ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20130006111A1
• Filed: 09/10/2012
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: SASAKI, Takuya
• Granted Patent: US 9,895,138 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/441
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• 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 8/466 adapted to display 3D data 3D imaging and stereoscopic displays in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S15/8993 and G01S7/52068, respectively; 3D image rendering G06T15/00; manipulating 3D models for computer graphics G06T19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5246 combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52066 Time-position or time-motion displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52073 Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52074 Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information

Abstract

According to one embodiment, based on a reception signal, the Doppler signal generation unit generates a first Doppler signal attributed to motion of a living body in a ROI and a second Doppler signal attributed to slower motion. The velocity display scale determination unit determines first and second velocity display scales based on velocity distribution ranges for the first and second Doppler signals, respectively. The image generation unit generates first and second Doppler images based on the first and second Doppler signals, respectively. The display unit displays the first and second Doppler images with the first and second velocity display scales, respectively.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe;

an ultrasonic transmission unit configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave to an object via the ultrasonic probe;

an ultrasonic reception unit configured to generate a reception signal based on a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave;

a Doppler signal generation unit configured to generate a first Doppler signal and a second Doppler signal based on the reception signal, wherein the first Doppler signal is attributed to first motion which is motion of a living body in a region of interest in a predetermined azimuth direction, and wherein the second Doppler signal is attributed to second motion slower than the first motion;

a velocity display scale determination unit configured to determine a first velocity display scale based on a velocity distribution range for the first Doppler signal and determine a second velocity display scale based on a velocity distribution range for the second Doppler signal;

an image generation unit configured to generate a first Doppler image based on the first Doppler signal and generate a second Doppler image based on the second Doppler signal; and

a display unit configured to display the first Doppler image with the first velocity display scale and display the second Doppler image with the second velocity display scale.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first Doppler image relates to a blood flow, and the second Doppler image relates to a tissue.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first Doppler image relates to a blood flow, and the second Doppler image relates to a lymph fluid.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first Doppler image relates to a blood flow in an artery, and the second Doppler image relates to a blood flow in a vein.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the velocity display scale determination unit is configured to determine, as the second velocity display scale, a velocity display scale larger than the first velocity display scale.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the velocity display scale determination unit is configured to determine, as the first velocity display scale, a velocity display scale smaller than the second velocity display scale.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an input unit configured to input a scale for determining the second velocity display scale; and

a storage unit configured to store a scale for determining the second velocity display scale,

wherein the velocity display scale determination unit is configured to determine the second velocity display scale based on at least one of the input scale, the stored scale, and the velocity distribution range for the second Doppler signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Doppler signal generation unit further comprises a variable filter, and

wherein the apparatus further comprises a filter change unit configured to change a filter characteristic of the variable filter between a characteristic for extracting the first Doppler signal from the reception signal and a characteristic for extracting the second Doppler signal from the reception signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Doppler signal generation unit is configured to generate the second Doppler signal by performing Fourier transformation of the reception signal using a sample count larger than a sample count used in Fourier transformation for generation of the first Doppler signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image generation unit is configured to generate an image in which the second Doppler image is superimposed on the first Doppler image by matching times on a time axis of the first Doppler image and times on a time axis of the second Doppler image with each other.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image generation unit is configured to generate the second Doppler image with a luminance of a background of a Doppler waveform changed to a predetermined luminance based on a frequency spectrum of the second Doppler signal.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image generation unit is configured to generate the second Doppler image with a hue of a background of a Doppler waveform changed to a predetermined hue based on a frequency spectrum of the second Doppler signal.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transmission unit is configured to transmit the ultrasonic wave under predetermined transmission conditions corresponding to velocity of the first motion and velocity of the second motion, respectively.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predetermined transmission conditions include a pulse repetition frequency.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic reception unit is configured to receive the ultrasonic wave under predetermined reception conditions corresponding to velocity of the first motion and velocity of the second motion, respectively.

16. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe;

an ultrasonic transmission unit configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave to an object via the ultrasonic probe;

an ultrasonic reception unit configured to generate a reception signal based on a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave;

a B-mode signal generation unit configured to generate a B-mode signal based on the reception signal;

a first image generation unit configured to generate a B-mode image based on the B-mode signal;

a region-of-interest set unit configured to set a region of interest in a desired azimuth direction on the B-mode image in accordance with an instruction from an operator;

a range gate determination unit configured to determine positions of a plurality of range gates in the region of interest based on pixel values in the region of interest;

a Doppler signal generation unit configured to generate a plurality of Doppler signals based on the reception signal, the Doppler signals corresponding to the positions of the range gates, respectively;

a velocity display scale determination unit configured to determine a plurality of velocity display scales based on a velocity distribution range for each of the Doppler signals, the velocity display scales corresponding to the Doppler signals, respectively;

a second image generation unit configured to generate a plurality of Doppler images based on the Doppler signals, the Doppler images corresponding to the Doppler signals, respectively; and

a display unit configured to display the Doppler images based on the velocity display scales corresponding to the Doppler images.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the range gate determination unit is configured to determine the positions of the range gates such that a range of one of at least two range gates of the range gates includes the other range gate.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising an input unit configured to input the positions of the range gates in the region of interest in accordance with an instruction from the operator,

wherein the range gate determination unit is configured to adjust the positions of the range gates based on the input from the input unit.