ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING CONTRAST ENHANCED ULTRASOUND IMAGE

• US 20170100101A1
• Filed: 03/28/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: RYOO, Ho-jin, KIM, Jong-sik, LEE, Jin-yong
• Granted Patent: US 10,646,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/085 for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus
• 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 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5215 involving processing of medical diagnostic data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5276 due to motion

Abstract

Provided are an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and method for analyzing a contrast enhanced ultrasound image. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and method determine, by analysis, causes of defects in a frame of an ultrasound image based on a time intensity curve and allow visual display of the defective frame based on the determined causes. Furthermore, the ultrasound diagnosis method and apparatus may provide a user interface for quick access to causes of defects in a frame of the ultrasound image and to a position of the defective frame.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus for analyzing a contrast enhanced ultrasound image with respect to an object to which an ultrasound contrast medium has been administered, the contrast enhanced ultrasound image being obtained by transmitting ultrasound waves to the object and receiving echo signals reflected from the object, the ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprising:

an ultrasound image processor configured to set a region of interest (ROI) in the ultrasound image and acquire a time intensity curve representing an intensity value for each of ultrasound image frames in the set ROI and a fitting curve representing a tendency of the time intensity curve according to a preset mathematical model;

an ultrasound image analyzer configured to analyze a type of movement of the object and a change in size of the object based on a difference between the time intensity curve and the fitting curve; and

a user input unit configured to display a user interface that receives a user input for selecting frames of the ultrasound image related to the movement of the object and the change in size of the object.

2. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound image analyzer analyzes at least one of a simple movement that is a temporary deviation of the object away from the ROI, a periodic movement that is a periodic deviation of the object away from the ROI, and the change in size of the object in the ROI.

3. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound image analyzer recognizes a state in which an ultrasound probe is not in contact with the object.

4. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user input unit displays, based on a result of the analyzing, a graphics user interface (GUI) corresponding to each of the type of movement of the object, the change in size of the object, and non-contact between an ultrasound probe and the object.

5. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display configured to display a frame of the ultrasound image related to at least one of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object received via the user interface.

6. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound image analyzer calculates a difference between the time intensity curve and the fitting curve and determines that the object has deviated away from the ROI when the calculated difference exceeds a threshold value.

7. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 6, wherein the ultrasound image analyzer determines that the object has periodically deviated away from the ROI when the calculated difference periodically exceeds the threshold value.

8. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 6, wherein the threshold value is determined based on an average of differences between the time intensity curve and the fitting curve for frames of the ultrasound image and a standard deviation of the differences.

9. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a display configured to display the time intensity curve, the fitting curve, a difference curve representing a difference between the time intensity curve and the fitting curve for each of ultrasound image frames, and a threshold curve representing a threshold value for each of ultrasound image frames.

10. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound image processor sets an additional ROI, which is larger than and includes the ROI, in the ultrasound image, and

wherein the ultrasound image analyzer acquires a time intensity curve for each ultrasound image frame within the additional ROI and analyzes a change in intensity values of the ultrasound image within the additional ROI based on the acquired time intensity curve for the additional ROI.

11. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 10, wherein the ultrasound image analyzer analyzes movement of the object included in the additional ROI and a change in size of the object based on a result of the analyzing.

12. A method of analyzing an ultrasound image with respect to an object to which an ultrasound contrast medium has been administered, the ultrasound image being obtained by transmitting ultrasound waves to the object and receiving echo signals reflected from the object, the method comprising:

setting a region of interest (ROI) in the ultrasound image;

acquiring a time intensity curve representing an average of intensity values for each of ultrasound image frames in the set ROI and a fitting curve representing a tendency of the time intensity curve according to a preset mathematical model;

analyzing a type of movement of the object included in the ROI and a change in size of the object based on the acquired time intensity curve and fitting curve; and

displaying a user interface configured to receive a user input for selecting frames of the ultrasound image in which the movement of the object and the change in size of the object occur.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving via the user interface a user input for selecting at least one of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object; and

displaying, based on the user input, a frame of the ultrasound image related to the movement of the object and the change in size of the object.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the analyzing of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object comprises analyzing at least one of a simple movement that is a temporary deviation of the object away from the ROI, a periodic movement that is a periodic deviation of the object away from the ROI, and the change in size of the object in the ROI.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the analyzing of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object comprises recognizing a state in which an ultrasound probe is not in contact with the object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the recognizing of the state in which the ultrasound probe is not in contact with the object comprises:

determining a frame of the ultrasound image at which the time intensity curve for the ultrasound image included in the ROI has a value of 0; and

determining the frame of the ultrasound image as a frame captured when the ultrasound probe is not in contact with the object.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the analyzing of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object comprises:

calculating a difference between the time intensity curve and the fitting curve; and

determining that the object has deviated away from the ROI when the calculated difference exceeds a threshold value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the threshold value is determined based on an average of differences between the time intensity curve and the fitting curve for frames of the ultrasound image and a standard deviation of the differences.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the analyzing of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object comprises:

setting an additional ROI, which is larger than and includes the ROI, in the ultrasound image;

acquiring a time intensity curve for each ultrasound image frame included in the additional ROI; and

analyzing a change in intensity values of the ultrasound image included in the additional ROI based on the acquired time intensity curve for the additional ROI.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the analyzing of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object further comprises analyzing the movement of the object and the change in size of the object based on a result of the analyzing of the change in intensity values of the ultrasound image included in the additional ROI.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the analyzing of the type of movement of the object and the change in size of the object comprises analyzing, based on the acquired time intensity curve for the additional ROI, whether the intensity values of the ultrasound image included in the additional ROI periodically change.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the displaying of the user interface comprises displaying a position the frame of the ultrasound image in which the movement of the object and the change in size of the object occur in such a manner as to overlap the time intensity curve.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying the frame of the ultrasound image selected based on the user input.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of claim 12 on a computer.