JP7447595B2 - Medical image display device, medical image display method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a medical image display device and an image display method, and particularly relates to a superimposed display of a morphological image showing a tissue structure and a functional image showing a biological activity.

In image diagnosis using so-called tomographic images, morphological images showing tissue structures and functional images showing biological activities are used. Morphological images are images that show the structure of tissues obtained from X-ray tomography, B-mode images from ultrasound diagnostic equipment, CT (Computed Tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), etc. Although it is suitable for detecting foreign objects with different structures, it is difficult to detect foreign objects with similar structures or evaluate tissue biological activity. On the other hand, functional images are images obtained from PET (Positron Emission Tomography), contrast-enhanced CT, etc. that show the degree of biological activity of tissues, and can evaluate the distribution state of biological activity, but the boundaries between tissues are In some cases, it may be difficult to identify which tissue is responsible for the biological activity. Therefore, for example, by superimposing and displaying a functional image on a morphological image, the position in the functional image is identified using the morphological image.

Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-16250

In general, when a functional image is superimposed on a morphological image, the corresponding spatial (three-dimensional) positions of all pixels are not the same, so pixels between the morphological image and the functional image are separated only in the area of interest. It is necessary to perform alignment so that the spatial positions indicated by . Therefore, an operator such as an image interpreting doctor performs fine adjustment of the alignment between the morphological image and the functional image based on an anatomical viewpoint so as to be suitable for interpreting the region of interest. However, functional images generally have unclear outlines and have low visibility when aligned with morphological images.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to facilitate alignment between images in superimposed display of a functional image and a morphological image.

A medical image display device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first image that is a two-dimensional image showing a tissue structure and a two-dimensional image showing an active state of a living body, which are obtained from the same site of a subject. an image acquisition unit that acquires a second image, an image synthesis unit that generates a first composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image, a display unit, and the first a display control unit that displays a composite image of the first image on the display unit; a first instruction from a user indicating that relative positional adjustment between the first image and the second image is necessary; , an input unit that accepts an input of a second instruction indicating how much to change the relative position of the first image and the second image , the input unit receiving the input of the first instruction . Upon receiving the instruction, the image synthesizing section performs an emphasis process on at least one of the first image and the second image, and then performs an emphasizing process based on the change in the relative position according to the accepted second instruction . Generates a second composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image after the enhancement process , and the display control unit displays the second composite image on the display unit. to be displayed .

According to the above configuration, when the first image and the second image are displayed in a superimposed manner, at least one of the alignments of the first image and the second image is displayed in an emphasized state. Therefore, the first image and the second image can be aligned with improved visibility, which facilitates alignment by an operator such as an image interpretation doctor.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an image display system 1000 according to an embodiment. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image display device 100 according to the embodiment. (a) is an example of a morphological image, (b) is an example of a functional image, and (c) is an example of a display image based on the morphological image and the functional image. (a) is an example of a morphological image after emphasis processing, (b) is an example of a functional image after emphasis processing, and (c) is an example of a display image. This is an example of a display image. This is another example of a display image.

≪Embodiment≫
An image display system 1000 according to an embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings.

≪Overall composition≫
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an image display system 1000 according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the image display system 1000 includes a morphological image database 10, a functional image database 20, an image display device 100, a display section 31, and an input section 32.

<Morphological image database 10>
The morphological image database 10 is a server device that stores and manages morphological images obtained by capturing a portion of a subject. A morphological image is a two-dimensional image showing the morphology of internal tissues and organs, and is, for example, a tomographic image. More specifically, for example, it may be a simple X-ray tomographic image, an ultrasound B-mode image, or a tomographic image formed from three-dimensional voxel data acquired by CT or MRI. The morphological image database 10 includes storage for storing morphological images and an interface for communicating with the image display device 100. The morphological image database 10 is realized as a computer including, for example, a processor, a memory, and software, and includes, for example, a hard disk, SSD, etc. as a storage, and includes, for example, a 10GBASE-T compatible interface card as an interface.

<Functional image database 20>
The functional image database 20 is a server device that stores and manages functional images obtained by capturing a portion of a subject. A functional image is a two-dimensional image that shows the state of biological activity in the body, and is, for example, a PET image, a contrast-enhanced tomographic image, or the like. Examples of PET images include images showing the distribution of oxygen or water using ¹⁵ O as a tracer, and images showing the distribution of glucose using ¹⁸ F as a tracer. Examples of the contrast-enhanced tomographic image include a tomographic image in which only a blood vessel or a specific tissue is imaged using a contrast agent, or a tomographic image formed from three-dimensional voxel data acquired by CT or MRI. The functional image database 20 includes storage for storing morphological images and an interface for communicating with the image display device 100. The functional image database 20 is realized, for example, as a computer including a processor, memory, and software, and includes, for example, a hard disk, SSD, etc. as storage, and includes, for example, a 10GBASE-T compatible interface card as an interface. Note that the functional image database 20 may be realized on the same hardware as the morphological image database 10.

<Display section 31>
The display unit 31 is a display device that is connected to the image display device 100 and displays images output from the image display device 100. The display unit 31 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a CRT, etc., and includes, for example, a DVI, a DisplayPort, etc. as an interface for receiving images from the image display device 100.

<Input section 32>
The input unit 32 is an input device that is connected to the image display device 100 and outputs instructions input by a user to the image display device 100. The input unit 32 includes, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a trackball, and a slide pad, and includes, for example, a USB, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. as an interface for transmitting support to the image display device 100. Note that the input unit 32 may be realized as a touch panel on the display area of the display unit 31.

<<Configuration of image display device 100>>
The image display device 100 acquires a functional image and a morphological image obtained by imaging the same part of the same subject along the same cross section from the functional image database 20 and the morphological image database 10, respectively, and calculates the scale (resolution) This is a device that generates a display image by superimposing a functional image on a morphological image with the position indicated by the pixel and the position indicated by the pixel matching, and displays it on the display unit 31. The image display device 100 is realized, for example, as a computer including a general CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a RAM, and a program executed by these. As shown in FIG. 1, the image display device 100 includes a morphological image acquisition section 110, a functional image acquisition section 120, an image composition section 130, a display control section 140, and a control section 150.

<Morphological image acquisition unit 110>
The morphological image acquisition unit 110 is a circuit that acquires a morphological image of a part of the subject from the morphological image database 10.

FIG. 3(a) is an example of a morphological image 200. The morphological image 200 is a tomographic image obtained by imaging the subject along a specific cross section, and for example, the X-ray transmittance or the density calculated based on the X-ray transmittance is expressed on two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates. This is a grayscale image mapped as shading information. An image 210 in the figure corresponds to the subject, and an image 220 corresponds to the bed on which the subject lies. The image 210 also includes a skin image 201, organ images 203 and 204, and skeleton images 202 and 205. Note that if the morphological image is not a grayscale image, for example, if it is a color map, the morphological image acquisition unit 110 converts it into a grayscale image. In addition to the morphological image, the morphological image acquisition unit 110 also acquires morphological image imaging conditions, resolution information, correspondence information between pixels in the morphological image and three-dimensional positions within the subject's body, etc. from the morphological image database 10. You may.

The morphological image acquisition section 110 outputs the acquired morphological image to the image composition section 130.

<Functional image acquisition unit 120>
The functional image acquisition unit 120 is a circuit that acquires a functional image of a part of the subject from the functional image database 20.

FIG. 3(b) is an example of the functional image 300. The functional image 300 is an image showing biological activity in a region along a specific cross section of the subject, and is, for example, a color map image in which the density of a specific substance or reaction is mapped as color information on two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates. It is. Specifically, for example, in the case of PET using ¹⁸ F-FDG (Fluorodeoxy Glucose) as a tracer, it is a color map image showing the density of glucose. In the figure, a region 301 within a boundary 311 indicates a region with a high glucose density, a region 302 within a boundary 312 indicates a region with a medium glucose density, and a region 303 within a boundary 313 indicates a region with a high glucose density. Indicates low area. Note that the functional image 300 is a tomographic image taken along the same cross section of the same subject as the morphological image 200. Here, in the embodiment, it is assumed that the three-dimensional position within the subject's body pointed by the center point of the functional image, the resolution (scale), and the orientation of the image are the same as those of the morphological image 200, and the center points are simply superimposed on each other. It is assumed that the functional image 300 can be superimposed on the morphological image 200. Note that the morphological image 200 and the functional image 300 may differ in one or more of the position of the reference point, the scale, and the orientation of the image. In this case, at least one of the morphological image acquisition unit 110 and the functional image acquisition unit 120 enlarges, reduces, or translates the morphological image 200 and the functional image 300 so that the reference point position, scale, and image orientation match. It is preferable to perform processing such as rotation. Note that if the functional image is not a color map, for example, if it is a grayscale image, the functional image acquisition unit 120 converts it into a color map. In addition to the functional image, the functional image acquisition unit 120 also acquires from the functional image database 20 imaging conditions and resolution information for the functional image, correspondence information between pixels in the functional image and three-dimensional positions within the subject's body, etc. You may.

The functional image acquisition section 120 outputs the acquired functional image to the image composition section 130.

<Image synthesis unit 130>
The image synthesis unit 130 is a circuit that generates a display image in which a functional image is superimposed on a morphological image.

The image synthesis unit 130 extracts the pixel value of each pixel from each of the functional image and the morphological image. Then, for each pixel, the pixel value of each pixel of the display image is calculated using the transparency of the functional image. Specifically, the pixel value of the morphological image at coordinates (i, j) is Vs (i, j), the pixel value of the functional image at coordinates (i, j) is Vf (i, j), and the opacity of the functional image is (hereinafter also referred to as "transparency") is α, and the pixel value of the display image at coordinates (i, j) is Vv(i, j), these satisfy the following equation.
Vv(i,j)=α・Vf(i,j)+(1−α)・Vs(i,j)
The image synthesis unit 130 then maps the calculated pixel value of each pixel onto two-dimensional orthogonal coordinates to generate a display image.

For the opacity α of the functional image, a predetermined value such as 0.3 or 0.5 may be used, for example. Alternatively, for example, it may be set or changed by an instruction from the control unit 150, which will be described later.

In addition, when receiving an instruction from the control unit 150 described later, the image synthesis unit 130 performs an enhancement process on one or both of the morphological image and the functional image before superimposition, and then performs superposition synthesis. As the emphasis processing, for example, pixel value amplification, gamma correction, edge emphasis processing, etc. can be used. At this time, the degree of emphasis can be changed depending on the degree of transparency. In particular, by increasing the emphasis as the opacity α is smaller (less clear in the displayed image), edges can be more easily seen and it is possible to easily confirm whether the overlap between the functional image and the morphological image is appropriate.

The image synthesis section 130 outputs the generated display image to the display control section 140.

<Display control unit 140>
The display control unit 140 is a circuit that converts the display image generated by the image synthesis unit 130 into a video signal that can be displayed on the display unit 31.

<Control unit 150>
The control unit 150 controls each of the above-mentioned functional units. Further, the control unit 150 receives instructions from the user via the input unit 32 and reflects the instructions. Specifically, when a user gives an instruction to correct the relative positional relationship between a functional image and a morphological image, the display position of the functional image is shifted and the displayed image is regenerated, and while the instruction is being accepted. In this step, one or both of the morphological image and the functional image is subjected to enhancement processing. More specifically, when the user starts dragging on the displayed image using the mouse, which is the input unit 32, the morphological image and the functional image are emphasized, and the position of the functional image is changed by the direction and distance of the drag. After that, the display image is regenerated. When the user finishes dragging, the emphasizing process for the morphological image and the functional image is finished, and the display image is regenerated with only the change in the position of the functional image according to the direction and distance of the drag being reflected. Note that the start and end of instructions for the user to correct the relative positional relationship between the functional image and the morphological image are not limited to the start and end of dragging, but can also be started by, for example, clicking the position adjustment mode icon displayed on the display unit 31. However, the process may be ended by clicking the icon again.

Note that the relative positional relationship between the functional image and the morphological image refers to the correspondence between the coordinates of the morphological image and the coordinates of the functional image, and specifically, the relative positional relationship between the coordinates of the morphological image and the coordinates of the functional image. It is displayed as a vector from the reference point of the reference image to the pixel on the display image corresponding to the reference point of the reference image. That is, when the reference points of the morphological image and the reference points of the functional image are superimposed and synthesized, the relative positional relationship is indicated by a zero vector. Further, when a point moved a in the x direction and b in the y direction from the reference point of the morphological image is superimposed and synthesized with the reference point of the functional image, the relative positional relationship is indicated by (a, b).

≪Operation≫
The operation of the image display device 100 will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image display device 100.

First, the morphological image acquisition unit 110 acquires a morphological image (step S10).

Next, the functional image acquisition unit 120 acquires a functional image (step S20).

Next, the morphological image and the functional image are superimposed and synthesized (step S30). Here, the morphological image and the functional image are superimposed and synthesized using a predetermined opacity rate α=0.5 (50%). As a result, the functional image 300 shown in FIG. 3(b) is superimposed on the morphological image 200 shown in FIG. 3(a), and a display image 400 is formed. In this example, a boundary 301 exists inside the organ image 203, and a region 301 that is an active region is displayed within the organ. Similarly, a boundary 302 exists within the organ image 204, and a region 312 that is an active region within the organ is displayed. On the other hand, a part of the boundary 313 of the region 303, which is a subcutaneous active region, exists outside the skin image 201, resulting in an image in which only the active region exists in a position where the subject is not present. . The reason for this is that the functional image 300 and the morphological image 200 are not acquired at the same time, and the relative positional relationship between the skin surface and the organ does not match between the functional image 300 and the morphological image 200. Here, since the relative positional relationship between the reference point and the skin surface is the same between the functional image 300 and the morphological image 200, the displayed image 400 has, as shown in FIG. The skin surface corresponding to the image of the organ and the skin surface corresponding to the active area superimposed on the image of the organ match, and no positional deviation occurs. On the other hand, in the vicinity of the organ images 202 and 203, the actual organ area corresponding to the organ image and the actual organ area corresponding to the active area superimposed on the organ image do not match. A positional shift occurs between the organ image and the display position of the active area.

Next, an input as to whether positional adjustment between the functional image 300 and the morphological image 200 is necessary is accepted (step S40). The input indicating that position adjustment is necessary can be, for example, the start of dragging on the displayed image. Alternatively, for example, a position adjustment mode icon may be displayed on the display image or on the side of the display image, and clicking the icon may be used as an input indicating that position adjustment is necessary.

When the user inputs that position adjustment is necessary (Yes in step S40), first, the functional image is emphasized based on the transparency of the functional image. At this time, since the opacity rate is 50%, the degree of emphasis processing is determined to be medium. Note that if the opacity is small (not clear in the displayed image), the emphasis may be strong, and if the opacity is large, the emphasis may be weak. By doing so, the more unclear the functional image is on the display image, the stronger the emphasis can be made to facilitate position adjustment. The enhanced functional image 350 shown in FIG. 4(b) is the result of performing enhancement processing on the pre-emphasized functional image 300 shown in FIG. 3(b). As shown in FIG. 4B, the boundaries 361, 362, and 363 are emphasized by the emphasis process, and the regions 351, 352, and 353 are uniform and clear regions.

Next, the morphological image is enhanced based on the transparency of the morphological image. At this time, since the transmittance is 50%, the degree of enhancement processing is determined to be medium. Note that if the transmittance is high (the display on the display image is weak), the emphasis may be strong, and if the transmittance is small, the emphasis may be weak. By doing so, the more unclear the morphological image is on the display image, the stronger the emphasis can be made to facilitate position adjustment. The enhanced morphological image 250 shown in FIG. 4(a) is the result of performing enhancement processing on the unenhanced morphological image 200 shown in FIG. 3(a). As shown in FIG. 4A, the tissue images 251, 252, 253, and 254 have clear boundaries due to the enhancement process.

Next, an instruction for position adjustment is received from the user (step S70). For example, when the input unit 32 is a mouse or a trackball, the direction and distance of movement by a drag operation are accepted as position adjustment instructions. Further, when the input unit 32 is a touch panel, for example, the difference between the coordinates before movement and the coordinates after movement due to a drag operation is accepted as an instruction for position adjustment. Note that the input is not limited to this, and if the input unit 32 includes a keyboard, pressing of a cursor key may be accepted as an instruction to adjust the position in that direction.

Next, the enhanced functional image is superimposed and synthesized on the enhanced morphological image (step S80). At this time, the relative positions of the morphological image and the functional image are changed based on the input received in step S70. For example, in step S70, if an instruction is received to move the position of the functional image by dx in the x direction and by dy in the y direction, from the center point that is the reference point of the morphological image to the center point that is the reference point of the functional image. Adjust the relative position so that the vector to becomes (dx, dy). That is, the pixel value at the coordinates (x1, y1) of the display image after synthesis is the pixel value at the coordinates (x1, y1) of the morphological image after the emphasis process, and the coordinate (x1-dx, It is generated by superimposition synthesis with the pixel value of y1-dy). Therefore, if there is no input, a synthesized display image as shown in FIG. 4(c) would be generated, but as shown in FIG. A display image is generated in such a state that . At this time, since both the morphological image and the display image have been subjected to enhancement processing, the user can check whether the morphological image and the functional image are appropriately superimposed in the area of interest from the display image. Here, since it is desired to focus on the vicinity of the organ image 301, it is possible to check whether or not the active region 251 exists inside the organ image 351.

Next, an instruction is received from the user as to whether or not to determine the relative positions of the morphological image and the functional image (step S90). For example, if the start of dragging on the display image is an input indicating that position adjustment is necessary, the end of dragging can be an input indicating that the relative positions of the morphological image and the functional image are to be determined. Or, for example, if clicking the position adjustment mode icon is used as an input that position adjustment is necessary, clicking the position adjustment mode icon again can be used as an input to confirm the relative position of the morphological image and the display image. It can also be used as input. If there is no input to confirm the relative position of the morphological image and the functional image (No in step S90), the process returns to step S70, receives a further position adjustment instruction, and reflects this on the display image in step S80 again. At this time, as the relative positions of the morphological image and the functional image, the accumulated inputs received in all steps S70 are applied.

On the other hand, if there is an input to determine the relative position of the morphological image and the display image (Yes in step S90), the functional image before emphasis is superimposed and synthesized on the morphological image before emphasis (step S100). At this time, the state last reflected in step S80 is reflected as the relative positional relationship between the morphological image and the functional image. That is, when step S70 is performed only once, the input received in step S70 is reflected. Furthermore, if step S70 is performed twice or more, the accumulated inputs received in each step S70 are reflected. In other words, if the input in step S70 for the first time corresponds to (dx1, dy1) and the input for step S70 for the second time corresponds to (dx2, dy2), only (dx1+dx2, dy1+dy2) is added at the reference point of the morphological image. Superposition synthesis is performed with the center point, which is the reference point of the functional image, shifted from a certain center point. Therefore, with respect to the display image generated in the last step S80, an image is formed in which the emphasis processing of the morphological image and the functional image has been canceled. For example, when the display image 410 of FIG. 5(a) is generated in step S80, only the emphasis processing is canceled as shown in the display image 400 of FIG. 5(b). As a result, even if the emphasis processing when aligning the morphological image and the functional image may cause noise or misdiagnosis during image interpretation, the displayed image formed in step S80 can be interpreted. , it is possible to prevent the enhancement process from having a negative effect on image interpretation.

Note that if there is no input indicating that positional adjustment between the functional image 300 and the morphological image 200 is necessary (No in step S40), the displayed image generated in step S30 can be interpreted.

≪Summary≫
According to the above configuration, when the functional image and the morphological image are superimposed, the tissue image in the morphological image and the active area in the functional image can be easily matched by performing emphasis processing on the functional image and the morphological image. be able to. Therefore, even if the positional relationship between organs is not the same between a functional image and a morphological image of the same part of the same subject along the same cross section, it is easy to align the organs or regions of interest. This enables more accurate diagnosis based on images. Further, in the above configuration, after the alignment of the functional image and the morphological image is completed, the emphasis processing on the functional image and the morphological image is canceled. According to this configuration, even when noise that affects image interpretation, such as generation of a virtual image or enlargement or deformation of an active region, is generated due to enhancement processing, the influence of noise can be eliminated during image interpretation. Therefore, only the positioning of the functional image and the morphological image can be performed with high precision without affecting the accuracy of image interpretation.

≪Other modifications of the embodiment≫
(1) In the embodiment, it is assumed that both functional images and morphological images are emphasized. However, only one of the functional image and the morphological image may be emphasized. At this time, the effect of emphasis can be improved by emphasizing an image with low opacity. For example, when the opacity of the functional image is greater than 50%, the morphological image is emphasized as shown in Figure 6(a), and when the opacity of the functional image is less than 50%, the morphological image is emphasized as shown in Figure 6(b). Functional images may be emphasized. By doing so, images with low clarity in the displayed image can be emphasized, and the image of the organ and the shape of the active region can be easily compared, and alignment can be facilitated.

(2) In the embodiment, it is assumed that both the functional image and the morphological image are acquired by the image display device as two-dimensional images. However, for example, at least one of the data may be three-dimensional voxel data. As an example, the morphological image may be a two-dimensional image containing positional information within the subject's body, and the functional image may be three-dimensional voxel data containing positional information within the subject's body. In this case, the functional image acquisition unit What is necessary is to generate a two-dimensional color map from three-dimensional voxel data in accordance with the position information of the morphological image.

(3) In the embodiment, the morphological image is a grayscale image, and the functional image is a color map. However, the functional image may be a grayscale image. In this case, it is preferable that the functional image acquisition unit or the image synthesis unit converts the functional images into a color map and then performs superimposition synthesis. Furthermore, when the position, scale, and orientation of the reference point are different between the functional image and the morphological image, at least one of the functional image acquisition section and the morphological image acquisition section may change the position, scale, and orientation of the reference point. Although the alignment processing is performed, this processing may be performed by the image compositing section prior to the superimposition compositing or emphasis processing.

(4) Although the present invention has been described based on the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the following cases are also included in the present invention.

For example, in the present invention, the image display device may be a device using an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) as a processor. Further, the image display device, the display section, and the input section may be realized as a single device.

Furthermore, some or all of the components constituting each of the above devices may be composed of one system LSI (Large Scale Integration). A system LSI is a super-multifunctional LSI manufactured by integrating multiple components on a single chip, and specifically, it is a computer system that includes a microprocessor, ROM, RAM, etc. . These may be integrated into one chip individually, or may be integrated into one chip including some or all of them. Note that LSIs are sometimes called ICs, system LSIs, super LSIs, and ultra LSIs depending on the degree of integration. The RAM stores a computer program that achieves the same operations as each of the devices described above. The system LSI achieves its functions by the microprocessor operating according to the computer program. For example, the present invention also includes a case where the image display method of the present invention is stored as an LSI program, and this LSI is inserted into a computer to execute a predetermined program.

Note that the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI, and may be implemented using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. An FPGA that can be programmed or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells inside the LSI may be used after the LSI is manufactured.

Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that replaces LSI emerges due to advancements in semiconductor technology or other derived technology, then of course the functional blocks may be integrated using that technology.

In the morphological image database and functional image database according to the above embodiments, the storage unit is included in the server, but the storage unit is not limited to this, and may include a semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a magnetic storage device, etc. , the configuration may be such that the server is connected to the server from the outside. Alternatively, a device including a storage unit or a mechanism in place of the storage unit, for example, a server computer having the function of a file server, may be included in the image display system independently of the tomographic image database.

Furthermore, the division of functional blocks in the block diagram is just an example; multiple functional blocks may be realized as one functional block, one functional block may be divided into multiple functional blocks, or some functions may be moved to other functional blocks. It's okay. Further, functions of a plurality of functional blocks having similar functions may be processed in parallel or in a time-sharing manner by a single piece of hardware or software.

Further, the order in which the above steps are executed is merely an example for specifically explaining the present invention, and an order other than the above may be used. Further, some of the above steps may be executed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

Further, at least some of the functions of the image display device according to each embodiment and the modified examples thereof may be combined. Furthermore, all the numbers used above are exemplified to specifically explain the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the exemplified numbers.

Furthermore, the present invention also includes various modifications of the present embodiment that are within the scope of those skilled in the art.

≪Summary≫
(1) A medical image display device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first image, which is a two-dimensional image showing a tissue structure, obtained from the same region of a subject, and a first image showing an active state of a living body. an image acquisition unit that acquires a second image that is a two-dimensional image; an image synthesis unit that generates a composite image by superimposing the second image on the first image; and a display unit that displays the composite image. and an input section that receives an input indicating a relative position between a reference pixel of the first image and a reference pixel of the second image, and when the input section receives an input indicating the relative position, the input section The compositing unit performs enhancement processing on at least one of the first image and the second image, and then creates a composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image based on the relative position. are synthesized again, and the display unit displays the synthesized image that has been synthesized again.

Further, a medical image display method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a first image that is a two-dimensional image showing a tissue structure obtained from the same region of a subject, and a second image showing an active state of a living body. a second image that is a dimensional image, generate and display a composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image, and display the reference pixel of the first image and the second image. When an input indicating a relative position with respect to a reference pixel is received, an emphasis process is performed on at least one of the first image and the second image, and an image is displayed on the first image based on the relative position. The present invention is characterized in that a composite image obtained by superimposing the second image is composited again and displayed.

Further, a program according to an aspect of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to display a medical image, and the process of displaying the medical image includes a tomographic image showing a structure obtained from the same region of the subject. A first image, which is a tomographic image, and a second image, which is a tomographic image showing an active state of the living body, are acquired, and the relative positions of a reference pixel of the first image and a reference pixel of the second image are indicated. When the input is received, a composite image is created in which the second image is superimposed on the first image based on the relative position after performing emphasis processing on at least one of the first image and the second image. It is characterized by generating.

According to the above medical image display device, medical image display method, or program, when performing superimposed display of the first image and the second image, at least One side is displayed with emphasis. Therefore, since the first image and the second image can be aligned with improved visibility, alignment by the user is facilitated.

(2) Further, in the medical image display device of (1) above, the image synthesis unit is configured to increase the emphasis processing of the second image as the opacity of the second image is lower when generating the display image. It is also possible to increase the degree of emphasis.

With the above configuration, the degree of emphasis is made stronger as the visibility of the second image is lower, thereby making it possible to improve visibility through appropriate emphasis while suppressing excessive emphasis.

(3) Furthermore, in the medical image display device of (1) to (2) above, the second image may be one of PET, contrast-enhanced CT, and contrast-enhanced MRI.

With the above configuration, the activity state of the living body can be evaluated based on the distribution of substances or reaction levels within the living body.

(4) Furthermore, in the medical image display device according to (1) to (3) above, the image synthesis unit is configured such that the lower the opacity of the first image when generating the display image, the lower the opacity of the first image. It is also possible to increase the emphasis level of the emphasis process.

With the above configuration, by increasing the degree of emphasis as the visibility of the first image is lower, it is possible to improve visibility by appropriately emphasizing visibility while suppressing excessive emphasis.

(5) Furthermore, in the medical image display device of (1) to (4) above, the first image is any one of a tomographic image generated from CT or MRI, a tomographic X-ray, or an ultrasound tomographic image. , may also be used.

With the above configuration, the activity state of the living body can be evaluated based on an anatomical viewpoint.

(6) Furthermore, in the medical image display device of (1) to (5) above, the emphasis processing may be canceled when the input unit finishes accepting the input of the relative positional relationship.

With the above configuration, it is possible to prevent enhancement for alignment from deteriorating the accuracy of image interpretation.

The present disclosure is useful as a technique for easily adjusting the position when interpreting a functional image such as a PET image in combination with a tomographic image of CT or MRI.

100 Image display device 110 Morphological image acquisition section 120 Functional image acquisition section 130 Image composition section 140 Display control section 150 Control section 10 Morphological image database 20 Functional image database 31 Display section 32 Input section

Claims (8)

an image acquisition unit that acquires a first image, which is a two-dimensional image showing the structure of the tissue, and a second image, which is a two-dimensional image showing the active state of the living body, obtained from the same part of the subject; and,
an image synthesis unit that generates a first composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image;
A display section;
a display control unit that causes the first composite image to be displayed on the display unit;
A first instruction from a user indicating that relative positional adjustment between the first image and the second image is required, and a relative position adjustment between the first image and the second image. an input section that accepts input of a second instruction indicating how much to change the position ;
When the input unit receives the input of the first instruction , the image synthesis unit performs an emphasis process on at least one of the first image and the second image, and then generates a second composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image after the emphasis processing , based on the change in the relative position according to the instruction from the display controller ; causes the second composite image to be displayed on the display unit.
A medical image display device characterized by: 1 . The image synthesis unit, when generating the second composite image, increases the degree of emphasis in the enhancement process of the second image as the opacity of the second image decreases. The medical image display device described in . The medical image display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second image is one of PET, contrast-enhanced CT, and contrast-enhanced MRI. 1 . The image synthesis unit is configured to increase the degree of emphasis in the enhancement process of the first image as the opacity of the first image is lower when generating the second synthesized image. 10 . 3. The medical image display device according to any one of 3 to 3. The medical image display device according to claim 1, wherein the first image is either a tomographic image generated from CT or MRI, or an ultrasound tomographic image. The input unit further receives input from the user of a third instruction indicating that the relative position changed by the second instruction is to be determined,
When the input unit receives the input of the third instruction, the image synthesis unit superimposes the second image before emphasis on the first image before emphasis based on the determined relative position. and the display control unit displays the third composite image on the display unit .
The medical image display device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Obtaining a first image, which is a two-dimensional image showing the structure of the tissue, and a second image, which is a two-dimensional image showing the active state of the living body, obtained from the same part of the subject,
generating a first composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image and displaying it on a display unit ;
Upon receiving input from the user of a first instruction indicating that relative position adjustment between the first image and the second image is necessary , the first image and the second image are adjusted. After performing enhancement processing on at least one of the images , when receiving input from a user of a second instruction indicating how much to change the relative position of the first image and the second image, Generating a second composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image after the enhancement process is performed , based on the change in the relative position according to the accepted second instruction . A medical image display method, characterized in that the image is displayed on the display section . A program that displays medical images on a computer,
The process of displaying the medical image includes:
acquiring a first image, which is a tomographic image showing the structure, and a second image, which is a tomographic image showing the active state of the living body, obtained from the same part of the subject;
generating a first composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image and displaying it on a display unit;
When inputting a first instruction indicating that relative positional adjustment between the first image and the second image is required from the user , the first image and the second image are adjusted. After performing enhancement processing on at least one of the images , when receiving input from a user of a second instruction indicating how much to change the relative position of the first image and the second image, Generating a second composite image in which the second image is superimposed on the first image after the enhancement process is performed, based on the change in the relative position according to the accepted second instruction . A program characterized in that the program is configured to display on the display section .

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