CN117731327A

CN117731327A - Three-dimensional shear wave elastography method and ultrasonic imaging system

Info

Publication number: CN117731327A
Application number: CN202311225941.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李双双; 兰帮鑫
Original assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-20
Filing date: 2023-09-20
Publication date: 2024-03-22
Also published as: CN115444452A

Abstract

A three-dimensional shear wave elastography method and ultrasound imaging system, the method comprising: receiving a motion control instruction of a volume probe; in response to a motion control instruction, controlling array element columns to alternately enter a static state and a motion state on a preset path in the volume probe through a motion control mechanism, wherein the motion state comprises an acceleration motion state, a uniform motion state and a deceleration motion state which are sequentially carried out; scanning the target tissue in a plurality of static states through shear wave elastography to obtain multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastography data of the target tissue, and scanning the target tissue in a plurality of uniform motion states through tissue imaging to obtain multi-frame two-dimensional tissue data of the target tissue; and carrying out three-dimensional reconstruction based on the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic data to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and carrying out three-dimensional reconstruction based on the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue data to obtain three-dimensional tissue data. The invention can realize three-dimensional shear wave elastography and three-dimensional tissue imaging.

Description

Three-dimensional shear wave elastography method and ultrasonic imaging system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, in particular to a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method and an ultrasonic imaging system.

Background

Ultrasound elastography, which can qualitatively reflect the degree of softness of a lesion relative to surrounding tissue or quantitatively reflect the degree of softness of a lesion and surrounding tissue, has been more widely used in clinical research and diagnosis in recent years. The judgment of the degree of hardness of the tissue can effectively assist in diagnosis and evaluation of cancer lesions, benign and malignant tumors, postoperative recovery and the like.

Conventional elastography (push elastography) uses probes to push tissue and calculates the displacement and strain of the tissue in real time to reflect the elasticity related parameters of the tissue in the region of interest (Region of Interest, ROI) and to image, and also indirectly reflects the degree of softness of different tissues. However, each time the operation of pressing the tissue is performed manually, it is difficult to maintain consistency in the pressure of the probe, and the degree of pressing and the pressing frequency may be different from one operator to another, so that the repeatability and stability of conventional elastography are difficult to be ensured.

Shear wave elastography is the excitation of a focused ultrasound beam by a conventional ultrasound probe to create an acoustic radiation force, a shear wave source in tissue and the generation of a laterally propagating shear wave. The difference in stiffness of the tissue is obtained quantitatively and visually by identifying and detecting shear waves and their propagation parameters generated inside the tissue and imaging these parameters. Because the excitation of the shear wave is from the acoustic radiation force generated by the focused ultrasonic beam and is no longer dependent on the pressure applied by the operator, the manner of shear wave elastography is improved in terms of stability and repeatability compared to conventional elastography. And, the quantitative measurement of shear waves also makes diagnosis more objective for the doctor.

In the conventional shear wave elastography process, due to the limitation of a conventional ultrasonic probe, a doctor can only pay attention to one section of a tissue at the same time, and can only perform qualitative hardness analysis on the tissue of the current section. However, in actual clinical practice, it is more desirable for the physician to observe the softness information of the spatial dimension of the entire lesion, thereby making a more global judgment about the lesion.

Disclosure of Invention

In the summary, a series of concepts in a simplified form are introduced, which will be further described in detail in the detailed description. The summary of the invention is not intended to define the key features and essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one aspect, the embodiment of the invention provides a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method, which comprises the following steps:

receiving a motion control instruction of a volume probe, wherein the volume probe comprises a motion control mechanism and array element columns which are arranged in the volume probe;

responding to the motion control instruction, and controlling the array element array to alternately enter a static state and a motion state on a preset path in the volume probe through the motion control mechanism, wherein the motion state comprises an acceleration motion state, a uniform motion state and a deceleration motion state which are sequentially carried out;

Generating shear waves propagating in the target tissue in a plurality of static states, controlling the array element array to emit first ultrasonic waves tracking the shear waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the first ultrasonic waves, and generating two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a plurality of frames of two-dimensional shear wave elasticity images according to the echo signals of the first ultrasonic waves; and in the uniform motion state, controlling the array element array to emit second ultrasonic waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves, and generating two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multi-frame two-dimensional tissue images according to the echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves;

performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic image to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image to obtain three-dimensional tissue data

Displaying an image obtained based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data.

A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method, the method including:

responding to the motion control instruction, and controlling the array element array to perform a group of continuous motions on a preset path in the volume probe through the motion control mechanism, wherein the group of continuous motions comprises an acceleration motion, a uniform motion and a deceleration motion which are performed sequentially;

in the uniform motion process, scanning for multiple times of shear wave elastography is carried out on a target tissue to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastography of the target tissue, and scanning for multiple times of tissue imaging is carried out on the target tissue to obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional tissue imaging of the target tissue;

performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic image to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image to obtain three-dimensional tissue data;

displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data;

Wherein the scanning of shear wave elastography comprises: generating a shear wave propagating in the target tissue, controlling the array element array to emit a first ultrasonic wave tracking the shear wave to the target tissue, receiving an echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave, and generating the two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data according to the echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave; the scanning of tissue imaging includes: and controlling the array element array to emit second ultrasonic waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves, and generating the two-dimensional tissue data based on the echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves.

A third aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method, the method including:

receiving an array element control instruction of a matrix probe, wherein the matrix probe comprises an array element matrix, the array element matrix comprises a plurality of array element columns, and each array element column comprises a plurality of array elements;

responding to the array element control instruction, controlling a plurality of array elements in the array element matrix to be sequentially opened according to a preset time sequence, scanning the target tissue for multiple times of shear wave elastography to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastography of the target tissue, and scanning the target tissue for multiple times of tissue imaging to obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional tissue images of the target tissue;

wherein the scanning of shear wave elastography comprises: generating a shear wave propagating in the target tissue, transmitting a first ultrasonic wave tracking the shear wave to the target tissue, receiving an echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave, and generating two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image based on the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave; the scanning of tissue imaging includes: transmitting a second ultrasonic wave to the target tissue, receiving an echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave, and generating two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional tissue image based on the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave.

A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an ultrasound imaging system comprising:

the volume probe comprises a motion control mechanism and an array element row, which are arranged in the volume probe, wherein the motion control mechanism is used for controlling the array element row to move;

The transmitting circuit is used for exciting the array element array to transmit ultrasonic waves to a target tissue;

the receiving circuit is used for controlling the array element array to receive the echo of the ultrasonic wave and obtaining an echo signal of the ultrasonic wave;

a processor for executing the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method as described above to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastography data and three-dimensional tissue data;

and a display for displaying an image obtained based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data.

A fifth aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

the matrix probe comprises an array element matrix, wherein the array element matrix comprises a plurality of array element columns, and each array element column comprises a plurality of array elements;

the transmitting circuit is used for exciting array element columns in the array element matrix to transmit ultrasonic waves to a target tissue;

According to the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method and the ultrasonic imaging system, the volume probe or the matrix probe is used, and the array element columns in the volume probe are controlled to move or the array element columns in the matrix probe are controlled to be sequentially opened according to the preset time sequence, so that three-dimensional tissue imaging and three-dimensional shear wave elastography of the three-dimensional space dimension of the whole target tissue are realized, a doctor can observe the softness and hardness information of the three-dimensional space dimension of the whole target tissue, and the state of the target tissue is judged more integrally.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments of the present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate the invention and together with the embodiments of the invention, and not constitute a limitation to the invention. In the drawings, like reference numerals generally refer to like parts or steps.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a map of the correspondence of motion and scanning of a volumetric probe according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic representation of a plurality of two-dimensional tissue images and a plurality of two-dimensional shear wave elastography images generated during a three-dimensional shear wave elastography process according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a control linear array translating within a volumetric probe according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a control ram rotating within a volumetric probe according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C illustrate schematic diagrams showing three-dimensional overlay images according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic flow chart of a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 shows a map of the correspondence of motion and scanning of a volumetric probe according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic flow chart of a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 shows a mapping of array element columns of a matrix probe to two-dimensional tissue images and two-dimensional shear wave elasticity images in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 shows a block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to another embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention and not all embodiments of the present invention, and it should be understood that the present invention is not limited by the example embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the invention described in the present application, all other embodiments that a person skilled in the art would have without inventive effort shall fall within the scope of the invention.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the invention.

It should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

In order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, detailed structures will be presented in the following description in order to illustrate the technical solutions presented by the present invention. Alternative embodiments of the invention are described in detail below, however, the invention may have other implementations in addition to these detailed descriptions.

In the following, an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the invention is first described with reference to fig. 1, fig. 1 showing a schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the ultrasound imaging system 100 includes a volumetric probe 110, transmit circuitry 112, receive circuitry 114, a processor 116, and a display 118. Further, the ultrasound imaging system may further include a transmit/receive select switch 120 and a beam synthesis module 122, and the transmit circuitry 112 and the receive circuitry 114 may be coupled to the volume probe 110 via the transmit/receive select switch 120.

The volume probe 110 includes a motion control mechanism and array elements disposed therein, the motion control mechanism being configured to control movement of the array elements, the movement including translation or rotation. The array element array is composed of a plurality of array elements, and the array element array can be a linear array or a convex array. The array elements are used for transmitting ultrasonic waves according to the excitation electric signals or converting received ultrasonic waves into electric signals, so that each array element can be used for realizing the mutual conversion of electric pulse signals and ultrasonic waves, thereby realizing the transmission of ultrasonic waves to target tissues of a tested object, and also can be used for receiving ultrasonic wave echoes reflected by the tissues. In the ultrasonic detection, the transmitting sequence and the receiving sequence can control which array elements are used for transmitting ultrasonic waves and which array elements are used for receiving ultrasonic waves, or control the time slots of the array elements to be used for transmitting ultrasonic waves or receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves. The array elements participating in ultrasonic wave transmission can be excited by the electric signals at the same time, so that ultrasonic waves are transmitted at the same time; alternatively, the array elements involved in the transmission of the ultrasound beam may also be excited by several electrical signals with a certain time interval, so that the ultrasound waves with a certain time interval are continuously transmitted.

During ultrasound imaging, the processor 116 controls the transmit circuitry 112 to transmit the delay focused transmit pulses to the volume probe 110 through the transmit/receive select switch 120. The volume probe 110 is excited by the emitted pulse to emit an ultrasonic beam to the tissue of the target region of the object to be measured, receives the ultrasonic echo with the tissue information reflected from the tissue of the target region after a certain delay, and reconverts the ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal. The receiving circuit 114 receives the electrical signals converted by the volume probe 110, obtains ultrasonic echo signals, and sends the ultrasonic echo signals to the beam forming module 122, and the beam forming module 122 performs focusing delay, weighting, channel summation and other processing on the ultrasonic echo data, and then sends the ultrasonic echo signals to the processor 116. The processor 116 performs signal detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, logarithmic compression, etc. on the ultrasonic echo signals to form an ultrasonic image. The ultrasound images obtained by the processor 116 may be displayed on the display 118 or may be stored in the memory 124.

Alternatively, the processor 116 may be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, and may use single or multiple application specific integrated circuits (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), single or multiple general purpose integrated circuits, single or multiple microprocessors, single or multiple programmable logic devices, or any combination of the foregoing circuits and/or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices. Also, the processor 116 may control other components in the ultrasound imaging system 100 to perform the respective steps of the methods in the various embodiments in this specification.

The display 118 is connected with the processor 116, and the display 118 may be a touch display screen, a liquid crystal display screen, or the like; alternatively, the display 118 may be a stand-alone display such as a liquid crystal display, television, or the like that is independent of the ultrasound imaging system 100; alternatively, the display 118 may be a display screen of an electronic device such as a smart phone, tablet, or the like. Wherein the number of displays 118 may be one or more.

The display 118 may display the ultrasound image obtained by the processor 116. In addition, the display 118 may provide a graphical interface for human-computer interaction while displaying the ultrasonic image, one or more controlled objects are provided on the graphical interface, and the user is provided with an operation instruction input by using the human-computer interaction device to control the controlled objects, so as to execute corresponding control operation. For example, icons are displayed on a graphical interface that can be manipulated using a human-machine interaction device to perform specific functions, such as drawing a region of interest box on an ultrasound image, etc.

Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may further include other human-machine interaction devices in addition to the display 118, which are coupled to the processor 116, for example, the processor 116 may be coupled to the human-machine interaction device through an external input/output port, which may be a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, or a combination of both. The external input/output ports may also be implemented based on USB, bus protocols such as CAN, and/or wired network protocols, among others.

The man-machine interaction device may include an input device for detecting input information of a user, and the input information may be, for example, a control instruction for an ultrasonic wave transmission/reception timing, an operation input instruction for drawing a point, a line, a frame, or the like on an ultrasonic image, or may further include other instruction types. The input device may include one or more of a keyboard, mouse, scroll wheel, trackball, mobile input device (e.g., a mobile device with a touch display, a cell phone, etc.), multi-function knob, etc. The human-machine interaction means may also comprise an output device such as a printer.

The ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include a memory 124 for storing instructions for execution by the processor, storing received ultrasound echoes, storing ultrasound images, and so forth. The memory may be a flash memory card, solid state memory, hard disk, or the like. Which may be volatile memory and/or nonvolatile memory, removable memory and/or non-removable memory, and the like.

It should be understood that the components included in the ultrasound imaging system 100 shown in fig. 1 are illustrative only and may include more or fewer components. The invention is not limited in this regard.

Next, a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which may be implemented in the above-described ultrasound imaging system 100, will be described with reference to fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 200 according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in fig. 2, a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 200 of an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of:

in step S210, a motion control instruction of a volume probe is received, where the volume probe includes a motion control mechanism and an array element array disposed in the volume probe;

in step S220, in response to the motion control instruction, the array element columns are controlled by the motion control mechanism to alternately enter a static state and a motion state on a preset path in the volume probe, wherein the motion state comprises an acceleration motion state, a uniform motion state and a deceleration motion state which are sequentially performed;

in step S230, in the plurality of stationary states, generating a shear wave propagating in the target tissue, controlling the array element array to emit a first ultrasonic wave tracking the shear wave to the target tissue, receiving an echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave, and generating two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image according to the echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave; and in the uniform motion state, controlling the array element array to emit second ultrasonic waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves, and generating two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multi-frame two-dimensional tissue images according to the echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves;

In step S240, three-dimensional reconstruction is performed based on the two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic image to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and three-dimensional reconstruction is performed based on the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image to obtain three-dimensional tissue data;

in step S250, an image obtained based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data is displayed.

According to the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 200, the array element array of the volume probe is controlled by the motion control mechanism to alternately enter a static state and a motion state, two-dimensional tissue data are collected in the motion state, and elastic data are collected in the static state, so that three-dimensional tissue imaging and three-dimensional shear wave elastography of the whole target tissue are realized on the three-dimensional space dimension, a doctor can observe the hardness information and tissue structure information of the three-dimensional space dimension of the whole target tissue, and more integral judgment is obtained for the target tissue.

As shown in fig. 3, in the imaging process, the matching manner of the movement and scanning of the array element array in the volume probe is as follows: the array element array enters the motion state for a plurality of times under the control of the motion control mechanism, and a static state is kept for a period of time between every two adjacent motion states. Because the array element rows alternately enter a motion state and a rest state on the preset path, in the adjacent two rest states, the array element rows are positioned at different positions on the preset path, so that the array element rows can perform shear wave elastography on the target tissue at different positions, two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to a plurality of different tangential planes of the target tissue are obtained, and accordingly three-dimensional reconstruction can be performed and three-dimensional shear wave elastography data are obtained. Similarly, in the two adjacent movement states, the array element rows also move in different ranges on the preset path, so that two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a plurality of different sections of the target tissue are obtained, and accordingly three-dimensional reconstruction can be performed and three-dimensional tissue data can be obtained. Fig. 4 shows a plurality of two-dimensional tissue data and a plurality of two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data acquired by array element columns of a volumetric probe.

And scanning by one shear wave elastography under each of a plurality of static states of the array element array to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to one frame of two-dimensional shear wave elastography. Wherein the duration of each rest state may be equal. Since the shear wave elastography is performed in the stationary state of the array element array, it is possible to avoid the influence of the motion of the array element array on the imaging effect of the shear wave elastography. Specifically, when performing a scan of shear wave elastography, a focused ultrasound beam is excited by a volumetric probe, creating an acoustic radiation force, creating a shear wave source within the target tissue and producing a laterally propagating shear wave. Then, transmitting a first ultrasonic wave to the target tissue to track the propagation process of the shear wave; an echo of the first ultrasonic wave is received to obtain an echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave. The echo signal based on the first ultrasonic wave can identify and detect the shear wave generated in the target tissue and the propagation parameters thereof (such as propagation speed, young modulus, and the like, the Young modulus can be calculated by the propagation speed and tissue density), two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data can be obtained, and the two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data can quantitatively and visually represent the hardness difference of the tissue. Wherein the plurality of rest states comprises all or part of the rest states in which the array element rows alternately enter the rest state and the motion state on a preset path within the volume probe.

Each motion state comprises an acceleration motion state, a uniform motion state and a deceleration motion state which are sequentially carried out, and scanning of tissue imaging is carried out in the uniform motion state. And in each uniform motion state of the array element rows, scanning for tissue imaging can be performed at least once to obtain at least one two-dimensional tissue data. Wherein the duration of each motion state may be equal. When scanning tissue imaging, the ultrasonic imaging system controls array element columns to emit second ultrasonic waves to target tissues, receives echoes of the second ultrasonic waves to obtain echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves, and carries out logarithmic compression, dynamic range adjustment, digital scanning transformation and other processes on the echo signals to generate tissue data for reflecting morphological structures of the target tissues, wherein the tissue data can also be called as gray-scale images or B-images. The array elements alternately enter all or part of the stationary state and the motion state on a preset path in the volume probe.

In some embodiments, the array elements of the volumetric probe are arranged in a linear array, and the linear array can be controlled to translate or oscillate within the volumetric probe by a motion control mechanism. As shown in fig. 5, a plurality of array elements in a linear array are arranged into a straight line, and the array elements can be controlled to translate or swing through a built-in motion control mechanism, so that two-dimensional tissue data or two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to different tangential planes are obtained. The preset path of array element column motion can be a translation path or a swing path.

Or the array element array of the volume probe can also be a convex array, and the array can be controlled to swing or rotate in the volume probe through a motion control mechanism so as to obtain two-dimensional tissue data or two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to different space angles. As shown in fig. 6, two-dimensional shear wave elastic data and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to an initial scanning plane can be obtained at the initial position of the convex array, and the scanning plane rotates as shown by an arrow in the process that the convex array rotates under the control of the motion control mechanism, so that two-dimensional tissue data or two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to each scanning plane corresponding to the whole three-dimensional scanning range can be obtained.

After the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image is obtained, the three-dimensional spatial relationship of the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image can be integrated, and partial or all image post-processing steps such as denoising, smoothing, reinforcing and the like are carried out to obtain the three-dimensional tissue data. Similarly, after the two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic image is obtained, the three-dimensional spatial relationship of the two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic image can be integrated, and partial or all image post-processing steps such as denoising, smoothing, reinforcing and the like are performed to obtain the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data. After the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data are obtained, an image obtained based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data can be displayed in a visual manner.

The specific display modes can be various. As a display manner, referring to fig. 7A, two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to a sagittal plane, a coronal plane and a cross section of a target tissue may be extracted from three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a sagittal plane, a coronal plane and a cross section of a target tissue may be extracted from three-dimensional tissue data, respectively; and obtaining a two-dimensional multi-mode image corresponding to the sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-mode image corresponding to the coronal plane and a two-dimensional multi-mode image corresponding to the cross section according to the two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue and the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue, wherein the two-dimensional multi-mode image comprises a two-dimensional tissue image and a two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image superposed on the two-dimensional tissue image. In addition, a three-dimensional space schematic diagram can be generated according to the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section, the three-dimensional space schematic diagram is displayed, and three-dimensional space positions corresponding to the two-dimensional multi-modal images of the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section are displayed in the three-dimensional space schematic diagram.

The two-dimensional shear wave elastic image can be colorized and transparent and displayed on the two-dimensional tissue image in a superimposed manner, so that a two-dimensional multi-mode image is obtained. In the display manner shown in fig. 7A, four images are displayed in total, wherein the images corresponding to the upper left, upper right and lower left positions are two-dimensional multi-modal images corresponding to the sagittal plane, coronal plane and cross section of the target tissue, respectively, and the image at the lower right position is a three-dimensional spatial position schematic diagram of the two-dimensional multi-modal images corresponding to the sagittal plane, coronal plane and cross section.

On the basis of displaying the two-dimensional multi-mode images corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section, the positions corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section can be adjusted according to the received operation instructions, and the two-dimensional multi-mode images and the three-dimensional space schematic diagram corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane or the cross section can be updated and displayed according to the adjusted positions of the sagittal plane, the coronal plane or the cross section. The user can adjust the spatial position of each two-dimensional multi-mode image along the normal line of each two-dimensional multi-mode image in turn to observe the tissue structural features and the elastic features at different positions of the target tissue.

As another display method, referring to fig. 7B, an image obtained based on three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and three-dimensional tissue data may be displayed in a two-dimensional tomographic manner. Specifically, first, similar to the display manner as shown in fig. 7A, two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to the sagittal plane, coronal plane and cross section of the target tissue are respectively extracted from the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data, and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, coronal plane and cross section of the target tissue are respectively extracted from the three-dimensional tissue data; and obtaining and displaying a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section according to the two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue and the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue, wherein the two-dimensional multi-modal image comprises a two-dimensional tissue image and a two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image superposed on the two-dimensional tissue image.

Thereafter, a plurality of mutually parallel reference lines for performing two-dimensional tomographic imaging may be determined on the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane, or the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross-section. The reference lines can be arranged at equal intervals and can be arranged at the position of the focus area, so that the focus is comprehensively observed. After the reference lines are determined, two-dimensional tomographic imaging is performed on the three-dimensional shear wave data and the three-dimensional tissue data based on a plurality of reference lines parallel to each other, and two-dimensional tomographic protrusions corresponding to the plurality of reference lines are obtained, each of the two-dimensional tomographic images illustratively including a two-dimensional shear wave tomographic image and a two-dimensional tissue tomographic image superimposed on each other. As shown in fig. 7B, two-dimensional multi-modal images of two-dimensional tomographic images corresponding to sagittal, coronal, and cross-sections may be displayed on-screen.

When the plurality of reference lines are arranged, the positions of the reference lines can be automatically determined according to the tissue structure characteristics or the elastic characteristics in the two-dimensional multi-mode image, and the positions of the plurality of reference lines in the two-dimensional multi-mode image can be also determined according to the received operation instructions. For example, a distribution range of the plurality of reference lines may be determined according to an operation instruction of a user, and the plurality of reference lines may be automatically set at equal intervals within the distribution range.

Referring to fig. 7C, in another display manner, three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and three-dimensional tissue data may be rendered, a hybrid rendered image with a stereoscopic effect may be obtained, and the hybrid rendered image may be displayed. The mixed rendering image has the characteristics of being more visual and easier to understand. The part corresponding to the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data in the mixed rendering image is a color image, and the part corresponding to the three-dimensional tissue data is a gray image.

When the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and the three-dimensional tissue data are rendered to obtain a mixed rendering image, the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and the three-dimensional tissue data can be respectively rendered, and rendering results obtained after the rendering are respectively fused to obtain the mixed rendering image. Or, the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data can be simultaneously rendered to obtain a mixed rendering image.

Rendering the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and the three-dimensional tissue data respectively, and fusing rendering results obtained after the rendering respectively to obtain a mixed rendering image, wherein the method comprises the following steps of: and rendering the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data to obtain a first rendered image, and acquiring a color value and a space depth value of each pixel in the first rendered image, wherein the first rendered image can be a two-dimensional image with a three-dimensional display effect. And rendering the three-dimensional tissue data to obtain a second rendered image, and acquiring a color value and a space depth value of each pixel in the second rendered image, wherein the second rendered image can be a two-dimensional image with a three-dimensional display effect. Determining respective weights of each pixel in the first rendered image and the corresponding pixel in the second rendered image when the color values are fused based on the spatial depth value of each pixel in the first rendered image and the spatial depth value of the corresponding pixel in the second rendered image; the color value of each pixel in the blended rendered image is calculated based on the respective weights of each pixel in the first rendered image and the corresponding pixel in the second rendered image when the color values are blended, and the calculated color values are mapped into the blended rendered image.

For example, the rendering mode for rendering the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data may be surface rendering or volume rendering, and similarly, the rendering mode for rendering the three-dimensional tissue data may be surface rendering or volume rendering. The surface drawing method may include extracting information of an isosurface (i.e., a surface contour) in three-dimensional data, and then performing stereoscopic rendering in combination with an illumination model, where the illumination model includes ambient light, scattered light, high light, and the like. In an example of volume rendering, a plurality of rays passing through three-dimensional shear wave elastic data or three-dimensional tissue data are emitted based on a line-of-sight direction, each ray progresses according to a fixed step length, volume data on a ray path are sampled, opacity of each sampling point is determined according to a gray value of each sampling point, opacity of each sampling point on each ray path is accumulated to obtain accumulated opacity, finally the accumulated opacity on each ray path is mapped to a color value through a mapping table of accumulated opacity and color, the color value is mapped to a pixel of a two-dimensional image, and color values of pixels corresponding to all ray paths are obtained in the manner, so that a rendered image can be obtained.

And respectively obtaining a first rendered image and a second rendered image through the arbitrary drawing method, and then carrying out fusion display on the first rendered image and the second rendered image. For example, the respective weights at the time of color value fusion may be determined based on the cumulative opacity value of each pixel in the first rendered image and/or the cumulative opacity value of each pixel in the second rendered image.

In another embodiment, the rendering of the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data simultaneously to obtain a hybrid rendered image includes: simultaneously performing volume drawing on the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and the three-dimensional tissue data to obtain a spatial depth value and a gray value of each sampling point on each ray path in the volume drawing process, wherein the gray value of each sampling point comprises the gray value of the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data at the point and/or the gray value of the three-dimensional tissue data at the point; acquiring a color value of each sampling point based on a space depth value and a gray value of each sampling point on each ray path, and determining an accumulated color value on each ray path based on the color values of all the sampling points on each ray path; a color value for each pixel in the blended rendered image is determined based on the accumulated color values on each ray path and the calculated color values are mapped into the blended rendered image.

The obtaining the color value of each sampling point based on the spatial depth value and the gray value of each sampling point on each ray path may include: and acquiring the color value of each sampling point based on the space depth value and the gray value of each sampling point on each ray path according to a preset three-dimensional color index table. Alternatively, the color value of each sampling point may be obtained based on the spatial depth value and the gray value of each sampling point on each ray path according to a predetermined mapping function. In this embodiment, a ray tracing algorithm is adopted, a plurality of rays passing through three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and three-dimensional tissue data are emitted based on a line-of-sight direction, each ray progresses according to a fixed step length, volume data on a ray path is sampled to obtain a gray value of the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and/or a gray value of the three-dimensional tissue data of each sampling point, a three-dimensional color table is indexed by combining stepping depth information of current rays to obtain a color value or a color value is obtained according to a preset mapping function, thus obtaining the color value of each sampling point, the color values of all sampling points on each ray path are accumulated, the accumulated color value is mapped to one pixel of a two-dimensional image, and the color values of pixels corresponding to all ray paths are obtained in such a way, so that a final hybrid rendering image can be obtained.

In summary, in the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 200 of the embodiment of the present invention, the array element array of the volume probe is controlled by the motion control mechanism to alternately enter the static state and the motion state, two-dimensional tissue data is collected in the motion state, and elastic data is collected in the static state, so that three-dimensional tissue imaging and three-dimensional shear wave elastography of the whole target tissue are realized in the three-dimensional space dimension, and a doctor can observe the hardness information and tissue structure information of the three-dimensional space dimension of the whole target tissue, so as to obtain a more integral judgment of the target tissue.

Next, a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method according to another embodiment of the present invention, which can be implemented in the ultrasound imaging system 100 as described above, will be described with reference to fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a schematic flow chart of a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 800 of an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in fig. 8, a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 800 of an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of:

in step S810, a motion control instruction of a volume probe is received, wherein the volume probe includes a motion control mechanism and array element columns disposed in the volume probe;

in step S820, in response to the motion control instruction, the motion control mechanism controls the array element array to perform a set of continuous motions on a preset path in the volume probe, where the set of continuous motions includes an acceleration motion, a uniform motion and a deceleration motion that are performed sequentially;

In step S830, in the process of the uniform motion, scanning multiple times of shear wave elastography is performed on a target tissue to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastography of the target tissue, and scanning multiple times of tissue imaging is performed on the target tissue to obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional tissue imaging of the target tissue;

wherein the scanning of shear wave elastography comprises: generating shear waves propagating in the target tissue, controlling the array element array to emit first ultrasonic waves tracking the shear waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the first ultrasonic waves, and generating two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image according to the echo signals of the first ultrasonic waves; the scanning of tissue imaging includes: controlling the array element array to emit second ultrasonic waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves, and generating two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional tissue image based on the echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves;

in step S840, performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic image to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image to obtain three-dimensional tissue data;

In step S850, an image obtained based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data is displayed.

Similar to the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 200 described above, the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 800 of embodiments of the present invention also performs three-dimensional shear wave elastography and three-dimensional tissue imaging by controlling array element column motion within a volumetric probe through a motion control mechanism. The array element array of the volume probe can be a linear array, and the linear array can be controlled to translate or swing in the volume probe through the motion control mechanism. Alternatively, the array element array of the volume probe may be a convex array, and the convex array may be controlled to rotate within the volume probe by a motion control mechanism. The difference is that, as shown in fig. 9, in the imaging process of the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 800, the motion control mechanism controls the array element array to perform a set of continuous motions on a preset path in the volume probe, wherein the set of continuous motions includes an acceleration motion, a uniform motion and a deceleration motion which are performed sequentially; both shear wave elastography scanning and tissue imaging scanning occur during uniform motion.

In one embodiment, the scanning of multiple shear wave elastography and the scanning of multiple tissue imaging may be performed alternately. Such as a scan of one shear wave elastography followed by a scan of one tissue imaging, or a scan of two or more shear wave elastography followed by a scan of one or at least two tissue imaging, where many similar combinations exist, just to name a few.

In one embodiment, in the process of uniform motion of the array element array, after each scanning of shear wave elastography, at least one scanning of tissue imaging can be performed, that is, one or more two-dimensional tissue images can be separated between two adjacent two-dimensional shear wave elastography, and the number of the two-dimensional shear wave elastography acquired in the whole imaging process is the same as or different from the number of the two-dimensional tissue images. The array element array is only controlled to perform a group of continuous motions in the whole imaging process, and the array element array is only controlled to perform acceleration motion, uniform motion and deceleration motion on a set track, so that the motion control mechanism is more convenient to control. In addition, as only one acceleration and one deceleration are needed, the three-dimensional shear wave elastography and the three-dimensional tissue imaging can be completed in a short time, and the imaging speed is higher. In order to avoid the influence of the array movement on the shear wave elastography, the speed of the array movement may be set to not exceed a preset threshold.

After the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data are obtained, the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data are displayed in substantially the same manner as in the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity imaging method 200. Specifically, in one example, two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a sagittal plane, a coronal plane, and a cross section of the target tissue may be extracted from the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data, and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane, and the cross section of the target tissue may be extracted from the three-dimensional tissue data, respectively; obtaining a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section according to the two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue and the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue, wherein the two-dimensional multi-modal image comprises a two-dimensional tissue image and a two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image superimposed on the two-dimensional tissue image; generating a three-dimensional space schematic diagram according to the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section; and displaying the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section, and displaying a three-dimensional space schematic diagram.

In another example, two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a sagittal plane, a coronal plane and a cross section of the target tissue may be extracted from the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data, and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue may be extracted from the three-dimensional tissue data, respectively; obtaining a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section according to the two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue and the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue, wherein the two-dimensional multi-modal image comprises a two-dimensional tissue image and a two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image superimposed on the two-dimensional tissue image; displaying a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a coronal plane and a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a cross section; determining a plurality of mutually parallel reference lines for performing two-dimensional tomography on a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a coronal plane or a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a cross section; and performing two-dimensional tomographic imaging on the three-dimensional shear wave data and the three-dimensional tissue data based on a plurality of mutually parallel reference lines to obtain a plurality of two-dimensional tomographic images corresponding to the plurality of reference lines.

In yet another example, the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data may be rendered to obtain a hybrid rendered image, and the hybrid rendered image is displayed, wherein a portion of the hybrid rendered image corresponding to the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data is a color image, and a portion of the hybrid rendered image corresponding to the three-dimensional tissue data is a grayscale image.

The three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 800 of the present embodiment has many similar or identical details as those of the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 200 described above, and reference may be made to the above for details, which are not described herein. According to the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 800, the array element array of the volume probe is controlled by the motion control mechanism to perform a group of continuous motions on a preset path, two-dimensional tissue data and two-dimensional shear wave elastography data are acquired in the motion process, and therefore three-dimensional tissue imaging and three-dimensional shear wave elastography of the whole target tissue are achieved in three-dimensional space dimensions.

Next, a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 1000 according to another embodiment of the present invention, which may be implemented in an ultrasound imaging system 1200 as shown in fig. 12, will be described with reference to fig. 10. As shown in fig. 10, a three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 1000 of an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of:

In step S1010, an array element control instruction of a matrix probe is received, where the matrix probe includes an array element matrix, the array element matrix includes a plurality of array element columns, and each array element column includes a plurality of array elements;

in step S1020, in response to the array element control instruction, controlling a plurality of array elements in the array element matrix to be sequentially opened according to a preset time sequence, performing scanning of multiple times of shear wave elastography on a target tissue to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastography of the target tissue, and performing scanning of multiple times of tissue imaging on the target tissue to obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional tissue images of the target tissue;

wherein the scanning of shear wave elastography comprises: generating a shear wave propagating in the target tissue, transmitting a first ultrasonic wave tracking the shear wave to the target tissue, receiving an echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave, and generating two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image based on the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave; the scanning of tissue imaging includes: transmitting a second ultrasonic wave to the target tissue, receiving an echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave, and generating two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional tissue image based on the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave;

In step S1030, performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic image to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and performing three-dimensional reconstruction based on the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image to obtain three-dimensional tissue data;

in step S1040, an image obtained based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data is displayed.

The three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 1000 of the embodiment of the invention realizes three-dimensional shear wave elastography and three-dimensional tissue imaging based on a matrix probe. As shown in fig. 11, the matrix probe includes a plurality of array element columns, each array element column includes a plurality of array elements, and the positions of different array element columns are different, so that the corresponding scanning planes are also different. The three-dimensional imaging of the matrix probe does not involve motion control, and can be realized only by changing or switching a plurality of array elements for scanning according to a certain sequence.

In some embodiments, all or part of the array elements in one array element row may be controlled to be turned on at the same time, so as to perform scanning of one time of shear wave elastography or scanning of one time of tissue imaging, according to the scanning strategy, all or part of the array elements in the plurality of array element rows are turned on sequentially according to a preset time sequence, that is, all or part of the array elements in each array element row in the array element matrix, or all or part of the array elements in each array element row with a fixed array element number are used sequentially for scanning, as shown in fig. 11. In other embodiments, all or part of the array elements in at least two adjacent array element columns can be controlled to be turned on at the same time, so that one shear wave elastography scanning or one tissue imaging scanning can be performed, and a better space focusing effect can be obtained by using different time delays during scanning.

For example, all or part of the array elements in the same array element column in the array element matrix may be controlled to be repeatedly turned on, so as to alternately obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a plurality of frames of two-dimensional tissue images and two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to a plurality of frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastic images. And then controlling all the array elements or part of the array elements in the second array element array to be opened twice to obtain two-dimensional organization data corresponding to another two-dimensional organization image and two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to another two-dimensional shear wave elastic image, and so on.

Or, all or part of array elements in different array element columns of the array element matrix can be controlled to be sequentially opened according to a preset time sequence, so that two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to a plurality of frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastic images and two-dimensional organization data corresponding to a plurality of frames of two-dimensional organization images are sequentially obtained. Specifically, assuming that N array element columns are shared in the array element matrix, all or part of the array elements in the 1-N array element columns can be controlled to be sequentially opened, so as to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to the N-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastic images; and then controlling all or part of array elements in the 1-N array element columns to be sequentially opened to obtain two-dimensional organization data corresponding to the N frames of two-dimensional organization images. Of course, the opening sequence of all or part of the array elements in the array element array is not limited to the above two types, and the number of the array element arrays used is not necessarily all or part of the array element arrays in the array element matrix, so long as two-dimensional shear wave elastic data and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a plurality of different array element arrays can be obtained, and further three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and three-dimensional tissue data can be obtained through three-dimensional reconstruction. In one embodiment, the number of array columns used for scanning multiple shear wave elastography is the same as the number of array columns used for scanning multiple tissue imaging.

It should be noted that, the preset time sequence may be sequentially opened according to the distribution sequence of the array element columns, or may be sequentially opened according to the distribution sequence of the array elements, or may be sequentially opened by setting other sequence rules without strictly according to the distribution sequence of the array element columns. For example, in the case of 5 columns of array elements, all or part of the array elements in the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 columns of array elements may be sequentially transmitted, or all or part of the array elements in the 2, 1, 4, 3, 5 columns of array elements may be sequentially transmitted, and many combinations are provided, which are merely illustrative and not limiting.

The three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 1000 of the present embodiment has many similar or identical details as those of the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 200 described above, and reference may be made to the above for details, which are not described herein. According to the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 1000 of the embodiment of the invention, the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image of the target tissue and the two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastography are obtained by controlling the sequential opening of the array element columns in the array element matrix, so that the three-dimensional tissue imaging and the three-dimensional shear wave elastography of the whole target tissue are realized in the three-dimensional space dimension.

The embodiment of the invention also provides an ultrasonic imaging system for realizing the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 1000. Referring to fig. 12, the ultrasound imaging system 1200 includes a matrix probe 1210, a transmit circuit 1212, a receive circuit 1214, a processor 1216, and a display 1218, and optionally the ultrasound imaging system 1200 may further include a transmit/receive select switch 1220 and a beam synthesis module 1222, the transmit circuit 1212 and the receive circuit 1214 may be connected to the matrix probe 1210 through the transmit/receive select switch 1220.

Wherein the matrix probe 1210 comprises a matrix of array elements comprising a plurality of array element columns, each array element column comprising a plurality of array elements; the transmitting circuit 1212 is used to excite the array element columns in the array element matrix to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target tissue; the receiving circuit 1214 is used for controlling the array element array to receive the echo of the ultrasonic wave, so as to obtain an echo signal of the ultrasonic wave; the processor 1216 is configured to perform the steps of the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method 1000 to obtain three-dimensional shear wave elastography data and three-dimensional tissue data; the display 1218 is used to display three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and three-dimensional tissue data.

Only the main functions of the components of the ultrasound imaging system 1200 are described above, and other components of the ultrasound imaging system 1200 are substantially the same as the ultrasound imaging system 100 except that the probe of the ultrasound imaging system 1200 is a matrix probe and the probe of the ultrasound imaging system 100 is a volumetric probe, which are not described herein.

Although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the above illustrative embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, e.g., the division of the elements is merely a logical functional division, and there may be additional divisions when actually implemented, e.g., multiple elements or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted or not performed.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in order to streamline the invention and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. However, the method of the present invention should not be construed as reflecting the following intent: i.e., the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and all of the processes or units of any method or apparatus so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where the features are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that while some embodiments described herein include some features but not others included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

Various component embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that some or all of the functions of some of the modules according to embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in practice using a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The present invention can also be implemented as an apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and a computer program product) for performing a portion or all of the methods described herein. Such a program embodying the present invention may be stored on a computer readable medium, or may have the form of one or more signals. Such signals may be downloaded from an internet website, provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, third, etc. do not denote any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of specific embodiments of the present invention and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think about variations or substitutions within the scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the invention is subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of three-dimensional shear wave elastography, the method comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein in each of a plurality of said rest states, two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image is obtained; obtaining two-dimensional organization data corresponding to at least one frame of two-dimensional organization image in each uniform motion state in a plurality of uniform motion states; the array element columns alternately enter all or part of the static states in the static state and the motion state on a preset path in the volume probe, and the array element columns alternately enter all or part of the uniform motion state in the static state and the motion state on the preset path in the volume probe.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the array elements of the volumetric probe are linear arrays, and wherein controlling the form of movement of the array elements by the movement control mechanism comprises: and controlling the linear array to translate in the volume probe through the motion control mechanism.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the array elements of the volumetric probe are in a convex array, wherein controlling the form of movement of the array elements by the movement control mechanism comprises: and controlling the convex array to swing in the volume probe through the motion control mechanism.

5. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

respectively extracting two-dimensional shear wave elastic data corresponding to a sagittal plane, a coronal plane and a cross section of the target tissue from the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data, and respectively extracting two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue from the three-dimensional tissue data;

obtaining a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section according to the two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue and the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and the cross section of the target tissue, wherein the two-dimensional multi-modal image comprises a two-dimensional tissue image and a two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image superimposed on the two-dimensional tissue image;

Generating a three-dimensional space schematic diagram according to the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section;

and displaying the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section, and displaying the three-dimensional space schematic diagram.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising: adjusting the positions corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and/or the cross section according to the received operation instructions;

and updating and displaying the two-dimensional multi-mode image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-mode image corresponding to the coronal plane and/or the two-dimensional multi-mode image corresponding to the cross section according to the adjusted positions of the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and/or the cross section, and simultaneously updating and displaying the three-dimensional space schematic diagram.

7. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

displaying the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane and the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section;

determining a plurality of mutually parallel reference lines for performing two-dimensional tomography on a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a sagittal plane, a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a coronal plane or a two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to a cross section;

performing two-dimensional tomographic imaging based on the multiple parallel reference lines determined on the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the sagittal plane, the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the coronal plane or the two-dimensional multi-modal image corresponding to the cross section, to obtain multiple two-dimensional tomographic images corresponding to the multiple reference lines;

Displaying the plurality of two-dimensional tomographic images.

8. The method of any of claims 1-4, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

rendering the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and the three-dimensional tissue data to obtain a mixed rendering image, and displaying the mixed rendering image, wherein the part of the mixed rendering image corresponding to the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data is a color image, and the part of the mixed rendering image corresponding to the three-dimensional tissue data is a gray image.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein rendering the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data to obtain a hybrid rendered image comprises:

rendering the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data to obtain a first rendered image, and obtaining a color value and a spatial depth value of each pixel in the first rendered image;

rendering the three-dimensional tissue data to obtain a second rendered image, and obtaining a color value and a spatial depth value of each pixel in the second rendered image;

determining respective weights of each pixel in the first rendered image and a corresponding pixel in the second rendered image when the color values are fused based on the spatial depth value of each pixel in the first rendered image and the spatial depth value of the corresponding pixel in the second rendered image;

Based on the respective weights of each pixel in the first rendered image and the corresponding pixel in the second rendered image when the color values are fused, calculating the color value of each pixel in the mixed rendered image, and mapping the calculated color value into the mixed rendered image.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein rendering the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data to obtain a hybrid rendered image comprises:

simultaneously performing volume drawing on the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data and the three-dimensional tissue data, and acquiring a spatial depth value and a gray value of each sampling point on each ray path in the process of volume drawing, wherein the gray value of each sampling point comprises the gray value of the three-dimensional shear wave elastic data at the sampling point and/or the gray value of the three-dimensional tissue data at the sampling point;

acquiring a color value of each sampling point based on the space depth value and the gray value of each sampling point on each ray path, and determining an accumulated color value on each ray path based on the color values of all sampling points on each ray path;

a color value for each pixel in the blended rendered image is determined based on the accumulated color values on each ray path and the calculated color values are mapped into the blended rendered image.

11. A method of three-dimensional shear wave elastography, the method comprising:

wherein the scanning of shear wave elastography comprises: generating shear waves propagating in the target tissue, controlling the array element array to emit first ultrasonic waves tracking the shear waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the first ultrasonic waves, and generating two-dimensional shear wave elasticity data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional shear wave elasticity image according to the echo signals of the first ultrasonic waves; the scanning of tissue imaging includes: and controlling the array element array to emit second ultrasonic waves to the target tissue, receiving echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves, and generating two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to a frame of two-dimensional tissue image based on the echo signals of the second ultrasonic waves.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the scanning of the plurality of shear wave elastography images and the scanning of the plurality of tissue imaging images are performed alternately.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the scanning of the plurality of shear wave elastography images and the scanning of the plurality of tissue imaging images are performed alternately, comprising: at least one scan of the tissue imaging is performed after each scan of the shear wave elastography.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the array elements of the volumetric probe are linear arrays, and wherein controlling the form of movement of the array elements by the movement control mechanism comprises: and controlling the linear array to translate in the volume probe through the motion control mechanism.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the array elements of the volumetric probe are in a convex array, wherein controlling the form of movement of the array elements by the movement control mechanism comprises: and controlling the convex array to swing in the volume probe through the motion control mechanism.

16. The method of any of claims 12-15, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

17. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising: adjusting the positions corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and/or the cross section according to the received operation instructions;

18. The method of any of claims 12-15, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

Displaying the plurality of two-dimensional tomographic images.

19. The method of any of claims 12-15, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

20. A method of three-dimensional shear wave elastography, the method comprising:

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein all or part of the array elements in a column of array elements are controlled to be turned on at the same time to perform one scan of the shear wave elastography or one scan of the tissue imaging; or, controlling all or part of array elements in at least two adjacent array element columns to be simultaneously opened at the same time so as to perform one scanning of shear wave elastography or one scanning of tissue imaging.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein the controlling the plurality of array elements in the array element matrix sequentially starts according to a preset time sequence, scans the target tissue for multiple times of shear wave elastography to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastography of the target tissue, scans the target tissue for multiple times of tissue imaging to obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional tissue imaging of the target tissue, includes:

controlling all or part of array elements in each array element row of the array element matrix to be opened at least twice so as to alternately scan the shear wave elastography and the tissue imaging of the target tissue to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to one frame of two-dimensional shear wave elastography corresponding to each array element row and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to one frame of two-dimensional tissue image, and obtaining two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional shear wave elastography and two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to the multi-frame two-dimensional tissue image according to the two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to one frame of two-dimensional shear wave elastography corresponding to each array element row and the two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to one frame of two-dimensional tissue image;

Or firstly controlling all array elements or part of array elements in different array element columns of the array element matrix to be sequentially opened according to a preset time sequence, scanning the target tissue for multiple times of shear wave elastography to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional shear wave elastography, and then controlling all array elements or part of array elements in different array element columns of the array element matrix to be sequentially opened according to the preset time sequence, scanning the target tissue for multiple times of tissue imaging to obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multiple frames of two-dimensional tissue imaging, wherein the number of array element columns used for scanning the multiple times of shear wave elastography is the same as the number of array element columns used for scanning the multiple times of tissue imaging;

or firstly controlling all array elements or part of array elements in different array element columns of the array element matrix to be sequentially opened according to a preset time sequence, scanning the target tissue for multiple times of tissue imaging to obtain two-dimensional tissue data corresponding to multiple times of two-dimensional tissue images, and then controlling all array elements or part of array elements in different array element columns of the array element matrix to be sequentially opened according to the preset time sequence, and scanning the target tissue for multiple times of shear wave elastography to obtain two-dimensional shear wave elastography data corresponding to multiple times of two-dimensional shear wave elastography, wherein the number of array element columns used for scanning the multiple times of shear wave elastography is the same as the number of array element columns used for scanning the multiple times of tissue imaging.

23. The method of any of claims 20-22, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

24. The method as recited in claim 23, further comprising: adjusting the positions corresponding to the sagittal plane, the coronal plane and/or the cross section according to the received operation instructions;

25. The method of any of claims 20-22, wherein the displaying an image derived based on the three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and the three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

Displaying the plurality of two-dimensional tomographic images.

26. The method of any one of claims 20-22, wherein said displaying said image based on said three-dimensional shear wave elasticity data and said three-dimensional tissue data comprises:

27. An ultrasound imaging system, the ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a processor for performing the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method of any of claims 1-19, resulting in three-dimensional shear wave elastography data and three-dimensional tissue data;

28. An ultrasound imaging system, the ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a processor for performing the three-dimensional shear wave elastography method of any of claims 20-26, resulting in three-dimensional shear wave elastography data and three-dimensional tissue data;