WO2015069049A1

WO2015069049A1 - Method and apparatus for displaying three-dimensional dental image

Info

Publication number: WO2015069049A1
Application number: PCT/KR2014/010638
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김근영; 김태우; 최성일
Original assignee: 주식회사 바텍; (주)바텍이우홀딩스
Priority date: 2013-11-06
Filing date: 2014-11-06
Publication date: 2015-05-14

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional dental image, capable of significantly improving the discernability and image quality of a three-dimensional dental image suitable for various medical purposes in dentistry. The method for displaying a three-dimensional dental image according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) displaying a three-dimensional image; (b) setting a random region in the three-dimensional image and adjusting at least one of the windowing level and the windowing width of the set random region; and (c) displaying the three-dimensional image combined with the random region which has undergone the adjustment. Further, the apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional dental image according to the present invention comprises: a storage unit for storing a three-dimensional image; an operation unit for processing at least one of the windowing level and the windowing width of a random region of the three-dimensional image to the level set by a user; and a display unit for displaying the three-dimensional image combined with the random region which is processed by the operation unit.

Description

Method and apparatus for displaying 3D dental images

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying a dental three-dimensional image, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for displaying a dental three-dimensional image as a three-dimensional image suitable for medical purposes.

X-ray CT images are expressed as CT numbers representing the relative X-ray weakness coefficients of each tissue in the human body. The range of CT numbers that represent the different levels of black and white in gray scale is called the windowing width, and the median value of the windowing width is called the windowing level. When the windowing level is set high, it is easy to observe tissues with a large X-ray weakness coefficient such as bone, and when set low, it is easy to observe tissues with a low X-ray weakness coefficient such as air.

1 and 2 are photographs showing that the windowing level of the image is adjusted in the conventional dental image display device.

1 and 2, the image of the temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) is unclearly displayed when the window is adjusted based on the teeth of the image in the dental image display device, and the window is based on the TMJ. There was a problem in that the image of the tooth part was displayed unclearly during adjustment, which resulted in inconsistent and unclear image quality when viewing the image as a whole.

This is because there is a limitation of gray level that can be displayed on the image based on the same windowing level due to the difference in the CT number due to the difference in X-ray reduction coefficient due to the distance from the focus and the density of the substance even for the same substance. . This non-uniform image is more prominent than the case where the region of interest is large, such as when the tooth portion and the TMJ portion are simultaneously included.

In addition, when applying high-speed CT for low dose, which is emphasized recently, the overall uniformity of the image is lowered due to the lack of information in the projection, and this problem is highlighted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is derived to solve a conventional problem, by displaying a 3D image and adjusting at least one of a windowing level or a windowing width for an arbitrary region of the 3D image. And an arbitrary region in which at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width is adjusted are merged and displayed, thereby providing a dental 3D image display method having an effect of improving identification and image quality of a 3D image.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a dental three-dimensional image display device that can improve the identification and image quality of the three-dimensional image.

To achieve the above object, a method for displaying a dental three-dimensional image of the present invention includes: (a) displaying a three-dimensional image; (b) setting an arbitrary region in the 3D image and adjusting at least one of a windowing level or a windowing width with respect to the set arbitrary region; And (c) merging and displaying an arbitrary region where the adjustment is performed on the 3D image.

Step (b) may include adjusting a smoothing weight for the boundary surface of the arbitrary region.

Step (b) may include displaying a separate display window showing the set arbitrary region.

The smoothing may be performed through a blurring or gradation operation on a predetermined section around the boundary surface.

The dental three-dimensional display device of the present invention for achieving the above another object, the storage unit for storing a three-dimensional image; A calculation unit configured to process at least one of a windowing level and a windowing width of a predetermined area of the 3D image to a level set by a user; And a display unit for merging and displaying the arbitrary region processed by the operation unit on the 3D image.

The display unit may display the arbitrary area on a separate display window.

The calculator may perform a smoothing operation on the boundary surface of the 3D image and the arbitrary region, and the display unit may smoothly display the boundary surface of the 3D image and the arbitrary region.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dental 3D image display apparatus including a display unit, wherein at least one of a window level or a window width of a portion of a 3D image displayed through the display unit is different from the other regions. do.

The present invention sets up a partial region of the dental three-dimensional image, adjusts at least one of a windowing level or a windowing width with respect to the partial region, and then adjusts the smoothing weight of the boundary surface of the partial region as necessary. By displaying a composite image having different windowing levels and widths in the dimensional image, the identification and image quality of the dental three-dimensional image suitable for various medical purposes in the dentist can be remarkably improved.

FIG. 1 is a photograph in which a windowing level is adjusted based on a tooth according to a conventional dental three-dimensional image display method.

Figure 2 is a picture of the windowing level is adjusted based on the TMJ according to the conventional dental three-dimensional image display method.

3 is a photograph in which a first image is selected from a dental three-dimensional image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a photograph in which a first image is displayed on a display window in a dental 3D image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a photograph showing a three-dimensional image in which at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width of the first image is adjusted separately from the windowing level or the windowing width of the second image, according to an embodiment of the present invention. .

FIG. 6 is a photo showing a 3D image of which a smoothing weight is adjusted by applying a smoothing weight to a boundary between an adjusted first image and a second image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of the code]

10: three-dimensional image 61: the first image window wing adjustment scroll bar

20: First Image 62: Smoothing Adjustment Scroll Bar

30: second image 70: adjusted first image

40: selection area window 80: third image

50: display window

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Through the embodiments will be clearly understood the technical spirit of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but can be modified in various forms within the scope of the technical idea to which the present invention belongs to those skilled in the art of the present invention. Will be obvious.

In the present invention, the windowing width refers to a range of CT numbers expressed in gray scales that can be displayed on the display unit of the image display apparatus. For example, if the window wing width is set from 0 to 100 on the assumption that the display gray level of the video display device is 100, the CT number between 0 and 100 is displayed in 100 gray levels on the display. If you set the wing width from 50 to 100, it means that the CT number between 50 and 100 is displayed in 100 gradations. Therefore, when the window width is 50 to 100, the CT number that can be displayed on the display device is reduced than when the window width is 50 to 100, but the CT number of the corresponding area can be displayed more clearly.

In the present invention, the windowing level means a median value for the windowing width range. For example, assuming that the gray level that can be displayed on the display unit of the image display device is 100, and the window wing level is 40 and the window width is 400, the CT numbers -160 to 240 are displayed as 100 gray levels based on the CT number 40. It means. Therefore, by adjusting the windowing level to the CT number of the desired material, the material can be displayed most clearly.

3 illustrates an example in which an arbitrary region (first image) 20 is set as a selection area window 40 in a 3D image displayed on an image display apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The 3D image 10 is an image in which a windowing level is adjusted based on a tooth. Referring to FIG. 3, since the windowing level of the 3D image 10 is adjusted based on the teeth, the image quality of the TMJ region is not clear.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the setting of an arbitrary area can be set by the user adjusting the selection area window 40. More specifically, when an arbitrary point of the area to be set is clicked, the selection area window 40 is displayed on the display unit of the image display device, the position and size of the selection area window 40 are adjusted, and then the confirmation button is clicked. By doing so, the arbitrary region 20 (first image) is determined. 3 shows an example in which the size of the selection area window 40 is adjusted so that the TMJ area is selected on the image in which the windowing level is adjusted based on the tooth.

The 3D image 10 is divided into the first image 20 and the remaining images 30 and 2 except the first image among the 3D image 10 by various methods such as a solid line or a dotted line and displayed on the display unit. . The selection area window 40 for selecting the first image 20 in the 3D image 10 may be formed in various shapes that can be modified, including a triangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, or a circle, as well as the shape of a rectangle.

Although FIG. 3 illustrates that the user selects one area, it is possible to perform a modification so that a plurality of areas can be set according to the user's selection. Obviously, it is determined by clicking on a plurality of random areas, adjusting the position and size of the selected area window, and clicking the OK button.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the setting of an arbitrary area includes setting two or more reference points in the 3D image and dividing the screen into two or more screen areas based on the designated reference point. The screen may be divided into two or more screens by a region connected to the designated reference point by a straight line and divided into a straight line perpendicular to the straight line at the midpoint of the straight line.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the setting of the arbitrary region includes selecting a region corresponding to an anatomically defined region of the human body from a portion of the human body displayed by the three-dimensional image. This may be done by presetting an anatomical name corresponding to each part of the human body displayed in the 3D image and selecting an area corresponding to an anatomical name or a part of the human body in the 3D image.

4 illustrates an example in which the first image 20 is displayed on the display window 50 including the window control scroll bar 60 and / or the smooth control scroll bar 61 in the dental three-dimensional image according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. see.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the area of the first image 20 is determined by adjusting the selection area window 40, the display window 50 forming the screen partition with the 3D image 10 may be displayed on the display unit. Can be. The display window 50 may be enlarged or displayed without changing the size of the first image 20.

The display portion may include a window wing adjustment scroll bar 60 and / or a smoothing adjustment scroll bar 61 for adjusting the first image, and a window wing adjustment scroll bar 60 and / or smoothing adjustment for adjusting the first image. The scroll bar 61 may be displayed inside the display window 50 and inside a window separate from the display window 50.

Referring to FIG. 4, at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width of the first image 20 may be adjusted through the windowing adjustment scroll bar 60 for adjusting the first image included in the display window 50. have. When at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width of the first image 20 is adjusted through the windowing adjustment scroll bar 60, the first operation unit to be displayed on the display unit using the 3D CT data stored in the storage unit is performed by the calculator. Compute at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width of the image 20 separately from the windowing level or the windowing width of the second image 30, such that at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width is The adjusted first image 70 (see FIG. 5) is displayed on the display unit and the display window 50. The change according to the adjustment of at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width of the first image 20 may be confirmed on the display unit or the display window 50.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when the plurality of image areas are set by the user, the plurality of display windows may be displayed on the display unit in different or overlapping sections. A window wing adjustment scroll bar for adjusting a plurality of images included in the plurality of display windows may adjust at least one of a windowing level or a windowing width of the plurality of images, and at least one of the adjusted windowing level or the windowing width. The plurality of images adjusted according to one can be checked on each display window of the display unit or the display unit.

5 is an adjusted three-dimensional adjustment of at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width of the first image according to one embodiment of the invention separately from the windowing level or the windowing width of the second image 30. The image 80 (the third image) is a picture displayed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the TMJ region is set as the first image 20 while the windowing level of the second image is adjusted based on the tooth, and the windowing level or windowing of the first image 20 is set. At least one of the widths was adjusted to the adjusted first image 70 to best view the TMJ. Accordingly, a third image 80 in which the first image 70 that can best observe the TMJ and the second image 30 that can best observe the teeth is merged is displayed on the display.

5 and an image in which the windowing level or the windowing width is adjusted based on the tooth according to the dental 3D image display method of FIG. 5 or the image in which the windowing level or the windowing width is adjusted based on the TMJ. When comparing FIG. 2), the conventional 3D image has a problem that the windowing level is adjusted with respect to the entire 3D image so that the overall uniformity is poor and the image quality is not clear due to the difference in the CT number of the tooth region and the TMJ region. In the 3D image according to the dental image display method of the present invention, the first image adjusts at least one of the windowing level or the windowing width based on the TMJ, and the second image is the windowing level or the window based on the teeth. By adjusting at least one of the wing widths, the image quality of the 3D image is remarkably sharper than that of the conventional 3D image.

FIG. 6 illustrates a third method in which a smoothing weight is adjusted by applying smoothing weights to the

boundaries

91 and 92 of the adjusted first image 70 and the second image 30 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Image 80 is a picture displayed.

The smoothing weight adjustment can be controlled through the smoothing adjustment scroll bar 61 included in the display unit or the smoothing adjustment scroll bar 61 included in the display window 50. When the smoothing weight is adjusted through the smoothing adjustment scroll bar 61, the operation unit It is calculated by applying the smoothing weights to the boundary of the first image and the second image, and the calculated smoothing weights are applied to the interval images around the boundary of the first image and the second image to overlap and blur or gradient ( by adjusting the smoothing of the boundaries of each image.

Referring to FIG. 6, the smoothing weight is adjusted through the smoothing adjustment scroll bar 61 included in the display window 50, and thus the

boundary portions

91 and 92 of the adjusted first image 70 and the second image 30 are adjusted. It can be seen that the boundary between the first image 70 and the second image 30, which is adjusted by adjusting the smoothing weight, is naturally adjusted to improve the overall uniformity of the 3D image.

Claims

(a) displaying a three-dimensional image;

(b) setting an arbitrary region in the 3D image and adjusting at least one of a windowing level or a windowing width with respect to the set arbitrary region; And

and (c) merging and displaying an arbitrary region on which the adjustment has been performed on the three-dimensional image.
The method according to claim 1,

And (b) adjusting the smoothing weight with respect to the boundary surface of the arbitrary area.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,

The step (b) of the dental three-dimensional image display method comprising the step of displaying a separate display window showing the predetermined region.
The method according to claim 2,

The smoothing is a dental three-dimensional image display method is performed by a blurring or gradation calculation for a predetermined section around the boundary surface.
A storage unit storing a 3D image;

A calculation unit configured to process at least one of a windowing level and a windowing width of a predetermined area in the 3D image to a level set by a user;

And a display unit for merging and displaying the arbitrary region processed by the operation unit on the 3D image.
The method according to claim 5,

And the display unit displays the arbitrary region on a separate display window.
The method according to claim 5,

And the calculator is configured to smooth the interface between the 3D image and the arbitrary region, and the display unit to smoothly display the interface between the 3D image and the arbitrary region.
And a display unit, wherein at least one of a window level or a window width of a portion of the 3D image displayed through the display unit is different from the other regions.