SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC DETECTION AND MEASUREMENT OF MALACIA IN THE AIRWAYS

摘要

A method of detecting malacia in airways includes providing (51) a plurality of 3-dimensional (3D) digital lung images acquired over an inhalation/exhalation cycle from a same subject, each said image comprising a set of intensities on a 3-dimensional grid of points, registering (52) a successive pair of images, wherein a registration mapping of the point grid of one image is calculated, locating (55) airways in each of said pair of images, and collecting (56) those points between the airways in each of said pair of images, wherein a volume of said collected points is a measure of an extent of malacia in said airways.