IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING APPARATUS

• US 20090148020A1
• Filed: 12/02/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: SUGIURA, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,288 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/131
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7285 for synchronising or triggering a physiological measurement or image acquisition with a physiological event or waveform, e.g. an ECG signal A61B6/5205, A61B6/541, A61B8/5207, A61B8/543 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7435 Displaying user selection data, e.g. icons in a graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4822 in three dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/4833 using spatially selective excitation of the volume of interest, e.g. selecting non-orthogonal or inclined slices
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/485 based on chemical shift information [CSI] or spectroscopic imaging, e.g. to acquire the spatial distributions of metabolites
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/54 Signal processing systems, e.g. using pulse sequences ; Generation or control of pulse sequences; Operator console
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/546 Interface between the MR system and the user, e.g. for controlling the operation of the MR system or for the design of pulse sequences
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5608 Data processing and visualization specially adapted for MR, e.g. for feature analysis and pattern recognition on the basis of measured MR data, segmentation of measured MR data, edge contour detection on the basis of measured MR data, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of signal-to-noise ratio by means of noise filtering or apodization, for enhancing measured MR data in terms of resolution by means for deblurring, windowing, zero filling, or generation of gray-scaled images, colour-coded images or images displaying vectors instead of pixels image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/563 of moving material, e.g. flow contrast angiography
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/56308 Characterization of motion or flow; Dynamic imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5635 Angiography, e.g. contrast-enhanced angiography [CE-MRA] or time-of-flight angiography [TOF-MRA]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 33/5673 Gating or triggering based on a physiological signal other than an MR signal, e.g. ECG gating or motion monitoring using optical systems for monitoring the motion of a fiducial marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/028 Multiple view windows (top-side-front-sagittal-orthogonal)
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

An image display apparatus includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of image data with respect to a scan area of a subject; an analysis processing unit that obtains a plurality of analysis results by performing a predetermined analysis processing on a plurality of image data stored in the storage unit; a display unit that displays image data stored in the storage unit along with analysis results obtained by the analysis processing unit; and an image-display control unit that performs control such that image data corresponding to a specified analysis result is to be displayed on the display unit, when at least one analysis result is specified from among the analysis results displayed by the display unit.

Claims

1. An image display apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores a plurality of image data with respect to a scan area of a subject;

an analysis processing unit that obtains a plurality of analysis results by performing a predetermined analysis processing on a plurality of image data stored in the storage unit;

a display unit that displays image data stored in the storage unit along with analysis results obtained by the analysis processing unit; and

an image-display control unit that performs control such that image data corresponding to a specified analysis result is to be displayed on the display unit, when at least one analysis result is specified from among the analysis results displayed by the display unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a Multi Planar Reconstruction (MPR) processing unit that obtains an MPR image by performing cross-section conversion processing on image data stored in the storage unit, wherein

the storage unit stores multitime phase volume data with respect to a scan area of the subject,

the analysis processing unit obtains multitime phase analysis results by performing the analysis processing on the multitime phase volume data stored in the storage unit,

the display unit displays the MPR image obtained by the MPR processing unit and the multitime phase analysis results obtained by the analysis processing unit, and

the image-display control unit performs control such that an MPR image corresponding to a specified analysis result is to be displayed on the display unit, when at least one analysis result is specified from among the multitime phase analysis results displayed by the display unit.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains sequential variations in a left ventricular volume of a heart of the subject, as the analysis results.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains sequential variations in a left ventricular volume of a heart of the subject, as the analysis results.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains sequential variations in myocardial wall thickness, cardiac output, or ejection fraction, of the heart of the subject, as the analysis results.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains sequential variations in myocardial wall thickness, cardiac output, or ejection fraction, of the heart of the subject, as the analysis results.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains a dynamic curve indicating sequential variations in part of pixel values in a scan area of the subject, as the analysis results.

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains a dynamic curve indicating sequential variations in part of pixel values in a scan area of the subject, as the analysis results.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains a flow-velocity curve indicating sequential variations in a flow velocity of part of spins in a scan area of the subject, as the analysis results.

10. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the analysis processing unit obtains a flow-velocity curve indicating sequential variations in a flow velocity of part of spins in a scan area of the subject, as the analysis results.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the analysis processing unit creates a Bull'"'"'s eye image that depicts the analysis results in development elevation.

12. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the analysis processing unit creates a Bull'"'"'s eye image that depicts the analysis results in development elevation.

13. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the analysis processing unit creates a Bull'"'"'s eye image that depicts the analysis results in development elevation.

14. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the analysis processing unit creates a Bull'"'"'s eye image that depicts the analysis results in development elevation.

15. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the analysis processing unit creates a Bull'"'"'s eye image that depicts the analysis results in development elevation.

16. An image display apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores a plurality of image data with respect to a scan area of a subject in a manner associated with a parameter value of a scanning parameter set for a scan of the scan area;

a display unit that displays image data stored in the storage unit;

an input receiving unit that receives an input of a parameter value of the scanning parameter; and

an image-display control unit that reads image data corresponding to the parameter value from the storage unit when the input of the parameter value is received by the input receiving unit, and causes the display unit to display the read image data.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the image data is image data obtained through a scan performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, and

the scanning parameter is an echo time.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the image data is image data obtained through a scan performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, and

the scanning parameter is a b value indicating strength of an Motion Probing Gradient (MPG) pulse used in a scan for a diffusion emphasized image.

19. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the image data is image data obtained through a scan performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, and

the scanning parameter is an inversion time indicating a period from application of an inversion pulse to a start of a scan during a scan according to inversion recovery method.

20. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the image data is image data obtained through a scan performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, and

the scanning parameter is a delay time indicating a period from occurrence of a trigger waveform to a start of a scan during one of electrocardiogram (ECG) gated imaging and pulse-wave synchronized imaging.

21. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein

the image data is image data obtained through a scan performed by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, and

the scanning parameter is an inversion time indicating a period from application of an inversion pulse to a start of a scan during angiography without contrast agent, where blood flow dynamic states in the scan area is imaged by labeling a specific region in the scan area by applying the inversion pulse to the specific region.

22. An image display apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores image data that is reconstructed with respect to each cardiac time phase based on data collected across a plurality of heart beats;

a display unit that displays image data stored in the storage unit and an electrocardiographic waveform of one heart beat; and

an image-display control unit that reads image data corresponding to a specified cardiac time phase when an arbitrary cardiac time phase on the electrocardiographic waveform displayed by the display unit is specified, and causes the display unit to display the read image data.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the electrocardiographic waveform is a simulation diagram that depicts a typical electrocardiographic waveform.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the electrocardiographic waveform is one electrocardiographic waveform of heart beats among a plurality of electrocardiographic waveforms of heart beats measured from the subject during a scan.

25. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus comprising:

a storage unit that stores image data that is reconstructed with respect to each cardiac time phase based on data collected across a plurality of heart beats;

a display unit that displays image data stored in the storage unit and an electrocardiographic waveform of one heart beat; and

an image-display control unit that reads image data corresponding to a specified cardiac time phase when an arbitrary cardiac time phase on the electrocardiographic waveform displayed by the display unit is specified, and causes the display unit to display the read image data.