Medical image alignment apparatus, method, and program

Abstract

Generating, with respect to each of the three-dimensional image and the three-dimensional comparison image, a plurality of tomographic images orthogonal to a central axis of each vertebra of the subject along the central axis, calculating a first characteristic amount representing a profile in a direction orthogonal to the central axis at each point on the central axis based on the tomographic images, calculating a second characteristic amount representing a profile in a direction of the central axis at each point on the central axis based on the tomographic images, calculating a third characteristic amount representing regularity of disposition of each vertebra at each point on the central axis based on the calculated first and second characteristic amounts, and aligning positions of the third characteristic amount calculated from the three-dimensional image and the third characteristic amount calculated from the three-dimensional comparison image along the central axis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cross-sectional spine image display apparatus, comprising:
 a cross-sectional image generation means for generating, by referring to a three-dimensional image data storage unit storing three-dimensional image data which includes a vertebra portion and a center line storage unit storing information of a center line that conforms to a shape of each vertebra, a plurality of cross-sectional images of the vertebrae sliced, with a plurality of positions on the center line as slice positions, by planes orthogonal to the center line passing the slice positions based on the three-dimensional image data;   a cross-sectional image display means for displaying the plurality of cross-sectional images generated at the plurality of positions side by side; and   a slice position shifting means for shifting the slice positions of the plurality of cross-sectional images generated by the cross-sectional image generation means along the center line.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slice position shifting means shifts the slice positions of the plurality of cross-sectional images in synchronization with each other along the center line. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slice position shifting means sets a coordinate along the center line between adjacent vertebral discs by referring to a vertebral disc position storage unit storing position information of vertebral discs and shifts the slice positions according to the coordinate. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the slice position shifting means sets the coordinate according to a distance between the adjacent vertebral discs on the center line. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the slice position shifting means divides the distance between the adjacent vertebral discs on the center line at equal intervals by a predetermined number and sets each position on the divided center line as a coordinate position that can be a slice position. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein the slice position shifting means sets a position of each vertebral disc as 0% position and a position of an adjacent vertebral disc as 100% position and shifts the slice position between the 0% position and 100% position with respect to each of the plurality of cross-sections. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the slice position shifting means gives a position between adjacent vertebral bodies to the cross-sectional image generation means as an initial slice position. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the cross-sectional image display means identifies a position where a vertebral body size is not greater than a predetermined reference value and highlights a cross-sectional image corresponding to the identified position. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the cross-sectional image display means determines whether or not the vertebral body size is not greater than the reference value by making cross-comparison between sizes of adjacent vertebral bodies. 
     
     
         10 . A cross-sectional spine image display method, comprising the steps of:
 generating, by referring to a three-dimensional image data storage unit storing three-dimensional image data which includes a vertebra portion and a center line storage unit storing information of a center line that conforms to a shape of each vertebra, a plurality of cross-sectional images of the vertebrae sliced, with a plurality of positions on the center line as slice positions, by planes orthogonal to the center line passing the slice positions based on the three-dimensional image data;   displaying the plurality of cross-sectional images generated at the plurality of positions side by side; and   shifting the slice positions of the plurality of cross-sectional images generated by the cross-sectional image generation means along the center line.   
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer readable recording medium on which is recorded a program for causing a computer to perform the steps of:
 generating, by referring to a three-dimensional image data storage unit storing three-dimensional image data which includes a vertebra portion and a center line storage unit storing information of a center line that conforms to a shape of each vertebra, a plurality of cross-sectional images of the vertebrae sliced, with a plurality of positions on the center line as slice positions, by planes orthogonal to the center line passing the slice positions based on the three-dimensional image data;   displaying the plurality of cross-sectional images generated at the plurality of positions side by side; and   shifting the slice positions of the plurality of cross-sectional images generated by the cross-sectional image generation means along the center line.