Ontology and qualitative medical images analysis

We describe a methodology for the analysis of radiographic images which is based on two major techniques: (1) qualitative geometric abstraction and (2) ontological analysis of anatomical structures. The first technique is a bottom-up approach to extract qualitative spatial relations from medical radiographic images and the second technique is a top-down approach to determine which qualitative relations can possibly hold between the parts of (normal and pathological) anatomical structures. The process of image analysis is both a process of feature extraction, and the extraction of qualitative relations among features. These qualitative relations are then used to classify the images within the ‘space’ of ontological possibilities.