JP2022161844A - Medical image processing device, medical image diagnostic device, ultrasonic diagnostic device, medical image processing method, and medical image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

To execute registration in a short time.SOLUTION: A medical image processing device includes a first acquisition unit, a cross section determination unit, a second acquisition unit, a cross section detection unit, a cross section acquisition unit, and a registration unit. The first acquisition unit acquires first volume data on a detection site of a subject. The cross section determination unit determines a cross section in the detection site. The second acquisition unit acquires second volume data on the detection site of the subject. The cross section detection unit automatically detects the cross section in the first volume data. The cross section acquisition unit acquires the cross section in the second volume data. The registration unit registers the first volume data and the second volume data on the basis of the cross section in the first volume data and the cross section in the second volume data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The embodiments disclosed in this specification and drawings relate to a medical image processing apparatus, a medical image diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a medical image processing method, and a medical image processing program.

In the field of medical image imaging, registration of 3D image data of the examination site during examination or treatment and 3D image data acquired before examination or treatment for the examination site of the subject when performing examination or treatment. (registration). That is, it is necessary to perform alignment.

For example, prior to performing a diagnosis or surgical operation on an inspection site of a subject, the inspection site of the subject is usually required to acquire three-dimensional CT or MR volume data with a good anatomical environment. A CT (Computed Tomography) or MR (Magnetic Resonance) scan is performed beforehand. Next, three-dimensional US (Ultra-Sonic; ultrasound) scanning. After that, the 3D CT or MR volume data and the 3D US volume data are registered. As a result, when performing a diagnosis or surgical operation, an anatomical plane in 3D CT or MR volume data with excellent definition corresponding to the anatomical plane in real-time 3D US volume data of the examination site can be searched at high speed. It is easy for a doctor to analyze and judge accurately, and to make an accurate diagnosis or perform an accurate procedure in a surgical operation.

Here, a method of registering three-dimensional CT or MR volume data and three-dimensional US volume data will be described using a surgical operation as an example. Acquisition of three-dimensional CT or MR volume data of the inspection site, and acquisition of three-dimensional US volume data of the inspection site in surgery, registration based on surgical information acquired when performing surgery on the inspection site A target structure, which is a reference for the simulation, is determined, and the target structure is artificially searched for from three-dimensional CT or MR volume data. After that, by operating the US probe, a structure similar to the target structure found from the three-dimensional CT or MR volume data is found from the three-dimensional US volume data, and the three-dimensional CT or MR volume data is obtained based on these two found structures. and 3D US volume data.

However, since it is difficult for a doctor to artificially find the target structure from the three-dimensional CT or MR volume data, the target structure found from the three-dimensional CT or MR volume data and the three-dimensional US volume data are usually used. There is a large gap between the found similar structures. Also, the initial transformation parameters used in the registration calculation are calculated based on the target structure and similar structures, so the initial transformation parameters are not accurate. The need to constantly search for the target structure and its similar structures in order to obtain the correct initial transformation parameters increases the registration time.

JP 2014-239731 A

One of the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and drawings is to perform registration in a short time. However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and drawings are not limited to the above problems. A problem corresponding to each effect of each configuration shown in the embodiments described later can be positioned as another problem.

The medical image processing apparatus according to this embodiment includes a first acquisition section, a section determination section, a second acquisition section, a section detection section, a section acquisition section, and a registration section. The first acquisition unit acquires first volume data of an examination region of a subject. The cross section determination unit determines a cross section at the examination site. The second acquisition unit acquires second volume data of the examination region of the subject. The cross-section detection unit automatically detects the cross-section in the first volume data. The cross-section acquiring unit acquires the cross-section in the second volume data. The registration unit registers the first volume data and the second volume data based on the cross section in the first volume data and the cross section in the second volume data.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the medical image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of registration processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flow chart of registration processing when the heart is to be examined according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of finding 4CH planes from three-dimensional CT volume data of the heart. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a 4CH plane obtained from three-dimensional CT volume data. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a 4CH plane obtained from three-dimensional US volume data. FIG. 6 is a flow chart of registration processing when the heart is to be examined according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the processing circuit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment.

A medical image processing apparatus, a medical image diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a medical image processing method, and a medical image processing program according to embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the embodiment described below is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. Also, the content described in one embodiment can be similarly applied to other embodiments in principle.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the medical image processing apparatus 1 has an input interface 102, a display 103, a storage circuit 150, and a processing circuit 160.

The input interface 102 includes a trackball, switch buttons, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch pad for performing input operations by touching the operation surface, a touch screen in which the display screen and the touch pad are integrated, It is realized by a non-contact input circuit using an optical sensor, an audio input circuit, and the like. The input interface 102 is connected to the processing circuit 160 , converts an input operation received from an operator into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal to the processing circuit 160 .

The display 103 is connected to the processing circuit 160 and displays various information and various image data output from the processing circuit 160 . For example, the display 103 is realized by a liquid crystal monitor, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, a touch panel, or the like. For example, the display 103 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for accepting operator's instructions, various display images, and various processing results by the processing circuit 160 . The display 103 is an example of a display unit.

The storage circuit 150 is connected to the processing circuit 160 and stores various data. For example, the storage circuit 150 is implemented by a semiconductor memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or flash memory, a hard disk, an optical disk, or the like. The storage circuit 150 also stores programs corresponding to each processing function executed by the processing circuit 160 .

The processing circuit 160 controls each component of the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to an input operation received from the operator via the input interface 102 . The processing circuit 160 functions as a medical image processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

For example, processing circuitry 160 is implemented by a processor. As shown in FIG. 1, the processing circuit 160 includes a 3D CT volume data acquisition function 11, a cross section determination function 12, a 3D US volume data acquisition function 13, a cross section detection function 14, a cross section acquisition function 15, a registration function 16; Here, three-dimensional CT volume data acquisition function 11, cross-section determination function 12, three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13, cross-section detection function 14, cross-section acquisition function 15, and registration, which are components of processing circuit 160 shown in FIG. Each processing function executed by the function 16 is recorded in the storage circuit 150 of the medical image processing apparatus 1 in the form of a computer-executable program, for example. The processing circuit 160 is a processor that reads each program from the storage circuit 150 and executes it, thereby realizing a processing function corresponding to each program. In other words, the processing circuit 160 with each program read has each function shown in the processing circuit 160 of FIG.

Next, processing contents of the 3D CT volume data acquisition function 11, the cross section determination function 12, the 3D US volume data acquisition function 13, the cross section detection function 14, the cross section acquisition function 15, and the registration function 16 executed by the processing circuit 160. explain.

A three-dimensional CT volume data acquisition function 11 acquires three-dimensional CT volume data of an examination region of a subject. Here, in order to know the overall condition of the inspection site before performing an examination or treatment on the subject, the inspection site is usually three-dimensionally scanned to obtain a good image of the inspection site. It is necessary to acquire clear three-dimensional CT (computed tomography) volume data or the like having an anatomical environment. For example, the 3D CT volume data acquisition function 11 acquires 3D CT volume data by performing a CT scan in advance on the inspection site of the subject. Specifically, the three-dimensional CT volume data acquisition function 11 is composed of, for example, a memory, and stores the three-dimensional CT volume data of the inspection site of the subject generated by the X-ray CT apparatus, thereby performing the examination of the subject. 3D CT volume data of the site is acquired. The three-dimensional CT volume data acquisition function 11 is an example of a first acquisition unit, and the three-dimensional CT volume data is an example of first volume data.

Here, the inspection site may be one organ such as the heart, liver, or prostate, or may be one body site such as the abdomen including the liver.

The cross-section determination function 12 determines a cross-section at the inspection site of the subject. The cross-section is one of a plurality of representative anatomical planes of the examination site. Usually, there are multiple representative anatomical planes of the inspection site. When the examination site is the heart, typical anatomical planes thereof include the 4CH (chamber) plane, the 3CH plane, and the 2CH plane. When the examination site is the abdomen, its representative anatomical planes are the intercostal plane, the subcostal plane, and the like. Therefore, the cross section determination function 12 selects one cross section from a plurality of representative anatomical planes of the inspection site and determines it as the cross section of the inspection site. Note that the cross section determination function 12 is an example of a cross section determination unit.

A three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13 acquires three-dimensional US volume data of an examination site of a subject. For example, when surgery is performed on a test site of a subject, the surgery may be assisted by performing US scanning on the test site. When US (Ultra-Sonic; ultrasonic) scanning is performed on the inspection site, the three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13 acquires three-dimensional US volume data of the inspection site of the subject. The three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13 is an example of a second acquisition unit, and the three-dimensional US volume data is an example of second volume data.

A cross-section detection function 14 automatically detects cross-sections determined by the cross-section determination function 12 in the three-dimensional CT volume data. For example, the plane detection function 14 automatically detects planes determined by the plane determination function 12 based on multiple anatomic points in the three-dimensional CT volume data. A specific example of detecting a cross section based on a plurality of anatomical points will be described later. Note that the cross-section detection function 14 is an example of a cross-section detection unit.

A cross-section acquisition function 15 acquires a cross-section determined by the cross-section determination function 12 in the three-dimensional US volume data. For example, when the cross-section detection function 14 detects a cross-section determined by the cross-section determination function 12 in the three-dimensional CT volume data, the cross-section acquisition function 15 refers to the cross-section to obtain the cross-section from the three-dimensional US volume data. Similar cross-sections can be found (obtained). The cross-section acquisition function 15 can also acquire the cross-section determined by the cross-section determination function 12 before the cross-section detection function 14 automatically detects the cross-section. In this case, the doctor can translate or rotate the US probe based on his/her experience to find the cross section determined by the cross section determination function 12 and acquire the cross section by the cross section acquisition function 15. Note that the cross-section acquisition function 15 is an example of a cross-section acquisition unit.

The registration function 16 performs a three-dimensional image of the inspection site based on the cross-section detected by the cross-section detection function 14 in the three-dimensional CT volume data and the cross-section acquired by the cross-section acquisition function 15 in the three-dimensional US volume data. Register the CT volume data and the 3D US volume data. Specifically, the registration function 16 registers the position of the cross section detected by the cross section detection function 14 in the 3D CT volume data and the position of the cross section acquired by the cross section acquisition function 15 in the 3D US volume data. As a reference position, 3D CT volume data and 3D US volume data of the inspection site are registered. Note that the registration function 16 is an example of a registration unit.

Further, in the processing circuit 160 , the cross-section acquisition function 15 may cause the display 103 to display cross-sections in the three-dimensional CT volume data automatically detected by the cross-section detection function 14 . The slice acquisition function 15 acquires a corresponding slice in the 3D US volume data based on the slice in the 3D CT volume data displayed on the display 103 . Specifically, the doctor (user) refers to the cross section in the three-dimensional CT volume data displayed on the display 103, and performs US scanning on the inspection site of the subject. A cross section having the highest degree of similarity to the cross section in the 3D CT volume data is selected as a corresponding cross section from among a plurality of cross sections in the 3D US volume data acquired by the 3D US volume data acquisition function 13 .

The registration process of the 3D CT volume data and the 3D US volume data of the inspection site will be described below with reference to FIG.

Step S 1 in FIG. 2 is a step executed by the processing circuit 160 calling a program corresponding to the three-dimensional CT volume data acquisition function 11 from the storage circuit 150 . In step S1, the doctor (user) performs a CT scan on the inspection site of the subject, and the 3D CT volume data acquisition function 11 acquires the 3D CT volume data of the inspection site of the subject.

Step S2 in FIG. 2 is a step executed by the processing circuit 160 calling a program corresponding to the section determination function 12 from the storage circuit 150. FIG. In step S2, for a type of examination site, such as heart, liver, prostate, or abdomen, plane determination function 12 determines one representative anatomical plane at the examination site.

Step S<b>3 in FIG. 2 is a step executed by the processing circuit 160 calling a program corresponding to the cross-section detection function 14 from the storage circuit 150 . In step S3, the cross-section detection function 14 detects the representative anatomical plane of the inspection site determined in step S2 based on a plurality of anatomical points in the three-dimensional CT volume data acquired in step S1. Detect faces automatically. The cross-section detection function 14 causes the display 103 to display the detected anatomical plane.

Step S4 in FIG. 2 is a step executed by the processing circuit 160 calling a program corresponding to the three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13 and cross-section acquisition function 15 from the storage circuit 150. FIG. In step S4, the doctor performs US scanning on the inspection site of the subject, so that the three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13 acquires three-dimensional US volume data of the inspection site. Then, the doctor performs US scanning empirically or by referring to the anatomical plane displayed on the display 103, and the slice acquisition function 15 acquires the anatomical plane corresponding to the anatomical plane detected in step S3 (corresponding cross section). For example, if the anatomical plane detected in step S3 is the 4CH plane of the heart of the patient (subject), the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional US volume data of the heart is acquired in step S4.

Step S5 in FIG. 2 is a step executed by the processing circuit 160 calling a program corresponding to the registration function 16 from the storage circuit 150. FIG. In step S5, the registration function 16 performs three-dimensional CT using the anatomical plane in the 3D CT volume data detected in step S3 and the anatomical plane in the 3D US volume data acquired in step S4 as references. Register the volume data and the 3D US volume data.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, first, in step S3, the cross-section detection function 14 automatically detects a cross-section in the three-dimensional CT volume data, and then in step S4, the cross-section acquisition function 15 detects a cross-section in the three-dimensional US volume data. Although the corresponding cross sections are acquired, the order of the processes in steps S3 and S4 can be reversed. That is, first, in step S4, the three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13 is obtained by the doctor performing US scanning on the examination region of the subject with respect to the representative anatomical plane of the examination region determined in step S2. Along with acquiring three-dimensional US volume data of the inspection site, the cross-section acquisition function 15 acquires a representative anatomical plane, and then, in step S3, the cross-section detection function 14 acquires the three-dimensional CT volume acquired in step S1. Automatically detect the corresponding anatomical plane from the data.

The registration process of three-dimensional CT volume data and three-dimensional US volume data will be specifically described below with reference to FIG. 3, taking the heart as an example. 3 correspond to steps S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5 in FIG. 2, respectively.

A doctor (user) needs to accurately determine a lesion site by referring to a CT image or an MR image corresponding to a US scanned image while performing a US scan on the heart during an operation on the heart. In this embodiment, referring to a CT image will be described as an example.

For example, a doctor needs to obtain clear three-dimensional CT volume data of the patient's heart by performing a CT scan on the patient's heart in advance before performing surgery on the patient's (subject's) heart. be. Therefore, in step S101, the doctor performs a CT scan on the inspection site of the subject, and the 3D CT volume data acquisition function 11 acquires 3D CT volume data of the patient's heart.

Next, when the physician is performing surgery on the patient's heart, he must select a target US exam type from the US exam types, eg, heart, prostate, abdomen, etc., before performing a US scan. Therefore, in step S102, the slice determination function 12 selects a target US examination type. Specifically, the section determination function 12 causes the display 103 to display a screen for accepting selection of a target US examination type from types such as heart, prostate, and abdomen. For example, in this embodiment, the physician selects heart as the target US exam type.

Next, in step S103, when the doctor selects the patient's heart, the slice determination function 12 selects a target slice from the candidate slice list. Specifically, the section determining function 12 displays on the display 103 a candidate section list that accepts selection of one representative anatomical plane from a plurality of representative anatomical planes such as the 4CH plane, the 3CH plane, and the 2CH plane. Let In this embodiment, the doctor selects the 4CH plane that can evaluate the contractility of the heart from the candidate plane list as one representative anatomical plane. In this case, the cross section determination function 12 determines the 4CH plane selected by the doctor as the target cross section.

Next, in order to locate the 4CH plane, in step S104, the slice detection function 14 locates at least three anatomic points as multiple anatomic points in the three-dimensional CT volume data of the patient's heart according to existing image analysis algorithms. . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the cross-section detection function 14 extracts a mitral valve point (Mitral Valve) M, a cardiac apex (LV Apex) A, and an atrioventricular junction (junction points) from the three-dimensional CT volume data. ) find J. The mitral valve point M, the apex point A and the atrioventricular junction J are three anatomical points that do not lie on the same straight line. In this embodiment, three anatomical points are exemplified as the anatomical points to be searched, but the number of anatomical points to be searched may be three or more, for example. Further, in the present embodiment, an anatomical point is searched for from a cross section (plane), but an anatomical point may be searched for from a curved surface, for example.

Next, in step S105, the cross-section detection function 14 calculates the long axis vector V1 based on the positions of the mitral valve point M and the apex point A, and based on the long axis vector V1 and the positions of the atrioventricular junction J to calculate the minor axis vector V2.

Next, in step S106, the section detection function 14 identifies a section of the three-dimensional CT volume data of the patient's heart based on the long-axis vector V1 and the short-axis vector V2, and detects the identified section as a 4CH plane. do. Then, the section detection function 14 causes the display 103 to display the detected 4CH plane. For example, the section detection function 14 causes the display 103 to display a 4CH plane as shown in FIG. 5A as the detected 4CH plane.

Next, in step S107, the doctor performs US scanning of the patient's heart, and the 3D US volume data acquisition function 13 acquires 3D US volume data of the patient's heart. Then, the doctor performs US scanning with reference to the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional CT volume data displayed on the display 103, so that the cross-section acquisition function 15 acquires the three-dimensional data acquired by the three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13. From the original US volume data, a cross section similar to the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional CT volume data is displayed on the display 103 . For example, the cross-section acquisition function 15 causes the display 103 to display a cross-section as shown in FIG. 5B as a cross-section similar to the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional CT volume data. Thereby, the doctor searches for a cross section (corresponding cross section) corresponding to the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional CT volume data, and the cross section acquisition function 15 acquires the cross section found by the doctor as the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional US volume data. do.

Finally, in step S108, the registration function 16 registers the 3D CT volume data and the 3D US volume data with reference to the 4CH plane in the 3D CT volume data and the 4CH plane in the 3D US volume data. do.

As a result, the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment quickly searches for a clear CT image corresponding to a cross section shown during ultrasound probe scanning when performing surgery on the patient's heart. It can assist doctors to make quick and accurate judgments, and can greatly improve the surgical efficiency.

In addition, in the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, in the three-dimensional CT volume data of the patient's heart, three anatomical points that are not located on the same straight line, the mitral valve point M, the apical point A, and the atria A long-axis vector V1 and a short-axis vector V2 are specified based on the room connection point J, and a 4CH plane in the three-dimensional CT volume data is specified based on the long-axis vector V1 and short-axis vector V2. Here, directly specifying the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional CT volume data based on the three anatomical points that are not located on the same straight line, the mitral valve point M, the apical point A, and the atrioventricular junction point; In other words, the section where these three anatomical points are located can also be specified as the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional CT volume data.

Further, in the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the automatically detected 4CH plane in the 3D CT volume data is referred to, and a plane similar to the 4CH plane is searched from the 3D US volume data. is the 4CH plane in the three-dimensional US volume data. Here, instead of referring to the automatically detected 4CH plane in the 3D CT volume data, the doctor can search for the 4CH plane in the 3D US volume data based on his/her own experience.

Further, in the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the three-dimensional CT volume data of the patient's heart is acquired in advance, and then the three-dimensional CT volume data and the three-dimensional US volume data of the patient's heart are acquired. Although the description has been given as an example of registering , the present invention is not limited to this. For example, 3D MR volume data also has a good anatomical environment and is clear 3D volume data. It is also possible to register the data with 3D US volumetric data of the heart.

(Second embodiment)
A second embodiment of the medical image processing apparatus 1 will be described below with reference to FIG. Also in FIG. 6, the registration process of three-dimensional CT volume data and three-dimensional US volume data will be described using the heart as an example.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment is omitted. Since steps S201 to S208 in the second embodiment are the same as steps S101 to S108 in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted. The medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment performs point cloud registration using a registration algorithm.

At step S209, the registration function 16 uses the information of the mitral valve point M, apex point A, and atrioventricular junction J found at step S204 to initialize the registration parameters in the registration algorithm.

At step S210, the registration function 16 executes a registration algorithm to determine points located near the mitral valve point M, the apex point A, and the atrioventricular junction J in the 3D CT and 3D US volume data. The similarity of corresponding points between the 3D CT volume data and the 3D US volume data is calculated so as to give additional weight to .

In step S211, the registration function 16 outputs a transformation matrix between the 3D CT volume data and the 3D US volume data, and uses the transformation matrix to transform the 3D CT volume data and the 3D US volume data. Register further.

Thus, in the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, points located near the mitral valve point M, the apex point A, and the atrioventricular junction J in the three-dimensional CT volume data and the three-dimensional US volume data give additional weight to That is, in the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment, a point located near three points in the three-dimensional CT volume data and the three-dimensional US volume data is weighted higher than other points. As a result, the medical image processing apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment calculates the similarity of the corresponding points between the three-dimensional CT volume data and the three-dimensional US volume data, and increases the precision of the registration algorithm. Accurate registration between 3D CT volume data and 3D US volume data can be achieved.

The medical image processing apparatuses 1 according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment are not limited to the forms described above. For example, the processing circuit 160 may be a workstation installed separately from the medical image processing apparatus 1 . In this case, the workstation would have processing circuitry similar to processing circuitry 160 to perform the processes described above.

Further, for example, the medical image processing apparatus 1 may be incorporated in a medical image diagnostic apparatus that generates three-dimensional CT volume data or three-dimensional MR volume data of an examination site of a subject. Medical image diagnostic apparatuses include, for example, an X-ray CT apparatus, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus, and the like. For example, when the medical image processing apparatus 1 is incorporated in an X-ray CT apparatus, in the processing circuit 160 of the X-ray CT apparatus, the three-dimensional CT volume data acquisition function 11 acquires three-dimensional data generated in the medical image diagnostic apparatus. Acquiring CT volume data, the 3D US volume data acquisition function 13 acquires 3D US volume data generated by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

(Third embodiment)
The processing circuit 160, which is the medical image processing apparatus according to the first and second embodiments, may be provided in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 in the third embodiment has an apparatus main body 200 which is the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2, an ultrasonic probe 201, an input device 202, and a display 203. The ultrasonic probe 201 , input device 202 and display 203 are connected to the device body 200 .

The ultrasonic probe 201 has a plurality of transducers (for example, piezoelectric transducers), and these plurality of transducers generate ultrasonic waves based on drive signals supplied from a transmission/reception circuit 210 of the apparatus main body 200, which will be described later. do. Also, the plurality of transducers included in the ultrasonic probe 201 receive reflected waves from the subject P and convert them into electrical signals. Further, the ultrasonic probe 201 has a matching layer provided on the transducer, a backing material, etc. for preventing the ultrasonic wave from propagating backward from the transducer. A magnetic sensor for acquiring position information of the ultrasonic probe 201 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 201 .

The input device 202 includes an input device operable by an operator and an input circuit for inputting signals from the input device. Input devices include tracking balls, switches, mice, keyboards, touch panels that perform input operations by touching the operation surface, touch screens that integrate display screens and touch panels, non-contact input devices that use optical sensors, and voice. It is implemented by an input device or the like. When the input device is operated by the operator, the input circuit generates a signal corresponding to the operation and outputs it to the processing circuit.

The display 203 is realized by a liquid crystal monitor, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor, a touch panel, or the like. The display 203 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the operator of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 to input various setting requests using the input device 202, and displays US (ultrasonic waves) generated in the apparatus main body 200. It displays image data, etc. The display 203 is an example of a display unit.

The device main body 200 is a device that generates US image data based on reflected wave signals received by the ultrasonic probe 201. As shown in FIG. , an image memory 240 , a storage circuit 250 , and a processing circuit 260 . The transmission/reception circuit 210, the signal processing circuit 220, the image generation circuit 230, the image memory 240, the storage circuit 250, and the processing circuit 260 are connected so as to be able to communicate with each other.

The transmission/reception circuit 210 controls transmission of ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic probe 201 . For example, based on instructions from the processing circuit 260, the transmission/reception circuit 210 applies the above-described drive signal (driving pulse) to the ultrasonic probe 201 at timing when a predetermined transmission delay time is given to each transducer. Accordingly, the transmission/reception circuit 210 causes the ultrasonic probe 201 to transmit an ultrasonic beam in which ultrasonic waves are focused into a beam shape. Also, the transmission/reception circuit 210 controls reception of reflected wave signals by the ultrasonic probe 201 . The reflected wave signal is a signal obtained by reflecting the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 201 by the body tissue of the subject P as described above. For example, based on an instruction from the processing circuit 260, the transmission/reception circuit 210 gives a predetermined delay time to the reflected wave signal received by the ultrasonic probe 201 and performs addition processing. Thereby, the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity of the reflected wave signal is emphasized.

The signal processing circuit 220 performs various signal processing on the reflected wave signal received by the transmission/reception circuit 210 . For example, the signal processing circuit 220 generates data (B-mode data) in which the signal strength of each sample point (observation point) is represented by brightness by performing various signal processing on the reflected wave signal. do. The signal processing circuit 220 also generates data (Doppler data) by extracting motion information based on the Doppler effect of the moving object at each sample point within the scanning area.

The image generation circuit 230 generates image data (US image) from data subjected to various signal processing by the signal processing circuit 220, and performs various image processing on the US image. For example, the image generation circuit 230 generates a two-dimensional US image representing the intensity of the reflected wave by luminance from two-dimensional (2D) B-mode data. Further, the image generation circuit 230 generates a two-dimensional US image in which blood flow information is visualized from two-dimensional Doppler data.

Here, the image generation circuit 230 generates a US image for display by performing coordinate transformation according to the scanning mode of ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic probe 201 . For example, the B-mode data and Doppler data are US image data before scan conversion processing, and the data generated by the image processing circuit 240 are US image data for display after scan conversion processing. That is, the image generation circuit 230 generates two-dimensional US image data for display from the two-dimensional US image data before scan conversion processing. Furthermore, the image generation circuit 230 generates a three-dimensional US image by performing coordinate transformation on the three-dimensional (3D) B-mode data generated by the signal processing circuit 220 . The image generation circuit 230 also generates a three-dimensional US image by performing coordinate transformation on the three-dimensional Doppler data generated by the signal processing circuit 120 . Furthermore, the image generation circuit 230 performs rendering processing on the volume data in order to generate various two-dimensional US images for displaying the volume data on the display 203 .

The image generation circuit 230 stores the US image and the US image subjected to various image processing in the image memory 240 . The image memory 240 and the storage circuit 250 are, for example, semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and flash memory, or storage devices such as hard disks and optical disks.

A processing circuit 260 controls the entire processing of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 . Specifically, the processing circuit 260 controls the transmission/reception circuit 210 and the signal processing circuit based on various setting requests input by the operator via the input device 202 and various control programs and various data read from the storage circuit 250 . 220 , image generation circuit 230 and image memory 240 . The processing circuit 260 controls the display 203 to display the US image for display generated by the image generation circuit 230 or the US image for display stored in the image memory 240 .

For example, processing circuitry 260 is implemented by a processor. As shown in FIG. 8, the processing circuit 260 has a three-dimensional CT volume data acquisition function 11, a section determination function 12, a three-dimensional US volume data acquisition function 13, a section detection function 14, a section acquisition function 15, and a registration function 16. Run. The 3D CT volume data acquisition function 11, the cross section determination function 12, the 3D US volume data acquisition function 13, the cross section detection function 14, the cross section acquisition function 15, and the registration function 16 of the processing circuit 260 are each the processing circuit shown in FIG. 160 3D CT volume data acquisition function 11, slice determination function 12, 3D US volume data acquisition function 13, slice detection function 14, slice acquisition function 15, and registration function 16. That is, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 includes a processing circuit 260 corresponding to the processing circuit 160 in FIG. 1, and uses the ultrasonic probe 201 to acquire three-dimensional US volume data.

The term "processor" used in the above description includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (for example, a simple programmable Logic device (Simple Programmable Logic Device: SPLD), Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and other circuits. When the processor is, for example, a CPU, the processor implements functions by reading and executing a program stored in the memory circuit 150 in FIG. 1 or the memory circuit 250 in FIG. On the other hand, if the processor is, for example, an ASIC, the program is directly embedded in the circuitry of the processor instead of storing the program in the memory circuitry 150 of FIG. 1 or the memory circuitry 250 of FIG. Note that each processor of the present embodiment is not limited to being configured as a single circuit for each processor, and may be configured as one processor by combining a plurality of independent circuits to realize its function. good. Furthermore, a plurality of components in FIGS. 1 and 7 may be integrated into one processor to realize its functions.

Each component of each device illustrated in the above-described embodiment is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. Furthermore, all or any part of each processing function performed by each device can be implemented by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or implemented as hardware based on wired logic.

Further, the processing method (medical image processing method) described in the above embodiment can be realized by executing a prepared program on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. In addition, this program is recorded on a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium such as a hard disk, flexible disk (FD), CD-ROM, MO, DVD, etc., and is executed by being read from the recording medium by a computer. can also

According to at least one embodiment described above, registration can be performed in a short time.

Although several embodiments have been described, these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the technical proposal and its equivalents.

11 3D CT volume data acquisition function 12 Section determination function 13 3D US volume data acquisition function 14 Section detection function 15 Section acquisition function 16 Registration function 160 Processing circuit

Claims (10)

a first acquisition unit that acquires first volume data of an examination site of a subject;
a cross-section determination unit that determines a cross-section at the inspection site;
a second acquisition unit that acquires second volume data of the examination site of the subject;
a cross-section detection unit that automatically detects the cross-section in the first volume data;
a cross-section acquisition unit that acquires the cross-section in the second volume data;
a registration unit that registers the first volume data and the second volume data based on the cross section in the first volume data and the cross section in the second volume data;
A medical image processing apparatus comprising: The cross section determination unit selects one cross section from a plurality of representative anatomical planes of the inspection site and determines it as the cross section of the inspection site.
The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1. The section detection unit automatically detects at least three anatomical points that are not located on the same straight line from the first volume data, and detects the section in which the at least three anatomical points are located as the section in the first volume data. to be
The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 2. The registration unit
performing the registration using a registration algorithm;
initializing registration parameters in the registration algorithm using the information of the at least three anatomical points;
Similarity between the first volume data and the second volume data so as to give additional weight to points located near the at least three anatomical points in the first volume data and the second volume data. calculating degrees and outputting a matrix for performing said registration;
The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 3. further comprising a display unit that displays the cross section in the first volume data,
The cross-section acquisition unit acquires the cross-section in the second volume data based on the cross-section in the displayed first volume data.
The medical image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4. the first volume data is three-dimensional CT volume data or three-dimensional MR volume data;
the second volume data is three-dimensional US volume data;
The medical image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5. The medical image processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A medical image diagnostic device comprising: 7. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second volume data is acquired using an ultrasound probe.
Ultrasound diagnostic equipment. obtaining first volume data of a test site of a subject;
determining a cross-section at the inspection site;
obtaining second volume data of the inspection site of the subject;
automatically detecting the cross section in the first volume data;
obtaining the cross section in the second volume data;
registering the first volume data and the second volume data based on the cross section in the first volume data and the cross section in the second volume data;
A medical image processing method comprising: obtaining first volume data of a test site of a subject;
determining a cross-section at the inspection site;
obtaining second volume data of the inspection site of the subject;
automatically detecting the cross section in the first volume data;
obtaining the cross section in the second volume data;
registering the first volume data and the second volume data based on the cross section in the first volume data and the cross section in the second volume data;
A medical image processing program that causes a computer to execute processing.

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