Image processing device and spinal canal evaluation method

摘要

To provide an image processing device and a spinal canal evaluation method that can evaluate the spinal canal stenosis in an identified cross-sectional position, the image processing device 100 extracts a vertebral region from a series of tomographic images in which at least a part of the spine was scanned and calculates a length in the anteroposterior direction of an object for each cross section in each vertebral region. Also, a cross section including a spinous process is identified based on the calculated length in the anteroposterior direction of an object in each vertebral region, the spinal canal stenosis is evaluated by setting the identified cross-sectional position to be analyzed, and then the evaluation results are displayed. Hence, stenosis evaluation can be performed for various shapes of the spinal canal region in which a closed space hardly appears on an image due to many gaps.

主权项

1. An image processing device comprising:
a processor configured by one or more programs of executable instructions stored in a non-transitory medium, to comprise
an extraction unit extracting a vertebral region from a series of tomographic images in which at least a part of a spine of a subject was scanned, a calculation unit calculating a length in an anteroposterior direction of the subject, for each cross section in the vertebral region extracted by the extraction unit, a cross-section identifying unit identifying a cross section including a spinous process if the length in the anteroposterior direction of-the subject in the vertebral region calculated by the calculation unit is larger than a predetermined reference value, and a spinal canal stenosis evaluation unit evaluating a spinal canal stenosis by specifying a cross-sectional position of the cross-section identified by the cross-section identifying unit as a site to be analyzed; and a display unit displaying evaluation results by the spinal canal stenosis evaluation unit, wherein the spinal canal stenosis evaluation unit evaluates an asymmetry of a spinal canal shape in the cross section to be analyzed, as an evaluation index of the stenosis.