KR20170103554A - An apparatus for taking medical image and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a device and a method for capturing a medical image, which can constantly maintain quality of the medical image by preventing a test condition on the same patient from being changed according to a tester. The device for capturing a medical image comprises: a transmission part transmitting medical image data with respect to at least one patient including a first patient to a first server, and transmitting a plurality of test condition information individually extracted from the medical image data to a second server; a reception part receiving the test condition information with respect to the first patient to be currently tested from the second server; and a capturing part obtaining the medical image data with respect to the first patient in a patient customized manner by capturing the medical image by applying the test condition corresponding to the first patient based on the received test condition information with respect to the first patient.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for capturing a medical image,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a medical image photographing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for photographing a medical image by applying a patient condition adaptively.

Generally, in the medical practice dealing with the patient's life, the clinical diagnosis is a large part of the patient's treatment, and the development of the medical technology has helped to make accurate clinical diagnosis and its dependence will become even higher to be.

On the other hand, medical imaging devices such as computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have become indispensable devices in modern medicine. However, It takes a lot of time and manpower until the final clinical diagnosis is made and the resources are operated inefficiently and it is not helpful to the finances of the hospital. The patient was unable to receive prompt and accurate treatment.

Accordingly, as the computer and communication technologies have developed, a system for providing medical services using computers and data communication technologies has been researched and developed in the medical system dealing with patients' lives. For example, a computer network is installed in the entire hospital, X-ray film is converted into digital data, converted into a database, stored in a large storage medium connected to the server, and displayed in a medical monitor Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) has been introduced.

Since PACS acquires medical images, especially radiological diagnostic images, in a digital form, it is transmitted through a high-speed communication network. Since medical images are stored as digital data instead of past X-ray films, Physicians and clinicians refer to a comprehensive digital image management system and transmission system that treats a patient using an image retrieval device instead of a conventional film view box.

The communication in the PACS standard is based on the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) protocol. The DICOM protocol uses an industry standard network to transmit various digital images such as nuclear medicine and ultrasound as well as CT and MRI Means a communication protocol that effectively supports communication between an acquiring device and another information system.

KR 10-2006-0020778 A

In the PACS as described above, as a means for applying appropriate examination conditions according to each patient, in relation to X-ray image acquisition, a conventional X-ray apparatus uses a microprocessor (MCU) Exposure Control, AEC, hereinafter referred to as AEC) and an APR (Anatomic Programming). However, since AEC is not applicable to children and AEC is not applied to patients with foreign objects (for example, artificial implants), it is difficult to maintain a constant image quality due to different examination conditions. The collimator size did not reflect the patient's specificity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for receiving and applying test condition information for a specific patient, The present invention also provides a medical image photographing apparatus which can maintain a predetermined condition suitable for a patient's situation and specificity.

It is a second object of the present invention to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for receiving and applying test condition information for a specific patient, And to provide a medical image capturing method capable of realizing certain inspection conditions according to a patient's situation and specificity.

It should be understood, however, that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be variously modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical image capturing apparatus for applying a patient-adaptive inspection condition to an image capturing apparatus for capturing medical image data for one or more patients including a first patient, And transmitting a plurality of inspection condition information extracted from the medical image data to a second server; A receiving unit for receiving inspection condition information on the first patient to be inspected from the second server; And a photographing unit for photographing a medical image by applying an inspection condition corresponding to the first patient on the basis of the received inspection condition information for the first patient so as to acquire medical image data for the first patient .

According to one embodiment, the medical imaging device includes: a storage unit for storing a work list including a list of the one or more patients; And an input unit for receiving a selection of the first patient among the patients included in the work list.

According to one embodiment, the receiving unit may receive the examination condition information for the first patient in response to the selection.

According to one embodiment, the inspection condition information may include at least one of a patient age, the presence of an artificial implant, a radiation exposure condition, a cumulative radiation exposure dose of a patient, and a collimator size.

According to an embodiment, the photographing unit may bypass the photographing for the first patient when the accumulated radiation exposure dose of the first patient exceeds the threshold value.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the first server may be a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) server, and the second server may be a cloud server.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the input unit may further receive account information of the first patient, the cloud server stores inspection condition information of the one or more patients in an individual account of each patient, And may receive the inspection condition information for the first patient in response to the determination that the input account information matches the personal account of the first patient.

According to one embodiment, the medical image data is data according to a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard, and the inspection condition information may be included in the DICOM header.

According to an embodiment, the transmitter may transmit the DICOM headers extracted from the medical image data to the second server.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical image capturing method for applying a patient-adaptive inspection condition, the method comprising: transmitting medical image data for one or more patients including a first patient to a first server; Transmitting a plurality of inspection condition information extracted respectively from the medical image data to a second server; Receiving inspection condition information for the first patient to be inspected from the second server; And acquiring medical image data for the first patient by imaging the medical image by applying an inspection condition corresponding to the first patient based on the received inspection condition information for the first patient .

According to one embodiment, the medical imaging method comprises the steps of: storing a worklist including a list of the one or more patients; And receiving a selection of the first patient among the patients included in the worklist, wherein the receiving step may receive the examination condition information for the first patient in response to the selection .

According to one embodiment, the inspection condition information may include at least one of a patient age, the presence of an artificial implant, a radiation exposure condition, a cumulative radiation exposure dose of a patient, and a collimator size.

According to one embodiment, the acquiring step may bypass the imaging of the first patient when the accumulated radiation exposure dose of the first patient exceeds the threshold value.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the first server may be a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) server, and the second server may be a cloud server.

According to one embodiment, the cloud server stores inspection condition information of the one or more patients in an individual account of each patient, and the receiving step includes receiving account information of the first patient; Determining whether the entered account information matches an individual account of the first patient; And receiving the examination condition information for the first patient in response to the determination.

According to one embodiment, the medical image data is data according to a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard, and the inspection condition information may be included in the DICOM header.

According to an embodiment, the transmitting step may transmit the DICOM headers extracted respectively from the medical image data to the second server.

According to the medical image photographing apparatus and method according to the embodiment of the present invention, by receiving and applying the inspection condition information for a specific patient, it is possible to prevent the inspection condition from being changed despite the same patient according to the examiner, It is possible to keep constant, and to realize certain inspection conditions according to the situation and specificity of the patient.

In addition, by receiving and applying the inspection condition information for a specific patient as described above, it is possible to provide a method and apparatus for capturing a medical image,

It is possible to provide a medical image capturing method and apparatus capable of inspecting under optimal conditions, capable of inspecting with appropriate radiation exposure, and managing radiation dose of a patient to minimize radiation exposure of the patient.

However, the effects of the present invention are not limited thereto, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 is a conceptual diagram of a Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) including a medical image photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a medical image photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of a medical imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a detailed flowchart of a step of receiving a test condition of a first patient of the medical image taking method of FIG.

For the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, specific structural and functional descriptions are set forth for the purpose of describing an embodiment of the invention only, and it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention may be practiced in various forms, The present invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described in Figs.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprise", "having", and the like are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, , Steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, as a matter of principle.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be construed as meaning consistent with meaning in the context of the relevant art and are not to be construed as ideal or overly formal in meaning unless expressly defined in the present application .

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals are used for the same constituent elements in the drawings and redundant explanations for the same constituent elements are omitted.

Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS)

1 is a conceptual diagram of a Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) including a medical image photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a configuration of a PACS including a medical image photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

1, a PACS according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a medical image photographing apparatus 100-1 and 100-2, a first server 200, and a second server 300 . Here, the first server 200 may be a PACS server, and the second server 300 may be a cloud server.

As described above, the PACS according to the prior art can acquire a medical image, in particular a radiological diagnostic image, in a digital form, transmit it through a high-speed communication network, and store it as digital data, And clinicians can refer to it using the image retrieval device.

Therefore, the medical image capturing apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 perform the inspection for one or more patients including the first patient, and perform the medical image data for one or more patients obtained through the photographing To the PACS server 200 in a form conforming to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) protocol standard.

The medical imaging apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 included in the PACS according to the embodiment of the present invention may be configured to transmit DICOM data from the medical image data for one or more patients And send the extracted plurality of inspection condition information to the second server 300, that is, the cloud server. Here, the inspection condition information may be included in the DICOM header, and the medical image capturing apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 may extract the DICOM header from the DICOM data and transmit the DICOM header to the cloud server 300 have.

When the above-mentioned transmission is completed and the predetermined date has elapsed, when the examination of the first one of the one or more patients is performed again, the examiner of the medical image photographing apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 The first patient can be selected from the work list of the medical image photographing apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 and the medical image photographing apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 can select the first patient from the cloud server 300 And may receive a DICOM header (including inspection condition information) for the first patient.

Therefore, the medical imaging apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 according to the embodiment of the present invention apply the inspection conditions applied by the first patient at the previous examination, for example, to the exposure conditions of the radiation, the collimator collimator, and the like, the medical image can be obtained in a condition suitable for the first patient. Therefore, even when the examiner using the medical image photographing apparatuses 100-1 and 100-2 is different, the quality of the medical image is not different, and a constant quality can be maintained.

Medical imaging device

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a medical image photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a medical image photographing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

2, a medical image capturing apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a transmitting unit 110, a receiving unit 120, an input unit 130, a storage unit 140, 150).

First, when one or more patients are diagnosed for a predetermined period using the medical image capturing apparatus 100, the photographing unit 150 photographs one or more patients including the first patient, Medical imaging data for one or more patients may be obtained. In addition, from the medical image data, a plurality of inspection condition information for each of one or more patients can be extracted, and the extraction can be performed, for example, by an extraction unit (not shown).

The transmitting unit 110 transmits medical image data for one or more patients including the first patient to the first server 200 and transmits a plurality of inspection condition information extracted from the medical image data to the second server 200, To the server (300).

The storage unit 140 may store a work list including a list of one or more patients examined through the medical image photographing apparatus 100. Here, the work list is used for inquiring the patient's information in the hospital, such as a clinician, a radiologist, a radiologist, a transcriber, A list of patients who have been inspected by the medical imaging apparatus 100, a date and time of examination, and the like may be included in the work list. An examiner using the medical image photographing apparatus 100 can inquire information required for himself / herself out of medical information such as a medical image (for example, x-ray image), patient information, photographing information, .

There may occur a case in which the examination for one or more patients including the first patient is performed and the examination for the first patient is performed again after a predetermined period has elapsed. At this time, the examiner can input the selection for the first patient among the patients included in the work list through the input unit 130. [

In response to the input of the selection as described above, the receiving unit 120 may receive the inspection condition information for the first patient to be inspected from the second server 300.

The photographing unit 150 photographs the medical image by applying the examination condition corresponding to the first patient on the basis of the received inspection condition information for the first patient so that the medical image data for the first patient Can be obtained. Therefore, the examiner can acquire the medical image data of the first patient by reapplication of the examination conditions applied in the previous examination for the first patient without any special operation, and even when the examiner of the previous examination differs from the examiner of the present examination, The medical image data has the same quality under the same condition.

Here, the inspection condition information may include at least one of a patient age, existence of an artificial implant, a radiation exposure condition, a cumulative radiation exposure dose of a patient, and a collimator size. As described above, an automatic exposure adjusting device (AEC) or the like has been used in order to set inspection conditions conventionally in a patient-customized manner, but in special cases such as pediatric and foreign substances (for example, an artificial implant is implanted in a patient) There is a problem that the AEC can not be applied. Therefore, it is possible to include the age of the patient in the inspection condition information, exclude the application of the AEC to the children, and use only the inspection condition information at the time of the previous inspection. In addition, even when the user's body contains foreign matter, the application of the AEC can be excluded. On the other hand, since the inspection condition information includes a radiation exposure condition, it is possible to prevent excessive exposure of radiation to a specific patient by applying an appropriate radiation exposure dose or the like.

In addition, since the examination condition information may include the accumulated radiation exposure dose of the patient, the photographing unit 150 may acquire information on the cumulative radiation exposure dose of the first patient, so that the accumulated radiation exposure dose of the first patient may be preset And may bypass the imaging of the first patient when the predetermined threshold is exceeded. In addition, since the information on the size of the collimator can be included in the inspection condition information, there is an advantageous effect that a proper collimator size suitable for the body orientation of each patient can be applied.

In addition, the inspection condition information may include the patient's personal information such as the patient's name, age, sex, etc., and may include the patient's x-ray photographing history such as the x-ray photographing time, date, In addition, the inspection condition information may include image capturing-related setting conditions, prescription data, and the like, and may include all data generated in association with the process of acquiring the medical image by the photographing unit 150 although not mentioned above.

The first server may be a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) server, but any other server capable of performing a system for storing and transmitting medical images may be used .

In addition, the medical image data processed by the medical image photographing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be data according to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard. However, the medical image data is not necessarily limited to the data according to the DICOM standard, and any image processing standard that can be used for storing and transmitting digital images may be used.

When the medical image data is data conforming to the DICOM standard, the inspection condition information may be included in the DICOM header. At this time, the transmission unit 110 of the medical image capturing apparatus 100 transmits the DICOM The receiving unit 120 may receive the DICOM header of the DICOM data corresponding to the first patient from the second server 300. [

Of course, even if the medical image data is not data conforming to the DICOM standard, the inspection condition information may be included in a data unit functioning as a preamble including information on the medical image data, and the transmission unit 110 And the receiving unit 120 may transmit and receive the preamble data, respectively.

Meanwhile, the second server 300 may be a cloud server. The cloud server is not limited to the type and the service subject, and can be transmitted and received in the form of an arbitrary form capable of storing the inspection condition information. Accordingly, the cloud server may be a storage space according to an enterprise cloud service for a plurality of subscribers, a small-scale network storage device, or an external storage device connected to the medical imaging device 100 by wire.

Here, the cloud server 300 may store the inspection condition information of the one or more patients in an individual account of each patient. In this case, the input unit 130 of the medical image capturing apparatus 100 may receive further account information of the first patient, and the receiving unit 120 may receive the account information input by the cloud server 300 and the account of the first patient If the information is determined to be consistent, it may receive the check condition information for the first patient in response to determining that the entered account information matches the personal account of the first patient.

Medical imaging method

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a medical image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a detailed flowchart of receiving a test condition of a first patient in the medical image capturing method of FIG. Hereinafter, a medical imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3 and FIG.

3, the medical image capturing method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes first transmitting medical image data for one or more patients including the first patient to the first server 200 (S310 -1), and transmits a plurality of inspection condition information extracted from the medical image data to the second server 200 (S310-2). According to another embodiment of the present invention, instead of the medical image capturing apparatus 100 transmitting a plurality of check condition information to the second server 300, the first server 200 may be connected to the medical image capturing apparatus 100 (S315), and transmits the extracted inspection condition information to the second server 300 (S315). After transmitting the medical image data and the inspection condition information, a work list including the list of one or more patients may be stored (S320).

After a predetermined period has elapsed since the examination for one or more patients including the first patient, the first patient may be inspected again. In this case, upon receiving the selection of the first patient among the patients included in the stored work list (S330), the second server 300 receives the inspection condition information for the first patient, (S340).

The medical image data for the first patient can be acquired (S350) by photographing the medical image by applying the inspection condition corresponding to the first patient based on the received inspection condition information for the first patient. Therefore, the examiner can acquire the medical image data of the first patient by reapplication of the examination conditions applied in the previous examination for the first patient without any special operation, and even when the examiner of the previous examination differs from the examiner of the present examination, The medical image data has the same quality under the same condition.

4, a description will be given of a case where the second server 300 of the medical imaging method according to the embodiment of the present invention stores inspection condition information of one or more patients in an individual account of each patient.

When the second server 300 stores the inspection condition information of one or more patients in the individual account of each patient, the inspection condition information of the first patient is received from the second server 300 (S341), it is determined whether the inputted account information matches the personal account of the first patient (S343). In response to the determination, the second server (S345) the examination condition information for the first patient from the medical examination device 300. Therefore, it is possible to store the inspection condition information in a desired storage space for each patient, and it is also advantageous in terms of protecting the privacy of the patient.

The medical image capturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In a more specific embodiment, the steps corresponding to the operation of the medical image capturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention described above can be performed.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. It will be understood.

100: medical imaging device
110:
120: Receiver
130:
140:
150:
200: first server, PACS server
300: second server, cloud server

Claims (18)

A medical imaging apparatus for applying a patient condition adaptively to a test condition,
A transmitting unit transmitting medical image data for one or more patients including a first patient to a first server and transmitting a plurality of inspection condition information extracted from the medical image data to a second server;
A receiving unit for receiving inspection condition information on the first patient to be inspected from the second server; And
And a photographing unit for photographing a medical image by applying an inspection condition corresponding to the first patient based on the received inspection condition information for the first patient, thereby acquiring medical image data for the first patient, Medical imaging device. The method according to claim 1,
A storage for storing a work list including a list of the one or more patients; And
Further comprising an input unit for receiving a selection of the first patient among the patients included in the work list,
Wherein the receiving unit receives inspection condition information for the first patient in response to the selection. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the inspection condition information includes at least one of a patient age, the presence of an artificial implant, a radiation exposure condition, a cumulative radiation dose of a patient, and a collimator size. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the photographing unit bypasses photographing of the first patient when the cumulative radiation exposure dose of the first patient exceeds a threshold value. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first server is a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) server. The method according to claim 1,
And the second server is a cloud server. The method according to claim 6,
The apparatus further includes an input unit for receiving account information of the first patient,
Wherein the cloud server stores inspection condition information of the one or more patients in an individual account of each patient,
Wherein the receiving unit receives inspection condition information for the first patient in response to the determination that the input account information matches the personal account of the first patient. The method according to claim 1,
The medical image data is data according to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard,
Wherein the inspection condition information is included in the DICOM header. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the transmitting unit transmits the DICOM headers extracted from the medical image data to the second server. A medical imaging method for applying a test condition adaptively to a patient,
Transmitting medical image data for one or more patients including a first patient to a first server and transmitting a plurality of inspection condition information extracted from the medical image data to a second server;
Receiving inspection condition information for the first patient to be inspected from the second server; And
And acquiring medical image data for the first patient by imaging the medical image by applying an inspection condition corresponding to the first patient based on the received inspection condition information for the first patient, Medical imaging method. 11. The method of claim 10,
Storing a worklist including a list of the one or more patients; And
Further comprising receiving a selection of the first patient among the patients included in the work list,
Wherein the receiving step receives inspection condition information for the first patient in response to the selection. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the inspection condition information includes at least one of a patient age, the presence of an artificial implant, a radiation exposure condition, a cumulative radiation exposure dose of a patient, and a collimator size. 13. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the acquiring step bypasses the imaging of the first patient when the cumulative radiation exposure dose of the first patient exceeds a threshold value. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the first server is a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) server. 11. The method of claim 10,
And the second server is a cloud server. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the cloud server stores inspection condition information of the one or more patients in an individual account of each patient,
Wherein the receiving comprises:
Receiving account information of the first patient;
Determining whether the entered account information matches an individual account of the first patient; And
And receiving the examination condition information for the first patient in response to the determination. 11. The method of claim 10,
The medical image data is data according to the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard,
Wherein the inspection condition information is included in a DICOM header. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the transmitting step transmits the DICOM headers extracted from the medical image data to the second server.

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