DIAGNOSIS ASSISTANCE SYSTEM AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20130156267A1
• Filed: 03/09/2011
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Medical & Graphic Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Muraoka, Shintaro, Noji, Syou, Shimada, Tetsuo
• Granted Patent: US 9,064,302 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/026 Measuring blood flow A61B3/1233, A61B3/1241 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/087 Measuring breath flow
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/507 for determination of haemodynamic parameters, e.g. perfusion CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5217 extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20021 Dividing image into blocks, subimages or windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30061 Lung
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30104 Vascular flow; Blood flow; Perfusion
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0016 involving temporal comparison
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

Provided is a diagnosis assistance system. The system includes, an imaging unit, an analysis unit, an operation unit, and a display unit. The analysis unit extracts a subject region from each of the plurality of image frames generated by the imaging unit, divides the extracted subject region into a plurality of regions, and analyzes the divided regions correlated among the plurality of image frames, thereby calculating a predetermined feature quantity indicating motions of the divided regions. The operation unit allows a user to select a region serving as a display target of an analysis result by the analysis unit. The display unit displays the calculated feature quantity regarding the selected region.

Claims

1. A diagnosis assistance system comprising:

an imaging unit which performs dynamic imaging for a subject and which generates a plurality of successive image frames;

an analysis unit which extracts a subject region from each of the plurality of generated image frames, which divides the extracted subject region into a plurality of regions, and which analyzes the divided regions correlated among the plurality of image frames, thereby calculating a predetermined feature quantity indicating motions of the divided regions;

an operation unit which allows a user to select a region serving as a display target of an analysis result by the analysis unit from among the divided regions; and

a display unit which displays the feature quantity regarding the region selected by the operation unit, the feature quantity being calculated by the analysis unit.

2. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1,

wherein the analysis unit further calculates a predetermined feature quantity indicating a motion of a whole of the subject region, and

the display unit simultaneously displays the feature quantity indicating a motion of the region selected by the operation unit, the motion being calculated by the analysis unit, and the feature quantity indicating the motion of the whole of the subject region.

3. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1, wherein the analysis unit calculates one or a plurality of the feature quantities indicating the motion of the divided region.

4. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1,

wherein the display unit displays one image frame from among the plurality of generated image frames, and

the operation unit is configured to be capable of selecting one or a plurality of regions from the image frame displayed on the display unit, the region serving as a display target of the analysis result.

5. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1,

wherein the display unit displays the plurality of generated image frames in a format of a moving image, and

the operation unit is configured to be capable of selecting one or a plurality of regions from the moving image displayed on the display unit, the region serving as a display target of the analysis result.

6. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1,

wherein the display unit further displays one image frame from among the plurality of generated image frames, and displays the respective divided regions of the one image frame by a color corresponding to a value of the feature quantity calculated by the analysis unit.

7. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1,

wherein the analysis unit calculates an average value of pixel signal values in the divided region of the plurality of image frames, and calculates a time change of a calculated average signal value as a feature quantity indicating a motion of the region, and

the display unit displays, as a waveform, the time change of the average signal value of the region selected by the operation unit, the time change being calculated by the analysis unit.

8. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1,

wherein the imaging unit is a unit for imaging a dynamic image of a chest portion, and

in a case where one region of lung field regions is selected by the operation unit, the display unit displays a feature quantity of a region of other lung field that is body axis-symmetric to the selected region simultaneously with a feature quantity of the selected region.

9. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 1, wherein the feature quantity to be calculated by the analysis unit is configured to be selectable in advance from among the plurality of feature quantities by the operation unit.

10. The diagnosis assistance system of claim 8, wherein the feature quantity indicating the motion of the divided region is a feature quantity indicating ventilation or blood flow of the region.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a program stored thereon for controlling a computer to function as:

an analysis unit which extracts a subject region from each of a plurality of image frames showing movement of a subject, which divides the extracted subject region into a plurality of regions, and which analyzes the divided regions correlated among the plurality of image frames, thereby calculating a predetermined feature quantity indicating motions of the divided regions;

an operation unit which allows a user to select a region serving as a display target of an analysis result by the analysis unit from among the divided regions; and

a display unit which displays the feature quantity regarding the region selected by the operation unit, the feature quantity being calculated by the analysis unit.