Information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique for enabling a user to adequately perform initial positioning by a simple operation by selecting an appropriate method from a plurality of initial positioning methods, so as to enable highly accurate positioning between pieces of medical image data.SOLUTION: There is provided an information processing system. The information processing system executes following respective steps: a read-out step of reading out a plurality of pieces of medical image data photographed by at least one modality; and a display control step of performing control to display an operation screen for performing first positioning between the pieces of medical image data. The operation screen is constituted to enable a user to recognize a plurality of initial positioning functions by viewing a list.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In recent years, a technique for improving operability in so-called medical image registration, which is a process for aligning a plurality of medical image data, has been disclosed (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-142974 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, while the above-mentioned conventional technology allows a user to manually align multiple medical image data, it does not take into consideration that the appropriate manual alignment method varies depending on the difficulty of the alignment.

[0005] In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a technology that allows the user to select an appropriate method from multiple initial positioning methods and accurately align the initial position with simple operations, so that medical image data can be aligned with greater precision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system. The information processing system is configured to execute the following steps: In the reading step, a plurality of medical image data captured by at least one modality are read; In the display control step, an operation screen for performing a first alignment between the plurality of medical image data is controlled to be displayed; The operation screen is configured so that a user can easily grasp a plurality of initial positioning functions.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, a technology can be provided that allows a user to select an appropriate method from multiple manual initial positioning methods and accurately align the initial position with simple operations, so as to align medical image data with higher accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing device 1. FIG. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by a control unit 13 and the like in the information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a screen displayed on the display unit 14 of the information processing device 1, and is an example of the operation screen 2. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of an overhead view BV included in an operation screen 2. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of a menu LM included in the operation screen 2, which allows selection of an initial positioning function FL. [Figure 6] This is an example of an area TA where two sets of medical image data are superimposed and displayed as a three-dimensional image. [Figure 7] This is an example of an area TA where two sets of medical image data are superimposed and displayed as a three-dimensional image. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed by an information processing system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0010] Incidentally, the program for realizing the software appearing in this embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or may be provided so that it can be downloaded from an external server, or may be provided so that the program is started on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] In this embodiment, the term "unit" may also include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In addition, this embodiment handles various types of information, which may be represented by, for example, physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltages and currents, high and low signal values ​​as a binary bit set consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculations may be performed on a circuit in the broad sense.

[0012] In addition, a circuit in the broad sense is a circuit realized by at least appropriately combining a circuit, circuitry, a processor, a memory, etc. That is, it includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), etc.

[0013] 1. Hardware Configuration In this section, the hardware configuration of the first embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, an information processing system is comprised of one or more devices or components. Therefore, for example, even an information processing device 1 alone is an example of an information processing system. Below, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1, which is an example of an information processing system, will be described.

[0014] 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of an information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, a control unit 13, a display unit 14, and an input unit 15, and these components are electrically connected via a communication bus 10 inside the information processing device 1. Each component will be further described below.

[0015] The communication unit 11 is preferably a wired communication means such as USB, IEEE1394, Thunderbolt, or wired LAN network communication, but may also include wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as 3G / LTE / 5G, Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, etc. as necessary. In other words, it is more preferable to implement it as a collection of multiple communication means. In other words, the information processing device 1 may communicate various information from the outside via the communication unit 11 and the network.

[0016] The memory unit 12 stores various pieces of information defined above. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs and the like related to the information processing device 1 executed by the control unit 13, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to the program operations. The memory unit 12 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the information processing device 1 executed by the control unit 13.

[0017] The control unit 13 processes and controls the overall operations related to the information processing device 1. The control unit 13 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) not shown. The control unit 13 realizes various functions related to the information processing device 1 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 12. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 12 is specifically realized by the control unit 13, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 13. These will be described in further detail in the next section. Note that the control unit 13 is not limited to being single, and multiple control units 13 may be provided for each function. A combination of these may also be used.

[0018] The display unit 14 may be, for example, included in the housing of the information processing device 1 or may be externally attached. The display unit 14 displays a screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be operated by the user. This may be, for example, a display device such as a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or a plasma display.

[0019] The input unit 15 may be included in the housing of the information processing device 1 or may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 15 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 14. The touch panel allows the user to input tapping, swiping, and the like. Of course, a switch button, a mouse, a QWERTY keyboard, or the like may be used instead of the touch panel. That is, the input unit 15 accepts an operation input made by the user. The input is transferred as a command signal to the control unit 13 via the communication bus 10, and the control unit 13 can execute predetermined control or calculation as necessary.

[0020] 2. Functional configuration This section describes the functional configuration of this embodiment. As described above, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 12 is specifically realized by the control unit 13, which is an example of hardware, and each functional unit included in the control unit 13 can be executed.

[0021] 2 is a block diagram showing functions realized by the control unit 13 and the like in the information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment. Specifically, the information processing device 1 includes a reading unit 131, a receiving unit 132, and a display control unit 133.

[0022] The reading unit 131 is configured to read various information received from the outside via the communication unit 11 or stored in advance in the storage unit 12. For example, the reading unit 131 is configured to read medical image data captured by a modality. Details will be described later.

[0023] The receiving unit 132 is configured to receive various types of information. For example, the receiving unit 132 is configured to receive operations performed by the user on the operation screen 2. Details will be described later.

[0024] The display control unit 133 is configured to control various display information. Here, the display information may be information itself generated in a manner that is visible to the user, such as a screen, an image, an icon, a message, etc., or may be rendering information for displaying a screen, an image, an icon, a message, etc. on the display unit 14 of the information processing device 1. For example, the display control unit 133 is configured to control the display of the operation screen 2. Details will be described later.

[0025] 3. Information Processing Method In this section, an information processing method of the information processing device 1 described above will be described.

[0026] The figures referred to in this section are as follows. Fig. 3 is a screen displayed on the display unit 14 of the information processing device 1, and is an example of the operation screen 2. Fig. 4 is an example of an overhead view BV included in the operation screen 2. Fig. 5 is an example of a menu LM included in the operation screen 2, which enables selection of an initial positioning function FL. Fig. 6 is an example of an area TA in which two sets of medical image data are superimposed and displayed as a three-dimensional image. Fig. 7 is an example of an area TA in which two sets of medical image data are superimposed and displayed as a three-dimensional image. Fig. 8 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed by the information processing system.

[0027] The flow of information processing executed by the information processing device 1 will be described below with reference to the activity diagram of FIG.

[0028] For the sake of convenience, it is assumed here that a user images a target region of a human body using at least one modality for the purpose of diagnosing or examining a disease, or for anatomical research, and obtains multiple sets of medical image data. Note that the subject imaged by the modality is not limited to the human body, but includes any animal that may be the subject of diagnosing or examining a disease, or for anatomical research, etc. Furthermore, the portion of the medical image data corresponding to the target region is referred to as an "object."

[0029] Modalities include, for example, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), computed radiography (CR), digital X-ray imaging (DR), angiography X-ray diagnostic equipment (XA), ultrasound diagnostic equipment (US), and endoscopic equipment (ES).

[0030] First, the reading unit 131 of the information processing device 1 reads out a plurality of medical image data captured by at least one modality. The plurality of medical image data may be received from the modality via the communication unit 11, or may be stored in advance in the storage unit 12 (activity A001).

[0031] Thereafter, the display control unit 133 controls to display the operation screen 2 (see FIG. 3) for performing the first alignment between the plurality of medical image data.

[0032] 3, the operation screen 2 preferably includes an overhead view BV showing the relationships between multiple medical image data. According to this aspect, even when 10 or more types of medical image data are used in neurosurgery or the like, the user can easily grasp the relationships between all of the medical image data.

[0033] 4, it is preferable that the relationship between the reference image data IR, which is used as the basis for alignment, and the target image data IT, which is the target of alignment, is represented by an arrow AH in the overhead view BV. In the overhead view BV of FIG. 4, the medical image data at the tip of the arrow AH is the reference image data IR, and the medical image data at the base of the arrow AH is the target image data IT. According to this embodiment, even when more than 10 types of medical image data are used in neurosurgery, etc., it is possible to avoid confusion that may occur when it becomes unclear which medical image data have been aligned, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0034] In the overhead view BV of Figure 4 described above, the user selects two medical image data to be aligned from among multiple medical image data, and performs a selection operation on the pin icon PI attached to the medical image data (activity A002 and activity A003).

[0035] Here, the overhead view BV of FIG. 4 will be described with a specific example. In the overhead view BV of FIG. 4, the reference image data IR selected by the user is medical image data of "TOF MRA." Note that "TOF MRA" indicates image data captured by MR angiography (MRA) using the time-of-flight (TOF) method. Also, in the overhead view BV of FIG. 4, the target image data IT selected by the user is medical image data of "CE Heavy T2." Note that "CE Heavy T2" indicates post-contrast heavy T2-weighted image data captured by contrast-enhanced (CE) MRI. Thus, in the overhead view BV of FIG. 4, the medical image data is represented by abbreviations representing the imaging methods, using abbreviations commonly used in the technical field.

[0036] Furthermore, in the overhead view BV of FIG. 4, the reference image data IR, which is "TOF MRA," and the target image data IT, which is "CE Heavy T2," are connected by an arrow AH. That is, as described above, the arrow AH represents the relationship between the reference image data IR and the target image data IT. Note that medical image data connected by two or more arrows AH cannot be directly aligned with each other. For example, in the overhead view BV of FIG. 4, the medical image data "3D RA" is indirectly aligned with the "TOF MRA" by aligning it with the "CT" that is aligned with the "TOF MRA."

[0037] 4, the area enclosed by the dotted line includes a group of medical image data captured by CT, and the area not enclosed by the dotted line includes a group of medical image data captured by MRI. In this way, medical image data captured by the same modality are arranged relatively close to each other and displayed as a group.

[0038] When the user selects two medical image data sets to be aligned in the overhead view BV (see FIG. 4 ), the accepting unit 132 accepts the user's selection. Thereafter, the display control unit 133 controls the display of the operation screen 2 shown in FIG. 3 . As a result, on the operation screen 2, the two medical image data sets selected by the user from among the multiple medical image data sets, specifically the reference image data IR and the target image data IT, are displayed as two-dimensional images in the area SA, and a three-dimensional image in which the two medical image data sets are superimposed is displayed in the area TA. Note that in the areas SA and TA, the reference object OR included in the reference image data IR and the target object OT included in the target image data IT are represented in different colors so that the user can distinguish them. According to this embodiment, the user can perform the alignment operation while simultaneously checking both the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional image, thereby improving usability.

[0039] Next, the user checks the difficulty level of alignment using the overhead view BV on the operation screen 2 in Figure 3, and then selects one of the multiple initial positioning functions FL on the menu LM. That is, the operation screen 2 is configured so that the user can easily see and grasp the multiple initial positioning functions FL (activity A004).

[0040] Here, the first alignment by the initial positioning function FL refers to adjusting the initial position as a preliminary step to registration by iterative calculation, and is performed by adjusting the position of the object O included in each medical image data. Furthermore, it is preferable that the multiple initial positioning functions include at least one of an initial positioning function FL1 that adjusts the center position of the object O, an initial positioning function FL2 that performs translation and rotation about a local axis L of the object O, and an initial positioning function FL3 that specifies multiple landmarks P in the object O.

[0041] These initial positioning functions FL differ in the accuracy of aligning the initial position and in operability. In particular, the initial positioning function FL1, which aligns the center position of the object O, is the simplest initial positioning function FL, while the initial positioning function FL3, which specifies multiple landmarks P in the object O, is the most advanced initial positioning function FL. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the user can select an appropriate initial positioning method depending on the difficulty of alignment.

[0042] When the user selects one of the initial positioning functions FL, the reception unit 132 receives the selection operation by the user. Thereafter, the control unit 13 executes the first alignment, and the display control unit 133 controls the display of the operation screen 2 of FIG. 3. As a result, in the area TA of the operation screen 2 of FIG. 3, two medical image data are aligned by the initial positioning function FL selected by the user from among the multiple initial positioning functions FL and displayed as a three-dimensional image. According to this embodiment, the result of the first alignment by the initial positioning function FL is immediately displayed as a three-dimensional image, allowing the user to easily determine whether the first alignment was successful (activity A005).

[0043] The user looks at the three-dimensional image displayed in area TA on the operation screen 2 in Figure 3 and determines whether the position of the reference object OR contained in the reference image data IR and the position of the target object OT contained in the target image data IT are sufficiently aligned. If the position of the object O is clearly not aligned from the user's perspective, the user can select another initial positioning function FL and perform the first alignment again. If the user determines that the position of the object O is sufficiently aligned, the user selects the automatic alignment function AL on the operation screen 2 in Figure 3 to perform the second alignment between the multiple medical image data, i.e., the reference image data IR and the target image data IT.

[0044] That is, it is preferable that the operation screen 2 is configured so that the user can easily grasp the automatic alignment function AL together with the multiple initial positioning functions FL. According to this aspect, the first alignment and the second alignment can be performed on the same operation screen 2 without screen transitions, thereby improving the user experience.

[0045] When the user selects the automatic alignment function AL, the reception unit 132 receives this selection operation by the user. Thereafter, the control unit 13 executes the second alignment. Here, the automatic alignment function AL executes a second alignment between the multiple medical image data by further executing an iteration calculation on the multiple medical image data on which the first alignment has been executed. According to this aspect, by executing the first alignment by the initial positioning function FL and the second alignment by the automatic alignment function AL in combination, it is possible to achieve very accurate alignment between the medical image data despite the simple user operation (activity A006).

[0046] To summarize the above, the information processing method of this embodiment includes a reading step and a display control step. In the reading step, multiple medical image data captured by at least one modality are read. In the display control step, control is performed to display an operation screen for performing first alignment between the multiple medical image data. Here, the operation screen is configured to allow a user to easily grasp multiple initial positioning functions.

[0047] According to this embodiment, the user can select an appropriate method from among a plurality of initial positioning methods to enable more accurate alignment between medical image data, and can accurately align the initial position with simple operations.

[0048] Next, the initial positioning function FL will be described in detail below.

[0049] <Initial positioning function FL1> As described above, the initial positioning function FL1 that aligns the center position of the object O is the simplest initial positioning function FL, and therefore, it is preferable that the first alignment be performed simply by pressing button B11, as shown in menu LM in Fig. 5. Furthermore, if the user looks at the three-dimensional image displayed in area TA of operation screen 2 in Fig. 3 and determines that the position of the reference object OR contained in the reference image data IR and the position of the target object OT contained in the target image data IT do not sufficiently match, it is preferable that the user be able to return the target image data IT to the state it was in before the first alignment was performed by pressing button B12, as shown in menu LM in Fig. 5.

[0050] <Initial positioning function FL2> The initial positioning function FL2 by translating and rotating the object O about the local axis L may be a function included in a 3D operation tool commonly used in the technical field, so that it is easy for a user skilled in the art to operate. Here, a specific example of the initial positioning function FL2 will be described with reference to Fig. 6 which shows an area TA where two medical image data are superimposed and displayed as a three-dimensional image.

[0051] 6, a reference object OR included in the reference image data IR and a target object OT included in the target image data IT are displayed superimposed on each other. Furthermore, for the target object OT, an x-axis LX, a y-axis LY, and a z-axis LZ are displayed as local axes L of the target object OT, along with circles CX, CY, and CZ corresponding to each local axis L, and a bounding box BT that surrounds the target object OT and is aligned with the local axes L. For the reference object OR, a bounding box BR that surrounds the reference object OR and is aligned with the local axes L is displayed.

[0052] In the area TA shown in FIG. 6, the user can translate the target object OT about each local axis L by dragging the arrow of the x-axis LX, y-axis LY, or z-axis LZ. The user can also rotate the target object OT about each local axis L by dragging the circle CX, circle CY, or circle CZ. Furthermore, the user can specify the extent of the target object OT using a bounding box BT. Similarly, the user can specify the extent of the reference object OR using a bounding box BR.

[0053] 5, it is preferable that the target image data IT be returned to the state before the first alignment was performed by the initial positioning function FL2 by pressing a button B21. Similarly, it is preferable that the reference image data IR be returned to the state before the first alignment was performed by the initial positioning function FL2 by pressing a button B22. According to this aspect, if the user determines that the positions of the reference object OR and the target object OT are not sufficiently aligned, the user can have the first alignment performed again by another initial positioning function FL.

[0054] <Initial positioning function FL3> The initial positioning function FL3 by specifying multiple landmarks P in the object O is a function that sets multiple characteristic points that exist in common between the image data to be aligned as landmarks P, and performs the first alignment by aligning the point clouds. Here, a specific example of the initial positioning function FL3 will be described with reference to Fig. 5 showing the menu LM and Fig. 7 showing the area TA where two medical image data are superimposed and displayed as a three-dimensional image.

[0055] First, the user checks the check box CT in the menu LM of FIG. 5 so that the target landmark PT0 can be specified in the target object OT included in the target image data IT. Next, the user selects one characteristic point in the target object OT in the area TA of FIG. 7 and selects that point to specify it as the target landmark PT0. Next, the user checks the check box CR in the menu LM of FIG. 5 so that the reference landmark PR0 can be specified in the reference object OR included in the reference image data IR. Next, in the area TA of FIG. 7, the user selects a corresponding point in the reference object OR that has the same feature as the feature indicated by the target landmark PT0 and selects that point to specify it as the reference landmark PR0.

[0056] Similarly, the user specifies the target landmarks PT1 and PT2, as well as the corresponding reference landmarks PR1 and PR2, and preferably specifies three or more sets of landmarks P. For example, a preferred set of landmarks P is a set of three or more feature points that are as far apart as possible from each other in the target area the user wants to confirm, such as around a tumor. The set of landmarks P is represented in area TA in FIG. 7 by connecting their correspondence with lines. Specifically, in area TA in FIG. 7, the target landmark PT0 and the reference landmark PR0 are connected by a straight line, the target landmark PT1 and the reference landmark PR1 are connected by a straight line, and the target landmark PT2 and the reference landmark PR2 are connected by a straight line.

[0057] Note that the specification of multiple landmarks P is possible not only on the area TA included in the operation screen 2 of Figure 3, but also on the area SA, which is also included in the operation screen 2 and displays two medical image data selected by the user from multiple medical image data as a two-dimensional image. That is, the specification of multiple landmarks P is possible in both two-dimensional images and three-dimensional images. According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to perform the specification operation of landmarks LP on either the two-dimensional image or the three-dimensional image, on which feature points suitable for the user to grasp are easier to grasp, thereby improving usability.

[0058] After completing the designation of the landmark P in this way, the user can execute the first alignment by pressing the button B31 in the menu LM in Fig. 5. After executing the first alignment using the initial positioning function FL3, the user preferably selects the automatic alignment function AL on the operation screen 2 in Fig. 3 to execute the second alignment.

[0059] That is, it is preferable to use the initial positioning function FL3 to perform point-by-point registration as the first registration based on the manual specification of landmarks P, and then use the automatic registration function AL to perform registration through iterative calculation as the second registration. According to this aspect, even when medical image data sets that are difficult to align are combined, by aligning the initial positions as much as possible through manual operation based on human visual judgment, it is possible to avoid non-convergence in the iterative calculation, and it is possible to correct the initial registration through the iterative calculation, thereby achieving strong registration.

[0060] This makes it possible to precisely align combinations of medical image data that are difficult to align, such as CT image data and MRI image data. As a result, users can more precisely determine the structure and function of tissues that are difficult to distinguish in one image, such as a CT image, from the other image, such as an MRI image.

[0061] 4.Other The information processing system may have the following configuration.

[0062] An aspect of the present embodiment may be a program that causes a computer to execute each step of the information processing system.

[0063] After the above-mentioned activity A003, the optimum initial positioning function FL may be presented to the user from among a plurality of initial positioning functions FL.

[0064] The information processing system may include components other than the information processing device 1. For example, an information processing system may be implemented that includes the information processing device 1, an input device (not shown), and a display device (not shown). The method of connecting these is not particularly limited, and a service may be provided via the Internet.

[0065] Furthermore, it may be provided in the following aspects. In the information processing system, the medical image data includes an object, and the multiple initial positioning functions include at least one of an initial positioning function that aligns the center position of the object, an initial positioning function that translates and rotates the object about a local axis, and an initial positioning function that specifies multiple landmarks in the object. In the information processing system, the operation screen includes an area for displaying two medical image data sets selected by a user from the plurality of medical image data sets as two-dimensional images, and an area for displaying the two medical image data sets superimposed as a three-dimensional image. In the information processing system, the two medical image data are displayed in the three-dimensional image after being aligned using an initial positioning function selected by a user from among the plurality of initial positioning functions. In the information processing system, the plurality of landmarks can be designated in both the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional image. In the information processing system, the operation screen is configured so that the user can easily grasp the automatic alignment function together with the multiple initial positioning functions, and the automatic alignment function performs a second alignment between the multiple medical image data. In the information processing system, the automatic alignment function performs the second alignment between the plurality of medical image data by further performing iteration calculations on the plurality of medical image data on which the first alignment has been performed. In the information processing system, the operation screen includes an overhead view showing the relationship between the plurality of medical image data. In the information processing system, the relationship between the reference image data that serves as the basis for alignment and the target image data that is the target of the alignment is expressed by arrows in the overhead view. An information processing method comprising the steps of the information processing system. A program that causes a computer to execute each step of the information processing system. Of course, this is not the case.

[0066] Finally, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such embodiments and modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the accompanying claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1: Information processing equipment 10: Communication bus 11: Communications Department 12: Storage section 13: Control section 131:Reading section 132: Reception 133: Display control unit 14: Display section 15: Input section 2: Operation screen AH: Arrow AL: Automatic alignment function B11: Button B12: Button B21: Button B22: Button B31: Button BT: Bounding Box BR: Bounding Box BV: Bird's-eye view CT: Checkbox CR: Checkbox CX: Yen CY: Yen CZ: Circle FL: Initial positioning function FL1: Initial positioning function FL2: Initial positioning function FL3: Initial positioning function IT: Target image data IR: Reference image data L: Local axis LX :x axis LY: y-axis LZ: z-axis LM: Menu LP: Landmark O : Object OT: Target Object OR : Reference object P: Landmark PT0: Target landmark PT1: Target landmark PT2: Target landmark PR0: Reference landmark PR1: Reference landmark PR2: Reference Landmark PI: Pin Icon SA:Area TA:Area

Claims

1. An information processing system, It is configured to perform the following steps: In the reading step, a plurality of medical image data captured by at least one modality are read out; In the display control step, an operation screen for performing a first alignment between the plurality of medical image data is controlled to be displayed, and the first alignment is an alignment performed by a plurality of initial positioning functions; the operation screen is configured to allow a user to grasp both the automatic alignment function and the plurality of initial positioning functions at a glance, the automatic registration function performs a second registration between the plurality of medical image data; thing.

2. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, the medical image data includes an object; the plurality of initial positioning functions include at least one of an initial positioning function for aligning a center position of the object, an initial positioning function for translating and rotating the object about a local axis, and an initial positioning function for specifying a plurality of landmarks in the object; thing.

3. In the information processing system according to claim 2, the operation screen includes an area for displaying two medical image data sets selected by a user from the plurality of medical image data sets as two-dimensional images, and an area for displaying the two medical image data sets as a three-dimensional image by superimposing them together; thing.

4. 4. The information processing system according to claim 3, In the three-dimensional image, the two medical image data are aligned and displayed using an initial positioning function selected by a user from the plurality of initial positioning functions. thing.

5. 5. The information processing system according to claim 3, The designation of the plurality of landmarks is possible in both the two-dimensional image and the three-dimensional image. thing.

6. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, the automatic registration function further performs an iterative calculation on the plurality of medical image data on which the first registration has been performed, thereby performing the second registration between the plurality of medical image data. thing.

7. In the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the operation screen includes an overhead view showing a relationship between the plurality of medical image data. thing.

8. 8. The information processing system according to claim 7, In the bird's-eye view, the relationship between the reference image data that is used as a reference for alignment and the target image data that is the target of the alignment is expressed by an arrow. thing.

9. An information processing method, comprising: The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, method.

10. A program, A computer is caused to execute each step of the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. thing.

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