JP2002041550A - Method for image storage and output and data storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for image storage which makes it easy to refer to a DICOM(Digital Imaging Communication Medicine) image, makes it possible to refer to the image fast by lightening the network load as much as possible, enables to construct a system at a low cost, has a report function for a diagnostic image, and enables management of various data in a database. SOLUTION: This image storage method while taking necessary information out of tag information in information image data consisting of the tag information and image data and registering it as summary information transforms the image data into a general format to generate image information and stores the information and image data generated by combining the image data and tag information together while relating the data to the summary information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to DICOM (Digital Imaging) which is an image diagnostic standard in the medical field, for example.
DICOM images consisting of tag information and image data of the Standard and COmmunication Medicine) can be referenced easily, easily, and at high speed without using a dedicated viewer.
The present invention relates to an image storage and output method and a data storage device that can be constructed at a low cost, have a report function for diagnostic images, and manage various data in a database.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the medical field, image diagnosis is widely used, which contributes to improving the level of medical care. Recently, digitization of images and networking between diagnostic imaging devices have been advanced. For example, a diagnostic image output from a digital image diagnostic apparatus (hereinafter, referred to as a modality) such as CT, MRI, or ultrasound is referred to as a medical image diagnostic, hereinafter referred to as a digital image.
g and COmmunication Medicine, a DICOM image consisting of tag information and image data according to the DICOM standard, and an image management server (DIC)
OM server), and is interpreted and viewed using a dedicated image viewer (hereinafter, DICOM viewer).

[0003] Patient information, examination information, and the like are added to these diagnostic images as tag information, and are used for identification and search of image data. As the communication format between the image format and the modality, the DICOM server and the DICOM viewer, there is the above-mentioned DICOM standard, and interest in this standard is increasing. In addition, modalities and medical image management systems conforming to this have been widely used.

The DICOM standard is based on the American Radiological Society (AC)
R) and a standard for medical imaging and communication developed by the North American Electronics Industry Association (NEMA). In Japan, the Japan Radiological Equipment Manufacturers Association (JIRA), which is a business association of medical imaging equipment, has adopted it as a standard for medical imaging and communication.

[0005] The purpose of the DICOM standard is to realize the exchange of image inspection information and image data by interconnecting digital image equipment of different manufacturers and types inside and outside a hospital by a network or an image storage medium. This allows
Achieve optimal interconnection between a wide variety of digital imaging equipment according to the purpose of medical treatment, and overcome the problems of slow delivery, shortage of storage space, loss, etc., which were problems of conventional image medical treatment systems centered on film. It is expected to create added value in new medical imaging, such as digital image processing, computer-aided diagnosis, and comprehensive image diagnosis.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, the DIC
According to the OM standard, image data is handled in an uncompressed state in principle, and a complicated communication procedure is adopted from the viewpoint of protection of tag information and the like, so that data transmission time becomes longer. In addition, DICOM viewers are high quality and high performance but expensive. On the other hand, images may be used not only for diagnosis but also for various purposes, and high image quality is not always required. From the standpoint of utilization in this way, there are some problems, and improvement has been desired.

In detail of the above problem, first, a DIC
The DICOM image format particularly related to the OM standard will be described. According to the DICOM standard, patients,
Inspections, series, images, etc. are information entities (entities:
Information Enthity). The relationship between multiple information entities is defined as a relation (Relation), and the mutual relation is clarified. For example,
“Patient” receives “examination”, “device” creates “(imaging) series”, and the like.

[0008] The information entity and the relation are:
Collectively called objects, the DICOM standard states that
For each modality, the result of such a logical model analysis is defined as an information object definition (IOD: Informat).
ion Object Definitions).

FIG. 5 shows a data set and a data element structure of an information object. If these structures are analyzed, display of image data and format conversion become possible. As described above, the DICOM image format contains a lot of information, but is complicated, has a complicated handling, and has a problem that a load on a processing system is increased.

[0010] Further, in a hospital where a modality and a network conforming to the DICOM standard have been introduced, an image conforming to the DICOM standard (hereinafter referred to as a DICOM image) can be referred to by a DICOM viewer through a network from each ward. However, the images generated by the modality
The amount of data is large, and communication during transfer takes time. Furthermore, although DICOM Viewer is a high-performance one,
Since it is expensive, there is a problem that a large amount of cost is required to install a large number.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the DICOM standard by presuming the use of explanation of diagnosis results to patients, in-hospital conferences and training of trainees, and (1) simple and easy. You can refer to DICOM images,
(2) Images can be referenced at high speed by minimizing the network load, (3) Inexpensive system construction, (4) Report function for diagnostic images, (5) Image storage and database management of various data It is an object to provide an output method and a data storage device.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an information processing system comprising tag information and image data.
From image data, necessary information is extracted from tag information and registered as general-purpose summary information, while image data is converted into general-purpose format to generate image information, and this image information and tag information are combined. The extracted information / image data is stored in association with the summary information, and at the time of output, necessary information is extracted from the summary information or tag information, and the image information is extracted from the information / image data related to the necessary information. Only necessary information and image information are integrated and output as a single unit.

[0013] In this manner, since the terminal or the like can receive the data converted in a general-purpose manner, it is possible to output information / image data to a screen or the like without requiring a dedicated viewer.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS TC used on the Internet
Network technologies such as P / IP and WWW (World Wide Web) (hereinafter referred to as Internet technologies) can be used even with a small computer having a structure level of a personal computer or less, and a company network called an intranet, communication between control devices, and the like. It has been widely used in industrial fields.

The above-described Internet technology has the following advantages. Since countless networks can be connected to each other, network expandability, multi-vendor and heterogeneous interconnectivity are excellent. The stable operation of the system is expected because of the widely used technology. The technology does not become obsolete because it is constantly being improved and used continuously. Related technical information is RFC (Request For Co
mment) will be released early, making it easy to respond to new technologies.

It is considered that if the problems of the DICOM standard can be improved by using this technology, digital image diagnosis can be further spread and contribute to the improvement of medical care. Therefore, the image storage and output method and the data storage device of the present invention are: WWW (World Wide Web) technology in Internet technology was applied.

That is, according to the image storing method of the present invention, in the method of storing information and image data including tag information and image data, necessary information is extracted from the tag information and registered as summary information in a general-purpose format. On the other hand, image data is converted into a general-purpose format to generate image information, and information / image data obtained by combining the image information and tag information is stored in association with summary information.

In the above, "information / image data comprising tag information and image data" means, for example, a DICOM image.

The tag information and the image data are separated, necessary information is extracted and registered as summary information. DIC
The image data of the OM image is in a general format (for example, Web
It is combined with the tag information of the DICOM image as image information converted (and compressed) into a format that can be browsed by a browser, and is stored as one data file in association with the summary information so that it cannot be browsed as it is.

As described above, by combining the tag information and the image information, the information /
If you try to open the image data file, you will not be able to see the contents and security will be maintained. Search and browse
As described later, only a person who has been authenticated as a registered user can perform the operation. Therefore, security can be maintained without using a dedicated viewer conforming to the DICOM standard, and output such as display of an image that can be used for purposes other than diagnosis can be performed.

Searching and browsing of the information / image data file are performed by a registered user who has been authenticated and identified by inputting a user ID and a login password through an ASP (Active Server Pages) program using a Web browser. The ASP converts the information / image data to W
It is programmed to separate the image data from the information / image data and to lay out the image data and the summary information so that the format can be displayed on the web browser.

According to the present invention, in a method of performing a search on information / image data stored by the above-described image storage method and outputting the search result, necessary information included in summary information is extracted. Information associated with the summary information;
After extracting the image data and separating the image information from the extracted information / image data, necessary information included in the summary information and the image information are output as a single unit for general purpose use.

That is, in the above description, when a search is performed by a Web browser, a search is performed on summary information stored in a general-purpose format, and as a result of the search, necessary information among the extracted summary information is obtained. And the image information associated with the necessary information are output as a unit to the Web browser. In this manner, information / image data (DICOM image) can be easily and quickly retrieved and output.

Further, the data storage device of the present invention, as a data storage device, extracts necessary information from tag information and registers it as summary information, and an image generation device that converts image data into a general-purpose format to generate image information. Unit, a storage unit for storing information / image data obtained by combining the image information and the tag information generated by the image generation unit in association with the summary information, and performing a search from the registration unit in response to a search request. A search unit for extracting information, and information and information associated with the summary information extracted by the search unit.
An output unit that extracts image data and separates the image information from the extracted information / image data, and then outputs the necessary information included in the summary information and the image information in an integrated manner for general purpose. Yes, the above method can be implemented by such a configuration.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above method, when a request is made to output information that is not stored as summary information among the information included in the tag information, the request is referred to by referring to the tag information. Extract information according to
The image information is separated from the information / image data combined with the tag information, and the necessary extracted information and the image information are output as a single unit for general purpose use. The information stored as the summary information is information that is frequently used for search and display.

In the data storage device according to the present invention, in the data storage device described above, the search unit refers to the tag information in the storage unit for necessary information that does not exist in the registration unit, and obtains information necessary for the tag information. If the tag exists, the output unit extracts necessary information from the tag information, separates the image information from the information / image data combined with the tag information, and integrates the required information with the image information. As a general-purpose output, the above-described method can be performed.

More specifically, the present invention provides a WWW server, a database server, and an ASP (Active Server) for a Web screen.
r Pages), software having a DICOM summary information database registration function and a JPEG image conversion function, and hardware interconnected by Ethernet (registered trademark). As a reference terminal, use a personal computer with a Web browser, and search for images on the Web screen.
Do the reference.

By doing so, the above (1) to (1)
The object of (5) can be achieved. That is,
(1) Regarding the point of easily and easily referencing a DICOM image, by adopting a Web browser as an image reference viewer, it is possible to easily refer to an image by interactive mouse operation.

(2) Minimize network load,
Regarding the point of referring to an image at high speed, D
The ICOM image is compressed and converted into a general-purpose format, such as the JPEG format, which can be referred to by a Web browser with a small data amount, and the image capacity is compressed to 1/10 to 1/20 for distribution to reduce the network load.

In general, when the image data is compressed in the JPEG format, the image quality deteriorates. However, there is no particular problem when the purpose of explaining the diagnosis result to the patient described above is considered. On the other hand, the DICOM image generated by the modality has a very large image capacity, and requires, for example, 8 to 30 MB even for a chest X-ray image.

In the special communication procedure of DICOM,
Experience requires about four times as long as the communication procedure used on the Internet. Therefore, the communication speed is improved by adopting the Internet communication procedure.

(3) In terms of system construction at low cost, a personal computer is used as a server for storing images.
A general Web browser is used as an image viewer for image reference. Since all processes such as searching are performed in the server personal computer, the terminal using the Web browser only needs to have the capability of a normal personal computer, and therefore, it is possible to construct an inexpensive system.

(4) Regarding the point of having a report function for a diagnostic image, a Web for inputting a report for an image
By providing a page, a report can be registered and managed in a database in association with the input findings and images.

(5) Regarding the point of managing various data in a database, image data and tag information included in the DICOM image are separated from image information and summary information, which are separated from each other, the contents of the tag information included in the image data,
Store and manage various data such as diagnostic report data in the database. To search for such information, SQL, which is a general-purpose database search language, is used. Further ASP
To enable a search from the Web screen. As a result, the image search can be made simpler, easier, and faster than in the case of DICOM communication.

[0035]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of an image storage and output method and a data storage device according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a system environment including a data storage device in which the image storage and output method of the present invention is performed. 2 and 3 show an image storage method according to the present invention. FIG. 4 shows the output method of the present invention.

The medical image reference system 1 of the present invention
It is composed of a COM subsystem 1A and a WWW subsystem 1B. The DICOM subsystem 1A includes a modality 1Aa, a DICOM server 1Ab, and a DICOM viewer 1Ac, and is a part to which the DICOM standard is applied. The WWW subsystem 1B includes a WWW server 1Ba, a database 1Bb, and a Web terminal 1Bc, and is a part to which the Internet technology is applied.

Since the DICOM subsystem 1A is a conventionally used system, the description is omitted. The medical image reference system of the present invention processes the DICOM image of the DICOM subsystem 1A, saves the DICOM image in a format that cannot be browsed as it is, displays it easily by Internet technology, transfers it at high speed, or performs various operations. It is characterized in that information can be added.

The WWW subsystem 1B includes the configuration of the data storage device of the present invention, and operatively configures the following components of the data storage device in the WWW server 1Ba. The WWW server 1Ba separates the tag information and the image data from the DICOM image as the information / image data including the tag information and the image data, extracts necessary information from the tag information, and outputs the necessary information to the database 1Bb as summary information. A registration unit for registering, an image generation unit for compressing and converting the image data into a general-purpose format, for example, a JPEG format, to generate image information, and information combining image information and tag information generated by the image generation unit. A storage unit for storing the image data in association with the summary information.

Further, the WWW server 1Ba searches the database 1Bb from the registration unit in response to a search request from the Web terminal 1Bc to extract necessary information, and the abstract extracted by the search unit. An output that extracts information / image data associated with the information, separates the image information from the extracted information / image data, and outputs the necessary information included in the summary information and the image information as a single unit for general purpose use Section.

In FIG. 1, DICOM images are stored in the following procedure. The DICOM image generated by the modality 1Aa of the DICOM subsystem 1A is registered in the DICOM server 1Ab, and when a new DICOM image is registered, the DICOM image is transferred to the WWW server 1Ba of the WWW subsystem 1B according to the DICOM standard. ing.

In the WWW server 1Ba, the transferred DICOM image is converted into general-purpose image information according to the present invention, for example, JPEG format conversion (hereinafter, JPEG format conversion).
PEG / DICOM image) and this JPE
A database in which the G / DICOM image and the tag information of the DICOM image are combined, and only necessary information is extracted from the tag information separated from the DICOM image. 1
Bb is stored and managed, and the Web terminal 1Bc is used.
Images can be searched and output.

The JPEG / DICOM image itself is a Web
Although it is a format that can be displayed on a browser, in the present invention, a JPEG / DICOM image is added to tag information separated from a DICOM image to maintain information / information for security maintenance.
Since this information / image data is stored as an image data file, it cannot be displayed on a Web browser as it is.

That is, since the DICOM image contains personal privacy information, the JPEG DICO
This is because privacy cannot be protected if anyone can view the M image. Therefore, according to the present invention, the user is authenticated by requesting the input of the user ID and the login password, and the authenticated registered user conducts a search through an ASP (Active Server Pages) program using a Web browser and obtains information. A JPEG / DICOM image is separated from image data, and output data in a format that can be displayed on a Web browser together with necessary information is obtained, and can be browsed on the Web browser.

A registered user can access information / image data, for example, a level at which only a list of data stored in the database 1Bb can be viewed, a level at which JPEG / DICOM images can be viewed, and summary information. In multiple levels, such as the level at which you can browse the data included in the tag information that is not included in the
What is necessary is just to set such that an access level of browsable and non-viewable is set in the entire image data. By doing so, careless leakage of personal information can be prevented.

In summary, the WWW subsystem 1B has the following three processing functions. (1) Conversion and registration of DICOM image When DICOM image is transferred from DICOM subsystem 1A, DICOM image is automatically analyzed and DIC
By separating tag information and image data from the OM image,
The summary information obtained by extracting necessary information from the tag information is registered in the database 1Bb.

Thereafter, the separated image data is JPEG-converted while referring to the portion of the extracted DICOM image relating to the image information in the tag information, and the JPEG-DIC
Convert to OM image. At this time, the BitMap file format is once used as the intermediate format. Converted JPEG
The DICOM image is combined with the tag information of the DICOM image (information / image data), and the association information between the file name and the summary information is registered in the database 1Bb. 2 and 3 show the flow of this processing.

Therefore, the tag information of the DICOM image is separated from the image data, and the tag information is again converted into the JPEG DI
Since this information is combined as the header of the COM image,
Since image data cannot be viewed with a general-purpose image viewer such as a Web browser, it also leads to improvement in security.

(2) Web Image Reference FIG. 4 shows the flow of the Web image reference processing. WWW server 1B in response to image search and reference requests from Web browser
“a” executes image search and reference ASP. The information / image data is specified from the related information of the summary information based on the result obtained for the database 1Bb by the search key.

Subsequently, the tag information portion is deleted from the specified information / image data, and the temporary JPEG for display is deleted.
Generate an image. The Web browser uses this temporary JPEG
Display an image as a reference result.

Here, a patient name, a modality name or the like can be designated as the image search key. The search results are displayed in a list, so when you click the relevant part of the list with the mouse,
Images can be referenced. The images that can be referred to include a thumbnail image having a small image size, an original size image, and the like. In addition, reference to tag information is also possible.

(3) Report creation DICOM referenced from a Web browser as an additional function
You can enter simple remarks about the image. The entered findings are associated with the information / image data, registered in the database 1Bb as report information, and further search and reference can be made to the registered report information and the like. Deletion and modification can also be performed from the Web browser.

The following modes can be considered as examples of screen display. The Web browser may be configured to simultaneously display thumbnail images and summary information as an image search result screen, as a patient list at the top of the screen, and as a search result image list at the bottom. Further, the Web browser may display the thumbnail images of the image list in the size of the original image as the image reference screen. Further, the Web browser may display an image to be reported at the top of the screen and a finding input frame or the like at the bottom of the screen as a report creation screen. In addition, a comment may be input in a finding input frame or the like, and a registration button at the bottom of the screen may be clicked to register the comment in the database 1Bb, so that operability can be flexibly dealt with.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, the necessary information is extracted from the tag information and registered as general-purpose summary information, out of the information / image data including the tag information and the image data. Is converted into a general-purpose format to generate image information, and information / image data obtained by combining this image information and tag information is stored in association with the summary information. The necessary information is extracted, and only the image information is separated from the information and image data related to the necessary information, and the necessary information and the image information are output as a unitary and general purpose. The operation and effect can be obtained.

(1) It is possible to convert a DICOM image into a general-purpose image that can be browsed by a Web browser. (2) It is possible to extract summary information in a DICOM image, such as patient information, examination information, and series information, from the DICOM image and browse it together with the image information. (3) The construction of the database and the registration and management of the summary information extracted in (2) can be realized at low cost. (4) Images can be searched and referenced from a Web browser. (5) Findings for each image can be input from the Web browser.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system environment including a data storage device in which an image storage and output method of the present invention is implemented.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an image storage procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an image storage procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an image output procedure of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a data structure of a conventional DICOM image.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Data Storage Device 1A DICOM Subsystem 1B WWW Subsystem 1Ba WWW Server 1Bb Database 1Bc Web Terminal

Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Takeki Nakagawa 1-7-89 Minami Kohoku, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka Within Hitachi Zosen Corporation (72) Inventor Masahiro Masuka 1-7-7 Minami-Kohoku, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka No. 89 Hitachi Zosen Corporation (72) Inventor Hiroshi Inada 1-89 Minami Kohoku, Suminoe-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka F-term in Hitachi Zosen Corporation 5B050 AA02 BA03 BA10 CA08 EA10 GA07 GA08 5B075 ND06 NK10 PP03 PP13 PQ02 PQ32 PQ46 PQ48 UU29

Claims (5)

[Claims] An information comprising tag information and image data.
In a method of storing image data, while extracting necessary information from the tag information and registering it as summary information,
An image storage method, comprising: converting image data into a general-purpose format to generate image information; and storing information / image data obtained by combining the image information and the tag information in association with the summary information. 2. A method for performing a search on information / image data stored by the image storage method according to claim 1 and outputting a search result, extracting necessary information included in summary information, After extracting the information / image data associated with the summary information and separating the image information from the extracted information / image data, the necessary information included in the summary information and the image information are output as a single unit in a general-purpose manner. An image output method characterized in that: 3. A method for performing a search on information / image data stored by the image storage method according to claim 1 and outputting a search result, wherein information necessary for information not present in the summary information is output.・ Refer to the tag information of the image data, and if the necessary information exists in the tag information, extract the necessary information from the tag information and extract the image information from the information combined with the tag information. 3. The image output method according to claim 2, wherein necessary information and image information are output as a unit after the separation. 4. Information comprising tag information and image data.
A registration unit for extracting necessary information from tag information and registering it as summary information in a data storage device for storing image data; an image generation unit for converting image data into a general-purpose format to generate image information; A storage unit for storing information / image data obtained by combining the image information generated by the unit and the tag information in association with the summary information, and performing a search from the registration unit in response to a search request to extract necessary information A search unit for extracting information / image data associated with the summary information extracted by the search unit, separating image information from the extracted information / image data, and extracting necessary information included in the summary information; A data storage device, comprising: an output unit that outputs image information and the information as a unit. 5. A search unit refers to tag information in a storage unit for necessary information that does not exist in the registration unit, and when necessary information exists in the tag information, an output unit outputs the necessary information from the tag information. 5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising extracting necessary information and image information from information / image data combined with the tag information, and outputting the necessary information and the image information as a single unit. Data storage device.