JP2009022411A - Medical image processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medical image processor capable of displaying three-dimensional images effective for the diagnosis of luminal organs. <P>SOLUTION: An image information reading section of this medical image processor reads image information of the luminal organs such as the large intestine, the blood vessel and the trachea acquired by a medical image radiography apparatus. A core line calculation section calculates a core line 47 inside the luminal organs from the acquired image information, and a view point and projection plane setting section sets a view point 49 and a projection plane 53. The view point 49 is set on the core line 47 and the projection plane 53 is set perpendicular to the core line 47. A projection direction setting section sets projection directions in directions "V<SB>3</SB>", "V<SB>4</SB>" and "V<SB>5</SB>" different from a pixel direction, or the direction of the display region from the view point 49 to the projection plane 53 at least on a part of the region of the projection plane 53. A three-dimensional image generation section and a three-dimensional image display section display the inside of the luminal organs on a projection plane central part by a virtual endoscope and the inside of the luminal organs on the projection plane peripheral part by a development projection method. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical image processing apparatus that displays a medical image obtained from a medical image photographing apparatus. Specifically, the present invention relates to a medical image processing apparatus that displays a luminal organ represented by a large intestine and blood vessels.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method for efficiently observing image information of a body tissue of a subject obtained by a medical imaging apparatus such as an X-ray CT (Computed Tomography) apparatus, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) apparatus, or an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a computer There is a method of creating and displaying a three-dimensional image using In particular, for image diagnosis of the inner wall of a luminal organ such as a large intestine or a blood vessel, there is a virtual endoscope display method that virtually creates an image similar to an image obtained by endoscopy ("Patent Document 1"). reference). The virtual endoscope display method sets the viewpoint on a three-dimensional curve (core line) calculated by tracing the center of the hollow part of the luminal organ in the three-dimensional image, and changes the line-of-sight direction radiating from the viewpoint. This is a technique for creating an endoscopic-like image by setting and calculating reflection and attenuation of virtual rays (rays) directed to each line of sight.

  The virtual endoscopy display method can obtain images from the same viewpoint as the actual endoscopy, so that an experienced endoscopy can perform intuitive operations and diagnoses based on experience. Yes, it is possible to improve the efficiency of diagnosis.

  Another method for diagnosing a luminal organ is a luminal organ expansion display method (see “Patent Document 2”). The luminal organ expansion display method is a method of setting a plurality of gaze directions perpendicular to the core line and calculating reflection and attenuation of virtual rays (rays) by pixels in each gaze direction. In the luminal organ expansion display method, a virtual ray is rotated 360 degrees around the viewpoint on the core line, and the viewpoint is moved by a predetermined distance to create a two-dimensional image in which the luminal organ is expanded.

  In the luminal organ expansion display, projection is performed perpendicularly to the core line of the luminal organ, so that the entire inner wall of the luminal organ can be observed without the affected part being blocked by protrusions on the inner wall.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-016813 JP 2006-18606 A

  However, in the virtual endoscope display method according to “Patent Document 1”, for example, a fold on the inner wall of the large intestine cannot be displayed as a lesion such as a polyp due to an obstacle of a virtual ray (ray), and the lesion is not an operator. May be overlooked by (healthcare professionals).

  In addition, in the luminal organ development display method according to “Patent Document 2”, the diameter or diameter change information and curvature information of the luminal organ are lost, so that it is difficult to grasp the positional relationship of a diagnosis target such as a polyp. Further, the luminal organ expansion display method has a problem that it is difficult for an operator to make a diagnosis in real time while moving the viewpoint in a long luminal organ.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a medical image processing apparatus capable of displaying a three-dimensional image effective for diagnosis of a luminal organ.

  The medical image processing apparatus of the present invention for achieving the above-described object includes an image acquisition unit that acquires image information of a luminal organ, and a display that displays a three-dimensional image created based on the acquired image information. A medical image processing apparatus comprising: a viewpoint setting unit that sets a viewpoint at an internal position of the luminal organ; and a projection plane setting unit that sets a projection plane of the image information having a predetermined relationship with the viewpoint. And a projection direction setting for setting a projection direction from the viewpoint to the position of the image information in a direction different from a pixel direction from the viewpoint to a pixel position on the projection plane in at least a partial region of the projection plane. And 3D image creation means for creating the 3D image by projecting the image information located in the set projection direction from the set viewpoint onto the pixel position on the projection plane. It is characterized in.

The medical image processing apparatus of the present invention acquires image information of a luminal organ and sets a viewpoint and a projection plane at an internal position of the luminal organ. The medical image processing apparatus sets a projection direction in a direction different from the pixel direction for at least a part of the region on the projection plane, and projects image information positioned in the set projection direction on the pixel position on the projection plane. An image is created and displayed on a display device.
The angle between the projection direction and the center line in at least a partial area of the projection plane is set to be larger than the angle formed by the pixel direction and the center line, and the angle between the projection direction and the center line is 90 degrees or more. Also good. The center line is a line connecting the viewpoint and the center of the projection plane.

  As a result, the internal region of the display image is displayed with the diameter information and curvature information of the luminal organ as in the case of the endoscopic display, so that the operator can operate intuitively based on the experience of endoscopic display observation. Diagnosis can be performed, and the efficiency of luminal organ diagnosis can be improved. Furthermore, the medical image processing apparatus can display an image inside the luminal organ without being affected by protrusions such as folds inside the luminal organ by setting the projection direction in a direction different from the pixel direction. The oversight of the affected area can be prevented. Therefore, the reliability of the diagnosis of the luminal organ by the operator (medical worker) can be improved.

  Further, the medical image processing apparatus may create a three-dimensional image by projecting image information on pixel positions on the projection plane using visualization means different from other areas in at least a part of the projection plane. . The medical image processing apparatus may create a three-dimensional image by selecting a visualization unit based on the pixel position or the projection direction on the projection plane.

For example, a surface rendering method or a volume rendering method is used for virtual endoscope display, and a maximum intensity projection (MIP) method for projecting the maximum value of pixels in the projection direction is used for unfolding display, and a minimum value of pixels is projected. Visualization means such as the MinIP (Minimum Intensity Projection) method and the RaySum method that projects the integrated value of the pixels can be used.
Thereby, a three-dimensional image can be displayed using the visualization means suitable for each display area.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the medical image processing apparatus which can display a three-dimensional image effective for the diagnosis of a luminal organ can be provided.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a medical image processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(1. First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
(1-1. Configuration of Medical Image Processing Apparatus 1)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a medical image processing apparatus 1.
The medical image processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that reads image information of a living tissue of a subject imaged by a medical image imaging apparatus, and creates and displays a three-dimensional image.

  The medical image processing apparatus 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 15 that controls operations, a display memory 17 that temporarily stores image data of a subject, and a display that displays an image based on the image data from the display memory 17. A device 3, a pointing device such as a mouse 5 for operating a soft switch on the display device 3, a controller 19 of the pointing device, a keyboard 7 having keys and switches for inputting various parameter settings, and medical image processing A network adapter 23 for connecting the apparatus 1 to the network 9, a main memory 25 for storing the control program of the medical image processing apparatus 1 when executing the program, a storage device 27 for registering the control program, image data, etc. From the system bus 21 that connects the components Composed.

  The CPU 15 includes an image information reading unit 29, a core line calculation unit 31, a viewpoint / projection plane setting unit 33, a projection direction setting unit 35, a 3D image creation unit 37, a 3D image display unit 39, and the like.

The image information reading unit 29 reads medical image information acquired by the medical image photographing device 11 from the storage device 27 and the image database 13.
The core calculation unit 31 calculates the core of the luminal organ to be diagnosed from the medical image information read by the image information reading unit 29.
The viewpoint / projection plane setting unit 33 sets a viewpoint inside the luminal organ based on the core calculated by the core calculation unit 31, and sets a projection plane for projecting image information in the projection direction from the viewpoint. For example, the viewpoint is set on the core line, and the projection plane is set perpendicular to the core line.
The projection direction setting unit 35 sets the projection direction of the image information for each pixel on the projection plane from the set viewpoint.

The three-dimensional image creation unit 37 creates a three-dimensional image by performing visualization processing (rendering processing) on the image information according to the projection direction set by the projection direction setting unit 35. The visualization process is to image an object based on numerical data such as the object. As the visualization process, a surface rendering method, a volume rendering method, an MIP method, a MinIP method, a RaySum method, or the like can be used.
The 3D image display unit 39 displays the 3D image created by the 3D image creation unit 37 on the display device 3 via the display memory 17. The display device 3 is a CRT or a liquid crystal display device.

The storage device 27 stores the acquired medical image information, subject information, control program, and the like, and is a storage device such as a memory or a magnetic disk incorporated in or attached to the medical image processing apparatus 1.
The medical imaging apparatus 11 is an apparatus that acquires image information of a living tissue of a subject such as an X-ray CT apparatus, an MRI apparatus, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The medical image processing apparatus 1 acquires medical image information acquired by the medical image photographing apparatus 11 via the network 9.
The image database 13 is a database that stores medical image information acquired by the medical image photographing apparatus 11 or the like. The medical image processing apparatus 1 acquires medical image information stored in the image database 13 via the network 9.

(1-2. Medical Image Processing Procedure)
Next, a procedure of medical image processing executed by the medical image processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of medical image processing.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating setting of the viewpoint 49, the projection plane 53, and the projection direction 51.

  The image information reading unit 29 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 reads medical image information (hereinafter referred to as “image information”) acquired by the medical image photographing apparatus 11 from the storage device 27 or the image database 13, and the main memory 25. (Step 1001).

The core calculation unit 31 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 calculates the core 47 of the luminal organ to be diagnosed from the image information read by the image information reading unit 29 (step 1002). The core line 47 is a three-dimensional curve calculated by tracing the center of the hollow part of the hollow organ. As a typical method for calculating the core wire 47, there are a method of thinning a luminal organ and a method of sequentially calculating and obtaining the center of gravity of a cross section of the luminal organ.
The viewpoint / projection plane setting unit 33 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 sets the viewpoint 49 and the projection plane 53 inside the hollow organ (step 1003). The viewpoint / projection plane setting unit 33 provides the viewpoint 49 on the core line 47, and sets the projection plane 53 perpendicular to the core line 47 at a predetermined distance in front of the viewpoint 49.

The projection direction setting unit 35 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 projects the projection directions 51 for the pixel areas “0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5” of the projection surface 53, respectively. “V ₀ ”, “V ₁ ”, “V ₂ ”, “V ₃ ”, “V ₄ ”, “V ₅ ” are set (step 1004). Further, the projection direction setting unit 35 sets the projection angles 57 of the projection directions 51 “V ₀ ”, “V ₁ ”, “V ₂ ”, “V ₃ ”, “V ₄ ”, and “V ₅ ” to “ θ ₁₁ ”,“ θ ₁₂ ”,“ θ ₁₃ ”,“ θ ₁₄ ”,“ θ ₁₅ ”are set.
The setting of the projection direction 51 and the projection angle 57 in the projection direction setting unit 35 may be calculated according to the distance between the viewpoint 49 and the projection plane 53, the size (pixel size) of the projection plane 53, or the target organ. Correspondingly, a preset value may be used.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating movement of the viewpoint 49 and the projection plane 53.
3 and 4 are diagrams showing the upper half of the inner wall 41 of the luminal organ. The lower half of the luminal organ inner wall 41 is the same as the upper half and is not shown. 3 and 4 are representative of one cross section including the core line 47, but in reality, the projection direction is applied to each display pixel arranged on the entire two-dimensional projection plane 53. FIG. 51 setting and virtual ray emission and rendering processing are executed.

A pleat 43 and a polyp 45 are present in the inner wall 41 of the luminal organ. However, when the viewpoint 49 and the projection plane 53 are at the position shown in FIG. 3 or the position of the viewpoint 49-1 shown in FIG. 4, the polyp 45 is behind the fold 43 when viewed from the viewpoint 49. Projection is not performed in the projection direction “V ₃ ” or “V ₄ ” having an inclination.

The viewpoint 49-1 is then moved along the core line 47 in the viewpoint movement direction 55 to the viewpoint 49-2. The movement of the viewpoint 49 is performed, for example, when the operator operates a pointing device such as the mouse 5 and inputs position information. At this time, the projection plane 53 is moved simultaneously with the viewpoint 49 while maintaining the initial setting state with respect to the viewpoint 49. The projection direction 51 also maintains the line-of-sight directions from the viewpoint 49 (“V ₀ ”, “V ₁ ”, “V ₂ ”, “V ₃ ”, “V ₄ ”, “V ₅ ”). Similarly, the projection angles 57 formed by the projection directions 51 “V ₁ ”, “V ₂ ”, “V ₃ ”, “V ₄ ”, “V ₅ ” and the core line 47 as the center line are also “θ ₁₁ ”, respectively. ”,“ Θ ₁₂ ”,“ θ ₁₃ ”,“ θ ₁₄ ”,“ θ ₁₅ ”are maintained. When the viewpoint is moved to the position of the viewpoint 49-2 in FIG. 4, the polyp 45 is projected in the projection direction 51 “V ₅ ” orthogonal to the core line 47.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the position of the projection plane 53 from the center of the projection plane and the projection angle 57.
The center positions of the pixel areas “0”, “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, and “5” on the projection plane 53 in FIG. 3 are the positions “0% from the center of the projection plane in FIG. ”,“ 20% ”,“ 40% ”,“ 60% ”,“ 80% ”,“ 100% ”. The position “˜%” from the center of the projection plane indicates the distance from the center of the projection plane when the center of the projection plane is “0%” and the end of the projection plane is “100%”.

  In the case of endoscopic display by a conventional medical image processing apparatus, an image is projected on the pixel position of the projection plane 53 that is in the same direction as the projection direction 51 in which a virtual ray (ray) is emitted from the viewpoint 49 into the hollow organ. To do. Therefore, in the case of endoscopic display by a conventional medical image processing apparatus, the projection direction 51 from the viewpoint 49 to the inside of the luminal organ coincides with the direction from the viewpoint 49 to the pixel position of the projection plane 53. Therefore, in the case of endoscopic display by a conventional medical image processing apparatus, regardless of the position from the center of the projection plane, the projection direction 51 from the viewpoint 49 into the luminal organ and the pixels of the projection plane 53 from the viewpoint 49 The directions to the positions coincide with each other, and the relationship between the position from the center of the projection plane and the projection angle 57 is represented as a broken line connecting the points 201, 202, 206, 207, and 208. Referring to FIG. 5, it can be seen that this broken line forms a convex curve that is loose upward.

  On the other hand, in the projection direction setting unit 35 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, from the viewpoint 49 in a direction different from the direction from the viewpoint 49 to the pixel position of the projection plane 53 according to the position from the center of the projection plane. A projection direction 51 to the luminal organ is set.

In FIG. 5, when the positions from the center of the projection plane are “60%”, “80%”, and “100%”, the projection angles 57 are “θ ₁₃ ”, “θ ₁₄ ”, and “θ ₁₅ ”, respectively. A virtual ray is emitted from the viewpoint to the inside of the luminal organ, and image information of the inner surface of the luminal organ existing on the imaginary ray is converted into pixel areas “3”, “4”, and “5” of the projection surface 53 (FIG. 3), respectively. To the position of "".
The interval between the projection direction 51 “V ₃ ”, “V ₄ ”, and “V ₅ ” is an angle formed by the projection direction 51 and the core wire 47 as (θ ₁₄ −θ ₁₃ ) <(θ ₁₅ −θ ₁₄ ). Increase as the value increases.

The projection direction setting unit 35 sets the projection angle 57 in the projection direction 51 to be larger than the angle in the pixel direction corresponding to the projection direction 51. The pixel direction is the direction from the viewpoint 49 to the pixel position on the projection plane 53. The angle in the pixel direction is an angle formed by the core line 47 as the center line and the pixel direction. That is, the relationship between the position from the center of the projection plane and the projection angle 57 is represented as a solid line connecting the points 201, 202, 203, 204, and 205.
A line connecting these points 203, 204, and 205 becomes a downward convex curve according to the description of the projection direction 51 described above. Of these points 203, 204, and 205, the projection angle 57 of the point 205 is 90 degrees.

Returning to FIG. 2, the 3D image creation unit 37 performs a visualization process (rendering process) on the image information in the projection direction 51 calculated by the projection direction setting unit 35, and displays the execution result on the corresponding projection plane 53. Are projected onto the pixels (step 1005). Visualization processing is to perform calculation processing on image information (numerical data) to form a three-dimensional image. As the visualization processing, there are a volume rendering method, a surface rendering method, an MIP method, a MinIP method, a RaySum method, and the like.
The three-dimensional image display unit 39 causes the display device 3 to display the data imaged by the visualization process performed by the three-dimensional image creation unit 37 (step 1006).
Next, the viewpoint / projection plane setting unit 33 of the CPU 15 moves the viewpoint 49 and the projection plane 53 in the line-of-sight movement direction 55 along the core line 47 by an amount set in advance by a program (step 1007). Then, Step 1004 to Step 1006 described above are executed.

  The above steps 1004 → step 1005 → step 1006 → step 1007 → step 1004 are repeatedly executed, and a virtual endoscopic image as if the endoscope is proceeding in the hollow organ is displayed on the screen of the display device 3. Is done.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a change in the image 59 inside the luminal organ caused by the movement of the viewpoint 49 and the projection plane 53.
In the image 59-1 at the position of the viewpoint 49-1 in FIG. 4, the polyp 45 is not hidden and displayed behind the fold 43, but the viewpoint 49-1 is viewed along the core line 47 in the line-of-sight movement direction 55. In the image 59-2 moved to the position -2, the polyp 45 existing between the folds of the luminal organ inner wall 41 inside the luminal organ is displayed.

As described above, the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment displays a virtual endoscopic image equivalent to the image observed with the endoscope at the center of the image 59 of the image 59 observing the inside of the hollow organ. indicate. Therefore, the operator can refer to the image 59 and perform operations and determinations based on the experience of endoscopic display observation.
In the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the projection angle 57 in the projection direction 51 is set to be larger than the angle in the pixel direction at the peripheral portion of the image 59, so that the shaded part such as the fold 43 is provided. Can also be displayed. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a diagnosis error due to an oversight of an affected area and improve the reliability of diagnosis.

(2. Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating setting of the viewpoint 49, the projection plane 53, and the projection direction 81.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the position of the projection plane 53 from the projection plane center and the projection angle 87.

  In the first embodiment, the inside of the luminal organ is displayed in a virtual endoscope at the center of the image, and the projection angle 57 of the periphery of the image is set larger than the angle formed by the pixel direction and the core line. The inside of the luminal organ is displayed by a virtual endoscope at a wide angle. In the second embodiment, the inside of the luminal organ is displayed in a virtual endoscope at the center of the image, and the projection angle 87 of the periphery of the image is set in a direction perpendicular to the core line 47, so that the inside of the luminal organ is displayed at the periphery of the image. Is projected in the form of a ring.

The projection direction setting unit 35 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 sets the projection angle 87 of the peripheral part of the image (peripheral part of the projection surface 53) in a direction substantially perpendicular to the core line 47. That is, for the central pixel areas “1” and “2” of the projection plane 53, the projection angles 87 “θ ₂₁ ” and “θ ₂₂ ” of the virtual endoscope display are set, and the peripheral pixel areas “3” and “3” of the projection plane 53 are set. For 4 and “5”, the projection angles 87 “θ ₂₃ ”, “θ ₂₄ ”, and “θ ₂₅ ” are set to approximately 90 degrees.
That is, in FIG. 8, the relationship between the position from the center of the projection plane and the projection angle 87 is represented as a solid line connecting points 211, 212, 213, 214, and 215.
In the example of FIG. 8, the projection angle 87 of the points 214 and 215 is 90 degrees. The projection angle 87 of the point 213 is an intermediate value between the projection angles 87 of the points 212 and 214. The reason why the projection angle 87 of the point 213 is set in this way is to prevent a sense of incongruity from occurring in the continuity of the image due to a sudden change in the projection angle.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an internal image 69 of the hollow organ created by setting the projection angle 87 shown in FIGS.
A region A in the center of the image shows an endoscope display region 71. A region B in the peripheral portion of the image indicates a projection region 73 (hereinafter referred to as a development projection display region 73) by the development display method. In the developed projection display area 73 (area B), an image in the projection direction 81 perpendicular to the inner wall 41 of the luminal organ is displayed, so that the affected part such as the polyp 45 is not affected by the fold 43 of the inner wall 41 of the luminal organ. Display is possible.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, the projection direction 81 is set in the same direction as the pixel direction in the center of the image, and the projection direction 81 is set in the direction perpendicular to the core line 47 in the periphery of the image. Is a virtual endoscopic display image, and a three-dimensional image composed of an image in which the peripheral portion of the image is developed and displayed on the inner wall 41 of the luminal organ is obtained.

  In FIG. 7, the projection angle 87 in the projection direction 81 at the periphery of the image is set to 90 degrees. However, the projection angle 87 in the projection direction 81 may be set to any angle between 90 degrees and 180 degrees. Thereby, the display in the back direction in the virtual endoscope display is also possible, and the oversight of the affected part can be further reduced.

(3. Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an image 75 inside the hollow organ.
A region A at the center of the image 75 indicates an endoscope display region 71, and a region B at the periphery of the image indicates a developed projection display region 73.

  In FIG. 10, the 3D image creation unit 37 applies the volume rendering method as the visualization processing to the endoscope display region 71 (region A), and applies the MIP method as the visualization processing to the developed projection display region 73 (region B). An image 75 obtained as described above is shown. The operator diagnoses the surface of the inner wall 41 of the luminal organ such as the shape of the polyp 45 in the display region by the volume rendering method in the center of the image, and the blood vessels 77 around the polyp 45 in the display region by the MIP method in the periphery of the image. Diagnose the internal structure.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, since the three-dimensional image subjected to the visualization process suitable for the display areas of the endoscope display area 71 and the unfolded projection display area 73 is displayed, the efficiency of the diagnosis of the luminal organ is improved. And the reliability of diagnosis can be improved.

(4. Other)
In the first embodiment, the three-dimensional image in which the viewpoint is set on the core line inside the hollow organ has been described. However, the viewpoint may not be limited to being set on the core line. For example, in order to observe the affected area in detail, a three-dimensional image may be created and displayed by moving the viewpoint to an arbitrary position inside the luminal organ.
In the second embodiment, the boundary for switching the visualization process may be set according to the size of the projection angle.
In the third embodiment, a boundary for switching the visualization process may be set based on the pixel position on the projection plane 53. In addition, the 3D image creation unit 37 may adjust the threshold and opacity when creating the 3D image to highlight the internal structure of the blood vessel 77 and the like.
In addition, the medical image processing apparatus 1 may be configured by appropriately combining the first to third embodiments.

  The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea disclosed in the present application, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

Configuration diagram of medical image processing apparatus 1 The flowchart which shows the process sequence of the medical image processing apparatus 1. The figure which shows the setting of the viewpoint 49, the projection surface 53, and the projection direction 51 The figure which shows the movement of the viewpoint 49 and the projection surface 53 The figure which shows the position from the projection surface center of the projection surface 53, and the projection angle 57. FIG. The figure which shows the change of the image 59 inside a luminal organ by the movement of the viewpoint 49 and the projection surface 53 The figure which shows the setting of the viewpoint 49, the projection surface 53, and the projection direction 81 The figure which shows the position from the projection surface center of the projection surface 53, and the projection angle 87. FIG. The figure which shows the image 69 inside a luminal organ The figure which shows the image 75 inside a luminal organ

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ......... Medical image processing device 3 ......... Display device 5 ......... Mouse 7 ......... Keyboard 9 ......... Network 11 ......... Medical image photographing device 13 ......... Image database 15 ......... CPU
17 ......... Display memory 19 ......... Controller 21 ......... System bus 23 ......... Network adapter 25 ......... Main memory 27 ......... Storage device 29 ......... Image information reading unit 31 ......... Core calculation unit 33... Viewpoint / projection plane setting unit 35... Projection direction setting unit 37... 3D image creation unit 39... 3D image display unit 41, 101. …… Fold 45, 105 ……… Polyp 47,107 ……… Core 49, 49-1, 49-2, 109 ……… View point 51, 81, 111 ……… Projection direction 53,113 ……… Projection plane 55 ......... Moving direction 57, 87 ......... Projection angle 69, 75, 115 ......... Image 71 ......... Endoscope display area 73 ......... Developed projection display area 77 ......... Vessels

Claims (8)

In a medical image processing apparatus comprising: an image acquisition unit that acquires image information of a luminal organ; and a display device that displays a three-dimensional image created based on the acquired image information.
Viewpoint setting means for setting a viewpoint at an internal position of the hollow organ;
A projection plane setting means for setting a projection plane of the image information with a predetermined relationship with the viewpoint;
Projection direction setting means for setting a projection direction from the viewpoint to the position of the image information in a direction different from a pixel direction from the viewpoint to a pixel position on the projection plane in at least a partial region of the projection plane; ,
3D image creation means for creating the 3D image by projecting the image information located in the set projection direction from the set viewpoint to the pixel position on the projection plane;
A medical image processing apparatus comprising: Comprising a core wire calculating means for calculating a core wire of the luminal organ based on the acquired image information,
The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the projection direction setting unit calculates the projection direction by arranging a center of the projection plane and the viewpoint in the set core line direction.   The projection direction setting means uses a line connecting the viewpoint and the center of the projection plane as a center line, and an angle formed by the pixel direction and the center line in the projection direction in at least a partial region of the projection plane. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed by the projection direction and the center line is set larger.   The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an angle between projection directions in a partial area of the projection plane is set to be larger as the outer edge of the projection plane is approached.   The projection direction setting means uses a line connecting the viewpoint and the center of the projection plane as a central line, and an angle formed by the projection direction and the central line in the projection direction in at least a partial region of the projection plane. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medical image processing apparatus is set to include a vertical one.   The three-dimensional image creation unit projects the image information onto a pixel position on the projection plane using a visualization unit different from other areas in at least a part of the projection plane. The medical image processing apparatus according to 1.   The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the three-dimensional image creation unit selects the visualization unit based on at least one of a pixel position on the projection plane and the projection direction.   The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a viewpoint moving unit that moves the position of the viewpoint set by the viewpoint setting unit.

Images