JP4253494B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention ,Super An image processing function that improves the accuracy of diagnostic information when performing contrast echography using sonic contrast agents can be exhibited Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, ultrasonic diagnosis with an ultrasonic diagnostic device is repeated because it is possible to obtain heart beats and fetal movements on a real-time display with a simple operation by simply placing an ultrasonic probe from the body surface, and it is highly safe. Can be inspected. In addition, since the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has a smaller system scale than other diagnostic equipment such as X-ray, X-ray CT, and MRI, the apparatus can be moved to the bedside for easy inspection. The size of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus varies depending on the type of function that it has, but a small apparatus that can be carried with one hand has been developed. Ultrasound diagnosis is not affected by X-ray exposure unlike an X-ray apparatus, and has an advantage that it can be used with relative safety.
[0003]
Under these circumstances, in recent years, intravenous administration type ultrasonic contrast agents have been commercialized, and the contrast echo method is becoming widespread. For example, in examinations of the heart and abdominal organs, an ultrasound contrast agent can be injected from a vein to enhance an echo signal from the blood flow, and blood flow dynamics can be evaluated. This contrast echo method can visualize information on minute blood flow (tissue perfusion) that cannot be detected even when a conventional ultrasonic Doppler method is used. Many of the contrast agents have microbubbles as a main component, and these microbubbles serve as a reflection source, and the above-described echo signal is enhanced. The higher the injection amount / concentration of the contrast agent, the greater the contrast effect. However, in recent years, it has been found that due to the nature of the delicate substrate called bubbles, the bubbles are easily broken by the irradiation of ultrasonic waves, so that there is a problem that the contrast effect time is shortened.
[0004]
By the way, paying attention to the transmission sound pressure of the ultrasonic pulse irradiated into the living body, this intensity is not always uniform in the tomographic plane of ultrasonic diagnosis. For example, the transmission sound pressure near the focus of the ultrasonic pulse is higher than the surrounding area. Further, in the deep part from the focus point, the ultrasonic waves are affected by the attenuation of the living body, and the sound pressure decreases as the part becomes deeper. When an ultrasonic pulse encounters a living tissue having a large attenuation constant on the upper side (ie, shallow side) of the propagation path, the transmission sound pressure on the lower side (ie, deep side) is significantly reduced. Occur.
[0005]
Usually, an ultrasonic diagnostic system has a function of correcting a reception signal, and can compensate for the above-described non-uniformity of the transmission sound pressure by correcting the reception signal, thereby enabling visualization.
[0006]
However, when the contrast echo method is performed, there may be a case where good diagnostic information cannot be obtained only by correcting the received signal. That is, as described above, since the behavior of microbubbles changes in a complex manner depending on the transmission sound pressure, correction of the received signal often cannot cope with it.
[0007]
Contrast echo is a transient diagnosis due to the property that it is performed by administering a contrast agent, and has a feature that the signal intensity dynamically changes in accordance with the inflow and outflow of the contrast agent to the region of interest. Attempts have been made to quantify normal values and abnormal values from such diagnostic information. For example, the time until the contrast brightness reaches a peak, the signal intensity at the peak, and the ratio of the signal intensity between the normal tissue and the diseased part have been reported.
[0008]
As described above, in the ultrasonic diagnostic method, the transmitted sound field is non-uniform, and the contrast brightness changes accordingly, which is an essential problem in implementing the above quantitative method. The uneven brightness of the shadow has a risk of misdiagnosing a normal site as an ischemic site (or vice versa). Several techniques for avoiding this have been proposed. For example, according to Non-Patent Document 1, as a method of distinguishing a malignant liver cancer from a benign tumor from a liver tumor, it becomes possible by quantifying the maximum inflow rate of a contrast medium signal flowing into the liver tumor. It is reported. In the case of the technique described in this document, correction is performed by obtaining and normalizing the contrast agent maximum inflow velocity of a normal region at the same depth.
[0009]
Further, according to Non-Patent Document 2, an attempt is made to quantify intramyocardial contrast luminance in order to distinguish an ischemic or infarcted portion of myocardial tissue from a normal value. The luminance of a myocardial region of interest is calculated from this region of interest. Correction is performed by normalizing the brightness within the nearest heart chamber.
[0010]
The correction method described in Non-Patent Document 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Explain a little in detail. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a shadow image of a heart cavity and a myocardial part seen after administration of a contrast medium. As described above, the unevenness of the shadow caused by the non-uniform transmission sound field occurs. For example, the luminance is high at the part a2 having the same depth as the focus point, and the luminance is decreased in other cases. Assuming that the myocardial shadow intensity of the parts 1a, 2a, and 3a is 10 dB, 20 dB, and 8 dB, it is not only possible to make an accurate diagnosis with this information, but there is a risk of false diagnosis that the part a3 is ischemia. Sex also arises. On the other hand, since it is considered that the agitated contrast medium is uniformly filled without illness in the heart chamber, the heart cavity portion 1b, which exists at the same depth as the portions 1a, 2a, and 3a, respectively. The shade brightness of 2b and 3b is, for example, 25 dB, 35 dB, and 23 dB. Therefore, when the ratio of the luminance between the myocardium and the heart chamber (the difference between the two when expressed in decibels) is calculated, all of 1a / 1b, 2a / 2b, and 3a / 3b are -15 dB, and the luminance is uniformized. Is planned.
[0011]
[Non-Patent Document 1]
Yasuharu Nomura, Yasuo Matsuda et al. “Quantitative evaluation of contrast enhancement of hepatocellular carcinoma by contrast echocardiography”, Journal of Japanese Society of Ultrasonic Medicine, Vol.23, No.7, 505-512 (1996)
[0012]
[Non-Patent Document 2]
Hiroshi Ito “Has myocardial opacification of Levovist changed diagnosis of cardiology?”, Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Contrast-enhanced Ultrasound, (2001)
[0013]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
According to the above-described correction method of the shaded luminance signal described in Non-Patent Document 2, the specific calculation method is simple and can be realized by using general-purpose image processing software that calculates the average luminance of the image. .
[0014]
However, when general-purpose image processing software that is not specially specialized for ultrasonic diagnosis is used, the diagnostic efficiency is significantly reduced due to the time and complexity required from the acquisition of the diagnosis result to the analysis. In the case of ultrasonic diagnosis, it is desirable that information of diagnostic images can be used effectively and attached to examination results, medical records, and reports rather than simply presenting the processing results as numerical values. It cannot respond to such a request.
[0015]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, such as quantification of intramyocardial contrast brightness for distinguishing ischemic or infarcted sites of myocardial tissue from normal values from images acquired by ultrasonic tomographic scanning. While it is possible to reliably quantify the contrast brightness of a region, this quantification can be performed with high diagnostic efficiency, and the processing results that effectively utilize diagnostic information can be presented. Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment It is an object of the present invention to provide
[0016]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that obtains a tomographic image of a subject by irradiating the subject with an ultrasonic pulse as its basic configuration. Analyzing means for calculating information on a new signal value by performing an operation based on a reference value for the signal value of each pixel in the region of interest of the tomographic image, and providing information on the signal value obtained by the analyzing means Providing means.
[0017]
For example, the analysis means includes means for converting a signal value for each pixel of the region of interest into a signal value having at least one property of a new luminance and a new hue based on the reference value. Further, for example, the analysis unit uses a signal value of a region different from the region of interest in the tomographic image as the reference value, and uses a signal value for each pixel of the region of interest and the reference value. Means for calculating the ratio.
[0018]
Preferably, the providing means is means for superimposing and presenting information on the signal value obtained by the analyzing means on each pixel of the region of interest of the tomographic image.
[0019]
Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, in the basic ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described above, the analysis unit includes a recording unit that acquires and records a signal forming the tomographic image, and a region of interest on the tomographic image. A region of interest setting means for setting a reference area setting means for setting a region for obtaining a reference signal value on the tomographic image, and recording the reference value of the region designated by the reference region setting means in the recording means. A reference value acquisition means obtained from the signal being processed, a calculation means for calculating a ratio between the signal value of each pixel in the region of interest and the reference value using the signal recorded in the recording means, and It can have a generating means for generating, for each pixel, new data reflecting at least one of luminance and hue according to the ratio of each pixel of the region of interest calculated by the calculating means.
[0020]
According to another aspect, the analyzing means calculates the average value and variance value of the signal values of the same anatomically computed tomogram calculated using a plurality of diagnostic images obtained in the past from a plurality of subjects. And statistical information storage means for storing statistical information including standard deviation, interest area setting means for setting a region of interest on the tomographic image, and the statistical information corresponding to the region of interest from the statistical information storage means Reference value acquisition means for reading out as a reference value, calculation means for calculating a ratio between the signal value of each pixel in the region of interest and the reference value using a signal recorded in the recording means, and this calculation means It is also possible to have generation means for generating new data for each pixel reflecting at least one of luminance and hue according to the ratio of each pixel of the region of interest calculated.
[0021]
According to the present invention, there is also provided an ultrasonic tomographic image analyzing apparatus for analyzing a tomographic image of a subject obtained by irradiating the subject with an ultrasonic pulse by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Providing an analysis means for calculating a signal value of a new signal value by performing an operation based on a reference value on a signal value of each pixel in the region of interest of the tomographic image, and providing information on the signal value obtained by the analysis means Providing means.
[0022]
Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic tomographic image analysis method for analyzing a tomographic image of a subject obtained by irradiating the subject with an ultrasonic pulse by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, And a step of calculating a signal value of each pixel in the region of interest of the tomographic image based on a reference value to obtain information on a new signal value, and providing information on the signal value obtained by the analyzing means And a step.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The method for analyzing an ultrasonic image according to the present invention is applied to a tomographic image obtained by performing a contrast (contrast) echo method using a contrast agent on all diagnostic sites such as the liver, pancreas, and myocardium. Is possible. In the embodiment described below, a case where it is mainly applied to a myocardial part will be described.
[0024]
(First embodiment)
With reference to FIGS. 1-6 and FIGS. 10-12, 1st Embodiment of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on this invention is described.
[0025]
As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe 12 responsible for transmission / reception of an ultrasonic signal to / from a subject, and an apparatus for driving the ultrasonic probe and processing a reception signal of the ultrasonic probe. A main body 11, an input device 13 connected to the apparatus main body and capable of inputting instruction information from an operator to the apparatus main body, and a monitor 14 are provided.
[0026]
The input device 13 includes buttons, a keyboard, a trackball, and the like that can control the diagnostic device and set various image quality conditions.
[0027]
The apparatus main body 11 includes an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 21, a B-mode processing unit 22, a Doppler processing unit 23, an image generation circuit 24, a control processor (CPU) 25, a storage medium 31, and other interfaces 31. The storage medium 30 manages functions such as an image memory 26 that stores diagnostic image data, or a software storage unit 27 that stores an analysis program of the present invention. These may be configured by hardware such as an integrated circuit, but may be software programs modularized in software.
[0028]
Although not shown, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 21 includes a transmission circuit such as a delay circuit and a pulsar circuit, and a reception circuit such as an A / D converter and an adder. The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 21 generates pulsed ultrasonic waves to generate the vibration element of the probe 12. And the echo signal scattered by the tissue in the subject is received by the probe 12 again to obtain a received signal.
[0029]
The output from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 21 is sent to the B-mode processing unit 22. Here, logarithmic amplification of the echo signal, envelope detection processing, and the like are performed, and the signal intensity is data expressed by brightness. The Doppler processing unit 23 performs frequency analysis of velocity information from the echo signal and sends the analysis result to the image generation circuit 24.
[0030]
In the image generation circuit 24, the scanning line signal sequence of the ultrasonic scan is converted into a scanning line signal sequence of a general video format typified by a television or the like, and combined with character information and scales of various setting parameters. And output to the monitor 14 as a video signal. Thus, a tomographic image representing the subject tissue shape is displayed.
[0031]
The diagnostic image is sent to the storage memo 26 before or after the image generation circuit 24 inputs it. This image memory can be called by an operator after diagnosis, for example.
[0032]
The control processor 27 has a function as an information processing apparatus (computer) and is a control means for controlling the operation of the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Also for the signal analysis of the present invention, a transfer command for a necessary program or data is sent from the storage medium 30.
[0033]
An inspection workflow is illustrated in FIG. As can be seen from the figure, the examination workflow includes the start of contrast examination (step W1), recording of a diagnostic image (steps W2), termination of the contrast examination (step W3), start of an analysis program (step W4), diagnosis This includes calling up an image (step W5), analysis processing (post-processing; step W6), storing and reporting the analysis result in a storage unit (step W7), and end of analysis (step W8). Of these, steps W2, W4 to W7 indicate operations corresponding to the present invention, and as will be described later, the control processor 25, the storage unit 30, the input device 13, and the interface 28 are used to interactively exchange information with the operator. Automatically executed.
[0034]
“Start contrast examination” (step W1) is a process for starting a conventional contrast examination. The examiner may switch to a contrast echo mode, prepare a contrast medium, or administer to a subject.
[0035]
“Recording of diagnostic image” (step W2) is mainly conventional image storage means. When the operator presses a button or the like, the current diagnostic image is recorded in the storage unit 30 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in digital format. Alternatively, all or part of the examination is automatically saved in the image memory 28 of the storage unit 30.
[0036]
The functions of the diagnostic image according to the present invention are as follows. When this is shown together with FIG. 10, it is determined whether or not to record a diagnostic image (step S11). When the signal behind the image generation circuit 24 (after the video format) is stored, information for performing inverse logarithmic conversion from the information displayed in decibels, for example, a formula coefficient at the time of logarithmic conversion, gain, dynamic range, luminance Scale information, image processing parameters, and the like are recorded in the image memory 26 simultaneously with the image data (steps S12 and S13). The image data after the video format is a diagnostic image itself, and has an advantage that it is easy to handle in terms of data capacity. On the other hand, a signal (raw data) in front of the image generation circuit 24 can be recorded in the image memory 26 (steps S12 and S13). When displaying the analyzed image on the monitor 14, the image data is sent to the monitor 14 via the image generation circuit 24. For this reason, since the diagnostic image generation processing by the image generation circuit 24 is given again, the control processor 25 does not need to store various image processing conditions that affect the rendering performance of the analysis result.
[0037]
“Examination” (step W3) is a process for ending the conventional contrast examination, and the ultrasound scan for the patient is completed here.
[0038]
“Activation of the analysis program” (step W4) is a process of activating the analysis processing software according to the present invention, and the analysis is performed in response to an operation of the operator pressing a predetermined button on the console of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Processing software is started.
[0039]
“Diagnosis image call” (step W5) is a process for calling an image recorded during an examination, and an operator selects an image recorded in the image memory 26 or a hard disk (not shown). Note that the order of the steps of “activation of the analysis program” and “calling the diagnostic image” may be reversed.
[0040]
“Analysis” (step W6) is a process of obtaining a new image by performing an analysis operation according to the present invention on the image called as described above. Details of the protocol and function of this analysis operation will be described later.
[0041]
Further, in “result storage and report” (step W7), the result obtained by the above-described analysis is stored in the storage medium, and is reported to the operator via the monitor 14, for example. Specifically, the analysis result may be stored in the image memory 26 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, or may be stored in an external apparatus connected to the network via the interface 28. Further, it may be stored and reported by processing such as outputting to a printer or attaching to an electronic medical record.
[0042]
(Analysis calculation protocol)
The analysis calculation method executed in step W6 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0043]
First, in a state where the selected image is displayed, a boundary line (histologically corresponding to the endocardium) that divides the myocardial portion and the cardiac chamber portion is drawn (FIGS. 13A and 13B). ) And FIG. 11, step S21). This can be easily drawn by the operator using a pointing device such as a trackball or a mouse. A function of automatically tracing the endocardium may be used.
[0044]
Next, a myocardial region is set as a region of interest with respect to the drawn boundary line, and a desired region in the heart chamber is designated interactively (step S22). Next, the luminance value of each pixel in the designated region of interest and the luminance value of each pixel in the desired region in the heart chamber are read from the image memory 26 (step S23).
[0045]
Therefore, by dividing the luminance value of each pixel of the myocardial part located outside the boundary line by the luminance value (representative value) of the desired region of the heart chamber inside the boundary line (corresponding to subtraction in the case of a decibel value) Then, a calculation for obtaining a new value (correction value) is executed (step S24).
[0046]
As described above, the above calculation is performed on a per-pixel basis for the myocardial portion outside the boundary line. As a result, the texture of the diagnostic image is retained and natural drawing performance is obtained. On the other hand, since a region (ROI) having a certain size is designated in the inner heart chamber, the average luminance value (representative value) in the ROI is used for the above-described calculation. As a result, minute fluctuations applied to the luminance value correction calculation in the heart chamber are reduced.
[0047]
Next, the default information of the color scale bar is read (step S25), and the new luminance value (signal value) calculated as described above is mapped based on the color scale bar or the changed color scale bar. (Steps S26 to S28). The hue, dynamic range, and display gain of the color bar can be changed by the operator.
[0048]
In particular, in this mapping, with respect to the display gain, a specific value is set as a median value instead of expressing the degree of increase in the value as in the conventional case. As described above, when a critical value for discriminating between a normal value and an abnormal value has been clinically clarified, it is effective to directly display the threshold value as a reference. Thereby, for example, since the color scale changes greatly with the median as a boundary, more direct diagnosis becomes possible.
[0049]
(Details of correction calculation)
The correction value calculation process executed in step S24 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
[0050]
FIG. 4A shows each pixel (pixel) value outside the boundary line. When correction is performed with the inner luminance value, the same reference value may be used for the pixel group having the same depth. FIG. 4B shows a reference value region in the heart chamber. As for the reference value in the heart chamber, it is desirable to use an average value in such a relatively wide area.
[0051]
By the way, strictly speaking, the same depth in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is a fan-shaped concentric shape as shown in FIG. Therefore, as shown in the figure, the reference correction value may be an ROI existing at the same depth on a concentric circle. Actually, since the difference in depth is small, it is more efficient in terms of calculation processing speed to substitute the same depth on the image plane.
[0052]
FIG. 5 is an example of a man-machine interface for setting the myocardial region and the region in the heart chamber. This interface includes a control processor 25, an input device 13, an interface (circuit) 28, an image memory 28, an image generation circuit 24, and a monitor 14, and presents a window displayed on the monitor 14 as shown in FIG.
[0053]
According to this interface, the thickness of the outer myocardium as the region of interest can be designated via the window button B1. In the present embodiment, the intima is designated by the operator, but the myocardium can be simply designated here. That is, since it is generally difficult to trace the outer myocardium visually, even if it is somewhat inaccurate, if it is set larger, the diagnostic purpose can be achieved and it is more efficient.
[0054]
In addition, the traced intima is schematically displayed in the window of this interface (see symbol B2). This display assists an intuitive operation when the operator sets parameters.
[0055]
Furthermore, according to this interface, the operator can designate the start position of the ROI inside the boundary line (heart chamber) via the button B3 of the window. When the inner ROI is set adjacent to the traced myocardial intima boundary, there is a risk that, for example, the outer myocardial luminance is mixed into the inner ROI due to a minute shift during tracing. Since the start position can be specified in this way, it is possible to improve the simplicity of analysis without lowering the analysis accuracy. Further, the size of the inner ROI can be arbitrarily set via the two buttons B4.
[0056]
(Analysis result storage and report function)
By the analysis based on the correction calculation for quantifying the luminance value of the myocardial portion described above, the analysis result is saved and reported to the operator in step W7 in FIG. Among these, FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of an actual analysis result for the myocardial part as one of the report functions.
[0057]
This report function will be described with reference to FIG. A new luminance value (signal value) for each pixel of the region of interest (here, the myocardial portion) obtained as a result of the analysis based on the correction calculation is mapped based on a dedicated color scale bar, and is monitored by the monitor 14 with a B-mode slice. The image is superimposed on the image and displayed as shown in FIG. From this display state, the following processing can be performed by an interface having the control processor 25 as the center of arithmetic processing.
[0058]
First, when the operator presses a predetermined button on the display screen of FIG. 6, the image of the above-described analysis result is hidden, and only the original B-mode image can be displayed (FIG. 6). 12, Steps S31 and S32).
[0059]
When the pointer is placed on an arbitrary point on the image on the display screen shown in FIG. 6, the luminance value at that position is read from the image memory 26 and the numerical value of the luminance is displayed (FIG. 12, step). S33, S34). In this display, if the specified pointer position is in the analysis target part (color part), the new luminance value of the analysis result is displayed as a numerical value, but the position is in the non-analysis part of the analysis Displays the brightness value of the B mode.
[0060]
The numerical value of the brightness is arranged on the image as it is as an example of the presentation. At this time, preferably, when a numerical value is displayed on the point of interest, the image of the point of interest is hidden. Therefore, by dragging, the connector line (see FIG. 6) is used to display it at a position off the myocardial part. Is done.
[0061]
Furthermore, if the operator desires, the color scale bar map can be arbitrarily selected by the operator from several types of patterns prepared in advance, or the operator can edit the color map (steps S35 and S36). ).
[0062]
(Second Embodiment)
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, the same or equivalent components as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified.
[0063]
In the first embodiment described above, the analysis method for correcting the non-uniformity of the sound field using the luminance value of the reference part as a reference value has been described. However, in the second embodiment, the luminance of the reference part is determined. The present invention relates to correction when correction cannot be performed even when values are used. Specifically, an analysis method by correction using statistical data is provided.
[0064]
FIG. 7 shows an outline of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of performing such an analysis. A statistical information database 31 is newly added in the configuration shown in FIG.
[0065]
In this statistical information database, statistical information such as the average value or the variance value of the shadow luminance of each part of the myocardium, which is analyzed based on a group of contrast echocardiographic images performed in the past, is registered (see FIG. 13, Steps S41 and S42). It is desirable that these statistical information is created based on research results and stored in advance in the diagnostic device. However, these statistical information is updated based on newly accumulated data at the user's medical institution. It is also possible (FIG. 13, steps S43 and S44).
[0066]
An example of statistical information is shown in FIG. According to this example, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the average value of the shadow luminance is stored in the database for each set condition as shown in FIG. 8 (b) for each main region of the myocardium.
[0067]
The operator sets recommended conditions in advance when performing contrast echo, and it is desirable that buttons such as setting conditions A, B, and C are easily prepared (steps S46 to S48).
[0068]
FIG. 9 shows a specific example of correction based on the statistical information. In this example, some numerical values of pixels in the region 1 shown in FIG. 8A acquired under the setting condition A shown in FIG. 8B are displayed (before correction). According to the table of FIG. 8B, the correction value for this condition is 15 dB. Therefore, what is divided by this value (subtracted in decibels) is the value shown in “after correction”. For pixels in other areas, reference is similarly made from the correction table, and finally a corrected image based on statistical information is obtained.
[0069]
The image of the new brightness value (signal value) of the myocardium obtained as described above is displayed as shown in FIG. 6 as described above. For this reason, an analysis result is reported using the user interface shown in FIG. As one of the report functions, the numerical value display when the pointer is placed on the screen as described above displays the variance value obtained from the statistical information in addition to the luminance value of the analysis result, for example, 15 ± 1 dB. Is done.
[0070]
In the above-described embodiment, the analysis for quantifying the luminance value of the region of interest according to the present invention is configured to be executed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. However, the mode for carrying out the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the image data acquired by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be received online or offline, and can be implemented as a dedicated analysis apparatus that performs the above-described analysis processing. The analysis apparatus in this case is configured by a computer device, for example, and by installing analysis processing software specialized for the various contrast echo methods described above, the same operational effects as described above can be obtained.
[0071]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment According to the above, it is possible to perform an analysis of correcting the contrast agent dyeing luminance and calculating a new luminance value from the image acquired by the ultrasonic tomographic scan, and the analysis result is similar to the diagnostic image. Can be displayed. As a result, conventionally known analysis processing can be presented in a form specialized for ultrasonic diagnosis, particularly contrast echography, and can contribute to improvement of diagnosis efficiency and diagnosis accuracy. Further, if there is a diseased part as a result of the analysis, it can be objectively and easily identified, so that it can also be used for explanation to the patient and information transmission to other doctors.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a first embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a workflow including a work accompanied by an operation by an operator and a process automatically executed by a control processor, which is executed in the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a correction calculation method according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a correction calculation method according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram exemplifying a window of a user interface used for setting an area used for correction calculation.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a screen illustrating an analysis result based on a correction calculation.
FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram for explaining a second embodiment of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram of a statistical information database used in the second embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison of signal values before and after correction executed in the second embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a schematic flowchart showing a part of processing using a user interface executed in the first embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a schematic flowchart showing another part of processing using a user interface executed in the first embodiment;
FIG. 12 is a schematic flowchart showing another part of the process using the user interface, which is executed in the first embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a schematic flowchart showing a part of processing using a user interface executed in the second embodiment.
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional myocardial luminance correction method.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Device body
12 Ultrasonic probe
13 Input device
14 Monitor
24 Image generation circuit
25 Control processor
26 Image memory
27 Software storage
28 interface
30 storage unit
31 statistical information database

Claims (5)

In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that obtains a tomographic image of a subject by irradiating the subject with an ultrasonic pulse,
Analyzing means for calculating information on a new signal value by performing an operation based on a reference value for the signal value of each pixel in the region of interest of the tomographic image;
Providing means for providing information on the signal value obtained by the analyzing means ,
The analysis means includes
Statistical information storage means for storing statistical information including an average value of signal values of the same anatomically computed tomography calculated using a plurality of diagnostic images obtained in the past from a plurality of subjects,
A region of interest setting means for setting a region of interest on the tomographic image;
Reference value acquisition means for reading out the statistical information corresponding to the region of interest from the statistical information storage means as the reference value;
A calculation means for calculating a ratio between a signal value of each pixel in the region of interest and the reference value using a signal recorded in the recording means;
Generating means for generating, for each pixel, new data reflecting at least one of luminance and hue according to the ratio of each pixel of the region of interest calculated by the calculating means;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the providing unit is a unit that superimposes and displays information on the signal value obtained by the analyzing unit on each pixel of the region of interest of the tomographic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the statistical information storage means is configured to be able to update the statistical information. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3 ,
The new data of each pixel in the region of interest generated by the generating unit is displayed together with the color scale bar by being superimposed on the tomographic image by mapping the pixel to the region of interest according to a given display condition. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further comprising display means for performing the above-described operation. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4 ,
The display means includes means for accepting designation of a position on the tomographic image, means for obtaining the luminance of the designated position and the statistical information, and means for displaying the obtained luminance and statistical information as numerical values. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Images