METHOD AND ULTRASOUND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING DIFFUSION BOUNDARY OF MEDICINE

• US 20150257741A1
• Filed: 03/12/2015
• Published: 09/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: OH, Jung-taek, CHO, Eun-mi, KIM, Eun-yeong
• Granted Patent: US 10,456,114 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4848 Monitoring or testing the effects of treatment, e.g. of medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• 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 8/469 for selection of a region of interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/481 involving the use of contrast agent, e.g. microbubbles introduced into the bloodstream analysis of echo signal exploiting properties of a contrast enhancer in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52039
• 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: A61B 8/5246 combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10132 Ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection

Abstract

Provided is a method of marking a diffusion boundary of medicine, the method performed by an ultrasound apparatus and including operations of obtaining first B mode image data and first Doppler data about a target object to which the medicine is injected; detecting a first area of the target object from which the first Doppler data is obtained; determining a first diffusion boundary of the medicine, based on the first area; and marking the first diffusion boundary of the medicine on a B mode image that is generated by using the first B mode image data.

Claims

1. A method of marking a diffusion boundary of medicine, the method performed by an ultrasound apparatus and comprising:

obtaining first B mode image data and first Doppler data about a target object to which the medicine is injected;

detecting a first area of the target object from which the first Doppler data is obtained;

determining a first diffusion boundary of the medicine, based on the first area; and

marking the first diffusion boundary of the medicine on a B mode image that is generated by using the first B mode image data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first Doppler data comprises at least one of color Doppler image data and power Doppler image data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, when a speed value comprised in the first Doppler data is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the detecting of the first area comprises detecting the first area from which the first Doppler data is obtained.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the determining of the first diffusion boundary, an outside area of the first area from which the first Doppler data is obtained is determined as the first diffusion boundary of the medicine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the first diffusion boundary comprises:

detecting a partial area of the first area where a speed value comprised in the first Doppler data is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

determining an outside area of the partial area, as the first diffusion boundary of the medicine.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the marking of the first diffusion boundary comprises marking the first diffusion boundary of the medicine by using a line having a preset form.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the marking of the first diffusion boundary comprises transparently or translucently displaying a first Doppler image that is generated based on the first Doppler data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining second Doppler data about the target object after an elapse of a preset time; and

detecting a second area from which the second Doppler data is obtained.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a second diffusion boundary of the medicine, based on the second area; and

marking the first diffusion boundary of the medicine and the second diffusion boundary of the medicine on the B mode image.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a third area by combining the first area and the second area;

determining an outside area of the third area, as a third diffusion boundary of the medicine; and

marking the third diffusion boundary of the medicine on the B mode image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the marking of the first diffusion boundary comprises:

receiving an input of selecting a region of interest in the B mode image; and

marking the first diffusion boundary in the region of interest.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when Doppler data about the target object is no longer obtained, storing information about the first diffusion boundary.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining second B mode image data about the target object;

comparing the first B mode image data and the second B mode image data; and

when a similarity between the first B mode image data and the second B mode image data is less than a preset value, storing information about the first diffusion boundary.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, on the B mode image, at least one of numerical data about a diffusion range of the medicine, and comparison data obtained by comparing an estimated diffusion range of the medicine with an actual diffusion range of the medicine.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 1.

15. A method of marking a diffusion boundary of medicine, the method performed by an ultrasound apparatus and comprising:

obtaining a first B mode image and a second B mode image of a target object to which the medicine is injected;

comparing a first speckle pattern comprised in the first B mode image with a second speckle pattern comprised in the second B mode image;

estimating a first movement path of at least one speckle comprised in the first B mode image, based on a result of the comparing;

determining a first diffusion boundary of the medicine, based on the first movement path of the at least one speckle; and

marking the first diffusion boundary of the medicine on the second B mode image.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the comparing comprises obtaining a correlation between the first speckle pattern and the second speckle pattern.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the comparing comprises:

receiving an input of selecting a region of interest in the target object; and

comparing the first speckle pattern comprised in the region of interest and the second speckle pattern comprised in the region of interest.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the marking of the first diffusion boundary comprises marking the first diffusion boundary in the region of interest.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining of the first diffusion boundary comprises:

determining a first movement area comprising the first movement path of the at least one speckle; and

determining an outside area of the first movement area, as the first diffusion boundary of the medicine.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining of the outside area comprises:

determining whether the first movement area is equal to or greater than a preset area; and

when the first movement area is equal to or greater than the preset area, determining the outside area of the first movement area, as the first diffusion boundary of the medicine.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein the marking of the first diffusion boundary comprises marking the first diffusion boundary of the medicine by using a line having a preset form.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the marking of the first diffusion boundary comprises transparently or translucently displaying a speckle tracking image that is generated based on a movement path of the at least one speckle.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

obtaining a third B mode image of the target object; and

estimating a second movement path of at least one speckle comprised in the second B mode image, based on a result of comparison between the second speckle pattern comprised in the second B mode image and a third speckle pattern comprised in the third B mode image.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

determining a second diffusion boundary of the medicine, based on the second movement path; and

marking the second diffusion boundary of the medicine on the third B mode image.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising, when a movement distance of the at least one speckle comprised in the second B mode image is less than a threshold value, storing information about the first diffusion boundary.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

comparing the second B mode image with the third B mode image; and

when a similarity between the second B mode image and the third B mode image is less than a preset value, storing information about the first diffusion boundary.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing, on the second B mode image, at least one of numerical data about a diffusion range of the medicine, and comparison data obtained by comparing an estimated diffusion range of the medicine with an actual diffusion range of the medicine.

28. An ultrasound apparatus comprising:

an ultrasound image data obtainer configured to obtain first B mode image data and first Doppler data about a target object to which the medicine is injected;

a controller configured to detect a first area of the target object from which the first Doppler data is obtained, and determine a first diffusion boundary of the medicine, based on the first area; and

a display configured to mark the first diffusion boundary of the medicine on a B mode image that is generated by using the first B mode image data.

29. An ultrasound apparatus comprising:

an ultrasound image data obtainer configured to obtain a first B mode image and a second B mode image of a target object to which the medicine is injected;

a controller configured to compare a first speckle pattern comprised in the first B mode image with a second speckle pattern comprised in the second B mode image, estimate a first movement path of at least one speckle comprised in the first B mode image, based on a result of the comparing, and determine a first diffusion boundary of the medicine, based on the first movement path of the at least one speckle; and

a display configured to mark the first diffusion boundary of the medicine on the second B mode image.