Ultrasound Diagnostic Apparatus and Method of Displaying Ultrasound Image

• US 20090124903A1
• Filed: 11/17/2005
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: OSAKA, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 8,708,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• 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 8/463 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 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties

Abstract

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an unit 7 for forming tomographic images on times series on the basis of a reflection echo signals received by ultrasound probe 2, an unit 8 for obtaining the elasticities of portions in the body tissue on the basis of the reflection echo signals and forming elasticity images on times series, an unit 9 for forming a superimposition image on time series by superposing the tomographic image on the elasticity image, an unit 43 for inputting an instruction for controlling the formation of the superimposition image, and an unit 10 for displaying the superimposition image. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further comprises a freezing control portion (7, 8) for outputting an image, as a frozen image, selected in response to a freezing instruction for freezing the display operation on time series of any of the tomographic image or the elasticity image input into the input unit to the superimposition image forming unit.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasound probe that iteratively transmits ultrasonic waves to a subject at time intervals, and receives reflection echo signals on time series corresponding to the iterative transmission of the ultrasonic waves;

a receiving-signal processing unit that processes the reflection echo signal received by the ultrasound probe;

a tomographic image constructing unit that forms tomographic images on time series on the basis of the reflection echo signal;

an elasticity image constructing unit that obtains the displacement of the body tissue of the subject, caused by pressure applied to the subject, on the basis of the reflection echo signal, further obtains the elasticity of parts in the body tissue on the basis of the obtained displacement, and forms elasticity images on time series;

a superimposition-image forming unit that forms a superimposition image of the tomographic image and the elasticity image on time series;

an input unit that inputs an instruction for controlling a formation of the superimposition image; and

a display unit that displays the superimposition image,

the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further comprising;

a freezing control portion that inputs a freezing instruction for freezing the display operation on time series of any of the tomographic image and the elasticity image to the input unit, and outputs an image selected on the basis of the freezing instruction, as the frozen image, to the superimposition-image forming unit.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the freezing control portion selects the frozen image from among the images on time series whose display operation on time series is frozen on the basis of the freezing instruction, and outputs the selected frozen image to the superimposition-image forming unit, and

the superimposition-image forming unit forms the superimposition image on time series of the frozen image and the image that is displayed on time series.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an elasticity image freezing instruction for freezing the display operation on time series of the elasticity images is input to the input unit,

the freezing control portion selects the frozen elasticity image from the elasticity image on time series on the basis of the elasticity image freezing instruction, and outputs the selected image to the superimposition-image forming unit, and

the superimposition-image forming unit forms the superimposition image on time series of the frozen elasticity image and the tomographic image on time series.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a tomographic image freezing instruction for freezing the display operation on time series of the tomographic image is input to the input unit,

the freezing control portion selects the frozen tomographic image from the tomographic images on time series on the basis of the tomographic image freezing instruction, and outputs the selected image to the superimposition-image forming unit, and

the superimposition-image forming unit forms the superimposition image on time series of the frozen tomographic image and the elasticity image on time series.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the input unit comprises input means that inputs the elasticity image freezing instruction.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ultrasound probe comprises a jig to which an invasion device is attached,

the jig has an advance/return detecting sensor that detects the advance/return of the invasion device to the subject, and

an advance signal of the invasion device, output from the advance/return detecting sensor, is input to the input unit as the elasticity image freezing instruction.

7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ultrasound probe comprises:

a magnetic sensor that detects the position and attitude of the ultrasound probe in cooperation with the three-dimensional magnetic field generated around the subject; and

an ultrasound probe movement detecting portion that detects the movement of the ultrasound probe on the basis of a detection signal of the magnetic sensor, and

a signal indicating that the movement of the ultrasound probe output from the ultrasound probe movement detecting portion is not more than a setting threshold is input to the input unit, as the elasticity image freezing instruction.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ultrasound probe comprises a pressure sensor that detects pressure applied to the subject,

the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises a pressure measuring portion that receives a pressure signal from the pressure sensor and measures the pressure, and

a signal indicating the time change of the pressure output from the pressure measuring portion is not more than a setting threshold is input to the input unit, as the elasticity image freezing instruction.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the display unit displays a body mark indicating the portion of the subject, for obtaining the elasticity image, and a probe mark indicating the arrangement position of the ultrasound probe on the body mark, and

the freezing control portion controls the setting threshold in accordance with the type of the body mark and the arrangement position of the probe mark.

10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the freezing control portion controls the setting threshold in accordance with information on the subject.

11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the freezing control portion selects, as the frozen elasticity image, the elasticity image at the time for inputting the freezing instruction from the elasticity images on time series, and outputs the selected image to the superimposition-image forming unit.

12. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the elasticity image forming unit comprises a frame memory that stores a plurality of the elasticity images from the elasticity image on time series,

the display unit displays at least one of the plurality of elasticity images stored in the frame memory,

the input unit comprises means that selects a desired one from at least one of the displayed elasticity images, and

the freezing control portion outputs the selected desired elasticity image as the frozen elasticity image to the superimposition-image forming unit.

13. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit inputs a freezing reset instruction for resetting the freezing operation displayed on time series, and

the freezing control portion outputs the images on time series whose display operation on time series is frozen to the superimposition-image forming unit on the basis of the freezing reset instruction.

14. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an amount-of-movement calculating section that calculates the amount of movement of the tomographic image after inputting the freezing instruction from the tomographic image from the time for inputting the freezing instruction,

wherein the superimposition-image forming unit moves the position of the frozen elasticity image to match the position of the tomographic image after the freezing instruction by using the amount of movement.

15. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an amount-of-movement calculating section that calculates the amount of movement of the tomographic image after inputting the freezing instruction from the tomographic image from the time for inputting the freezing instruction,

wherein the superimposition-image forming unit outputs a warning message indicating the amount of movement is over a setting threshold.

16. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ultrasound probe is a hybrid ultrasound probe comprising a cylindrical basic portion that can be inserted in the body cavity of the subject, and an ultrasound probe for transverse section having arrangement of a plurality of ultrasound vibrators in the direction parallel with the tomographic surface and an ultrasound probe for longitudinal section having arrangement of a plurality of ultrasound vibrators in the direction orthogonal to the tomographic surface at the end of the basic portion,

the jig to which the invasion device is attached supports the invasion device to be capable of advance and return in the direction orthogonal to an ultrasound emission surface of the ultrasound probe for transverse section,

the tomographic image constructing unit forms a lateral tomographic image on the basis of the reflection echo signal corresponding to the ultrasound probe for transverse section, and further forms a longitudinal tomographic image on the basis of the reflection echo signal corresponding to the ultrasound probe for longitudinal section, and

the elasticity image constructing unit forms the elasticity image on the basis of the reflection echo signal corresponding to the ultrasound probe for transverse section.

17. An ultrasound image display method comprising:

a step (a) of applying pressure to a subject;

a step (b) of iteratively transmitting ultrasonic waves to the subject at time intervals and receiving reflection echo signals on time series corresponding to the iterative transmission of the ultrasonic waves;

a step (c) of forming a tomographic image of the subject on the basis of the reflection echo signal;

a step (d) of obtaining the displacement of the subject, caused by the pressure, on the basis of the reflection echo signal, and forming an elasticity image indicating the elasticity of parts in the body tissue on the basis of the obtained displacement;

a step (e) of forming a superimposition image of the tomographic image and the elasticity image;

a step (f) of displaying the superimposition image;

a step (g) of displaying the superimposition images on time series by iterating the steps (a) to (f);

a step (h) of inputting a freezing instruction for freezing the display operation on time series of any of the tomographic image and the elasticity image;

a step (i) of selecting the frozen image on the basis of the freezing instruction; and

a step (j) of forming the superimposition images on time series of the frozen image and the image displayed on time series.

18. The ultrasound image display method according to claim 17, wherein, in the step (h), an elasticity image freezing instruction for freezing the display operation on time series of the elasticity image is input,

in the step (i), one of the formed plurality of elasticity images is selected as a frozen elasticity image on the basis of the elasticity image freezing instruction, and

in the step (j), the superimposition images of the frozen elasticity image and the tomographic image displayed on time series are formed on time series and are displayed.

19. The ultrasound image display method according to claim 17, wherein in the step (h), a tomographic image freezing instruction for freezing the display operation on time series of the tomographic image is input,

in the step (i), one of the formed plurality of tomographic images is selected as a frozen elasticity image on the basis of the tomographic image freezing instruction, and

in the step (j), the superimposition images of the frozen tomographic image and the elasticity images displayed on time series are formed on time series and are displayed.