JP2022042556A - Radiographic system, image processing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve the operability of a method for rotating and displaying an image so that diagonal lines of the image become parallel to a vertical direction or a horizontal direction of a display screen so as to enhance visibility of a subject disposed on the diagonal lines of an imaging region.SOLUTION: A radiation image is rotated and displayed so that one of the diagonal lines of the radiation image becomes vertical or horizontal on a display screen according to information on an angle formed by the direction of the diagonal lines of the rectangular radiation image including a subject image along the diagonal lines and a horizontal direction which is the direction parallel to a horizontal scanning line of a display part or a vertical direction which is the direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to radiographic systems, image processing methods, and programs.

In the acquisition of a radiographic image using a radiographic imaging device, the radiographic imaging device generally has a rectangular imaging region. When taking a radiographic image, the subject is tilted diagonally with respect to each side of the imaging region by using a long region along the diagonal of the imaging region because the sides of the imaging region are shorter than the length of the subject. A subject image (a subject image along a diagonal line) may be taken. When using a radiation image including a subject image taken in this way for diagnosis, in order to improve visibility, the radiation image (subject image) is rotated several times at a time and turned vertically or horizontally. The subject image may be displayed. However, such an image rotation operation is a complicated work, which leads to an increase in the burden on the operator.

Various methods for rotating images have been conventionally proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of determining a rotation direction in units of 90 ° from a patient's direction, visual field position, site, body position, and the like.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-51487

However, Patent Document 1 does not describe a method for improving the visibility of a subject image along the diagonal line of the imaging region. Since the image rotation method of Patent Document 1 is rotation in units of 90 °, the subject image along the diagonal line cannot be displayed so that the diagonal line or the subject image faces the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the screen.

An object of the present invention is to provide a radiography system, an image processing method, and the like with improved operability when improving the visibility of a subject image along a diagonal line in an imaging region.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a radiography system that displays a radiographic image in a display area of a display unit based on the output of a radiographic imager, and includes a subject image along a diagonal line. Depending on the information on the angle formed by the diagonal direction of the rectangular radiographic image and the horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal scanning line of the display unit or the vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction, the diagonal line It is characterized in that an image obtained by rotating the rectangular radial image is displayed in the display area so that the direction is parallel to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction.

Further, the second invention of the present application is a radiological imaging system having a console for displaying a radiographic image in a display area based on the output of a radiographic imaging apparatus, and the console includes a subject image along a diagonal line by one operation. It is characterized by having an operation unit that rotates the rectangular radiation image so that the diagonal direction of the rectangular radiation image is parallel to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction of the display area of the display unit.

According to the present invention, with respect to a radiation image including a subject image along the diagonal line in the imaging region, operability when rotating and displaying the direction of the diagonal line of the radiation image so as to be parallel to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction on the display screen. Can be improved.

The figure which shows the structural example of the radiological imaging system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the shooting process which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the image rotation processing which concerns on 1st Embodiment. An example of the rotation angle for each radiography apparatus according to the first embodiment. The schematic diagram before image processing by 1st Embodiment. The schematic diagram after image processing by 1st Embodiment. An example of a rotation pattern of image processing in the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, the term radiation may include, for example, α-rays, β-rays, γ-ray particle beams, cosmic rays, etc., in addition to X-rays. Further, the following embodiments can be appropriately combined, and an embodiment in which the embodiments are appropriately combined is also included in the embodiment of the present invention.

(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a radiography system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The radiography system includes a control unit 100, a radiography apparatus 110, an operation unit 120, (radiology information system (hereinafter, RIS) 130, medical image management system (hereinafter, PACS) 131, printer 132, display unit 140, radiation. The generator 150 is provided.

The control unit 100 is connected to the RIS 130, the PACS 131, and the printer 132, and controls radiography using the radiography imaging device 110 and the radiation generator 150.

The control unit 100 is connected to the radiography apparatus 110 by, for example, a wired or wireless network or a dedicated line. The control unit 100 has an application function that operates on a computer. That is, the control unit 100 has one or more processors and a memory, and the processor executes a program stored in the memory to realize each functional unit described below. However, some or all of each functional unit may be realized by dedicated hardware.

The radiography apparatus 110 detects radiation generated from the radiation generator 150 and has passed through a subject (not shown), and outputs image data corresponding to the detected radiation. More specifically, the radiographing apparatus 110 detects the radiation transmitted through the subject as a charge corresponding to the transmitted radiation amount. The output image data can be paraphrased as a medical image or a radiographic image.

The radiography apparatus 110 includes, for example, a direct conversion type sensor using a-Se that directly converts radiation into electric charge, a scintillator such as CsI that converts radiation into visible light, and photoelectric conversion such as a-Si. An indirect sensor using an element is used. The radiography apparatus 110 includes a two-dimensional image pickup device in which pixels composed of this type of sensor are arranged two-dimensionally and rectangularly. Further, the radiography apparatus 110 generates image data by A / D conversion of a signal based on the detected charge amount, and outputs the image data to the control unit 100.

Here, in the present application, the "rectangle" is not limited to a square or a rectangle, and is basically a shape composed of four sides. It includes those in which the corners of the rectangle are rounded, those in which the angle formed by the intersecting sides deviates slightly from 90 °, and those in which the corners are cut off diagonally to form a substantially polygon.

The control unit 100 plays a role as an image processing device that performs image processing on the image data output from the radiography apparatus 110, and displays the generated image on the display unit 140. The operation unit 120 receives an instruction from the operator, and is configured by using a device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a stylus pen, and a touch panel display. Further, the control unit 100 has a function of controlling each component. The control unit 100 outputs an image to the display unit 140 and provides a graphical user interface using the display unit 140 while controlling the operation of the radiography apparatus 110.

The control unit 100 controls the timing at which the radiation generation unit generates radiation and the radiation imaging conditions such as tube current and tube voltage. This may be performed according to the operation received from the operation unit 120. Further, the control unit 100 includes an image acquisition unit 101, and controls the timing of acquiring the image data of the radiography imaging device 110 and the timing of outputting the image data to the control unit 100.

The control unit 100 includes an inspection information input unit 104 for the operator to manually input the inspection information in the operation unit 120 or to select the inspection information acquired from the RIS 130 in the operation unit 120. The inspection information input to the inspection information input unit 104 is managed in association with the image data taken by the radiological imaging apparatus 110.

The control unit 100 includes an image processing unit 102 for performing image processing such as noise reduction on the image data output from the radiography apparatus 110. The image processing unit 102 can also perform image processing such as trimming, rotation, enlargement, and reduction on the image based on the image data output from the radiography apparatus 110.

As a feature of the present invention, the image processing unit 102 rotates the radiation image so that the diagonal line of the rectangular radiation image is parallel to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the screen (display area). It has a rotation angle determining means 105 for determining an angle. Further, the image processing unit 102 has a rotation means 106 that performs rotation processing of the radiation image at an actually determined rotation angle and forms data of the rotated image. The image processing unit 102 also functions as a display control unit for displaying the rotated radiation image on the screen (display area) of the display unit 140.

Here, the state in which the diagonal line of the radiographic image is parallel to the horizontal direction means a state in which the diagonal line of the image is parallel to the horizontal scanning line of the display unit 140. Further, the state in which the diagonal line of the radiographic image is parallel to the vertical direction means a state in which the diagonal line of the image is perpendicular to the horizontal scanning line of the display unit 140. Here, the states of "vertical" and "parallel" include not only the states of being strictly vertical and parallel, but also the states having an error of about several percent. For example, the "vertical" state is a state in which the angle formed by the horizontal scanning line (direction) and the diagonal line (direction) of the radiographic image is within the range of 90 ° ± 10 ° (preferably within the range of 90 ° ± 5 °). The state inside). The "parallel" state is a state in which the angle formed by the horizontal scanning line and the diagonal line of the radiographic image is within the range of 0 ° ± 10 ° (preferably within the range of 0 ° ± 5 °). be.

Further, as described in the description of the radiographic imaging apparatus 110, since the arrangement shape of the pixels of the radiographic imaging apparatus 110 is not limited to a strict rectangle, the shape (outer shape) of the radiographic image indicated by the image data output from the radiographic imaging apparatus 110. It is conceivable that the same shape will be obtained for. Not only shapes such as rectangles and squares, but also shapes in which the corners of the image data are rounded, and shapes in which the corners are cut off diagonally to become a substantially polygon are conceivable. In that case, the diagonal line of the image data may be a line connecting the four sides of the image data by virtually creating the corners.

The display unit 140 displays the image output from the control unit 100 in the display area. The display unit 140 includes, for example, display devices such as a CRT, LCD, and OLED, and for example, constitutes a console integrally with the control unit 100, the operation unit 120, and the like. Further, the display unit 140 may be realized by a display device of a tablet terminal or the like. In this case as well, the CPU inside the terminal is used as an element of the control unit 100, and the touch panel is used as an element of the operation unit 120. You may do it.

The control unit 100 includes an output unit 107 that converts an image output from the image processing unit 102 and outputs the image to an external device. As an external device, a PACS 131 or a printer 132 is connected. As the image conversion format, a DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medical) format is used.

Next, the photographing process according to the embodiment will be described according to the flowchart of FIG.

In step S201, inspection information is input to the inspection information input unit 104. As the inspection information, the inspection information received from the RIS 130 may be used, or when there is an input from the operation unit 120 by the operator, the inspection information input from the operation unit 120 may be used. When the former input method is used, one of the inspection information from the RIS 130 is set as the inspection target in step S202. In such a process, for example, the inspection information is set as an imaging target according to the operation input in which the operator selects one of the plurality of inspection information displayed on the display unit 140 in a list format via the operation unit 120. When the latter method is used, the process proceeds to step S203 after inputting the inspection information.

In step S203, the inspection information is determined by the input via the operation unit 120, and the control unit 100 sends a signal to the radiography imaging device 110 related to the imaging for transitioning the radiography imaging device 110 to the ready state. Send. In response to the reception of this signal, the radiographing apparatus 110 controls the bias power supply by the main control circuit when the bias voltage is not applied to the two-dimensional image pickup element, and applies the bias voltage to the two-dimensional image pickup element. .. After that, as an initialization operation, an image signal is read from the pixel array by a drive circuit in order to read the dark current signal accumulated in the pixels. After the initialization operation is completed, the radiographing apparatus 110 transmits state information indicating that the state is ready for obtaining a radiographic image to the control unit 100.

In step S204, the control unit 100 transmits a command signal to the radiation generator 150 to generate radiation under the conditions corresponding to the set inspection information. As a result, the radiation generator 150 generates radiation, and the radiation transmitted through the subject (not shown) is incident on the radiography apparatus 110. The drive circuit of the radiography apparatus 110 reads out an image signal based on the amount of electric charge stored in the photoelectric conversion element of the radiography imaging apparatus 110 by a readout circuit, and generates image data. After that, the radiography apparatus 110 transmits the image data to the control unit 100. The control unit 100 acquires image data transmitted from the radiography apparatus 110 by the image acquisition unit 101.

In step S205, the image processing unit 102 executes image processing on the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 101, and displays the image after the image processing on the display unit 140. Image processing includes noise reduction processing, contrast adjustment processing, and the like.

In step S206, in response to an instruction from the graphical user interface (GUI), the diagnostic image processing is adjusted, and the image is adjusted and rotated so that the subject is vertical or horizontal on the screen. The details of the rotation process will be described later. At this time, the output image is displayed on the display unit 140.

In step S207, the photographing process is terminated by the operator's operation via the operation unit 120. In this step, a process of outputting an image to an external device such as a PACS 131 or a printer 132 via an output unit 107 is executed. The image may be executed in response to the input that the operator completes the shooting process.

Next, according to FIGS. 3 and 4, the processing contents of the rotation angle determining means 105 and the rotation means 106, which are the functions included in the image processing unit 102, will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the processing content, and FIG. 4 is an example of a list of angles for making the diagonal line connecting the upper right corner to the lower left corner on the screen vertical and horizontal on the screen. In FIG. 4, the angle is defined as the counterclockwise direction as the + direction.

In step S301, one of the diagonal lines of the image is selected to be rotated vertically or horizontally on the screen. The rotation angle for rotating vertically or horizontally is calculated by the rotation angle determining means 105 based on the information of the radiography apparatus used for imaging acquired from the inspection information input unit 104. For example, when the radiographic apparatus D shown in FIG. 4 is used, the rotation angles for rotating vertically and horizontally from the vertical and horizontal aspect ratios of the radiographic apparatus are 44.3 degrees and -45.7 degrees, respectively. Can be calculated.

In step S302, an image rotation process for rotating the image is performed according to the rotation angle determined in step S301. The processing result is displayed on the display unit 140 as a preview image.

Step S303 is a step of finely adjusting the rotation angle of the radiation image (subject image) displayed on the display unit 140 after the image rotation process. The operator can adjust the rotation angle of the subject image with respect to the preview image of the processing result of step S302 displayed on the display unit 140 by using the operation unit 120 which is an input means, if necessary. When the subject image reaches the desired rotation angle, the display of the preview image is terminated and the process proceeds to S304.

In step S303 for finely adjusting the rotation angle, for example, the preview image displayed by the operator may be directly rotated by mouse operation. Further, it may be performed via a GUI such as a button provided on the display unit 140 that enables clockwise and counterclockwise rotation. In addition, when rotating with a button, an input form that allows input of a desired rotation angle is provided on the screen, and one operation of the operation unit 120, for example, rotation by the angle input to the input form for each click of the mouse. You may try to do it. Further, it may be rotated at a predetermined rotation angle.

In step S304, an image rotation process for rotating an image is performed according to the rotation angle specified in step S303.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram displayed on the display unit 140 before performing image processing. A case where the displayed rectangular radiation image is rotated so that its diagonal line is vertical on the screen will be described as an example. Diagonal lines are not normally displayed, but may be displayed to the extent that they do not affect the diagnosis.

An area for displaying the name of the patient under examination is arranged in the name display area 501. Further, an area for displaying the inspection ID being inspected is arranged in the ID display area 502. The part information button 503 displays a part to be photographed or has been photographed. The operation cursor 504 operates a button provided on the screen by the user operating the operation unit 120. The captured image 506 is displayed in the image display area 507. Further, an inspection hold button 508 for temporarily suspending the inspection and an inspection end button 509 for ending the inspection are arranged.

Since the vertical rotation button 510 and the horizontal rotation button 511 have different rotation amounts depending on the diagonal line along which the subject image in the image is aligned, two types of buttons are provided for each. In the image shown in the example of FIG. 5, since the subject image exists along the diagonal line connecting the upper right corner to the lower left corner on the screen, a schematic diagram connecting the upper right corner to the lower left corner of the vertical rotation button 510 is described. The button is selected. All of the horizontal rotation buttons 511 are in the non-selected state.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view displayed on the display unit 140 after the vertical rotation processing is performed. Since the vertical rotation button 510 that performs the rotation process has been rotated, the selected state is canceled. In FIG. 6, the rotated image 606 is rotated at the center of the image and reduced so as to fit in the display unit 140, but the reduced image does not have to be displayed.

The means for performing image rotation is not limited to the vertical rotation button 510 and the horizontal rotation button 511 already described. For example, it may be realized by assigning a key for rotation operation using the operation unit 120. In addition, one operation does not have to be a single key operation, single click, single tap, etc., and one command is executed even with a shortcut key that combines multiple keys, multiple clicks, taps, etc. It should be.

Further, since the subject is not always reflected on the diagonal line of the radiography apparatus, the angle may be finely adjusted after performing vertical or horizontal rotation. For example, a GUI may be provided on the screen of the display unit 140 as a minute rotation button whose image rotation amount per operation is sufficiently smaller than the angles of vertical rotation and horizontal rotation. Further, it may be realized by assigning a key for a minute rotation operation or performing a specific operation such as a shortcut key by using the operation unit 120.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the rotation angle for rotating the diagonal line of the radiographic image vertically or parallel to the horizontal direction on the screen is determined according to the aspect ratio of the radiography apparatus (imaging area) used for imaging. It is calculated. Based on this rotation angle, the subject image along the diagonal line can be easily rotated so that the direction of the diagonal line is parallel to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the screen, and the visibility of the subject image can be improved. If necessary, the rotation angle of the radiation image (subject image) can be finely adjusted.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7. When the radiation image 701 shown in FIG. 7 is rotated so that the diagonal line of the radiation image is in the vertical direction on the screen of the display unit 140, there are four patterns of rotation of 710, 711, 712, and 713. Similarly, when the diagonal line is set to be horizontal, there are 4 patterns, and there are a total of 8 patterns of rotation. The eight patterns of rotation are a pattern in which one diagonal of the radiographic image is aligned vertically on the screen, and then four patterns of rotation of 90 °, 180 °, and 270 ° clockwise from there, and the other. The diagonal line of is also composed of four patterns of rotation in the same manner.

Even when the rotation operation in the first embodiment is performed, the vertical direction of the radiographic image is made parallel to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction of the display area. Therefore, 8 patterns of rotation are feasible. However, in the present embodiment, for the purpose of improving operability, a method of selecting a desired rotation state by one operation is provided.

Regarding the specific operation for realizing these a plurality of rotation angles, for example, the number of the vertical rotation buttons 510 and the horizontal rotation buttons 511 described with reference to FIG. 5 may be increased. Further, it may be realized by assigning a key for rotation operation or performing a specific operation such as a shortcut key by using the operation unit 120.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when it is desired to make the subject vertical or horizontal on the screen and to invert it vertically and horizontally, it is possible to reduce the number of turns as compared with the operation in the first embodiment.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes the above-mentioned functions to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and reading and executing the program by one or more processors in the computer of the system or the apparatus. be.

Further, as the recording medium, various recording media such as a flexible disk, an optical disk (for example, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM), a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory (for example, a USB memory), and a ROM can be used. .. Further, a program that implements the above-mentioned functions may be downloaded via a network and executed by a computer.

Further, the function of the above-described embodiment is not limited to the realization by executing the program code read by the computer. It is also included that the OS (operating system) or the like running on the computer performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the processing realizes the function of the above-described embodiment. ..

Further, the program code read from the recording medium may be written in the memory provided in the function expansion board inserted in the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer. It is also included that the CPU provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performs a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code, and the above-mentioned function is realized by the processing.

100 Control unit 101 Image acquisition unit 102 Image processing unit 104 Inspection information input unit 105 Rotation angle determination means 106 Rotation means 107 Output unit 110 Radiology imaging device 120 Operation unit 130 RIS (Radiological information system)
131 PACS (Medical Image Management System)
132 Printer 140 Display

Claims (17)

A radiological imaging system that displays a radiological image in the display area of the display unit based on the output of the radiological imaging device.
The angle formed by the diagonal direction of the rectangular radiographic image including the subject image along the diagonal line and the horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal scanning line of the display unit or the vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction. A radiography system characterized in that an image obtained by rotating a rectangular radiographic image is displayed in the display area so that the diagonal direction is parallel to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction according to information. The radiography according to claim 1, wherein the first image as the rectangular radiographic image and the second image as the image obtained by rotating the rectangular radiographic image are displayed in the display area. system. The rotation angle when the first image is rotated to display the second image is
A first rotation angle at which the diagonal direction is parallel to the horizontal or vertical direction of the display area.
A second rotation angle rotated 90 ° clockwise from the first rotation angle, and
A third rotation angle rotated 90 ° clockwise from the second rotation angle, and
The radiography system according to claim 2, wherein the radiography system is one of a fourth rotation angle rotated 90 ° clockwise from the third rotation angle. The radiation according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a third image whose orientation is adjusted by rotating the second image at an angle smaller than the rotation is displayed in the display area. Shooting system. The radiography system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the angle information is formed based on the shape of the imaging region in the radiography apparatus. The radiography system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a function of reducing the image obtained by rotating the rectangular radiographic image and displaying the image in the display area. A display unit including the display area and
It has a console including a control unit that controls the display unit, and has a control unit.
The control unit includes an image processing unit that performs image processing of the rectangular radiation image.
The radiography system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the image processing unit has a function of forming data of the image by rotating the rectangular radiographic image. The radiography system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the image obtained by rotating the rectangular radiographic image by one operation of the operation unit is displayed in the display area. It has a console that displays a radiological image in the display area of the display unit based on the output of the radiographer.
The console has a horizontal direction in which the diagonal direction of a rectangular radial image including a subject image along the diagonal line is parallel to the horizontal scanning line of the display unit or a vertical direction in which the direction is perpendicular to the horizontal direction. A first operation unit for displaying an image obtained by rotating the rectangular radial image so as to be parallel to the display area.
A radiography imaging system comprising a second operation unit for rotating the radiographic image rotated by the first operation unit. The radiography system according to claim 9, wherein the rotation by the first operation unit is performed by one operation. The radiography system according to claim 10, wherein the amount of image rotation per operation by the first operation unit is larger than the amount of image rotation per operation by the second operation unit. It has a console that displays a radiological image in the display area of the display unit based on the output of the radiographer.
The console has a horizontal direction in which the diagonal direction of a rectangular radial image including a subject image along the diagonal line is parallel to the horizontal scanning line of the display unit or a direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction. A radiography system characterized by having an operation unit that rotates the rectangular radiographic image so as to be parallel to the vertical direction. It is an image processing method of a radiography system.
When displaying a rectangular radiation image including a subject image along the diagonal line in the display area of the display unit
Depending on the information of the angle formed by the diagonal direction of the first image as the radiographic image and the horizontal direction parallel to the horizontal scanning line of the display unit or the vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction. The image processing method is characterized in that a second image obtained by rotating the first image so that the diagonal direction is parallel to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction is displayed in the display area. The second image obtained by rotating the first image so that the diagonal direction is parallel to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction is displayed in the display area by one operation of the operation unit. The image processing method according to claim 13. The image processing method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of further rotating the second image displayed in the display area. A program for causing a computer to execute the image processing method according to any one of claims 13 to 15. A computer-readable recording medium on which the program according to claim 16 is recorded.

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