JP3446964B2 - Medical image display device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the expansion or contraction of lungs (capacity) due to respiration when the image is a lung image from a time-series image (time-series image) that has been imaged or input, and when it is a liver. The present invention relates to a medical image display device in an image diagnostic device that can calculate and display time-series quantitative values (time-series quantitative values) such as the amount of liver movement due to respiration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The above-mentioned image diagnostic apparatus, for example, evaluates the pumping function of the heart (cardiac function analysis), images one or more cross sections of the left ventricle in time series, and obtains the left lumen image from the obtained left heart image. The contour line can be extracted to calculate a time series quantitative value such as the volume of the left ventricle.

In the conventional time-series quantitative value / image display method in this type of image diagnostic apparatus, it is general to display the time-series quantitative value in the form of numbers and characters as supplementary information of the image. Regarding the outline of the lumen, it is common to display a superimposed image that is simultaneously superimposed for all time phases.

[0004]

As described above, according to the prior art, the time-series quantitative value is displayed as numbers and characters as the supplementary information of the image. However, it is not always possible to judge whether the time-series quantitative value, here the left ventricular volume value is appropriate, from the individual numbers alone. Especially when there is a question that a certain quantitative value is too large or too small,
It is not easy to judge whether it is a mere input operation error at the time of contour line extraction or due to illness only by individual numbers.

Further, it is performed to display a superimposed image of the contour lines of the lumen, but it is possible to determine how the left ventricle moves and how the quantitative value moves by using only the superimposed images of the contour lines. The movement of the contour line, that is, the relationship with the contraction movement of the left ventricle cannot be determined at all. This is because the contour line corresponding to each time phase cannot be identified without the related display of the change in the quantitative value and the movement of the contour line.

As described above, in the prior art, there is no easy-to-understand display of changes in the time-series quantitative value and no related display between the time-series quantitative value and the time-series image. There has been a problem that an accurate judgment cannot be made in image diagnosis using a quantitative value and a time series image.

An object of the present invention is to display changes in time-series quantitative values in an easy-to-understand manner, and to display the time-series quantitative values and time-series images in synchronization with each other to perform various analyzes based on the time-series quantitative values,
An object of the present invention is to provide a medical image display device that enables more accurate determination in image diagnosis based on time-series quantitative values and time-series images.

[0008]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned object is to display a quantitative value along a time axis in a time series quantitative value and a method of displaying a time series image from which the quantitative value is calculated. When a point or area representing a desired quantitative value on the graph is marked (blinking, color coding, etc.), the image of the time phase of the marked point or area or an image created based on this image (various processed images, Voxel images, etc.) are displayed at the adjacent positions on the same screen as the graph display.

Further, in the time-series quantitative value and the method of displaying the time-series image from which the quantitative value is calculated, the quantitative value is various quantities of the region or space within the contour line of the specific portion of the image. While displaying the quantitative value in a graph along the time axis, all the contour line images from which the quantitative value is calculated are superposed and displayed at adjacent positions on the same screen as the graph display,
This is accomplished by marking (blinking, color coding, etc.) the contour image of the time phase of the marked point or area when the point or area representing the desired quantitative value on the graph is marked.

[0010]

[Operation] In such a time series quantitative value / image display method,
The quantitative value is displayed along the time axis as a graph, and when a point or area that represents the desired quantitative value on the graph is marked, for example, blinking, the blinking point or area (quantitative value) is displayed at the same time. Since the image of the phase is displayed in synchronization with the adjacent position on the same screen as the graph display, if there is a doubt that a certain quantitative value is too large or too small in the whole time series quantitative value, the cause However, it is easy to visually judge whether the input image, for example, the contour line is erroneously input, or the size (disease) of the inner lumen of the heart.

Further, the time-series quantitative values are displayed as a graph, and the points or regions representing the desired quantitative values on the graph are marked, for example, blinking, and the blinking points or regions (quantitative values) are displayed. Images such as contour lines in the same phase are displayed in a swapped, aligned, or superposed manner in synchronization with adjacent positions on the same screen as the graph display, so the movement of quantitative values and the movement of images such as contour lines are related at the same time. It is possible to observe them, and the relationship between the two can be clearly understood, and more accurate judgment can be made in image diagnosis and the like. In particular,
In the case of a movement having a periodicity such as a contraction movement of the heart, contours of different shapes may correspond even if the quantitative values (volumes) are almost the same. In such a case, the method of the present invention is used. In addition, the relation between the way the quantitative value changes and the way the contour line moves can be grasped only after the quantitative display of the quantitative value and the contour line according to the time phase.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a first screen of a time series quantitative value and image display screen to which the time series quantitative value / image display method according to the present invention is applied.
FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining the first embodiment of the method of the present invention for obtaining the display screen shown in FIG. Here, as an example, an N-phase left-axis long-axis image is taken as a time-series image (time-series image), and a left-ventricular volume value calculated from each of the time-series images is taken as a time-series quantitative value (time-series quantitative value). 2 will be sequentially described.

Step S1 The time-series image is an imaging device such as an MRI (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging) device, a CT device, or an ultrasonic tomography device,
It is input from another image generating device. For example, a left ventricular volume value is calculated as a time series quantitative value from the input time series image. As a calculation method, there is a method of tracing the contour of the left ventricle with a pointing device or the like, or automatically calculating from the image.

Step S2 A table is created which associates quantitative values corresponding to each time phase of the time-series image, coordinate display values of the quantitative values on the screen, image display coordinate values, image file names and the like. There may be a plurality of tables.

Step S3 The time-series quantitative value calculated in Step S1 is used in Step S3.
According to the table created in step 2, for example, screen 1 in FIG.
As shown in the left half of 1, the vertical axis indicates the volume (ml) and the horizontal axis indicates time (msec) on the screen 11. Reference numeral 12 in FIG. 1 indicates the displayed graph.

Step S4: Start from a certain time phase, for example, time phase t2, and then step S5
The processing of S6 is sequentially performed for the next time phase at fixed time intervals.

Step S5: Coordinate position on screen 11 of quantitative value of specific time phase (point representing specific quantitative value on graph 12, here 132)
Is displayed, for example, by blinking, and the image 142 of the time phase of the marked point is displayed at the adjacent position of the graph display on the same screen 11, for example, on the right half of the screen 11 according to the table created in step S2.

Step S6 Hold the display of the currently displayed screen 11 (freeze)
Therefore, if there is a holding command from an input device such as a keyboard, the display of the screen 11 is held. If there is a holding release command from the input device, the process returns to step S4,
Proceed to the next time phase.

Thus, according to the first embodiment of the present invention,
The predetermined amount is too large, so that the graph changes suddenly,
If you have questions such as being too small, mark
Points on the graph marked by
Display control of medical image and contour area corresponding to area
Therefore, whether it is a simple input mistake when extracting the contour line,
You can check if you have a disease. In the above-described first embodiment, the images 14 (141 to 14N) of each time phase are sequentially displayed at the same position, and the moving images are displayed in synchronization with the change in the quantitative value. ~ 14N)
May be set to a small size, and the small size images of the time phase of the marked points on the graph 12 may be displayed in line in order in synchronization with the marking (aligned display).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of a time series quantitative value / image display screen to which the time series quantitative value / image display method according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 4 is the display shown in FIG. It is a flow chart for explaining the 2nd example of the method of the present invention which obtains a screen. In the second embodiment, a superimposition image of contour lines of the N-phase left ventricle cavity is taken as a time-series image, and a volume value of the left ventricle cavity calculated from the time-series contour line image is taken as a time-series quantitative value. 4 will be sequentially described.

Step S11 The time-series image is an imaging device such as an MRI (nuclear magnetic resonance imaging) device, a CT device, or an ultrasonic tomography device,
It is input from another image generating device. Here, the left ventricular cavity volume value is calculated as a time-series quantitative value from the input time-series image. As a calculation method, there is a method of tracing the contour of the left ventricle cavity with a pointing device or the like, or automatically calculating from the emphasized image of the contour of the left ventricle cavity.

Step S12 A table is created which associates quantitative values corresponding to each time phase of the time-series image, coordinate display values of the quantitative values on the screen, image display coordinate values, image file names and the like. There may be a plurality of tables.

Step S13 According to the table created in step S12, the time series quantitative value calculated in step S11 is shown in the left half of the screen 31 of FIG. A graph is displayed on the screen 11 as time (msec). Reference numeral 32 in FIG. 3 indicates the displayed graph. at the same time,
All of the contour line images 34 (341 to 34N) from which the quantitative value is calculated are located at a specific point, usually on the left side, which is a fixed point, at a position adjacent to the same screen 31 as this graph display, here on the right half of the screen 31. The area center of gravity G of the indoor cavity is used as a reference for superposition display.

Step S14 Start from a certain time phase, for example, the time phase t4, and then step S1
The process of S5 and S16 is sequentially performed for the next time phase at predetermined time intervals.

Step S15: Coordinate position of the quantitative value of the specific time phase on the screen 31 (point representing the specific quantitative value on the graph 32, here point 334).
Is displayed, for example, blinking is displayed, and the contour image (contour line) 344 of the marked phase at the time phase is also marked, for example, blinking is displayed.

Step S16 Hold the display of the currently displayed screen 31 (freeze)
Therefore, if there is a holding command from an input device such as a keyboard, the display of the screen 31 is held. If there is a holding release command from the input device, the process returns to step S4,
Proceed to the next time phase.

Thus, according to the second embodiment of the present invention,
For all of the contour line regions of the time-sequential medical image,
By controlling the display by overlapping with a specific point as a reference
It is possible to identify the contour line corresponding to each time series.
It In the second embodiment described above, the contour line image 34 (341
Up to 34N), and the contour line image 3 of the marked phase (quantitative value) on the graph 32 is displayed.
4 (any one of 341 to 34N, here 3
44) is similarly marked, but the graph 32 above
In synchronization with the marking of the upper point, the contour line images 34 (341 to 34N) of the time phase of the point may be sequentially replaced and displayed with the area center of gravity G as a reference. Furthermore, each contour image 34
The size of (341 to 34N) may be set to be small, and the small size contour line image of the time phase of the marked point on the graph 32 may be displayed in line in order in synchronization with the marking (alignment display).

Further, in both the first and second embodiments described above, the case where one cycle (heartbeat) display or repetitive display is automatically performed has been described. However, the point of marking, in other words, the feeding operation of the displayed image. May be manually performed by the input device in time phase units.

Furthermore, in both the first and second embodiments described above, a curved line graph is used, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a columnar graph or the like may be used. In the case of a columnar graph, the marking may be performed on the apex of each columnar portion or on the columnar portion itself.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration to which the method of the present invention can be applied. In FIG. 5, a floppy disk 504 is used for reading time series images. The magnetic disk 506 is an auxiliary memory that stores various programs and data such as time series images. The programs and data are appropriately sent to the memory 502 and used by the central processing unit 505. The high-speed computing device 501 calculates the time-series quantitative value from the input image.

Further, the image display device 507 displays the input time-series quantitative value as a graph and the image in a synchronized manner. The keyboard 503 is used to receive a command from the operator. The keyboard 503 receives a command from the operator who wants to freeze the screen or cancel the freeze.

The central processing unit 505 uses the memory 502 to control and manage each part of the device and perform various calculations other than the calculations performed by the high speed calculation unit 501. Data transfer bus 50
Reference numeral 8 is used for data transfer between respective parts of the device.

In the above embodiment, the left ventricular long axis image and the contour image of the left ventricle cavity have been described as examples of displayed images, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is not limited to medical images. It can be applied to various time-series quantitative values and image display.

[0034]

As described above, according to the present invention, the change in the time series quantitative value is displayed in a graph in an easy-to-understand manner, and the time series quantitative value and the time series image are synchronously displayed, and the time series quantitative value is displayed. There is an effect that more accurate judgment can be made in various analyzes by, and image diagnosis by time-series quantitative value and time-series image.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of a display screen of time-series quantitative values and images to which the method of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining a first embodiment of the method of the present invention for obtaining the display screen shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of a display screen of time series of quantitative values and images to which the method of the present invention is applied.

4 is a flow chart for explaining a second embodiment of the method of the present invention for obtaining the display screen shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example to which the method of the present invention is applicable.

[Explanation of symbols]

11, 31 Screen 12, 32 Graph 132, 334 Point representing a specific quantitative value on the graph (marked point) 142, 344 Time phase image of marked point 501 High-speed arithmetic unit 502 Memory 503 Keyboard 504 Floppy disk 505 Center Processing device 506 Magnetic disk 507 Image display device 508 Data transfer bus

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A means for displaying to input time-series medical images from the medical image generator, a time series that is the display medical
A means for setting the contour line area for each image, and
Calculate quantitative values in time series from medical images in the contour area
Means, the calculated quantitative value for each time series, and the time series
Means for generating a graph of the relationship between
The points on the graph are marked and the marking table is displayed.
The contour line associated with the indicated point is displayed on the display means.
In the medical image display device provided with a means for controlling display in a timely manner, the display control means is provided for all time-series contour lines.
All the time-series contours after matching the regions at specific points
Lines are overlaid and displayed, and these overlay tables
Of the contours shown, the marking display on the graph above
Marked contour lines can be marked and displayed.
And a medical image display device. 2. The specific point is an area centroid of an organ.
The medical image display device according to claim 1, wherein: