MEDICAL IMAGE HANDLING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120069048A1
• Filed: 11/15/2011
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: TAKEKOSHI, KOJI, TAGO, AKIRA, SATO, MAKOTO, SAKAI, KEIICHI, SAKO, TSUKASA, TAKAHASHI, KAZUHIKO, GUO, MULING
• Granted Patent: US 9,036,945 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• 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: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

A medical image handling system includes a monitor for displaying a medical image, an input device for inputting an image reading report corresponding to the medical image displayed on the monitor, and a processor. The processor judges the presence or absence of an image reading report corresponding to the medical image displayed on the monitor, and restricts a change of the medical image in a case where the image reading report is judged as being absent.

Claims

1. A medical image handling system for displaying at least either of a taken image and a diagnosis supporting image, stored in a memory medium, on an image frame of a monitor, comprising:

a) a display area setting unit adapted to set an image display area in the image frame of the monitor;

b) a display image setting unit adapted to set a display of the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image in the image display area set by said display area setting unit; and

c) an image display unit adapted to read the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image, set by said display image setting unit, from the memory medium and display the read image in the image display area set by said display area setting unit,

wherein, in a case in which plural image display areas are set by said display area setting unit, said display image setting unit sets a display of the taken image in at least one of the plural image display areas and a display of a diagnosis supporting image related in time to the displayed taken image in at least one of the remaining image display areas.

2. A medical image handling system according to claim 2, further comprising an image switching unit adapted to switch the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image displayed by said image display unit to another image, wherein said image display unit, according to a switching process performed by said image switching unit, reads and displays the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image from the memory medium.

3. A medical image handling method for displaying at least either of a taken image and a diagnosis supporting image, stored in a memory medium, on an image frame of a monitor, comprising:

a) a display area setting step of setting an image display area in the image frame of the monitor;

b) a display image setting step of setting a display of the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image in the image display area set in said display area setting step; and

c) an image display step of reading the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image, set in said display image setting step, from the memory medium and displaying the read image in the image display area set in said display area setting step,

wherein, in a case in which plural image display areas are set in said display area setting step, said display image setting step includes setting a display of the taken image in at least one of the plural image display areas and a display of a diagnosis supporting image related in time to the displayed taken image in at least one of the remaining image display areas.

4. A medical image handling method according to claim 3, further comprising an image switching step of switching the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image displayed in said image display step to another image, wherein said image display step includes, according to a switching process performed in said image switching step, reading and displaying the taken image or the diagnosis supporting image from the memory medium.