Program, display device, display system, and display method

Abstract

To prevent a lesion to be observed from being overlooked when a lesion candidate region in a medical image and its display information are out of an image display region of a screen and are not displayed on the screen being viewed.SOLUTION: When there exists a lesion candidate region not displayed in an enlarged image that enlarges a predetermined range of a medical image or an annotation of the legion candidate region acquired by computer processing for the medical image and the annotation added to the medical image, a control unit of an information processing device causes a display unit to display any one of the number of lesion candidate regions or the annotations existing out of the predetermined range of the medical image and within the medical image, a direction with the enlarged image as a reference, and the position with the enlarged image as a reference.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a display device, a display system, and a display method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a diagnostic support (CAD: Computer Aided Detection / Diagnosis) system has been put into practical use, which analyzes medical images using a computer, presents lesion candidate regions detected by the image analysis to a doctor, and depends on the doctor's judgment.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes a diagnostic support system that marks a lesion candidate region detected by a diagnostic support program (CAD) and displays it on a medical image.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in a system that displays display information such as marks and annotations indicating lesion candidate regions on a medical image as in Patent Document 1, when the medical image is enlarged, the lesion candidate regions and display information may go out of the image display area of the screen and may not be displayed on the viewing screen. Therefore, a doctor may not notice from the beginning or may forget to check that the lesion candidate regions and their display information are displayed outside the image display area of the screen, and may overlook the lesion to be seen.

[0006] Especially recently, from the perspective of business improvement, image analysis by AI (Artificial Intelligence) There is an increasing trend to compare the results of an AI with the interpretation of the images by a physician to make a diagnosis. The above problem has become more apparent as AI is increasingly involved in image diagnosis.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the problems in the prior art described above, and aims to prevent the overlooking of lesions that should be examined because candidate lesion areas and their display information in medical images fall outside the image display area of ​​the screen and are not displayed on the viewing screen. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To solve the above problems, the present invention The first aspect The program related to this is On the computer, An acquisition function that obtains first information indicating the first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display function that displays the medical image accompanied by first display information based on the first information on the display unit, A program that executes, The display function, when displaying an enlarged image on the display unit that expands a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If none of the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the aforementioned medical image is being manipulated, The display unit displays one of the following: the first candidate lesion region located outside a predetermined range of the medical image but within the medical image, or the number of the first display information items, or the direction relative to the enlarged image. The program relating to the second aspect of the present invention is: On the computer, An acquisition function that obtains first information indicating the first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display function that displays the medical image accompanied by first display information based on the first information on the display unit, A program that executes, The display function, when displaying an enlarged image on the display unit that expands a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. The program relating to the third aspect of the present invention is On the computer, An acquisition function that obtains first information indicating the first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display function that displays the medical image accompanied by first display information based on the first information on the display unit, A program that executes, The display function, when displaying an enlarged image on the display unit that expands a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image are superimposed and displayed on the reduced image.

[0009] The display device according to the present invention The first aspect includes an acquisition unit that acquires first information indicating a first lesion candidate region in a medical image, and a display control unit that causes a display unit to display the medical image with the first display information attached thereto based on the first information, wherein when the display control unit causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by enlarging a predetermined range of the medical image with the first display information attached thereto, if all of the first lesion candidate regions or the first display information existing in the medical image are not displayed within the enlarged image, the display control unit causes the display unit to display either the number of the first lesion candidate regions or the first display information that exist outside the predetermined range of the medical image and within the medical image, or the direction based on the enlarged image. By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the aforementioned medical image is being manipulated, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the aforementioned medical image is being manipulated, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the aforementioned medical image is being manipulated, A display device according to a second aspect of the present invention is: An acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display device comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. A display device according to the third aspect of the present invention is An acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display device comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image are superimposed and displayed on the reduced image.

[0010] The present invention The first aspect The display system relating to this is An acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display system comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If none of the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the aforementioned medical image is being manipulated, The display unit displays one of the following: the first candidate lesion region located outside a predetermined range of the medical image but within the medical image, or the number of the first display information items, or the direction relative to the enlarged image. A display system relating to a second aspect of the present invention is: An acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display system comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. A display system relating to a third aspect of the present invention is: An acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display system comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image are superimposed and displayed on the reduced image.

[0011] This invention The first aspect The method of displaying the relevant information is: An acquisition step to obtain first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display step of displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display method that includes, The display step involves displaying an enlarged image on the display unit, which is an enlarged version of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, with a predetermined range expanded. If none of the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the aforementioned medical image is being manipulated, The display unit displays one of the following: the first candidate lesion region located outside a predetermined range of the medical image but within the medical image, or the number of the first display information items, or the direction relative to the enlarged image. The display method relating to the second aspect of the present invention is: An acquisition step to obtain first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display step of displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display method that includes, The display step involves displaying an enlarged image on the display unit, which is an enlarged version of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, with a predetermined range expanded. If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. The display method relating to the third aspect of the present invention is: An acquisition step to obtain first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display step of displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display method that includes, The display step involves displaying an enlarged image on the display unit, which is an enlarged version of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, with a predetermined range expanded. If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image are superimposed and displayed on the reduced image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent lesion candidates in medical images and their display information from being removed from the image display area of ​​the screen and not being displayed on the screen being viewed, thereby preventing the overlooking of lesions that should be examined. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a system configuration diagram of a medical image display system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a medical image management server. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the data structure of a data management table. [Figure 4]This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the medical image analysis process performed by the medical image management server. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a picture interpretation screen. [Figure 7] This is a flowchart showing the analysis result display process A executed by the control unit in Figure 4. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a medical image interpretation screen where annotations are attached to the location of a candidate lesion area in the image display area. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of an image interpretation screen that displays information indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not shown in the image display area. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of an image interpretation screen that displays information indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not shown in the image display area. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of an image interpretation screen that displays information indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not shown in the image display area. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of an image interpretation screen that displays information indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not shown in the image display area. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of an image interpretation screen that displays information indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not shown in the image display area. [Figure 14] This is a flowchart showing the analysis result display process B executed by the control unit in Figure 4. [Figure 15] This figure shows an example of screen transitions in the image interpretation screen during the analysis result display process B. [Figure 16] This figure shows a modified example of the screen transitions on the image interpretation screen in the analysis result display process B. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The following describes one embodiment of the program, display device, display system, and display method according to the present invention. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0015] <First Embodiment> [Configuration of the medical image display system] Figure 1 shows the system configuration of the medical image display system 100 as the display system of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the medical image display system 100 comprises a medical image management server 10, modalities 20, 20, ..., and an information processing device 30. Each device constituting the medical image display system 100 is capable of data communication via a communication network N. Each device constituting the medical image display system 100 conforms to the HL7 (Health Level Seven) and DICOM (Digital Image and Communications in Medicine) standards, and communication between each device is conducted in accordance with HL7 and DICOM. The number of information processing devices 30 is not particularly limited.

[0016] Modality 20 involves imaging the patient (subject) and generating medical image data. Examples of Modality 20 include CR (Computed Radiography), DR (Digital Radiography), CT (Computed Tomography), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), US (Ultra Sonography), NM (Nuclear Medicine), and ES (Endoscopy). Modality 20 also attaches image attribute information related to the medical image. This image attribute information includes patient ID, patient name, date of birth, gender, date and time of shooting, image ID, modality, body part, direction, etc. The image data of the medical image generated by modality 20 is sent to the medical image management server 10.

[0017] The medical image management server 10 stores and manages image data of medical images generated in modality 20. Examples of medical image management servers 10 include PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System).

[0018] The information processing device 30 is a computer device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a tablet. The information processing device 30 is a display device that displays medical images and their analysis results when a user, such as a doctor, interprets medical images.

[0019] [Configuration of the medical image management server] Figure 2 shows the functional configuration of the medical image management server 10. The medical image management server 10 is composed of a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, an image analysis unit 13, a storage unit 14, etc., and each unit is connected by a bus 15.

[0020] The control unit 11 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., and comprehensively controls the processing operations of each part of the medical image management server 10. Specifically, the CPU reads various processing programs stored in the memory unit 14, loads them into RAM, and performs various processing operations in cooperation with those programs.

[0021] The communication unit 12 is configured with a network interface and other components, and transmits and receives data with external devices connected via the communication network N. For example, the communication unit 12 receives medical images obtained by photographing a patient using modality 20. The communication unit 12 also transmits medical images and analysis results requested by the information processing device 30 to the information processing device 30.

[0022] The image analysis unit 13 performs computer processing on medical images obtained by photographing patients and generates analysis result data. The computer processing here includes, for example, image diagnosis and analysis, including the detection of candidate lesion areas using CAD (Computer-Aided Diagnosis) or AI (Artificial Intelligence). The analysis result data consists of, for example, DICOM GSPS (Grayscale Softcopy Presentation State) data, overlay data, etc. The analysis result data includes an analysis result ID to identify the analysis result, and information on each detected candidate lesion area (location information, lesion type, display information (e.g., annotation)). The image analysis unit 13 is implemented through software processing by the cooperation of the program stored in the memory unit 14 and the CPU of the control unit 11.

[0023] The storage unit 14 is composed of an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or non-volatile semiconductor memory, and stores various processing programs, parameters and files necessary for the execution of those programs.

[0024] Furthermore, the memory unit 14 stores a user management table 141 and a data management table 142. The memory unit 14 also has a medical image storage area 143, an analysis result storage area 144, and a reading result storage area 145.

[0025] The user management table 141 is a table for managing users (medical professionals such as doctors) who use the medical image display system 100. The user management table 141 stores each user's information, including their user ID, password, name, affiliation, email address, and telephone number. The User ID is the user's identification information. The password is used for authentication when the user accesses the medical image management server 10 from the information processing device 30. The Name is the user's name. The Affiliation is information about the medical facility, department, etc., to which the user belongs. The Email Address is the user's email address. The Phone Number is the user's phone number.

[0026] The data management table 142 is a table for managing data within the medical image management server 10. Figure 3 shows an example of the data structure of the data management table 142. The data management table 142 stores the following information associated with each medical image stored in the medical image storage area 143: image ID, patient ID, date and time of acquisition, modality, body part, direction, analysis result ID, image interpretation result ID, etc. The image ID is the identification information for the medical image. The patient ID is the identification information for the patient who was the subject of the medical image. The date and time of shooting is the date and time the medical image was taken. The modality is the modality in which the medical image was taken. The body part is the body part that was the subject of the medical image. The direction is the direction in which the medical image was taken. The analysis result ID is the identification information for the analysis result obtained by the image analysis unit 13 analyzing the medical image. The interpretation result ID is the identification information for identifying the interpretation result of the medical image by the user (physician).

[0027] The medical image storage area 143 stores image data of medical images received from the modality 20. The analysis result storage area 144 stores data of the analysis results obtained by computer processing of medical images. As described above, the analysis result data includes an analysis result ID for identifying the analysis result, and information on each detected candidate lesion area (location information, lesion type, display information (e.g., annotation)). The image interpretation result storage area 145 stores data on the interpretation results of medical images by the user, a physician (radiologist). The interpretation results include an interpretation result ID and information on candidate lesion regions entered by the user (location information, lesion type, display information (e.g., annotation information)).

[0028] When the control unit 11 receives a medical image from the modality 20 via the communication unit 12, it stores the medical image in the storage unit 14 and also has the image analysis unit 13 analyze the medical image.

[0029] When the control unit 11 receives a request from the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 12 to acquire a medical image and its analysis results, it reads the medical image and its analysis results from the storage unit 14 and provides the read medical image and analysis results to the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 12.

[0030] [Configuration of the information processing device] Figure 4 shows the functional configuration of the information processing device 30. The information processing device 30 is composed of a control unit 31, an operation unit 32, a display unit 33, a communication unit 34, a storage unit 35, etc., and each unit is connected by a bus 36.

[0031] The control unit 31 consists of a CPU, RAM, etc., and comprehensively controls the processing operations of each part of the information processing device 30. Specifically, the CPU of the control unit 31 reads various processing programs, including the image interpretation support processing program 351, stored in the memory unit 35, loads them into RAM, and performs various processing in cooperation with the loaded programs.

[0032] For example, when a medical image to be read is specified by the operation unit 32, the CPU of the control unit 31, in cooperation with the image reading support processing program 351 stored in the storage unit 35, acquires the specified medical image and first information indicating a first candidate lesion region obtained by computer processing of the medical image from the medical image management server 10. Then, it displays the medical image with first display information based on the first information attached on the display unit 33. In other words, the control unit 31 functions as an acquisition means and a display control means of the present invention. Here, the first candidate lesion region is a candidate lesion region obtained from among the candidate lesion regions obtained by computer processing of the medical image. The first information is the positional information of the first candidate lesion region. The first display information is display information such as annotations attached to the first candidate lesion region of the medical image.

[0033] Furthermore, when the control unit 31 displays a medical image with the first display information attached on the display unit 33, if the first lesion candidate region or the first display information is not displayed within the image display area 331b of the display unit 33 (see Figure 8), the control unit 31 displays information on the display unit 33 indicating the presence of the first lesion candidate region or the first display information. Information indicating the presence of a first lesion candidate area or first display information includes, for example, information indicating that the first lesion candidate area or first display information is not displayed within the image display area 331b. Information indicating the presence of a first lesion candidate area or first display information is displayed, for example, in the display area (screen area) of the display unit 33. The display area includes the image display area 331b, which is the area for displaying medical images. It also includes the window frame 331a, background display area 331c, and tool display area 331d, which will be described later.

[0034] The operation unit 32 is configured with a keyboard equipped with cursor keys, character / number input keys, and various function keys, 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 31. Furthermore, if the operation unit 32 is configured with a touch panel stacked on the display unit 33, it outputs operation signals to the control unit 31 according to the position of touch operations by the user's finger or the like.

[0035] The display unit 33 is equipped with a monitor such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and displays various screens according to the instructions of the display signals input from the control unit 31.

[0036] The communication unit 34 is composed of a network interface and the like, and performs data transmission and reception with external devices connected via the communication network N.

[0037] The storage unit 35 is composed of an HDD or non-volatile semiconductor memory, and stores various processing programs, parameters and files necessary for the execution of those programs. For example, the storage unit 35 stores a medical image interpretation support processing program 351. The medical image interpretation support processing program 351 includes a program for executing the analysis result display processing A (see Figure 7), which will be described later.

[0038] [Operation in medical image display systems] Next, the operation of the medical image display system 100 will be described. First, we will explain the medical image analysis process performed by the medical image management server 10. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the medical image analysis process performed by the medical image management server 10. This process is realized through software processing involving the cooperation of the CPU of the control unit 11 and the program stored in the memory unit 14.

[0039] In the medical image management server 10, when it receives a medical image obtained by photographing a patient from the modality 20 via the communication unit 12 (step S1), the control unit 11 stores the received medical image in the medical image storage area 143 of the storage unit 14 (step S2). The control unit 11 also associates the image ID, patient ID, date and time of shooting, modality, body part, direction, etc., contained in the image attribute information of the received medical image and stores them in the data management table 142 of the storage unit 14 (see Figure 3).

[0040] Next, the control unit 11 causes the image analysis unit 13 to analyze the received medical image (step S3). The image analysis unit 13 uses AI (Artificial Intelligence) or the like to process the medical image using a computer to acquire candidate lesion regions and generates analysis result data that includes information on the acquired candidate lesion regions.

[0041] Next, the control unit 11 stores the analysis results obtained by the image analysis unit 13 in the storage unit 14 in association with the medical image (step S4), and terminates the medical image analysis process. Specifically, the control unit 11 stores the analysis results in the analysis result storage area 144 of the storage unit 14, and also stores the analysis result ID of the analysis results in the record corresponding to the medical image that was analyzed in the data management table 142 of the storage unit 14.

[0042] Next, we will describe the processes performed by the information processing device 30. The following processes performed by the control unit 31 of the information processing device 30 are realized through software processing in cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 31 and the image interpretation support processing program 351 stored in the memory unit 35.

[0043] In the information processing device 30, when the user specifies the image ID of the medical image to be read via an operation on the operation unit 32, the control unit 31 acquires the medical image containing the specified image ID and the analysis results of the medical image. For example, when the user's operation unit 32 specifies the image ID of the medical image to be read, the control unit 31 sends a request to the medical image management server 10 via the communication unit 34 to obtain the medical image containing the specified image ID and the analysis results of the medical image. The control unit 11 of the medical image management server 10 reads the medical image corresponding to the image ID included in the acquisition request from the medical image storage area 143 and transmits the medical image to the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 12. The control unit 11 also refers to the data management table 142 of the storage unit 14 to identify the "analysis result ID" from the record corresponding to the "image ID" of the medical image that was requested to be acquired, reads the analysis result corresponding to this "analysis result ID" from the analysis result storage area 144, and transmits the analysis result to the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 12. If the record corresponding to the "image ID" of the medical image that was requested to be acquired contains a "reading result ID", the control unit 11 reads the reading result corresponding to this "reading result ID" from the reading result storage area 145 and transmits the reading result to the information processing device 30 via the communication unit 12. In the information processing device 30, when a medical image to be read and its analysis results are acquired from the medical image management server 10 via the communication unit 34, the control unit 31 stores the acquired medical image and analysis results in the storage unit 35 or the primary storage area of ​​the RAM. The medical image stored in this temporary storage area is the medical image to be read, and the information on candidate lesion areas included in the analysis results stored in the temporary storage area is the information on candidate lesion areas that the user will be able to confirm.

[0044] Next, the control unit 31 displays the image interpretation screen 331, which shows the acquired medical image, on the display unit 33. Figure 6 shows an example of the image interpretation screen 331. As shown in Figure 6, the image interpretation screen 331 is provided with a window frame 331a, an image display area 331b, a background display area 331c, a tool display area 331d, an analysis result display button 331e, an exit button 331f, etc. The window frame 331a is the frame of the window having the image display area 331b. The image display area 331b is the area that displays the medical image to be read. The background display area 331c is the background area that serves as the background for the image display area 331b. The tool display area 331d is the area where icons for operation are displayed. The analysis result display button 331e is a button that instructs the system to display display information (annotations) on the candidate lesion area obtained by computer processing of the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b. The exit button 331f is a button that instructs the system to end the image reading.

[0045] Furthermore, when the image interpretation results corresponding to the medical image to be interpreted are sent from the medical image management server 10, an image interpretation result button (not shown) is displayed on the image interpretation screen 331. The image interpretation result button is used to instruct the system to display display information (annotations) for the candidate lesion regions detected by the image interpretation. Furthermore, if a medical image in the image display area 331b is being manipulated, an active frame 331g is displayed to indicate that it is being manipulated.

[0046] On the image interpretation screen 331, the radiologist, who is the user, observes the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b. If a candidate lesion area is detected during the interpretation, the user uses the operation unit 32 to specify the candidate lesion area and inputs the information of that candidate lesion area (location information of the candidate lesion area, type of lesion, display information (annotation)) as the interpretation result. For example, when a user specifies the location of a suspected lesion area on a medical image displayed in the image display area 331b using the operation unit 32 (e.g., right-click), the control unit 31 displays a menu item (e.g., a right-click menu) containing the type of lesion near the specified location. When the operation unit 32 selects the type of lesion for the specified area from the menu items, the control unit 31 adds display information (annotation) to the specified area of ​​the medical image indicating that it is a candidate lesion area detected by the user, and temporarily stores the user's image interpretation results (location information of the lesion detection area, type of lesion, display information (annotation)) in the storage unit 35 or RAM.

[0047] Furthermore, on the image interpretation screen 331, the user presses the analysis result display button 331e using the operation unit 32 to display the display information (annotation) of candidate lesion areas obtained by computer processing such as AI on the medical image to be interpreted, on the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b, and confirms the analysis results. Furthermore, if a primary radiologist or other interpreter has already provided an interpretation result, the user can press an interpretation result button (not shown) on the control unit 32 to display the indication information (annotation) of the candidate lesion area obtained through the interpretation on the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b, thereby confirming the interpretation result.

[0048] In this scenario, when a radiologist (e.g., a secondary radiologist) interprets a medical image in which a potential lesion area has been detected by another radiologist (e.g., a primary radiologist), the interpretation is performed by the same person, so their perspectives on detecting potential lesion areas are similar, and the likelihood of overlooking a potential lesion area detected by the other radiologist is low. Therefore, there was little need to confirm the potential lesion area detected by the other radiologist. On the other hand, computer-based analysis, such as that performed by AI, can sometimes detect potential lesion areas that human physicians might miss. Therefore, if radiologists do not review these analysis results, they are highly likely to overlook lesions. For this reason, radiologists need to be aware of the presence of annotations indicating the results of computer-based analysis.

[0049] Furthermore, in radiology interpretation, if there are cases where an oversight is likely to occur, radiologists can not only annotate the candidate lesion area but also record points to note in the interpretation findings and provide handover information. Therefore, even if the candidate lesion area and its annotation detected by the primary radiologist are displayed outside the image display area, it is less likely to be overlooked. On the other hand, in analysis using computer processing such as AI, handover information is not provided, so if the candidate lesion area and its annotation are displayed outside the image display area, it is more likely to be overlooked.

[0050] Furthermore, annotations added by computer processing such as AI do not take into account how easily they can be viewed when applied to medical images, making them prone to being overlooked by doctors. For example, AI may apply annotations of the same color to white areas on a medical image, and even if these annotations move outside the image display area, it is difficult for radiologists to notice, leading to a higher likelihood of oversights.

[0051] As described above, when annotations are added to candidate lesion areas obtained through computer processing such as AI on medical images, problems arise from the perspective of preventing oversights if the candidate lesion areas or annotations are displayed outside the image display area and the radiologist forgets to check them.

[0052] Therefore, in the information processing device 30 of this embodiment, when the analysis result display button 331e is pressed by the operation unit 32, the analysis result display process A shown in Figure 7 is executed. This prevents physicians from overlooking lesions they should be looking at, even if the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b is enlarged or moved, causing the annotations indicating the analysis results to not be displayed within the image display area 331b.

[0053] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of analysis result display process A. This process is realized through software processing in cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 31 and the image interpretation support processing program 351 stored in the memory unit 35.

[0054] In the analysis result display process A, first, the control unit 31 obtains positional information indicating the location of a candidate lesion region in the medical image from the analysis results of the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b (step S11).

[0055] Next, the control unit 31 displays the entire medical image, with annotations added to the location of the candidate lesion region, on the image display area 331b of the image viewing screen 331 based on the acquired position information (step S12). Figure 8 shows an example of a reading screen 331 in step S12, where a medical image with annotations attached to the location of candidate lesion regions is displayed in the image display area 331b. Three candidate lesion regions obtained by computer processing are displayed on the medical image in the image display area 331b, each with annotations A1, A2, and A3 attached.

[0056] Next, the control unit 31 determines whether or not an enlargement of the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b has been instructed (step S13). For example, when the "magnifying glass" icon in the tool display area 331d is pressed by the operation unit 32, the control unit 31 determines that the user has been instructed to magnify the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b.

[0057] If the control unit 31 determines that there is no instruction to enlarge the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b (step S13; NO), it proceeds to step S21.

[0058] If the control unit 31 determines that it has been instructed to enlarge the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b (step S13; YES), it enlarges and displays the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b (step S14).

[0059] Next, the control unit 31 determines whether or not there are any candidate lesion regions or annotations displayed in step S12 that are not displayed within the image display area 331b (step S15). If the control unit 31 determines that there are candidate lesion areas or annotations displayed in step S12 that are not shown in the image display area 331b (step S15; YES), it causes the display unit 33 to display information indicating the existence of candidate lesion areas or annotations not shown in the image display area 331b (step S16), and proceeds to step S17. For example, if the first candidate lesion area or the first display information (annotation indicating the location of the first candidate lesion area) is not displayed in the image display area 331b, the control unit 31 causes the display unit 33 to display information indicating the presence of the first candidate lesion area or the first display information.

[0060] In step S16, the control unit 31 displays on the display unit 33, for example, display information with the window frame 331a changed, display information with the background display area 331c changed, or display information with the tool display area 331d changed, as information indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not displayed in the image display area 331b. For example, as shown in Figure 9, the control unit 31 displays information on the display unit 33 indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not displayed in the image display area 331b. This information is displayed by changing the color of the window frame 331a, the background display area 331c, or the tool display area 331d. In Figure 9, the colors of the window frame 331a, background display area 331c, and tool display area 331d are all changed, but it is sufficient to change the color of at least one of them. For example, if the first candidate lesion area or the first display information is not displayed in the image display area 331b, the control unit 31 displays on the display unit 33 display information with a modified window frame 331a (e.g., color), display information with a modified background display area 331c (e.g., color), or display information with a modified tool display area 331d (e.g., color) as information indicating the presence of the first candidate lesion area or the first display information.

[0061] When changing the color of the window frame 331a, background display area 331c, or tool display area 331d, the control unit 31 may change the displayed color in stages according to the number of lesion candidate areas or annotations that exist outside the image display area 331b. For example, if the number of lesion candidate areas or annotations outside the image display area 331b is within a predetermined threshold, the color may be blue, and if it exceeds the predetermined threshold, the color may be red. Alternatively, the color may be partially changed only in the direction in which lesion candidate areas or annotations exist outside the image display area 331b. For example, if a lesion candidate area or annotation exists to the left of the area displayed in the image display area 331b, the color may be changed only in the left portion of the window frame 331a, background display area 331c, or tool display area 331d. This makes it easy for the user to recognize in which direction lesion candidate areas or annotations that are not displayed in the image display area 331b exist.

[0062] Furthermore, in step S16, the control unit 31 may display marks M (for example, arrow marks M1 to M3 in Figure 10) on the display unit 33 as information indicating the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not displayed in the image display area 331b, for example, as shown in Figure 10. For example, if the first candidate lesion area or first display information is not displayed in the image display area 331b, the control unit 31 may display marks M on the display unit 33 as information indicating the presence of the first candidate lesion area or first display information, indicating the direction in which the first candidate lesion area or first display information is located. This makes it easy for the user to recognize the direction in which the candidate lesion area or annotation not displayed in the image display area 331b is located.

[0063] Furthermore, in step S16, the control unit 31 may display information on the display unit 33 that changes the active frame 331g, as shown in Figure 11, to indicate the presence of lesion candidate areas or annotations not displayed in the image display area 331b. For example, the display unit 33 may display information that changes the color of the active frame 331g. When changing the active frame 331g, the corner of the active frame 331g that corresponds to the direction in which lesion candidate areas or annotations not displayed in the image display area 331b exist may be changed. This makes it easy for the user to recognize in which direction lesion candidate areas or annotations not displayed in the image display area 331b exist. In addition, the displayed color may be changed in stages according to the number of lesion candidate areas or annotations that exist outside the image display area 331b. For example, if the first lesion candidate area or the first display information is not displayed within the image display area 331b, the control unit 31 may display display information on the display unit 33 with the active frame 331g modified as information indicating the presence of the first lesion candidate area or the first display information. For example, the color of the corner of the active frame 331g in the direction where the first lesion candidate area or the first display information exists may be changed.

[0064] Furthermore, in step S16, the control unit 31 may display information on the display unit 33 that indicates the presence of a candidate lesion area or annotation not displayed in the image display area 331b, such as a reduced-size image of the medical image with annotations attached (reduced image 331i), as shown in Figure 12. For example, if the first candidate lesion area or the first display information is not displayed in the image display area 331b, the display unit 33 may display information on the medical image with the first display information attached (reduced image 331i). This makes it easy for the user to recognize where the candidate lesion area or annotation is located in the medical image. Furthermore, the control unit 31 may perform display control of the enlarged medical image in the image display area 331b based on operations on the reduced image area where the reduced image 331i is displayed. For example, the control unit 31 may display a frame 331j in the reduced image area that indicates the range of the area enlarged and displayed within the image display area 331b in the medical image, and in response to an operation to move the frame 331j, enlarge the area displayed within the frame 331j and display it in the image display area 331b. This makes it possible to efficiently display candidate lesion areas or annotations that the user should check.

[0065] Furthermore, in step S16, the control unit 31 may display, for example, the total number of candidate lesion regions obtained by computer processing of the displayed medical image and the number of candidate lesion regions displayed in the image display area 331b, as information indicating the existence of candidate lesion regions or annotations not displayed in the image display area 331b, as shown by reference numeral 331k in Figure 13. Alternatively, as information indicating the existence of candidate lesion regions or annotations not displayed in the image display area 331b, the control unit 31 may display the total number of candidate lesion regions obtained by computer processing of the displayed medical image and the number of candidate lesion regions not displayed in the image display area 331b.

[0066] On the other hand, if in step S15 it is determined that there are no candidate lesion areas or annotations that are not displayed within the image display area 331b (step S15; NO), the control unit 31 proceeds to step S17.

[0067] In step S17, the control unit 31 determines whether a predetermined operation (for example, moving the frame 331j or dragging on the image display area 331b) has been performed by the operation unit 32 (step S17). If the control unit 32 determines that a predetermined operation has been performed to move the area of ​​the medical image to be displayed in the image display area 331b (step S17; YES), the control unit 31 moves the area of ​​the medical image to be displayed in the image display area 331b according to the operation (step S18), and returns to step S15.

[0068] If the control unit 32 determines that a predetermined operation to move the area of ​​the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b has not been performed (step S17; NO), the control unit 31 determines whether the operation unit 32 has instructed the user to release the enlargement of the medical image (step S19). For example, if the magnifying glass in the tool display area 331d is pressed again, the control unit 31 determines that it has been instructed to release the magnification of the medical image.

[0069] If the control unit 31 determines that it has not been instructed to release the magnification of the medical image (step S19; NO), it returns to step S17. If the control unit determines that it has been instructed to release the enlargement of the medical image (step S19; YES), it releases the enlargement of the medical image (returns it to its original size) and displays it in the image display area 331b (step S20), and then proceeds to step S21.

[0070] In step S21, the control unit 31 determines whether or not an instruction has been given to end the display of the analysis results (step S21). For example, if the analysis result display button 331e is pressed again, the control unit 31 determines that the display of the analysis results has been instructed to end. If the control unit 31 determines that it has not been instructed to end the display of the analysis results (step S21; NO), it returns to step S13. If the control unit 31 determines that it has been instructed to end the display of the analysis results (step S21; YES), it terminates the analysis result display process A.

[0071] Thus, in the analysis result display process A, if there are candidate lesion regions or annotations attached to the medical image that are not displayed within the image display area 331b of the display unit 33, the control unit 31 displays information on the display unit 33 indicating the existence of the candidate lesion regions or annotations that are not displayed within the image display area 331b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from overlooking lesions that they should be looking at, as candidate lesion regions in the medical image and their display information, such as annotations, may fall outside the image display area of ​​the screen and become invisible to the user.

[0072] <Second Embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The configuration of the medical image display system 100 in the second embodiment, and the configuration of each device constituting the medical image display system 100, are the same as those described in the first embodiment, so the explanation will be used accordingly. Also, the operation of the medical image management server 10 is the same as that described in the first embodiment, so the explanation will be used accordingly, and the operation of the information processing device 30 will be described below.

[0073] In the second embodiment, for example, the CPU of the control unit 31 performs the following operations in cooperation with the image interpretation support processing program 351 stored in the memory unit 35. The control unit 31 acquires first information indicating a first candidate lesion region obtained by computer processing in the medical image management server 1, and displays a medical image with first display information based on the first information attached on the display unit 33. In other words, the control unit 31 functions as an acquisition means and a display control means of the present invention. The first candidate lesion region, the first information, and the first display information are as described in the first embodiment.

[0074] Furthermore, when the control unit 31 displays a medical image with the first display information attached on the display unit 33, if the first lesion candidate region or the first display information is not displayed within the image display area 331b of the display unit 33, the control unit 31 displays the first lesion candidate region or the first display information on the display unit 33 based on a predetermined instruction input. Furthermore, after displaying a first lesion candidate region or first display information on the display unit 33 based on a predetermined instruction input, the control unit 31 switches from the first lesion candidate region or first display information displayed in the image display area 331b of the display unit 33 to a second lesion candidate region not displayed in the image display area 331b or second display information based on second information indicating the second lesion candidate region, and displays it on the display unit 33. The second lesion candidate region is a lesion candidate region different from the first lesion candidate region. The second information is location information of the second lesion candidate region. The second display information is, for example, an annotation indicating the second lesion candidate region.

[0075] The control unit 31 implements the above operation in the second embodiment, for example, by executing the analysis result display process B shown in Figure 14 when the analysis result display button 331e is pressed by the operation unit 32 on the image interpretation screen 331 shown in Figure 6. This prevents physicians from overlooking lesions they should be looking at, even when computer-processed analysis results (e.g., AI annotations) are displayed on the medical image, but the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b is enlarged or moved, causing the annotations indicating the analysis results to not be displayed within the image display area 331b.

[0076] As described in the first embodiment, when a user specifies a medical image to be read in the information processing device 30, the control unit 31 obtains the medical image to be read and its analysis results from the medical image management server 10 via the communication unit 34. The control unit 31 stores the acquired medical image and analysis results in the storage unit 35 or the primary storage area of ​​the RAM (first storage means). The medical image stored in this temporary storage area is the medical image to be read. The information on candidate lesion areas included in the analysis results stored in the temporary storage area is the information on candidate lesion areas that the user is to confirm. Based on the medical image and analysis results stored in the temporary storage area, the control unit 31 controls the display of the reading screen 331 and the display of annotations on candidate lesion areas.

[0077] Figure 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of analysis result display processing B. This process is realized through software processing in cooperation between the CPU of the control unit 31 and the image interpretation support processing program 351 stored in the memory unit 35. Analysis result display processing B will be described below.

[0078] In the analysis result display process B, first, the control unit 31 obtains positional information indicating the location of a candidate lesion region in the medical image from the analysis results of the displayed medical image (step S31).

[0079] Next, the control unit 31 displays a medical image with annotations added to the location of the candidate lesion region on the image display area 331b of the image interpretation screen 331, based on the acquired position information (step S32).

[0080] Next, the control unit 31 determines whether or not an enlargement of the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b has been instructed (step S33). For example, when the "magnifying glass" icon in the tool display area 331d is pressed by the operation unit 32, the control unit 31 determines that the user has been instructed to magnify the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b.

[0081] If the control unit 31 determines that there is no instruction to enlarge the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b (step S33; NO), it proceeds to step S43.

[0082] If the control unit 31 determines that it has been instructed to enlarge the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b (step S33; YES), it enlarges and displays the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b (step S34).

[0083] Next, the control unit 31 determines whether or not there are any candidate lesion regions or annotations displayed in step S32 that are not displayed within the image display area 331b (step S35).

[0084] If the control unit 31 determines that there are no lesion candidate regions or annotations displayed in step S32 that are not displayed within the image display area 331b (step S35; NO), it determines whether the operation unit 32 has instructed the system to release the zoom in on the medical image (step S41). For example, if the magnifying glass in the tool display area 331d is pressed again, the control unit 31 determines that it has been instructed to release the magnification of the medical image. If the control unit 32 determines that it has been instructed to release the magnification of the medical image (step S41; YES), the control unit 31 proceeds to step S42. If the control unit 32 determines that it has not instructed the user to release the magnification of the medical image (step S41; NO), the control unit 31 proceeds to step S43.

[0085] On the other hand, if it is determined that there are lesion candidate regions or annotations displayed in step S32 that are not shown within the image display area 331b (step S35; YES), the control unit 31 sets the variable n to 1 and assigns numbers sequentially from 1 to the lesion candidate regions or annotations that are not shown (step S36).

[0086] Next, the control unit 31 waits for a predetermined instruction input to be performed by the operation unit 32 (step S37). A predetermined instruction input is, for example, the pressing of a pre-set key (for example, a predetermined key such as the right arrow key or the up arrow key).

[0087] If the control unit determines that a predetermined instruction input has been performed (step S37; YES), it changes the area of ​​the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b and displays the nth lesion candidate area or annotation that is not currently displayed (step S38). For example, the control unit 31 changes the area of ​​the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b so that the nth lesion candidate area or annotation, which is not currently displayed, is displayed in the center of the image display area 331b. Since annotations are displayed in conjunction with the lesion candidate area of ​​the medical image, in step S38, generally both the nth lesion candidate area and the annotation are displayed.

[0088] Next, the control unit 31 determines whether the display of all candidate lesion areas or annotations that the user should check has been completed (step S39). If the control unit 31 determines that the display of all candidate lesion areas or annotations that the user should check has not been completed (step S39; NO), it increments the variable n (step S40) and returns to step S37. Then, it repeatedly executes steps S37 to S39. That is, until the display of all candidate lesion areas or annotations that the user should check has been completed, the control unit 31 changes the area of ​​the medical image displayed in the image display area 331b and switches the displayed candidate lesion areas or annotations each time a predetermined instruction input is made.

[0089] If the control unit 31 determines that it has finished displaying all candidate lesion areas or annotations that the user needs to check (step S39; YES), it proceeds to step S42.

[0090] In step S42, the control unit 31 releases the enlargement of the medical image (returns it to its original size) and displays it in the image display area 331b (step S42), and then proceeds to step S43.

[0091] In step S43, the control unit 31 determines whether or not it has been instructed to end the display of the analysis results (step S43). For example, if the analysis result display button 331e is pressed again, the control unit 31 determines that the display of the analysis results has been instructed to end. If the control unit 31 determines that it has not been instructed to end the display of the analysis results (step S43; NO), it returns to step S33. If the control unit 31 determines that it has been instructed to end the display of the analysis results (step S43; YES), it terminates the analysis result display process B.

[0092] Figure 15 shows an example of the screen transitions of the image interpretation screen 331 in the analysis result display process B. In Figure 15, the case where there are three candidate lesion areas that are not displayed within the image display area 331b after enlargement is shown as an example. First, the entire medical image to be read is displayed in the image display area 331b of the image reading screen 331. When zooming is instructed, the medical image to be read is displayed in an enlarged view. If there are candidate lesion areas or annotations that are not displayed in the image display area 331b, pressing a pre-set key (a predetermined key) by the operation unit 32 will display the first candidate lesion area or its associated annotation A1 from among the candidate lesion areas or annotations that are not displayed in the image display area 331b. Since annotations are displayed in conjunction with candidate lesion areas, both the first candidate lesion area and annotation A1 will be displayed. Next, pressing a pre-set key (a predetermined key) by the operation unit 32 will display the second candidate lesion area or its associated annotation A2 from among the candidate lesion areas or annotations that are not displayed in the image display area 331b. When a pre-set key (a predetermined key) is pressed by the operation unit 32, the third candidate lesion area or annotation A3 associated with it is displayed among the candidate lesion areas or annotations not currently displayed in the image display area 331b.

[0093] Thus, according to the analysis result display process B, if a certain candidate lesion region (first candidate lesion region) or its annotation (first display information) is not displayed in the image display area 331b, the candidate lesion region or annotation can be displayed in the image display area 331b by performing a predetermined instruction input, such as pressing a predetermined key. Furthermore, if there are multiple candidate lesion regions or annotations that are not displayed in the image display area 331b, the display can be switched from displaying a certain candidate lesion region (first candidate lesion region) or its annotation (first display information) that is not displayed to displaying another candidate lesion region (second candidate lesion region) or its annotation (second display information) that is not displayed by repeating the predetermined instruction input. Therefore, by preventing potential lesion areas in medical images and their corresponding annotations from being outside the image display area on the screen and becoming invisible to the user, it is possible to prevent users from overlooking lesions they should be looking at.

[0094] Although the first and second embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the descriptions in the above embodiments are merely preferred examples of the program, display device, display system, and display method according to the present invention, and are not limited thereto.

[0095] For example, in the above analysis result display process B flow, when all candidate lesion regions or their annotations are displayed, the zoom in on the medical image is automatically released. However, instead of releasing the zoom, the process of sequentially switching and displaying candidate lesion regions or their annotations according to predetermined inputs is repeated, and when the command to release the zoom is issued, the zoom in on the medical image is released and the entire medical image is displayed.

[0096] Furthermore, the control unit 31 may also function as a first storage means for storing candidate lesion regions to be confirmed by the user, and a second storage means for storing confirmation information indicating that the first candidate lesion region has been confirmed when the user has confirmed the first candidate lesion region. If confirmation information has already been stored, the control unit 31 may exclude the first candidate lesion region from the candidate lesion regions to be confirmed by the user. In other words, candidate lesion regions that have been confirmed by the user may be excluded from the display of information indicating the existence of undisplayed candidate lesion regions or annotations in the first embodiment, or from the display of candidate lesion regions or annotations based on predetermined instruction inputs in the second embodiment.

[0097] For example, when an annotation attached to a candidate lesion area displayed in the image display area 331b is selected by right-clicking or the like, the control unit 31 displays a menu item including a "Confirmed" item nearby. When the user clicks "Confirmed" with the operation unit 32, the control unit 31 stores confirmation information indicating that the area has been confirmed, associating it with the information of the candidate lesion area corresponding to the selected annotation, which is stored in the memory unit 35 or RAM, for the user to confirm. Alternatively, the control unit 31 may consider the candidate lesion area displayed in the image display area 331b after the medical image has been enlarged to be confirmed by the user, and store the confirmation information as association with the information of the candidate lesion area displayed in the image display area 331b after the medical image has been enlarged, which is stored in the memory unit 35 or RAM, for the user to confirm. Then, the control unit 31 excludes the candidate lesion area to which confirmation information is associated from the candidate lesion areas that the user can confirm. For example, the control unit 31 excludes candidate lesion regions to which confirmation information is associated from the display of information indicating the existence of undisplayed candidate lesion regions or annotations in the first embodiment, and from the display of candidate lesion regions or annotations based on predetermined instruction inputs in the second embodiment. Furthermore, when the exit button 331f is pressed, the control unit 31 sends information about the lesion candidate region to which the confirmation information is associated to the medical image management server 10, and stores the information about the lesion candidate region in the analysis result storage area 144 in association with the confirmation information. The control unit 31 then excludes the lesion candidate region to which the confirmation information is associated from the lesion candidate region to be confirmed by the user in the analysis result sent from the medical image management server 10. For example, the control unit 31 excludes the lesion candidate region to which the confirmation information is associated from the display of information indicating the existence of a lesion candidate region or annotation that is not displayed in the first embodiment, and from the display of a lesion candidate region or annotation based on a predetermined instruction input in the second embodiment. In this way, it is possible to narrow down the list of potential lesion areas that the user is checking to only those that have not yet been identified, thereby streamlining the user's process of identifying potential lesion areas.

[0098] Furthermore, the control unit 31 may display lesion candidate regions to which confirmation information is associated, along with information indicating that they have been confirmed. For example, as shown in Figure 16, lesion candidate regions to which confirmation information is associated may be displayed with a mark CM such as "Checked" or "Confirmed". Alternatively, the annotation of lesion candidate regions to which confirmation information is associated may be displayed in a different display manner (color, shape, etc.) than the annotation of unconfirmed lesion candidate regions. This allows the user to easily distinguish between already confirmed lesion candidate regions and unconfirmed lesion candidate regions, thereby streamlining the user's work in confirming lesion candidate regions. Furthermore, the display unit 33 may display information 331m indicating the total number of candidate lesion regions obtained by computer processing of medical images and the number of confirmed candidate lesion regions among them. This makes it easy for the user to understand how many of the candidate lesion regions to be confirmed have already been identified.

[0099] Furthermore, the display of information indicating the presence of undisplayed lesion candidate areas or annotations in the first embodiment may be combined with the display of lesion candidate areas or annotations based on predetermined instruction inputs in the second embodiment. For example, the control unit 31 may, when there are lesion candidate areas or annotations that are not displayed in the image display area 331b, display information indicating the presence of undisplayed lesion candidate areas or annotations on the display unit 33, and sequentially switch and display the undisplayed lesion candidate areas or annotations each time a predetermined instruction input is received.

[0100] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, information indicating the presence of undisplayed candidate lesion areas or annotations may be displayed, such as a message like, "AI detection results exist outside the image display area. Please be careful not to overlook them."

[0101] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, when a candidate lesion region obtained by computer processing of a medical image is displayed in the image display area 331b with annotations, which are its display information, attached to it, if there is a candidate lesion region or its annotation that is not displayed in the image display area 331b, information indicating the existence of the undisplayed candidate lesion region or annotation is displayed on the display unit 33. However, the target candidate lesion region is not limited to those obtained by computer processing. For example, when a candidate lesion region obtained by interpretation by a radiologist is displayed in the image display area 331b with display information such as annotations attached to it, if there is a candidate lesion region or its display information that is not displayed in the image display area 331b, information indicating the existence of the undisplayed candidate lesion region or display information may be displayed on the display unit 33. Alternatively, the undisplayed candidate lesion region or display information may be displayed on the display unit 33 based on the input of processing instructions.

[0102] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and their variations described above, the control unit 31 of the information processing device 30 functions as the acquisition means, display control means, first storage means, second storage means, and exclusion means of the present application. However, devices other than the information processing device 30 may be equipped with each of the above means. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the medical image management server 10 is equipped with a function to perform computer processing on medical images and generate analysis results, but other devices besides the medical image management server 10 may also be equipped with the analysis function.

[0103] Furthermore, although the above embodiment illustrates an example where a chest image is used as the medical image, the imaging site is not limited to the chest. In addition, the medical image to be processed may be multiple slice images obtained by CT, multi-frame images (video), or images obtained by 3D conversion of images obtained by CT or MRI.

[0104] Furthermore, the programs for executing each process in each device may be stored on a portable recording medium. Alternatively, a carrier wave may be used as the medium for providing the program data via a communication line.

[0105] Furthermore, the detailed configuration and operation of each device described in the above embodiments can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0106] 10 Medical Image Management Server 11 Control Unit 12 Communications Department 13 Image Analysis Department 14 Storage section 20 Modalities 30 Information Processing Devices 31 Control Unit 32 Operation section 33 Display section 331 Image Interpretation Screen 34 Communications Department 35 Storage section 100 Medical Image Display Systems 141 User Management Table 142 Data Management Tables 143 Medical Image Storage Area 144 Analysis result storage area 145 Image Interpretation Result Memory Area 351 Image Interpretation Support Processing Program N Communication Network

Claims

1. On the computer, An acquisition function that obtains first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display function that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A program that executes, The display function, when displaying an enlarged image on the display unit which is an enlarged version of the medical image with the first display information attached, If none of the first candidate lesion region or the first display information present in the medical image is displayed in the enlarged image, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the medical image is being manipulated, the display unit will display one of the following: the first candidate lesion region located outside a predetermined range of the medical image but within the medical image, the number of the first display information items, or the direction relative to the enlarged image. program.

2. On the computer, An acquisition function that obtains first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display function that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A program that executes, The display function, when displaying an enlarged image on the display unit which is an enlarged version of the medical image with the first display information attached, If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. program.

3. The display function displays the total number of candidate lesion regions included in the medical image and the number of candidate lesion regions included in the enlarged image on the display unit. The program according to claim 2.

4. On the computer, An acquisition function that obtains first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display function that displays the medical image, accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A program that executes, The display function, when displaying an enlarged image on the display unit which is an enlarged version of the medical image with the first display information attached, If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The reduced image is overlaid with the first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image. program.

5. Acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means for displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display device comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If none of the first candidate lesion region or the first display information present in the medical image is displayed in the enlarged image, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the medical image is being manipulated, the display unit will display one of the following: the first candidate lesion region located outside a predetermined range of the medical image but within the medical image, the number of the first display information items, or the direction relative to the enlarged image. Display device.

6. Acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means for displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display device comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. Display device.

7. Acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means for displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display device comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The reduced image is overlaid with the first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image. Display device.

8. Acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means for displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display system comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If none of the first candidate lesion region or the first display information present in the medical image is displayed in the enlarged image, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the medical image is being manipulated, the display unit will display one of the following: the first candidate lesion region located outside a predetermined range of the medical image but within the medical image, the number of the first display information items, or the direction relative to the enlarged image. Display system.

9. Acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means for displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display system comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. Display system.

10. Acquisition means for acquiring first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display control means for displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display system comprising, When the display control means causes the display unit to display an enlarged image obtained by expanding a predetermined range of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The reduced image is overlaid with the first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image. Display system.

11. An acquisition step to acquire first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display step of displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display method that includes, The display step involves displaying an enlarged image on the display unit, which is an enlarged version of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, with a predetermined range expanded. If none of the first candidate lesion region or the first display information present in the medical image is displayed in the enlarged image, By changing the display mode of the active frame indicating that the medical image is being manipulated, the display unit will display one of the following: the first candidate lesion region located outside a predetermined range of the medical image but within the medical image, the number of the first display information items, or the direction relative to the enlarged image. Display method.

12. An acquisition step to acquire first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display step of displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display method that includes, The display step involves displaying an enlarged image on the display unit, which is an enlarged version of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, with a predetermined range expanded. If not all of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image are displayed in the enlarged image, the number of the first candidate lesion regions or the first display information present in the medical image but outside a predetermined range of the medical image is displayed on the display unit. Display method.

13. An acquisition step to acquire first information indicating a first candidate lesion region in a medical image, A display step of displaying the medical image, which is accompanied by first display information based on the first information, on the display unit, A display method that includes, The display step involves displaying an enlarged image on the display unit, which is an enlarged version of the medical image to which the first display information is attached, with a predetermined range expanded. If the first candidate lesion region or all of the first display information present in the medical image is not displayed in the enlarged image, the enlarged image and a reduced image of the medical image are displayed on the display unit. The reduced image is overlaid with the first candidate lesion region or the first display information, and the enlarged range of the enlarged image. Display method.

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