Image processing apparatus, image processing method, radiation imaging system, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium

A radiation imaging system comprising:

• a memory storing a program;
• and
• one or more processors which, by executing the program, function as units comprising:
• (1) a first imaging unit configured to obtain a radiation image while rotating around a breast arranged from a first direction;
• (2) a second imaging unit configured to obtain a radiation image of a breast compressed or arranged from a second direction different from the first direction;
• (3) a right region image obtaining unit configured to obtain a three-dimensional radiation image of a right breast imaged by the first imaging unit;
• (4) a left region image obtaining unit configured to obtain a three-dimensional radiation image of a left breast imaged by the first imaging unit;
• (5) an alignment unit configured to perform alignment between the three-dimensional radiation image of the right breast and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left breast based on a feature position of the regions;
• (6) a display control unit configured to arrange and display the three-dimensional radiation image of the right breast and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left breast, which have been aligned, and a tomographic image of the right region and a tomographic image of the left region, substantially symmetrically;
• and
• (7) an operation unit configured to change a section position of one of the tomographic image of the right region and the tomographic image of the left region,
• wherein the display control unit (a) changes a section position of the other tomographic image of the tomographic image of the right region and the tomographic image of the left region in conjunction with a change in the section position of the one tomographic image by the operation unit, in a case that the alignment unit has performed alignment between the three-dimensional radiation image of the right region and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left region, and (b) substantially symmetrically arranges and displays (i) the tomographic image of the right region that corresponds to the changed section position of the tomographic image of the right region and (ii) the tomographic image of the left region that corresponds to the changed section position of the tomographic image of the left region.

An image processing method comprising:

• obtaining a three-dimensional radiation image of a right region of substantially symmetrical regions;
• obtaining a three-dimensional radiation image of a left region of the substantially symmetrical regions;
• performing alignment between the three-dimensional radiation image of the right region and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left region based on a feature position of the regions;
• substantially symmetrically arranging and displaying the three-dimensional radiation image of the right region and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left region which have been aligned, and a tomographic image of the right region and a tomographic image of the left region;
• and
• changing a section position of one of the tomographic image of the right region and the tomographic image of the left region,
• wherein a section position of the other tomographic image of the tomographic image of the right region and the tomographic image of the left region is changed and displayed in conjunction with a change in the section position of the one tomographic image, in a case that alignment between the three-dimensional radiation image of the right region and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left region has been performed, and
• wherein substantially symmetrically arranging and displaying are carried out for (i) the tomographic image of the right region that corresponds to the changed section position of the tomographic image of the right region and (ii) the tomographic image of the left region that corresponds to the changed section position of the tomographic image of the left region.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute an image processing method, the method comprising:

• obtaining a three-dimensional radiation image of a right region of substantially symmetrical regions;
• obtaining a three-dimensional radiation image of a left region of the substantially symmetrical regions;
• performing alignment between the three-dimensional radiation image of the right region and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left region based on a feature position of the regions;
• substantially symmetrically arranging and displaying the three-dimensional radiation image of the right region and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left region which have been aligned, and a tomographic image of the right region and a tomographic image of the left region;
• and
• changing a section position of one of the tomographic image of the right region and the tomographic image of the left region,
• wherein a section position of the other tomographic image of the tomographic image of the right region and the tomographic image of the left region is changed and displayed in conjunction with a change in the section position of the one tomographic image, in a case that alignment between the three-dimensional radiation image of the right region and the three-dimensional radiation image of the left region has been performed, and
• wherein substantially symmetrically arranging and displaying are carried out for (i) the tomographic image of the right region that corresponds to the changed section position of the tomographic image of the right region and (ii) the tomographic image of the left region that corresponds to the changed section position of the tomographic image of the left region.