JP2000285129A - Method and device for retrieving medical image - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To retrieve a data base without fail and to properly report the retrieved result to a retrieval request source, even if the request source and data base use any character type, respectively, concerning a medical image retrieving device connected to the retrieval request source and a data base, in which a medical image is stored together with character information, for retrieving the desired image from the data base according to retrieval information from the retrieval request source and sending the retrieved result including the character information to the retrieval request source. SOLUTION: The retrieval information received from a retrieval request source 15 or 16 is converted into retrieval information composed of a character type, which is different from a character type to be used for the retrieval request source 15 or 16, to be used for the data base (constructed in image archive devices 17, 18 and 19, for example,) and retrieval is performed. Then, this retrieved result is converted into the retrieved result composed of the character type to be used for the retrieval request source 15 or 16, and sent to the retrieval request source 15 or 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is connected to a database which stores a plurality of search request sources and medical images together with character information, and retrieves a desired image from the database according to the search information from the search request source. The present invention relates to a medical image search apparatus that sends a search result including character information to a search request source, and more particularly to a medical image search apparatus capable of performing a normal search even when the search request source and a database use different character types. The present invention relates to a medical image search device that has been implemented.

[0002] The present invention also relates to a medical image search method executed in the above-described image search apparatus.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a medical institution such as a hospital, a database is constructed by storing images recorded by various image recording modalities such as CT, MRI, and CR on a medium such as a large-capacity optical disk. Is being done. In this type of database, character information indicating a patient's name or the like is usually stored in association with each image.

An apparatus for constructing this database is as follows:
In this specification, this is referred to as an “image archive device”. This medical image is input and stored from each image recording modality via, for example, an image server connected via a network or directly to an image archive, and the image server receives an output request from another terminal. In such a case, the data is fetched from the image archive device and output to the terminal.

[0005] When outputting the image, generally, the image server searches for a desired image from a database in accordance with search information from another terminal, and retrieves the image together with character information indicating a patient name or the like from the terminal that is the search request source. To be sent to

[0006]

By the way, the various image recording modalities described above use a specific one of character types such as kana characters and Roman characters when inputting character information indicating a patient name or the like. There are many things. In that case, the character information stored together with the image in the database is naturally stored by the one character type. On the other hand, many terminals such as diagnostic workstations can use only one specific character type.

In such a situation, for example, when a search request is issued from a terminal such as a diagnostic workstation by designating a patient name in kana characters, the image of the patient exists in the database, but the database uses Roman characters. , The patient name is indicated, so that the image may not be searched.

[0008] Therefore, the present invention is capable of searching a database without omission, regardless of the character type used by the search request source and the database, and correctly notifying the search request source of the search result. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medical image search method and apparatus capable of performing the same.

[0009]

A medical image search apparatus according to the present invention is connected to a search request source such as the above-mentioned diagnostic workstation and a database storing medical images together with character information, and is connected to a search request source. In a medical image search apparatus that searches for a desired image from a database according to search information from and sends a search result including character information to the search request source, a character type used by the search request source and a character type used by the database are used. And performs a search by converting the search information received from the search request source into search information based on the character type used by the database, which is different from the character type used by the search request source. The apparatus is configured to convert a search result into a search result based on a character type used by a search request source and send the search result to the search request source. Is shall.

When the medical image search apparatus of the present invention is connected to a plurality of search request sources, the character type conversion means determines the character type used by each of the plurality of search request sources.
It is desirable to be configured to be able to convert between the character types used by the database.

Further, when the medical image search apparatus having the above configuration is connected to a plurality of databases, the medical image search apparatus converts search information received from a search request source into search information based on character types used by the plurality of databases. To perform a search on all of the plurality of databases, convert all of the search results into search results in the character type used by the search request source, and send the search results to the search request source. desirable.

Depending on the database, there may be a situation in which some images are accompanied by information in kana characters, and other images are accompanied by information in Roman characters. As described above, when the medical image search device of the present invention is connected to the multi-character type database that stores and stores a plurality of images attached with character information of different character types, the medical image search device From the search information received from the multi-character type database, search information for all character types used by the multi-character type database is obtained, and a search is performed on the multi-character type database for each of the plurality of character type search information. It is desirable that the search result is converted to a search result based on the character type used by the request source and sent to the search request source.

The medical image search method according to the present invention is connected to a search request source such as the above-described diagnostic workstation and a database storing and storing medical images together with character information, and according to the search information from the search request source. In a medical image search apparatus that searches for a desired image from a database and sends a search result including character information to the search request source, the search information received from the search request source is different from the character type used by the search request source. The search is performed by converting the search result into search information based on the character type used by the database, and the search result is converted into a search result based on the character type used by the search request source and sent to the search request source.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the search information received from the search request source is converted into search information based on the character type used by the database, which is different from the character type used by the search request source, and the search is performed. Since the result is converted into a search result by the character type used by the search request source and sent to the search request source, no matter what character type the search request source and the database use,
The database can be searched without omission, and the search result can be correctly notified to the search request source.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a medical network system including a medical image search device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the system shown in FIG.
Is, for example, Ethernet (registered trademark), FDDI, etc.
Local area network (L
AN). This LAN is a dedicated line or ISD
N or the like, and may be connected to the Internet via a public line.

The network 10 includes a radiology information system (RIS) 11, image recording modalities 12 and 13, an image server 14 as a medical image search device, a diagnostic workstation 15 as one of terminals, and a reference terminal 16 , Image archive devices 17, 18, and 19, and a laser printer 20, etc. are connected.

The image recording modalities 12 and 13 are devices or systems for recording patient images as digital data, such as CT, MRI, CR, RI, and US. This may be, for example, a method in which an analog image signal obtained by shooting is digitally converted and recorded as it is, or an image once recorded on a film or the like is read at the time of shooting to obtain digital data. Is also good.

The radiology department information system 11 is connected to a terminal (not shown) installed in the radiology department, a department that requests the radiology department to record an image, or a department that requests surgery. Inspection order information (ordering for radiology, etc.) for the patient and image recording modalities 12 and 13
Is a system for transmitting information and processing information in the radiology department based on the imaging information and the like in the above.

The image server 14 is composed of a computer system, and stores image data recorded by the image recording modalities 12 and 13 together with character information indicating a patient name and the like in the archive device 17, 18 or 19, and stores the image data in each archive device. Build a database every time. Image server 14
Searches and reads desired image data from the database based on the search information from the diagnostic workstation 15 and the reference terminal 16, and reads the image data together with the character information into the diagnostic workstation 15 and the reference terminal 16.
Transfer to Note that the image data recorded by the image recording modalities 12 and 13 is directly transmitted to the archive device 17, 18 or 19 without passing through the image server 14 as described above.
May be stored.

The diagnostic workstation 15 performs image processing so that a radiologist or the like refers to the image data and changes image processing parameters as necessary to obtain an image suitable for diagnosis. This is a terminal used for making a diagnosis while referring to the processed image.

The reference terminal 16 is a terminal installed only for referring to image data. Also laser printer
Numeral 20 outputs the processed image data as a visible image. The output of the image to the laser printer 20 is executed by issuing an instruction from the diagnostic workstation 15 to the image server 14.

This medical network system is, for example, an ACR-NEMA committee (ACR: American).
College of Radiology, NEMA: National Electric
al Manufacturers Association)
(Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine)
It is built on standards.

The DICOM standard is a standard for realizing an object-oriented medical network system, and includes the contents and data structures of various diagnostic information such as CT image information, examination information, patient information, and the like. For exchanging as a message (image storage,
Procedures for requesting services such as retrieval, printing, and inquiry) are defined. In the DICOM standard, the data format of essential information in a medical system such as patient information and examination information is defined in detail, and an interface for a processing request when inquiring various information is also defined.

Here, in order to input and display character information, kana characters are used in the diagnostic workstation 15 and Roman characters are used in the reference terminal 16. On the other hand, in indicating character information in the database, the archive device 17 uses kana characters, the archive device 18 uses Roman characters, and the archive device 19 uses kana characters or Roman characters for each image.

A description will now be given of a mechanism in which image retrieval is not omitted even if the character types used are not unified as described above. The image server 14 includes an image proxy device 14a, which has two terminals: a diagnostic workstation 15 and a reference terminal.
It has the function of protocol conversion between 16 and the databases constructed in the archive devices 17, 18 and 19. This protocol conversion includes character type conversion between kana characters and Roman characters.

FIG. 2 shows the concept of the character type conversion in an easy-to-understand manner. Image proxy device 14a as shown
When the search information is received from the diagnostic workstation 15 using kana characters, the database of the archive device 17 is searched based on the search information in kana characters as it is, and the search information in kana characters is searched in romaji. The information is converted into information, and the database of the archive device 18 is searched based on the search information in Roman characters, and the database of the archive device 19 is searched as it is based on the search information in Kana characters.
Search based on the converted Romanized search information.

The image proxy device 14a sends the search results including the character information in kana characters obtained from the archive devices 17 and 19 to the diagnostic workstation 15 as they are, and outputs the search results obtained from the archive devices 18 and 19 in Roman characters. Is converted to character information in Kana characters and sent to the diagnostic workstation 15.

On the other hand, when receiving the search information from the reference terminal 16 using Roman characters, the image proxy device 14a searches the database of the archive device 18 based on the search information in Roman characters as it is, Is converted to search information in kana characters, the database of the archive device 17 is searched based on the search information in kana characters, and the database of the archive device 19 is searched as it is based on the search information in romaji, and again, Search based on the search information using the converted Kana characters.

The image proxy device 14a sends the search result including the character information in Roman characters obtained from the archive devices 18 and 19 to the reference terminal 16 as it is, and the search result obtained from the archive devices 17 and 19 uses the kana characters. After converting the character information into character information in Roman characters, the character information is sent to the reference terminal 16.

As described above, even if a search request is made from either the diagnostic workstation 15 or the reference terminal 16, the database constructed in the archive devices 17, 18 and 19 can be completely searched. In addition, it is possible to correctly notify the search result to the diagnosis workstation 15 or the reference terminal 16 that is the search request source.

The character type conversion performed in the present invention is not limited to conversion between kana characters and Roman characters, but may be performed according to the character type used by the search request source and the character type used by the database. Of course.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a medical network system including a medical image search device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of character type conversion in the medical image search device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Network 11 Radiology Information System 12, 13 Image Recording Modality 14 Image Server 15 Diagnostic Workstation 16 Reference Terminal 17, 18, 19 Image Archive 20 Laser Printer

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A search request source and a database that stores medical images together with character information together with character information, searches a desired image from the database according to search information from the search request source, and searches including character information. A medical image search device for sending a result to the search request source, comprising: a character type conversion unit for converting between a character type used by the search request source and a character type used by the database; The search information is converted into search information based on the character type used by the database, which is different from the character type used by the search request source, and the search is performed. The search result is searched by the character type used by the search request source. The medical image search apparatus is configured to be converted to a search request and sent to the search request source. 2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of search request sources are connected.
The medical image search device according to claim 1, wherein the character type conversion unit is configured to perform conversion between a character type used by each of a plurality of search request sources and a character type used by the database. Medical image search device. 3. The medical image search device according to claim 1, wherein the search information received from the search request source is converted into search information based on a character type used by each of the plurality of databases. The search is performed for all of the plurality of databases, and all the search results are converted into search results based on the character type used by the search request source and sent to the search request source. Medical image search device. 4. The medical image retrieval apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medical image retrieval apparatus is connected to a multi-character type database that stores a plurality of images attached with character information of different character types. From the search information received from the request source, search information based on all character types used by the multi-character type database is obtained, and the search is performed on the multi-character type database for each of the plurality of character type search information. Is converted into a search result based on the character type used by the search request source and sent to the search request source. 5. A search request source and a database that stores medical images together with character information and searches for a desired image from the database according to search information from the search request source, and a search including character information. In a medical image search apparatus that sends a result to the search request source, the search information received from the search request source is converted into search information based on the character type used by the database, which is different from the character type used by the search request source. A medical image search method comprising: performing the search; converting the search result into a search result based on a character type used by the search request source; and sending the search result to the search request source.