De-Identifying Medical Images
About
PixelGuard is dedicated to medical image de-identification. Our algorithm is driven by a robust combination of artificial intelligence and image processing techniques. The proposed method offers up to 72% compression in comparison to the original DICOM files. Not only does this have implications for the long-term storage of these large files, but it also allows for substantially increased short-term storage for applications in machine learning (i.e., batch processing). We developed this with the goal of creating a disruptive technology to assist research institutions and health systems disseminate data to better leverage insights from medical image data for machine learning and artificial intelligence. Of note, this software is currently being leveraged by the NIH-funded study HeartShare.
Cross-Modal
Compatible with a variety of image formats (DICOM, JPEG, TIFF, PNG, etc). Is capable of handling 2-D, 3-D (greyscale stack and RGB), and 4-D (RGB stack) image data. PyLogik performs de-id, permits image compression, and cleaning in preparation for machine learning and data-sharing work.
Pixel Level De-ID
Our software does both pixel level de-identification in addition to scrubbing header information from DICOMs. This software works with a variety of file types – PNG, JPEG, DICOM etc.
In the case of files that contain header information, a number of customizations are available to the user. Read the Docs section to find out more.
We welcome feedback to continually make the most encompassing solution possible.
This work was carried out by our Center for AI at Northwestern Medicine. We are located in the heart of downtown Chicago.