ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20130116567A1
• Filed: 01/12/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishigaki, Morio
• Granted Patent: US 9,642,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/447
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/42 Details of probe positioning or probe attachment to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4209 by using holders, e.g. positioning frames
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4466 involving deflection of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• 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 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• 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: A61B 8/5246 combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52036 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52065 Compound scan display, e.g. panoramic imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes: a probe that transmits and receives ultrasound; a signal analysis unit that, when the probe scans a cross section of elevation direction of a blood vessel using ultrasound, detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through a center of the blood vessel among a plurality of scan line echo signals in the cross section of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on a part of each of the plurality of scan line echo signals that has a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from a part of the blood vessel where blood flows; and an IMT measurement unit that computes an IMT from the center scan line echo signal. With this configuration, it is possible to provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus capable of performing wide-range IMT measurements with few errors even when a blood vessel seen from a body surface is not linear.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, comprising:

a probe that transmits and receives ultrasound;

a signal analysis unit that, when the probe scans a cross section of elevation direction of a blood vessel using the ultrasound, detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through a center of the blood vessel among a plurality of scan line echo signals in the cross section of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on a part of each of the plurality of scan line echo signals that has a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from a part of the blood vessel where blood flows; and

an IMT measurement unit that computes an IMT from the center scan line echo signal.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal analysis unit judges, as the center scan line echo signal, a scan line echo signal whose part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows is longest among a plurality of scan line echo signals in the cross section of elevation direction of the blood vessel.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal analysis unit judges, as the center scan line echo signal, a scan line echo signal that has a largest amplitude difference between an amplitude of a tunica intima part and an amplitude of a tunica media part among a plurality of scan line echo signals in the cross section of elevation direction of the blood vessel, the tunica intima part being positioned after the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows, and the tunica media part being positioned after the tunica intima part.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal analysis unit judges, as the center scan line echo signal, a scan line echo signal that has a largest ratio of an amplitude of a tunica intima part to an amplitude of a tunica media part among a plurality of scan line echo signals in the cross section of elevation direction of the blood vessel, the tunica intima part being positioned after the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows, and the tunica media part being positioned after the tunica intima part.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the signal analysis unit performs envelope demodulation on a plurality of scan line echo signals in the cross section of elevation direction of the blood vessel, computes a differential coefficient of an amplitude at a beginning of a tunica intima part, and judges, as the center scan line echo signal, a scan line echo signal that has a largest computed differential coefficient among the scan line echo signals having been subjected to the envelope demodulation, the tunica intima part being positioned after the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein, when the probe scans a plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel using the ultrasound, the signal analysis unit detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through the center of the blood vessel among scan line echo signals in each of the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows, and

the IMT measurement unit computes an IMT from a plurality of the center scan line echo signals detected from the scan line echo signals in the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel.

7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a demodulator connected to the signal analysis unit, generating image data of regions shown by the respective center scan line echo signals using the center scan line echo signals, and generating, as one image, combined image data in which the respective image data are arranged side by side.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, when the probe scans a plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel using the ultrasound, the signal analysis unit detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through the center of the blood vessel among scan line echo signals in each of the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows, and

the IMT measurement unit computes an IMT from a plurality of the center scan line echo signals detected from the scan line echo signals in the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a demodulator connected to the signal analysis unit, generating image data of regions shown by the respective center scan line echo signals using the center scan line echo signals, and generating, as one image, combined image data in which the respective image data are arranged side by side.

10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein, when the probe scans a plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel using the ultrasound, the signal analysis unit detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through the center of the blood vessel among scan line echo signals in each of the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows, and

the IMT measurement unit computes an IMT from a plurality of the center scan line echo signals detected from the scan line echo signals in the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel.

11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a demodulator connected to the signal analysis unit, generating image data of regions shown by the respective center scan line echo signals using the center scan line echo signals, and generating, as one image, combined image data in which the respective image data are arranged side by side.

12. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,

wherein, when the probe scans a plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel using the ultrasound, the signal analysis unit detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through the center of the blood vessel among scan line echo signals in each of the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows, and

the IMT measurement unit computes an IMT from a plurality of the center scan line echo signals detected from the scan line echo signals in the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel.

13. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a demodulator connected to the signal analysis unit, generating image data of regions shown by the respective center scan line echo signals using the center scan line echo signals, and generating, as one image, combined image data in which the respective image data are arranged side by side.

14. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5,

wherein, when the probe scans a plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel using the ultrasound, the signal analysis unit detects a center scan line echo signal having passed through the center of the blood vessel among scan line echo signals in each of the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel received by the probe, based on the part having a relatively small amplitude that corresponds to a reflected wave from the part of the blood vessel where blood flows, and

the IMT measurement unit computes an IMT from a plurality of the center scan line echo signals detected from the scan line echo signals in the plurality of cross sections of elevation direction of the blood vessel.

15. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a demodulator connected to the signal analysis unit, generating image data of regions shown by the respective center scan line echo signals using the center scan line echo signals, and generating, as one image, combined image data in which the respective image data are arranged side by side.