COMPUTER IMPLEMENTED METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAM, AND USER INTERFACE FOR DISPLAYING VISUALIZABLE DATA - Patent application

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for displaying visualizeable data including at least one structure of interest is provided, comprising the steps of: receiving a user input via a user interface, the user interface enabling a user to select at least one structure, and / or at least one view of at least one structure, and / or at least one function, and / or at least one time interval, and / or at least one time-dependent measurement, and / or a read stack and / or a modality with a single command issued by the user to generate user input data, determining a presentation sequence of the visualizeable data based on the user input data, and displaying at least some of the visualizeable data according to the presentation sequence of the visualizeable data.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer-implemented method, a computer program product, and a user interface for displaying visualizable data. [Background technology]

[0002] Visualizable data is often used to evaluate or inspect structures, such as anatomical structures, industrial structures, etc. This means that the visualizable information is collected and inspected beforehand. In the medical field, for example, visualizable data is used for image-based diagnosis. Such evaluation or inspection is performed to answer a specific question or task of a user. Such a question or task may be a medical diagnosis, a measurement, a specific state of a structure, or a property of a structure. As a result, in most cases, only a certain part of the available visualizable data is needed to answer the specific question or task posed. Especially in clinical applications, a large amount of visualizable data is available, only a small part of which is at all useful to answer the problem posed.

[0003] The typical workflow for inspecting visualizable data is for the user to search for an image on which they wish to work (e.g., to measure), then select the desired action (e.g., measure) from a hierarchical menu, and finally perform the desired action process.

[0004] The problem with this is that a lot of time is lost during the search for a suitable image, and then again when clicking through very long and deeply nested menus offering multiple actions. For example, the best image for a measurement (where the structures are visible in the best way) may be overlooked and an unfavourable image may be used for the measurement. This may lead to erroneous measurements.

[0005] In particular, the usual workflow for working with clinical images shows a gap between clinical and technical thinking. Naturally, the physician first thinks in mind the anatomical structure to be measured and / or diagnosed. This is translated into technical methods configured to perform the respective action (e.g., measurement) as follows: To perform a measurement, appropriate data must be searched for within a large amount of visualizable data. Then, the desired measurement must be selected from a hierarchical menu of different measurements, usually large and deeply nested. Finally, the measurement can be performed.

[0006] There are several problems with this approach. It can take a long time to scroll through all available visualizeable data to find the appropriate data to answer the currently posed question or task (e.g., searching for visualizeable data that includes the desired structure, such as the left ventricle, a view, such as the parasternal long axis view, or a feature, such as diastolic function). This is especially true when the visualizeable data is presented to the user in several pages. By searching for the appropriate visualizeable data, the optimal visualizeable data can be overlooked and suboptimal data can be selected. This can lead to inaccurate assessments or measurements. Selecting the desired measurements to be performed within the visualizeable data is also time consuming as most have hierarchical menus that require several clicks for the user to find and select the measurement they are looking for. Furthermore, the user must perform an unnatural thinking process to get from the posed problem (e.g., "I want to measure the left ventricle") to the actual measurement. That is, the user must take the indirect route of "What data do I need?" over "Where is this measurement in the menu?" to finally answer the user's problem.

[0007] US 2008232661 A1 shows a computer-assisted method including alternating between a navigation task and one or more of a measurement task, qualification task, and quantification task of a clinical task according to a defined simple click style user interaction. The defined simple click style user interaction is based on domain knowledge including details of anatomy and details of clinical measurement, quantification, or workflow of the clinical task related to the anatomy. In response to command execution of the simple click style user interaction in the current view, and according to the corresponding navigation task or measurement, qualification, or quantification task, the method transitions the workflow in the clinical task between one or more of a first measurement point and the current view or a next measurement point in the current view and the next view.

[0008] EP 3 009 074 A1 refers to an ultrasound device including multiple display units, a first display configured to display an ultrasound image such that a user's vision is not directed away from a main display while scanning an ultrasound image, the device further comprising a control panel including a second display different from the first display and configured to display a plurality of control items. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] However, users still need to navigate through nested menus click-by-click to complete the desired workflow, so finding answers to posed questions can still be cumbersome and important information can be overlooked by users while clicking through the workflow.

[0010] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that can efficiently provide desired information to a user in less time and with higher quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention solves the above problem by means of a computer implemented method for displaying visualisable data comprising the features of claim 1, a computer program comprising the features of claim 10 and a user interface comprising the features of claim 11.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, 1. A computer-implemented method for displaying visualizeable data including at least one structure of interest, comprising: receiving user input via a user interface, the user interface adapted to allow a user to: At least one structure, and / or At least one view of at least one structure, and / or At least one function, and / or At least one time interval, and / or At least one time-dependent measurement, and / or Read stack and / or Modality and enabling a user to select determining a presentation sequence of the visualizable data based on the user input data; displaying at least some of the visualizable data according to a presentation sequence of the visualizable data; A computer-implemented method is provided, comprising:

[0013] In contrast to the prior art, the method of the present invention allows the user to generate user input data by a single interaction with the user interface. Based on the user input data, the available visualizable data can be reclassified so that important data for answering the user's specific question can be displayed directly (e.g., prominently) to the user. The user can generate user input data corresponding to the user's question without forming a transition performance between the user's natural thinking and the program's technical approach (e.g., the method of the present invention) in advance, and thus the user can intuitively adjust the type of visualizable data to be displayed based on the specific question to be answered or the task to be performed. In other words, the user's natural way of thinking is realized during the user's interaction with the user interface. As a result, the user's evaluation can be accelerated. Furthermore, the possibility of overlooking some important visualizable data can be reduced or even completely prevented.

[0014] The visualizeable data may initially be any sequence or sequences. For example, the order of the visualizeable data may correspond to a recording or uploading sequence of the visualizeable data. The visualizeable data may be data that may be provided as digital data, for example in the DICOM standard. Furthermore, the visualizeable data may include image data. Furthermore, the visualizeable data may include further information corresponding to the image data, such as information of structures depicted in the image data, measurement results, measurements, and / or previously performed evaluations. The visualizeable data may include a three-dimensional array of voxels, each voxel including a grayscale value. In particular, the visualizeable data may be 3D medical image data. Such 3D medical image data has typically been obtained from a field of view including the structure of interest using a medical imaging modality, such as, for example, MR, computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) or ultrasound (US). The structure of interest may be an anatomical structure. If the anatomical structure is the heart, ultrasound, in particular transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), may be advantageously used to obtain the visualizeable data. For example, the 3D medical image data may be acquired over a time span to acquire four-dimensional (4D) medical image data, the fourth dimension being time. In this case, one 3D image from the 4D medical image data may be referred to below as a "frame" or "image". The 3D images may be acquired at a frame rate of, for example, 5 to 100, preferably 20 to 60 images per second, to allow smooth representation of dynamically moving structures of interest. The time period is typically at least one cycle of a periodic motion, for example at least one heartbeat. The 3D medical image data may be received directly from the modality that acquired the medical image data or from a clinical image database. Furthermore, the visualizeable data may include two-dimensional (2D) image data. Furthermore, the visualizeable data may include a combination of 2D, 3D, and / or 4D data.

[0015] The structure of interest may be an anatomical structure or a part of an industrial machine. The structure of interest may include multiple sub-structures. For example, the structure of interest may be the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, or any other anatomical structure of a human or animal. For example, the visualizeable data may include information of several anatomical structures of a human. The structure of interest may be one of these anatomical structures.

[0016] The step of receiving user input may be triggered by a user's interaction with a user interface. The user interface may be a human-machine interface between a user and a system configured to perform the above method. The user interface may be a device configured to convert a physical interaction by a user (e.g., a click with an input device, a user gesture, or a finger tap) into a signal that may be a user input on an aspect of the system. In other words, the user interface may be configured to interpret user actions to generate user input data.

[0017] The user interface may be a device configured to dynamically display a menu and receive a physical interaction by a user. The physical interaction may be a single command executed by the user. The dynamic display of the menu may be defined by adapting the menu to the available visualizeable data. In other words, the menu may be displayed differently if the visualizeable data is medical data compared to if the visualizeable data is industrial data. For example, predefined analyses such as read stacks (option f) or functions (option c) may be defined differently. Furthermore, the user interface may convert a physical interaction by the user therewith into user input data (i.e., into a signal). For example, the user interface may be a touch-sensitive display. The user interface may be part of a system configured to perform the method. The system may be a computer.

[0018] Furthermore, the user interface may be configured to provide at least one of the options a) to g) to the user, such that the user can select one of them with a single interaction between the user and the user interface. At least one of the options a) to g) may be provided to the user by a menu. The menu may include at least one push button. Preferably, a plurality of push buttons is provided. Each push button may be identified by a schematic diagram showing one of the options a) to g). The options a) to g) may correspond to a question and / or a task to be answered. In this way, the user can easily know which button has which function. That is, the user can directly select at least one of the options a) to g) based on his question or the task to be answered, without translating the question or the task in a technical way. This allows the workflow to be realized intuitively. The options a) to g) are described in detail below.

[0019] According to option a), the user interface may enable the user to select at least one structure. The structure may be a structure of interest contained in the visualizeable data. For example, the structure may be a human or animal heart, a lung, a liver, a kidney, or any other anatomical structure. Furthermore, the structure may be a sub-structure of a larger structure contained in the visualizeable data. For example, the structure may be a ventricle of a human heart, a chamber of a human heart, etc. Thus, the structure that is the subject of the presented question or task may be directly and specifically selected by the user. Furthermore, the push button indicating the structure may be visualized by a schematic diagram identifying the respective structure. Furthermore, the structure may be an industrial part such as a gear, a clutch, a machine, etc.

[0020] According to option b), the user interface may allow the user to select at least one view of at least one structure. The view may be a viewing direction in which the visualizeable data and / or structure is depicted. In particular, the view may be a cross-sectional view of the 3D visualization. Furthermore, the view may be an MPR plane. Furthermore, the view may be, for example, a top view, a side view, a frontal bottom view of the structure of interest. In the clinical field, the view may be, for example, an apical four-chamber view, an apical three-chamber view, or an apical two-chamber view of the heart. In addition, the view may be a five-chamber view, an inferior vena cava, a long axis right ventricular inflow, a parasternal short axis aortic view, a parasternal short axis apical view, a parasternal short axis mitral view, a parasternal short axis papillary view, a right ventricular outflow tract view, a special TEE view, a subcostal four-chamber view, a suprasternal view of the aortic arch, a transthoracic standard parasternal long axis or a two-chamber view. Furthermore, any other standardized view, such as an iso view, may be selected under option b). In addition, interviews may be collected in groups of views. Thus, option b) may allow the user to select multiple views with one single command. For example, short axis views may be collected in one view group. Similarly, long axis views may be collected in another view group. In this case, the user input data may indicate all views included in the selected group of views. This allows the user to select a variety of views tailored to the question or task at hand with a single command.

[0021] According to option c), the user interface may allow the user to select at least one function. The function may be a function of the structure of interest. For example, the function may be the opacity of a heart valve. Furthermore, the function may be an intended measurement to be performed within the visualizeable data. For example, the measurement may be a length determination, a volume determination, and / or an area determination. Furthermore, the function may include a diagnostic problem or pathology related to the examination to be performed. Furthermore, the function may be an electrocardiogram of the heartbeat phase (systole) and / or relaxation phase (diastole). In addition, any other functional content of the visualizeable data may be defined under option c). The functional content may mean the visualization of any measurement parameter over time or over a specific motion sequence of the structure included within the visualizeable data.

[0022] According to option d), the user interface may allow the user to select at least one time interval. The time interval may be selected if 4D visualizeable data is available. Such data may be, for example, the movement of a structure of interest. In the medical field, the time interval may be, for example, the period of a heart beat. Furthermore, the time interval may be the diastole or systole of a cardiac cycle. That is, the content of option d) may overlap with the content of option c). However, by providing both (i.e., option c) and option d)), the user may intuitively select an option with his question or task in mind. In some cases, selecting one of options c) or d) may be more intuitive for the user than the other one. In this case, the user may obtain the same result by selecting either option c) or d). Furthermore, options c) and d) may be displayed differently to the user (e.g., by different graphical icons). Thus, the workflow may be intuitively performed without the need to translate the user's question or task into technical instructions.

[0023] According to option e), the user interface may allow the user to select at least one time-dependent measurement to be included in the visualizeable data. The measurements may include Doppler and / or B-mode information. The time-dependent measurements may be measurements at different time points. For example, a comparison of structures at different time points is possible. As a result, for example, the progress of a disease can be monitored. By being able to select the measurements, the user may be in a position to directly select the results that the user needs to answer his question or task.

[0024] According to option f), the user interface may allow the user to select a read stack. A read stack may for example be a predefined workflow for performing a standard examination. Such an examination may include one or more measurements or measurement results. For example, a read stack may be a Doppler measurement performed on the basis of the visualizeable data. Furthermore, a read stack may be a pathological approach. Furthermore, a read stack may be a combination of views of one or more structures. That is, a read stack may be used to evaluate the overall condition of an anatomical structure. If the anatomical structure is the heart, a read stack may for example include an apical 4-chamber view, Doppler information, and a view of the ventricles. Depending on the type of visualizeable data, any other combination is possible. For example, a read stack may be a sorted order of images of visualizeable data for a particular pathological problem.

[0025] According to option g), the user interface may allow the user to select a modality. The modality may be a modality used to acquire at least a portion of the visualizeable data. The modality may be magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET) and / or ultrasound (US). Thus, the user may directly select a modality that he knows provides suitable visualizeable data to answer his question or task.

[0026] At least some of the options a)-g) may overlap with each other and therefore may yield the same result (i.e., the same user input data), however, it may be advantageous to display more options to the user so that the user can intuitively select based on the user's question or task to be answered.

[0027] A single command issued by the user may be the trigger for generating the user input data. That is, the single command may be characterized in that only one interaction between the user and the user interface is necessary to generate the user input data. More specifically, the user interface may be configured such that the user is in a position to address his task or question regarding the visualizeable data (e.g., a structure, an object, or anything else described by the visualizeable data) with one single command. The command may be a click using a pointing device, a tap with one or more fingers of the user, a gesture made by the user, or any other action by the user that can be recognized by the user interface. Thus, for a clinical application of the present invention, the user may have a question regarding the dimensions of the aortic valve of the heart. The user may then use the user interface to click a button regarding the structure of the aortic valve of the heart. Subsequently, the user input data is generated. Further, based on the user input data, the visualizeable data is shown to the user (further details below). This allows the user to have the visualizeable data and work with just one interaction. In other words, the user may not have to translate his / her question or task in technical instructions to be entered into the system, but may be able to enter the task or question itself (e.g., at least one of options a)-g) into the user interface to obtain the desired data. As a result, the workflow may be more intuitive and therefore more efficient. Furthermore, extensive training on the system to understand the underlying technical approach may not be required to work with a system that performs the above method.

[0028] The user input data may be an internal signal configured to indicate a user's selection of at least one of the options a) to g). In other words, the user input data may indicate a user question or task to be answered by the visualizable data. For example, the user may have a question regarding a particular anatomical structure. Thus, a single command may be executed by the user using the user interface to select option a). The user input data may then indicate that the particular anatomical structure is a structure of interest for the user. In another case, the user may have a question regarding a particular pathology and issue corresponding user input data via the user interface. In this case, the user input data may indicate visualizable data required for the treatment of the pathology in question. In either case, the user input data may be a functional link between a particular user task or question entered into the user interface by a single command and the visualizable data required to answer the user's question or task. In other words, the user input data may indicate which visualizable data corresponds to a selection made by the user via the user interface. The transfer from the selection made by the user to the user input data may be realized by the control unit. The selection may be an input to the control unit and the user output data may be an output of the control unit. That is, the control unit may be configured to map the selection made by the user to user output data indicative of the visualizable data required to fulfill the requirements of the selection. Thus, the user does not need to determine which visualizable data is required for his / her particular question or task, but can directly input the question or task via the user interface (i.e., by selecting at least one of options a)-g). The control unit may then be configured to translate the input (i.e., selection) into a technical requirement to determine the visualizable data required to answer the user's question or task. This can significantly improve the efficiency of the workflow.

[0029] User input data may be generated only when a user interacts with the user interface to select one of options a) to g) to answer a user question or task. That is, moving a pointer on the display of the user interface may not be considered a user command and therefore may not generate user input data. The same may be true for adjusting a configuration of the user interface, such as display brightness or other system configuration. However, as long as a user interacts with the user interface in a manner related to the user question or task, this interaction may be considered as a command issued by the user. For example, scrolling through a menu to select at least one submenu to end up with a desired button to generate user input data may be considered to be multiple commands issued by the user. On the other hand, the present invention provides a feature that allows a user to generate user input data by a single command (i.e., selecting at least one of options a) to g).

[0030] Based on the user input data, the presentation sequence of the visualizeable data may be determined. In other words, the sequence in which the visualizeable data may be provided to the user may be adjusted based on the user input data. The sequence may be an order from a first image (e.g., 2D, 3D, or 4D) to any one of the subsequent images included in the visualizeable data. For example, if the user input data specifies the human heart as a structure of interest and the visualizeable data includes multiple images representing the entire body or other parts of the body, the order of the images included in the visualizeable data may be determined such that the image including the heart is provided first. Thus, a user having entered a single command may then inspect the image of interest first. In other words, the determination of the presentation sequence may include a re-screening of images included in the visualizeable data. That is, the user does not have to scroll through a large number of images that do not match his question or task, but is provided directly with the important images. This significantly reduces or completely suppresses the risk of missing important images needed to answer the user's question or task.

[0031] Furthermore, the visualizable data may be displayed to the user in a previously determined sequence. That is, the user's instructions may be input to a system configured to execute the above method, and the visualizable data in the determined sequence may be the output of the system to the user. Furthermore, the visualizable data may be adjusted based on the user input data. That is, the size of the visualizable data may be reduced to include only the visualizable data necessary to answer the user's question or task. Thus, the handling of the visualizable data may be made easier. In addition, the user may work with less data, for example, allowing the user to work on a less powerful computer. To determine the visualizable data necessary to answer the user's question or task, the visualizable data may include information of the properties and / or content of the visualizable data. For example, the visualizable data may include images (e.g., 2D, 3D and / or 4D). In this case, the content of the image may be information of what is shown by the respective image. Furthermore, the characteristics of the image may be included in the visualizable data. The characteristics may be the resolution of the image, the orientation of the exposure axis (the angle at which the probe was held while acquiring the image using US), and / or the type of image (standardized image such as 4-chamber view, 3-chamber view, etc.). Additionally, measurements previously made using a particular image may be included within the visualizeable data. Furthermore, pathology corresponding to a particular image of the visualizeable data may be included within the visualizeable data.

[0032] Displaying the visualizable data to the user may be realized on the same device previously used to input the user's instructions, for example such a device may be a touch-sensitive display, etc. As a result, a system configured to perform the above method may have a compact size.

[0033] According to a further embodiment, the visualizeable data is medical data comprising at least one anatomical structure, and the user interface may enable a user to select at least one view of the at least one anatomical structure, and / or at least one function, and / or at least one pathology, and the medical data is preferably acquired by a multimodal examination.

[0034] The medical data may be stored and received from a database. Thus, a large amount of visualizable data of one patient under examination may be taken into account. In particular, such a database may store visualizable data acquired at different times. Thus, the user input data may comprise a time component. In other words, the user input data may indicate the time at which the visualizable data should be displayed to the user. For example, in some cases, it may be important to compare an old image with a recently acquired image. Since the user input data may also include a time component, this issue may be taken into account by the determination of the sequence of the visualizable data. However, the visualizable data may be acquired simultaneously with the execution of the instructions of the above method. That is, the method may be performed in parallel with the examination of the patient. Thus, the method may also be usable in emergency medicine.

[0035] A detailed selection of the present embodiment may be additionally provided by the user interface for at least one of the above selections a) to g). Thus, the user's question or task may be addressed in more detail. A multimodal examination may be an examination using two or more modalities. For example, the visualizeable data may include data acquired by CT and data acquired by US. Thus, the advantages of each modality may be used in response to the user's question or task.

[0036] According to the present invention, the method further comprises detecting content of the visualizable data, and the determination of the presentation sequence is further based on the content of the visualizable data, in that at least one view of the at least one structure and / or at least one function is derived from the content of the visualizable data.

[0037] The detection of the content of the visualizable data may be a determination of what is depicted and / or represented by the visualizable data. The detection of the content of the visualizable data may be performed for the first time (e.g., when the visualizable data is analyzed for the first time). Thus, the visualizable data may be assigned to the user input (e.g., any one of options a) to g). Furthermore, the detection may be performed even if the visualizable data contains information depicted by the visualizable data (e.g., when the visualizable data has been previously processed or information has been added to the visualizable data in another way). In this case, the previously performed detection may be checked and / or completed. This may prevent cases where the available detection is incorrect or incomplete. The detection may be an automatic image classification and / or content detection. The detection may be performed prior to receiving the user input. The step of detecting the content of the visualizable data may include labeling of the images (2D, 3D, or 4D) included in the visualizable data. The label may include information such as "apical 2-chamber view including left ventricle and mitral valve".

[0038] According to one embodiment, the step of detecting the content of the visualizable data is performed using an artificial intelligence algorithm. The artificial intelligence algorithm can compare the visualizable data with known images and / or content, and if there is a similarity between the known content and the visualizable data, the visualizable data can be matched with the content. Thus, the algorithm can be configured as a comparator. As a result, an efficient way of determining the type and / or content of the visualizable data can be provided. The type of visualizable data can be detection of a view (e.g. a standard view such as a two-chamber view, a three-chamber view, a four-chamber view, etc.). Additionally, the acquisition angle (e.g. the camera angle) can be determined.

[0039] The artificial intelligence algorithm may be an artificial neural network configured to detect the content of the visualizable data. For example, the artificial neural network may be trained to classify the visualizable data. Preferably, the method further comprises training the artificial neural network. Thus, training input image data and corresponding training output data may be provided to train the neural network. Once the neural network is trained, the neural network may provide an output including a classification of the images previously input to the neural network. Using a neural network to determine the type and / or content of the visualizable data may provide an improved or improveable classification process of the visualizable data. Convolutional neural networks have been found to be particularly useful for classifying the content of the visualizable data.

[0040] According to a further embodiment, the step of determining the presentation sequence of the visualisable data is further based on measurement data obtained by previously performed measurements on the visualisable data.

[0041] The visualizeable data may include measurement data. That is, previously performed measurements may be assigned to one or more images (2D, 3D, or 4D) of the visualizeable data. The measurement data may also be taken into account in determining the presentation sequence. That is, if a user's question or task can be answered by a previously performed measurement, the corresponding visualizeable data (e.g., the image and the corresponding measurement data) may be configured to be prominently displayed to the user. Furthermore, radiologists usually perform standard measurements upon acquiring the visualizeable data. These standard measurements may also be considered as measurement data and may be included in the visualizeable data. That is, the measurement data may also be used to classify the visualizeable data. In other words, the measurement data may also be used to automatically identify objects, structures, environments, etc. shown by the visualizeable data. Thus, the step of detecting the content of the visualizeable data may be improved.

[0042] According to a further embodiment, determining the presentation sequence comprises assigning the visualizable data to different hierarchical levels based on relevance of the visualizable data to the user input data, and determining the presentation sequence may be further based on the hierarchical level of the visualizable data.

[0043] In other words, the step of determining the presentation sequence may generate two, three, four, or more relevance levels, and the visualizeable data may be assigned to the respective relevance levels. The first relevance level may include the visualizeable data that is most relevant to answering the user's question or task. Thus, the first relevance level may be displayed directly and prominently to the user. This allows the user to see the most important visualizeable data at a glance. In other words, the user does not have to scroll or browse through many images, for example, to find a relevant image. The other visualizeable data may be assigned to the following relevance levels. If the other visualizeable data has the same relevance to the user's question or task, there may be only one additional relevance level (i.e., two relevance levels in total). However, if the other visualizeable data includes more and less relevant visualizeable data, the other visualizeable data may be subdivided into further relevance levels. For example, if the user wants to analyze a particular anatomical structure, all visualizeable data of said structure may be assigned a first relevance level. For example, visualizeable data including adjacent structures may be assigned to a second relevance level below. Additionally, more distant structures may be assigned a third relevance level. In this way, the user may easily overlook visualizable data depending on the user's relevance to the user's question or task. That is, sometimes it may be useful to briefly inspect anatomical structures adjacent to the actual structure being inspected. By applying the above method, the user may easily consider the surroundings of the user's area of ​​interest. This allows for efficient holistic review.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises performing an automated measurement of at least one characteristic of at least one structure included in the visualisable data.

[0045] The automatic measurements may be image-based measurements, such as length and / or volume measurements. Such measurements may be included in the measurement data or in the visualizeable data. That is, the measurements may be shown in the respective images on which they were performed. The user only has to approve or adjust the measurements. This helps to further speed up the workflow and is also useful for inexperienced users. The automatic measurements may be performed by a computer. Moreover, the automatic measurements may also save clicks and thus time. Furthermore, the automatic measurements may be used for review of previously performed measurements. In other words, the user may receive an indication that the automatic measurements deviate (e.g. by a certain or a predefined percentage) from previously performed measurements. Thus, the user may carefully check the particular measurements and / or the images (2D, 3D or 4D) on which the measurements were performed. When used for review or reporting or when measurements already exist, these measurements may be used to increase the classification accuracy (i.e. to determine the presentation sequence of the visualizeable data). Furthermore, mistakes are prohibited, especially when multiple users work with the same visualizeable data.

[0046] According to one embodiment, the method further comprises evaluating the visualizable data to determine a state of the structure.

[0047] The condition of the structure may be the state of the structure. If the structure is a mechanical component, the condition of the structure may be the degree of wear of the component. In this case, the evaluating step may comprise comparing the visualizable data at different points in time, i.e. the wear progression can be monitored during the evaluation. Such a comparison may be performed automatically. Based on the total change of the component or structure between different points in time, the status of the component may be determined. Alternatively or additionally, the rate of change may be taken into account by determining the condition of the component.

[0048] If the structure is an anatomical structure, the condition may be defined by a tag such as "aortic insufficiency" or "healthy patient". That is, the step of evaluating the visualizeable data may include evaluation of the visualizeable data to diagnose the condition of the patient and / or the structure of interest. For example, the blood volume may be automatically determined and based on the result, it may be evaluated whether the value is in the normal or abnormal region. Thus, the condition of the structure or the patient may be determined. The step of evaluating may be performed before receiving user input. Furthermore, the determination of the presentation sequence may be further based on the status of the structure. Thus, the user's question or task to be answered may be targeted and addressed by providing the most relevant visualizeable data.

[0049] For example, the state of the heart as a structure of interest can define the severity of diastolic dysfunction. The evaluation can include processing a decision tree. A decision tree for diastolic dysfunction can have a decision path that can be mapped into a workflow, already supporting the decision of a sequence of visualizable data. The first step of the workflow can be the determination of the ejection fraction (EF). Depending on whether this is normal or reduced, the decision path can follow a decision tree for normal EF or a decision tree with reduced EF. In the decision tree for normal EF, three different statuses can be defined: first, normal diastolic function; second, intermediate; and third, diastolic dysfunction. The decision tree with reduced EF can output four different states of the heart: normal diastolic dysfunction, unable to determine diastolic dysfunction, grade II diastolic dysfunction or grade III diastolic dysfunction.

[0050] According to a further embodiment, at least a portion of the visualisable data is displayed directly after receiving a single command issued by the user.

[0051] In other words, after the user selects one of the options a) to g) to display the associated visualizeable data to the user, no further interaction may be required between the user and the user interface. Thus, the visualizeable data may be quickly displayed to the user with only one interaction (e.g., one click) performed by the user to generate a user input. In other words, the user may find and select a desired structure or view at a glance and with one click. Thus, handling the visualizeable data may exhibit improved intuitiveness and follow the user's natural way of thinking.

[0052] According to another aspect, the invention provides a computer program comprising program code instructions which, when executed by a processor, enable the processor to carry out the method as defined above. The computer program may be any code, in particular code suitable for computer graphics applications, in particular code suitable for image analysis programming.

[0053] In a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a computer readable medium comprising a computer program as defined above. The computer readable medium may be any digital data storage device such as a USB stick, a hard disk, a CDROM, an SD card or an SSD card. Of course, the computer program does not have to be stored on such a computer readable medium to be provided to the customer, but may also be downloadable via the internet.

[0054] According to a further aspect, the present invention is directed to a user interface for controlling a display of visualizable data including at least one structure, the user interface comprising:

[0055] a display for displaying a map menu including at least one selection zone including at least one selectable item; an input device configured to enable a user to select selection zones and / or selectable items such that user input data is generated with a single interaction between the user and the user interface; a control unit configured to determine a presentation sequence of the visualizable data based on the user input data, and to display the visualizable data based on the presentation sequence of the visualizable data; Includes.

[0056] The user interface may include a display configured to display a map menu to the user. The display may also be configured to display the visualizable data. However, the visualizable data may be displayed on a separate display. For example, the display may be a touch-sensitive display. The display may thus be used to receive user instructions and to show the visualizable data to the user. The user interface may thus be compact. The user interface may be part of a computer, a tablet, a workstation, or any other data processing unit. The user interface may thus be used in various technical fields.

[0057] The map menu may be a presentation of several selectable options (e.g., a) to g). All available selectable options may be presented to the user at once. This means that the user can see all available options at a glance. Thus, the user does not have to scroll or search for the desired option in hierarchically deeply nested menus. In other words, the display may be configured to show the user all available selectable options at once (i.e., all available selectable options may be presented in parallel). The map menu may be designed to allow for quick identification of the desired structure (e.g., left ventricle) or view (e.g., parasternal long axis view) or function (e.g., diastolic function) and to identify everything in one simple flat menu. The content of this kind of menu may be assimilated without scrolling or page turning. Moreover, the selection may be made with one single click. This may allow for an optimal workflow and at the same time allow for accurate measurements. More specifically, the intended anatomical structure (or view or function, or any other option a)-g) can be selected first, and then the visualizeable data can be presented to the user later in an adapted (i.e., re-sorted) presentation sequence. This selection of anatomical structure or view can be done with one click in the map menu, which allows the user to select exactly what they intend to measure or evaluate. The map menu may be a flat map of the anatomical "landscape". That is, a flat map may mean that all available options may be presented to the user at once. The anatomical landscape may be implemented when the user interface is used in the medical field. In this case, the anatomical landscape may describe various different definitions in an anatomical context. For example, anatomical structure, measurement method, pathology, diagnostic problem, intended measurement, etc. As the map menu may be configured to be presented to the user completely at once, the map menu may be called a mini-map menu.According to one aspect, the main idea is to provide a mini-map that allows the user to simultaneously select different types of information with a single click.

[0058] At least one selection zone may contain at least one selectable item. That is, the selectable item may be a sub-selection of the selectable item. In other words, the selection zone may be a super-selection to the selectable item. Thus, the user may select a broader selection (i.e., the selection zone) or may select a limited selection by directly selecting the selectable item. The selection zone may represent user input data where a larger amount of the visualizeable data considers more important to the user than the selectable items. Thus, the selectable items may provide a more precise selection of the visualizeable data than the selection zone. Although the map menu presents the user with all the choices at once, the user may still select a precisely defined option to answer the user's question or task. Here, a map menu is described having two levels (i.e., the selection area and the selectable items) that define the options to be selected. However, more levels may be provided to define the options. That is, the selectable items may also include at least one lower level selectable element, and so on. The selection zone may be identified by a border provided around the selection zone. Within the border, the selectable items may be graphically depicted. For example, the heart may be depicted generally by line drawings (i.e., structure). Furthermore, Doppler measurements may be depicted by color flow (i.e., function). Furthermore, diastole and / or systole may be depicted by a schematic electrocardiogram in which the respective parts (i.e., diastole or systole) are highlighted. In this way, any selectable items and / or selection zones may be depicted generally in a map menu. The graphical visualization allows the user to intuitively navigate to the desired option. Furthermore, the user interface may be used internationally without the need to translate any written identification of the selectable items. Thus, the implementation of the user interface may be simplified.

[0059] The input device may be a pointing device such as a computer mouse, a trackball, a trackpad, etc. However, the input device may also be realized by the display, where the display is a touch-sensitive display and the user issues user commands by taping (e.g., with the user's finger) on the display. In addition, the input device may be a camera that may be configured to recognize movements and / or gestures made by the user. Thus, the user interface may be implemented in a variety of existing systems, from desktop computers to tablets, to virtual or augmented reality environments.

[0060] The control unit may be a processing unit configured to receive input data, process data, output instructions, and / or output data. The control unit may be a remote control unit, i.e. the control unit need not be co-located with the display. Thus, the method may be performed remotely. The control unit may be centrally located on a server, and the display and input device may be located where a user operates the input device. As a result, two or more users may operate the user interface simultaneously.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the input device is configured to enable a pointer to be navigated by the user to hover over the map menu when a single command is issued by the user to generate user input data based on the current position of the pointer within the map menu.

[0062] A single command may be a click, a tap, a gesture, or any other recognizable action performed by a user. For example, a user may navigate a pointer in a map menu to a desired selection zone or selectable item, whereupon the user may activate the pointing device (e.g., click a computer mouse) to issue a command. As discussed above, a single command is sufficient to generate user input data.

[0063] According to a further embodiment, the map menu includes a plurality of selection zones;

[0064] Each selection zone contains at least one selectable item;

[0065] At least one selectable item in the selection zone is At least one structure, and / or At least one view of at least one structure, and / or At least one function, and / or At least one time interval, and / or At least one time-dependent measurement, and / or Read stack, and / or Modality Regarding.

[0066] In other words, multiple selection zones may be provided, each containing at least one selectable item. The selectable options a) to g) may be characterized as outlined above. A selection zone may represent a general type of any option according to A) to g). For example, one selection zone may define a view (i.e. a group of views). A selectable item within this selection zone may define a particular view. Furthermore, the selection zone may define a short axis view. In a selectable item within said selection zone, the short axis view may for example be further assigned to a particular structure or sub-structure. Thus, user orientation in the map menu may be facilitated and thus the workflow may be further accelerated.

[0067] According to one embodiment, the map menu comprises a plurality of selectable items, and the control unit is configured to at least partially highlight a selectable item or a selectable item and / or a selection zone when the pointer hovers over a corresponding other selectable item and / or selection zone.

[0068] For example, a user may move a pointer over a map menu (i.e., over a selection zone and / or a selectable item). As mentioned above, the selection zone and / or selectable items may be shown diagrammatically. The user may manipulate the pointer via an input device to highlight all other selectable items and / or selection zones associated with said sub-portion when the pointer hovers over a sub-portion of the structure of interest. A selection zone may be highlighted by bolding its border, by shading it, and / or by depicting it in a different color. A selectable item may be highlighted by depicting it with a different line thickness, shading, or any other suitable means. For example, if a user places a pointer over the left ventricle in a selectable item associated with a selection zone that defines the structure, a selectable item representing the left ventricle associated with a different selection zone that defines a short-axis view may be highlighted. In this way, the user may intuitively recognize his / her options in order to select the correct option to answer the user's question or task.

[0069] According to a further embodiment, the map menu is at least partially constructed as a flat map of the structural landscape, preferably without text.

[0070] As defined above, the map menu may be depicted to the user so that the user can see all available options at once; thus, there is no need to explore the menu or multi-click. The abandonment of text may provide the advantage that the user can intuitively recognize his options. Furthermore, the menu may be presented more clearly, since no textual description is required to define the options. In addition, the user interface may be easily used across language barriers, since each user can recognize his options without the need to master a particular language.

[0071] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention can be implemented in echocardiography. First, a map menu is drawn to the user (step 1). This map allows the user to select either a view plane, or a group of views, or a function or reading stack, or an anatomical structure with one click. This map menu fits on one page, so there is no need to scroll or turn pages. Hovering the mouse over the map menu highlights the selected structure, view, etc. In this way, the user can select different types of information by clicking inside or outside the icon, on the wall or inside the volume, near or far from the icon. However, the map menu can have a different appearance and / or way of functioning. A point allows the user to select between an anatomical structure and a view plane with one click, which makes difficult and deeply nested menus unnecessary. This helps to save time and facilitates the workflow.

[0072] Then, in a second step, the visualizeable data may be reclassified based on the selections previously made by the user. To achieve this, some kind of automatic image classification may be performed, for example using a convolutional neural network to detect visible structures in the visualizeable data. In this way, every image of the visualizeable data gets a label (e.g., "apical 2-chamber view including left ventricle and mitral valve"). This label may then be used to determine whether the image fits the user selection. For example, the user may select the anatomical structure "left ventricle". Then, all images containing this "left ventricle" may be sorted to the top of the graphical user interface. This may be images labeled with "apical 2-chamber" or "apical 4-chamber" or "apical 3-chamber" or other types of views.

[0073] (i.e., the view planes) include this anatomical structure. Ensuring that each new study (i.e., collection of patient clips) has the same order of view planes shown in this reordered view (e.g., 2-chamber followed by 3-chamber followed by 4-chamber) further improves usability. All other images (that do not fit the selection) are still visible to the user, but come after the selected image in unaltered order. For example, the user may select "Apical 2-chamber" as the desired object of interest. In this case, all acquired apical 2-chamber views may be placed at the start of the sorted study. To prevent errors and / or to make handling more intuitive, these 2-chamber views may be followed by 3-chamber and 4-chamber views that are optically very close to the desired 2-chamber views. For example, the user may select a group of views, e.g., "Apex," which would show first all apical views, followed by all other images of the study. For example, the user may select a function, e.g., "Diastated Function," which may lead to the selection of all images needed to evaluate diastolic function. These are placed first.

[0074] Essentially, any read stack (meaning a combination of acquired images / structures) can be defined and integrated in such a map menu. Reclassification helps to save time and also results in a more structured workflow, decreasing the risk of missing images that may be important for the diagnosis. If suboptimal images are acquired for measurements, the resulting values ​​may be wrong and as a result the diagnosis based on those measurements may also be wrong, leading to an incorrect treatment.

[0075] In a third step, automatic measurements can be performed. These can be image-based measurements such as length and / or volume measurements, as well as the formation of general tags such as "aortic insufficiency" or "healthy patient". Such measurements may be shown in the image and the user only has to approve or adjust them. This helps to speed up the workflow even further and is also useful for less experienced users. A different implementation option is to use the invention for review or reporting or in any use case where measurements are already present from the beginning. These measurements can then be used to improve the sequence of step 2. Furthermore, the measurements can be used to pre-select reading stacks / views / structures for review. For example, starting from within a medical report, the user can select the fitting "parts" of the map menu, which can lead to a specific entry in the report. Thus, the "ejection fraction" measurement can include a link to the "apex" selection to show again the images that were critical to this value.

[0076] Individual features of the above-described embodiments can be combined with other embodiments or with other features of other embodiments to form new embodiments. The advantages stated in relation to the individual features also apply to such new embodiments. Furthermore, advantages and features stated in relation to the method also apply to the apparatus and vice versa.

[0077] Useful embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which similar elements or features are designated with the same reference numerals, and in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0078] [Figure 1] 2 illustrates a schematic of the interaction between a user and a method according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates a map menu according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4]13 illustrates a map menu according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 1 illustrates a map menu according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates a user interface according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0079] FIG. 1 shows a schematic of the interaction between a user 100 and a user interface 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. The user interface 1 comprises a display 2, an input device 3 and a control unit 4. The display 2 is configured to display a map menu 10 (see FIG. 3). In an embodiment, the display 2 is a touch-sensitive display. The display 2 is also configured to display visualisable data. In an embodiment, the visualisable data is medical image data. The medical image data includes 2D image data, 3D image data and 4D image data. The input device 3 is configured to be operated by the user 100 to communicate with the user interface 1. In this embodiment, the input device 3 comprises a computer mouse, a keyboard and virtual buttons on the display 3 (see FIG. 6). The control unit 4 is a processor configured to process the user input data and to determine a presentation sequence (described below) of the visualisable data.

[0080] According to one embodiment of the present invention, visualisable data is provided. In one embodiment, the user interface 1 comprises a storage device 5 (see FIG. 6) in which the visualisable data is stored. In another embodiment, the user interface 1 is connected to an external database in which the visualisable data is stored. In either case, the user 100 manipulates the input device 3 to move a pointer 6 (see FIG. 4) over a map menu 10. When the user 100 reaches a desired option, the user 100 activates the pointing device 3 to select the option of the map menu 10 where the pointer 6 is currently located (more details on the map menu will be given below). More specifically, the user: At least one structure, and / or At least one view of at least one structure, and / or At least one function and / or At least one time interval and / or At least one time-dependent measurement, and / or Read stack and / or Modality One or more of the following may be selected.

[0081] This generates user input data. In other words, the user generates user input data by one command. FIG. 1 shows a boundary line A indicating the boundary between the user side and the user interface processing side. That is, the left side of FIG. 1 is the user side, and the right side of FIG. 1 is the user interface processing side. To generate user input data, only one command by the user is required to cross the boundary line A. In other words, to generate user input data, only one interaction between the user 100 and the control unit 4 of the user interface 1 is required. In other words, the user issues a single command to the control unit 4 of the user interface 1 only once. The user input data indicates the selection made by the user in the map menu 10.

[0082] The control unit 4 determines a presentation sequence of the visualisable data based on the user input data. The visualisable data is then presented to the user via the display 2 in the determined presentation sequence.

[0083] FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram showing the flow of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, in a first step (step S1), a user input is received via the user interface 1, which allows the user to select at least one of the options a) to g). This step is characterized in that the user input is received by a single command issued by the user. That is, only one interaction between the user and the user interface 1 (in particular between the user and the control unit 4) is necessary to receive the user input. The user input is then used to generate user input data. Then, in a second step (step S2), a presentation sequence of the visualizable data based on the user input data is determined. In particular, the control unit 4 receives the visualizable data and the user input data and determines the presentation sequence. That is, the control unit 4 reclassifies the visualizable data so that it corresponds to the user input data. That is, the visualizable data that is important to the user is arranged to be displayed prominently (i.e. first) to the user in the next step. Then, in a next step (step S3), at least a part of the visualizable data is displayed to the user 100. That is, the visualisable data is displayed to the user 100 via the display 2 in a determined presentation sequence. Thus, the user 100 first directly indicates those parts of the visualisable data that are particularly important to him / her.

[0084] In another embodiment, before step S1, a step S10 is performed. In step S10, the content of the visualisable data is detected. Furthermore, the determination of the presentation sequence in step S2 is further based on the content of the visualisable data, in that at least one structure and / or at least one view of the at least one structure and / or at least one function is derived from the content of the visualisable data.

[0085] In a further embodiment, the method comprises a step S11 in which an automated measurement of at least one feature of at least one structure comprised in the visualisable data is performed. The measurement is an image-based measurement. The measurement results are comprised in the visualisable data. Thus, in step S3, the results are also shown to the user.

[0086] In yet another embodiment, the method includes a step S12 in which the visualisable data is evaluated to determine a state of the structure.The status of the structure is then also displayed to the user 100 in step S3.

[0087] It should be noted that steps S10, S11, and S12 are not necessarily required to perform the method according to the embodiment of the present invention. For example, the visualizable data may be tagged (e.g., during the acquisition process) such that no detection is required to identify the images contained in the visualizable data. Also, steps S10, S11, and S12 may all be provided, or only one or two may be provided.

[0088] FIG. 3 illustrates a map menu 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the map menu 10 illustrated in FIG. 3, five selection zones are provided. The selection zones are at least partially surrounded by a border 11. A first selection zone 20 is assigned to groups of views. A second selection zone 30 is assigned to short axis views and structures. A third selection zone 40 is assigned to long axis views and structures. A fourth selection zone 50 is assigned to time intervals and time dependent measurements. A fifth selection zone 60 is assigned to structures, modalities, and functions.

[0089] The first selection zone 20 includes three selectable items. The first selectable item 21 of the first selection zone is an apical 2-chamber view and structure. The second selectable item 22 of the first selection zone is an apical 4-chamber view and structure. The third selectable item 23 of the first selection zone is an apical 3-chamber view and structure.

[0090] The second selection zone 30 includes three selectable items 31, 32, 33. The third selection zone 40 includes one selectable item 41. The fourth selection zone 50 includes two selectable items 51, 52. The fourth selection zone first selectable item 51 represents systole. The fourth selection zone second selectable item 52 represents diastole. The fifth selection zone 60 includes three selectable items 61, 62, 63. The fifth selection zone first selectable item 61 represents a structure of interest. The fifth selection zone second selectable item 62 represents a Doppler anatomy. The fifth selection zone third selectable item 63 represents a color flow anatomy.

[0091] The user 100 may select one of the selectable items or the entire selection zone, and thus the user input data may be generated to indicate all of the selectable items contained in the selected selection zone or the particular selectable item selected.

[0092] FIG. 4 shows a map menu 10 according to another embodiment. This embodiment essentially corresponds to the previous embodiment, except that some selectable items and selection zones are visually realized in a different way. For simplicity, not all reference numbers are repeated in FIG. 4. Furthermore, FIG. 4 shows a pointer 6 hovering over the map menu 10. Currently, the pointer 6 is located in the first selection zone 20. In this embodiment, the first selection zone 20 is highlighted. Thus, the user 100 can easily recognize that the first selection zone 20 is ready to be selected, for example, by clicking. When the user operates the pointing device 6 to click, user input data is generated based on the user's interaction. In this case, the user input data indicates the first selection zone 20, which is a group of views. Thus, the visualizeable data is reclassified to place the group of views assigned to the first selection zone 20 in front of the visualizeable data (i.e., to be presented prominently to the user).

[0093] In FIG. 5 the map menu 10 of FIG. 4 is shown, with the pointer 6 located at a different position. More specifically, the pointer 6 is located over the right ventricle of the second selectable item 22 of the first selection zone. In this case, all the right ventricle and selectable items of the other selection zones are highlighted. In particular, the right ventricle is highlighted in the fifth selectable first selection item 61 (representing a structure). That is, by hovering over the map menu 10, all the corresponding features or subfeatures represented by the selection zone and / or by the selectable items may be highlighted. In other words, the map menu 10 is a dynamic map menu that adjusts its appearance depending on the position of the pointer 6 in the map menu 10. According to further embodiments, the selection zone and / or the selectable item to be highlighted (it may also be possible to highlight only a part of the selection zone and / or the selectable item) may be selected by a user input. That is, structures or features may be selected by the user even beyond the boundaries of one selection zone or one selectable item. For example, by hovering over a selectable item showing right ventricular information, all selectable items that reference right ventricular information may be highlighted. Further, by issuing user input (i.e., by clicking on the highlighted selectable item), all visualizeable data that includes right ventricular information may be considered significant in determining the presentation sequence (i.e., shown first to the user).

[0094] Figure 6 shows a user interface 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. In this case, the method described above is executed by a computer. The display 2 is a touch-sensitive monitor. Thereby, virtual buttons are provided as input devices 3. Furthermore, the input devices comprise a computer mouse and a keyboard. The control unit 4 comprises a storage device 5 and an interface to an external database 7. As a result, visualisable data can be received by the user interface 1 and stored locally. [Explanation of symbols]

[0095] 1 User Interface 2. Display 3 Input Devices 4. Control Unit 5 Storage section 6 Pointer 7. Interface 10 Map Menu 11 Selection Zone Boundaries 20 First Selection Zone 21 1st selection zone 1st selection item 22 1st selectable zone 2nd selectable item 23 1st selectable zone 3rd selectable item 30 Second Selection Zone 31 Second Selection Zone First Selection Item 32 Second selection zone Second selection item 33 2nd Selection Zone 3rd Selection Item 40 Third Selection Zone 41 3rd Selection Zone 1st Selection Item 50 Fourth Selection Zone 51 4th Selection Zone 1st Selection Item 52 4th Selection Zone 2nd Selection Item 60 5th Selection Zone 61 5th Selection Zone 1st Selection Item 62 5th Selection Zone 2nd Selection Item 63 5th Selection Zone 3rd Selection Item S1 First Step S2 Second step S3 Third step S10 Fourth Step S11 The fifth step S12 The 6th step 100 users A Boundary

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method for displaying visualizeable data including at least one structure of interest, comprising: receiving user input via a user interface, the user interface configured to allow a user to generate user input data using a single command issued by the user; at least one structure, and / or at least one view of at least one structure, and / or At least one function, and / or at least one time interval, and / or at least one time-dependent measurement, and / or Read stack and / or Modality a step allowing the user to select determining a presentation sequence of the visualizable data based on the user input data; displaying at least some of the visualizable data according to a presentation sequence of the visualizable data; detecting content of the visualizeable data, wherein the determination of the presentation sequence is further based on content of the visualizeable data in that the at least one structure and / or at least one view of the at least one structure and / or the at least one function is derived from content of the visualizeable data; A method comprising:

2. the visualizeable data is medical data including at least one anatomical structure; the user interface allows the user to select at least one anatomical structure and / or at least one view of at least one anatomical structure and / or at least one function and / or at least one pathology; The medical data is preferably acquired by a multimodal examination. The method of claim 1.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the content of the visualizable data is determining what is depicted and / or represented by the visualizable data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the content of the visualizable data is performed using an artificial intelligence algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the presentation sequence of the visualizable data is further based on measurement data obtained by previously performed measurements of the visualizable data.

6. determining the presentation sequence includes assigning the visualizeable data to different hierarchical levels based on the relevance of the visualizeable data to the user input data; determining the presentation sequence is further based on a hierarchical level of the visualizable data; The method of claim 1.

7. performing an automated measurement of at least one characteristic of at least one structure included in said visualizable data; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

8. evaluating the visualizable data to determine a status of the structure. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the visualizable data is displayed directly after receiving a single command issued by the user.

10. A computer program comprising program code instructions which, when executed by a processor, enable said processor to carry out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. 1. A user interface for controlling the display of visualizable data including at least one structure, said user interface comprising: a display for displaying a map menu including at least one selection zone including at least one selectable item; an input device configured to allow a user to select selection zones and / or selectable items to generate the user input data with a single interaction between the user and the user interface; a control unit configured to determine a presentation sequence of the visualizeable data based on the user input data and to display the visualizeable data based on the presentation sequence of the visualizeable data, wherein the presentation sequence is further based on a content of the visualizeable data in that the at least one structure and / or at least one view of the at least one structure and / or the at least one function is derived from a content of the visualizeable data; A user interface having:

12. 12. The user interface of claim 11, wherein the input device is configured to allow a pointer to be navigated by the user to hover over the map menu and to generate the user input data based on a current position of the pointer within the map menu when a single command is issued by the user.

13. the map menu includes a plurality of selection zones; Each selection zone contains at least one selectable item; At least one selectable item in the selection zone comprises: at least one structure, and / or at least one view of at least one structure, and / or At least one function, and / or at least one time interval, and / or at least one time-dependent measurement, and / or a read stack, and / or Modality The user interface of claim 11 .

14. 13. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the map menu includes a plurality of selectable items, and wherein the control unit is configured to at least partially highlight one or more selectable items and / or selection zones when the pointer hovers over corresponding other selectable items and / or selection zones.

15. 15. A user interface according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the map menu is at least partly structured as a flat map of the structural landscape, preferably without text.

Images