JP2019083960A - Image display processing system and image processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image display processing system that allows a desired measurement position to be selected as easily as possible in editing a measurement position designated on a medical image, and an image processing device using the system.SOLUTION: An image display processing system includes: a data control unit for executing control to generate a measurement marker indicating a measurement position and an identification label including identification display associated with the measurement marker, and display them on an image display unit that indicates a medical image; an identification label selection position acquisition unit for acquiring coordinate data on a position selected by an operation of a user for selecting an arbitrary position on the identification label; and a measurement marker selection control unit for automatically selecting the measurement marker based on the coordinate data acquired by the identification label selection position acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5F

Description

  The present invention relates to an image display processing system and an image processing apparatus, and more particularly to measurement technology on a medical image.

  In the case of editing a range measured once on a medical image, conventionally, a measurement range to be edited has been selected by selecting a range cursor indicating each measurement range on the medical image (for example, Patent Document 1 [ 0067] to [0076].

Patent No. 5883147

  Multiple measurement ranges or measurement positions may be set on the same medical image. Furthermore, the respective measurement ranges or measurement positions may be located near each other or may overlap each other.

  In the above case, when selecting and editing a desired measurement range or measurement position from among a plurality of measurement ranges or measurement positions, since the measurement ranges or measurement positions are close to each other or overlap, it is selected There was a problem that it was difficult to do. In particular, in the case of a touch panel that directly touches the screen using a finger, a dedicated touch pen, or the like, an erroneous operation is likely to occur that unintentionally touches a portion different from the desired portion. is there.

  In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image display processing system in which the user can select the measurement position to be edited as easily as possible when performing measurement editing, and an image processing apparatus using the system. is there.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of an image display processing system according to claim 1 is:
An image display unit for displaying a medical image;
A data control unit that generates a measurement marker representing a measurement position on the image display unit and performs control for displaying the measurement marker on the image display unit;
A measurement marker designation unit associated with the measurement marker;
A measurement marker selection control unit in which the measurement marker is selected based on a specification operation of specifying the measurement marker specification unit by a user;
It is characterized by having.

The invention according to claim 2 is the image display processing system according to claim 1.
The measurement marker designation unit is an identification label generated by the data control unit and displayed on the image display unit,
The apparatus further comprises an identification label selection position acquisition unit that acquires coordinate data of a position designated by the designation operation in the designation operation of designating an arbitrary position on the identification label,
The measurement marker selection control unit selects the measurement marker based on the coordinate data acquired by the identification label selection position acquisition unit.
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 3 is the image display processing system according to claim 2.
In the designation operation for designating the measurement position on the image display unit,
The data acquisition unit further includes data of coordinate data of each of the measurement positions designated by the designation operation or physical quantity data of a measurement range between the measurement positions designated by the designation operation.
The data control unit performs control to display the data acquired by the data acquisition unit on the identification label.
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 4 is the image display processing system according to claim 3.
The identification label displays a symbol or an icon which makes it possible to determine the relative magnitude of the physical quantity of the measurement range.
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 5 is the image display processing system according to claim 3 or 4
When the measurement marker is selected by the measurement marker selection control unit, an operation of resetting the measurement range indicated by the measurement marker or the measurement position becomes possible.
It is characterized by

The invention according to claim 6 is the image display processing system according to any one of claims 2 to 5;
The image display unit is an image display unit having a touch panel function, and
The identification label selection position acquisition unit selects by a touch operation touching the image display unit at the time of a selection operation in which a user selects an arbitrary position on the identification label displayed on the image display unit.
It is characterized by

The invention of the image processing apparatus according to claim 7 is
An image display unit for displaying a medical image;
A data control unit that generates a measurement marker representing a measurement position on the image display unit and performs control for displaying the measurement marker on the image display unit;
A measurement marker designation unit associated with the measurement marker;
A measurement marker selection control unit in which the measurement marker is selected based on a specification operation of specifying the measurement marker specification unit by a user;
It is characterized by having.

  In this invention, since the measurement position to be edited can be set by selecting the measurement marker designation unit associated with the measurement marker, the user can easily select a desired measurement position even when the measurement positions are close to each other. be able to.

An overall view showing an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention Hardware block diagram of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment Block diagram of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment Block diagram of image processing unit Flowchart for setting and editing of measurement range in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Screen transition example displayed in the measurement range setting process in the first embodiment Identification label display example in the first embodiment Flowchart for setting and editing of measurement position in the second embodiment Screen transition example displayed in measurement position setting processing in the second embodiment Screen transition example displayed in measurement position setting processing in the second embodiment Screen transition example displayed in measurement position setting processing in the second embodiment Screen transition example displayed in measurement position setting processing in the second embodiment Screen transition example displayed in measurement position setting processing in the second embodiment Screen transition example displayed in measurement position setting processing in the second embodiment Identification label display example in the second embodiment In the second embodiment, a screen display example when a line segment is set as a measurement area Screen display example in the third embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an overall view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U comprises an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 and an ultrasonic probe 2 (ultrasonic probe) connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 via a cable 22. And The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 is provided with an operation input unit 18 and an output display unit 19. The control unit 15 (see FIG. 3A) of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 outputs a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 based on an external input operation to an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse of the operation input unit 18. An ultrasonic wave is output, and a reception signal related to ultrasonic wave reception is acquired from the ultrasonic probe 2 to perform various processing, and the result is displayed on the liquid crystal screen of the output display unit 19 as necessary. The output display unit 19 may not be included in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U and may be provided outside the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U includes an ultrasonic probe 2, a central processing unit (CPU) 3, a read only memory (ROM) 4, an operation panel 5, and a random access memory (RAM) 6. , HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 7, communication unit 8, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 includes a transmitting unit 12, a receiving unit 13, a transmission / reception switching unit 14, a control unit 15, an image processing unit 16, a storage unit 17, and an operation input unit. And an output display unit 19 and the like. Among them, the transmission unit 12, the reception unit 13, and the control unit 15 constitute a transmission / reception control means.

  The transmitter 12 outputs a pulse signal to be supplied to the ultrasound probe 2 in accordance with a control signal input from the controller 15, and causes the ultrasound probe 2 to generate an ultrasound. The transmission unit 12 includes, for example, a clock generation circuit, a pulse generation circuit, a pulse width setting unit, and a delay circuit. The clock generation circuit is a circuit that generates a clock signal that determines the transmission timing and center frequency of the pulse signal. The pulse generation circuit is a circuit that generates a bipolar rectangular wave pulse of a preset voltage amplitude at a predetermined cycle. The pulse width setting unit sets the pulse width of the rectangular wave pulse output from the pulse generation circuit. Before or after the input to the pulse width setting unit, the rectangular wave pulse generated by the pulse generation circuit is separated into different wiring paths for each transducer 21 of the ultrasonic probe 2. The delay circuit is a circuit that delays and outputs the delay time set for each of these wiring paths in accordance with the timing of transmitting the generated rectangular wave pulse to each of the transducers 21.

  The receiving unit 13 is a circuit that acquires the reception signal input from the ultrasound probe 2 according to the control of the control unit 15. The receiving unit 13 includes, for example, an amplifier, an A / D conversion circuit, and a phasing addition circuit. The amplifier is a circuit that amplifies the received signal corresponding to the ultrasonic wave received by each transducer 21 of the ultrasonic probe 2 at a predetermined amplification factor set in advance. The A / D conversion circuit is a circuit that converts the amplified reception signal into digital data at a predetermined sampling frequency. The sampling frequency needs to be higher than the reception frequency described later, for example, 60 MHz. The phasing addition circuit gives a delay time to the A / D converted received signal for each wiring path corresponding to each vibrator 21 to adjust the time phase, and adds them (phasing addition) to obtain a sound. It is a circuit that generates line data.

  The transmission / reception switching unit 14 transmits a drive signal from the transmission unit 12 to the vibrator 21 when transmitting an ultrasonic wave from the vibrator 21 based on the control of the control unit 15, while using the ultrasonic wave emitted by the vibrator 21. When acquiring such a signal, a switching operation is performed to cause the reception unit 13 to output the reception signal.

  The control unit 15 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 3, a hard disk drive (HDD) 7, a random access memory (RAM) 6, and the like. The CPU 3 reads out various programs stored in the HDD 7 and loads them into the RAM 6 and generally controls the operations of the respective units of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U according to the programs. The HDD 7 stores a control program and various processing programs for operating the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U, various setting data, and the like. These programs and setting data may be stored in an auxiliary storage device using a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory other than the HDD 7 so as to be readable, writable and updatable. The RAM 6 is a volatile memory such as an SRAM or a DRAM, provides the CPU 3 with a working memory space, and stores temporary data.

The image processing unit 16 has, separately from the CPU 3 of the control unit 15, a processing control unit 16a including a CPU, a RAM, and the like that perform arithmetic processing for creating a diagnostic image based on received data of ultrasonic waves. The diagnostic image includes a B-mode image showing the structure of the subject by the luminance distribution, a D-mode image showing the blood flow state measured using the Doppler effect, and an elasticity showing the distribution of distortion inside the subject. Images etc. are included. The diagnostic image includes image data to be displayed on the output display unit 19 in substantially real time, a series of moving image data thereof, still image data of a snapshot, and the like.
The arithmetic processing by the processing control unit 16 a may be performed by the CPU of the control unit 15.
Further, the image processing unit 16 described in FIG. 3B selects an image generation unit 51 that generates a medical image of a subject or reconstructs a medical image, and selects a medical image to be displayed on the output display unit 19. , Generation of an image selection / display control unit 52 performing display control, a measurement marker 70 (see FIG. 5B) specifying a measurement range or a measurement position, and an identification label 90 (see FIG. 6) including measurement results, display control A data control unit 53 for performing the measurement, a measurement unit (data acquisition unit) 56 for measuring a predetermined physical quantity (distance, angle, area etc.) and coordinates characterizing the measurement range or measurement position designated on the medical image; Identification label selection position acquisition unit 54 for acquiring coordinate data of the position on the identified identification label 90; measurement marker selection control unit 55 for selecting the measurement marker 70 selected by the user; A communication interface (hereinafter referred to as "communication I / F") 57 for connecting to the network, on the output display unit 19 includes an operation unit 58 for accepting an operation of specifying the measurement range or measurement position. The image processing unit 16 is configured by a combination of software for realizing the function of each component in the image processing unit 16 and hardware including an arithmetic / control device and a storage device.

  The storage unit 17 stores and stores the image storage unit 17a storing the generated medical image, the measurement marker 70, and the measurement range or measurement position on the identification label 90 corresponding to the measurement marker 70 in association with each other. It is comprised by the measurement information storage part 17b. The storage unit 17 is, for example, a volatile memory such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Alternatively, the storage unit 17 may be various non-volatile memories that can be rewritten at high speed. The storage unit 17 stores diagnostic image data, which is processed by the image processing unit 16 and used for real-time display or display according to this, in units of frames. The diagnostic image data stored in the storage unit 17 is read according to the control of the control unit 15 and transmitted to the output display unit 19 or to the outside of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U via the communication unit 8 in FIG. It is output. At this time, if the display mode of the output display unit 19 is a television system, a DSC (Digital Signal Converter) is provided between the storage unit 17 and the output display unit 19 and the scan format is converted and then output. It should be done.

  The operation input unit 18 includes a push button switch, a keyboard, a mouse pad, or a trackball, or a combination of these, converts the user's input operation into an operation signal, and inputs the operation signal to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1.

  The output display unit 19 uses any one of various display methods such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescent) display, an inorganic EL display, a plasma display, and a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display. A display screen and its drive unit are provided. Further, in addition to the above display method, it is also possible to use a touch panel using a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method or the like. The output display unit 19 generates a drive signal of the display screen (each display pixel) according to the control signal output from the control unit 15 or the diagnostic image data generated by the image processing unit 16, and the ultrasonic wave is displayed on the display screen. Display the measurement menu based on the diagnostic menu, the status, and the received ultrasound.

  The operation input unit 18 and the output display unit 19 may be integrally provided in the casing of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1, or may be externally attached via a USB cable or the like. It may be. Further, as long as the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 is provided with an operation input terminal and a display output terminal, peripheral devices for conventional operation and display may be connected to these terminals for use.

  The ultrasonic probe 2 oscillates an ultrasonic wave (here, about 1 to 30 MHz) and emits (sends) to a subject such as a living body, and is reflected by the subject among the emitted ultrasonic waves. It functions as an acoustic sensor that receives a reflected wave (echo) and converts it into an electrical signal. The ultrasonic probe 2 includes a transducer array 210 which is an array of a plurality of transducers 21 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and a cable 22. The cable 22 has a connector (not shown) with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 at one end thereof, and the ultrasonic probe 2 is configured to be detachable from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 by the cable 22. ing. The user operates the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U by bringing the object in contact with the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe 2, that is, the surface in the direction in which the ultrasonic waves are emitted from the transducer array 210 with a predetermined pressure. Make an ultrasound diagnosis.

  The vibrator array 210 is an array of a plurality of vibrators 21 including a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric body and electrodes provided at both ends at which charges appear due to deformation (extension or contraction), and in the present embodiment, a predetermined scan It is a one-dimensional array in the direction SD. The voltage pulse (pulse signal) is sequentially supplied to the vibrator 21 to deform the piezoelectric body according to the electric field generated in each piezoelectric body, and an ultrasonic wave is emitted. Further, when an ultrasonic wave of a predetermined frequency band is incident on the vibrator 21, the thickness of the piezoelectric body fluctuates (oscillates) due to the sound pressure to generate electric charges according to the amount of fluctuation, and according to the amount of electric charge It is converted to an electrical signal and output.

  The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits ultrasonic waves from each transducer 21 in the order of arrangement in the transducer array 210 based on pulse signals from the transmitting unit 12, thereby superimposing in the scanning direction SD parallel to the transducer array direction. Perform a sound wave scan.

The ultrasound probe 2 can perform various types of electronic scanning such as linear electronic scanning, sector electronic scanning, convex electronic scanning, linear scanning, sector scanning, arc scanning, radial scanning, etc. Any one of the methods may be adopted. In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U can be configured to be able to be used by connecting any one of a plurality of different ultrasonic probes 2 to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 in accordance with an object of diagnosis.
The ultrasound probe 2 may be configured to include a pressure sensor, measure the pressure of the ultrasound probe 2 on the subject, and output the pressure to the control unit 15. The ultrasonic probe 2 further includes a motor for moving the transmitting and receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe 2 back and forth in the transmitting and receiving direction of the ultrasonic wave, and may press or release the object with a predetermined pressure. It may be possible.

  In the present embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and any apparatus that handles a medical image may be used. An X-ray diagnostic imaging apparatus, an X-ray CT apparatus, an MRI apparatus, a PET apparatus, etc. There is no limitation on the type of In addition, the image display processing system according to the present invention may be applied to a so-called stand-alone image display device without being connected to a terminal device without being installed in a medical image diagnostic device or a medical image pickup device. , And may be used for an image read from an image database such as a PACS server.

  Hereinafter, a method of setting a measurement range or a measurement position, measuring a physical quantity and the like, and editing the generated and displayed medical image will be described in detail.

First Embodiment
In the present embodiment, the measurement marker 70 is displayed by operating the operation input unit 18 with respect to the medical image displayed at the output destination, and the measurement range is designated by moving the displayed measurement marker 70. At this time, at the same time, a number or the like for identifying the designated measurement range is defined, and an identification label 90 in which the number or the like is displayed is displayed on the output destination. Further, the physical quantity of the designated measurement range is measured by the measurement unit (data acquisition unit) 56, and the result is also written on the identification label 90. Next, when performing an editing operation to re-specify the measurement range with respect to the designated measurement range, select the measurement range to be edited by selecting the portion of the identification label 90 that corresponds to the measurement range to be edited, The feature is that the selected measurement range is re-edited.

In this embodiment, an example of specifying a measurement range in a medical image will be described. The measurement range used here represents a straight line between two points and can be considered as a coordinate axis.
Here, the ellipse is determined by designating two coordinate axes (the first axis and the second axis, or the major axis and the minor axis) as the measurement range. In this embodiment, a method of specifying and editing a measurement range will be described according to an operation of specifying an ellipse in a medical image. Also, in this case, two ellipses in which the measurement ranges are close to each other are set.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing relating to designation and editing of a measurement range. 5A to 5I are diagrams showing screen transition examples displayed in the process of specifying a measurement range, FIG. 5A shows a screen display example of step S101, and FIG. 5B shows a screen display example of step S102. 5C shows an example of screen display in step S103, FIG. 5D shows an example of screen display in step S104, FIG. 5E shows an example of screen display in step S105, and FIG. 5F shows an example of screen display in step S106. 5 shows an example of screen transition in step S107, FIG. 5H shows an example of screen transition in step S108, and FIG. 5I shows an example of screen transition in step S109. FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the identification label 90. As shown in FIG.

  The steps will be described below in the order of steps shown in FIG. Before the start of the measurement process shown in FIG. 4, the subject is imaged by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U or the like to acquire an image signal. The image generation unit 51 generates or reconstructs a medical image using the image signal. The generated medical image is stored in the image storage unit 17a. Thereafter, step S101 is started.

(Step S101)
The image selection / display control unit 52 displays the medical image to be displayed on the screen of the display unit by reading it from the image storage unit 17 a or acquiring it from the image DB 60 via the communication I / F 57. (S101). FIG. 5A is an example of screen display in step S101.

(Step S102)
As shown in FIG. 5B, a measurement marker 70 for specifying a measurement range is displayed on the displayed medical image. When the operator presses a measurement marker button (not shown) or the like, the data control unit 53 displays the measurement marker 70. The measurement marker 70 is displayed by a broken line mark or the like indicating that it is unconfirmed.

(Step S103)
In step S103, the first axis of the ellipse α is set.
First select Elliptical mode. An "elliptical mode selection button" (not shown) or the like is provided on the output display unit 19 or outside the output display unit 19 and the operator sets an ellipse in a medical image by pressing the elliptical mode selection button or the like. Set to mode.

  An ellipse is determined by defining a first axis and a second axis (short axis and long axis). First, with respect to the first axis, the measurement marker 70 is moved to a desired position to be designated as the first axis starting point. A moving method is performed by a drag using a mouse cursor, a touch operation of touching a screen with a finger or a touch pen, or the like. Here, each step will be described assuming a touch operation. When the operator moves the measurement marker 70 to a desired position and presses the Set button, the operation unit 58 receives a confirmation operation for fixing the first axis start point. The Set button may be displayed on the screen at the same time as the measurement marker 70 is displayed, or may be displayed on the screen from the beginning. After the determination operation for determining the first axis start point is performed, the measurement marker 70 is displayed as a solid line cross mark indicating that the determination operation has been performed, and is fixed at the first axis start point position.

Subsequently, the measurement marker 70 is moved to a desired position to be set as the first axis end point. At the same time when the first axis start point is determined by the operation unit 58, the data control unit 53 displays on the screen the measurement marker 70 displayed by a broken line mark etc. designated as the first axis end point separately from the first axis start point. Display at any position of The operator moves the measurement marker 70 to a desired position to be designated as the first axis end point, and then presses the Set button in the same manner as the first axis start point, the operation unit 58 fixes the first axis end point. Accept the confirm operation. After the determination, the measurement unit (data acquisition unit) 56 measures the physical quantity of the measurement range. The measurement marker 70 at the end point of the first axis determined is displayed as a solid line cross mark or the like. At the same time that the end point of the first axis is determined by the operation unit 58, the data control unit 53 displays the end point of the second axis at an arbitrary position on the vertical bisector of the first axis by a broken line or the like. The measured marker 70 is displayed. Further, the data control unit 53, in order to identify the measurement marker 70 indicating a first axis which is determined, to define an identification number, such as, for example, D1 _1. Subsequently, generates an identification label 90, as shown in FIG. 6, displays the identification number D1 ₁ defined. In addition, physical quantity data of each measurement range acquired by the measurement unit (data acquisition unit) 56 is written on the identification label 90 as well. At this same time, a measurement marker 70 indicating the D1 _1, the display of associated D1 ₁ on identification label 90, is stored in the measurement information storage unit 17b. FIG. 5C is a screen display example at the end of step S103, that is, when the first axis of the ellipse α is determined.

Identification label 90 in FIG. 6, axis 1 of the ellipse (major axis) D1 1, ₂ Axis (minor axis) D2 _1, the perimeter C, and the area A is displayed, is displayed physical quantity of each item There is. When the first axis end point is determined, the physical quantities (lengths) of D1 ₁ and D2 ₁ may be displayed with appropriate initial values. Also, the physical quantity is not limited to the case where it is displayed numerically, and for example, D1 ₁ and D2 ₁ are expressed by displaying icons and symbols such as arrows with different lengths so that relative sizes can be known, etc. Is also possible. In some cases, it is also possible to display only the identification number without displaying any physical quantity.
The identification label 90 may be configured to be able to select whether to display or not by using a display / non-display switching button or the like. Also, the identification label 90 may be configured to be able to be moved to any position in the image.

(Step S104)
Next, the second axis of the ellipse α is specified. The operator moves the measurement marker 70 displayed as one end point of the second axis to a desired position, and then presses the Set button in the same manner as in the case of the first axis, etc. Perform the confirmation operation to determine the 2nd axis. At the same time as the first axis, identification numbers, physical quantity data, etc. are displayed on the identification label 90 simultaneously with the determination of the second axis. When one end point is determined for the second axis, the second axis itself is determined due to the nature of the ellipse α. An ellipse α as a measurement area is determined by the determination operation of the second axis. Further, simultaneously with the determination of the ellipse α, the perimeter C and the area A of the ellipse α are measured by the measurement unit (data acquisition unit) 56 and displayed on the identification label 90. FIG. 5D is a screen display example at the end of step S104, that is, when the ellipse α is designated.

  The Set button used to perform the confirmation operation may be configured to display the Set button after the measurement marker 70 as the first axis start point is displayed as described above, or the operator may use the measurement marker. It may be displayed during a time when the moving operation of 70 is not performed, that is, while the screen is not touched.

(Step S105)
An ellipse β is set as the measurement range by the same operation as the operation from step S102 to step S104. Thereby, in the medical image, two ellipses (ellipse α and ellipse β) are set as measurement regions. FIG. 5E is a screen display example at the end of step S105, that is, when two ellipses α and β are designated.

(Step S106)
The operation in the case of editing the measurement range for the ellipse set in step S101 to step S105 will be described.

In step S106, an operation of selecting a measurement range to be edited is performed. This operation is mainly performed by the measurement information storage unit 17 b, the identification label selection position acquisition unit 54, and the measurement marker selection control unit 55.
First, the operator touches an arbitrary position in a line in the identification label 90 shown in FIG. 6 in which the measurement range to be edited is indicated. Then, the coordinate of the touched position is acquired by the identification label selection position acquisition unit 54, and it is determined to which measurement range it corresponds. Thereby, the measurement range to be edited is recognized. At this time, a line corresponding to the measurement range to be edited in the identification label 90 is displayed, for example, in a broken-line box or the like to indicate that it is selected. Subsequently, based on the information stored in the measurement information storage unit 17 b, the measurement marker 70 on the medical image corresponding to the recognized measurement range is selected by the measurement marker selection control unit 55. At this time, the selected measurement marker 70 is indicated by a broken line or the like to indicate that it is in an editable state. In addition, a line corresponding to the measurement range to be edited in the identification label 90 and the measurement marker 70 indicating the measurement range to be edited are both displayed by broken lines or the like to indicate the relevancy. The determination as to which measurement range the coordinates acquired by the identification label selection position acquisition unit 54 correspond to may be made by the identification label selection position acquisition unit 54 or by the measurement marker selection control unit 55 Also good. Also, another processing unit (not shown) other than the two may be provided and performed by the processing unit.

A specific method of selecting the measurement range will be described along the flow of the operation. Here, the case of editing the second axis D2 ₁ ellipse α examples. The operator first touches the D2 ₁ line in the identification label 90 shown in FIG. You may touch anywhere within the D2 ₁ row. Subsequently, it is recognized which measurement range corresponds to the touched position. In this case, D2 ₁ row is recognized to have been touched, D2 ₁ row on identification label 90 is highlighted by the broken line enclosure display or the like showing a floating state. Then, the second axis D2 ₁ measurement marker 70 on the medical image is selected, the measurement marker 70 which is selected becomes a floating state, and editable. FIG. 5F, step S106 at the end, i.e., a screen display example at the time when the second axis D2 ₁ ellipse α becomes editable.

(Step S107)
The measurement range selected in step S106 and made editable is edited. Operator drag an end point of the second axis D2 ₁ that a floating state to a desired position, after moving by touch or the like, Set button appears on the screen release the touch on the screen. Then, to determine the second axis D2 ₁ by such as pressing the Set button appeared. Figure 5G is a step S107 at the end, i.e., a screen display example at the time of the second axis D2 ₁ after editing the ellipse alpha.
The movement operation of the measurement marker 70 here is limited to the straight line of the axis. That is, only the length of the axis changes. By doing this, there is an advantage that the editing operation can be easily performed, for example, when fine movement operation is difficult as in the case of a touch panel.

(Step S108)
In addition, an editing method other than the above-described editing operation may be possible. For example, as shown in FIG. 5H, an editing method is possible in which the ellipse itself is translated vertically and horizontally. This method is possible, for example, by selecting an arbitrary position in the “C (perimeter length)” row in the identification label 90 of FIG. FIG. 5H is an example of screen display at the end of step S108, that is, at the time point after parallel shift editing of the ellipse α.

(Step S109)
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 51, an editing method is possible that rotates the ellipse itself. This method is possible, for example, by selecting an arbitrary position in the “A (area)” row in the identification label 90 of FIG. FIG. 5I is an example of screen display at the end of step S109, that is, at the time after rotational editing of the ellipse α.

  If there is no need to modify the measurement range, this completes all editing work. In the case of further correction, steps S106 to S109 are repeated until the corrected portion disappears.

  The measurement marker is configured to be displayed as a broken line cross mark in the editable state or in a solid line cross mark in the finalized state in the editable state. You may make it understand that it is displayed in a different style.

  Although an ellipse is specified as an example of the measurement range here, any shape that can be defined may be used. For example, a rectangle or a triangle may be used. Also, a single length or width may be measured.

  According to the present embodiment, the measurement range to be edited can be selected by touching the identification label 90 in which the physical quantities and the like of each measurement range are described. This makes it possible to easily select the measurement range when the measurement ranges are close to each other or overlap each other. This is particularly effective when a detailed operation is difficult when touching the screen, such as a touch panel display. Specifically, with an arrow-type mouse cursor, etc., even if the measurement range is close, the tip of the cursor is pointed, so it is easy to select the intended measurement range, but a touch panel that is touched with a finger In such a case, an erroneous operation is likely to occur in which a measurement range different from the intended place is touched. In such a case, the method of selecting the measurement range according to the present embodiment is effective.

  Furthermore, the physical size of each measurement range in the identification label 90 can be displayed not only by numerical values but also by an arrow or the like, so that the relative size of each measurement range can be easily grasped. Such a thing is particularly effective, for example, when it is desired to edit the longer one of the two axes of the ellipse.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the measurement marker indicating the measurement range to be edited is selected by selecting the identification label displayed on the screen, but the selection method is not limited thereto. For example, a button or the like as a measurement marker designating unit is disposed in a portion not on the screen, and a method of selecting a measurement marker indicating a measurement range by pressing the button or the like, or a measurement marker indicating a measurement range to be edited The voice is heard by uttering an identification number or the like corresponding to the word in a word, and there is a method of selecting a measurement marker as a voice.

Second Embodiment
The present embodiment is the same as the first embodiment in a series of operations of displaying a medical image, specifying a measurement position, and editing a measurement position to be edited. The editing method is different from the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, the case of setting and editing a linear measurement range has been described as an example, but in the present embodiment, the case of setting and editing a measurement position such as a coordinate point has been exemplified. explain. In this case, unlike the measurement range such as a straight line between two points, the physical quantity between each point may not be displayed.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing concerning designation and editing of the measurement position. 8A to 8F are diagrams showing screen transition examples displayed in the process of specifying the measurement position, and FIG. 8A shows a screen display example of step S201, and FIG. 8B shows a screen display example of step S202. 8C shows a screen display example of step S203, FIG. 8D shows a screen display example of step S204, FIG. 8E shows a screen display example of step S205, and FIG. 8F shows a screen display example of step S206. FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the identification label 90.

The steps will be described below in the order of steps in FIG. Before the start of the measurement process shown in FIG. 7, the subject is imaged by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus U to acquire an image signal. The image generation unit 51 generates or reconstructs a medical image using the image signal. The generated medical image is stored in the image storage unit 17a. Thereafter, step S201 is started.
In addition, the description is suitably abbreviate | omitted regarding the part which performs operation similar to 1st embodiment hereafter.

(Step S201)
The image selection / display control unit 52 displays the medical image to be displayed on the screen of the display unit by reading it from the image storage unit 17 a or acquiring it from the image DB 60 via the communication I / F 57. (S201). FIG. 8A is a screen display example in this step.

(Step S202)
As shown in FIG. 8B, in order to specify a measurement position to be measured on a physical quantity or the like on the displayed medical image, as in the first embodiment, a measurement marker button (not shown) is pressed or the like. The measurement marker 70 is displayed. The measurement marker 70 is displayed by a broken line mark or the like indicating that it is unconfirmed.

  In order to determine the measurement area, the operator designates a plurality of points along the measurement area to be measured in the medical image, and the adjacent measurement points are automatically connected by a line segment. Be done. First, the measurement marker 70 indicated by the broken line cross is moved to a desired position to be designated as the first point P1. The moving method is performed by dragging, touching, or the like. After moving to a desired place, as in the first embodiment, the Set button is pressed or the like, and a confirmation operation for fixing the first point P1 is performed. At the same time, P1 is defined as an identification number for identifying the designated first point P1. After the confirmation operation, the measurement unit (data acquisition unit) 56 acquires the coordinates of the first point P1. Hereinafter, coordinate data is acquired each time the Set button is pressed. The determined measurement marker 70 of the first point P1 is displayed as a solid line cross mark or the like. Furthermore, after this confirmation operation, a measurement marker 70 for designating as the second point P2 is displayed by a broken line cross mark. In addition, the data control unit 53 automatically combines the first measurement marker 70 indicated by a solid cross and the second measurement marker 70 indicated by a dashed cross by a line segment. Ru. Further, at this time, as in the first embodiment, the data control unit 53 displays the identification label 90 as shown in FIG. 9 and indicates the coordinate data of each measurement position and the measurement marker 70 indicating the measurement position in the medical image. And are stored in the measurement information storage unit 17b. FIG. 8B is a screen display example at the end of step S202, that is, at the time of setting P1.

(Step S203)
Subsequently, the second point P2 is designated. First, a mode for designating a shape surrounded by a plurality of points (hereinafter referred to as a multipoint mode) is selected. As in the first embodiment, the operator presses a “multi-point mode selection button” provided on the output display unit 19 or outside the output display unit 19 to surround the medical image with a plurality of points. Set the mode to set the

  Subsequently, as in the first embodiment, after moving the measurement marker 70 indicated by the broken line cross mark to designate as the second point P2, to the desired location to designate as the second point P2, the Set button Press to confirm. At the same time as this determination operation, the determined second point P2 is displayed as a solid line cross mark, and the measurement marker 70 for specifying as the third point P3 is displayed as a broken line cross. In addition, the measurement marker 70 of the second point P2 displayed by the solid line cross mark and the measurement marker 70 of the third point P3 displayed by the broken line cross are automatically joined by a line segment. Furthermore, at this time, simultaneously with the determination operation of the second point P2, the display of the identification label 90 is rewritten to one including the coordinate information of the second point P2. FIG. 8C is a screen display example at the end of step S203, that is, when the second point P2 is designated.

(Step S204)
Subsequently, the third point P3 and subsequent points are designated by the same operation as step S203. Although the case where six points are specified is described as an example in this embodiment, any number of points may be specified as long as there are a plurality of points.

  The operator performs an operation to confirm the sixth point P6, and then performs an operation such as pressing a complete button (not shown) to indicate that the sixth point P6 is the final point. By performing this operation, the sixth point P6 determined to be the final point by the data control unit 53 and the first point P1 are joined by a line segment, and C (perimeter length) and A (peripheral length) are added to the identification label 90. Area) is newly added. The operation indicating that the sixth point P6 is the final point is not limited to the operation of pressing the Complete button, but may be performed by another method such as pressing the Set button twice. FIG. 8D is a screen display example at the end of step S204, that is, when the sixth point is determined and the measurement area is designated.

  In addition, when the Complete button is pressed, the longest distance and the shortest distance in the measurement area may be automatically measured. In that case, the measurement result is additionally displayed on the identification label 90 of FIG.

(Step S205)
The operation in the case where the measurement position is edited will be described for the shape surrounded by the plurality of points determined in step S204.

  In step S205, an operation of selecting a measurement position to be edited is performed. This operation is mainly performed by the measurement information storage unit 17b, the identification label selection position acquisition unit 54, and the measurement marker selection control unit 55, as in the first embodiment.

  A specific method of selecting the measurement position will be described along the flow of the operation. Here, the case of editing the first point P1 will be described as an example. The operator first touches the line P1 in the identification label 90 shown in FIG. You may touch anywhere within the line of P1. Subsequently, it is recognized which measurement position the touched portion corresponds to. In this case, it is recognized that the line of P1 is touched. At this time, the line of P1 in the identification label 90 is displayed in a dashed box or the like. Then, the measurement marker 70 of P1 on the medical image is selected, and the selected measurement marker 70 is displayed with a dashed-dotted line, and becomes editable. FIG. 8E is an example of screen display when step S205 ends, that is, when P1 becomes editable.

(Step S206)
The measurement position selected and made editable in step S205 is edited. The operator moves the first point P1 in the floating state to a desired position by dragging, touching, etc., and then releases the touch on the screen, and a Set button appears on the screen. Then, the first point is confirmed by pressing the Set button that appears, for example. The movement operation of the measurement marker 70 here can be moved anywhere on the plane. FIG. 8F is a screen display example at the end of step S206, that is, at the time after P1 editing.

  If there is no correction at the measurement position, this completes all editing operations. In the case of further correcting, steps S205 to S206 are repeated until there is no need for correction.

  In the present embodiment, the shape surrounded by six points is taken as an example, but when only two points are set, a straight line is set. An example of the screen display of the medical image and the identification label 90 when a straight line is designated is shown in FIG. L displayed in the identification label 90 represents the length of a line segment consisting of P1 'and P2'.

  Further, as in the first embodiment, the display of the measurement marker may be in any form, and it may be understood that the display in the form different from the surroundings is made by changing the color or the like.

  According to the present embodiment, the measurement position to be edited can be selected by touching the identification label 90 in which the coordinates and the like of each measurement position are described. This makes it possible to easily select the measurement position when the measurement positions are close to each other or overlap each other. Further, in the case of the shape surrounded by a plurality of points as in the present embodiment, it may be considered that the number of points increases to set the shape more accurately, and the points are positioned very close to each other. In such a case, the present embodiment is particularly effective.

Third Embodiment
In this embodiment, when editing a measurement range or measurement position set on a medical image, measurement such as a linear measurement range shown in the first embodiment and a coordinate point shown in the second embodiment A method of editing the measurement range or the measurement position when the position is set on the same image will be described.

FIG. 11 is a screen display example when the ellipse set in the first embodiment and the shape surrounded by a plurality of points set in the second embodiment are on the same image.
When editing the measurement range or measurement position, as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the corresponding measurement range or measurement position in the identification label 90 is touched by touching the corresponding row in the corresponding image. The measurement marker 70 is selected. Also, the selected measurement markers 70 can be edited in a mode according to each. For example, when editing the first axis D1 ₁ ellipse α in FIG. 11, as in the first embodiment, touch D1 ₁ line in the identification label 90. Thereby, the first axis D1 ₁ ellipse α in medical image is selected to be edited in the "elliptical mode". On the other hand, when P1 having a shape surrounded by a plurality of points is selected, editing is possible in the "multipoint mode".

  According to the present embodiment, the measurement range or measurement position to be edited can be selected by touching the identification label in which the physical quantity or the like of each measurement range or measurement position is described. This makes it possible to easily select the measurement range or the measurement position when the measurement ranges or the measurement positions are close to each other or overlap each other. This is particularly effective when a detailed operation is difficult when touching the screen, such as a touch panel display.

  Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

U: ultrasound diagnostic device 2: ultrasound probe 12: transmission unit 13: reception unit 14: transmission / reception switching unit 15: control unit 16: image processing unit 16a: processing control unit 17: storage unit 17a: image storage unit 17b : Measurement information storage unit 18: Operation input unit 19: Output display unit 21: Transducer 22: Cable 51: Image generation unit 52: Image selection / display control unit 53: Data control unit 54: Identification label selection position acquisition unit 55: Measurement marker selection control unit 56: Measurement unit (data acquisition unit)
57: Communication I / F
58: operation unit 60: image DB (image database)

Claims (7)

An image display unit for displaying a medical image;
A data control unit that generates a measurement marker representing a measurement position on the image display unit and performs control for displaying the measurement marker on the image display unit;
A measurement marker designation unit associated with the measurement marker;
A measurement marker selection control unit in which the measurement marker is selected based on a specification operation of specifying the measurement marker specification unit by a user;
An image display processing system comprising: The measurement marker designation unit is an identification label generated by the data control unit and displayed on the image display unit,
The apparatus further comprises an identification label selection position acquisition unit that acquires coordinate data of a position designated by the designation operation in the designation operation of designating an arbitrary position on the identification label,
The measurement marker selection control unit selects the measurement marker based on the coordinate data acquired by the identification label selection position acquisition unit.
The image display processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the designation operation for designating the measurement position on the image display unit,
The data acquisition unit further includes data of coordinate data of each of the measurement positions designated by the designation operation or physical quantity data of a measurement range between the measurement positions designated by the designation operation.
The data control unit performs control to display the data acquired by the data acquisition unit on the identification label.
The image display processing system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The identification label displays a symbol or an icon which makes it possible to determine the relative magnitude of the physical quantity of the measurement range.
The image display processing system according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the measurement marker is selected by the measurement marker selection control unit, an operation of resetting the measurement range indicated by the measurement marker or the measurement position becomes possible.
The image display processing system according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The image display unit is an image display unit having a touch panel function, and
The identification label selection position acquisition unit selects by a touch operation touching the image display unit at the time of a selection operation in which a user selects an arbitrary position on the identification label displayed on the image display unit.
The image display processing system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: An image display unit for displaying a medical image;
A data control unit that generates a measurement marker representing a measurement position on the image display unit and performs control for displaying the measurement marker on the image display unit;
A measurement marker designation unit associated with the measurement marker;
A measurement marker selection control unit in which the measurement marker is selected based on a specification operation of specifying the measurement marker specification unit by a user;
An image processing apparatus comprising: