JP2006095054A - Medical image confirmation device and medical image confirmation method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medical image confirmation device and a medical image confirmation method improving the quality of the image confirmation by ensuring the confirmed state of the medical image. <P>SOLUTION: When the medical image is displayed on a display part and is confirmed, this medical image confirmation method determines whether the medical image satisfies conditions for being identified to be confirmed and judges the medical image to be confirmed when the conditions are determined to be satisfied. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical image confirmation apparatus and a medical image confirmation method for confirming whether a generated medical image is suitable for diagnosis.

  Conventionally, as a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus, for example, a US (ultrasound) apparatus, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) apparatus, a CT (Computerized Tomography) apparatus, a CR (Computed Radiography) apparatus, etc. are known. Is called a modality device, and images taken by these various modality devices are printed out on film by a printer, displayed on a display of an image viewer, or in an image storage device (image server device), a magnetic disk, Processing is performed in various modes such as being stored in storage means such as a magneto-optical disk and stored.

  The patient's diagnostic images obtained by the above-described various modality devices are subjected to various processing by the radiologist and are interpreted and confirmed, and then sent to the image storage device and the like as described above. For example, Patent Literature 1 below discloses managing access authority by giving various attributes such as “generated”, “confirmed”, and “interpreted” to an image file. The conventional “interpreted” and “confirmed” means that a specific process is completed in a series of processes, and it cannot be guaranteed whether the image is actually confirmed.

In many cases, the same examination is composed of multiple images, and all images are checked by a technician or doctor (called "image examination", "interpretation", etc.) using a predetermined method. . Often, when you are seeing a large number of images, you often forget whether you really confirmed the images, and often you see another one just in case. For this reason, the efficiency of confirmation work falls. In addition, it is conceivable that the confirmation of the image is accidentally omitted, forgotten or mistaken. For example, there is a possibility that the user has been “confirmed” even though the patient has not been examined at all, or has been “confirmed” as it is even though an image that has not been examined remains.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-140685

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of the prior art, and an object thereof is to provide a medical image confirmation apparatus and a medical image confirmation method that improve the quality of image confirmation by ensuring a confirmed state of a medical image. And

  In order to achieve the above object, a medical image confirmation apparatus according to the present invention is a medical image confirmation apparatus that displays a medical image on a display unit and confirms the medical image, and satisfies the condition that the medical image has been confirmed. Means for setting, and means for determining whether or not the medical image satisfies the condition, and determines that the medical image is confirmed when it is determined that the condition is satisfied. To do.

  According to this medical image confirmation apparatus, it is determined whether or not the medical image satisfies a condition that is regarded as confirmed, and when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, the medical image is determined as confirmed. Can be ensured, and the quality of image confirmation can be improved.

  The medical image confirmation apparatus may include an operation unit that is operated when a medical image to be confirmed is confirmed, and the operation of the operation unit may be regarded as a condition that has been confirmed. For example, a confirmation button can be provided on the display unit, and the confirmation can be regarded as being confirmed by pressing the confirmation button.

  In addition, a measurement unit that measures the time for which the medical image to be confirmed is displayed on the display unit may be provided, and the condition that the measured time has passed a predetermined time may be regarded as the confirmed condition. Further, it is possible to set both the passage of time and the operation of the operation means described above as conditions that have been confirmed.

  Further, by providing means for designating a display method for displaying the medical image on the display unit, the display method is, for example, full display, same size display, display in output form, full screen display, etc. be able to. In addition, a medical image to be confirmed can be displayed by a high-definition display method dedicated to confirmation.

  Further, the medical image to be confirmed can be configured to be displayed in the confirmation display area of the display unit. For example, the time when the medical image to be confirmed is displayed in the confirmation display area can be set as the elapsed time described above.

  In addition, when there are a plurality of medical images in the same examination, it is preferable to check each of the medical images, and the determination unit determines that all the medical images have been confirmed.

  Further, when the determination means does not determine that the confirmation has been completed, it is preferable to prohibit the next operation or issue a warning, and to prevent an unconfirmed medical image from being output to the outside.

  The medical image confirmation method according to the present invention is a medical image confirmation method for displaying a medical image on a display unit and confirming the medical image, and determines whether or not the medical image satisfies a condition to be confirmed. And a step of determining that the medical image has been confirmed when it is determined that the condition is satisfied.

  According to this medical image confirmation method, it is determined whether or not the medical image satisfies a condition that is regarded as confirmed, and when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, the medical image is determined as confirmed. Can be ensured, and the quality of image confirmation can be improved.

  The first condition is that the operation unit has been operated when the medical image to be confirmed is confirmed in the medical image confirmation method, and the predetermined time has elapsed for displaying the medical image to be confirmed on the display unit Is the second condition, and the condition regarded as confirmed is preferably at least one of the first condition and the second condition.

  In addition, by specifying a display method for displaying the medical image on the display unit, the display method can be, for example, full display, same magnification display, display in output form, full screen display, or the like. In addition, a medical image to be confirmed can be displayed by a high-definition display method dedicated to confirmation.

  Further, the medical image to be confirmed can be displayed in the confirmation display area of the display unit. For example, the time when the medical image to be confirmed is displayed in the confirmation display area can be set as the elapsed time described above.

  Further, when there are a plurality of medical images in the same examination, it is preferable to check each of the medical images, and when all the medical images are confirmed in the determination step, it is preferable to determine that the medical images have been confirmed.

  Further, when it is not determined that the confirmation has been made in the determination step, it is preferable to prohibit the next operation or issue a warning, and to prevent an unconfirmed medical image from being output to the outside.

  The medical image storage system according to the present invention has been confirmed by the medical image generation device that generates a medical image, the medical image confirmation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and the medical image confirmation device. An image storage device that stores medical images is connected.

  According to this medical image storage system, the medical image generated by the medical image generation device can be reliably confirmed by the medical image confirmation device and then output to the image storage device. Can be stored in a storage device.

  According to the medical image confirmation apparatus and the medical image confirmation method of the present invention, the quality of image confirmation can be improved by ensuring the confirmed state of the medical image. In addition, according to the medical image storage system of the present invention, a medical image confirmed to be suitable for diagnosis can be stored in the image storage device.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a medical image storage system including a medical image confirmation apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the medical image confirmation apparatus of FIG.

  The medical image storage system shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of medical image generation devices 1, 2, and 3 that are composed of at least one of various types of modality devices such as CT, MRI, and CR, and generate medical images by photographing, and medical images. The medical image confirmation device 4 that can display the medical images from the generation devices 1 to 3 and confirm whether the medical images are suitable for diagnosis, and the image that is managed by storing and registering the medical images output from the medical image confirmation device 4 A storage device 5 and an image reference device 6 that displays an image stored in the image storage device 5 on a display are included.

  Note that the image storage device 5 has an image providing function for providing the image reference device 6 with images stored and managed, and is also referred to as an image server device. The image reference device 6 refers to a medical image when a doctor makes a diagnosis, and is also referred to as an image viewer.

  The connection means between the devices in FIG. 1 is not particularly limited, and may be connected by a dedicated line or may be connected by a network. The connection means between the apparatuses 1, 2, 3 and the apparatus 4, the apparatus 4 and the apparatus 5, and the apparatus 5 and the apparatus 6 may be the same means or may be different means. . The network is, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) laid in a single hospital, or even if the LAN is composed of a single LAN segment, a plurality of interconnected via routers (or gateways) It may be composed of LAN segments. Further, the network may be a wide area network such as a WAN (Wide Area Network) or the Internet configured by connecting LANs of remote hospitals via a dedicated line or the like.

  The medical image confirmation device 4 can be constituted by a personal computer, and as shown in FIG. 2, a receiving / storing unit 11 that receives medical images transmitted from the medical image generating devices 1 to 3 and temporarily stores and stores them. To the display unit 12 including a liquid crystal panel or CRT for displaying the received medical image for confirmation, the operation unit 13 for the user to select and input a necessary operation, and the image storage device 5 An output unit 14 that outputs a confirmed medical image together with supplementary information about the medical image, and can appropriately perform necessary image processing and correction adjustment on the medical image displayed on the display unit 12.

  The medical image confirmation apparatus 4 in FIG. 2 further includes a setting unit 15 for setting a condition for confirming that the medical image to be confirmed is confirmed, and the medical image to be confirmed is displayed in the confirmation display area of the display unit 12. And a determination unit 17 that determines whether or not a medical image to be confirmed satisfies a condition that is regarded as confirmed.

  The display unit 12 of the medical image confirmation apparatus 4 has a confirmation display area. A medical image is displayed in the confirmation display area for confirmation. The display area for confirmation indicates a specific monitor, for example, a high-definition monitor dedicated to image observation, or a specific area of a certain monitor. The physical characteristics such as the size of the confirmation display area are important for confirmation of medical images and are set to be suitable for confirmation work.

  In addition, a confirmed button (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is displayed in the confirmation display area of the display unit 12, and the medical image is regarded as confirmed by depressing the button by operating the operation unit 13. It is like that.

The medical image confirmation apparatus 4 can display a medical image on the display unit 12 by the following display method, and can select one of the display methods by an operation on the operation unit 13.
(1) Entire display: Displays the entire image according to the size of the confirmation display area.
(2) Same size display: Displays the image in actual size. If it is larger than the confirmation display area, a scroll bar is displayed next to the confirmation display area.
(3) Display in output form: Display in the output form to the image storage device 5. Patient information and comments other than medical images may be added.
(4) Full screen display: Expands the contents of the display area to the entire screen.

  There are the following four types (conditions) for considering the medical image as confirmed in the medical image confirmation apparatus 4 described above.

  (a) This is a method in which when a medical image is displayed in the confirmation display area of the display unit 12 for a predetermined time or more, it is regarded as confirmed. That is, the display time is measured by the measurement unit 16 in FIG. 2, and when the predetermined time has elapsed, the determination unit 17 regards it as confirmed.

  (b) When the confirmation button 25 (FIG. 3) displayed in the confirmation display area of the display unit 12 is depressed, the determination unit 17 regards the confirmation as being completed.

  (c) This is a combination method of (a) and (b) above, and is a method that is regarded as confirmed if both conditions are satisfied. That is, when the medical image is displayed in the confirmation display area of the display unit 12 for a predetermined time or more and the confirmation button 25 (FIG. 3) is pressed down, the determination unit 17 regards it as confirmed.

  (d) This is a combined method of (a) and (b) described above, and is a method that is considered confirmed when either one of the conditions is satisfied. That is, one of the conditions of displaying the medical image in the confirmation display area of the display unit 12 for a predetermined time or more and pressing down the confirmation button 25 (FIG. 3) displayed in the confirmation display area is If it is satisfied, the determination unit 17 regards it as confirmed.

  The above methods (a) to (d) are set in advance in the setting unit 15 of FIG. 2, and when performing image confirmation, any one can be selected, and in the above methods (b) to (d) The predetermined time can be set in the setting unit 15.

  Next, display examples on the display unit 12 of the medical image confirmation apparatus 4 in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example in which the display unit 12 of FIG. 2 is configured with a normal monitor and a high-definition monitor. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an example in which the display unit 12 of FIG. 2 is configured with a normal monitor. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the normal monitor of FIG. 4 is changed to a full screen display. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view schematically showing an example of the processing completion palette displayed on the normal monitor of FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the display unit 12 of FIG. 2 includes a normal monitor and a high-definition monitor. The normal monitor sequentially displays the medical images received from the medical image generation apparatuses 1 to 3 in a thumbnail. A patient examination information list 22 that displays patient information / examination information of medical images as a list, an examination image palette 23 that displays a plurality of medical images of the same examination as thumbnails, and a processing completion palette 26.

  In addition, the high-definition monitor in FIG. 3 displays a confirmation display area 24 for displaying the medical images from the medical image generation devices 1 to 3 in a high-definition manner and medical images displayed in the confirmation display area 24. A confirmation button 25 is provided that depresses the medical image after confirmation and regards the medical image as confirmed.

  It should be noted that setting or changing the image display method in the confirmation display area 24 can be appropriately performed by operating the operation unit 13 in the setting unit 15 of FIG. The confirmation of the medical image means that the radiologist judges whether or not the image is taken as instructed but has a quality suitable for a doctor's diagnosis.

  In FIG. 3, there are a plurality of medical images in the same examination, which are displayed as thumbnails on the examination image palette 23 of the normal monitor, displayed one by one on the high-definition monitor, and confirmed and adjusted. it can. When such confirmation is completed and the confirmation button 25 is depressed by operating the operation unit 13, the medical image can be regarded as confirmed.

  Moreover, the display part 12 may be comprised only with a normal monitor like FIG. That is, the normal monitor of FIG. 4 includes a reception palette 21, a patient examination information list 22, an examination image palette 23, and a processing completion palette 26 similar to those in FIG. Button 25 is provided as part of the entire monitor.

  In the case of FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the confirmation display area can be changed to a full screen display, and the confirmation display area 24a and the confirmation button 25b which are full screen display can be displayed. Good.

  3 and 4 includes an image OK button 26a and an inspection OK button 26b as shown in FIG. When the medical image to be confirmed is confirmed and the image OK button 26a is depressed by operating the operation unit 13, the medical image is processed.

  Also, all of the plurality of medical images of the same examination are confirmed, and when the examination OK button 26b in FIG. 6 is depressed by the operation of the operation unit 13, all of the medical images of the same examination are processed. If there is a medical image that has not been confirmed in the same examination, the examination OK button 26b cannot be pressed down. In this case, when the inspection OK button 26b is depressed, a warning may be issued from the warning means. For example, the warning unit can be configured such that a light emitting unit provided in a specific area in the display unit 12 blinks and emits light.

  Next, the operation (steps S01 to S15) of the medical image confirmation apparatus 4 of FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when a medical image to be confirmed is displayed in the confirmation display area 24 of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4 (S01), if a confirmation display method is specified (S02), the confirmation display When the method is displayed (S03) or when the confirmation display method is not designated in step S02, how to determine whether the medical image has been confirmed is set in the setting unit 15 in FIG. That is, as described below, one of the four types of methods (a) to (d) for regarding the medical image as being confirmed is set (S04, S07).

  When the method (a) is set (S04), while the medical image is displayed in the confirmation display area 24 of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the display time is measured by the measurement unit 16 of FIG. When it is longer than the set time (S05), the determination unit 17 regards it as confirmed (S12).

  When the method (b) is set (S04), when the user confirms the medical image displayed in the confirmation display area 24 of FIGS. 3 and 4 and depresses the confirmation button 25 (S06), the determination unit 17 is considered as confirmed (S12).

  When the combined method (c) of (a) and (b) is set (S07), while the medical image is displayed in the confirmation display area 24 of FIG. 3 or FIG. 4, the measurement unit of FIG. 16, the display time is measured, and the display time exceeds the set time (S 08). When the medical image is confirmed and the confirmation button 25 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is pressed (S 09), the determination unit 17 confirms the display time. (S12).

  When the combination method (d) is set (S07), the display unit 24 in FIG. 2 measures the display time while the medical image is displayed in the confirmation display area 24 in FIG. 3 or FIG. When the display time is equal to or longer than the set time (S10), the determination unit 17 considers that the confirmation has been completed (S12). Also, before the display time reaches the set time (S10), the medical image is confirmed, and when the confirmation button 25 (FIGS. 3 and 4) is depressed (S11), the determination unit 17 regards it as confirmed (S12). ).

  As described above, the medical image to be confirmed is regarded as confirmed (S12), and when the image OK button 26a (FIG. 6) of the processing completion palette 26 in FIGS. 3 and 4 is depressed, the medical image has been processed. Is determined (S13).

  Then, the processed medical image is output to the image storage device 5 of FIG. 1 from the output unit 14 of the medical image confirmation device 4 of FIG. 2 together with incidental information such as patient information and examination information (S14), and the image storage device 5 (S15).

  Although the medical image in the operation described above with reference to FIG. 7 is a single image, the operation (steps S21 to S25) when the confirmation target is a plurality of medical images of the same examination will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. To do. The same examination means an examination for the same patient.

  As shown in step S12 of FIG. 7, when one medical image among the plurality of medical images of the same examination is considered to be confirmed, and the image OK button 26a (FIG. 6) of the processing completion palette 26 of FIGS. When there is an unconfirmed medical image of the same examination, the unconfirmed medical image is displayed in the confirmation display area 24 and checked in the same manner, and the process is continued until all the medical images are confirmed.

  When all the medical images of the same examination are confirmed (S21), all the medical images of the same examination are confirmed by the determination unit 17 in FIG. 2 (S22). Next, when the inspection OK button 26b (FIG. 6) of the processing completion pallet 26 of FIGS. 3 and 4 is depressed, it is determined that the same inspection has been processed (S23), and a plurality of medical images of the processed same inspection are processed. 2 is output from the output unit 14 of the medical image confirmation apparatus 4 in FIG. 2 to the image storage apparatus 5 in FIG. 1 together with incidental information such as patient information and examination information (S24), and a plurality of medical images of the same examination are stored in the image storage apparatus. 5 (S25).

  Further, before all the medical images of the same examination are confirmed in step S21, it is impossible to push down the examination OK button 26b (FIG. 6) of the processing completion palette 26 of FIGS. It can be seen that unidentified images remain. In this case, for example, when a warning means by light emission is provided and the inspection OK button 26b is depressed, the light emitting portion blinks and emits light, so that it is understood that an unconfirmed image remains.

  The medical image stored and registered in the image storage device 5 as described above can be displayed on the image reference device 6 for diagnosis by a doctor.

  Each operation of the medical image confirmation apparatus 4 in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 described above is necessary because each unit 11 to 17 of the medical image confirmation apparatus 4 is controlled according to a program stored and started in a storage device or the like of the medical image confirmation apparatus 4. Information processing is executed.

  As described above, according to the medical image confirmation apparatus of the present embodiment, it is determined that the medical image to be confirmed is confirmed when the condition is satisfied, and the medical image is confirmed by determining that the medical image is confirmed. As a result, it is possible to ensure a completed state and to reliably prevent omission of confirmation or forgetting to confirm, so that the quality of image confirmation can be improved. As a result, it is possible to ensure the content of the examination image, which leads to advantages such as reduction of medical errors and improvement of patient service.

  Further, according to the medical image storage system of FIG. 1, the medical image generated by the medical image generation devices 1 to 3 can be surely confirmed by the medical image confirmation device 4 and then output to the image storage device 5, which is suitable for diagnosis. The confirmed medical image can be stored in the image storage device 5.

  As described above, the best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, in FIG. 1, the medical image generation devices 1 to 3 and the medical image confirmation device 4 are configured separately, but depending on the device, a configuration having both functions may be employed. In this case, it can be said that the medical image confirmation apparatus of the present invention includes the medical image generation apparatus.

  The modality devices of the medical image generation devices 1 to 3 in FIG. 1 are other than CR (computed radiography), CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Alternatively, it may be a medical image generation apparatus such as DR (digital radiography) or US (ultrasound: ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus).

It is a block diagram which shows the medical image preservation | save system containing the medical image confirmation apparatus by this Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the medical image confirmation apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows typically the example which comprised the display part 12 of FIG. 2 with the normal monitor and the high-definition monitor. It is a figure which shows typically the example which comprised the display part 12 of FIG. 2 with the normal monitor. It is a figure which shows typically a mode that the normal monitor of FIG. 4 was changed into the full screen display. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view schematically showing an example of a processing completion palette displayed on the normal monitor in FIGS. 3 and 4. 3 is a flowchart for explaining operations of the medical image confirmation apparatus and the medical image storage system of FIGS. 1 and 2. It is a flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement in case a confirmation object is a several medical image of the same test | inspection.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3 Medical image generation device 4 Medical image confirmation device 5 Image storage device 6 Image reference device 11 Reception / storage unit 12 Display unit 13 Operation unit 14 Output unit 15 Setting unit 16 Measurement unit 17 Determination unit 24 Display area for confirmation 24a Display area for confirmation 25 Confirmation button 25b Confirmation button 26 Processing complete palette 26a Image OK button 26b Inspection OK button

Claims (14)

A medical image confirmation apparatus for displaying a medical image on a display unit and confirming a medical image,
Means for setting conditions under which the medical image is considered confirmed;
Means for determining whether or not the medical image satisfies the condition,
A medical image confirmation apparatus, wherein when it is determined that the condition is satisfied, the medical image is determined to be confirmed.   The medical image confirmation according to claim 1, further comprising: an operation unit that operates when confirming a medical image to be confirmed, wherein the operation unit is operated as a condition that is regarded as confirmed. apparatus.   The measuring device for measuring the time for which the medical image to be confirmed is displayed on the display unit is provided, and the condition that the measured time has passed a predetermined time is regarded as the condition to be confirmed. The medical image confirmation apparatus according to 1 or 2.   The medical image confirmation apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising means for designating a display method for displaying the medical image on the display unit.   The medical image confirmation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a medical image to be confirmed is displayed in a confirmation display area of the display unit.   The plurality of medical images in the same examination is confirmed for each of the medical images, and the determination unit determines that the medical images have been confirmed when all the medical images have been confirmed. The medical image confirmation apparatus according to any one of 1 to 5.   The medical image confirmation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein when the determination means does not determine that the confirmation has been completed, it is prohibited to proceed to a next operation or issue a warning. A medical image confirmation method for confirming a medical image by displaying a medical image on a display unit,
Determining whether the medical image meets a condition that is considered confirmed;
And a step of determining that the medical image is confirmed when it is determined that the condition is satisfied.   The first condition is that the operation unit is operated when the medical image to be confirmed is confirmed, and the second condition is that a predetermined time has elapsed after the medical image to be confirmed is displayed on the display unit. The medical image confirmation method according to claim 8, wherein the condition regarded as confirmed is at least one of the first condition and the second condition.   The medical image confirmation apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a display method for displaying the medical image on the display unit is designated.   The medical image confirmation method according to claim 8, 9 or 10, wherein a medical image to be confirmed is displayed in a confirmation display area of the display unit.   The plurality of medical images in the same examination are confirmed for each of the medical images, and when all the medical images are confirmed in the determination step, it is determined that the medical images have been confirmed. The medical image confirmation method according to any one of 8 to 11.   The medical image confirmation method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein when it is not determined that the confirmation has been made in the determination step, a transition to a next operation is prohibited or a warning is issued. A medical image generation device that generates a medical image, the medical image confirmation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and an image storage device that stores a medical image that has been confirmed by the medical image confirmation device. Connected, medical image storage system.

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