JP2003281279A - Medical image display system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide a medical image display system capable of performing an image reading operation efficiently without deleting a medical image having a high need for reference from an image display device. In a medical image display system for displaying the medical image on an image display device connected via a communication network to an image server storing the medical image, a local image storing a medical image acquired from the image server. Storage means, and a local database in which management data including at least the date of acquisition of the medical image stored in the local image storage means and the date of acquisition from the image server is stored,
A medical image display system, comprising: a deletion unit that deletes medical images whose acquisition date is older than a preset acquisition limit date from the local image storage unit in the order of the date of imaging.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a CR (Computed R).
adiography), CT (Computed Tomography), MRI
The present invention relates to a medical image display system for displaying a medical image captured by an image diagnostic device such as (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) on an image display device connected via a communication network to an image server storing the medical image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in hospitals, images taken by an image diagnostic apparatus such as CR, CT, and MRI have been read by a film to make a diagnosis, but in recent years, as medical image data,
It has come to be stored in an image server, and this medical image data is transferred to an image display device via a communication network to be displayed for diagnosis.

As a standard relating to the format and communication of medical images, DICOM (Digital Imaging an
The standard called d COmmunications in Medicine) has become a global standard, and by complying with this standard, we are trying to realize interoperability between devices that handle medical images.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional medical image display system. In FIG. 3, 1 is an image server, 2
Is an image display device, 3 is a communication network, and the image server 1 and the plurality of image display devices 2 are communication networks 3
Connected through. The communication network 3 is DI
For example, Ethernet (registered trademark) is used as a communication medium supported by the COM standard.

The image server 1 is a workstation, and a CR, MRI is stored in a storage device provided inside the workstation.
A medical image in an image format compliant with the DICOM standard, which is taken by an image diagnostic apparatus such as the above, is stored. Then, the image server 1 sends the DI via the communication network 3.
The medical image extracted from the image display device 2 under the specified condition is transferred to the image display device 2 according to the communication protocol standardized by the COM standard.

Then, the image display device 2 temporarily stores the transferred medical image in the storage means together with management data for managing the medical image such as patient name, examination name, examination date (imaging date), etc. Medical images determined to be unnecessary are deleted according to specific conditions so that the remaining capacity does not fall below a set value.

The image display device 2 is a personal computer and has a local image storage means 2a, a local database 2b, a search means 2c, a remaining capacity limit setting means 2d, a remaining capacity detection determination means 2e, a sorting means 2f and a deleting means 2g.
Is provided.

The local image storage means 2a temporarily stores the medical images acquired from the image server 1, and the local database 2b manages and retrieves them in association with the medical images stored in the local image storage means 2a. Stores the management data for doing. This management data is identification information that identifies a medical image such as a patient name, an examination name, and an examination date.

The search means 2c searches the local database 2b in response to a request from the user (radiologist) of the image display device 2, reads the medical image from the local image storage means 2a, and displays it on the display means as a search result.

The remaining capacity limit setting means 2d sets a lower limit set value of the remaining capacity of the local image storage means 2a, and the remaining capacity detection determination means 2d detects the remaining capacity of the local image storage means 2a and sets the set value. Determine if more or less.

The sorting means 2f is the local database 2
The management data stored in b is sorted (sorted) using the inspection date as a key, and the deleting unit 2g determines the remaining capacity of the local image storage unit 2a based on the determination result of the remaining capacity detection determining unit 2e. Until the above, the data in the local image storage means 2a and the local database 2b are deleted in order from the oldest inspection date.

Next, the conventional method of deleting a medical image will be further described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, in ST11, when the user gives an instruction to delete a medical image, the sorting means 2f sorts the management data stored in the local database 2b using the examination date as a key.

Next, in ST12, the deleting means 2g
Based on the sorting result, the oldest medical image on the examination date is deleted from the local image storage means 2a, and the management data associated with the deleted medical image is deleted from the local database 2b.

Next, in ST13, the remaining capacity detection determination means 2e detects the remaining capacity of the local image storage means 2a, and in ST14, the remaining capacity detection determination means 2e sets the detected remaining capacity to the remaining capacity limit setting. It is determined whether the value is larger or smaller than the set value set by the means 2d.

Then, when the remaining capacity is equal to or larger than the set value, the deleting operation is ended, and when the remaining capacity is not equal to or larger than the set value, the process returns to ST12, and the same deleting operation is repeated until the remaining capacity becomes equal to or larger than the set value.

[0016]

However, in such a medical image display system, medical images are deleted in the order of oldest examination date (imaging date), and thus the examination date is old, but it is desired to keep it for reference. The medical image is also automatically deleted, and if necessary, the medical image must be acquired again from the image server, which is a problem in the efficient interpretation work.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and even a medical image that is older than the examination date and is acquired from the image server, a medical image that needs to be referred to is deleted from the image display device. An object of the present invention is to realize a medical image display system capable of efficiently performing radiogram interpretation work without needing to acquire a medical image again from an image server.

[0018]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical image display system having an image server storing medical images and an image display device for displaying the medical images acquired from the image server. , Local image storage means for storing medical images acquired from the image server, and management data including at least the photographing date of the medical images stored in the local image storage means and the acquisition date from the image server are stored. A medical image display, comprising: a local database; and a deleting unit that deletes medical images whose acquisition date is older than a preset acquisition limit date from the local image storing unit in the order of the photographing date. System.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the medical image display system according to the first aspect, the local image storage means, the local database and the deleting means are provided in the image display device. It is an image display system.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the medical image display system according to the first aspect, the deleting means is
The medical image display system is characterized in that the medical image is repeatedly deleted until the remaining capacity of the local image storage means becomes larger than a predetermined set value.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings below, the same parts as those in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be appropriately omitted.

In FIG. 1, the image display device 2 includes a local database updating means 2h and an acquisition limit date setting means 2
i is provided, the deleting means 2g in FIG. 3 is replaced by the deleting means 2j, and the other configuration is the same as that of the image display device 2 shown in FIG.

When the image display device 2 acquires a medical image from the image server 1, the local database updating means 2h manages the local database 2b by associating the acquisition date with the medical image stored in the local image storage means 2a. Add to data and store.

The acquisition limit date setting means 2i sets the acquisition limit date of the acquisition date of the medical image to be deleted by designation by the user. Then, the deleting unit 2j local image storage unit 2a the medical images whose acquisition date is older than the acquisition limit date set by the acquisition limit date setting unit 2i in the order of the examination date.
And the management data associated with the medical image to be deleted from the local database 2b.

Next, the method of deleting a medical image according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, in ST1 of FIG. 2, when the user instructs a deletion operation, the sorting means 2f sorts the management data stored in the local database 2b using the inspection date as a key. Next, in ST2, the deleting unit 2j determines the inspection date (imaging date) based on the sorting result.
The management data of the oldest medical image of is extracted from the local database 2b.

Next, in ST3, the deleting means 2j
From the management data of the extracted medical images, data whose acquisition date (data added by the local database updating means 2h) is older than the acquisition restriction date set by the acquisition restriction date setting means 2i is extracted and managed. The medical image associated with the data is stored in the local image storage means 2a.
And delete the management data from the local database 2b.

Next, in ST4, the remaining capacity detection determination means 2e detects the remaining capacity of the local image storage means 2a, and in ST5, the remaining capacity detection determination means 2e sets the detected remaining capacity to the remaining capacity limit setting. Means 2e It is determined whether the set value is larger or smaller than the set value.

If the remaining capacity is equal to or greater than the set value, the deletion operation is terminated. If the remaining capacity is not equal to or greater than the set value, the inspection date is advanced by one day in ST6 and the procedure returns to ST2. ~ The deletion operation of ST5 is repeated.

In this case, even if the examination date (imaging date) is old, the medical image acquired by the user from the image server 1 to the image display device 2 for reference is newer than the acquisition limit date, the medical image is stored in the local image storage means 2a. It is never deleted from. Therefore, the medical image acquired for reference is displayed on the image display device 2.
It is not deleted from the inside, and there is no need to re-acquire the medical image from the image server 1, and the image interpretation work can be performed efficiently.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, when the medical image acquired from the image server and temporarily stored in the image display device is deleted, the acquired acquisition date is taken into consideration. , Even if the medical image is older than the examination date, the medical image that is highly required to be referred to is not deleted from the image display device, and the interpretation work can be efficiently performed without the need to acquire the medical image again from the image server. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a medical image deletion operation according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional medical image display system.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart diagram for explaining a conventional medical image deletion operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Image server 2 Image display device 2a Local image storage means 2b Local database 2d Remaining capacity limit setting means 2e Remaining capacity detection determination means 2f sorting means 2i Acquisition limit date setting means 2j Deletion means 3 communication network

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Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A medical image display system having an image server storing medical images and an image display device displaying the medical images acquired from the image server, wherein the medical images acquired from the image server are stored. A local image storage means, a local database in which management data including at least a photographing date of the medical image stored in the local image storage means and an acquisition date from the image server is stored, and an acquisition date in which the acquisition date is preset A medical image display system, comprising: a deleting unit that deletes medical images older than a limit date from the local image storage unit in the order of the photographing date. 2. The medical image display system according to claim 1, wherein the local image storage unit, the local database, and the deletion unit are provided in the image display device. 3. The medical image display system according to claim 1, wherein the deletion unit repeatedly deletes the medical image until the remaining capacity of the local image storage unit becomes larger than a preset set value. A medical image display system characterized by.