Nuclear Medicine Diagnostic Device Motion Region Highlighting

The patent merges respiratory-gated images and non-respiratory-gated images into a single composite display. The processing circuit superimposes the respiratory-gated image onto the non-respiratory-gated image, allowing both types of images to be viewed simultaneously in one display unit. This integration enables radiologists to efficiently reuse knowledge from non-respiratory-gated images while identifying body motion affected areas without requiring separate display units or complex switching mechanisms.

The system performs preliminary processing by automatically generating and displaying the composite image that highlights body motion affected areas before the radiologist begins interpretation. The processing circuit pre-identifies regions affected by body motion through image comparison and superimposition, so that when the radiologist views the composite image, the areas requiring attention are already marked and highlighted, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual analysis of body motion effects.

The patent applies local quality enhancement by selectively highlighting only the regions affected by body motion within the composite image. The processing circuit identifies specific areas where body motion has occurred and enhances their visual prominence through superimposition and contrast adjustment, while leaving other regions in their original state. This allows radiologists to quickly locate and assess body motion affected areas without having to manually examine the entire image or switch between multiple views.