ENDOSCOPIC IMAGE OBSERVATION SUPPORT SYSTEM

• US 20190313883A1
• Filed: 06/26/2019
• Published: 10/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: HOSOYA, Ryoichi, NAGATA, Takashi, TATESHITA, Isao, INOMATA, Ryo, OGUMA, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 10,918,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/000094 extracting biological structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00045 Display arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/045 Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/24 Instruments or systems for viewing the inside of hollow bodies, e.g. fibrescopes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/2484 Arrangements in relation to a camera or imaging device processing or control of video signals generated by an endoscope H04N23/60, H04N23/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10068 Endoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/28 by using information signals recorded by the same method as the main recording G11B27/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/555 for picking-up images in sites, inaccessible due to their dimensions or hazardous conditions, e.g. endoscopes or borescopes

Abstract

For each finding, a finding image recorder records as a finding image an endoscopic image captured in the past. A compression processing unit performs a compression process on an endoscopic image captured by a capsule endoscope so as to generate a compressed image. A similarity determination unit determines, when the compression processing unit performs a compression process on the endoscopic image, whether or not the endoscopic image is similar to a finding image recorded in the finding image recorder. When the endoscopic image is determined to be similar to the finding image by the similarity determination unit, the compression processing unit adds predetermined information to the compressed image.

Claims

1. An endoscopic image observation support system for supporting observation of an endoscopic image captured by a capsule endoscope and for generating a plurality of compressed images by performing a compression process on a plurality of endoscopic images captured by the capsule endoscope, comprising:

a processor comprising hardware; and

a finding image recorder that records as a finding image an endoscopic image captured in the past,

wherein the processor is configured to;

determine, when performing a compression process on an endoscopic image, whether or not the endoscopic image is similar to a finding image recorded in the finding image recorder;

add, when the endoscopic image is determined to be similar to the finding image, predetermined information to a compressed image of the endoscopic image; and

record the compressed image in an endoscopic image recorder.

2. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 1,

wherein an image determined to include an abnormal finding through diagnosis in the past is recorded as a finding image in the finding image recorder for each finding.

3. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 2, wherein

the processor is configured to:

add, to the compressed image, information on a finding associated with the finding image determined to be similar.

4. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to:

perform a compression process on an endoscopic image that is a RAW image.

5. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 1, wherein

a region of interest in a portion of an endoscopic image captured in the past is recorded as a finding image in the finding image recorder, and

the processor is configured to:

determine whether or not an endoscopic image includes a region similar to the finding image.

6. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to display, when displaying the plurality of compressed image recorded in the endoscopic image recorder on a display device, notification information that is based on information added to the compressed images.

7. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 6, wherein

the processor is configured to:

display information on a finding as the notification information.

8. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 6, wherein

the processor is configured to:

display a finding image determined to be similar.

9. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 1, wherein

the processor is configured to register an endoscopic image in association with finding information as a finding image in the finding image recorder.

10. The endoscopic image observation support system according to claim 9, wherein

the processor is configured to:

delete a finding image from the finding image recorder based on a user operation.