Diagnostic ultrasound system and method of displaying elasticity image
View Patent ↗A diagnostic ultrasound system includes an ultrasound transmitting and receiving system for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a object to be examined 10 , an elasticity image capturing system for capturing an elasticity image related to body tissue of the object to be examined on the basis of a signal output from the ultrasound transmitting and receiving system, and a controlling and displaying system for capturing the elasticity image. The elasticity image capturing system obtains compression data related to the compression state of the object to be examined 10 , determines the compression state of the body tissue on the basis of the compression data, and includes a compression direction and range evaluation unit 115 as a compression state evaluating means for reflecting the determination result to the elasticity image. In this way, more accurate diagnosis by objectively and quantitatively grasping the compression state of the body tissue is possible.
1. A diagnostic ultrasound system comprising:
an ultrasound transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves to and from an object to be examined;
transmitting means for supplying a driving signal to the ultrasound transducer;
receiving means for processing a reception signal output from the ultrasound transducer;
elasticity image imaging means for obtaining an elasticity image related to a body tissue of the object to be examined on the basis of a signal output from the receiving means; and
displaying means for displaying the elasticity image,
wherein the elasticity image imaging means includes compression state evaluating means for:
obtaining compression data related to a compression state of the body tissue of the object to be examined, and
determining that: a coordinate region with a magnitude of the compression data exceeding a threshold value is within an adequate compression range; and a coordinate region with a magnitude of the compression data not exceeding the threshold value is an inadequate compression range, wherein
at least one of the adequate compression ranges and at least one of the inadequate compression ranges are displayed on the elasticity image, with a border between the adequate compression range and the inadequate compression range.
2. A diagnostic ultrasound system comprising:
an ultrasound transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from an object to be examined;
transmitting means for supplying a driving signal to the ultrasound transducer;
receiving means for processing a reception signal output from the ultrasound transducer;
elasticity image imaging means for obtaining an elasticity image related to a body tissue of the object to be examined on the basis of a signal output from the receiving means; and
displaying means for displaying the elasticity image,
wherein the elasticity image imaging means includes compression state evaluating means for:
obtaining compression data related to a compression state of the body tissue of the object to be examined,
determining that: a coordinate region with a magnitude of the compression data exceeding a threshold value is within an adequate compression range; and a coordinate region with a magnitude of the compression data not exceeding the threshold value is an inadequate compression range, wherein at least one of the adequate compression ranges and at least one of the inadequate compression ranges are displayed on the elasticity image, with a border between the adequate compression range and the inadequate compression range,
determining a compression direction of the body tissue on the basis of a distribution of magnitude of the compression data, and
reflecting the compression direction on the elasticity image,
wherein the compression direction is represented by an angle of compression.
3. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains elasticity data related to the body tissue and determined at the elasticity image imaging means as the compression data.
4. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains detection values of a plurality of pressure sensors aligned on an ultrasound transmission and reception surface of the ultrasound transducer as the compression data.
5. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 4 , wherein a plurality of the pressure sensors are aligned in a long axis direction of the ultrasound transmission and reception surface.
6. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 4 , wherein the pressure sensors comprise a reference deforming body deformable by compression.
7. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains a deformation value of a reference deforming body stacked on the ultrasound transmission and reception surface of the ultrasound transducer as the compression data.
8. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains a detection value of a position sensor attached to the ultrasound transducer as the compression data.
9. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means separates elasticity data of measurement points of the body tissue determined at the elasticity image imaging means into displacement vector components of a longitudinal direction corresponding to a depth direction of the object to be examined and displacement vector components of a lateral direction orthogonal to the depth direction, and determines the adequate compression range by comparing the magnitude of the displacement vector components of the longitudinal direction or the magnitude of the displacement vector components of the lateral direction with a set value.
10. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means separates elasticity data of measurement points of the body tissue determined at the elasticity image imaging means into displacement vector components of a longitudinal direction corresponding to a depth direction of the object to be examined and displacement vector components of a lateral direction orthogonal to the depth direction, and determines the compression direction on the basis of the distribution of the magnitude of the displacement vector components of the longitudinal direction or the distribution of the magnitude of the displacement vector components of the lateral direction.
11. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means generates image data representing the adequate compression range, and the displaying means displays the image data in a superimposing manner on or adjacent to the elasticity image.
12. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means generates image data or numerical data representing the compression direction, and the displaying means displays the image data or the numerical data in a superimposing manner on or adjacent to the elasticity image.
13. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means generates image data representing the border of the adequate compression range and the inadequate compression range, and the displaying means displays the image data in a superimposing manner on or adjacent to the elasticity image.
14. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the displaying means displays a region of interest whose size is changed on the basis of a determination result of the compression state evaluating means.
15. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means repeatedly determines the adequate compression range in set intervals, and the displaying means updates and displays image data representing the adequate compression range in real-time every time the determination result is updated.
16. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means repeatedly determines the compression direction in set intervals, and the displaying means updates and displays image data or numerical data representing the compression direction in real-time every time the determination result is updated.
17. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means generates image data of an arrow indicating the compression direction or numerical data representing the angle corresponding to the compression direction, and the displaying means displays an image corresponding to the image data or the numerical data in a superimposing manner on or adjacent to the elasticity image.
18. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means repeatedly determines the compression direction in set intervals, and the displaying means displays the time transition of the angle representing the compression direction on the basis of the determination result.
19. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cine memory for exacting and reading out at least one of the elasticity image stored in advance and image data or numerical data corresponding to the compression state on the basis of compression state evaluation data output from the compression state evaluating means.
20. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means repeatedly determines the compression direction in set intervals, and the displaying means displays the elasticity image for when the angle representing the compression direction is included in a set range with reference to zero.
21. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means repeatedly determines the compression direction in set intervals, and the displaying means time-sequentially displays the elasticity image group for when the angle representing the compression direction is included in a set range with reference to zero.
22. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 1 , wherein the compression state evaluating means includes announcing means for generating an alert of at least one of an image and audio when the adequate compression range corresponding to outside a set range.
23. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means includes announcing means for generating an alert of at least one of an image and audio when the compression direction corresponding to outside a set range.
24. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains elasticity data related to the body tissue and determined at the elasticity image imaging means as the compression data.
25. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains detection values of a plurality of pressure sensors aligned on an ultrasound transmission and reception surface of the ultrasound transducer as the compression data.
26. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains a deformation value of a reference deforming body stacked on the ultrasound transmission and reception surface of the ultrasound transducer as the compression data.
27. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , wherein the compression state evaluating means obtains a detection value of a position sensor attached to the ultrasound transducer as the compression data.
28. The diagnostic ultrasound system according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a cine memory for exacting and reading out at least one of the elasticity image stored in advance and image data or numerical data corresponding to the compression state on the basis of compression state evaluation data output from the compression state evaluating means.