IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING APPARATUS, IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20170067978A1
• Filed: 09/11/2015
• Published: 03/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyoto University
• Original Assignee: Kyoto University
• Inventors: LE BIHAN, Denis, IIMA, Mami, YANO, Kojiro
• Granted Patent: US 10,401,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 33/56341 Diffusion imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10088 Magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection

Abstract

Conventionally, it has been impossible to output an image that allows for an easy and accurate diagnosis as to whether or not a malignant tumor is present and that allows for correctly indicating a part with a high or low grade of malignancy in the tumor. With an image processing apparatus that includes: a receiving unit configured to receive diffusion weighted images; a parameter acquisition unit configured to acquire parameters of two or more types for each of one or more units of processing that constitute the diffusion weighted images, by using the diffusion weighted images; a diagnostic image composition unit configured to acquire, for each of the one or more units of processing, a score that corresponds to the parameters of two or more types, by using the parameters of two or more types, and to compose a diagnostic image that is an image having, for each of the one or more units of processing, a pixel value that corresponds to the acquired score that corresponds to the unit of processing; and an output unit configured to output the diagnostic image, it is possible to output an image that allows for an easy and accurate diagnosis as to whether or not a malignant tumor is present and that allows for correctly indicating a part with a high or low grade of malignancy in the tumor.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a score acquisition management information storage unit in which two or more pieces of score acquisition management information are stored, the score acquisition management information being information in which type information that is information that indicates types of parameter maps, and score acquisition information that is information used for acquiring scores that correspond to parameters that the parameter maps have, are associated with each other;

a receiving unit configured to receive diffusion weighted images;

a parameter acquisition unit configured to acquire parameters of two or more types for each of two or more units of processing that constitute the diffusion weighted images, by using the diffusion weighted images, and to acquire parameter maps of two or more types that are information having the parameters of two or more types for each of the units of processing;

a score acquisition information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the score acquisition management information, score acquisition information that corresponds to the type information that indicates the types of the parameter maps of two or more types;

a score acquisition unit configured to acquire, for each of the units of processing, the scores that correspond to the parameter maps of two or more types, by using;

the parameters that the parameter maps of two or more types have for each of the units of processing; and

the score acquisition information;

a diagnostic image composition unit configured to total, for each of the one or more units of processing, two or more scores that have been acquired by the score acquisition unit and that correspond to the parameter maps of two or more types, to calculate a diagnostic score of each of the one or more units of processing, and to compose a diagnostic image that is an image having, for each of the one or more units of processing, a pixel value that corresponds to the diagnostic score of the unit of processing; and

an output unit configured to output the diagnostic image.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the score acquisition information is one or more parameter conditions that are conditions having thresholds of the parameters, and are conditions used for acquiring scores corresponding to the parameters,

the score acquisition information acquisition unit is configured to acquire, from the score acquisition management information, one or more parameter conditions that correspond to the type information that indicates the types of the parameter maps of two or more types, and

the score acquisition unit is configured to acquire, for each of the one or more units of processing, a score that corresponds to the parameters for the unit of processing that the parameter maps of one or more types have, according to whether or not the parameters of the unit of processing satisfy the parameter conditions that have been acquired by the score acquisition information acquisition unit and that correspond to the types of the parameter maps.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein each piece of the score acquisition information is two parameter conditions associated with scores,

the score acquisition information acquisition unit is configured to acquire, for each of the parameter maps of two or more types, from the score acquisition management information, two parameter conditions that correspond to the type information that indicates the type of the parameter map, together with the scores that correspond to the two parameter conditions, and

the score acquisition unit is configured to judge, for each of the parameter maps of two or more types and for each of the one or more units of processing, which parameter condition out of two parameter conditions that have been acquired by the score acquisition information and that correspond to the type of the parameter map is satisfied by the parameter for the unit of processing that the parameter map has, and to acquire, for each of the one or more units of processing, a score that corresponds to the parameter condition that is satisfied by the parameter.

18. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a score coefficient management information storage unit in which two or more pieces of score coefficient management information are stored, the score coefficient management information being information in which the type information and score coefficients that are weights assigned to scores are associated with each other; and

a score coefficient acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the score coefficient management information, score coefficients that correspond to the type information that indicates the types of the parameter maps of two or more types,

wherein the diagnostic image composition unit is configured to multiply, for each of the one or more units of processing, two or more scores that have been acquired by the score acquisition unit and that correspond to the parameter maps of two or more types, by coefficients that have been acquired by the score coefficient acquisition unit and that correspond to the types of the parameter maps, to total the scores obtained by the multiplication, for each of the one or more units of processing, to calculate a diagnostic score, for each of the one or more units of processing, and to compose a diagnostic image that has, for each of the one or more units of processing, a pixel value that corresponds to the diagnostic score of the unit of processing thus calculated.

19. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the diagnostic image composition unit is configured to acquire, for each of the one or more units of processing, using the parameters of two or more types, a score that corresponds to the parameters of two or more types, and to compose a diagnostic image that has, for each of the one or more units of processing, a pixel value that exhibits a color that corresponds to the score of the unit of processing.

20. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the receiving unit is configured to receive two or more two-dimensional diffusion weighted images of different image-captured positions,

the parameter acquisition unit is configured to acquire, for each of the two or more diffusion weighted images and for each of one or more units of processing that constitute the diffusion weighted image, parameters of two or more types, by using the two or more diffusion weighted images, and

the diagnostic image composition unit is configured to total, for each of the two or more diffusion weighted images and for each of the one or more units of processing, two or more scores that correspond to the parameters of two or more types, to acquire a diagnostic score for each of the one or more units of processing, to compose a diagnostic image that has, for each of the one or more units of processing, a pixel value that corresponds to the diagnostic score of the unit of processing thus acquired, and to compose a three-dimensional diagnostic image by compositing the two or more diagnostic images thus composed.

21. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising:

a diagnostic result management information storage unit in which one or more pieces of diagnostic result management information are stored, the diagnostic result management information being information in which score conditions that are conditions regarding scores that the diagnostic image has and diagnostic result information that is information that indicates diagnostic results that correspond to the scores are associated with each other; and

a diagnostic result information acquisition unit configured to acquire one or more pieces of diagnostic result information that correspond to score conditions satisfied by the diagnostic scores that the diagnostic image composed by the diagnostic image composition unit has,

wherein the output unit outputs the diagnostic image composed by the diagnostic image composition unit, together with the one or more pieces of diagnostic result information that have been acquired by the diagnostic result information acquisition unit.

22. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein the parameters of two or more types are of two or more types out of:

an ADC value that is calculated using the diffusion weighted images;

an IVIM that is calculated using the diffusion weighted images, and a K value that is calculated using the diffusion weighted images.

23. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15,

wherein each of the one or more units of processing is one pixel.

24. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that is provided with the image processing apparatus according to claim 15.

25. An image processing method performed by using a receiving unit, a parameter acquisition unit, a score acquisition information acquisition unit, a score acquisition unit, a diagnostic image composition unit, and an output unit, a storage medium being provided with a score acquisition management information storage unit in which two or more pieces of score acquisition management information are stored, the score acquisition management information being information in which type information that is information that indicates types of the parameter maps, and score acquisition information that is information used for acquiring scores that correspond to parameters that the parameter maps have, are associated with each other, the image processing method comprising:

a receiving step in which the receiving unit receives diffusion weighted images;

a parameter acquisition step in which the parameter acquisition unit acquires parameters of two or more types for each of two or more units of processing that constitute the diffusion weighted images, by using the diffusion weighted images, and acquires parameter maps of two or more types that are information having the parameters of two or more types for each of the units of processing;

a score acquisition information acquisition step in which the score acquisition information acquisition unit acquires, from the score acquisition management information, score acquisition information that corresponds to the type information that indicates the types of the parameter maps of two or more types;

a score acquisition step in which the score acquisition unit acquires, for each of the units of processing, the scores that correspond to the parameter maps of two or more types, by using;

the parameters that the parameter maps of two or more types have for each of the units of processing; and

the score acquisition information;

a diagnostic image composition step in which the diagnostic image composition unit totals, for each of the one or more units of processing, two or more scores that have been acquired in the score acquisition step and that correspond to the parameter maps of two or more types, calculates a diagnostic score of each of the one or more units of processing, and composes a diagnostic image that is an image having, for each of the one or more units of processing, a pixel value that corresponds to the diagnostic score of the unit of processing; and

an output step in which the output unit outputs the diagnostic image.

26. A storage medium in which a program is stored, that is accessible by a computer, and that is provided with a score acquisition management information storage unit in which two or more pieces of score acquisition management information are stored, the score acquisition management information being information in which type information that is information that indicates types of parameter maps, and score acquisition information that is information used for acquiring scores that correspond to parameters that the parameter maps have, are associated with each other, the program causing a computer to function as:

a receiving unit configured to receive diffusion weighted images;

a parameter acquisition unit configured to acquire parameters of two or more types for each of two or more units of processing that constitute the diffusion weighted images, by using the diffusion weighted images, and acquires parameter maps of two or more types that are information having the parameters of two or more types for each of the units of processing;

a score acquisition information acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the score acquisition management information, score acquisition information that corresponds to the type information that indicates the types of the parameter maps of two or more types;

a score acquisition unit configured to acquire, for each of the units of processing, the scores that correspond to the parameter maps of two or more types, by using;

the parameters that the parameter maps of two or more types have for each of the one or more units of processing; and

the score acquisition information;

a diagnostic image composition unit configured to total, for each of the one or more units of processing, two or more scores that have been acquired by the score acquisition unit and that correspond to the parameter maps of two or more types, to calculate a diagnostic score of each of the one or more units of processing, and to compose a diagnostic image that is an image having, for each of the one or more units of processing, a pixel value that corresponds to the diagnostic score of the unit of processing; and

an output unit configured to output the diagnostic image.