# US 10,441,163 B2 · Ophthalmic diagnosis support apparatus and ophthalmic diagnosis support method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,441,163 B2 - Document ID: US10441163B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/822,306 - Filed: 2017-11-27 - Published: 2018-03-15 - Granted: 2019-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2011-08-01 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Kazuhiro Miyasa; Hiroshi Imamura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10441163B2 ## CPC - A61B 3/102: {for optical coherence tomography [OCT]} - A61B 3/0041: {characterised by display arrangements} - A61B 3/1005: {for measuring distances inside the eye, e.g. thickness of the cornea (A61B3/11 takes precedence)} - A61B 3/12: for looking at the eye fundus, e.g. ophthalmoscopes (A61B3/13 takes precedence) - A61B 3/14: Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography - A61B 5/0037: {Performing a preliminary scan, e.g. a prescan for identifying a region of interest} - G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection} - G06V 10/255: {Detecting or recognising potential candidate objects based on visual cues, e.g. shapes} - G06V 40/19: Sensors therefor - G06T 2207/10101: Optical tomography; Optical coherence tomography [OCT] - G06T 2207/30041: Eye; Retina; Ophthalmic - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract Provided is an ophthalmic diagnosis support apparatus which enables an operator to easily acquire a tomographic image suitable for detailed observation of a candidate lesion without spending time and effort to search for the candidate lesion. The ophthalmic diagnosis support apparatus includes an acquiring unit for acquiring a wide-range image of a fundus, a candidate lesion detection unit for detecting the candidate lesion on the fundus by analyzing the wide-range image, a calculating unit for determining a degree of abnormality of the candidate lesion based on a result of the detection of the candidate lesion, and an acquiring position setting unit for setting an acquiring position of the tomographic image of the fundus based on the degree of abnormality of the candidate lesion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus comprising: an acquiring unit configured to acquire a volume image of a retina; a detection unit configured to detect a plurality of candidate lesions in the volume image by analyzing the volume image; a determining unit configured to determine a distribution of the plurality of candidate lesions based on a result of the detection of the plurality of candidate lesions; and a setting unit configured to set, based on the distribution of the plurality of candidate lesions, a single line used for displaying a tomographic image of the retina, the single line being a straight line that passes through a macula lutea and the plurality of candidate lesions. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets, as a position of the tomographic image of the retina to be displayed, the single line. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the single line is a straight line indicating a position of the tomographic image that has therein a maximum number of the candidate lesions. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting unit sets a plurality of straight lines, each of the straight lines indicating one position of a respective one of tomographic images of the retina, wherein one of the plurality of lines is the single line, and wherein a tomographic image of another of the plurality of lines does not intersect with the tomographic image of the single line. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an analysis unit that detects candidate lesions in the volume image by analyzing the volume image. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the macula lutea is detected by using an anatomical feature that a center of the macula lutea is a dent area on a fundus. ### Claim 7 A method comprising: acquiring a volume image of a retina; detecting a plurality of candidate lesions in the volume image by analyzing the volume image; determining a distribution of the plurality of candidate lesions based on a result of the detecting of the plurality of candidate lesions; and setting, based on the distribution of the plurality of candidate lesions, a single line used for displaying a tomographic image of the retina, the single line being a straight line that passes through a macula lutea and the plurality of candidate lesions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A program for causing a computer to function as the apparatus according to claim 1. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A computer-readable medium having the program according to claim 8 stored thereon. ### Claim 10 An apparatus comprising: an acquiring unit configured to acquire a volume image of a retina; a detection unit configured to detect a plurality of candidate lesions in the volume image by analyzing the volume image; a determining unit configured to determine a distribution of the plurality of candidate lesions based on a result of the detection of the plurality of candidate lesions; and a setting unit configured to set, based on the distribution of the plurality of candidate lesions, a single line used for imaging a tomographic image of the retina, the single line being a straight line that passes through a macula lutea and the plurality of candidate lesions. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the single line is a straight line indicating a position of the tomographic image that has a maximum number of the candidate lesions. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an analysis unit that detects candidate lesions in the volume image by analyzing the volume image.