JP2006025960A - Medical diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To diagnose a tissue integrally both from the functional point of view and the morphological point of view, and especially to recognize the position and distribution of active regions while recognizing the form of the tissue inside a living body. <P>SOLUTION: The subject medical diagnostic system comprises a nuclear medical diagnostic apparatus 10, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12, and a robot 90. A detection unit 20 has a pair of detection parts 22 and 24 facing each other. A functional image as a projection image is formed by detecting a pair of annihilation gamma rays by the detection unit 20. On the other hand, ultrasonic waves are transmitted/received by a probe 40 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12, by which an ultrasonic image as a morphological image is formed. The functional image and the morphological image are juxtaposed or superimposed as a composite image to be displayed. In addition, information showing the positional relation between both images is also displayed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical diagnostic system, and more particularly to a system combining a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  In nuclear medicine diagnosis, a medicine containing a tracer as a radioactive element is introduced into a living body, and radiation from the living body is detected. Thereby, it is possible to diagnose the metabolic function, circulatory function, presence or absence of malignant tumor, etc. As a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus for that purpose, a γ camera, a SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) apparatus, a PET (positron emission tomography) apparatus, and the like are known. The SPECT apparatus is an apparatus that forms a tomographic image by CT calculation, and one having a plurality of planar detectors, one having a ring-shaped array detector, and the like are known. The PET apparatus is an apparatus that forms a tomographic image by detecting annihilation gamma rays (a pair of 511 kev gamma rays that are emitted in opposite directions) generated when positrons emitted from positron nuclides combine with free electrons. The PET apparatus has a ring-shaped array detector and forms a tomographic image. Further, in an opposed positron two-dimensional detection device having a pair of planar detectors arranged opposite to each other, a projection image (integrated projection image) is formed by detecting annihilation γ rays.

  The image formed by the above nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus is a “functional image” reflecting the activity of the living body, and in the “morphological image” representing the form of the living body, such as an X-ray CT image, an MRI image, and an ultrasonic image. Absent. Although the tissue structure can be grasped according to the morphological image, it is difficult to specify and identify the property of the tissue, for example, whether it is tumor, malignant or benign, on the image, or skill is required for that. On the other hand, in the case of a functional image, the state of activity in the living body can be imaged by the activity of the drug, but it is difficult to recognize the active site only from the functional image, or skill is required for that. Note that the functional image is generally an image having no real-time property and is not suitable for real-time observation.

  The following Patent Document 1 describes a technology that accurately associates an emission image and an MRI image in an anatomical positional relationship, but does not describe any ultrasonic diagnosis or use of an ultrasonic image. .

JP 2002-214347 A

  As described above, the functional image and the morphological image have an interpolative relationship, and it is desired to form both of these images and use them for diagnosis. Here, as a morphological image, it is desired to use an ultrasonic image from the viewpoints of avoiding unnecessary radiation exposure, real-time measurement, system cost, and the like.

  An object of the present invention is to enable comprehensive diagnosis of a tissue from both a functional aspect and a morphological aspect by using nuclear medicine diagnosis and ultrasonic diagnosis. In particular, the position and distribution of the active site can be recognized while recognizing the tissue form in the living body.

(1) The present invention relates to a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus that detects radiation from a three-dimensional space in a living body to which a medicine containing a radioactive substance is administered, and forms a nuclear medicine image by projecting the three-dimensional space; An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for forming an ultrasonic image corresponding to a beam scanning plane positioned in the space, and the positional relationship information representing the positional relationship between the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image while displaying the nuclear medicine Display processing means for simultaneously displaying an image and the ultrasonic image.

  According to the above configuration, a nuclear medicine image (projected image) as a functional image is formed by the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, and an ultrasonic image as a morphological image is formed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. These images are displayed simultaneously. According to the nuclear medicine image, the living tissue can be diagnosed from the functional aspect, and from the ultrasonic image, the living tissue can be diagnosed from the morphological aspect, and thereby the tissue can be comprehensively diagnosed. In particular, the nuclear medicine image itself can recognize the position and size on the projection of the active site, but cannot recognize the position in the depth direction of the site. In this regard, if an ultrasonic image is used to observe the structure of a living tissue in the depth direction, the position and form in the depth direction can be easily recognized for a site where activity is considered to occur. In addition, since the positional relationship information is displayed when two images are simultaneously displayed, the positional relationship between the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasound image can be recognized without error by using such information. And the diagnosis in terms of morphology can be performed accurately.

  The above display processing means is preferably provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, but an external computer (for example, a host apparatus connected to both apparatuses via a network) or the like may be provided with the function. It can also be provided in a medical diagnostic apparatus. The nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus is particularly preferably an opposed positron two-dimensional detection apparatus having a pair of spaced-apart detectors facing each other through a living body, but the present invention is applied to other nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatuses. It is also possible. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is particularly preferably an apparatus that forms a beam scanning surface by scanning an ultrasonic beam and forms a two-dimensional tomographic image (B-mode image) from a reception signal obtained thereby. A three-dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that further scans the surface to form a three-dimensional data capture space can also be used. The probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves is preferably held by a positioning mechanism such as a robot, but it is also possible for a user to hold the probe and perform ultrasonic diagnosis. In a preferred embodiment, the spatial position and orientation (coordinate information) of the probe or beam scanning plane are detected, while the position and orientation (coordinate information) of the pair of detectors are also detected as necessary. Further, if necessary, other coordinate information (for example, patient coordinate information) is detected, and the positional relationship information is obtained based on the coordinate information. The coordinate information about the probe can be detected by providing a position sensor in the positioning mechanism that holds the probe, or by providing a magnetic sensor or the like on the probe itself while generating a magnetic field for coordinate detection. When the spatial coordinates of the probe relative to the coordinate origin of the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus can be specified (that is, when the spatial coordinates of the probe are specified as relative coordinates with respect to the nuclear medicine detection apparatus), the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus side It is also possible to eliminate the need for coordinate detection at.

  It is particularly desirable to simultaneously display the nuclear medicine image and the real-time ultrasound image that have been processed and formed at the present time, but the nuclear medicine image stored on the storage device is read out and stored in the real-time ultrasound image or storage device. It is also possible to display together with the ultrasonic image. In that case, it is desirable to store information defining the positional relationship between the two together with each image.

  The positional relationship information may be displayed as a marker superimposed on one of the images, or separately displayed as a graphic image that schematically represents the spatial positional relationship between both images (or the detection unit and the probe). May be.

(2) In the above configuration, preferably, the positional relationship information includes a plane marker displayed on the nuclear medicine image, and the plane marker represents a spatial position of the beam scanning plane. Preferably, in the orthogonal mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are orthogonal, a cross-sectional line is displayed as the plane marker, and the nuclear medicine image including the cross-sectional line and the ultrasonic wave are displayed. The image is displayed side by side.

  According to the said structure, the spatial position of a beam scanning surface can be grasped | ascertained from the plane marker as a cross-sectional line displayed on the nuclear medicine image. If the beam scanning plane is translated while maintaining the orthogonal relationship, the entire tissue structure in the three-dimensional space can be recognized in relation to the active site and the active distribution on the nuclear medicine image. It is also possible to specify the position and form in the depth direction. That is, in observing the projection image, depth information can be complementarily provided to the user by the ultrasonic image.

  Preferably, a pixel value distribution on the cross-sectional line is displayed in addition to the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasound image. When adopting this configuration, desirably, a means for extracting a one-dimensional distribution of pixel values (projection values) on a cross-sectional line from a projection image, a means for expressing the one-dimensional distribution as a distribution image such as a histogram, Is provided. Even if it is difficult to visually or quantitatively recognize the distribution of luminance values (or projection values) on the cross-sectional line from the luminance values and hues of each part in the nuclear medicine image, the pixel value distribution is displayed simultaneously. Then, the position, size, degree of spread, etc. of the active site on the beam scanning plane can be predicted from the distribution position, distribution width, distribution shape, etc., and the active site is searched by translating the beam scanning plane. Very helpful in case.

  Preferably, in the parallel mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are parallel, the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasound image are displayed side by side, or the nuclear medicine image and The ultrasonic image is superimposed and displayed. If both images are displayed side by side, the contents of each image can be accurately grasped, and if they are displayed in a superimposed manner, both the function and the form can be directly related and accurately diagnosed. When such a superimposed composite display is employed, it is desirable that one image is formed as a black and white image (or a roughly shade image of one color) and the other image is formed as a color image. Usually, an ultrasound image is formed as an image in which echo values are associated with luminance values, and a nuclear medicine image is formed as a color image in which projection values are associated with hues.

  Preferably, the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus forms a nuclear medicine image in which the three-dimensional space is projected based on a pair of detection units arranged to face each other between the living bodies and detection results of the pair of detection units. A nuclear medicine image forming unit, wherein the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a probe that forms the beam scanning surface by scanning an ultrasound beam, and an ultrasound that forms the ultrasound image based on a received signal from the probe. A sonic image forming unit.

  When the opposed positron two-dimensional detection device having a pair of opposed detection units is used as the nuclear medicine diagnostic device, any side surface in the three-dimensional space between the pair of detection units (there is no pair of detection units) It is desirable to configure the probe so that the probe enters from the upper surface (usually above the subject) and comes into contact with the living body. With such a configuration, physical interference can be avoided.

  Desirably, a robot for positioning and holding the probe in contact with the living body is provided. The robot is preferably configured as a multi-intersection scanner, and a position sensor is preferably provided for each inter-section.

  Preferably, a guidance image that spatially expresses a positional relationship between the pair of detection units and the probe or the beam scanning plane is displayed as the positional relationship information. The guidance image is preferably configured as a graphic image having a three-dimensional expression, and includes a pair of symbols simulating a pair of detection units and a symbol simulating a probe or a beam scanning plane. Moreover, you may add the symbol which simulated the biological body. In any case, when the absolute position or relative position of the pair of detection units or probes is changed, it is desirable that the guidance image be immediately reflected.

  Preferably, the nuclear medicine image is a color image whose image content grows with the passage of time from the start of detection, and the ultrasound image is a real-time black and white image. If the ultrasound image is displayed in real time, while observing the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasound image, the probe is moved to search the target tissue (for example, the affected area), and the depth position of the target tissue is specified, or beam scanning is performed. The surface can be positioned at an appropriate position.

(3) Further, the present invention is a medical diagnostic system including a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for comprehensively diagnosing a living body to which a medicine containing a radioactive substance that emits positron is administered in terms of function and form. The nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus is based on a detection result by the pair of detection units disposed opposite to each other and detecting the annihilation γ-rays caused by the positron from the three-dimensional space in the living body. A nuclear medicine image forming unit that forms a nuclear medicine image in which the three-dimensional space is projected, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe that forms a beam scanning surface positioned in the three-dimensional space; An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that forms an ultrasonic image based on a received signal from the probe, and the medical diagnostic system further includes a combination of the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image. Characterized in that it comprises a display processing means for displaying an image.

  Preferably, means for detecting first coordinate information for the pair of detection units, means for detecting second coordinate information for the probe or the beam scanning plane, and at least the first and second coordinate information. Means for obtaining positional relation information based on the information, and means for reflecting the positional relation information in the composite image.

  Preferably, the orthogonal mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are orthogonal, the parallel mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are parallel, and the tertiary The system is selectively operated in a tilt mode in which the projection direction of the original space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are in a tilt relationship.

  In the above configuration, in the orthogonal mode, the posture of the probe may be mechanically constrained so that the orthogonal relationship is always maintained, and only free translation of the probe in that state may be allowed. This also applies to the parallel mode. In this parallel mode, the posture of the probe is mechanically constrained so that the parallel relationship is always maintained, and only free translation of the probe is allowed in that state. May be. Or you may make it support a user's operation by performing the display which shows establishment of orthogonal relation and parallel relation clearly. Further, when a robot that automatically conveys and positions a probe is used, the drive condition may be maintained in an orthogonal relationship or a parallel relationship.

  Preferably, the display mode is switched according to the selected mode. The display type displayed side by side and the display type displayed in a superimposed manner may be switched, or other display elements displayed together with the two images may be switched.

(4) Further, the present invention provides a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus that detects radiation from a three-dimensional space in a living body to which a medicine containing a radioactive substance is administered, and forms a nuclear medicine image in which the three-dimensional space is projected, and the tertiary An image processing apparatus used in a medical diagnostic system including an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that forms an ultrasonic image corresponding to a beam scanning surface positioned in a source space, wherein the nuclear medicine image, the ultrasonic image, Display processing means for simultaneously displaying the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image while displaying positional relationship information representing the positional relationship of

  The above-described image processing apparatus is desirably incorporated in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, but can also be incorporated in a nuclear medical diagnostic apparatus, and images can be obtained by acquiring information from the nuclear medical diagnostic apparatus and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It can also be configured as an information processing apparatus (computer) that executes processing. The image processing apparatus preferably includes an image processing program for executing the display process and a processor (CPU) for executing the image processing program.

  As described above, according to the present invention, a tissue can be comprehensively diagnosed from both functional and morphological aspects by using nuclear medicine diagnosis and ultrasonic diagnosis. In particular, the position and distribution of the active site can be recognized while recognizing the tissue form in the living body.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of a medical diagnosis system according to the present invention. This medical diagnostic system includes a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus 10, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12, and a robot 90 as a positioning mechanism. The living body 14 as a subject is preliminarily administered with a medicine containing a radioactive substance. Examples of the radioactive substance (positron nuclide) include ¹⁸ F and ¹⁵ O. These positron nuclides emit positrons by decay, and the positrons react with nearby electrons to emit a pair of annihilation gamma rays (511 keV) in the direction of 180 degrees and disappear.

The nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus 10 is an apparatus that detects annihilation γ-rays, and is an apparatus that forms a nuclear medicine image as a projection image as described later based on the detection result. The configuration of the nuclear medicine apparatus 10 will be described. The living body 14 is placed on the bed 16 in a supine state in the example shown in FIG. The bed 16 can be moved up and down by an elevating mechanism 18 in the vertical direction, that is, in the Y direction in the figure. The detection unit 20 includes a pair of detection units 22 and 24, the detection unit 20 is supported by a detection unit positioning mechanism 28, and the positions and orientations of the detection units 22 and 24 are determined by the detection unit positioning mechanism 28. Has been.

  The detection unit 20 is means for detecting the above-described pair of annihilation gamma rays on both sides of the living body 14. Each detection part 22 and 24 is comprised as a two-dimensional detector which detects a gamma ray, and those detection surfaces are mutually parallel. The detection unit positioning mechanism 28 includes a slider 34 that slides on the pedestal 30 in the Z direction in the figure, a unit base 36 that is held by the slider 34, and a posture variable mechanism 38 that adjusts the positions and postures of the detection units 22 and 24. have. A plurality of rails 32 are formed on the base 30, and the slider 34 slides in the Z direction by the rails 32. With such a mechanism, it is possible to freely adjust the positions and postures of the detection units 22 and 24. In the figure, the movement direction of each movable part is indicated by an arrow for reference. Needless to say, the mechanism shown in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and various other configurations can be adopted as a mechanism for changing the position and posture of the pair of detection units 22 and 24. In FIG. 1, the Y direction represents the vertical direction as described above, and the X direction and the Z direction represent two horizontal directions.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12 includes a probe 40 and a main body 42. The probe 40 functions as a transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. An ultrasonic beam is formed by the probe 40, and a scanning plane is formed by electronically scanning the ultrasonic beam. Examples of the electronic scanning method include electronic sector scanning and electronic linear scanning. The probe 40 and the main body 42 are electrically connected by a probe cable (not shown).

  The main body 42 is provided with a display unit 44 that displays an ultrasonic image. In the present embodiment, a display processing unit that synthesizes an ultrasonic image and a nuclear medicine image is provided within the main body 42, and the display unit 44. Can display a composite image formed by such a composite processing. The main body 42 is provided with an input unit 46 constituted by an operation panel. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12 and the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus 10 are connected by a cable that transmits signals. Of course, the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus 10 and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12 may be configured to be connected via a network, and a host computer that executes a composition process of the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image on the network. May be connected.

  The robot 90 has a function of positioning and holding the probe 40. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the robot 90 has a plurality of arms 52, 54, and 56 that are connected to the support column 50, and a probe holder 58 is provided at the tip of the arm 56. The probe 40 is held by the probe holder 58, and the position and posture of the probe 40 can be freely changed as a whole of the robot 90. In FIG. 1, the direction of motion at each joint is indicated by an arrow for reference. Of course, the robot 90 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and positioning mechanisms having various configurations can be employed. The robot 90 is provided with a plurality of sensors for detecting movements or positions in the joints, which will be described later with reference to FIG.

  Incidentally, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the probe 40 is held by the robot 90 as a mechanical scanner, and thus the probe 40 is stably positioned. However, the probe 40 with respect to the living body 14 is gripped by the user. May be maintained, or the contact position and posture of the living body 14 may be adjusted. In this case, the probe 40 is provided with a magnetic sensor or the like, thereby detecting the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generator, thereby detecting the spatial position and orientation of the probe 40 (or scanning surface). Also good. Such a configuration can also be applied when using a robot not provided with a plurality of sensors. Further, the robot 90 can be provided with a drive unit that drives each joint, and the position and posture of the probe can be adjusted by electrically controlling the drive unit. In any case, it is desirable that the position and posture of the probe 40 can be freely adjusted, and that the contact pressure of the probe 40 with respect to the living body 14 is properly maintained.

  Next, the function of each component in the medical diagnosis system shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  As described above, the nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus 10 has a pair of detection units 22 and 24. Since they have the same configuration, the structure of the detection unit 22 will be described here.

  The detection unit 22 includes a scintillator unit 60, a photoelectron conversion unit 62, and an amplification unit 64. The scintillator section 60 is composed of a plurality of scintillator elements 60a arranged two-dimensionally. The photoelectric conversion unit 62 includes a plurality of position-sensitive PMTs (photomultiplier tubes) 62a, and light generated in each scintillator element 60a is converted into an electric signal by any of the position-sensitive PMTs 62a to emit light. An electric signal appears at the output position corresponding to the position where the occurrence of the error occurs. The amplifying unit 64 includes a plurality of amplifiers 64a provided corresponding to the scintillator elements 60a, and an input amplified signal is amplified by each amplifier 64a. Here, the scintillator element is constituted by a solid scintillator such as BGO, GSO, or LSO. Therefore, in the detection unit 22, when the annihilation γ-ray 65 is incident, an electric signal is output from the amplifier corresponding to the incident position. The same applies to the detector 24. When the annihilation γ-ray 67 is incident, an electric signal is output from the amplifier corresponding to the incident position. Incidentally, in FIG. 2, a pair of annihilation γ rays 65 and 67 emitted with a 180-degree relationship is shown. The timing processing unit 66 is a circuit that processes a detection signal as an effective signal only when the detection signals are obtained simultaneously by both the detection units 22 and 24, and the effective signal is incident by the timing process for determining such simultaneous detection. The position can be specified. Only such a valid signal is output to the image forming unit 68.

  The image forming unit 68 maps the detection value on the detection surface (projection surface) based on the input valid signal, thereby forming a projection image. The pixel value of each pixel constituting the projected image corresponds to an integrated value obtained by integrating the detection values. That is, the nuclear medicine image is an image in which the pixel value of each pixel grows according to the elapsed time from the start of detection. When combining and displaying an ultrasound image and a nuclear medicine image, which will be described later, a nuclear medicine image that has been grown can be used, or a nuclear medicine image that is in the middle of growth can be used.

  The image data of the nuclear medicine image formed by the image forming unit 68 is output to the display processing unit 82 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12. The detection unit positioning mechanism 28 and the elevating mechanism 18 are controlled by the control unit 70. The control signals are represented by reference numerals 200 and 202. The position signal 203 output from the lifting mechanism 18 and the position signal 201 output from the detection unit positioning mechanism 28 are input to the control unit 70, and the control unit 70 recognizes coordinate information about the nuclear medicine image. . The coordinate information is output to the display processing unit 82 together with the nuclear medicine image data 204 described above, and is indicated by reference numeral 206 in FIG. The control unit 70 transmits control information 208 to and from the system controller 78 provided on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12 side.

  Next, the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12 will be described.

  The transmission / reception unit 72 functions as a transmission beam former and a reception beam former. That is, a plurality of transmission signals are supplied from the transmission / reception unit 72 to the array transducer provided in the probe 40. As a result, ultrasonic waves are emitted from the probe 40 to the living body 14.

  On the other hand, the reflected wave from the living body 14 is received by the probe 40, whereby a plurality of reception signals are output from the array transducer. The plurality of reception signals are input to the transmission / reception unit 72, and phasing addition processing is performed on the plurality of reception signals. As a result, the received signal (echo data) after the phasing addition is output to the image forming unit 74. The image forming unit 74 is configured as a digital scan converter (DSC), for example, and maps echo data as a two-dimensional tomographic image (B-mode image). Incidentally, in FIG. 2, signal processing circuits such as a detector and a logarithmic converter are not shown. The formed two-dimensional tomographic image, that is, image data 214 of the ultrasonic image is output to the display processing unit 82.

  The control unit 76 performs operation control of each component provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12. Further, a system controller 78 is provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12 shown in FIG. The system controller 78 controls the entire medical diagnosis system shown in FIG. 2, and particularly provides necessary control information to the control unit 76 and the control unit 70. Incidentally, the system controller 78 may be integrated with the control unit 76. Each of the control units 70 and 76 and the system controller 78 is constituted by a CPU that performs a program operation, for example. A graphic image generation unit 80 is connected to the system controller 78, and a graphic image to be combined with the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image is generated by the graphic image generation unit 80. Of course, the graphic image generation unit 80 may be realized as a function of the control unit 76 or the system controller 78. The graphic image image data 216 generated by the graphic image generation unit 80 is output to the display processing unit 82.

  The display processing unit 82 constitutes an image to be displayed on the display unit 44 based on each input image data. The operation of the display processing unit 82 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 1. The display processing unit 82 superimposes a nuclear medicine image and an ultrasound image by combining them, and superimposes the ultrasound image and the nuclear medicine image. And a function for synthesizing and displaying them, and a function for synthesizing graphic images with these synthesized images. An external storage device 84 is connected to the display processing unit 82, and a display image as a synthesis processing result can be stored on the external storage device 84. Such an external storage device or storage unit can also be provided in the nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus 10. For example, an already formed nuclear medicine image is stored on an external storage device, and the nuclear medicine image is read out from the stored image and transmitted to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12, thereby synthesizing the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image. May be performed. An input unit 46 is connected to the system controller 78. As described above, the input unit 46 is configured by an operation panel or the like.

  Incidentally, a host controller may be configured by a computer or the like separately from the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus 10 and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 12, and the host controller may perform system control and image synthesis processing. For example, a configuration indicated by reference numeral 86 is given as a function of the host controller. The user can select and specify an operation mode or a display type, which will be described later, using the input unit 46.

  Signals from a plurality of sensors provided in the robot 90 are given to the control unit 76 and the display processing unit 82 as coordinate information 212. Using this coordinate information 212 and the coordinate information 206 output from the nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus 10, the positional relationship between the three-dimensional space where the nuclear medicine diagnosis is performed and the scanning plane where the ultrasonic wave is transmitted and received, that is, the nuclear medicine image. And an ultrasonic image can be recognized. For example, the system controller 78 calculates the relative position and coordinates of the probe from the coordinate information 206 output from the nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus 10 and the coordinate information 212 output from the robot 14, and uses the relative coordinate information. Then, an image composition process described later may be performed. In any case, if the relative positional relationship between the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasound image is obtained, the display image can be configured with an appropriate positional relationship as will be described later. When the robot 90 is provided with a plurality of joint portions and a drive portion is provided at each joint portion, the operation of each drive portion is controlled by the system controller 78. For example, it is possible to set the scanning plane at a desired position using the input unit 40 while maintaining the contact state of the probe 40 with the living body 14. Further, in the orthogonal mode or the parallel mode described later, it is possible to translate the scanning plane while maintaining the orthogonal relationship or the parallel relationship.

  FIG. 3 shows a more specific configuration example of the robot 90 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The robot 90A shown in FIG. 3 will be described below.

  As described above, the robot 90A has a plurality of arms 100, 102, 104, and the like. Further, joint portions 106, 108, 110 are provided between the arms 100, 102, 104 and between the arm 104 and the probe holder 98. Each joint 106, 108, 110 is provided with an encoder 114, 116, 118, 120, and the probe holder 98 also detects an angle of rotation of two axes with respect to the joint 112 that drives the probe 96 to rotate. 122 and 124 are provided. Thus, by providing an encoder for each movable part in the robot 90A, it is possible to detect the spatial position and orientation of the probe 96 as a result, that is, to specify the position and orientation of the scanning plane. It becomes possible. The configuration shown in FIG. 3 is, of course, an example, and other configurations may be adopted.

  Next, each operation mode of the medical diagnosis system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This medical diagnosis system is roughly divided into an orthogonal mode, a parallel mode, and an oblique mode (arbitrary mode).

  FIG. 4 shows a state in the orthogonal mode, that is, the positional relationship between the pair of detection units 22 and 24 and the scanning plane S. In FIG. 4, the X direction is the projection direction, and the direction of the scanning plane S (that is, the normal direction perpendicular to the scanning plane S) is orthogonal to the projection direction. As a result, the nuclear medicine image constructed by the projection process and the two-dimensional tomographic image obtained by imaging the scanning plane S have an orthogonal relationship, and the scanning plane S is recognized as one line on the projection image. Incidentally, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the central axis of the scanning surface S coincides with the Y direction, and the rotation angle θ around the central axis of the scanning surface S is represented as 90 degrees. In this state, the scanning surface S can be translated in the Z direction, and the orthogonal relationship can be maintained even if it is rotated in the φ direction as shown in the figure.

  FIG. 5 shows the positional relationship in the parallel mode. In this parallel mode, the scanning surface S is parallel to the detection surface. That is, both the projection direction and the direction of the scanning plane S are the X direction. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the central axis of the scanning surface S coincides with the Y direction, and the rotation angle θ around the central axis of the scanning surface S is 0 degree in such a positional relationship. In such a state, the scanning surface S can be translated in the X direction while maintaining the parallel relationship, and the parallel relationship can be maintained even if the scanning surface S is rotated in the φ direction, for example.

  Next, display examples in each mode will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 6 shows a display example in the orthogonal mode. In the orthogonal mode, as shown in FIG. 6, a functional image 130 as a nuclear medicine image and a morphological image 132 as an ultrasonic image (two-dimensional tomographic image) are displayed side by side. Here, the functional image 130 corresponds to a partial image cut out from the whole nuclear medicine image in the example shown in FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, a cutout area 146 is set in the entire functional image 144, and the functional image 130 shown in FIG. 6 is obtained by cutting out the image portion of the cutout area 146. The cutout area 146 is an area that includes or is defined based on the extraction line 148 in the example shown in FIG. 7, and the extraction line 148 corresponds to the scanning plane in the example shown in FIG. Accordingly, the size Y1 of the cutout area 146 in the Y direction is defined by both ends A and B of the extraction line 148, while the size Z1 of the cutout area 146 in the Z direction is a predetermined size.

  As described above, the extraction line 148 corresponds to the scanning plane. In this embodiment, pixel values, that is, radiation intensity values are extracted from the functional image 144 on the extraction line 148. A histogram (intensity distribution) 140 shown in FIG. 6 is an image in which the extracted pixel value sequence is displayed for each pixel or for each predetermined section.

  A plane marker 134 is displayed on the functional image 130. In the example shown in FIG. 6, a line-shaped plane marker 134 corresponding to the side surface of the scanning surface is displayed in the orthogonal mode. The plane marker 134 corresponds to the extraction line 148 shown in FIG. 7 in this embodiment, and the histogram 140 representing the distribution of luminance values from point A to point B is displayed next to the functional image 130. ing. By observing the histogram 140, the radiation intensity distribution on the plane marker 134 can be objectively or quantitatively grasped.

  The functional image 130 is a color image in which the pixel value of each pixel is associated with a hue, and the morphological image 132 is a monochrome tomographic image. However, the morphological image 132 may be associated with a hue composed of a single color or a plurality of colors. In any case, it is desirable to configure the morphological image 132 as an image in which the structure of the tissue is expressed by the luminance value. According to the display example shown in FIG. 6, when the position and posture of the probe, that is, the position and posture of the scanning plane are changed, the position or angle of the plane marker 134 changes accordingly, and the contents of the morphological image 132 also change. . Therefore, for example, if the plane marker 134 is set so as to cross the active portion 133A on the functional image 130 with reference to the plane marker 134, that is, the probe is set so that the plane marker 134 is positioned at such a position. By adjusting the position and posture of the morphological image, the morphological image 132 including the cross-section 133B of the target tissue corresponding to the active portion 133A can be displayed as an image.

  As described above, according to the display of the plane marker 134, the position of the morphological image 132 can be intuitively recognized in relation to the functional image 130, so that a site of interest can be searched quickly. Although the functional image 130 is a projection image and does not have depth information, the structure of the cross section in the depth direction can be easily recognized through the morphological image 132, so that the target tissue can be comprehensively determined from the functional surface and the morphological surface. It becomes possible to observe. In particular, there is an advantage that the depth coordinate and the size of the active site can be easily recognized. Since the histogram 140 is also displayed together with the plane marker 134, the scanning plane positioning and the comprehensive diagnosis of the tissue can be performed more accurately by referring to the histogram 140 as well.

  In the present embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 7, the length of one side of the cut-out area 146 is defined by both ends of the scanning plane, and the Y-axis scale functions in the display example shown in FIG. There is a match between the image 130 and the morphological image 132. Therefore, based on the coincidence of such scales, the size of the active portion 133A and its form can be directly compared and the state of the tissue can be more accurately evaluated. Incidentally, the scale display in the Y-axis direction is represented by reference numeral 142 in FIG. Note that the coincidence of the scales in both the images 130 and 132 can be employed even when the plane marker 134 is not displayed and when the extraction line 148 is not set.

  In the display example shown in FIG. 6, a guidance image 136 is displayed. This guidance image is an image that schematically and three-dimensionally represents a pair of detection units and a scanning plane set between them. The guidance image 136 includes symbols 136B and 136C representing a pair of detection units and a symbol 136D representing a scanning plane. Further, a symbol 136A representing the coordinate system is also displayed to intuitively recognize the coordinate system. When the position or orientation of the scanning plane is changed, the position and orientation of the symbol 136D in the guidance image 136 also changes. Therefore, the user can intuitively recognize the positional relationship between the functional image 130 and the morphological image 132 through the guidance image 136. In the display example shown in FIG. 6, the coordinate information 137 of the Z-direction position (here, the center position of the scanning plane) Zc of the scanning plane corresponding to the morphological image 132 is displayed as a numerical value. By displaying such coordinate information numerically, the position of the scanning plane in the three-dimensional space can be recognized more accurately.

  Information such as the guidance image 136 and the histogram 140 may be displayed on the screen as necessary. Various locations can be selected for the display positions. For example, the histogram 140 may be displayed side by side with the morphological image 132 in the right corner of the display screen, and this is the same for the guidance image 136. And can be displayed at an arbitrary position in the display screen. In the present embodiment, the functional image 130 is a partial image cut out from the entire functional image 144, but the entire functional image 144 can also be displayed on the screen. It is also possible to set a plurality of lines on the functional image 130 and display a histogram for each line. As the morphological image 132, an M-mode image or the like is displayed in addition to the above two-dimensional tomographic image. It may be. Furthermore, for a disease whose relationship with blood flow becomes a problem, a color flow mapping image in which a color Doppler image is combined with a B-mode tomographic image may be displayed as the morphological image 132. In addition, since there is a distinction between the front and back surfaces of a two-dimensional tomographic image, a predetermined marker or the like that displays the relationship between the front and back surfaces may be displayed.

  Next, a display example (part 1) in the parallel mode will be described with reference to FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the function image 150 and the morphological image 152 are displayed side by side in the same manner as the display example shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, in the parallel mode, the detection surface (projection surface) and the scanning surface are in a completely parallel relationship. Therefore, on the functional image 150, the plane marker 134A representing the outer shape of the scanning surface is, for example, red. Is displayed by a line. By displaying the plane marker 134A, it is possible to intuitively recognize the positional relationship between the functional image 150 and the morphological image 152. In this example, since a fan-shaped scanning surface is formed by electronic sector scanning, the plane marker 134A is also fan-shaped. In the display example shown in FIG. 8, the guidance image 156A is also displayed, and coordinate information 153 representing the position of the scanning plane in the X direction is also displayed. According to this display example (No. 1), there is an advantage that the diagnosis of the tissue can be comprehensively performed by accurately recognizing the contents of each image by comparatively observing the two images 150 and 152.

  FIG. 9 shows a display example (part 2) in the parallel mode. In this display example, a functional image 154B as a color image is superimposed on a form image 154A as a black and white image. That is, a composite image 154 is generated by superimposing and synthesizing both images. According to such a composite image 154, the activity and the like of each tissue portion can be recognized by color with the background of the form, so that the positional relationship between the function and the form becomes obvious at a glance, and there is an advantage that an accurate diagnosis can be performed. This display example also includes a guidance image 156B. Furthermore, coordinate information 153 representing the position of the scanning plane in the X direction is also included.

  FIG. 10 shows a display example in the arbitrary mode. That is, in the modes other than the orthogonal mode and the parallel mode, the detection surface and the scanning surface are not orthogonal or parallel. In this case, the display example is as shown in FIG. Also in this display example, the function image 157 and the form image 158 are displayed side by side. In this case, the form of the scanning surface viewed through the function image 157 is a shape observed from an oblique direction, so that shape A plane marker 134B reflecting the above is displayed. Also in this display example, a guidance image 136C is displayed. Even in such an arbitrary mode, it is possible to display the histogram 140 as shown in FIG. 6 together, but the pixel value exists with a certain width without being a histogram when the scanning surface is viewed from the side. Therefore, it is desirable to display such a distribution as a reference level. In that case, instead of expressing the color as in the case of displaying the histogram 140 in FIG. 6, it is visually expressed that the current mode is being executed as a halftone or gray display. It may be.

  As described above, when simply displaying a functional image, information in the depth direction in the three-dimensional space cannot be obtained, but by displaying together the morphological image corresponding to the scanning plane set in the three-dimensional space. It is possible to obtain depth information that cannot be obtained only from the functional image, or the functional image cannot clearly recognize the form itself, but for this, the morphological image is interpolated and the target tissue is interpolated. It becomes possible to recognize the form at the same time. In addition, when the functional image and the morphological image are combined and displayed, the positional relationship between the three-dimensional space and the scanning plane, that is, the nuclear medicine diagnostic image is displayed by combining the plane marker and the guidance image as described above. Since the positional relationship of the ultrasonic image can be intuitively recognized, it is possible to improve the accuracy of diagnosis for the convenience of diagnosis by the user.

  Next, FIG. 11 conceptually shows the processing contents of the display processing unit 82 shown in FIG. The functional image 160 is a projection image as a nuclear medicine diagnostic image as described above, and a cut-out process and a color conversion process 164 are executed on the projected image as necessary, thereby generating a functional image to be synthesized and displayed. . On the other hand, when an extraction line is set on the functional image 160 in the orthogonal mode or the like, a pixel value sequence on the extraction line is read from the functional image 160 as indicated by reference numeral 166, and based on that. A histogram is formed as indicated at 170. In this case, the histogram may be a histogram in which the pixel value of each pixel is directly expressed as an amplitude value, or may be a histogram in which an average luminance value or an integrated luminance position for each fixed section on the extraction line is expressed as an amplitude. . Incidentally, the coordinate information 168 is considered as the positional relationship information in the extraction (166) of the pixel value sequence. That is, as described above, the relative position of the scanning plane is specified when extracting the pixel value sequence.

  The graphic image 178 includes a histogram generated as necessary as described above, a plane marker 172, a guidance image 174, and other images 176. The plane marker 172 is generated based on the coordinate information 168, and the guidance image 174 is also generated based on the coordinate information 168. The graphic image generation unit 80 plays a role in generating the graphic image 178 in FIG.

  Incidentally, the display processing unit 82 shown in FIG. 2 has a color conversion table 165, and the luminance value of each pixel in the functional image 160 is converted into color. In this case, it is desirable to prepare various functions as the color conversion table 165. In any case, it is desirable to configure the table so that each luminance value is associated with a predetermined hue.

  When the functional image is configured as described above and the morphological image 162 as the B-mode tomographic image is acquired, the graphic image 178 is further synthesized with these images to form a synthesized image 180. The composite image 180 is obtained by combining the function image and the morphological image in parallel as described above, or by superposing and synthesizing these images. The composite image 180 is displayed in real time on the display unit. That is, ultrasonic wave transmission / reception is executed in real time together with image display, and the content of the morphological image 162 as an ultrasonic image is updated in real time based on the received signal acquired thereby. On the other hand, regarding the functional image, the function image grows at the stage where the detection of annihilation γ-rays is in progress, and when the detection of annihilation γ-rays is completed on the other side, the function that represents the integrated value at the final stage The image will continue to be displayed. Of course, as described above, the functional image stored on the storage device may be read and used.

  Next, operations in each mode of the medical diagnosis system shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. In S10, the detection unit configured by a pair of detection units is manually operated or automatically positioned at a desired position and posture. In this case, the two detectors need to be positioned so that a parallel relationship is established. Then, after completion of the positioning, detection of the disappearing γ-rays is started.

  In S12, the measurement mode is determined. The measurement mode can be arbitrarily selected by the user, or the measurement mode may be automatically recognized from the position of the scanning plane. Incidentally, when the orthogonal mode and the parallel mode are selected, it is desirable to perform mechanical restraint so that the orthogonal relationship or the parallel relationship is always maintained even when the position or orientation of the probe, that is, the scanning plane is changed. Alternatively, when the orthogonal relationship or the parallel relationship is established, the fact may be displayed on the display screen in some display form, and the probe may be operated by the user so that such display is maintained.

  In the orthogonal mode, in S14, the function image and the morphological image are displayed in parallel as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the parallel mode is selected, two display types can be selected (S16). When the parallel display type is selected, the functional image and the morphological image are paralleled in S18. Will be displayed. This is as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the display type of superposition is selected in S16, the function image and the morphological image are superposed and displayed as shown in FIG. When the arbitrary mode is selected in S12, the function image and the morphological image are displayed in parallel in S22 as shown in FIG.

  Here, as shown in S24, the target tissue is changed in real time by sequentially changing the position and posture of the probe by a user operation or using some automatic variable mechanism at the stage of performing such composite display. The image content of the morphological image changes every moment according to the movement of the probe. In S26, it is determined whether or not to end the above process. If not, each process from S12 is repeatedly executed. Of course, the operation example shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and various system operation examples can be adopted as long as various functions according to the present invention can be realized.

  Next, an application example using depth coordinates acquired based on the parallel mode will be described. As shown in FIG. 13, when the radiation source T1 exists at a predetermined coordinate between the pair of detection units 22 and 24 in (A), each detection is performed with a certain spread as shown in (B). An annihilation gamma ray is observed in the parts 22 and 24. In (B), an intensity distribution 182A observed by the detection unit 22 and an intensity distribution 182B observed by the detection unit 24 are shown. Even if the radiation source T1 is a point radiation source, the intensity distributions 182A and 182B can only be observed as having a certain extent. That is, when the simultaneous detection method is used, it can be specified that a source exists on a line connecting two points where a pair of annihilation γ-rays is observed. It cannot be specified whether it exists.

  Therefore, if the position of the radiation source is specified from the morphological plane using the orthogonal mode or the parallel mode, the coordinate Xf in the depth direction is specified, and by giving the condition that the focal plane exists on the coordinates, It is possible to correct and calculate the sharper intensity distributions 184A and 184B calculated on the premise that there is a radiation source in the focal plane. That is, in the orthogonal mode, the depth coordinate of the target tissue is recognized on the tomographic image and input to the system, or in the parallel mode, the depth coordinate of the scanning plane S including the target tissue is directly captured. Thus, it becomes possible to configure a clearer nuclear medicine diagnosis image by specifying the coordinates of the focal plane.

  However, in the case of this method, if there is another radiation source as indicated by T2 in the figure in addition to the focal plane, this may cause a disturbance and deteriorate the content of the functional image rather. Therefore, as long as such a problem does not occur, it is desirable to use the depth coordinate as a parameter or condition at the time of image construction.

  In the above embodiment, an opposed positron detection device having a pair of detection units has been given as a nuclear medicine diagnosis device, but the present invention can be applied to any radiation diagnosis device that forms a projection image. . However, it is particularly desirable that the present invention be realized in a system including the above-described opposed positron detection device. Since an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used as a morphological image acquisition apparatus, there is an advantage that an unnecessary radiation exposure is not given to a living body, and an advantage that an image can be observed in real time is obtained. Further, since a morphological image can be obtained without using an extremely large and effective apparatus such as an MRI apparatus, there is an advantage that it is simple and the system cost can be reduced.

It is a perspective view showing the whole medical diagnostic system composition concerning the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a medical diagnosis system according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a robot. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship at the time of orthogonal mode. It is a figure for demonstrating the positional relationship at the time of parallel mode. It is a figure which shows the example of a display at the time of orthogonal mode. It is a figure for demonstrating the process which cuts out a one part image from the whole function image. It is a figure which shows the example of a display at the time of parallel mode (the 1). It is a figure which shows the example of a display in the parallel mode (the 2). It is a figure which shows the example of a display at the time of arbitrary modes. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the processing content of the display process part etc. which were shown in FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement content according to each mode in the medical diagnosis system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the application example using the depth coordinate specified by utilization of orthogonal mode and parallel mode.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, 12 Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, 20 Detection unit, 22, 24 Detection part, 28 Detection unit positioning mechanism, 40 Probe, 42 Main body, 90 Robot (probe positioning mechanism).

Claims (14)

A nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus that detects radiation from a three-dimensional space in a living body to which a medicine containing a radioactive substance is administered, and forms a nuclear medicine image in which the three-dimensional space is projected;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for forming an ultrasonic image corresponding to a beam scanning surface positioned in the three-dimensional space;
Display processing means for simultaneously displaying the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image while displaying positional relation information representing a positional relation between the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image;
A medical diagnostic system comprising: The system of claim 1, wherein
The positional relationship information includes a plain marker displayed on the nuclear medicine image,
The medical diagnostic system, wherein the plane marker represents a spatial position of the beam scanning plane. The system of claim 2, wherein
In the orthogonal mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are orthogonal, a cross section line is displayed as the plane marker, and a nuclear medicine image including the cross section line and the ultrasound image are displayed. A medical diagnosis system characterized by being displayed side by side. The system of claim 3, wherein
In addition to the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasound image, a pixel value distribution on the cross-sectional line is displayed. The system of claim 1, wherein
In the parallel mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are parallel, the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image are displayed side by side, or the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic wave A medical diagnostic system characterized in that images are superimposed and displayed. The system of claim 1, wherein
The nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus comprises:
A pair of detection units disposed opposite to each other between the living body;
Based on the detection results of the pair of detection units, a nuclear medicine image forming unit that forms a nuclear medicine image that projects the three-dimensional space;
Including
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises:
A probe that forms the beam scanning surface by scanning an ultrasonic beam;
An ultrasonic image forming unit that forms the ultrasonic image based on a received signal from the probe;
A medical diagnostic system comprising: The system of claim 6, wherein
A medical diagnosis system comprising a robot that positions and holds a probe that contacts the living body. The system of claim 6, wherein
A medical diagnosis system, wherein a guidance image that spatially represents a positional relationship between the pair of detection units and the probe or the beam scanning plane is displayed as the positional relationship information. The system of claim 1, wherein
The nuclear medicine image is a color image in which the image content grows with the passage of time from the start of detection,
The medical diagnostic system, wherein the ultrasonic image is a real-time monochrome image. A medical diagnostic system including a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for comprehensive diagnosis from a functional aspect and a morphological aspect of a living body to which a medicine containing a radioactive substance that emits positron is administered,
The nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus comprises:
From a three-dimensional space in the living body, a pair of detection units arranged opposite to detect annihilation γ rays caused by the positron, and
Based on the detection results by the pair of detection units, a nuclear medicine image forming unit that forms a nuclear medicine image by projecting the three-dimensional space;
Including
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises:
A probe forming a beam scanning plane positioned in the three-dimensional space;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that forms an ultrasonic image based on a received signal from the probe;
Including
The medical diagnostic system further includes display processing means for displaying a composite image including the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image. The system of claim 10, wherein
Means for detecting first coordinate information for the pair of detection units;
Means for detecting second coordinate information for the probe or the beam scanning plane;
Means for obtaining positional relationship information based on at least the first and second coordinate information;
Means for reflecting the positional relationship information in the composite image;
A medical diagnostic system comprising: The system of claim 10, wherein
An orthogonal mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are orthogonal, a parallel mode in which the projection direction of the three-dimensional space and the direction of the beam scanning plane are parallel, and the three-dimensional space A medical diagnostic system, wherein the system is selectively operated in a tilt mode in which a projection direction and a direction of the beam scanning plane are in a tilt relationship. The system of claim 12, wherein
A medical diagnosis system, wherein a display mode is switched according to the selected mode. A nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus that detects radiation from a three-dimensional space in a living body to which a medicine containing a radioactive substance is administered, and forms a nuclear medicine image in which the three-dimensional space is projected;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for forming an ultrasonic image corresponding to a beam scanning surface positioned in the three-dimensional space;
An image processing apparatus used in a medical diagnosis system including:
A medical diagnosis comprising display processing means for simultaneously displaying the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image while displaying positional relation information representing a positional relation between the nuclear medicine image and the ultrasonic image An image processing apparatus used in the system.

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