# US 9,750,475 B2 · Contour image generating device and nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus

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- Number: US 9,750,475 B2
- Document ID: US9750475B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/034,148
- Filed: 2013-11-05
- Published: 2016-09-29
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2013-11-05
- Assignees: Shimadzu Corporation
- Applicants: Shimadzu Corporation
- Inventors: Yoshiyuki Yamakawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9750475B2

## CPC

- A61B 6/5217: {extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data}
- A61B 6/037: {Emission tomography}
- A61B 6/502: {for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography}
- A61B 6/5205: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data}
- G01T 1/2985: {In depth localisation, e.g. using positron emitters; Tomographic imaging (longitudinal and transverse section imaging; apparatus for radiation diagnosis sequentially in different planes, steroscopic radiation diagnosis); (using external radiation sources A61B6/02)}
- G06T 7/149: involving deformable models, e.g. active contour models
- G16H 50/30: for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
- G06T 2207/10104: Positron emission tomography [PET]
- G06T 2207/20161: Level set
- G06T 2207/30068: Mammography; Breast
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G01T: MEASUREMENT OF NUCLEAR OR X-RADIATION (radiation analysis of materials, mass spectrometry G01N23/00; tubes for determining the presence, intensity, density or energy of radiation or particles H01J47/00)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

A contour extracting unit of a contour image generating device performs one-time contour extraction to a two-dimensional reconstruction image by a contour extracting model so as to extract a second shape of a contour from a first shape of a contour. A completion determining unit determines whether or not a rate of change is smaller than a threshold. The rate of change is a ratio of a varied area and a sum of pixel values of pixels in the varied area, the varied area being between the first shape of the contour and the second shape of the contour. When the rate of change is large, a repetitive controller performs control to operate the contour extracting unit and the like again. When the rate of change is small, the repetitive controller performs control to output a two-dimensional contour image containing the second shape of the contour.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A contour image generating device, comprising:
one or more processors, configured to:
perform one of contour extraction processes that are repeatedly performed by a contour extracting model to a two-dimensional reconstruction image of a subject obtained through detection of radiation emitted from the subject to extract a new second shape of a contour from a first shape of the contour set in advance;
calculate a varied area between the first shape of the contour and the second shape of the contour;
calculate a sum of pixel values of pixels contained in the varied area;
calculate a rate of change that corresponds to a ratio of the varied area and the sum;
determine whether or not the rate of change is smaller than a threshold set in advance; and
perform control to set the second shape of contour as the first shape of contour and to perform control so that the performance of one of contour extraction processes is repeated when the rate of change is determined to be larger than the threshold, and perform control to output two-dimensional contour image each containing the second shape of the contour when the rate of change is determined to be smaller than the threshold.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The contour image generating device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:
count the number of contour extraction processes to determine whether or not the number of processes reaches a break number of times;
calculate the rate of change for every break number of times that corresponds to a ratio of a total sum of the varied area and the sum;
perform control to set the second shape of the contour as the first shape of the contour and to perform control so that the performance of one of contour extraction processes is repeated when the number of processes are determined to fail to reach the break number of times and perform control to reset the number of processes and determine whether or not the rate of change is smaller than the threshold when the number of processes is determined to reach the break number of times; and
perform control to set the second shape of the contour as the first contour and to perform control so that the performance of one of contour extraction processes is repeated when the rate of change is determined to be larger than the threshold.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The contour image generating device according to claim 2, wherein the break number of times is variable.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The contour image generating device according to claim 3, wherein
the break number of times decreases as the number of processes reaches the break number of times.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The contour image generating device according to claim 2, wherein the break number of times is constant.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The contour image generating device according to claim 1, wherein
the two-dimensional reconstruction image is one of two-dimensional reconstruction images forming a three-dimensional reconstruction image subjected to reconstruction, and
the one or more processors are further configured to perform control to generate the three-dimensional contour image from a plurality of the outputted two-dimensional contour images.

### Claim 7

A nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus, comprising:
a detector unit that includes a plurality of detectors arranged in a ring shape and detects radiation emitted from a subject;
a data collecting unit, including at least a coincidence circuit, that collects emission data in accordance with the radiation detected with the detector unit;
one or more processors, configured to:
reconstruct the emission data to obtain a two-dimensional reconstruction image;
perform one of contour extraction processes that are repeatedly performed by a contour extracting model to the two-dimensional reconstruction image to extract a new second shape of a contour from a first shape of the contour set in advance;
calculate a varied area between the first shape of the contour and the second shape of the contour;
calculate the sum of pixel values of pixels contained in the varied area;
calculate a rate of change that corresponds to a ratio of the varied area and the sum;
determine whether or not the rate of change is smaller than a threshold set in advance; and
perform control to set the second shape of contour as the first shape of contour and to perform control so that the performance of one of contour extraction processes is repeated when it is determined that the rate of change is larger than the threshold, and that performs control to output two-dimensional contour image each containing the second shape of the contour when the rate of change is determined to be smaller than the threshold.