Dose management device, dose management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a dose management apparatus and a program capable of easily determining whether an exposure dose is proper or not.SOLUTION: A dose management apparatus which manages dose information related with an irradiation dose in an irradiation event in which a radiation image is generated in response to irradiation onto a subject, comprises: acquisition means which acquires dose information selected by a predetermined selection method; and output control means which, on the basis of the correspondence between the radiation image and the dose information in the irradiation event in which the radiation image is generated among a plurality of irradiation events, identifies a radiation image corresponding to the dose information acquired by the acquisition means, and outputs the identified radiation image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a radiation dose management device, a radiation dose management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In the medical field, examination devices (modalities) such as CT (Computed Tomography) devices are used to irradiate a subject with radiation to generate a radiological image as a medical image. In examinations using such examination devices, the radiation dose used in the examination is confirmed and imaging conditions such as the radiation exposure dose in the examination device are adjusted in order to appropriately manage the radiation exposure dose. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that graphs the relationship between the radiation exposure dose under various imaging conditions and the granularity that represents the image quality of the obtained radiological image, and identifies imaging conditions that can improve image quality while keeping the exposure dose within a specified range. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP2013-192697A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, it is usually difficult to determine whether an exposure dose is appropriate based on only the value of the radiation exposure dose. In other words, it is necessary to check the patient's body type, etc. from a radiation image generated in response to radiation exposure and then determine whether the exposure dose is appropriate for the patient. For this reason, in order to manage the exposure dose, in addition to displaying information on the radiation exposure dose, it is necessary to search for and display a radiation image corresponding to the exposure dose of interest each time, which poses a problem of cumbersome operations.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a radiation dose management device and program that can easily determine whether or not a radiation dose is appropriate. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of the dose management device described in claim 1 comprises: A radiation image generated by irradiating a subject with radiation and a dose of the radiation DLP and information relating to the subject's weight or BMI; of For each subject, A dose management device for managing a radiation dose, The exposure dose DLP and the coordinate axis of the subject Weight or BMI Coordinate axis for information related to Consists of On the coordinate plane, DLP and the subject Weight or BMI Based on information relating to Multiple Display the coordinates as a scatter plot, The user manually selects one of the multiple coordinates of the scatter plot. The apparatus further comprises an output control means for outputting a radiation image corresponding to the coordinates selected by the selection method.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of the dose management method according to claim 2 comprises: A radiation image generated by irradiating a subject with radiation and a dose of the radiation DLP and information relating to the subject's weight or BMI; of For each subject, A dose management method for managing a radiation dose, comprising: The exposure dose DLP and the coordinate axis of the subject Weight or BMI Coordinate axis for information related to Consists of On the coordinate plane, DLP and the subject Weight or BMI Based on information relating to Multiple Display the coordinates as a scatter plot, The user manually selects one of the multiple coordinates of the scatter plot. An output control step is included for outputting a radiation image corresponding to the coordinates selected by the selection method.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of the program described in claim 3 is as follows: A radiation image generated by irradiating a subject with radiation and a dose of the radiation DLP and information relating to the subject's weight or BMI; of For each subject, The computer of the dose management device to be managed, The exposure dose DLP and the coordinate axis of the subject Weight or BMI Coordinate axis for information related to Consists of On the coordinate plane, DLP and the subject Weight or BMI Based on information relating to Multiple Display the coordinates as a scatter plot, The user manually selects one of the multiple coordinates of the scatter plot. The control unit functions as an output control unit that outputs a radiation image corresponding to the coordinates selected by the selection method. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to easily determine whether or not the radiation dose is appropriate. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a medical information management system. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a radiation dose management device; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a data structure in a database. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a folder structure in an image storage area. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a client terminal. [Figure 6] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure of a data registration process. [Figure 7] 11 is a ladder chart showing a control procedure of data usage processing. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a scatter diagram screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a dose information display screen. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by a control unit in a data deletion process. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example of a data structure in the database. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a radiation dose management device and a program according to the present invention will be described. Note that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

[0012] FIG. 1 shows an example of the system configuration of a medical information management system 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the medical information management system 100 is composed of an examination device 10, a medical image storage device 20, a dose management device 30, a client terminal 40, etc., and each device is digitally connected to the client via a communication network N such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or a WAN (Wide Area Network). The devices constituting the medical information management system 100 are connected to each other so as to be able to transmit and receive data. Each device constituting the medical information management system 100 complies with the HL7 (Health Level Seven) and DICOM (Digital Image and Communications in Medicine) standards, and communication between the devices is performed in accordance with HL7 and DICOM. The medical information management system 100 may include a plurality of examination devices 10 and client terminals 40.

[0013] The inspection device 10 is a modality such as a CT device or an X-ray imaging device (DR, CR). The inspection device 10 operates in response to an operator's operation on a console (not shown). The inspection device 10 irradiates a patient (subject, specimen) with radiation, and generates image data of a radiation image (e.g., a CT image) as a medical image based on the detection result of the radiation. The inspection device 10 writes the additional information in the header of the image file of the medical image in accordance with the DICOM standard, thereby attaching the additional information to the radiation image and generating a DICOM image file. The additional information includes patient information, examination information, series information, image information, etc.

[0014] The patient information is information about a patient. The patient information includes a patient ID, a patient name, a date of birth, a sex, a height, a weight, an age, a BMI, etc. The patient ID is identification information for identifying a patient. The study information is information about a study. The study information includes a study ID, study date, study time, study description, study instance UID, etc. The study instance UID is identification information for identifying a study, and its uniqueness is guaranteed by the DICOM standard. Series information is information about a series. Series information includes the series instance UID, series number, series date, series time, modality (CT, DR, CR, etc.), series description, etc. The series instance UID is identification information for identifying a series, and its uniqueness is guaranteed by the DICOM standard. Image information is information about an image. Image information includes SOP instance UID, image date, image time, image number, etc. The SOP instance UID is identification information for identifying a radiological image, and its uniqueness is guaranteed by the DICOM standard. The image number is a number that indicates the order in which the tomographic images (CT images) generated by one scan were taken.

[0015] In addition, the inspection device 10 generates a Radiation Dose Structured Report (RDSR) including dose information related to the inspection performed in the inspection device 10. The inspection device 10 transmits the generated image data of the radiation image and the RDSR to the medical image storage device 20 and the dose management device 30.

[0016] RDSR is information conforming to the DICOM standard, and is one of the data formats of data including radiation dose information. Dose information is information related to the exposure dose (amount of energy) of radiation irradiated to a subject in a radiological examination. The dose information may include indices representing the exposure dose, such as DLP (Dose Length Product) and CTDIvol, as well as information on quantities correlated with the exposure dose, such as the voltage and current applied for radiation irradiation, and the radiation exposure time. The examination apparatus 10 generates an RDSR for each radiation irradiation event.

[0017] Here, an irradiation event is a set of irradiation operations of radiation to a subject (usually a series of irradiation operations under the same irradiation conditions), and in each irradiation event, one or more radiation images are generated according to the irradiation of radiation. An irradiation event occurs each time radiation irradiation is newly started when the irradiation conditions of radiation are changed, or when the imaging target part of the subject or its state (administration of a contrast agent, etc.) is changed. More specifically, in one irradiation event, one or more radiation images are generated. Each radiation image is associated with one series. A series is newly set when the viewpoint of the image to be captured is changed, for example, when the setting of the CT cross section or the setting of the magnification of the image is changed. A plurality of radiation images may be associated with one series. For example, in a CT device, tomographic images captured consecutively in one irradiation event are associated with one series. Hereinafter, radiation images associated with one series are also referred to as "series images."

[0018] The medical image storage device 20 stores and manages, for each patient and each examination, image data of the radiation image generated in the examination device 10 and dose information included in the RDSR. An example of the medical image storage device 20 is a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System).

[0019] The dose management device 30 is a computer device that manages dose information when capturing a radiation image. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the radiation dose management device 30. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the dose management device 30 includes a control unit 31 (computer), a communication unit 32, a storage unit 33 (storage means), a timing unit 34, etc., and each unit is connected by a bus.

[0020] The control unit 31 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), The control unit 31 is configured with a RAM (Random Access Memory) and the like, and comprehensively controls the processing operations of each unit of the radiation dose management device 30. Specifically, the CPU reads out a program 333 stored in the storage unit 33, loads it in the RAM, and performs various processes according to the program 333. The control unit 31 functions as an acquisition unit, an output control unit, a first storage control unit, and a second storage control unit by the CPU executing the program 333.

[0021] The communication unit 32 is configured with a network interface or the like, and transmits and receives data to and from an external device connected via the communication network N. For example, the communication unit 32 receives image data and an RDSR of a radiographic image obtained by photographing a patient from the examination device 10. The communication unit 32 may also receive image data and an RDSR of a radiographic image from the medical image storage device 20.

[0022] The storage unit 33 is composed of a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a non-volatile semiconductor memory, etc. and stores various data. For example, the storage unit 33 has a database 331 and an image storage area 332. The storage unit 33 also stores a program 333. The program 333 may be stored in the ROM of the control unit 31.

[0023] In the database 331, supplementary information (header information) of the files of the radiation images stored in the image storage area 332 and irradiation event information (dose information, etc.) relating to each examination are stored in a searchable manner. 3 shows the data configuration in the database 331. The database 331 includes a patient information table T1, an examination information table T2, a series information table T3, an image information table T4, and an irradiation event information table T5.

[0024] The patient information table T1 stores information about patients. The information in the patient information table T1 is mainly information obtained from the RDSR, but may be supplemented with additional information from DICOM images as necessary. In the patient information table T1, the patient key is used as the primary key, and patient IDs, patient names, dates of birth, sex, height, weight, age, BMI, etc. are associated with each other.

[0025] The examination information table T2 stores information about examinations. The information in the examination information table T2 is mainly information obtained from the RDSR, but may be supplemented with additional information of DICOM images as necessary. In the examination information table T2, the examination key is used as the primary key, and the patient key (patient who is the subject of the examination), examination date, examination time, referring doctor name, examination description, examination ID, examination instance UID, SOP class UID, etc. are associated with each other.

[0026] The series information table T3 stores information about the series of incidental information of DICOM images. In the series information table T3, the series key is used as the primary key, and the examination key (the examination to which the series belongs), irradiation event key (the irradiation event to which the series belongs), series date, series time, modality, station name, series description, performing physician name, series instance UID, series number, equipment serial number, reception date and time, etc. are associated with each other. Among these, the irradiation event key is assigned based on the result of a matching process that determines the correspondence between the series (series images) and the irradiation event (i.e., RDSR). The reception date and time is the date and time when the image data of the radiation image belonging to the series was received.

[0027] The image information table T4 stores information about images of the supplementary information of the DICOM image (radiation image). In the image information table T4, the image key is used as the primary key, and a series key (series to which the image belongs), SOP instance UID, image date, image time, image number, SD value measurement image flag, etc. are associated with each other. The image information table T4 is associated with the series information table T3 via a series key, and the series information table T3 is associated with the irradiation event information table T5 via an irradiation event key. Therefore, according to the database 331, it is possible to obtain the correspondence between each image information table T4 and the irradiation event information table T5, in other words, the correspondence between each radiation image and the RDSR (hence, the dose information). The database 331 corresponds to "dose correspondence information" capable of specifying the correspondence between a radiation image and dose information in an irradiation event from among a plurality of irradiation events at which the radiation image was generated.

[0028] The irradiation event information table T5 stores information on irradiation units (irradiation event information) that occurred during an examination. In the irradiation event information table T5, the irradiation event key is used as a primary key, and the examination key (examination to which the irradiation event belongs), the examination start date and time, the imaging protocol name, the irradiation event UID, the area dose, the voltage, the current, the irradiation time, the allocation protocol, the CTDIvol, the scan length, the pitch, the DLP, the SSDE value, the phantom, the rotation speed, the target SD value, the measured SD value, and the like are associated with each other. The irradiation event UID is identification information for identifying an irradiation event, and its uniqueness is guaranteed by the DICOM standard. The target SD value is an SD value (SD value included in the DICOM information) set during an examination, and indicates a target image quality (granularity, etc.). The measured SD value is an SD value measured from a radiation image obtained by an examination, and indicates the actual image quality (granularity, etc.) of the radiation image.

[0029] The image storage area 332 stores image data of radiation images and the like. 4 shows the folder structure in the image storage area 332. Each piece of data is stored in a folder hierarchically arranged in the order of date, patient ID, examination instance UID, and series instance UID. Specifically, a "date" folder F1 is created for each date on which the radiation dose management apparatus 30 received (acquired) a radiation image. A "Patient ID" folder F11 is created for each patient at a lower level than the "Date" folder F1. A "Study Instance UID" folder F21 is created for each study at a lower level than the "Patient ID" folder F11.

[0030] In the lower hierarchy of the "Study Instance UID" folder F21, "Series Instance UID" folders F31 and F32 are created for each series. The "series instance UID" folders F31, F32 store image data of radiographic images 51, 52 belonging to the corresponding series, respectively. The file names of the image data of the radiographic images 51, 52 are the "SOP instance UID" of each radiographic image. In FIG. 4, a plurality of radiographic images (series images) stored in one "series instance UID" folder F31 (or F32) correspond to one irradiation event. That is, the radiographic images 51, 52 are acquired and stored in a state where they are grouped by irradiation event. However, this is not limited thereto, and series images relating to two or more series may correspond to one irradiation event.

[0031] In the image storage area 332, folders can be divided by date, patient, examination, and series, which allows high-speed access when retrieving files. Therefore, the folder in which the target radiographic image is stored and the file of that radiographic image can be identified by the DICOM information without accessing the database 331.

[0032] The clock unit 34 shown in FIG. 2 has a clock circuit (RTC: Real Time Clock). The current date and time is measured by the clock and output to the control unit 31.

[0033] Next, the client terminal 40 will be described. The client terminal 40 is a computer device such as a PC (Personal Computer) used by a doctor. The radiological images and dose information relating to the examination are viewed on the antenna terminal 40.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the client terminal 40. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the client terminal 40 includes a control unit 41, a display unit 42 (display means), an operation unit 43, a communication unit 44, a storage unit 45, etc., and each unit is connected by a bus.

[0035] The control unit 41 is composed of a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and comprehensively controls the processing operations of each unit of the client terminal 40. Specifically, the CPU reads out various processing programs stored in the ROM, expands them in the RAM, and performs various processes in cooperation with the programs.

[0036] The display unit 42 is configured to include a monitor such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and displays various screens according to instructions of a display signal input from the control unit 41. The operation unit 43 is configured with a keyboard having cursor keys, letter / number input keys, various function keys, etc., and a pointing device such as a mouse, and outputs operation signals input by key operations on the keyboard or mouse operations to the control unit 41. The operation unit 43 may have a touch panel provided over the monitor of the display unit 42.

[0037] The communication unit 44 is configured with a network interface and the like, and transmits and receives data to and from an external device connected via the communication network N. The storage unit 45 is configured with a HDD, a non-volatile semiconductor memory, or the like, and stores various data.

[0038] Next, the operation of each device in the medical information management system 100 will be described. In the medical information management system 100, when an irradiation event occurs in the examination device 10 and a radiation image is generated, image data of the radiation image and an RDSR related to the irradiation event are transmitted to the medical image storage device 20 and the dose management device 30. Among these, the radiation dose management device 30 executes a data registration process for registering the image data and RDSR of the received radiation image in the database 331.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by the control unit 31 in the data registration process. When an examination such as an X-ray CT examination is performed on a subject in the examination device 10, image data of a radiation image such as a CT image (tomographic image) and an RDSR are transmitted from the examination device 10 to the dose management device 30. The control unit 31 of the dose management device 30 receives image data of a radiation image via the communication unit 32 (step S11), and also receives the RDSR (step S14).

[0040] The control unit 31 analyzes the additional information of each received radiographic image (step S12). Specifically, the control unit 31 acquires patient information, examination information, series information, and image information for each item from the additional information of the radiographic image.

[0041] Next, the control unit 31 (second storage control means) reduces the capacity of the image data of each received radiation image and stores it in the image storage area 332 of the storage unit 33 (step S13). For example, the control unit 31 converts the image data of the radiation image from bitmap data to JPEG data and stores it. More specifically, in step S13, if some or all of the "Date" folder, "Patient ID" folder, and "Examination Instance UID" folder corresponding to the contents of the supplementary information of the received radiographic image do not exist, the control unit 31 creates the relevant folders and creates a "Series Instance UID" folder corresponding to the series instance UID included in the series information of the received radiographic image in a lower hierarchy than the "Examination Instance UID" folder. The control unit 31 groups the image data of the radiographic images converted into JPEG data by series in this "Series Instance UID" folder, and The image is stored as a linear image. Furthermore, the control unit 31 (second storage control means) sets a storage period for image data of a radiographic image for each irradiation event. The deletion process when the storage period has elapsed will be described later.

[0042] On the other hand, when the control unit 31 receives the RDSR from the examination device 10 in step S14, the control unit 31 analyzes the received RDSR (step S15). Specifically, the control unit 31 acquires, for each item, patient information (patient ID, etc.), examination information (examination instance UID, etc.), dose information, etc. from the RDSR.

[0043] The control unit 31 (first memory control means) performs matching between the series images stored in step S13 and the dose information of the RDSR analyzed in step S15 (step S16), and registers the matching results, the auxiliary information of the radiation images, and the information obtained by analysis of the RDSR in the database 331 of the memory unit 33 (step S17).

[0044] The matching executed in step S16 is a process of identifying and associating the series of images with the irradiation event at which the series of images were generated. The matching method is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a method of including an irradiation event UID for associating the series of images with the RDSR in the supplementary information of the radiation images and associating the series of images based on the irradiation event UID, or a method of comparing the time period of the irradiation event with the generation time of the radiation images.

[0045] In step S17, the control unit 31 records the irradiation event key of the irradiation event corresponding to the series identified by matching in the series information table T3. As a result, in the database 331, the series and the radiological images belonging to the series are associated with the dose information of the irradiation event. In other words, in steps S16 and S17, the control unit 31 (first storage control means) generates (usually updates) a database 331 as dose correspondence information by associating the dose information of the received RDSR with a radiological image generated in an irradiation event corresponding to the dose information, and stores the database 331 in the storage unit 33. In this specification, the process of generating dose correspondence information includes the process of adding new data to and updating the database 331 as dose correspondence information. In step S17, the contents of the patient information table T1, examination information table T2, series information table T3, image information table T4 and irradiation event information table T5 are updated based on the supplementary information of the radiation image and the information acquired by analyzing the RDSR. When the process of step S17 ends, the control unit 31 ends the data registration process.

[0046] In the above data registration process, the case has been described where the dose management device 30 receives the radiological image and the RDSR from the examination device 10, but the dose management device 30 may receive the radiological image and the RDSR from the medical image storage device 20. In addition, the timing of receiving the radiological image and the RDSR from the examination device 10 or the medical image storage device 20 does not have to be simultaneous.

[0047] Next, the operation of the medical information management system 100 relating to dose management will be described. In the medical information management system 100, various information related to radiation dose information in an irradiation event can be displayed on the display unit 42 in response to an operation on the operation unit 43 of the client terminal 40. Specifically, a scatter plot screen 421 (see FIG. 8) showing radiation dose information in each of a plurality of irradiation events can be displayed on the display unit 42. In addition, by selecting one of a plurality of points on the scatter plot on the scatter plot screen 421, a dose information display screen 422 (information display screen) (see FIG. 9) including detailed information on the irradiation event corresponding to the selected point can be displayed on the display unit 42. The following describes the data usage including the display process of the scatter diagram screen 421 and the dose information display screen 422. The method of controlling the process will now be described.

[0048] FIG. 7 is a ladder chart showing a control procedure of the data utilization process executed in the radiation dose management apparatus 30 and the client terminal 40. As shown in FIG.

[0049] When the data utilization process is started, first, in response to an input operation specifying search conditions (patient, examination, modality, weight, etc.) and instructing the display of a scatter plot, the control unit 41 of the client terminal 40 transmits the contents of the instruction to the dose management device 30 (step S21).

[0050] The control unit 31 of the dose management device 30 that has received the instruction to display the scatter diagram refers to the database 331 of the storage unit 33 and generates statistical information for displaying the scatter diagram according to the search conditions (step S22). Here, the statistical information includes a set of DLP data as dose information of each irradiation event and weight data of the patient of the irradiation event. Specifically, the control unit 31 acquires "weight" for each patient included in the patient information table T1, identifies an examination associated with the patient (patient key) from the examination information table T2, identifies irradiation event information associated with the identified examination (examination key) from the irradiation event information table T5, and acquires "DLP" included in the identified irradiation event information. When multiple irradiation event information are associated with an examination of the same patient, there will be multiple "DLPs" for this patient, and there will be as many pairs of weight and DLP for this patient as there are DLPs.

[0051] The control unit 31 (output control means) generates data for a scatter plot screen 421 including an image of a scatter plot with weight on the horizontal axis and DLP on the vertical axis based on the generated statistical information, and causes the display unit 42 of the client terminal 40 to display the scatter plot screen 421 based on the data. That is, the control unit 31 (output control means) transmits the data, thereby causing the display unit 42 to display a plurality of points corresponding to a plurality of dose information on a coordinate plane in which one of the coordinate axes is the amount related to the radiation exposure dose. Specifically, the control unit 31 causes the communication unit 32 to transmit the data for the scatter plot screen 421 to the client terminal 40, and the control unit 41 of the client terminal 40 that has received the data causes the display unit 42 to display the scatter plot screen 421 based on the received data (step S23).

[0052] 8 shows an example of a scatter diagram screen 421 displayed on the display unit 42 of the client terminal 40. In the scatter diagram screen 421, DLP values ​​are plotted against body weight. Each of a plurality of points distributed on the scatter diagram corresponds to one piece of irradiation event information (irradiation event UID). Therefore, one irradiation event (and therefore dose information) can be selected by a selection method for selecting one of the plurality of points.

[0053] When an input operation is performed on the operation unit 43 of the client terminal 40 to select one of the multiple points on the scatter diagram, the control unit 41 transmits a display request for a dose information display screen 422 related to the irradiation event corresponding to the selected point to the dose management device 30 (step S24). Here, it is assumed that an outlier (for example, point P shown in FIG. 8) on the scatter diagram screen 421 in FIG. 8 is selected. An outlier is a point that is separated from other points among the multiple points displayed on the scatter diagram, and is also called an outlier. In particular, in the irradiation event corresponding to the outlier, it is highly necessary to check whether ultraviolet rays are being irradiated at an inappropriate exposure dose, and in order to check this, it is necessary to display the dose information display screen 422 and refer to detailed information including a radiation image.

[0054] In the next step S25, when the control unit 31 of the dose management device 30 receives a display request for the dose information display screen 422, the control unit 31 acquires data on the irradiation event corresponding to the selected point (here, the outlier) from the database 331 and the image storage area 332 of the storage unit 33. That is, the control unit 31 (acquisition means) acquires dose information corresponding to the irradiation event selected by a selection method of selecting one of a plurality of points on the scatter diagram. Specifically, the control unit 31 identifies the irradiation event and dose information corresponding to the selected point, acquires various data of the examination to which the irradiation event belongs, and acquires image data of one radiation image associated with the irradiation event (dose information). The control unit 31 generates data for the dose information display screen 422 based on the acquired information, and causes the display unit 42 of the client terminal 40 to display the dose information display screen 422 based on the acquired data. In detail, the control unit 31 causes the communication unit 32 to transmit data for the dose information display screen 422 to the client terminal 40, and the control unit 41 of the client terminal 40, upon receiving the data, causes the display unit 42 to display the dose information display screen 422 based on the received data.

[0055] 9 shows an example of a dose information display screen 422 displayed on the display unit 42 of the client terminal 40. The dose information display screen 422 includes a patient information area 61, an examination information area 62, an irradiation event list area 63, an irradiation information details area 64, a radiation image area 65, and the like.

[0056] The patient information area 61 displays information about the patient examined in the selected irradiation event. The examination information area 62 displays information about the examination to which the selected irradiation event belongs.

[0057] The irradiation event list area 63 displays a list of irradiation events associated with the examination. That is, in addition to the irradiation event selected on the scatter diagram, the irradiation event list area 63 displays a list of all irradiation events that occurred in the examination to which the irradiation event belongs. Also, in the irradiation event list area 63, one irradiation event selected on the scatter diagram is clearly displayed by highlighting. In the example shown in FIG. 9, three irradiation events that occurred in the examination are listed, and the second irradiation event from the top is clearly displayed as one irradiation event selected on the scatter diagram.

[0058] The irradiation information detail area 64 displays dose information of the irradiation event highlighted in the irradiation event list area 63. In the example shown in Fig. 9, the irradiation time, voltage, current, DLP, CTDIvol, scan length, phantom, rotation speed, and pitch correspond to the dose information, but are not limited to this example. The items displayed in the patient information area 61 , the examination information area 62 , the irradiation event list area 63 , and the irradiation information details area 64 can be arbitrarily set from among the items on the database 331 .

[0059] In the radiation image area 65, one of a plurality of radiation images (series images) generated in an irradiation event corresponding to a point selected on the scatter diagram is displayed as a representative image. The representative image can be, for example, a radiation image at the center of the arrangement of the plurality of radiation images in the order of shooting. This is because, in a series of images, radiation images are often shot before and after the radiation image that is ultimately used for interpretation, and a radiation image suitable as a representative image is often located near the center of the shooting order. However, without being limited thereto, when two or more radiographic images are generated in an irradiation event, any one of the two or more radiographic images selected according to a predetermined rule may be displayed. For example, the first radiographic image of a series of images may be displayed as a representative image.

[0060] In this way, the control unit 31 (output control means) identifies a radiological image generated at an irradiation event corresponding to a point selected on the scatter diagram, and causes the identified radiological image to be displayed on the display unit 42 of the client terminal 40. Furthermore, the control unit 31 (output control means) causes the display unit 42 to display a dose information display screen 422 including an irradiation event list area 63 indicating the irradiation event from which the identified radiation image was generated. Furthermore, the control unit 31 causes the display unit 42 to display the identified radiation image within the dose information display screen 422.

[0061] The patient's physique, etc. can be confirmed from the radiation image displayed in the radiation image area 65. By considering the results of this radiation image confirmation together with the dose information in the irradiation information details area 64, it is possible to confirm whether the patient's exposure dose in the selected irradiation event is appropriate. Furthermore, on the dose information display screen 422, an irradiation event corresponding to one point selected on the scatter diagram is highlighted in advance in the irradiation event list area 63, and one radiation image generated in the irradiation event is automatically selected and displayed in the radiation image area 65. Therefore, it is possible to easily determine whether the exposure dose in the selected irradiation event is appropriate.

[0062] Furthermore, on the dose information display screen 422, when an input operation is performed to select an arbitrary irradiation event in the irradiation event list area 63, the display content can be switched to information on the irradiation event. That is, the selected irradiation event is highlighted, the dose information of the irradiation event is displayed in the irradiation information details area 64, and one radiation image generated by the irradiation event is displayed in the radiation image area 65. This makes it possible to check information on any irradiation event included in the examination on the dose information display screen 422.

[0063] When the processes of steps S25 and S26 are completed, the control units 31 and 41 terminate the data use process.

[0064] In the above data utilization process, an example of displaying a scatter diagram showing the correlation between weight and DLP has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, BMI or the like may be used instead of weight as an index of the patient's physical constitution. Also, various indexes other than DLP may be used as dose information.

[0065] Next, a data deletion process executed in the radiation dose management device 30 will be described. In the dose management device 30, image data of radiographic images is sequentially acquired for dose management, and is stored and added to the storage unit 33. For this reason, in order to prevent a shortage of capacity in the storage unit 33, a storage period is set for the image data of radiographic images, and a data deletion process is executed to sequentially delete image data whose storage period has expired.

[0066] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a control procedure by the control unit 31 in the data deletion process. The data deletion process is executed periodically, such as once a week or once a month.

[0067] When the data deletion process is started, the control unit 31 (second storage control means) selects one irradiation event by referring to the database 331 (step S31), and determines whether the storage period set for the selected irradiation event has elapsed (step S32). Specifically, the control unit 31 acquires the "reception date and time" of the series belonging to the selected irradiation event from the series information table T3, acquires the current date and time from the clock unit 34, and compares the period from the reception date and time to the present with the storage period to determine whether the storage period has elapsed.

[0068] If it is determined that the storage period has elapsed ("YES" in step S32), the control unit 31 (second memory control means) deletes the image data of the radiation image associated with the irradiation event from the memory unit 33 (step S33).

[0069] When step S33 is completed, or when it is determined in step S32 that the storage period has not elapsed ("NO" in step S32), the control unit 31 determines whether or not there is an unselected irradiation event (step S34). When it is determined that there is an unselected irradiation event ("YES" in step S34), the control unit 31 returns the process to step S31, and when it is determined that all irradiation events have been selected ("NO" in step S34), the control unit 31 ends the data deletion process. In the above description, the storage period is set for each irradiation event. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the storage period may be set for each series.

[0070] (Modification) Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described. In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an irradiation event key is included in the series information table T3 to associate a series (and radiation images belonging to the series) with an irradiation event, and each radiation image is associated with an irradiation event via the series, but this is not limited to this. For example, each radiation image may be directly associated with an irradiation event by including an irradiation event key in the image information table T4 as shown in Fig. 11. In order to manage the database 331 in this manner, an irradiation event UID for associating with the RDSR may be included in the supplementary information of the radiation image.

[0071] Furthermore, the method of associating irradiation events with radiation images is not limited to this. For example, table data that associates irradiation events with series or radiation images may be provided separately from the database 331.

[0072] As described above, the dose management device 30 according to this embodiment manages dose information related to the radiation exposure dose in an irradiation event in which one or more radiation images are generated in response to the irradiation of a subject with radiation. The dose management device 30 includes a control unit 31, which acquires dose information selected by a predetermined selection method (acquisition means), identifies a radiation image corresponding to the acquired dose information based on a database 331 capable of identifying a correspondence between a radiation image and dose information in an irradiation event from among a plurality of irradiation events in which the radiation image was generated, and outputs the identified radiation image (output control means). This allows the radiation image generated in the irradiation event to be directly displayed and confirmed by a simple operation of selecting the dose information of the irradiation event. Therefore, even if one examination includes multiple irradiation events, it is possible to save the effort of searching for and displaying the radiation image of a desired irradiation event from among many radiation images of multiple irradiation events. By being able to easily confirm the radiation image corresponding to the dose information in this way, it is easy to judge whether the exposure dose is appropriate taking into account the patient's physical constitution and the like ascertained from the radiation image.

[0073] Furthermore, the control unit 31 causes the specified radiographic image to be displayed on the display unit 42 of the client terminal 40 (output control means). This allows the radiographic image to be visually and easily confirmed on the screen of the display unit 42.

[0074] Furthermore, the control unit 31 causes the display unit 42 to display a dose information display screen 422 indicating the irradiation event for which the specified radiation image was generated (output control means). This makes it possible to easily identify the irradiation event corresponding to the selected dose information on the dose information display screen 422 even if one examination includes multiple irradiation events.

[0075] In addition, the control unit 31 displays the specified radiation image on the dose information display screen 422 (output control means). Therefore, it is possible to easily check the radiation image generated in the selected irradiation event and the radiation image generated in the selected irradiation event on the same screen. Therefore, it is possible to easily check the radiation dose information of the irradiation event and the physical constitution of the patient ascertained from the radiation image on the same screen, and it is possible to easily determine whether the radiation dose in the selected irradiation event is appropriate.

[0076] Furthermore, the control unit 31 acquires (acquiring means) dose information selected by a selection method for selecting one of the plurality of dose information displayed in a predetermined manner on the display unit 42. This makes it easier to select desired dose information since a plurality of dose information candidates are presented in advance.

[0077] The control unit 31 also causes the display unit to display a plurality of points corresponding to a plurality of dose information on a coordinate plane, one of whose coordinate axes is the amount related to the radiation exposure dose (output control means), and acquires dose information selected by a selection method for selecting one of the plurality of points (acquisition means). This allows the user to select desired dose information in a visually easy-to-understand manner.

[0078] Furthermore, when two or more radiation images are generated in an irradiation event corresponding to the acquired dose information, the control unit 31 outputs one of the two or more radiation images selected according to a predetermined rule (output control means). This automatically selects and displays a radiation image representative of the irradiation event, thereby saving the user the trouble of searching for an appropriate one from multiple radiation images. This makes it easier to determine whether the exposure dose is appropriate.

[0079] The dose management device also includes a storage unit 33, and the control unit 31 generates a database 331 in which received dose information is associated with radiation images generated in irradiation events corresponding to the dose information, and stores the database 33 (first storage control means), and identifies the radiation image corresponding to the dose information based on the database 331. This makes it possible to update the database 331 in response to the occurrence of an irradiation event, and therefore makes it possible to determine whether the exposure dose is appropriate for any irradiation event, including the latest irradiation event.

[0080] Furthermore, the control unit 31 acquires image data of radiation images, groups the image data by irradiation event, and stores the grouped data in the storage unit 33 (second storage control means). This allows the radiation images for each irradiation event to be appropriately managed by simple processing.

[0081] Furthermore, the control unit 31 reduces the capacity of image data of the radiation images and stores the reduced image data in the storage unit 33 (second storage control means). This allows the storage capacity of the storage unit 33 to be used effectively, and allows the storage unit 33 to store more image data of the radiation images.

[0082] Furthermore, the control unit 31 acquires the storage period of the image data of the radiation image set in the irradiation event, and deletes the image data of the irradiation event whose storage period has elapsed from the storage unit 33 (second storage control means). This makes it possible to avoid the occurrence of a problem in which the storage capacity of the storage unit 33 is insufficient and the latest image data cannot be stored.

[0083] In addition, the program 333 according to the present embodiment causes the control unit 31, which is a computer provided in the dose management device 30, to function as an acquisition means for acquiring dose information selected by a predetermined method, and an output control means for identifying a radiographic image corresponding to the dose information acquired by the acquisition means based on a database 331 capable of identifying a correspondence between a radiographic image and dose information in an irradiation event from among a plurality of irradiation events from which the radiographic image was generated, and outputting the identified radiographic image. By using such a program 333, the radiographic image generated in the irradiation event can be directly displayed and confirmed by a simple operation of selecting the dose information of the irradiation event. Therefore, even if one examination includes a plurality of irradiation events, it is possible to save the trouble of searching for and displaying a radiographic image of a desired irradiation event from among a large number of radiographic images of the plurality of irradiation events. By being able to easily confirm a radiographic image corresponding to the dose information in this way, it is easy to determine whether or not the exposure dose is appropriate, taking into account the patient's physical constitution, etc. as understood from the radiographic image.

[0084] The above description of the embodiment is an example of the radiation dose management device according to the present invention, and is not limited thereto. The detailed configuration and operation of each part constituting the device may be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0085] For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a plurality of radiation images are generated in one irradiation event in an examination using a CT device, but the present invention is not limited to this. As an example, the present invention can also be applied to a case in which one radiation image is generated in one irradiation event in simple X-ray photography, etc. In this case, the dose information is managed for each radiation irradiation for generating one radiation image, so that the dose information and the radiation image correspond one-to-one.

[0086] Furthermore, if the dose management device 30 is provided with an operation unit and a display unit and the user can directly operate the dose management device 30, user operations may be accepted in the dose management device 30. In this case, the contents displayed on the display unit 42 of the client terminal 40 in the above embodiment are displayed on the display unit of the dose management device 30. Moreover, the client terminal 40 may be provided with the functions of the dose management device 30, and the functions shared by the dose management device 30 and the client terminal 40 in the above embodiment may be consolidated into the client terminal 40. In this case, the client terminal 40 corresponds to the "dose management device" of the present invention.

[0087] The client terminal 40 may also be a console used to control the inspection device 10 .

[0088] In the above embodiment, the database 331 and the image storage area 332 are provided in the storage unit 33 of the dose management device 30, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the database 331 may be provided in a database server or the like external to the dose management device 30, and necessary data may be acquired from the database server each time. Similarly, image data of radiation images may be stored in a storage device external to the dose management device 30, and necessary image data may be acquired from this storage device each time.

[0089] In addition, in the above embodiment, an example of selecting an irradiation event and its dose information by selecting one of multiple points on a scatter plot has been described, but this is not limited to this, and dose information can be selected by any method that can identify a desired one of multiple dose information.

[0090] Although the radiographic image is outputted by displaying it on the display unit 42, the present invention is not limited to this. The radiographic image may be outputted by printing it on paper, for example.

[0091] In the above description, an example has been disclosed in which the storage unit 33 or ROM is used as a computer-readable medium storing a program for executing each process, but the present invention is not limited to this example. As other computer-readable media, non-volatile memories such as flash memories and portable recording media such as CD-ROMs can also be used. In addition, a carrier wave may be used as a medium for providing program data via a communication line. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 10 Inspection equipment 20 Medical image storage device 30 Dose control device 31 control unit (acquisition means, output control means, first storage control means, second storage control means) 32 Communications Department 33 Storage unit (storage means) 331 Database (dose response information) 332 Image Storage Area 333 Programs 34 Timing section 40 Client terminals 41 Control section 42 Display section (display means) 43 Operation section 44 Communications Department 45 Storage section 51,52 Radiological images 100 Medical Information Management System 421 Scatter Plot Screen 422 Dose information display screen (information display screen) N Communication Network T1 Patient Information Table T2 Examination Information Table T3 Series Information Table T4 Image Information Table T5 Irradiation Event Information Table

Claims

1. 1. A radiation dose management device that manages, for each subject, a radiation image generated by irradiating a subject with radiation, a DLP relating to an exposure dose of the radiation, and information relating to a weight or BMI of the subject, the device comprising: A dose management device comprising: an output control means for displaying a plurality of coordinates based on the DLP related to the exposure dose and information related to the subject's weight or BMI as a scatter plot on a coordinate plane consisting of a coordinate axis related to the DLP related to the exposure dose and a coordinate axis related to information related to the subject's weight or BMI; and outputting a radiation image corresponding to the coordinate selected by a selection method in which a user manually selects one of the plurality of coordinates on the scatter plot.

2. 1. A dose management method for managing, for each subject, a radiation image generated by irradiating a subject with radiation, a DLP relating to an exposure dose of the radiation, and information relating to a weight or BMI of the subject, the method comprising the steps of: A dose management method including an output control step of displaying a plurality of coordinates based on the DLP related to the exposure dose and the information related to the subject's weight or BMI as a scatter plot on a coordinate plane consisting of a coordinate axis related to the DLP related to the exposure dose and a coordinate axis related to information related to the subject's weight or BMI, and outputting a radiation image corresponding to the coordinate selected by a selection method in which a user manually selects one of the plurality of coordinates on the scatter plot.

3. a computer of a dose management device that manages, for each subject, a radiation image generated by irradiating a subject with radiation, a DLP relating to the radiation exposure dose, and information relating to the subject's weight or BMI; A program that functions as an output control means that displays multiple coordinates based on the DLP related to the exposure dose and information related to the subject's weight or BMI as a scatter plot on a coordinate plane consisting of a coordinate axis related to the DLP related to the exposure dose and a coordinate axis related to information related to the subject's weight or BMI, and outputs a radiation image corresponding to the coordinate selected by a user's manual selection method of one of the multiple coordinates on the scatter plot.

Images