JP2008253499A - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide ultrasonic diagnostic equipment capable of easily acquiring a blood flow waveform of a target site in a short time. <P>SOLUTION: This ultrasonic diagnostic equipment includes a sampling region setting means 31 for setting an optional sampling region of a subject, an ultrasonic probe 20 for transmitting ultrasonic beams to the sampling region, and a means 34 for displaying the blood flow waveform and a tissue contraction/expansion speed in the sampling region on a monitor by a frequency analysis of signals obtained by reflected waves from the sampling region, wherein the display means displays a boundary shape of the sampling region as a sampling region space conformed to a geometric beam shape unambiguously corresponding to sending/receiving beam form conditions of an ultrasonic diagnostic equipment system. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention makes it possible to easily set a sampling region in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can set a sampling region with a sampling marker in advance and measure the blood flow and tissue movement / contraction / expansion speed included in the region. Technology.

  As an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an apparatus capable of obtaining a predetermined blood flow waveform from a Doppler signal received from an ultrasonic probe using a frequency analysis method called FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) is known. In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, by referring to a tomographic image displayed on the monitor screen and designating a diagnostic part with a sampling marker, blood flow velocity and blood pressure difference measurement, blood flow measurement, PI ( Pulsatility Index) A blood flow waveform that can be measured is obtained.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described above, in order to reduce the burden on the operator's operation and shorten the diagnosis time, and to ensure that both the spectrum Doppler and the color imaging Doppler have the optimum S / N ratio, the interest of diagnosis. If you want to move an area and display the spectrum Doppler and color Doppler of the moved area on the monitor at the same time, when either the sampling position or ROI is moved, the sampling position is included in the ROI. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can move a sampling position or ROI that has not moved so that the ROI and the sampling position coincide with each other has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

However, for example, in the case of measuring and diagnosing cardiac blood flow or the like for a patient with heart disease, displacement occurs in a target blood flow measurement site due to the pulsation of the heart organ. For this reason, the convergence location of the ultrasonic beam sound field irradiated in the subject's body is not clearly displayed on the display monitor, which makes it difficult to detect and locate because the sampling area setting cannot be easily followed. In addition, there is a problem that the sensitivity of blood flow detection is lowered when the blood flow measurement site is out of the convergence point of the ultrasonic beam.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 07-111994

  An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of easily obtaining a blood flow waveform at a target site in a short time.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a sampling region setting unit that sets an arbitrary sampling region of a subject, an ultrasonic probe that transmits an ultrasonic beam to the sampling region, and reflection from the sampling region. Means for displaying a blood flow waveform in the sampling region, a tissue contraction / expansion rate, and the like on a monitor by frequency analysis of a signal obtained by a wave, and the display unit displays a boundary line shape of the sampling region, It is characterized in that it is displayed as a sampling area space that matches the geometric beam shape uniquely corresponding to the transmission / reception beamform conditions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus system.

  According to the present invention, the operator can easily set the sampling marker position, efficiently obtain blood flow waveform information from a desired diagnostic site, and shorten the diagnostic examination time.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an ultrasonic probe 20 that transmits and receives an ultrasonic signal, and an electronic scanning unit 21 that is connected to the ultrasonic probe 20 and controls scanning, focusing, and the like of the ultrasonic signal. ing. A DSC (digital scan converter) 26 having a frame memory (not shown) and a TV monitor 27 are connected to the B-mode image signal output side of the electronic scanning unit 21.

  On the Doppler output side of the electronic scanning unit 21, a quadrature phase detection circuit 28 that obtains a phase difference between successive reception signals (echo signals) by quadrature detection is provided. The output end of the quadrature detection circuit 28 is branched, one being a spectrum Doppler computing unit 29 that computes local flow velocity data and the other being a blood flow color imaging computing unit 30 that computes two-dimensional flow velocity data. It is connected. Each of the spectrum Doppler calculation unit 29 and the blood flow color imaging calculation unit 30 is connected to the DSC 26.

  The operator operates a pointing device such as a trackball on the operation panel 31 while watching the TV monitor 27 to display a marker indicating the sampling position and a marker indicating the ROI on the TV monitor 27 according to the blood flow to be diagnosed. Set on the ultrasound image.

  On the other hand, based on the operation signal from the operation panel 31, the sampling position setting circuit 32 and the ROI setting circuit 33 obtain the sampling position and ROI position data according to the blood flow to be diagnosed. This position data is input to the system controller 34.

  The system controller 34 outputs a signal (sampling signal) for extracting the echo signal at the sampling position and a signal (ROI signal) for extracting the echo signal at the ROI position to the quadrature detection circuit 28, respectively. .

  The quadrature detection circuit 28 performs quadrature detection on the echo signal received by the transmission / reception circuit 22 and the reception addition circuit 23 based on the sampling signal and the ROI signal. The signal after the quadrature detection (Doppler signal) is sent to the spectrum Doppler calculation unit 29 and the blood flow color imaging calculation unit 30.

  The spectrum Doppler calculation unit 29 calculates spectrum Doppler data from the Doppler signal obtained based on the sampling signal and sends it to the DSC 26. In addition, the blood flow color imaging calculation unit 30 calculates color Doppler data obtained based on the ROI signal and sends it to the DSC 26.

  A signal (B-mode image signal), spectrum Doppler data, and color Doppler data that have been subjected to envelope detection by the detection circuit 24 are sent to the DSC 26. The DSC 26 converts these data into data corresponding to the TV scanning direction and sends the data to the TV monitor 27. As a result, a B-mode tomographic image, a color Doppler image, and spectrum Doppler data are displayed on the TV monitor 27.

  On the other hand, the system controller 34 sends a control signal to the transmission / reception control circuit 25 so that the transmission / reception signal is focused at the position of the sampling position. The transmission / reception control circuit 25 drives a transducer built in the ultrasonic probe via the transmission / reception circuit 22 based on a control signal from the system controller 34.

  As a result, the transmission signal (transmission raster) from the ultrasonic probe can be scanned in a predetermined direction in the living body while the transmission / reception focus is set to the position of the sampling position.

  In the above configuration, when the ultrasonic probe 20 is driven by being applied to the diagnostic region of the subject, an ultrasonic beam is transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 20 to the diagnostic region, and a signal by the reflected wave is transmitted by the ultrasonic probe 20. Received. A tissue tomogram 21 as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the monitor screen 1 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus on the basis of the signal amplitude of the transmitted / received signal and the amount of change in frequency included in the received signal, that is, the Doppler shift frequency obtained by the Doppler effect. And the blood flow image 2 is displayed.

  On the monitor screen 1, a sampling marker 7 for obtaining blood flow waveform data simultaneously with the blood vessel image 2 can be displayed. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a conventional sampling marker. As shown in FIG. 3, the sampling marker 7 has a sampling gate section 6 that is a target range of the received signal data 5 for performing frequency analysis as shown in FIG. 4 on the data on the sound ray 4 of the ultrasonic beam. In other words, the marker display only indicates the data analysis range in the time axis direction, that is, the depth direction on the tomographic image. Accordingly, regarding the sampling target range in the azimuth direction, that is, the direction orthogonal to the sound ray 4, only the center position is indicated by the sound ray 4, and it is unclear how much beam width is used for transmission / reception. It is. For this reason, especially in the diagnosis of jet flow in cardiovascular disease, the sampling range may be out of the target region, and the position of the sampling region cannot be set appropriately. For this reason, in order to obtain the blood flow waveform of the target site, it takes a long time to set the position of the sampling region.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the sampling range display is performed using a region surrounded by a closed line as shown in FIG. On the monitor screen 1, as shown in FIG. 5, a sampling marker 3 for obtaining blood flow waveform data simultaneously with the blood vessel image 2 can be displayed. In the illustrated two-dimensional tomographic image display, the sampling marker 3 can be set two-dimensionally, and is moved to an arbitrary position and region where data is desired by operating a pointing device.

A method for determining the shape of the sampling marker 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the transmission / reception operation of the ultrasonic wave, the diffusion formed by the aperture width 8 of the ultrasonic transducer and the focal point 9 of the beam forming as shown in FIG. 6A by the beam focusing operation of the ultrasonic probe 20 and the transmission / reception circuit 22. By synthesizing the sound field 10 and the convergent sound field 11, an azimuthally transmitted / received beam sound field 12 is generated. Thereby, the beam width 13 is determined as shown in FIG. FIG. 6C shows the sound field in the azimuth direction in each depth direction.

Therefore, the beam width 13 of the transmission / reception beam sound field 12 is defined as the range in the azimuth direction of the sampling marker 7, and in the time axis direction, the data sampling section to be subjected to frequency analysis is defined as the time axis direction range in the same manner as in the past. To do. Thereby, the shape of the sampling marker is determined. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the shape of the sampling marker in the two-dimensional tomographic image (FIG. 7A) and the three-dimensional rendered image (FIG. 7B). As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the shape of the sampling marker clearly shows the range in the azimuth direction. In other words, in a two-dimensional tomographic image, a polygonal sampling marker is used, and in a three-dimensional rendering image. It has a cylindrical shape. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a display example of sampling markers in the three-dimensional rendering image display. In this way, the sampling marker may be represented by a closed line or a cylindrical shape.
By using the sampling marker having such a shape, the operator can easily recognize the beam width range in the azimuth direction in the two-dimensional tomographic image, and can easily and easily obtain the blood flow waveform of the target site in a short time. Can be obtained. Also in 3D rendering, as in the case of sampling marker position setting in a 2D tomographic image, the position of the sampling marker can be easily set in a short time by easily recognizing the beam width in the 3D space. It can be performed.

  Sampling marker makes it easy to set the marker setting range in the tomographic image by changing the color of the tomographic image included in the range to those outside the range instead of showing the sampling marker in a closed line or cylindrical shape You may be able to recognize. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing this state. In particular, in setting a sampling marker in a three-dimensional rendering image, the recognition of the range position can be made easier to understand by changing the color of the tissue image in the sampling range position setting in the three-dimensional space in the two-dimensional monitor display. Note that the range position can be applied to various displays such as not only a change in color but also a change in hue and luminance, a reverse display of the part, or a blink display. This display may be appropriately selected by the operator.

  In the present embodiment, when defining the boundary width in the azimuth direction, it is preferable to use a range width corresponding to a 3 dB bandwidth in the azimuthal sound field 15 shown in FIG. This is because, as the data range for frequency analysis, the -3 dB width corresponds to the half-value width of energy in the target data, and is most appropriate for positioning in the examination target region.

In addition to the -3 dB width, the above range width can be set to an arbitrary energy width by the operator's setting, and this enables the sampling marker to be set with finer or coarser positional accuracy.
An example of this configuration is shown in FIG. The energy width value 17 specified by the operator is set and input to the sampling data range controller 18 by the sampling marker width setting input switch provided on the console 16 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and the graphic control software 19 of the monitor is The sampling marker as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is set and drawn by the transmission / reception beam profile information 20 and the sampling gate width section setting value 6, or the sampling range is designated as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the color of the rendering tomogram is changed.

According to the present embodiment, not only the gate section range in Doppler signal processing but also the shape of the ultrasonic beam sound field of the ultrasonic probe and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus system can be easily displayed on the monitor image. As a result, the operator of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can set an appropriate sample volume range according to the state of the blood flow measurement site in the subject, and can easily obtain the blood flow waveform of the target site in a short time. it can.
Furthermore, it is possible to appropriately adjust the setting of the apparatus according to the echo state of the subject.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention at the stage of implementation. Further, the above embodiments include inventions at various stages, and various inventions can be extracted by appropriately combining a plurality of disclosed constituent elements.

  In addition, for example, even if some structural requirements are deleted from all the structural requirements shown in each embodiment, the problem described in the column of the problem to be solved by the invention can be solved, and the effect described in the effect of the invention Can be obtained as an invention.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of the tissue tomogram and blood-flow image displayed on the monitor screen of an ultrasonic diagnosing device. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the conventional sampling marker. It is a figure which shows a sampling gate area. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the sampling marker in the ultrasound diagnosing device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the determination method of the shape of the sampling marker. It is a figure which shows the shape of the sampling marker in a two-dimensional tomogram and a three-dimensional rendering image. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the sampling marker in a three-dimensional rendering image display. It is a figure which shows the other example of a sampling marker in the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structural example for setting a sampling marker to arbitrary energy widths by an operator's setting.

Explanation of symbols

1. Monitor screen 2. Blood flow image (blood vessel image)
3, 7 ... Sampling marker 16 ... Console 17 ... Energy range value 18 ... Sampling data range controller 19 ... Graphic control software 20 ... Ultrasonic probe 21 ... Electronic scanning unit 22 ... Transmission / reception circuit 23 ... Reception addition circuit 24 ... Detection Circuit 25 ... Transmission / reception control circuit 26 ... DSC
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 27 ... TV monitor 28 ... Quadrature detection circuit 29 ... Spectral Doppler calculation part 30 ... Blood flow color imaging calculation part 31 ... Operation panel 32 ... Sampling position setting circuit 33 ... ROI setting circuit 34 ... System controller

Claims (5)

Sampling area setting means for setting an arbitrary sampling area of the subject;
An ultrasonic probe for transmitting an ultrasonic beam to the sampling region;
A means for displaying a blood flow waveform in the sampling region, a tissue contraction expansion rate, and the like on a monitor by frequency analysis of a signal obtained by a reflected wave from the sampling region,
The ultrasonic diagnostics characterized in that the display means displays a boundary line shape of the sampling region as a sampling region space that matches a geometric beam shape uniquely corresponding to a transmission / reception beamform condition of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus system. apparatus. Sampling area setting means for setting an arbitrary sampling area of the subject;
An ultrasonic probe for transmitting an ultrasonic beam to the sampling region;
A means for displaying a blood flow waveform in the sampling region, a tissue contraction expansion rate, and the like on a monitor by frequency analysis of a signal obtained by a reflected wave from the sampling region,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays an ultrasonic tomographic image or an ultrasonic rendering display image included in the sampling region differently from the outside of the sampling region. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display changes the display inside and outside the sampling region by changing a color inside the sampling region, adding a shade, or inverting it. 3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sampling region setting means sets a boundary of the sampling region space to a 3 dB band of a transmission / reception beamform condition and a frequency analysis processing data range of the ultrasonic diagnostic device system. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by matching. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sampling region setting means is configured to match a boundary of a sampling region space, a transmission / reception beamform condition of the ultrasonic diagnostic device system, and a bandwidth of a frequency analysis processing data range. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized in that a numerical value can be set to an arbitrary numerical value by an operation switch or the like.

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