X-ray diagnosis apparatus and image processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020113535-A1
Application number	US-201916582090-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 25, 2019
Priority date	Sep 25, 2018
Publication date	Apr 16, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment includes: processing circuitry configured: to sequentially generate X-ray image data based on a detection result obtained by an X-ray detector; to specify a radiation region of X-rays in each piece of X-ray image data generated during the move of an X-ray blocking member that is moved by an X-ray limiting device on the basis of an operation received by an input interface; to sequentially generate, during the move of the X-ray blocking member, first combined image data by using the radiation region, by combining first X-ray image data generated during the move of the X-ray blocking member, with second X-ray image data generated prior to the move of the X-ray blocking member and stored in storage circuitry; and to cause a display to display a combined image represented by the first combined image data.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An X-ray diagnosis apparatus comprising:
an X-ray tube configured to generate X-rays; an X-ray detector configured to detect X-rays emitted from the X-ray tube; storage circuitry configured to store therein X-ray image data sequentially generated on a basis of a detection result obtained by the X-ray detector; an X-ray limiting device including a movable X-ray blocking member and being configured to restrict a range radiated with the X-rays emitted from the X-ray tube; an input interface configured to receive an operation to move the X-ray blocking member; and processing circuitry configured:
to sequentially generate the X-ray image data based on the detection result obtained by the X-ray detector;
to specify a radiation region of the X-rays in each piece of X-ray image data generated during the move of the X-ray blocking member that is moved by the X-ray limiting device on a basis of the operation received by the input interface;
to sequentially generate, during the move of the X-ray blocking member, first combined image data by using the radiation region, by combining first X-ray image data generated during the move of the X-ray blocking member, with second X-ray image data generated prior to the move of the X-ray blocking member and stored in the storage circuitry; and
to cause a display to sequentially display combined images represented by the first combined image data.

2 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry specifies the radiation region on a basis of position information indicating positions of the X-ray blocking member during the move.

3 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the X-ray limiting device includes two or more of the X-ray blocking members, and the input interface receives the operation to move at least one of the two or more X-ray blocking members.

4 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the X-ray limiting device includes four of the X-ray blocking members, and the input interface receives the operation to move an opposing pair of X-ray blocking members among the four X-ray blocking members.

5 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry generates the first combined image data by combining the first X-ray image data with the second X-ray image data corresponding to a largest opening degree of the X-ray blocking members among such a plurality of pieces of the X-ray image data generated under a same geometric condition as a geometric condition related to an image taking process performed for generating the first X-ray image data.

6 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein, when the plurality of pieces of X-ray image data include two or more pieces of second X-ray image data corresponding to the largest opening degree of the X-ray blocking members, the processing circuitry generates the first combined image data by combining the first X-ray image data with most recent second X-ray image data among the two or more pieces of second X-ray image data corresponding to the largest opening degree.

7 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when a change occurred in a geometric condition related to an image taking process, the X-ray blocking member is moved from a position corresponding to a first opening degree observed at a time of the change in the geometric condition to a position corresponding to a second opening degree larger than the first opening degree and is subsequently moved to return from the position corresponding to the second opening degree to the position corresponding to the first opening degree, and the processing circuitry generates the first combined image data by combining the first X-ray image data corresponding to the first opening degree with the second X-ray image data corresponding to the second opening degree.

8 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
when a change occurred in a Field Of View (FOV), the X-ray blocking member is moved to a position corresponding to a second opening degree larger than a first opening degree corresponding to the FOV and is subsequently moved to return from the position corresponding to the second opening degree to a position corresponding to the first opening degree, and the processing circuitry generates the first combined image data by combining the first X-ray image data corresponding to the first opening degree with the second X-ray image data corresponding to the second opening degree.

9 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the processing circuitry processes by performing a process of sequentially generating the first combined image data multiple times, and among the processes, at least between a first process and a second process performed subsequent to the first process, when an opening degree of the X-ray blocking members corresponding to the first X-ray image data used for generating the first combined image data generated at last in the first process is equal to or larger than an opening degree of the X-ray blocking members corresponding to the second X-ray image data used for generating the first combined image data in the first process, the processing circuitry generates the first combined image data by using the first X-ray image data used for generating the first combined image data generated at last in the first process, as second image data in the second process.

10 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein, among the processes, at least between the first process and the second process, when the opening degree of the X-ray blocking members corresponding to the first X-ray image data used for generating the first combined image data generated at last in the first process is equal to or larger than the opening degree of the X-ray blocking members corresponding to the second X-ray image data used for generating the first combined image data in the first process, the processing circuitry deletes, from the storage circuitry, the second X-ray image data used for generating the first combined image data in the first process.

11 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry sequentially generates second combined image data by combining the first combined image data with third X-ray image data.

12 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the first combined image data renders a background and a device, of the background and the device, the third X-ray image data renders the background, and the processing circuitry sequentially generates difference image data indicating a difference between the first combined image data and the third X-ray image data, as the second combined image data.

13 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry sequentially generates fifth combined image data by combining third combined image data with fourth combined image data, the third combined image data being obtained by combining the first X-ray image data generated during the move of the X-ray blocking member with third X-ray image data stored in the storage circuitry; and the fourth combined image data being obtained combining the first X-ray image data generated prior to the move of the X-ray blocking member with the third X-ray image data.

14 . The X-ray diagnosis apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein
the first X-ray image data renders a background and a device, of the background and the device, the third X-ray image data renders the backgroun

Assignees

• Canon Medical Systems Corp

Inventors

• Ohashi Shumpei

Classifications

• A61B6/4441

  the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm · CPC title

• A61B6/5241

  combining overlapping images of the same imaging modality, e.g. by stitching · CPC title

• A61B6/102

  Protection against mechanical damage, e.g. anti-collision devices · CPC title

• A61B6/486

  involving generating temporal series of image data · CPC title

• A61B6/5235

  combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT · CPC title