ULTRASONIC DOPPLER DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING ULTRASONIC DOPPLER DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20080009737A1
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sumi, Atsushi, Sakaguchi, Fumiyasu, Kataguchi, Muneki, Imamura, Tomohisa, Kakee, Akihiro, Takimoto, Masao
• Granted Patent: US 8,727,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/454
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00

Abstract

An ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus sends ultrasonic waves to a specimen, receives a reflection signal of the ultrasonic waves from the specimen to detect a Doppler signal, obtains blood flow information indicating a peak flow velocity of coronary blood flow, and displays the flow velocity information before and after the administration of a drug to the specimen on a display unit. Then, at least velocity ranges of the flow velocity information before and after the administration of the drug to the specimen are adjusted, and during an ultrasonic scan of the specimen, data on a plurality of acquired images having different velocity ranges are adjusted to the same velocity range. A system control unit displays the data on the plurality of images adjusted to the same velocity range on the display unit.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus provided with a display unit, the apparatus sending ultrasonic waves to a specimen, receiving a reflection signal of the ultrasonic waves from the specimen to detect a Doppler signal and obtain information on flow velocities in the specimen, and displaying the flow velocity information on the display unit, the apparatus comprising:

an adjustment unit which adjusts the flow velocity information acquired at different time points to the same velocity range; and

a control unit which controls the display unit to display the flow velocity information adjusted to the same velocity range.

2. The ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the adjustment unit adjusts the velocity ranges of the blood flow velocity information acquired at the time points before and after the administration of a drug to the specimen.

3. The ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the adjustment unit adjusts base line positions of the flow velocity information before and after the administration of the drug to the specimen.

4. An ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus provided with a display unit, the apparatus sending ultrasonic waves to a specimen, receiving a reflection signal of the ultrasonic waves from the specimen to detect a Doppler signal and obtain information on flow velocities in the specimen, and displaying the flow velocity information on the display unit, the apparatus comprising:

an extraction unit which extracts, in a plurality of heartbeats, a flow velocity value at one time point within one heartbeat in the flow velocity information; and

a control unit which controls the display unit to draw temporal changes in a plurality of flow velocity values extracted in the plurality of heartbeats.

5. The ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a notification unit which notifies an operator that the flow velocity information displayed by the display unit is equal to a peak flow velocity when this flow velocity information is equal to the peak flow velocity.

6. The ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the control unit uses a biological signal such as an ECG signal as a trigger signal to cause the display unit to draw a locus of the temporal changes.

7. The ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the control unit reads, in accordance with a specification based on the locus of the temporal changes of the flow velocity value, a waveform of the flow velocity information acquired at a time corresponding to the specification, after an ultrasonic scan of the specimen.

8. The ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the control unit controls the display unit to simultaneously display the flow velocity information and the temporal changes of the plurality of flow velocity values extracted in the extraction unit.

9. The ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the display unit displays a message indicating that the flow velocity information has reached a peak flow velocity value.

10. A method of controlling an ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus, the method the steps of:

sending ultrasonic waves to a specimen;

receiving a reflection signal of the ultrasonic waves from the specimen to detect a Doppler signal and obtain information on flow velocities in the specimen;

displaying the flow velocity information;

adjusting the flow velocity information acquired at different time points to the same velocity range; and

controlling to display the flow velocity information adjusted to the same velocity range.

11. A method of controlling an ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

sending ultrasonic waves to a specimen;

receiving a reflection signal of the ultrasonic waves from the specimen to detect a Doppler signal and obtain information on flow velocities in the specimen;

displaying the flow velocity information;

extracting, in a plurality of heartbeats, a flow velocity value at one time point within one heartbeat in the flow velocity information; and

controlling to draw temporal changes in a plurality of flow velocity values extracted in the plurality of heartbeats.