Imaging apparatus for diagnosis and display method

An imaging apparatus for diagnosis comprising:

• a probe configured to be inserted within a living body lumen and comprising an imaging core configured to carry out signal transmission, in which signals are transmitted toward tissue in the living body lumen, and reflected signal reception, in which signals reflected from the tissue in the living body lumen are received, while moving continuously in an axial direction in the living body lumen;
• a signal processing unit operatively connected to the probe and configured to use the reflected signals to generate living body lumen cross-sectional images of the tissue in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the living body lumen;
• and
• a display unit comprising:
• a first display area configured to display a longitudinal living body lumen cross-sectional image of the tissue in the living body lumen which has been constructed using data used to generate the living body lumen cross-sectional images, and to display a first end position indicator on the longitudinal living body lumen cross-sectional image and a second end position indicator on the longitudinal living body lumen cross-sectional image that is spaced from the first end position indicator in an axial-direction of the longitudinal living body lumen cross-sectional image;
• and
• a second display area different from the first display area to display a perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional image in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the living body lumen of the tissue at an axial direction position of the longitudinal living body lumen cross-sectional image;
• and
• the signal processing unit being configured to divide the second display area into at least two different individual areas, including one individual area configured to display the perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional image of the tissue at the axial-direction position of the longitudinal living body lumen cross-sectional image identified by the first end position indicator and an other individual area configured to simultaneously display the perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional image of the tissue at the axial-direction position of the longitudinal living body lumen cross-sectional image identified by the second end position indicator;
• wherein the second end position indicator is determined and displayed automatically at a position spaced a predetermined length in the axial direction from the first end position indicator, and
• the second display area displays two perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional images corresponding to the first end position indicator and the second end position indicator, and the perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional images are changed in conjunction with moves of the first end position indicator and the second end position indicator.

A display method in an imaging apparatus for diagnosis in which a probe inserted within a living body lumen and comprising an imaging core carrying out signal transmission and reception is moved continuously in an axial direction inside the living body lumen and reflected signals are obtained from tissue in the living body lumen, and a plurality of living body lumen cross-sectional images in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the living body lumen are constructed using the reflected signals, the display method comprising:

• constructing a longitudinal-sectional image in an axial direction of the living body lumen, using data used for constructing the respective living body lumen cross-sectional images, and displaying the longitudinal-sectional image in a first display area;
• displaying, in a second display area different from the first display area, a perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional image in the direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the living body lumen corresponding to an arbitrary position in an axial direction in the longitudinal-sectional image displayed in the first display area;
• dividing the second display area into two respective individual areas upon accepting an instruction to execute a predetermined operation with respect to the first display area;
• displaying, in the first display area, at least two indicators indicating different positions in the axial-direction of the longitudinal-sectional image when accepting the instruction to execute the predetermined operation;
• simultaneously displaying, in the respective individual areas of the second display, the perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional images corresponding to the axial-direction positions of the at least two indicators;
• displaying, in the first display area, a distance display line extending between the two indicators;
• and
• moving the distance display line in the axial direction while maintaining a fixed distance in the axial direction between the two indicators to move each of the two indicators to respective new positions on the longitudinal-sectional image, and displaying in the respective individual areas of the second display the perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional images of the tissue at the respective new positions such that the displayed perpendicular living body lumen cross-sectional images change in conjunction with moves of the two indicators.