MEDICAL IMAGE DIAGNOSIS DEVICE AND REGION-OF-INTEREST SETTING METHOD THEREFORE

• US 20120065499A1
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chono, Tomoaki
• Application Number:
  US13/321,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20120065499A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/425
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/466 adapted to display 3D data 3D imaging and stereoscopic displays in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S15/8993 and G01S7/52068, respectively; 3D image rendering G06T15/00; manipulating 3D models for computer graphics G06T19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/469 for selection of a region of interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/52 Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves image processing per se G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52063 Sector scan display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52066 Time-position or time-motion displays

Abstract

A medical image diagnosis device according to the present invention has a medical image acquiring unit that acquires a medical image, a three-dimensional image constructing unit that constructs a three-dimensional image containing a motional internal organ region in the medical image, a sectional image generator that generates a two-dimensional sectional image serving as a reference image from the three-dimensional image, a region dividing unit that divides the reference image into plural regions on the basis of a criterion for region division, and a region-of-interest setting unit that calculates motion states of the plural regions, specifies at least one region of the plural regions on the basis of the calculated motion states, and sets as a region of interest a region of the medical image in which the specified region is contained.

Claims

1. A medical image diagnosis device, characterized by comprising:

a medical image acquiring unit that acquires a medical image;

a three-dimensional image constructing unit that constructs a three-dimensional image containing a motional internal organ region in the medical image;

a sectional image generator that generates a two-dimensional sectional image serving as a reference image from the three-dimensional image;

a region dividing unit that divides the reference image into a plurality of regions on the basis of a criterion for region division; and

a region-of-interest setting unit that calculates motion states of the plurality of regions, specifies at least one region of the plurality of regions on the basis of the calculated motion states, and sets a region in the medical image including the specified region as a region of interest.

3. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, further comprising a data base portion in which a comparison model for generating the two-dimensional sectional images is registered, wherein the sectional image generator generates a two-dimensional sectional image by referring to the comparison model registered in the data base portion.

4. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, further comprising a data base portion in which a comparison model for the division into the plurality of regions is registered, wherein the region dividing unit divides into the plurality of regions by referring to the comparison model registered in the data base portion.

5. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit that inputs position information for an image displayed on a display unit to generate the two-dimensional sectional images, and the sectional image generator generates the two-dimensional sectional images on the basis of the position information input by the setting unit.

6. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit that inputs position information for an image displayed on a display unit for the division into the plurality of regions, wherein the region dividing unit divides into the plurality of regions on the basis of the position information input by the setting unit.

7. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein the sectional image generator generates a plurality of two-dimensional sectional images, and at least two images of the plurality of two-dimensional sectional images are in such positional relationship as to have a specific angle.

8. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein the sectional image generator generates at least one two-dimensional sectional image, and the region dividing unit divides the two-dimensional sectional image into a plurality of regions on the basis of a criterion for region division.

9. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, further comprising an initiating unit that initiates a series of constituent units from the three-dimensional image constructing unit till the region-of-interest setting unit, wherein the three-dimensional image constructing unit, the sectional image generator, the region dividing unit and the region-of-interest setting unit are initiated by the initiating unit.

10. The medical image diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein the region-of-interest setting unit calculates a statistical value by using a motion state calculated every plural regions, and specifies a region by using the statistical value as a threshold value.

2. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

12. A region-of-interest setting method for a medical image diagnosis device, characterized by comprising:

a first step of acquiring a medical image by a medical image acquiring unit;

a second step of constructing a three-dimensional image containing a motional internal organ region in the medical image by a three-dimensional image constructing unit;

a third step of generating a two-dimensional sectional image serving as a reference image from the three-dimensional image by a sectional image generator;

a fourth step of dividing the reference image into a plurality of regions on the basis of a criterion for region division by a region diving unit; and

a fifth step of calculating motion states of the plurality of regions, specifying at least one region out of the plurality of regions on the basis of the calculated motion states and setting a region in the medical image including the specified region as a region of interest by a region-of-interest setting unit.

14. The region-of-interest setting method for the medical image diagnosis device according to claim 12, further comprising a sixth step of inputting position information for an image displayed on a display unit to generate the two-dimensional sectional image by a setting unit, and the third step generates the two-dimensional sectional image on the basis of the position information input through the setting unit by the sectional image generator.

15. The region-of-interest setting method for the medical image diagnosis device according to claim 12, further comprising a seventh step of inputting position information for an image displayed on a display unit to divide into the plurality of regions by a setting unit, and the third step divides into the plurality of regions on the basis of the position information input through the setting unit by the sectional image generator.

16. The region-of-interest setting method for the medical image diagnosis device according to claim 12, wherein the third step generates a plurality of two-dimensional sectional images by the sectional image generator, and at least two images of the plurality of two-dimensional sectional images are in such positional relationship as to have a specific angle.

17. The region-of-interest setting method for the medical image diagnosis device according to claim 12, wherein the third step generates at least one two-dimensional sectional image by the sectional image generator, and the fourth step divides the one two-dimensional sectional image into a plurality of regions on the basis of a criterion for region division by the region dividing unit.

18. The region-of-interest setting method for the medical image diagnosis device according to claim 12, further comprising an eighth step of initiating a series of constituent units from the three-dimensional image constructing unit till a region-of-interest setting unit by an initiating unit, wherein the three-dimensional image constructing unit, the sectional image generator, the region dividing unit and the region-of-interest setting unit are initiated by the initiating unit in the eighth step.

13. (canceled)