Image diagnosis assistance apparatus, control method thereof, and program

1. An image diagnosis assistance apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a program; and

one or more processors which, by executing the program, function to:

(a) control display, on a display screen, of a plurality of tomographic images in different tomographic directions, obtained from a three-dimensional medical image;

(b) detect a gaze position of a user on the display screen;

(c) determine an observed region in the plurality of tomographic images based on the detected gaze position; and

(d) identify, as an observed region, a region determined to have been observed in at least two tomographic images having different tomographic directions out of the plurality of tomographic images obtained from the three-dimensional medical image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors determines, as the observed region, (a) a pixel in which the gaze position has been detected in a tomographic image, and (b) pixels within a predetermined distance from the pixel in the tomographic image.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors determines, as the observed region, a region where an accumulated time for which the gaze position was detected in a tomographic image exceeds a threshold.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the one or more processors uses different thresholds in accordance with a region extracted from a tomographic image or a region obtained by dividing the tomographic image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors determines, as the observed region, a region where a count at which the gaze position was detected in a tomographic image exceeds a threshold.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors determines, as the observed region, a region where a time for which the gaze position was continuously detected in a tomographic image exceeds a threshold.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors uses different thresholds for respective tomographic images obtained from the three-dimensional medical image.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, by executing the program, further control display of a region identified as the observed region or another region so as to allow a user to identify the region.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors, by executing the program, further designate, from the plurality of tomographic images, at least one tomographic image or a combination of tomographic images to be used for the determination.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the designation further designates, for each designated tomographic image or tomographic image combination, which of a region identified as observed and a region identified as unobserved displays a marker.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the one or more processors, by executing the program, further (a) control display of a region identified as the observed region or another region so as to allow a user to identify the region, (b) control display of a region identified as the observed region or another region in accordance with designation by the designation, and (c) control display of a region in a different form for each designated tomographic image or tomographic image combination in accordance with an observed region or an unobserved region.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of tomographic images include an axial tomographic image, a sagittal tomographic image, and a coronal tomographic image.

13. A control method of an image diagnosis assistance apparatus, the control method comprising:

displaying, on a display screen, a plurality of tomographic images in different tomographic directions obtained from a three-dimensional medical image;

detecting a gaze position of a user on the display screen;

determining an observed region in the plurality of tomographic images based on the gaze position; and

identifying, as an observed region, a region determined to have been observed in at least two tomographic images having different tomographic directions out of the plurality of tomographic images obtained from the three-dimensional medical image.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the control method according to claim 13 .