Paulo Ricardo Mendonca

Camera calibration from surfaces of revolution

This paper addresses the problem of calibrating a pinhole camera from images of a surface of revolution. Camera calibration is the process of determining the intrinsic or internal parameters (i.e., aspect ratio, focal length, and principal point) of a camera, and it is important for both motion estimation and metric reconstruction of 3D models. In this paper, a novel and simple calibration technique is introduced, which is based on exploiting the symmetry of images of surfaces of revolution. Traditional techniques for camera calibration involve taking images of some precisely machined calibration pattern (such as a calibration grid). The use of surfaces of revolution, which are commonly found in daily life (e.g., bowls and vases), makes the process easier as a result of the reduced cost and increased accessibility of the calibration objects. In this paper, it is shown that two images of a surface of revolution will provide enough information for determining the aspect ratio, focal length, and principal point of a camera with fixed intrinsic parameters. The algorithms presented in this paper have been implemented and tested with both synthetic and real data. Experimental results show that the camera calibration method presented is both practical and accurate.

Model-based detection of lung nodules in computed tomography exams1

Abstract Rationale and objectives In this study, we developed a prototype model-based computer aided detection (CAD) system designed to automatically detect both solid and subsolid pulmonary nodules in computed tomography (CT) images. By using this CAD algorithm, along with the radiologist’s initial interpretation, we aim to improve the sensitivity of radiologic readings of CT lung exams. Materials and methods We have developed a model-based CAD algorithm through the use of precise mathematic models that capture scanner physics and anatomic information. Our model-based CAD algorithm uses multiple segmentation algorithms to extract noteworthy structures in the lungs and a Bayesian statistical model selection framework to determine the probability of various anatomical events throughout the lung. We tested this algorithm on 50 low-dose CT lung cancer screening cases in which ground truth was produced through readings by three expert chest radiologists. Results Using this model-based CAD algorithm on 50 low-dose CT cases, we measured potential sensitivity improvements of 7% and 5% in two radiologists with respect to all noncalcified nodules, solid and subsolid, greater than 5 mm in diameter. The third radiologist did not miss any nodules in the ground truth set. The CAD algorithm produced 8.3 false positives per case. Conclusion Our prototype CAD system demonstrates promising results as a tool to improve the quality of radiologic readings by increasing radiologist sensitivity. A significant advantage of this model-based approach is that it can be easily extended to support additional anatomic models as clinical understanding and scanning practices improve.

A Flexible Method for Multi-Material Decomposition of Dual-Energy CT Images

The ability of dual-energy computed-tomographic (CT) systems to determine the concentration of constituent materials in a mixture, known as material decomposition, is the basis for many of dual-energy CTs clinical applications. However, the complex composition of tissues and organs in the human body poses a challenge for many material decomposition methods, which assume the presence of only two, or at most three, materials in the mixture. We developed a flexible, model-based method that extends dual-energy CTs core material decomposition capability to handle more complex situations, in which it is necessary to disambiguate among and quantify the concentration of a larger number of materials. The proposed method, named multi-material decomposition (MMD), was used to develop two image analysis algorithms. The first was virtual unenhancement (VUE), which digitally removes the effect of contrast agents from contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT exams. VUE has the ability to reduce patient dose and improve clinical workflow, and can be used in a number of clinical applications such as CT urography and CT angiography. The second algorithm developed was liver-fat quantification (LFQ), which accurately quantifies the fat concentration in the liver from dual-energy CT exams. LFQ can form the basis of a clinical application targeting the diagnosis and treatment of fatty liver disease. Using image data collected from a cohort consisting of 50 patients and from phantoms, the application of MMD to VUE and LFQ yielded quantitatively accurate results when compared against gold standards. Furthermore, consistent results were obtained across all phases of imaging (contrast-free and contrast-enhanced). This is of particular importance since most clinical protocols for abdominal imaging with CT call for multi-phase imaging. We conclude that MMD can successfully form the basis of a number of dual-energy CT image analysis algorithms, and has the potential to improve the clinical utility of dual-energy CT in disease management.

Reconstruction of Surfaces of Revolution from Single Uncalibrated Views

This paper addresses the problem of recovering the 3D shape of a surface of revolution from a single uncalibrated perspective view. The algorithm introduced here makes use of the invariant properties of a surface of revolution and its silhouette to locate the image of the revolution axis, and to calibrate the focal length of the camera. The image is then normalized and rectified such that the resulting silhouette exhibits bilateral symmetry. Such a rectification leads to a simpler differential analysis of the silhouette, and yields a simple equation for depth recovery. It is shown that under a general camera configuration, there will be a 2-parameter family of solutions for the reconstruction. The first parameter corresponds to an unknown scale, whereas the second one corresponds to an unknown attitude of the object. By identifying the image of a latitude circle, the ambiguity due to the unknown attitude can be resolved. Experimental results on real images are presented, which demonstrate the quality of the reconstruction.

Autocalibration from Tracks of Walking People

It has been shown that under a small number of assumptions, observations of people can be used to obtain metric calibration information of a camera, which is particularly useful for surveillance applications. However, previous work had to exclude the common criticial configuration of the camera’s principal point falling on the horizon line and very long focal lengths, both of which occur commonly in practise. Due to noise, the quality of the calibration quickly degrades at and in the vicinity of these configurations. This paper provides a robust solution to this problem by incorporating information about the motion of people into the estimation process. It is shown that under the assumption that people walk with a constant velocity, calibration performance can be improved significantly. In addition to solving the above problem, the incorporation of temporal data also helps to take correlations between subsequent detections into consideration, which leads to an up-front reduction of the noise in the measurements and an overall improvement in auto-calibration performance.

Surface reconstruction via Helmholtz reciprocity with a single image pair

This paper proposes a method for three-dimensional reconstruction of surfaces that takes advantage of the symmetry resulting from alternating the positions of a camera and a light source. This set up allows for use of the Helmholtz reciprocity principle to recover the shape of smooth surfaces with arbitrary bidirectional reflectance distribution functions without requiring the presence of texture, as well as for exploiting mutual occlusions between images. Different from previous methods, the technique works with as few as one reciprocal pair, and recovers surface depth and orientation simultaneously by finding the global minimum of an error function via dynamic programming. Since the error is a function not just of depth but of surface orientation as well, the reconstruction is subject to tighter geometric constraints. Given a current estimate of surface geometry and intensity measurements in one image, Helmholtz reciprocity is used to predict the pixel intensity values of the second image. The dynamic program finds the reconstruction that minimizes the total difference between the predicted and measured intensity values. This approach allows for the reconstruction of surfaces displaying specularities and regions of high curvature, which is a challenge commonly encountered in the optical inspection of industrial parts. Results with real data show the quality of the reconstruction obtained with the proposed algorithm.

Multi-material decomposition of spectral CT images

Spectral Computed Tomography (Spectral CT), and in particular fast kVp switching dual-energy computed tomography, is an imaging modality that extends the capabilities of conventional computed tomography (CT). Spectral CT enables the estimation of the full linear attenuation curve of the imaged subject at each voxel in the CT volume, instead of a scalar image in Hounsfield units. Because the space of linear attenuation curves in the energy ranges of medical applications can be accurately described through a two-dimensional manifold, this decomposition procedure would be, in principle, limited to two materials. This paper describes an algorithm that overcomes this limitation, allowing for the estimation of N-tuples of material-decomposed images. The algorithm works by assuming that the mixing of substances and tissue types in the human body has the physicochemical properties of an ideal solution, which yields a model for the density of the imaged material mix. Under this model the mass attenuation curve of each voxel in the image can be estimated, immediately resulting in a material-decomposed image triplet. Decomposition into an arbitrary number of pre-selected materials can be achieved by automatically selecting adequate triplets from an application-specific material library. The decomposition is expressed in terms of the volume fractions of each constituent material in the mix; this provides for a straightforward, physically meaningful interpretation of the data. One important application of this technique is in the digital removal of contrast agent from a dual-energy exam, producing a virtual nonenhanced image, as well as in the quantification of the concentration of contrast observed in a targeted region, thus providing an accurate measure of tissue perfusion.

Model-Based analysis of local shape for lesion detection in CT scans

Thin-slice computer tomography provides high-resolution images that facilitate the diagnosis of early-stage lung cancer. However, the sheer size of the CT volumes introduces variability in radiological readings, driving the need for automated detection systems. The main contribution of this paper is a technique for combining geometric and intensity models with the analysis of local curvature for detecting pulmonary lesions in CT. The local shape at each voxel is represented via the principal curvatures of its associated isosurface without explicitly extracting the isosurface. The comparison of these curvatures to values derived from analytical shape models is then used to label the voxel as belonging to particular anatomical structures, e.g., nodules or vessels. The algorithm was evaluated on 242 CT exams with expert-determined ground truth. The performance of the algorithm is quantified by free-response receiver-operator characteristic curves, as well as by its potential for improvement in radiologist sensitivity.

Lung nodule detection via Bayesian voxel labeling

This paper describes a system for detecting pulmonary nodules in CT images. It aims to label individual image voxels in accordance to one of a number of anatomical (pulmonary vessels or junctions), pathological (nodules), or spurious (noise) events. The approach is orthodoxly Bayesian, with particular care taken in the objective establishment of prior probabilities and the incorporation of relevant medical knowledge. We provide, under explicit modeling assumptions, closed-form expressions for all the probability distributions involved. The technique is applied to real data, and we present a discussion of its performance.

Part-Based local shape models for colon polyp detection

This paper presents a model-based technique for lesion detection in colon CT scans that uses analytical shape models to map the local shape curvature at individual voxels to anatomical labels. Local intensity profiles and curvature information have been previously used for discriminating between simple geometric shapes such as spherical and cylindrical structures. This paper introduces novel analytical shape models for colon-specific anatomy, viz. folds and polyps, built by combining parts with simpler geometric shapes. The models better approximate the actual shapes of relevant anatomical structures while allowing the application of model-based analysis on the simpler model parts. All parameters are derived from the analytical models, resulting in a simple voxel labeling scheme for classifying individual voxels in a CT volume. The algorithms performance is evaluated against expert-determined ground truth on a database of 42 scans and performance is quantified by free-response receiver-operator curves.