Nonlocal means-based speckle filtering for ultrasound images.
In image processing, restoration is expected to improve the qualitative inspection of the image and the performance of quantitative image analysis techniques. In this paper, an adaptation of the nonlocal (NL)-means filter is proposed for speckle reduction in ultrasound (US) images. Originally developed for additive white Gaussian noise, we propose to use a Bayesian framework to derive a NL-means filter adapted to a relevant ultrasound noise model. Quantitative results on synthetic data show the performances of the proposed method compared to well-established and state-of-the-art methods. Results on real images demonstrate that the proposed method is able to preserve accurately edges and structural details of the image.
Coupé
Pierrick
P
University of Rennes ICNRS UMR 6074, IRISA, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35042 Rennes, France.
Hellier
Pierre
P
Kervrann
Charles
C
Barillot
Christian
C
D000465:Algorithms; D016477:Artifacts; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*