Medical image diagnosis apparatus

• US 7,689,266 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2003
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Oota, Shirou, Tsukizu, Takashi, Shinohara, Akiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Winakur; Eric F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laryea; Lawrence N
• Application Number:
  US10/521,978
• Publication Number:
  US 20050245804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,443 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/436, 600/440, 600/411, 600/463, 340/721, 340/723, 345/173, 345/145, 433/24, 382/103, 382/180, 382/124, 382/128, 378/42, 378 1- 20, 606/130
• US Class Current: 600/411
• 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 6/464 involving a plurality of displays
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. graphical user interface, icons or menus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/488 involving pre-scan acquisition

Abstract

In a medical image diagnosis apparatus which forms a scanogram image of a subject and forms tomographic images under imaging conditions set by using the scanogram image, an imaging condition setting frame 33 independent of the scanogram image 31 is provided on a monitor 14. Desired imaging for which imaging conditions are to be set is designated by inputting a numeric value presenting an ordinal number for imaging in a numeric value input box 40 in the imaging condition setting frame 33. A pointer is set to a frame 41, a mark 42 or a dotted line 43 and dragged, thus enabling imaging conditions indicating the number of instances of imaging and image reconstruction and image reconstruction positions for the designated imaging. Settings in the imaging condition setting frame 33 are reflected in a frame 32A and lines 32B on the scanogram image 31 indicating the number of instances of imaging and image reconstruction and image reconstruction positions. In this way, the frame, lines and so on displayed on the scanogram image and indicating the imaging conditions for the desired imaging can be operated speedily and correctly.

Claims

1. A medical image diagnosis apparatus which images a subject by forming a whole image of a subject portion of the subject, displays imaging conditions on the whole image, and allows an operator to set or modify the imaging conditions for imaging a tomographic image, the medical image diagnosis apparatus comprising:

a first display device for displaying the whole image and the imaging conditions including a frame indicating a scan area and lines indicating imaging positions of tomographic images and image reconstruction positions of the tomographic images;

a second display device;

a display control device configured to extract one or more of the imaging conditions including the frame and the lines and control the second display device to display the extracted imaging conditions for imaging the tomographic images; and

an operating device for setting or changing the imaging conditions for imaging the tomographic images, by adjusting the frame and the lines displayed by the second display device.

2. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging conditions displayed on the first and second display device are imaging conditions displayed by graphic display and including at least one of an imaging position, an imaging area, a certain number of instances of image reconstruction, an image reconstruction position and a scanner angle.

3. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the imaging position and the imaging area in the imaging conditions are indicated by a rectangular frame and a mark in the rectangular frame in the first display device and the second display device, and are set in at least one of the first display device and the second display device.

4. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the number of instances of image reconstruction and the image reconstruction positions in the imaging conditions are indicated by lines provided in the rectangular frame and dividing the rectangular frame by extending parallel to sides of the rectangular frame, and are set in at least one of the first display device and the second display device.

5. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the operating device is configured to generate the division lines in the rectangular frame at any position and move the division lines to any position.

6. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operating device is configured to extend or contract the rectangular frame in any direction, and move the mark to any position together with the rectangular frame.

7. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the operating device is configured to form a parallelogram by tilting the rectangular frame indicated in the first display device and the second display device, and set the scanner angle in the imaging conditions as the tilt angle of the parallelogram in the first display device and the second display device.

8. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 3, to 7, wherein the operating device is configured to move or copy the rectangular frame, the division lines and the mark from the first display device to the second display device or between the first display device and the second display device in an identical, similar or analogous form.

9. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a display frame on the first display device and the display frame on the second display device share one monitoring screen.

10. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging conditions displayed on the second display device further include imaging sequence ordinal numbers for setting the imaging conditions with respect to each of a plurality of imaging sequences.

11. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the imaging conditions for imaging varies among the imaging sequences.

12. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the desired order of execution of the plurality of imaging sequences is designated by inputting numeric values.

13. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second display device comprises a touch panel.

14. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 7, wherein the operating device comprises a pointer.

15. The medical image diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein display devices for the first display device and the second display device are provided separately from each other.

16. A medical image diagnosis apparatus which forms a whole image of a subject portion of a subject and obtains one or more tomographic images under imaging conditions for imaging a tomographic image, the medical image diagnosis apparatus comprising:

a first display device for displaying the whole image of the subject portion and the imaging conditions including a frame indicating a scan area and lines indicating imaging positions of the tomographic images and image reconstruction positions of the tomographic images;

a second display device;

a display control device configured to extract one or more of the imaging conditions including the frame and the lines and control the second display device to display the imaging conditions including the frame and the lines extracted from the first display device for setting the imaging conditions for obtaining the one or more tomographic images; and

an operating device for an operator to selectively set the imaging conditions for imaging the tomographic images, by adjusting the frame and the lines displayed by said second display device, wherein

said display control device controls the first display device to display, on the whole image, information indicating positions of said one or more tomographic images to be obtained based on the imaging conditions set with the operating device.