Ultrasonograph and ultrasonography

• US 20070219447A1
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Published: 09/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hiroshi Kanai, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanai, Hiroshi, Hasegawa, Hideyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/581,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219447A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/450
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties

Abstract

A new technique is disclosed for providing an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic method, by which it is possible to diagnose vascular endothelial function with high sensitivity through measurement of changes of elastic modulus of vascular wall in the region of tunica intima and tunica media with high precision by using ultrasonic waves in the diagnosis of vascular endothelial reaction after the stopping of avascularization. According to this technique, the apparatus comprises an arithmetic unit 19 for obtaining elastic modulus of a vascular wall 4, and the apparatus is provided with at least one of a calculation data storage unit 20 for storing changes over time of elastic modulus of vascular wall when artery is avascularized and the avascularization is then stopped, or a display unit 21 for displaying changes over time of elastic modulus of the vascular wall.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing vascular endothelial function, said apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic transmitter for transmitting ultrasonic transmission waves into tissues of living body;

an ultrasonic receiver for receiving an ultrasonic echo from vascular wall in said tissues of living body;

a phase detector for detecting a phase of said ultrasonic echo;

an arithmetic unit for obtaining thickness change between two arbitrary positions among a plurality of positions with said vascular wall from a phase detection signal determined at said phase detector, and for obtaining elastic modulus of said vascular wall from said thickness change and a blood pressure value; and

at least one of a storage unit or a display unit, said storage unit storing changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when artery is avascularized and the avascularization is then stopped, and said display unit displaying changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when artery is avascularized and the avascularization is then stopped.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said arithmetic unit obtains elastic modulus of the vascular wall including at least a part of tunica media.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said arithmetic unit obtains elastic modulus of the vascular wall in tunica intima and tunica media.

2. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing vascular endothelial function said apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic transmitter for transmitting ultrasonic transmission waves into tissues of living body;

an ultrasonic receiver for receiving an ultrasonic echo from vascular wall in said tissues of living body;

a phase detector for detecting a phase of said ultrasonic echo;

an arithmetic unit for obtaining positional displacement of a plurality of positions within said vascular wall from a phase detection signal determined at said phase detector, obtaining thickness change between two arbitrary positions among said plurality of positions from a difference between positional changes of said two positions, and determining elastic modulus of said vascular wall from said thickness change and a blood pressure value; and

at least one of a storage unit or a display unit, said storage unit storing changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when artery is avascularized and the avascularization is then stopped, and said display unit displaying changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when artery is avascularized and the avascularization is then stopped.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said arithmetic unit obtains elastic modulus of the vascular wall including at least a part of tunica media.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said arithmetic unit obtains elastic modulus of the vascular wall in tunica intima and tunica media.

5. An ultrasonic diagnostic method for diagnosing vascular endothelial function by using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising a transmitter/receiver for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, a phase detector for detecting a phase of the received ultrasonic echo, and an arithmetic unit for calculating elastic modulus of vascular wall based on an ultrasonic echo obtained through phase detection, wherein said method comprising:

a step (A) of transmitting ultrasonic waves into tissues of living body including vascular wall, and receiving an ultrasonic echo obtained when said ultrasonic waves is reflected and scattered by said vascular wall;

a step (B) of detecting a phase of said ultrasonic echo;

a step (C) of obtaining thickness change between two arbitrary positions among a plurality of positions within said vascular wall from a phase detection signal determined by said phase detector, and determining elastic modulus of said vascular wall from said thickness change and a blood pressure value; and

at least one of a step (D) of storing changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when avascularizing artery and then avascularization is stopped or a step (E) of displaying changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when avascularizing artery and then avascularization is stopped.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic method according to claim 5, wherein said step (C) of obtaining said elastic modulus is a step of obtaining elastic modulus of vascular wall including at least a part of tunica media.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic method according to claim 7, wherein said step (C) of determining elastic modulus is a step of determining elastic modulus of vascular wall in the region of tunica intima and tunica media.

6. An ultrasonic diagnostic method for diagnosing vascular endothelial function by using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising a transmitter/receiver for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, a phase detector for detecting a phase of the received ultrasonic echo, and an arithmetic unit for calculating elastic modulus of vascular wall based on an ultrasonic echo obtained through phase detection, wherein said method comprising:

a step (A) of transmitting ultrasonic waves into tissues of living body including vascular wall, and receiving an ultrasonic echo obtained when said ultrasonic waves is reflected and scattered by said vascular wall;

a step (B) of detecting a phase of said ultrasonic echo;

a step (C) of obtaining positional displacement of a plurality of positions within said vascular wall from a phase detection signal determined by said phase detector, obtaining thickness change between two arbitrary positions among said plurality of positions from a difference of positional displacement of said two positions, and of determining elastic modulus of said vascular wall from said thickness change and a blood pressure value; and

at least one of a step (D) of storing changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when avascularizing artery and then avascularization is stopped or a step (E) of displaying changes over time of elastic modulus of said vascular wall when avascularizing artery and then avascularization is stopped.

11. The ultrasonic diagnostic method according to claim 6, wherein said step (C) of obtaining said elastic modulus is a step of obtaining elastic modulus of vascular wall including at least a part of tunica media.

12. The ultrasonic diagnostic method according to claim 11, wherein said step (C) of determining elastic modulus is a step of determining elastic modulus of vascular wall in the region of tunica intima and tunica media.