Image diagnostic system and processing method therefor

• US 20070232892A1
• Filed: 03/29/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hirota, Kazuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,157,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0066 Optical coherence imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6852 Catheters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe

Abstract

An image diagnostic system controls a probe to perform rotational and axially-moving scanning within a body cavity and to acquire reflected signals through the probe. Based on the acquired reflected signals, the system forms and outputs tomographic image of the body cavity and biotissue surrounding the body cavity. The system is provided with a detection unit which detects a direction of movement of the probe in the axially-moving scanning and a control unit which controls the rotational speed of the probe in the rotational scanning. The control unit includes a determination unit which determines whether or not the rotational speed of the probe is to be changed upon detection of movement of the probe toward the distal direction within the body cavity, and changes the rotational speed of the probe upon determination of a change at the determination unit.

Claims

1. An image diagnostic system comprising:

a probe positionable in a body cavity and configured to repeatedly transmit signals into a body cavity and receive reflected signals which are reflected by biotissue surrounding the body cavity;

a rotational scanning unit connected to the probe and configured to rotate the probe to perform a rotational scan;

an axial-moving unit connected to the probe to axially move the probe; and

a control unit configured to produce data based on the reflected signals to construct a tomographic image of the body cavity and surrounding biotissue, the control unit comprising;

a detection unit configured to detect an axial direction of movement of the probe;

a rotational scan controller connected to the rotational scanning unit and configured to control the rotational scanning unit to rotate the probe at a rotational speed; and

the rotational scan controller controlling the rotational scanning unit to change the rotational speed of the probe upon an output from the detection unit.

2. The image diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the rotational scan controller reduces the rotational speed of the probe when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward a distal direction.

3. The image diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the rotational scan controller controls the rotational scanning unit to stop rotation of the probe when the detection unit detects that the probe moves toward a distal direction.

4. The image diagnostic system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the rotational speed of the probe is to be changed upon detection of a movement of the probe toward a distal direction by the detection unit; and

the determination unit making a determination to change the rotational speed of the probe when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward a distal direction within the body cavity at a time when the rotational speed of the probe is higher than a predetermined value.

5. The image diagnostic system according to claim 4, wherein when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward the distal direction at a time when the rotational speed of the probe is higher than a predetermined value, the rotational scan controller controls the rotational scanning unit to reduce the rotational speed of the probe at least to the predetermined value.

6. The image diagnostic system according to claim 4, wherein when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward the distal direction at a time when the rotational speed of the probe is higher than a predetermined value, the rotational scan controller controls the rotational scanning unit to stop rotation of the probe.

7. The image diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the probe is adapted to be connected to a light source which outputs light, with the probe being configured to transmit and receive the light, and the data are produced based on interference light between light reflected in the body cavity and received through the probe and a reference light split from the light outputted from the light source.

8. The image diagnostic system according to claim 1, wherein the probe comprises an ultrasonic transducer which transmits and receives ultrasounds, and the data is produced by the control unit based on ultrasound waves reflected in the body cavity and received through the probe.

9. An image diagnostic system comprising:

a probe positionable in a body cavity and configured to repeatedly transmit signals into a body cavity and receive reflected signals which are reflected by biotissue surrounding the body cavity;

a radial scan motor connected to the probe to rotate the probe to perform rotational scanning;

a linear drive motor connected to the probe to axially move the probe toward a distal direction;

a detection unit configured to detect an axial direction of movement of the probe; and

means for determining, when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward the distal direction, whether a rotational speed of the probe is greater than a predetermined value, and for controlling the radial scan motor to reduce the rotational speed of the probe when the rotational speed of the probe is determined to be greater than the predetermined value when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward the distal direction.

10. An image diagnostic apparatus for controlling a probe, which is adapted to be connected to the image diagnostic apparatus and which repeatedly transmits signals into a body cavity which are reflected by biotissue surrounding the body cavity to perform radial scanning within the body cavity, the image diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a rotational scanning unit connected to the probe and configured to rotate the probe to perform a rotational scan;

an axial-moving unit connected to the probe to axially move the probe; and

a control unit configured to produce data based on the reflected signals to construct a tomographic image of the body cavity and surrounding biotissue;

the control unit comprising;

a detection unit configured to detect an axial direction of movement of the probe;

a rotational scan controller connected to the rotational scanning unit and configured to control the rotational scanning unit to rotate the probe at a rotational speed; and

the rotational scan controller controlling the rotational scanning unit to change the rotational speed of the probe upon an output from the detection unit.

11. The image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the rotational scan controller controls the rotational scanning unit to reduce the rotational speed of the probe when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward a distal direction.

12. The image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the rotational scan controller controls the rotational scanning unit to stop rotation of the probe when the detection unit detects that the probe moves toward a distal direction.

13. The image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the rotational speed of the probe is to be changed upon detection of a movement of the probe toward a distal direction by the detection unit; and

the determination unit making a determination to change the rotational speed of the probe when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward a distal direction within the body cavity at a time when the rotational speed of the probe is higher than a predetermined value.

14. The image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward the distal direction at a time when the rotational speed of the probe is higher than a predetermined value, the rotational scan controller controls the rotational scanning unit to reduce the rotational speed of the probe at least to the predetermined value.

15. The image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when the detection unit detects movement of the probe toward the distal direction at a time when the rotational speed of the probe is higher than a predetermined value, the rotational scan controller controls the rotational scanning unit to stop rotation of the probe.

16. The image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the probe to which the image diagnostic apparatus is adapted to be connected is connected to a light source which outputs light, with the probe being configured to transmit and receive the light, and the data are produced based on interference light between light reflected in the body cavity and received through the probe and a reference light split from the light outputted from the light source.

17. The image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the probe to which the image diagnostic apparatus is adapted to be connected comprises an ultrasonic transducer which transmits and receives ultrasounds, and the data is produced by the control unit based on ultrasound waves reflected in the body cavity and received through the probe.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the rotational speed of the probe is reduced when the probe is determined to be moving toward the distal direction within the body cavity.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein the rotation of the probe is stopped when the probe is determined to be moving toward the distal direction within the body cavity.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising determining whether the rotational speed of the probe is greater than a predetermined value when the probe is determined to be moving toward the distal direction within the body cavity, and reducing the rotational speed of the probe when the rotational speed of the probe is determined to be greater than the predetermined value when the probe is determined to be moving toward the distal direction within the body cavity.

22. A recording medium with a control program stored therein for performing by a computer an information processing method according to claim 17.

23. A control program for performing by a computer an information processing method according to claim 17.

18. A method for controlling, in an image diagnostic system, an axially and rotationally movable probe which repeatedly transmits signals within a body cavity and receives signals reflected in the body cavity during rotational scanning, with the signals received by the probe being used to form and output tomographic images of the body cavity and biotissue surrounding the body cavity, the method comprising:

determining a direction of axial movement of the probe during rotational scanning;

changing a rotational speed of the probe when the probe is determined to be moving toward a distal direction within the body cavity.