Role of an Intensity-Transformation Function in Enhancement of Bone Scintigraphy Images

Pandey, Anil Kumar; Dhiman, Vishali; Sharma, Anubhuti; Arunraj, Sreedharan Thankarajan; Baghel, Vivek; Patel, Chetan; Sharma, Param Dev; Bal, Chandra Sekhar; Kumar, Rakesh

doi:10.2967/jnmt.117.202929

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(6 reference statements)

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“…Several image enhancements have been proposed and evaluated for nuclear medicine images, and some of these have been implemented by vendors and come as a part of image processing software package with SPECT/CT or PET/CT scanner. [ 14 15 16 17 18 ] NM Physicians/NM Technologists use some of these in nuclear medicine practice as per their comfort levels. We have not compared the result of our study with any of such routinely used software tool for image enhancement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

99m-Tc MDP bone scan image enhancement using pipeline application of dynamic stochastic resonance algorithm and block-matching 3D filter

et al. 2023

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Introduction: In this pilot study, we have proposed and evaluated pipelined application of the dynamic stochastic resonance (DSR) algorithm and block-matching 3D (BM3D) filter for the enhancement of nuclear medicine images. The enhanced images out of the pipeline were compared with the corresponding enhanced images obtained using individual applications of DSR and BM3D algorithm. Materials and Methods: Twenty 99m-Tc MDP bone scan images acquired on SymbiaT6 SPECT/CT gamma camera system fitted with low-energy high-resolution collimators were exported in DICOM format to a personal computer and converted into PNG format. These PNG images were processed using the proposed algorithm in MATLAB . Two nuclear medicine physicians visually compared each input and its corresponding three enhanced images to select the best-enhanced image. The image quality metrics ( Brightness , Global Contrast Factor (GCF) , Contrast per pixel (CPP), and Blur ) were used to assess the image quality objectively. The Wilcoxon signed test was applied to find a statistically significant difference in Brightness , GCF, CPP, and Blur of enhanced and its input images at a level of significance. Results: Images enhanced using the pipelined application of SR and BM3D were selected as the best images by both nuclear medicine physicians. Based on Brightness , Global Contrast Factor (GCF), CPP, and Blur , the image quality of our proposed pipeline was significantly better than enhanced images obtained using individual applications of DSR and BM3D algorithm. The proposed method was found to be very successful in enhancing details in the low count region of input images. The enhanced images were bright, smooth, and had better target-to-background ratio compared to input images. Conclusion: The pipelined application of DSR and BM3D algorithm produced enhancement in nuclear medicine images having following characteristics: bright, smooth, better target-to-background ratio, and improved visibility of details in the low count regions of the input image, as compared to individual enhancements by application of DSR or BM3D algorithm.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

99m-Tc MDP bone scan image enhancement using pipeline application of dynamic stochastic resonance algorithm and block-matching 3D filter

et al. 2023

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“…The Richardson-Lucy algorithm was used by Sasi et al [20] for deblurring of cardiac single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) images using maximum-likelihood estimation of the PSF. Several studies related to enhancing bone scan images have been performed [21][22][23][24][25]. However, there is no study that is directly related to the restoration of planar Tc-99 m MDP bone scan images using the Richardson-Lucy algorithm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of Tc-99m methyl diphosphonate bone scan image using Richardson–Lucy algorithm

Pandey

Sonker

Chaudhary

et al. 2022

Nuclear Medicine Communications

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Introduction In this study, the optimal input parameters point spread function (PSF) and the number of iterations of the Richardson–Lucy algorithm were experimentally determined to restore Tc-99 m methyl diphosphonate (MDP) whole-body bone scan images. Materials and methods The experiment was performed on 60 anonymized Tc-99 m MDP whole-body bone scan images. Ten images were used for estimating the optimum value of PSF and the number of iterations to restore scintigraphic images. The remaining 50 images were used for validation of estimated parameters. The image quality of observed and restored images was assessed objectively using blind/referenceless image spatial quality evaluator (BRISQUE), mean brightness (MB), discrete entropy (DE), and edge-based contrast measure (EBCM) image quality metrics. Image quality was subjectively assessed by two nuclear medicine physicians (NMPs) by comparing the restored image quality with observed image quality and assigning a score to each image on the scale of 0–5. Results Based on BRISQUE, MB, DE, and EBCM scores, the restored images were significantly sharper, less bright, had more detailed information, and had less contrast around edges compared to the input images. The restored images had improved resolution based on visual assessment as well; NMPs assigned an average image quality score of 4.00 to restored images. Maximum resolution enhancement was noticed at PSF (size: 11 pixels, sigma: 1.75 pixels) and the number of iterations = 10. With the increase in the number of iterations, noise also gets amplified along with resolution enhancement and affects the detectability of small lesions; in the case of relatively low noisy input images, the number of iterations = 5 gave better results. Conclusion Tc-99 m MDP bone scan images were restored to improve image quality using the Richardson–Lucy algorithm. The optimum value of the PSF parameter was found to be of size = 11 pixels and sigma = 1.75 pixels.

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“…In the past, studies have been done to improve the quality of bone scintigraphic images. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Various other authors [3,19] have also worked on the digital image processing and tried to improve the quality of these images by using histogram specification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scan images using histogram specification technique

Pandey

Sharma

et al. 2020

World J Nucl Med

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In this study, we have proposed and validated that histogram of a good-quality bone scan image can enhance a poor-quality bone scan image. The histograms of two good-quality technetium-99m methyl diphosphonate bone scan images IAand IBrecommended by nuclear medicine physicians (NMPs) were used to enhance 87 poor-quality bone scan images. Processed images and their corresponding input images were compared visually by two NMPs with scoring and also quantitatively using entropy, Structural similarity index measure, edge-based contrast measure, and absolute brightness mean error. Barnard's unconditional test was applied with a null hypothesis that the histogram of both IAand IBproduces similar output image at α =0.05. The mean values of quantitative metrices of the processed images obtained using IAand IBwere compared using Kolmogorov—Smirnov test. Histogram of a good-quality bone scan image can enhance a poor-quality bone scan image. Visually, histogram of IBimproved statistically significantly higher proportion (P < 0.0001) of images (86/87) as compared to histogram of IA(51/87). Quantitatively, IBperformed better than IA,and the Chi-square distance of input and IBwas smaller than that of IA. In addition, a statistically significant (P < 0.05) difference in all the quantitative metrics among the outputs obtained using IAand IBwas observed. In our study, reference histogram of good-quality bone scan images transformed the majority of poor-quality bone scan images (98.85%) into visually good-quality images acceptable by NMPs.

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Role of an Intensity-Transformation Function in Enhancement of Bone Scintigraphy Images

Cited by 5 publications

References 6 publications

99m-Tc MDP bone scan image enhancement using pipeline application of dynamic stochastic resonance algorithm and block-matching 3D filter

99m-Tc MDP bone scan image enhancement using pipeline application of dynamic stochastic resonance algorithm and block-matching 3D filter

Restoration of Tc-99m methyl diphosphonate bone scan image using Richardson–Lucy algorithm

Improving technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate bone scan images using histogram specification technique

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