Plextek enhances HD image processing for medical applications
01 Dec 2010
Plextek, a Cambridge-based electronics and communications
design consultancy, has announced enhancements to its image processing
suite designed to help medical device manufacturers overcome the
technical challenges involved in developing mega-pixel video solutions
for medical applications.
These enhancements allow medical device manufacturers to create more
affordable, efficient and intelligent high definition (HD) video
imaging solutions that are better tailored to individual medical use
cases.
Drawing on its strong capability in video imaging, including
extensive image processing software and hardware design expertise,
Plextek has the skill and experience to help address the many
special challenges that arise when introducing HD into medical
imaging applications. These include image compression, power
consumption, managing & storing images, data bandwidth for real time
video transmission and camera miniaturisation.
Standard techniques such as MPEG2 and H.264 fail to address the
image compression requirements of medical applications, so Plextek
has developed adaptive processing techniques that apply different
levels of compression to different parts of an image based on
specific parameters.
Key information can be retained in high definition within an area
of importance; a heart valve for example or specific parts of the
image showing certain texture statistics such as those associated
with tumours. Other image areas are then compressed to a lower
definition. This retains the inherent benefits image compression
brings by reducing the overall amount of data being handled whilst
still retaining the key advantages of HD.
For real-time video interaction, system latency can also be a
problem. Standard video compression algorithms typically achieve
high data compression but at the expense of processing delay. Making
use of HD in medical applications requires real-time evaluation and
makes control more difficult. Plextek’s low latency image
compression techniques mitigate latency issues and provide enhanced
system performance.
Power consumption is a serious problem for battery-powered
equipment as higher resolutions require higher power processing
hardware. Battery technology has not kept pace with these
requirements so Plextek has developed low power designs that perform
pre-processing functions in an efficient manner within the camera
itself, saving power and improving performance. By analysing
trade-offs across the whole system, Plextek has been able to help
medical camera manufacturers successfully minimise the overall
energy requirements of video systems.
The massive increase in storage requirements required by HD can
also be an expensive problem. This can be addressed by automated,
context-sensitive storage schemes that rely on event detection to
determine whether a particular sequence of images is useful to
store, and can lead to significant savings.
Graham Tootell, Project Engineer in Plextek’s Image Processing
group comments: “Bringing HD resolution to medical equipment is
undoubtedly extremely advantageous to medical staff and their
patients. It enables more accurate diagnosis of patient symptoms and
significantly enhances non- invasive patient monitoring. High
definition video feeds in operating theatres allow better assessment
of different tissue types and the detailed recording of surgery for
post operative analysis and training.
“All these advances are feasible today but bring with them new
and complex technical challenges that equipment designers are
struggling to overcome. Plextek has devoted its image processing
capability towards developing high performance mega-pixel video
technology to tackle these challenges. We are working with leading
medical innovators to bring products to market that will radically
improve the way that medicine is practiced and help drive medical
imaging equipment forward to the next evolutionary step.”