JP2007151652A - System and apparatus for processing medical image - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique that allows accurate recognition of the directivity of a medical image even when a problem arises in DICOM (digital imaging and communications in medicine) information. <P>SOLUTION: A medical image processing system comprises a medical image processing apparatus 1, a medical image diagnosis apparatus 2 and an image database 3. The medical image diagnosis apparatus 2 implants directional information in image data of an acquired medical image and sends them together with DICOM information to the medical image processing apparatus 1. The medical image processing apparatus 1 determines whether the direction of the implanted directional information and the direction of the DICOM directional information matches or not. When the directions match, the medical image is displayed. When the directions do not match, an error message is displayed. When the directional information or DICOM directional information is corrected by a user, the medical image is displayed. When the directional information or the DICOM directional information is not corrected, transmission of the medical image to the image database 3 is prohibited and the medical image is stored internally. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical image processing system and a medical image processing apparatus that perform processing related to a medical image created by a medical image diagnostic apparatus.

  In the medical field, various types of medical image diagnostic apparatuses have been conventionally used. An X-ray CT apparatus, an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, an MRI apparatus, a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and the like are typical examples of medical image diagnostic apparatuses.

  In recent years, systems for electronically managing medical images have become widespread in order to speed up medical image checking (referred to as “image examination”) and interpretation. A network standard called DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is generally applied to such a system, and a system can be constructed beyond the boundaries of manufacturers and models.

  In DICOM, incidental information (referred to as “DICOM information” or the like) such as subject identification information (patient ID, etc.), imaging conditions, and imaging time is added to the medical image for management. The DICOM information includes, in particular, information indicating the head direction, foot direction, left-right direction, and the like of the subject in the medical image, and information on the direction cosine of each coordinate axis of the xyz coordinate system in a three-dimensional image. Information indicating the direction of the medical image (DICOM direction information) is added. A device to which DICOM is applied refers to the DICOM information and performs processing such as data reading and image display.

  When performing examination or interpretation of a medical image, an operator needs to accurately recognize the directionality of the image, that is, from which direction the image is taken. For example, when the medical image display direction (direction and angle of display) is changed or the cross-sectional direction of the three-dimensional image is changed in operations such as image inspection, the change contents are reflected in the DICOM information. If forgotten, the actual display image will not match the DICOM information. When the operator cannot recognize the direction from the image, the operator is forced to determine the direction based on the DICOM information, which may lead to misdiagnosis.

  As an example, in brain diagnosis, if the image viewed from the top of the head is reversed left and right and converted to an image viewed from the neck, forgetting to update the DICOM information, the image is as indicated by the DICOM information. The operator recognizes that it is viewed from the neck side. For example, when a lesion is found in the right brain based on this display image, since the lesion is actually present in the left brain, there is a high risk of misdiagnosis. Thus, it is very important to accurately grasp the directionality of the medical image.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an invention that promotes recognition of image directionality. The invention described in this document is directed to a three-dimensional image display device that converts a three-dimensional image captured by a medical image diagnostic apparatus into a three-dimensional image viewed from a desired line-of-sight direction and displays the same. Is displayed together with a three-dimensional image. The operator can recognize the viewing direction of the three-dimensional image with reference to the display direction of the pseudo human body image.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-167047

  However, in the invention of Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to display the pseudo human body image in a somewhat large size to facilitate the recognition of the line-of-sight direction, as shown in the drawings of the same document, the pseudo image is displayed on the medical image. Human body images may be displayed overlapping each other, and there is a possibility that a lesioned part or the like cannot be confirmed.

  In conventional systems to which DICOM is applied, the directionality of the image is determined depending on the DICOM information. Therefore, when the actual display image and the DICOM information do not match, it is even that they do not match. There was a risk of misdiagnosis without recognition.

  In addition, when DICOM information is lost due to an error during communication, when an error occurs in the automatic update process of DICOM information, or when the DICOM information is forgotten to be updated, the DICOM information has a problem. In some cases, the direction of the camera could not be recognized at all, or the direction was mistakenly recognized.

  The inability to accurately recognize the direction of the image is considered one of the biggest risk factors in medical image diagnosis, and is more serious than data loss or software hang-ups (for example, medical errors such as misdiagnosis) ). Therefore, there has been a wide demand for development of means that enables accurate recognition of the directionality of an image without depending on DICOM information.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and when a problem occurs in DICOM information, a medical image processing system and a medical image capable of recognizing the problem of the DICOM information. An object is to provide a processing apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 is directed to a medical image diagnostic apparatus that generates image data of a medical image and DICOM information of the medical image and outputs the medical data via a network, and the output medical image A medical image processing system having a medical image processing apparatus that receives image data and DICOM information of an image and performs processing on the medical image based on the DICOM information, the direction information indicating the direction of the medical image being An embedding unit for embedding in medical image data is provided.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the medical image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the direction information is an area of image data corresponding to at least one of the four corner areas of the medical image. It is embedded in.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the medical image processing system according to claim 2, wherein the direction information includes a head direction and a foot direction of the subject in the medical image, a left direction, Including four character information indicating four directions obtained by combining with the right direction, and the embedding means stores the four character information in four regions of image data corresponding to the four corner regions of the medical image. It is characterized by embedding one by one.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the medical image processing system according to claim 2, wherein the direction information includes the head direction and the foot direction of the subject in the medical image, the left direction, and Including numerical direction information composed of four different pieces of numerical information set for each of four directions obtained by combining with the right direction and set so that the sum thereof becomes a predetermined value. The diagnostic imaging apparatus includes the embedding unit that embeds four pieces of numerical information of the numerical direction information one by one in four regions of image data corresponding to the four corner regions of the medical image, and the numerical direction information is embedded. The medical image processing apparatus receives the input of the medical image image data and DICOM information, and receives the four image data of the medical image. It is determined whether numeric information is embedded in the area, and when it is determined that the numeric information is embedded, the sum of the numerical information of the four areas is calculated, and the calculated sum is the predetermined value. It is characterized by comprising direction information determining means for determining whether or not the numerical direction information is embedded in the image data of the medical image by determining whether or not there is.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the medical image processing system according to claim 2, wherein the direction information includes three pieces of numeric information based on direction cosines of three coordinate axes of the medical image, and Including direction cosine information composed of fourth numerical information whose sum with the three numerical information is a predetermined value, and the medical image diagnostic apparatus includes four pieces of image data corresponding to the four corner regions of the medical image. The area includes the embedding unit that embeds the three numeric information and the fourth numeric information of the direction cosine information one by one, and outputs the image data and DICOM information in which the direction cosine information is embedded, The medical image processing apparatus receives the input of the medical image image data and DICOM information, determines whether the numerical information is embedded in the four areas of the medical image image data, and stores the numerical information. When it is determined that the image is included, the sum of the numerical information of the four areas is calculated, and by determining whether the calculated sum is the predetermined value, the image data of the medical image Directional information determining means for determining whether or not the direction cosine information is embedded.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the medical image processing system according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the direction information is provided, and the sum of the plurality of direction information is determined depending on the image type. The medical image diagnostic apparatus includes four different pieces of numerical information set differently, and the medical image diagnostic apparatus includes any one of the plurality of direction information in four regions of image data corresponding to the four corner regions of the medical image. The embedding means for embedding each of the four number information one by one, and outputting the image data and DICOM information in which the four number information is embedded, and the medical image processing apparatus includes image data of a medical image and In response to the input of DICOM information, the sum of the four numerical information embedded in the four regions of the image data of the medical image is calculated, and the medical image of the medical image is calculated based on the calculated sum. And a direction information determination means for determining an image type, characterized in that.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the medical image processing system according to claim 6, wherein the direction information determination unit has a first value that is the sum of the calculated four pieces of numeric information. Sometimes the medical image is determined to be a two-dimensional image, and when the sum is a second value, the medical image is determined to be a three-dimensional image.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the medical image processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the DICOM information includes DICOM direction information indicating a direction of the medical image. The medical image diagnostic apparatus includes the embedding unit and outputs the image data and DICOM information in which the direction information is embedded, and the medical image processing apparatus is embedded in the image data. Determination means for determining whether the direction of the medical image indicated by the direction information matches the direction of the medical image indicated by the DICOM direction information, the direction indicated by the direction information, and the DICOM direction information And control means for displaying a message on the display means when it is determined that the directions do not match.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the medical image processing system according to claim 8, wherein the medical image processing apparatus further includes an operation unit, and the control unit performs the operation according to the message. The medical image is displayed on the display unit in response to the direction information and / or the DICOM direction information being corrected by the unit.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the medical image processing system according to claim 8, wherein the control means matches a direction indicated by the direction information with a direction indicated by the DICOM direction information. In response to the determination, the medical image is displayed on the display means.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the medical image processing system according to claim 8, further comprising a medical device that is communicably connected to the medical image processing device via the network, The medical image processing apparatus further includes an operation unit, and the control unit stores the image data of the medical image and the data until the direction information and / or the DICOM direction information is corrected by the operation unit according to the message. Transmission of DICOM information to the medical device is prohibited.

  The invention according to claim 12 is the medical image processing system according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the control means converts the direction information embedded in the image data into background image data of the medical image. And the medical image is displayed based on the image data after the replacement.

  The invention according to claim 13 is the medical image processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the medical image processing apparatus includes the embedding unit, a display unit, Operating means, and when the direction of the medical image displayed on the display means is changed by the operating means, the embedding means outputs direction information corresponding to the direction of the medical image after the change. It is embedded in the image data of a medical image.

  The invention according to claim 14 is the medical image processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and is communicably connected to the medical image processing apparatus via the network. And a database for storing medical image image data and DICOM information thereof, wherein the DICOM information includes DICOM direction information indicating a direction of the medical image, and the medical image processing apparatus is stored in the database. For each of the plurality of medical image data, it is determined whether the direction of the medical image indicated by the direction information embedded in the image data matches the direction of the medical image indicated by the DICOM direction information And the medical image determined to be that the direction indicated by the direction information does not match the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information. And a, extraction means for extracting to display image data of and the DICOM information, characterized in that.

  The invention according to claim 15 is a medical image processing apparatus that performs image processing on a medical image based on image data of the medical image and DICOM information of the medical image, and indicates a direction of the medical image. An embedding unit for embedding the direction information in the image data of the medical image is provided.

  The medical image processing system and the medical image processing apparatus according to the present invention are characterized in that direction information indicating the direction of the medical image is embedded in the image data of the medical image created by the medical image diagnostic apparatus.

  Thereby, even if DICOM information is lost due to an error during data communication, the directionality of the medical image is accurately recognized by referring to the direction information embedded in the image data. be able to.

  Also, if the DICOM information includes information indicating the direction of the medical image (DICOM direction information), even if you forget to update the DICOM direction information after inverting or rotating the image or after performing cross-sectional conversion By referring to the direction information embedded in the image data, the directionality of the medical image can be accurately recognized.

  An example of a preferred embodiment of a medical image processing system and a medical image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[System configuration]
The block diagram shown in FIG. 1 represents the overall configuration of the medical image processing system according to the present embodiment. The medical image processing system shown in FIG. 1 includes a medical image processing apparatus 1, medical image diagnostic apparatuses 2, 2 ′, and an image database 3. These devices are communicably connected to each other via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a dedicated line.

  The medical image processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus (an image detection system) for performing an image inspection of a medical image, for example. Each of the medical image diagnostic apparatuses 2 and 2 'is an arbitrary apparatus that creates a medical image of a subject. For example, an X-ray CT apparatus, an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, an MRI apparatus, a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, and an ultrasonic diagnosis It is comprised by well-known medical image diagnostic apparatuses, such as an apparatus. Note that the number of medical image diagnostic apparatuses included in this system is not limited to two, and an arbitrary number can be provided.

  The image database 3 includes a large-capacity storage device that stores various data related to medical images such as image data of medical images and DICOM information. The image database 3 is constituted by, for example, an image database of RIS (Radiology Information System).

  For example, an HIS (Hospital Information System) server, a computer terminal for image interpretation, and a doctor's computer terminal are connected to the image database 3 via a network. The image database 3, the server (not shown), the computer terminal for interpretation, the computer terminal for doctors, and the like correspond to examples of the “medical apparatus” of the present invention. The “medical device” is a device that is communicably connected to the medical image processing device 1 via a network, and is a device for using and storing a medical image processed by the medical image processing device 1. If so, the form of the apparatus is arbitrary. The medical device may be a device that is directly connected to the medical image processing apparatus 1 without using a network, such as a USB memory.

  Details of the configurations of the medical image diagnostic apparatuses 2 and 2 ′ and the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described below.

[Configuration of medical image diagnostic apparatus]
The medical image diagnostic apparatuses 2 and 2 'have the same configuration. In FIG. 1, the configuration of the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 ′ is omitted in order to avoid complication of the drawing. Only the configuration of the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 will be described here.

  The medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 includes an image creation unit 4, a direction information embedding unit 5, a DICOM information creation unit 6, and a transmission unit 7. Hereinafter, each of these parts will be described in detail.

(Image creation part)
The image creating unit 4 performs processing for photographing a subject and creating image data of the medical image. The image creation unit 4 includes, for example, hardware for photographing a subject, hardware (computer) and software (installed in the computer) for creating a medical image by analyzing data obtained by photographing. Medical image creation application software). DICOM application software is also installed in the computer.

  For example, in an X-ray CT apparatus, a gantry is provided as imaging hardware, and medical image creation application software that causes a computer to execute preprocessing, image reconstruction processing, postprocessing, and the like is provided as image creation software. This configuration is well known and will not be described in detail. For other types of medical image diagnostic apparatuses, configurations relating to image creation are well known.

[Direction information embedding part]
The direction information embedding unit 5 performs processing for embedding information indicating the direction of the medical image (referred to as “direction information”) on the image data of the medical image created by the image creating unit 4. The direction information embedding unit 5 includes a microprocessor such as a CPU, a memory, and a storage device such as a hard disk drive, and executes direction information embedding processing according to a predetermined computer program. . This direction information embedding unit 5 corresponds to an example of “embedding means” of the present invention.

  The storage device of the direction information embedding unit 5 stores direction information data as shown in FIGS. For example, the user operates the user interface (not shown) of the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 to change the direction of the medical image (which direction is the head or foot direction of the subject, the left direction or the right direction). The direction information embedding unit 5 operates to acquire direction information from the storage device and embed each direction information in an area of image data corresponding to the input content from the user.

  In addition, when the direction of the subject at the time of medical image creation is determined, for example, when the scan direction of the subject by the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 is determined, the direction of the created medical image is uniquely determined. Is done. The direction information embedding unit 5 may operate to embed the direction information in the image data so as to indicate the uniquely determined direction.

  Alternatively, the created medical image may be analyzed to detect the direction of the medical image, and the embedded position of the direction information may be determined based on the detection result. For example, when a scanogram is created by an X-ray CT apparatus, the direction of the head or foot can be determined by analyzing the contour shape of the scanogram.

  It should be noted that “embedding direction information” means processing for replacing image data of a predetermined area of a medical image with direction information, or processing for overwriting direction information at a predetermined position of a medical image. The former replacement process is a process of erasing image data in a predetermined area (for example, four corner areas) of a medical image and writing direction information in the predetermined area, and replacing data in the entire predetermined area. is there. The latter overwriting process rewrites only the position (pixel) corresponding to the direction information to be written. For example, for the direction information composed of character information, only the pixel data at the position corresponding to the “character” is rewritten. Will be.

(Embedding mode of direction information)
Here, an example of the direction information embedding mode with respect to the image data of the medical image will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 shows an example of the position of the embedding area of the direction information in the medical image G created by the image creation unit 4. The direction information embedding unit 5 embeds corresponding direction information in the four corner regions (embedded regions R1, R2, R3, R4) of the medical image G as shown in FIG. Here, the reason why the embedding areas R1 to R4 are provided at the four corners is to embed the direction information at a position that does not overlap the subject image P so as not to hinder the diagnosis work or the image inspection work.

  3 to 5 illustrate an example of the direction information embedded in the embedded regions R1 to R4 by the direction information embedding unit 5. In the aspect shown in FIG. 3, character information “LH” is embedded as direction information in embedded region R1. In the embedded region R2, character information “RH” is embedded as direction information. Further, character information “LF” is embedded as direction information in the embedded region R3. In the embedded region R4, character information “RF” is embedded as direction information.

  Here, the letter “L” represents the left direction (Left), and the letter “R” represents the right direction (Right). The letter “H” represents the direction of the subject's head, and the letter “F” represents the direction of the subject's foot. Therefore, the character information “LH” in the embedded region R1 represents “left and head direction”, the character information “RH” in the embedded region R2 represents “right and head direction”, and the character information in the embedded region R3 The information “LF” represents “left and foot direction”, and the character information “RF” in the embedded region R4 represents “right and foot direction”. The embedding area where the four character information is embedded is determined according to the direction of the subject image P. Therefore, each character information is not always embedded in the embedded region shown in FIG.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, numerical information “100” is embedded as direction information in the embedded region R1. Also, numerical information “110” is embedded as direction information in the embedded region R2. Also, numerical information “200” is embedded as direction information in the embedded region R3. Also, numerical information “824” is embedded as direction information in the embedded region R4.

  These four pieces of numerical information are set so that the sum of numerical values becomes a predetermined value. Here, the fourth value 824 is set so that 100 + 110 + 200 + 824 = 1234.

  In this direction information embedding mode, the numerical information “100” of the embedded region R1 is associated with “left and head direction”, and the numerical information “110” of the embedded region R2 is “right and head”. Numeral information “200” in the embedded region R3 is associated with “Left direction and foot direction”, and the numerical information “824” in the embedded region R4 is associated with “Right direction and foot direction”. It is attached. The embedding area where the four character information is embedded is determined according to the direction of the subject image P. Therefore, each character information is not always embedded in the embedded region shown in FIG.

  The mode shown in FIG. 5 is applied when the medical image G is a three-dimensional image, and the direction cosine of each coordinate axis (x-axis, y-axis, z-axis) of the three-dimensional coordinate system in which the three-dimensional image is defined. Value is used.

  In the embedded region R1, numerical information “α” based on the value of the direction cosine of the x axis is embedded as direction information. In addition, numerical information “β” based on the value of the direction cosine of the y-axis is embedded in the embedded region R2 as direction information. Also, numerical information “γ” based on the value of the direction cosine of the z-axis is embedded in the embedded region R3 as direction information. Also, numerical information “δ” is embedded as direction information in the embedded region R4.

  The numerical information α, β, γ, δ is determined as follows, for example. First, in order to determine the numerical information α, β, γ, the values of the cosines of the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are respectively multiplied by 1000: α ′ = 1000 × cos (x), β ′ = 1000 × cos. (Y), γ ′ = 1000 × cos (z). Furthermore, the numerical information α, β, γ is calculated by rounding off these values α ′, β ′, γ ′ to the first decimal place. Each numerical information α, β, γ is an integer value. Also, the numerical information δ is set so that the sum α + β + γ + δ of the numerical information α, β, γ, δ becomes a predetermined value (for example, 8000).

  The direction information embedding unit 5 first calculates the numerical information α, β, γ as described above, and then calculates (predetermined value) − (α + β + γ) to calculate the numerical information δ. The numerical information α, β, γ, and δ are embedded in the embedded regions R1, R2, R3, and R4, respectively.

[DICOM Information Creation Department]
The DICOM information creation unit 6 performs processing for creating DICOM information of a medical image created by the medical image creation unit 4. The DICOM information creation unit 6 includes a microprocessor that operates according to the above-described DICOM application software and a memory.

  The DICOM information includes patient information such as patient name, patient ID, patient age, date of birth, etc., and imaging conditions for medical images (in X-ray CT apparatus, scan method, slice width, slice angle, tube voltage, tube Current, reconstruction conditions, contrast agent name, etc.), imaging date and time, doctor name in charge, data related to the image (pixel data such as the number of pixels, gradation information, etc.), and the like.

  In particular, the DICOM information of the present embodiment includes information indicating the direction of the medical image (referred to as “DICOM direction information”). This DICOM direction information includes conventional arbitrary information such as a body position mark indicating the posture of the patient and a direction cosine of each coordinate axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system in the three-dimensional medical image. The DICOM direction information may be input manually using a user interface (not shown), or may be input automatically.

[Transmitter]
The transmission unit 7 performs processing for transmitting the image data of the medical image in which the direction information is embedded by the direction information embedding unit 5 and the DICOM information thereof to the medical image processing apparatus 1. The transmission unit 7 includes, for example, a microprocessor, a memory, and a network adapter such as a LAN card.

[Configuration of medical image processing apparatus]
The medical image processing apparatus 1 includes, for example, a computer that is used as the above-described image inspection system. The medical image processing apparatus 1 includes a receiving unit 11, a direction information determining unit 12, a coincidence determining unit 13, an image processing unit 14, a direction information changing unit 15, a display control unit 16, a display unit 17, a data control unit 18, an image A storage unit 19, a communication unit 20, an operation unit 21, and an image extraction unit 22 are provided. Hereinafter, each of these parts will be described in detail.

[Receiver]
The receiving unit 11 performs a process of receiving image data and DICOM information of a medical image transmitted from the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 (2 ′). The receiving unit 11 includes a microprocessor, a memory, and a network adapter. The receiving unit 11 sends the received medical image image data and DICOM information to the direction information determining unit 12.

[Direction Information Judgment Unit]
The direction information determination unit 12 refers to a predetermined embedding area of the image data of the medical image to determine whether the direction information is embedded. When direction information is embedded, it is determined which mode of direction information is embedded. The direction information determination unit 12 includes a microprocessor and a memory. The direction information determination unit 12 corresponds to an example of “direction information determination unit” of the present invention.

  The operation of the direction information determination unit 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. When the direction information determination unit 12 receives the image data of the medical image G from the reception unit 11, the direction information determination unit 12 analyzes the image data to determine whether the direction information is embedded in the embedding regions R1 to R4 at the four corners of the medical image G. To do. If not embedded, the image data is sent to the image processing unit 14 (not shown in FIG. 1).

  On the other hand, when the direction information is embedded, the direction information is acquired from each of the embedded regions R1 to R4 and the content is recognized. When the recognized direction information is “LH”, “RH”, “LF”, “RF”, it is determined that the direction information embedded in the image data is the direction information shown in FIG. The direction information in FIG. 3 is referred to as “character direction information”.)

  When the recognized direction information is numeric information (“100”, “110”, “200”, “824”), the direction information determination unit 12 calculates the sum of these numerical values. When the calculation result is a predetermined value (1234), it is determined that the direction information embedded in the image data is the direction information shown in FIG. 4 (the direction information in FIG. ”).

  Further, when the recognized direction information is numeric information (“α”, “β”, “γ”, “δ”) and the calculation result of the sum thereof is another predetermined value (8000), The direction information embedded in the image data is determined to be the direction information shown in FIG. 5 (the direction information in FIG. 5 is referred to as “direction cosine information”).

  When the direction information is included in the image data of the medical image, the direction information determination unit 12 sends the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information to the coincidence determination unit 13 together with the determination result of the direction information.

[Matching part]
The match determination unit 13 determines whether the direction of the medical image indicated by the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image matches the direction of the medical image indicated by the DICOM direction information (described above) included in the DICOM information. The process to judge is performed. The coincidence determination unit 13 includes a microprocessor and a memory. The coincidence determination unit 13 corresponds to an example of the “determination unit” of the present invention.

  The coincidence determination unit 13 acquires each direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image based on the determination result of the direction information type by the direction information determination unit 12, and interprets the direction indicated by the direction information. This interpretation processing is performed, for example, by referring to table information that associates the direction information with the direction of the medical image. On the other hand, the coincidence determination unit 13 acquires the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information. Then, it is determined whether the directions indicated by each match. The determination result is sent to the display control unit 16. Further, the image data and DICOM information of the medical image are sent to the image processing unit 14.

  With reference to FIG. 3, the determination process executed by the match determination unit 13 will be described. The coincidence determination unit 13 acquires character direction information “LH”, “RH”, “LF”, and “RF” embedded in the embedding regions R1, R2, R3, and R4 at the four corners of the image data of the medical image. Next, for each acquired character direction information, pre-stored table information: “LH” → “left direction and head direction”; “RH” → “right direction and head direction”; “LF” → “left direction and The direction of the medical image is interpreted with reference to “foot direction”; “RF” → “right direction and foot direction”.

  On the other hand, the coincidence determination unit 13 refers to the DICOM direction information of the DICOM information and separately acquires the direction of this medical image. Here, it is assumed that the DICOM direction information includes, for example, information indicating “left direction”, “right direction”, “head direction”, and “foot direction” in this medical image.

  Subsequently, the coincidence determination unit 13 compares the direction of the medical image corresponding to the character direction information “LH”, “RH”, “LF”, and “RF” with the direction of the medical image indicated in the DICOM direction information. , Determine if they match. For example, in the DICOM direction information, it is assumed that the upward direction on the paper surface of FIG. 3 is “head direction”, the downward direction is “foot direction”, and the left direction on the paper surface is “left direction”. When the right direction is “right direction”, it is determined that the character direction information matches the DICOM direction information. In other cases, it is determined that the character direction information does not match the DICOM direction information.

(Image processing unit)
The image processing unit 14 performs various image processing on the image data of the medical image. For example, in response to an operation signal from the operation unit 21, the image data of the medical image is inverted or rotated. The inverted medical image and the rotated medical image are displayed on the display unit 17 by the display control unit 16 in real time.

  When the user changes the cross-sectional direction (for example, axial image, sagittal image, coronal image, etc.) of the three-dimensional medical image using the operation unit 21, the image processing unit 14 is requested based on the three-dimensional medical image. A tomographic image in the cross-sectional direction is created. The created tomographic image is displayed on the display unit 17 by the display control unit 16 in real time. The image processing unit 14 includes a microprocessor and a memory.

[Direction information change part]
The direction information changing unit 15 performs processing for changing the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image and the DICOM direction information in the DICOM information. The direction information changing unit 15 includes a microprocessor, a memory, and a storage device such as a hard disk drive.

  The processing of the direction information changing unit 15 will be described more specifically. When the user operates the operation unit 21 to input new direction information, the direction information embedding unit 15a of the direction information changing unit 15 deletes the data (direction information) in the embedded region of the image data of the medical image. The newly input direction information is embedded in the embedded region. Thereby, the direction information embedded in the image data is replaced. The direction information embedding unit 15a corresponds to an example of the “embedding unit” of the present invention.

  A specific example will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 shows an image obtained by rotating the medical image G (subject image P) of FIG. 3 to the right by 90 degrees. This image rotation process is executed by the image processing unit 14.

  Character direction information “LH”, “RH”, “LF”, and “RF” are embedded in the embedded regions R1, R2, R3, and R4 of the medical image G in FIG. 6 (similar to FIG. 3). Is). However, these character direction information does not accurately represent the direction of the subject image P of the medical image G.

  Therefore, the user operates the operation unit 21 while referring to the medical image G to set and input accurate character direction information in each of the embedded regions R1 to R4. That is, the character direction information “LF” is stored in the embedded region R1, the character direction information “LH” is stored in the embedded region R2, the character direction information “RF” is stored in the embedded region R3, and the character direction information “RF” is stored in the embedded region R4. “RH” is set and input.

  The direction information embedding unit 15a of the direction information changing unit 15 erases the character direction information in each of the embedding regions R1 to R4 of the medical image G in FIG. 6 and embeds according to the input content from the operation unit 21. Character direction information “LF” is embedded in region R1, character direction information “LH” is embedded in embedded region R2, character direction information “RF” is embedded in embedded region R3, and character direction information “RH” is embedded in embedded region R4. Embedded. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, direction information that accurately represents the direction of the subject image P of the medical image G is set.

  Similarly, the user operates the operation unit 21 while referring to the medical image processed by the image processing unit 14 to set and input new DICOM direction information. The direction information changing unit 15 rewrites the DICOM direction information of the DICOM information with the new DICOM information.

(Display control unit)
The display control unit 16 performs various processes for displaying a medical image on the display unit 17. The display unit 17 is an arbitrary display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display. The display control unit 16 includes a microprocessor and a memory.

  The display control unit 16 is provided with an image replacement unit 16a. The image replacement unit 16a performs processing for replacing the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image with image data (background image data) corresponding to the background of the medical image. Specifically, the direction information embedded in the embedded region of the image data is erased, and the operation is performed so that the background image data is embedded in the embedded region. The display control unit 16 sends the image data processed by the image replacement unit 16a to the display unit 17 to display a medical image.

  Note that as the background image data, zero data corresponding to zero luminance, or color data and luminance data set in the background of the subject image are appropriately used. This background image data may be set in advance according to, for example, the type of medical image (X-ray CT image, MRI image, X-ray image, PET image, SPECT image, ultrasonic image, etc.) The background image data may be determined by analyzing and acquiring the luminance and color of the background of the medical image.

[Data control section]
The data control unit 18 controls the communication unit 18 to transmit data to the image database 3 or acquire data stored in the image database 3. In addition, the data control unit 18 performs processing for sending data to the image storage unit 19 for storage and processing for reading data stored in the image storage unit 19. The data control unit 18 includes a microprocessor and a memory.

  The display control unit 16 and the data control unit 18 form a control unit (not shown) of the medical image processing apparatus 1. This control unit corresponds to an example of the “control unit” of the present invention.

(Image storage)
The image storage unit 19 stores various data such as medical image data and DICOM information. The image storage unit 19 is configured by a storage device having a storage capacity sufficient to store medical image data or the like, such as a hard disk drive.

[Communication Department]
The communication unit 20 performs data communication with the image database 3 (the aforementioned medical device). The communication unit 20 includes, for example, a microprocessor, a memory, and a network adapter such as a LAN card.

[Operation section]
The operation unit 21 corresponds to an example of the “operation unit” of the present invention, and includes an arbitrary operation device such as a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a control panel, a joystick, a touch panel, and a tablet. When a touch panel or a tablet is used, the “operation unit” and the “display unit” may be formed integrally.

  The user operates the operation unit 21 to instruct a medical image direction conversion (inversion, rotation, cross-section conversion, etc.), other image processing instruction operation, and input setting of direction information and DICOM direction information. Operations can be performed. When various instructions and inputs are performed using the operation unit 21, a predetermined display screen is displayed on the display unit 17. The user performs a desired instruction and input operation on the display screen.

(Image extraction unit)
The image extraction unit 22 operates when creating a list of a plurality of medical images stored in the image database 3 in which the direction information embedded in the image data does not match the DICOM direction information (for list creation). (It will be described later.)

  The image extraction unit 22 refers to the result of the coincidence determination between the direction information and the DICOM direction information by the coincidence determination unit 13, extracts the image data and DICOM information of the medical image determined to be inconsistent and lists Is stored in the image storage unit 19. The image extraction unit 22 includes a microprocessor and a memory. The image extraction unit 22 corresponds to an example of the “extraction unit” in the present invention.

[Hardware configuration of medical image processing apparatus]
Next, the hardware configuration of the medical image processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The medical image processing apparatus 1 has a hardware configuration similar to that of a conventional computer. Specifically, it includes a microprocessor 101, RAM 102, ROM 103, hard disk drive (HDD) 104, keyboard 105, mouse 106, display 107, and communication interface (I / F) 108. These units are connected via a bus 109.

  The microprocessor 101 is configured by an arbitrary microprocessor such as a CPU or MPU, and executes a characteristic operation of the present invention by expanding a medical image processing program 104a stored in advance in the hard disk drive 104 on the RAM 102. .

  Of the medical image processing program 104a, a portion (module) relating to the direction information embedding processing for the image data of the medical image is also installed in the medical image diagnostic apparatuses 2 and 2 '.

  Further, the microprocessor 101 develops a basic program such as BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) stored in advance in the ROM 103 on the RAM 102 and controls peripheral devices (keyboard 105, mouse 106, display 107, etc.). .

  The main operation of the microprocessor 101 is, for example, as follows: The type of direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image is determined (direction information determination unit 12); direction information and DICOM direction information (Coincidence determining unit 13); image processing is performed on the medical image (image processing unit 14); direction information is changed (direction information changing unit 15); the medical image is displayed on the display 107. Display (display control unit 16); transmit data to image database 3 (data control unit 18); acquire data from image database 3 (data control unit 18); store data in image storage unit 19 (data control) Unit 18); extracts a medical image in which the direction information and the DICOM direction information do not match (image extraction unit 22); It controls the operation of each part of the device according to the operation signal from Part 21). These operations are executed based on the medical image processing program 104a.

  The hard disk drive 104 is a large-capacity storage device that constitutes the image storage unit 19, for example. The hard disk drive 104 stores the above-described medical image processing program 104a in advance.

  The keyboard 105, the mouse 106, and the display 107 are used as a user interface UI of the medical image processing apparatus 1. The keyboard 105 is used for typing and inputting characters, numbers, and the like (for example, direction information and DICOM direction information) on the screen displayed on the display 107. The mouse 106 is used when operating (clicking) a soft key on the screen displayed on the display 107 or designating an object on the screen. The keyboard 105 and the mouse 106 are used as an example of the operation unit 21. The display 107 is an arbitrary display device such as an LCD or a CRT, and is used as an example of the display unit 17.

  The communication interface 108 corresponds to an example of the receiving unit 11 and the communication unit 20 and includes a communication device such as a LAN card for performing local communication with the medical image diagnostic apparatuses 2 and 2 ′ and the image database 3. In addition, a communication device such as a modem for connecting to a wide area network such as the Internet may be provided.

[System Operation]
The operation of the medical image processing system according to this embodiment having the above-described configuration will be described. The flowchart shown in FIG. 9 represents an example of the operation executed by this medical image processing system.

  First, a medical image of a subject is created using the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 (or 2 ′; the same applies hereinafter) (S1). The medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 creates DICOM information of this medical image based on manually input data and / or automatically generated data (S2). The direction information embedding unit 5 embeds the direction information in the image data of the medical image created in step S1 (S3). The transmission unit 4 transmits the image data and DICOM information of the medical image in which the direction information is embedded to the medical image processing apparatus 1 (S4).

  The user of the medical image processing apparatus 1 starts image inspection of the medical image transmitted from the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 (S5). The direction information determination unit 12 reads the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image (S6), and obtains DICOM direction information from the DICOM information of the medical image (S7). Then, it is determined whether the direction information read from the image data matches the DICOM direction information (S8).

  If it is determined that they match (S8; Y), the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information are sent to the image processing unit 14. The image replacement unit 16a of the display control unit 16 receives the image data of the medical image, and replaces the embedded direction information with the background image data (S9). The display control unit 16 causes the display unit 17 to display a medical image using this image data (S10). At this time, DICOM information may also be displayed.

  The user performs an image inspection operation on the displayed medical image (S11). In the image inspection operation, processing for changing the direction of the image, such as image inversion, image rotation, and cross-sectional transformation, is performed. The user operates the operation unit 21 to set and input new direction information and DICOM direction information for the medical image whose direction has been changed. When the information is changed by the direction information changing unit 15, the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information are sent to the communication unit 20 and sent to the image database 3 (S12). The image data of the medical image and the DICOM information are stored in the image database 3. This is the end of the process in this case.

  On the other hand, when it is determined in step S8 that the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information do not match (S8; N), the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information are converted into the image processing unit 14. The display control unit 16 causes the display unit 17 to display the medical image together with an error message (S13).

  This error message includes a message indicating that one or both of the direction information and the DICOM direction information is incorrect, and may further include content prompting the user to perform the correction work. As an example, an error message such as “Image direction information does not match. Check the displayed image and correct the direction information in the image and the DICOM direction information” can be displayed. .

  For example, based on the operation signal from the operation unit 21, the data control unit 18 determines whether the direction information or the DICOM direction information has been corrected in accordance with the error message (S14).

  When the correction is made (S14; Y), the data control unit 18 sends the image data and DICOM information of the medical image to the image processing unit 14. The display control unit 16 replaces the direction information embedded in the image data with the background image data (S9), and displays the medical image on the display unit 17 (S10). The user performs an image inspection operation on the displayed medical image (S11). When the work is completed, the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information are transmitted to the image database 3 (S12). This is the end of the process in this case.

  When the direction information or the like is not corrected (S14; N), the data control unit 18 stores the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information in the image storage unit 19 and the image data of the medical image. Transmission to the outside (medical devices such as the image database 3) is prohibited (S15). This is the end of the process in this case.

  Note that the external transmission prohibition process in step S15 adds a flag to the image data of the medical image, for example, determines the presence or absence of the flag at the time of external transmission, and controls not to transmit the added data. This can be achieved.

  It is also possible to list the identification information (information such as patient ID, image ID, photographing date and time) of medical images for which external transmission is prohibited, and perform the prohibition process by referring to this list at the time of external transmission.

  Furthermore, a storage area for storing data for which external transmission is prohibited may be set in the image storage unit 19 in advance, and image data or the like whose direction information is not corrected may be stored in the storage area.

[Other operation examples]
Another operation executed by the medical image processing system of this embodiment will be described. The operation described below is to select a medical image stored in the medical image database 3 that does not match the direction information embedded in the image data with the DICOM direction information.

  The image database 3 also stores medical images transmitted from devices other than the medical image processing device 1 of the system. In such medical images, there is a possibility that the direction information in the image data does not match the DICOM direction information. For example, it is assumed that the interpretation doctor forgets to change the direction information or the like even though the direction of the image is changed at the time of interpretation. In addition, when another imaging system that does not have the function of the medical image processing apparatus 1 of this system is connected, the direction information and the DICOM direction information match for the medical image stored from the imaging system. There is a risk of not.

  Therefore, the medical image processing apparatus 1 is used to check the coincidence state between the direction information of the medical image stored in the image database 3 and the DICOM direction information when the apparatus is used less frequently such as at night or on holidays. Hereinafter, a specific example of this confirmation processing will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  When the processing start request is made, the data control unit 18 controls the communication unit 20 to access the image database 3, and obtains stored image data of the medical image and its DICOM information (S21). .

  Here, the processing start request is input to the data control unit 18 in response to the time measurement function of the microprocessor 101 indicating a predetermined date and time, for example. Further, the user may input a request by operating the operation unit 21.

  The data control unit 18 sends the acquired image data of the medical image and DICOM information to the coincidence determination unit 13. The coincidence determination unit 13 determines the coincidence of the direction information for each medical image (S22). That is, for each medical image, it is determined whether the direction information embedded in the image data matches the DICOM direction information included in the DICOM information.

  When it is determined that the direction information of the medical images match (S23; Y), it is determined whether the matching determination has been performed for all the acquired medical images (S25). If there is a medical image that has not been determined for consistency (S25; N), the process proceeds to determination of consistency for the next medical image (S22).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the direction information of the medical image does not match (S23; N), the image extraction unit 22 acquires the image data and DICOM information of the medical image, and prepares a list ( The identification information (patient ID, image ID, etc.) of the medical image is added to the “mismatch list”) (S24). Then, it is determined whether or not all medical images have been determined to be coincident (S25). If there is still a medical image (S25; N), the process proceeds to the determination of coincidence of the next medical image (S22).

  In this way, the consistency of the direction information is sequentially confirmed for the medical images acquired from the image database 3. When the confirmation of all the medical images is completed (S25; Y), the mismatch list and the image data and DICOM information of the medical image whose identification information is described in the mismatch list are stored in the image storage unit 19 (S26). . This completes the process of extracting medical images whose direction information does not match.

  The user grasps the medical images whose direction information does not match by referring to the mismatch list. Then, the medical image data and DICOM information described in the mismatch list can be read from the image storage unit 19 and displayed on the display unit 17, and the direction information and DICOM direction information can be corrected to the correct contents. The image data and DICOM information of the medical image whose direction information is corrected are transmitted to the image database 3 and stored.

  In step S1, medical images stored in the image database 3 from the medical image processing apparatus 1 may not be acquired (that is, only medical images stored by other apparatuses are selectively acquired). You may). In this case, for example, history information of the apparatus that has performed the storage process is recorded in the DICOM information of the medical image. At the time of acquiring the medical image in step S1, only the information stored by another device is selected and acquired by referring to the history information of each medical image. Accordingly, the processing of FIG. 10 can be performed quickly, and the burden on the medical image processing apparatus 1 is reduced.

  In step S26, only the mismatch list may be stored in the image storage unit 19. In that case, when correcting the direction information, image data of a desired medical image is read from the image database 3. Thereby, the storage capacity of the image storage unit 19 can be used efficiently. In particular, when a large number of medical images are determined to be “mismatched”, it is possible that not all image data or the like can be stored in the image storage unit 19, but there is a problem if only the mismatch list is stored. There is no.

  Further, when storing the image data and DICOM information of the medical image determined to be inconsistent in the image storage unit 19, the image data is stored in the image storage unit 19 immediately after being added to the mismatch list in step S24. The storage timing can be determined as appropriate.

[Action / Effect]
The operation and effect of the medical image processing system according to the present embodiment as described above will be described.

  First, this medical image processing system includes embedding means (direction information embedding units 5 and 15a) for embedding direction information indicating the direction of a medical image in the image data of the medical image.

  As a result, the direction of the medical image that is actually displayed does not match the DICOM direction information, the DICOM direction information is lost due to an error during communication, the DICOM direction information is forgotten to be updated, or the DICOM The direction embedded in the image data even when a problem occurs in the DICOM direction information and the directionality of the medical image cannot be accurately indicated, such as when an error occurs in the direction information automatic update processing By referring to the information, the directionality of the medical image can be accurately recognized, and highly reliable image inspection and diagnosis can be performed.

  Also, in the test of the medical image processing system, it is easy to confirm whether the DICOM direction information is correctly changed according to the change in the direction of the medical image by comparing the direction information embedded in the image data with the DICOM direction information. can do.

  In the above embodiment, the direction information is embedded in the four corner regions of the medical image. This is to avoid a situation in which the direction information is embedded in the subject image and obstructs the examination or diagnosis. Thus, it is desirable to embed the direction information at a position that does not overlap the subject image. In addition, even if omission or data abnormality occurs in the embedded direction information, the subject image is not damaged, and there is no problem in image inspection and diagnosis.

  In the above-described embodiment, the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 (2 ′) includes the embedding unit (direction information embedding unit 5) that embeds direction information in the image data of the created medical image. It operates so as to transmit the embedded image data and DICOM information (including DICOM direction information) to the medical image processing apparatus 1. The medical image processing apparatus 1 receives the transmission data from the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2, and determines whether the direction indicated by the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image matches the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information. If they do not match, an error message is displayed on the display means (display unit 17).

  The fact that the direction information does not match the DICOM direction information means that one or both of them does not accurately indicate the directionality of this medical image. According to the present embodiment, by displaying an error message in such a case, it is possible to notify that the direction information and / or the DICOM direction information is not accurate, so the user can display the direction information and the DICOM direction information. It is possible to correct appropriately.

  On the other hand, when the direction indicated by the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image matches the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information, the medical image processing apparatus 1 causes the display unit to display the medical image. It has become. The user performs image inspection and diagnosis work on the displayed medical image. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid a situation in which imaging or diagnosis is performed in a situation where the direction information cannot be recognized or a situation in which the direction information is misidentified, and therefore, the possibility of occurrence of an imaging error or misdiagnosis can be reduced.

  Furthermore, the medical image processing apparatus 1 includes an operation unit (operation unit 21). In response to the correction of the direction information and / or DICOM direction information by the operation unit according to the error message, the medical image processing apparatus 1 displays a medical image. It operates to display on the display means. The user will perform image inspection and diagnosis work on the displayed medical image. Therefore, since image inspection and diagnosis can be performed with reference to direction information indicating accurate directionality, it is possible to reduce the risk of image inspection mistakes and misdiagnosis.

  When displaying a medical image, the direction information embedded in the image data is replaced with the background image data of the medical image, and then the medical image is displayed. The direction information need not be formed by image data in the same format as the image data of the medical image. When direction information composed of image data in a format different from that of a medical image is embedded, the direction information is not correctly displayed when the medical image is displayed, and the image may be difficult to see. In the above embodiment, in order to cope with such a case, the medical image can be displayed in an easy-to-view manner by replacing the area in which the direction information is embedded with the background image data.

  The medical image diagnostic system of the above embodiment is provided with a medical device (image database 3) that is communicably connected to the medical image processing device via a network. The medical image processing apparatus 1 is configured to prohibit transmission of image data and DICOM information of the medical image to the medical apparatus until the direction information and / or DICOM direction information is corrected by the operation unit. . Therefore, a medical image with wrong direction information attached is not output to the medical device, and the risk of misdiagnosis is reduced.

  Further, the medical image processing apparatus 1 includes an embedding unit (direction information embedding unit 15a), and this embedding unit is operated when the direction of the medical image displayed on the display unit is changed by the operation unit. The operation is performed so that the direction information corresponding to the direction of the medical image after the change is embedded in the image data of the medical image. Thereby, for example, in the image examination and diagnosis using the medical image processing apparatus 1, when processing for changing the directionality of the image such as image inversion, rotation, and cross-sectional transformation is performed, the direction information embedded in the medical image is obtained. , And can be replaced with one reflecting the change process.

  In addition, the medical image processing apparatus 1 acquires a plurality of medical images stored in the image database 3, and for each medical image, the direction indicated by the direction information embedded in the image data and the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information The image data of the medical image and the DICOM information that do not match are extracted. In the present embodiment, a list of extracted medical images is created.

  As a result, among medical images stored in the image database 3, information indicating directionality (direction information, DICOM direction information) that includes an error can be easily identified, and can be appropriately corrected. . It is desirable that the medical image extraction process be performed when the device is not frequently used, such as at night or on holidays, so that the normal operation of the device is not affected.

  The direction information (numerical direction information) shown in FIG. 4 is a number set for each of the four directions obtained by combining the head direction and the foot direction of the subject and the left direction and the right direction in the medical image. Information (ie, “head-left (LH)”, “head-right (RH)”, “foot-left (LF)”, “foot-right (RF)”). Numerical information.) Furthermore, this direction information is set so that the sum of the four pieces of numeric information becomes a predetermined value. The four pieces of numeric information are set to different numbers.

  When such numerical information is used as the direction information, the direction information determination unit (direction information determination unit 12) of the medical image processing apparatus 1 calculates the sum of the numerical information embedded in the four corner areas of the medical image. Then, by determining whether or not the calculated sum is the predetermined value, it is determined whether or not the direction information including the four numeric information is embedded in the image data.

  Thereby, it can be easily determined whether or not the direction information is embedded in the image data of the medical image. Further, when the direction information is embedded, the type of the direction information can be easily determined.

  The direction information (direction cosine information) shown in FIG. 5 is used when the medical image is a three-dimensional image. This direction information includes three pieces of numerical information based on the direction cosines of the three coordinate axes of the three-dimensional image (in FIG. 5, the value of the direction cosine of each coordinate axis is multiplied by 1000). Further, as the fourth numerical information, there is included information in which the sum of the three numerical information is a predetermined value.

  When such numerical information is used as the direction information, the direction information determination unit of the medical image processing apparatus 1 calculates the sum of the numerical information embedded in the four corner areas of the medical image, and the sum is the predetermined value. It is determined whether or not direction information based on the three coordinate axes is embedded in the image data.

  By using this direction information, it can be easily determined whether or not the direction information is embedded in the image data of the medical image, and the type of the embedded direction information can be easily determined.

  When a plurality of types of direction information are used, the “predetermined value” that is different for each direction information is set. Thereby, it is possible to easily determine which direction information of a plurality of types of direction information is used for the medical image.

[About medical image processing program]
The medical image processing program 104a of the above embodiment is stored in the hard disk drive 104 of the medical image processing apparatus 1. Further, for example, a hard disk drive (not shown) of the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 (2 ′) stores at least a part related to the direction information embedding process in the medical image processing program 104a. The medical image processing program 104a can be stored in any storage medium that can be read by the medical image processing apparatus 1 or the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 (computer). For example, a medical image processing program is stored in a storage medium such as an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk (CD-ROM / DVD-RAM / DVD-ROM / MO, etc.), a magnetic storage medium (hard disk / floppy (registered trademark) disk / ZIP, etc.), etc. 104a can be stored.

  In addition, the medical image processing program 104a is stored in another computer such as a server on the network, and the medical image processing apparatus 1 and the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 access the computer and execute the medical image processing program 104a. It is also possible to configure it.

[Modification]
The embodiment described above is merely an example of the configuration for suitably carrying out the present invention. Therefore, arbitrary modifications within the scope of the present invention can be appropriately made. Hereinafter, modifications of the present invention will be described.

  The flowchart shown in FIG. 11 represents the process by the modification of the said embodiment. This modification has the same configuration as the block diagram of FIG. Hereinafter, the components of this modification will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 creates image data and DICOM information of a medical image (S31), and embeds direction information in this image data (S32). Then, the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information are transmitted to the medical image processing apparatus 1 (S33).

  The medical image processing apparatus 1 receives the image data and DICOM information of the medical image transmitted from the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2, and stores it in the image storage unit 19 (S34).

  When a request is made to transmit this medical image to an external device (the above-described medical device) by operating the operation unit 21 or the like (S35), the coincidence determination unit 13 is embedded in the image data. It is determined whether the direction information matches the DICOM direction information (S36).

  When it is determined that they match (S37; Y), the data control unit 18 controls the communication unit 20 to transmit the image data and DICOM information of this medical image to the external device (S38).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the direction information embedded in the image data does not match the DICOM information (S37; N), the display control unit 16 displays the medical image on the display unit 17 together with an error message (S39). .

  The data control unit 18 determines whether the direction information or DICOM direction information has been corrected based on the operation signal from the operation unit 21 (S40).

  If corrected (S40; Y), the data control unit 18 controls the communication unit 20 to transmit the image data and DICOM information of this medical image to the external device (S38).

  If not corrected (S40; N), the data control unit 18 stores the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information in the image storage unit 19 and sends the image data of the medical image to an external device. Transmission is prohibited (S41).

  According to this modification, when a medical image transmission request is made, only when the direction information embedded in the image data matches the DICOM direction information, the medical image is sent to the external device in response to the request. Since it acts so as to transmit, it is possible to avoid a situation where a medical image to which wrong direction information or DICOM direction information is added is transmitted to an external device. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of mistakes in the work performed by the external device. For example, when the external device is an image interpretation device, the occurrence of misdiagnosis can be prevented.

  The direction information determination unit 12 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used to determine the type of medical image. For example, when the medical image is a two-dimensional image, the numerical direction information of FIG. 4 is embedded in the image data, and when the medical image is a three-dimensional image, the direction cosine information of FIG. 5 is embedded. Here, the sum of the four pieces of numerical information forming the numerical direction information is “1234”, and the sum of the four pieces of numerical information forming the direction cosine information is “8000”.

  Note that the “two-dimensional image” means a two-dimensional image such as a tomographic image obtained by an X-ray CT apparatus, for example. In addition, the “three-dimensional image” is a pseudo three-dimensional image created by performing processing such as volume rendering and MIP (Maximum Intensity Projection) on image data composed of volume data, for example. Means an image displayed as.

  When the direction information determination unit 12 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 receives the input of the image data and DICOM information of the medical image from the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2, the numerical information embedded in the embedding regions R1 to R4 of the image data is displayed. Obtain each and calculate the sum of them.

  When the calculated sum is “1234 (first value)”, the direction information determination unit 12 determines that this medical image is a two-dimensional image. On the other hand, when the sum is “8000 (second value)”, it is determined that this medical image is a three-dimensional image. Information that associates the sum value with the type of medical image is stored in advance in the hard disk drive 104, for example. The direction information determination unit 12 refers to this related information to determine the type of medical image corresponding to the calculated sum value.

  In this way, if a plurality of direction information composed of four pieces of numeric information having different sum values are prepared in advance and different direction information is embedded according to the type of medical image, the type of medical image is automatically recognized. can do.

  The determination of the type of medical image as described above is not limited to the determination between a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image. For example, by setting different sum values depending on the types of modalities (medical image diagnostic apparatus: X-ray CT apparatus, X-ray diagnostic apparatus, MRI apparatus, nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, etc.) It is also possible to configure so as to be able to determine which modality is used for the medical image.

  As described above, the direction information determination unit 12 determines the image type (by dimension, by modality, etc.) of the medical image based on the sum value of the four pieces of numerical information embedded in the image data of the medical image. Is possible. In addition to the above example, any type can be appropriately applied as the image type to be determined.

  It is also possible to determine a medical image by combining two or more determination items. For example, for a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image obtained by an X-ray CT apparatus and four types of medical images made up of a two-dimensional image and a three-dimensional image obtained by an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, different sums are obtained. By setting values, it is possible to discriminate image types of such complex combinations.

  In the above embodiment, when displaying a medical image, the embedded direction information is replaced with the background image data. For example, as shown in the character direction information of FIG. The recognizable direction information may be displayed as it is together with the medical image. The user can grasp the direction of the medical image by viewing the displayed direction information.

  In the above embodiment, the direction information is embedded in each of the four corner regions of the medical image. However, it is sufficient to embed the direction information in at least one of these four regions.

  For example, direction information “LH” is embedded in the embedded region R1 in the upper left corner of the medical image G shown in FIG. 3, and it is stored in advance that this direction information means the left direction and the head direction (embedded region). It is not embedded in the region corresponding to R2 to R4.) In this case, considering the upper left corner of the medical image G in the left direction and the head direction and the subject image P, the upper right corner is in the right direction and the head direction, and the lower left corner is in the left direction and the foot direction. And that the lower right corner is in the right direction and in the foot direction.

  Further, the form of the direction information embedded in the image data of the medical image is not limited to the above-described character information or numeric information. For example, a predetermined mark (arbitrary mark such as an asterisk or a circle) is promised to be embedded at a position corresponding to the head direction and the left direction (“LH” direction) in the medical image. The user can recognize the direction by checking the position of the mark when viewing the medical image. When the image direction is changed due to image reversal or the like, the mark may be moved to a position corresponding to the changed direction (that is, the mark before changing the image direction is deleted and the changed direction is changed). Just embed the mark in the position corresponding to.

  In addition, it is particularly desirable that the direction information is embedded in the four corner areas of the medical image as in the above embodiment, but it is sufficient if the edge area of the medical image does not overlap with the subject image. .

  In the above embodiment, the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 is also provided with the embedding means. However, the medical image processing apparatus 1 may be provided with the embedding means. In that case, the medical image diagnostic apparatus 2 creates image data and DICOM information of the medical image and transmits them to the medical image processing apparatus 1. The user of the medical image processing apparatus 1 displays the medical image, confirms the direction of the image, and embeds direction information in the image data based on the confirmation result. At that time, DICOM direction information may be referred to.

  On the other hand, the medical image processing apparatus 1 is desirably provided with an embedding unit. In particular, when the medical image processing apparatus 1 is used for the purpose of imaging, interpretation, or diagnosis, the image direction is changed, such as reversal, rotation, and cross-section conversion of the medical image. Therefore, since it is necessary to embed direction information indicating the changed direction in the image data, an embedding unit is essential.

1 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a preferred embodiment of a medical image processing system according to the present invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing showing an example of the area | region (embedding area | region) of the image data of the medical image by which direction information is embedded by suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing showing an example of the direction information embedded in the image data of a medical image by suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing showing an example of the direction information embedded in the image data of a medical image by suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing showing an example of the direction information embedded in the image data of a medical image by suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing for demonstrating the process when changing direction information by suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing for demonstrating the process when changing direction information by suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware constitutions of the medical image processing apparatus of suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of operation | movement of suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of operation | movement of suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating an example of the operation | movement of the modification of suitable embodiment of the medical image processing system which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Medical image processing apparatus 11 Receiving part 12 Direction information judgment part 13 Matching judgment part 14 Image processing part 15 Direction information change part 15a Direction information embedding part 16 Display control part 16a Image replacement part 17 Display part 18 Data control part 19 Image storage Unit 20 Communication unit 21 Operation unit 22 Image extraction unit 101 Microprocessor 104 Hard disk drive 104a Medical image processing program 105 Keyboard 106 Mouse 107 Display 2 Medical image diagnostic device 4 Image creation unit 5 Direction information embedding unit 6 DICOM information creation unit 7 Transmission Part 3 Image database G Medical image P Subject image R1, R2, R3, R4 Embedded region

Claims (15)

A medical image diagnostic apparatus that creates image data of a medical image and DICOM information of the medical image and outputs the medical image via a network; receives the image data and DICOM information of the output medical image; and based on the DICOM information A medical image processing system having a medical image processing apparatus for processing the medical image,
Embed means for embedding direction information indicating the direction of the medical image in the image data of the medical image;
A medical image processing system characterized by that. The direction information is embedded in an area of image data corresponding to at least one of the four corner areas of the medical image.
The medical image processing system according to claim 1. The direction information includes four character information indicating four directions obtained by combining the head direction and the foot direction of the subject in the medical image, and the left direction and the right direction,
The embedding means embeds the four character information one by one in four regions of image data corresponding to the four corner regions of the medical image,
The medical image processing system according to claim 2. The direction information is set for each of four directions obtained by combining the head direction and foot direction of the subject in the medical image, and the left direction and the right direction, and the sum thereof is a predetermined value. Including numerical direction information consisting of four different pieces of numerical information, each set to be a value,
The medical image diagnostic apparatus includes the embedding unit that embeds four pieces of numerical information of the numerical direction information one by one in four regions of image data corresponding to the four corner regions of the medical image. Output the image data and DICOM information embedded with
The medical image processing device receives input of medical image image data and DICOM information, determines whether numerical information is embedded in the four areas of the medical image image data, and includes the numerical information. And calculating the sum of the numerical information of the four regions, and determining whether the calculated sum is the predetermined value, thereby adding the numerical direction to the image data of the medical image. A direction information judging means for judging whether or not the information is embedded;
The medical image processing system according to claim 2. The direction information is direction cosine information including three numerical information based on the direction cosine of each of the three coordinate axes of the medical image and fourth numerical information in which the sum of the three numerical information is a predetermined value. Including
The medical image diagnostic apparatus embeds the three numeric information and the fourth numeric information of the direction cosine information one by one in four regions of image data corresponding to the four corner regions of the medical image. Means for outputting the image data and DICOM information in which the direction cosine information is embedded,
The medical image processing device receives input of medical image image data and DICOM information, determines whether numerical information is embedded in the four areas of the medical image image data, and includes the numerical information. When the determination is made, the sum of the numerical information of the four areas is calculated, and by determining whether the calculated sum is the predetermined value, the direction cosine is added to the image data of the medical image. A direction information judging means for judging whether or not the information is embedded;
The medical image processing system according to claim 2. A plurality of the direction information is provided, and the plurality of direction information includes four different pieces of numeric information, each of which is set so that the sum thereof differs depending on the image type,
The medical image diagnostic apparatus includes the embedding unit that embeds four pieces of numerical information of one of the plurality of pieces of direction information one by one in four regions of image data corresponding to four corner regions of the medical image. And outputting the image data and DICOM information in which the four number information is embedded,
The medical image processing apparatus receives the input of the image data of the medical image and DICOM information, calculates the sum of the four numerical information embedded in the four areas of the image data of the medical image, and calculates the calculated Directional information determining means for determining the image type of the medical image based on the sum;
The medical image processing system according to claim 2. The direction information determining means determines that the medical image is a two-dimensional image when the calculated sum of the four pieces of numeric information is a first value, and when the sum is a second value. And determining that the medical image is a three-dimensional image.
The medical image processing system according to claim 6. The DICOM information includes DICOM direction information indicating the direction of the medical image,
The medical image diagnostic apparatus includes the embedding unit, and outputs the image data in which the direction information is embedded and DICOM information,
The medical image processing apparatus includes:
Display means;
Determining means for determining whether the direction of the medical image indicated by the direction information embedded in the image data matches the direction of the medical image indicated by the DICOM direction information;
Control means for displaying a message on the display means when it is determined that the direction indicated by the direction information does not match the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information;
With
The medical image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the medical image processing system is a medical image processing system. The medical image processing apparatus further includes an operation unit,
The control means causes the display means to display the medical image in response to the direction information and / or the DICOM direction information being modified by the operation means in response to the message.
The medical image processing system according to claim 8. The control means causes the display means to display the medical image in response to the determination that the direction indicated by the direction information matches the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information.
The medical image processing system according to claim 8. Further comprising a medical device communicably connected to the medical image processing device via the network;
The medical image processing apparatus further includes an operation unit,
The control unit prohibits transmission of the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information to the medical device until the direction information and / or the DICOM direction information is corrected by the operation unit in response to the message. ,
The medical image processing system according to claim 8. The control unit replaces the direction information embedded in the image data with background image data of a medical image, and displays the medical image based on the image data after the replacement.
The medical image processing system according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The medical image processing apparatus includes the embedding unit, a display unit, and an operation unit.
The embedding unit embeds direction information corresponding to the direction of the medical image after the change in the image data of the medical image when the direction of the medical image displayed on the display unit is changed by the operation unit. ,
The medical image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the medical image processing system is a medical image processing system. Further comprising a database that is communicably connected to the medical image processing apparatus via the network and that stores medical image image data and DICOM information thereof;
The DICOM information includes DICOM direction information indicating the direction of the medical image,
The medical image processing apparatus includes:
For each of image data of a plurality of medical images stored in the database, the direction of the medical image indicated by the direction information embedded in the image data and the direction of the medical image indicated by the DICOM direction information are identical. A judgment means for judging whether or not,
Extracting means for extracting the image data of the medical image and the DICOM information that are determined to be inconsistent with the direction indicated by the direction information and the direction indicated by the DICOM direction information;
With
The medical image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the medical image processing system is a medical image processing system. A medical image processing apparatus that performs image processing on a medical image based on image data of the medical image and DICOM information of the medical image,
Embed means for embedding direction information indicating the direction of the medical image in the image data of the medical image;
A medical image processing apparatus.

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