Image processing device, image processing method and program

Abstract

To provide an image processing device, an image processing method and a program which can easily search for a cross section in a target portion in comparison to a case where a virtual axis in a three-dimensional target portion image is not used and the geometric characteristics of the cross section cannot be changed.SOLUTION: An image processing device comprises a processor. The processor outputs information for causing a display device to display a three-dimensional target portion image being a three-dimensional image showing a target portion, calculates a virtual axis of the target portion in the three-dimensional target portion image, outputs information for causing the display device to display a two-dimensional image corresponding to the first cross section intersecting the first position on the virtual axis, changes the geometric characteristics according to an instruction for changing the geometric characteristics of the first cross section, and outputs information for causing the display device to display the two-dimensional image corresponding to the second cross section in which the geometric characteristics have been changed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology of the present disclosure relates to an image processing device, an image processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a method for tissue ablation, the method including positioning an energy source within tissue, directing energy radially outward from the energy source toward the tissue, and moving the energy source to remove a predetermined volume of tissue, wherein the movement of the energy source is controlled at least in part by an automatic controller.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a medical information presentation device that includes a first processing unit that specifies a display area using a three-dimensional model corresponding to three-dimensional image data of an object acquired by multiple different types of medical image diagnostic devices; a second processing unit that associates the image coordinate system of the three-dimensional image data with a measurement coordinate system defined for the three-dimensional model; a third processing unit that sets the area specified using the three-dimensional model as a specified area, identifies an area from the three-dimensional image data that corresponds to the specified area, and constructs an image of that area; and a fourth processing unit that presents an image of the area corresponding to the specified area.

[0004] Patent Document 3 discloses a surgery support system comprising: a measurement means for acquiring surgery progress information in real time, including images of a subject placed in a surgical space; a recording means for recording previously acquired three-dimensional images of the subject and the surgery progress information acquired by the measurement means; an input / output means having an input unit for inputting instructions from an operator and a display unit for displaying the surgical progress information and three-dimensional images recorded in the recording means; a calculation means for calculating surgery guide information based on the three-dimensional images of the subject recorded in the recording means and instructions from the operator input via the input / output means, and recording the calculated surgery guide information in the recording means and displaying it on the display unit; and a control means for controlling the measurement means, recording means, input / output means, and calculation means. In this system, the calculation means compares the real-time surgery progress information acquired by the measurement means with the surgery guide information and displays the comparison result on the display unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2015-509789 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-224194 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-173159 Summary of the Invention

[0006] One embodiment of the technology disclosed herein provides an image processing device, an image processing method, and a program that can easily search for cross sections in a target area compared to when a virtual axis in a three-dimensional target area image is not used and the geometric characteristics of the cross section cannot be changed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the technology of the present disclosure is an image processing device that includes a processor, and that outputs information for displaying a three-dimensional target area image, which is a three-dimensional image showing a target area, on a display device; calculates a virtual axis of the target area in the three-dimensional target area image; outputs information for displaying a two-dimensional image corresponding to a first cross section that intersects with a first position on the virtual axis on the display device; changes the geometric properties of the first cross section in accordance with an instruction to change the geometric properties of the first cross section; and outputs information for displaying a two-dimensional image corresponding to a second cross section obtained by changing the geometric properties of the first cross section on the display device.

[0008] A second aspect of the technology of the present disclosure is an image processing method including outputting information for displaying a three-dimensional target area image, which is a three-dimensional image showing the target area, on a display device; calculating a virtual axis of the target area in the three-dimensional target area image; outputting information for displaying a two-dimensional image corresponding to a first cross section that intersects with a first position on the virtual axis on a display device; changing the geometric characteristics of the first cross section in accordance with an instruction to change the geometric characteristics of the first cross section; and outputting information for displaying a two-dimensional image corresponding to a second cross section with the changed geometric characteristics on a display device.

[0009] A third aspect of the technology of the present disclosure is a program that causes a computer to execute processing including outputting information for displaying a three-dimensional target area image, which is a three-dimensional image showing the target area, on a display device; calculating a virtual axis of the target area in the three-dimensional target area image; outputting information for displaying a two-dimensional image corresponding to a first cross section that intersects with a first position on the virtual axis on a display device; changing the geometric characteristics of the first cross section in accordance with an instruction to change the geometric characteristics of the first cross section; and outputting information for displaying a two-dimensional image corresponding to a second cross section with the changed geometric characteristics on a display device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a schematic configuration of a medical service support device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an electrical system of the medical service support device. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of processing content of an extraction unit. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of processing content of a cross-sectional image generating unit. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a manner in which a first cross section is displayed on a display device. [Figure 6] 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a manner in which an instruction to change the geometric characteristics of a first cross section is accepted. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a manner in which a second cross section is displayed on a display device. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a manner in which geometric characteristics are changed. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the flow of image processing. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of how a region of interest and a surrounding region are displayed on a display device. [Figure 11] 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a manner in which an instruction to change the geometric characteristics of a first cross section is accepted. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of how only the first region after division is displayed on the display device. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a manner in which instructions to change geometric properties are restricted. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of how the geometric characteristics of the second cross section are set. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing an example of a manner in which a sagittal plane, a coronal plane, and a transverse plane at a cross-sectional position are displayed on a display device. [Figure 16] 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a schematic configuration of a medical service support system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] An example of an embodiment of an image processing device, an image processing method, and a program according to the technique of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] [First embodiment] 1, a medical service support device 10 includes an image processing device 12, a reception device 14, and a display device 16, and is used by a user 18. Here, examples of the user 18 include a doctor and / or a technician.

[0013] A reception device 14 is connected to the image processing device 12. The reception device 14 receives instructions from a user 18. The reception device 14 includes a keyboard 20, a mouse 22, and the like. The instructions received by the reception device 14 are acquired by a processor 24. The keyboard 20 and the mouse 22 shown in FIG. 1 are merely examples. The reception device 14 may include only either the keyboard 20 or the mouse 22. Furthermore, instead of the keyboard 20 and / or the mouse 22, the reception device 14 may be, for example, at least one of a proximity input device that receives proximity input, a voice input device that receives voice input, and a gesture input device that receives gesture input. The proximity input device is, for example, a touch panel, a tablet, or the like.

[0014] A display device 16 is connected to the image processing device 12. Examples of the display device 16 include an EL (Electro-Luminescence) display and a liquid crystal display. The display device 16 displays various information (e.g., images and text) under the control of the image processing device 12. The display device 16 is an example of a "display device" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0015] As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the medical service support device 10 includes an image processing device 12, a reception device 14, and a display device 16, as well as a communication I / F (Interface) 30, an external I / F 32, and It is equipped with bus 34.

[0016] The image processing device 12 is an example of an "image processing device" and a "computer" according to the techniques of the present disclosure, and includes a processor 24, a storage 26, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 28. The processor 24, the storage 26, the RAM 28, the communication I / F 30, and the external I / F 32 are connected to a bus 34.

[0017] A memory is connected to the processor 24. The memory includes a storage 26 and a RAM 28. The processor 24 has, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU). The GPU operates under the control of the CPU and is responsible for executing image processing.

[0018] The storage 26 is a non-volatile storage device that stores various programs, various parameters, etc. Examples of the storage 26 include flash memory (for example, an EEPROM (electrically erasable and programmable read only memory) and an SSD (Solid State Drive)) and / or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). The memory and HDD are merely examples, and at least one of flash memory, HDD magnetoresistive memory, and ferroelectric memory may be used as the storage 26.

[0019] The RAM 28 is a memory that temporarily stores information and is used as a work memory by the processor 24. The RAM 28 may be, for example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM).

[0020] The communication I / F 30 is connected to a network (not shown). The network may be configured, for example, as at least one of a LAN (Local Area Network) and a WAN (Wide Area Network). An external device (not shown) is connected to the network, and the communication I / F 30 controls the exchange of information with the external communication device via the network. The external communication device may be, for example, a CT (Computed Tomography) device, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device, a personal computer, a smart device, etc. For example, the communication I / F 30 transmits information in response to a request from the processor 24 to an external communication device via a network. The communication I / F 30 also receives information transmitted from the external communication device and outputs the received information to the processor 24 via the bus 34.

[0021] The external I / F 32 controls the exchange of various information with an external device (not shown) located outside the medical service support device 10. The external device may be, for example, at least one of a smart device, a personal computer, a server, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a memory card, a printer, etc. An example of the external I / F 32 is a USB interface. The external device is directly or indirectly connected to the USB interface.

[0022] Incidentally, before surgery to remove a malignant tumor such as pancreatic cancer from an organ, the safety of the surgery is increased by determining and planning the resection area before the surgery using multiple two-dimensional slice images obtained by imaging the patient using modalities such as a CT device and / or an MRI device.

[0023] However, there are various possibilities for cross sections depending on the shape of the organ to be resected or the position of the resection site, and there is still room for improvement in easily searching for a cross section suitable for resection. Therefore, in the technology disclosed herein, when simulating a cross section for resection, image processing is performed by a processor 24, as shown in Figure 2 as an example, so that the cross section can be more easily searched for.

[0024] An image processing program 36 is stored in the storage 26. The processor 24 reads the image processing program 36 from the storage 26 and executes the read image processing program 36 on the RAM 28 to perform image processing. The image processing is realized by the processor 24 operating as an extraction unit 24A, a cross-sectional image generation unit 24B, a control unit 24C, a virtual axis calculation unit 24D, a geometric property modification unit 24E, and a region identification unit 24F. The image processing program 36 is an example of a "program" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0025] As an example, as shown in FIG. 3 , a three-dimensional image 38 is stored in the storage 26. The three-dimensional image 38 is an image obtained by stacking multiple two-dimensional slice images 40 obtained by imaging a patient using a modality and dividing the images into voxels V. An example of a modality is a CT apparatus. The CT apparatus is merely one example; other examples of modalities include an MRI apparatus or an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the two-dimensional slice image 40 is a two-dimensional slice image of a transverse plane, but is not limited thereto and may also be a two-dimensional slice image of a coronal plane or a two-dimensional slice image of a sagittal plane. The position of each of all voxels V defining the three-dimensional image is identified by three-dimensional coordinates. Each voxel V is assigned a grayscale value, such as a CT value.

[0026] The extraction unit 24A acquires a 3D image 38 from the storage 26 and extracts a 3D organ image 42 from the acquired 3D image 38. The 3D organ image 42 is a 3D image showing an organ. For example, the 3D image 38 includes multiple 3D organ images 42, and each 3D organ image 42 is assigned a unique identifier. The 3D organ image 42 is extracted from the 3D image 38 in accordance with an instruction received by the reception device 14. For example, the extraction unit 24A extracts a 3D organ image 42 corresponding to the identifier received by the reception device 14 from the 3D image 38. In the example shown in FIG. 3, an image showing a pancreas is illustrated as an example of the 3D organ image 42. The 3D organ image 42 is an example of a "3D target site image" according to the technology of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a unique identifier for each organ is assigned to each voxel V in the 3D image 38, and the organ identifier may be assigned opacity and color information of red (R), green (G), and blue (B). By doing this, each voxel V is assigned data such as opacity according to the corresponding organ, and color information of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in addition to black and white shading value information (hereinafter referred to as "voxel data").

[0027] Here, an image of a pancreas is shown as an example of a 3D organ image 42. However, this is merely an example, and images of other organs, such as the liver, heart, and / or lungs, may also be used. The method of extracting a 3D organ image 42 using a unique identifier is merely an example, and may involve extracting a 3D organ image 42 specified by the user 18 via the reception device 14 using some means by the extraction unit 24A, or extracting a 3D organ image 42 by the extraction unit 24A using image recognition processing such as an AI (artificial intelligence) method and / or a pattern matching method. The 3D organ image 42 is not limited to an image of a single organ. For example, an image may be an image in which multiple organs, such as the pancreas, adjacent blood vessels, bile ducts, and spleen, are extracted in addition to the pancreas.

[0028] As an example, as shown in FIG. 4, the cross-sectional image generating unit 24B generates a cross-sectional image 46 from the 3D organ image 42. The cross-sectional image 46 refers to an image obtained by viewing the 3D organ image 42 in cross section. The cross-sectional image generating unit 24B acquires each pixel (i.e., pixel) in the 3D organ image 42 at a specified cross section. The cross-sectional image generating unit 24B generates the cross-sectional image 46 from the pixel values ​​at the specified cross section of the 3D organ image 42. The position of the specified cross section of the 3D organ image 42 is changed, for example, according to an instruction received by the reception device 14, thereby generating the cross-sectional image 46 obtained when the 3D organ image 42 is observed from various directions. The cross-sectional image 46 may be displayed on the display device 16 or stored in a predetermined storage device (e.g., the storage 26, etc.). The cross-sectional image 46 is an example of a "two-dimensional image" according to the technology of the present disclosure. Although the cross-sectional image 46 is generated from the 3D organ image 42, this is not limiting and the cross-sectional image 46 may also be generated from the 3D image 38.

[0029] 5, the virtual axis calculation unit 24D acquires a three-dimensional organ image 42 from the extraction unit 24A. Based on the three-dimensional organ image 42, the virtual axis calculation unit 24D calculates the central axis CL in the three-dimensional organ image 42. Specifically, the virtual axis calculation unit 24D calculates the central axis CL by performing a thinning process on the three-dimensional organ image 42. The central axis CL is an example of a "virtual axis" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0030] The control unit 24C acquires the central axis CL from the virtual axis calculation unit 24D. The control unit 24C also identifies geometric characteristics of the first cross section 61 on the central axis CL and outputs the identified geometric characteristics to the cross-sectional image generation unit 24B. The geometric characteristics of the first cross section 61 on the central axis CL refer to, for example, a first position P1, which is the position of the first cross section 61 on the central axis CL, and the orientation of the first cross section 61. The orientation of the first cross section 61 refers to, for example, the inclination of the first cross section 61 with respect to the central axis CL. The first position P1 may be, for example, a predetermined position on the central axis CL, or a position on the central axis CL accepted by the accepting device 14.

[0031] The cross-sectional image generating unit 24B generates a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61. The cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61 refers to an image of the 3D organ image 42 viewed cross-sectionally at the first cross section 61 (i.e., a 2D image showing a cross section when the 3D organ image 42 is cut at the first cross section 61). The control unit 24C acquires the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61 from the cross-sectional image generating unit 24B. The control unit 24C also outputs information for displaying the 3D organ image 42, the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61, and the first cross section 61 on the display device 16. Specifically, the control unit 24C controls a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for displaying the 3D organ image 42, the first cross section 61, and the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61, thereby causing the display device 16 to display a screen 56.

[0032] The screen 56 displays the 3D organ image 42 with the first cross section 61 inserted, and a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61. The 3D organ image 42 with the first cross section 61 inserted refers to the 3D organ image 42 with the first cross section 61 inserted at the first position P1. The 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46 are displayed side by side on the screen 56. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46 are displayed side by side, but this is merely an example, and the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46 may also be displayed side by side. In addition, a slider 59 is displayed on the display device 16 under the control of the control unit 24C.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 6 as an example, a pointer 58 is displayed on the screen 56 under the control of the control unit 24C. A knob 59A is slidably provided on a slider 59. The user 18 operates the pointer 58 via the reception device 14 (here, as an example, the mouse 22) to give a knob position change instruction to the control unit 24C. The knob position change instruction refers to an instruction to change the position of the knob 59A on the slider 59. Here, the position of the knob 59A on the slider 59 corresponds to the position on the central axis CL of the first cross section 61, and the distance over which the knob 59A can be operated corresponds to the length of the central axis CL. The control unit 24C changes the position of the knob 59A on the slider 59 on the screen 56 in accordance with the knob position change instruction given by the user 18 via the reception device 14.

[0034] 7 as an example, the geometric characteristic change unit 24E acquires a knob position change instruction received by the reception device 14. In accordance with the knob position change instruction, the geometric characteristic change unit 24E changes a first position P1 (i.e., the position of the first cross section 61 on the central axis CL) as a geometric characteristic of the first cross section 61 to a second position P2. Changing from the first position P1 to the second position P2 means sliding the first cross section 61 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 along the central axis CL.

[0035] In this way, when the first cross section 61 is slid from the first position P1 to the second position P2 along the central axis CL, the geometric characteristic change unit 24E calculates the position of the second cross section 62 on the central axis CL based on the movement amount of the knob 59A of the slider 59 and the position on the central axis CL of the first cross section 61, which is the cross section before the change. Here, the second cross section 62 refers to the cross section after the change of the first cross section 62 (i.e., the cross section obtained by changing the first cross section 62 in accordance with the knob position change instruction). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, when there is no need to distinguish between the first cross section 61 and the second cross section 62, they will also be simply referred to as "cross sections" without being assigned reference numerals.

[0036] The geometric characteristic modification unit 24E identifies the calculated geometric characteristics of the second cross section 62 on the central axis CL and outputs the identified geometric characteristics to the control unit 24C. The geometric characteristics of the second cross section 62 on the central axis CL refer to, for example, the second position P2 (i.e., the position of the second cross section 62 on the central axis CL) and the orientation of the second cross section 62. The orientation of the second cross section 62 refers to, for example, the inclination of the second cross section 62 with respect to the central axis CL.

[0037] The control unit 24C acquires the geometric properties of the second cross section 62 from the geometric property modification unit 24E. The control unit 24C outputs the geometric properties of the second cross section 62 to the cross-sectional image generation unit 24B. The cross-sectional image generation unit 24B generates a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62. The cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62 refers to an image of the 3D organ image 42 viewed cross-sectionally at the second cross section 62 (i.e., a 2D image showing the cross section when the 3D organ image 42 is cut at the second cross section 62). The control unit 24C acquires the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62 from the cross-sectional image generation unit 24B. The control unit 24C also outputs information for displaying the 3D organ image 42, the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62, and the second cross section 62 on the display device 16.

[0038] Specifically, the control unit 24C updates the display contents on the screen 56 by performing display control to display the 3D organ image 42, the second cross section 62, and the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62. That is, on the screen 56, the 3D organ image 42 with the first cross section 61 inserted is updated to the 3D organ image 42 with the second cross section 62 inserted, and the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61 is updated to the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62. The 3D organ image 42 with the second cross section 62 inserted refers to the 3D organ image 42 with the first cross section 61 inserted at the second position P2.

[0039] When changing the geometric properties of a cross section, the user 18 can manipulate the cross section with a pointer 58, as shown in FIG. 8 as an example. For example, the pointer 58 is manipulated in accordance with an instruction received by the reception device 14 to drag the cross section. Dragging the cross section in this manner changes the position of the cross section along the central axis CL, or changes the orientation of the cross section. Changing the orientation of the cross section can be achieved, for example, by changing the inclination of the cross section, rotating the cross section around the central axis CL, and / or rotating the cross section around the axis RA. For ease of explanation, instructions to change the geometric properties, including an instruction to change the knob position and an instruction by dragging the cross section, will also be referred to as a "change instruction."

[0040] 8, the geometric characteristic change unit 24E changes the inclination of the cross section with respect to the central axis CL as a geometric characteristic in accordance with the change instruction received by the reception device 14. The inclination with respect to the central axis CL may be the inclination about the pitch axis PA assumed when the central axis CL is assumed to be the roll axis, or may be the inclination about the yaw axis YA assumed when the central axis CL is assumed to be the roll axis.

[0041] Furthermore, the geometric characteristic modification unit 24E rotates the cross section around the central axis CL as the rotation axis in accordance with the modification instruction received by the reception device 14. In this case, as shown in the middle right part of Fig. 8 as an example, the geometric characteristic modification unit 24E changes the rotation position of the cross section as a geometric characteristic by rotating the cross section around the central axis CL as the rotation axis.

[0042] Furthermore, the geometric characteristic modification unit 24E rotates the cross section around a rotation axis other than the central axis CL in accordance with the modification instruction received by the reception device 14. In this case, as shown in the lower right part of Fig. 8 as an example, the geometric characteristic modification unit 24E may change the rotation position of the cross section as a geometric characteristic by rotating the first cross section 61 around an axis RA that intersects with the central axis CL and is along the normal direction of the first cross section 61.

[0043] Next, the operation of the medical service support device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0044] First, an example of the flow of image processing executed by the processor 24 of the medical service support device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The flow of image processing shown in Fig. 9 is an example of the "image processing method" according to the technique of the present disclosure.

[0045] 9, first, in step ST10, the extraction unit 24A acquires the three-dimensional image 38 from the storage 26. After the processing of step ST10 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST12.

[0046] In step ST12, the extraction unit 24A extracts a three-dimensional organ image 42 from the three-dimensional image 38 acquired in step ST10. After the processing of step ST12 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST14.

[0047] In step ST14, the virtual axis calculation unit 24D calculates the central axis CL of the three-dimensional organ image 42 extracted in step ST12. After the processing of step ST14 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST16.

[0048] In step ST16, the control unit 24C causes the display device 16 to display the three-dimensional organ image 42 extracted in step ST12. After the processing of step ST16 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST18.

[0049] In step ST18, the control unit 24C acquires the first cross section 61 on the central axis CL via the reception device 14. After the processing of step ST18 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST20.

[0050] In step ST20, the cross-sectional image generating unit 24B generates the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61 based on the geometric characteristics of the first cross section 61 acquired from the control unit 24C. After the processing of step ST20 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST22.

[0051] In step ST22, the control unit 24C causes the display device 16 to display the cross-sectional image 46 generated in step ST20 (i.e., the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61). After the processing of step ST22 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST24.

[0052] In step ST24, the geometric characteristic change unit 24E acquires an instruction to change the position on the central axis CL of the first cross section 61 (for example, an instruction to change the knob position or an instruction by dragging the cross section) via the reception device 14. After the processing of step ST24 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST26.

[0053] In step ST26, the geometric characteristic change unit 24E acquires the second cross section 62 by changing the geometric characteristics of the first cross section 61 based on the change instruction acquired in step ST24. After the processing of step ST26 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST28.

[0054] In step ST28, the cross-sectional image generating unit 24B generates the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62 acquired in step ST26. After the processing of step ST28 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST30.

[0055] In step ST30, the control unit 24C causes the display device 16 to display the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62 generated in step ST28. After the processing of step ST30 is executed, the image processing proceeds to step ST32.

[0056] In step ST32, the geometric characteristic change unit 24E determines whether or not a condition for terminating the image processing (hereinafter referred to as the "termination condition") has been satisfied. One example of the termination condition is that an instruction to terminate the image processing has been accepted by the acceptance device 14. If the termination condition has not been satisfied in step ST32, the determination is negative, and the image processing proceeds to step ST24. If the termination condition has been satisfied in step ST32, the determination is positive, and the image processing ends.

[0057] As explained above, in the medical service support device 10 according to the first embodiment, a 3D organ image 42 is displayed on the display device 16, and the central axis CL of the target organ in the 3D organ image 42 is calculated. Also, a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to a first cross section 61 intersecting with the central axis CL is displayed on the display device 16. Then, a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to a second cross section 62 whose geometric properties have been changed in accordance with an instruction to change the geometric properties of the first cross section 61 is displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, cross sections in the target organ can be searched more easily than when the central axis CL in the 3D organ image 42 is not used and the geometric properties of the cross sections cannot be changed.

[0058] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the first embodiment, at least one of the position of the first cross section 61 on the central axis CL and the inclination of the first cross section 61 relative to the central axis CL can be changed as a geometric characteristic of the cross section. Therefore, it is possible to search for a cross section in a target organ more easily than when the position of the first cross section 61 on the central axis CL and the inclination of the first cross section 61 relative to the central axis CL cannot be changed.

[0059] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the first embodiment, the position on the central axis CL of the first cross section 61 as a geometric characteristic of the cross section is set to at least one of the axial position of the central axis CL of the first cross section 61, the position when the first cross section 61 is rotated about the central axis CL as the rotation axis, and the position when the first cross section 61 is rotated about an axis RA that intersects with the central axis CL and is along the normal direction of the first cross section 61. Therefore, it is possible to search for a cross section in a target organ more easily than when the axial position of the central axis CL of the first cross section 61 cannot be changed, when the first cross section 61 is rotated about the central axis CL as the rotation axis, or when the first cross section 61 cannot be rotated about the axis RA as the rotation axis.

[0060] Furthermore, in the medical business support device 10 according to the first embodiment, the central axis CL is used as the virtual axis of the target organ, so that the position at which the target organ is displayed in the first cross section 61 and the second cross section 62 can be made closer to the center of the cross section compared to when the virtual axis is not the central axis CL.

[0061] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the first embodiment, image processing is performed on the 3D organ image 42 showing the organ as the target region, thereby enabling the search for a cross section of the organ. In particular, in the medical service support device 10, image processing is performed on the 3D organ image 42 showing the pancreas as the target organ, thereby enabling the search for a cross section of the pancreas.

[0062] [Second embodiment] In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which an area corresponding to a lesion site (e.g., a tumor) in a target organ is identified in a three-dimensional organ image 42, and the area corresponding to the lesion site is displayed together with the three-dimensional organ image 42 and a cross-sectional image 46.

[0063] As an example, as shown in FIG. 10, the region identification unit 24F first acquires the 3D organ image 42 from the extraction unit 24A and identifies a region of interest 71 corresponding to the lesion site from the acquired 3D organ image 42. Specifically, the region identification unit 24F performs image recognition processing on the 3D organ image 42 and extracts a region having voxel values ​​that satisfy a predetermined condition as the region of interest 71. The image recognition processing is not particularly limited, but examples include methods using image recognition processing such as AI and / or pattern matching. Furthermore, the region identification unit 24F identifies a region within a range a specified distance away from the region of interest 71 as the surrounding region 72. Specifically, the region identification unit 24F extracts a region extended from the region of interest 71 extracted from the 3D organ image 42 by a predetermined distance or a distance accepted by the acceptance device 14 as the surrounding region 72. The region identification unit 24F outputs position information of the identified region of interest 71 and surrounding region 72 to the control unit 24C. The position information of the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72 is information (for example, three-dimensional coordinates) indicating the range of the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72 in the three-dimensional organ image 42.

[0064] The control unit 24C acquires the position information of the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72 from the region specifying unit 24F. In addition, the control unit 24C outputs the position information of the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72 and the geometric characteristics of the first cross section 61 to the cross-sectional image generating unit 24B.

[0065] The cross-sectional image generating unit 24B generates a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61. Furthermore, when a region of interest 71 intersects with the first cross section 61, the cross-sectional image generating unit 24B generates a cross-sectional image 46 including the region of interest 71.

[0066] The control unit 24C outputs information for displaying the cross-sectional image 46 acquired from the cross-sectional image generating unit 24B on the display device 16. Specifically, the control unit 24C performs display control on the display device 16 to display the three-dimensional organ image 42, the first cross section 61, the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61, the region of interest 71, and the surrounding region 72 on the screen 56.

[0067] 11, a screen 56 displays a three-dimensional organ image 42 with a first cross section 61 inserted and a region of interest 71 and a surrounding region 72 displayed thereon, and a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the first cross section 61. When the first cross section 61 intersects with the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72, the cross-sectional image 46 displays the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72.

[0068] If the first cross section 61 intersects with the region of interest 71 or the surrounding region 72, the control unit 24C causes the display device 16 to display a message for the user 18. The screen 56 includes a notification message area 56A. A notification message 56A1 is displayed in the notification message area 56A. As shown in FIG. 11 , the notification message 56A1 is, for example, a message stating, "The cross section includes a region of interest." The user 18 operates the pointer 58 via the reception device 14 (here, the mouse 22, for example) to change the position of the knob 59A on the slider 59 and search for a cross section that does not intersect with the region of interest 71 or the surrounding region 72. The display device 16 is an example of a "notification device" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0069] As described above, in the medical business support device 10 according to the second embodiment, the region of interest 71 indicating the lesion site is identified within the three-dimensional organ image 42, so that the cross section can be searched for after understanding the positional relationship with the lesion site.

[0070] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the second embodiment, a region of interest 71 is identified within the 3D organ image 42, and an area within a range designated from the region of interest 71 is identified as a surrounding region 72. Therefore, the region of interest 71 is more easily visually recognized by the user 18 than when the surrounding region 72 is not identified.

[0071] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the second embodiment, when the surrounding area 72 intersects with at least one of the first cross section 61 and the second cross section 62, the display device 16 displays a notification message 56A1 to notify the user 18. Therefore, compared to when no notification is given even if the surrounding area 72 intersects with the cross section, the user 18 is more likely to recognize that the surrounding area 72 intersects with the cross section.

[0072] In the second embodiment, an example of identifying the region of interest 71 using image recognition processing has been described, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the region of interest 71 may be identified by reading a table in which information related to the morphology of the region of interest 71 is associated with each identifier of the 3D organ image 42. Alternatively, the user 18 may have a means for identifying the region of interest 71. Specifically, information for displaying at least one of the 3D image 38, the 3D organ image 42, and the plurality of 2D slice images 40 on the display device 16 may be output, and the reception device 14 may receive an input specifying the boundary of the region of interest 71 for the displayed image.

[0073] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, an example was given in which the display device 16 displays the notification message 56A1 to notify the user 18, but notification may also be by voice via a speaker (not shown), etc.

[0074] In the second embodiment, an example in which the peripheral region 72 is displayed around the region of interest 71 has been described, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the region of interest 71 may be made more easily visually recognizable by the user 18 by changing the color, brightness, etc. of the region of interest 71 itself.

[0075] [Third embodiment] In the third embodiment, a case will be described in which a region of interest 71 is identified in a three-dimensional organ image 42, and the three-dimensional organ image 42 is further divided at a specified cross section, and only one of the divided three-dimensional organ images 42 is displayed.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 12, the region identification unit 24F acquires the 3D organ image 42 from the extraction unit 24A and identifies a region of interest 71 and a surrounding region 72 in the 3D organ image 42. The region identification unit 24F also calculates the geometric characteristics of the second cross section 62 based on the modification instruction received via the reception device 14. The region identification unit 24F divides the 3D organ image 42 into a first region 42A and a second region 42B based on the geometric characteristics of the second cross section 62. Specifically, the region identification unit 24F divides the 3D organ image 42 into a first region 42A and a second region 42B, which are separate regions sandwiching the second cross section 62, and assigns identifiers to the first region 42A and the second region 42B. As shown in FIG. 12, the first region 42A does not include the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72, and the second region 42B includes the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72.

[0077] The control unit 24C controls the area specifying unit 24F to specify the first area 42A and the second area 42B. The control unit 24C acquires the 3D organ image 42. The control unit 24C acquires, via the reception device 14, the result of the user 18's selection of which of the first region 42A and the second region 42B of the divided 3D organ image 42 to display. As an example, the user 18 specifies the region to be displayed by manipulating a pointer 58 via the reception device 14 (here, as an example, the mouse 22). The control unit 24C outputs information for causing the display device 16 to display the 3D organ image 42 showing only the first region 42A or the second region 42B specified by the user 18. Specifically, the control unit 24C controls the display device 16 to display on the screen 56 the 3D organ image 42 showing only either the first region 42A or the second region 42B, the second cross section 62, and the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62.

[0078] 12 shows an example in which a 3D organ image 42 showing a first region 42A, which is a region that does not include a region of interest 71, is displayed on a screen 56. The region of interest 71 and a surrounding region 72 are also displayed on the screen 56. That is, the positions of the region of interest 71 and the surrounding region 72 in a second region 42B, which is a region that is not displayed on the screen 56 and does not include the region of interest 71, are displayed on the screen 56.

[0079] Furthermore, the screen 56 includes a volume display area 56B. The volume display area 56B displays a calculation result 56B1. The calculation result 56B1 indicates the volume of the first region 42A and the ratio of the volume of the first region 42A to the volume of the target organ before division. Specifically, the control unit 24C calculates the volume of the entire target organ based on the 3D organ image 42. The control unit 24C also calculates the volume of the first region 42A based on the 3D organ image 42 that displays only the first region 42A. The control unit 24C further calculates the ratio of the volume of the first region 42A to the entire organ based on the volume of the first region 42A and the volume of the entire target organ.

[0080] The control unit 24C performs display control on the display device 16 to display the calculation result 56B1 in the volume display area 56B on the screen 56. In the example shown in Fig. 12, "Volume: 75 ml (65%)" is displayed as an example of the calculation result 56B1.

[0081] In the third embodiment, the first area 42A is displayed, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. Only the second area 42B may be displayed, or the display of the first area 42A and the second area 42B may be switched on the screen 56 by the user 18.

[0082] Furthermore, in the third embodiment, an example has been described in which either the first region 42A or the second region 42B, whichever is selected by the user 18, is displayed on the screen 56. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 24C may cause the display device 16 to display either the first region 42A or the second region 42B based on the position information of the region of interest 71 acquired from the region identification unit 24F. Specifically, the control unit 24C determines whether the region of interest 71 is included in the first region 42A or the second region 42B based on the position information of the region of interest 71. Based on the determination result, the control unit 24C outputs to the display device 16 a 3D organ image 42 that shows only the region that does not include the region of interest 71. As a result, the display device 16 displays the 3D organ image 42 on the screen 56.

[0083] As described above, in the medical business support device 10 according to the third embodiment, the three-dimensional organ image 42 is divided into a first area 42A and a second area 42B along the specified second cross section 62, thereby realizing a display of the organ cut at the second cross section 62.

[0084] Furthermore, the medical service support device 10 according to the third embodiment displays either the first area 42A or the second area 42B on the display device 16. Therefore, according to this configuration, after the organ is cut at the second cross section 62, a display is realized in which only either the first area 42A or the second area 42B remains.

[0085] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the third embodiment, a region of interest 71 is identified in the 3D organ image 42, and the regions of the first region 42A and the second region 42B that do not include the region of interest 71 are displayed on the display device 16. Therefore, with this configuration, a display is realized in which the regions of the first region 42A and the second region 42B that do not include the region of interest 71 remain.

[0086] [Fourth embodiment] In the fourth embodiment, a case will be described in which a restriction is imposed on a change instruction received via the reception device 14 based on information related to the target organ shown in the three-dimensional organ image 42.

[0087] As an example, as shown in FIG. 13 , the geometric property change unit 24E acquires a change instruction for the geometric property of the first cross section 61 received via the reception device 14. The geometric property change unit 24E changes the geometric property of the first cross section 61 based on the acquired change instruction. The geometric property change unit 24E also acquires information about the organ from the storage 26. The information about the organ is, for example, information about a surgical procedure on the organ. More specifically, it is a table of geometric properties of cross sections that cannot be resected in the surgical procedure, associated with the type of organ. For example, if the organ is a pancreas, the procedure may be performed laparoscopically. In laparoscopic surgery, it is difficult to resect the pancreas in a cross section along a direction that makes it difficult to bring a surgical instrument close to the pancreas (for example, the longitudinal direction of the pancreatic duct of the pancreas). Therefore, when the user 18 searches for a resection plane, change instructions that result in geometric properties corresponding to a cross section that is difficult to resect are limited.

[0088] The geometric property modification unit 24E determines whether the modified cross section is difficult to resect in the procedure by comparing the information on the organ acquired from the storage 26 with the geometric property of the cross section modified based on the modification instruction received via the reception device 14. The geometric property modification unit 24E outputs the determination result to the control unit 24C.

[0089] The control unit 24C restricts the instruction to change the cross section based on the determination result obtained from the geometric property change unit 24E. Specifically, if the second cross section 62 after the change is a cross section that is difficult to resect, the control unit 24C causes the display device 16 to notify a warning message. The screen 56 includes a warning message area 56C. A warning message 56C1 is displayed in the warning message area 56C. As shown in FIG. 13 as an example, the warning message 56C1 is a message saying, "Resection is not possible at the specified cross section." The user 18 searches for a cross section that can be resected by operating a pointer 58 via the reception device 14 (here, as an example, the mouse 22).

[0090] As described above, in the medical service support device 10 according to the fourth embodiment, instructions for the geometric characteristics of the first cross section 61 are restricted based on information about the organ. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to search for a cross section for an organ more easily than when instructions for the geometric characteristics are not restricted.

[0091] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the fourth embodiment, the information about an organ includes information about a surgical procedure on the organ, and the geometric characteristics of cross sections that can be removed in the surgical procedure on the organ are received via the reception device 14. Therefore, with this configuration, cross sections for an organ can be searched for more easily than when instructions for geometric characteristics are not limited.

[0092] In the fourth embodiment, an example of restricting input by displaying a message for an instruction to change a cross section has been described, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, if the cross section to be changed based on the instruction to change the cross section is a cross section that is difficult to resect in a surgical procedure, the user 18 may be notified by means of restricting the movement of the pointer 58 and / or the knob 59A of the slider 59, changing the color of the cross section displayed on the screen 56, or the like.

[0093] [Fifth embodiment] In the fifth embodiment, the region of interest 71 or the surrounding region 72 is specified, and the second cross section 62 is calculated from their positions and the volume of the region including the region of interest 71.

[0094] As an example, as shown in FIG. 14, first, the region specifying unit 24F specifies a region of interest 71 and a peripheral region 72 in the 3D organ image 42. The geometric property changing unit 24E acquires position information of the region of interest 71 or the peripheral region 72 specified by the region specifying unit 24F. Based on the position information of the region of interest 71 or the peripheral region 72, the geometric property changing unit 24E sets a second cross section 62 that does not intersect with the region of interest 71 or the peripheral region 72. Specifically, the geometric property changing unit 24E calculates geometric properties of the second cross section 62 that maximize the volume of the region divided by the cross section that does not include the region of interest 71 or the peripheral region 72. In particular, the geometric property changing unit 24E calculates geometric properties that make the volume of the region that does not include the region of interest 71 larger than the volume of the region that includes the region of interest 71. The geometric property changing unit 24E outputs the calculated geometric properties of the second cross section 62 to the control unit 24C.

[0095] The control unit 24C outputs the geometric characteristics of the acquired second cross section 62 to the cross-sectional image generation unit 24B. The cross-sectional image generation unit 24B generates a cross-sectional image 46 based on the geometric characteristics and outputs it to the control unit 24C. The control unit 24C causes the display device 16 to display the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46. Specifically, the control unit 24C controls the display device 16 to display the 3D organ image 42, the second cross section 62, the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62, the region of interest 71, and the surrounding region 72 on the screen 56.

[0096] As an example, as shown in FIG. 14, a screen 56 displays a three-dimensional organ image 42 with a second cross section 62 inserted therein, including a region of interest 71 and a surrounding region 72, and a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62.

[0097] Although the geometric property modification unit 24E has been described with reference to an example embodiment in which the geometric property modification unit 24E calculates the geometric property of the second cross section 62 based on the volume of a region that does not include the region of interest 71 or the peripheral region 72, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. The geometric property modification unit 24E may calculate the geometric property of the second cross section 62 based on the volume of a region that includes the region of interest 71 or the peripheral region 72. In this case, for example, the geometric property modification unit 24E calculates the geometric property of the second cross section 62 that minimizes the volume of the region that includes the region of interest 71 or the peripheral region 72.

[0098] As described above, in the medical service support device 10 according to the fifth embodiment, the geometric property modification unit 24E identifies the region of interest 71 within the 3D organ image 42. Furthermore, the geometric property modification unit 24E calculates the geometric property of the second cross section 62 based on the position of the region of interest 71 and the volume of the region that includes or does not include the region of interest 71. Therefore, a more appropriate cross section can be set compared to a case where the position of the region of interest 71 and the volume of the region that does not include the region of interest 71 or the volume of the region that includes the region of interest 71 are not taken into consideration.

[0099] Furthermore, in the medical service support device 10 according to the fifth embodiment, the geometric property change unit 24E calculates the geometric property of the second cross section 62 that maximizes the volume of the region that does not include the region of interest 71. Therefore, compared to a case where maximizing the volume of the region that does not include the region of interest 71 is not taken into consideration, the user 18 can visually grasp the volume of the target site remaining after surgery with high accuracy.

[0100] [Variations] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the display device 16 displays the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a cross-sectional image of the periphery of the target organ may also be displayed.

[0101] In this case, for example, the control unit 24C acquires the geometric properties of the second cross section 62 from the geometric property modification unit 24E. The control unit 24C outputs the acquired geometric properties to the cross-sectional image generation unit 24B. The cross-sectional image generation unit 24B generates a transverse cross-sectional image 47, a sagittal cross-sectional image 48, and a coronal cross-sectional image 49 in the 3D organ image 42 based on the acquired geometric properties. The transverse cross-sectional image 47 is an image of a transverse cross-sectional view passing through the second position P2 (i.e., a cross-sectional view obtained by cutting the 3D image showing the human body in a cross section). The sagittal cross-sectional image 48 is an image of a sagittal cross-sectional view passing through the second position P2 (i.e., a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along the front-to-back direction of the 3D image showing the human body). The coronal cross-sectional image 49 is an image of a coronal cross-sectional view passing through the second position P2 (i.e., a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken along the left-to-right direction of the 3D image showing the human body). The control unit 24C performs display control on the display device 16, thereby causing the three-dimensional organ image 42, the second cross section 62, the cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62, as well as the transverse cross-sectional image 47, the sagittal cross-sectional image 48, and the coronal cross-sectional image 49 to be displayed on the screen 56.

[0102] As an example, as shown in FIG. 15 , a transverse cross-sectional image 47, a sagittal cross-sectional image 48, and a coronal cross-sectional image 49 are displayed side by side on the screen 56. A cross-shaped cursor 80 is displayed on the transverse cross-sectional image 47, the sagittal cross-sectional image 48, and the coronal cross-sectional image 49 at a position within the image corresponding to the second position P2 of the second cross section 62 in the 3D organ image 42. Note that in the example shown in FIG. 15 , the transverse cross-sectional image 47, the sagittal cross-sectional image 48, and the coronal cross-sectional image 49 are displayed side by side, but this is merely an example. The transverse cross-sectional image 47, the sagittal cross-sectional image 48, and the coronal cross-sectional image 49 may also be displayed vertically. Furthermore, the transverse cross-sectional image 47, the sagittal cross-sectional image 48, and the coronal cross-sectional image 49 are displayed above the screen 56 relative to the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46, but this is merely an example. Axial, sagittal, and coronal images 47, 48, and 49 may be displayed below the screen 56 relative to the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46.

[0103] In the above embodiment, as an example of rotating the first cross section 61 around the intersection of the central axis CL and the first cross section 61 as the rotation center, as shown in Fig. 8, the case where the rotation is around the central axis CL and the case where the rotation is around the axis RA are described as examples, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the rotation axis may be arbitrarily set by the user 18.

[0104] In the above embodiment, the control unit 24C directly controls the display device 16 to display the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46 on the display device 16, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the control unit 24C may display the 3D organ image 42 and / or the cross-sectional image 46 on the display device 16 and / or a screen other than the display device 16 via a personal computer and / or a server, etc. Alternatively, the 3D organ image 42 and the cross-sectional image 46 may be displayed on separate screens.

[0105] In the above embodiment, a cross section is searched for using the central axis CL calculated from the 3D organ image 42 as a virtual axis, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the user 18 may move the central axis CL calculated from the 3D organ image 42 to a position within the 3D organ image 42 (e.g., a position displaced from the center), or an axis specified by the user 18 for the 3D organ image 42 may be used.

[0106] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a change instruction for the first cross section 61 is received by the reception device 14, and a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the second cross section 62 obtained by changing the geometric properties of the first cross section 61 is displayed on the screen 56. However, the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, a change instruction for the second cross section 62 may be further received via the reception device 14, and a cross-sectional image 46 corresponding to the cross section obtained by changing the geometric properties of the second cross section 62 may be displayed on the screen 56. In other words, the second cross section 62, which is a cross section after the geometric properties have been changed, may be treated as the first cross section 61 whose geometric properties will be newly changed.

[0107] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which image processing is performed by the processor 24 of the image processing device 12 included in the medical work support device 10, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the device that performs image processing may be located outside the medical work support device 10.

[0108] In this case, a medical service support system 100 may be used as shown in FIG. 16 . The medical service support system 100 includes an information processing device 101 and an external communication device 102. The information processing device 101 is a device in which the image processing program 36 has been removed from the storage 26 of the image processing device 12 included in the medical service support device 10 described in the above embodiment. The external communication device 102 is, for example, a server. The server is realized by, for example, a mainframe. While a mainframe is used here as an example, this is merely an example. The server may be realized by cloud computing or network computing such as fog computing, edge computing, or grid computing. While a server is used here as an example of the external communication device 102, this is merely an example. Instead of a server, at least one personal computer or the like may be used as the external communication device 102.

[0109] The external communication device 102 includes a processor 104, a storage 106, a RAM 108, and a communication I / F 110, and the processor 104, the storage 106, the RAM 108, and the communication I / F 110 are connected to each other via a bus 112. The communication I / F 110 is connected to the information processing device 101 via a network 114. The network 114 is, for example, the Internet. Note that the network 114 is not limited to the Internet, and may be a WAN and / or a LAN such as an intranet.

[0110] The storage 106 stores an image processing program 36. The processor 104 executes the image processing program 36 on the RAM 108. The processor 104 performs the image processing described above in accordance with the image processing program 36 executed on the RAM 108.

[0111] The information processing device 101 transmits a request signal requesting the execution of image processing to the external communication device 102. The communication I / F 110 of the external communication device 102 receives the request signal via the network 114. The processor 104 performs image processing in accordance with the image processing program 36 and transmits the processing result to the information processing device 101 via the communication I / F 110. The information processing device 101 receives the processing result (e.g., the processing result by the geometric characteristic modification unit 24E) transmitted from the external communication device 102 via the communication I / F 30 (see FIG. 2 ) and outputs the received processing result to various devices such as the display device 16.

[0112] In the example shown in FIG. 16, the external communication device 102 is an example of an "image processing device" according to the technology of the present disclosure, and the processor 104 is an example of a "processor" according to the technology of the present disclosure.

[0113] Furthermore, the image processing may be distributed and performed by a plurality of devices including the information processing device 101 and the external communication device 102. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the three-dimensional image 38 is stored in the storage 26 of the medical service support device 10, but it may also be stored in the storage 106 of the external communication device 102 and acquired from the external communication device 102 via a network before image processing is performed.

[0114] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example in which the image processing program 36 is stored in the storage 26 has been described, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the image processing program 36 may be stored in a storage medium (not shown) such as an SSD or a USB memory. The storage medium is a portable, computer-readable, non-transitory storage medium. The image processing program 36 stored in the storage medium is installed in the medical service support device 10. The processor 24 performs image processing in accordance with the image processing program 36.

[0115] Furthermore, the image processing program 36 may be stored in a storage device such as another computer or server connected to the medical service support device 10 via a network, and the image processing program 36 may be downloaded in response to a request from the medical service support device 10 and installed in the medical service support device 10. In other words, the program (program product) described in this embodiment may be provided on a recording medium or may be distributed from an external computer.

[0116] It is not necessary to store the entire image processing program 36 in the storage 26 or in a storage device of another computer or server connected to the medical service support device 10, but rather, a part of the image processing program 36 may be stored therein. Note that the storage medium, the storage device of another computer or server connected to the medical service support device 10, and other external storage are regarded as memories that are directly or indirectly connected to and used by the processor 24.

[0117] In the above embodiment, the processor 24, storage 26, RAM 28, and communication I / F 30 of the image processing device 12 are exemplified as a computer, but the technology of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and instead of a computer, a device including an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), and / or a PLD (Programmable Logic Device) may be applied. A combination of hardware and software configurations may also be used.

[0118] The hardware resources for executing the first output target selection process described in the above embodiment can be various processors, as listed below. Examples of processors include a CPU, which is a general-purpose processor that functions as a hardware resource for executing image processing by executing software, i.e., a program. Examples of processors include dedicated electrical circuits, such as FPGAs, PLDs, or ASICs, which are processors with circuit configurations designed specifically for executing specific processes. Each processor has built-in or connected memory, and uses the memory to execute image processing.

[0119] The hardware resource for executing image processing may be configured with one of these various processors, or may be configured with a combination of two or more processors of the same or different types (for example, a combination of multiple FPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). Also, the hardware resource for executing image processing may be a single processor.

[0120] As an example of a system configured with one processor, first, one processor is configured by combining one or more CPUs and software, and this processor functions as a hardware resource that executes image processing. Second, there is a system that uses a processor that realizes the functions of the entire system, including multiple hardware resources that execute image processing, on a single IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, as typified by SoC (System-on-a-chip). In this way, image processing is realized using one or more of the above-mentioned various processors as hardware resources.

[0121] More specifically, the hardware structure of these various processors can be an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor devices. Furthermore, the image processing described above is merely an example. Therefore, it goes without saying that unnecessary steps may be deleted, new steps may be added, or the processing order may be rearranged, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0122] The above-described description and illustrations are a detailed explanation of the parts related to the technology of the present disclosure and are merely an example of the technology of the present disclosure. For example, the above description of the configuration, functions, actions, and effects is an explanation of an example of the configuration, functions, actions, and effects of the parts related to the technology of the present disclosure. Therefore, it goes without saying that unnecessary parts may be deleted, new elements may be added, or replacements may be made to the above-described description and illustrations within the scope of the gist of the technology of the present disclosure. Furthermore, to avoid confusion and facilitate understanding of the parts related to the technology of the present disclosure, the above-described description and illustrations omit explanations of common technical knowledge that do not require particular explanation to enable the implementation of the technology of the present disclosure.

[0123] In this specification, "A and / or B" is synonymous with "at least one of A and B." In other words, "A and / or B" means that it may be only A, only B, or a combination of A and B. Furthermore, in this specification, the same concept as "A and / or B" is also applied when three or more things are expressed connected by "and / or."

[0124] All publications, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent application, or technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0125] 10 Medical business support equipment 12 Image processing device 14 Reception device 16 Display device 18 users 20 keyboards 22 Mouse 24 processors 24A Extraction part 24B Cross-sectional image generation section 24C Control Unit 24D Virtual axis calculation unit 24E Geometrical property change section 24F Area identification part 26 Storage 28 RAM 34 Bus 36 Image Processing Program 38 3D images 40 2D slice images 42 3D organ images 42A 1st area 42B 2nd area 46 cross-sectional images 47 Cross-sectional images 48 Cross-sectional images 49 Coronal images 56 screens 56A Notification Message Area 56A1 Notification Message 56B Warning message area 56B1 Warning Message 58 Pointer 59 Slider 59A Knob 61 1st cross section 62 Second cross section 71 Areas of Interest 72 Surrounding Area 80 cursor 100 Medical Business Support System 101 Information processing equipment 102 External communication device 104 processors 106 Storage 112 Bus 114 Network 110 Communication I / F 30 Communication I / F 32 External I / F CL center axis RA axis P1 1st position P2 2nd position

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: outputting information for displaying a three-dimensional target site image, which is a three-dimensional image showing the target site, on a display device; calculating a central axis of the target region in the three-dimensional target region image; outputting information for displaying on the display device a two-dimensional image corresponding to a first cross section intersecting with a first position on the central axis; modifying the geometric characteristics of the first cross section in accordance with an instruction to modify the geometric characteristics of the first cross section; outputting information for displaying on the display device a two-dimensional image corresponding to a second cross section obtained by changing the geometric characteristics of the first cross section; Furthermore, the position of the second cross section is at least one of a position obtained by rotating the first cross section around the central axis as a rotation axis, and a position obtained by rotating the first cross section around an axis that intersects the central axis and is along a normal direction of the first cross section as a rotation axis. Image processing device.

2. The geometric characteristic is at least one of a position of the first cross section on the central axis and an inclination of the first cross section with respect to the central axis. The image processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The processor divides the three-dimensional target region image into a first region and a second region along the specified second cross section.

3. The image processing device according to claim 1.

4. The processor outputs information for displaying either the first area or the second area on the display device. The image processing device according to claim 3 .

5. The processor: Based on information specifying a region of interest within the three-dimensional target site image, output information for displaying, on the display device, a region of the first region and the second region that does not include the region of interest. The image processing device according to claim 4 .

6. The processor: identifying a region of interest within the three-dimensional target area image; The geometric characteristics are calculated based on the position of the region of interest in the three-dimensional target site image and the volume of a region that does not include the region of interest or the volume of a region that includes the region of interest. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The processor: Calculating geometric characteristics that maximize the volume of a region that does not include the region of interest among regions to be displayed in the three-dimensional target site image The image processing device according to claim 6 .

8. The processor: identifying a region of interest within the three-dimensional target area image; Outputting information for displaying a region within a range designated from the region of interest as a peripheral region of the region of interest. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The processor causes a notification device to notify when the surrounding area intersects with at least one of the first cross section and the second cross section. The image processing device according to claim 8 .

10. the target site is a designated organ, The three-dimensional target site image is a three-dimensional organ image showing the organ. The image processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The processor: limiting the instruction for the geometric characteristics of the first cross section based on information about the organ; The image processing device according to claim 10.

12. The information about the organ includes information about a treatment for the organ. The image processing device according to claim 11 .

13. the processor identifying a region of interest within the three-dimensional organ image; The region of interest is a region showing a lesion site in the organ. The image processing device according to any one of claims 10 to 12.

14. The organ is the pancreas The image processing device according to any one of claims 10 to 13.

15. outputting information for displaying a three-dimensional target site image, which is a three-dimensional image showing the target site, on a display device; calculating a central axis of the target region in the three-dimensional target region image; outputting information for displaying, on the display device, a two-dimensional image corresponding to a first cross section intersecting with a first position on the central axis; modifying the geometric characteristics of the first cross-section in accordance with instructions to modify the geometric characteristics of the first cross-section; and outputting information for displaying on the display device a two-dimensional image corresponding to the second cross section obtained by changing the geometric characteristics of the first cross section; An image processing method comprising: Furthermore, the position of the second cross section is at least one of a position obtained by rotating the first cross section around the central axis as a rotation axis, and a position obtained by rotating the first cross section around an axis that intersects the central axis and is along a normal direction of the first cross section as a rotation axis. Image processing methods.

16. On the computer, outputting information for displaying a three-dimensional target site image, which is a three-dimensional image showing the target site, on a display device; calculating a central axis of the target region in the three-dimensional target region image; outputting information for displaying, on the display device, a two-dimensional image corresponding to a first cross section intersecting with a first position on the central axis; modifying the geometric characteristics of the first cross-section in accordance with instructions to modify the geometric characteristics of the first cross-section; and a two-dimensional image corresponding to a second cross section obtained by changing the geometric characteristics of the first cross section; outputting information for displaying an image on said display device; A program for executing a process including: Furthermore, the position of the second cross section is at least one of a position obtained by rotating the first cross section around the central axis as a rotation axis, and a position obtained by rotating the first cross section around an axis that intersects the central axis and is along a normal direction of the first cross section as a rotation axis. program.

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