JP2010142574A - Medical image display device, medical image display method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a medical image and dialogs on a monitor in an easy-to-view manner. <P>SOLUTION: A medical image display device 20 displays, on a viewer screen G1 of a display section 22, dialogs of various pieces of information on a medical image and stores in a memory section 25 identification information for specifying a default dialog. An operating section 24 inputs a display change instruction that changes a display pattern of the dialogs displayed on the viewer screen G1. A control section 21 then changes a display pattern of the dialogs corresponding to the display change instruction from a first display pattern to a second display pattern, and displays the dialogs on the viewer screen G1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical image display device, a medical image display method, and a program.

  In recent years, medical images in hospitals have been converted to electronic data, and medical image systems for performing a series of processes from taking medical images to displaying them have been constructed. The medical image system server stores medical image data obtained by an imaging apparatus (modality), acquires a medical image from the server in response to a doctor's operation instruction, and stores the medical image data in a PC (Personal Computer). It can be displayed on the monitor.

  Conventionally, in order to improve the interpretation efficiency, various techniques for displaying medical images and diagnostic information on a monitor in an easy-to-view manner have been devised.

In Patent Document 1, in a medical image system including a server that manages a medical image display device, the server determines the screen configuration of the monitor according to the display device ID assigned to each medical image display device, so that the medical image can be easily viewed. A technique for displaying is disclosed.
JP 2008-229244 A

  However, even if the screen configuration is devised to make the medical image easy to see, if a dialog box (hereinafter simply referred to as “dialog”) of diagnostic information related to this medical image is displayed, the medical image is often difficult to see.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a display screen when a medical image and a dialog are displayed.
When the dialog is displayed superimposed on the medical image, the medical image is hidden in the dialog as shown in FIG. If multiple dialogs are displayed at the same time, the dialogs will overlap and become more difficult to see. In order to see a medical image hidden by the dialog, the doctor must delete or move the dialog by an input from an operation unit such as a mouse.
When the medical image and the dialog are displayed side by side, both the medical image and the dialog become small as shown in FIG.
When the dialog is temporarily displayed by aligning the mouse pointer with the tool tip, the dialog is displayed every time the mouse pointer is aligned with the tool tip as shown in FIG. That is, there is a high possibility that a dialog is displayed due to an erroneous operation even when it is not necessary. In addition, the dialog displayed in this case can often only display simple contents such as character information. In order to input various types of information from a mouse or a keyboard, a medical image as shown in FIG. It is necessary to display a large dialog superimposed on the.

  With the technique described in Patent Document 1, a medical image can be displayed in an easy-to-view manner according to the monitor configuration of the medical image display device, but the medical image cannot be made easy to see according to the display / non-display of the dialog. When it is displayed, it becomes difficult to see the medical image.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to display medical images and dialogs on a monitor in an easy-to-read manner.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1
Display means for displaying a dialog of various information related to the medical image and the medical image;
Storage means for storing identification information for specifying a dialog to be displayed on the display means;
Operation means for inputting a display change instruction for changing the display form of the dialog displayed on the display means;
When the dialog specified by the identification information stored in the storage means is displayed on the display means in the first display form, and an instruction to change the display of the dialog is input by the operation means, the dialog is displayed as a second Control means for displaying on the display means in a display form;
Is provided.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1,
The operation means inputs an active instruction for inputting various information corresponding to the dialog displayed in the second display form,
The control means receives an operation input from the operation means for the dialog displayed in the second display form on the display means when an active instruction is input by the operation means.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 2,
The control means causes the display means to display a dialog displayed in the second display form in the first display form when no active instruction is input by the operation means.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 2 or 3,
The operating means is a mouse,
The active instruction input from the mouse is to click on a dialog having a second display form displayed on the display means.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The operating means is a mouse,
The display change instruction input from the mouse is to place the mouse pointer on the first display form dialog displayed on the display means.

The invention according to claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The first display form is a display form in which the dialog is displayed at a position different from the display position of the medical image displayed on the display means, and the second display form is a medical image displayed on the display means. Is a display form that is superimposed on the screen and displayed larger than the dialog of the first display form.

The invention described in claim 7
Display means for displaying a medical image and a dialog for various information related to the medical image, storage means for storing identification information for specifying a dialog to be displayed on the display means, and display of the dialog displayed on the display means An operation means for inputting a display change instruction for changing a form, and a medical image display method for a computer comprising:
When a dialog specified by the identification information stored in the storage means is displayed on the display means in the first display form by the computer and an instruction to change the display of the dialog is input by the operation means, the dialog In the second display form on the display means.

The invention according to claim 8 provides:
Display means for displaying a medical image and a dialog for various information related to the medical image, storage means for storing identification information for specifying a dialog to be displayed on the display means, and display of the dialog displayed on the display means An operation means for inputting a display change instruction for changing the form;
When the dialog specified by the identification information stored in the storage means is displayed on the display means in the first display form, and an instruction to change the display of the dialog is input by the operation means, the dialog is displayed as a second It is made to function as a control means to be displayed on the display means in a display form.

  According to the present invention, a medical image and a dialog can be displayed on a monitor in an easy-to-view manner.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of a medical image management system 1 to which a medical image display apparatus according to the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the medical image management system 1 includes a management server 10, a medical image display device 20, a modality 30, a DB server 40, and a film output device 50. Each component of the medical image management system 1 is connected via a network N so that data can be transmitted and received between them. The network N is a LAN (Local Area Network) according to DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) standard.
Hereinafter, each component apparatus of the medical image management system 1 will be described.

  The management server 10 associates the medical image generated by the modality 30 with the patient information and stores it in the DB server 40, or manages the various processing data stored in the DB server 40 in an integrated manner. . The management server 10 is composed of a CPU, a RAM, and the like, and is preferably a WS (Work Station) having higher performance than a general PC.

  The medical image display device 20 is used when a doctor interprets a medical image. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the medical image display apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the medical image display apparatus 20 includes a control unit 21, a display unit 22, a communication unit 23, an operation unit 24, a storage unit 25, a RAM 26, and the like.

  The control unit 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, reads various control programs stored in the storage unit 25, develops them in the RAM 26, and performs various calculations in cooperation with these control programs. Centralized control of each part constituting the medical image display device 20 is performed.

  The display unit 22 includes, for example, a monitor such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The display unit 22 displays various processing data such as medical images and report data on the viewer screen G1.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the viewer screen G1 displayed on the display unit 22. The viewer screen G1 displays a medical image used for diagnosis, and is used when a doctor performs interpretation diagnosis or informed consent for a patient.
The doctor selects a patient to be diagnosed from the operation unit 24 from a patient information list screen (not shown) including a list of patients in order to designate a patient of a medical image to be displayed on the viewer screen G1. A patient ID for identifying the patient is transmitted to the DB server 40. In the DB server 40, the medical image of the patient corresponding to the received patient ID is transmitted to the medical image display device 20, and the medical image display device 20 that has received this medical image displays the viewer screen G1 on the display unit 22. Let Hereinafter, a patient corresponding to a medical image included in the viewer screen G1 is referred to as a diagnosis target patient.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the viewer screen G1 includes a menu tag 100 for designating a medical image to be displayed on the viewer screen G1, a dialog button 101 for instructing display of various dialogs, and a medical image of a patient to be diagnosed. For example, an image display field 102 for displaying.

  The dialog button 101 includes a past examination list button 103, a past examination button 104, a report button 105, and a list button 106. When one of the dialog buttons 101 is selected by an input from the operation unit 24, a dialog corresponding to the selected button is displayed on the display unit 22. Note that the dialog button 101 only needs to be configured by a button corresponding to a dialog to be displayed on the display unit 22, and is not limited to the example of the present embodiment.

  The past examination list button 103 is used to display a dialog of a past examination list performed on the diagnosis target patient. The past examination button 104 is used to display a dialog detailing the examination performed on the diagnosis target patient. The report button 105 is used to display a diagnosis report dialog of the patient to be diagnosed. The list button 106 is for displaying a dialog of a list of patients (patient list) stored in the DB server 50.

When the past examination list button 103 is selected from the operation unit 24, the request for the past examination list and the patient ID of the patient to be diagnosed are transmitted to the DB server 40. In the DB server 40, the patient's past examination corresponding to the received patient ID is read from the memory and transmitted to the medical image display apparatus 20.
Similarly, when the past examination button 104 or the report button 105 is selected from the operation unit 24, a request for a past examination or a diagnosis report and the patient ID of the patient to be diagnosed are transmitted to the DB server 40, respectively. In the DB server 40, a patient's past examination or diagnosis report corresponding to the received patient ID is read from the memory and transmitted to the medical image display device 20.
When the list button 106 is selected from the operation unit 24, a request for a patient list is transmitted to the DB server 40. In the DB server 40, patient information stored in the memory is read out and transmitted to the medical image display device 20.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the viewer screen G1 displayed on the display unit 22 when the list button 106 is selected from the operation unit 24. As shown in FIG. 4, a dialog D <b> 1 including the patient list acquired from the DB server 40 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the image display field 102. Similarly, when another dialog button 101 is selected from the operation unit 24, a dialog D1 corresponding to the button is displayed superimposed on the image display field 102.

The viewer screen G1 includes a palette 107. The palette 107 is a reduced display form of the dialog D1 (first display form). Hereinafter, the dialog displayed in the first display form is referred to as a palette. Input from the operation unit 24 to the pallet cannot be performed. The palette 107 can be displayed as a dialog D1 by a palette display process described later.
When the viewer screen G1 is displayed on the display unit 22, identification information for specifying a dialog to be displayed as a palette is stored in the storage unit 25 in advance. Hereinafter, this palette is referred to as a default palette.

  The communication unit 23 includes a communication interface and communicates with an external device on the network N. For example, request information requesting processing data such as medical images is transmitted to the management server 10, and the target data is received from the DB server 40.

  The operation unit 24 includes a keyboard having cursor keys, numeric input keys, various function keys, and the like, and a pointing device such as a mouse. The operation unit 24 receives a key pressing signal pressed by the keyboard or an operation signal by the mouse. And output to the control unit 21.

The storage unit 25 is configured by an HDD (Hard Disc) or a semiconductor non-volatile memory, and various control programs executed by the control unit 21, a pallet display processing program to be dictated, and parameters necessary for the execution of these programs , Data, etc. are stored.

  The RAM 26 serves as a work area for temporarily storing various programs, input or output data, parameters, and the like that can be executed by the control unit 21 read from the storage unit 25 in various processes that are executed and controlled by the control unit 21. Function.

The modality 30 images a patient and generates a medical image. Examples of the modality 30 include various devices such as an X-ray imaging apparatus, a CT (Computed Tomography) imaging apparatus, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) imaging apparatus, and an ultrasonic / endoscopic imaging apparatus.
The medical image captured by the modality 30 is transmitted to the DB server 40. Note that the modality 30 adds information related to the medical image. Examples of information relating to medical images include patient information for identifying a patient, patient information such as a patient's name and age, and detailed image information such as an examination date (imaging date), a modality name, a part name, and imaging conditions. . These pieces of information may be input by the imaging engineer in the modality 30 or may be input from an external device (not shown).

  The DB server 40 includes a large-capacity memory, and includes patient list data, medical images associated with patient and examination information captured by the modality 30, examination list data, and doctor diagnosis contents. The report data, patient information, etc. described are stored. The DB server 40 outputs data to each requesting device according to a request from the management server 10 or the image display device 20.

  The film output device 50 records a latent image by laser exposure on a transmission type recording medium (film) based on the medical image transmitted from the DB server 40, and visualizes the latent image by thermal phenomenon processing. Printer.

Next, the operation of the medical image display device 20 in the present embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of palette display processing executed by the control unit 21 when a display instruction for the viewer screen G1 is input from the operation unit 24 to the control unit 21. The palette display process is executed in cooperation with the control unit 21 and the program stored in the storage unit 25.

  First, the identification information of the default pallet stored in the storage unit 25 is read (step S1). A viewer screen G1 including a palette created based on the dialog specified by the identification information is displayed on the display unit 22 (step S2). As shown in FIG. 3, the viewer screen G1 displayed in step S2 is superimposed on the image display field 102 and the dialog 107 is not displayed and the palette 107 is displayed.

  Next, when the dialog button 101 is selected from the operation unit 22, it is determined whether or not a dialog display instruction has been input (step S3). When it is determined that a dialog display instruction has been input (step S3; YES), the dialog instructed to display is displayed on the display unit 22 (step S4). In step S4, a dialog D1 is displayed superimposed on the image display field 102 as shown in FIG.

  If it is not determined that a dialog display instruction has been input (step S3; NO), it is determined whether a dialog set instruction to the palette has been input (step S5). The instruction to set the dialog in the palette is for displaying the dialog D1 displayed on the display unit 22 in the first display form. The dialog 107 shown in FIG. Drag and drop to.

  If it is determined that a setting instruction for the pallet has been input (step S5; YES), the dialog D1 for which the setting instruction has been issued is set on the pallet 107 and displayed (step S6). The dialog D1 is deleted from the display unit 22 (step S7), and the default palette setting stored in the storage unit 25 is updated (step S8). In step S8, the dialog D1 set in the palette 107 in step S6 is updated by being newly added as a default palette.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the viewer screen G1 when the dialog is set on the palette. The example shown in FIG. 6 is a case where the dialog D1 shown in FIG. This dialog D1 is reduced and displayed as a palette 107.

If it is not determined that an instruction to set a pallet has been input (step S5; NO), it is determined whether or not a display change instruction for creating a pallet dialog is input from the operation unit 24 (step S9). The instruction to make the palette into a dialog means that the mouse pointer is set to one of the palettes 107 displayed on the display unit 22 by operating the mouse of the operation unit 24.
When it is determined that a display change instruction for creating a pallet dialog is input from the operation unit 24 (step S9; YES), the display form of the dialog corresponding to this pallet is enlarged (second display form). It is displayed on the part 22 (step S10).

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the viewer screen G1 displayed on the display unit 22 when the palette is converted into a dialog. The palette 107 to which the mouse pointer is placed is enlarged, and the dialog D1 as the second display form is displayed on the display unit 22 so as to be superimposed on the image display field 102.

  It is determined whether or not a pallet active instruction in the form of a dialog is input from the operation unit 24 (step S11). “Activating the palette” means that the dialog displayed in the second display form is displayed on the display unit 22 in the same size and accepts an input from the operation unit 24 for the dialog. The active instruction refers to clicking on the pallet in a dialog form with the mouse of the operation unit 24 or the like.

If it is determined that an active instruction for the pallet that has been made into a dialog is input from the operation unit 24 (step S11; YES), the second display form is fixed and an input from the operation unit 24 to the dialog D1 is accepted ( Step S12).
On the other hand, when it is not determined that an active instruction for a pallet that has been made into a dialog is input from the operation unit 24 (step S11; NO), the dialog is in the first display form and returns to the original position (step S13). In step S13, the viewer screen G1 shown in FIG. 6 is returned from the state of the viewer screen G1 shown in FIG.

  When it is not determined that a display change instruction for creating a pallet dialog is input from the operation unit 24 (step S9; NO), it is determined whether an active instruction on the viewer screen G1 side is input from the operation unit 24 (step S9; NO). Step S14). The active instruction on the viewer screen G1 side is an instruction for returning the dialog displayed in the second display form on the display unit 22 to the state of the palette in the first display form. For example, when the dialog is displayed on the display unit 22, an area other than the dialog area is clicked with the mouse of the operation unit 24.

  When it is determined that an active instruction on the viewer screen G1 side is input from the operation unit 24 (step S14; YES), the dialog displayed on the display unit 22 returns to the palette (step S15). In step S15, it means returning from the state of the viewer screen G1 shown in FIG. 7 to the state of the viewer screen G1 shown in FIG.

  When it is not determined that the active instruction on the viewer screen G1 side is input from the operation unit 24 (step S14; NO), it is determined whether an instruction to end the viewer screen G1 is input from the operation unit 24 (step S16).

When it is not determined that an instruction to end the viewer screen G1 is input from the operation unit 24 (step S16; NO), the process returns to step S3, and it is determined whether there is a dialog display instruction.
If it is not determined that an instruction to end the viewer screen G1 has been input from the operation unit 24 (step S16; YES), the process ends.

  As described above, according to the medical image display apparatus 20 in the present embodiment, the default dialog can be displayed as the palette 107 in the first display form on the viewer screen G1. By displaying the palette 107 smaller than the normal dialog, it is easy to see the medical image because it does not overlap the medical image displayed in the image display field 102. Since the palette 107 includes the same contents as the dialog D1, various information corresponding to the dialog D1 can be visually recognized by the palette 107 without impairing the visibility of the medical image.

  When a display change instruction for the palette 107 is input from the operation unit 22, the dialog D1 in the second display form is displayed, so that the doctor can easily display the dialog only when necessary. The dialog includes a list of past examinations of the patient to be diagnosed, details of this examination, a diagnosis report of the patient to be diagnosed, or a patient list. Only visual recognition and operation input can be performed.

  In addition, when an active instruction is input from the operation unit 22, the display of the dialog D1 is fixed and the input is accepted. Therefore, if the doctor wants to view the dialog for a short time, the corresponding palette 107 is displayed. If the display change instruction is not issued and the active instruction is not input, the size of the original pallet 107 is restored, so that it is not necessary to close the dialog every time and the operability is improved. When an active instruction is input, an input from the operation unit 24 is accepted, so that the dialog D1 can be displayed only in a necessary scene and an operation input can be performed.

  When the operation unit 22 is a mouse, the display change instruction is to move the mouse pointer to the palette 107, and the active instruction can be clicked on the dialog D1, etc. An active indication can be entered.

Note that the description in the present embodiment described above is an example of a suitable medical image display apparatus according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the display change instruction and the active instruction may be given based on the operation from the operation unit 24 stored in the storage unit 25 in advance, and are not limited to the example of the present embodiment. For example, the display change instruction may be to double-click the palette 107 with the mouse of the operation unit 24.

  Further, the first display form has been described as a palette and the second display form is a dialog having a normal size. However, the first display form and the second display form are predetermined display forms in the storage unit 25 or the like. If it is good, it is not limited to this. For example, the first display form may be an icon corresponding to each dialog, and the second display form may be a dialog displayed on the monitor of the display unit 22 on a full screen.

  In the above description, an example in which a hard disk, a semiconductor nonvolatile memory, or the like is used as a computer-readable medium of the program according to the present invention is disclosed, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As another computer-readable medium, a portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM can be applied. A carrier wave is also applied as a medium for providing program data according to the present invention via a communication line.

  In addition, the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each device constituting the medical image display device can be changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the example of whole structure of the medical image management system in this Embodiment. It is a principal block diagram which shows the functional structure of the medical image display apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the viewer screen displayed on the display part of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the viewer screen when a dialog is displayed on the display part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the palette display process performed by the medical image management apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the viewer screen displayed on the display part of FIG. 1 when a dialog is set to a palette. It is a figure which shows an example of the viewer screen displayed on the display part of FIG. 1, when a display change instruction | indication is input. It is an example of general dialog display, (a) is an example in which a dialog is superimposed on a medical image, (b) is an example in which a dialog and a medical image are displayed side by side, (c) is an example This is an example in which a dialog is displayed using a tooltip.

Explanation of symbols

1 medical image management system 10 management server 20 medical image display device 30 modality 40 DB server 50 film output device N network 21 control unit 22 display unit 23 communication unit 24 operation unit 25 storage unit 26 RAM

Claims (8)

Display means for displaying a dialog of various information related to the medical image and the medical image;
Storage means for storing identification information for specifying a dialog to be displayed on the display means;
Operation means for inputting a display change instruction for changing the display form of the dialog displayed on the display means;
When the dialog specified by the identification information stored in the storage means is displayed on the display means in the first display form, and an instruction to change the display of the dialog is input by the operation means, the dialog is displayed as a second Control means for displaying on the display means in a display form;
A medical image display device comprising: The operation means inputs an active instruction for inputting various information corresponding to the dialog displayed in the second display form,
2. The medical image display according to claim 1, wherein, when an active instruction is input by the operation unit, the control unit receives an operation input from the operation unit for a dialog displayed in a second display form on the display unit. apparatus.   The medical image display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when an active instruction is not input by the operation unit, the control unit displays a dialog displayed in the second display form on the display unit in the first display form. The operating means is a mouse,
The medical image display apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the active instruction input from the mouse is to click a dialog having a second display form displayed on the display means. The operating means is a mouse,
The medical image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the display change instruction input from the mouse is to place a mouse pointer on a dialog in a first display form displayed on the display means. .   The first display form is a display form in which the dialog is displayed at a position different from the display position of the medical image displayed on the display means, and the second display form is a medical image displayed on the display means. The medical image display apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the medical image display apparatus is a display form that is superimposed on a screen and displayed larger than the dialog of the first display form. Display means for displaying a medical image and a dialog for various information related to the medical image, storage means for storing identification information for specifying a dialog to be displayed on the display means, and display of the dialog displayed on the display means An operation means for inputting a display change instruction for changing a form, and a medical image display method for a computer comprising:
When a dialog specified by the identification information stored in the storage means is displayed on the display means in the first display form by the computer and an instruction to change the display of the dialog is input by the operation means, the dialog A medical image display method comprising a step of causing the display means to display the image in a second display form. Display means for displaying a medical image and a dialog for various information related to the medical image, storage means for storing identification information for specifying a dialog to be displayed on the display means, and display of the dialog displayed on the display means An operation means for inputting a display change instruction for changing the form;
When the dialog specified by the identification information stored in the storage means is displayed on the display means in the first display form, and an instruction to change the display of the dialog is input by the operation means, the dialog is displayed as a second A program that functions as a control unit that displays on the display unit in a display form.