Medical image generation apparatus and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a medical image generation apparatus, and more particularly, to a medical image generation apparatus, which may include: a projection data acquisition unit that acquires projection data for an imaging region; a first medical image generation unit that generates a first medical image of a first resolution with respect to the imaging region using the projection data; a region-of-interest selection unit that receives, on the basis of the first medical image, a selection of a region of interest that is a part of the imaging region; and a second medical image generation unit that generates a second medical image of a second resolution higher than the first resolution with respect to the region of interest using the projection data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a medical image generating device and method. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a three-dimensional CT image can be acquired by acquiring projection data in multiple directions of an imaging region using X-rays and reconstructing the acquired projection data into a three-dimensional image.

[0003] In addition, the time required to reconstruct projection data from multiple directions into a three-dimensional image varies depending on the size of the voxel, which is the basic unit of the three-dimensional image, the size of the imaging field (FOV), the amount of projection data used for reconstruction, the performance of the hardware used for reconstruction, the reconstruction algorithm used for reconstruction, etc., and there is a trade-off between the time required for reconstruction and the resolution of the three-dimensional image. Therefore, it is not easy to reduce the time required for reconstruction while maintaining the high resolution of the three-dimensional image.

[0004] Furthermore, the prior art has a disadvantage in that even when the user first confirms only a partial area in the three-dimensional image, the entire area of ​​the three-dimensional image needs to be reconstructed, and thus takes the same time as that required to confirm the entire area.

[0005] The technology serving as the background of the present application is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0080820. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues The present application is proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to provide a medical image generation device and method as follows: generating a three-dimensional medical image with a relatively low resolution for the entire shooting area, and generating a high-resolution three-dimensional medical image for the area of ​​interest selected by user input, so that the area of ​​interest can be displayed with high resolution in a shorter required time.

[0007] However, the technical problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the technical problems described above, and there may also be other technical problems.

[0008] Technical Solution As a technical means for solving the above-mentioned technical problems, a medical image generating device according to an embodiment of the present application may include: a projection data acquisition unit, which acquires projection data for a shooting area; a first medical image generating unit, which uses the projection data to generate a first medical image of a first resolution for the shooting area; a region of interest selection unit, which receives a selection of a region of interest that is part of the shooting area based on the first medical image; and a second medical image generating unit, which uses the projection data to generate a second medical image of a second resolution higher than the first resolution for the region of interest.

[0009] As a technical means for solving the above-mentioned technical problems, a medical image generation method according to an embodiment of the present application may include: (a) step of acquiring projection data corresponding to a shooting area; (b) step of using the projection data to generate a first medical image of a first resolution for the shooting area; (c) step of receiving a selection of a region of interest that is part of the shooting area based on the first medical image; and (d) step of using the projection data to generate a second medical image of the region of interest with a second resolution higher than the first resolution.

[0010] The above technical solutions are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the intent of this application. In addition to the above exemplary embodiments, additional embodiments may be present in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

[0011] Beneficial effects According to the above-mentioned technical solution of the present application, the following effects are achieved: a three-dimensional medical image is generated with a relatively low resolution for the entire shooting area, and a high-resolution three-dimensional medical image is generated for the area of ​​interest selected by user input, so that the area of ​​interest can be displayed with high resolution in a shorter required time.

[0012] However, the effects that can be obtained by the present application are not limited to the effects described above, and other effects may also exist. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic block diagram of a medical image generating device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 2 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting a region of interest provided by the medical image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 3 2 is a diagram illustrating a difference in resolution based on voxel size between a first medical image and a second medical image provided by a medical image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 4a and Figure 4b 2 is a diagram showing a first medical image presented in three dimensions and a second medical image presented in three dimensions provided by a medical image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a medical image generating method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] Below, embodiments of the present application are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present application belongs can easily implement them. However, the present application can be implemented in a variety of different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, parts not related to the description are omitted for clarity. Similar parts are given similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0018] Throughout the specification of this application, when it is mentioned that a certain part is “connected” to another part, it includes not only the case of “direct connection” but also the case of “electrical connection” or “indirect connection” with other elements interposed therebetween.

[0019] Throughout the specification of the present invention, when a component is located "on", "upper part", "upper end", "lower", "lower part", or "lower end" of another component, this not only includes the case where the component is connected to the other component, but also includes the case where there is another component between the two components.

[0020] Throughout the specification of the present application, when it is mentioned that a certain part “includes” a certain constituent element, unless there is any special description to the contrary, it means that other constituent elements may also be included, rather than excluding other constituent elements.

[0021] The present application relates to a medical image generating device and method.

[0022] Throughout the specification of this application, the object may refer to an object (i.e., a patient) who is to undergo diagnosis and observation of the teeth (oral cavity) using the medical image generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, and the user may refer to a subject (i.e., a doctor, a nurse, etc.) who performs diagnosis and observation of the teeth (oral cavity) of the object using the medical image generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, but is not limited to this.

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic block diagram of a medical image generating device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Reference Figure 1The medical image generating apparatus 100 may include a projection data acquiring unit 110 , a first medical image generating unit 120 , a display unit 130 , a region of interest selecting unit 140 and a second medical image generating unit 150 .

[0025] Also, although not shown, the medical image generating apparatus 100 may further include an input unit, a control unit, and a memory.

[0026] For reference, the input unit can be used to receive user input including input for selection of an area of ​​interest. As an example, it can include a mouse, a computer keyboard, a keypad, a touchpad, etc., but is not limited to this. The input unit can also include a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be controlled using the above-mentioned input unit.

[0027] Furthermore, the control unit may be a central processing unit that controls the overall operation of the medical image generation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the control unit may be implemented using at least one of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and microprocessors. Alternatively, the control unit may be implemented using firmware / software modules executable on the aforementioned hardware platforms. In this case, the firmware / software modules may be implemented using one or more software applications written in an appropriate programming language.

[0028] Furthermore, the storage unit can store various images, variable values, initial projection data, first medical images and second medical images, etc. for controlling the operation of the medical image generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As an example, it can be implemented using a storage medium selected from a flash memory type, a hard disk type (hard disk type), a multimedia card (MMC: MultiMediaCard), a card-type memory (for example, a secure digital (SD: Secure Digital) card or an extreme digital (XD: eXtreamDigital) card, etc.), a random access memory (RAM: Random Access Memory), a static random access memory (SRAM: Static Random Access Memory), a read-only memory (ROM: Read-Only Memory), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM: Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a programmable read-only memory (PROM: Programmable Read-Only Memory), a magnetic memory, a disk, and an optical disk, but is not limited thereto.

[0029] Furthermore, the display unit 130 can be used to output the first medical image, cross-sectional image and second medical image generated by the medical image generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. As an example, it can refer to a smart phone, a smart tablet computer (SmartPad), a tablet computer (Tablet PC), a wearable device, and other devices such as a personal communication system (PCS: Personal Communication System), a global system for mobile communications (GSM: Global System for Mobile communications), a personal digital cellular (PDC: Personal Digital Cellular), a personal handyphone system (PHS: Personal Handyphone System), a personal digital assistant (PDA: Personal Digital Assistant), an international mobile telecommunication (IMT: International Mobile Telecommunication)-2000, a code division multiple access (CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access)-2000, a wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA: W-Code Division Multiple Access), a wireless broadband Internet (WiBro: Wireless Broadband At least one of various display devices capable of displaying images, such as, but not limited to, all types of wireless communication devices such as Internet terminals, fixed terminals such as desktop computers and smart TVs, and liquid crystal (LCD) displays, light emitting diode (LED) displays, active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, and cathode ray tube (CRT) displays.

[0030] At this time, according to an embodiment of the present application, the projection data acquisition unit 110, the first medical image generation unit 120, the region of interest selection unit 140 and the second medical image generation unit 150 can be installed in at least one of the above-mentioned control unit or storage unit.

[0031] Furthermore, the input unit, control unit, storage unit, and display unit 130 may be interconnected via a network. For example, such a network may include a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a 5G network, a World Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX) network, wired or wireless Internet, a Local Area Network (LAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), a Bluetooth network, a Wi-Fi network, a Near Field Communication (NFC) network, a satellite broadcasting network, an analog broadcasting network, a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) network, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0032] According to an embodiment of the present application, the medical image generating device 100 does not use projection data to reconstruct a high-resolution three-dimensional medical image of the entire shooting area (FOV: Field of View), but reconstructs a low-resolution three-dimensional medical image of the entire shooting area for the first time, and reconstructs only a part of the entire shooting area (the part that the user wants to confirm first, the area of ​​interest) into a high-resolution three-dimensional medical image for the second time. In this way, no time is wasted in reconstructing the entire shooting area, and only a part of the area smaller than the entire shooting area is reconstructed with high resolution. Therefore, compared with the time consumed for reconstructing the entire shooting area, less time can be consumed, and thus the three-dimensional medical image of the part that needs to be confirmed first can be provided to the user with high resolution.

[0033] Before describing in detail the medical image generation apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present application, the first and second medical images disclosed herein may, as an example, be computed tomography (CT) images constructed in voxel units, but are not limited thereto and may include three-dimensional medical images that present the imaged area in three dimensions. For convenience, the first and second medical images will be described below as CT images.

[0034] Furthermore, the resolution corresponds to the number of voxels included in a unit volume in a three-dimensional image and may be inversely proportional to the voxel size. In other words, the fewer the number of voxels included in a unit volume and the larger the size of a voxel, the lower the resolution may be.

[0035] Hereinafter, each component of the medical image generating device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail.

[0036] According to one embodiment of the present application, the projection data acquisition unit 110 may acquire projection data of the imaging area where the subject is located. In this case, the projection data may include projection data from multiple directions of the subject. Furthermore, as an example, the subject may be a head including the maxillofacial area, but is not limited thereto.

[0037] In this case, the projection data acquisition unit 110 can be configured as a separate medical image capture device separate from the medical image generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. As an example, it can be a CT imaging device. In this case, the projection data acquired by the projection data acquisition unit 110 can be transmitted to the medical image generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application via a wired or wireless method and stored in a memory.

[0038] In the prior art, when acquiring projection data, it is necessary to consider the amount of computation required to generate and reconstruct a CT image using the acquired projection data. Therefore, the projection data is acquired at a slightly lower resolution to prevent excessive computation. In contrast, the medical image generation device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application only reconstructs a region of interest that is part of the entire shooting area into a high-resolution CT image. Compared with the reconstruction of the entire shooting area, the time and computation required are less, so the initial projection data can be acquired at a higher resolution than the prior art.

[0039] In other words, even when acquiring initial projection data at high resolution, the medical image generation apparatus 100 has less need to consider the time and amount of computation required for reconstruction than in the prior art, so there is no need to worry about problems such as overload.

[0040] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first medical image generating unit 120 may use the projection data to generate a first medical image of a first resolution for the photographing area.

[0041] At this time, the first resolution may refer to a relatively low resolution, and the first medical image may be an image generated (reconstructed) at the first resolution (ie, low resolution) with a relatively large voxel size by binning projection data.

[0042] Specifically, the first medical image generation unit 120 generates a first medical image for the entire shooting area by utilizing projection data, and reconstructs the voxel size of the first medical image into a relatively large first resolution (low resolution) by binning the projection data (i.e., increasing the size of one pixel by combining multiple unit pixels) to reduce the amount of calculation.

[0043] For example, when the unit pixel size of the projection data acquired by the projection data acquisition unit 110 is 0.1 mm, the first medical image generation unit 120 may reconstruct the first medical image by combining 16 unit pixels (i.e., 256 unit pixels (16×16)) for each unit pixel in the x-axis and y-axis directions from the projection data. However, this is not limiting.

[0044] At this time, illustratively, the merging may refer to allocating an average value of a plurality of unit pixel values ​​or one unit pixel value as a representative value to the plurality of unit pixels, but is not limited thereto.

[0045] Furthermore, as described above, the first medical image may include a three-dimensional image reconstructed based on the merged projection data, and may be a full CT image (Full CT Image) for the entire imaging region.

[0046] According to an embodiment of the present application, the display unit 130 may display at least one cross-sectional image of a plurality of cross-sectional images of the first medical image on a screen. Specifically, the cross-sectional image may be generated by multi-planar reconstruction (MPR) and may be expressed as an MPR cross-sectional image.

[0047] Here, the plurality of cross-sectional images may include cross-sectional images for axial, sagittal, and coronal planes. That is, the display unit 130 may display a cross-sectional image of at least one of the axial, sagittal, and coronal planes of the first medical image on the screen.

[0048] According to one embodiment of the present application, the display unit 130 may be configured to display one of the axial, sagittal, and coronal cross-sectional images (a first cross-sectional image) in one area of ​​the screen, and to display the other of the axial, sagittal, and coronal cross-sectional images (a second cross-sectional image) in another area of ​​the screen. In other words, the display unit 130 may display the first and second cross-sectional images of the plurality of cross-sectional images on the screen.

[0049] Figure 2FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting a region of interest provided in the medical image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0050] Specifically, Figure 2 (a) can display an axial cross-sectional image, and Figure 2 (b) is a sagittal cross-sectional image. In other words, referring to Figure 2 The display unit 130 may display an axial cross-sectional image and a sagittal cross-sectional image in each area of ​​the screen, but is not limited thereto.

[0051] Reference Figure 2 , the region of interest selection unit 140 may receive a selection of a region of interest as a part of the photographing region based on the first medical image.

[0052] For example, the region of interest selection unit 140 may receive a selection of a portion of a first medical image displayed on the screen by a user input applied via the input unit. In this case, the first medical image corresponds to the entire imaging region, so the portion of the region selected from the first medical image may be included in the entire imaging region, and such a portion of the region may be the region of interest that the user wishes to confirm.

[0053] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, an axial cross-sectional image is an image on an xz plane, a sagittal cross-sectional image is an image on an xy plane, and a coronal cross-sectional image is an image on a yx plane, but is not limited thereto.

[0054] In this regard, in order to specify a region of interest in a three-dimensional CT image, input in at least two directions of the axial, sagittal, and coronal directions is required. Figure 2 The region of interest can be cylindrical or rectangular in shape in three dimensions. Specifically, the input for the axial cross-sectional image is an input for selecting the position and size in the xz plane, where the size can be the area (or transverse and longitudinal lengths) of a section perpendicular to the length of the cylinder or rectangular parallelepiped. Furthermore, the input for the sagittal cross-sectional image is an input for selecting the position and size in the xy plane, where the size can be the longitudinal length (or transverse length) of a section perpendicular to the length of the cylinder or rectangular parallelepiped and the height of the cylinder or rectangular parallelepiped. Furthermore, the input for the coronal cross-sectional image is an input for selecting the position and size in the yz plane, where the size can be the transverse length (or longitudinal length) of a section perpendicular to the length of the cylinder or rectangular parallelepiped and the height of the cylinder or rectangular parallelepiped. Therefore, to specify a three-dimensional region of interest, input is required for the transverse length, longitudinal length, and height of all sections perpendicular to the length of the cylinder or rectangular parallelepiped, requiring the region to be specified in at least two of the three planes.

[0055] Therefore, to specify a three-dimensional ROI, the ROI selector 140 may receive a first selection of a ROI based on a first cross-sectional image displayed on the screen and a second selection of a ROI based on a second cross-sectional image displayed on the screen.

[0056] However, not limited to this, when there is a preset value for at least one of the horizontal length, vertical length and height of the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the cylinder or rectangular parallelepiped corresponding to the region of interest, the region of interest selection unit 140 can also determine the region of interest by only specifying an area on one of the three planes.

[0057] For example, the region of interest selection unit 140 can receive input of the position and size on the xz plane in the axial section image and input of the height on the xy plane in the sagittal section image to determine the region of interest. When the height of the region of interest is pre-set, it can also only receive input of the position and size on the xz plane in the axial section image to determine the region of interest.

[0058] The region of interest selector 140 may receive at least one of a first selection of a region of interest based on the first cross-sectional image displayed on the screen and a second selection of a region of interest based on the second cross-sectional image.

[0059] At this time, the display unit 130 can display the first cross-sectional image and the second cross-sectional image in respective areas of the screen, but is not limited to this. The first cross-sectional image and the second cross-sectional image can be displayed sequentially in the same area, and the region of interest selection unit 140 can sequentially receive a first selection for the region of interest based on the first cross-sectional image and a second selection for the region of interest based on the second cross-sectional image.

[0060] Furthermore, the region of interest selection unit 140 may receive a selection of a first region of interest and a selection of a second region of interest based on one cross-sectional image among the plurality of cross-sectional images. In other words, the region of interest selection unit 140 may receive a selection of a plurality of regions of interest for one cross-sectional image (see Figure 2 ROI_1, ROI_2, ROI_3).

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present application, the second medical image generating unit 150 may generate a second medical image of a second resolution for the region of interest using at least a portion of the projection data.

[0062] Figure 3 2 is a diagram illustrating a difference in resolution based on voxel size between a first medical image and a second medical image provided by a medical image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] Specifically, Figure 3 (a) exemplarily shows a first medical image and a voxel size (m×m) for the first medical image. And, Figure 3 (b) exemplarily shows a comparison image and a voxel size (m×m) of the comparison image for comparing the resolution of the region of interest ROI when the image is not reconstructed into the second medical image. Figure 3 (c) shows a second medical image reconstructed for the region of interest ROI and a voxel size (n×n) for the second medical image. Figure 3 The image may be, for example, an MPR cross-sectional image, but is not limited thereto.

[0064] at this time, Figure 3 The illustrated “p” and “q” illustrate the size of the screen displayed by the display portion 130 , and may be illustrated in order to express a difference in resolution for the same screen size.

[0065] Reference Figure 3 The second medical image generation unit 150 may generate a second medical image for the region of interest (ROI) using the projection data corresponding to the region of interest (ROI) selected by the region of interest selection unit 140. Here, the second medical image may be generated in a manner having a second resolution, which may be a relatively higher resolution than the first resolution.

[0066] In other words, when the voxel size of the first medical image is m×m, the second medical image may be an image generated (reconstructed) with a second resolution (i.e., a high resolution) that is relatively smaller than the m×m voxel size (n×n (in this case, m>n)). That is, the second medical image may be reconstructed with a voxel size that is relatively smaller than that of the first medical image, thereby having a relatively larger number of voxels per unit volume than the first medical image.

[0067] For example, when the unit pixel size of the projection data acquired from the projection data acquisition unit 110 is 0.1 mm, the second medical image generation unit 120 may reconstruct only the portion corresponding to the region of interest (ROI) in the projection data into a second medical image having a voxel size of 0.07 mm, taking into account the magnification factor. In other words, for the region of interest (ROI), the second medical image generation unit 120 may reconstruct the projection data into a second medical image having a voxel size significantly smaller than that of the first medical image.

[0068] Based on this, if Figure 3 As shown, compared with the comparison image (refer to Figure 3(b)) The resolution of the second medical image representing the region of interest ROI with a smaller voxel size (n×n) can be significantly improved compared to the voxel size (m×m) of the first medical image.

[0069] Furthermore, the second medical image generation unit 150 can generate a second medical image using projection data, and can reconstruct the second medical image using at least a portion of the projection data corresponding to the region of interest ROI rather than the entire shooting area, thereby generating a high-resolution second medical image of the region of interest relatively quickly.

[0070] Furthermore, as described above, the second medical image may include a three-dimensional image reconstructed based on the projection data, and is an image of a region of interest in the projection data, and thus may be a partial CT image corresponding to the region of interest.

[0071] Figure 4a and Figure 4b 2 is a diagram showing a first medical image presented in three dimensions and a second medical image presented in three dimensions provided by a medical image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0072] Despite Figure 3 The first medical image and the second medical image are exemplified in FIG. 1 by MPR cross-sectional images. However, as described above, the first medical image and the second medical image can be presented as three-dimensional images. Specifically, Figure 4a It may be a diagram showing a first medical image constructed in three dimensions for the entire imaging region, Figure 4b The second medical image may be shown in three dimensions for the region of interest ROI.

[0073] Reference Figure 4a and Figure 4b , it can be confirmed that, with the first medical image of the tooth (refer to Figure 4a ) compared to the second medical image (reference Figure 4b ) has significantly improved resolution.

[0074] Furthermore, when receiving multiple regions of interest for a single first medical image, the second medical image generator 150 can generate a second medical image for each region of interest and provide the plurality of second medical images generated separately as a series. In other words, the second medical image generator 150 can generate a second medical image for the first region of interest and a second medical image for the second region of interest for the same subject in a series.

[0075] Furthermore, when receiving multiple regions of interest for a single first medical image, the second medical image generator 150 may generate a second medical image for each region of interest at a different resolution. For example, the second medical image generator 150 may generate a second medical image at a second resolution for the first region of interest, and may also generate a second medical image at a third resolution different from the first and second resolutions for the second region of interest.

[0076] However, not limited to this, the second medical image generation unit 150 does not generate multiple second medical images for each of the multiple regions of interest, but can generate a second medical image that reconstructs the projection data corresponding to the multiple regions of interest at a second resolution, or can generate a second medical image reconstructed at the second resolution for at least one of the multiple regions of interest and generate a second medical image reconstructed at a third resolution for at least another one.

[0077] Furthermore, the second medical image generation unit 150 can generate a second medical image having a second resolution for the region of interest based on at least one cross-sectional image and a fourth resolution different from the first resolution and the second resolution for the surrounding area of ​​the region of interest based on at least one cross-sectional image.

[0078] Specifically, the second medical image generator 150 reconstructs the region of interest at the second resolution, and reconstructs the portion of the projection data corresponding to the surrounding region, which is the area from the boundary of the region of interest to the boundary of the enlarged region in which the region of interest is enlarged at a predetermined ratio, at the fourth resolution, based on the region of interest received from the region of interest selector 140, thereby generating the second medical image. In other words, the second medical image generator 150 can generate the second medical image by reconstructing the region of interest in the projection data at the second resolution and reconstructing the surrounding region at the fourth resolution.

[0079] At this time, the fourth resolution may be a resolution higher than the first resolution and lower than the second resolution, and may be the same as the third resolution described above, but is not limited thereto, and the third resolution and the fourth resolution may also be the same.

[0080] According to one embodiment of the present application, the display unit 130 can display a second medical image for a region of interest based on the displayed cross-sectional image on the screen. Specifically, the display unit 130 can display at least one cross-sectional image from a plurality of cross-sectional images of the first medical image, and upon receiving a selection for a region of interest based on the displayed cross-sectional image, the display unit 130 can display the received second medical image for the region of interest. In other words, the second medical image for the region of interest based on the first cross-sectional image and the second cross-sectional image can be displayed on the screen.

[0081] At this time, the display unit 130 can display the second medical image on the screen in an area other than the area where the first medical image is displayed, but is not limited to this. The second medical image can also be displayed to overlap with the first medical image.

[0082] Furthermore, the display unit 130 may also identifiably display the received selection for the region of interest in a manner overlapping with the first medical image or the second medical image.

[0083] As described above, the medical image generating device 100 according to one embodiment of the present application can generate a three-dimensional medical image at a relatively low resolution for the entire shooting area, and can generate a high-resolution three-dimensional medical image for the area of ​​interest selected by user input, thereby having the effect of being able to display the area of ​​interest at a high resolution within a shorter required time.

[0084] Hereinafter, the operation flow of this application will be briefly described based on the above detailed description.

[0085] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a medical image generation method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0086] Figure 3 The medical image generation method shown can be executed by the medical image generation apparatus 100. Therefore, even if the contents are omitted below, the description of the medical image generation apparatus 100 can also be applied to the description of the medical image generation method.

[0087] Reference Figure 3 In step S11 , the projection data acquisition unit 110 may acquire projection data for the imaging area.

[0088] Next, in step S12 , the first medical image generating unit 120 may generate a first medical image of a first resolution for the imaging region.

[0089] Next, in step S13 , the display unit 130 may display at least one cross-sectional image of the first medical image on the screen.

[0090] Next, in step S14, the ROI selection unit 140 may receive a selection of a ROI as part of the imaging region based on the first medical image. In step S14, the ROI selection unit 140 may receive a selection of a ROI based on at least one cross-sectional image displayed on the screen.

[0091] Next, in step S15 , the second medical image generating unit 150 may generate a second medical image having a second resolution higher than the first resolution for the region of interest using the projection data.

[0092] Next, in step S16, the display unit 130 may display the second medical image for the region of interest on the screen. Specifically, in step S16, the display unit 130 may display the second medical image for the region of interest based on the first cross-sectional image and the region of interest based on the second cross-sectional image on the screen.

[0093] At this time, the first medical image and the second medical image can be constructed using voxels, the first resolution and the second resolution can correspond to the number of voxels within a unit volume, and the number of voxels within a unit volume of the second medical image can be relatively more than the number of voxels within a unit volume of the first medical image.

[0094] Furthermore, the first medical image and the second medical image may be three-dimensional images and computed tomography (CT) images. Specifically, the first medical image may be a full CT image of the imaging region, the second medical image may be a partial CT image corresponding to the region of interest, and the at least one cross-sectional image may be one of an axial cross-sectional image and a sagittal cross-sectional image.

[0095] In the above description, steps S11 to S16 can be further divided into additional steps according to the implementation examples of the present application, or can be combined into fewer steps. In addition, some steps can be omitted as needed, and the order of the steps can also be changed.

[0096] The medical image generation method according to one embodiment of the present application can be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, etc., either alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and constructed for implementing the present invention, or they may be program instructions that are well known and available to those skilled in the computer software field. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical recording media such as read-only compact disks (CD-ROMs) and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floppy disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and flash memory. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language code generated by a compiler but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter. The hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0097] Furthermore, the method for generating a medical image showing the above-mentioned region of interest may also be implemented in the form of a computer program or application executed by a computer stored in a recording medium.

[0098] The above description of the present application is merely illustrative, and persons with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present application belongs should understand that it can be easily transformed into other specific forms without changing the technical ideas or essential features of the present application. Therefore, it should be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. For example, each component described in a single form can also be implemented in a dispersed manner, and similarly, the components described in a dispersed form can also be implemented in a combined form.

[0099] The scope of this application is not defined by the above detailed description but is determined by the claims, and should be interpreted as including the meaning and scope of the claims and all changes or modifications derived from their equivalent concepts within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A medical image generating device, comprising: A projection data acquisition unit, which acquires projection data for the imaging area; a first medical image generating unit, configured to generate a first medical image of a first resolution for the imaging area using the projection data; a region of interest selecting unit configured to receive a selection of a region of interest as a part of the imaging region based on the first medical image; as well as A second medical image generating unit generates a second medical image of the region of interest with a second resolution higher than the first resolution by using the projection data.

2. The medical image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The first medical image and the second medical image are constructed using voxels. The first resolution and the second resolution correspond to the number of voxels in a unit volume, The number of voxels within the unit volume of the second medical image is relatively greater than the number of voxels within the unit volume of the first medical image.

3. The medical image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The first medical image and the second medical image are three-dimensional images, The medical image generating device further includes: a display unit for displaying at least one cross-sectional image of the first medical image on the screen; The region of interest selection unit receives a selection of the region of interest based on the at least one cross-sectional image displayed on the screen.

4. The medical image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The first medical image and the second medical image are CT images, The first medical image is a CT image of the entire imaging area. The second medical image is a partial CT image corresponding to the region of interest.

5. The medical image generating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The first medical image and the second medical image are CT images, The at least one cross-sectional image is at least one of an axial cross-sectional image and a sagittal cross-sectional image.

6. A medical image generation method, comprising: (a) Step: obtaining projection data corresponding to the shooting area; (b) step of generating a first medical image of a first resolution for the imaging area using the projection data; (c) receiving a selection of a region of interest as a part of the photographing region based on the first medical image; as well as (d) Step of generating a second medical image of the region of interest using the projection data and having a second resolution higher than the first resolution.

7. The medical image generation method according to claim 6, wherein: The step (c) further includes the steps of displaying at least one cross-sectional image of the first medical image on a screen, and receiving a selection of the region of interest based on the at least one cross-sectional image.

Images