in diagnosis. With the large matrix size of CR and DR images and the computational complexity of these algorithms, it has been challenging to provide interactive image enhancement, particularly on full-resolution images. We have used a new programmable processor as the main computing engine of enhancement algorithms for CR or DR images. We have mapped these algorithms to the processor, maximally utilizing its architecture. On a 12-bit 2688 × 2688 image, we have achieved the execution time of 465 ms for adaptive unsharp masking, window/level, image rotate, and lookup table operations using a single processor, which represents at least an order of magnitude improvement compared to the response time of current systems. This kind of performance facilitates rapid computation with preset parameter values and/or enables truly interactive QA processing on radiographs by technologists. The fast response time of these algorithms would be especially useful in a real-time radiology setting, where the radiologist's waiting time in performing image enhancements before making diagnosis can be greatly reduced. We believe that the use of these processors for fast CR/DR image computing coupled with the seamless flow of images and patient data will enable the radiology department to achieve higher productivity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)189-195
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Digital Imaging
Volume17
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2004

Keywords

  • Computed radiography
  • Digital radiography
  • High-performance computing
  • Image enhancement
  • QA processing
  • Real-time radiology
  • Workflow

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
  • Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging
  • Computer Science Applications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Interactive image enhancement of CR and DR images'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this