Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a medical image data alignment apparatus, method and program capable of aligning different kinds of image data on a tissue to be objected at high precision and in a short time. According to the present invention, a patient SPECT and a patient CT are aligned via atlas data. The atlas data is a standard of SPECT image data, and is created based on SPECT image data of a plurality of patients. The patient SPECT and the atlas data are aligned based on the correlation of image signal values thereof, and a first transformation matrix T1 is determined. The atlas data and the patient CT are aligned based on the coordinate information added to these data in advance, and a second transformation matrix T2 is determined. The patient SPECT and the patient CT are aligned using the first transformation matrix T1 and the second transformation matrix T2.

Abstract: An image-constituting element group corresponding to bone areas is selected from among a plurality of image-constituting elements that make up a three-dimensional image model, and CT values originally associated only with the selected image-constituting element group are replaced by values resulting from multiplying the original values by ¼. As a result, a distribution curve 34A denoting a frequency distribution of bone is shifted to a region of CT values that are lower than those of a distribution curve 33 denoting a frequency distribution of blood vessels. An observation image is then constructed by maximum intensity projection on the basis of three-dimensional image data after such signal value replacement.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a medical image data alignment apparatus, method and program capable of aligning different kinds of image data on a tissue to be objected at high precision and in a short time. According to the present invention, a patient SPECT and a patient CT are aligned via atlas data. The atlas data is a standard of SPECT image data, and is created based on SPECT image data of a plurality of patients. The patient SPECT and the atlas data are aligned based on the correlation of image signal values thereof, and a first transformation matrix T1 is determined. The atlas data and the patient CT are aligned based on the coordinate information added to these data in advance, and a second transformation matrix T2 is determined. The patient SPECT and the patient CT are aligned using the first transformation matrix T1 and the second transformation matrix T2.

Abstract: An image-constituting element group corresponding to bone areas is selected from among a plurality of image-constituting elements that make up a three-dimensional image model, and CT values originally associated only with the selected image-constituting element group are replaced by values resulting from multiplying the original values by 1/4. As a result, a distribution curve 34A denoting a frequency distribution of bone is shifted to a region of CT values that are lower than those of a distribution curve 33 denoting a frequency distribution of blood vessels. An observation image is then constructed by maximum intensity projection on the basis of three-dimensional image data after such signal value replacement.

Abstract: In the present invention, the difference between regions in which the signal value ranges are close to each other or the presence of overlapping regions of signal values can be clearly displayed on a predetermined image region of an observation image, and the displayed regions and display state thereof can be easily adjusted based on the signal value ranges. The present invention is configured such that a plurality of separate and mutually independent display property curves can be set on the same coordinate system, and a color and a degree of opaqueness, which are established by any number of display property curves from among the plurality of display property curves that are set, can be at once reflected in the image within the region to be observed.

Abstract: According to a distribution of image data values corresponding to individual spatial coordinate points on a three-dimensional space obtained when a region to be observed is tomographically taken by a radiographic medical diagnosis system, an interpolation area is provided within a segment set within a range of the image data values. In the interpolation area, degrees of chromaticity and opaqueness of each spatial coordinate point are made variable in response to the magnitude of image data value. The degrees of chromaticity and opaqueness of all the spatial coordinate points located on each line of sight connecting each plane coordinate point on a two-dimensional projection plane and a point of view are respectively integrated, and thus integrated values are reflected on the plane coordinate points on the line of sight.

Abstract: According to a distribution of image data values corresponding to individual spatial coordinate points on a three-dimensional space obtained when a region to be observed is tomographically taken by a radiographic medical diagnosis system, an interpolation area is provided within a segment set within a range of the image data values. In the interpolation area, degrees of chromaticity and opaqueness of each spatial coordinate point are made variable in response to the magnitude of image data value. The degrees of chromaticity and opaqueness of all the spatial coordinate points located on each line of sight connecting each plane coordinate point on a two-dimensional projection plane and a point of view are respectively integrated, and thus integrated values are reflected on the plane coordinate points on the line of sight.

Abstract: An imaging system is provided which comprises: a CT scanner; a first storage unit storing a plurality of transverse images taken by the CT scanner; an image conversion unit producing a two-dimensional cross sectional image on the basis of the transverse images, for which the transverse images are arranged in a direction perpendicular to a transverse plane; a second storage unit storing the cross sectional image; a peak detection unit extracting an outline of the cross sectional image for detecting peaks or troughs of the outline; a peak interpolation unit carrying out interpolation on the basis of a specified standard for an outline between the peaks or between the troughs detected by the peak detecting unit; and an image construction unit reconstructing the cross sectional image stored in the second storage unit using the outline interpolated by the peak interpolation unit.

Abstract: An imaging system is provided which comprises: a CT scanner; a first storage unit storing a plurality of transverse images taken by the CT scanner; an image conversion unit producing a two-dimensional cross sectional image on the basis of the transverse images, for which the transverse images are arranged in a direction perpendicular to a transverse plane; a second storage unit storing the cross sectional image; a peak detection unit extracting an outline of the cross sectional image for detecting peaks or troughs of the outline; a peak interpolation unit carrying out interpolation on the basis of a specified standard for an outline between the peaks or between the troughs detected by the peak detecting unit; and an image construction unit reconstructing the cross sectional image stored in the second storage unit using the outline interpolated by the peak interpolation unit.

Abstract: In order to perform diagnosis of corpulence of the internal organs in a practical level, there is provided an X-ray CT apparatus in which, after an operator specifies a minimum CT value and a maximum CT value for a fat portion and specifies one point in a subcutaneous fat region, subcutaneous fat pixels and visceral fat pixels are automatically retrieved, the area ratio thereof is automatically calculated, histograms of CT values of the subcutaneous fat pixels and the visceral fat pixels are automatically generated, and then fat region images Gs and Gv, the area ratio, and the histograms Hs and Hv are displayed on the same screen.