Apparatus and method of processing medical image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016358333-A1
Application number	US-201615173522-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 3, 2016
Priority date	Jun 4, 2015
Publication date	Dec 8, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a medical image processing apparatus and method. The medical image processing apparatus includes: an image processor configured to extract a blood vessel area and at least one contour line of the blood vessel area from a first image representing the blood vessel area, and to obtain a second image representing an area of at least one plaque based on the blood vessel area and the at least one contour line; a display configured to display the second image; and a user interface configured to receive a user input for correcting at least one contour line corresponding to at least one of the at least one plaque represented in the second image, wherein the image processor corrects the second image based on the user input. The medical image processing apparatus may precisely visualize a contour line of the blood vessel area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A medical image processing apparatus comprising:
an image processor configured to: extract a blood vessel area and at least one contour line of the blood vessel area from a first image representing the blood vessel area; and obtain a second image representing an area of at least one plaque based on the blood vessel area and the at least one contour line; a display configured to display the second image; and a user interface configured to receive a user input for correcting at least one contour line corresponding to at least one of the at least one plaque represented in the second image, the image processor is further configured to correct the second image based on the user input.

2 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display is further configured to display the corrected second image.

3 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the user interface is further configured to receive an input for selecting first plaque from among the at least one plaque and the second image represents a view of the first plaque according to a criterion set in advance.

4 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the criterion set in advance includes the area of the first plaque is at a maximum depth of the first plaque or at a maximum area of the first plaque.

5 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the second image is at least one of an enlarged image of an image corresponding to the view of the first plaque or a cross-sectional image corresponding to the view of the first plaque.

6 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the cross-sectional image corresponding to the view of the first plaque comprises at least one of a cross-sectional image of a normal blood vessel area adjacent to the area of the first plaque, a cross-sectional image in which the area of the first plaque is set to be the maximum depth or the maximum area, or a cross-sectional image adjacent to the cross-sectional image in which the area of the first plaque is set to be the maximum depth or the maximum area.

7 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second image represents a second view of the first plaque that has moved based on a first view of the first plaque.

8 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein when the second image comprises a plurality of images corresponding to the first plaque:
the user interface is further configured to receive a first input of a user for correcting the at least one contour line in a first image of the first plaque from among the plurality of images; the image processor is further configured to correct the first image of the first plaque based on the first input of the user; and the display is further configured to display the first image of the plaque, wherein the first image has been corrected.

9 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the image processor is further configured to correct the plurality of images that are different from the first image of the first plaque based on the first input of the user, and the display is further configured to display the plurality of images that have been corrected.

10 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the image processor is further configured to obtain the second image representing the area of the at least one plaque by detecting the at least one plaque based on the blood vessel area and the at least one contour line and label the at least one plaque that is detected.

11 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the image processor is further configured to label the at least one plaque that is detected by using at least one of a maximum intensity projection or a minimum intensity projection.

12 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the blood vessel is a coronary artery, and the at least one contour line is a lumen contour line or a vessel wall contour line of the coronary artery.

13 . A medical image processing apparatus comprising:
an image processor configured to:
extract a center line of a blood vessel from a first image representing a blood vessel area; and
generate a plurality of images corresponding to a plurality of views with respect to the blood vessel area based on the center line of the blood vessel;
a display configured to display the plurality of images; and a user interface configured to receive a first input for correcting the blood vessel area in a first view image corresponding to a first view, from among the plurality of images, the image processor is further configured to correct the first view image based on the first input, and correct at least one image, except the first view image, from among the plurality of images based on a result of correcting the first view image.

14 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the display is further configured to display the at least one image that has been corrected.

15 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the user interface is further configured to receive a second input for correcting the blood vessel area in a second view image from among the plurality of images, and the image processor is further configured to correct the second view image based on the second input and correct at least one image, except the first view image and the second view image, from among the plurality of images based on a result of correcting the second view image.

16 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the display is further configured to display the first view image that has been corrected based on the first input and the plurality of images that have been corrected based on the second input.

17 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the user interface is further configured to receive the first input for correcting at least one contour line of the blood vessel area included in the first view image.

18 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the image processor is further configured to correct at least one image, except the first view image, from among the plurality of images by using at least one of a Hounsfield unit (HU) value and a HU gradient at a location that has been corrected in the first view image.

19 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the display is further configured to display a corrected part to be distinguished from a part before being corrected in each of the plurality of images.

20 . The medical image processing apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the user interface is further configured to receive at least one of an input for approving the corrected part and an input for correcting the corrected part, wherein the display is further configured to display the plurality of images, to which at least one of the input for approving the corrected part and the input for correcting the corrected part is applied.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Gun-Woo
• Yoo Sang-Wook
• Yi Jong-Hyon

Classifications

• G06T12/10

  Image preprocessing, e.g. calibration, positioning of sources or scatter correction · CPC title

• G06T2207/30101

  Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular · CPC title

• G06K9/033

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/0081

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/0012 Primary

  Biomedical image inspection · CPC title