JP2010240198A - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To improve the speed of diagnosis by automatic measurement, while allowing an operator doctor or laboratory technician to easily input and measure examination items without being confused by the operation of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
SOLUTION: Measurement tool setting means for setting a plurality of measurement tools corresponding to types of ultrasonic image modes, measurement point input means for sequentially inputting a plurality of measurement point positions on an ultrasonic image, and the measurement The measurement tool selecting means for selecting one of the plurality of measurement tools from the positions and setting order of the plurality of measurement points set by the point input means, and the measurement according to the measurement tool selected by the means. Measurement processing means for performing predetermined measurement processing based on measurement points set by the point input means, and measurement display means for displaying the measurement processing result by the measurement processing means together on the ultrasonic image are provided.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an image measurement process performed on an ultrasonic diagnostic image being diagnosed, and relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that improves the operability of the apparatus and enables quick diagnosis by a doctor or a laboratory technician.

  Ultrasound diagnostic devices are small in size and can easily diagnose internal organ conditions in real time, and are therefore used in a wide range of medical fields including fetal diagnosis and cardiac screening. An operator of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus such as a doctor or a laboratory technician may need to diagnose a patient as soon as possible, but the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be used to obtain images and measurement results actually required. There are many setting items such as scan method setting, image mode setting, image quality setting for each site to be observed, measurement item setting, etc., and it takes a considerable amount of time to master the device operation.

  In particular, the measurement items are subdivided for each image mode and observation site, and the heart rate is determined from geometrical measurements such as the linear distance between two points, the length of the curve, the area enclosed by the closed curve, and time. There are various measurement items such as measurement, left ventricular function measurement, mitral valve measurement, aortic valve measurement, pulmonary valve measurement, fetal growth measurement, blood flow velocity measurement, pressure difference measurement, and histogram measurement.

  An operator of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus such as a doctor or a laboratory technician knows the examination item to be diagnosed at the stage of displaying the ultrasound image and is displayed on the screen even though he wants to start measurement immediately. At present, it is necessary to take a complicated procedure of selecting a measurement item that matches a measurement purpose from various menu items, setting a measurement point marker at a portion to be measured, and starting measurement.

  In this way, it is not preferable for a doctor or a laboratory technician to take time to operate diversified and sophisticated medical devices. Therefore, the operability of the apparatus is also improved in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. For example, when a body mark indicating the shape of the imaging region (part) is displayed on the screen and the coordinate position of the body mark displayed on this screen is input, the operation setting of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is set based on the coordinate position. There is one that reads from a database and automatically controls an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-486 A

  As shown in Patent Document 1, it is important that the measurement items are automatically selected based on the position coordinates of the body mark and the diagnosis can be speeded up. However, only the operation settings previously stored in the database are read out. The automatically set measurement items may be inconvenient instead of the operator's intention, for example, when another measurement is desired. Therefore, a human interface that allows easy input of measurement items is required so that the operator's intention is reflected smoothly.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and while speeding up diagnosis by automatic measurement, an operator doctor or laboratory technician is confused by the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with high operability that can easily input and measure measurement items without any problem.

In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention,
Measurement tool setting means for setting a plurality of measurement tools corresponding to the type of ultrasonic image mode;
Measurement point input means for sequentially inputting a plurality of measurement point positions on the ultrasonic image;
According to the measurement tool selection means for selecting one of the plurality of measurement tools from the position and setting order of the plurality of measurement points set by the measurement point input means, and the measurement tool selected by this means, Measurement processing means for performing a predetermined measurement process based on the measurement points set by the measurement point input means;
There is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: measurement display means for displaying a measurement processing result by the measurement processing means together on the ultrasonic image.

  Further, in the measurement processing means, when two or more measurement points input by the measurement point input means are on the same straight line, the measurement points are interpolated and displayed by a straight line and selected by the measurement tool selection means. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided that performs measurement processing of the measured tool.

  Further, in the measurement processing means, when three or more measurement points input by the measurement point input means are not on the same straight line, the measurement points are displayed by being interpolated with a curve and selected by the measurement tool selection means. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided that performs measurement processing of the measured tool.

  Furthermore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized in that the measurement tool selected by the measurement tool selection means can be changed manually.

  Furthermore, there is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized in that the movement of the position of the measurement point input by the measurement point input means and the enlargement, reduction, and movement of the figure formed from the plurality of measurement points can be manually performed. The

  Further, only the magnification of the ultrasonic image can be manually changed while holding the position of the measurement point input by the measurement point input unit and the measurement tool selected by the measurement tool selection unit. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided.

  Furthermore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized in that the measurement tool can be set in advance in preference to the measurement tool selected by the measurement tool selection means.

  According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically determine the optimum measurement item according to the type of the part to be measured, the image mode being measured, and the setting order of the measurement points input by the operator. The measurement items can be changed freely according to the intention, so that the operator can concentrate on the diagnosis without being confused by the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and the operability of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is improved. Throughput can be improved.

1 is a block configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of an image measurement process in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a linear measurement example on the ultrasonic diagnostic image of B image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 5 is an example of curve measurement on an ultrasonic diagnostic image in B image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a spline curve measurement and (b) is an elliptic curve measurement. FIG. It is a flowchart of the measurement subprogram in B image mode in the ultrasound diagnosing device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a linear measurement example on the ultrasonic diagnostic image of M image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the measurement subprogram in M image mode in the ultrasound diagnosing device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is an example of a measurement on an ultrasonic diagnostic image in D image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart of the measurement subprogram in D image mode in the ultrasound diagnosing device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 includes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 10, an operation input unit 20, an ultrasonic probe 30 that applies ultrasonic waves to an observation site and receives echoes, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. And a monitor 40 that displays an ultrasound diagnostic image output from the main body 10. The operation input unit 20 has a console panel including a pointing device such as a mouse and a trackball, a keyboard, and a TCS (touch command switch).

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 10 includes a CPU section 11 that controls the entire apparatus, a system control section 12 that is controlled by the CPU section 11 and mainly controls the hardware functions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 10. A measurement processing unit 13 for measuring the size of an observation site from the obtained ultrasonic diagnostic image, and a storage memory unit 14 for recording and saving a control processing program and a measurement processing result are provided.

  Furthermore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 10 processes the signals in accordance with the ultrasonic signal transmission unit 15 and the reception unit 16 controlled by the system control unit 12 and the amplification or scanning method of the reception signals, and displays an ultrasonic diagnostic image. The signal processing unit 17 is composed of a display image processing unit 18 that combines and displays the display image of the ultrasonic diagnostic image obtained by the signal processing unit 17 and the image measurement result obtained by the measurement processing unit 13. An ultrasonic diagnostic image is output to the monitor 40.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart of image measurement processing executed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the image measurement process performed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, a process procedure based on the flowchart shown in FIG.

  First, the operator inputs the patient ID of the subject to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 and selects a part called a body mark for the part to be observed. An image mode suitable for the diagnostic purpose of the part, for example, a B image mode (tomographic image mode), an M image mode (image mode for displaying a moving distance), or a D image mode (Doppler mode). In addition, image quality settings such as brightness, contrast, and resolution, and measurement modes and measurement items described later are automatically set. If the examination items are known by group examination or the like, the image mode, the measurement mode, the measurement items, etc. can be set in a batch by a preset function described later.

  When the operator wants to change the automatically set image mode at the start of the measurement process, the image mode can be newly set by the operation input unit 20 shown in FIG. 1 (S11).

  Next, the operator carries out a diagnosis by applying the ultrasonic probe 30 to the measurement site of the subject in order to obtain an ultrasonic diagnostic image (S12). An ultrasonic diagnostic image is displayed on the monitor 40 from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 (S13). If image data sufficient to carry out measurement of the observation region can be displayed, “measurement” of the observation region is started (S14). The determination of the measurement start in step S14 is performed by selecting “Start measurement” from the screen menu using a keyboard, TCS (touch command switch) of the operation input unit 20 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, or a pointing device such as a mouse or a trackball. It can be done by selecting.

  If the image mode is inappropriate for starting the measurement, the process proceeds to step S22 described later, and the image mode is changed and the examination is performed again from the beginning.

  When “Start Measurement” is selected, a measurement subprogram corresponding to the image mode (B image mode, M image mode, D image mode, etc.) set in step S11 is selected and operated by the CPU unit 11 (S15).

  On a part of the monitor 40, “measuring” is displayed, and a start point that is the first point of measurement, for example, a “x” mark is displayed to wait for instruction input. The operator operates the pointing device of the operation input unit 20, aligns the cursor position with the x mark displayed as the start point marker on the monitor 40, and the ultrasonic diagnostic image in which the observation site is displayed on the start point marker The position of the first measurement point (start point) is determined by depressing the confirmation key (SET key) or the pointing device of the operation input unit 20 (S16).

When the position data of the first measurement point is read, it waits for measurement processing for each image mode (S17), and a message requesting input of an additional measurement point, that is, a marker setting for the next point is displayed on the monitor 40. (S18). When the next point marker is set (S19), the process returns to step S17, and a new measurement process is performed by determining an appropriate measurement item and measurement mode from the position, number, and input order of the markers input so far. (S17). Then, the repeated operation of displaying the measurement result on the monitor 40 again (S18) is performed.
That is, the position of the measurement point input by the operator is sequentially displayed on the monitor 40, and for each input of the additional measurement point, each image is determined according to the position, number, and order of the measurement points already input. The image processing measurement of the measurement item set in the mode is automatically performed, and the measurement result is displayed on the monitor 40 together with the ultrasonic diagnostic image.

  By pressing the right button (NEXT key) of the pointing device of the operation input unit 20, the next point marker indicating that the input is in progress can be input, and by pressing the left button (SET key), an end point marker for confirming the input figure is set. Can be entered. Thus, it is distinguished whether the measurement point is being input or has been determined. Moreover, it is also possible to distinguish the next point marker and the end point marker by properly using click and double click.

  In step S19, when the measurement intended by the operator is performed, the end point marker is input instead of the next point marker. By doing so, the automatically set measurement tool is fixed, and the measurement tool is not changed with respect to the addition, movement, and deformation of the marker.

  The dotted line frame in FIG. 2 shows a portion where a measurement subprogram having a different processing flow is selected and operated for each image mode set in step S11. Every time the operator sets an additional marker for a measurement point. All image modes are completely the same in that optimum measurement items are set and processed. Details of the processing flow in each image mode indicated by the dotted line frame will be described later.

  For example, when the image mode is the B image mode, the measurement item here is a linear distance measurement between two points, an approximate curve length (periphery) measurement at the time of multi-point input, a closed curve area or circumference measurement. Measurement of angles, etc. is typical. In addition, there are histogram measurement, profile measurement, stenosis ratio measurement, and the like.

  If the image mode is the M image mode, measurements such as heart rate measurement, time measurement, speed (tilt) measurement, and distance measurement are typical. Others include left ventricular function measurement, mitral valve measurement, and aortic valve measurement.

  If the image mode is the D image mode, blood flow velocity measurement, acceleration measurement, pressure difference measurement, and the like are representative. Other examples include flow velocity histogram measurement, heart rate measurement, mitral valve measurement, and aortic valve measurement.

  The measurement mode is to determine what kind of curve (or straight line) the input measurement points are approximated to perform the measurement process. The measurement mode is a straight line measurement mode for obtaining a value between two points. There is a curve measurement mode that measures by approximating with a curve.

  In the curve measurement mode, there are a spline measurement mode in which a multi-point is approximated by a spline curve, and in the case of a closed curve, there is an ellipse approximate measurement mode in which an approximation is performed by an elliptic curve.

  The measurement item and the measurement mode are related to each other, and the two are collectively referred to as a measurement tool. As an example of the measurement tool, if the distance between two points is measured, the linear distance is measured. If the length of the approximate curve is a spline distance, the approximate elliptical area is measured if the area is an elliptical closed curve. In addition, if the image mode changes, the types of measurement tools that can be selected also differ.

  When it is desired to change the measurement tool automatically determined by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the intention of the operator, the measurement tool is selected by using the pointing device of the operation input unit 20 and measurement is performed. Make tool changes. In this case, the input position coordinates of the measurement point marker are stored. (S20).

  When it is desired to measure another part, the “re-measurement” menu is selected using the pointing device of the operation input unit 20, and the other part is re-measured (S21). To change the image mode and perform re-measurement, the “change image mode” menu is selected by the operation input unit 20. When it is desired to end the operation, the “measurement end” menu is selected (S22).

  Next, the operation of the pointing device of the operation input unit 20 and the operation of the image measurement process performed in each image mode, which are features of the present embodiment, will be specifically described with reference to display examples of ultrasonic diagnostic images. .

  FIG. 3 is an example of linear measurement on an ultrasonic diagnostic image in the B image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The straight line measurement mode in the B image mode is typically a measurement process for measuring the distance between two set points. FIG. 3 shows an ultrasound image of the chest heart 2 chambers 2 atria in the B image mode.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, when image measurement is started, a start marker X mark 31 is displayed in a part of the ultrasound diagnostic image. The operator drags the start point marker 31 to a desired measurement position, for example, the wall side position of the ventricular septal wall as shown in FIG. A measurement point (start point) 32 is set.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the operator first measures the opposing walls of the ventricular septal wall in order to measure the ventricular septal thickness, the left ventricular diameter, which is a measure of the left ventricular volume, and the left ventricular wall thickness. A general arrow cursor (not shown) is moved to the side position and clicked at a desired position to determine the second measurement point 33. By this confirmation operation, a straight line (dashed line) 34 connecting the first measurement point (start point) 32 and the second measurement point 33 is displayed, and the first diagnostic processing image and the ultrasonic diagnostic image on the monitor 40 are displayed as the first measurement processing result. A distance (Dist1) between the measurement point (start point) 32 and the second measurement point 33 is displayed. At this time, since the number of measurement points is two, the linear measurement mode is automatically determined.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), the cursor is moved to the left ventricular side wall which is substantially extended from the first measurement point (start point) 32 and the second measurement point 33, and clicked at a desired position. As a result, the position of the third measurement point 35 is determined. If the positional relationship of these three points is substantially linear within the range of the grid interval value set to a certain value, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 determines that the linear measurement mode is continued, and The measurement item (in this case, distance measurement) is maintained. A straight line connecting the first measurement point (start point) 32, the second measurement point 33, and the third measurement point 35 is displayed again, and the first measurement point (start point) 32 and the second measurement point 33 A distance value 1 (Dist1) between the second measurement point 33 and the third measurement point 35 is displayed on the monitor 40 (Dist2).

  As shown in FIG. 3D, in the same manner, when the fourth measurement point 36 is substantially on a straight line extension of the straight line connecting the second measurement point 33 and the third measurement point 35, A distance value 3 (Dist3) between the third measurement point 35 and the fourth measurement point 36 is additionally displayed on the monitor 40.

  In this embodiment, the measurement points are set from the top to the bottom and from the right to the left on the display screen, but the setting direction of the measurement points is arbitrary. Therefore, on the display screen, the straight line 34 connecting each point and the numerical value of the processing result can be distinguished by correspondingly using a method such as line type and color coding.

  In addition, when the positional relationship between three or more input measurement points is not on a straight line, the curve measurement mode is automatically selected as will be described later, but I want to measure the distance between each measurement point like a broken line In this case, the straight line measurement mode can be easily fixed by selecting “straight line measurement” from the “measurement tool” menu with the pointing device of the operation input unit 20. For example, the menu of the “measurement tool” may be displayed on the monitor 40 at all times, or may be selected from a right-click submenu of the pointing device.

  FIG. 4 is an example of curve measurement on an ultrasound diagnostic image in the B image mode in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is a spline curve measurement and (b) is an elliptic curve. It is a figure which shows the case of measurement.

  In the present embodiment, the measurement mode is automatically changed from the linear measurement mode to the curve measurement mode depending on the position, number, and input order of the measurement points input by the operator. Alternatively, the ellipse measurement mode is automatically determined.

  First, the spline measurement mode will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4A, as in the case of the straight line measurement mode in FIG. 3, when measurement is started, a cross mark 31 of the start point marker is displayed on the monitor 40. Next, for example, as a first measurement point (start point), the measurement point 31 is dragged to the position of the left ventricular cavity wall to be a measurement point 41. Next, the position of the second measurement point 42 is determined. At this stage, since two measurement points are set, the linear measurement mode is automatically determined, the distance between the measurement point 41 and the measurement point 42 is determined as a measurement item, and the measurement processing result is displayed on the monitor 40. It is displayed as a distance value (Dist).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4A-2, the third measurement point 43 is set to a certain value from the straight line connecting the first measurement point 41 and the second measurement point 42. When the operator deviates from the grid interval, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 automatically determines that the operator's diagnosis intention is the curve measurement mode, and the first measurement point 41, the second measurement point 42, the first The three measurement points 43 are approximated by a spline curve indicated by a broken line. At this time, a measurement process is performed on the length of the spline curve from the measurement point 41 to the measurement point 43, and the length (Dist) is displayed on the monitor 40.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4A-3, the position of the fourth measurement point 44 is determined. Then, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 automatically determines that the closed curve mode is selected, and a spline closed curve calculated from the first measurement point 41, the second measurement point 42, the third measurement point 43, and the fourth measurement point 44. 45 is displayed. Then, the area (Area) surrounded by the spline closed curve 45 and the outer peripheral distance value (Circ) of the curve are displayed on the monitor 40 as a measurement processing result.

  Next, the ellipse approximate measurement mode will be described with reference to FIG. When the input order of the first measurement point 41, the second measurement point 42, the third measurement point 43, and the fourth measurement point 44 is changed, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus automatically determines the ellipse measurement mode.

  In FIG. 4B-1, the positions of the first measurement point 41 and the second measurement point 42 are determined as in FIG. Next, the position of the third measurement point 43 is determined in FIG. Up to this point, since it is the same as the spline curve measurement mode of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4B-3, when the position of the fourth measurement point 44 is determined, the auxiliary line 46 indicated by a one-dot broken line connecting the first measurement point 41 and the second measurement point 42, and the third measurement. The auxiliary line 47 indicated by a one-dot broken line connecting the point 43 and the fourth measurement point 44 is set to intersect. Then, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 calculates a general approximate ellipse 48 by four points of the first measurement point 41 to the fourth measurement point 44 and displays it on the monitor 40. At this time, as a measurement processing result, the area (Area) surrounded by the elliptic curve 48, the length of the major axis (D1), the length of the minor axis (D2), and the outer peripheral distance value (Circ) of the curve are displayed on the monitor 40. Is displayed.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the measurement subprogram in the B image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since it overlaps with the description in FIG. 3 and FIG.

  When the operator starts measurement in the B image mode (S501), the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 determines that the mode is the B image mode (S502) and displays a start point marker for B image mode measurement (S503). The operator sets the first measurement point (S504), and then sets the second measurement point (S505). Then, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 calculates a linear distance between the two input points (S506). Further, if the operator does not input the third measurement point (S507), the distance between the two points is displayed on the monitor 40 as it is (S508). If the third measurement point is input (S507), the positional relationship between the three points from the first measurement point to the third measurement point is determined (S509). If these three points are substantially on a straight line, the straight line measurement mode is maintained (S510), and the distance between the first measurement point and the second measurement point and the distance between the second measurement point and the third measurement point are displayed. (S511).

  If the three measurement points are not on the same straight line, the spline curve measurement mode is set, and interpolation is performed with a spline approximate curve passing through each point (S512). Then, the length of the curve from the first measurement point to the third measurement point is displayed on the monitor 40 (S513).

  Further, when the fourth measurement point is input (S514), when the straight line connecting the first measurement point and the second measurement point intersects with the straight line connecting the third measurement point and the fourth measurement point. (S515) The four points are approximated by an ellipse (S516), and the result of the ellipse approximation measurement is displayed on the monitor 40 (S517).

  If it does not intersect, it approximates as a closed curve while maintaining the spline measurement mode, and displays the result of the spline measurement mode on the monitor 40.

  In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the description is made up to the fourth measurement point. However, in the case of inputting an additional measurement point of the fifth point or more, the closed curve mode is automatically canceled once and further returned to the closed curve. In this case, the next measurement point is overlapped with the first measurement point (start point) and the position is determined. You may add the flow.

  In this embodiment, each time a desired measurement point is determined on the B-mode image to be measured, measurement based on the position, number, and input order of the measurement points input so far is automatically executed. Since the result is displayed on the monitor 40, the observation site can be measured without setting the measurement tool in advance. As a result, the operability of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is improved and the inspection and measurement throughput can be improved.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of linear measurement on an ultrasonic diagnostic image in the M image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the M image mode, the movement state of the living organ can be observed. The image measurement process for the M mode image will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 6 shows a still image of an M-mode image for dynamically measuring the opening / closing function of a valve piece such as a mitral valve in the left ventricular system. In the evaluation of the opening / closing function of the valve piece in the M-mode image, the measurement of the movement distance, the movement time, and the movement speed (tilt) is generally performed, and the stage in which these measurement items select the M image mode by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 Is automatically detected. In FIG. 6, the vertical direction indicates distance and the horizontal direction indicates time.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, as in the measurement processing of the B-mode image shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the start point marker X mark 31 is displayed on a part of the M-mode still image at the start of measurement. The operator drags the start point marker 31 to determine the first measurement point (start point) 61 on the position of the valve piece image in order to measure the heart valve piece movement.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, for setting the second measurement point, the second measurement point is set in the vertical direction of the screen from the first measurement point 61 as shown by the broken line in FIG. The measurement point 62 is determined according to the position of the distal (lower side on the M-mode image) valve piece image. At this time, since the straight line 63 connecting the first measurement point 61 and the second measurement point 62 only changes in the vertical direction, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 automatically determines that this measurement is a straight line measurement. Then, the distance (Dist) of the straight line 63 is displayed on the monitor 40 together with the M-mode still image.

  As shown in FIG. 6C, the first measurement point 61 is dragged with the pointing device of the operation input unit 20 from the state of FIG. When the point 64 is determined, the straight line 65 connecting the measurement point 62 and the measurement point 64 only changes in the horizontal direction. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus 100 automatically determines that this measurement is a straight line measurement, Along with the M-mode still image, the distance of the straight line 65, in this case, the time (Time) is measured and displayed on the monitor 40.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6D, when the measurement point 62 in FIG. 6B is determined at the position of the measurement point 66 so that there is also a change in the vertical and horizontal directions, the measurement point 61, the measurement point 66, A vertical component, that is, distance (Dist), a horizontal component, that is, time (Time), and a speed (Slope) that is a ratio of the horizontal component to the vertical component are displayed on the monitor 40.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the measurement subprogram in the M image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since it overlaps with the description in FIG.

  When the operator starts measurement in the M image mode (S701), the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 determines that the mode is the M image mode (S702), and displays a start point marker for M image mode measurement (S703). The operator sets the first measurement point (S704), and then sets the second measurement point (S705).

  If the second measurement point changes in the vertical direction with respect to the first measurement point (S706), it is determined whether or not the second measurement point also changes in the horizontal direction (S707). If there is a change, the speed measurement result is displayed (S708). If the change is only in the vertical direction, the distance measurement result is displayed (S709). If it does not change vertically (S706) and changes only in the horizontal direction (S710), the time measurement result is displayed (S711). When the second measurement point does not change horizontally or vertically, that is, when the second measurement point is set on the first measurement point, the setting of the measurement point is canceled (S712), and the process returns to step S705.

  Various operations for inputting measurement points after the third point are conceivable. For example, processing such as canceling the second measurement point and replacing the third measurement point with the second measurement point is conceivable.

The measurement process for the M-mode image according to the present embodiment can be performed for each measurement of distance, time, and moving speed without instructing a specific measurement tool in advance. Therefore, it is possible to carry out measurement without performing complicated setting preparation work for various settings and measurement tool designation prior to measurement.
FIG. 8 is a measurement example on the ultrasonic diagnostic image in the D image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 shows a D-mode image showing the blood flow velocity waveform in the left ventricle. In the D image mode, it is possible to obtain functional information of blood circulation such as flow velocity and turbulent flow conditions.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the D image mode is selected as the image mode, a horizontal bar marker 81 is displayed. The vertical axis represents blood flow rate and the horizontal axis represents time. The operator can freely move the horizontal bar marker 82 as indicated by a dotted line by dragging the horizontal bar marker 81 to a desired position on the D mode image indicating the Doppler blood flow waveform with respect to the D mode image. Following the movement of the marker, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 measures the Doppler blood flow waveform image flow velocity value (Vel) and displays it on the monitor 40.

  As shown in FIG. 8B, when the end of the horizontal bar marker 82 is clicked, x marks 82a and 82b indicating measurement points are displayed. Then, in addition to the Doppler blood flow waveform image flow velocity value (Vel), the pressure difference (PG) is measured and displayed on the monitor 40. The pressure difference is obtained by calculating the flow velocity pressure based on Bernoulli's theorem based on the flow velocity at the observation point.

  As shown in FIG. 8C, the positions of the two end points 82a and 82b of the horizontal bar 82 can be freely changed by dragging. By dragging the left end point 82a of the horizontal bar, it is determined as the measurement point 83 at the left position of the start of the pulse waveform. When the right end point 82b is extended to a desired measurement point (in this case, the peak point) of the Doppler pulse waveform and determined as the measurement point 84, an inclined bar marker 85 is displayed. At this stage, the straight line measurement mode is automatically determined. At this time, the horizontal interval between the measurement point 83 and the measurement point 84 is time (Time), the vertical interval is the acceleration (Acel) that is the rate of change of the flow velocity, the flow velocity (Vel1, 2) of each of the two points, and the pressure difference (PG1). , 2) is calculated and displayed together with the Doppler image.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8D, when the measurement point 86 as the third point is determined to be the concave inversion portion of the right descending portion of the pulse waveform, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 changes from the linear measurement mode to the curve measurement mode. The measurement mode is automatically changed to “”, and the inclined bar marker 85 changes to the spline curve 87. Thereafter, a measurement point 88 (second peak point) and a measurement point 89 (one cycle end point of the blood flow waveform) are further added along the boundary of the pulse waveform.

  In this way, application of a spline curve is automatically performed by inputting three or more measurement points, and if a waveform for one period of the blood flow waveform is determined as a measurement point, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 performs measurement processing. (Maximum flow velocity value), Vmin (minimum flow velocity value), Ved (end diastolic flow velocity value), Vm (average flow velocity value), RI (resistance index), PI (pulse wave flow index), S / D (heart) Systolic speed / diastolic speed ratio), VTI (rate integral value), VM (time average flow velocity value), PPG (maximum pressure difference: blood pressure difference maximum value), MPG (average pressure difference: blood pressure difference average value) The measurement result value is displayed on the monitor 40.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the measurement subprogram in the D image mode in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. Since it overlaps with the description in FIG.

  When the operator starts measurement in the D image mode (S901), the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 determines that the mode is the D image mode (S902), and displays a start point bar marker for D image mode measurement (S903). The bar marker is horizontal and has a specified length (S904).

  The operator can change the height of the horizontal bar marker as the first measurement point. In that case, a flow velocity value indicating the height and a pressure difference obtained from the flow velocity are displayed on the monitor 40. (S905) The left end of the horizontal bar marker is dragged as a first measurement point (S906). Next, the right end of the bar marker is dragged as the second measurement point (S907). With the tilt bar marker formed from the first measurement point and the second measurement point, the flow velocity and pressure difference between the first measurement point and the second measurement point are calculated and displayed on the monitor 40 (S908).

  Next, when the third measurement point is set, the bar marker changes to a spline curve (S909), and then the fourth measurement point and the fifth measurement point are set to trace the Doppler flow velocity waveform (S910). In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, values such as PI, RI, S / D, VTI, and VM in the spline curve are calculated and displayed on the monitor 40 (S911).

  In the present embodiment, every time a desired measurement point is determined on the D-mode image to be measured, measurement based on the position, number, and input order of the measurement points input so far is automatically executed. Since the result is displayed on the monitor 40, the observation site can be measured without setting the diagnosis items in advance. As a result, the operability of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is improved, and the inspection and measurement throughput can be improved.

  Note that the magnification of the image of each mode displayed on the monitor 40 can be changed even during or after the measurement point is set. That is, it is possible to increase the magnification of the part image to be observed and further increase the accuracy of the position of the measurement point. In this case, since the coordinates of the measurement points already input are held, if it is desired to increase the measurement accuracy, it is only necessary to drag the marker x mark of each measurement point and determine the position again. The magnification can be changed by displaying and selecting the “magnification change” menu with a pointing device or the like of the operation input unit 20.

  In addition, a figure (for example, an elliptic curve) formed from the input measurement points can be moved without changing the shape by the pointing device of the operation input unit 20, and the size can be reduced and enlarged.

  Furthermore, when it is desired to manually set the measurement tool in advance over the measurement tool automatically determined by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, a simple program can be executed using the preset function. The preset function is executed by selecting a “preset function” menu using a preset function key of the operation input unit 20 or a pointing device of the operation input unit 20 to execute a measurement tool set in advance by the operator. Furthermore, among the automatically determined measurement items, it is possible to select items that are not desired to be displayed or unnecessary items. This preset function can be realized by holding a table in the storage memory unit 14 to determine which measurement tool is preferentially activated from the image mode or the part to be observed and referring to the table.

  In this embodiment, a spline curve is used as the curve approximation. However, any curve such as a Bezier curve can be used as long as the measurement points can be approximated by a curve. In order to shorten the measurement time, the interpolation order of the approximate curve can be lowered.

  In addition, although the flow diagram is complicated, it is not shown in the figure, but the change of the measurement point input instruction is displayed by pressing the backspace of the keyboard of the operation input unit 20, the escape key (ESC), or the pointing device. By selecting “return to original” or the like from the menu, the process of the current step is canceled, the process returns to the previous step, and a standby process for receiving the next input instruction is performed at that step.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, the constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main-body part 11 ... CPU part 12 ... System control part 13 ... Measurement processing part 14 ... Memory | storage memory part 15 ... Transmission part 16 ... Reception part 17 ... Signal processing part 18 ... Display image Processing unit 20 ... Operation input unit 30 ... Ultrasonic probe 40 ... Monitor 31 ... Start point marker 32, 33, 35, 36 ... Measurement points indicating straight lines in the B-mode image 34 ... Straight lines 41, 42, 43, 44 connecting the measurement points ... Measurement point indicating closed curve in B-mode image 45 ... Spline closed curve 46, 47 ... Auxiliary line 48 ... Ellipse approximate straight line 61, 62, 64, 66 ... Measurement point in M-mode image 63, 65 ... Straight line 81 connecting measurement points 82 ... Horizontal bar markers 82a, 82b ... Bar marker measurement points 83, 84, 86, 88, 89 ... Measurement points in D-mode images 85 ... Inclined bars Marker 87 ... Spline curve

Claims (7)

Measurement tool setting means for setting a plurality of measurement tools corresponding to the type of ultrasonic image mode;
Measurement point input means for sequentially inputting a plurality of measurement point positions on the ultrasonic image;
According to the measurement tool selection means for selecting one of the plurality of measurement tools from the position and setting order of the plurality of measurement points set by the measurement point input means, and the measurement tool selected by this means, Measurement processing means for performing a predetermined measurement process based on the measurement points set by the measurement point input means;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a measurement display unit that displays a measurement processing result by the measurement processing unit together on the ultrasonic image.   In the measurement processing means, when two or more measurement points input by the measurement point input means are on the same straight line, the measurement points are displayed by being interpolated with a straight line and selected by the measurement tool selection means. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein measurement processing of a measurement tool is performed.   In the measurement processing means, when three or more measurement points input by the measurement point input means are not on the same straight line, the measurement points are displayed by interpolation with a curve, and selected by the measurement tool selection means. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein measurement processing of a measurement tool is performed.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement tool selected by the measurement tool selection unit can be manually changed.   2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein movement of the position of the measurement point input by the measurement point input means and enlargement, reduction, and movement of a figure formed from the plurality of measurement points can be manually performed. .   Only the magnification of the ultrasonic image can be manually changed while holding the position of the measurement point input by the measurement point input unit and the measurement tool selected by the measurement tool selection unit. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement tool can be set in advance in preference to the measurement tool selected by the measurement tool selection unit.