JPH01140375A - Medical image data base system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To construct a systematic data base by holding a retrieval code to separate the arbitrary part of the almost continuous retrieval image of a part or the whole of a human body from another part correspondently to the retrieval image, and storing medical information with respect to the arbitrary part corresponding to the retrieval code. CONSTITUTION:The retrieval code to separate the arbitrary part of the almost continuous retrieval image of a part or the whole of the human body from another part stored in a retrieval image memory 75 and displayed on a display means 21 is held in index memories 31, 41, 51 correspondently to the retrieval image. And the medical information with respect to the arbitrary part corresponding to the retrieval code is stored in medical information memories 32, 33, 42, and 52. In such a way, it is possible to construct a data base system storable the medical information of image data, etc., systematically.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a medical image database system for storing medical information of the human body and performing searches, displays, etc. of the medical information.

(Prior Art) There is a deep-rooted desire for a medium that can systematically view various images such as photographed images, anatomical diagrams, three-dimensional diagrams, cross-sectional diagrams, etc. of various parts and organs of the human body.

A collection of medical images is desired in which detailed images of various types can be easily searched, associated, displayed, and observed for image-based diagnosis and as materials for medical education such as anatomy.

Furthermore, contrary to the recent X1CT (imaging device for X-ray attenuation coefficient distribution in human body cross sections) and MHI (magnetic resonance imaging device), medical images that are subject to search, inspection, etc. The number and type of images are rapidly increasing.In addition, the content is not limited to simple multi-slice images, but also requires morphological coronal sections, sagittal sections, and arbitrary oblique sections. , extremely complex and sophisticated demands have arisen.

In comparison to such demands, conventional medical images of various parts and organs of the human body have only been systematically collected in books such as anatomy books and data books. Although there have been devices that simply collect a large number of CT or MRI images and display them on a monitor TV, they have not been systematically integrated and managed.

(Problems to be solved by the invention) However, there are naturally limits to collecting and organizing various medical images using books such as anatomical books and data books.
It is not possible to meet the demands for such large amounts of image information and complex cross-sectional views.

Therefore, there has been a desire to develop a medium that can systematically store a large amount of image information and allow any type of image of any part, organ, etc. to be obtained easily and quickly.

Due to these conventional circumstances, in addition to the various images and medical information recorded in anatomical manuscripts and data books, images and information collected by X-ray CT, MRI, etc. We aim to create a medical image database system that can systematically organize and integrate medical images and information in a format that is easy to use for clinicians, medical educators, etc., and in particular, we are developing a systematic database. is the object of this invention.

[Structure 1 of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve such an object, the medical image database system according to the present invention uses a method for searching substantially continuous images of part or all of the human body. a search image memory for storing a search image, a display means for reading and displaying the search image stored in the search image memory, and a search code for distinguishing an arbitrary part of the search image displayed by the display means from other parts. The device is characterized by comprising an index memory that is held in correspondence with the search image, and a medical information memory that stores medical information regarding the arbitrary portion that corresponds to each search code that is held in the index memory. It is.

(Function) With a medical image database system having such a configuration, any part of a substantially continuous search image of a part or all of a human body, which is stored in the search image memory and displayed by the display means, can be A search code to be distinguished from the part is stored in the index memory in correspondence with the search image, and medical information regarding the arbitrary part corresponding to each search code is stored in the medical information memory. This makes it easy to retrieve and associate medical information stored in this medical information memory. Medical information such as any type of image data of organs, organs, etc. can be retrieved and displayed easily and quickly.

(Example) Below, an example of the medical image database system according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the main parts of a medical image database system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

There is an integrated control unit 10 that performs integrated control of this entire database system.

The input devices include XaC'r (hereinafter abbreviated as CT),
An image capturing device Wllll such as MHI, and a film digitizer 1 that inputs image film, etc. while converting it into digital values.
2, a keyboard 13 for inputting numerical values, characters, etc. and instructions using keys; a tablet 14 for inputting traces of output images; and a trackball 15 for inputting position specifications.

An image input section 16, a numerical value input section 17, an instruction input section 18, and a trace input section 19 are provided to control input from each of these input devices.

The image input unit 16 may be connected online to the CT+MRI apparatus 11 and directly receive the photographed image, or input the photographed image via the film digitizer 12, and either configuration is possible.

Further, as output devices, there is a monitor TV 21 that displays images, numerical information, etc. on a screen, and a laser printer 22 that outputs images, numerical information, etc. on paper, for example. Note that this printer 22 may be any output device that can output images;
Of course, it does not matter if it is not a laser printer.

An image display section 23 and a numerical display section 2 for the monitor TV 21 send out images, numerical values, etc. while controlling these output devices.
4. An image output section 25 and a numerical output section 26 for the laser printer 22 are provided.

The medical information such as medical images stored in this embodiment system includes various images and numerical information written in ordinary anatomical texts, data books, etc., and medical information obtained by the apparatus 11 such as MRI and CT. Multi-slice images of the examiner, two-dimensional image information such as human anatomy diagrams based on this,
There is three-dimensional image information for each organ, etc., and non-image information (code information) consisting of numerical and character information such as the anatomical name, Cgo value, Tl value, and T2 value at the time of image capture.

This medical information is classified into segments based on body parts and organs, each of which is further divided into detailed parts, each of which is assigned a search code to distinguish it from other parts, and an index file that holds this search code is created. We are building a system that can be systematically organized and integrated to provide clinicians, medical educators, etc. with an easy-to-use format.

Although it is ideal that the target human body parts cover the entire body, it is also possible to construct this database system partially.

The two-dimensional image information is stored in an original image storage unit 33 that stores original images obtained by a device 11 such as CT or MRI, and from these original images, extracts outlines of various constituent systems such as blood vessels and bones, organs, etc. an anatomical diagram storage unit 32 that stores anatomical diagrams created by
is stored in There is a 2D index holding section 31 that holds both of the above search codes, and a 2D both fl management section 30 that manages the information in each of these storage sections 33 and 32 and the holding section 31.

The three-dimensional image information is stored in a three-dimensional image storage unit 42 that stores three-dimensional images of each organ, part, etc., constructed based on the above-mentioned anatomical diagram, etc.
A 3D index holding unit 41 that stores the search code and a 3D image management unit 40 that performs management are provided.

Furthermore, there is a code information storage section 52 that stores code information that is non-image information, a code index holding section 51 for searching the code information, and a code information management section 50 that manages the code information.

The anatomical chart creation unit 61 extracts contours from the original image obtained by the device 11 such as CT or MRI through image processing, and creates an anatomical chart. input the image from the monitor TV 21, or display the original image on the monitor TV 21, and input it via the trace input unit 19 while drawing an outline on the screen of the monitor TV 21 using the tablet 14, 1-rack ball 15, etc. It is possible to create and input methods such as

There is also a stereoscopic image construction unit 62 that constructs stereoscopic image information from a plurality of anatomical charts created based on multi-slice images and the like.

Further, there is a code information creation unit 63 that receives non-image information such as part name and CT value corresponding to each image information, collects wI, and forms code information.

On the other hand, a search image is appropriately retrieved from the search image storage unit 75 that stores a schematic image of the entire image and/or a specific part, etc. for search, and is displayed on the monitor TV 21. There is a search control unit 74 that accepts position designation, display information setting, etc. via the instruction input unit 18.

Then, according to the output selection data from the search control unit 74, the original image or anatomical diagram is selectively retrieved by the search code via the 2D image management unit 30, and displayed on the monitor TV 21 or output to the laser printer 22, etc. a 2D image selection unit 71 that also selectively extracts stereoscopic image information via the 3D image management unit 40, creates a stereoscopic display image according to an instructed viewpoint, and displays/outputs a stereoscopic image creation/display unit 72 and a cross-sectional image creation/display unit 76 which similarly selectively extracts stereoscopic image information via the 3D image management unit 40, creates a cross-sectional image according to the instructed cross-section, and displays/outputs it; A code information selection unit 73 is provided which selectively extracts, displays and outputs the code information via the information management unit 50.

Next, each operation of this embodiment system will be sequentially explained.

First, the operation during system construction will be explained based on FIG. 2.

First, CT, MHI equipment, etc.
The original images (axial, sagittal, coronal, oblique, etc.) obtained are collected (step 201 in FIG. 2). Note that this image collection may be configured such that the CT, MHI device, etc. 11 and the image input unit 16 are connected online to directly capture image data, or may be configured to directly capture image data using a film digitizer 12 or the like for image reading. The above device 11
It is also possible to configure the system to read and input images obtained by .

The image data thus collected is divided into segments and registered while being segmented to assign search codes (step 205).

Next, an anatomical diagram is created based on the original image (step 203).

The procedure for creating an anatomical diagram is shown in detail in Figure 3. First, CT, M
The original image produced by the RI etc. 11 is corrected to the original size or at a certain magnification and outputted to the laser printer 22 (step 301 in Fig. 3), and all main outlines of this outputted image are extracted. Perform basic tracing (step 303), then divide this traced image as appropriate according to organs, parts, etc. (step 305), and trace again for each divided organ, etc. (step 307). ), Finally, Tablet 1
In step 309), a detailed anatomical diagram is created using a line drawing (binarized image).

Note that this anatomical diagram may be created by displaying the original image on the screen of the monitor TV 21 and inputting it while tracing it with, for example, a trackball 15 or a light ben (not shown), or by using anatomical diagram creation #61. It is also possible to extract the contour through image processing and then correct and input the contour while viewing the extracted image.

For each anatomical chart created in this way, a search code is assigned to each segment and registered while taking into account the anatomical name, etc. (Step 205 in Figure 2), and an anatomical chart system is constructed together with the original image (Step 205). 207>.

Furthermore, from the systematic anatomical diagram group obtained in this way, a three-dimensional image is constructed based on organ measurements, and is registered in the system while being segmented in the same manner (step 209).

In addition, the CT value at the time of photographing each of the above images, T1, T
Numerical information such as binary values, anatomical names, non-image information (code information) such as related disease bases are similarly organized and registered by segmentation (step 211).

In this way, an integrated database of medical images is formed (step 213), making it possible to search and display image and non-image information for diagnosis, education, etc. (step 2).
15).

An example of the operation at the time of search and display in this medical image database system will be described in detail with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the search control unit 74 retrieves a schematic image of the entire human body or a specific part from the search image storage unit 75, and displays it at a predetermined position (for example, the upper left) of the monitor TV 21 via the image display unit 23 (FIG. 4). step 401).

□The operator specifies the desired part of the image using the keyboard 13, tablet 14, trackball 15, etc. (step 4o3). This instruction data is sent to the search control unit 74 via the instruction section 18. transmitted to. The search control unit 74 determines whether the above instruction is a part specification (step 7405).

If the region is specified (Yes at step 405), the search control section 74 selects a search code corresponding to the specified region, and selects the search code corresponding to the specified region, and selects the search code from the 2D image selection section 71 and the 3D image creation/display section 72.
to communicate. The 2D image selection unit 71 selects the anatomical diagram and original image corresponding to the above search code from the 2D image management unit 30.
After accessing the 2D index holding unit 31 and reading the memory addresses one after another via the 2D index holding unit 31, the images are taken out from the original image storage unit 33 and the anatomical diagram storage unit 32 and displayed at a predetermined position on the monitor TV 21 (steps 411 and 413). , Furthermore, the stereoscopic image creation and display section 72 similarly retrieves the stereoscopic image information corresponding to the above search code from the stereoscopic image storage section 42 via the 3D image management section 40 and 3D index holding section 41, and sets it to a predetermined (initial value). Create a stereoscopic image from the viewpoint (held as
5). When this display is completed, the process returns to inputting instructions by the operator (arrow A; step 403).

If the instruction input by the operator does not specify part 1,
If the part has not yet been specified for -degrees (step 405, negative (1)), the process returns to the instruction input (arrow A, step 403), and if the part has been specified for -degrees as well (step 405). Negative (2)), it is determined whether the instruction input is a sectional view request or not (step 406).

If it is a cross-sectional view request (step 406 affirmative), the cross-sectional image creation/display unit 76 similarly requests the 3D image management unit 40.3.
Through the D index holding section 4I, the three-dimensional image storage section 42
Then extract the stereoscopic image information corresponding to the above search code,
Create a cross-sectional image corresponding to the specified cross-section and display it on the monitor T.
V21 (step 441). When this display is completed, the process returns to inputting instructions by the operator (arrow A; step 403).

If it is not a sectional view request (step 406 negative), it is further determined whether it is a code information request (step 40
7).

If it is a code information request (step 407 affirmative),
The 2D image selection unit 71 accesses the corresponding memory address in the code index holding unit 51 via the code information management unit 50 for non-image information corresponding to the current search code, and then stores the non-image information corresponding to the current search code in the code/m-information storage unit 52. , and display it on the monitor TV 21 through the image display section 23 and numerical display section 24 (step 431). Thereafter, the process returns to inputting the next instruction (arrow A; step 403).

If it is not a request for code information (No in step 407), check whether it is a request for rotation of a stereoscopic image or not in step 40.
9), if not (step 409 negative), return to the next instruction input (arrow A; step 403).

If it is a request to rotate a 3D image (Yes in Step 409), the 3D image creation/display unit 72 creates a 3D image based on the information of the currently displayed 3D image and a new viewpoint based on the rotation instruction (Step 421). Similarly, monitor TV
21 (step 415), and returns to the original instruction input (arrow A; step 403).

In this way, the desired image is searched and displayed.

In the above description, the case of displaying on the monitor TV 21 was taken as an example, but the procedure is substantially the same when outputting to the laser printer 22 or the like. Therefore, its explanation will be omitted.

Next, examples of display and output in this database system will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10.

The two-dimensional image information consists of an original image such as CT or MRl and an anatomical chart system.

First, an example of the display in screen search is shown in FIG. 5. In the schematic overall diagram (or diagram of a specific part) for searching shown at the upper left of the display screen of monitor TV 2L, the keyboard 13 does not seem to be the tablet 14 or the track. ball 1
5 etc. Specify the part using a line cursor that is a straight line (or curved line or a combination thereof) that can be moved. Then, the anatomical diagram of the specified region is displayed at the top right of the screen, the original image from the CT, Mar device, etc. 11 is displayed at the bottom left of the screen, and a 3D image from a predetermined viewpoint due to initialization is displayed at the bottom left of the screen. Ru.

Note that the display position of each image is, of course, not fixed to the above-mentioned position, and the four images are not always displayed by dividing the display screen as described above. Of course, it is possible to display only one image or other number of images on the display screen as shown in FIG.

The three-dimensional image information stored in the three-dimensional image storage unit 42 consists of three-dimensional image information of major organs constituted by an anatomical diagram system and a group of segmented divided anatomical diagrams.

Figures 7 to 1O show the thorax, the vascular system in the chest,
and a stereoscopic image of the trachea.

FIG. 7 shows three-dimensional images of the thorax viewed from four different viewpoints simultaneously displayed on the screen of one monitor TV 21. The form, arrangement, composition, etc. of each part of the thorax can be clearly recognized.

FIG. 8 shows a three-dimensional image of the vascular system in the chest using only one image with the viewpoint placed in front of it. Furthermore, FIGS. 9 and 10 are three-dimensional images of the trachea that are individually displayed as images viewed from different viewpoints. In both cases, the structure etc. are very easy to understand.

Further, the code information storage unit stores code information (non-recurrence data). In other words, the anatomical name, CT value, and 1゛1・'T'' for the segmented information group.
Numerical information such as 2 [, etc., related disease names, etc.] are stored.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a display regarding the brain cortex. For example, the anatomical name of the portion specified by the position specifying means such as the trackball 15 is displayed.

The code index holding units 31, 41, and 51 for each image/non-image information are used to efficiently search for desired data from the image information storage unit, code information storage unit, etc. using search position data, keywords, etc. Information for this purpose is recorded.

By adding a knowledge index file, it is possible to add an inference function to the search algorithm, and by adding knowledge data management means to this database system, it is possible to do more than just digitize anatomical charts. It is also possible to develop it into a disease simulation system or a diagnostic support system.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment system, and by making appropriate additions, deletions, or changes to the above-mentioned example system, various large and small systems, or more general-purpose or limited systems can be created. It can also be used as a medical image database system.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above in detail, the medical image database system according to the present invention makes it possible to construct a database system that can systematically store medical information such as image data. Even if it is medical information such as image data of a wide variety of types, it is possible to easily obtain medical information such as image data of any part, organ, organ, etc. or any type of image data. Moreover, it is possible to quickly take out and display the image.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the main parts of a medical image database system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block flow diagram of the main operations of the system, and Fig. 3 is a partial anatomical chart creation of Fig. 2. Figure 4 is a flowchart of an example of image search and display operation, Figure 5 is a diagram showing a display example of the basic search screen of the system, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing code information of the system. FIGS. 7 to 10 are diagrams showing examples of the display of living things (human bodies) as display examples of stereoscopic images of the system. 10... Integrated control unit 11... CT, MRI device 1
2...Film digitizer 13...Keyboard 1
4...Tablet 15...Trackball 16.
...Picture 1'A input section 17...Numeric input section 18...
・Instruction input section 1...Trace input section 21...
Monitor TV 22...Laser printer 23...
Image display section 24... Numerical display section 25... Image output section 26... Numerical output section 30... 2D image management section 31... 2D index holding section 32... Anatomical diagram storage section 33. ...Original image storage section 40...3D image management section 41...3D index holding section 42.
... Stereo image storage section 50 ... Code information management section 51
...Code index holding section 52...Code information storage section 61...Anatomical diagram creation section 62...Stereoscopic image composition section 63...Code information creation section 71...2
D image selection section 72...stereoscopic image creation display section 73.
...Code information selection section 74...Search control section 75...
・Search image storage unit 76...Cross-sectional image creation unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A search image memory for storing substantially continuous search images of part or all of the human body; a display means for reading and displaying the search images stored in the search image memory; and a search displayed by the display means. an index memory that stores a search code for distinguishing an arbitrary part of an image from other parts in association with the search image; and medical information about the arbitrary part corresponding to each search code held in the index memory. A medical image database system comprising: a medical information memory for storing medical information.