Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, ultrasonic image processing apparatus and ultrasonic image processing method

1. An ultrasonic diagnosis device comprising:

a data collecting unit configured to collect ultrasonic image data, which are obtained by scanning a predetermined site of a sample periodically moving with ultrasonic waves, during a period of one or more cycle of the motion;

an interesting area setting unit configured to set a two-dimensional interesting area of a tissue of the sample in the ultrasonic image data at a predetermined time phase;

a strain gauge setting unit configured to set a predetermined number of strain gauges which includes a plurality of segments connecting two end points to one or more middle points existing between the end points in the interesting area;

a motion vector information generating unit configured to generate motion vector information of the tissue including at least the strain gauges by the use of a process with pattern matching;

an image generating unit configured to set a predetermined number of strain gauges in the ultrasonic image data at different time phases during the period and generate a strain gauge image in which the strain gauges are overlapped at a corresponding position, by the use of a tracking process using the set strain gauges and the motion vector information of the tissue; and

a display unit configured to display the strain gauge image in a predetermined form.

2. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined site of the sample is a heart,

wherein one of the end points is set at a position relative to an inner myocardial membrane and another one of the end points is set at a position relative to an outer myocardial membrane, and

wherein the strain gauges are set in the transmural direction of the heart of the sample.

3. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 2 , wherein the middle point is set at a position inside the myocardium of the heart.

4. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 2 , wherein the setting unit sets a center of rotation in the ultrasonic image data at the plurality of time phases including a reference time phase,

wherein the ultrasonic diagnosis device further includes:

a calculation unit configured to calculate rotation angles of a first end point, a second end point, and the middle point about the center of rotation for each of the strain gauges in the ultrasonic image data at the time phases; and

a rotational difference information generating unit configured to generate a rotational difference indicating a difference between a rotation angle of the inner myocardial membrane side and a rotation angle of the outer myocardial membrane side using the rotation angles of the first end point, the second end point, and the middle point at the reference time phase, and

wherein the display unit displays the rotational difference information in a predetermined format.

5. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 4 , wherein the rotational difference information generating unit generates the rotational difference information every anatomic segment of the myocardial membrane of the heart.

6. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 4 , wherein the image generating unit generates the strain gauge image in which the difference between the rotation angle of the inner myocardial membrane and the rotation angle of the outer myocardial membrane is coded in color based on the rotational difference information and the strain gauge image is matched with the corresponding position of the ultrasonic image data.

7. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 4 , wherein the rotational difference information generating unit generates a temporal variation curve of the rotation angles as the rotational difference information.

8. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 4 , wherein the rotational difference information generating unit generates information on a temporal variation of the rotational difference information by subtracting two pieces of rotational difference information generated using two different ultrasonic image data, and

wherein the display unit displays the information on the temporal variation of the rotational difference information in a predetermined format.

9. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 1 , wherein the display unit concurrently or alternately displays a before-treatment strain gauge image and an after-treatment strain image or the before-stress strain gauge image and the after-stress strain gauge image.

10. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined site of the sample is a heart, and

wherein one of the end points is set at a position corresponding to an inner myocardial membrane, the other of the end points is set at a position corresponding to an outer myocardial membrane, and the one or more middle points are set at a position corresponding to the outer myocardial membrane.

11. The ultrasonic diagnosis device according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined site of the sample is a heart, and

wherein the two end points and the one or more middle points are set to correspond to a plurality of layers of a cardiac muscle of the heart or boundaries thereof, respectively.

12. An ultrasonic image processing device comprising:

a memory unit configured to store ultrasonic image data, which are collected by scanning a predetermined site of a sample periodically moving with ultrasonic waves, during a period of one or more cycle of the motion;

an interesting area setting unit configured to set a two-dimensional interesting area of a tissue of the sample in the ultrasonic image data at a predetermined time phase;

a strain gauge setting unit configured to set a predetermined number of strain gauges which includes a plurality of segments connecting two end points to one or more middle points existing between the end points in the interesting area;

a motion vector information generating unit configured to generate motion vector information of the tissue including at least the strain gauges by the use of a process with pattern matching;

an image generating unit configured to set the predetermined number of strain gauges in the ultrasonic image data at different time phases during the period and generate a strain gauge image in which the strain gauges are overlapped at a corresponding position, by the use of a tracking process using the set strain gauges and the motion vector information of the tissue; and

a display unit configured to display the strain gauge image in a predetermined form.

13. An ultrasonic image processing method comprising:

setting a two-dimensional interesting area of a tissue at a predetermined time phase in ultrasonic image data, which are collected by scanning a predetermined site of a sample including the tissue periodically moving with ultrasonic waves, during a period of one or more cycle of the motion;

setting a predetermined number of strain gauges which includes a plurality of segments connecting two end points to one or more middle points existing between the end points in the interesting area;

generating motion vector information of the tissue including at least the strain gauges by the use of a process with pattern matching;

setting the predetermined number of strain gauges in the ultrasonic image data at different time phases during the period and generating a strain gauge image in which the strain gauges are overlapped at a corresponding position, by the use of a tracking process using the set strain gauges and the motion vector information of the tissue; and

displaying the strain gauge image in a predetermined form.

14. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 13 , wherein the predetermined site of the sample is a heart,

wherein one of the end points is set at a position relative to an inner myocardial membrane and another one of the end points is set at a position relative to an outer myocardial membrane, and

wherein the strain gauges are set in the transmural direction of the heart of the sample.

15. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 14 , wherein the middle point is set at a position inside the myocardium of the heart.

16. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 14 , further comprising:

setting a center of rotation of the heart in the ultrasonic image data at the plurality of time phases including a reference time phase;

calculating rotation angles of a first end point, a second end point, and the middle point at the reference time phase about the systolic center for each of the strain gauges in the ultrasonic image data at the time phases;

generating a rotational difference indicating a difference between a rotation angle of the inner myocardial membrane side and a rotation angle of the outer myocardial membrane side using the rotation angles of the first end point, the second end point, and the middle point at the reference time phase; and

displaying the rotational difference information in a predetermined format.

17. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 16 , wherein the generating of the rotational difference information includes generating the rotational difference information every anatomic segment of the myocardial membrane of the heart.

18. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 16 , wherein the generating of the strain image includes generating the strain gauge image in which the difference between the rotation angle of the inner myocardial membrane and the rotation angle of the outer myocardial membrane is coded in color based on the rotational difference information and the strain gauge image is matched with the corresponding position of the ultrasonic image data.

19. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 16 , wherein the generating of the rotational difference information includes generating a temporal variation curve of the rotation angles as the rotational difference information.

20. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 16 , wherein information on the temporal variation of the rotational difference information is generated by subtracting two pieces of rotational difference information generated using two different ultrasonic image data, and

wherein the information on the temporal variation of the rotational difference information is displayed in a predetermined format.

21. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 13 , wherein the displaying includes concurrently or alternately displaying a before-treatment strain gauge image and an after-treatment strain image or the before-stress strain gauge image and the after-stress strain gauge image.

22. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 13 , wherein the predetermined site of the sample is a heart, and

wherein one of the end points is set at a position corresponding to an inner myocardial membrane, the other of the end points is set at a position corresponding to an outer myocardial membrane, and the one or more middle points are set at a position corresponding to the outer myocardial membrane.

23. The ultrasonic image processing method according to claim 13 , wherein the predetermined site of the sample is a heart, and

wherein the two end points and the one or more middle points are set to correspond to a plurality of layers of a cardiac muscle of the heart or boundaries thereof, respectively.