Magnetic resonance imaging apparatus and image processing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10201280-B2
Application number	US-201615250049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 10, 2015
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an embodiment includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to specify a search start position of a matrix representing inter-regional connectivity between a plurality of regions in a brain based on a result of an analysis on an image of a subject and an attention degree set to each of the regions. The processing circuitry is configured to search the matrix using the search start position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
divide a brain region included in an image of a brain of a subject into a plurality of localized regions, and perform an analysis on each localized region;
specify a search start position of a matrix representing inter-regional connectivity between the plurality of localized regions of the brain, based on a result of the analysis on the image of the brain of the subject and an attention degree set to each of the localized regions; and
search the matrix using the specified search start position.

2. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to perform control to display a result of searching the matrix.

3. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to perform a texture analysis as the analysis.

4. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
analyze a difference from a normal brain in a predetermined parameter for each localized region; and
specify the search start position additionally using an analysis result of analyzing the difference from the normal brain in the predetermined parameter.

5. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the matrix represents connectivity through an association fiber connecting cortex regions included in the same hemisphere of the brain.

6. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the matrix represents connectivity through a commissural fiber connecting a cortex region included in a left hemisphere of the brain and a cortex region included in a right hemisphere of the brain.

7. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the matrix represents connectivity through a projection fiber connecting a cortex region and a white matter region.

8. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to specify the search start position using a matrix in which an attention degree in accordance with a diagnosis purpose and a disease is set to each of the localized regions.

9. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the diagnosis purpose includes definitive diagnosis and screening.

10. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the attention degree is set to a predilection degree for each brain functional localized region as a predilection site of the disease.

11. An image processing apparatus, comprising:
processing circuitry configured to
divide a brain region included in an image of a brain of a subject into a plurality of localized regions, and perform an analysis on each localized region;
specify a search start position of a matrix representing inter-regional connectivity between the plurality of localized regions of the brain, based on a result of the analysis on the image of the brain of the subject and an attention degree set to each of the localized regions; and
search the matrix using the specified search start position.

Assignees

• Toshiba Medical Sys Corp

Inventors

• Yamagata Hitoshi
• Yui Masao

Classifications

• G16H30/40

  for processing medical images, e.g. editing · CPC title

• A61B5/4005

  for evaluating the sensory system (A61B5/12, A61B5/4058 take precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/0042 Primary

  for the brain · CPC title

• G06T7/0012

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title

• A61B5/743

  Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots · CPC title