Image discrimination models predict signal detection in natural medical image backgrounds

Miguel P. Eckstein; Albert J. Ahumada Jr.; Andrew B. Watson

doi:10.1117/12.274531

3 June 1997 Image discrimination models predict signal detection in natural medical image backgrounds

Miguel P. Eckstein, Albert J. Ahumada Jr., Andrew B. Watson

Proceedings Volume 3016, Human Vision and Electronic Imaging II; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.274531
Event: Electronic Imaging '97, 1997, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

The ability of a human observer to locate a lesion in natural medical image backgrounds (extracted from patients x-ray coronary angiograms) is degraded by two major factors: (1) the noisy variations in the background, (2) the presence of a high contrast complex background (through pattern masking effects). The purpose of this paper is to isolate and model the effect of a deterministic complex background on visual signal detection in natural medical image backgrounds. We perform image discrimination experiments where the observers have to discriminate an image containing the background plus signal from an image containing the background only. Five different samples of medical image backgrounds were extracted from patients' digital x-ray coronary angiograms. On each trial, two images were shown sequentially, one image with the simulated contrast target and the other without. The observer's task was to select the image with the target. An adaptive staircase method was used to determine the sequence of signal contrasts presented and the signal's energy thresholds were determined by maximum likelihood estimation. We tested the ability of single channel and multiple channel image discrimination models with a variety of contrast gain control mechanisms to predict the variation of the signal energy threshold in the different background samples. Human signal energy thresholds were best predicted by a multiple channel model with wide band masking.

Citation Download Citation

Miguel P. Eckstein, Albert J. Ahumada Jr., and Andrew B. Watson "Image discrimination models predict signal detection in natural medical image backgrounds", Proc. SPIE 3016, Human Vision and Electronic Imaging II, (3 June 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.274531

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available