JP2004334900A - Endoscopic image filing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endoscopic image filing device capable of easily managing a large amount of image information even when the image information is recorded in a plurality of recorders and a recording medium. <P>SOLUTION: The endoscopic image filing device is provided with a plurality of hospitals which perform endoscopic observation, record the image information of obtained endoscopic images in a recording means and hold them, a server means which records a hospital name holding the image information of the endoscopic image by making it correspond to the management information with management information regarding the endoscopic image and a control means which displays information capable of specifying the hospital holding the image information of the endoscopic image corresponding to an inspection specified by selection from among pieces of the management information recorded in the server means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope image filing apparatus that records information on an endoscope image as image information and management information in a recording device.

  In recent years, information and its recording format have been diversified in response to various needs. Even if attention is paid to the case where image information is stored as an image file, a wide variety of recording media can be used, such as a network server, a hard disk, and a portable recording medium such as a floppy (R) disk or a magneto-optical disk. I have.

  The image information requires a large amount of data for one image in terms of the data amount. For this reason, when managing a large number of image information, the data amount becomes enormous. Therefore, in order to manage image information having a large data amount, various methods for reducing data have been devised. An image compression technique can be cited as a fundamental technique.

  However, even when a large amount of image information is recorded on the above-mentioned recording medium, especially a recording medium having a relatively small storage capacity such as a floppy (R) disk or a magneto-optical disk, even if a technique such as image compression is used, the recording medium A situation that requires a plurality of is essential. In addition, depending on the usage state of the user regardless of the storage capacity, for example, when a plurality of users simultaneously use the information, a method of recording information on a plurality of recording devices may be effective. In any of these cases, a problem arises in a method of managing information recorded in the plurality of recording devices.

  As an effective means for managing image information, there is a method of separately recording image information and its management information as character information. The text information requires a smaller amount of information as compared with the image information, and the management information of a series of image information can be stored as a smaller amount of information by sharing the management information.

  As a method of recording image information and character information of management information accompanying the image information on a recording medium such as a magneto-optical disk, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-75967 discloses a method for recording a series of a plurality of endoscope images. A technique for recording and reproducing image information and character information common to each image as a group of data is disclosed.

  In the means described in JP-A-5-75967, it is possible to read out common management information for a series of a plurality of pieces of image information. However, when performing image management, particularly searching, etc. based on the management information, if there are a plurality of recording devices, it is necessary to search for image information for each of the recording devices. In this case, a large number of man-hours are required depending on the number of recording devices, and there is a problem that management of image information takes time.

  The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an endoscope that can easily manage a large amount of image information even when image information is recorded on a plurality of recording devices or recording media. It is intended to provide an image filing device.

A first endoscope image filing apparatus according to the present invention is an endoscope image filing apparatus that manages an endoscope image obtained by endoscopic observation. A plurality of hospitals that record and hold image information of images in recording means,
Along with the management information relating to the endoscope image, a server means for recording a hospital name holding image information of the endoscope image in association with the management information, from among the management information recorded in the server means Control means for displaying information capable of specifying the hospital holding the image information of the endoscope image corresponding to the examination specified by the selection.

  According to a second endoscope image filing apparatus of the present invention, in the first endoscope image filing apparatus, the plurality of hospitals and the server are connected via a network.

  According to the present invention, even when image information is recorded on a plurality of recording devices or recording media, there is an effect that an endoscope image filing device capable of easily managing a large amount of image information can be provided. .

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of an endoscope image filing system, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of an endoscope system. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the image recording / reproducing apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration example of an endoscope image filing system including one endoscope system will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope image filing system of the present embodiment includes an image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 for recording / reproducing an input endoscope image, and a magneto-optical disk ( The main part is constituted by a magneto-optical disk drive (hereinafter abbreviated as MO drive) 3 for recording on MOs 2a and 2b, and a hard disk 4 for recording management information of endoscope images. .

  The image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is connected to the MO drive 3 and the hard disk 4 via a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) cable 5. In addition, the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 includes an endoscope system 6 that obtains an endoscope image by performing observation with an endoscope, a monitor 7 that displays image information and management information of the endoscope image, data input, and the like. Keyboard 8 is connected.

  The MO can be appropriately extended to MO2c, 2d,... According to the amount of image information to be recorded. Each of the MOs 2a, 2b,... Is provided with a separate volume label to identify an individual medium.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the endoscope system 6 includes an electronic scope 11 provided with a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (not shown) at a distal end, a light source device 12 that supplies illumination light to the electronic scope 11, and an electronic scope 11. The main part includes a video processor 13 that performs signal processing on the obtained image signal to generate a video signal such as a signal of three primary colors of RGB, and a monitor 14 that displays an endoscope image.

  The electronic scope 11 includes an insertion section 16 inserted into a flexible and elongated observation region 15, an operation section 17 connected to a rear end of the insertion section 16, and a side extending from the operation section 17. And a protruding universal cable 18. A connector 19 for connecting to the light source device 12 is provided at an end of the universal cable 18, a signal cable 20 extends from the connector 19 side, and a connector for connecting to the video processor 13 at the end of the signal cable 20. The electronic scope 11 is connected to the light source device 12 and the video processor 13. The operation unit 17 is provided with a release switch 22 (not shown) for performing a release operation for recording a still image.

  A monitor 14 is connected to the video processor 13 via a cable 23, and a video signal generated by the video processor 13 is input to the monitor 14 to display an endoscope image. Further, the video processor 13 is connected to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via a cable 24 so that image information of an endoscope image is transmitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 has an A / D converter 30 for A / D converting an analog video signal input from the video processor 13 into a digital signal at an input unit. An output stage of the / D converter 30 is provided with a frame memory 31 for storing A / D converted video signals, and is connected to a bus line 32. The image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 also has a memory controller 40 for instructing writing and reading of data to and from the frame memory 31, and a communication interface (I / F) for transmitting and receiving patient information and commands to and from the video processor 13. 33, a CPU 34 for controlling each unit, a RAM 35 for storing and reading data, a ROM 36 storing a program for driving the CPU 34, an MO drive 3 and a hard disk 4, connected to the SCSI bus by a daisy chain, It has a SCSI controller 37 for controlling data transfer, a display controller 38 for controlling the monitor 7, and a keyboard interface (I / F) 39 for inputting signals sent from the keyboard 8, and these are buses. Connect on line 32 It has been.

  Next, an endoscopic examination by the system of the present embodiment and an operation of recording an endoscopic image captured by the endoscopic examination will be described.

  First, an operation at the time of an endoscope inspection by the endoscope system 6 will be described. The operator inputs patient information as examination management information to the video processor 13 from input means such as a keyboard (not shown) connected to the video processor 13 at the start of the examination. As the patient information, for example, information such as a patient name, a patient ID number, an examination date and time, and examination contents are set as necessary. This patient information is transmitted to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24.

  Next, the illumination light supplied from the light source device 12 is passed through the connector 19, the universal cable 18, the operation unit 17, and the insertion unit 16, and is irradiated from the tip of the insertion unit 16 to the observation site 15 by the electronic scope 11. Then, the illuminated image of the observation region 15 is converted into an electric signal by a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD (not shown) provided at the distal end of the insertion section 16. The electric signal of the observation region 15 captured by the solid-state imaging device is transmitted to the video processor 13 via the signal cable 20 and the connector 21.

  The video processor 13 processes the input electric signal from the solid-state imaging device, converts the signal into a video signal, and sends the video signal to the monitor 14 via the cable 23. Then, an endoscope image based on the video signal is displayed on the screen of the monitor 14 in real time. At the same time, the video processor 13 sends the video signal to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24.

  When the operator wants to obtain a still image of the observation region 15, the operator presses a release switch 22 of the operation unit 17, and a release command from the release switch 22 is transmitted to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24, and the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 records image information of a still image.

  When ending the examination, the operator instructs the video processor 13 to terminate the examination using input means such as a keyboard (not shown). When the video processor 13 receives the instruction to end the inspection, it sends an inspection end command to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24.

  Next, the operation of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 for recording an endoscope image captured by the video processor 13 will be described.

  When the power of the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is turned on, the CPU 34 is activated according to the program stored in the ROM 36, and the apparatus starts operating.

  When the MO 2 a is inserted into the MO drive 3, the MO drive 3 reads the volume label of the inserted MO 2 a, and sends information of the read volume label to the SCSI controller 37 via the SCSI cable 5. The SCSI controller 37 transfers the received volume label to the CPU 34 via the bus line 32.

  When the examination is started in the endoscope system 6 and the patient information is sent from the video processor 13 to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24 as described above, the patient information is input from the communication I / F 33, It is sent to CPU34. The CPU 34 sends the received patient information and the volume label of the MO2a to the SCSI controller 37. The SCSI controller 37 sends the received patient information and the volume label of the MO 2a to the hard disk 4 via the SCSI cable 5 as examination management information. Then, the management information is recorded on the hard disk 4.

  The video signal input from the video processor 13 to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24 is A / D converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 30 and stored in the frame memory 31. When the operator issues a release instruction during the inspection and a release command is transmitted from the video processor 13 to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24, the release command is input from the communication I / F 33 and transmitted to the CPU 34. .

  Upon receiving the release command, the CPU 34 instructs the memory controller 40 to read the video signal stored in the frame memory 31 and sends the read video signal from the SCSI controller 37 to the MO drive 3 via the SCSI cable 5 as image information. Send out. The MO drive 3 sequentially records the received image information on the MO 2a. This image information is sequentially recorded in MOs 2b, 2c,... As the amount of stored information reaches the storage capacity of each MO. That is, in the MO drive 3, the medium is replaced each time the capacity of each MO becomes full, and the image information is sequentially recorded.

  When the examination is completed in the endoscope system 6 and an end command is sent from the video processor 13 to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 via the cable 24 as described above, the end command is input from the communication I / F 33, It is sent to CPU34. When receiving the end command, the CPU 34 ends the processing for the inspection.

  Next, the operation when the recorded endoscope image is searched and reproduced by the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 will be described. In the present embodiment, the search for the endoscope image is performed based on the examination management information recorded on the hard disk 4.

  In the present embodiment, the following two search methods are used. The operator selects a search method using the keyboard 8. The command sent from the keyboard 8 to the image recording / reproducing apparatus 1 is input to the CPU 34 via the keyboard I / F 39. The CPU 34 determines the search method selected from the received signal, and executes the following operation from the determination result according to the search method.

(1) In the case of the search method A1 The search method A1 displays a list of management information (patient information) on all tests recorded on the hard disk 4 on the monitor 7, and selects and specifies a target test from the list. Is what you do.

  When the search method A1 is selected, the CPU 34 reads out the patient information on all the examinations recorded on the hard disk 4 from the SCSI controller 37 and sequentially sends out the patient information to the display controller 38. The display controller 38 sequentially displays the received patient information on the monitor 7.

  The operator specifies a desired examination from the patient information displayed on the monitor 7 and selects the examination with the keyboard 7. When receiving the selection signal from the keyboard 7, the CPU 34 sends the volume label of the MO recording the image information of the selected examination to the display controller 38. The display controller 38 causes the monitor 7 to display the received volume label. The operator inserts the MO corresponding to the volume label displayed on the monitor 7 into the MO drive 3.

  Then, the CPU 34 reads out image information of a target inspection from the MO inserted in the MO drive 3 via the SCSI controller 37 and sends out the read out image information to the display controller 38. The display controller 38 causes the monitor 7 to display an endoscope image of a target examination from the received image information.

  Thus, based on the management information of the image information, it is possible to easily search for and display the image information of the target examination from a large number of pieces of image information.

  This search method A1 is effective when all the tests performed in the past are targeted and all items set in the patient information are searched as search conditions.

(2) In the case of the search method A2 In the search method A2, an item serving as a search condition is selected from among the items of the management information (patient information), and a list of tests that meet the condition among the items is displayed on the monitor 7. Then, the intended inspection is specified.

  When the search method A2 is selected, the CPU 34 causes the display controller 38 to display the items of the set patient information on the monitor 7. The operator specifies an item serving as a search condition from the items displayed on the monitor 7 and selects the item using the keyboard 7.

  When an item serving as a search condition is selected, the CPU 34 reads information of the selected item from the patient information relating to all examinations recorded on the hard disk 4 from the SCSI controller 37, converts the read information into a list format, and displays the information in a list. 38. The display controller 38 displays the received information on the monitor 7 sequentially.

  The operator specifies information serving as a condition for specifying a target test from the information displayed on the monitor 7, and selects the information using the keyboard 7. When the condition information is selected, the CPU reads the patient information of all the examinations matching the condition information from the hard disk 4 by the SCSI controller 37 for the selected item, and sends it to the display controller. The display controller 38 causes the monitor 7 to display a list of the received patient information.

  Next, the operator specifies a target examination from the patient information displayed in a list on the monitor 7 and selects the target examination using the keyboard 7. If the target test cannot be specified in this state, the operator further specifies an item that becomes a search condition from the items not selected by the above operation among the items of the patient information, and The operation after the identification is repeated until the target inspection can be identified.

  When the target examination is specified, the same operation as in the above-described search method A1 is performed, and the MO of the corresponding volume label is inserted, so that the endoscope image of the target examination is displayed on the monitor 7. Is done.

  In this way, similar to the search method A1, based on the management information of the image information, it is possible to easily search for and display the image information of the target examination from a large number of pieces of image information.

  This search method A2 is effective when all the tests performed in the past are targeted, and the items set in the patient information are narrowly searched one by one according to the condition. For example, when a patient performs a plurality of types of tests a plurality of times, the target patient is first identified from the patient name or the patient ID number for all tests, and the test Is used for a search that narrows down the target gradually, such as specifying a target test content from the items of the above, and specifying a target test for the test of the test content.

  In any of the search methods A1 and A2, the hard disk 4 functions as a database of management information, that is, patient information. Therefore, there are a plurality of MOs, and it is not possible to specify in which MO the target image information is recorded. Even in this case, all the tests recorded in the past can be easily searched as search targets. Therefore, there is no need to insert a plurality of MOs one by one into the MO drive 3 and search for each MO.

  According to the present embodiment, information of an endoscope image is divided into image information and management information, each of which is recorded on a separate recording medium, a database of management information is created, and based on this management information, By managing the endoscope images, even when there are a plurality of recording devices or recording media that have recorded image information, it is possible to collectively manage the respective recording media and manage and search a large amount of image information. This can be easily performed.

  4 to 6 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of an inter-hospital network system. FIG. 5 is an intra-hospital network in one hospital in the inter-hospital network system. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the image recording / reproducing apparatus.

  In the present embodiment, a configuration example of an endoscope image filing system in an inter-hospital network system connecting a plurality of hospitals will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the hospital-to-hospital network system connects the hospital (1) 51a, the hospital (2) 51b, the hospital (3) 51c, the hospital (4) 51d, and the server 52 with public lines 53a, 53b, 53c, respectively. The connection by 53d forms a WAN (Wide Area Network). The hospital-to-hospital network system can be expanded by connecting a hospital having the same configuration as these hospitals 51a to 51d to the server 52 via a public line.

  The in-hospital network system inside each hospital 51 (representing 51a to 51d) has a configuration as shown in FIG. The in-hospital network system forms a LAN (Local Area Network) by connecting the image recording / reproducing devices 55a, 55b, 55c and the server 57 with a communication line 58. Endoscope systems 56a and 56b are connected to the image recording and reproducing devices 55a and 55b, respectively. Further, a monitor 59 for displaying image information and management information of the endoscope image and a keyboard 60 are connected to the image recording / reproducing device 55c.

  A gateway 61 is connected to the communication line 58, and the gateway 61 is connected to a public line 53 (representing 53a to 53d), and is connected to the server 52 via the public line 53. .

  The endoscope systems 56a and 56b have the same configuration as the endoscope system 6 of the first embodiment, and are connected to the image recording / reproducing devices 55a and 55b via the cable 24.

  By connecting the image recording / reproducing devices 55d, 55e, ... and the endoscope systems 56c, 56d, ... to the communication line 58, the in-hospital network system can be expanded.

  The in-hospital network systems of the hospital (1) 51a, the hospital (2) 51b, the hospital (3) 51c, and the hospital (4) 51d have the same configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the image recording / reproducing device 55 (representing 55a to 55c) converts an analog video signal input from the endoscope system 56 (representing 56a, 56b) into a digital signal into an A / D signal. The input unit has an A / D converter 70 for conversion, and an output stage of the A / D converter 70 is provided with a frame memory 71 for storing A / D-converted video signals. It is connected. The image recording / reproducing device 55 includes a memory controller 80 that instructs writing and reading of data to and from the frame memory 71, and a communication interface (I / I) that transmits and receives patient information and commands to and from the endoscope system 56. F) 73, a CPU 74 for controlling each unit, a RAM 75 for storing and reading data, a ROM 76 storing a program for driving the CPU 74, and a command or data connected to the server 57 and the gateway 61 via the communication line 58. A network interface (I / F) 77 for controlling the transfer of the image data, a display controller 78 for controlling the monitor 59, and a keyboard interface (I / F) 79 for inputting a signal transmitted from the keyboard 60. Are connected on the bus line 72. That.

  Next, an operation of the system of the present embodiment when recording an endoscope image captured by an endoscope inspection by the endoscope system 56 will be described. The operation of the endoscope system 56 at the time of the endoscopic examination is the same as that of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  When an examination is started in the endoscope system 56 and the patient information is transmitted from the video processor 13 to the image recording / reproducing device 55 via the cable 24 as in the first embodiment, the patient information is transmitted to the communication I / F 73. And sent to the CPU 74. The CPU 74 sends out the received patient information to the network I / F 77. The network I / F 77 sends out the received patient information to the server 57 via the communication line 58 as the management information of the examination in the hospital. Then, in the server 57, management information of the examination in the hospital is recorded.

  The network I / F 77 sends the received patient information and hospital name to the gateway 61 via the communication line 58 as examination management information. The gateway 61 sends the received management information to the server 52 via the public line 53. Then, in the server 52, management information of the examination in each hospital is recorded.

  The video signal input from the video processor 13 to the image recording / reproducing device 55 via the cable 24 is transmitted to the network I / F 77 by the same operation as that of the first embodiment to the MO drive 3. Is done. The network I / F 77 sends the received video signal to the server 57 as image information via the communication line 58. Then, in the server 57, the image information is sequentially recorded in the recording means.

  When the examination is ended in the endoscope system 56 and the end command is input to the image recording / reproducing device 55 as in the end of the examination in the first embodiment, the CPU 74 receives the end command and processes the examination. To end.

  The operation at the time of recording the endoscope image is the same in each of the endoscope system 56a, the image recording / reproducing device 55a, and the endoscope system 56b and the image recording / reproducing device 55b.

  Next, the operation when the image recording / reproducing device 55c searches for and reproduces the endoscope image recorded on the server 57 in the hospital will be described. In this case, the search for the endoscope image is performed based on the management information of the examination in the hospital recorded in the server 57.

  The operator selects a method for calling the image information from the server 57 in the hospital using the keyboard 60. As this search method, the search method A1 or the search method A2 shown in the first embodiment can be cited. Next, in the same manner as the operation of specifying the target test from the management information recorded on the hard disk 4 in the first embodiment, the operator performs the target test from the hospital management information recorded on the server 57. Select and identify.

  When the target inspection is specified, the image recording / reproducing device 55c transmits the image information from the server 57 via the communication line 58 in the same manner as in the case of reading the image information from the MO inserted into the MO drive in the first embodiment. The image information is read, and an endoscope image of the target examination is displayed on the monitor 59.

  Next, a description will be given of an operation when an endoscopic image in which an examination is performed at another hospital connected to the WAN of the inter-hospital network system and image information is recorded is retrieved from the hospital (1) 51a and reproduced. In this case, the search for the endoscope image is performed based on the examination management information recorded in the server 52 of the WAN.

  The operator selects a method for calling the image information from the server 52 outside the hospital using the keyboard 60. In this embodiment, the following four search methods are used. When the operator selects a search method using the keyboard 60, the image recording / reproducing device 55c executes the following operation according to the selected search method.

(1) Search Method B1 The search method B1 displays a list of patient information from the management information of all tests recorded in the server 52 on the monitor 59, and selects and specifies a target test from the list. It is.

  When this search method B1 is selected, the image recording / reproducing device 55c operates the server 52 in the same manner as when reading out the patient information of all the tests recorded on the hard disk 4 in the search method A1 of the first embodiment. Is read out from the server 52 via the gateway 61 and displayed on the monitor 59.

  The operator specifies a desired test from the patient information displayed on the monitor 59 and selects the target test using the keyboard 60. The image recording / reproducing device 55c extracts the name of the hospital that has performed the examination and recorded the image information from the management information on the selected examination and displays the name on the monitor 59.

  Then, the operator checks the display on the monitor 59, and sends a message of the content requesting the hospital in which the image information is stored to send the image information of the target examination as an electronic mail from the image recording / reproducing device 55c to the public. Send to the target hospital via the line 53. The hospital that has received the e-mail calls the requested image information from the server in the hospital by the image recording / reproducing device in the hospital, and via the public line 53, the image recording / reproducing device 55c in the hospital that sent the e-mail. To send to. This image information is received from the network I / F 77 of the image recording / reproducing device 55c via the gateway 61 and the communication line 58, and is sent to the CPU 74. The CPU 74 sends the received image information to the display controller 78 and causes the monitor 59 to display a target endoscopic image of the examination.

  In this way, based on the management information of the image information comprehensively recorded in the server 52 of the inter-hospital network system, the image information of the target examination is extracted from the large number of image information recorded in the plurality of hospitals. It can be easily searched and displayed.

  This search method B1 is effective when all the examinations performed in the past at each hospital connected to the WAN are targeted, and all the items set in the patient information are searched as search conditions.

(2) In the case of the search method B2 The search method B2 selects an item serving as a search condition among the items of the patient information from the management information of all the examinations recorded in the server 52, and sets a condition in the item. A list of matching tests is displayed on the monitor 59, and a target test is specified.

  When the search method B2 is selected, the image recording / reproducing device 55c reads information on the items of the patient information recorded in the server 52 from the server 52 via the public line 53, and monitors the list of the items of the patient information. Display at 59. The operator specifies an item serving as a search condition from the items displayed on the monitor 59 and selects the item using the keyboard 60.

  When an item serving as a search condition is selected, the operator operates the search method A2 according to the first embodiment to read out target inspection information from the MO drive 3 via the SCSI controller 37 in the same manner as described above. The refined search is performed, and the image recording / reproducing device 55c reads out the endoscope image of the target examination specified by the search from the server 52 via the public line 53, and displays it on the monitor 59.

  In this manner, similar to the search method B1, based on the management information of the image information comprehensively recorded in the server 52 of the inter-hospital network system, based on the management information of the image information, a large number of image information recorded in a plurality of hospitals is selected. It is possible to easily retrieve and display image information of a target inspection.

  This search method B2 targets all the examinations performed in the past at each hospital connected to the WAN, and similarly to the search method A2 of the first embodiment, one by one with respect to the items set in the patient information according to the conditions. This is effective when performing a refined search.

(3) Search method B3 In search method B3, a specific hospital is specified, and a list of patient information of all examinations recorded on a server in the specified hospital is displayed on the monitor 59. It specifies the test.

  When this search method B3 is selected, the image recording / reproducing device 55c reads information on the hospital connected to the server 52 from the server 52 via the public line 53, and displays a list of hospital names on the monitor 59. .

  The operator specifies the target hospital from the display on the monitor 59, and inputs the hospital name of the selected hospital from the keyboard 60 to the image recording / reproducing device 55c. The image recording / reproducing device 55c reads out, via the public line 53, the patient information of all the examinations performed in this hospital and recording the image information from the specified hospital name, and displays the patient information in the search method B1 on the monitor 59. A list of patient information is displayed on the monitor 59 in the same manner as in the case of performing the operation. Then, the operator specifies a target test from the patient information displayed on the monitor 59 and selects the target test using the keyboard 60.

  When the target test is specified by the operator, the image recording / reproducing device 55c transmits the endoscope image of the target test to the server by the same operation as the operation after the specification of the target test in the search method B1. The data is read out from 52 via a public line 53 and displayed on a monitor 59.

  In this way, based on the management information of the image information comprehensively recorded in the server 52 of the inter-hospital network system, the hospital where the image information of the target examination is recorded is specified, and the hospital is recorded in this hospital. It is possible to easily retrieve and display image information of a target inspection from among a large number of pieces of image information.

  In the search method B3, when the hospital that has performed the target test and recorded the image has been specified in advance, all the tests performed in the past for the specified hospital in the same manner as the search method A1 of the first embodiment. This is effective when all items set in the patient information are searched as search conditions.

(4) In the case of the search method B4 The search method B4 specifies a specific hospital, and specifies the target test by the same method as the search method B2 for all the tests recorded in the server in the specified hospital. Is what you do.

  When the search method B4 is selected, the image recording / reproducing device 55c operates in the same manner as the case of the search method B3 by the same operation as that until the item of the patient information is displayed on the monitor 59 in the search method B2. A list of items of patient information relating to all examinations in which image information recorded at the hospital with the hospital name specified by the operation is recorded is displayed on the monitor 59.

  The operator specifies the target examination from the items of the patient information displayed on the monitor 59 by the same operation as the operation after the specification of the item serving as the search condition in the search method B2. When the target test is specified, the image recording / reproducing device 55c transmits the endoscope image of the target test from the server 52 to the public by the same operation as the operation after the specification of the target test in the search method B1. The data is read out via the line 53 and displayed on the monitor 59.

  In this way, based on the management information of the image information comprehensively recorded in the server 52 of the inter-hospital network system, the hospital where the image information of the target examination is recorded is specified, and the hospital is recorded in this hospital. It is possible to easily retrieve and display image information of a target inspection from among a large number of pieces of image information.

  This search method B4 performs all tests performed in the past in the same manner as the search method A2 of the first embodiment for the specified hospital when the hospital that has performed the target test and recorded the image has been specified in advance. This is effective when narrowing down and searching for items set in the patient information one by one according to conditions.

  The above operation is the same for each hospital connected to the WAN.

  In any one of the search methods B1, B2, B3, and B4, the management information of the endoscope image of each hospital connected to the WAN is recorded in the server 52 in an integrated manner, and the search is performed at each hospital. The patient information of the test that recorded the information can be shared. That is, based on the patient information, the server 52 can access the server of each hospital through the public line 53, so that the image information of each examination in each hospital can be shared. Further, in this case, since the information to be recorded in the server 52 is only the management information, a relatively small amount of information is sufficient.

  This effect is obtained, for example, when a patient who has undergone an examination at the hospital (1) 51a is referred to the hospital (2) 51b, and a doctor in charge of the patient at the hospital (2) 51b performs an examination performed at the hospital (1) 51a. This is effective when comparing the content of the test with the content of the inspection performed by the user. It is also effective when exchanging information about cases to be referred to in diagnosis between hospitals.

  It is also possible to store the management information of the endoscope image separately on the network of each hospital without providing the server 52. In this case, the management information is exchanged by communication between the hospitals. By doing so, it becomes possible to easily manage all the endoscope images on the WAN.

  Also in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the information of the endoscope image is divided into image information and management information, each is recorded on another recording medium, and a management information database is created. By managing the endoscope image based on the management information, even when the image information is recorded on a plurality of recording devices and recording media on the network, the management of each recording medium is collectively performed. This makes it possible to easily manage and search a large amount of image information.

[Appendix]
(1) In an endoscope image filing apparatus that records an endoscope image obtained by endoscopic observation,
First recording means for recording image information of the endoscope image on a first recording medium;
A second recording unit that records management information on the endoscope image on a second recording medium,
An endoscope image filing apparatus comprising:

(2) In an endoscope image filing apparatus that records an endoscope image obtained by endoscopic observation,
First recording means for recording image information of the endoscope image on a first recording medium;
A second recording unit that comprehensively makes available management information on the endoscope image and records the management information on a second recording medium;
An endoscope image filing apparatus comprising:

(3) The endoscope image filing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the first recording medium is a portable recording medium, and the second recording medium is a fixed recording medium.

(4) The endoscopic image filing apparatus according to supplementary note 1, wherein the first recording medium includes a plurality of recording media, and the second recording medium includes a single recording medium.

(5) The endoscopic image filing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the first recording medium is a magneto-optical disk, and the second recording medium is a hard disk.

(6) An in-hospital network in which endoscope systems in a hospital are connected by a LAN (Local Area Network), and an inter-hospital network in which a plurality of hospitals having the in-hospital network are connected by a WAN (Wide Area Network). Has,
The endoscope image filing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first recording medium is provided on the LAN, and the second recording medium is provided on the WAN.

Configuration explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the endoscope image filing system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Configuration explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the endoscope system FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the image recording / reproducing apparatus according to the first embodiment. Configuration explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of an inter-hospital network system constituting an endoscope image filing system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Configuration explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the intra-hospital network system inside one hospital in the inter-hospital network system FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an image recording / reproducing device according to a second embodiment.

Explanation of reference numerals

1. Image recording / reproducing apparatus 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d ... Magneto-optical disk (MO)
3: Magneto-optical disk drive (MO drive)
4 Hard disk 6 Endoscope system 7 Monitor 8 Keyboard
Attorney Susumu Ito

Claims (2)

In an endoscope image filing apparatus that manages an endoscope image obtained by endoscopic observation,
A plurality of hospitals that perform endoscopic observation and record and hold image information of the obtained endoscope image in a recording unit,
Along with the management information on the endoscope image, a server means for recording a hospital name holding image information of the endoscope image in association with the management information,
Control means for displaying information capable of specifying a hospital holding image information of an endoscope image corresponding to an examination specified by selection from the management information recorded in the server means,
An endoscope image filing apparatus comprising:   The endoscope image filing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of hospitals and the server unit are connected via a network.

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