阅读说明：本技术 图像处理装置 (Image processing apparatus ) 是由 吉田贵则 于 2020-08-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种图像处理装置,该图像处理装置具备：图像获取部,其生成浓度变化图像；以及控制部,其进行使血管图像和浓度变化图像显示于显示部的控制,其中,控制部构成为：进行在显示于显示部的血管图像上接受对象区域的选择的控制,并且进行显示与被选择出的对象区域对应的浓度变化图像的控制。(The present invention provides an image processing apparatus, including: an image acquisition unit that generates a density change image; and a control unit that performs control to display the blood vessel image and the density change image on the display unit, wherein the control unit is configured to: the control unit performs control for receiving selection of the target region on the blood vessel image displayed on the display unit, and performs control for displaying a density change image corresponding to the selected target region.)

1. An image processing apparatus includes:

an imaging unit including an X-ray irradiation unit that irradiates an object with X-rays and a detection unit that detects the X-rays transmitted through the object and acquires a detection signal;

an image acquisition unit that acquires a blood vessel image of the subject based on the detection signal, and generates a density change image including a graph image showing a change over time in a value relating to a density of a contrast agent administered to a blood vessel of the subject; and

a control unit for performing control to display the blood vessel image and the density change image on a display unit,

wherein the control unit is configured to: and a control unit configured to perform control of receiving selection of a target region on the blood vessel image displayed on the display unit, and to perform control of displaying the density change image corresponding to the selected target region.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the image processing device is configured to select the target region of the plurality of blood vessel images,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate the density change image in which the chart images corresponding to the selected target regions are superimposed on each other,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying the density change image, which is a superposition of the chart images corresponding to the plurality of target regions, on the display unit.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 2,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: the graph image of the waveform of density change is generated, and the density change image is generated by superimposing the graph images on each other in a state where the reference points are aligned in order to compare the widths of the waveform of density change.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 3,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: the density change image in which the chart images are superimposed on each other is generated by using, as the reference point, either a position of a peak at which a value relating to the density of the contrast agent is the highest or a position of a rising edge at which the value relating to the density of the contrast agent starts to increase.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the image acquisition unit creates the blood vessel image, which is an image displayed so that the velocity can be visually recognized according to the flow velocity of the contrast agent in the target region.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate a first blood vessel image and a second blood vessel image,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: selecting the object region of the second blood vessel image corresponding to the object region of the selected first blood vessel image by selecting the object region of the first blood vessel image,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: the first density change image corresponding to the target region of the first blood vessel image and the second density change image corresponding to the target region of the second blood vessel image are displayed in parallel on the display unit.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying a third density change image in which the first density change image and the second density change image are superimposed on the display unit.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 7,

the control unit is configured to be capable of switching between a control in which the density change image in which the graph images corresponding to the target regions of the first blood vessel image or the second blood vessel image are superimposed is displayed on the display unit, and a control in which the third density change image is displayed on the display unit.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the image acquisition unit is configured to superimpose a region specification image representing the target region of the blood vessel image on the blood vessel image,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying an image obtained by superimposing the region specifying image and the blood vessel image and the density change image on the display unit side by side.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: calculating a representative value of pixel values included in the region-determining image displayed superimposed on the blood vessel image,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate the density change image based on the calculated representative value.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

further comprises an operation unit for accepting an input operation by a user,

the image processing device is configured to select a target region of the blood vessel image based on the input operation.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate a thumbnail image that is an image configured as a list of the blood vessel images,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: when the blood vessel image is selected from the thumbnail images, the blood vessel image and the density change image displayed on the display unit are switched to the selected blood vessel image and the density change image of the selected blood vessel image.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: generating a contrast agent image based on the detection signal acquired with the contrast agent and a non-contrast agent image based on the detection signal acquired without the contrast agent, generating a differential image as the blood vessel image by subtracting the contrast agent image and the non-contrast agent image,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying the difference image and the density change image corresponding to the target region of the selected blood vessel image in parallel on the display unit.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus.

Background

Conventionally, a medical image processing apparatus is known which generates blood vessel image data having pixel values corresponding to the concentration of a contrast agent. Such a device is disclosed in, for example, japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-126868.

The medical image processing apparatus described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2015-126868 includes a blood vessel image data generating unit and a display unit. The blood vessel image data generating unit generates a density change profile indicating a relationship between the density of the contrast agent and the time of inflow and outflow of the contrast agent for each pixel of the blood vessel image, generates blood vessel image data displayed in a color corresponding to a specific time phase such as the arrival time phase of the contrast agent from the density change profile, and displays the generated blood vessel image data on the display unit.

Here, the following are present at the clinical site: in order to grasp the degree of recovery of blood flow before and after vascular intervention, it is desirable to grasp the blood flow velocity in the target region of the blood vessel. However, in the medical image processing apparatus described in japanese patent application laid-open No. 2015-126868, the user only has to obtain information on a specific time phase such as the arrival time phase of the contrast medium from the displayed blood vessel image data, and cannot intuitively grasp the blood flow velocity in the target region of the blood vessel.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus in which a user can intuitively grasp a blood flow velocity in a target region of a blood vessel.

In order to achieve the above object, an image processing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: an imaging unit including an X-ray irradiation unit that irradiates an object with X-rays and a detection unit that detects the X-rays transmitted through the object and acquires a detection signal; an image acquisition unit that acquires a blood vessel image of a subject based on the detection signal, and generates a density change image including a graph image showing a change over time of a value relating to a density of a contrast agent administered to a blood vessel of the subject; and a control unit that performs control to display the blood vessel image and the density change image on the display unit, wherein the control unit is configured to: the control unit performs control for receiving selection of the target region on the blood vessel image displayed on the display unit, and performs control for displaying a density change image corresponding to the selected target region.

According to one aspect of the present invention, as described above, the control unit is configured to: the control unit performs control for receiving selection of the target region on the blood vessel image displayed on the display unit, and performs control for displaying a density change image corresponding to the selected target region. In this way, since the density change image corresponding to the target region selected on the blood vessel image is displayed, the user can intuitively grasp the blood flow velocity in the target region of the blood vessel from the density change image.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an image processing apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the image pickup unit.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining generation of a difference image.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a density change image.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the area specifying image.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an image displayed on the display unit.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a blood vessel image in which a plurality of target regions are selected.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the first blood vessel image and the second blood vessel image.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the third density change image.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a thumbnail image.

Fig. 11 is a diagram for explaining switching of blood vessel images.

Fig. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the control processing of the image processing apparatus.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a modification of the control process of the image processing apparatus.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

(configuration of image processing apparatus)

As shown in fig. 1, the image processing apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes an imaging unit 1, an image acquisition unit 2, a control unit 3, a display unit 4, and an operation unit 5. In the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus 100 is used for diagnosis or treatment of a patient as a subject 50 (see fig. 2).

As shown in fig. 2, the imaging unit 1 includes an X-ray irradiation unit 11 that irradiates an object 50 with X-rays and a detection unit 12 that detects the X-rays transmitted through the object 50.

The X-ray irradiation unit 11 is attached to a distal end of one side of the arm 13. The X-ray irradiation unit 11 can irradiate X-rays by applying a voltage from a driving unit (not shown). The X-ray irradiation unit 11 includes a collimator (not shown) capable of adjusting an irradiation field which is an irradiation range of X-rays.

The detection unit 12 is disposed at the distal end of the arm 13 on the side opposite to the X-ray irradiation unit 11 with the top plate 14 on which the subject 50 is placed. The detection unit 12 is, for example, an FPD (flat panel detector). The detection unit 12 outputs a detection signal based on the detected X-ray.

The image processing apparatus 100 is configured to be able to change the relative position of the imaging unit 1 and the top plate 14 by moving the imaging unit 1 by a moving mechanism (not shown).

As shown in fig. 1, the image acquiring Unit 2 is a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) configured to process images, or the like. The image acquisition unit 2 executes an image processing program, thereby generating an X-ray image based on the detection signal output from the detection unit 12. In the present embodiment, the X-ray image is a blood vessel image 23 obtained by imaging a blood vessel 51 of the lower limb of the subject 50.

As shown in fig. 3, in the present embodiment, a difference image 230 obtained by subtracting a contrast agent image 21 from a non-contrast agent image 22 is used as the blood vessel image 23, where the contrast agent image 21 is an X-ray image captured after a contrast agent is administered to the subject 50, and the non-contrast agent image 22 is an X-ray image captured without a contrast agent being administered to the subject 50. A contrast agent is used in order to increase the absorption rate of X-rays by the blood vessel 51. The non-contrast agent image 22 is an image of bone in which the blood vessels 51 are not present (unclear). The contrast agent image 21 is an image of the captured blood vessel 51. By subtracting the contrast agent image 21 from the non-contrast agent image 22, the same pixel value in the contrast agent image 21 and the non-contrast agent image 22 can be removed to obtain the blood vessel image 23, which is a clear image of the blood vessel 51.

The image acquisition unit 2 generates a blood vessel image 23 displayed so that the velocity can be visually recognized from the flow velocity of the contrast medium in the target region 24 (see fig. 5) from the captured blood vessel image 23. The image acquiring unit 2 processes the blood vessel image 23 so that a region where the flow rate of the contrast medium is high is displayed in red, and a region where the flow rate is low is displayed in blue. Here, the target region 24 is a region of a part of the blood vessel 51 included in the blood vessel image 23, and is a region to be treated or diagnosed.

As shown in fig. 4, the image acquiring unit 2 generates a density change image 31 including a graph image 30, in which the graph image 30 shows a temporal change in a numerical value related to the density of the contrast agent administered to the blood vessel 51 of the subject 50 in the target region 24 of the blood vessel image 23. In the present embodiment, the numerical value related to the concentration of the contrast agent is a pixel value of the target region 24. The graph image 30 is an image showing a waveform of a change in the concentration of the contrast agent.

As shown in fig. 4, the horizontal axis of the graph image 30 indicates the time after the contrast agent is administered. The vertical axis represents the size of the pixel value in the object region 24. As the concentration of the contrast agent increases, the blood vessels 51 in the target region 24 absorb the X-rays irradiated from the X-ray irradiation unit 11, so that the detection unit 12 cannot detect the X-rays and the pixel value decreases (becomes dark). Therefore, the graph image 30 sets the origin of the vertical axis to the maximum value of the pixel values. When the flow rate of the contrast medium is high, the width 32 of the time until the contrast medium finally runs out and becomes substantially parallel to the horizontal axis or intersects the horizontal axis decreases after the numerical value related to the concentration of the contrast medium decreases from the position of the rising edge at which the numerical value related to the concentration of the contrast medium in the graph image 30 starts to increase to the position of the maximum peak.

The control Unit 3 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 3 performs control related to the operation of the image processing apparatus 100.

As shown in fig. 1 and 6, the display unit 4 is a monitor such as a liquid crystal display, for example. The blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 are displayed on the display unit 4. The blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 may be displayed simultaneously or separately. One or more display units 4 may be provided.

As shown in fig. 1, the operation unit 5 is a touch panel provided in the image processing apparatus 100. By operating the operation unit 5, the blood vessel image 23 and the target region 24 are selected.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, when a blood vessel 51 of the lower limb is imaged, a contrast medium is administered to the subject 50. The control unit 3 controls the imaging unit 1 so that the imaging unit 1 captures the contrast agent image 21 while moving in the X direction and the Y direction in accordance with the flow of the contrast agent flowing through the blood vessel 51. The control unit 3 also performs control to store imaging conditions such as the intensity of X-rays, the irradiation angle, and the imaging speed in the image processing apparatus 100.

As shown in fig. 5, the control unit 3 performs control to display the blood vessel image 23 generated by the image acquisition unit 2 on the display unit 4. The control unit 3 performs the following control: the density change image 31 corresponding to the selected target area 24 is displayed by selecting the target area 24 on the blood vessel image 23 displayed on the display unit 4 based on whether or not an operation input for selecting the target area 24 by the user through the operation unit 5 is accepted or based on a default value set in advance for the image processing apparatus 100.

As shown in fig. 5, the control unit 3 performs the following control: an image obtained by superimposing the blood vessel image 23 and the selected region specifying image 40 is displayed on the display unit 4.

As shown in fig. 6, when the target region 24 of the blood vessel image 23 is selected, the control unit 3 performs the following control: the density change image 31 including the graph image 30 corresponding to the determined target region 24 is displayed on the display unit 4. In the display unit 4, the blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 are displayed side by side in the left-right direction. At this time, the image acquiring unit 2 averages the pixel values included in the range of the area specifying image 40, and creates the density variation image 31 based on the average value. The average value is an example of the "representative value" described in the claims.

(Generation of image of density variation)

The generation of the density change image 31 when the plurality of target regions 24 on the blood vessel image 23 are selected will be described with reference to fig. 7. When the plurality of target regions 24 of the blood vessel image 23 are selected, the image acquiring unit 2 generates a density change image 31 in which the chart images 30 are superimposed on each other with the reference points 33 aligned. The reference point 33 is a position of a rising edge of the chart image 30 at which the pixel value starts to increase. In fig. 7, the graph image 30 corresponding to the target region 24 of the region specification image 40 indicated by the broken line is indicated by the broken line, and the graph image 30 corresponding to the target region 24 of the region specification image 40 indicated by the solid line is indicated by the solid line.

The control unit 3 performs the following control: the density change image 31 in which the chart images 30 corresponding to the selected target regions 24 are superimposed on each other is displayed on the display unit 4.

A case where the first blood vessel image 231 and the second blood vessel image 232 are displayed on the display unit 4 will be described with reference to fig. 8. In fig. 8 to 10, two blood vessel images 23 are shown as a first blood vessel image 231 and a second blood vessel image 232, respectively, for the purpose of explanation. For the purpose of explanation, four density change images 31 are shown as a first density change image 311, a second density change image 312, a third density change image 313, and a third density change image 314. In the display unit 4, the first blood vessel image 231 and the second blood vessel image 232 are displayed side by side in the vertical direction. In addition, in the display section 4, the first blood vessel image 231 and the first density change image 311 are displayed side by side in the left-right direction, and the second blood vessel image 232 and the second density change image 312 are displayed side by side in the left-right direction. By selecting the target region 24 of the first blood vessel image 231, the control unit 3 performs control to select the target region 24 of the second blood vessel image 232 corresponding to the target region 24 of the first blood vessel image 231. Then, the control unit 3 performs the following control: the region specifying image 40 indicating the target region 24 of the second blood vessel image 232 is superimposed on the second blood vessel image 232 and displayed on the display unit 4.

As shown in fig. 9, the image acquiring unit 2 generates a third density change image 313 in which the first density change image 311 of the target region 24 in the first blood vessel image 231 and the second density change image 312 of the target region 24 in the second blood vessel image 232 are superimposed so that the reference points 33 are aligned with each other, and the third density change image 313 is generated. Specifically, the image acquiring unit 2 superimposes the chart image 301 included in the first density variation image 311 and the chart image 302 included in the second density variation image 312 so that the reference points 33 are aligned, thereby generating the third density variation image 313. When a plurality of target regions 24 are selected, the image acquisition unit 2 superimposes the graph image 301 and the graph image 302 for each target region 24 to generate a third density change image 313. The reference point 33 is a position of a rising edge of the chart image 30 at which the pixel value starts to increase.

The control unit 3 performs the following control: the third density change image 313 obtained by superimposing the chart image 301 and the chart image 302 is displayed on the display unit 4.

By switching the mode by operating the operation unit 5 by the user, the control unit 3 switches between control of displaying the density variation images 31 corresponding to the plurality of target regions 24 of the same blood vessel image 23 in a superimposed manner and control of displaying the third density variation image 313.

(display of thumbnail image)

As shown in fig. 10, the image acquiring unit 2 generates a thumbnail image 60 as a list of a plurality of blood vessel images 23. When the blood vessel 51 of the lower limb is to be imaged, the imaging unit 1 cannot simultaneously image the entire lower limb, and thus the blood vessel image 23 is imaged by dividing the lower limb into a plurality of regions. Therefore, the thumbnail image 60 includes the blood vessel image 23 obtained by imaging various parts of the lower limb.

The control unit 3 performs control to display the thumbnail image 60 on the display unit 4. When the blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 are displayed on the display unit 4, the thumbnail image 60 is displayed at a position not overlapping the blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31. That is, the blood vessel image 23 (the first blood vessel image 231, the second blood vessel image 232), the density change image 31 (the first density change image 311, the second density change image 312, the third density change image 313, and the third density change image 314), and the thumbnail image 60 are displayed at positions that do not overlap.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, when one blood vessel image 23 is selected from the thumbnail images 60 by the operation unit 5, the control unit 3 switches the blood vessel image 23 being displayed on the display unit 4 to the selected blood vessel image 23. Then, by selecting the target region 24 by the user's input, the control unit 3 performs control to display the density change image 31 including the corresponding graph image 30 on the display unit 4. In fig. 10, arrows are shown for the purpose of explaining the case where the blood vessel image 23 is selected from the thumbnail image 60.

(control processing of image processing apparatus)

The control processing of the image processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to fig. 12. In the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus 100 is used to observe the recovery of the blood flow of the subject 50 as a patient after the treatment.

In step 71, the imaging unit 1 captures a blood vessel image 23 of the subject 50 before treatment. In step 72, the image acquiring unit 2 generates the blood vessel image 23 before treatment and the density change image 31 including the chart image 30 before treatment. The blood vessel image 23 before treatment is an example of the "first blood vessel image" described in the claims, and the density change image 31 including the graph image 30 before treatment is an example of the "first density change image" described in the claims.

In step 73, the control unit 3 performs control to display the generated blood vessel image 23 before treatment on the display unit 4. In step 74, the control unit 3 performs control to select the target region 24 from the blood vessel image 23 displayed on the display unit 4.

In step 75, the control unit 3 controls the display of the density change image 31, in which the density change image 31 includes the chart image 30 of the selected target region 24. In step 76, the control unit 3 performs control to select a plurality of target regions 24 by the user input. In step 77, the image acquiring unit 2 generates the density change image 31 in which the chart images 30 corresponding to the selected target regions 24 are superimposed.

In step 78, the control unit 3 performs control to display the generated density change image 31 on the display unit 4.

At step 79, the control unit 3 performs the following control by the user's input: the control for displaying the density variation image 31 on the display unit 4 is switched to the control for displaying the third density variation image 313.

In step 80, the imaging unit 1 captures a blood vessel image 23 of the subject 50 after the treatment. In step 81, the image acquiring unit 2 generates the blood vessel image 23 after the treatment and the density change image 31 including the graph image 30 after the treatment. The blood vessel image 23 after the treatment is an example of the "second blood vessel image" described in the claims, and the density change image 31 including the graph image 30 after the treatment is an example of the "second density change image" described in the claims.

In step 82, the control unit 3 performs control to display the blood vessel image 23 before the treatment and the blood vessel image 23 after the treatment in parallel on the display unit 4. In step 83, the control unit 3 controls the selection target region 24 by the user input.

In step 84, the image acquiring unit 2 generates a third density change image 313 in which the density change image 31 of the graph image 30 including the blood vessel image 23 before the treatment and the density change image 31 of the graph image 30 including the blood vessel image 23 after the treatment are superimposed so as to align the reference points 33, respectively. In step 85, the control unit 3 performs control to display the third density change image 313 on the display unit 4.

(Effect of the present embodiment)

In the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

In the present embodiment, the image processing apparatus 100 includes: an imaging unit 1 including an X-ray irradiation unit 11 that irradiates an object 50 with X-rays and a detection unit 12 that detects the X-rays transmitted through the object 50 and acquires a detection signal; an image acquisition unit 2 that acquires a blood vessel image 23 of a subject 50 based on the detection signal, and generates a density change image 31 including a graph image 30, the graph image 30 showing a change with time of a value relating to the density of a contrast agent administered to a blood vessel 51 of the subject 50; and a control unit 3 for performing control to display the blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 on the display unit 4, wherein the control unit 3 is configured to: control is performed to receive selection of the target region 24 on the blood vessel image 23 displayed on the display unit 4, and control is performed to display the density change image 31 corresponding to the selected target region 24. With this, since the density change image 31 corresponding to the target region 24 selected on the blood vessel image 23 is displayed, the user can intuitively grasp the blood flow velocity in the target region 24 of the blood vessel 51 from the density change image 31.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to select a plurality of target regions 24 of the blood vessel image 23, and the control unit 3 is configured to generate a density variation image 31 in which graph images 30 corresponding to the selected target regions 24 are superimposed on each other, and to perform the following control: the density change image 31 obtained by superimposing the graph images 30 corresponding to the respective target regions 24 is displayed on the display unit 4. With such a configuration, since the chart images 30 corresponding to the respective target regions 24 are displayed on the display unit 4 in a superimposed manner, the user can compare the density change images 31 corresponding to the target regions 24 while visually recognizing them at the same time. This can improve the visibility of the user.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to: a graph image 30 of a waveform of density change is generated, and a density change image 31 is generated by superimposing the graph images 30 in a state where reference points 33 are aligned in order to compare widths 32 of the waveform of density change. With this configuration, the reference point 33 is aligned with the width 32 of the waveform with a varying concentration, which indicates the time taken until the concentration of the contrast agent is finally fixed after the concentration of the contrast agent is decreased from the start of the increase in the concentration of the contrast agent to the passage of the position of the peak where the concentration of the contrast agent is maximum, so that the widths 32 of the waveforms with varying concentrations can be easily compared with each other, and therefore, the speeds at which the contrast agent flows in the plurality of target regions 24 can be easily compared with each other.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to: the density change image 31 in which the chart images 30 are superimposed on each other is generated using, as the reference point 33, either the position of the peak at which the value relating to the density of the contrast agent is the highest or the position of the rising edge at which the value relating to the density of the contrast agent starts to increase. With this configuration, the position of the rising edge and the position of the peak serve as a reference for comparing the magnitude of the width 32 of the waveform of which the concentration changes, and therefore the flow velocities of the contrast medium in the plurality of target regions 24 can be more easily compared based on the positions of the rising edge and the peak.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 creates a blood vessel image 23 recognized from the flow rate of the contrast medium in the target region 24. With such a configuration, the user can confirm the magnitude of the velocity of the contrast agent flow from the blood vessel image 23 in addition to the density change image 31.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to generate the first blood vessel image 231 and the second blood vessel image 232, and the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to: by selecting the target region 24 of the first blood vessel image 231, the target region 24 of the second blood vessel image 232 corresponding to the selected target region 24 of the first blood vessel image 231 is selected, and the control unit 3 is configured to perform the following control: the first density change image 311 corresponding to the target region 24 of the first blood vessel image 231 and the second density change image 312 corresponding to the target region 24 of the second blood vessel image 232 are displayed in parallel on the display unit 4. With such a configuration, the first density change image 311 and the second density change image 312 can be simultaneously displayed, and therefore the user can easily compare the first density change image 311 with the second density change image 312. As a result, the speed of the contrast agent flowing in the corresponding target region 24 in the first density variation image 311 and the second density variation image 312 can be easily compared.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 3 is configured to perform the following control: the third density change image 313 obtained by superimposing the first density change image 311 and the second density change image 312 is displayed on the display unit 4. If configured in this manner, the first density change image 311 can be more easily compared with the second density change image 312 by the third density change image 313. As a result, the speed at which the contrast agent flows in the corresponding target region 24 in the first density variation image 311 and the second density variation image 312 can be compared more easily.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 3 is configured to be capable of switching between a control in which the display unit 4 displays a density variation image 31 obtained by superimposing the graph images 30 corresponding to the respective target regions 24 of the first blood vessel image 231 or the second blood vessel image 232, and a control in which the display unit 4 displays a third density variation image 313. With such a configuration, the user can switch the display according to the blood vessel image 23 in which the flow rate of the contrast medium is desired to be compared.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to superimpose the region specifying image 40 indicating the target region 24 of the blood vessel image 23 on the blood vessel image 23, and the control unit 3 performs the following control: the image obtained by superimposing the region specifying image 40 and the blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 are displayed side by side on the display unit 4. With such a configuration, it is possible to confirm at a glance which portion of the blood vessel image 23 the density variation image 31 displayed on the display unit 4 corresponds to.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 3 is configured to perform the following control: a representative value of pixel values included in the region specifying image 40 superimposed and displayed on the blood vessel image 23 is calculated, and the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to generate the density variation image 31 based on the calculated representative value. With such a configuration, it is possible to obtain the representative value to reduce noise caused by variations in pixel values included in the region specifying image 40.

In the present embodiment, the operation unit 5 for accepting an input operation by the user is further provided, and the target region 24 of the blood vessel image 23 is selected based on the input operation. With such a configuration, the user can select the target area 24 for which confirmation of the density change image 31 is desired.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to generate a thumbnail image 60, and the thumbnail image 60 is an image configured as a list of the blood vessel images 23. The control unit 3 is configured to perform the following control: when the blood vessel image 23 is selected from the thumbnail image 60, the blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 displayed on the display unit 4 are switched to the selected blood vessel image 23 and the density change image 31 of the selected blood vessel image 23. With such a configuration, when a portion of the blood vessel 51 that is not included in the blood vessel image 23 displayed on the display unit 4 is selected as the target region 24, the portion can be easily switched to the blood vessel image 23 including the portion of the blood vessel 51.

In the present embodiment, the image acquiring unit 2 is configured to: the control unit 3 is configured to generate a contrast agent image 21 based on a detection signal acquired using a contrast agent, generate a non-contrast agent image 22 based on a detection signal acquired without using a contrast agent, and generate a differential image 230 as a blood vessel image 23 by subtracting the contrast agent image 21 from the non-contrast agent image 22, and perform the following control: the difference image 230 and the density change image 31 corresponding to the target region 24 of the selected blood vessel image 23 are displayed in parallel on the display unit 4. With such a configuration, the difference image 230 is an image in which the blood vessel 51 is clearly captured, and therefore the user can grasp the position of the blood vessel 51.

(modification example)

Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims rather than the description of the above embodiments, and includes all modifications (variations) equivalent in meaning and scope to the claims.

For example, although the above embodiment shows an example in which the imaging position of the blood vessel image is a blood vessel of the lower limb, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the imaging position of the blood vessel image may be a blood vessel of the arm.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the value relating to the concentration of the contrast agent is the pixel value of the target region has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the numerical value relating to the concentration of the contrast agent may be the concentration of the contrast agent in the target region.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the density change image includes the graph image showing the change over time of the value relating to the density of the contrast agent is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the density change image may include a numerical value relating to the density of the contrast agent.

In the above-described embodiment, the display unit is an example of a monitor provided in the image processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the display unit may be an external monitor connected to the image processing apparatus.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the target region is selected by the user has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the image acquisition unit may draw a feature portion from the blood vessel image, and the control unit may automatically select the target region based on the feature portion.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which two target regions of a blood vessel image are selected is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, three or more target regions of the blood vessel image may be selected.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the graph image is a waveform of density change is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the concentration change may be a bar graph as long as it can be acquired.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the reference point is the position of the rising edge is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the reference point may be a position of a peak having a highest numerical value indicating the concentration of the contrast agent.

In the above-described embodiment, the following example is shown as a method of recognizing a blood vessel image displayed so that the speed can be visually recognized according to the flow speed of the contrast medium: a region where the flow speed of the contrast medium is high is displayed in red, and a region where the flow speed is low is displayed in blue, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As long as it can be recognized, for example, black and white may be used for representation, and a numeral or a symbol may be attached.

In the above-described embodiment, the target region of the second blood vessel image corresponding to the target region of the selected first blood vessel image is selected by selecting the target region of the first blood vessel image, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the target region of the first blood vessel image corresponding to the selected target region of the second blood vessel image may be selected by selecting the target region of the second blood vessel image.

In the above-described embodiment, the two blood vessel images, i.e., the first blood vessel image and the second blood vessel image, are displayed on the display unit, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, three or more blood vessel images may be displayed on the display unit.

In the above-described embodiment, the control unit is capable of switching between the control of displaying on the display unit the density change image in which the graph images corresponding to the respective target regions of the first blood vessel image or the second blood vessel image are superimposed, and the control of displaying on the display unit the third density change image, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the control unit may perform control such that a density change image in which graph images corresponding to a plurality of target regions of the first blood vessel image or the second blood vessel image are superimposed is displayed on the display unit, and control such that a third density change image is displayed on the display unit is performed simultaneously.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the area specifying image is displayed by the circle of the solid line and the circle of the broken line is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the color or shape of the display may be changed as long as the display can be recognized. The shape of the area specifying image may be a figure such as a quadrangle other than a circle.

In the above-described embodiment, the image acquisition unit has been described as an example in which the image acquisition unit averages the pixel values included in the range of the area specifying image and creates the density change image based on the average value, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the image acquisition unit may determine the median value of the pixel values included in the range of the area specifying image or may determine the total value.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the operation unit is a touch panel is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the operation unit may be a console such as a mouse.

In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the user selects the target region when switching the blood vessel image displayed on the display unit is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the position of the target region in which the blood vessel image before switching has been performed may be set and used for the blood vessel image after switching.

In the above-described embodiment, the differential image is used as the blood vessel image, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a contrast medium image may be used as the blood vessel image.

(modification of control processing of image processing apparatus)

In the above-described embodiment, an example of the control processing of the image processing apparatus shown in fig. 12 is shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As in the example shown in fig. 13, any of the control processes in fig. 12 may not be executed. A modified example of the control processing of the image processing apparatus will be described with reference to fig. 13. In the modification, the target region is selected after the blood vessel image before the treatment and the blood vessel image after the treatment are acquired.

In step 91, the imaging unit images a blood vessel image of the subject before treatment. In step 92, the image acquiring unit generates a blood vessel image before treatment and a density change image including a chart image before treatment.

In step 93, the control unit performs control to display the generated blood vessel image before treatment on the display unit.

In step 94, the imaging unit captures a blood vessel image of the subject after treatment. In step 95, the image acquiring unit generates a blood vessel image after the treatment and a density change image including a graph image after the treatment.

In step 96, the control unit performs control to display the blood vessel image before the treatment and the blood vessel image after the treatment in parallel on the display unit. In step 97, the control unit controls the selection target area by the user input.

In step 98, the image acquisition unit generates a third density change image in which the density change image of the graph image including the blood vessel image before treatment and the density change image of the graph image including the blood vessel image after treatment are superimposed so as to align the reference points. In step 99, the control unit performs control to display the third density change image on the display unit.

[ means ]

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above exemplary embodiments are specific in the following manner.

(item 1)

An image processing apparatus includes:

an imaging unit including an X-ray irradiation unit that irradiates an object with X-rays and a detection unit that detects the X-rays transmitted through the object and acquires a detection signal;

an image acquisition unit that acquires a blood vessel image of the subject based on the detection signal, and generates a density change image including a graph image showing a change over time in a value relating to a density of a contrast agent administered to a blood vessel of the subject; and

a control unit for performing control to display the blood vessel image and the density change image on a display unit,

wherein the control unit is configured to: and a control unit configured to perform control of receiving selection of a target region on the blood vessel image displayed on the display unit, and to perform control of displaying the density change image corresponding to the selected target region.

(item 2)

The image processing apparatus according to item 1, wherein,

the image processing device is configured to select the target region of the plurality of blood vessel images,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate the density change image in which the chart images corresponding to the selected target regions are superimposed on each other,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying the density change image, which is a superposition of the chart images corresponding to the plurality of target regions, on the display unit.

(item 3)

The image processing apparatus according to item 2, wherein,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: the graph image of the waveform of density change is generated, and the density change image is generated by superimposing the graph images on each other in a state where the reference points are aligned in order to compare the widths of the waveform of density change.

(item 4)

The image processing apparatus according to item 3, wherein,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: the density change image in which the chart images are superimposed on each other is generated by using, as the reference point, either a position of a peak at which a value relating to the density of the contrast agent is the highest or a position of a rising edge at which the value relating to the density of the contrast agent starts to increase.

(item 5)

The image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 4,

the image acquisition unit creates the blood vessel image, which is an image displayed so that the velocity can be visually recognized according to the flow velocity of the contrast agent in the target region.

(item 6)

The image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate a first blood vessel image and a second blood vessel image,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: selecting the object region of the second blood vessel image corresponding to the selected object region of the first blood vessel image by selecting the object region of the first blood vessel image,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and a density change display unit configured to display a first density change image corresponding to the target region of the first blood vessel image and a second density change image corresponding to the target region of the second blood vessel image in parallel on the display unit.

(item 7)

The image processing apparatus according to item 6, wherein,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying a third density change image in which the first density change image and the second density change image are superimposed on the display unit.

(item 8)

The image processing apparatus according to item 7, wherein,

the control unit is configured to be capable of switching between a control of displaying the density change image, which is a superimposition of the graph images corresponding to the target regions of the first blood vessel image or the second blood vessel image, on the display unit, and a control of displaying the third density change image on the display unit.

(item 9)

The image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 8,

the image acquisition unit is configured to superimpose a region specification image representing the target region of the blood vessel image on the blood vessel image,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying an image obtained by superimposing the region specifying image and the blood vessel image and the density change image on the display unit side by side.

(item 10)

The image processing apparatus according to item 9, wherein,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: calculating a representative value of pixel values included in the region-determining image displayed superimposed on the blood vessel image,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate the density change image based on the calculated representative value.

(item 11)

The image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 10,

further comprises an operation unit for accepting an input operation by a user,

the image processing device is configured to select a target region of the blood vessel image based on the input operation.

(item 12)

The image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 11,

the image acquisition unit is configured to generate a thumbnail image that is an image configured as a list of the blood vessel images,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: when the blood vessel image is selected from the thumbnail images, the blood vessel image and the density change image displayed on the display unit are switched to the selected blood vessel image and the density change image of the selected blood vessel image.

(item 13)

The image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein,

the image acquisition unit is configured to: generating a contrast agent image based on the detection signal acquired with the contrast agent and a non-contrast agent image based on the detection signal acquired without the contrast agent, generating a differential image as the blood vessel image by subtracting the contrast agent image and the non-contrast agent image,

the control unit is configured to perform the following control: and displaying the difference image and the density change image corresponding to the target region of the selected blood vessel image in parallel on the display unit.