Case display apparatus, case displaying method, and storage medium background to seamlessly present diagnostic images captured at different times for comparative reading

A method of displaying case data with a computer, comprising:

• generating display information displayed on a display device, including display information associated with a first tomographic image set and a second tomographic image set;
• perform position registration by determining images in the second tomographic image set having a highest correlation to images in the first tomographic image set;
• when the display information includes a first tomographic image, receiving an image movement instruction including identification information and a displacement amount, the identification information specifying a slice position shift or an image capture time shift to be performed, wherein there is no medical image except the first tomographic image being displayed on the display when a user gives the image movement instruction;
• when the identification information specifies that the slice position shift is to be per formed, determining, based on the amount of the position shift corresponding to the displacement amount, a second tomographic image at a destination of the slice position shift from a first tomographic image set that is a first plurality of tomographic images including the first tomographic image;
• when the identification information specifies that the image capture time shift is to be performed, determining, by an image capture time selector, a third tomographic image from the second tomographic image set that is a second plurality of tomographic images that are identical to the first tomographic image in terms of a target person, examination portions, and a modality but that are different from the first tomographic image set in terms of an image capture time, the third tomographic image selected from the second tomographic image set having a highest correlation with the first tomographic image from the first tomographic image set, the image capture time of the third tomographic image being shifted from an image capture time of the first tomographic image based on an amount of the image capture time shift corresponding to the displacement amount, wherein the difference between the image capture time of the third tomographic image and the image capture time of the first tomographic image is proportional to the displacement amount;
• reading out the second tomographic image or the third tomographic image from an image storage device and newly generating display information including a read-out tomographic image;
• and
• determining one or more tomographic images stored in the image storage device are important images;
• wherein importance information is added to the one or more tomographic images stored in the image storage device to indicate that the one or more tomographic images are the important images,
• and wherein when the identification information specifies that the image capture time shift is to be performed and there is a fourth tomographic image added with the importance information indicating that the fourth tomographic image is an important image between the first tomographic image and the third tomographic image, the fourth tomographic image with the importance information is read out from the image storage device for display instead of the third tomographic image determined by the image capture time selector.

A storage medium including a control program stored therein to control a device including a processor to execute a case displaying process including displaying case data,

• the storage medium being a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium, the case displaying process comprising:
• generating display information displayed on a display device, including display information associated with a first tomographic image set and a second tomographic image set;
• perform position registration by determining images in the second tomographic image set having a highest correlation to images in the first tomographic image set;
• when the display information includes a first tomographic image, receiving an image movement instruction including identification information and a displacement amount, the identification information specifying a slice position shift or an image capture time shift to be performed, wherein there is no medical image except the first tomographic image being displayed on the display when a user gives the image movement instruction;
• when the identification information specifies that the slice position shift is to be per formed, determining, based on the amount of the position shift corresponding to the displacement amount, a second tomographic image at a destination of the slice position shift from a first tomographic image set that is a first plurality of tomographic images including the first tomographic image;
• when the identification information specifies that the image capture time shift is to be performed, determining, by an image capture time selector, a third tomographic image from the second tomographic image set that is a second plurality of tomographic images that are identical to the first tomographic image in terms of a target person, examination portions, and a modality but that are different from the first tomographic image set in terms of an image capture time, the third tomographic image selected from the second tomographic image set having a highest correlation with the first tomographic image from the first tomographic image set, the image capture time of the third tomographic image being shifted from an image capture time of the first tomographic image based on an amount of the image capture time shift corresponding to the displacement amount, wherein the difference between the image capture time of the third tomographic image and the image capture time of the first tomographic image is proportional to the displacement amount;
• reading out the second tomographic image or the third tomographic image from an image storage device and newly generating display information including a read-out tomographic image;
• and
• determining one or more tomographic images stored in the image storage device are important images;
• wherein importance information is added to the one or more tomographic images stored in the image storage device to indicate that the one or more tomographic images are the important images,
• and wherein when the identification information specifies that the image capture time shift is to be performed and there is a fourth tomographic image added with the importance information indicating that the fourth tomographic image is an important image between the first tomographic image and the third tomographic image, the fourth tomographic image with the importance information is read out from the image storage device for display instead of the third tomographic image determined by the image capture time selector.