Medical image processing apparatus

• US 6,721,590 B2
• Filed: 01/21/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohishi, Satoru, Aoki, Kunio
• Primary Examiner(s): MANTIS MERCADER, ELENI M
• Application Number:
  US09/488,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20030109779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,544 Days
• Field of Search: 600/425, 600/431, 600/407, 600/411, 600/420, 600/427, 600/437, 382/130, 382/131, 382/132, 378/4, 378/21, 378/62
• US Class Current: 600/431
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/469 for selecting a region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/481 involving the use of contrast agents
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/504 for diagnosis of blood vessels, e.g. by angiography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2211/404 Angiography
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

In a storing unit of a medical image processing apparatus, first 3D image corresponding to a first period and second 3D image data corresponding to a second period are stored. The first 3D image data corresponds to a period before contrast agent injection operation and/or therapeutic operation. The second 3D image data corresponds to a period after the contrast agent injection operation and/or therapeutic operation. A 3D subtracting unit subtracts the first 3D image data from the second 3D image data. In 3D subtraction image data, a portion having undergone a change due to contrast agent injection operation and/or therapeutic operation is emphasized. A pseudo 3D image data generating unit generates pseudo 3D image data on the basis of 3D subtraction image data. A displaying unit displays the pseudo 3D image data.

Claims

1. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store multiangle first image data and multiangle second image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, and the second image data being acquired after the second contrast agent injecting operation;

an image subtracting unit configured to subtract the first image data from the second image data to generate multiangle third image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material;

a 3D image processing unit configured to generate 3D fourth image data from the multiangle third image data; and

an image displaying unit configured to display an image based on the 3D fourth image data.

2. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store multiangle first image data, multiangle second image data, and multiangle third image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, the second image data being acquired between the first contrast agent injecting operation and the treatment material detaining operation, and the third image data being acquired between the treatment material detaining operation and the second contrast agent injecting operation;

an image subtracting unit configured to subtract the first image data from the second image data to generate multiangle fourth image data, and the first image data from the third image data to generate multiangle fifth image data;

a 3D image processing unit configured to generate 3D sixth image data from the multiangle fourth image data, and 3D seventh image data from the multiangle fifth image data;

an image adding unit configured to add the sixth image data and the seventh image data to generate 3D eighth image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

a displaying unit configured to display an image based on the 3D eighth image data.

3. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store multiangle first image data, multiangle second image data and multiangle third image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, the second image data being acquired between the treatment material detaining operation and the second contrast agent injecting operation, and the third image data being acquired after the second contrast agent injecting operation;

an image subtracting unit configured to subtract the first image data from the second image data to generate multiangle fourth image data, and the second image data from the third image data to generate multiangle fifth image data;

a 3D image processing unit configured to generate 3D sixth image data from the multiangle fourth image data, and 3D seventh image data from the multiangle fifth image data;

an image adding unit configured to add the sixth image data and the seventh image data to generate 3D eighth image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

a displaying unit configured to display an image based on the 3D eighth image data.

4. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store multiangle first image data and multiangle second image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, and the second image data being acquired after the second contrast agent injecting operation;

a 3D image processing unit configured to generate 3D third image data from the multiangle first image data, and 3D fourth image data from the multiangle second image data;

an image subtracting unit configured to subtract the third image data from the fourth image data to generate 3D fifth image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

an image displaying unit configured to display an image based on the 3D fifth image data.

5. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store multiangle first image data, multiangle second image data, and multiangle third image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being before the first contrast agent injecting operation, the second image data being acquired between the first contrast agent injecting operation and the treatment material detaining operation, and the third image data being acquired between the treatment material detaining operation and the second contrast agent infecting operation;

a 3D image processing unit configured to generate 3D fourth image data from the multiangle first image data, 3D fifth image data from the multiangle second image data, and sixth image data from the multiangle third image data;

an image subtracting unit configured to subtract the fourth image data from the fifth image data to generate 3D seventh image data, and the third image data from the sixth image data to generate 3D eighth image data;

an image adding unit configured to add the seventh image data and the eighth image data to generate 3D ninth image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

a displaying unit configured to display an image based on the 3D ninth image data.

6. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patent, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store multiangle first image data, multiangle second image data, and multiangle third image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, the second image data being acquired between the treatment material detaining operation and the second contrast agent injecting operation, and the third image data being acquired after the second contrast agent injecting operation;

a 3D image processing unit configured to generate 3D fourth image data from the multiangle first image data, 3D fifth image data from the multiangle second image data, and 3D sixth image data from the multiangle third image data;

an image subtracting unit configured to subtract the fourth image data from the fifth image data to generate 3D seventh image data, and the fifth image data from the sixth image data to generate 3D eighth image data;

an image adding unit configured to add the seventh image data and the eighth image data to generate 3D ninth image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

a displaying unit configured to display an image based on the 3D ninth image data.

7. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store first image data and second image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, and the second image data being acquired after the second contrast agent injecting operation;

an image processing unit configured to subtract the first image data from the second image data to generate third image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

a displaying unit configured to display an image based on the third image data.

8. The medical image processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first image data and the second image data comprises x-ray image data.

9. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store first image data, second image data, and third image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, the second image data being acquired between the first contrast agent injecting operation and the treatment material detaining operation, and the third image data being acquired between the treatment material detaining operation and the second contrast agent injecting operation;

an image processing unit configured to subtract the first image data from the second image data to generate fourth image data, and the first image data from the third image data to generate fifth image data, and to add the fourth image data and the fifth image data to generate sixth image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

a displaying unit configured to display an image based on the sixth image data.

10. The medical image processing apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first image data, the second image data, and the third image data comprises x-ray image data.

11. A medical image processing apparatus that generates an image suitable for diagnosing progress of a treatment in which a treatment material is detained in a target portion in a blood vessel of a patient, comprising:

a storing unit configured to store first image data, second image data, and third image data, a first contrast agent injecting operation, a treatment material detaining operation, and a second contrast agent injecting operation being carried out in order, the first image data being acquired before the first contrast agent injecting operation, the second image data being acquired between the treatment material detaining operation and the second contrast agent injecting operation, and the third image data being acquired after the second contrast agent injecting operation,

an image processing unit configured to subtract the first image data from the second mage data to generate fourth image data, and the second image data from the third image data to generate fifth image data, and to add the fourth image data and the fifth image data to generate sixth image data, which includes enhanced image data of the blood vessel and the treatment material; and

a displaying unit configured to display an image based on the sixth image data.

12. The medical image processing apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first image data, the second image data, and the third image data comprises x-ray image data.