Real time physician view box

A diagnostic image display system comprising:

• a diagnostic scanner which generates a series of digital electronic diagnostic image representations, each reconstructed image representation having n bits of gray scale for each pixel;
• a mass storage means for receiving and storing at least the series of generated electronic image representations with n bits of gray scale;
• a diagnostic image video memory means formatted to store a plurality of electronic image representations with m bits of gray scale for concurrent display as a single image in a selected array pattern in which each of the image representations has reduced physical dimensions, the image video memory means stores precedingly received digital image representations and receives and stores newly generated image representations;
• a windowing means for independently selecting which m of the n bits of gray scale for each image representation stored in the mass storage mean are stored in the image video memory means for display, where m and n are integers and m is less than n such that the windowing means selects only a fraction of available gray scale information independently for each image representation;
• a video monitor connected with the windowing means for converting the fraction of the gray scale information of each electronic image representation passed from the image video memory means into a common human-readable display having m bits of gray scale.

A diagnostic image display system comprising:

• an image video memory means for storing a plurality of digital image representations for concurrent display in a common video picture each image representation being composed of digital pixel values corresponding to an array of pixels of a displayed image;
• a windowing means for independently adjusting which fraction of bits of the digital pixel values gray scale characteristics of each image representation are stored in the image video memory means without adjusting a preselected fraction of the bits of the pixel values of other image representations of the common video picture;
• a graphics video memory means for storing a corresponding number of pixels of digital data as the image video memory means;
• a graphic control means for inputting graphic display data into the graphic video memory means;
• a digital to analog converting means for converting digital image representations and graphics data from the image video memory means and graphics video memory means into analog video values;
• a merging means for merging the analog graphics and image video values, the merging means supplying the merged analog video values to a video monitor such that the graphics are displayed superimposed on the image representations in the common vide picture, whereby the graphics can be changed and revised without affecting the image representations.

A method of displaying diagnostic images, the method comprising:

• receiving a series of electronic digital diagnostic image representations, each image representation including an array of gray scale pixel values;
• storing the electronic image representation gray scale values;
• selecting an image display pattern for displaying a plurality of the stored image representations each in one of a plurality of image display areas of a single video picture;
• as each electronic image representation is received, converting the electronic image representation into a human-readable image displayed in a next image display area of the single video picture;
• designating a one of the displayed human-readable images in one of the image display areas of the single video picture;
• selectively adjusting stored gray scale values of only the designated image without adjusting the gray scale values of the single video picture as a whole, while displaying concurrently in the single video picture (i) the designated image as its gray scale values are adjusted and (ii) non-designated images each with its respective stored gray scale values.

A method of independently adjusting window and level of each of a plurality of concurrently displayed images, the method comprising:

• receiving a series of electronic digital diagnostic image representations, each image representation including an array of gray scale pixel values, the gray scale values for each pixel being depicted by a first plurality of bits;
• storing the electronic image representation gray scale values of each of a plurality of the received image representations;
• selecting an image display pattern for displaying the plurality of the image representations each in one of a plurality of image display areas;
• as each electronic image representation is received, converting the received electronic image representation into a human-readable image in a next image display area;
• designating a one of the displayed human-readable images in one of the image display areas;
• independently adjusting a gray scale window and a level of the gray scale pixel values of the designated digital electronic image representation without adjusting gray scale pixel values of non-designated digital electronic image representations while displaying (i) the non-designated images and (ii) the designated image with the adjusted gray scale window and level.

A diagnostic image display system comprising:

• a digital mass memory means for receiving and storing a series of digital electronic image representations from a digital image representation source means including an image reconstruction means of a diagnostic scanner, the image reconstruction means supplying digital image data which is stored in the digital mass memory means as an image is reconstructed to develop a completed electronic image representation;
• a digital video memory means which receives and stores in digital format a single video image which is a composite of a plurality of electronic image representations in a selected pattern;
• a gray scale adjusting means for independently adjusting digital gray scale values of each of the image representations of the single video image stored in the video memory means;
• a video monitor connected with the video memory means for converting the single video image stored therein into a man-readable display.