KR101140332B1 - Apparatus and method for acquiring 3D breast cancer image based on phase contrast - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a phase contrast image acquisition device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a phase contrast image acquisition device capable of acquiring a phase contrast image applicable to DBT (Digital Breast Tomosynthesis), which is a three-dimensional breast cancer diagnosis technology. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a phase contrast image obtaining apparatus comprising: an X-ray generating unit generating X-rays and radiating them to a diagnosis object; An image acquirer configured to acquire a first diagnosis image from the X-rays transmitted through the diagnosis object; A shielding window positioned at an upper portion of the diagnosis object and having an opening at one point to obtain a second diagnosis image for a suspected lesion site determined as a result of confirming the first diagnosis image; A front fixing plate positioned between the shielding window and the image acquisition unit and fixing a front portion of the diagnosis object to acquire the first diagnostic image or the second diagnostic image; And a rear fixing plate positioned below the front fixing plate and fixing a rear portion of the diagnostic object to acquire the first diagnostic image or the second diagnostic image, wherein the second diagnostic image includes the opening portion of the shielding window. The shielding window is horizontally moved to be positioned above the suspected lesion, and then obtained by the image acquisition unit from X-rays passing through the suspected lesion through the opening.

Description

Apparatus and method for acquiring 3D breast cancer image based on phase contrast

The present invention relates to a phase contrast based 3D breast cancer image acquisition device and method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a phase contrast-based 3D breast cancer image acquisition device and method capable of acquiring a phase contrast image applicable to DBT (Digital Breast Tomosynthesis), which is a three-dimensional breast cancer diagnosis technology.

As the age of aging and the national standard of living have improved, there is a growing interest in early diagnosis and treatment of diseases to lead a healthy life.Among many diseases, cancer is the number one cause of death in Korea. It is one of the most serious threats to national health.

According to the Central Cancer Registration Division under the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs, it is estimated that more than 130,000 new cancer patients occur each year in Korea. There are 300,0 women and 248.2 cases.

In addition, when the cancer is classified according to the type of cancer, males have the highest incidence in order of gastric cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, and colon cancer, which account for 66% of all male cancer cases, while female cancer rates are breast cancer, Thyroid cancer, stomach cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer in order to breast cancer appear to be higher than the four cancers.

As such, the early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer with the highest incidence in women is an important factor that must be preceded for women's healthy life.

Mammography is a method of diagnosing breast cancer in asymptomatic women.However, conventional mammography is a technique that uses two-dimensional images. Therefore, there are many difficulties in detecting microcalcification, which is an important element of early diagnosis of breast cancer.

Therefore, since there is a high probability of false-positive or false-negative with low screening ability, there is a problem that additional tests such as re-photographing and unnecessary biopsies must be accompanied to increase the accuracy of diagnosis.

In addition, even if there is breast cancer among false-positive and false-negative, false-negative, which is normally or positively read, overlooks the breast cancer, causing false reassurance to the patient and making a late diagnosis of breast cancer. Has become a major cause of legal problems.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a breast cancer diagnosis method with high accuracy so as to reduce the probability of false positives and false negatives in breast cancer diagnosis so that unnecessary tests such as unnecessary re-photography and biopsy are not necessary.

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), which is a breast cancer diagnosis technique using three-dimensional images, has been proposed to overcome the limitations of the breast cancer diagnosis technique using two-dimensional images as described above.

In the case of the DBT, a plurality of projection images obtained by X-rays radiated from various angles are acquired by an image collecting device, and a slice image of the breast is obtained through reconstruction of the obtained images, and then analyzed and analyzed to determine the presence and location of the lesion. It is a technique that can be distinguished without overlapping phenomena, but it is difficult to clearly distinguish small lesions in breast cancer discrimination because the formation mechanism of multiple projection images obtained from different angles is based on absorption contrast. Therefore, to compensate for this, the necessity of applying a phase contrast imaging technique using diffraction or refraction between X-ray and breast tissue was required.

However, in order to acquire a phase contrast image for diagnosing breast cancer, a distance separation between a patient and an image collecting device is required. Since the intensity of X-rays detected by the image collecting device decreases in proportion to the square of the distance, there is no separation. In order to obtain an image having a resolution similar to that of an absorption contrast image, harmful X-rays have to be exposed to the patient for a long time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and is based on a phase contrast that enables phase contrast imaging with high breast cancer diagnosis accuracy when applied to a three-dimensional breast cancer diagnosis technology, DBT (Digital Breast Tomosynthesis) while reducing unnecessary X-ray exposure of patients. An object of the present invention is to provide a 3D breast cancer image acquisition device and method.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a phase contrast based 3D breast cancer image obtaining apparatus comprising: an X-ray generating unit configured to generate X-rays and irradiate the diagnosis object; An image acquirer configured to acquire a first diagnosis image from the X-rays transmitted through the diagnosis object; A shielding window positioned at an upper portion of the diagnosis object and having an opening at one point to obtain a second diagnosis image for a suspected lesion site determined as a result of confirming the first diagnosis image; A front fixing plate positioned between the shielding window and the image acquisition unit and fixing a front portion of the diagnosis object to acquire the first diagnostic image or the second diagnostic image; And a rear fixing plate positioned below the front fixing plate and fixing a rear portion of the diagnostic object to acquire the first diagnostic image or the second diagnostic image, wherein the second diagnostic image includes the opening portion of the shielding window. The shielding window is horizontally moved to be positioned above the suspected lesion, and then obtained by the image acquisition unit from X-rays passing through the suspected lesion through the opening.

In addition, a phase contrast-based 3D breast cancer image acquisition method according to the present invention for achieving the above object comprises: (a) generating X-rays and irradiating the diagnosis subject; (b) obtaining a first diagnosis image from X-rays transmitted through the diagnosis object; And (c) acquiring a second diagnosis image for a suspected lesion site determined as a result of the confirmation of the first diagnosis image, and in step (c), the second diagnosis image is placed on an upper portion of the diagnosis subject. Is obtained from the X-ray transmitted through the lesion suspect area through the opening after horizontally moving the shielding window so that the opening portion of the shielding window positioned to enable horizontal movement and the opening is formed at one point above the suspected lesion site It is characterized by.

According to the present invention, a phase contrast magnified image of a suspected lesion is realized while reducing unnecessary X-ray exposure to the diagnosed subject using a shielding window formed of an X-ray shielding material and having one point open after determining a suspected lesion of the diagnostic subject. It is possible to have the effect.

In addition, the phase contrast magnified image is obtained by rotating the X-ray generator and the image acquisition unit according to a predetermined trajectory so that they are positioned on the same line as the open point of the shielding window. It can be applied to both partial isocentric mode and complete isocentric mode of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis, and can be used for general 2-D breast cancer diagnosis device. .

1 is a conceptual diagram of a phase contrast image acquisition device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 to 5 is a reference view of the operation of the phase contrast image acquisition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and
6 is a flowchart of a method for acquiring a phase contrast image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First of all, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals have the same reference numerals as much as possible even if displayed on different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In addition, the present invention will be described below a preferred embodiment, but the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to this, but can be practiced by those skilled in the art.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a phase contrast image acquisition device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus for acquiring a phase contrast image 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include an X-ray generator 10, an image acquirer 20, a shielding window 30, a front fixing plate 40, And a rear fixing plate 50.

The X-ray generator 10 generates X-rays to irradiate the diagnosis subject B, and the X-ray generator 10 may be an X-ray tube.

The image acquisition unit 20 obtains a primary diagnostic image from X-rays radiated from the X-ray generation unit 10 and transmitted through the diagnosis object B, and uses an optical sensor and a CMOS image as the image acquisition unit 20. Sensors and the like can be used.

In this case, the first diagnostic image may be an image obtained by photographing the diagnostic object B using an absorption contrast characteristic of a substance with respect to X-rays.

Herein, the absorption contrast characteristic of a substance to X-rays means that the degree of absorption of X-rays varies according to the type of the substance. For example, when photographing a part of the body using X-rays, bones have a high density. Since X-rays are absorbed a lot and most X-rays pass through biological tissues such as flesh, X-ray imaging images can be obtained using the X-rays.

In addition, the diagnosis subject B may be a breast of a diagnosis subject, and the suspected lesion site may be a breast cancer suspect site of the diagnosis subject.

In addition, the image acquisition unit 20 may acquire a second diagnostic image for the suspected lesion site determined as a result of confirming the first diagnostic image, wherein the secondary diagnostic image may be characterized by diffraction or refraction between the X-ray and the suspected lesion site. The image may be an image of the suspected lesion site of the diagnosis subject B.

In addition, a detailed process of the image acquisition unit 20 obtaining the secondary diagnostic image will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

The shielding window 30 is positioned to allow horizontal movement on the upper part of the diagnosis object B to acquire a second diagnosis image for the suspected lesion site determined as a result of confirming the first diagnosis image, and an opening 32 at one point. ) Is formed.

In this case, the shielding window 30 is X-rays such as lead or concrete to prevent the X-rays radiated from the X-ray generating unit 10 from passing through portions other than the opening 32 formed at one point of the shielding window 30. It may be formed of a material capable of shielding.

The front fixing plate 40 is positioned between the shielding window 30 and the image obtaining unit 20, and fixes the front part of the diagnostic object B for capturing the first diagnostic image or the second diagnostic image, and the rear fixing plate 50. ) Is positioned below the front fixing plate 50 and fixes the rear part of the diagnostic object B for taking the first diagnostic image or the second diagnostic image.

In addition, the phase contrast image acquisition device 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention further includes an image confirmation unit (not shown) for determining a suspected lesion site by checking the first diagnostic image acquired by the image acquisition unit 20. It may include.

In addition, the phase contrast image acquisition apparatus 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention may operate as a motor or the like to move the X-ray generator 10 horizontally or rotate according to a predetermined trajectory (not shown). C) may be further included.

In addition, the phase contrast image acquisition device 1 according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention may operate as a motor or the like to move the image acquisition unit 20 horizontally or vertically or rotate according to a predetermined trajectory. It may further include (not shown).

2 to 5 are reference diagrams of operations of the phase contrast image capturing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the X-ray generator 10 may be formed by using the first transfer means (not shown) to photograph the diagnosis object B from various angles in order to acquire a first diagnosis image of the breast cancer diagnosis subject. When the image acquisition unit 20 acquires the first diagnosis image of the diagnosis object B from the X-ray transmitted through the diagnosis object B by rotating according to the predetermined trajectory O1, the image checking unit (not shown) The primary diagnosis image is checked to determine a suspected lesion site of the diagnosis subject B.

At this time, the image acquisition unit 20 may be located in close contact with the bottom of the rear fixing plate (50).

As shown in FIG. 3, the shielding window positioned above the front fixing plate 40 in a state where the front fixing plate 40 fixing the front part of the diagnosis object B and the rear fixing plate 50 fixing the rear part are fixed. 30 is moved horizontally so that the opening 32 formed at one point of the shielding window 30 is located on the upper part of the suspected lesion site P determined as a result of the first diagnosis image, and the first moving means is used. The X-ray generator 10 is horizontally moved to be positioned on the same line as the opening 32, and the image acquisition unit 20 is vertically moved by using the second transfer means. The image acquisition unit 20 is horizontally moved to be positioned on the same line as the opening portion 32 by using the second transfer means again after being spaced apart by a predetermined interval from 50).

Here, the reason for vertically moving the image acquisition unit 20 so as to be spaced apart from the rear fixing plate 50 by a predetermined interval is to acquire a phase contrast image for the suspected lesion site (P) and the suspected lesion site (P) and the image This is because the separation of the acquisition unit 20 is required.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the X-ray generator 10 is rotated according to a predetermined trajectory O1 using the first transfer means, the lesion may be formed through an opening 32 formed at one point of the shielding window 30. The image acquisition unit 20 obtains the second diagnostic image, which is a phase contrast image of the suspected lesion P, from the X-rays transmitted through the suspected region P.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the image acquisition unit 20 is on the same line as the X-ray generator 10 and the open part 32 even when the X-ray generator 10 rotates along a predetermined trajectory O1. The X-ray generating unit 10 and the X-ray generating unit 10 and the X-ray generating unit 10 are rotated according to a predetermined trajectory O1 as shown in FIG. It may be rotated according to a predetermined trajectory O2 to be located on the same line as the opening 32.

Here, when the X-ray generator 10 is rotated according to a predetermined trajectory O1, the image acquisition unit 20 is moved in the horizontal direction so as to be positioned on the same line as the X-ray generator 10 and the opening 32. Or rotate according to a predetermined trajectory (O2) because the lesion suspected portion P and the image acquisition unit 20 are spaced apart by a predetermined interval to acquire the secondary diagnostic image, and thus the image is enlarged and the suspected lesion. This is to prevent the X-rays passing through (P) because it may leave the image acquisition area of the image acquisition unit 20.

6 is a flowchart of a method for acquiring a phase contrast image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In S10, the X-ray generator 10 generates X-rays and irradiates the diagnosis subject B.

In this case, the X-ray generator 10 may be an X-ray tube.

In operation S20, the image acquirer 20 obtains a primary diagnostic image from X-rays transmitted through the diagnostic object B.

In this case, the first diagnostic image may be an image obtained by photographing the diagnosis subject B using the absorption contrast property of the substance for X-rays, and the image acquisition unit 20 may be located in close contact with the bottom of the rear fixing plate 50. Can be.

In operation S30, when the image acquisition unit 20 acquires the secondary diagnosis image for the suspected lesion site P determined as a result of confirming the primary diagnosis image, the termination is performed.

In this case, the secondary diagnostic image may be a phase contrast image of an enlarged image of the suspected lesion P by using diffraction or refraction characteristics between the X-ray and the suspected lesion P.

In addition, the secondary diagnostic image is an X-ray generator 10 after horizontally moving the shielding window 30 so that the opening 32 formed at one point of the shielding window 30 is located above the suspected lesion site P. ) May be obtained from X-rays that are transmitted to the image acquisition unit 20 after passing through the suspected lesion through the opening 32.

In addition, the shielding window 30 may be formed of a material capable of shielding X-rays such as lead or concrete such that portions other than the opening 32 may pass through only the opening 32 when the secondary diagnostic image is acquired. Can be.

In addition, the diagnosis subject B may be a breast of the diagnosis subject, and the suspected lesion site P may be a suspected breast cancer site.

The phase contrast image obtaining apparatus 1 of the present invention acquires a first diagnosis image from an X-ray radiated from the X-ray generating unit 10 and transmitted through the diagnosis object B, and thus suspects a lesion (P). ) And the opening 32 is formed on the upper portion of the suspected lesion P using the shielding window 30 formed of an X-ray shielding material such as lead or concrete and transmitting X-rays only through the opening 32. After positioning, the suspected lesion area P and the image acquisition unit 20 are spaced apart by a predetermined interval, and the X-ray generation unit 10 and the image acquisition unit 20 are rotated according to the predetermined trajectories O1 and 02. It is possible to obtain an enlarged phase contrast image of the lesion suspected area P.

Therefore, it is possible to obtain an enlarged phase contrast image of the suspected lesion site P while reducing unnecessary X-ray exposure to the diagnosis subject B in addition to the suspected lesion site P.

For example, in the case of utilizing the phase contrast image acquisition device 1 of the present invention for diagnosing breast cancer, the breast of a subject to be diagnosed is photographed to obtain a primary diagnosis image, and then confirmed to determine a breast cancer suspected part of the subject to be shielded. By using the window 30, it is possible to obtain an enlarged phase contrast image of the suspected breast cancer area while reducing unnecessary X-ray exposures of other parts except the suspected breast cancer area.

In addition, the image acquisition unit 20 horizontally moves or rotates according to the predetermined trajectory O2 so that the X-ray generating unit 10 and the opening unit 32 rotate along the predetermined trajectory O1. Phase contrast magnified image acquisition of the suspected breast cancer region (P) is performed, so that partial isocentric mode (the image acquisition unit 20 moves horizontally) and complete isocentric mode (the image acquisition unit) of the digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) 20) rotates according to a predetermined trajectory (O2), as well as can be applied to a general 2D breast cancer diagnosis device has the effect of obtaining a phase contrast magnified image of the suspected breast cancer in various systems.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various modifications, changes, and substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. It will be possible. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention and the accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate and not to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments and the accompanying drawings . The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

(1): phase contrast image acquisition device (10): X-ray generator
20: image acquisition unit 30: shielding window
(32): opening 40: front fixing plate
50: rear fixing plate

Claims (10)

In the phase contrast image acquisition device,
An X-ray generating unit generating X-rays and radiating the light onto the diagnosis subject;
An image acquirer configured to acquire a first diagnosis image from the X-rays transmitted through the diagnosis object;
A shielding window positioned at an upper portion of the diagnosis object and having an opening at one point to obtain a second diagnosis image for a suspected lesion site determined as a result of confirming the first diagnosis image;
A front fixing plate positioned between the shielding window and the image acquisition unit and fixing a front portion of the diagnosis object to acquire the first diagnosis image or the second diagnosis image; And
Located at the bottom of the front fixing plate and includes a rear fixing plate for fixing the rear portion of the diagnostic object for obtaining the first diagnostic image or the second diagnostic image,
The secondary diagnostic image is obtained by the image acquisition unit from the X-rays transmitted through the lesion suspect area through the opening after the shielding window is horizontally moved so that the opening is located above the suspected site,
The image acquisition unit is located in close contact with the bottom of the rear fixing plate when acquiring the first diagnostic image, and is spaced apart from the rear fixing plate by a predetermined interval when acquiring the second diagnostic image, and generating the X-rays when acquiring the second diagnostic image. And a horizontal movement so as to be positioned on the same line as the opening and the opening, or rotating according to a predetermined trajectory so as to be located on the same line as the X-ray generating unit and the opening. The method of claim 1,
And the diagnostic subject is a breast of a diagnosis subject, and the suspected lesion is a breast cancer suspect region of the subject. delete delete The method of claim 1,
The first diagnosis image is an image of the diagnosis subject using absorption absorption characteristics of a substance against X-rays, and the second diagnosis image is a diffraction or refraction characteristic between X-rays and the suspected lesion region of the diagnosis subject. Phase contrast image acquisition device, characterized in that the phase contrast image of the enlarged image of the suspected lesion. The method of claim 1,
The shielding window is a phase contrast image acquisition device, characterized in that the portion other than the opening is formed of a material capable of X-ray shielding. In the phase contrast image acquisition method,
(a) generating X-rays and irradiating the diagnosis subjects;
(b) obtaining a first diagnosis image from X-rays transmitted through the diagnosis object;
(c) acquiring a second diagnosis image of the suspected lesion of the diagnosis subject,
In the step (c), the secondary diagnostic image is horizontally movable above the diagnosis object, and the shielding window is horizontally positioned so that the opening of the shielding window having an opening formed at one point is located above the suspected lesion site. And a phase contrast image is acquired from the X-rays passing through the suspicion of the lesion through the opening. The method of claim 7, wherein
The method of obtaining a phase contrast image according to claim (a), wherein the diagnosis subject is a breast of a diagnosis subject, and in step (c), the suspected lesion region is a breast cancer suspect region of the diagnosis subject. The method of claim 7, wherein
In the step (b), the first diagnosis image is an image of the diagnosis subject using absorption absorption characteristics of a substance for X-rays, and in step (c), the second diagnosis image is X-rays and the suspected lesion site. And a phase contrast image obtained by magnifying the suspected lesion site using the diffraction or refraction characteristics of the liver. The method of claim 7, wherein
In the step (c), the shielding window is a phase contrast image acquisition method, characterized in that the portion other than the opening is formed of a material capable of shielding.

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