JP2009195257A - Medical image management device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve data management efficiency when storing medical image data classified into groups into a storage device having a plurality of data storage regions. <P>SOLUTION: On the basis of order information received from RIS, a CPU 10 calculates a data amount of a plurality of grouped medical image data to discriminate partitions into which the plurality of medical image data can be stored among storage devices 80 and 90. When determining the storable partitions, the CPU 10 stores reservation order information into a storage destination reservation list 77. generates a reservation file and stores it into the partitions. When receiving medical image data including an examination ID and a series ID same as an examination ID and a series ID stored in the storage destination reservation list 77 from a modality, the CPU 10 replaces the reservation file stored in the partitions with the received medical image data to update and memory the reservation file. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical image management apparatus and a program for performing storage management of medical image data using a storage device having a plurality of data storage areas.

  In the medical field, digitization of medical images taken of patients has been realized. CR (Computed Radiography), CT (Computed Tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), mammography equipment, ultrasound / endoscopic diagnosis A medical image generation apparatus (hereinafter referred to as “modality”) such as an apparatus generates image data of a medical image obtained by imaging (hereinafter referred to as “medical image data”).

  Since this medical image data is digital data, it is easy to create a database and is stored and managed by the medical image management apparatus. PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) is known as a medical image management apparatus, and medical image data transmitted from a modality is stored in a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). .

  In medical imaging, tomographic images of the same examination site are taken continuously, multiple modalities are used for the same examination site, or contrast agents are used and imaging methods are changed. Therefore, a lot of medical image data is generated in one examination. A unit of a series of medical image data taken with the same type of modality generated in one examination is called a series.

As a method for transmitting a plurality of pieces of medical image data for each unit of examinations and series as one unit, a method of collectively transmitting the units from the modality to the medical image management apparatus is used. In addition, when storing medical image data grouped by unit, an operation log that records the number of examinations and the number of images taken per day, the data capacity assumed to be necessary for storing the medical image data A method of calculating based on (history) and securing a storage area for the data capacity is also known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-356716 A

  By the way, fineness is required for image data handled for medical use, and the amount of data is larger than image data in a general-purpose JPEG format or the like. Therefore, a storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is used as a medical image. A plurality of management devices are provided to secure a storage area with a sufficient data capacity. In addition, there is a method of storing data in a plurality of partitions created by logically dividing the storage area of the storage medium even if it is a single storage medium due to OS (Operating System) restrictions and data storage efficiency. Generally used.

  Thus, when there are a plurality of storage areas by creating a plurality of storage media and partitions, medical image data is appropriately distributed and stored in each storage area. However, since medical image data may be grouped by units such as examination units and series units as described above, the medical image data grouped in this way is distributed and stored in different storage areas. This means that management of the storage destination becomes complicated and management information such as an address for managing the storage destination increases.

  Also, in medical practice, it is often the case that medical images of the same unit such as one examination or one series are collectively referred to rather than referring to medical images one by one. However, when medical image data of the same unit is stored separately in a plurality of storage areas, each storage area must be accessed, the processing becomes complicated, and the time required to read out all image data It has become long.

  For this reason, in order to store medical images grouped as the same unit in the same storage area, it is necessary to specify a storage area having a sufficient free area when receiving an image. However, the same unit of medical image data is not always sent to the medical image management device in a batch as in the case where one examination is performed with a plurality of modalities or when one series of imaging time is taken. . In addition, since the number of images to be taken depends on the operation on the user side such as hospital policy, it is difficult for the medical image management apparatus side to grasp the data amount of the entire medical image data included in one unit.

  For this reason, it is difficult to determine whether the data can be stored in a storage area with a free capacity until all the medical image data is actually received. there were.

  In the technique of Patent Document 1, the data capacity required to store medical image data for each unit can be calculated based on an operation log on the medical image recording device, that is, the modality side. On the device side, medical image data is transmitted from various modalities. Therefore, in order to calculate the data capacity, an operation log must be acquired in advance from each modality. The communication sequence between and has increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency of data management when storing grouped medical image data in a storage device having a plurality of data storage areas. Is to make it easier.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1
In a medical image management apparatus that performs storage management of medical image data using a storage device having a plurality of data storage areas,
An acquisition means for acquiring group information indicating a affiliation destination of a plurality of medical image data;
A discriminating unit for discriminating from the storage device a data storage area in which the medical image data corresponding to the group information acquired by the acquiring unit can be stored in the group unit;
Reserving means for reserving data storage in the data storage area determined by the determining means;
Receiving means for receiving a plurality of medical image data corresponding to the group information;
Storage control means for performing control to store the plurality of medical image data received by the receiving means in the group unit in the data storage area reserved by the reservation means;
It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1,
The acquisition means includes
The group information is received and acquired from an ordering system instructing an imaging request for the medical image data.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2,
The acquisition means includes
Of the medical image data corresponding to the group information, the group information is extracted and acquired from the first medical image data first received by the receiving means.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The discrimination means includes
Of the medical image data already stored in the storage device, the amount of medical image data corresponding to the same group information as the group information acquired by the acquisition unit is calculated, and an empty area of the data amount is calculated. A data amount determining means for determining the data storage area is provided.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The discrimination means includes
Data amount determining means for determining the storable data storage area from the storage device based on the data amount of medical image data for each data storage area for which data storage has already been reserved by the reservation means. It is a feature.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The reservation means is
Creating a reserved file corresponding to the data amount of the medical image data corresponding to the group information, and temporarily storing the reserved file in the reserved data storage area;
The storage control means
Control is performed to replace the reservation file stored by the reservation file storage unit with the plurality of medical image data received by the reception unit and store the replacement file.

The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The group information is at least one of patient information indicating an affiliation for each patient of the plurality of medical image data, examination information indicating an affiliation for each examination, and series information indicating an affiliation for each series. It is characterized by including.

The program according to claim 8 is a computer,
Acquisition means for acquiring group information indicating the affiliation of a plurality of medical image data;
A discriminating means for discriminating a data storage area in which the medical image data corresponding to the group information acquired by the acquiring means can be stored in the group unit from a storage device having a plurality of data storage areas;
Reserving means for reserving data storage in the data storage area determined by the determining means;
Receiving means for receiving a plurality of medical image data corresponding to the group information;
Storage control means for performing control for storing the plurality of medical image data received by the receiving means in the group unit in the data storage area reserved by the reservation means;
It is characterized by making it function as.

  According to the first and eighth aspects of the present invention, a data storage area in which medical image data corresponding to the acquired group information can be stored is determined, and data storage in the data storage area is reserved. Therefore, the storage destination can be reserved before receiving a plurality of medical image data corresponding to the group information, and the received medical image data can be surely stored in one data storage area.

  Further, since medical image data is stored in units of groups, it is possible to refer to medical image data in units of groups only by accessing one data storage area without accessing a plurality of data storage areas. As a result, management of the storage destination of the grouped medical image data is facilitated and the access time to the storage device can be shortened. Therefore, the efficiency of data management when storing grouped medical image data in a storage device having a plurality of data storage areas can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the first aspect of the invention, and because the group information is received and obtained from the ordering system, the medical image data can be received. The data storage area can be reserved in advance.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the first or second aspect of the invention, by extracting the group information from the first medical image data received first. Therefore, the data storage area can be reserved when the first piece of medical image data for each group is received.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, it is needless to say that the same effect as in the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3 can be obtained, and in the medical image data already stored in the storage device. In order to calculate the data amount of the medical image data corresponding to the same group information as the group information acquired by the acquisition means, and to determine the data storage area having a free area of this data amount, The medical image management apparatus can calculate the amount of data and reserve the storage location without performing the above communication.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, it is of course possible to obtain the same effect as the first aspect of the present invention, and medical image data for each reserved data storage area. In order to determine the data storage area that can be stored based on the amount of data, the storage location of the medical image data received by the receiving means is reserved in consideration of the data amount of the medical image data that has already been reserved for data storage. be able to.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of any one of the inventions described in claims 1 to 5, and the reserved file is stored in the data storage area reserved for data storage. Since the data is temporarily stored, it is possible to prevent the free space of the data storage area from becoming insufficient until the reception of the medical image data, and it is possible to reliably secure the data area for storing the medical image data.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is of course possible to obtain the same effect as the first aspect of the present invention, and the group information includes patient information, examination information, and series information. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of data management when storing a plurality of medical image data grouped in units such as patients, examinations, and series.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment when the medical image management apparatus of the present invention is applied to the PACS 1 of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Outline of Radiology System]
First, the outline of the radiology system S having the PACS 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the radiology system S. According to FIG. 1, the radiology system S communicates with the PACS 1, the first NAS (Network Attached Storage) 2, the second NAS 3, the RIS 4, the viewer 5, the imager 6, and the modality M (M1, M2). Each is connected to the network N2 and configured to be capable of data communication. The RIS (Radiological Information System) 4 is configured to be capable of data communication with a HIS (Hospital Information System) 7 via the hospital network N1.

  The HIS7 is composed of a computer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage unit, an input unit, a display unit, a communication unit, etc., and is used for each department such as medical office accounting, medical appointment reservation, electronic medical record management, examination and medicine. This is an ordering system that comprehensively manages hospital information such as ordering.

  The HIS 7 receives an imaging request in the radiology system S from a doctor, and generates order information D7 including the contents of the imaging request. And the order information D7 is transmitted to RIS4 via the hospital network N1.

  The RIS4 has a CPU, storage unit, input unit, display unit, communication unit, etc., and is configured by a computer. It manages information management such as medical appointments, diagnosis result reports, results management, and material inventory management in the radiology department. This is an ordering system that performs overall management of information in the radiology system S. The RIS4 receives the order information D7 transmitted from the HIS7, determines the modality M to be photographed based on the order information D7, and transmits the order information D7 to the modality M and the PACS1.

  FIG. 2A shows an example of the data structure of the order information D7. The order information D7 is data generated by the HIS 7 and the RIS 4 in order to instruct photographing of each modality M. As shown in FIG. 2A, the AE title D71, the patient information D72, the examination information D73, and the series It includes data such as information D75.

  The AE title D71 is identification data predetermined by the DICOM standard in order to identify the modality M. The patient information D72 is data that groups a plurality of medical image data D1 for each patient to be imaged, and includes the patient's name, ID, date of birth, sex, and the like. The examination information D73 is data for grouping a plurality of medical image data D1 for each examination ordered by the doctor, and includes a unique examination ID for identifying the examination, examination date, examination contents, and the like.

  The series information D75 is data for grouping a plurality of medical image data D1 photographed in one examination ordered by a doctor for each series. A unique series ID for identifying the series, a type of modality M, the series The image number (series number) of each medical image data D1 is included.

  The patient information D72, the examination information D73, and the series information D75 are group information indicating a group to which a plurality of medical image data D1 generated by imaging of the modality M belongs. Here, the group information is data for collectively handling (grouping) a plurality of medical image data D1 in units of one group such as examinations and series.

  For example, assuming that a plurality of examinations are ordered by a doctor for a patient, examination information D73 having examination IDs “01”, “02”, “03” as shown in FIG. Set in D7. Further, when photographing with different modalities M in each examination, series information D75 assigned with series IDs such as “01”, “02”, and “03” is set for each modality M.

  That is, the medical image data D1 in which the image numbers shown in FIG. 2B are set as “01”, “02”, “03”, “04”,. It is grouped as one unit, and further, the inspection with the inspection ID “01” is grouped as one unit.

  The modality M is a CT, CR, MRI, mammography apparatus, ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, etc., and converts the data signal of the image obtained by imaging according to the operation of the imaging engineer into digital data conforming to the DICOM standard. Image data D1 is generated. The modality M transmits the generated medical image data D1 to the PACS1.

  For example, the CR irradiates a subject with radiation and causes the plate-like stimulable phosphor to absorb the radiation transmitted through the subject. Then, by exciting the stimulable phosphor while scanning with laser light, for example, the radiation energy accumulated in the stimulable phosphor is emitted, and the radiation image obtained by photoelectrically converting the emitted light The data signal is digitally converted to generate image data of the subject, that is, medical image data D1.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the data structure of the medical image data D1. According to FIG. 3A, the medical image data D1 includes header information D3 and actual image data D5. The real image data D5 is image data of a photographed image of a subject photographed by the modality M, and has a data format conforming to the DICOM standard.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the header information D3 includes an AE (Application Entity) title D31, patient information D32, examination information D33, and series information D34. The data included in the header information D3 is set based on the order information D7 received from the HIS7 and RIS4, and is described by data conforming to the DICOM standard, for example. Note that the header information D3 shown in FIG. 3B is a schematic representation of main data in this embodiment, and the other data is not shown.

  The viewer 5 is a display terminal device that includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like and displays and outputs a medical image based on the medical image data D1. When medical image data D1 to be reproduced and displayed by an interpreting doctor or the like is specified, the medical image data D1 is read from PACS 1 and reproduced and displayed.

  The imager 6 is an image forming apparatus that is configured by a film digitizer or the like and forms and outputs a medical image based on the medical image data D1 on a recording medium. When the medical doctor or the like designates medical image data D1 to form an image, the medical image data D1 is read from the PACS 1, and a medical image is formed on a recording medium such as a heat-sensitive film and output.

  The first NAS 2 and the second NAS 3 are dedicated file server machines having storage devices 80 and 90 as shown in FIG. 4, and are configured to include a CPU, a network interface, and the like. The first NAS 2 and the second NAS 3 transmit and receive data stored in the storage devices 80 and 90 in response to a request from an external device such as the PACS 1, the viewer 5, and the imager 6 connected via the communication network N2. A file management function for writing and reading data in the storage devices 80 and 90 is realized.

  With this file management function, the PACS 1 can refer to and write data as if it directly accessed the storage devices 80 and 90 of the first NAS 2 and the second NAS 3. Since the technology related to NAS is a known technology, its detailed description is omitted.

  The PACS 1 appropriately stores the actual image data D5 included in the medical image data D1 received from the modality M in the plurality of data storage areas of the storage devices 80 and 90 of the first NAS 2 and the second NAS 3, and stores the storage destinations in the database. This is a medical image management apparatus that manages and manages.

  Specifically, when order information D7 is received from RIS4, based on the order information D7, the amount of data of a plurality of medical image data D1 grouped in examination units or series units transmitted from modality M is calculated. To do. Then, a data storage area of the storage devices 80 and 90 having a free area equal to or larger than the data amount is determined, and a data storage reservation is made for the data storage area.

  Then, the medical image data D1 in units of examination or series in which the medical image data D1 is actually received from the modality M is collectively stored in the reserved data storage area. As a result, the medical image data D1 belonging to one group can be managed in one data storage area without being divided and stored in a plurality of data storage areas.

[Functional configuration of PACS]
Next, the functional configuration of the PACS 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of the PACS 1. According to FIG. 4, the PACS 1 includes a CPU 10, an input unit 20, a display unit 30, a communication unit 40, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 50, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 60, and a storage unit 70. It is prepared for.

  The CPU 10 is a control unit that centrally manages and controls the PACS 1 by controlling the operation of each functional unit and controlling data input / output between the functional units. Specifically, a program stored in the ROM 50 or the storage unit 70 is read according to an operation signal input from the input unit 20, and processing according to the program is executed. Then, based on the processing result, the display screen of the display unit 30 is updated, data is stored in the storage unit 70, data communication with an external device, and the like are performed.

  The input unit 20 includes various key groups such as cursor keys and numeric keys, and a pointing device such as a mouse and a touch panel. The input unit 20 outputs to the CPU 10 an operation signal corresponding to the key pressed by the user and an operation signal corresponding to the coordinate position on the screen designated by the pointing device.

  The display unit 30 is configured by a CRT (Cathode-ray Tube), an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), or the like, and displays a display screen based on the control of the CPU 10. The communication unit 40 is configured by a LAN interface or the like, and is a functional unit that performs data communication with external devices such as the first NAS 2, the second NAS 3, and the modality M via the communication network N 2.

  The ROM 50 is constituted by a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, and stores an initial program for performing various initial settings, hardware inspection, loading of necessary programs, and the like. The RAM 60 is composed of rewritable semiconductor elements, and temporarily holds various programs executed by the CPU 10, data related to the execution of these programs, and the like.

  The storage unit 70 is a functional unit that reads / writes data from / to a magnetic or optical storage medium, and includes an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like. According to FIG. 3, the storage unit 70 stores an image management DB 71 and a storage destination reservation list 77.

  The image management DB 71 is a database for managing in which of the plurality of data storage areas of the first NAS 2 and the second NAS 3 the actual image data D5 included in the medical image data D1 received from the modality M is stored.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each of the first NAS 2 and the second NAS 3 includes storage devices 80 and 90 that store medical image data D1. The storage devices 80 and 90 are configured by a storage medium such as an HDD and have a plurality of partitions as data storage areas.

  That is, the storage device 80 of the first NAS 2 is divided into a plurality of data areas such as a first partition 81, a second partition 82, a third partition 83,..., And the storage device 90 of the second NAS 3 is divided into a first partition 91, It is divided into a plurality of data areas such as a second partition 92, a third partition 93,. These partitions are previously assigned partition IDs that can be individually identified.

  Although the HDDs of the storage devices 80 and 90 have a plurality of data storage areas by partitions created by logical division, a plurality of data storage areas are provided by physically providing a plurality of storage media such as HDDs. It is good also as having.

  FIG. 5A shows an example of the data configuration of the image management DB 71. According to FIG. 5A, the image management DB 71 is a database that stores patient information 72, examination information 73, series information 74, a partition ID 75, and a storage destination address 76 in a relational relationship. The CPU 10 acquires the partition ID of the partition of the storage devices 80 and 90 that are the storage destination of the received medical image data D1.

  Further, the patient information D32, examination information D33, and series information D34 of the header information D3 included in the medical image data D1 are extracted, stored in the image management DB 71 in association with the acquired partition ID, and determined as a storage destination. The addresses for storing the medical image data D1 of the partition thus obtained are acquired from the first NAS2 and the second NAS3, and stored in association with each other as the storage destination address 76.

  When a user such as an interpretation doctor performs display output or print output of the medical image data D1, various information such as the ID and name of the subject patient, examination ID, examination date, series ID, and examination site are stored in PACS1 and the like. Enter from. The PACS 1 retrieves the partition ID 75 and the storage destination address 76 associated with the input patient information, examination information, and series information from the image management DB 71 and reads them. Then, the storage location address 76 of the partition indicated by the partition ID 75 is accessed via the communication network N2 to read the medical image data D1.

  The storage destination reservation list 77 is a data table for performing reservation management of the storage destination of the medical image data D1 received from the modality M. FIG. 5B shows an example of the data configuration of the storage destination reservation list 77. According to FIG. 5B, the storage destination reservation list 77 stores reservation order information 78 including an examination ID 78a, a series ID 78b, a data amount 78c, and a partition ID 78d.

  The CPU 10 calculates the data amount of the group-unit medical image data D1 transmitted from the modality M based on the order information D7 received from the RIS 4, and stores partitions having free areas corresponding to the data amount in the storage devices 80 and 90. Determine from Based on the result of the determination, when the partition that is to store the medical image data D1 is determined, the partition ID, the examination ID included in the examination information D73 of the order information D7, and the series included in the series information D75. The ID and the calculated data amount are associated with each other and stored in the storage destination reservation list 77 as reservation order information 78.

  Further, a reserved file including dummy data (invalid data) having the same data amount as the stored data amount 78c is created, and the reserved file is stored in the partition indicated by the partition ID 78d. The storage of the reservation order information 78 in the storage destination reservation list 77 and the storage of the reservation file make a reservation for data storage in each partition of the medical image data D1.

  When the medical image data D1 including the same examination ID and series ID as the examination ID 78a and series ID 78b stored in the storage destination reservation list 77 is received from the modality M, the reservation including the examination ID 78a and series ID 78b is received. The reserved file stored in the partition of the partition ID 78d included in the order information 78 is replaced with the received medical image data D1 and stored and updated.

  In this way, prior to the reception of the medical image data D1, by reserving the storage destination partition, it is possible to reliably store a plurality of medical image data D1 for each group. Further, by storing the reserved file, data is stored in the partition reserved by directly accessing the first NAS 2 or the second NAS 3 by another external device, and the PACS 1 cannot store the medical image data D 1. Can be prevented.

  Note that the number of medical image data D1 transmitted from the modality M may be obtained based on the examination information D73 and the series information D75 of the order information D7, and reservation files for this number may be generated and stored. In this case, by setting the data amount of each reserved file as the data amount of one piece of medical image data D1 transmitted from the modality M, each time the medical image data D1 is received one by one from the modality M, the reserved file is stored. Can be replaced.

[Specific operation of PACS]
Next, a specific operation of the PACS 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a specific operation of the PACS 1, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation example of the PACS 1 of the PACS 1.

  First, when receiving the order information D7 from the RIS 4 (step S1), the CPU 10 extracts group information such as patient information D72, examination information D73, and series information D75 from the order information D7 (step S3). In order to store a plurality of medical image data D1 corresponding to the extracted group information based on the history of the medical image data D1 already stored in the storage devices 80 and 90 with reference to the image management DB 71 (step S5). The data capacity necessary for the calculation is calculated (step S7).

  Specifically, the CPU 10 acquires the patient ID, the type of modality M, and the series ID included in the extracted patient information D32, examination information D33, and series information D34. Then, the patient information 72 including the acquired patient ID is searched from the image management DB 71, and the series information 74 including the type of the extracted modality M and the series ID is selected from the series information 74 associated with the patient information 72. To do.

  By calculating the number of medical image data D1 in one series generated in the past based on the series number of the selected series information 74, the same patient as the order information D7 received in step S1 is recorded in the past. The number of images taken when the same examination site is imaged with the same modality M obtained is acquired. Then, by multiplying the data amount of the actual image data D5 generated by the extracted modality M by the number of shots, the data capacity necessary to store all the data grouped in series units is calculated.

  Note that the data amount for each piece of the actual image data D5 is obtained by tabulating the data size (image size (row × column) × number of stored bits) when each examination site for each modality M is imaged. Alternatively, a sample of the data amount of the actual image data D5 obtained by imaging with the same modality M and the examination site may be acquired from the first NAS2 and the second NAS3. Further, when the patient of the received medical image data D1 has not performed the same examination in the past, the total amount of data in series may be calculated based on the same examination performed by another patient.

  When the CPU 10 calculates the necessary data capacity for storing the medical image data D1 for each group in step S7, the CPU 10 next accesses the first NAS2 and the second NAS3, and frees the partitions of the storage devices 80 and 90. The capacity is acquired (step S9).

  Then, a partition in which the acquired free capacity is equal to or larger than the data amount calculated in step S7 is determined, and the partition is determined as a storage destination. Further, the inspection ID 78a and series ID 78b included in the order information D7, the calculated data amount 78c, and the partition ID 78d of the storage destination are associated with each other and stored and updated in the storage destination reservation list 77 as the reservation order information 78 (step S11).

  The CPU 10 stores the reserved file having the data amount 78c stored in the storage destination reservation list 77 in the partition indicated by the partition ID 78d (step S13), and then receives the medical image data D1 from the modality M (step S15). Then, the examination ID and the series ID are extracted from the header information D3 included in the received medical image data D1 (step S17), and the reservation order information 78 including the same examination ID 78a and series ID 78b is stored in the storage destination reservation list 77. It is determined whether or not (step S19).

  When the CPU 10 determines that the reservation order information 78 including the same examination ID 78a and series ID 78b is stored in the storage destination reservation list 77 (step S19; Yes), the partition indicated by the partition ID 78d of the reservation order information 78 is stored. Select as storage location. Then, the received group of medical image data D1, that is, the actual image data D5 of the medical image data D1 corresponding to the acquired order information D7, is sequentially transferred to the storage devices 80 and 90, and reserved in the reserved storage destination partition. The stored reservation file is replaced and stored (step S21).

  Then, the image management DB 71 is updated based on the partition ID and storage address of the partition storing the actual image data D5, and the reservation order information 78 determined to include the same examination ID 78a and series ID 78b in step S19 is stored. It deletes and updates from the pre-reservation list 77 (step S23).

  For example, it is assumed that the order information D7 is received from the RIS 4 separately from the reception of the medical image data D10 in series shown in FIG. Based on the order information D7 and the image management DB 71, the CPU 10 generates medical image data D10 (past data) generated when the patient to be imaged has taken the same examination site in the examination performed in the past. The data capacity required to store the data is calculated.

  At this time, when the data capacity is calculated as 1 GByte, the CPU 10 searches the storage devices 80 and 90 for a partition having a free capacity of 1 GByte or more. In FIG. 7, since the free capacity of each of the partitions P1 and P2 is about 200 bytes and 5 GB, the partition P2 is reserved as a data storage area for storing a series of medical image data D10.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the inspection ID 78a “1111”, the series ID 78b “0001”, the data amount 78c “1G”, the partition ID 78d “0002” are stored, and the 1 GB reserved file F is stored in the partition P2. . Thereafter, when receiving medical image data D11, D12, D13,..., The reserved file F in the partition P2 and the received medical image data D1 are replaced and stored in the partition P2.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S19 that reservation order information 78 including the same examination ID 78a and series ID 78b is not stored in the storage destination reservation list 77 (step S19; No), the CPU 10 receives the medical information received in step S15. Group information is extracted from the image data D1 (step S25).

  Specifically, group information is extracted from the header information D3 of the first medical image data D1 out of the medical image data D1 grouped in units such as examination and series. Whether or not it is the first piece of the grouped medical image data D1 is determined based on, for example, the medical image data D1 including a series ID different from the series ID included in the medical image data D1 received in the past. When received, it is determined that the first (first) medical image data D1 of the grouped medical image data D1 has been received.

  Then, the process proceeds to step S5, and steps S5 to S19 are repeated to reserve the storage destination of the medical image data D1 based on the group information included in the header information D3 of the medical image data D1.

  For example, when the order information D7 corresponding to the plurality of series of medical image data D10 shown in FIG. 7 has not been received from the RIS4, the medical image data received first in the medical image data D10 The examination information D73 and the series information D75 are extracted from the header information D3 of D11, and the data capacity necessary for storing the medical image data D10 is calculated. Then, similarly to the above-described example, the partition P2 is reserved as a storage destination for a series of medical image data D10.

  For this reason, even when the storage destination partition is not reserved because the order information D7 for the received medical image data D1 is not received or the like, it is received first among the grouped medical image data D1. The storage destination can be reserved based on the header information D3 of the medical image data D1.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, based on the order information D7 received from the RIS4 and the header information D3 of the first medical image data D1 received from the modality M, a plurality of grouped medical image data D1 is obtained. A data capacity necessary for storage is calculated, a partition capable of storing medical image data D1 in group units is determined, and data storage is reserved.

  For this reason, it is possible to reserve a storage destination partition in advance before receiving all of the plurality of grouped medical image data D1, and to ensure a storage area for the grouped medical image data D1. Can be secured. Further, since the medical image data D1 received from the modality M is sequentially transferred to and stored in the storage devices 80 and 90, the processing time for storing the medical image data D1 can be shortened, and the processing efficiency can be improved.

  Further, since the medical image data D1 for each group is stored together in one partition, management of the storage destination becomes easy. In addition, when the display output or print output of the medical image data D1 grouped in units such as series or examination is designated by the user, it is only necessary to access one partition. Rather than the access time.

  The image management DB 71 described above stores management information (patient information 72, examination information 73, series information 74, partition ID 75, and storage destination address 76) for each group of medical image data D1 stored in the storage devices 80 and 90. Therefore, the data amount of the management information becomes smaller than the case where the medical image data D1 in the group is divided and stored in a plurality of partitions.

  Further, since the real image data D5 of the medical image data D1 is separated and stored in the first NAS2 or the second NAS3, personal information such as patient information and the real image data D5 can be managed separately. . For this reason, even if each NAS is directly accessed, leakage of personal information or the like can be prevented and security can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the medical image data D1 is stored in the partition in series units has been described as an example. However, a plurality of medical image data D1 may be stored in examination units or patient units. In this case, since the number of medical image data D1 grouped in the order of series, examination, and patient increases, management of the storage destination of the grouped medical image data D1 becomes easier.

  In addition, when the storage destination of the grouped medical image data D1 is determined and reserved, the storage destination may be determined by calculating the data capacity in descending order of the grouping unit. Specifically, a partition that can store medical image data D1 grouped in units of patients is determined and reserved if there is such a partition. However, if storage in units of patients cannot be performed due to lack of capacity, an examination unit A partition in which the medical image data D1 grouped in step S1 can be stored is determined.

  If there is a partition that can be stored in the examination unit, reservation is made. If the partition cannot be stored, the partition that can store the medical image data D1 grouped in series is determined. In this way, the unit of grouping of medical image data D1 to be stored can be increased by sequentially determining the storable partitions from the large group to the small group. Management of storage destination becomes easy.

  Further, the medical image data D1 has been described as being stored in the storage devices 80 and 90 of the first NAS 2 and the second NAS 3 provided on the communication network N2, but the external storage device or the storage unit 70 directly connected to the PACS 1 is used. It may be stored, and the system configuration example can be changed as appropriate.

The block diagram which shows an example of the system configuration | structure of a radiology system. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of order information, (b) is a figure which shows an example of grouping of medical image data. The figure which shows an example of a data structure of medical image data. The block diagram which shows an example of a function structure of PACS. (A) is an image management database, (b) is a figure which shows an example of a data structure of a storage destination reservation list. The flowchart for demonstrating the specific operation | movement of PACS. The figure which shows the operation example of PACS.

Explanation of symbols

1 PACS
10 CPU
20 Input unit 30 Display unit 40 Communication unit 50 ROM
60 RAM
70 storage unit 71 image management DB
77 Storage Location Reservation List 78 Reservation Order Information 78a Inspection ID
78b Series ID
78c Data volume 78d Partition ID
80, 90 Storage devices 81, 82, 83 Partition 91, 92, 93 Partition D1 Medical image data D3 Header information D5 Actual image data D7 Order information D71 AE title D72 Patient information D73 Examination information D75 Series information F Reservation file M Modality

Claims (8)

In a medical image management apparatus that performs storage management of medical image data using a storage device having a plurality of data storage areas,
An acquisition means for acquiring group information indicating a affiliation destination of a plurality of medical image data;
A discriminating unit for discriminating from the storage device a data storage area in which the medical image data corresponding to the group information acquired by the acquiring unit can be stored in the group unit;
Reserving means for reserving data storage in the data storage area determined by the determining means;
Receiving means for receiving a plurality of medical image data corresponding to the group information;
Storage control means for performing control to store the plurality of medical image data received by the receiving means in the group unit in the data storage area reserved by the reservation means;
A medical image management apparatus comprising: The acquisition means includes
The medical image management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the group information is received and acquired from an ordering system that instructs an imaging request for the medical image data. The acquisition means includes
3. The medical image according to claim 1, wherein the group information is extracted and acquired from the first medical image data first received by the receiving unit among the medical image data corresponding to the group information. Management device. The discrimination means includes
Of the medical image data already stored in the storage device, the amount of medical image data corresponding to the same group information as the group information acquired by the acquisition unit is calculated, and an empty area of the data amount is calculated. The medical image management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a data amount determination unit that determines the data storage area. The discrimination means includes
Data amount determining means for determining the storable data storage area from the storage device based on the data amount of medical image data for each data storage area for which data storage has already been reserved by the reservation means. The medical image management device according to claim 1, wherein the medical image management device is a medical image management device. The reservation means is
Creating a reserved file corresponding to the data amount of the medical image data corresponding to the group information, and temporarily storing the reserved file in the reserved data storage area;
The storage control means
6. The control according to claim 1, wherein the reservation file stored by the reservation file storage unit is controlled to be replaced with the plurality of medical image data received by the reception unit. The medical image management apparatus described.   The group information is at least one of patient information indicating an affiliation for each patient of the plurality of medical image data, examination information indicating an affiliation for each examination, and series information indicating an affiliation for each series. The medical image management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: Computer
Acquisition means for acquiring group information indicating the affiliation of a plurality of medical image data;
A discriminating means for discriminating a data storage area in which the medical image data corresponding to the group information acquired by the acquiring means can be stored in the group unit from a storage device having a plurality of data storage areas;
Reserving means for reserving data storage in the data storage area determined by the determining means;
Receiving means for receiving a plurality of medical image data corresponding to the group information;
Storage control means for performing control for storing the plurality of medical image data received by the receiving means in the group unit in the data storage area reserved by the reservation means;
Program to function as.

Images