Hitachi Medical Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Hiroto Kokubun

Osamu Miyazaki

Tetsuo Nakazawa

Takashi Shirahata

Takayuki Kadomura

Yoshihiro Goto

Fuyuhiko Teramoto

Koichi Hirokawa

Taiga Goto

Ryota Kohara

Nobutaka Abe

Shino Tanaka

Hiromitsu Hayashi

Shuichi Okamoto

To provide an image processing device and an image processing method capable of controlling contrast of a diagnosed part without greatly changing the characteristic of the entire image, and improving the diagnosis efficiency, an image processing devicesets a search pixel range and a search region to search for a representative pixel value as reference upon emphasis on the contrast of a diagnostic image as image data of a diagnosis object, calculates the representative pixel value for emphasis processing based on the set search pixel value range and the search region, and generates an emphasized image where the contrast of the entire diagnostic image is emphasized with the representative pixel value as reference. Further, the image processing devicecalculates an emphasis region as a region where the contrast is emphasized from differential information between the diagnostic image and the emphasized image, and generates a partially emphasized image as an image where the contrast of the emphasis region is emphasized.

Image processing device and image processing method

An X-ray CT apparatus and an image reconstruction method are configured (i) to determine a movement phase to be used for generating diagnostic images with a small number of operations and (ii) to acquire diagnostic images in a short time while reducing a burden on an operator, such as when the target in scanning is a moving site. For example, an image processing device of an X-ray CT apparatus obtains movement information of a diagnostic site (such as the heart), determines phase selection positions, permits the operator to select an arbitrary movement phase based on the acquired movement information, and reconstructs selection images in a plurality of movement phases for each of the determined phase selection positions using scan data before presentation.

X-ray CT apparatus and image reconstruction method

To provide an X-ray CT apparatus and an image reconstruction method that can generate an image in which motion influence of a site to be scanned is reduced, the image processing deviceof the X-ray CT apparatuscalculates a reconstruction data range which is a range of projection data to be used for reconstruction based on a motion direction of the site to be scanned. An image is reconstructed using the projection data in the calculated reconstruction data range. The reconstruction data range is set as the projection data in a projection range of at least 180 degrees or more including a projection direction that approximately corresponding to the motion direction of the site to be scanned.

There is provided an X-ray CT apparatus capable of correcting the unevenness of the contrast concentration due to discontinuities in time between slices in contrast imaging using a Prospective Triggering method. In an X-ray CT apparatus, projection data in a specific phase of the heart is obtained by performing a scan by emitting X-rays after a predetermined time from the detection of the R wave of electrocardiogram information at each position of the heart in the body axis direction. An image processing devicereconstructs a tomographic image on the basis of collected projection data, calculates the projection data collection time in each scan from electrocardiogram information collected from an electrocardiograph, calculates the time between scans on the basis of the calculated projection data collection time, and corrects a concentration difference so as to change smoothly for an image of a position in the body axis direction in a range according to the time between scans.

X-ray CT apparatus and image correction method

The medical image display device is provided with a medical image reading unit configured to read a medical image obtained by a medical image diagnostic apparatus, a projected image creating unit configured to project the medical image onto a projection plane to created the projected image, and a projected image display unit configured to display the projected image, wherein the projected image creating unit has a virtual liquid generating unit configured to generate virtual liquid, the light transmittance of which is not zero and a virtual liquid adding unit configured to add the virtual liquid to the surface of an organ within the medical image, and creates a projected image of the medical image to which the virtual liquid has been added.

Medical image display device and medical image display method

In a medical image display device for displaying a hollow organ of an examinee as a panoramic image, in order to inform an operator of the existence or nonexistence of a blind area in a panoramic image, the medical image display device has a panoramic image creating unit configured to create a panoramic image of a hollow organ of an examinee and a display unit configured to display the panoramic image, and further has a blind area detecting unit configured to detect a blind area in the panoramic image and an informing unit configured to inform an operator of the existence or nonexistence of the blind portion. Furthermore, a medical image display method of the present invention has a panoramic image creating step that creates a panoramic image of a hollow organ of an examinee and a display step that displays the panoramic image, and further has a blind area detecting step that detects a blind area in the panoramic image and an informing step that informs an operator of the existence or nonexistence of the blind portion.

Medical image display device and method

The X-ray CT apparatus which includes an X-ray generator and an X-ray detector for acquiring projection data of an object from plural angles and creates an arbitrary cross-sectional image of the object on the basis of the projection data includes: an extraction section which extracts a region, which includes a target organ moving periodically, from the cross-sectional image; a synchronous phase determination section which determines a synchronous phase, which is used when creating a synchronous cross-sectional image synchronized with periodic motion of the target organ, on the basis of continuity of the target organ in a direction perpendicular to the cross-sectional image; a synchronous cross-sectional image creating section which creates the synchronous cross-sectional image on the basis of projection data corresponding to the synchronous phase determined by the synchronous phase determination section; and a display unit which displays the synchronous cross-sectional image.

X-ray CT apparatus and image display method of X-ray CT apparatus

A medical image processing device is configured to set a parameter to be used for detecting a lesion candidate region. For example, the medical image processing device is configured to input a first parameter Pestimating a dimension of the lesion, calculate a second parameter Pbased on the first parameter Pcalculate a feature amount indicating a shape of an organ surface by using the second parameter in the medical image, and extract the lesion candidate region based on the calculated feature amount.

Image processing device and method for processing image to detect lesion candidate region

An X-ray CT apparatus that can efficiently set a scanning condition in a scanning operation of a periodically moving internal organ such as a heart or the like is provided. The X-ray CT apparatus collects electrocardiographic information by using a periodic motion measuring device(S). Subsequently, an operator input a time resolution rate corresponding to time resolution expected in a target examination (S). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus calculates a scanning condition under which the input time resolution rate can be implemented (S). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus images a heart under the scanning condition calculated in S(S). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus reconstructs an electrocardiographic-synchronous image by using the scanning data obtained in Sand the electrocardiographic information (S). Subsequently, the X-ray CT apparatus displays the electrocardiographic-synchronous image reconstructed in Son a display device(S).

X-ray CT apparatus

An image display apparatus according to the invention comprises reading section () which reads in an image data set of a subject acquired by a medical imaging apparatus () from a data recording device () which stores the image data set; input sections () which input a desired object organ to the read-in image data set; object organ extracting section () which extracts the inputted object organ; reference position setting section () which sets a reference position for producing an unfolded image in the circumferential direction of the bore of the extracted object organ; calculating device () which calculates pixel information in the circumferential direction of the bore of the object organ from the set reference position; and image display section () which displays the calculated pixel information in the circumferential direction of the bore of the object organ.

Image display apparatus and program

A method includes a periodic motion data input step Sof receiving input of periodic motion data indicating changes of the periodic motion with time in an object to be examined who is a target of image data collection, a step Sof estimating fluctuations in the time resolution of the image data with time based on the periodic motion data, designating an image collection range in the object, and adjusting the collection position of the image data such that the image data is collected in the image collection range at a suitable time of image data collection, the estimated time resolution being set in a predetermined suitable range, and an image data collection position control step Sof relatively moving at least a part of the image data collection range and the collection position of the image data such that the part of the range and the position are superimposed on each other within a time when the image data of the image data collection range has a time resolution within the desired range based on the image data collection conditions.

Method and system for collecting image data from image data collection range including periodically moving part

An X-ray CT apparatus can be configured such that an amount of artifacts of a tomographic image of a heart is reduced. For example, the X-ray CT apparatus can include detecting means for detecting a static cardiac time phase with a small amount of motion artifacts in a predetermined portion of the subject based on heartbeat information acquired in association with the projection data, and image reconstructing means for generating the tomographic image by reconstructing projection data corresponding to the static cardiac time phase detected by the detecting means.

X-ray CT imaging method and X-ray CT device

A radiotomograph comprises radiation detecting means which applies radiation from a radiation source to a subject from many direction and detects radiation transmitted through the subject from the directions, a bed on which the subject lies and which can move the subject in the direction of the body axis of the subject, reconstruction parameter setting means which sets reconstruction parameters including the amount of movement of the bed in the direction of the body axis and used to reconstruct, an image of the subject, reconstruction view area calculating means which calculates the reconstruction view area for at least one data segment necessary for reconstruction calculation determined for each position in a space reconstructed according to the set reconstruction parameters, reference segment position setting means which sets a reference segment position in the calculated reconstruction view area according to a phase signal generated by dynamic state analysis of the subject, effective segment calculating means which calculates an effective segment from the data segment containing the set reference segment position using a predetermined weight function, and image creating means for creating an image by reconstructing the calculated effective segment. With this, a radiotomograph both having an improved time resolution and enabling reduced effective radiation exposure can be provided.

Radiotomography apparatus

An X-ray CT apparatus comprises: motion information acquisition means that acquires periodical motion information on a motion portion of an object to be examined; a detector that rotates together with an X-ray source and detects X-rays applied to the object from the X-ray source to acquire projection data per collection region; and reconstruction means that processes the projection data resulting from the detector to reconstruct a tomogram of the object, wherein the X-ray CT apparatus further includes delay time determination means that determines a delay time by adding a time width of the collection region and a processing delay time in the X-ray CT apparatus and a time interval from the moment when the phase of the measured periodical motion information is matched with the phase of the rotation period of the X-ray CT apparatus to the moment when they are matched next time, and collection means that correlates, with the periodical motion information obtained by the motion information acquisition means, and successively collects the projection data obtained from the detector, with the reconstruction means starting reconstruction of the tomogram after the delay time.

X-ray CT device

In an X-ray CT apparatus having a multi-slice detector, the retrospective ECG (Electrocardiography) gating imaging is applied to helical scans. Discontinuity of projection data generated in the scans is interpolated using data at a heartbeat time phase in 180-degree opposite relation to reduce motion artifacts. Further, projection data at an arbitrary slicing position and in at arbitrary heartbeat time phase are formed utilizing continuous divided projection data obtained above, and by properly combining or gathering them, a tomogram of whole heart, a three-dimensional image thereof, and further, a three-dimensional cardiac moving image in heartbeat time phases with an arbitrary time interval can be continuously and smoothly created.

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Tokyo, Japan

Hiroto Kokubun