Edge modeling prediction for computed tomography images

Predictive coding is applied in many state-of-the-art lossless image compression algorithms like JPEG-LS, CALIC, or least-squares-based methods. We propose a new approach for accurate intensity prediction in pixel-predictive coding of computed tomography (CT) images. Exploiting their particular edge characteristic, the method only relies on a small twelve-pixel context. It does neither require adaptation to larger-region image characteristics nor the transmission of side-information and therefore may be particularly suitable for compression of small images like in region-of-interest coding. While applying simple linear prediction with fixed weights in homogeneous regions, a Gauss error model-function is fit to given contexts in edge regions and then sampled at the position corresponding to the pixel to be predicted in order to obtain prediction values. By the example of CALIC, it is shown that for CT data the edge modeling prediction (EMP) approach can yield an even smaller prediction error than other methods relying on context modeling.