This paper attempts to improve the diagnostic quality of magnetic resonance (MR) images through application of lossy compression as a noise-reducing filter. The amount of imaging noise present in MR images is compared with the amount of noise introduced by the compression, with particular attention given to the situation where the compression noise is a fraction of the imaging noise. A popular wavelet-based algorithm with good performance, Set Partitioning in Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT), was employed for the lossy compression. Tests were conducted with a number of MR patient images and corresponding phantom images. Different plausible ratios between imaging noise and compression noise (ICR) were considered, and the achievable compression gain through the controlled lossy compression was evaluated. Preliminary results show that at certain ICR's, it becomes virtually impossible to distinguish between the original and compressed-decompressed image. Radiologists presented with a blind test, in certain cases, showed preference to the compressed image rather than the original uncompressed ones, indicating that under controlled circumstances, lossy image compression can be used to improve the diagnostic quality of the MR images.
This paper concentrates on strategies for less costly handling of medical images. Aspects of digitization using conventional digital cameras, lossy compression with good diagnostic quality, and visualization through less costly monitors are discussed.