Apparatus for computer aided diagnosis of medical images having abnormal patterns

• US 5,761,334 A
• Filed: 01/23/1996
• Issued: 06/02/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Nobuyoshi, Yamada, Masahiko, Takeo, Hideya
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Application Number:
  US08/590,192
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/132, 382/260, 382/274, 382/311, 128/922
• US Class Current: 382/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30068 Mammography; Breast
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 15/00 ICT specially adapted for medical reports, e.g. generation or transmission thereof
• 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 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

An apparatus for computer aided diagnosis of images comprises an entire area image memory for storing an entire area image signal representing a radiation image of an object, and a prospective abnormal pattern detecting device for detecting a prospective abnormal pattern in the radiation image in accordance with the entire area image signal. A judgment device makes a judgment as to the presence or absence of the prospective abnormal pattern in accordance with the results of the detection of the prospective abnormal pattern carried out by the prospective abnormal pattern detecting device. In cases where the judgment device has judged that the prospective abnormal pattern is present, a local area extracting device extracts a local area limited image signal corresponding to a local area containing the prospective abnormal pattern from the entire area image signal having been stored in the entire area image memory. A local area limited image displaying device displays the image of the local area in accordance with the local area limited image signal, which has been extracted by the local area extracting device. An entire area image displaying device displays the entire area of the radiation image of the object in accordance with the entire area image signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for computer aided diagnosis of images, comprising:

i) an entire image storing means for storing an entire area image signal representing a radiation image of an object;

ii) a prospective abnormal pattern detecting means for detecting a prospective abnormal pattern in said radiation image in accordance with said entire area image signal;

iii) a judgment means for making a determination as to the presence or absence of said prospective abnormal pattern in accordance with the results of the detection of said prospective abnormal pattern carried out by said prospective abnormal pattern detecting means;

iv) a local area extracting means for extracting a local area limited image signal corresponding to a local area containing said prospective abnormal pattern from said entire area image signal having been stored in said entire area image storing means, wherein said judgment means has determined that said prospective abnormal pattern is present;

v) a local area limited image displaying means for displaying the image of said local area in accordance with said local area limited image signal, which has been extracted by said local area extracting means;

vi) an entire area image displaying means for displaying the entire area of said radiation image of the object in accordance with said entire area image signal;

vii) local area limited image storing means for temporarily storing said local area limited image signal, said local area limited storing means being located between said local area extracting means and said local area limited image displaying means; and

viii) local area limited image display requesting means for causing said local area limited image signal to be fed out from said local area limited image storing means and causing the image of said local area to be displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, when a predetermined image display request is received from the exterior, said local area limited image display requesting means being located between said local area extracting means and said local area limited image displaying means.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the apparatus further comprises a local area limited image emphasizing means for carrying out image emphasis processing on at least the abnormal pattern image signal, which represents said prospective abnormal pattern and is among said local area limited image signal, such that the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may have better image quality and higher capability of serving as an effective tool in, particularly, the efficient and accurate diagnosis of an illness than said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein said image emphasis processing carried out by said local area limited image emphasizing means is at least one processing selected from the group consisting of gradation processing, frequency processing, and enlargement processing.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said gradation processing is set such that the level of contrast of the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become higher than the level of contrast of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4 wnerein said gradation processing is set such that the level of contrast of the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become at least 1.2 times as high as the level of contrast of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said gradation processing is set such that the level of contrast of at least the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become higher than the level of contrast of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

7. An apparatus as defined in claim 6 wherein said gradation processing is set such that the level of contrast of at least the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become at least 1.2 times as high as the level of contrast of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said frequency processing is set such that the degree of emphasis of the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become higher than the degree of emphasis of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8 wherein said frequency processing is set such that the degree of emphasis of the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become at least 1.1 times as high as the degree of emphasis of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said frequency processing is set such that the degree of emphasis of at least the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become higher than the degree of emphasis of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10 wherein said frequency processing is set such that the degree of emphasis of at least the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may become at least 1.1 times as high as the degree of emphasis of said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said enlargement processing is set such that the display size of the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, or the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in the image of said local area may become larger than the display size of the image of said local area or the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12 wherein said enlargement processing is set such that the display size of the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, or the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in the image of said local area may become at least 1.5 times as large as the display size of the image of said local area or the image of said prospective abnormal pattern in said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said enlargement processing is set such that the scale of enlargement may be changed in accordance with the size of said prospective abnormal pattern detected by said prospective abnormal pattern detecting means.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the apparatus further comprises an entire area image emphasizing means for carrying out predetermined image emphasis processing on said entire area image signal.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 15 wherein said predetermined image emphasis processing, which is carried out by said entire area image emphasizing means, is at least one processing selected from the group consisting of gradation processing and frequency processing.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the processing for detecting said prospective abnormal pattern, which is carried out by said prospective abnormal pattern detecting means, is based upon at least one processing selected from the group consisting of iris filter processing and morphology processing.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said entire area image displaying means also serves as said local area limited image displaying means, and the image of said local area is displayed at a portion of the display surface of said entire area image displaying means.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is displayed in a display region different from the local area, which is located in said radiation image displayed on said entire area image displaying means and which corresponds to said image of said local area.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein the display region for the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is determined such that it may be accommodated in a display region, which is different from the object image displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 20 wherein, in cases where the size of the display region for the image of said local area on said entire area image displaying means is smaller than the size of the image of said local area, only a portion of the image of said local area, which portion is capable of being displayed within the display region for the image of said local area, is displayed, and the image of said local area is scrolled within the display region.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 18 wherein a plurality of the images of local areas are capable of being displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

23. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said object is a pair of the right and left mammae, and a pair of the entire area images of the right and left mammae are displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

24. An apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is displayed in a display region different from the local area, which is located in said radiation image displayed on said entire area image displaying means and which corresponds to said image of said local area.

25. An apparatus as defined in claim 23 wherein the display region for the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is determined such that it may be accommodated in a display region, which is different from the object image displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

26. An apparatus as defined in claim 25 wherein, in cases where the size of the display region for the image of said local area on said entire area image displaying means is smaller than the size of the image of said local area, only a portion of the image of said local area, which portion is capable of being displayed within the display region for the image of said local area, is displayed, and the image of said local area is scrolled within the display region.

27. An apparatus for computer aided diagnosis of images, comprising:

an entire image storing means for storing an entire area image signal representing a radiation image of an object;

prospective abnormal pattern detecting means for detecting a prospective abnormal pattern in said radiation image in accordance with said entire area image signal;

a judgment means for making a judgment as to the presence or absence of said prospective abnormal pattern in accordance with the results of the detection of said prospective abnormal pattern carried out by said prospective abnormal pattern detecting means;

a local area extracting means for extracting a local area limited image signal corresponding to a local area containing said prospective abnormal pattern from said entire area image signal having been stored in said entire area image storing means, wherein said judgment means has judged that said prospective abnormal pattern is present;

local area limited image displaying means for displaying the image of said local area in accordance with said local area limited image signal, which has been extracted by said local area extracting means; and

entire area image displaying means for displaying the entire area of said radiation image of the object in accordance with said entire area image signal,

wherein said object is a pair of the right and left mammae and wherein, in cases where said prospective abnormal pattern is detected in one of the mammae, the image of said local area, which contains said prospective abnormal pattern in said one mamma, and an image of a local area in the other mamma, which local area corresponds to the portion of said local area in said one mamma, are displayed together on said local area limited displaying means.

28. An apparatus as defined in claim 27 wherein the same processing for emphasizing the image of the local area is carried out on the images of said local areas in the right and left mammae.

29. An apparatus as defined in claim 28 wherein said entire area image displaying means also serves as said local area limited image displaying means, a pair of the entire area images of the right and left mammae are displayed on said entire area image displaying means, and the images of the corresponding local areas of the right and left mammae are displayed respectively in the entire area images.

30. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 wherein the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is displayed in a display region different from the local area, which is located in said radiation image displayed on said entire area image displaying means and which corresponds to said image of said local area.

31. An apparatus as defined in claim 29 wherein the display region for the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is determined such that it may be accommodated in a display region, which is different from the object image displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

32. An apparatus as defined in claim 31 wherein, in cases where the size of the display region for the image of said local area on said entire area image displaying means is smaller than the size of the image of said local area, only a portion of the image of said local area, which portion is capable of being displayed within the display region for the image of said local area, is displayed, and the image of said local area is scrolled within the display region.

33. An apparatus as defined in claim 28 wherein the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is displayed in a display region different from the local area, which is located in said radiation image displayed on said entire area image displaying means and which corresponds to said image of said local area.

34. An apparatus as defined in claim 28 wherein the display region for the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is determined such that it may be accommodated in a display region, which is different from the object image displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

35. An apparatus as defined in claim 34 wherein, in cases where the size of the display region for the image of said local area on said entire area image displaying means is smaller than the size of the image of said local area, only a portion of the image of said local area, which portion is capable of being displayed within the display region for the image of said local area, is displayed, and the image of said local area is scrolled within the display region.

36. An apparatus as defined in claim 27 wherein said entire area image displaying means also serves as said local area limited image displaying means, a pair of the entire area images of the right and left mammae are displayed on said entire area image displaying means, and the images of the corresponding local areas of the right and left mammae are displayed respectively in the entire area images.

37. An apparatus as defined in claim 36 wherein the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is displayed in a display region different from the local area, which is located in said radiation image displayed on said entire area image displaying means and which corresponds to said image of said local area.

38. An apparatus as defined in claim 36 wherein the display region for the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is determined such that it may be accommodated in a display region, which is different from the object image displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

39. An apparatus as defined in claim 38 wherein, in cases where the size of the display region for the image of said local area on said entire area image displaying means is smaller than the size of the image of said local area, only a portion of the image of said local area, which portion is capable of being displayed within the display region for the image of said local area, is displayed, and the image of said local area is scrolled within the display region.

40. An apparatus as defined in claim 27 wherein the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is displayed in a display region different from the local area, which is located in said radiation image displayed on said entire area image displaying means and which corresponds to said image of said local area.

41. An apparatus as defined in claim 27 wherein the display region for the image of said local area, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means, is determined such that it may be accommodated in a display region, which is different from the object image displayed on said entire area image displaying means.

42. An apparatus as defined in claim 41 wherein, in cases where the size of the display region for the image of said local area on said entire area image displaying means is smaller than the size of the image of said local area, only a portion of the image of said local area, which portion is capable of being displayed within the display region for the image of said local area, is displayed, and the image of said local area is scrolled within the display region.

43. An apparatus for computer aided diagnosis of images, comprising:

i) an entire area image storing means for storing an entire area image signal representing a radiation image of an object;

ii) an iris filter for calculating the degree of centralization of gradients of said entire area image signal, and thereby detecting an image portion, which is associated with a high degree of centralization, in said radiation image in accordance with said entire area image signal;

iii) a judgment means for-making a judgment as to the presence or absence of said image portion in accordance with the results of the detection of said image portion carried out by said iris filter;

iv) a local area extracting means which, in cases where said judgment means has judged that said image portion is present, extracts a local area limited image signal corresponding to a local area containing said image portion from said entire area image signal having been stored in said entire area image storing means;

v) a local area limited image displaying means for-displaying the image of said local area in accordance with said local area limited image signal, which has been extracted by said local area extracting means;

vi) an entire area image displaying means for displaying the entire area of said radiation image of the object in accordance with said entire area image signal;

vii) a local area limited image emphasizing means for selectively carrying out image emphasis processing on the abnormal pattern image signal, which represents said image portion and is among said local area limited image signal, in accordance with the results of the detection of said image portion carried out by said iris filter, such that said image portion in the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may have better image quality and higher capability of serving as an effective tool in, particularly, the efficient and accurate diagnosis of an illness than said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means;

viii) local area limited image storing means for temporarily storing said local area limited image signal, said local area limited storing means located between said local area extracting means and said local area limited image displaying means; and

ix) local area limited image display requesting means for causing said local area limited image signal to be fed out from said local area limited image storing means and causing the image of said local area to be displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, when a predetermined image display request is received from the exterior, said local area limited image display requesting means being located between said local area extracting means and said local area limited image displaying means.

44. An apparatus as defined in claim 43 wherein said local area limited image emphasizing means comprises an abnormal pattern emphasizing means for carrying out an operation with Formula (1)

45. An apparatus as defined in claim 43 wherein said local area limited image emphasizing means comprises:

an unsharp mask signal calculating means for carrying out an operation on the original image signal Dorg, which represents each of picture elements of said radiation image, in order to calculate an unsharp mask signal Dus with respect to an unsharp mask constituted of a picture element matrix, which has a size of N columns×

N rows and has its center at the picture element represented by said original image signal Dorg, said unsharp mask signal Dus being calculated with Formula (2)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Dus=(Σ

Dorg)/N.sup.2 (

     2)

wherein Σ

Dorg represents the sum of the image signal values representing the picture elements located within said unsharp mask,

a conversion table for converting an iris filter signal Giris, which has been obtained from said iris filter in accordance with said degree of centralization, into an emphasis coefficient β

(Giris) in accordance with said iris filter signal Giris, and

an abnormal pattern emphasizing means for carrying out an operation with Formula (3)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Dproc=Dorg+β

(Giris)·

(Dorg-Dus) (3)

on said original image signal Dorg by using said unsharp mask signal Dus and said emphasis coefficient β

(Giris).

46. An apparatus for computer aided diagnosis of images, comprising:

i) an entire area image storing means for storing an entire area image signal representing a radiation image of an object;

ii) a morphology filter for detecting an image portion, at which said image signal fluctuates in a spatially narrower range than a predetermined multiply structure element Bi, in said radiation image in accordance with said entire area image signal by using said multiply structure element Bi and a scale factor λ

;

iii) a judgment means for making a judgment as to the presence or absence of said image portion in accordance with the results of the detection of said image portion, at which said image signal fluctuates in a spatially narrower range than said multiply structure element Bi, said detection having been carried out by said morphology filter;

iv) a local area extracting means which, in cases where said judgment means has judged that said image portion is present, extracts a local area limited image signal corresponding to a local area containing said image portion from said entire area image signal having been stored in said entire area image storing means,

v) a local area limited image displaying means for displaying the image of said local area in accordance with said local area limited image signal, which has been extracted by said local area extracting means;

vi) an entire area image displaying means for displaying the entire area of said radiation image of the object in accordance with said entire area image signal

vii) a local area limited image emphasizing means for selectively carrying out image emphasis processing on the abnormal pattern image signal, which represents said image portion and is among said local area limited image signal, in accordance with the results of the detection of said image portion carried out by said morphology filter, such that said image portion in the image of said local area, which is displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, may have better image quality and higher capability of serving as an effective tool in, particularly, the efficient and accurate diagnosis of an illness than said radiation image, which is displayed on said entire area image displaying means;

viii) local area limited image storing means for temporarily storing said local area limited image signal, said local area limited storing means located between said local area extracting means and said local area limited image displaying means; and

ix) local area limited image display requesting means for causing said local area limited image signal to be fed out from said local area limited image storing means and causing the image of said local area to be displayed on said local area limited image displaying means, when a predetermined image display request is received from the exterior, said local area limited image display requesting means being located between said local area extracting means and said local area limited image displaying means.

47. An apparatus as defined in claim 46 wherein said local area limited image emphasizing means comprises:

a conversion table for converting a morphology signal Dmor into an output f(Dmor) in accordance with said morphology signal Dmor, said morphology signal Dmor having been obtained from said morphology filter with respect to the original image signal Dorg, which represents each of picture elements of said radiation image, said morphology signal Dmor representing said image portion, at which said image signal fluctuates in a spatially narrower range than said multiply structure element Bi, and

an abnormal pattern emphasizing means for carrying out an operation with Formula (4)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Dproc=Dorg+α

·

f(Dmor) (4)

on said original image signal Dorg by using said output f(Dmor) and an emphasis coefficient α

.

48. An apparatus as defined in claim 46 wherein said local area limited image emphasizing means comprises:

a conversion table for converting the original image signal Dorg, which represents each of picture elements of said radiation image, into an emphasis coefficient β

(Dorg) in accordance with said original image signal Dorg, and

an abnormal pattern emphasizing means for carrying out an operation with Formula (5)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Dproc=Dorg+β

(Dorg)·

(Dorg-Dmor) (5)

on said original image signal Dorg by using a morphology signal Dmor and said emphasis coefficient β

(Dorg), said morphology signal Dmor having been obtained from said morphology filter and representing said image portion, at wnich said image signal fluctuates in a spatially narrower range than said multiply structure element Bi.

49. An apparatus as defined in claim 46 wherein said local area limited image emphasizing means comprises:

a conversion table for converting a morphology signal Dmor into an emphasis coefficient β

(Dmor) in accordance with said morphology signal Dmor, said morphology signal Dmor having been obtained from said morphology filter with respect to the original image signal Dorg, which represents each of picture elements of said radiation image, said morphology signal Dmor representing said image portion, at which said image signal fluctuates in a spatially narrower range than said multiply structure element Bi, and

an abnormal pattern emphasizing means for carrying out an operation with Formula (6)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Dproc=Dorg+β

(Dmor)·

(Dorg-Dmor) (6)

on said original image signal Dorg by using said emphasis coefficient β

(Dmor) and a signal, which represents the difference between said original image signal Dorg and said morphology signal Dmor.

50. An apparatus as defined in claim 46 wherein said local area limited image emphasizing means comprises:

an unsharp mask signal calculating means for carrying out an operation on the original image signal Dorg, which represents each of picture elements of said radiation image, in order to calculate an unsharp mask signal Dus with respect to an unsharp mask constituted of a picture element matrix, which has a size of N columns×

N rows and has its center at the picture element represented by said original image signal Dorg, said unsharp mask signal Dus being calculated with Formula (2)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Dus=(Σ

Dorg)/N.sup.2 (

     2)

a conversion table for converting a morphology signal Dmor into an emphasis coefficient β

(Dmor) in accordance with said morphology signal Dmor, said morphology signal Dmor having been obtained from said morphology filter and representing said image portion, at which said image signal fluctuates in a spatially narrower range than said multiply structure element Bi, and

an abnormal pattern emphasizing means for carrying out an operation with Formula (7)

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">Dproc=Dorg+β

(Dmor)·

(Dorg-Dus) (7)

on said original image signal Dorg by using said unsharp mask signal Dus and said emphasis coefficient β

(Dmor).