JP6548713B2 - Medical diagnostic imaging system - Google Patents

Description

  An embodiment of the present invention relates to a medical image diagnostic apparatus such as an X-ray CT apparatus, which facilitates positioning of a subject at the time of imaging the subject and medical image diagnosis capable of reducing the exposure dose of the subject It relates to the device.

  Conventionally, in an examination by a medical image diagnostic apparatus (for example, an X-ray CT apparatus), an operator such as a technician performs positioning of a subject lying on a bed in an examination room, but positioning uses an emitter (laser) It is done visually. After positioning, the operator moves from the examination room to the operation room, selects a scan plan from the CT console, captures a scanogram, checks the scanogram from the CT console, and determines a capture range. When a scanogram is confirmed, if the body of the subject is bent or deviated from the rotation center of the gantry, the operator moves from the operation room to the examination room and adjusts the position of the subject. ing.

  However, some hospitals conduct 20 to 30 inspections a day, and the operator's access to the examination room may become an obstacle in the examination workflow. In addition, after adjusting the position of the subject, the operator again moves from the examination room to the operation room and takes a scanogram again, so the exposure dose of the subject increases. In particular, for an inexperienced operator, visual positioning with a light may not align with the center of rotation, and when positioning the head there is also a risk that the laser will strike the eye of the subject.

 Patent Document 1 discloses an X-ray CT apparatus that detects whether or not the center position of a subject has deviated from a scan center, and notifies an operator of the X-ray CT apparatus. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an X-ray CT apparatus which facilitates positioning of a subject by displaying an image of the estimated X-ray irradiation range and an image of the subject overlapping each other. However, much work is done by the operator, and further improvement is required in order to reduce the exposure to the subject.

JP 2001-190541 A JP, 2009-268793, A

  The problem to be solved by the invention is to warn the inclination of the subject on the tabletop, and calculate the movement of the tabletop so that the characteristic part of the subject comes to the imaging position of the imaging means, An object of the present invention is to provide a medical diagnostic imaging apparatus capable of moving a plate.

A medical image diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes: a bed including a top plate on which a subject is placed; a gantry including an imaging unit that collects a medical image of the subject; and three-dimensional position information of the subject An image acquisition unit for acquiring an optical image of the subject , the three-dimensional information detection unit for acquiring an image, and a characteristic site detection unit for acquiring an image of a characteristic site of the subject; The position calculating unit for acquiring three-dimensional position information of the characteristic portion of the subject, and the characteristic portion of the object moving to the imaging position of the imaging unit based on the position information of the characteristic portion The controller calculates the movement of the plate, and the controller moves the top based on the calculated movement, and extracts the reference line of imaging of the subject from the three-dimensional position information and the image of the characteristic portion. , According to the reference line Comprising a tilt control unit which controls the door angle, a.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The side view and front view which show the whole structure of the medical image diagnostic apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. The perspective view which shows the state which made the gantry tilt in one embodiment. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an X-ray CT apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a position setting unit in one embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a position setting unit according to an embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows an example of the reservation information acquisition screen in one Embodiment. The block diagram which shows an example of the three-dimensional information detection part in one embodiment. The figure which represented the distance to the subject in one embodiment with the shade of black and white, and the explanatory view showing the whole body skeletal information. Explanatory drawing which shows the operation | movement at the time of extracting OM line in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the positioning example of the head in one Embodiment, and the example of a display on a display part. Explanatory drawing which shows the numerical example of the bed position in one Embodiment, and the example of a display on a display part. Explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display in the tilting operation | movement of a gantry in an embodiment, and a display part. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which the shoulder of a subject bends in one embodiment, and the example of a display on a display part. Explanatory drawing which shows the display example in the state and the display part which show the state which the center of the external ear hole of a test object has shifted | deviated from the rotation center of a gantry in one Embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the display example in the state and the display part in which the tilt angle of a gantry and the angle of OM line differ in one Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the flow of CT inspection in one embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts in the respective drawings.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a side view (a) and a front view (b) showing the entire configuration of a medical image diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, an X-ray CT apparatus will be described as an example of a medical image diagnostic apparatus.

 In FIG. 1, an X-ray CT apparatus 100 has a gantry 10. A rotating portion is provided in the gantry 10, and an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector are disposed opposite to each other in the rotating portion, and a central portion of the rotating portion is opened. 15 (indicated by a dotted line) can be inserted. The rotation center of the rotating portion of the gantry 10 is indicated by S. In the following description, S will be referred to as "the rotation center S of the gantry 10."

  A characteristic site detection unit 24, a three-dimensional information detection unit 25, a display unit 26, and an operation panel 27 are provided around the opening 11 of the gantry 10. Details of these will be described later. The gantry 10 can be tilted by a tilt control unit (described later).

  FIG. 2 shows the gantry 10 in a tilted state. Although FIG. 2 shows a state of being inclined forward, it can also be inclined backward.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the X-ray CT apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. In FIG. 3, the X-ray CT apparatus 100 has a gantry 10. In the gantry 10, the rotation part 12 is provided in the outer periphery of the opening part 11, and the rotation part 12 is rotated by a rotation mechanism. An X-ray tube 13 and an X-ray detector 14 are disposed opposite to each other in the rotating portion 12. Further, the subject P placed on the top 15 of the bed is inserted into the opening 11.

 The X-ray transmitted through the object P is converted into an electrical signal by the X-ray detector 14, amplified by the data acquisition unit 16, and converted into digital data. This digital data is transmitted as projection data to the operation console 30 (described later) via the data transmission device 17. In the X-ray detector 14, a large number of X-ray detection elements are arranged in a matrix in the body axis direction (slice direction) and body width direction (channel direction) of the subject P, and the detectors are arranged in the slice direction Collect projection data for each column. The X-ray tube 13 and the X-ray detector 14 constitute imaging means for acquiring a medical image of the subject P.

 Further, the gantry 10 is provided with a gantry control unit 18, a slip ring 19, and a tilt control unit 20. The gantry control unit 18 controls the rotation of the rotating unit 12. The table-top 15 can be advanced to and retracted from the opening 11 of the gantry 10 by a bed driving device 22 provided on the bed 21, and the height position of the bed 21 (top-plate 15) can be adjusted. A driving signal is supplied from the bed control unit 23 to the bed driving device 22.

 The bed 21 is provided with a detector for electrically detecting the position of the top plate 15 in the slice direction (body axis direction of the subject P), and the bed 21 supplies the bed control unit 23 with the position information of the bed. send. Therefore, continuous scanning can be performed by the rotation of the rotating unit 12 and the movement of the top 15, and projection data in multiple directions can be collected time-sequentially by the continuous scanning.

 Furthermore, around the opening 11 of the gantry 10, an image acquisition unit (consisting of the characteristic site detection unit 24 and the three-dimensional information detection unit 25) for acquiring an optical image of the subject, the display unit 26, and the operation panel 27 Is equipped. The characteristic site detection unit 24 is, for example, a camera, and hereinafter, will be described as the camera 24.

 The X-ray CT apparatus 100 further includes an operation console 30. The operation console 30 constitutes a computer system, and includes a pre-processing unit 31. Data from the data transmission device 17 is sent to the pre-processing unit 31. The preprocessing unit 31 performs processing such as correction of signal strength and correction of signal loss, and outputs projection data on the bus line 301. The system control unit 32 is connected to the bus line 301.

 An input unit 33 is connected to the system control unit 32. Further, to the bus line 301, a data storage unit 34, a reconstruction processing unit 35, an image processing unit 36, a display means 37, and a network interface (I / F) 38 are connected. The system control unit 32 is also connected to the high voltage generation unit 39.

 The system control unit 32 (control unit) functions as a host controller, includes a CPU and a ROM, and operates the respective units of the operation console 30, the gantry control unit 18, the tilt control unit 20, the bed control unit 23, the high voltage generation unit Control 39 Further, in order to detect the three-dimensional position of the subject P, the system control unit 32 receives an image of the subject P taken by the camera 24 and also receives an image of the subject P from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. Dimension information is input. Further, the system control unit 32 receives information from the operation panel 27 and outputs display information to the display unit 26.

 The input unit 33 has a keyboard, a mouse and the like, is operated by an operator such as a technician, and performs various settings in data processing. Further, the input unit 33 inputs various information such as the condition of the subject and the examination method, and sets the examination site by mouse operation.

 The data storage unit 34 stores tomographic image data (raw data) obtained from the acquired projection data. The reconstruction processing unit 35 extracts a region of interest or an organ of interest from the tomographic image data stored in the data storage unit 34, and reconstructs 3D image data and the like. The image processing unit 36 processes the image reconstructed by the reconstruction processing unit 35 and outputs an image for display to the display means 37.

 The display unit 37 displays various images and the like obtained by the image processing unit 36. The high voltage generation unit 39 supplies power to the X-ray tube 13 via the slip ring 19 and provides power (tube voltage, tube current) necessary for X-ray emission. The X-ray tube 13 generates beam X-rays spreading in two directions, a slice direction parallel to the body axis direction of the subject P and a channel direction orthogonal thereto.

 Further, a network interface (I / F) 38 is connected to the bus line 301. The system control unit 32 is connected to the network via the bus line 301 and the I / F 38, and communicates with, for example, a management server connected to RIS or HIS, an order issuance server, or the like.

 FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the position setting unit 40 that constitutes the main part of the present embodiment. The position setting unit 40 is provided in the system control unit 32, receives an image from the camera 24, three-dimensional information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, and information from the operation panel 27, and warns the display unit 26. Display (including messages).

  The position setting unit 40 sets the position of the subject on the top 15 under the control of the system control unit 32 (control unit), and the inspection information acquisition unit 41, the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, and the camera 24 includes a position calculation unit 43, a movement amount calculation unit 44, and a tilt angle calculation unit 45. The position calculation unit 43 is connected to the display unit 26. The movement amount calculation unit 44 and the tilt angle calculation unit 45 are connected to the drive unit 46. The drive unit 46 drives the bed 21 and the gantry 10 to control the height of the bed 21, the horizontal position of the top 15, and the tilt angle of the gantry 10. The drive unit 46 controls the tilt control unit 20 and the bed The driving device 22 and the bed control unit 23 are included.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart schematically illustrating the operation of the position setting unit 40. In FIG. 5, in step S1, the examination information acquisition unit 41 acquires information on a positioning site (head, chest, etc.) from examination information acquired by a technologist or CT examination reservation information. The examination information acquisition unit 41 can acquire reservation information from, for example, RIS or HIS. In step S2, the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 detects three-dimensional information of the subject lying on the bed 21. Three-dimensional information includes coordinates (per pixel) of the head, chest, abdomen, etc.

  In step S3, the feature extraction unit 42 determines a feature necessary for positioning based on the image of the camera 24 and the three-dimensional information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, for example, the shape of the ear, the OM line (orbital center Orbital line connecting the center of the ear canal: Orbitomeatal line), the position of the neck and both shoulders etc. are extracted. In step S4, the position calculation unit 43 acquires three-dimensional position information of the feature portion of the subject based on the optical image obtained by the camera 24 and the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 and obtains the gantry 10 of the feature portion. Calculate relative coordinates.

  In step S5, the movement amount calculation unit 44 calculates the movement amount of the bed 21 necessary for the relative coordinates of the feature portion after positioning the subject P and the gantry 10 to be zero. That is, based on the coordinates calculated by the position calculation unit 43, the amount of movement of the top 15 necessary for aligning the subject P with respect to the gantry 10 is calculated. The movement amount calculation unit 44 controls the drive unit 46 based on the calculated movement amount to control the position of the bed (top).

  In step S6, the tilt angle calculation unit 45 calculates and presents the optimum tilt angle of the gantry 10 based on the OM line extracted by the characteristic site extraction unit 42. The tilt angle calculation unit 45 controls the drive unit 46 based on the calculated tilt angle, and controls the tilt angle of the gantry 10. Then, in step S7, based on the coordinates calculated by the position calculation unit 43, a warning or a message is displayed on the display unit 26 when the degree of bending of the body is large.

  Hereinafter, the operation of the position setting unit 40 will be specifically described. The examination information acquisition unit 41 mainly acquires information on the positioning site (head, chest, etc.) based on the examination information and the CT examination reservation information acquired by the engineer. The acquisition destination is an information system such as RIS or HIS. Alternatively, the information acquired by the operator at the start of the examination is acquired.

 FIG. 6 shows a reservation information acquisition screen on the display means 37 of the operation console 30. By operating the reservation information acquisition screen with a mouse, it communicates with, for example, a management server or an order issuance server connected to RIS or HIS, and based on the subject name and subject ID, scheduled examination date and examination start time Information can be obtained. Further, by acquiring examination reservation information, it is possible to know where the examination site is.

  The three-dimensional information detection unit 25 detects three-dimensional information of the subject lying on the bed 21. Three-dimensional information includes coordinates (per pixel) of the head, chest, abdomen, etc. As the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, for example, commercially available sensors such as Kinect (registered trademark) and Leap (registered trademark) can be used.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. For example, an example using a Kinect (registered trademark) sensor is shown. The three-dimensional information detection unit 25 is attached to the upper portion (see FIG. 1) of the opening 11 of the gantry 10, detects the subject P on the top plate 15, and captures motion information of the subject and the subject P Collect video information. Kinect (registered trademark) recognizes human movement, includes an RGB color camera, depth sensor, microphone array, etc., measures the distance to the subject by projecting the subject on the camera and measuring the subject Various movements of the skeleton of the sample can be detected.

  In FIG. 7, the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 includes a color image collection unit 51, a distance image collection unit 52, and an information generation unit 53. The color image collecting unit 51 includes an RGB color camera, photographs the subject P on the top 15, and collects color image information. For example, light reflected by the surface of the subject P is detected by a light receiving element (for example, a CMOS or a CCD), and visible light is converted into an electrical signal. Then, by converting the electrical signal into digital data, color image information of one frame corresponding to the photographing range is generated.

  The color image information for one frame includes, for example, shooting time information and information in which RGB values are associated with each pixel included in the one frame. The color image collection unit 51 captures a shooting range by generating color image information of a plurality of continuous frames from visible light sequentially detected.

  The distance image collecting unit 52 captures an image of the subject P and collects distance image information. The distance image collecting unit 52, for example, irradiates infrared light around, and detects a reflected wave in which the irradiation wave is reflected on the surface of the subject with a light receiving element (for example, a CMOS or a CCD). Then, the distance to the object is obtained based on the phase difference between the irradiation wave and its reflected wave and the time from irradiation to detection, and one frame of distance image information corresponding to the imaging range is generated.

  The distance image information for one frame includes, for example, imaging time information and distance information on the object corresponding to each pixel included in the imaging range. The distance image collecting unit 52 captures an imaging range by generating distance image information of a plurality of continuous frames from reflected waves detected one after another. The unit of the distance calculated by the distance image collecting unit 52 is, for example, meters [m].

  The information generation unit 53 generates information of the subject P. Generally explaining, the information generation unit 53 obtains the coordinates of each joint forming the skeleton of the human body from the distance image information generated by the distance image collection unit 52 by pattern matching using a human body pattern. The coordinates of each joint obtained from the distance image information are values represented by the coordinate system of the distance image (hereinafter referred to as "distance image coordinate system").

  Next, the information generation unit 53 expresses the coordinates of each joint in the distance image coordinate system in a coordinate system of a three-dimensional space in which the subject P on the top 15 is located (hereinafter referred to as "world coordinate system") Convert to The coordinates of each joint represented by this world coordinate system become skeletal information of one frame. Further, skeleton information of a plurality of frames becomes three-dimensional information.

  FIG. 8A shows a diagram in which the distance from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 to the subject P is expressed in black and white. FIG. 8B shows whole body skeletal information obtained by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. Skeletal information includes coordinate information of each joint.

  In FIG. 8B, a plurality of black circles (a to t) indicate head to shoulders, hips, left and right elbows, left and right wrists, left and right hips, left and right knees, left and right ankles, left and right foot roots, etc. Shows the joints of the The three-dimensional information detection unit 25 acquires skeletal information based on coordinate information of each joint that forms a skeleton of the subject P. Further, the movement of the subject P, that is, the motion information can be obtained by calculating the change in the position of each joint.

 Based on the examination reservation information acquired by the examination information acquisition unit 41, the characteristic part extraction unit 42 designates the positioning site (head, chest, etc.) of the subject. In addition, based on the three-dimensional information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 and the photographed image of the camera 24, characteristic portions necessary for positioning, for example, in the case of head inspection, outer ear canal, OM line, both eyes, face Extract outlines of In the case of chest examination, skeletal points of the shoulder, skeletal points of the abdomen, center points of the chest, etc. are extracted.

  FIG. 9 is an operation explanatory view of processing of whole body skeleton information and face outline information obtained by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 and an image of the ear of the subject P taken by the camera 24 to extract an OM line. It is. FIG. 9 (a) is an image of the ear taken by the camera 24, and FIG. 9 (b) is a binarized image based on color and distance information. Then, the characteristic site extraction unit 42 extracts the outer ear canal as shown in (c).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9 (d), the characteristic part extraction unit 42 generates face outline information (d2) based on the face skeleton information (d1) obtained by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. Then, the characteristic site extraction unit 42 extracts an OM line connecting the center of the orbit and the center of the ear canal as shown in FIG. 9 (e).

The position calculation unit 43 calculates coordinates (feature portion coordinates) with respect to the rotation center S of the gantry 10 of the feature portion extracted by the feature portion extraction unit 42 based on the information of the attachment position of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25. The attachment position of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 is set in advance as shown in FIG. 1, and information on the attachment position is also stored in, for example, the data storage unit 34. Therefore, the coordinates of the feature location (X, Y, Z) = the coordinates of the attachment position of the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 with respect to the rotation center S (X0, Y0, Z0) + the coordinates of the feature location with respect to the three-dimensional information detection unit 25 Y1, Z1)
It becomes.

  Further, the position calculation unit 43 includes a determination unit 431, and the determination unit 431 calculates the amount of tilt of the subject on the top 15 based on the information of the feature portion extracted by the feature portion extraction unit 42. Under normal conditions, the subject P is placed such that the body axis from the head to the tip of the foot is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the table 15, but the body axis is in the longitudinal direction of the table 15. May tilt relative to the axis. The inclination of the subject on the top 15 is, for example, a line connecting the skeleton points of both shoulders extracted by the characteristic portion extraction unit 42, a line connecting both eyes and eyes, etc. The inclination is detected by judging whether the line to be a mark is orthogonal to the axis of the direction. Further, the determination unit 431 determines whether to display a warning based on the amount of tilt of the subject, and displays a warning on the display unit 26 when the line to be orthogonal is tilted more than a preset angle. .

  The movement amount calculation unit 44 calculates the amount of movement of the bed necessary for the relative coordinates of the rotation center S and the characteristic part to be zero. FIG. 10A is an explanatory view showing the positioning of the head. In the positioning of the head, the center of the ear canal and the rotation center S of the gantry 10 are aligned. For this reason, when the center of the outer ear hole of the subject P is shifted with respect to the rotation center S of the gantry 10, as shown in FIG. The display unit 26 displays a message such as “Please move upward by 495 mm, backward by 1351 mm”.

  Further, the movement amount calculation unit 44 may calculate an optimal bed position and display it on the operation panel 27 so that the center of the outer ear canal and the position of the rotation center S of the gantry 10 are aligned. FIG. 11A is an explanatory view showing numerical values of the bed position displayed on the operation panel 27. As shown in FIG. The operation panel 27 displays numerical values of the tilt angle of the gantry 10, the height position of the bed, and the horizontal movement position of the top 15. Further, as shown in FIG. 11B, the display unit 26 displays, for example, a message such as "Please set the bed height to 1105 mm and the top horizontal movement position to 245 mm." The operator inputs the numerical value displayed on the operation panel 27 or the display unit 26 to the input unit 33 or the operation panel 27 and drives the drive unit 46 to move the height of the bed 21 and the horizontal movement position of the top 15 By doing this, the center of the ear canal of the subject and the rotation center S of the gantry 10 can be aligned.

  The tilt angle calculation unit 45 presents the optimum tilt angle of the gantry 10 based on the OM line extracted by the feature extraction unit. FIG. 12 (a) shows a state where the gantry 10 is vertically upright and has a predetermined angle with respect to the OM line. The tilt angle calculation unit 45 displays a message such as "Please tilt the gantry 12 degrees," on the display unit 26, as shown in FIG. 12 (b). The operator inputs a tilt angle to the input unit 33 or the operation panel 27 based on the angle information displayed on the display unit 26 and drives the drive unit 46 to control the tilt angle of the gantry 10. FIG. 12C shows a state in which the tilt angle of the gantry 10 is controlled. As the tilt angle and the angle of the OM line coincide with each other, it is possible to prevent X rays from directly striking the subject P's eyes.

  The display unit 26 displays a warning or a message based on the coordinates calculated by the position calculation unit 43, for example, when the degree of bending of the body is large.

  13A shows a normal state in which both shoulders of the subject P are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the top 15, and FIG. 13B shows that both shoulders are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the top 15. It shows a state of being bent (tilted) instead of perpendicular. Whether the shoulders of the subject P are bent or not is determined by the determination unit 431 of the position calculation unit 43 based on the information from the three-dimensional information detection unit 25.

  The determination unit 431 uses, for example, a feature image of the subject detected by the three-dimensional information detection unit 25, for example, a line connecting skeleton points of both shoulders or a line connecting both eyes to the mark image 60 It is determined whether 60 is orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the top 15 or not. The mark image 60 is displayed on the display unit 26. Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, when the mark image 60 is not orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the top plate 15 and is inclined at an angle set in advance, a warning is displayed on the display unit 26. .

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13C, the display unit 26 displays, for example, messages such as “body (both shoulders bent)” and “please check”. Although the operator has conventionally positioned the object based on the laser of the projector, it is difficult to visually judge whether it is bent or not, so it is useful to display a warning of bending of the body.

  The warning may be displayed on the display unit 26 as shown in FIG. 13C, may be notified by voice, or may be notified by both display and voice. Therefore, the display unit 26 configures a warning unit that outputs a warning when it is determined that the warning is necessary. Not only the mark image 60 but also an optical image of the subject may be displayed on the display unit 26, and the mark image 60 may be displayed superimposed on the optical image.

  FIG. 14A shows a state in which the center of the ear canal of the subject P is shifted with respect to the rotation center S of the gantry 10 in the positioning of the head. At this time, as shown in FIG. 14B, the display unit 26 displays, for example, a message such as “the height is offset from the center”.

  FIG. 15A shows a state in which the tilt angle and the angle of the OM line are different when the gantry 10 is inclined. At this time, as shown in FIG. 15B, the display unit 26 displays a message such as “Tilt angle is not optimal”, for example.

  The drive unit 46 drives the bed 21, the top 15, and the gantry 10 so that the position of the subject becomes optimal based on the calculation results of the movement amount calculation unit 44 and the tilt angle calculation unit 45.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a flow of CT examination. For example, when examining and diagnosing a subject using a modality such as an X-ray CT apparatus, image processing and scanning are performed according to a flowchart as shown in FIG.

  In the case of scanning, in step S11 of FIG. 16, subject registration is performed for examination reservation, and subject ID, name, gender, age, and the like are input. In step S12, the patient (subject) is set and preparation for imaging is started. In step S13, an imaging position (imaging region) is determined, an expert plan is selected, and a scanogram (an image for making a scan plan) is imaged. After the X-ray irradiation time and irradiation conditions are determined in the scan plan, the scan is executed. Also perform additional scans as needed. Then, the image data collected by the scan is subjected to image processing in step S14. When printing image data on film, the filming process of step S15 is performed.

  In the patient setting step S12, generally, the steps of preparing the examination of the patient, mounting a fixing tool on the bed to fix the patient on the bed, putting the patient on the bed, fixing the patient, etc. are required. Selection and positioning must be performed accurately, and if the positioning is not appropriate, artifacts and shifts in CT numbers will occur, which will affect the image. In addition, movement of the subject during imaging causes an artifact.

  Therefore, as in the present embodiment, by detecting the coordinates of the feature portion of the subject to be imaged and the OM line and automatically setting the height of the bed and the position of the top, it is possible to capture a scanogram. The subject can be positioned. When the subject moves, or the height of the bed, the position of the top plate, and the tilt angle of the gantry are not correct, the operator can recognize before leaving the examination room.

  According to the embodiment described above, it is possible to reduce the time required for the operator's positioning. Also, the risk of the laser reaching the eye of the subject can be avoided.

  In the first embodiment, an example is described in which the OM line is extracted as a reference line for imaging the subject to control the tilt angle of the gantry 10, but Reid connecting the lower orbit edge of the subject and the upper ear canal The tilt angle of the gantry 10 may be controlled by extracting a reference line (RB line: Reid's Base Line).

  Moreover, although the example which image | photographs a head was described in embodiment mentioned above, other site | parts can also be image | photographed. For example, in imaging of the chest, it is preferable to extract a chest midline of the subject, position the subject so that the center position of the subject is on the midline, and perform imaging. In the embodiment described above, although the X-ray CT apparatus has been described as an example, the present invention can be applied to a medical image diagnostic apparatus such as an MRI apparatus which positions and captures an object on a top plate.

  While certain embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof as well as included in the scope and the gist of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Gantry 15 ... Top plate 20 ... Tilt control part 21 ... Sleeping bed 23 ... Sleeping bed control part 24 ... Characteristic site detection part (camera)
25: Three-dimensional information detection unit 26: Display unit (warning unit)
27 Operation panel 30 Operation console 32 System control unit 40 Position setting unit 41 Inspection information acquisition unit 42 Feature part extraction unit 43 Position calculation unit 431 Determination unit 44 Movement amount calculation unit 45 Tilt angle calculation Unit 46: Drive unit

Claims (5)

A bed provided with a top plate on which the subject is placed;
A gantry including imaging means for collecting medical images of the subject;
An image acquisition unit that acquires an optical image of the subject , including a three-dimensional information detection unit that acquires three-dimensional position information of the subject, and a characteristic part detection unit that acquires an image of a characteristic part of the subject When,
A position calculation unit that acquires three-dimensional position information of the characteristic portion of the subject based on the optical image;
The movement amount of the top is calculated based on the position information of the characteristic portion so that the characteristic portion of the subject moves to the imaging position of the imaging unit, and the top is moved based on the calculated movement amount Control unit, and
A tilt control unit that extracts a reference line of imaging of the subject from three-dimensional position information and the image of the characteristic portion, and controls a tilt angle of the gantry according to the reference line;
Medical image diagnostic apparatus provided with A display unit for giving a warning when at least one of the positional deviation between the characteristic portion of the subject and the rotation center of the gantry, the deviation of the tilt angle of the gantry, and the bending of the body of the subject occurs; 1 the medical image diagnostic apparatus according. The gantry, the medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a panel for displaying the amount of movement and a tilt angle of the gantry of the top plate.   The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit designates a characteristic site necessary for positioning the subject based on examination information.   The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the relative position of the top plate and the gantry based on the calculated movement amount.