Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and method for generating image from volume data and displaying the same

• US 10,433,819 B2
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Kwang-hee, Kim, Sung-yoon, Yoo, Jun-sang
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillman, Amelie R
• Application Number:
  US14/818,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20160038122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7267 involving training the classification device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0808 for diagnosis of the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0866 involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/468 allowing annotation or message recording
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/523 for generating planar views from image data in a user selectable plane not corresponding to the acquisition plane
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10136 3D ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30016 Brain
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30044 Fetus; Embryo
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume

Abstract

Provided is an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus including: a data acquisition unit configured to acquire volume data for a head of an object; an image processor configured to detect a mid-sagittal plane (MSP) from the volume data, generate an MSP image corresponding to the MSP, detect at least one measurement plane based on the MSP, and generate at least one measurement plane image corresponding to the at least one measurement plane; and a display configured to display the MSP image and the at least one measurement plane image on a single screen.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprising:

an image processor configured to detect a mid-sagittal plane (MSP) from volume data for a head of an object, generate an MSP image corresponding to the MSP, determine a measurement plane among a first plurality of candidate planes that are perpendicular to the MSP, and generate a measurement plane image corresponding to the measurement plane; and

a display configured to display the MSP image and the measurement plane image on a single screen,

wherein the image processor is further configured to determine the measurement plane, among the first plurality of candidate planes, as a transthalamic plane (TTP), based on a brightness value of a first predetermined region of each of the first plurality of candidate planes, respectively.

2. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to indicate a position of the measurement plane on the MSP image.

3. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 2, wherein the position of the measurement plane is indicated by a line on the MSP image.

4. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display is further configured to display a contour of the measurement plane image in the same color as that of the line indicated on the MSP image.

5. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display is further configured to display a name of the measurement plane on the measurement plane image in the same color as that of the line indicated on the MSP image.

6. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a user interface configured to receive a request to change the measurement plane,

wherein the image processor is further configured to change the measurement plane image and the line based on the request and acquire a measured value based on the changed measurement plane image.

7. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 6, wherein the user interface is further configured to output a menu, via which at least one from among a rotation, a movement, and a scaling of the line, is performed based on a user input.

8. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to acquire a measured value by measuring at least one biometric parameter in the measurement plane image and indicate the measured value on at least one from among the measurement plane image and the MSP image.

9. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 8, wherein the image processor is further configured to indicate the measured value on at least one from among the measurement plane image and the MSP image by using at least one from among a marker and a text.

10. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display is further configured to display on the single screen at least one selected from the measured value, a position of the at least one biometric parameter, a statistical value of a fetal gestational age, and a statistical graph.

11. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one biometric parameter comprises at least one from among a head circumference (HC), a biparietal diameter (BPD), an occipital frontal diameter (OFD), a transverse cerebellar diameter (TCD), a cisterna magna (CM), and a posterior ventricle (Vp).

12. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 8, wherein the image processor is further configured to measure the at least one biometric parameter by using at least one from among an image processing technique and a machine learning classifier.

13. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 8, wherein, when the image processor receives a request to change the measurement plane, the image processor is further configured to change the measured value by remeasuring the at least one biometric parameter based on the request.

14. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to determine a plurality of measurement planes among the first plurality of candidate planes, generate a plurality of measurement plane images corresponding to the plurality of measurement planes, and indicate positions of the plurality of measurement planes on the MSP image by lines in a plurality of different colors, respectively,

the measurement plane is one of the plurality of measurement planes, and the measurement plane image is one of the plurality of measurement plane images.

15. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 14, wherein when the image processor receives information of selection of a line among the lines on the MSP image from a user, the image processor is further configured to control the display to highlight the, measurement plane image, which is indicated by the selected line, among the plurality of measurement plane images.

16. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 14, wherein, when the image processor receives information of selection of one measurement plane image among the plurality of measurement plane images from a user, the image processor is further configured to control the display to highlight a line, which indicates the selected measurement plane, among the lines.

17. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to acquire the volume data based on an initial plane which is designated by a user via a probe.

18. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a user interface configured to receive an input from the user on the initial plane,

wherein the image processor is further configured to acquire the volume data based on the received input on the initial plane.

19. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 18, wherein the received input comprises position information of a center of the head and direction information of the head in the initial plane.

20. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 19, wherein the direction information of the head comprises an anterior direction of the head.

21. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 18, wherein the display is further configured to display a position of an anatomical landmark on at least one from among the MSP image and the measurement plane image based on at least one from among a user input, position information of the initial plane, a result of segmentation, and a result of automatic measurement.

22. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the measurement plane image comprises a name of the measurement plane that is entered by a user.

23. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to determine a plurality of measurement planes among the first plurality of candidate planes and generate a plurality of measurement plane images corresponding to the plurality of measurement planes,

the display is further configured to display the MSP image and the plurality of measurement plane images in a 2×

2 layout,

the measurement plane is one of the plurality of measurement planes, and

the measurement plane image is one of the plurality of measurement plane images.

24. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display is further configured to display the MSP image and the measurement plane image in a 2×

1 layout.

25. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to extract a falx from the volume data based on user input information and detect the MSP by using the falx or automatically detect the MSP by using a machine learning technique.

26. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor is further configured to determine a second plurality of candidate planes that are perpendicular to the MSP and horizontal to the TTP, and determine one of the second plurality of candidate planes as a transventricular plane (TVP) based on a gradient magnitude of a second predetermined region of each of the second plurality of candidate planes, respectively.

27. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1,

wherein the image processor is further configured to determine a cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) located at a predetermined distance from a central point of the head towards an anterior part of the head in the TTP, identify a second plurality of candidate planes by rotating the TTP around an axis extending through the CSP, and determine one of the second plurality of candidate planes as a transcerebellar plane (TCP) based on a similarity of a predetermined pattern in a second predetermined region of each of the second plurality of candidate planes, respectively.