JP2016047082A - Display control apparatus, control method for display control apparatus, and image display apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for assisting a user in selecting a slice image of an observation target from image group data comprising a plurality of slice images.SOLUTION: Provided is a display control apparatus which controls image display based on image group data comprising a plurality of slice images in a plurality of different tomographic positions, the display control apparatus including: acquisition means for acquiring a feature quantity of an object contained in each of the plurality of slice images; detection means for detecting, from the plurality of slice images, a slice image in which the feature quantity of the object satisfies a predetermined condition; and control means for making the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection means different from the display mode of the other slice images.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a display control device, a control method for a display control device, and an image display device.

  In the interpretation of medical images such as mammography, there are cases in which changes in lesions are confirmed by performing comparative observations between past images and current images. For example, diagnosis is performed by observing a change in the size of a tumor lesion between a past image and a current image.

Unlike mammography images (FFDM: Full Field Digital Mammography), tomosynthesis images (DBT: Digital Breast Tomosynthesis) capable of observing a tomographic image of a target region are becoming widespread. The tomosynthesis image is an image group composed of a plurality of tomographic images (slice images), like a CT (Computed Tomography) image. A tomosynthesis image is an image group obtained by creating a slice image at an arbitrary tomographic position from an X-ray image taken at a plurality of irradiation angles.
Interpretation using tomosynthesis images makes it possible to observe the lesion area without being affected by the overlap between the mammary gland and the tumor, and is expected to improve diagnostic accuracy.

  When observing a tomosynthesis image, an interpretation doctor who is a user (observer) observes a lesion included in each slice image while sequentially displaying a plurality of slice images constituting the tomosynthesis image one by one. For example, when observing a change in the size of a tumor between the past and the present, first, the user performs an operation of selecting a slice image in which the tumor is recorded from the past and the current tomosynthesis images. Thereafter, the user makes a diagnosis by comparatively observing the selected image.

  There is a technique of automatically displaying slice images one by one automatically when a user performs an operation of selecting a slice image in which a lesion is recorded from image group data. Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which when a slice image is automatically displayed sequentially one by one, the speed at which the slice image is sent is changed according to the size of the lesion. The lesion can be found surely by adjusting the sequential feeding speed of the slice images. For example, when the lesion is small, it is possible to reduce the oversight of the lesion recorded in the slice image by lowering the feeding speed.

JP 2014-33947 A

  The image interpretation doctor selects, for example, a slice image in which the lesion is the largest among the plurality of slice images constituting the tomosynthesis image as an observation target, observes the selected slice image, and performs diagnosis or the like. In this way, an operation of selecting a slice image to be observed from a plurality of slice images is performed by an interpreting doctor who is a user. The condition of the slice image to be selected as the observation target varies depending on the purpose of diagnosis, but as long as it is a user operation, a slice image that is different from the slice image to be originally selected may be selected as the slice image to be observed. There is sex. In that case, there is a problem that an accurate diagnosis cannot be made.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for supporting a user's operation for selecting a slice image to be observed from image group data composed of a plurality of slice images.

The present invention is a display control device for controlling image display based on image group data composed of a plurality of slice images at a plurality of tomographic positions of different objects,
An acquisition means for acquiring a feature amount of an object included in each slice image;
Detecting means for detecting a slice image in which a feature amount of the object satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images;
Control means for making the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection means different from the display mode of other slice images;
Is a display control device.

The present invention is a control method of a display control device for controlling image display based on image group data composed of a plurality of slice images at a plurality of different tomographic positions of an object,
An acquisition step of acquiring a feature amount of an object included in each slice image;
A detecting step of detecting a slice image in which a feature amount of the object satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images;
A control step of making the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection step different from the display mode of other slice images;
This is a control method for a display control apparatus having

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to provide the technique which assists the user's operation which selects the slice image of observation object from the image group data comprised from several slice images.

The figure which shows the whole structure of the system of Example 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of a system according to a first embodiment. Display example of the image viewer of the first embodiment FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining image group data and slice images according to the first embodiment. Flowchart of processing for acquiring image feature amount according to the first embodiment. Flowchart of processing for displaying slice image according to embodiment 1 FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating image feature amounts according to the first embodiment. The figure which shows the example of a display of the image viewer of Example 1. The figure which shows the functional block of the system of Example 2. Flowchart of processing for displaying slice image of embodiment 2 The figure showing the example of a display of the image viewer of Example 2. The figure which shows the example of a display of the image viewer of Example 3. The figure which shows the functional block of the system of Example 4. Flowchart of slice image estimation processing of embodiment 4 FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining slice image estimation processing according to the fourth embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a display control device and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Example 1)
Example 1 will be described. Example 1 is an example of a display control apparatus that controls image display based on image group data including a plurality of slice images at a plurality of tomographic positions of different objects. In the first embodiment, the display mode is controlled so that the display mode of the slice image in which the feature amount of the object satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images is different from the display mode of the other slice images. In the first embodiment, the image group data is a tomosynthesis image, and the object is a lesion (tumor). In the first embodiment, a use case for comparing and diagnosing past and current tomosynthesis images will be described as an example.

With reference to FIG. 1, the system configuration of the first embodiment will be described. This system includes a display 102 and an image output device 101.
The image output device 101 outputs an image to the display 102. A specific example of the image output apparatus 101 is a PC (Personal Computer).
The display 102 is an image display device that displays an image based on an image signal (image data) input from the image output device 101. For example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) display, a CRT (cathode-ray tube), or the like. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the display 102 is a liquid crystal display.

An image cable 103 connects the image output apparatus 101 and the display 102 and transmits an image signal. A specific example of the image cable 103 is a DisplayPort cable (hereinafter referred to as DP).
Cable).
A communication cable 104 connects the image output apparatus 101 and the display 102 and transmits various data. A specific example of the communication cable 104 is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable. The image cable 103 and the communication cable 104 are not limited to the above example. Further, instead of using two types of cables, the image output apparatus 101 and the display 102 may be connected by one type of cable capable of transmitting image signals and various data. Such cables include, for example, the HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) cable in addition to the DP cable.

  Next, the components of the system of the first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram describing the internal components of the display 102 and the image output apparatus 101 described in FIG. 1 in more detail. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted regarding the component mentioned above by description of FIG.

<Image Output Device 101>
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the image output apparatus 101 includes a CPU 201, an image output unit 202, a communication control unit 203, a user interface 204, a memory 205, a storage unit 206, and an internal bus 207.
A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201 controls the operation of each block included in the image output apparatus 101 by developing and executing an OS (Operating System) recorded in a storage unit 206 described later. The CPU 201 executes various applications such as an image display viewer.
The image output unit 202 outputs an image signal to the display 102 via the image cable 103 in FIG.
The communication control unit 203 controls transmission / reception of various data between the display 102 and the image output apparatus 101.

The user interface 204 receives a user operation for inputting an instruction to the image output apparatus 101. Specific examples of the user interface 204 include a mouse and a keyboard.
The memory 205 temporarily stores various data used in the image output apparatus 101. The data stored in the memory 205 includes image data output to the display 102, data used by various applications operating on the CPU 201, and the like.
The storage unit 206 is a hard disk, a nonvolatile memory, or the like, and stores an OS, various applications, data used in the applications, and the like.
The internal bus 207 is a transmission bus for performing data transmission / reception between blocks in the image output apparatus 101.

<Display 102>
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the display 102 includes an image input unit 208, an image processing unit 209, a communication control unit 210, a display unit 211, and a backlight 212.
The image input unit 208 inputs an image signal sent from the image output apparatus 101.
The image processing unit 209 performs processing for converting the image signal supplied from the image input unit 208 into a format that can be displayed on the display unit 211 described later. The image processing unit 209 also controls a backlight 212 described later.
The display unit 211 is a liquid crystal display panel including a plurality of pixels. The display unit 211 displays an image based on the image signal supplied from the image processing unit 209.
The backlight 212 irradiates the display unit 211 with light. The backlight 212 includes, for example, a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) as a light source. The light source of the backlight 212 is not limited to the LED.

<CPU 201>
Next, the function of each block realized by the processing executed by the CPU 201 will be described with reference to FIG. The processing and functions of each block are realized by the CPU 201 executing a program. A configuration in which the processing and function of each block is realized by dedicated hardware or a function expansion board corresponding to each block may be used. The program executed by the CPU 201 may be supplied by reading out a program stored in the storage unit 206, or may be supplied from outside via a network or a storage medium.

  The display control unit 221 performs overall control from acquisition to display of image data. Control corresponding to an instruction input by the user through the user interface 204 is also performed. The display control unit 221 is, for example, an image viewer that displays medical images. Here, the display form of the image viewer will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of image display by an image viewer. A display example 301 in FIG. 3A is a screen example of an image viewer that arranges and displays past and current images in the screen. In the display example 301, the entire image 302 and the lesion 303 are displayed in the past and present images. A display example 304 in FIG. 3B is a screen example of an image viewer that displays images over the past four years side by side on the screen. The display form of the image can be arbitrarily changed. For example, the display example 301 in FIG. 3A and the display example 304 in FIG. 3B can be switched and displayed.

  The acquisition unit 222 acquires the feature amount of the object (here, a lesion) included in each of the plurality of slice images. This process is performed based on an instruction from the detection unit 223 described later. Here, description of the slice image will be given with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating image group data including a plurality of slice images at a plurality of different tomographic positions of an object to be imaged. A sphere 401 in FIG. 4 is an object. The image group data 402 is image group data composed of a plurality of slice images at a plurality of different tomographic positions of the sphere 401 in FIG. Each slice image includes an object 403. Some slice images do not include the object 403 depending on the tomographic position. An object 403 is a tomographic image of the sphere 401.

It is assumed that the feature amount obtained by the acquisition unit 222 can be specified by the user. The acquisition unit 222 acquires the feature amount instructed by the user via the user interface 204 from each slice image.

  The detection unit 223 detects a slice image in which the feature amount acquired by the acquisition unit 222 satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images. In the first embodiment, it is assumed that a slice image satisfying a predetermined condition is a slice image having a feature amount larger than a predetermined threshold. The processing of the detection unit 223 is executed based on an instruction from the display control unit 221. The predetermined threshold is designated by the user via the user interface 204. The predetermined condition is not limited to the above example. For example, a condition that the feature amount is smaller than a predetermined threshold value or a condition that the feature amount is maximum (maximum) or minimum (minimum) in a plurality of slice images constituting the image group data may be used. The predetermined conditions can be set as appropriate by the user depending on the purpose of diagnosis, observation purpose, and the like.

  The changing unit 224 performs control to make the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection unit 223 different from the display mode of other slice images. The changing unit 224 controls the display mode so that the user can easily determine which of the plurality of slice images is the slice image detected by the detecting unit 223.

Next, the processing flow of the first embodiment will be described using a flowchart.
FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of processing (hereinafter referred to as detection processing) for detecting a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition from image group data in the first embodiment. The detection process is basically a process that is completed before the user starts observing the slice image based on the image group data. For example, the detection process is automatically executed when the image group data is stored in the storage unit 206 of the image output apparatus 101, or is executed according to a user instruction input separately from the image observation.

  In step S501, the detection unit 223 selects image group data to be detected. The image group data is recorded in the storage unit 206 in FIG. 2, and the detection unit 223 reads the image group data from the storage unit 206.

  In step S <b> 502, the detection unit 223 selects and reads a slice image from which no feature amount has been acquired from the image group data. In the first embodiment, the detection unit 223 has the slice image with the tomographic position at the end of the slice image constituting the image group data (in the case of the image group data 402 in FIG. 4, the slice image that is at the top or the bottom). Slice images) are selected one by one in order, and read processing is performed.

  In step S503, the acquisition unit 222 analyzes the slice image read in step S502 and acquires a feature amount. Here, the feature amount will be described with reference to FIG. The feature amount is a feature amount of the shape of the object (here, lesion) included in the slice image, and is, for example, the length, area, frequency of the waveform shape of the edge portion, or the like. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of the feature amount. FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a case where the feature amount is the length of a lesion. In FIG. 7A, the length of the lesion 701 is L1, and the length of the lesion 702 is L2. In the example of FIG. 7A, the length L1 of the lesion 701 is longer than the length L2 of the lesion 702. In the example of FIG. 7A, the feature amount of the slice image 705 is L1, and the feature amount of the slice image 706 is L2. FIG. 7B is a diagram illustrating a case where the feature amount is an area of a lesion. In FIG. 7B, the area of the lesion 703 is M1, and the area of the lesion 704 is M2. In the example of FIG. 7B, the area M1 of the lesion 703 is larger than the area M2 of the lesion 704. In the example of FIG. 7B, the feature amount of the slice image 707 is M1, and the feature amount of the slice image 708 is M2. In step S503, feature quantities such as length and area as shown in FIG. 7 are acquired.

In step S504, the detection unit 223 determines whether the feature amount acquired in step S503 satisfies a predetermined condition. Here, satisfying the predetermined condition means that the feature amount is larger than a predetermined threshold value. The predetermined condition and the predetermined threshold value are designated by the user in advance. The predetermined condition is not limited to this as described above. If it is determined in step S504 that the feature amount satisfies the predetermined condition, in step S505, the detection unit 223 determines that the slice image read in step S502 is a slice image having the feature amount that satisfies the predetermined condition. Record. If it is determined in step S504 that the feature amount does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the process proceeds to step S506.

  In step S <b> 506, the detection unit 223 determines whether the acquisition of the feature amount and the determination whether the feature amount satisfies a predetermined condition have been completed for all slice images included in the image group data. If the feature amount acquisition processing and feature amount determination processing have not been completed for all slice images, the feature amount acquisition processing and feature amount determination processing from step S502 are repeatedly executed. When it is determined that the feature amount acquisition processing and the feature amount determination processing have been completed for all slice images of the image group data, a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition is determined from the image group data, and the image group Processing for the data is complete. Through the above processing, a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images included in the image group data is determined.

When a plurality of image group data is stored in the storage unit 206, a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition for each image group data by executing the above detection processing on each image group data. Becomes the specified state.
In the above-described detection process, a slice image in which a certain feature amount satisfies a predetermined condition is detected. However, the detection process can be executed for various feature amounts and various predetermined conditions. By doing so, it is also possible to set a state in which a plurality of slice images detected under different feature amounts or different conditions are specified for one image group data.

Next, the display processing of the image viewer based on the detection result of the slice image having the feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition will be described with reference to FIG.
In step S601, the display control unit 221 selects image group data to be observed by the user. The selection of image group data is performed by a user instruction via the user interface 204.
In step S602, the display control unit 221 executes an initial image display process. Which one of the plurality of slice images included in the image group data is set as the initial image is arbitrary, but here, the slice image having the extreme tomographic position is set as the initial image.

In step S603, the display control unit 221 determines whether or not an operation (change operation) for inputting an instruction to change the slice image to be displayed has been performed. The change operation is an operation for instructing to display a slice image different from the slice image being displayed, and the different slice image is, for example, a slice image in which a tomographic position is adjacent.
If it is determined in step S603 that there has been a change operation, in step S604, the display control unit 221 executes a read process of a slice image to be displayed next based on the change operation.

  In step S605, the display control unit 221 determines whether the feature amount of the slice image read in step S604 satisfies a predetermined condition. The determination process in step S605 is performed based on the information recorded by the feature amount acquisition process and the feature amount determination process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

If it is determined in step S605 that the slice image has a feature amount that satisfies a predetermined condition, in step S606, the display control unit 221 sets the display mode for displaying the slice image as the display mode of another slice image. Different processing is performed. The default display mode when the display mode is not changed in step S606 is determined in advance.

In step S607, the display control unit 221 displays a slice image.
In step S608, the display control unit 221 determines whether the user has instructed the end of image display. When the end instruction is given, the display control unit 221 ends the display processing of the currently displayed image group data. If the end instruction has not been given, the processes in and after step S603 are repeatedly executed.

  The image display process in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. Slice images 801, 802, and 803 in FIG. 8A show slice images of image group data taken in the past, and slice images 805, 806, and 807 in FIG. 8B show recently taken image group data. A slice image is shown. Assume that the detection processing of the slice image having the feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition described in FIG. 5 has already been executed for each of the past and present image group data. As a result of the detection process, it is assumed that the slice image 802 is specified as past image group data, and the slice image 807 is specified as slice images having feature amounts satisfying respective predetermined conditions in the current image group data.

  A display example 809 in FIG. 8C shows a display example of an image viewer when comparatively observing a past image and a current image. The past image is displayed on the left side of the screen, and the current image is displayed on the right side. A display example 809 in FIG. 8C is a state in which an initial image is displayed, and is a state in which the process in step S602 is executed in the flowchart in FIG. As the initial images, the slice image 801 and the slice image 805 with slice number 1 are selected and displayed, respectively.

  A display example of the image viewer when the user performs a display image changing operation on the past image from the state of the display example 809 in FIG. 8C is shown as a display example 810 in FIG. The display image changing operation is an operation for changing the display image from the slice image 801 to the slice image 802. Since the slice image 802 is a slice image having a feature amount that satisfies a predetermined condition, the display form changing process executed in step S606 in FIG. 6 is performed. In the display example 810 of FIG. 8D, the marking 811 is a mark indicating that the display mode of the slice image 802 is a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition with respect to the display mode of the normal slice image. Is added. By displaying the slice image together with the sign as indicated by the marking 811 in FIG. 8D, the user can easily identify that the displayed slice image is a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition. It becomes.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition is displayed differently from a normal slice image by marking display. As a result, a user operation for selecting a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition from the image group data can be performed more easily and accurately. Therefore, in a use case in which the current image group data and the past image group data are comparatively observed, the user can surely select a slice image to be selected as an observation target, thereby enabling a highly accurate diagnosis. Become.

  In the first embodiment, the example in which the display mode is controlled by the process of FIG. 6 based on the detection result by the process of FIG. 5 when the image group data to be observed is selected by the user. When the user performs an operation of selecting a slice image to be observed from a plurality of slice images, the display mode may be controlled based on the result of the detection process. This makes it possible to perform the work efficiently and accurately.

The display mode control according to the first embodiment may be executed in other situations. For example, when displaying a plurality of slice images one by one in accordance with a user instruction or automatically while sending them, the display mode is controlled by the process of FIG. 6 based on the detection result of the process of FIG. Anyway. Thereby, for example, in a situation where a slice image to be observed is selected while automatically reproducing a plurality of slice images, the user can perform the selection operation more easily and accurately.

(Example 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the second embodiment, an example in which processing for automatically displaying a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition after a user gives a specific instruction will be described.
FIG. 9 shows functional blocks of the image output apparatus 101 and the display 102 constituting the system of the second embodiment. In FIG. 9, blocks having the same numbers as the functional blocks described in FIG.
The search unit 901 performs a process of searching for a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition from image group data including a plurality of slice images. The retrieval unit 901 retrieves a slice image from the image group data on which the detection process of FIG. 5 in the first embodiment has been performed.

  The processing procedure of the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating processing for changing a slice image to be displayed based on a user instruction. Note that, before the process of FIG. 10 is started, the processing for acquiring the feature amount of each slice image of the image group data described in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment is performed.

In step S1001, the display control unit 221 selects image group data to be observed by the user. The process in step S1001 is the same as the process in step S601 in FIG.
In step S1002, the display control unit 221 executes an initial image display process. The process in step S1002 is the same as the process in step S602 in FIG.

  In step S1003, the display control unit 221 determines whether there is a display instruction from the user of a slice image having a feature amount that satisfies a predetermined condition. If it is determined in step S1003 that there is a display instruction from the user, in step S1004, the search unit 901 executes processing for searching for a slice image to be displayed.

In step S1005, the display control unit 221 executes display image update processing for displaying the slice image searched in step S1004.
In step S <b> 1006, the display control unit 221 ends the display of the image when the user instructs to end the display of the image group data. If the end of display is not instructed, the processing from step S1003 is repeated.

The processing described in FIG. 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
The slice images 1101, 1102, and 1103 in FIG. 11A indicate slice images of image group data captured in the past, and the slice images 1104, 1105, and 1106 in FIG. 11B indicate image group data recently captured. Show. Assume that the detection processing of the slice image having the feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition described in FIG. 5 has already been executed for each of the past and present image group data. As a result of the detection processing, it is assumed that the slice image 1102 in the past image group data and the slice image 1106 in the current image group data are specified as slice images having feature quantities that satisfy predetermined conditions. In the second embodiment, a slice image having a feature amount that satisfies a predetermined condition is a slice image having a maximum feature amount among a plurality of slice images.

A display example 1107 in FIG. 11C is a diagram illustrating a state in which initial images of a past image and a current image are displayed. Display example 1107 in FIG. 11 is a state in which the process of step S1002 in FIG. 10 has been executed. A button 1108 in FIG. 11 is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) component that allows the user to perform an operation for inputting a display image update instruction. The user can input a display image update instruction to the image output apparatus 101 by an operation such as clicking the button 1108 with a mouse. When the user clicks a button 1108, the state transitions to a state shown in display example 1109 in FIG. A display example 1109 shows a state in which slice images 1102 and 1106 having the maximum feature amount (the size of the tumor) are displayed among the slice images included in the past and present image group data. When the button 1108 in FIG. 11C is clicked, a slice image having the maximum feature amount is retrieved by the processing in S1004 in FIG. 10, the display image is updated by the processing in S1005, and the display example in FIG. 1109 is entered. As described above, according to the second embodiment, when a user instruction to display a slice image satisfying a predetermined condition among a plurality of slice images is input, the slice image is searched from the image group data, The display is updated to display the slice image. Thus, the slice image satisfying the predetermined condition can be displayed without the user performing an operation of selecting the slice image satisfying the predetermined condition from among the plurality of slice images.

  In the description of FIG. 11, an example has been described in which, when a user instruction is input, the image display is updated to a slice image that satisfies a predetermined condition for both the past and current image group data being displayed. Not limited to. For example, the image display of any one of the image group data may be updated to a slice image that satisfies a predetermined condition in accordance with a user instruction.

(Example 3)
Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the third embodiment, an example of changing a display mode when displaying a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition to a display mode different from the marking display described in the first embodiment will be described. Since the functional blocks and processing of the system of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating a display example when the display mode is controlled so that a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition is displayed in a predetermined color different from other slice images. . A display example 1200 in FIG. 12A is a display example of an image viewer in which a past image is displayed on the left side and a current image is displayed on the right side. On the left side, a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition in the past image group data is displayed, and on the right side, a slice image not having a feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition in the current image group data is displayed. ing.

  In the example of FIG. 12A, it is assumed that the slice image is a grayscale image. In the slice image 1201 in FIG. 12A, a region indicated by crossing diagonal lines indicates a region displayed with a predetermined color. As shown in the slice image 1201 in FIG. 12A, when displaying a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition, a feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition is given by adding a predetermined color to the slice image. It becomes easier to identify a slice image having.

  FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating a display example when the display mode is controlled so that a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition is displayed with higher brightness than other slice images. A display example 1300 in FIG. 12B is a display example of an image viewer in which a past image is displayed on the left side and a current image is displayed on the right side, as in FIG. Similarly to FIG. 12A, on the left side, a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition in the past image group data is displayed, and on the right side, a predetermined condition is displayed in the current image group data. A slice image that does not have a feature amount to be satisfied is displayed.

  In the example of FIG. 12B, the display brightness is different between a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition and another slice image. In the display area of the slice image 1301 in FIG. 12B, the display brightness is high, and in the display area of the slice image 1302, the display brightness is low. When displaying a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition, the slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition is more easily identified by displaying the slice image with higher brightness than other slice images.

Note that the luminance changing process is executed by the image processing unit 209 in FIG. Specifically, the image processing unit 209 transmits a luminance control signal to the backlight 212 based on an instruction from the display control unit 221. The backlight changes the brightness of the display 102 by changing the light emission amount based on the control signal. Here, the display luminance of the slice image is increased by increasing the backlight luminance of the display area of the slice image having the feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition. The display brightness of the slice image having the feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition may be increased by image processing on the slice image having the feature amount satisfying the predetermined condition and / or the other slice image. In that case, the display control unit 221 may perform image processing on the slice image and then output the image to the display 102.
According to the third embodiment, a slice image having a feature amount that satisfies a predetermined condition can be identified more easily and accurately.

Example 4
Example 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the fourth embodiment, when there is an intermediate tomographic position that is a tomographic position where a slice image does not exist in the image group data and the feature amount of the object is estimated to satisfy a predetermined condition, the intermediate tomographic position Create additional slice images at.

FIG. 13 shows functional blocks of the system of the fourth embodiment. The same blocks as the functional blocks in FIGS. 2 and 9 described in the first and second embodiments are given the same numbers, and the description thereof is omitted.
The estimation unit 1401 in FIG. 13 analyzes the slice image included in the image group data and determines whether there is an intermediate tomographic position. Details of processing executed in the estimation unit 1401 will be described later.
The generation unit 1402 in FIG. 13 generates a slice image at the intermediate tomographic position.

  Next, processing of the fourth embodiment will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The process shown in FIG. 14 analyzes image group data, and whether a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition exists in a slice image at a slice position different from the slice position of the slice image included in the image group data. This is processing for determining whether or not to create the slice image if it exists.

In step S1501, the detection unit 223 selects image group data to be processed. The process executed in step S1501 is the same as S501 in FIG.
In step S1502, the detection unit 223 selects a slice image for which no feature amount has been acquired from the image group data. The process executed in step S1502 is the same as that in S502 of FIG.
In step S1503, the acquisition unit 222 analyzes the slice image selected in step S1502 and acquires a feature amount. The processing executed in step S1503 is the same as S503 in FIG.

In step S1504, the detection unit 223 determines whether the feature amount acquired in step S1503 satisfies a predetermined condition. The process executed in step S1504 is the same as the process executed in step S504 in FIG. If it is determined in step S1504 that the feature amount satisfies the predetermined condition, in step S1505, the detection unit 223 determines that the slice image selected in step S1502 is a slice image having the feature amount that satisfies the predetermined condition. Record. If it is determined in step S1504 that the feature amount does not satisfy the predetermined condition, the process proceeds to step S1506.

  In step S1506, the detection unit 223 determines whether or not feature amount acquisition has been completed for all slice images included in the image group data. The processing executed in step S1506 is the same as that in step S506 in FIG. If feature value acquisition has not been completed for all slice images, the feature value acquisition processing from step S1502 is repeated. If it is determined in step S1506 that the feature amount acquisition processing has been completed for all slice images of the image group data, the process proceeds to step S1507.

  In step S1507, it is determined whether or not a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition can exist at a tomographic position other than the tomographic position corresponding to the slice image included in the image group data. The processing executed in step S1507 will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 15A shows image group data composed of a plurality of slice images. The slice images 1601, 1602, and 1603 in FIG. 15A are already created slice images, and the interval between the tomographic positions of the slice images is T. It is assumed that the feature amount of the lesion 1604 in the slice image 1601 is L1, and the feature amount of the lesion 1605 in the slice image 1602 is L2. The feature amount in FIG. 15A is the length of the lesion. Further, it is assumed that the maximum value of the feature amount of the plurality of slice images included in the image group data in FIG. 15A is L2.

  The estimation unit 1401 calculates the feature amount of the lesion at the intermediate tomographic position between the tomographic position of the slice image 1602 and the tomographic position of the slice image 1603 from the gradient of the change amount of the feature amount (size) of the lesion 1604 and the lesion 1605. Estimate (estimated feature value). Assuming that the feature amount of the lesion at the intermediate tomographic position between the slice image 1602 and the slice image 1603 is L3, L3 is calculated by Expression 1606 in FIG. When the feature amount L3 is larger than the feature amount L2, it is determined that there is an intermediate tomographic position where the feature amount of the lesion is larger than the maximum value of the feature amount of the lesion in the existing slice image. The estimation process shown in FIG. 15 is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

If it is determined in step S1507 that there is an intermediate tomographic position where a slice image having a feature amount satisfying a predetermined condition exists, the creating unit 1402 creates a slice image of the intermediate tomographic position in step S1508.
In step S1509, the acquisition unit 222 acquires a feature amount for the slice image created in step S1507. The processing executed in step S1509 is the same as that in step S1503.

In step S1510, the detection unit 223 determines whether the feature amount acquired in step S1509 satisfies a predetermined condition. If it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied, in step S1511, the detection unit 223 records that the slice image created in step S1508 is a slice image having a feature amount that satisfies the predetermined condition.
In step S1512, the detection unit 223 adds the slice image created in step S1508 to the image group data.

If it is determined in step S1510 that the predetermined condition is not satisfied, in step S1513, the estimation unit 1401 determines whether there is an intermediate tomographic position where there is another slice image having a feature amount that satisfies the predetermined condition. judge. If there is, step S1508.
The subsequent processing is repeated.

  In the fourth embodiment, an intermediate tomography in which the feature amount of the slice image at the intermediate tomographic position is estimated to satisfy a predetermined condition at an intermediate tomographic position other than the tomographic position of the created slice image included in the image group data. It is determined whether the position exists. When such an intermediate tomographic position exists, a slice image at the intermediate tomographic position is generated and presented to the user. As a result, the user can select and observe a more appropriate slice image from the image group data, and a highly accurate diagnosis is possible.

<Other embodiments>
In the above embodiment, the display control unit 221, the acquisition unit 222, the detection unit 223, the change unit 224, the search unit 901, the estimation unit 1401, and the creation unit 1402 have been described as configurations included in the image output apparatus 101. In this case, the image output apparatus 101 includes the display control apparatus of the present invention. Each of the functional blocks may be included in the display 102. In that case, the display 102 includes the display control device of the present invention.
The present invention is also implemented by a computer of a system or apparatus that performs one or more functions described in the above-described embodiments of the present invention by reading and executing a computer-executable instruction recorded in a storage medium. be able to. Here, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium that holds data non-temporarily. The present invention is also a method performed by a computer of a system or apparatus. For example, one or more functions described in the above-described embodiments of the present invention are performed by reading and executing instructions executable by the computer from a storage medium. The method can also be carried out. The computer includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units), MPUs (Micro Processing Units), and other circuits. Furthermore, a network of a plurality of separate computers or separate computer processors may be included. The instructions executable by the computer may be provided to the computer from, for example, a network or a storage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or more hard disks, RAM (Random-Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), and a storage device of a distributed computing system. The storage medium may also include an optical disc (for example, a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a BD (Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc)), a flash memory, and a memory card. Although the invention has been described with reference to examples, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosure of the examples. The present invention should be construed most broadly to encompass all modifications and equivalent structures and functions within the scope of the present invention.

222: Acquisition unit, 223: Detection unit, 224: Change unit

Claims (19)

A display control device for controlling image display based on image group data composed of a plurality of slice images at a plurality of tomographic positions of different objects,
An acquisition means for acquiring a feature amount of an object included in each slice image;
Detecting means for detecting a slice image in which a feature amount of the object satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images;
Control means for making the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection means different from the display mode of other slice images;
A display control device.   The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slice image that satisfies the predetermined condition is a slice image in which the feature amount is larger than a predetermined threshold.   The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slice image that satisfies the predetermined condition is a slice image in which the feature amount is smaller than a predetermined threshold.   The display control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising means for inputting a user instruction that specifies the predetermined threshold.   The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the slice image that satisfies the predetermined condition is a slice image having a maximum or minimum feature amount among the plurality of slice images. When there is an intermediate tomographic position that is a tomographic position in which no slice image exists in the image group data and the feature amount of the object is estimated to satisfy the predetermined condition, the slice image at the intermediate tomographic position Further comprising generating means for generating
The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit detects a slice image at the intermediate tomographic position generated by the generation unit as a slice image satisfying the predetermined condition.   The generation unit determines whether or not the intermediate tomographic position exists based on a feature amount of the object in a plurality of slice images included in the image group data and a tomographic position where the plurality of slice images exist. The display control apparatus according to 1.   The control unit controls the display mode so that the slice image detected by the detection unit is displayed together with a sign indicating that the slice image satisfies the predetermined condition. The display control device according to item.   The display control according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control unit controls the display mode so that the slice image detected by the detection unit is displayed with a higher brightness than other slice images. apparatus. The plurality of slice images are grayscale images;
The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls a display mode so that the slice image detected by the detection unit is displayed in a predetermined color.   The control means changes the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection means when displaying the plurality of slice images one by one in accordance with a user instruction or automatically. The display control apparatus of any one of Claims 1-10 which performs control of the display mode made to differ with respect to. Means for inputting a user instruction to select a slice image to be observed among the plurality of slice images;
The control unit controls the display mode so that the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection unit is different from the display mode of other slice images when the user performs an operation of selecting the slice image to be observed. The display control apparatus of any one of Claims 1-10 performed. Means for inputting a user instruction to display a slice image satisfying the predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images;
The display control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the control unit further performs control to display a slice image detected by the detection unit when an instruction from the user is input.   The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feature amount is a feature amount of the shape of the object.   The display control device according to claim 14, wherein the feature amount is a frequency of the waveform shape of the length, area, or edge of the object.   The display control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object is a lesion included in the object.   An image display device comprising the display control device according to claim 1. A control method of a display control apparatus for controlling image display based on image group data composed of a plurality of slice images at a plurality of slice positions at different objects,
An acquisition step of acquiring a feature amount of an object included in each slice image;
A detecting step of detecting a slice image in which a feature amount of the object satisfies a predetermined condition among the plurality of slice images;
A control step of making the display mode of the slice image detected by the detection step different from the display mode of other slice images;
A control method for a display control apparatus.   The program which makes a computer perform the process of each process of Claim 18.

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