JP2008142400A - Medical imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem of a difficulty in correlating a CT image and a photograph taken by a camera when treating a patient or evaluating a diagnosis. <P>SOLUTION: A first imaging apparatus, such as a CT apparatus 17, and a second imaging apparatus, such as a digitizer 18, are arranged on arms 14b and 14c respectively that work as a common moving member for imaging. By rotating the arm 14 as one piece around an imaging object, that is, a human body (a patient), an internal image (a tomographic image) and a surface image of the imaging object, that is, the human body (the patient), are acquired simultaneously on the basis of an identical coordinate system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical imaging apparatus, in particular, a medical imaging apparatus capable of imaging the internal structure of a patient (human body) such as CT and MRI, and an imaging apparatus capable of imaging the surface of a patient (human body), particularly The present invention relates to a medical imaging apparatus realized by a combination with imaging equipment capable of imaging a three-dimensional image of a patient surface.

Three-dimensional medical image information photographed by photographing equipment such as CT and MRI is frequently used in clinical settings.
This 3D medical image information is used clinically to evaluate quantitatively the morphological changes before and after treatment and the size and shape of lesions on arbitrarily created cross-sectional images. It is necessary to make the position and orientation of the images aligned at a certain position, which is important.

However, for all medical image information, a coordinate system for determining the orientation and position of the image information at the time of photographing is determined. For this reason, the coordinate system and display direction of the data are individually determined for each shooting, and there is a problem that it is difficult to compare a plurality of shooting data in a common coordinate system.
Therefore, the present inventor has already unified the display direction and coordinate system of the image based on the anatomical reference plane defined based on the anatomical feature points in the three-dimensionally constructed image of the three-dimensional medical image. Proposed method. (See Patent Document 1)
When the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used, for example, CT imaging data can be displayed, and an anatomical orientation can be set using feature points on the bone. In addition, since the three-dimensional image information based on CT imaging data can depict the morphological information of the soft tissue such as the skin like a bone, the facial surface shape is displayed by adjusting the CT value, and the morphological information is related to the skeletal morphology. It is also possible to develop a general assessment, diagnosis or treatment plan.
WO01 / 03065A1

  By the way, it may be necessary to position the facial cranium using the feature points on the face (skin), define the frontal orientation, for example, with the feature points on the face (skin), and perform morphological evaluation. This is because the harmony in the direction determined based on the feature of the bone and the harmony in the direction determined based on the feature of the face do not always match. Therefore, a better morphological assessment, diagnosis, or treatment plan can be made for the patient by checking based on both bone and facial features.

However, in a three-dimensional image based on CT imaging data, even if the face surface shape is displayed by adjusting the CT value, in the case of a CT photographed image, there is no information such as eyebrows and color. The identification of points is limited to places with three-dimensional irregularities, and irregularities are often not clear on the skin, there are few feature points that can be identified, and it is difficult to identify feature points.
Conventionally, many feature points on the skin have been defined on a face photograph. Therefore, it is advantageous to specify feature points on the skin if there is color or hair information like a photograph.

In addition, the CT image is drawn depending on the settings at the time of shooting, but generally there is a problem that the amount of exposure increases when shooting finely, and the current situation is that the skin is not drawn as fine as the photograph. It is.
Furthermore, in the CT image, in the case of the image of the facial cranium, image distortion (artifact) is likely to occur due to the metal restoration used for the treatment of the teeth, and the skin shape of the mouthpiece is not clearly drawn due to the image disturbance. In particular, in oral surgery and dental clinics, when correcting the jawbone and teeth, it is difficult to identify the feature points of the mouth on the skin.

  In order to solve these problems, for example, a three-dimensional camera (scanning the input object with a slit-shaped laser beam, receiving the reflected light with a CCD camera, obtaining distance information with the subject by the principle of triangulation, 3D data) (cameras that can be converted into 3D data) and ordinary cameras (digital cameras, etc.) that obtain 2D images, and 3D photographs or 2D photographs separately taken with these cameras and CT images are evaluated in association with each other. It has been tried to do.

  However, since the photograph taken by the camera and the CT photographed image are photographed separately and at different times, the camera data and the CT data have different coordinate systems, and encounter the problem that the correlation accuracy is poor. . Further, since the camera and CT are photographed separately, the posture of the patient at the time of photographing (for example, in CT photographing, the patient is photographed while lying on his back, and in the camera photographing, the patient is photographed while sitting. If this is the case, the muscles on the patient's face will be completely different), and the patient's facial expression will also change, so there is a limit to the accuracy in aligning both data. In other words, the distribution of facial muscles and subcutaneous fat changes depending on the vertical and horizontal orientation of the face relative to the jaw, and the shape of the face and skin is also affected by the facial expression. Of course, the facial form is further influenced by the positional relationship between the body and the jaw, so it is desirable to obtain CT data and camera data taken under the same conditions, the same facial expression, etc., and compare the two.

  The present invention has been made based on such a background, and a device capable of medically photographing the inside of a human body of a first imaging device (for example, CT, MRI, etc.) and a second imaging device (for example, a video). To provide a medical imaging apparatus capable of simultaneously imaging a human body (patient) as a subject based on the same coordinate system using a device such as a camera, a digital camera, a digitizer, etc. Is the main purpose.

  The invention according to claim 1 is mounted on the photographing position where the human body as the subject is positioned, the photographing moving member capable of rotating around the photographing position, and the photographing moving member. A first imaging device and a second imaging device for simultaneously imaging the human body at the position, wherein the first imaging device is a device capable of medical imaging of the inside of the human body, the second imaging device The imaging apparatus is a medical imaging apparatus characterized by being an apparatus capable of imaging a human body surface.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the second imaging device includes a non-contact type digitizer that irradiates a laser beam and receives reflected light by a CCD. It is.
More specifically, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the inside of a human body such as a CT or MRI as a first imaging apparatus is medically imaged on a moving member for imaging (for example, a distal end portion of an imaging arm). Equipment that can be used. At the tip of the arm or at the tip of another arm, a device that can photograph a human body surface such as a digitizer, a video camera, or a digital camera is installed as a second photographing device.

  For example, an arm as a photographing moving member rotates integrally around a predetermined support shaft (for example, if there are a plurality of arms, the plurality of arms rotate integrally), and is positioned at the position to be photographed. A human body can be photographed by rotating around the human body, which is a subject, by 360 ° with a common trajectory. For this reason, when the first imaging device and the second imaging device are arranged along the rotation direction, both imaging coordinate systems can be associated with each other, medical imaging data inside the human body, and camera data Can be easily and accurately associated with each other, and medical images and photographic images can be observed and evaluated in the same direction and position.

  If the non-contact type digitizer is used as the second imaging device, a stereoscopic photographic image can be obtained, and a three-dimensional image based on medical imaging data and a photograph can be obtained more easily. There is an advantage that the captured three-dimensional image can be accurately associated with each other or displayed in an overlapping manner, and the human body (patient) can easily perform the form evaluation and the treatment plan.

  According to this invention, by mounting both the first imaging device for imaging a medical three-dimensional image and the second imaging device for imaging the human body surface on the imaging moving member, the same simultaneously. For example, facial data of a patient in a state can be obtained internal facial data and facial surface data, which can be compared and contrasted based on a common coordinate system.

For this reason, it is not necessary to use, for example, face data of different postures and different states taken at different times for superimposing or preparing a device for this, as in the prior art.
In this invention, the medical imaging apparatus for imaging the inside of the human body and the camera for imaging the surface of the human body are configured as a single unit by the imaging moving member, and two different types of imaging data are stored in a common coordinate system. The apparatus which can be related easily and correctly using can be provided.

  In particular, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain fine shapes and colors on the skin, such as eyebrows, eye contours, lip borders, and the like, which have been difficult to obtain with CT or MRI imaging data, using the camera imaging data. And can be effectively used for image diagnosis of these feature points on the surface of the human body. In addition, when photographing the skin with CT or the like, the burden on the patient such as an increase in the amount of photographing exposure is imposed. However, according to the present invention, the burden on such a patient is not imposed and the photographing is performed. The burden of time can be reduced.

By associating human body data obtained by this invention with human body surface data, the orientation of the human body surface and the orientation of the human body can be specified based on a common coordinate axis, and the evaluation of the maxillofacial skeleton morphology It is possible to correctly plan treatment plans.
In addition, for example, when irradiation treatment or injection treatment is performed targeting an internal lesion, the position of the internal lesion can be grasped from a feature point on the face (skin) and determined. In other words, when performing non-surgical conservative treatment, the position of the internal lesion cannot be accurately grasped and was blindly estimated, but the human body surface data and internal Using the data, it is possible to accurately grasp the position of the internal lesion based on the characteristics of the human body surface, which is very useful for enhancing the therapeutic effect.

  Also, when performing a surgical procedure, the positional relationship between the human body surface and the human body can be accurately grasped, which is effective in minimizing the surgical field such as incision.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a medical imaging apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the essential part of the medical imaging apparatus 10. A medical imaging apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is an apparatus for imaging a facial skull of a human body.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a medical imaging apparatus 10 includes a main unit 12 erected on the rear end side of a base 11, and an upper unit 13 disposed so as to extend forward from the upper end of the main unit 12. And have. Four arms 14 a, 14 b, 14 c, and 14 d as moving members for photographing are attached to the lower side of the upper end side of the upper unit 13. The four arms 14 a to 14 d are integrally coupled at their base portions, and are rotatably attached to the lower front portion of the upper unit 13. The upper unit 13 is provided with a rotation support shaft 15, and the four arms 14 a to 14 d whose root portions are integrally connected can rotate in the horizontal direction around the rotation support shaft 15. Yes.

The distal ends of the arms 14a to 14d are bent downward, and predetermined photographing devices are fixed to the distal ends of the arms 14a to 14d that are bent downward.
More specifically, the arm 14a and the arm 14b extend in a straight line at an angle of 180 ° about the rotation support shaft 15 in plan view. An X-ray irradiation unit 16 of the CT imaging apparatus is fixed to the arm 14a, and an image receiving unit 17 of the CT imaging apparatus is attached to the arm 14b. Therefore, the X-ray irradiation unit 16 emits X-rays, and the image receiving unit 17 can receive internal tomographic data of a human body (patient) sitting at an imaging position described later.

Arm 14c in a plan view shown in FIG. 2, as viewed in the clockwise direction, extends across the arm 14a and the angle theta _1, CCD camera unit 18 is attached to the distal end. The arm 14d extends at an angle θ ₂ in a clockwise direction in plan view with respect to the arm 14c, and a laser beam output unit 19 is attached to the tip thereof. From this laser beam output unit 19, a slit-shaped laser beam is emitted toward the center of rotation. The laser light shines on the surface of the human body positioned at the photographing position, and the reflected light is received by the CCD camera unit 18. The optical data received by the CCD camera unit 18 can calculate distance information with respect to the subject (human body) based on the principle of triangulation, and three-dimensional data on the surface of the human body can be obtained based thereon. Thus, the laser light output unit 19 attached to the arm 14d and the CCD camera unit 18 attached to the arm 14c constitute a non-contact type digitizer capable of three-dimensional surface photography.

On the base 11, a chair 20 is provided on the front side of the main unit 12. When the patient, who is the subject, sits on the chair 20, the part to be imaged of the patient, for example, the facial cranium, can be positioned at a predetermined imaged position.
For this purpose, the chair 20 is provided with a mechanism for moving the seat surface up and down and adjusting the backrest part back and forth.

The imaging position is below the rotation support shaft 15 and is a height position where the X-ray irradiation unit 16, the image receiving unit 17, the CCD camera unit 18, and the laser light output unit 19 rotate while facing each other. .
When the four arms 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, whose roots are integrated with the rotation support shaft 15 as a center, rotate one time clockwise, for example, in plan view, the human body positioned at the position to be photographed thereby A 360 ° circumference of the head of the face is taken by CT, and a 360 ° panoramic image is taken by the digitizer. Imaging is performed while the four arms 14a to 14d make one rotation (360 °), and imaging of internal tomographic data and imaging of surface data are performed at the same time, so the facial expression and position of the patient (human body) that is the subject However, there is no difference between the CT imaging data and the CCD camera data, and subjects having a common facial expression and position can be simultaneously photographed with different imaging devices.

Further, since the positional relationship between the imaging devices is determined in advance by the four arms 14a to 14d, the coordinate system of data obtained with different imaging devices based on the angular positional relationship between the arms 14a to 14d. Can be a common coordinate system.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the medical imaging apparatus 10 described above and the configuration for data processing obtained by the medical imaging apparatus 10 as functional blocks.

Referring to FIG. 3, imaging data of a subject (human body) is received by an image receiving unit 17 of CT imaging equipment 16, 17.
At the same time, the photographing data of the subject (human body) is received by the CCD camera unit 18 of the non-contact type digitizers 18 and 19 as a three-dimensional CCD photographing device.
The CT imaging devices 16 and 17 and the three-dimensional CCD imaging devices 18 and 19 are attached to the arms 14a to 14d as described above, and the rotation thereof is controlled by the control unit 30 (this control unit 30 is provided in the main unit 12). Therefore, it is possible to obtain 360 ° image data around the face head of the subject (human body).

Data obtained by the CT imaging device 17 is given to the CT data processing device 31, and a three-dimensional image is constructed based on the two-dimensional tomographic data.
The photographing data obtained by the three-dimensional CCD photographing device 18 is given to the CCD data processing device 32, and distance information is added to the surface data of the two-dimensional subject (human body) to create a three-dimensional surface image. .

The three-dimensional image data representing the structure inside the subject (human body) constructed by the processing device 31 and the three-dimensional surface image of the subject (human body) created by the processing device 32 are common in the coordinate system part 33. The three-dimensional internal image data and the three-dimensional surface image data, which are data based on the coordinate system and the coordinate system is unified, can be selectively displayed on the display 34. Each of these processing blocks is placed under the control of the control unit 30. As image data displayed on the display 34 by an operator or the like operating from the operation panel 35,
(1) Display of 3D internal image only,
(2) Display of 3D surface image only,
(3) A display in which a three-dimensional internal image and a three-dimensional surface image are superimposed,
Can be selected, and a two-dimensional cross-sectional image or the like can be displayed as necessary.

  The apparatus for photographing the surface data of the human body that is the subject is not limited to the non-contact type digitizer described above, and a video camera or a digital camera can also be adopted. For example, when a digital camera is adopted, the shutter is released every time the arms 14a to 14d rotate by 1 °, and data obtained by photographing the human body that is the subject from different angles by 1 ° is obtained. It is good also as a structure contrasted with the three-dimensional internal image of display direction. In addition, the imaging device for multi-tomographic images may be MRI or other equipment instead of CT.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a schematic configuration of a medical imaging apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic plan view of an essential part of a medical imaging apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram showing the composition of medical imaging device 10 concerning one embodiment of this invention as a functional block.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Medical imaging device 12 Main unit 13 Upper unit 14, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d Arm 15 Rotating spindle 16 X-ray irradiation unit 17 Image receiving unit 18 CCD camera unit 19 Laser light output unit 20 Chair (photographing position)

Claims (2)

A shooting position where a human body as a subject is positioned;
A photographing moving member capable of rotating around the photographing position;
A first imaging device and a second imaging device mounted on the imaging moving member for simultaneously imaging the human body at the imaging position;
The first imaging device is a device capable of medical imaging of the inside of the human body,
The medical imaging apparatus, wherein the second imaging device is a device capable of imaging a human body surface.   The medical imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second imaging device includes a non-contact type digitizer that irradiates a laser beam and receives reflected light by a CCD.

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