Apparatus, method, and computer readable medium for assisting medical image diagnosis using 3-D images representing internal structure
First Claim
1. A medical image diagnosis assisting apparatus, comprising:
- an abnormal peripheral structure detection means for detecting, from a three-dimensional medical image representing a subject'"'"'s internal structure having a branch structure and a peripheral structure which is a structure located in a periphery of the branch structure and functionally associated with the branch structure, an abnormal peripheral structure which is an abnormal portion of the peripheral structure;
a branch structure extraction means for extracting the branch structure from the three-dimensional medical image;
an association identification means for identifying a point in the branch structure functionally associated with each point in the peripheral structure based on position information of each point in the extracted branch structure and for obtaining a control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure based on the identified functional correspondence between each point in the peripheral structure and each point in the branch structure;
an associated branch structure identification means for identifying a portion of the branch structure functionally associated with the abnormal peripheral structure as an associated branch structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure; and
an associated peripheral structure identification means for identifying a portion of the peripheral structure functionally associated with the identified associated branch structure as an associated peripheral structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure and the identified associated branch structure,wherein the associated peripheral structure is an area functionally associated with the branch structure from the associated branch structure to a periphery leading from the associated branch structure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A lesion area detection unit detects an abnormal peripheral structure (lesion area), a pulmonary blood vessel extraction unit extracts a branch structure (pulmonary blood vessel) from the three-dimensional medical image, an associated blood vessel identification unit identifies an associated branch structure functionally associated with the abnormal peripheral structure based on position information of each point in the extracted branch structure, and an associated lung parenchymal area identification unit identifies an associated peripheral area (lung parenchyma) functionally associated with the identified associated branch structure based on the position information of each point in the extracted branch structure.
63 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A medical image diagnosis assisting apparatus, comprising:
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an abnormal peripheral structure detection means for detecting, from a three-dimensional medical image representing a subject'"'"'s internal structure having a branch structure and a peripheral structure which is a structure located in a periphery of the branch structure and functionally associated with the branch structure, an abnormal peripheral structure which is an abnormal portion of the peripheral structure; a branch structure extraction means for extracting the branch structure from the three-dimensional medical image; an association identification means for identifying a point in the branch structure functionally associated with each point in the peripheral structure based on position information of each point in the extracted branch structure and for obtaining a control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure based on the identified functional correspondence between each point in the peripheral structure and each point in the branch structure; an associated branch structure identification means for identifying a portion of the branch structure functionally associated with the abnormal peripheral structure as an associated branch structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure; and an associated peripheral structure identification means for identifying a portion of the peripheral structure functionally associated with the identified associated branch structure as an associated peripheral structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure and the identified associated branch structure, wherein the associated peripheral structure is an area functionally associated with the branch structure from the associated branch structure to a periphery leading from the associated branch structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A medical image diagnosis assisting method, comprising the steps of:
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detecting, from a three-dimensional medical image representing a subject'"'"'s internal structure having a branch structure and a peripheral structure which is a structure located in a periphery of the branch structure and functionally associated with the branch structure, an abnormal peripheral structure which is an abnormal portion of the peripheral structure; extracting the branch structure from the three-dimensional medical image; identifying a point in the branch structure functionally associated with each point in the peripheral structure based on position information of each point in the extracted branch structure and obtaining a control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure based on the identified functional correspondence between each point in the peripheral structure and each point in the branch structure; identifying a portion of the branch structure functionally associated with the abnormal peripheral structure as an associated branch structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure; and identifying a portion of the peripheral structure functionally associated with the identified associated branch structure as an associated peripheral structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure and the identified associated branch structure, wherein the associated peripheral structure is an area functionally associated with the branch structure from the associated branch structure to a periphery leading from the associated branch structure.
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12. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium on which is recorded a medical image diagnosis assisting program for causing a computer to perform the steps of:
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detecting, from a three-dimensional medical image representing a subject'"'"'s internal structure having a branch structure and a peripheral structure which is a structure located in a periphery of the branch structure and functionally associated with the branch structure, an abnormal peripheral structure which is an abnormal portion of the peripheral structure; extracting the branch structure from the three-dimensional medical image; identifying a point in the branch structure functionally associated with each point in the peripheral structure based on position information of each point in the extracted branch structure and obtaining a control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure based on the identified functional correspondence between each point in the peripheral structure and each point in the branch structure; identifying a portion of the branch structure functionally associated with the abnormal peripheral structure as an associated branch structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure; and identifying a portion of the peripheral structure functionally associated with the identified associated branch structure as an associated peripheral structure based on the obtained control area of each branch of the extracted branch structure and the identified associated branch structure, wherein the associated peripheral structure is an area functionally associated with the branch structure from the associated branch structure to a periphery leading from the associated branch structure.
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13. A medical image diagnosis assisting apparatus, comprising:
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an abnormal peripheral structure detection means for detecting, from a three-dimensional medical image representing a subject'"'"'s internal structure having a branch structure and a peripheral structure which is a structure located in a periphery of the branch structure and functionally associated with the branch structure, an abnormal peripheral structure which is an abnormal portion of the peripheral structure; a branch structure extraction means for extracting the branch structure from the three-dimensional medical image; an associated branch structure identification means for identifying a portion of the branch structure functionally associated with the abnormal peripheral structure as an associated branch structure based on position information of each point in the extracted branch structure; and an associated peripheral structure identification means for identifying a portion of the peripheral structure functionally associated with the identified associated branch structure as an associated peripheral structure based on the position information of each point in the extracted branch structure, wherein the subject'"'"'s internal structure comprises a second branch structure different from the branch structure; and the apparatus further comprises a second branch structure extraction means for extracting the second branch structure from the three-dimensional medical image and an intersection point detection means for detecting an intersection point between a boundary plane of the associated peripheral structure and the second branch structure.
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Specification