Imaging system for medical diagnosis

• US 6,957,095 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2002
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsui, Susumu
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US10/263,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20030069503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/409, 600/443, 600/447, 600/437, 345/581, 345/595, 345/762, 706 45- 48, 706/55
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/00 Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis; Apparatus or devices for radiation diagnosis combined with radiation therapy equipment instruments measuring radiation intensity for application in the field of nuclear medicine, e.g. in vivo counting, G01T1/161; apparatus for taking X-ray photographs G03B42/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/03 Computed tomography [CT] echo-tomography A61B8/14
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/566 involving communication between diagnostic systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52098 related to workflow protocols

Abstract

An apparatus for medical diagnostic imaging may include a database that relates help information with multiple types of attribute values and stores this information; an operations state acquisition part that acquires the attribute values that expresses the current operational status of the medical diagnostic imaging apparatus; a search part that searches the knowledge database, based on the attribute values; and a display that displays help information or a list of help information, based on the search results of the search part. As the present invention searches for and displays help information according to the operational status of the apparatus for medical diagnostic imaging, it is possible to provide the operator with help information suitable for a diagnosis currently being made.

Claims

1. An apparatus for medical diagnostic imaging, comprising:

a first database configured to relate help information to a plurality of attribute values;

an operations state acquisition part configured to acquire the attribute values, each of which expresses an aspect of a current operational status of the medical diagnostic imaging apparatus, wherein the current operational status includes information that specifies a program being run by an operator;

a search part configured to search the first database, based on the attribute values and generates search result; and

a display configured to display at least a portion of the help information based on the search results.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the portion of the help information includes at least one of clinical information for a study region, information on exemplary clinical images, and information relating to at least one caution for the study.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the current operational status includes information concerning a display form of the image.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the current operational status comprises at least one of an ultrasonic scan transmission frequency, an imaging mode, a position of focus point, a gain, and a type of probe in an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program includes at least one of a patient registration program, an annotation program, a program configured to display at least one body mark, an image file management program, and a measurement program configured to measure values from an image.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the search part is configured to search the database based on a plurality of attribute values that express study information.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the study information includes at least one of a study name, a study region, a disease name, a patient name, a doctor name, and a pharmaceutical product used for the study.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a second database configured to store at least one study sequence that defines a workflow of multiple tasks; and

a workflow execution part configured to switch the current operational status of the apparatus successively according to the workflow,

wherein the search part is configured to search the first database based on information about the workflow.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

an analysis part configured to find at least one analysis value determined by an order of the multiple tasks in the workflow,

wherein the search part is configured to search the first database, based on the at least one analysis value.

10. An apparatus for medical diagnostic imaging, comprising:

a knowledge database configured to store help information associated with scan setting information and body region information;

an operational state acquisition part configured to acquire the scan setting information and the body region information;

a search part configured to search the knowledge database based on the scan setting information and the body region information and to generate at least one search result; and

a display configured to display at least a portion of the help information based on the at least one search result.

11. A method for controlling a medical diagnostic imaging system, comprising:

obtaining plurality of attribute values that express a current operational status of an apparatus for medical diagnostic imaging;

searching knowledge database configured to store help information related to the operational status based on the plurality of attribute values and generating at least one search result; and

displaying at least a portion of the help information based on the at least one search result.

12. A method for controlling a medical diagnostic imaging system, comprising:

obtaining can setting information and body region information for an apparatus for medical diagnostic imaging;

searching knowledge database configured to store help information based on the scan setting information and the body region information, thereby obtaining at least one search result; and

displaying at least a portion of help information based on the at least one search result.

13. A computer readable medium on which is stored a computer program for controlling a medical diagnostic imaging system, said computer program comprising the steps of:

obtaining scan setting information and body region information for an apparatus for medical diagnostic imaging;

searching a knowledge database configured to store help information based on the scan setting information and the body region information, thereby generating at least one search result; and

displaying at least a portion of help information based on the at least one search result.