Patent Description:
In the medical field, a medical image based on medical image data such as chest X-ray (radiograph) image data or mammography image data is displayed on a medical image display device, and a doctor may diagnose a patient by viewing the medical image. Generally, various types of medical images are stored in a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) server. A workstation reads a medical image from the PACS server, and the medical image display device displays the medical image on a display.

Medical image display devices are not necessarily classified into image display devices dedicated to displaying mammography images and image display devices dedicated to displaying chest X-ray images. Thus, a single medical image display device may display a mammography image or a chest X-ray image on a display.

<CIT> discloses a vertical resonator type surface emitting laser to emit laser light which is further narrowed in an irradiating angle.

<CIT> discloses an X-ray inspection system.

<CIT> discloses a method of selecting a tone scale adjustment function for displaying a medical image on a display comprising the steps of: providing a medical image object having a header with image attributes including at least modality value and manufacturer value; extracting the image attribute values from the header of the medical image object; providing a plurality of tone scale adjustment look up tables, each of which is uniquely identified by at least two image attributes; selecting a tone scale adjustment table from a tone scale selection criteria table; applying the selected tone scale adjustment table to the provided medical image; and displaying the tone scale adjusted medical image.

<CIT> discloses a DICOM medical image file read adaptation system.

The adjustment values of a medical image display device for displaying mammography images with suitable image quality are different from those of a medical image display device for displaying chest X-ray images with suitable image quality. For example, if a chest X-ray image is displayed while a medical image display device is set to display mammography images with suitable image quality, the doctor may not be able to make an accurate diagnosis.

Mammography and chest X-ray images are monochrome images, while endoscopic and ultrasound diagnostic images are color images. A medical image display device includes a display (color panel) that can display color images, and the adjustment value that provides suitable image quality for displaying monochrome images on the color panel and the adjustment value that provides suitable image quality for displaying color images on the color panel are different. For example, if a monochrome image is displayed on the medical image display device while the medical image display device is set to display color images with suitable image quality for displaying color images, the doctor may not be able to make an accurate diagnosis.

In this way, if the adjustment value set in the medical image display device is not suitable for the medical image to be displayed, the displayed image quality may not be optimal and the doctor may not be able to make an accurate diagnosis. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a medical image display device that can avoid a mismatch between the adjustment value set in the medical image display device and the adjustment value suitable for the medical image to be displayed.

The object of one or more embodiments is to provide a medical image display device that can avoid a mismatch between the adjustment value set in the medical image display device and the adjustment value suitable for the medical image to be displayed.

An aspect of one or more embodiments provides a medical image display device including: an adjustment value holding unit configured to hold an adjustment value selected for displaying medical image data on a medical image display device with a predetermined image quality; an image attribute detector configured to detect an attribute of the medical image data; a determiner configured to determine whether or not the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit matches an adjustment value corresponding to the attribute detected by the image attribute detector; and a notification unit configured to visually or audibly notify that the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit does not match an adjustment value suitable for the medical image to be displayed on the medical image display device, when the determiner determines that the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit does not match the adjustment value corresponding to the attribute detected by the image attribute detector.

In accordance with the medical image display device according to one or more embodiments, it is possible to avoid a mismatch between the adjustment value set in the medical image display device and the adjustment value suitable for the medical image to be displayed.

Hereinafter, the medical image display device according to each embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In <FIG>, medical image data read from a PACS server by an unillustrated workstation is supplied to an image attribute detector <NUM> and a display <NUM>.

An adjustment value storage unit <NUM> stores adjustment values for adjusting image quality when various types of medical images are to be displayed on the display <NUM>. The adjustment value storage unit <NUM> is a ROM, for example. As shown in <FIG>, an adjustment value is a combination of a gradation characteristic and a maximum luminance, and the adjustment value storage unit <NUM> stores three adjustment values, adjustment values <NUM> to <NUM>, for example. The adjustment value <NUM> is an adjustment value for mammography images, the adjustment value <NUM> is an adjustment value for chest X-ray images, and the adjustment value <NUM> is an adjustment value for color images. When a liquid crystal panel <NUM> is a monochrome panel, the adjustment value <NUM> is not required.

DICOM GSDF shown in <FIG> is a gradation characteristic using a grayscale standard display function (GSDF) conforming to the digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) standard. Gamma <NUM> shown in <FIG> is a gradation characteristic having a gamma value of <NUM>. Assuming that the medical image data is <NUM> bits, DICOM GSDF and gamma <NUM> have gradation characteristics indicating the input/output characteristics shown in <FIG>.

Returning to <FIG>, an operator such as a doctor or nurse operates an operation unit <NUM> to select an adjustment value according to the medical image to be displayed on the display <NUM>. A plurality of adjustment values may be toggled by operating the operation unit <NUM>, or a menu for selecting an adjustment value may be displayed on the display <NUM> by operating the operation unit <NUM>, and one of the adjustment values may be selected. When an operation to select an adjustment value is performed by the operation unit <NUM>, an adjustment value setter <NUM> reads the selected adjustment value from the adjustment value storage unit <NUM> and causes an adjustment value holding unit <NUM> to hold the selected adjustment value. The adjustment value holding unit <NUM> is a non-volatile memory, for example.

The display <NUM> includes a gamma corrector <NUM>, a luminance adjuster <NUM>, the liquid crystal panel <NUM>, and a backlight <NUM>. The gamma corrector <NUM> performs a gamma correction on the input medical image data with the gradation characteristic shown in <FIG>. The luminance adjuster <NUM> controls the luminance of the backlight <NUM> to adjust the maximum luminance of the medical image displayed on the liquid crystal panel <NUM>. The maximum luminance of the medical image displayed on the liquid crystal panel <NUM> is determined by the luminance of the backlight <NUM>.

For example, if the operator selects the adjustment value <NUM> and the adjustment value holding unit <NUM> holds the adjustment value <NUM>, the gamma corrector <NUM> performs a gamma correction on the input medical image data so as to have the gradation characteristic of DICOM GSDF. The luminance adjuster <NUM> controls the luminance of the backlight <NUM> so that the maximum luminance is <NUM> cd/m<NUM>.

The image attribute detector <NUM> detects an attribute indicating the type of medical image by analyzing a tag (DICOM tag) attached to the medical image data. The image attribute detector <NUM> analyzes the tag to detect whether the medical image data is a mammography image or a chest X-ray image.

To explain the DICOM tag specifically, the DICOM tag includes "(<NUM>, <NUM>)", which stores the type of device (modality) that generated the image, what is called the modality code. The modality code is represented by two letters of the alphabet, and MG indicates mammography, for example. If the modality code described in (<NUM>, <NUM>) of the DICOM tag is MG, it can be detected that the device that generated the medical image data is a mammography device and the medical image data is a mammography image.

The image attribute detector <NUM> may detect the attribute of the medical image data by combining the DICOM tag (<NUM>, <NUM>) and other tag information.

A determiner <NUM> determines whether or not the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit <NUM> is an adjustment value corresponding to the attribute detected by the image attribute detector <NUM>. The determiner <NUM> supplies the determination result to a notification unit <NUM>. The fact that the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit <NUM> does not correspond to the attribute detected by the image attribute detector <NUM> means that the image quality set in the medical image display device does not match the image quality suitable for the medical image to be displayed on the display <NUM>.

Therefore, when the determination result by the determiner <NUM> indicates a mismatch, the notification unit <NUM> visually or audibly informs the user of the medical image display device that the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit <NUM> is not suitable for the medical image to be displayed on the display <NUM>. The notification unit <NUM> may be a warning light such as an LED, or may be a speaker. When the medical image data is image data of a chest X-ray image and the adjustment value <NUM> is selected, the notification unit <NUM> may output a notification such as "please adjust the maximum luminance to <NUM> cd/m2" or "please select the adjustment value <NUM>".

The user who has received the notification from the notification unit <NUM> can operate the operation unit <NUM> to select an appropriate adjustment value according to the medical image to be displayed on the display <NUM>. Thus, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to avoid a mismatch between the image quality set in the medical image display device and the image quality suitable for the medical image to be displayed on the medical image display device.

As shown in <FIG>, an on-screen display (OSD) superimposing unit <NUM> included in the display <NUM> may function as the notification unit <NUM>. When the determination result by the determiner <NUM> indicates a mismatch, the OSD superimposing unit <NUM> superimposes text information or image information indicating that the adjustment value is inappropriate, on the gamma-corrected medical image data output from the gamma corrector <NUM>, and supplies it to the liquid crystal panel <NUM>.

The user can recognize that the adjustment value is not appropriate due to the text information or image information superimposed on the medical image displayed on the liquid crystal panel <NUM>, and can select an appropriate adjustment value.

The purpose of the second embodiment shown in <FIG> is to adjust the image quality to be more appropriate according to the brightness of the ambient light surrounding the medical image display device. In <FIG>, the same parts as those in <FIG> are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted.

As shown in <FIG>, the adjustment value storage unit <NUM> stores three adjustment values <NUM> to <NUM> as adjustment values that can be recognized by operators such as doctors and nurses, for example. In the second embodiment, each of the adjustment values <NUM> to <NUM> consists of two adjustment values, one suitable for bright surroundings and one suitable for dark surroundings.

The adjustment value <NUM> for mammography images includes an adjustment value 1A suitable for bright surroundings and an adjustment value 1B suitable for dark surroundings. The adjustment value <NUM> for chest X-ray images includes an adjustment value 2A suitable for bright surroundings and an adjustment value 2B suitable for dark surroundings. The adjustment value <NUM> for color images includes an adjustment value 3A suitable for bright surroundings and an adjustment value 3B suitable for dark surroundings.

Bright surroundings are defined as the surrounding brightness being equal to or higher than a predetermined brightness, and dark surroundings are defined as the surrounding brightness being less than the predetermined brightness. In the example shown in <FIG>, the maximum luminance is made to be different between when the surroundings are bright and when the surroundings are dark. The brightness of the surroundings may be divided into three or more levels, and the maximum luminance may be varied in three or more levels. Although one of the adjustment values <NUM> to <NUM> can be selected as the adjustment value, the adjustment values 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B cannot be directly selected.

In <FIG>, an ambient light sensor <NUM> detects whether the ambient brightness is equal to or greater than a predetermined brightness, or less than the predetermined brightness. The operator operates the operation unit <NUM> to select one of the adjustment values <NUM> to <NUM> according to the medical image to be displayed on the display <NUM>. The adjustment value setter <NUM> selects an adjustment value corresponding to the selection value selected by the operator and according to the brightness detected by the ambient light sensor <NUM>. The adjustment value setter <NUM> reads the selected adjustment value from the adjustment value storage unit <NUM> and causes the adjustment value holding unit <NUM> to hold the selected adjustment value.

The adjustment value holding unit <NUM> holds the adjustment value 1A or 1B when the operator selects the adjustment value <NUM>, the adjustment value 2A or 2B when the operator selects the adjustment value <NUM>, and the adjustment value 3A or 3B when the operator selects the adjustment value <NUM>.

According to the second embodiment, it is possible to adjust the image quality to be more appropriate according to the brightness of the ambient light surrounding the medical image display device. A medical image display device may be configured by combining the first embodiment and the second embodiment.

The present invention is not limited to the first and second embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The display <NUM> is not limited to a configuration including the liquid crystal panel <NUM>, and may be configured to include an organic EL panel. In this case, the backlight <NUM> is not necessary, and the luminance adjuster <NUM> adjusts the maximum luminance when the organic EL panel emits light.

Claim 1:
A medical image display device comprising:
a display (<NUM>);
an adjustment value storage unit (<NUM>) configured to store a plurality of adjustment value sets for adjusting image quality for displaying a medical image on the display (<NUM>) with a predetermined image quality, the plurality of adjustment value sets corresponding to different types of medical images, each adjustment value set including at least two adjustment values corresponding to different ambient brightness;
an operation unit (<NUM>) configured to select an adjustment value set;
an ambient light sensor (<NUM>) configured to detect ambient brightness;
an adjustment value holding unit (<NUM>) configured to hold an adjustment value;
an adjustment value setter (<NUM>) configured to select an adjustment value set from the adjustment value storage unit (<NUM>) selected by the operation unit (<NUM>), to select an adjustment value from the selected adjustment value set corresponding to the ambient brightness detected by the ambient light sensor (<NUM>), and to cause the adjustment value holding unit (<NUM>) to hold the selected adjustment value;
an image attribute detector (<NUM>) configured to detect an attribute of medical image data that is supplied to the display (<NUM>), the attribute indicating a type of a medical image of the medical image data;
a determiner (<NUM>) configured to determine whether or not the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit (<NUM>) matches an adjustment value corresponding to the attribute detected by the image attribute detector (<NUM>); and
a notification unit (<NUM>) configured to visually or audibly notify that the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit (<NUM>) does not match an adjustment value suitable for the medical image to be displayed on the display (<NUM>), when the determiner (<NUM>) determines that the adjustment value held in the adjustment value holding unit (<NUM>) does not match the adjustment value corresponding to the attribute detected by the image attribute detector (<NUM>).