Computer program, information processing device, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a computer program, information processing device, and information processing method, which improve convenience for doctors.SOLUTION: A computer program provided herein makes a computer perform processing of acquiring medical data including medical images, displaying an abnormal site identified through analysis processing of the acquired medical data, and displaying a guideline related to the abnormal site when a first operation on the abnormal site is received.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a computer program, an information processing device, and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Advances are being made in technology that performs the required image analysis processing on image data obtained from various types of examination equipment (modalities), including MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), X-ray CT (Computed Tomography), and PET (Positron Emission Tomography), to display images of various abnormal areas in the brain and other parts of the body, or to quantify and quantify them, thereby assisting doctors in making diagnoses.

[0003] Meanwhile, various disease treatment guidelines and image diagnosis guidelines have been issued for the purpose of diagnosing various diseases, and are used by doctors for diagnosis. Patent Document 1 discloses a method of assigning recommended tags and non-recommended tags to multiple sentences extracted by analyzing the treatment guidelines, and converting the sentences assigned recommended tags into a model that can be interpreted by a computer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-12681 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a doctor diagnoses an abnormality, they need to know how that abnormality is treated in the guidelines. However, in the past, this required doctors to flip through the pages of the guidelines to find the appropriate section or to search the guidelines on a computer, which required unnecessary effort on the part of the doctor.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a computer program, an information processing device, and an information processing method that can improve convenience for doctors. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present application includes multiple means for solving the above-mentioned problems, and as one example, a computer program causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring medical data including medical images, displaying abnormal areas identified by an analysis process on the acquired medical data, and, when a first operation on the abnormal area is received, displaying a guideline related to the abnormal area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide necessary guidelines and improve convenience for doctors. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 shows an example of a brain-related abnormality. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormality related to a region other than the brain. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis result of a medical image. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first example of a guideline display. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a method for selecting a guideline. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a guideline. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of a guideline display. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third example of a guideline display. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fourth example of a guideline display. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of history information. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a second example of a method for selecting a guideline. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a fifth example of a guideline display. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the configuration of the information processing system according to the present embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a guideline DB. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing procedure of an information processing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first example of the configuration of an information processing system according to this embodiment. The information processing system includes an information processing device 100. A client device 60 and a web server 200 are connected to the information processing device 100 via a communication network 1. The client device 60 may be configured, for example, as a personal computer, and has a web browser 61, an image viewer, and the like installed. The web server 200 stores a guideline page 210. An image server 50 is connected to the client device 60. The image server 50 receives medical data, including image data and examination data, from an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device 10, a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) device 20, a CT (Computed Tomography) device 30, and an examination device 40, and stores the medical data in a database. The client device 60 acquires the medical data from the image server 50 and transmits the acquired medical data to the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 can identify an abnormal part by analyzing the medical data and transmit required information such as a guideline related to the identified abnormal part to the client device 60. The client device 60 can display the guideline related to the abnormal part.

[0011] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information processing device 100. The information processing device 100 can be configured as a computer, and includes a control unit 101 that controls the entire information processing device 100, a communication unit 102, a memory 103, an analysis unit 104, a display control unit 105, a storage unit 106, and a guideline providing unit 109. The storage unit 106 stores a computer program 107 and history information 108.

[0012] The control unit 101 can be configured with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The control unit 101 can execute processing defined by a computer program 107. In other words, the processing by the control unit 101 is also processing by the computer program 107.

[0013] The communication unit 102 includes, for example, a communication module, and has a communication function with the client device 60 and the web server 200 via the communication network 1. The communication unit 102 can acquire (receive) medical data including medical images from the client device 60.

[0014] The memory 103 can be configured with semiconductor memory such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), flash memory, etc. A computer program 107 can be loaded into the memory 103, and the control unit 101 can execute the computer program 107.

[0015] The analysis unit 104 can identify abnormalities by performing required analysis processing on the acquired medical data. The analysis unit 104 may be configured by combining multiple individual analysis units corresponding to each disease. Details of abnormalities will be described later.

[0016] The guideline providing unit 109 identifies a uniform resource locator (URL) for displaying a web page of a guideline related to the abnormal part identified by the analysis unit 104. The guideline providing unit 109 may provide not only the guideline related to the abnormal part, but also supplementary information when providing the guideline.

[0017] The display control unit 105 generates a display image that visualizes the abnormal area identified by the analysis unit 104. The display control unit 105 can perform display control for displaying required information on the display screen of the client device 60.

[0018] The storage unit 106 can be configured with, for example, a hard disk or semiconductor memory, and may store necessary information in addition to the computer program 107 and history information 108. Details of the history information will be described later.

[0019] Next, an abnormal part will be described. An abnormal part can be determined by analyzing medical images including MRI images, PET images, SPECT images, X-ray images, ultrasound images, etc., and determining a part where indexes such as Z score, SUVR (Standardized Uptake Value Ratio), centiroid, number of hemorrhages in a specific part, size, position, number or shape of abnormal part, etc., satisfy certain conditions. MRI images include, for example, T1 weighted images, T2 weighted images, proton density weighted images, FLAIR (Fluid-Attenuated Inversion Recovery) images, diffusion weighted images, MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography) images, T2 * (T2 star) weighted image, SWI (Susceptibility-Weighted Imaging) image, QSM (Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping) image, and R2 *PET imaging includes imaging of various organs, such as brain, brain tissue, and brain regions. PET imaging is performed by administering a radioactive drug to a subject via intravenous injection or other means and capturing the radiation emitted by the drug within the body. Imaging using the drug allows physicians to understand not only the morphology of various parts of the body, but also the distribution of the administered drug within the body and the accumulation of substances in the body that react with the drug, thereby contributing to improved accuracy in disease diagnosis. For example, PET images can be captured using the so-called Pittsburgh compound B as a PET radiopharmaceutical (tracer). Measurement of the level of amyloid beta protein accumulation in the brain based on the captured PET images can be useful for differential diagnosis or early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Furthermore, SPECT imaging can also be used to examine various organs, such as cerebral blood flow tests for cerebrovascular disorders and dementia, depending on the type of drug.

[0020] 3 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormal part related to the brain. Each diagram shown in FIG.

[0021] Figure 3A shows one slice image from a cross-sectional image of the brain of a patient (subject). The hippocampus, which is the ROI (region of interest), is visualized as an abnormal area, showing the area of ​​brain atrophy. In addition, the Z-score is displayed in color as quantitative and numerical data of the abnormal area. Although the Z-score value is not shown in Figure 3A, it may be displayed.

[0022] Taking MRI images as an example, the average and standard deviation are calculated for each voxel from the MRI image of a normal case that has undergone brain morphology standardization processing, and the average and standard deviation images are created by substituting the values ​​of the data (normal standard brain) and the values ​​of the subject's image data (processed image) into the following formula, which calculates the Z score. z=(M(x,y,z)-I(x,y,z)) / SD(x,y,z) M and SD represent the mean and standard deviation images of a normal control brain, respectively, and I represents the processed image. Using the Z-score map, it is possible to quantitatively analyze which regions of the processed image have undergone changes compared to a normal control brain. For example, voxels with positive Z-score values ​​indicate areas of atrophy compared to a normal control brain, and the higher the value, the greater the statistical deviation. For example, a Z-score of 2 indicates a region that is more than two standard deviations from the mean, which is considered to have a statistically significant difference with a risk of approximately 5%. To quantitatively evaluate atrophy within a region, M, SD, and I are calculated for the region of interest, respectively, and the average of all positive Z-scores can be calculated.

[0023] Figure 3B displays a 3D image of the left lateral surface of the patient's brain. The abnormal area is visualized as a brain atrophy area in the frontal lobe (left). Although not shown, the right lateral surface may also be displayed at the same time. In addition, Z scores are displayed in color as quantitative and numerical data of the abnormal area. Although the Z score values ​​are not shown in Figure 3B, they may also be displayed.

[0024] Figure 3C shows a PET image of a patient. The abnormal areas are visualized as areas of amyloid-β accumulation in the cerebral cortex. The SUVR values ​​are displayed in color as quantitative and numerical data for the abnormal areas. The PET image includes, for example, distribution information (e.g., SUVR values ​​for each voxel) visualizing the distribution of amyloid-β, tau protein, or α-synuclein in the brain. SUVR can be calculated by summing the SUV (Standardized Uptake Value: amyloid-β protein accumulation) of four regions of the cerebral gray matter (prefrontal cortex, anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, parietal lobe, and lateral temporal lobe) as the region of interest and dividing it by the SUV of a specific reference region. The accumulation level (SUV) of amyloid-β, tau protein, or α-synuclein can be calculated, for example, by counting the number of voxels whose brightness values ​​for each voxel constituting the desired region are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The accumulation level (e.g., 0%, etc.) can be calculated by the ratio of the count value to the total number of voxels in the desired region. Voxel-specific SUVR is the SUV of a voxel divided by the mean SUV of the reference region. Region-specific SUVR is the SUV of a region divided by the mean SUV of the reference region.

[0025] FIG. 3D shows one slice image from the cross-sectional images of the patient's brain. A brain tumor is visualized as an abnormal area. FIG. 3 is an example, and the abnormal area is not limited to the example in FIG. 3. Also, FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the abnormal area, and may differ from the actual image.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an abnormal area related to a body part other than the brain. Each diagram shown in FIG. 4 is a display image generated by the display control unit 105. FIG. 4A displays a patient's abdominal QSM (Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping) image, in which liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma are visualized as abnormal areas. FIG. 4B displays a contrast CT image of the patient, in which rectal cancer is visualized as an abnormal area. FIG. 4C displays a patient's FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose)-PET / CT image, in which stomach cancer is visualized as an abnormal area. FIG. 4 is an example, and abnormal areas are not limited to the example in FIG. 4. Furthermore, FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of abnormal areas, and may differ from the actual image.

[0027] Next, a display example on the client device 60 will be described.

[0028] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the analysis results of a medical image. Fig. 5A shows an image input screen 300. On the image input screen 300, when a doctor selects a medical image of a patient on a selection screen 301, the selected medical image 302 is displayed. When the doctor operates an "upload" icon 303, the medical image 302 is sent to the information processing device 100.

[0029] The information processing device 100 receives the medical image 302. The analysis unit 104 performs required analysis processing on the received medical image to identify abnormal areas. The display control unit 105 generates a display image that visualizes the abnormal areas identified by the analysis unit 104, and transmits the generated display image to the client device 60.

[0030] FIG. 5B shows an analysis result screen 400. In the analysis result screen 400, a medical image in which an abnormal area 406 is visualized is displayed in a medical image area 402. In a patient information area 401, attribute information related to the patient is displayed, such as the patient ID (which may include the name), date of birth, gender, the date the medical image was uploaded, and the date the medical image was taken. Although not shown, information such as the date of medication, the number of medications, and the therapeutic drug may also be displayed. In a data area 403, a "numeric display" icon 404 and a "region name" icon 405 are displayed. By operating the "numeric display" icon 404, quantitative and numerical data related to the abnormal area 406 can be displayed. By operating the "region name" icon 405, the name of the region related to the abnormal area 406 can be displayed.

[0031] Next, a display example of a guideline will be described. The guideline includes, for example, various published guidelines such as the dementia disease treatment guidelines included in the Japanese Society of Neurology treatment guidelines, various guidelines included in the official guidelines of the Japanese Society of Radiation Oncology, and various guidelines such as the image diagnosis guidelines included in the guidelines of the Japan Radiological Society. Note that in this specification, the literature and the like described in the guideline is also included in the guideline.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a guideline display. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, by performing a first operation (e.g., an operation of moving a cursor 407 to the abnormal portion 406, an operation of tapping the abnormal portion 406, etc.) on an abnormal portion 406 on an analysis result screen 400, a guideline display screen 410 such as that illustrated in FIG. 6B can be displayed. The guideline display screen 410 may be switched to and displayed from the analysis result screen 400, or may be displayed superimposed on a portion of the analysis result screen 400. The guideline display screen 410 displays a guideline 411 related to the abnormal portion 406. The guideline 411 describes information divided into categories such as summary, recommendation, commentary / evidence, and literature, but the category configuration is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 6. Although not illustrated, a similar first operation may be performed on another portion not identified as the abnormal portion 406 to display a guideline related to that portion.

[0033] As described above, the control unit 101 acquires medical data including medical images, displays abnormal areas identified by analytical processing of the acquired medical data, and, when a first operation on the displayed abnormal area is received, displays guidelines related to the abnormal area.

[0034] This allows a doctor to view an image in which an abnormality is visualized and perform a predetermined first operation on the abnormality, which displays a guideline related to the abnormality. This eliminates the need to flip through pages of the guideline to find the appropriate section or to search for the guideline on a computer, thereby improving convenience for doctors. In particular, this can help improve the knowledge of less experienced doctors. Furthermore, it can help improve the productivity of more experienced doctors.

[0035] The evaluation display area 412 displays an evaluation value for the displayed guideline 411. That is, the control unit 101 may display an evaluation for the guideline when displaying the guideline, thereby allowing the doctor to evaluate the validity of the displayed guideline.

[0036] The view count display area 413 displays the number of times the displayed guideline 411 has been viewed in the past. That is, the control unit 101 may record the number of times the displayed guideline has been viewed in the history information 108 each time the guideline is displayed, and when a guideline related to an abnormality is displayed, display the number of times the guideline has been viewed. This allows the doctor to know how often the displayed guideline 411 has been viewed in the past, and to easily understand that the displayed guideline 411 is useful.

[0037] Although not shown, details of terms in the guidelines or cited documents may be selected to display details of the terms or documents.

[0038] FIG. 7 illustrates a first example of a guideline selection method. The control unit 101 extracts keywords related to the abnormal area identified by the analysis unit 104. For example, if the abnormal area is cerebral atrophy of the frontal lobe and the Z-score value indicates atrophy, keywords such as “brain,” “frontal lobe,” “cerebral atrophy,” and “Z-score” can be extracted. As shown in FIG. 7, assume that W1, W2, and W3 are extracted as keywords. Also assume that guidelines A to F are pre-associated as guidelines related to the identified abnormal area. The control unit 101 searches the text in each of guidelines A to F, counts the number of occurrences of keywords W1, W2, and W3, and calculates the total number of occurrences. The control unit 101 can select the guideline with the highest total number of keyword occurrences among guidelines A to F (guideline C in the example of FIG. 7) as the guideline related to the abnormal area. Note that the control unit 101 may select a guideline whose total number of occurrences is equal to or exceeds a predetermined threshold, or a predetermined number of guidelines ranked from the top in terms of total number of occurrences.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a guideline. In the example of FIG. 8, keywords in the text of the guideline (in the example of FIG. 8, "T1 weighted image," "cerebral cortex," "VBM analysis," "Z score," "amyloid beta," and "tau") are highlighted (enclosed in a frame in the example of FIG. 8). In this way, the control unit 101 may extract keywords related to an abnormality and display the keywords included in the guideline related to the abnormality in a specific display mode. This allows the doctor to easily find parts of the text of the displayed guideline that are particularly related to the abnormality.

[0040] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second example of guideline display. As shown in FIG. 9A, by performing a first operation (for example, an operation of moving cursor 407 to abnormal portion 406, an operation of tapping abnormal portion 406, etc.) on abnormal portion 406 on analysis result screen 400, guideline display screen 420 as shown in FIG. 9B can be displayed. Selection information 421 is displayed on guideline display screen 420. Selection information 421 displays multiple guidelines related to the abnormal portion in a selectable manner. In the example of FIG. 9B, guidelines A, B, . . . are displayed in a selectable manner. When guideline B is selected in selection information 421, guideline 422 is displayed. Although not shown, by performing a similar first operation on other portions not identified as abnormal portion 406, multiple guidelines related to the portion may be displayed in a selectable manner.

[0041] As described above, when the control unit 101 receives a first operation for an abnormal portion, it may display selection information for selecting multiple guidelines related to the abnormal portion and display the guideline selected by the selection information. If there are multiple guidelines related to the identified abnormal portion, all of the multiple guidelines may be displayed simultaneously, but this would be cumbersome. Therefore, by having the doctor select and display the desired guideline from the multiple guidelines related to the abnormal portion, it is possible to display only the guidelines that the doctor needs.

[0042] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a third example of guideline display. As illustrated in FIG. 10A, by performing a first operation (e.g., an operation of moving cursor 407 to abnormal portion 406 or an operation of tapping abnormal portion 406) on abnormal portion 406 on analysis result screen 400, guideline display screen 430 as illustrated in FIG. 10B can be displayed. Guide information 431 is displayed on guideline display screen 430. Guide information 431 is information recommending the viewing order (reference order) of guidelines related to the abnormal portion. In the example of FIG. 10B, a message is displayed stating that guidelines 1 to 3 should be referenced in this order. When a doctor operates the "Refer to A1" icon in accordance with the first guidance "Refer to guideline A1 first," guideline 432 is displayed. Even if the doctor is not immediately sure which guideline to view next after referring to guideline A1, he or she can easily display guideline A2, which should be referenced next, by operating the "Refer to A2" icon in accordance with the second guidance "Refer to guideline A2 next." Similarly, by following the third guidance "Finally, please refer to guideline A3," and operating the "See A3" icon, the last guideline A3 to be referenced can be easily displayed. The guideline reference order may be determined by collecting past guideline reference histories, selecting the most frequently referenced guideline for each abnormality, and providing the guideline as guidance information, or by using a reference order determined in advance by an experienced specialist. Although not shown, by performing a similar first operation on other parts not identified as abnormal parts 406, information recommending the viewing order (reference order) of guidelines related to the part may be displayed.

[0043] As described above, when the control unit 101 receives the first operation for the abnormal part, the control unit 101 may display guidance information that guides the doctor in the viewing order of the guidelines related to the abnormal part. This allows the doctor to refer to all guidelines related to the identified abnormal part without missing any, and to view the guidelines in an appropriate order.

[0044] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a fourth example of guideline display. Guidelines related to the identified abnormal area are displayed on the guideline display screen 440. Some doctors may have searched for guidelines themselves in addition to the displayed guidelines. In such cases, by operating the "guideline search" icon 441, for example, a list of guidelines on the guideline page 210 on the web server 200 can be displayed, and a guideline can be searched for.

[0045] The "Guideline Correction" icon 442 accepts an operation to correct the displayed guideline to the guideline searched for by the "Guideline Search" icon 441. That is, the control unit 101 may accept an operation to correct the displayed guideline to a different guideline, and change the guideline related to the identified abnormal part to the corrected guideline. This makes it possible to correct the displayed guideline to an appropriate guideline even if it is not appropriate.

[0046] The "record" icon 444 can record the displayed guideline or the corrected guideline in association with the abnormal part in the history information 108. That is, when the control unit 101 receives a second operation (for example, an operation on the "record" icon 444) on the displayed guideline or the corrected guideline, the control unit 101 may record specific information that identifies the guideline (for example, a URL that references the guideline) in association with the abnormal part. This makes it possible to collect information that associates the abnormal part with the guideline.

[0047] The doctor can display a comment input field and input a comment into the comment input field by operating the "input comment" icon 443. The input comment is recorded in the history information 108.

[0048] By operating the "evaluation" icon 445, the doctor can input an evaluation value indicating an evaluation of the displayed guideline, such as "very useful," "somewhat useful," "helpful," "not very useful," or "not useful at all." The evaluation value may be, for example, on a five-point scale or a numerical value between 0 and 100%. The control unit 101 can record the input evaluation value in the history information 108 in association with the displayed guideline. This allows the appropriateness of the displayed guideline to be evaluated not only by less experienced doctors but also by more experienced specialists, making it possible to display appropriate guidelines.

[0049] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the history information 108. The history information 108 can be recorded for each patient. The history information 108 associates the following: the imaging date (which may include the examination date), the captured medical image, vital signs, examination data, displayed guidelines, evaluations of the displayed guidelines, input comments, and corrected guidelines. For example, the imaging date of OO year, OO month, OO day is associated with medical image G1 (or a URL for identifying G1, etc.), vital data V1, examination data T1, displayed guideline A1, evaluation 70%, comment C1, and corrected guideline B1. The same applies to other imaging dates.

[0050] In this way, the control unit 101 may display a field for entering comments and record the comments entered in the field in association with specific information for identifying the abnormal area and the guidelines related to the abnormal area. This allows the doctor to grasp the situation at the time of past diagnoses at any time and to confirm the history of the patient's disease, the effects of treatment, etc.

[0051] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a second example of a method for selecting a guideline. The control unit 101 can collect evaluations of the displayed guidelines, as shown in Fig. 12. The control unit 101 may calculate an evaluation value for each of a plurality of guidelines related to the abnormal portion based on the collected evaluations, select a guideline related to the abnormal portion based on the evaluation value, and display the selected guideline.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 13, suppose that guidelines A1, B1, and C1 exist as guidelines related to the identified abnormal part. Suppose that the statistical value (e.g., mean value, median, mode, etc.) of the evaluation values ​​collected for guideline A1 is 70%, the statistical value of the evaluation values ​​collected for guideline B1 is 85%, and the statistical value of the evaluation values ​​collected for guideline C1 is 80%. In this case, guideline B1, which has the largest statistical value of the evaluation values, can be selected. This allows highly rated guidelines to be preferentially selected and displayed, making it possible to provide more useful guidelines.

[0053] 14A shows a fifth example of a guideline display. As shown in FIG. 14A, a plurality of abnormal portions 406a, 406b, and 406c are displayed on analysis result screen 400. The number of abnormal portions is not limited to three. By performing a first operation on abnormal portions 406a, 406b, and 406c (for example, an operation of moving cursor 407 to abnormal portions 406a, 406b, and 406c, an operation of tapping abnormal portions 406a, 406b, and 406c), a guideline display screen 450 such as that shown in FIG. 14B can be displayed.

[0054] Three guidelines A11, A12, and B11 are displayed on the guideline display screen 450. In FIG. 14B, a space is inserted at the beginning of the guideline A12, causing it to be shifted to the right from the position of the guideline A11. Furthermore, another space is inserted at the beginning of the guideline B11, causing it to be shifted to the right from the position of the guideline A12. By arranging the display positions of the guidelines A11, A12, and B11 in this manner, it becomes easier for a doctor to view the guidelines A11, A12, and B11 in that order. This allows the guidelines to be weighted when displayed. Note that instead of changing the arrangement, the size of the display area of ​​the guidelines, the character size of the guidelines, etc. may be changed.

[0055] 14A illustrates an example in which the abnormal portions 406a, 406b, and 406c are operated in this order, but the order of operations is not limited to the example of FIG. 14A. For example, the operations may be performed in the order that the doctor considers important or in the order of increasing interest. Although not illustrated, a similar first operation may be performed on multiple other portions that are not identified as the abnormal portions 406a, 406b, and 406c, thereby weighting and displaying guidelines related to those portions.

[0056] As described above, when there are multiple abnormal areas and first operations for the multiple abnormal areas are received, the control unit 101 may display guidelines related to the multiple abnormal areas for which the first operations were received. Furthermore, when there are multiple abnormal areas and first operations for the multiple abnormal areas are received, the control unit 101 may weight the guidelines related to the multiple abnormal areas based on the order in which the first operations were received, and display the guidelines according to the weightings. This allows the doctor to intuitively grasp the importance of the guidelines.

[0057] Fig. 15 is a diagram showing a second example of the configuration of the information processing system of this embodiment. The information processing system includes a client device 60 as an information processing device. The differences from the first example shown in Fig. 1 are that the functions of the information processing device 100 are incorporated into the client device 60, that the client device 60 is not connected to a communication network 1 such as the Internet, and that a guideline DB 70 is connected to the client device 60.

[0058] 1, the client device 60 is connected to the communication network 1 and can access the web server 200, so the client device 60 can display the guidelines from the guideline web page. In the second example, the client device 60 is not connected to the communication network 1, so the client device 60 accesses the guideline DB 70 to display the guidelines. Like the information processing device 100, the client device 60 includes a control unit 101, an analysis unit 104, a display control unit 105, a storage unit 106, a computer program 107, history information 108, and a guideline providing unit 109.

[0059] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the guideline DB 70. The guideline DB 70 can be configured with columns such as region, abnormal region, guideline, and literature information. The guidelines may be classified into a recommendation order indicating the priority for viewing or referring to them. In the example of FIG. 16, the guidelines are classified into three categories: first recommendation, second recommendation, and third recommendation. For example, if the region is the brain (cerebral region) and the abnormal region is X1, guidelines A1, A2, and A3 are displayed appropriately according to the recommendation order. The doctor can display literature information d11 cited in the guideline by operating the doctor. The same applies to other regions and abnormal regions.

[0060] The client device 60 acquires medical data including medical images, displays abnormal areas identified by analytical processing of the acquired medical data, and when it receives a first operation on the displayed abnormal area, it can display guidelines related to the abnormal area.

[0061] This allows doctors to simply look at an image in which the abnormal area is visualized and perform a specified first operation on the abnormal area, and guidelines related to that abnormal area will be displayed, eliminating the need to flip through the pages of the guidelines to find the appropriate location or search for the guidelines on a computer, thereby improving convenience for doctors.

[0062] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a processing procedure of an information processing device. The information processing device includes an information processing device 100 of a first example and a client device 60 of a second example. For convenience, the following description will be given assuming that the processing is performed by the control unit 101. The control unit 101 acquires medical data including medical images (S11) and identifies abnormal areas through analysis processing (S12). Abnormal areas include, for example, those exemplified in FIGS. 3 and 4. The control unit 101 displays the identified abnormal areas (S13). The display of the abnormal areas includes, for example, those exemplified in FIG. 5.

[0063] The control unit 101 determines whether or not a predetermined operation has been performed (S14), and if the predetermined operation has not been performed (NO in S14), the process of step S14 is continued. If the predetermined operation has been performed (YES in S14), the control unit 101 displays a guideline in response to the predetermined operation (S15). The displayed guideline includes, for example, those exemplified in FIGS. 6, 9, 10, and 14.

[0064] The control unit 101 determines whether or not a predetermined operation has been performed on the displayed guideline (S16), and if the predetermined operation has been performed (YES in S16), executes processing according to the operation (S17) and performs processing in step S18, which will be described later. The processing according to the operation includes, for example, the processing illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0065] If the specified operation is not performed (NO in S16), the control unit 101 determines whether to terminate the processing (S18), and if the processing is not to be terminated (NO in S18), the processing continues from step S16 onwards, and if the processing is to be terminated (YES in S18), the processing is terminated.

[0066] The computer program of this embodiment causes a computer to execute the following process: acquire medical data including medical images; display abnormal areas identified by analytical processing of the acquired medical data; and, when a first operation on the abnormal area is received, display a guideline related to the abnormal area.

[0067] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to execute a process in which, when a first operation on the abnormal portion is received, selection information for selecting multiple guidelines related to the abnormal portion is displayed, and the guideline selected by the selection information is displayed.

[0068] The computer program of this embodiment causes a computer to execute a process of, when a first operation on the abnormal portion is accepted, displaying guidance information that guides the user in the viewing order of guidelines related to the abnormal portion.

[0069] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to execute a process of, when a second operation on a displayed guideline is accepted, recording identification information that identifies the guideline in association with the abnormal portion.

[0070] The computer program of this embodiment causes a computer to execute a process that displays a field for entering comments, and associates and records the comments entered in the field with specific information that identifies the abnormal part and the guideline related to the abnormal part.

[0071] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to execute processing to accept an operation to correct a displayed guideline to another guideline, and to change the guideline related to the abnormal portion to the corrected guideline.

[0072] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to execute a process of recording the number of times a displayed guideline has been viewed, and displaying the number of times the guideline has been viewed when the guideline related to the abnormal portion is displayed.

[0073] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to perform the following process: collect evaluations of the displayed guidelines, calculate an evaluation value for each of multiple guidelines related to the abnormal area based on the collected evaluations, select a guideline related to the abnormal area based on the evaluation value, and display the selected guideline.

[0074] The computer program of this embodiment causes a computer to execute a process of extracting keywords related to the abnormal portion and displaying the keywords included in the guidelines related to the abnormal portion in a specific display format.

[0075] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to execute a process of, when receiving a first operation for a plurality of abnormal portions, displaying guidelines related to the plurality of abnormal portions for which the first operation has been received.

[0076] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to execute a process in which, when a first operation for multiple abnormal areas is received, the computer weights guidelines related to the multiple abnormal areas based on the order in which the first operations were received, and displays the guidelines according to the weighting.

[0077] The computer program of this embodiment causes the computer to execute processing to display a guideline related to a portion that has not been identified as an abnormal portion, when a first operation on the portion is received.

[0078] The information processing device of this embodiment includes an acquisition unit that acquires medical data including medical images, a first display unit that displays abnormal areas identified by analysis processing of the acquired medical data, and a second display unit that displays guidelines related to the abnormal areas when a first operation on the abnormal areas is received.

[0079] The information processing method of this embodiment acquires medical data including medical images, displays abnormal areas identified by analytical processing of the acquired medical data, and, when a first operation on the abnormal area is received, displays guidelines related to the abnormal area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1. Communication Network 10 MRI machine 20 PET equipment 30 CT device 40 Inspection equipment 50 Image Server 60 Client Device 61 Web Browser 70 Guideline DB 100 Information processing device 101 Control section 102 Communications Department 103 memory 104 Analysis Department 105 Display control unit 106 Storage section 107 Computer Programs 108 History Information 109 Guideline Provision Department 200 Web Server 210 Guidelines Page

Claims

1. On the computer, Acquire medical data, including medical images; Displaying abnormal areas identified through analysis of acquired medical data, When a first operation on the abnormal portion is received, a guideline related to the abnormal portion is displayed; When a second operation on the displayed guideline is received, specific information for identifying the guideline is recorded in association with the abnormal portion. A computer program that executes a process.

2. On the computer, When a first operation on the abnormal portion is received, selection information for selecting a plurality of guidelines related to the abnormal portion is displayed; Displaying a guideline selected by the selection information; The computer program product of claim 1 , which executes a process.

3. On the computer, when a first operation on the abnormal portion is received, displaying guidance information that guides the user in the viewing order of guidelines related to the abnormal portion; 3. The computer program according to claim 1, which executes a process.

4. On the computer, Display the comment field, The comment entered in the entry field, the abnormal part, and specific information for identifying a guideline related to the abnormal part are recorded in association with each other. The computer program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a process to be executed.

5. On the computer, Accepts the operation to correct the displayed guideline to another guideline, changing the guideline associated with the anomaly to a corrected guideline; 5. A computer program product according to claim 1, which causes a process to be executed.

6. On the computer, Record the number of times the displayed guidelines are viewed, When displaying the guideline related to the abnormal part, the number of times the guideline has been viewed is displayed.

6. A computer program product according to claim 1, which causes a process to be executed.

7. On the computer, Collect evaluations of the displayed guidelines, Calculating an evaluation value for each of a plurality of guidelines related to the abnormal portion based on the collected evaluations; selecting a guideline associated with the abnormality based on the evaluation value; View the selected guideline, 7. A computer program product according to claim 1, which causes a process to be executed.

8. On the computer, extracting keywords related to the abnormal portion; displaying the keyword included in the guideline related to the abnormal portion in a specific display mode; A computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which causes a process to be executed.

9. On the computer, When a first operation for a plurality of abnormal portions is received, a guideline related to the plurality of abnormal portions for which the first operation is received is displayed. A computer program product according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which causes a process to be executed.

10. On the computer, When first operations for a plurality of abnormal portions are received, weighting the guidelines related to the plurality of abnormal portions based on the order in which the first operations are received; Displaying the guidelines according to the weighting.

10. A computer program product according to claim 1, which causes a process to be executed.

11. A computer comprising: Acquire medical data, including medical images; Displaying abnormal areas identified through analysis of acquired medical data, When a first operation on the abnormal portion is received, a guideline related to the abnormal portion is displayed; Display the comment field, The comment entered in the entry field, the abnormal part, and specific information for identifying a guideline related to the abnormal part are recorded in association with each other. A computer program that executes a process.

12. an acquisition unit that acquires medical data including medical images; a first display unit that displays an abnormal area identified by an analysis process on the acquired medical data; a second display unit that displays a guideline related to the abnormal portion when a first operation on the abnormal portion is received; a recording unit that, when a second operation on the displayed guideline is received, records specific information that identifies the guideline and the abnormal portion in association with each other; Equipped with Information processing device.

13. An acquisition unit that acquires medical data including medical images; a first display unit that displays an abnormal area identified by an analysis process on the acquired medical data; a second display unit that displays a guideline related to the abnormal portion when a first operation on the abnormal portion is received; an entry field display section that displays an entry field for entering comments; a recording unit that records the comment entered in the entry field, the abnormal part, and specific information that identifies a guideline related to the abnormal part in association with each other; Equipped with Information processing device.

14. Acquire medical data, including medical images; Displaying abnormal areas identified through analysis of acquired medical data, When a first operation on the abnormal portion is received, a guideline related to the abnormal portion is displayed; When a second operation on the displayed guideline is received, specific information for identifying the guideline is recorded in association with the abnormal portion. An information processing method that causes a computer to execute a process.

15. Acquiring medical data including medical images; Displaying abnormal areas identified through analysis of acquired medical data, When a first operation on the abnormal portion is received, a guideline related to the abnormal portion is displayed; Display the comment field, The comment entered in the entry field, the abnormal part, and specific information for identifying a guideline related to the abnormal part are recorded in association with each other. An information processing method that causes a computer to execute a process.

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