CN108697406A - Diagnostic ultrasound equipment and ultrasound information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

Diagnostic ultrasound equipment 100 applies compressing to subject using the ultrasonic probe 2 of transmitting-receiving ultrasonic wave and receives and dispatches ultrasonic wave for the object of subject come the hardness of measurement object.Diagnostic ultrasound equipment 100 has:The sending part 12 of drive signal is sent to ultrasonic probe 2;The receiving part 13 that the reception signal exported from ultrasonic probe 2 is handled;Based on treated receive signal come calculate indicate elastic image every frame pressing state multiple types characteristic quantity feature value calculation unit 17;According to calculated multiple characteristic quantities come Calculation Estimation value, and the evaluation of estimate calculating part 18 of the information for the stable region being made of the good frame of pressing state is generated based on the evaluation of estimate;And by the presentation of information of the stable region of generation in the display image production part 19 of display unit 20.

Description

Ultrasonic diagnostic device and ultrasonic information processing method

technical field

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic device and an ultrasonic information processing method.

Background technique

Conventionally, there have been ultrasonic diagnostic devices capable of observing tissue structures and properties by irradiating ultrasonic waves inside a subject, receiving the reflected waves, and imaging or analyzing them. In ultrasonic diagnosis, a subject can be examined non-destructively and non-invasively.

In addition, in ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses, there is known a technique of strain elastography (Strain Elastography) for imaging a strain distribution generated by pressing an object under examination with an ultrasonic probe. In strain elastography, the stiffness of an object can be evaluated from the difference in relative deformation of the object (eg tumor) and a reference (eg fat).

Reliable evaluation of hardness requires stable compression of the test object. Against such a background, there is known an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that associates acquired frame groups with compression directions and enables the user to simplify the selection of frames in which uniform compression is performed (see Patent Document 1). This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can display an elasticity image of a frame with a good compression direction.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 4769715

However, in the above-mentioned conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the pressing state can be checked, but basically a single feature value is displayed. , it is necessary to switch the display, and the operation may become cumbersome.

Contents of the invention

An object of the present invention is to easily select a frame of an elastic image with a good pressing state based on a plurality of types of feature values.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the invention described in claim 1 is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that compresses a subject by using an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the subject of the subject, and measures the hardness of the subject. The ultrasonic diagnostic device has:

a sending part, sending a driving signal to the above-mentioned ultrasonic probe;

The receiving unit processes the received signal output from the ultrasonic probe;

a transceiver unit that sends a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe and processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe;

A feature quantity calculation unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature quantities representing a pressing state for each frame of the elastic image based on the processed received signal;

The evaluation value calculation unit calculates an evaluation value based on the above-mentioned calculated plurality of feature quantities, and generates information of a stable interval composed of frames in which the pressed state is good based on the evaluation value; and

The display control unit displays information on the stable interval generated above on the display unit.

According to the invention described in claim 2, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in claim 1,

an elastic image generating unit is provided, the elastic image generating unit generates elastic image data based on the received signal,

The feature amount calculation unit generates display information of the calculated plurality of feature amounts,

The above ultrasonic diagnostic device has:

a storage unit that stores the generated elastic image data and display information of a plurality of feature quantities; and

The operation input unit accepts an input of a type of feature value to be displayed among the plurality of feature values and an input of a display frame of the elastic image data to be displayed in a movie mode for selecting and displaying the stored elastic image data,

The display control unit displays the stored elastic image data corresponding to the input display frame and display information of the stored feature value corresponding to the display frame and the type of the input feature value on the display unit.

According to the invention described in claim 3, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in claim 2,

The display information of the feature quantity includes display information indicating whether the display frame is in a stable interval.

According to the invention described in claim 4, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in claim 2 or 3,

The evaluation value calculation unit generates, as information on the generated stable interval, a movie frame selection column having a frame representing a stable interval among a plurality of frames, a display frame representing an elastic image, and a cursor that can be moved and changed. The initially set display frame corresponding to the cursor is set as a display frame within the above-mentioned stable interval.

The invention described in claim 5 is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in any one of claims 2 to 4,

The evaluation value calculation unit generates a movie frame selection column having a cursor that represents a stable section among a plurality of frames and represents a display frame of an elastic image and that can be moved and changed, as information on the generated stable section,

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a cursor control unit configured to set a movement speed of the cursor to be slower when the cursor is within the stable interval than when the cursor is outside the stable interval.

The invention described in claim 6 is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in any one of claims 2 to 5,

The evaluation value calculation unit generates information on the stable interval by making the frame immediately before the freeze operation more likely to be in the stable interval than the frame immediately before the freeze operation based on the evaluation value.

The invention described in claim 7 is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 6,

an elastic image generating unit is provided, the elastic image generating unit generates elastic image data based on the received signal,

The display control unit displays the generated elastic image data and the generated stable interval information on the display unit in the live mode.

According to the invention described in claim 8, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in claim 7,

A freezing control unit is provided, and the freezing control unit performs freezing setting when the calculated evaluation value satisfies a predetermined condition.

The invention described in technical solution 9 is an ultrasonic information processing method that uses an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to apply pressure to a subject and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to the object of the subject to measure the hardness of the object, including:

A process of sending a driving signal to the ultrasonic probe;

A process of processing a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe;

A step of calculating a plurality of types of feature quantities representing the compression state for each frame of the elastic image based on the received signal after the above processing;

A step of calculating an evaluation value based on the plurality of feature quantities calculated above, and generating information on a stable interval consisting of frames in which the pressed state is good based on the evaluation value; and

A step of displaying information on the stable interval generated above on a display unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to simply select a frame of an elastic image with a good pressing state based on a plurality of types of feature values.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is an external view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing calculation of evaluation values based on a plurality of feature quantities.

FIG. 4A is a graph showing distribution of evaluation values with respect to time.

FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a movie frame selection column.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing elastic image display processing.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display image including a synthesized elastic image.

Detailed ways

Embodiments and modified examples according to an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

(implementation mode)

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 . First, an apparatus configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . FIG. 1 is an external view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 .

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 is an apparatus that converts the state of internal tissue of a subject such as a living body of a patient into an ultrasonic image and displays and outputs it. That is, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 transmits ultrasonic waves (transmitted ultrasonic waves) into a subject such as a living body and receives reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves reflected in the subject (reflected ultrasonic waves: echo). Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 converts received reflected ultrasonic waves into electrical signals, and generates ultrasonic image data based on the electrical signals. Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 displays the internal state of the subject as an ultrasonic image based on the generated ultrasonic image data. In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 has a strain elastography function that expresses the strain distribution inside the subject to which compression is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1 , an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 includes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 having an operation input unit 11 and a display unit 20 , an ultrasonic probe 2 , and a cable 3 . The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits and transmits ultrasonic waves into the subject, and receives reflected ultrasonic waves from the subject. The main body 1 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is connected to the ultrasonic probe 2 via a cable 3 , and sends an electric drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 to cause the ultrasonic probe 2 to transmit ultrasonic waves into the subject. Also, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 receives a received signal which is an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic probe 2 based on reflected ultrasonic waves received by the ultrasonic probe 2 from within the subject, and uses the received signal to generate and display ultrasonic image data.

The ultrasonic probe 2 includes vibrators 2 a (see FIG. 2 ) composed of piezoelectric elements, and a plurality of vibrators 2 a are arranged in a one-dimensional array in the azimuth direction (scanning direction), for example. In this embodiment, for example, an ultrasonic probe 2 including 192 transducers 2 a is used. In addition, the transducers 2a may also be arranged in a two-dimensional array. In addition, the number of vibrators 2a can be set arbitrarily. In addition, in this embodiment, a linear electronic scanning probe is used as the ultrasonic probe 2 to perform ultrasonic scanning by a linear scanning method, but either a sectoral scanning method or a convex scanning method may be employed. Communication between the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 and the ultrasonic probe 2 may be performed by wireless communication such as UWB (Ultra Wide Band) instead of wired communication via the cable 3 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 includes, for example, an operation input unit 11, a transmitting unit 12, a receiving unit 13, a B-mode image generating unit 14, a storage unit 14a, an elastic image generating unit 15, a storage unit 15a, an elastic image synthesis unit 16, feature amount calculation unit 17, evaluation value calculation unit 18, display image generation unit 19 as a display control unit, display unit 20, control unit 21 as a cursor control unit and freeze control unit.

The operation input unit 11 includes, for example, various switches, buttons, a trackball, a mouse, a keyboard, and the like for an examiner such as a doctor or a technician to perform an instruction to start a diagnosis, or to input data such as personal information of a subject, etc., and transmits an operation signal output to the control unit 21 . The operation input unit 11 includes a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 20 .

The transmitting unit 12 is a circuit that supplies a drive signal as an electrical signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 via the cable 3 in accordance with the control of the control unit 21 to cause the ultrasonic probe 2 to generate and transmit ultrasonic waves. In addition, the transmission unit 12 includes, for example, a clock generation circuit, a delay circuit, a time and voltage setting unit, and a pulse generation circuit. The clock generation circuit is a circuit that generates a clock signal that determines the transmission timing or transmission frequency of the drive signal. The delay circuit sets the delay time for the transmission timing of the driving signal according to each independent path corresponding to each vibrator, delays the transmission of the driving signal by the set delay time, and focuses the transmission beam composed of transmission ultrasonic waves circuit. The time and voltage setting unit is a circuit for setting the time of the pulse width and the voltage of the amplitude of the pulse signal generated from the pulse generating circuit. The pulse generation circuit is a circuit for generating a pulse signal as a drive signal based on the time and voltage set by the time and voltage setting unit. The transmission unit 12 configured as above drives, for example, a continuous part (for example, 64) of the plurality (for example, 192) of transducers 2a arranged in the ultrasonic probe 2 to generate transmission ultrasonic waves. Furthermore, the transmitting unit 12 performs scanning (scan) by shifting the driven transducers in the azimuth direction every time a transmission ultrasonic wave is generated.

The receiving unit 13 is a circuit that receives a received signal as an electrical signal from the ultrasonic probe 2 via the cable 3 in accordance with the control of the control unit 21 , and performs signal processing on the received signal to generate sound ray data. The receiving unit 13 includes, for example, an amplifier, an A/D conversion circuit, and a phase addition circuit. The amplifier is used as a circuit for amplifying a received signal at a predetermined amplification ratio for each independent path corresponding to each transducer. The A/D conversion circuit is a circuit for performing A/D conversion on the amplified reception signal. The phase addition circuit is for adjusting the time phase by giving a delay time to each independent path corresponding to each transducer for the received signal after A/D conversion, and adding these (phase addition) to generate sound ray data circuit.

Under the control of the control unit 21, the B-mode image generating unit 14 performs envelope detection processing, logarithmic amplification, etc. on the sound ray data from the receiving unit 13, adjusts the dynamic range and gain, and performs brightness conversion to generate a tomographic image. B (Brightness) mode ultrasonic image data (B mode image data) of the image data. That is, B-mode image data expresses the strength of received signals by brightness.

The storage unit 14a is a storage unit constituted by a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory. The B-mode image generation unit 14 associates the generated B-mode image data with frame numbers (times) and stores them in the storage unit 14 a in units of frames as movie image data of movie frames. The B-mode image generation unit 14 reads out the B-mode image data stored in the storage unit 14 a under the control of the control unit 21 and outputs it to the elastic image synthesis unit 16 .

Under the control of the control unit 21 , the elasticity image generating unit 15 performs calculation on the sound ray data from the receiving unit 13 , converts the sound ray data into deformation amounts as elasticity information, and performs color mapping to generate elasticity image data. The size of the image of the elastic image data generated by the elastic image generating unit 15 is set to the size of the ROI (Region Of Interest: Region of Interest) specified and input by the examiner via the operation input unit 11, but it is not limited thereto, and may be It is the same size as the image of the B-mode image data. The storage unit 15a is a storage unit constituted by a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

Here, the amount of deformation will be described. The examiner holds the ultrasonic probe 2 and applies pressure to the body surface of the subject. At this time, the pressure applied from the ultrasonic probe 2 to the subject changes due to the examiner's own vibration and the subject's respiration. For example, it is assumed that the upper end of an object such as a tumor exists at a distance xr in the depth direction (X direction) from the body surface in contact with the ultrasonic probe 2 in the subject before compression is applied. In addition, let L be the width|variety of the depth direction of this object. Assuming that in a state where compression ρ (stress) is applied to the subject, and compression ρ is similarly applied to the object, the position of the upper end of the object changes in the depth direction by a distance xs, and the width of the object in the depth direction changes. It is L-ΔL. Therefore, the amount of deformation ε=ΔL/L is obtained by measuring the object in these two states.

More specifically, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-211733, for example, the elastic image generation unit 15 appropriately stores and reads sound ray data from the receiving unit 13 in the storage unit 15a for each frame, In this way, sound ray data of two consecutive frames in time are acquired. The pressurized state of the subject corresponding to the first signal waveform of the sound ray data of the first frame of the two frames is set as the first pressurized state, and the second signal waveform of the sound ray data of the second frame is set as the first pressurized state. The corresponding pressurized state of the subject is set as the second pressurized state. Then, the elastic image generator 15 extracts the phase difference components at each time between the first signal waveform and the second signal waveform, and calculates the first signal waveform from the correlation between each time and the phase difference component at each time. The deformation difference and the initial phase difference involved in the difference of each frequency between the second signal waveform and the deformation amount are calculated based on the deformation difference. The elasticity image generating unit 15 calculates the amount of deformation for all pixels, and generates image data of the amount of deformation consisting of pixels.

Furthermore, the elasticity image generating unit 15 colors the image data of the strain amount by, for example, color mapping in which the strain amount increases in the order of blue→green→yellow→red to generate the elasticity image data. However, in the drawing of FIG. 5 to be described later, in the elasticity image, the deformation amount becomes higher in the order of black→white.

In addition, the elastic image generating unit 15 associates the generated elastic image data with frame numbers (times) and stores them in the storage unit 15 a in units of frames as movie image data of movie frames. Under the control of the control unit 21 , the elastic image generator 15 reads out the elastic image data stored in the storage unit 15 a and outputs it to the elastic image synthesis unit 16 .

Under the control of the control unit 21, the elastic image synthesis unit 16 synthesizes the elastic image data generated by the elastic image generation unit 15 at a predetermined synthesis rate with respect to the B-mode image data generated by the B-mode image generation unit 14 to generate Synthetic elastic image data.

The feature value calculation unit 17 calculates the elasticity index using at least one of the elasticity image data generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15, the sound ray data generated by the reception unit 13, and the information stored in the storage unit 17a under the control of the control unit 21. A plurality of types of feature quantities of the pressed state of the subject for each frame of the image data, generating display information of a plurality of feature quantities representing the calculated feature quantities, and outputting the elastic image data and the display information of the plurality of feature quantities to the evaluation value calculation unit 18, and stores display information of a plurality of feature quantities in the storage unit 17a. The storage unit 17a is a nonvolatile storage unit constituted by a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

As a specific example, an example in which the feature amount calculation unit 17 calculates three types of feature amounts of the elastic image, namely, the amount of deformation d, the tempo b of the amount of deformation, and the degree of confidence s, will be described. However, the types and numbers of feature quantities calculated by the feature quantity calculation unit 17 are not limited to this example.

The feature amount calculation unit 17 calculates the deformation amount d of the elasticity image defined by the average deformation amount in the elasticity image (ROI) using the elasticity image data generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15 by the following equation (1).

[Formula 1]

Among them, ROI: all the pixels of the elastic image data, x: the deformation amount in the variable q of the pixels in the elastic image, n: the number of pixels in the ROI.

In addition, the feature value calculation unit 17 calculates the sum of the time waveform of the deformation amount of the elasticity image (ROI) and the sine wave using the elasticity image data of a plurality of consecutive frames generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15 and using the following equation (2). The rhythm b of the amount of deformation of the elastic image defined by the similarity of the waveform to the cosine waveform. At this time, the feature amount calculation unit 17 appropriately writes and reads the elastic image data generated by the elastic image generating unit 15 in the storage unit 17a, and uses it as elastic image data of a plurality of consecutive frames.

[Formula 2]

Here, D(ω)=FFT(D(t)), D(t): time waveform of deformation, t: time frame number. In the formula (2), when deformation occurs at constant intervals, a specific frequency becomes stronger and the molecule becomes larger. This state is defined as a state in which the rhythm is good. At this time, in the numerator, the maximum value of the frequency components is calculated, but it is also possible to exclude low frequency components from the calculation target of the maximum value so as not to respond only to strong pressing, and to use the middle frequency or high frequency components as the calculation target of the maximum value. The denominator is normalized by the sum of the deformation amounts in order to be calculated as a feature quantity that does not depend on the deformation amount. In addition, when it is preferable to simultaneously consider the tempo b and the deformation amount, the tempo b of the deformation amount of the elastic image is calculated by the following equation (2A).

[Formula 3]

In addition, the feature amount calculation unit 17 calculates the confidence (recovery value) of the elastic image defined by the correlation value of the sound ray data of two consecutive frames using the sound ray data of consecutive frames generated by the receiving unit 13 and using the following equation (3). rate) s. At this time, the feature amount calculation unit 17 appropriately writes and reads the sound ray data of each frame generated by the receiving unit 13 in the storage unit 17a, and uses them as sound ray data of consecutive frames.

s=AutoCorr(f(x), _fprev (x+Δx))...(3)

Among them, AutoCorr is an autocorrelation operation, f(x): the signal waveform of the sound ray data in the position (depth x) in the depth direction of the current frame, f _prev (x+Δx): the position in the depth direction of the previous frame ( Signal waveform of sound ray data in depth x+Δx).

In addition, as other feature quantities, the feature quantity calculation unit 17 may use the above-calculated current and past feature quantities to calculate the highest value of the calculated current feature quantity and past feature quantities by the following formula (4): The error defined by the similarity p with the past feature quantity. At this time, the feature amount calculation unit 17 appropriately writes and reads the calculated feature amount of each frame in the storage unit 17 a, and uses it as the past feature amount.

p＝|yy _past |...(4)

Among them, y: the current feature quantity, y _past : the highest value of the past feature quantity. Although it is assumed that, for example, the deformation amount d is used as the feature quantities y and y _past , the present invention is not limited thereto. As the feature quantities y and y _past , tempo b or confidence s, or a sum of values obtained by multiplying a plurality of feature quantities by weight coefficients may be used.

In addition, a configuration may also be adopted in which, as another feature quantity, the feature quantity calculation unit 17 calculates the distribution of the deformation amounts in the horizontal direction (scanning direction) of the pixels of the elastic image data (the sum of the deformation amounts of all the pixels in each column in the depth direction) or average value) to generate a regression line of the deformation distribution, and calculate the score with the slope 0 of the equilibrium line corresponding to the slope of the regression line as a full score as the feature quantity. In this configuration, a configuration may be adopted in which the balance straight line is displayed together with the score of the strain distribution as feature quantity display information.

In addition, the feature amount calculation unit 17 generates display information of each calculated feature amount. For example, the display information of the deformation amount d, which is the characteristic quantity, is the display information of a graph showing the deformation amount from a predetermined period in the past to the present. At this time, the feature amount calculation unit 17 appropriately reads out the current and past feature amounts from the storage unit 17a, and uses them for generating display information of the feature amounts. The feature quantity calculation unit 17 associates the generated display information of the feature quantity with the frame number (time) and stores it in the storage unit 17 a for use in movie frames.

Under the control of the control unit 21, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates an evaluation value score using a plurality of feature quantities generated by the feature quantity calculation unit 17, generates a movie frame column based on the evaluation value score, and uses the plurality of feature quantities generated by the feature quantity calculation unit 17. The display information of each feature value and the generated movie frame column are output to the display image generation unit 19 .

The evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates the evaluation value score by the following formula (5), for example.

score＝w _d d+w _b b+w _s s...(5)

Among them, w _d : weight coefficient of deformation d, w _b : weight coefficient of rhythm b, w _s : weight coefficient of confidence s.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing calculation of evaluation values based on a plurality of feature quantities. As shown in FIG. 3 , the evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates an evaluation value based on a plurality of feature quantities (distortion d, tempo b, confidence s, similarity p) of the frame at that time.

However, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 is not limited to the configuration in which the evaluation value score is calculated by Equation (5), and may be configured to calculate the evaluation value score by Equation (6), for example.

score=d·b·s...(6)

The evaluation value calculation unit 18 associates the calculated evaluation value with the frame number (time) and stores it in the storage unit 18 a for use in movie frames. The storage unit 18a is a nonvolatile storage unit constituted by a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

In addition, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 generates a movie frame selection column having a stable section composed of temporally continuous frame groups with high evaluation values based on the current and past evaluation values stored in the storage unit 18 a. Here, generation of a movie frame selection column will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B . FIG. 4A is a graph showing distribution of evaluation values with respect to time. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a movie frame selection column 300 .

The evaluation value distribution of each frame with respect to time is shown, for example, in FIG. 4A . The time of one frame is, for example, 1/5 to 1/20 [s]. The evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates a moving average of evaluation values for a predetermined time period (for example, a 1-second interval) with respect to the evaluation values of all the movie frames as time passes. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 creates a movie frame selection field in which a section of a predetermined time period in which the moving average value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value is set as a stable section. In addition, it is also possible to have a configuration in which the interval for moving average calculation and the time for the stable interval are different. The evaluation value calculation unit 18 generates, for example, the movie frame selection column 300 shown in FIG. 4B corresponding to the distribution of evaluation values in FIG. 4A . The movie frame selection column 300 has a stable interval 301 and a normal interval 302 . The stable interval 301 is a stable interval indicating a movie frame in which the moving average of the evaluation values in all the movie frames is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The normal section 302 is a normal section indicating a movie frame in which the moving average of the evaluation values in all the movie frames is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

The display image generation unit 19 generates the synthesized elastic image data generated by the elastic image synthesis unit 16 as display image data in the live mode under the control of the control unit 21, and generates the movie frame generated by the elastic image synthesis unit 16 in the movie mode. The synthesized elastic image data, the display information of the feature value input from the feature value calculation unit 17, and the movie frame selection column input from the evaluation value calculation unit 18 are synthesized to generate display image data. The display image generation unit 19 converts the generated display image data into an image signal for the display unit 20 and outputs it to the display unit 20 .

As the display unit 20 , display devices such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube: Cathode Ray Tube) display, organic EL (Electronic Luminescence: Electroluminescence) display, inorganic EL display, and plasma display can be applied. The display unit 20 displays an image on the display screen in accordance with the image signal output from the display image generator 19 .

The control unit 21 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit: Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory: Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory: Random Access Memory), and reads out a system program stored in the ROM, etc. Various processing programs are expanded to the RAM, and the operations of the various parts of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 are intensively controlled according to the expanded programs. The ROM is composed of a nonvolatile memory such as a semiconductor, and stores a system program corresponding to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 , a program executable on the system program, various data such as a gamma table, and the like. These programs are stored in the form of computer-readable program codes, and the CPU sequentially executes operations according to the program codes. The RAM forms a work area that temporarily stores various programs executed by the CPU and data of these programs. In addition, in order to prevent the drawing from becoming complicated, in FIG. 2 , a part of the control line from the control unit 21 to each unit is omitted.

With respect to each unit included in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 , some or all of the functions of each functional block can be realized as a hardware circuit such as an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit refers to, for example, LSI (Large Scale Integration: Large Scale Integrated Circuit), and LSI is also called IC, system LSI, ultra-LSI, and ultra-LSI depending on the degree of integration. In addition, the method of integrated circuits is not limited to LSI, and can also be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor, or by using FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array: Field Programmable Gate Array), which can reconfigure the circuit unit inside the LSI. A reconfigurable processor for connections and settings. In addition, part or all of the functions of the respective functional modules may be executed by software. In this case, the software is stored in one or more storage media such as ROM, optical disk or hard disk, and is executed by an arithmetic processor.

Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing elastic image display processing.

In the diagnosis of the subject by strain elastography using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the live mode is set in advance, the ultrasonic probe 2 is first brought into contact with the subject, B-mode image data is generated, the B-mode image is displayed, and the B-mode image is displayed. The user appropriately designates and inputs the ROI of the elasticity image via the operation input unit 11 , and applies pressure to the body surface around the subject with the ultrasonic probe 2 .

Furthermore, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 , the control unit 21 executes the elastic image display process shown in FIG. 5 . Hereinafter, as the main body of each step, the direct main body of the processing of the step will be described, but the control unit 21 controls the main body of each step.

First, the transmitter 12 supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and the receiver 13 receives the reception signal from the ultrasonic probe 2 to generate sound ray data (step S11 ). Then, the B-mode image generation unit 14 uses the sound ray data generated in step S11 to generate B-mode image data for one frame and store it in the storage unit 14a as a movie frame, and the elastic image generation unit 15 uses the sound ray data generated in step S11. The sound ray data and the sound ray data of the previous frame stored in the storage unit 15a are used to generate one frame of elastic image data and store it in the storage unit 15a as a movie frame, and the elastic image synthesis unit 16 converts the generated B-mode image data and elastic image data are synthesized to generate one frame of synthesized elastic image data (step S12).

Then, the feature quantity calculating section 17 calculates feature quantities (deformation amount d, tempo b, confidence degree s), display information of each feature value is generated and stored in the storage unit 17a (step S13). Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates the evaluation value score of the feature value using the feature value calculated in step S13, and performs information generation and storage of the stable interval in the movie frame selection column to the storage unit 18a (step S14).

Then, the display image generating unit 19 generates one frame of display image data from the one frame of synthetic elastic image data generated in step S12, and displays the display image on the display unit 20 (step S15). The examiner can diagnose the hardness of an object such as a tumor in the synthetic elastic image by visually viewing the synthetic elastic image displayed on the display unit 20 .

Then, the control unit 21 determines whether or not freeze input has been made by the examiner via the operation input unit 11 (step S16 ). When freezing input is not performed (step S16: NO), it transfers to step S11. When the freezing input is performed (step S16: Yes), the movie mode is started, and the control unit 21 outputs the initially set display frame number of the movie image data to the B-mode image generation unit 14, the elastic image generation unit 15, the characteristic Quantity calculation unit 17, evaluation value calculation unit 18 and set (step S17). The initially set display frame is, for example, a movie frame immediately before freezing among a plurality of movie frames.

Then, the B-mode image generation unit 14 reads out the B-mode image data of the input display frame number from the storage unit 14a, and outputs it to the elastic image synthesis unit 16, and the elastic image generation unit 15 reads the input display frame from the storage unit 15a. The numbered elastic image data is output to the elastic image synthesis unit 16, and the elastic image synthesis unit 16 synthesizes the input B-mode image data and elastic image data to generate synthesized elastic image data (step S18).

Then, the feature value calculation unit 17 reads out the display information of the feature value of the type in the input display frame number setting (initial setting at first) from the storage unit 17a, and outputs it to the display image generation unit 19 (step S19 ). The initially set feature quantity is, for example, the amount of deformation d. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 reads out the information on the stable interval from the storage unit 18a, and based on the information on the stable interval, generates a movie frame selection field with a cursor at a position corresponding to the input display frame number, and outputs it to the display image. The generating unit 19 (step S20).

Then, the display image generation unit 19 synthesizes the input synthetic elastic image data of the display frame number, the display information of the feature value, and the movie frame selection column to generate display image data, and displays the display image on the display unit 20 (step S21) . Then, the control unit 21 determines whether or not a cursor movement input has been made by the examiner via the operation input unit 11 (step S22 ). When the cursor movement input is performed (step S22: Yes), the control unit 21 outputs the changed display frame number corresponding to the cursor movement in step S22 to the B-mode image generation unit 14, the elastic image generation unit 15, the characteristic Quantity calculation unit 17, evaluation value calculation unit 18, and set (step S23), then move to step S18.

When the cursor movement input has not been made (step S22: No), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the feature value change input has been made by the examiner via the operation input unit 11 (step S24). When the feature value change input has been performed (step S24: YES), the feature value calculation unit 17 reads out the display information of the feature value of the type corresponding to the changed feature value in step S24 from the storage unit 17a, and outputs it to The image generator 19 is displayed (step S25), and the process proceeds to step S21. When the feature amount change input has not been performed (step S24: NO), the elastic image display process ends.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display image 200 including a synthesized elastic image 210 . For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , in the movie mode, a display image 200 displaying frame numbers is displayed on the display unit 20 . The display image 200 has a composite elastic image 210 , a movie frame selection field 300A, a frame number display field 310 , feature amount display information 400 , and a feature amount switching button 410 .

The composite elastic image 210 is a composite image of a B-mode image 211 based on B-mode image data showing frame numbers and an elastic image 212 based on elastic image data showing frame numbers. The movie frame selection column 300A has a stable section 301A, a normal section 302A, and a cursor 303 .

The stable interval 301A is a part of the column indicating the stable interval in the movie frame of all the movie image data. The normal section 302A is a part of the column indicating the normal section in all movie frames. Cursor 303 is arranged at the display frame number position corresponding to synthetic elastic image 210, and is an operation display element that accepts a selection input of a movie frame to be displayed from the examiner via operation input unit 11, and can be displayed in the stable section 301A and the normal section. Left and right on 302A perform movement change input. The frame number display column 310 is a frame number display column indicating the sequence of the composite elastic image 210 (cursor 303 ) among the number of movie frames of all the movie image data. Preferably, the display colors of the stable zone 301A and the normal zone 302A are different.

The feature amount display information 400 is a display column of the deformation amount d which is an initially set feature amount. The feature quantity display information 400 has a graph part 401 , a reference area 402 and a frame part 403 . The graph portion 401 is a portion of a graph showing time-varying deformation d with the center of the vertical axis of the feature value display information 400 as a reference value, with time on the horizontal axis and the value of the deformation amount d of the feature value on the vertical axis. Let the right end of the graph portion 401 be the deformation amount d of the frame immediately before freezing. The reference area 402 is an area indicating a range of values of the appropriate deformation amount d from the center of the vertical axis of the feature amount display information 400 . In other words, when the graph portion 401 is within the reference area 402 , it means that the deformation amount d of this part is appropriate, and when the graph portion 401 overflows from the reference area 402 , it means that the deformation amount d of this portion is inappropriate.

A frame portion 403 is a frame portion of the feature amount display information 400 , and the display color is set to indicate whether or not the movie frame corresponding to the cursor 303 is in a stable section. For example, when the movie frame corresponding to the cursor 303 is a stable section, the frame portion 403 is displayed in the same display color as the stable section 301A.

The feature amount switching button 410 is an operation display element that receives an input of switching the type of feature amount displayed by the displayed feature amount display information 400 from the examiner via the operation input unit 11 . For example, each time the feature amount switching button 410 is pressed, the feature amount of the feature amount display information 400 is switched as follows: deformation d→rhythm b→confidence s→deformation d→.... Corresponding to step S24 , when the feature amount switch button 410 is touched via the operation input unit 11 , the control unit 21 outputs the switched display feature amount information to the feature amount calculation unit 17 . The feature amount calculation unit 17 reads out the display information of the feature amount corresponding to the input display feature amount information of the same display frame number from the storage unit 17 a, and outputs it to the display image generation unit 19 . The display image generation unit 19 synthesizes the composite elastic image data of the same display frame number, the display information of the switched feature value, and the movie frame selection field to generate display image data, and causes the display unit 20 to display the display image. In addition, the display information of the feature quantity is not limited to the display form of the time-varying graph, and may be other display forms such as numerical display of the feature quantity.

In addition, corresponding to step S22, when the display movie frame is selected and input through the movement of the cursor 303 via the operation input unit 11, the composite image data corresponding to the selected display frame number, the movie frame selection column, and the switched feature The display image of the display information of the quantity is displayed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 supplies the drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 2, processes the received signal output from the ultrasonic probe 2, and calculates the formula indicating the pressing state for each frame of the elasticity image based on the processed received signal. A plurality of types of feature quantities, an evaluation value is calculated based on the calculated plurality of feature quantities, and a movie frame selection column is generated based on the evaluation value as information of a stable interval composed of frames with a good pressing state, and the generated movie frame A selection column is displayed on the display unit 20 .

Therefore, the examiner can visually confirm the frame of the elasticity image in the stable section in which the pressing state is good based on a plurality of types of feature values, and can easily select it.

In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 generates elastic image data based on the received signal, generates display information of a plurality of calculated feature quantities, stores the generated elasticity image data and display information of a plurality of feature quantities in the storage units 15a and 17a, and then In the movie mode, the input of the type of the feature value to be displayed among the plurality of feature values and the input of the display frame of the elastic image data to be displayed are accepted, and the stored elastic image data corresponding to the input display frame and the The display unit 20 displays the display frame and the stored display information of the feature value corresponding to the type of the input feature value. Therefore, the examiner can visually recognize the feature amount of the movie frame being displayed.

In addition, the feature amount display unit 400 includes a frame portion 403 that indicates whether or not the display frame is in the stable interval by display color. Therefore, the examiner can easily recognize the information on whether the image is in the stable zone together with the feature amount of the movie frame being displayed.

(Modification)

A plurality of modified examples of the above-described embodiment will be described in order.

In the first modified example, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, when the cine mode is started, the control unit 21 sets the display frame number of the cine image data of the initially set display corresponding to the cursor to a cine other than immediately after freezing. Frame structure that displays the frame number. For example, the control unit 21 sets the display frame number of the movie image data displayed at the start of the movie mode to the frame number of the movie frame in the stable interval (for example, the center of the stable interval). According to this configuration, it is possible to first confirm the information of the cine frame in the stable interval that is important for the diagnosis, and to accurately perform the diagnosis and shorten the diagnosis time.

In the second modified example, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the control unit 21 performs the same movement operation from the examiner via the operation input unit 11 during the movement display of the cursor in the movie frame selection column, compared with the normal interval. The movement speed of the cursor in the stable area is set to a slow structure. According to this structure, selection of display cine frames in stable intervals important for diagnosis becomes easy.

In the third modified example, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 , the evaluation value calculation unit 18 makes it easier to set the cine frame immediately before freezing in the cine frame selection column as a stable interval compared with cine frames other than the cine frame immediately before freezing. . For example, there is a structure in which the evaluation value of the movie frame immediately before freezing is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient of 1 or more, and the stable interval determination for moving average of the evaluation values including the evaluation value of the movie frame immediately before freezing is lowered. The structure of the threshold, etc. According to this configuration, it is easy to set the most recent frame judged to be important by the examiner and performed the freezing operation as a stable interval that is important for diagnosis, and more accurate diagnosis can be made.

In the fourth modification, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the evaluation value calculation unit 18, in the live mode, calculates the stable interval and the normal interval of the evaluation value based on the moving average calculated in association with a predetermined number of frames so far. The information is output to the display image generation unit 19 , and the display image generation unit 19 causes the display unit 20 to display the information of the input stable interval and the structure of the live synthetic image data. According to this configuration, also in the live mode, the examiner can visually recognize the frame of the elasticity image in the stable section in which the pressing state is good based on a plurality of types of feature values.

In the fifth modified example, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the evaluation value calculation unit 18, in the live mode, calculates the stable interval and the normal interval of the evaluation value based on the moving average calculated in association with a predetermined number of frames so far. The information is output to the structure of the control unit 21 . Then, the control unit 21 judges whether or not the evaluation value satisfies a predetermined condition set in advance, and automatically sets freezing when the predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition means, for example, that the moving average of the evaluation values is equal to or greater than a second predetermined threshold different from the first predetermined threshold for determining the stable interval. According to this configuration, in the live mode, the examiner can easily visually confirm the elastic image frames corresponding to the stable intervals that are important for diagnosis as the elastic images of the still image frames.

In addition, the description in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications is an example of a preferable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic information processing method according to the present invention, and is not limited thereto. For example, it may be a configuration in which at least two of the above-described embodiments and modifications are combined.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications, the stable sections in the movie frame selection column are configured to have the same color, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A configuration may be adopted in which the displayed color differs according to the height of the evaluation value for the stable interval. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the density of the display color in the stable region becomes darker as the evaluation value becomes higher. According to this configuration, it is possible to easily confirm the height of the evaluation value of the stable section, and especially when there are a plurality of stable sections in the movie frame selection column, it is possible to easily identify each stable section.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, image data representing the amount of deformation as elastic data is generated and used as elastic image data by strain elastography, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it may be configured to generate and use image data representing shear wave velocity as elastic data by shear wave elastography (Shear Wave Elastography).

In addition, the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each unit constituting the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 in the above embodiments and modifications can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Industrial availability

As described above, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic information processing method of the present invention can be applied to ultrasonic diagnosis using elastic images.

Explanation of reference numerals: 100...Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus; 1...Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body; 11...Operation input unit; 12...Transmission unit; 13...Reception unit; 14...B-mode image generation unit; Storage unit; 15...Elastic image generation unit; 16...Elastic image synthesis unit; 17...Feature amount calculation unit; 18...Evaluation value calculation unit; 19...Display image generation unit; 20...Display unit; 21...Control unit; 2... Ultrasonic probe; 2a...vibrator; 3...cable.

Claims (9)

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic device that uses an ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to apply pressure to an object to be examined and to measure the hardness of the object by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves for the object of the object, and the ultrasonic diagnostic device has: a sending unit, sending a driving signal to the ultrasonic probe; The receiving unit processes the received signal output from the ultrasonic probe; A feature amount calculation unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressing state for each frame of the elastic image based on the processed received signal; an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value based on the calculated plurality of feature quantities, and generates information of a stable interval consisting of frames in which the pressed state is good based on the evaluation value; and The display control unit displays information on the generated stable interval on the display unit. 2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an elastic image generating unit that generates elastic image data based on the received signal, the feature amount calculation unit generates display information of the calculated plurality of feature amounts, The ultrasonic diagnostic device has: a storage unit that stores the generated elastic image data and display information of a plurality of feature quantities; and The operation input unit accepts an input of a type of feature value to be displayed among the plurality of feature values and an input of a display frame of the elastic image data to be displayed in a movie mode for selecting and displaying the stored elastic image data. , The display control unit displays the stored elastic image data corresponding to the input display frame and the stored display information of the feature value corresponding to the display frame and the type of the input feature value on the display frame. the display section. 3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The display information of the feature quantity includes display information indicating whether the display frame is in a stable interval. 4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The evaluation value calculation unit generates a movie frame selection column with a cursor as information on the generated stable interval, and sets an initially set display frame corresponding to the cursor as a display frame in the stable interval, thereby The cursor indicates a frame in a stable section among a plurality of frames, indicates a display frame of an elastic image, and can be moved and changed. 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein: The evaluation value calculation unit generates, as the information on the generated stable interval, a movie frame selection column having a cursor indicating a frame of the stable interval among a plurality of frames and indicating a display frame of an elastic image and capable of being moved and changed. , The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a cursor control unit configured to set a movement speed of the cursor to be equal to that of a case where the cursor is outside the stable zone when the cursor is in the stable zone. slower. 6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: When calculating the evaluation value, the evaluation value calculation unit generates information of a stable interval by making the evaluation value of the frame immediately before the freeze operation relatively higher than that of frames other than the frame immediately before the freeze operation. 7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an elastic image generating unit that generates elastic image data based on the received signal, The display control unit displays the generated elastic image data and information of the generated stable interval on the display unit in a live mode. 8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a freezing control unit configured to perform freezing setting when the calculated evaluation value satisfies a predetermined condition. 9. An ultrasonic information processing method, which is an ultrasonic information processing method that uses an ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to apply pressure to an object and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves for the object of the object to measure the hardness of the object, the ultrasonic information processing method include: the process of sending a driving signal to the ultrasonic probe; a step of processing a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe; a step of calculating a plurality of types of feature quantities representing the compression state for each frame of the elastic image based on the processed received signal; A step of calculating an evaluation value based on the calculated plurality of feature quantities, and generating information on a stable interval consisting of frames in which the pressed state is good based on the evaluation value; and A step of displaying information on the generated stable interval on a display unit.