ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20100069757A1
• Filed: 02/07/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Hideki, Azuma, Takashi
• Application Number:
  US12/529,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20100069757A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/454
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02007 Evaluating blood vessel condition, e.g. elasticity, compliance
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/085 for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• 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 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• 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: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8984 Measuring the velocity vector
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52071 Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, including a first imaging unit for configuring plural pieces of first-image data based on reception signals received by an ultrasound probe, a velocity vector detector for measuring blood and tissue velocity vectors based on the plural pieces of first-image data inputted from the first imaging unit, a blood-flow image extracting unit for configuring a blood-flow image based on the velocity vectors measured, a histogram unit for calculating number of pixels for each brightness with respect to the blood-flow image configured, a threshold controller for inputting a brightness threshold value, an information processing unit for color-mapping pixels whose brightness are higher than the brightness threshold value, and configuring second-image data by adding the pixels to at least the one piece of first-image data, and a display for displaying the second-image data configured.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising:

an ultrasound probe for transmitting/receiving ultrasound signals to/from an object;

a first imaging unit for configuring plural pieces of first-image data based on said reception signals received by said ultrasound probe;

a velocity vector detector for measuring blood and tissue velocity vectors based on said plural pieces of first-image data inputted from said first imaging unit;

a blood-flow image extracting unit for configuring a blood-flow image based on said velocity vectors measured by said velocity vector detector;

a histogram unit for calculating number of pixels on each brightness basis with respect to said blood-flow image configured by said blood-flow image extracting unit;

a threshold controller for inputting a brightness threshold value;

an information processing unit for displaying pixels and other pixels in a mutually different display mode, and configuring second-image data by adding said pixels to at least said one piece of first-image data, brightness of said pixels being higher than said brightness threshold value; and

a display for displaying said second-image data configured by said information processing unit.

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

said blood-flow image extracting unit selects a tissue region based on said velocity vectors, and configures said blood-flow image by eliminating tissue-region data from said first-image data.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said information processing unit color-codes said pixels in accordance with said brightness of said pixels, said brightness of said pixels being higher than said brightness threshold value.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said display displays said second-image data in such a manner that said blood-flow velocity vector is superimposed on said second-image data, said blood-flow velocity vector being measured by said velocity vector detector.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said display further displays a frequency distribution table for indicating said number of said pixels on each brightness basis.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said threshold controller sets, as said brightness threshold value, a brightness of an arbitrary region on said first image.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said frequency distribution table and said brightness threshold value are updated in response to acquisition of said first-image data.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said blood-flow image extracting unit memorizes a predetermined velocity-vector threshold value, and defines, as said blood-flow image, a region in which there exists a velocity vector whose value is larger than said predetermined velocity-vector threshold value.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said blood-flow image extracting unit configures said blood-flow image by eliminating a region from said first-image data, said velocity vectors being substantially equal to zero in said region.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said blood-flow image extracting unit selects a tissue region based on said reception signals, said reception signals being acquired by said ultrasound probe in accordance with wave-transmission sequence including irradiation with a low-frequency component.

11. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said velocity vector detector measures a plurality of velocity vectors thereby to calculate an average velocity vector,

said blood-flow image extracting unit extracting said blood-flow image based on said average velocity vector.

12. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said velocity vector detector measures a plurality of velocity vectors then to add said plurality of velocity vectors to each other on each region basis.

13. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said threshold controller sets, as said brightness threshold value, a brightness at center of a blood vessel or in proximity to said center in said first-image data.

14. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising:

an ultrasound probe for transmitting/receiving ultrasound signals to/from an object;

a first imaging unit for configuring plural pieces of first-image data based on said reception signals received by said ultrasound probe;

a memory for memorizing at least two pieces of said plural pieces of first-image data, each of said plural pieces of first-image data corresponding to each of said plural reception signals ranging from said 1st signal to said n-th signal and received by said ultrasound probe;

a velocity vector detector for measuring blood and tissue velocity vectors from said first-image data corresponding to said (n−

1)-th signal and said first-image data corresponding to said n-th signal, these two pieces of first-image data being inputted from said first imaging unit and being memorized into said memory;

an image accumulation unit for creating an accumulation image by adding said plural pieces of first-image data to each other;

a blood-flow image extracting unit for extracting a blood-flow image based on said velocity vectors measured by said velocity vector detector, or based on said accumulation image created by said image accumulation unit;

a histogram unit for calculating number of pixels on each brightness basis with respect to said accumulation image;

a threshold controller for inputting a brightness threshold value;

an information processing unit for color-mapping pixels whose brightness are higher than said brightness threshold value, and configuring second-image data by adding said pixels to at least said one piece of first-image data; and

a display for displaying said second-image data configured by said information processing unit.

15. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said image accumulation unit creates said accumulation image by correcting movement of said object based on said tissue velocity vector.

16. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said memory memorizes said plural pieces of first-image data, each of said plural pieces of first-image data corresponding to each of said plural reception signals ranging from said 1st signal to said n-th signal and received by said ultrasound probe,

said image accumulation unit creating said accumulation image by adding to each other said plural pieces of first-image data ranging from said 1st first-image data to said n-th first-image data.

17. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said velocity vector detector acquires said plural pieces of first-image data on a one-piece-by-one-piece basis then to measure said blood and tissue velocity vectors.

18. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said ultrasound probe performs said ultrasound transmission/reception at plural times for each division region basis, said division region being acquired by dividing said plural pieces of first-image data, said plural times being equal to number-of-pieces of said plural pieces of first-image data added by said image accumulation unit.

19. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said blood-flow image extracting unit extracts said blood-flow image by extracting a low-frequency component from said accumulation image.

20. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said blood-flow image extracting unit extracts said blood-flow image by extracting a high-brightness region from said accumulation image.

21. (canceled)

22. (canceled)