JP2019035779A - Display device used in radiation tomography apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a display device that is used in an X-ray tomographic device, enabling wrong operations for image reading or chores of an image display to be held down.SOLUTION: On the basis of three-dimensional volume data about right and left breasts, tomographic images Rand Labout the right and left breasts in a head tail direction CC are simultaneously output and displayed on the same screen, and the tomographic images Rand Lare adapted so as to be output and displayed in a symmetrical way with chest wall sides of the mutual breasts arranged at a centre. In this way, the tomographic images Rand Lare adapted so as to be output and displayed in the symmetrical way with the chest wall sides of the mutual breasts arranged at the centre thereon, and thus, the tomographic images can be easily displayed that make comparison with diagnostic images in other modalities easy. Accordingly, chores are eliminated, wrong operations decrease, even operation time is shortened, and a difference among the operation time depending on operators can be minimized. As a result, the wrong operation for image reading or chores of an image display can be held down.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device used in a radiation tomography apparatus, and more particularly, to a technique for displaying images on left and right breasts based on radiation generated from a radiopharmaceutical in a subject.

  Conventionally, as an apparatus for performing mammogram (mammography) for breast cancer detection, X-ray imaging is performed in addition to a radiation tomography apparatus that performs imaging based on radiation generated from a radiopharmaceutical in a subject. There are X-ray imaging apparatuses, MRI apparatuses that perform magnetic resonance imaging using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-238933 discloses switching to either a left or right breast image obtained by vertical imaging or a left or right breast image obtained by lateral imaging, and the breast walls of each other's breasts The breast images that are to be switched around the side are displayed symmetrically (displayed back to back). Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-85560 discloses an image of a coronal section obtained by an MRI apparatus, that is, a coronal image is displayed side by side for each of the left and right breasts.

  Hereinafter, a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) apparatus will be described as an example of the radiation tomography apparatus. In mammograms using PET, the whole body PET apparatus as shown in FIG. 11 is used. FIG. 11 is a schematic side view of a conventional whole body PET apparatus. As shown in FIG. 11, the top plate 101 on which the subject M is placed, the gantry 102 having the opening 102 a, and the gantry 102 are arranged in a ring shape so as to surround the body axis Z of the subject M. The detector 103 embedded in the inside and the console 104 which accumulate | stores data are provided.

  A subject M to which a radiopharmaceutical has been administered in advance is inserted into the opening 102 a of the gantry 102, and 511 KeV pair annihilation photons emitted from the subject M are detected by the detector 103 in the gantry 102. Then, the time when the photon is detected is measured, and when the difference in detection time between the two detection elements in the detector 103 is within a certain time (TW: Time Window), it is counted as a pair of annihilation photons. (Simultaneous counting), and the pair disappearance occurrence point is specified as a straight line of the detected pair.

  The data detected in this way is called “emission data”, and this data is stored in the console 104. Image reconstruction is performed from the emission data to obtain a PET image. By administering to the subject M a radiopharmaceutical that easily accumulates in a specific lesion, when the subject M has the lesion, the lesion appears as a high pixel value on the PET image and can be identified. .

  In recent years, in addition to the whole body PET apparatus, a breast dedicated PET apparatus (mammo PET apparatus) has been developed. In a mammogram PET device (PEM: Positron Emission Mammography), a mammogram is performed by pressing a mammogram with a flat plate with a built-in detector sandwiched between the breasts, for example, a detector surrounding the breast in a ring shape There are non-squeezed types. In the latter non-compression type, the subject is placed in a prone position and the mammogram is performed with the breast suspended by gravity.

  In such a prone position type mammo PET apparatus, 3D volume data regarding a non-compressed breast is acquired and a multi-planar reconstruction (MPR: Multi Planar Reconstruction) image is generated in the same manner as CT and MRI. One of the features is that In the former type of compression, a tomographic image at a certain depth with respect to the compression direction (that is, an image of a cross section parallel to the detection surface of the flat plate) is obtained, but a vertical cross section in the compression direction (especially a coronal cross section: Coronal) is rarely displayed. Therefore, unless otherwise specified below, the breast dedicated PET apparatus (mammo PET apparatus) relates to an apparatus capable of acquiring three-dimensional volume data relating to a non-compressed breast.

JP-A-9-238933 JP 2013-85560 A

However, the conventional mammo PET apparatus having such a configuration has the following problems.
That is, the conventional mammo PET apparatus has a problem that it takes an operation error and troublesome image display when outputting an image suitable for interpretation based on the acquired PET image. The mammo PET apparatus is a breast-dedicated PET apparatus that performs PET imaging with high sensitivity and high resolution by arranging a detector close to the breast of a subject mainly having the risk of breast cancer as described above. Therefore, as in the case of the mammary gland MRI examination, a subject suspected of having breast cancer is usually imaged in advance by palpation, ultrasound, an X-ray mammography apparatus, or the like. Then, in accordance with the results of palpation, ultrasonic waves, an X-ray mammography apparatus, etc., an inspection by a mammo PET apparatus is performed in order to investigate in more detail.

  However, when the detector is brought close to the breast, the axillary lymph node or the like often becomes a blind area (outside the imaging range), so it is recommended to use it together with the above-described whole body PET apparatus. Note that in the examination using only the whole body PET apparatus, it is difficult to perform PET imaging with high sensitivity and high resolution because the detector cannot be brought close to the breast. Moreover, in the whole body PET apparatus, it is necessary to set a plane suitable for interpretation such as image segmentation into the breast region, image rotation, image file division, display direction reversal, etc. .

  On the other hand, since the mammo PET apparatus is still a new modality and the evidence (clinical results) is poor, as described above, comparative interpretation with other modality apparatuses including the whole body PET apparatus is required. However, since the image obtained by the mammo PET apparatus is a special captured image that has never existed before, there is no means for easily comparing and reading with other modality apparatuses. Therefore, an image is displayed so as to be easily compared by using a large amount of work. For this reason, not only an operation mistake but also a troublesome image display becomes an obstacle to the number of examinations even if there is no operation mistake.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device used in a radiation tomography apparatus that can suppress an operation error for interpretation and trouble of image display. To do.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention has the following configuration.
That is, the display device according to the present invention is a display device used in a radiation tomography apparatus, and is a three-dimensional image relating to left and right breasts obtained by the radiation tomography apparatus based on radiation generated from a radiopharmaceutical in a subject. It is characterized by comprising symmetrical output display control means for simultaneously outputting and displaying tomographic images relating to left and right breasts on the same screen based on volume data, and outputting and displaying the tomographic images symmetrically around the breast wall side of each breast. To do.

  [Operation / Effect] According to the display device of the present invention, the left and right breasts based on the three-dimensional volume data on the left and right breasts obtained by the radiation tomography apparatus based on the radiation generated from the radiopharmaceutical in the subject. The tomographic images are simultaneously output and displayed on the same screen, and the tomographic images are symmetrically output and displayed around the chest wall side of each breast. In this way, by displaying symmetrically the tomographic images of the left and right breasts around the breast wall side of each other's breasts, it is possible to easily display the tomographic images that can be easily compared with the diagnostic images of other modalities. it can. As a result, it is possible to save time and trouble, reduce the operation time, and reduce the difference in operation time by the operator. As a result, it is possible to reduce operation mistakes for interpretation and trouble of image display.

  In the display device according to the present invention, the cross section of the tomographic image relating to the left and right breasts to be output and displayed symmetrically is not particularly limited. It may be an axial (also called “transverse”) of a body axis section, a sagittal of a sagittal section, or a section from an oblique direction. Even in the case of axial, there is a head-to-tail direction (CC: Cranio-Caudal) (also called “Top View”), which is the view direction seen from the head to the foot, and the bottom view that looks from the foot to the head. is there. Even in the case of sagittal, there is an inside / outside (ML: Medial-Lateral) which is a view direction seen from the inside to the outside of the breast. Further, even in the case of a cross section from an oblique direction, there is an inside-outside oblique position (MLO: Medio-Lateral Oblique) which is a view direction viewed from the inside to the outside of the breast.

  Currently, the X-ray mammography uses the head-to-tail direction CC or the inside / outside oblique MLO. Therefore, an example of a tomographic image to be output and displayed symmetrically is a tomographic image (that is, an axial image) of a plane perpendicular to the body axis of the subject, and the above-described symmetrical output display control means relates to the right breast. Preferably, the tomographic image is output on the left side of the screen, and the tomographic image relating to the left breast is output and displayed symmetrically around the chest wall side of each breast on the right side of the screen. Thus, the tomographic image related to the right breast displayed on the left side of the screen changes from the left hand side to the right hand side of the screen, and the tomographic image related to the left breast displayed on the right side of the screen changes from the right hand side to the left hand side of the screen. It becomes a view.

  In addition, since a multi-fault (multi-section) image is obtained based on the three-dimensional volume data, when trying to find a lesion, each cross-section has to be searched and it may be difficult to compare. In view of this, first output display switching means for switching between output display at each cross section relating to the tomographic image and output display of the MIP (Maximum Intensity Projection) image obtained by the maximum value projection method based on the display designation. It is preferable to provide. Thereby, by switching to the output display of the MIP image as necessary, it is possible to display the MIP image that is easy to find the lesion and that is easy to compare and interpret.

  In addition, the tomographic image of the above-mentioned inside / outside oblique MLO is also similar to the tomographic image of the plane perpendicular to the body axis of the subject typified by the head-to-tail direction CC (axial image of the body axis section). May be output and displayed. That is, regarding the cut-out angle designation means for designating the cut-out angle of the cross section and the inside / outside oblique MLO that is the view direction seen from the inside to the outside of the breast, the inside of the right breast is determined based on the designated cut-out angle. Inner and outer oblique output display control means for outputting and displaying the outer oblique MLO tomographic image on the left side of the screen and the inner and outer oblique MLO tomographic images relating to the left breast on the right side of the screen may be provided. As a result, it is possible to specify an arbitrary cutout angle by the cutout angle specifying means. A tomographic image of the inner / outer oblique MLO corresponding to the cutout angle at that time is displayed on the left side of the screen for the right breast and the left breast Can be displayed on the right side of the screen.

  Even when specialized in the inside / outside oblique MLO, the output display of the MIP image may be switched. Specifically, based on the display designation, either the output display at each cross section regarding the tomographic image of the inner / outer oblique MLO or the output display of the MIP image obtained by the maximum value projection method at the inner / outer oblique MLO There may be provided second output display switching means for switching between the two. Thereby, even when specialized in the inside / outside oblique MLO, it is possible to display a MIP image that is easy to find a lesion and that is easy to compare and interpret by switching to the output display of the MIP image as necessary.

  Also, based on the display designation, the tomographic image of the left and right breasts can be switched to either axial display of axial section, coronal of coronal section, sagittal of sagittal section, or output display of each section of the section from an oblique direction. You may provide the 3rd output display switching means to perform. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately switch and display each tomographic image of a desired cross section.

  In addition, the direction information of the tomographic image regarding the right breast displayed on the screen is output and displayed in the display area of the tomographic image regarding the right breast, and the direction of the tomographic image regarding the left breast output and displayed on the screen Direction information output display control means for outputting and displaying information in a display area of a tomographic image related to the left breast may be provided. By displaying the direction information of the tomographic image, it is possible to confirm in which direction the tomographic image is displayed.

  Further, a subject / examination information output display control means for outputting and displaying the subject information and the examination information on the same screen for outputting and displaying the tomographic images regarding the left and right breasts may be provided. Thereby, the subject information and the examination information can be displayed simultaneously.

  According to the display device according to the present invention, the tomographic images relating to the left and right breasts are symmetrically output and displayed around the breast wall side of each other's breasts, so that a tomographic image that can be easily compared with diagnostic images in other modalities can be obtained. It can be displayed easily. As a result, it is possible to save time and trouble, reduce the operation time, and reduce the difference in operation time by the operator. As a result, it is possible to reduce operation mistakes for interpretation and trouble of image display.

(A) is a schematic side view of the mammo PET apparatus according to the embodiment, and (b) is a schematic plan view of the detector unit of (a). It is a block diagram of the display apparatus concerning an Example, and its peripheral part. It is the output aspect of the tomographic image regarding the right and left breasts in the head-tail direction. This is a display mode in which tomographic images relating to the right and left breasts in the head-to-tail direction are simultaneously displayed symmetrically around the chest wall side of each breast. It is a display mode of an axial image (tail direction) in whole body PET, CT, or MRI for comparison with FIG. This is a display mode when the cut-out angle of the cross section is specified and the inner and outer oblique tomographic images at that time are simultaneously displayed symmetrically. This is a display mode when the axial images regarding the left and right breasts in the direction of the tail (Bottom View) are displayed simultaneously. It is a display mode when coronal images regarding the left and right breasts from the front of the subject are displayed simultaneously. It is a display mode when a sagittal image viewed from the left to the right of the subject is displayed simultaneously. FIG. 4 shows a display mode when the direction information and the subject / examination information are further displayed. It is a schematic side view of the conventional whole body PET apparatus.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1A is a schematic side view of a mammo PET apparatus according to the embodiment, FIG. 1B is a schematic plan view of the detector unit of FIG. 1A, and FIG. It is a block diagram of the display apparatus which concerns on, and its peripheral part. In this embodiment, a mammographic PET apparatus will be described as an example of a radiation tomography apparatus.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the mammo PET apparatus 1 includes a gantry 2 for placing the subject M in the prone position. The mounting surface of the gantry 2 is provided with two openings 2a on the left and right sides for inserting the breast in order to diagnose the breast below the mounting surface. In the gantry 2, a ring-shaped detector unit 3 having a detector 3a for detecting radiation (photons) generated from the radiopharmaceutical in the subject M, and a support for supporting and moving the detector unit 3 are provided. A moving mechanism 4 is provided. In addition, the mammo PET apparatus 1 includes a coincidence counting circuit 5 (see FIG. 2) and an image processing unit 6 (see FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIG. 1 (a) and FIG. 1 (b), the detector unit 3 includes a plurality of detectors 3a arranged so as to surround the periphery of the breast, and a ring-like shape that accommodates these detectors 3a. And a housing 3b. In FIG. 1B, for the sake of simplicity, only eight detectors 3a are shown, but it should be noted that in reality there are more detectors 3a.

  The subject M to which the radiopharmaceutical has been administered in advance is placed on the gantry 2 in the prone position, and the breast of the subject M in the prone position is inserted into the opening 2a to perform PET imaging. In order to image either one of the left and right breasts, the support / movement mechanism 4 moves the detector unit 3 horizontally and up and down to a position where the breasts are brought close to each other. The photons from the one breast are counted by the detector 3a and sent to the coincidence circuit 5 (see FIG. 2) only when the photons are coincident. Since the periphery of the breast is imaged, three-dimensional volume data relating to the one breast can be acquired.

  When imaging of one breast is completed, the subject M moves on the placement surface in order to perform imaging of the other breast. Alternatively, the support / moving mechanism 4 may move the detector unit 3 horizontally and up and down to a position where the other breast is brought close to each other. And imaging is performed similarly. In this way, three-dimensional volume data relating to the left and right breasts can be acquired. The obtained three-dimensional volume data (breast PET images) regarding the left and right breasts can generate an image (MPR image) in an arbitrary multi-section by image reconstruction.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the coincidence counting circuit 5 and the image processing unit 6 are installed in the peripheral portion of the display device 10, and based on the three-dimensional volume data simultaneously counted by the coincidence counting circuit 5. The image processing unit 6 performs an image reconstruction process to generate an MPR image. Then, the MPR image is sent to the display device 10.

  The display device 10 includes a controller 11, a memory unit 12, an input unit 13, and a monitor 14. The controller 11 is connected to an external DICOM server, and can transmit data output from the display device 10 to the DICOM server. If necessary, it can also receive data from the DICOM server. Here, DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine) is a standard that defines a communication protocol between medical imaging devices. The controller 11 corresponds to the symmetrical output display control means, first to third output display switching means, inner / outer oblique output display control means, direction information output display control means, and subject / examination information output display control means in the present invention. The input unit 13 corresponds to the cut-out angle designation means in the present invention.

  The controller 11 includes a central processing unit (CPU). In this embodiment, the controller 11 has a function of symmetrical output display control, a function of switching first to third output displays, a function of inner / outer oblique output display control, a function of direction information output display control, and a subject / A test information output display control function is provided. These functions will be described in detail later.

  The memory unit 12 includes a storage medium represented by ROM (Read-only Memory), RAM (Random-Access Memory), and the like. In this embodiment, the data processed by the coincidence counting circuit 5 and the image processing unit 6 outside the display device 10, the data output by the controller 11, and the data from the DICOM server are written and stored in the RAM. Read from the RAM.

  The input unit 13 sends data and commands input by the operator to the controller 11. The input unit 13 includes a pointing device represented by a mouse, a keyboard, a joystick, a trackball, a touch panel, and the like. In this embodiment, a cut-out angle designation function is provided, and a display designation function for switching output display is also provided. These functions will also be described in detail later.

  The monitor 14 is configured to display each image shown in FIGS. 3 to 10 described later on the screen. The monitor 14 may be configured with a touch panel, and the monitor 14 may be configured to have the function of the input unit 13.

  Next, each display mode of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an output mode of tomographic images regarding the left and right breasts in the head-tail direction, and FIG. 4 is a symmetric view of the tomographic images regarding the left and right breasts in the head-tail direction, with the chest wall side of each breast as the center. FIG. 5 is a display mode of an axial image (in the cranial direction) in whole body PET, CT, or MRI for comparison with FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 7 shows a display mode when the cut-out angle is specified and the tomographic images at the inner and outer oblique positions at the same time are displayed in a symmetrical manner, and FIG. 7 shows when the axial images of the right and left breasts in the tail direction (Bottom View) are displayed simultaneously. FIG. 8 is a display mode when the coronal images regarding the left and right breasts from the front of the subject are displayed simultaneously, and FIG. 9 is a sagittal image viewed from the left to the right of the subject. Display mode when simultaneously displaying There, FIG. 10 is a display mode when the further display the direction information and the object-inspected data in FIG.

  As described in the section of “Means for Solving the Problems”, currently, in X-ray mammography, images are generally taken in the head-to-tail direction CC and the inside / outside oblique MLO. Therefore, taking the head-to-tail direction CC as an example, first, the controller 11 (see FIG. 2) first moves to the body axis Z (see FIG. 1 (a)) of the subject M (see FIG. 1 (a)). A tomographic image on the right and left breasts in the head-to-tail direction CC is output as shown in FIG. 3 (in FIG. 3, the tomographic image on the right breast is represented by R, and the tomographic image on the left breast is shown in FIG. Is represented by L). In addition, the dashed-two dotted line in FIG. 3 is a position corresponding to a chest wall. At this stage, the tomographic image is not displayed on the monitor 14 (see FIG. 2). The circle in the right breast in FIGS. 3 to 5 schematically represents the tumor, and the star in the left breast schematically represents the tumor.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the controller 11 simultaneously outputs and displays tomographic images regarding the left and right breasts in the head-to-tail direction CC on the same screen of the monitor 14. Then, the tomographic image R ₁ concerning the right breast on the left side of the screen, the tomographic image L ₁ for the breast of the left to the right of the screen, and outputs display symmetrically around the chest wall side to each other of the breast.

  On the other hand, the whole body PET, CT, and MRI images are taken as shown in FIG. 5 because the whole body is imaged at a time as shown in FIG. 11, and generally the tail direction: Bottom View (In FIG. 5 as well, the right breast is represented by R and the left breast is represented by L). Further, the position of the tumor in FIG. 5 is also output and displayed in the reverse direction of FIG. Although the size of the tumor is also displayed small throughout the body, FIG. 5 shows the same size as in FIGS. 3 and 4 for convenience. If an image of whole-body PET, CT, or MRI is to be output as if the left and right images are simultaneously displayed in the head-to-tail direction CC in X-ray mammography, as described in the section “Problems to be solved by the invention” Further, it is necessary to set a plane suitable for image interpretation such as image segmentation into a breast region, image rotation, image file division, display direction reversal, and the like.

On the other hand, the right and left of the PET image obtained by the mammo PET apparatus (breast dedicated PET apparatus) are individual images. Therefore, in the present invention (this embodiment), left and right breast-dedicated PET images, as shown in FIG. 4, tomographic images regarding the left and right breasts in the head-to-tail direction CC are simultaneously output and displayed on the same screen of the monitor 14. The controller 11 has a function of symmetrical output display control for symmetrically outputting and displaying the tomographic image about the breast wall side of the breast. In particular, in FIG. 4, as described above, the tomographic image R ₁ concerning the right breast on the left side of the screen, the tomographic image L ₁ for the breast of the left to the right of the screen, especially in the chest wall side to each other of the breast Display output symmetrically. Note that each subject is written and stored in the memory unit 12 (see FIG. 2) as a database, and is selected from the memory unit 12 simply by selecting the subject with the input unit 13 (see FIG. 2). It is also possible to display tomographic images relating to the left and right breasts of the subject.

  Further, many X-ray mammography other than the mammography PET apparatus is a single image, and X-ray mammography by tomosynthesis can obtain a certain amount of tomographic images. On the other hand, since the breast PET image obtained by the mammo PET apparatus is a multi-tomographic (multi-section) image (MPR image), a lesion cannot be found depending on the displayed cross-section and compared with images of other modalities. Hard to do.

  Therefore, the controller 11 is configured to have a first output display switching function. Based on the display designation, the first output display switching function switches between output display at each cross section relating to the tomographic image and output display of the MIP image obtained by the maximum value projection method. Specifically, the switching button is configured by the input unit 13, and the operator presses the switching button so as to display the MIP image, and switches to the output display of the MIP image based on the display designation by pressing the switching button. It can be performed. Therefore, the MIP image can be displayed on the monitor 14 without separately selecting the MIP image or the MIP image file. Further, if necessary, it is possible to return to the output display of the original tomographic image by pressing the switching button again. In addition to pressing the switch button, a switch button may be displayed on the monitor 14 and the switch button displayed by clicking the switch button. The display may be switched by selecting “Display” and “Output Display of MIP Image”. In either case, the display can be switched by one action on the monitor 14 (clicking of a switching button or switching of a pull-down list).

  In the above description, the head-to-tail direction CC has been described as an example, but the same applies to the inner / outer oblique MLO and the inner / outer ML (sagittal in CT and MRI) that are rarely imaged recently. As described above, the inner / outer oblique MLO and inner / outer ML are viewed from the inner side (clavicle) toward the outer side (arms and shoulders). Although the display direction needs to be reversed, in the display device 10 (see FIG. 2) used in the mammo PET device (breast dedicated PET device) (also referred to as “breast dedicated PET viewer”), the display direction is also different for each of the left and right breasts. It is possible to display in a view direction (ie, inner / outer oblique MLO or inner / outer ML) viewed from the inside to the outside of the breast. Therefore, it is not necessary to cut out the image, rotate the display, or reverse the display direction.

  Switching between the head-to-tail direction CC, inner / outer ML, inner / outer oblique MLO, and the like is not performed by selecting an MIP image or an MIP image file, but by one action on the viewer's monitor 14 as in the case of MIP image output display. Click the switch button or switch the pull-down list), or switch the display by pressing the switch button. This switching is not only switching to the output display of each section of the section (inner / outer oblique position MLO) from the oblique direction described above, but also outputs of axial, coronal and sagittal as shown in FIGS. The same applies to switching to display. 7 to 9 will be described in detail later.

  Further, the controller 11 may be configured to have a function of inner / outer oblique output display control. The inside / outside oblique output display control function relates to the inside of the right breast based on the specified (cross-sectional) cut-out angle with respect to the inside / outside oblique MLO, which is the view direction seen from the inside to the outside of the breast. The tomographic image of the outer oblique MLO is output and displayed on the left side of the screen, and the tomographic image of the inner and outer oblique MLO for the left breast is output and displayed on the right side of the screen.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, a cut-out angle designation screen 14A for designating the cut-out angle of the cross section is displayed on the monitor 14, and the cut-out angle is input by the input unit 13 on the cut-out angle designation screen 14A. Specify the section cut angle. Then, based on the cut-out angle is designated is inputted in cut angle specifying screen 14A, a tomographic image R ₂ in the in the outer oblique MLO about right breast on the left side of the screen, the inner outer oblique for the breast of the left MLO outputs and displays the tomographic image L ₂ to the right side of the screen.

  In the case of FIG. 6, the output display of the MIP image may be similarly switched. That is, the controller 11 is configured to have a function of switching the second output display. Based on the display designation, the second output display switching function includes output display at each cross-section regarding the tomographic image of the inner / outer oblique MLO, and the MIP image obtained by the maximum value projection method at the inner / outer oblique MLO. Switch to one of the output displays. Even in this case, the display may be switched by one action (clicking of the switching button or switching of the pull-down list) on the monitor 14 of the viewer, or may be switched by pressing the switching button.

  At present, it is a condition of insurance coverage that a breast-only PET examination using a mammo PET apparatus (a breast-only PET apparatus) is performed on the same day as a whole-body PET examination using a whole-body PET apparatus. Is a PET / CT apparatus combined with an X-ray CT apparatus. Therefore, the breast PET image obtained by the mammo PET apparatus is compared with the whole body PET / CT image obtained by the whole body PET / CT apparatus. As described above, the PET image and CT image captured by the whole body PET / CT apparatus are generally displayed as shown in FIG.

  Therefore, the controller 11 is configured to have the function of third output display switching means. Based on the display designation, the function of the third output display switching means is that the axial axis of the body axis, the coronal section of the coronal section, the sagittal section of the sagittal section, and the section of the section from the oblique direction are displayed. Switch to one of the output displays. Specifically, the display may be switched by one action (clicking of the switching button or switching of the pull-down list) on the monitor 14 of the viewer, or may be switched by pressing the switching button.

For example, in the display device 10 (breast dedicated PETviewer), in addition to the above-described head-to-tail direction CC, inner / outer ML, and inner / outer oblique MLO, when the axial (transverse) is selected, the tail direction (Bottom View) as shown in FIG. ) Display axial images R ₃ and L ₃ which are body axis cross sections (body axis cross sections) of the left and right breasts. When the coronal is selected, as shown in FIG. 8, the left and right breasts are displayed as coronal images R ₄ and L _{4 in the} Antero-Posterior (that is, the front) direction in which the subject M is viewed from the front to the back of the subject M. To do. When the sagittal is selected, the left and right breasts are displayed as sagittal images R ₅ and L _{5 in} the direction as seen from the left to the right of the subject M as shown in FIG. In addition, when the cut-out angle has already been designated, a tomographic image of a cross section from an oblique direction (here, the tomographic images R ₂ and L ₂ of the inner and outer oblique MLOs) is displayed as shown in FIG. Good. In any of the displays of FIGS. 7 to 9, the display direction is reversed for each image (for example, the display of the head-to-tail direction is switched to the display of the head-to-head direction), one action (clicking of the switching button or switching of the pull-down list). Alternatively, this can be done by pressing a switching button.

  Further, the controller 11 is configured to have an information output display control function and a subject / examination information output display control function. The function of the information output display control is to output the direction information of the tomographic image related to the right breast output and displayed on the screen to the display area of the tomographic image related to the right breast, and to display the left information output and displayed on the screen. The direction information of the tomographic image related to the breast is output and displayed in the display area of the tomographic image related to the left breast. The object / examination information output display control function outputs and displays the subject information and examination information on the same screen for outputting and displaying tomographic images relating to the left and right breasts.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, a direction information screen 14B is displayed on the monitor 14 on each of the left and right screens. The square white frame in the direction information screen 14B represents the screen, and the upper, lower, left, and right characters of the screen indicate the direction of the subject M. Here, the symbol R in FIG. 10 represents the right, the symbol L represents the left, the symbol A represents the front (Antero), and the symbol P represents the rear (Posterior). In FIG. 10, the direction information screen 14B is added to the display mode of FIG. Therefore, the tomographic image R ₁ concerning the right breast craniocaudal CC, the symbols A on the left side of the screen represents the front side of the subject M (ventral) codes on the upper side of the screen R The right side of the patient M Represents. On the other hand, the tomographic image L ₁ for the breast in the left craniocaudal direction CC, code P on the left side of the screen represents the rear side of the subject M (back side) represents the letter L in the upper side of the screen. In addition, “F → |” in the direction information screen 14B means that the tip of the arrow from the front side of the subject M represents a cross section, and “| F →” in the direction information screen 14B represents a cross section. Means that the tip of the arrow indicates the front side of the subject M. Thus, the direction information may be characters such as R, L, A, and P, or may be an image such as a white frame. Moreover, you may display the value of a cutting angle as shown in FIG. 6 as direction information.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the tomographic information about the left and right breasts is obtained by using the subject information (name, date of birth, etc.) and examination information (examination date, administration information, image reconstruction conditions, etc.) as the subject / examination information screen 14C. Images can be displayed simultaneously with the images (here, tomographic images R ₁ and L ₁ ). As described above, the screens shown in FIGS. 4 to 10 are screen copied, captured as image data (for example, bitmap data) (also called “screen capture”), and sent to an external DICOM server. As with other modalities (DICOM images), the image can be displayed on a general-purpose image display device (DICOM viewer).

  According to the display device 10 according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4 based on the three-dimensional volume data regarding the left and right breasts obtained by the radiation tomography apparatus based on the radiation generated from the radiopharmaceutical in the subject M. In addition, the tomographic images regarding the left and right breasts are simultaneously output and displayed on the same screen, and the tomographic images are symmetrically output and displayed around the chest wall side of each breast. In this way, by displaying symmetrically the tomographic images of the left and right breasts around the breast wall side of each other's breasts, it is possible to easily display the tomographic images that can be easily compared with the diagnostic images of other modalities. it can. As a result, it is possible to save time and trouble, reduce the operation time, and reduce the difference in operation time by the operator. As a result, it is possible to reduce operation mistakes for interpretation and trouble of image display.

The cross section of the tomographic image regarding the left and right breasts to be output and displayed symmetrically is not particularly limited. It may be an axial cross section, a sagittal sagittal cross section, or a cross section from an oblique direction. In the present embodiment, a tomographic image (that is, an axial image) of a plane perpendicular to the body axis Z of the subject M is taken as an example, and as shown in FIG. a tomographic image R ₁ on the left side of the screen, the tomographic image L ₁ for the breast in the left craniocaudal direction CC on the right side of the screen, and outputs display symmetrically around the chest wall side to each other of the breast. Thus, a tomographic image R ₁ concerning the right breast which is displayed on the left side of the screen becomes the right hand side of the view from the left hand side of the screen, the tomographic image L ₁ for the breast of the left displayed on the right side of the screen is the right hand side of the screen From the left side view.

  In addition, since a multi-fault (multi-section) image is obtained based on the three-dimensional volume data, when trying to find a lesion, each cross-section has to be searched and it may be difficult to compare. Therefore, for example, the controller 11 has a first output display switching function for switching between output display at each cross section regarding the tomographic image and output display of the MIP image obtained by the maximum value projection method based on the display designation. It is preferable to have. Thereby, by switching to the output display of the MIP image as necessary, it is possible to display the MIP image that is easy to find the lesion and that is easy to compare and interpret.

As described in the section “Means for Solving the Problems”, the X-ray mammography currently uses the head-to-tail direction CC or the inside / outside oblique MLO. Therefore, the tomographic image of the inner / outer oblique MLO is also similar to the tomographic image (axial image of the body axis cross section) perpendicular to the body axis Z of the subject M represented by the head-to-tail direction CC. May be output and displayed. That is, the cut-out angle designating unit (input unit 13 in this embodiment) for designating the cut-out angle of the cross section and the inside / outside oblique MLO which is the view direction viewed from the inside to the outside of the breast are set to the designated cut-out angle. based on, as shown in FIG. 6, the tomographic image R ₂ in the in the outer oblique MLO about right breast on the left side of the screen, a tomographic image L ₂ of the the outer oblique MLO for the breast in the left screen of the right For example, the controller 11 may have a function of inner / outer oblique output display control for output display. As a result, an arbitrary cutout angle can be designated by the cutout angle designation means (input unit 13), and a tomographic image of the inner / outer oblique MLO corresponding to the cutout angle at that time is displayed on the left side of the screen for the right breast. In addition, the left breast can be displayed on the right side of the screen.

  Even in the case of specializing in the inner / outer oblique MLO in FIG. 6, the output display of the MIP image may be switched. Specifically, based on the display designation, either the output display at each cross section regarding the tomographic image of the inner / outer oblique MLO or the output display of the MIP image obtained by the maximum value projection method at the inner / outer oblique MLO For example, the controller 11 has a second output display switching function for switching between the two. Thereby, even when specializing in the inside / outside oblique MLO of FIG. 6, by switching to the output display of the MIP image as necessary, it is possible to display the MIP image that is easy to find the lesion and that is easy to compare and interpret. Can do.

Further, based on the display designation, regarding the tomographic images regarding the left and right breasts, the axial cross-section axial (see R ₃ and L ₃ in FIG. 7) and coronal cross-section coronal (see R ₄ and L ₄ in FIG. 8). Sagittal of sagittal cross section (see R ₅ and L ₅ in FIG. 9), and each cross section of the cross section from an oblique direction (for example, tomographic images R ₂ and L ₂ of the inner and outer oblique MLO in FIG. 6) For example, the controller 11 may have a third output display switching function for switching to any one. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately switch and display each tomographic image of a desired cross section.

Further, the direction information of the tomographic image related to the right breast output and displayed on the screen is output and displayed in the display area of the tomographic image related to the right breast (tomographic image R _{1 in} FIG. 10) and output and displayed on the screen. For example, the controller 11 has a function of direction information output display control for outputting and displaying the direction information of the tomographic image related to the left breast (the tomographic image L _{1 in} FIG. 10) in the display area of the tomographic image related to the left breast. Good. By displaying the direction information of the tomographic image, it is possible to confirm in which direction the tomographic image is displayed.

In addition, for example, the controller has a function of subject / examination information output display control for outputting and displaying subject information and examination information on the same screen for outputting and displaying tomographic images relating to the left and right breasts (tomographic images R ₁ and L _{1 in} FIG. 10). 11 may have. Thereby, the subject information and the examination information can be displayed simultaneously.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as follows.

  (1) In the above-described embodiment, the mammographic PET apparatus has been described as an example of the radiation tomography apparatus. However, the present invention detects a single radiation and acquires the three-dimensional volume data regarding the breast. It can also be applied to Single Photon Emission CT equipment.

  (2) In the above-described embodiment, the three-dimensional volume data regarding the left and right breasts obtained by the ring-shaped detector unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 is used. However, it is possible to acquire the three-dimensional volume data regarding the left and right breasts. If it is the structure of the detector which can be performed, it will not specifically limit. For example, even if it is a type of compression in which a mammogram is performed by pressing a breast with a flat plate with a built-in detector, the three-dimensional volume data on the left and right breasts by tomosynthesis by moving the detector freely within the flat plate, for example May be of the type of compression. However, as described above, since the non-compression type other than the X-ray mammography by tomosynthesis can obtain more multi-tomographic images (MPR images), it is preferable to use the compression type. Moreover, you may use the non-ring-shaped detector unit by which one part was opened. In this case, the diameter of the detector unit can be freely changed according to the size of the breast.

  As described above, the present invention is suitable for a display device used for a mammo PET apparatus and a mammo SPECT apparatus.

1 ... mammography PET device 10 ... a display device 11 ... controller 13 ... input section R ₁ to R ₅ ... tomographic image M ... subject relates tomographic image L ₁ ~L ₅ ... left breast regarding right breast

Claims (8)

A breast-only nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus for obtaining nuclear medicine data of a subject's breast based on radiation generated from a subject administered with a radiopharmaceutical,
An annular detector unit in which either one of the left and right breasts of the subject can be inserted, and a plurality of detectors that detect the radiation are arranged in an annular shape,
Based on the three-dimensional volume data on the left and right breasts obtained by the detector unit, tomographic images on the left and right breasts are simultaneously output and displayed on the same screen, and the tomographic images are symmetrical about the chest wall side of each breast. Symmetric output display control means for outputting and displaying on,
A breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus characterized by comprising: The breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
The tomographic image is a tomographic image of a plane perpendicular to the body axis of the subject,
The symmetrical output display control means outputs and displays the tomographic image relating to the right breast on the left side of the screen and the tomographic image relating to the left breast on the right side of the screen and symmetrically about the breast wall side of each breast. Specialized nuclear medicine diagnostic device for breast. In the breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
A first output display switching means is provided for switching between output display at each cross section relating to the tomographic image and output display of the MIP image obtained by the maximum value projection method based on display designation. Dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic equipment for breasts. In the breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A cutting angle designating means for designating a cross section cutting angle;
With respect to the inside / outside oblique position that is the view direction seen from the inside to the outside of the breast, the tomographic image of the inside / outside oblique position relating to the right breast is displayed on the left side of the screen on the left side based on the specified cut-out angle. An internal and external oblique output display control means for outputting and displaying the internal and external oblique tomographic images on the right side of the screen. In the breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,
Based on the display designation, a switch is made between output display at each cross section for the tomographic image at the inner and outer oblique positions and output display of the MIP image obtained by the maximum value projection method at the inner and outer oblique positions. A breast-only nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus comprising two-output display switching means. In the breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
Based on the display designation, the tomographic image of the left and right breasts is switched to one of axial display of the axial section, coronal of the coronal section, sagittal of the sagittal section, and output display of each section of the section from the oblique direction. A breast-only nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus comprising three-output display switching means. In the breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The direction information of the tomographic image relating to the right breast output and displayed on the screen is output and displayed in the display area of the tomographic image relating to the right breast and the direction information of the tomographic image relating to the left breast output and displayed on the screen. A breast-only nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus comprising direction information output display control means for outputting and displaying in a display area of a tomographic image relating to the left breast. In the breast dedicated nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
A breast-only nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus comprising: subject / examination information output display control means for outputting and displaying subject information and examination information on the same screen for outputting and displaying tomographic images relating to left and right breasts.

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