REFERENCE DEFORMABLE BODY, ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS, AND ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC METHOD

• US 20110040185A1
• Filed: 04/14/2009
• Published: 02/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Matsumura, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,197,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4438 Means for identifying the diagnostic device, e.g. barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4455 Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties

Abstract

A reference deformable body the type of which can be identified, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus enabling identification of the type of the reference deformable body, and an ultrasonic diagnostic method are provided.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe (3) wherein a reference deformable body (16) is attached, a tomographic image constructing unit (6,7), and a display unit (14).

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized by further including a storing unit configured to store the relationship between the ID given to the reference deformable body (16) and a type of the reference deformable body (16), and a type identifying unit (54) configured to read out the type of the reference deformable body (16) corresponding to the ID of the reference deformable body (16) which is attached to ultrasonic probe (3) from storing unit (52) and identify the type of the reference deformable body.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe wherein a reference deformable body is attached on its ultrasonic transmitting/receiving surface;

a tomographic image constructing unit configured to transmit/receive ultrasonic waves to/from an object to be examined via the reference deformable body, and generate a tomographic image based on the RF signal frame data of a cross-sectional region of the object; and

a display unit configured to display the tomographic image,

characterized in further comprising;

a storing unit configured to store the relationship between an ID appended to the reference deformable body and a type of the reference deformable body; and

a type identifying unit configured to read out a type of the reference deformable body corresponding to the ID of the reference deformable body which is attached to the ultrasonic probe, and identify the type of the reference deformable body.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a type of the reference deformable body includes at least one of thickness of the reference deformable body, elasticity characteristics including elasticity modulus, acoustic characteristics, scatterer concentration and the ultrasonic probe to be attached.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays at least one of an ID of the reference deformable body which is identified in the type identifying unit or type of the reference deformable body.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the ID is appended at least to one of the reference deformable body or the package thereof.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in further comprising:

a pressure calculating unit configured to read out information on thickness and elasticity modulus from among the types of the reference deformable body stored in the type identifying unit, and calculates the pressure applied on the reference deformable body;

a strain calculating unit configured to calculate strain of a tissue in the cross-sectional region based on the RF signal frame data; and

an elasticity modulus calculating unit configured to calculated elasticity modulus of the tissue based on the calculated pressure and strain.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pressure calculating unit calculates the pressure applied to the reference deformable body based on the strain and the elasticity modulus obtained from the thickness and displacement of the reference deformable body.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in further comprising an elasticity image constructing unit configured to generate an elasticity image based on the elasticity modulus of a tissue calculated by the elasticity modulus calculating unit.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in further comprising an image analyzing unit configured to analyze feature quantity of the reference deformable body in the tomographic image, wherein:

the storing unit stores the relationship between the analyzed feature quantity of the reference deformable body and a type of the reference deformable body, and

the type identifying unit reads out the type of the reference deformable body corresponding to the feature quantity of the reference deformable body in a newly-obtained tomographic image, and identify the type of the reference deformable body.

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

the feature quantity is the average value of the echo luminance in the tomographic image; and

the type identifying unit identifies the type of the reference deformable body based on the average value of the echo luminance in a newly-obtained tomographic image.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the feature quantity is the echo luminance of the scatterer included in the reference deformable body; and

the type identifying unit identifies the type of the reference deformable body based on the pattern, size or form of the scatterer in a newly-obtained tomographic image.

11. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the feature quantity is a form of the reference deformable body or a feature substance included in the reference deformable body, and

the type identifying unit identifies the type of the reference deformable body based on the form or feature substance of the reference deformable body in a newly-obtained tomographic image.

12. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in further comprising an image processing unit configured to shift a tomographic image or elasticity image toward the side of the ultrasonic probe, in accordance with the thickness of the reference deformable body identified by the type identifying unit.

13. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in further comprising an ultrasonic-wave transmission/reception control unit configured to control focus of the ultrasonic wave so that the ultrasonic wave is not focused on the reference deformable body, in accordance with the thickness of the reference deformable body identified by the type identifying unit.

14. An ultrasonic diagnostic method using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe having the ultrasonic-wave transmitting/receiving side on which a reference deformable body is attached;

a tomographic image constructing unit configured to transmit/receive ultrasonic waves to/from an object to be examined via the reference deformable body, and generate a tomographic image based on RF signal frame data of a cross-sectional region of the object; and

a display unit configured to display the tomographic image,

characterized in further comprising;

a step that stores the relationship between an ID appended to the reference deformable body and a type of the reference deformable body;

a step that reads out a type of the reference deformable body corresponding to the ID of the reference deformable body attached to the ultrasonic probe from the storing unit; and

a step that identifies a type of the reference deformable body.

15. A reference deformable body characterized in being attached to the ultrasonic-wave transmitting/receiving surface of an ultrasonic probe, and an ID corresponding to at least one of the thickness, elasticity characteristics including elasticity modulus, acoustic characteristics and scatterer characteristics is appended thereto.