IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, IMAGE DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS AND IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20090005672A1
• Filed: 06/24/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: SUGIURA, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,295,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/419
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5601 involving use of a contrast agent for contrast manipulation, e.g. a paramagnetic, super-paramagnetic, ferromagnetic or hyperpolarised contrast agent
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56366 Perfusion imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

An image processing apparatus includes an image data acquisition unit, a development generating unit and a display unit. The image data acquisition unit acquires slice image data with regard to a heart of an object. The development generating unit obtains blood flow perfusion information with regard to a myocardial thickness direction based on the slice image data and generates development data according to a desired development format for displaying the blood flow perfusion information. The display unit displays the development data.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image data acquisition unit configured to acquire slice image data with regard to a heart of an object;

a development generating unit configured to obtain blood flow perfusion information with regard to a myocardial thickness direction based on the slice image data and generate development data according to a desired development format for displaying the blood flow perfusion information; and

a display unit configured to display the development data.

3. An image processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate plural pieces of development data with regard to plural time phases based on plural pieces of slice image data corresponding to the plural time phases.

4. An image processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate plural pieces of development data with regard to mutually different slice positions based on plural pieces of slice image data corresponding to the different slice positions.

5. An image processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate development data according to a development format divided concentrically and radially from a cardiac base part of the heart toward an apex cordis part.

6. An image processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said image data acquisition unit is configured to obtain contrast enhanced slice image data acquired with injecting a contrast medium into the object.

7. An image processing apparatus of claim 1,

wherein said image data acquisition unit is configured to obtain non-contrast enhanced slice image data acquired without injecting a contrast medium into the object.

8. An image processing apparatus of claim 7,

wherein said image data acquisition unit is configured to acquire magnetic resonance image data as the non-contrast enhanced slice image data with applying an arterial spin labeling pulse.

2. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image data acquisition unit configured to acquire slice image data with regard to a heart of an object;

a development generating unit configured to calculate desired information based on a pixel value in a divided region generated by dividing the slice image data at least in a myocardial thickness direction and generate development data according to a desired development format for displaying the desired information; and

a display unit configured to display the development data.

9. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate plural pieces of development data with regard to plural time phases based on plural pieces of slice image data corresponding to the plural time phases.

10. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate plural pieces of development data with regard to mutually different slice positions based on plural pieces of slice image data corresponding to the different slice positions.

11. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate development data according to a development format divided concentrically and radially from a cardiac base part of the heart toward an apex cordis part.

12. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said image data acquisition unit is configured to obtain contrast enhanced slice image data acquired with injecting a contrast medium into the object.

13. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said image data acquisition unit is configured to obtain non-contrast enhanced slice image data acquired without injecting a contrast medium into the object.

14. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to calculate pieces of desired information based on pixel values respectively in plural divided regions by dividing the slice image data at least in myocardial thickness directions and generate development data according to a development format for displaying blood flow perfusion information obtained based on the pieces of the desired information corresponding to the plural divided regions.

15. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to calculate pieces of desired information based on pixel values respectively in plural divided regions by dividing pieces of slice image data at least in myocardial thickness directions respectively and generate development data according to a development format for displaying blood flow perfusion information obtained based on the pieces of the desired information corresponding to the plural divided regions with regard to the pieces of the slice image data.

16. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to calculate a parameter obtained based on variation of an average pixel value by time phase as the desired information based on the pixel value.

17. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate desired information based on pixel values respectively corresponding to plural divided regions divided in the myocardial thickness direction with regard to plural slices as a single piece of development data according to a development format by which a divided region in an inner layer side of a myocardium is arranged inside and a divided region in an outer layer side of the myocardium is arranged outside.

18. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate desired information based on pixel values respectively corresponding to plural divided regions divided in the myocardial thickness direction with regard to plural slices as plural pieces of development data respectively corresponding to slices according to a development format by which a divided region in an inner layer side of a myocardium is arranged inside and a divided region in an outer layer side of the myocardium is arranged outside.

19. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate desired information based on pixel values respectively corresponding to plural divided regions divided in the myocardial thickness direction with regard to plural slices as plural pieces of development data respectively corresponding to divided regions in a common slice divided in the myocardial thickness direction and common to divided regions mutually corresponding among mutually different slices according to a development format by which an apex cordis part side of a myocardium is arranged inside and a cardiac base part side of the myocardium is arranged outside.

20. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to calculate the desired information based on the pixel value in a divided region divided at a line corresponding to a desired rate to a thickness of a myocardium.

21. An image processing apparatus of claim 2,

wherein said development generating unit is configured to generate the development data of which specific divided region is displayed emphatically, distinctly or selectively according to a value of the desired information based on the pixel value.

22. An image diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition unit configured to acquire slice image data with regard to a heart of an object by imaging of the heart;

a development generating unit configured to obtain blood flow perfusion information with regard to a myocardial thickness direction based on the slice image data and generate development data according to a desired development format for displaying the blood flow perfusion information; and

a display unit configured to display the development data.

23. An image diagnostic apparatus of claim 22,

wherein said image acquisition unit is configured to acquire magnetic resonance image data as the slice image data.

24. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring slice image data with regard to a heart of an object;

obtaining blood flow perfusion information with regard to a myocardial thickness direction based on the slice image data and generating development data according to a desired development format for displaying the blood flow perfusion information; and

displaying the development data.

25. An image processing method comprising:

acquiring slice image data with regard to a heart of an object;

calculating desired information based on a pixel value in a divided region generated by dividing the slice image data at least in a myocardial thickness direction and generating development data according to a desired development format for displaying the desired information; and

displaying the development data.