JP2015198824A - Medical image diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medical image diagnostic apparatus giving warning against tilting of a subject on a top board, calculating a movement amount of the top board so as to make a characterizing portion of the subject locate at an imaging position of imaging means and thereby making the top board movable.SOLUTION: A medical image diagnostic apparatus includes: a bed having a top board on which a subject is placed; a gantry including imaging means for collecting medical images of the subject; an image acquisition part acquiring optical images of the subject; a position calculation part acquiring three-dimensional position information on the characterizing portion of the subject on the basis of the optical images; a determination part acquiring the tilting amount of the subject to the top board on the basis of the position information on the characterizing portion and determining whether warning is required or not on the basis of the acquired tilting amount; and a warning part outputting the warning when the determination part determines that the warning is required.

Description

  FIELD Embodiments described herein relate generally to a medical image diagnostic apparatus such as an X-ray CT apparatus, which facilitates positioning of a subject when imaging the subject and can reduce the exposure dose of the subject. Relates to the device.

  Conventionally, in an examination using a medical image diagnostic apparatus (for example, an X-ray CT apparatus), an operator such as an engineer positions a subject who has slept on a bed in an examination room. The operator uses a projector (laser) for positioning. It is done visually. When positioning is completed, the operator moves from the examination room to the operation room, selects a scan plan from the CT console, captures a scanogram, confirms the scanogram from the CT console, and determines an imaging range. When checking the scanogram, if the subject's body is bent or deviated from the center of rotation of the gantry, the operator should move from the operation room to the examination room and adjust the position of the subject. ing.

  However, depending on the hospital, 20 to 30 people are inspected per day, and entry / exit of the operator into the inspection room may be an obstacle in the inspection workflow. Further, after adjusting the position of the subject, the operator moves again from the examination room to the operation room and again takes a scano image, so the exposure amount of the subject increases. In particular, for an inexperienced operator, visual positioning using a lamp may not be aligned with the center of rotation, and there is a risk that the subject's eyes will be hit with a laser when the head is positioned.

 Patent Document 1 discloses an X-ray CT apparatus that detects whether or not the center position of a subject has shifted from a scan center and notifies an operator. Patent Document 2 discloses an X-ray CT apparatus that facilitates positioning of a subject by displaying an image of an estimated X-ray exposure range and a subject image in an overlapping manner. However, further work is required by the operator, and further improvement is required to reduce exposure to the subject.

JP 2001-190541 A JP 2009-268793 A

  The problem to be solved by the invention is to warn of the inclination of the subject on the top, and to calculate the amount of movement of the top so that the characteristic part of the subject comes to the imaging position of the imaging means. An object of the present invention is to provide a medical image diagnostic apparatus that allows a plate to move.

The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment includes a bed provided with a top plate on which a subject is placed, a gantry including an imaging unit that collects a medical image of the subject, and an image that acquires an optical image of the subject. An acquisition unit; a position calculation unit that acquires three-dimensional position information of the characteristic part of the subject based on the optical image; and a position of the subject relative to the top plate based on the position information of the characteristic part. A determination unit that determines an amount of inclination and determines whether or not a warning is necessary based on the calculated amount of inclination, and a warning unit that outputs a warning when the determination unit determines that a warning is necessary.

The side view and front view which show the whole structure of the medical image diagnostic apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the state which tilted the gantry in one Embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an X-ray CT apparatus in one embodiment. The block diagram which shows the structure of the position setting part in one Embodiment. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of the position setting part in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the reservation information acquisition screen in one Embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of the three-dimensional information detection part in one Embodiment. The figure which expressed the distance to the subject in one Embodiment by the shade of black and white, and explanatory drawing which shows the skeleton information of the whole body. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement at the time of extracting the OM line in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display in the positioning of a head in one Embodiment, and a display part. Explanatory drawing which shows the numerical value of the bed position in one Embodiment, and the example of a display in a display part. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a tilt operation of a gantry and the display example in a display part in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the example in which the both shoulders of the subject are bent and the example of a display in a display part in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the display example in the state which the center of the outer ear hole of the test object has shifted | deviated from the rotation center of the gantry in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the example in which the tilt angle of a gantry and the angle of OM line differ in one Embodiment, and the display example in a display part. The flowchart which shows the flow of CT inspection in one Embodiment.

  Embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the same location.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a side view (a) and a front view (b) showing an overall configuration of a medical image diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, an X-ray CT apparatus will be described as an example of a medical image diagnostic apparatus.

 In FIG. 1, the X-ray CT apparatus 100 has a gantry 10. A rotator is provided in the gantry 10, and an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector are arranged to face each other in the rotator, the central portion of the rotator is opened, and the top plate of the bed is opened in the opening 11. 15 (indicated by a dotted line) can be inserted. The rotation center of the rotating part of the gantry 10 is indicated by S. In the following description, S is referred to as “the rotation center S of the gantry 10”.

  Around the opening 11 of the gantry 10, a characteristic site detection unit 24, a three-dimensional information detection unit 25, a display unit 26, and an operation panel 27 are provided. Details of these will be described later. The gantry 10 can be tilted by a tilt control unit (described later).

  FIG. 2 shows a state where the gantry 10 is tilted. Although FIG. 2 shows a state in which it is tilted forward, it can also be tilted backward.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the X-ray CT apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. In FIG. 3, the X-ray CT apparatus 100 has a gantry 10. In the gantry 10, a rotating part 12 is provided on the outer periphery of the opening 11, and the rotating part 12 is rotated by a rotating mechanism. An X-ray tube 13 and an X-ray detector 14 are disposed facing the rotating unit 12. A subject P placed on the couch top 15 is inserted into the opening 11.

 X-rays that have passed through the subject P are converted into electrical signals by the X-ray detector 14, amplified by the data acquisition unit 16, and converted into digital data. This digital data is transmitted as projection data to the operation console 30 (described later) via the data transmission device 17. The X-ray detector 14 includes a number of X-ray detection elements arranged in a matrix in the body axis direction (slice direction) and body width direction (channel direction) of the subject P, and the detector arranged in the slice direction. Collect projection data for each column. The X-ray tube 13 and the X-ray detector 14 constitute imaging means for collecting medical images of the subject P.

 The gantry 10 is provided with a gantry control unit 18, a slip ring 19, and a tilt control unit 20. The gantry control unit 18 controls the rotation of the rotating unit 12. The couchtop 15 can be moved back and forth to the opening 11 of the gantry 10 by a couch drive device 22 provided on the couch 21, and the height position of the couch 21 (top plate 15) can be adjusted. A driving signal is supplied from the bed control unit 23 to the bed driving device 22.

 The bed 21 includes a detector that electrically detects the position of the top plate 15 in the slice direction (the body axis direction of the subject P), and the bed 21 provides the position information of the bed to the bed control unit 23. send. Therefore, continuous scanning is possible by the rotation of the rotating unit 12 and the movement of the top 15, and multidirectional projection data can be collected in time series by continuous scanning.

 Further, around the opening 11 of the gantry 10, an image acquisition unit (consisting of a characteristic part detection unit 24 and a three-dimensional information detection unit 25) that acquires an optical image of the subject, a display unit 26, and an operation panel 27. It has. The feature part detection unit 24 is a camera, for example, and will be described as the camera 24 below.

 The X-ray CT apparatus 100 includes an operation console 30. The operation console 30 constitutes a computer system and has a preprocessing unit 31, and data from the data transmission device 17 is sent to the preprocessing unit 31. The preprocessing unit 31 performs processing such as correction of signal intensity and correction of signal loss, and outputs projection data on the bus line 301. A system control unit 32 is connected to the bus line 301.

 An input unit 33 is connected to the system control unit 32. In addition, a data storage unit 34, a reconstruction processing unit 35, an image processing unit 36, a display unit 37, and a network interface (I / F) 38 are connected to the bus line 301. The system control unit 32 is connected to a high voltage generation unit 39.

 The system control unit 32 (control unit) functions as a host controller and includes a CPU and a ROM. The operation of each unit of the operation console 30, the gantry control unit 18, the tilt control unit 20, the bed control unit 23, and the high voltage generation unit 39 is controlled. Further, in order to detect the three-dimensional position of the subject P, the system control unit 32 receives an image of the subject P photographed by the camera 24 and 3D of the subject P from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. Dimension information is input. Further, the system control unit 32 receives information from the operation panel 27 and outputs display information to the display unit 26.

 The input unit 33 includes a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and is operated by an operator such as an engineer to perform various settings for data processing. The input unit 33 also inputs various information such as the state of the subject and the examination method, and sets the examination site by operating the mouse.

 The data storage unit 34 stores tomographic image data (raw data) obtained from the collected projection data. The reconstruction processing unit 35 extracts a region of interest or an organ of interest from the tomographic image data stored in the data storage unit 34, and reconstructs 3D image data and the like. The image processing unit 36 processes the image reconstructed by the reconstruction processing unit 35 and outputs a display image to the display unit 37.

 The display unit 37 displays various images obtained by the image processing unit 36. The high voltage generator 39 supplies power to the X-ray tube 13 via the slip ring 19 and supplies power (tube voltage and tube current) necessary for X-ray exposure. The X-ray tube 13 generates beam X-rays that spread in two directions: a slice direction parallel to the body axis direction of the subject P and a channel direction perpendicular thereto.

 A network interface (I / F) 38 is connected to the bus line 301. The system control unit 32 is connected to the network via the bus line 301 and the I / F 38, and communicates with, for example, a management server, order issue server, and the like connected to RIS and HIS.

 FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a position setting unit 40 that constitutes a main part of the present embodiment. The position setting unit 40 is provided in the system control unit 32, receives an image from the camera 24, three-dimensional information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, and information from the operation panel 27, and warns the display unit 26. (Including message) is displayed.

  The position setting unit 40 sets the position of the subject on the top 15 under the control of the system control unit 32 (control unit), and includes an examination information acquisition unit 41, a three-dimensional information detection unit 25, and a camera. 42, a position calculation unit 43, a movement amount calculation unit 44, and a tilt angle calculation unit 45, and the position calculation unit 43 is connected to the display unit 26. The movement amount calculation unit 44 and the tilt angle calculation unit 45 are connected to the drive unit 46. The drive unit 46 drives the bed 21 and the gantry 10 and controls the height of the bed 21, the horizontal position of the top plate 15, and the tilt angle of the gantry 10. The drive unit 46 includes the tilt control unit 20 and the bed. A driving device 22 and a bed control unit 23 are included.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for schematically explaining the operation of the position setting unit 40. In FIG. 5, in step S <b> 1, the examination information acquisition unit 41 acquires information on positioning parts (head, chest, etc.) from examination information obtained by a technician and CT examination reservation information. The examination information acquisition unit 41 can acquire reservation information from, for example, RIS or HIS. In step S <b> 2, the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 detects three-dimensional information of the subject sleeping on the bed 21. The three-dimensional information includes coordinates (for each pixel) such as the head, chest, and abdomen.

  In step S3, the feature part extraction unit 42, based on the image of the camera 24 and the three-dimensional information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, the feature parts necessary for positioning, such as an ear shape, an OM line (orbital center) Orbital outer ear line connecting the center of the outer ear canal and the position of the neck and both shoulders. In step S <b> 4, the position calculation unit 43 acquires the three-dimensional position information of the characteristic part of the subject based on the optical images acquired by the camera 24 and the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, and the characteristic part with respect to the gantry 10. Calculate relative coordinates.

  In step S <b> 5, the movement amount calculation unit 44 calculates the movement amount of the bed 21 that is necessary for the relative coordinates of the characteristic part after positioning the subject P and the gantry 10 to be zero. That is, based on the coordinates calculated by the position calculation unit 43, the amount of movement of the top 15 necessary to align the subject P with the gantry 10 is calculated. The movement amount calculation unit 44 controls the drive unit 46 based on the calculated movement amount, and controls the position of the bed (top plate).

  In step S <b> 6, the tilt angle calculation unit 45 calculates and presents the optimum tilt angle of the gantry 10 based on the OM line extracted by the feature part extraction unit 42. The tilt angle calculation unit 45 controls the drive unit 46 based on the calculated tilt angle and controls the tilt angle of the gantry 10. In step S7, based on the coordinates calculated by the position calculation unit 43, a warning or message is displayed on the display unit 26 when the degree of bending of the body is large.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the position setting unit 40 will be specifically described. The examination information acquisition unit 41 mainly acquires information on positioning parts (head, chest, etc.) based on the examination information and CT examination reservation information obtained by the technician. The acquisition destination is an information system such as RIS or HIS. Alternatively, information input by the operator at the start of the inspection is acquired.

 FIG. 6 shows a reservation information acquisition screen on the display means 37 of the operation console 30. By operating the reservation information acquisition screen with a mouse, for example, it communicates with a management server or order issuing server connected to RIS or HIS, etc., and the scheduled examination date and examination start time based on the subject name and subject ID Information can be acquired. In addition, it is possible to know where the examination site is by acquiring examination reservation information.

  The three-dimensional information detection unit 25 detects the three-dimensional information of the subject sleeping on the bed 21. The three-dimensional information includes coordinates (for each pixel) such as the head, chest, and abdomen. As the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, for example, a commercially available sensor such as Kinect (registered trademark) or Leap (registered trademark) can be used.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. For example, an example using a Kinect (registered trademark) sensor is illustrated. The three-dimensional information detection unit 25 is attached to the upper part of the opening 11 of the gantry 10 (see FIG. 1), detects the subject P on the top plate 15, and images the subject's operation information and the subject P. Collect video information. Kinect (registered trademark) recognizes human movement, and includes RGB color cameras, depth sensors, microphone arrays, etc., and measures the distance to the subject by projecting the subject on the camera. Various movements of the skeleton of the specimen can be detected.

  In FIG. 7, the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 includes a color image collection unit 51, a distance image collection unit 52, and an information generation unit 53. The color image collection unit 51 includes an RGB color camera, photographs the subject P on the top board 15, and collects color image information. For example, light reflected on the surface of the subject P is detected by a light receiving element (for example, CMOS or CCD), and visible light is converted into an electrical signal. Then, by converting the electrical signal into digital data, one frame of color image information corresponding to the shooting range is generated.

  The color image information for one frame includes, for example, shooting time information and information in which an RGB value is associated with each pixel included in the one frame. The color image collection unit 51 captures a photographing range by generating color image information of a plurality of continuous frames from visible light detected one after another.

  The distance image collection unit 52 photographs the subject P and collects distance image information. For example, the distance image collection unit 52 irradiates the surroundings with infrared rays and detects a reflected wave obtained by reflecting the irradiation wave on the surface of the subject with a light receiving element (for example, CMOS or CCD). Then, based on the phase difference between the irradiation wave and the reflected wave and the time from irradiation to detection, the distance to the subject is obtained, and one frame of distance image information corresponding to the imaging range is generated.

  The distance image information for one frame includes, for example, imaging time information and distance information with respect to the subject corresponding to each pixel included in the imaging range. The distance image collection unit 52 captures an imaging range by generating distance image information of a plurality of continuous frames from reflected waves detected one after another. The unit of distance calculated by the distance image collection unit 52 is, for example, meters [m].

  The information generation unit 53 generates information on the subject P. In brief, the information generation unit 53 obtains the coordinates of each joint forming the skeleton of the human body from the distance image information generated by the distance image collection unit 52 by pattern matching using a human body pattern. The coordinates of each joint obtained from the distance image information are values represented by a distance image coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as “distance image coordinate system”).

  Next, the information generation unit 53 represents the coordinates of each joint in the distance image coordinate system in a three-dimensional space coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as “world coordinate system”) where the subject P on the top 15 is located. Converted to a value. The coordinates of each joint represented in this world coordinate system become the skeleton information for one frame. Also, the skeleton information for a plurality of frames becomes three-dimensional information.

  FIG. 8A shows a diagram expressing the distance from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 to the subject P in black and white. FIG. 8B shows whole body skeleton information obtained by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. The skeleton information includes coordinate information of each joint.

  In FIG. 8 (b), a plurality of black circles (at) are from the head to both shoulders, waist, left and right elbows, left and right wrists, left and right buttocks, left and right knees, left and right ankles, left and right tarsals The joint part is shown. The three-dimensional information detection unit 25 acquires skeleton information based on the coordinate information of each joint forming the skeleton of the subject P. In addition, the movement of the subject P, that is, motion information can be obtained by calculating the change in the position of each joint.

 The feature part extraction unit 42 designates the positioning part (head, chest, etc.) of the subject based on the examination reservation information obtained by the examination information acquisition part 41. Further, on the basis of the three-dimensional information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 and the captured image of the camera 24, a characteristic part necessary for positioning, for example, in the case of a head examination, the external ear hole, the OM line, both eyes, the face Extract the outline of the. In the case of a chest examination, shoulder skeleton points, abdominal skeleton points, breast center points, and the like are extracted.

  FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory diagram for extracting an OM line by processing the whole body skeleton information and facial contour information obtained by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 and an image obtained by photographing the ear part of the subject P by the camera 24. It is. FIG. 9A is an ear image captured by the camera 24, and FIG. 9B is a binarized image based on color and distance information. And the characteristic part extraction part 42 extracts an outer ear hole as shown in (c).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9D, the feature part extraction unit 42 generates face contour information (d2) based on the face skeleton information (d1) obtained by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. Then, the feature part extraction unit 42 extracts an OM line connecting the center of the orbit and the center of the ear canal as shown in FIG.

The position calculation unit 43 calculates the coordinates (feature part coordinates) of the feature part extracted by the feature part extraction unit 42 with respect to the rotation center S of the gantry 10 based on the information on the attachment position of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. The attachment position of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 is set in advance as shown in FIG. 1, and information on the attachment position is also stored in, for example, the data storage unit 34. Therefore,
Feature part coordinates (X, Y, Z) = Coordinates of attachment position of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 with respect to the rotation center S (X0, Y0, Z0) + Coordinates of feature parts with respect to the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 (X1, Y1, Z1)
It becomes.

  The position calculation unit 43 includes a determination unit 431, and the determination unit 431 calculates the amount of inclination of the subject on the top 15 based on the information on the characteristic part extracted by the characteristic part extraction unit 42. In a normal state, the subject P is placed so that the body axis from the head to the tip of the foot is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the top plate 15. May tilt with respect to the axis. The inclination of the subject on the top 15 is determined by using, for example, a line connecting the skeletal points of both shoulders extracted by the feature part extraction unit 42 or a line connecting both eyes and the eye, and the like. The inclination is detected by determining whether or not the line to be marked is orthogonal to the direction axis. Further, the determination unit 43 determines whether or not to display a warning based on the tilt amount of the subject, and displays a warning on the display unit 26 when the line to be orthogonally tilted more than a preset angle. .

  The movement amount calculation unit 44 calculates the movement amount of the bed necessary for the relative coordinates of the rotation center S and the characteristic part to be zero. FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram showing positioning of the head. In positioning the head, the center of the outer ear hole and the rotation center S of the gantry 10 are aligned. Therefore, when the center of the outer ear hole of the subject P is deviated from the rotation center S of the gantry 10, for example, as shown in FIG. The message “Please move 495 mm upward and 1351 mm deep” is displayed on the display unit 26.

  Further, the movement amount calculation unit 44 may calculate an optimal couch position and display it on the operation panel 27 so that the center of the outer ear hole and the rotation center S of the gantry 10 are aligned. FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram showing numerical values of the bed position displayed on the operation panel 27. On the operation panel 27, numerical values of the tilt angle of the gantry 10, the height position of the bed, and the horizontal movement position of the top 15 are displayed. Further, as shown in FIG. 11B, for example, a message such as “Set the bed height to 1105 mm and the top plate horizontal movement position to 245 mm” is displayed on the display unit 26. The operator inputs the numerical value displayed on the operation panel 27 or the display unit 26 to the input unit 33 or the operation panel 27 and drives the drive unit 46 to move the height of the bed 21 or the horizontal movement position of the top 15. By doing so, the center of the outer ear hole of the subject and the rotation center S of the gantry 10 can be matched.

  The tilt angle calculation unit 45 presents the optimum tilt angle of the gantry 10 based on the OM line extracted by the feature part extraction unit. FIG. 12A shows a state in which the gantry 10 stands upright in the vertical direction and has a predetermined angle with respect to the OM line. As shown in FIG. 12B, the tilt angle calculation unit 45 displays a message such as “Tilt the gantry 12 degrees” on the display unit 26. The operator inputs a tilt angle to the input unit 33 or the operation panel 27 based on the angle information displayed on the display unit 26 and drives the drive unit 46 to control the tilt angle of the gantry 10. FIG. 12C shows a state in which the tilt angle of the gantry 10 is controlled. By matching the tilt angle and the angle of the OM line, it is possible to prevent the X-ray from directly hitting the eye of the subject P.

  The display unit 26 displays a warning and a message based on the coordinates calculated by the feature part coordinate calculation unit 45 when the degree of bending of the body is large.

  FIG. 13A shows a normal state in which both shoulders of the subject P are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the top plate 15, and FIG. 13B shows both shoulders on the longitudinal axis of the top plate 15. On the other hand, it shows a state of being bent (tilted) rather than vertical. Whether or not both shoulders of the subject P are bent is determined by the determination unit 431 of the position detection unit 43 based on information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25.

  The determination unit 431 uses, for example, the characteristic part of the subject detected by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, for example, a line connecting the skeleton points of both shoulders or a line connecting both eyes and the eye as the mark image 60, and the mark image It is determined whether 60 is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the top plate 15. The mark image 60 is displayed on the display unit 26. And as shown in FIG.13 (b), when the mark image 60 does not orthogonally cross with respect to the longitudinal axis of the top plate 15, but inclines more than the preset angle, a warning will be displayed on the display part 26. FIG. .

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13C, for example, messages such as “the body (both shoulders are bent)” and “please confirm” are displayed on the display unit 26. Conventionally, the operator has positioned the subject by relying on the laser of the projector, but since it is difficult to determine whether or not the subject is bent visually, it is useful to display a warning about the bending of the body.

  As shown in FIG. 13C, the warning may be displayed on the display unit 26, may be notified by voice, or may be notified by both display and voice. Therefore, the display unit 26 constitutes a warning unit that outputs a warning when it is determined that a warning is required. The display unit 26 may display not only the mark image 60 but also an optical image of the subject, and the mark image 60 may be superimposed on the optical image.

  FIG. 14A shows a state in which the center of the outer ear hole of the subject P is deviated from the rotation center S of the gantry 10 in positioning the head. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14B, for example, a message such as “the height is shifted from the center” is displayed on the display unit 26.

  FIG. 15A shows a state where the tilt angle and the angle of the OM line are different when the gantry 10 is tilted. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15B, for example, a message “Tilt angle is not optimal” is displayed on the display unit 26.

  The drive unit 46 drives the bed 21, the top plate 15, and the gantry 10 so that the position of the subject is optimized based on the calculation results of the movement amount calculation unit 44 and the tilt angle calculation unit 45.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the flow of CT examination. For example, when examining and diagnosing a subject using a modality such as an X-ray CT apparatus, image processing and scanning are executed according to a flowchart shown in FIG.

  When scanning, in step S11 of FIG. 16, subject registration is performed for examination reservation, and subject ID, name, gender, age, and the like are input. In step S12, a patient (subject) is set and preparation for imaging starts. In step S13, an imaging position (imaging site) is determined, an expert plan is selected, and a scanogram (an image for creating a scan plan) is captured. Further, after determining the X-ray irradiation time, irradiation conditions, and the like in the scan plan, the scan is executed. Additional scans are performed as necessary. The image data collected by scanning is subjected to image processing in step S14. When image data is printed on a film, the filming process in step S15 is performed.

  In the patient setting step S12, it is generally necessary to perform steps such as preparation for examination of the patient, mounting of a fixture on the bed, fixing the patient on the bed, and fixing the patient to fix the patient on the bed. Selection and positioning must be performed accurately. If positioning is not appropriate, artifacts and CT value deviation occur, and the image is affected. In addition, if the subject moves during imaging, an artifact may be caused.

  Therefore, as in this embodiment, by detecting the coordinates of the characteristic part of the subject to be imaged and the OM line and automatically setting the height of the bed and the position of the top plate, without taking a scano image, The subject can be positioned. In addition, when the subject moves, or when the bed height, the position of the top plate, or the tilt angle of the gantry is not correct, the operator can recognize it before leaving the examination room.

  According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to reduce the time and effort required for positioning the operator. Moreover, the risk that the laser hits the subject's eyes can be avoided.

  In the first embodiment, an example in which the OM line is extracted as a reference line for imaging of the subject and the tilt angle of the gantry 10 is controlled has been described. However, Reid that connects the lower edge of the subject's eye socket and the upper ear canal. A reference line (RB line: Reid's Base Line) may be extracted to control the tilt angle of the gantry 10.

  In the embodiment described above, an example of photographing the head is described, but other parts can also be photographed. For example, in chest imaging, the chest midline of the subject may be extracted and positioned so that the center position of the subject is on the midline. In the embodiment described above, the X-ray CT apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention can be applied to a medical image diagnostic apparatus such as an MRI apparatus that positions and images an object on a top plate.

  In addition, although several embodiment of this invention was described, these embodiment is shown as an example and is not intending limiting the range of invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof as well as included in the scope and gist of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Gantry 15 ... Top plate 20 ... Tilt control part 21 ... Sleeper 23 ... Sleeper control part 24 ... Feature part detection part (camera)
25 ... 3D information detection unit 26 ... Display unit (warning unit)
27 ... Operation panel 30 ... Operation console 32 ... System control unit 40 ... Position setting unit 41 ... Examination information acquisition unit 42 ... Feature site extraction unit 43 ... Position calculation unit 431 ... Judgment unit 44 ... Movement amount calculation unit 45 ... Tilt angle calculation Unit 46 ... Drive unit

Claims (9)

A bed with a top plate on which the subject is placed;
A gantry including imaging means for collecting medical images of the subject;
An image acquisition unit for acquiring an optical image of the subject;
A position calculation unit that acquires three-dimensional position information of the characteristic part of the subject based on the optical image;
A determination unit that determines an inclination amount of the subject with respect to the top plate based on the position information of the characteristic part, and determines whether or not a warning is necessary based on the calculated inclination amount;
A warning unit that outputs a warning when the determination unit determines that a warning is required;
A medical image diagnostic apparatus comprising:   The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display an image obtained by superimposing the optical image and a mark image on the characteristic part on the optical image.   The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mark image is an image of a line connecting a plurality of the characteristic portions. A bed with a top plate on which the subject is placed;
A gantry including imaging means for collecting medical images of the subject;
An image acquisition unit for acquiring an optical image of the subject;
A position calculation unit that acquires three-dimensional position information of the characteristic part of the subject based on the optical image;
Based on the position information of the characteristic part, a control unit that calculates the movement amount of the top plate so that the characteristic part moves to the imaging position of the imaging unit, and moves the top board based on the calculated movement amount When,
A medical image diagnostic apparatus comprising: The image acquisition unit includes a three-dimensional information detection unit that acquires three-dimensional position information of the subject, and a feature part detection unit that acquires an image of a feature part of the subject,
The tilt control part which extracts the reference line of the imaging | photography of the said object from the said three-dimensional position information and the image of the said characteristic part, and controls the tilt angle of the said gantry according to the said reference line is provided. Medical diagnostic imaging device.   A display unit that issues a warning when at least one of a positional deviation between a characteristic part of the subject and a rotation center of the gantry, a deviation of a tilt angle of the gantry, and a bending of the body of the subject occurs. 5. Medical image diagnostic apparatus of 5.   The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the gantry includes a panel that displays a movement amount of the top plate and a tilt angle of the gantry.   The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit designates a characteristic part necessary for positioning the subject based on examination information.   The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls a relative position between the top plate and the gantry based on the calculated movement amount.