ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

• US 20150342565A1
• Filed: 08/12/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation (Canon Inc.), Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: IMAMURA, Tomohisa
• Granted Patent: US 10,624,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 8/14 Echo-tomography
• 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 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• 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 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5276 due to motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5292 using additional data, e.g. patient information, image labeling, acquisition parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

According to embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes transmission/reception circuitry transmitting/receiving an ultrasonic wave to/from an object via a piezoelectric transducer, ultrasonic image generation circuitry generating a series of ultrasonic images along a time series based on an output from the transmission/reception circuitry, specifying information generation circuitry generating predetermined specifying information concerning each of the series of ultrasonic images, selection circuitry selecting a color Doppler image from the series of ultrasonic images based on the specifying information in response to a predetermined operation during display of the series of ultrasonic images, and storage circuitry storing the selected color Doppler image.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

transmission/reception circuitry configured to transmit/receive an ultrasonic wave to/from an object via a piezoelectric transducer;

ultrasonic image generation circuitry configured to generate a series of ultrasonic images along a time series based on an output from the transmission/reception circuitry;

specifying information generation circuitry configured to generate predetermined specifying information concerning each of the series of ultrasonic images;

selection circuitry configured to select a color Doppler image from the series of ultrasonic images based on the specifying information in response to a predetermined operation during display of the series of ultrasonic images; and

storage circuitry configured to store the selected color Doppler image.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the series of ultrasonic images include at least one of a color Doppler image and a Doppler waveform image.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the specifying information includes at least one piece of information including color image information and B-mode image information of the color Doppler image, blood flow velocity information of the Doppler waveform image, and biological information concerning the object.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the color image information includes the number of color pixels of the color Doppler image,

the B-mode image information includes a motion amount obtained by a difference between at least two chronologically adjacent B-mode images,

the blood flow velocity information includes a maximum flow velocity time corresponding to a maximum flow velocity value on a Doppler waveform, and

the biological information includes a periodic biological signal waveform corresponding to the Doppler waveform.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the selection circuitry is configured to select, as the color Doppler image, a color Doppler image corresponding to at least one of a maximum number of color pixels, a minimum motion amount, a maximum flow velocity time, and a predetermined phase of the biological signal waveform.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the specifying information further includes a measurement cursor set time corresponding to a position of a measurement cursor set on the Doppler waveform, and

the selection circuitry is configured to select the color Doppler image based on the measurement cursor set time and the biological signal waveform.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined operation includes a freezing operation.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an index generation circuitry configured to generate an index concerning the color Doppler image in correspondence with each of the series of ultrasonic images based on the specifying information,

wherein the selection circuitry is configured to select the color Doppler image from the series of ultrasonic images based on the generated index.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display circuitry configured to display the series of ultrasonic images in a predetermined time width including an input time of the predetermined operation; and

an input circuitry configured to input a selection instruction issued by an operator with respect to the series of displayed ultrasonic images,

wherein the selection circuitry is configured to select, as the color Doppler image, an image selected by the selection instruction.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the display circuitry is configured to display a plurality of thumbnail images respectively corresponding to the series of ultrasonic images in the predetermined time width in the form of a list.

11. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display circuitry is configured to display the specifying information corresponding to each of the series of ultrasonic images in the predetermined time width, together with the plurality of thumbnail images.

12. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the display circuitry is configured to continuously display the series of ultrasonic images in the predetermined time width as a moving image.