Medical image processing apparatus, medical image processing method, and X-ray CT apparatus

1. A medical image processing apparatus, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

acquire image data including image data of a coronary artery of a subject;

extract a region corresponding to the coronary artery from the image data;

obtain, by performing fluid analysis, a first index value related to a pressure of a blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a first analysis result;

display the first analysis result;

obtain, by using a region of interest set based on the displayed first analysis result and performing fluid analysis based on a synthesis model, a second index value related to the pressure of the blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a second analysis result, the synthesis model being obtained by coupling a first fluid analysis model corresponding to the region of interest and a second fluid analysis model corresponding to a region different from the region of interest, wherein an analysis accuracy of the second fluid analysis model is lower than that of the first fluid analysis model; and

display the second analysis result.

2. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the region of interest is a region set by an operator while viewing the first analysis result.

3. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the region of interest is a region in which the index value obtained as the first analysis result exceeds a threshold.

4. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the region of interest is a region in which a vascular stenosis has occurred.

5. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the first fluid analysis model of which analysis accuracy is higher than that of the second fluid analysis model by increasing resolution of image data as a basis of the first fluid analysis model.

6. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the first fluid analysis model of which analysis accuracy is higher than that of the second fluid analysis model by increasing a calculation cost of fluid analysis using the first fluid analysis model.

7. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to perform the fluid analysis through simulation using a finite element method, and increase the calculation cost by increasing a density of a mesh in the first fluid analysis model.

8. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to generate the first fluid analysis model with the increased density of the mesh, and then compare the first fluid analysis model with the image data to correct the mesh.

9. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to increase the calculation cost through a change from one-dimensional analysis to three-dimensional analysis.

10. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to increase the calculation cost by increasing a convergence number of iterative calculation performed in the fluid analysis.

11. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

perform the fluid analysis for obtaining the first analysis result by using a fluid analysis model of the entire coronary artery;

generate, by using part of the fluid analysis model of the entire coronary artery corresponding to the region different from the region of interest as the second fluid analysis model, the synthesis model by coupling the first fluid analysis model and the second fluid analysis model; and

perform the fluid analysis for obtaining the second analysis result by using the synthesis model.

12. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein, when generating the synthesis model, the processing circuitry is further configured to smoothly couple the first fluid analysis model and the second fluid analysis model by applying space interpolation in which the first fluid analysis model and the second fluid analysis model are coupled with each other.

13. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein, when performing fluid analysis using the synthesis model, the processing circuitry is further configured to omit calculation in the fluid analysis for a region positioned upstream of the region of interest among the region different from the region of interest by using an analysis result obtained by previously performed fluid analysis.

14. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

generate a fluid analysis model of which analysis accuracy is higher than that of the second fluid analysis model as the first fluid analysis model;

generate the synthesis model by coupling the first fluid analysis model and the second fluid analysis model; and

perform the fluid analysis for obtaining the second analysis result by using the synthesis model.

15. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to set, as the region of interest, a region for which the first index value is out of a normal range.

16. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to perform an image correction on the image data, and then perform the fluid analysis by using the corrected image data.

17. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to perform, as the image correction, an image correction selected from a plurality of kinds of image corrections.

18. A medical image processing apparatus, comprising:

processing circuitry configured to

acquire image data including image data of a coronary artery of a subject;

extract a region corresponding to the coronary artery from the image data;

obtain, by performing fluid analysis, a first index value related to a pressure of a blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a first analysis result;

display the first analysis result;

obtain, by using a region of interest set based on the displayed first analysis result and performing fluid analysis based on a synthesis model, a second index value related to the pressure of the blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a second analysis result, the synthesis model being obtained by coupling a first fluid analysis model corresponding to the region of interest and a second fluid analysis model corresponding to a region different from the region of interest, wherein a mesh density or a spatial dimension of the second fluid analysis model is lower than that of the first fluid analysis model, and

display the second analysis result.

19. A medical image processing method, comprising:

acquiring image data including image data of a coronary artery of a subject;

extracting a region corresponding to the coronary artery from the image data;

obtaining, by performing fluid analysis, a first index value related to a pressure of a blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a first analysis result;

displaying the first analysis result;

obtaining, by using a region of interest set based on the displayed first analysis result and performing fluid analysis based on a synthesis model, a second index value related to the pressure of the blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a second analysis result, the synthesis model being obtained by coupling a first fluid analysis model corresponding to the region of interest and a second fluid analysis model corresponding to a region different from the region of interest, wherein an analysis accuracy of the second fluid analysis model is lower than that of the first fluid analysis model, and

displaying the second analysis result.

20. A medical image processing method, comprising:

acquiring image data including image data of a coronary artery of a subject;

extracting a region corresponding to the coronary artery from the image data;

obtaining, by performing fluid analysis, a first index value related to a pressure of a blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a first analysis result;

displaying the first analysis result;

obtaining, by using a region of interest set based on the displayed first analysis result and performing fluid analysis based on a synthesis model, a second index value related to the pressure of the blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a second analysis result, the synthesis model being obtained by coupling a first fluid analysis model corresponding to the region of interest and a second fluid analysis model corresponding to a region different from the region of interest, wherein a mesh density or a spatial dimension of the second fluid analysis model is lower than that of the first fluid analysis model, and

displaying the second analysis result.

21. A medical image processing system, comprising:

a client apparatus including first processing circuitry; and

a server apparatus including second processing circuitry, wherein

the first processing circuitry is configured to transmit image data to the server apparatus, the image data including image data of a coronary artery of a subject,

the second processing circuitry is configured to:

acquire the image data transmitted from the client apparatus;

extract a region corresponding to the coronary artery from the image data;

obtain, by performing fluid analysis, a first index value related to a pressure of a blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a first analysis result; and

transmit the first analysis result to the client apparatus,

the first processing circuitry is further configured to:

display the first analysis result transmitted from the server apparatus;

set a region of interest based on the displayed first analysis result; and

transmit the region of interest to the server apparatus,

the second processing circuitry is further configured to:

obtain, by using the region of interest transmitted from the client apparatus and performing fluid analysis based on a synthesis model, a second index value related to the pressure of the blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a second analysis result, the synthesis model being obtained by coupling a first fluid analysis model corresponding to the region of interest and a second fluid analysis model corresponding to a region different from the region of interest, wherein an analysis accuracy of the second fluid analysis model is lower than that of the first fluid analysis model; and

transmit the second analysis result to the client apparatus, and

the first processing circuitry is further configured to display the second analysis result transmitted from the server apparatus.

22. A medical image processing system, comprising:

a client apparatus including first processing circuitry; and

a server apparatus including second processing circuitry, wherein

the first processing circuitry is configured to transmit image data to the server apparatus, the image data including image data of a coronary artery of a subject,

the second processing circuitry is configured to:

acquire the image data transmitted from the client apparatus;

extract a region corresponding to the coronary artery from the image data;

obtain, by performing fluid analysis, a first index value related to a pressure of a blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a first analysis result; and

transmit the first analysis result to the client apparatus,

the first processing circuitry is further configured to:

display the first analysis result transmitted from the server apparatus;

set a region of interest based on the displayed first analysis result; and

transmit the region of interest to the server apparatus,

the second processing circuitry is further configured to:

obtain, by using the region of interest transmitted from the client apparatus and performing fluid analysis based on a synthesis model, a second index value related to the pressure of the blood flow flowing in the coronary artery as a second analysis result, the synthesis model being obtained by coupling a first fluid analysis model corresponding to the region of interest and a second fluid analysis model corresponding to a region different from the region of interest, wherein a mesh density or a spatial dimension of the second fluid analysis model is lower than that of the first fluid analysis model; and

transmit the second analysis result to the client apparatus, and

the first processing circuitry is further configured to display the second analysis result transmitted from the server apparatus.