Medical image diagnostic apparatus and medical image contour extraction processing method

1. A medical image diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an image display that displays a medical image including a target part of an object;

an input device that enables a user to input a type and feature points of the target part; and

a processor, the processor comprising a control unit, the control unit configured to control:

a contour model specifying unit for specifying a contour model, which is stored in a first storage unit, based on the type of the target part;

a contour position estimator that estimates a contour position of the target part to generate an initial contour by adjusting a shape information of a contour model data, which is specified by the contour model specifying unit, in accordance with positions of the feature points; and

a contour extractor that extracts a contour along a shape of the target part by fitting the initial contour to a contour of the target part with moving an edge of the initial contour to a wall surface of the contour of the target part, along with moving feature points of the initial contour towards a location of the feature points of the target part;

wherein a shape of the initial contour is expressed by a first group of positions placed on a curve line and a second group of positions corresponding to the feature points of the initial contour, and when the contour extractor extracts the contour, the shape of the initial contour changes by moving the first group of positions closer to the wall surface of myocardium, using a boundary detection processing, and by moving the second group of positions in a direction towards the feature points of the target part, such that the extracted contour passes through the feature points of the target part, wherein the feature points of the initial contour are different than the feature points of the target part; and

wherein the control unit is further configured to display a composite image that is obtained by combining the extracted contour and the medical image, on the image display.

2. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

the first storage unit stores the contour model data for each type of body tissue related to the target part,

wherein the input device inputs the type of the body tissue, and

the contour position estimator generates the initial contour by estimating a contour position of the target part by specifying the contour model data on the basis of the input type of the body tissue and adjusting the center position, size, and inclination of the specified contour model data according to positions of the feature points of the target part.

3. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control:

a measurement unit that calculates measurement items regarding the length, area, and volume of a contour-extracted region from the contour extracted by the contour extractor.

4. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising:

a second storage unit that stores the type of the body tissue and the measurement items and an estimation model or an estimation program for estimating the contour position so as to match each other,

wherein the input device inputs the type of the body tissue and the measurement items, and

the contour position estimator generates the initial contour by estimating the contour position by specifying the estimation model or the estimation program on the basis of the type of the body tissue and the measurement items input by the input device and executing processing according to the specified estimation model or estimation program.

5. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 ,

wherein, when a plurality of contours of the target part are present, the contour position estimator generates a first initial contour by estimating a first contour position using the feature points of the target part and also generates a second initial contour by estimating a second contour position using the first initial contour.

6. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the input device inputs the type of the body tissue, and

the contour position estimator generates the first initial contour by estimating a contour position of the target part by specifying the contour model data on the basis of the input type of the body tissue and adjusting the center position, size, and inclination of the specified contour model data according to positions of the feature points of the target part.

7. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein the contour extractor performs the boundary detection processing for a predetermined range in a direction, which crosses a contour point and is perpendicular to the first initial contour, for each contour point on the initial contour and moves the contour point to a position detected as a boundary by the boundary detection processing and also extracts a contour so as to pass through the feature points of the target part and the contour point after the movement.

8. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein the input device inputs movement information of at least one of the feature points of the target part,

the contour position estimator regenerates the first initial contour by re-estimating the contour position of the target part by adjusting the center position, size, and inclination of the specified contour model data according to the movement information, and

the contour extractor re-extracts a contour according to the movement information and the regenerated first initial contour.

9. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a measurement unit that calculates measurement items regarding the length, area, volume, and the like of a contour-extracted region from the contour extracted by the contour extractor.

10. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9 , further comprising:

a second storage unit that stores the type of the body tissue and the measurement items and an estimation model or an estimation program for estimating the contour position so as to match each other,

wherein the input device inputs the type of the body tissue and the measurement items, and

the contour position estimator generates the initial contour by estimating the contour position by specifying the estimation model or the estimation program on the basis of the type of the body tissue and the measurement items input by the input device and executing processing according to the specified estimation model or estimation program.

11. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising:

a switching setting unit that performs switching setting of a plurality of extracted regions of the target part.

12. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the contour extractor performs the boundary detection processing for a predetermined range in a direction which crosses a contour point and is perpendicular to the initial contour, for each contour point on the initial contour, and moves the contour point to a position detected as a boundary by the boundary detection processing and also extracts a contour so as to pass through the feature points of the target part and the contour point after the movement.

13. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the input device inputs movement information of at least one of the feature points of the target part,

the contour position estimator regenerates the initial contour by re-estimating the contour position of the target part by adjusting the center position, size, and inclination of the specified contour model data according to the movement information, and

the contour extractor re-extracts a contour according to the movement information and the regenerated initial contour.

14. The medical image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is further configured to control:

a switching setting unit that performs switching setting of a plurality of extracted regions of the target part.

15. A medical image contour extraction processing method comprising:

a step of displaying a medical image including a target part of an object by means of an image display;

a step of inputting feature points of the target part by means of an input device;

a step of estimating a contour position of the target part to generate an initial contour by means of a contour position estimator;

a step of extracting a contour along a shape of the target part using the feature points and the initial contour by means of a contour extractor, the extracting being based upon a fitting of an initial contour to a contour of a target part with moving an edge of the initial contour to a wall surface of the contour of the target part, along with moving feature points of the initial contour towards a location of the feature points of the target part; and

a step of displaying a composite image, which is obtained by combining the extracted contour and the medical image, on the image display by means of a controller,

wherein a shape of the initial contour is expressed by a first group of positions placed on a curve line and a second group of positions corresponding to the feature points of the initial contour, and during the extracting the contour, the shape of the initial contour changes by moving the first group of positions closer to the wall surface of myocardium, using a boundary detection processing, and by moving the second group of positions in a direction towards the feature points of the target part, such that the extracted contour passes through the feature points of target part, and wherein the feature points of the initial contour are different than the feature points of the target part.