JPH06169908A - X-ray image diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve automation of altering work of image processing conditions by performing an image processing of an original image automatically on a plurality of image processing conditions to display a plurality of different images obtained simultaneously or sequentially on a screen of a monitor. CONSTITUTION:An image data analysis section 7 performs a histogram analysis of an image data to determine the type of several image processings which should be implemented with an image data processing section 6 and directs the image data processing section 6 to accomplish execution. The image data processing section 6 executes several type of image processing for an inputted image data directed from the image data analysis section 7 and images obtained are displayed simultaneously on a screen of a monitor 8 or in equal magnification sequentially. When the image meeting the requirement is selected from among the images, the image selected is displayed in equal magnification on the screen of the monitor 8 or an image data involved is written into a hard disc 10 and an external memory 9 while being outputted to an imager 11.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an X-ray image diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to optimization of processing conditions applied to process image data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional X-ray image diagnostic apparatus, an operator performs positioning or the like with a fluoroscopic image on a screen before film-taking an examination site of a patient, and sets optimum imaging conditions manually or automatically. , I was filming. Recently, an automatic exposure condition control system (Auto Exposure Cont
rol System: AEC) has become commonplace, and although it is less likely that photography will fail, it is not always possible to obtain the photographed image expected by the operator. Without looking at it, it was impossible to determine whether or not the desired shooting was performed.

Therefore, after film photographing, the photographed image is not what the operator (doctor or technician) desires, so that re-photographing has to be performed, which increases the patient's exposure dose and once Frequently, the finished patient was transported to the examination room again for reimaging, and useless film was generated. In order to solve these problems, I.S. I. -DR has been put to practical use.

I. I. -DR means that an X-ray image transmitted through a patient is converted into an optical image by an image intensifier (referred to as II), then this optical image is converted into a video signal by a television camera, and this video signal is / D
By the conversion, it is converted into a digital signal, digitally processed, and then displayed as a perspective image on the monitor. In this system, all image data is processed as digital data. ・ Various image processing can be performed freely. -Easy to store in IC memory, magnetic disk, magneto-optical disk, etc. -You can check the captured image in real time without waiting for film development.

There are advantages such as As a result, the number of shooting failures is reduced, and it is possible to determine whether or not reshooting should be performed without a time lag, and it is possible to prevent the use of extra film. However, the current technology is still not at a satisfactory level in terms of image quality because the dynamic range is smaller than that of film.

Therefore, conventionally, various techniques for improving the image quality of images have been developed, and the operator has made an effort to create an image most suitable for interpretation by making full use of these techniques. . One of them is a work for an operator to create an optimum image while manually changing various image processing parameters.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, after the positioning is performed by the operator, the I.D. I. The original image is collected by -DR (S1), and the operator confirms the quality of the image while observing the fluoroscopic image displayed on the monitor (S2). If the image displayed on the monitor is the desired one, this image is stored as it is on a hard disk, magnetic tape, or the like, or film output is performed by an imager (S3, S5).

If the intended image has not been obtained, the operator must carry out a post-processing operation such as step S4. That is, the original image is displayed on the monitor screen at the same size, the image processing parameters such as the gradation processing and the frequency processing are manually changed appropriately, and the image processing is performed again with the changed image processing parameters. Was displayed on the monitor to check whether the optimum image was obtained, and a series of time-consuming and labor-intensive work was repeated until the optimum image was obtained.

Even in the case of the image processing of the saved data read from the hard disk or other external storage medium instead of the processing of the image data collected in real time as described above, the saved image is only raw data. Therefore, when this is read and output to the imager or the like (re-access), it is necessary to set the image processing parameters again, and again, the above work is required.

[0010]

In the post-processing work involving the change of the image processing parameters as described above, knowledge and experience as to which parameter should be changed and to what extent to obtain a desired image. In addition to the above, there is a problem in that even an operator who has such knowledge and experience requires a considerable amount of time and labor to obtain an intended image.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention provides
I. I. -A plurality of images obtained as a result of each image processing by automatically performing a plurality of different kinds of image processing on the image data collected by the DR in real time or the image data read from the hard disk or the like. Automatically presents it to the operator by displaying it on the monitor, so that the operator need not do anything,
It is a problem to realize an efficient X-ray image diagnostic apparatus in which it is only necessary to arbitrarily select one from a plurality of such images.

[0012]

An X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes an image data processing unit for creating a plurality of different images by processing an original image under a plurality of different processing conditions, and a plurality of images. And display means for displaying on at least one monitor so that the operator can select any one of these images.

The image data processing means re-image-processes each image based on the processing conditions of the image arbitrarily selected from the plurality of images, and outputs the resulting plurality of images to the display means. Is composed of.

Further, the X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is
An imager means for film-outputting the selected image on the basis of the processing condition corresponding thereto, and a storage means for storing the selected image together with the processing condition corresponding thereto are provided.

[0015]

With the above-described structure, the image data processing means temporarily stores the original image data collected during the examination, or the stored image data read from the hard disk or the external storage medium during image editing and image interpretation. The image data stored in the memory is processed by a plurality of image processing units each having a different processing algorithm. The display means displays the processing result of each image processing unit on one or more monitor screens simultaneously or sequentially.

The operator does not have to perform any image processing work, but only has to perform an operation of selecting any one of the plurality of images displayed on the monitor. If the operator selects an image as desired, no further image processing is necessary, so this image is output to the imager as a film or stored in a memory such as a hard disk.

If the desired image does not exist, the operator selects the image closest to the desired one to cause the image data processing means to execute the reprocessing by changing the image processing parameter, and to obtain the desired image. Repeat until an image is obtained.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows the basic configuration of an X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, the X-rays emitted from the X-ray generator 1 are transmitted through the patient 2 and are I.D. I. It is incident on 3.
I. I. Reference numeral 3 converts an X-ray image of the examination region of the patient 2 into an optical image and outputs it to the CCD camera 4.

The CCD camera 4 is an I.D. I. The optical image output from 3 is scanned to be converted into a video signal. The A / D converter 5 converts the video signal into digital image data.

I. I. 3, the CCD camera 4, and the A / D converter 5 form an image acquisition system 12, that is, a system for collecting real-time image data of the examination site of the patient 2.

The image data processing unit 6 receives the image data output from the image collection system or the image data stored in the external memory 9 and the hard disk 10,
It has a function of performing image processing as described later and outputting the image processing result to the monitor 8, the external memory 9, the hard disk 10, and the imager 11.

The image data analysis section 7 stores the image data input from the image collection system by the image data processing section 6 in the case of image collection, and the saved data from the external memory 9 and the hard disk 10 for image editing or image interpretation. When the image data is read out, a histogram analysis is performed for each of the read image data, and the image data processing unit 6
Has a function of determining some types of image processing to be performed and instructing the image data processing unit 6 to execute the same.

In the histogram analysis, as shown in FIG. 2, the density distribution H of the pixels of the image is examined and, for example, the density occupied by the largest number of pixels is taken as the average density (Savg). A plurality of types of image processing to be executed by the processing unit 6 are determined. The image data processing unit 6 executes several types of image processing instructed by the image data analysis unit 7 on the input image data, and simultaneously displays a reduced size of the resulting image group on the screen of the monitor 8. Or,
Alternatively, they are displayed in the same size one after another. FIG. 3 shows an example of the simultaneous reduced display.

The operator selects the most desired image from the image group displayed on the monitor 8. Then,
The selected image is displayed on the screen of the monitor 8 at the same size, or the image data of the image is written to the hard disk 10 and the external memory 9 together with the imager 11.
It is designed to be output to. Next, a procedure of image processing in the image data processing unit 6 will be described. (A) Applicable range.

The processing procedure described below is applied to either the image data collected by the image acquisition system during the X-ray examination or the image data read from the hard disk 10 or the external memory 9 during image editing and image interpretation. Also applies. (B) Preset. The following processing conditions are preset before the start of image processing execution. That is, (a) Screen division mode.

This is for designating how many images are to be displayed simultaneously on one screen of the monitor 8, and FIGS.
As shown in, one of 4 divisions, 9 divisions, 16 divisions, and 13 divisions is designated. (B) Type of image processing.

In the present invention, although any generally known image processing technique may be used, the spatial filtering method, the γ-curve method and the input window method are used as examples.

The spatial filtering method is to obtain at least 16 different images by creating at least 16 kinds of so-called unsharp masks (Unmask Masks: UM) and applying them to an original image. When displaying on a monitor, if the type of UM is n, for example, 4
In the case of division, the original image, the image processed by the n / 4th UM, the image processed by the n / 2th UM, and the image processed by the nth UM are displayed.

Further, the γ-curve method obtains a plurality of different images by applying a plurality of γ-curves to the original image, similar to the UM in the above spatial filtering method. In this case, depending on the inspection technique and inspection site, γ
-The curve table may be provided with variety, and the operator may be selected in advance.

The input window method changes the width and level of the input window of the original image. For example, in the case of 10-bit data, the level and the width are changed according to a certain function, starting from level = 512 and width = 1023. (C) Display size. This specifies one of the full reduction mode, the normal size mode, and the partial enlargement mode. (D) Save mode. This specifies whether the image data to be processed is raw data obtained by image collection or already processed data. (C) Processing procedure. The image data processing procedure will be described below with reference to FIGS.

(1) First, when the preset value of the save mode is raw data, the raw data collected by the image collection system 12 is stored in the image memory 15 of the image data processing unit 6. If the preset value of the save mode is processed data, the image data stored in the hard disk 10 or the external storage medium 9 is read out and stored in the image memory 15. (2) The image data stored in the image memory 15 in (1) above is displayed on the monitor 8 as a single image (see FIG. 9).
(A)).

(3) When the preset value of the display size is the normal size mode or the partial enlargement mode, a mark indicating the image area (ROI) to be displayed is superimposed on the image of (2) above and is shown in FIG. 9B. ) Is displayed.

(4) The image processing units 16 to 18 designated by the preset value of the image processing type are arranged in the image memory 1
The image data stored in 5 is processed by each image processing algorithm. For example, the image processing unit 16,
Reference numerals 17 and 18 respectively perform image processing on the original image by the spatial filtering method, the γ-curve method, and the input window method.

(5) The results of the image processing by the image processing units 16 to 18 are divided and displayed on one screen of the monitor 8 in accordance with the screen division mode preset or set at any time (in the case of the four division mode). 9 (C)). (6) The operator selects an arbitrary image from among the plurality of images that have been divided and displayed by, for example, an arrow 21 as shown in FIG.
Specify using.

(7) In step (6) above, when there is no desired image among the plurality of images displayed in a divided manner, the image closest to the desired image is designated, and then reprocessing is designated. Then, the image data processing unit 6 re-executes the image processing of (1) to (5) using the designated image as a basic image.

(8) If a desired image is present among the plurality of images that are divided and displayed, the operator designates the image in step (6), and thereafter, the image data is monitored 8 It is only necessary to specify a desired process such as re-displaying the entire screen on the screen, outputting the film by the imager 11, or storing the film in the hard disk 10 or the external memory 9. At this time, the parameters corresponding to this image are stored together as image supplementary information. This image supplementary information is used for image processing when the image is accessed again later.

[0038]

As described above, the X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention obtains a plurality of different images by subjecting the collected images to image processing under a plurality of processing conditions, and monitors these images. Since the image processing work to be presented to the operator is automatically executed by displaying the images on the screen simultaneously or sequentially, the operator can select the desired image from the plurality of automatically presented images. Since we only need to select one,
The operator can obtain a desired image in a short time without paying attention to the contents of the image processing, and therefore, the workload of the operator of the X-ray image diagnostic apparatus is significantly reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a basic configuration of an X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a histogram showing image data analysis.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a monitor.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a 4-division mode of a monitor screen.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a 9-division mode of a monitor screen.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a 16-division mode of a monitor screen.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a 13-division mode of a monitor screen.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image data processing unit.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a procedure of image processing.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 X-ray generation part 2 Patient 3 Image intensifier (II) 4 CCD camera 5 A / D converter 6 Image data processing part 7 Image data analysis part 8 Monitor 9 External memory 10 Hard disk 11 Imager 12 Image acquisition system 15 image memory 16-18 image processing unit 19 hard disk 20 ROI mark 21 instruction mark

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Internal reference number for FI G06F 15/62 320 P 9365-5L 390 A 9287-5L 15/66 A 8420-5L 15/68 310 9191-5L 400 A 9191-5L

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image data processing unit for creating a plurality of different images by processing an original image under a plurality of different processing conditions, and an operator arbitrarily selects the plurality of images from these images. An X-ray image diagnostic apparatus comprising: a display unit for displaying on at least one monitor so that one can be selected. 2. The image data processing means re-image-processes each image based on the processing condition of an image arbitrarily selected from the plurality of images, and the plurality of images obtained as a result are displayed on the display means. The X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the X-ray image diagnostic apparatus outputs. 3. The X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising imager means for outputting a film of the selected image based on a processing condition corresponding to the selected image. 4. The X-ray image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing the selected image together with processing conditions corresponding to the selected image.