JP2007029248A - Comparative diagnostic reading support apparatus and image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that the movement of a view point is a burden on a diagnostic reading doctor since the presentation of sickness and the development of a lesion, etc., are compared by repeatedly moving the line of sight in the same regions of a present image and a past image especially for an observing region in comparative diagnostic reading. <P>SOLUTION: The comparative diagnostic reading support apparatus capable of reading a plurality of image data sets of the same patient and performing comparative diagnostic reading between the data sets is provided with a setting means 11c for the region of interest. The region of interest set by the setting means 11c for the region of interest on one medical image is set as the region of interest on the other medical image, two images of the region of interest are closely displayed, and the view point movement of a diagnostic reader is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a comparative interpretation support apparatus and an image processing program, and more particularly, to a comparative interpretation support apparatus and an image processing program capable of reducing the burden on the interpreter when performing comparative interpretation of a plurality of photographing data sets.

  A transmission image and a tomographic image of a subject are acquired by an image diagnostic apparatus at various occasions such as early detection of disease such as periodic medical examination, follow-up observation, preoperative planning, and postoperative follow-up. The acquired image is interpreted by a doctor, and the presence / absence of a lesion, confirmation of a treatment effect, determination of a treatment policy, and the like are made. Among them, in the discovery of lesions and follow-up to determine benign or malignant, between the previously taken image (hereinafter referred to as “past image”) and the newly acquired image (hereinafter referred to as “current image”) Changes over time in are important judgment materials.

  However, since it may be difficult to capture a slight change over time, Patent Document 1 proposes to improve the detection capability by creating a difference image between the two and presenting it to the observer. However, it is difficult for image data taken at different times to have exactly the same shooting position and patient position, and the shot images also include deviations. For this reason, differential artifacts (residuals) appear in the differential image, and the detection ability is not necessarily improved. Moreover, the slice positions do not match because the data sets have different shooting dates.

  Therefore, Patent Document 2 proposes a method that focuses on the average density difference between both AND regions after correcting the positional deviation as a method for automatically collating slice positions.

  Patent Document 3 proposes a technique using a bronchial bifurcation for slice alignment of a plurality of image data sets.

Further, Patent Document 4 discloses an image display device in which two display frames are arranged side by side in order to enable comparative interpretation, and for example, paging can be performed by synchronizing substantially identical slice images. ing. Paging is suitable for observing continuity in the slice direction, and comparison is facilitated by displaying them side by side.
JP 2002-77728 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-250263 JP 2005-124895 A JP-A-8-117215

  In interpretation, an interpreting physician examines the presence or absence of a lesion while moving the viewpoint between two images while changing the window level and window width in order to interpret the entire lung field and mediastinum. In the image, there is a normal area where the presence of a lesion is not suspected at all, and there is an area where the existence is suspected and further attention should be paid. In general, the region to be watched is to move the line of sight repeatedly in the same region of the current image and the past image, and compare the development of the diseased body and the development of the lesion. Therefore, the interpreting physician needs to move the viewpoint for one image (for example, 512 pixels if 512 × 512 pixels are displayed). This becomes more prominent when a display having a large screen size is used to facilitate interpretation.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a comparative interpretation support apparatus and an image processing program capable of minimizing the movement of the interpreter's viewpoint as much as possible when performing comparative interpretation of regions of interest included in a plurality of images. To do.

  In order to achieve the above object, a comparative interpretation support apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a reading unit that reads one medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject and another medical image; When a first region of interest is set on a medical image, setting means for setting a second region of interest that is a region corresponding to the first region of interest in the other medical image, an image of the first region of interest, and the first Display means for displaying the images of the two regions of interest close to each other.

  The “medical image” referred to here may be a medical image obtained by imaging a subject, and includes a two-dimensional projection image obtained by imaging a part of the subject, a reconstructed tomographic image, and a plurality of tomographic images. Contains an image data set.

  In addition, the comparative interpretation support apparatus according to the present invention includes a setting unit that sets a first region of interest on one medical image, and the same object as the one medical image when the setting unit sets the first region of interest. Extraction means for extracting a second region of interest, which is a region corresponding to the first region of interest in the other medical image, from another medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the specimen, and set on the one medical image Display means for closely displaying an image of the first region of interest and an image of the region corresponding to the second region of interest extracted from the other medical image.

  The image processing apparatus further includes a displacement correction unit that corrects a positional shift between the image of the first region of interest and the image of the second region of interest, and the display unit is configured to correct the positional shift by the shift correction unit. The image of the region of interest and the image of the second region of interest may be displayed in proximity.

  The display means may superimpose and display the first region of interest and the second region of interest on the one medical image or the other medical image.

  The term “superimposed display” used here refers to a case where superimposed display is performed on the same screen as when a graphical object indicating a region of interest is superimposed on one medical image or another medical image, and one medical image. Or a case where another screen (window) different from other medical images is generated and the region of interest is displayed on the other screen.

  Further, the one medical image is based on a past image obtained by photographing the same part of the same subject in the past, a newly taken current image, a past thumbnail image generated based on the past image, or the current image. Any one of the current thumbnail images generated in this way may be used.

  Further, the one medical image is a medical image composed of any one of an axial image, a sagittal image, a coronal image, and a two-dimensional projection image, and the setting means includes 2 on the one medical image. A first region of interest consisting of a dimensional region may be set.

  Further, the other medical image is at least one of a volume rendering image, a maximum projection image, and a three-dimensional image, and the extraction means is a three-dimensional image corresponding to the first region of interest from the other medical image. The region may be extracted as a second region of interest, or the setting unit may set a three-dimensional region corresponding to the two-dimensional region of interest in the other medical image as the second region of interest.

  The image processing program according to the present invention corresponds to the region of interest from a step of setting a region of interest on one medical image and another medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject as the one medical image. A step of extracting a region; a step of closely displaying an image of a region of interest set on the one medical image and an image of a region corresponding to the region of interest extracted from the other medical image And make the computer execute.

  The image processing program according to the present invention further includes a step of reading one medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject and another medical image, and setting a region of interest on the one medical image. A step of setting a region of interest in a region corresponding to the region of interest in the other medical image, an image of the region of interest set on the one medical image, and a setting on the other medical image. Causing the computer to execute a step of displaying the image of the region of interest in proximity.

  In addition, the image processing program according to the present invention automatically performs the same processing on the second region of interest as the image processing represented by the filtering processing such as contour enhancement and noise removal performed on the first region of interest. It also has a function to be applied automatically. It is also possible to use image processing parameters such as the start point of the region expansion processing for the second region of interest.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a comparative interpretation support apparatus and an image processing program that can reduce the movement of the interpreter's viewpoint as much as possible when performing comparative interpretation of regions of interest included in a plurality of images.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment of the invention, and the repetitive description thereof is omitted.

〔System configuration〕
FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram showing a configuration of a comparative interpretation support system 1 according to the present embodiment.

  A comparative interpretation support system 1 in FIG. 1 includes a medical image photographing apparatus 2 that photographs a subject and generates a medical image, an image database 3 that stores medical images, and a comparative interpretation support apparatus that interprets an image data set. The medical image photographing apparatus 2 and the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 are connected to a network such as a LAN 4.

  The medical image capturing apparatus 2 may be any apparatus that captures a subject and generates a medical image, such as an MR apparatus, a PET apparatus, and an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, in addition to an X-ray CT apparatus. In the present embodiment, an X-ray CT apparatus is used as the medical image photographing apparatus 2, and an image data set including a plurality of slices (tomographic images) is generated as a medical image.

  The comparative image interpretation support apparatus 10 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 11 that mainly controls the operation of each component, a memory 12 that stores a control program and image data of the apparatus, and serves as a work area when the program is executed. An operating system (OS), a peripheral device drive, a magnetic disk 13 on which various application software including a program for supporting comparative interpretation to be described later are stored, a display memory 14 for temporarily storing display data, A monitor 15 such as a CRT monitor or a liquid crystal monitor that displays an image based on data from the display memory 14, a mouse 16 as a position input device, and the state of the mouse 16 are detected to detect the position of the mouse pointer on the monitor 15 and the mouse. A controller 16a for outputting signals such as 16 statuses to the CPU 11, and a keyboard. And de 17, a communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication I / F") 18, and a bus 19 which connects the above components.

[First embodiment]
Next, the configuration and operation of an image processing program executed by the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration and operation of the image processing program.

  The image processing program includes a reading unit 11a that reads a plurality of medical images, a deviation correction unit 11b that corrects a spatial positional deviation of the read medical images, and a region of interest setting and enlargement for the medical image that has been corrected for deviation. An image processing unit 11c that performs image processing such as display and thumbnail image display is provided. The image processing unit 11c includes a setting unit 11d that sets a region of interest, a mode selection unit 11e that accepts selection of a display mode, and a display control unit 11f that displays data in the display memory 14 that stores final display data on the monitor 15. An image processing calculation unit 11g that performs contour enhancement processing, noise removal, and other image processing necessary for implementing the present invention.

  The image processing program is stored in the magnetic disk 13 of the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10, and is loaded into the memory 12 as appropriate by the CPU 11 and executed. Next, the operation of the image processing program will be described.

(Step S1)
The reading unit 11 a of the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 reads a medical image from the magnetic disk 13, the image database 3, or the medical image photographing apparatus 2. The medical images read in the present embodiment are data sets 1 and 2 including volume data (hereinafter referred to as “data sets”) including a plurality of tomographic images captured by an X-ray CT apparatus. Data sets 1 and 2 are a data set 1 obtained by newly imaging the chest of the same subject and a data set 2 obtained by imaging in the past.

(Step S2)
The deviation correction unit 11b automatically corrects the slice position or corrects the deviation in the cross section when reading data. The processing may be performed independently of the slice direction and the axial plane, but three-dimensional correction may be performed from three or more anatomical feature points, and the present invention is limited by the algorithm. It is not a thing.

  The corrected image data is stored in the volume data memory 12. In the present embodiment, the deviation correction unit 11b is configured as a means for preventing the positional deviation of the read medical image, but may be configured as a means for preventing the positional deviation between the regions of interest set below. .

(Step S3)
The image processing unit 11 c reads the data sets 1 and 2 from the volume data memory 12 and displays at least one tomographic image on the monitor 15 based on the data sets 1 or 2. In addition to the tomographic image, a thumbnail image of the tomographic image may be used. The operator (reading doctor) sets a region of interest on the tomographic image or thumbnail image (S3). Hereinafter, a medical image for which the operator sets a region of interest is referred to as a reference image.

  The image processing unit 11c is an event-driven program, for example, and copies the image processing result to the display memory 14 with a default value in the first pass. Specific processing of image processing includes various processing such as filter processing, difference processing, and histogram processing, but difference processing is preferable for comparative interpretation. Thereafter, a so-called event loop for waiting for a mouse event is entered, and the display memory 14 of the corresponding window is updated with a desired image processing result.

(Step S4)
When the region of interest is set on the reference image, the setting unit 11d extracts a region corresponding to the region of interest in the reference image from the other medical image in which the positional deviation is corrected by the deviation correcting unit 11b, and performs other medical use. A region of interest is set on the image (S4). The setting unit 11d copies the thumbnail of the reference image (for example, the current image) to the display memory 14 of the thumbnail display window. The frame display window and thumbnail display window are targets for detecting events, and various events such as enlargement / reduction, image center, slice position, window level, window width, etc. can be read. The read event is executed by the image processing unit 11c.

(Step S5)
The mode selection unit 11e accepts selection of a display mode desired by the operator from a plurality of display modes (S5).

(Step S6)
The display control unit 11f displays the image of the region of interest set on the reference image and the image of the region of interest set in the other medical image close to each other (S6). An image display example will be described later.

  The image processing calculation unit 11g automatically performs the same processing as the image processing represented by the filtering processing such as contour enhancement and noise removal performed on the first region of interest on the second region of interest. . Also, image processing parameters such as the start point of the region expansion processing can be used for the second region of interest.

  In the above step, S5 is not essential, but there is an advantage that a display mode suitable for the operator's preference can be selected.

[1 frame display]
FIG. 4 shows an example of the most basic display screen of the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 according to this embodiment.

  The screen shown in FIG. 4 includes a display frame 30 that displays an image and a tool palette 40 in which various image processing commands and the like are arranged as icons for the displayed image. When the icon in the tool palette 40 is selected by the user interface such as the mouse 16, the comparative image interpretation support apparatus 10 calls a corresponding image processing routine. When an image processing parameter is required, the parameter is displayed in the parameter display area 41, and the parameter numerical value can be changed on the user interface. Execution of processing is executed immediately depending on processing contents, and an execution start button or the like is prepared when the processing load is heavy and time is required. Of course, it is also possible to control using another event (the result of the program detecting the result of some operation by the operator). The processing target range is given by specifying the entire image or the region of interest. As a result, a numerical value, a graph, or an image after image processing is displayed on the display frame 30.

  FIG. 5 shows a screen display example in which an enlargement tool prepared in the tool palette 40 is applied to the display frame 30 of FIG. In the parameter display area 41, a thumbnail image 43 of the read medical image is displayed, and a graphic object 44 indicating the enlargement target area is superimposed and displayed. An area to be enlarged is determined by changing the size and position of the graphic object 44. The thumbnail image 43 is not necessarily required, and a mouse event such as a button or a wheel of the mouse 16 may be acquired in the display frame 30 to specify an enlargement ratio or a visual field center. After the enlarged area is determined, when the enlargement tool 42 icon in the tool palette 40 is clicked with the mouse 16, an image obtained by enlarging the area included in the graphic object 44 is displayed on the display frame 30.

[2-frame display]
FIG. 6 is a screen display example when the comparative interpretation support function provided in the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 of the present invention is executed.

  The screen shown in FIG. 6 is provided with two display frames 50 and 51, enabling interpretation while comparing the two series of the current image and the past image such as the latest image and the image at the time of examination one year ago. It has become. The images of the display frames 50 and 51 are displayed after correcting the shift of the slice position of the two inspections and the shift and rotation of the image on the image by the shift correction unit 11b. The shift correction unit 11b determines whether or not the slice position is the same based on the table position. Or you may align based on an anatomical feature-value. In the case of the chest image in FIG. 6, the shift correction unit 11 b performs alignment based on the bronchial branch.

  When the two display frames 50 and 51 are displayed on the monitor 15, a region-of-interest comparison tool icon 45 (a magnifying glass icon with a shadow) is displayed on the tool palette 40. The region-of-interest comparison tool icon 45 has a function of setting a region of interest in one display frame by setting the region of interest with the mouse 16 and setting the region corresponding to the region of interest in the other display frame as a region of interest. And a function for enlarging the region of interest and displaying it in proximity. After the range is specified in one display frame, when this region-of-interest comparison tool icon 45 is clicked with the mouse, the screen transitions to FIG.

  In FIG. 7, after clicking the region-of-interest comparison tool icon 45, an enlarged region is designated based on the thumbnail image 43 and the graphic object 44 displayed on the tool palette 40 of FIG. 6, and display mode 1 (Mode 1) is displayed. This is a screen display example in a state in which is selected and the region of interest comparison tool icon 45 is clicked.

  In the tool palette 40 of FIG. 7, a thumbnail image 43 of the current image and a mode selection button 46 are displayed. Similar to the one-frame display of FIG. 5, the graphic object 44 indicating the enlargement target area is superimposed and displayed on the thumbnail image 43, and the area to be enlarged is determined by changing the size and position of the graphic object 44. An internal area of the graphic object 44 corresponds to a region of interest. The region of interest determined here also acts on the comparison target slice image of the past image, and an enlarged image is automatically displayed on the display frame 51.

  According to the present embodiment, an image obtained by enlarging a region of interest of the current image / past image is automatically displayed in close proximity by a single region of interest setting operation, so that comparative interpretation can be performed efficiently. In this display mode 1 (Mode 1), it is necessary to move the viewpoint by the size of the enlarged image.

  In the display mode 2 (Mode 2) shown in FIG. 8, the same region of interest of the past image is superimposed and displayed at a position close to the region of interest on the current image. The display frame 70 displays a current image, a graphical object 1 indicating a region of interest, and a graphical object 2 indicating a region of interest image and a region of a past image. Further, the graphical object 3 indicating the region of interest on the past image is also displayed on the display frame 71. Since the positional deviation in the tomographic plane is also corrected by the above-described deviation correction function, the graphical object 3 is drawn at the corresponding position.

  In FIG. 8, the original display frame 70 is superimposed and displayed, but another frame may be prepared and the region of interest may be displayed as shown in FIG. For example, it can be arranged at an arbitrary position as a floating frame (html frame), and events can be managed for each frame.

  For example, when the region of interest is determined, a local image in the region of interest of the current image is copied to the floating frame 1. At the same time, the local image in the same area of the past image is copied to the floating frame 2. When an enlargement / reduction event is detected in the floating frame, the local area in the floating frame is interpolated or enlarged according to a designated enlargement ratio.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of application to MPR display. In this case as well, a two-dimensional region of interest is designated in any cross section such as Axial / Sagital / Coronal as in FIG. In FIG. 10, an example of display mode 2 is shown. A current image is displayed in display frames 91 to 93, and a past image is displayed in display frame 94. A past image corresponding to the region of interest specified by the graphical object 1 of the coronal section of the current image is displayed in the range indicated by the graphical object 2. In the example of FIG. 10, two-dimensional images are displayed in the display frames 91 to 93, and 3g-dimensional images such as volume rendering and MIP images (maximum projected images) are displayed in the display frame 94. Then, when a two-dimensional region of interest is set on any two-dimensional image of the display frames 91 to 93, a corresponding three-dimensional region of interest may be set and displayed on the display frame 94.

  The screen shown in FIG. 11 shows an example of comparative interpretation of four different data sets in the display frame 100. For example, it can be used for comparison of follow-up images every three months or for interpretation of a multi-phase examination such as a liver. As in the case of the two image sets, the corresponding regions of interest can be displayed by specifying the regions on the thumbnails.

  In the case of follow-up observation, the change in the size of the lesion is important information. For example, the time during which the lesion grows to twice the size is called “Doubling Time”, which is an index for evaluating the lesion. Therefore, in the embodiment of FIG. 11, graphical objects of the same size can be displayed in order to facilitate comparison of lesion sizes. For example, by arranging a circular object corresponding to the size of a lesion to be treated, such as 10 mm, or a ruler-shaped design at an arbitrary position, the degree of growth can be easily understood.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to display in close proximity a region to be compared and interpreted in the medical image, and the interpreter can carry out with minimum viewpoint movement. Further, by displaying the proximity after correcting the positional deviation of the region of interest, it is possible to perform interpretation without being aware of the orientation and positional deviation, and the burden on the interpreter can be greatly reduced.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, the configuration and operation of an image processing program executed by the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration and operation of an image processing program according to the second embodiment.

  The image processing program includes a reading unit 11a that reads one medical image, a setting unit 11d that sets a region of interest, an extraction unit 11g that extracts a region corresponding to the region of interest in another medical image, a region of interest and a region of interest. A display control unit 11f that performs proximity display of a corresponding region.

  The image processing program is stored in the magnetic disk 13 of the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10, and is loaded into the memory 12 as appropriate by the CPU 11 and executed. Next, the operation of the image processing program will be described.

(Step S21)
The reading unit 11a of the comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 reads a reference image (for example, a current image) from the magnetic disk 13, the image database 3, or the medical image photographing apparatus 2 (S21). The comparative interpretation support apparatus 10 displays the read medical image. An example of the screen display is the same as in FIG.

(Step S22)
The user designates a range on the displayed medical image using the mouse 16, and the setting unit 11 sets the region designated as the region of interest (S22).

(Step S23)
The extraction unit 11g extracts an area corresponding to the region of interest set in S22 from other medical images (for example, past images) stored on the magnetic disk 13 (S23).

(Step S24)
The display control unit 11f displays in close proximity the region of interest set in S22 and the region corresponding to the region of interest extracted in S23 (S24). Examples of this screen display are shown in FIGS. In FIG. 13, the image of the region of interest set on the current image is displayed on the graphical object 1 so as to be superimposed on the current image, and the image of the corresponding region in the past image is displayed on the graphical object 2 in the vicinity thereof. As a result, when an abnormal candidate shadow (circle) is found in the current image, the corresponding region of the past image can be displayed in proximity to facilitate comparative interpretation. Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the floating frames 1 and 2 different from the current image are displayed, and the region of interest set on the current image in the floating frames 1 and 2 and the region corresponding to the region of interest in the past image. And may be displayed.

  Thereby, the reading unit 11a only needs to read one medical image and access another medical image only when a region of interest is set in the medical image, thereby improving the throughput of the comparative interpretation support processing. be able to. In the present embodiment, a shift correction unit and a mode selection unit may be added. Furthermore, the region of interest may be set on the thumbnail image, or the region of interest may be extracted from the three-dimensional image.

The hardware block diagram of a comparative interpretation support system. The block diagram of the image processing program which concerns on 1st embodiment. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement process of a comparative interpretation support system. Example of screen display with 1 frame display. A screen display example in which an enlargement tool is applied in one frame display. Example of screen display with 2 frames. Explanatory drawing of a region of interest comparison tool (mode 1). Explanatory drawing of a region of interest comparison tool (mode 2). Explanatory drawing of the region of interest comparison tool (floating frame in mode 2). Fig. 3 (MPR mode) of the region of interest comparison tool. FIG. 4 of the region of interest comparison tool (4 frames and size comparison tool). The block diagram of the image processing program which concerns on 2nd embodiment. The example of a screen display (graphical object display) displayed by 2nd embodiment. 10 is a screen display example (floating frame display) displayed in the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Comparative interpretation support system, 2 ... Medical imaging device, 3 ... Image database, 4 ... LAN, 10 ... Comparative interpretation support apparatus, 11 ... CPU, 12 ... Memory, 13 ... Magnetic disk, 14 ... Display memory, 15 ... Monitor, 16 ... Mouse, 16a ... Controller, 17 ... Keyboard, 18 ... Communication I / F, 19 ... Bus

Claims (9)

Reading means for reading one medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject and another medical image;
Setting a first region of interest on the one medical image, setting means for setting a second region of interest that is a region corresponding to the first region of interest in the other medical image;
Display means for displaying the image of the first region of interest and the image of the second region of interest close to each other;
A comparative interpretation support apparatus characterized by comprising: Setting means for setting the first region of interest on one medical image;
When the setting means sets the first region of interest, a region corresponding to the first region of interest in the other medical image from another medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject as the one medical image. Extraction means for extracting a second region of interest;
Display means for closely displaying the image of the first region of interest set on the one medical image and the image of the region corresponding to the second region of interest extracted from the other medical image;
A comparative interpretation support apparatus characterized by comprising: A displacement correction means for correcting a displacement between the image of the first region of interest and the image of the second region of interest;
The display unit displays the image of the first region of interest and the image of the second region of interest in proximity to each other, the positional shift of which is corrected by the shift correction unit
The comparative interpretation support apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The display means superimposes and displays the first region of interest and the second region of interest on the one medical image or the other medical image.
The comparative interpretation support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. One medical image is generated based on a past image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject in the past, a newly captured current image, a past thumbnail image generated based on the past image, or the current image. Is one of the current thumbnail images,
5. The comparative interpretation support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein One medical image is a medical image composed of any one of an axial image, a sagittal image, a coronal image, and a two-dimensional projection image.
The setting means sets a first region of interest consisting of a two-dimensional region on the one medical image;
The comparative interpretation support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The other medical image is at least one of a volume rendering image, a maximum projection image, and a three-dimensional image,
The extraction unit extracts a three-dimensional region corresponding to the first region of interest from the other medical image as a second region of interest, or the setting unit corresponds to the two-dimensional region of interest in the other medical image. Set the 3D region to be the second region of interest,
The comparative interpretation support apparatus according to claim 6. Setting a region of interest on one medical image;
Extracting a region corresponding to the region of interest from another medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject as the one medical image;
Displaying the image of the region of interest set on the one medical image and the image of the region corresponding to the region of interest extracted from the other medical image in proximity to each other;
An image processing program for causing a computer to execute. Reading one medical image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject and another medical image;
Setting a region of interest on the one medical image;
Setting a region of interest in a region corresponding to the region of interest in the other medical image;
Displaying the image of the region of interest set on the one medical image and the image of the region of interest set on the other medical image in proximity,
An image processing program for causing a computer to execute.

Images