Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic diagnostic method

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe configured to transmit an ultrasonic pulse to a two-dimensional scanning region or a three-dimensional scanning region, and to receive an echo corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse as a received signal;

a processor configured to:

control the ultrasonic probe so as to perform scanning by sequential scanning lines in the scanning region, and sequentially perform a transmitting and receiving under a first imaging condition and a transmitting and receiving under a second imaging condition which is different from the first imaging condition in a same cross-section;

generate a first image obtained by processing the received signal under the first imaging condition and a second image obtained by processing the received signal under the second imaging condition, the first and second images being images in which signal intensity is expressed by brightness;

perform a differential processing between the first image and the second image to generate a differential image; and

perform a composite processing between the differential image output from the differential processing and a medical image to generate a composite image.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor makes, when the scanning region includes a needle-tip portion of a puncture needle in an object, the ultrasonic probe perform the transmitting and receiving under the first and second imaging conditions, by changing in the first and second imaging conditions at least one of a transmitting condition in transmitting the ultrasonic pulse or a receiving condition in receiving the echo corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse, the first imaging condition being set so that an echo from the needle-tip portion is relatively stronger than a substantial portion other than the needle-tip portion compared to in the second imaging condition, and the second imaging condition being set so that the echo from the needle-tip portion of the puncture needle is relatively weaker than the substantial portion compared to in the first imaging condition.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform a gain correction processing on the first image and the second image to generate a first corrected image and a second corrected image, wherein

the processor performs the differential processing between the first corrected image and the second corrected image.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the processor sets a limited region including a guideline of the puncture needle in the first image or the differential image, and

the processor performs the composite processing between the limited region, set in the first image or the differential image, and the entire region of the medical image.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a filter configured to perform a filtering processing for removing a frequency band higher than a threshold from the first image or the differential image, wherein

the processor performs the composite processing between the filtered first image or the filtered differential image, and the medical image.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein

the filter performs the filtering processing on only a limited region, the limited region including a guideline of the puncture needle, and

the processor performs the composite processing between the limited region set in the filtered first image or the filtered differential image, and the entire region of the medical image.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the processor generates a plurality of the first images corresponding to a plurality of frames, a plurality of the second images corresponding to a plurality of frames, and a plurality of the medical images corresponding to a plurality of frames, respectively,

the processor performs the differential processing between one of the first images and one of the second images to generate the differential image, and

the processor performs the composite processing between the differential image and one of the medical images to generate the composite image.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein

the processor generates, for each frame, a brightness maximum value image holding a maximum value of brightness of the first images or the differential images, that changes with time at each pixel, and performs a composite processing between the brightness maximum value images and the medical images.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the processor generates first volume data in which the plurality of the first images of the three-dimensional scanning region under the first imaging condition are processed, generates second volume data in which the plurality of the second images of the three-dimensional scanning region under the second imaging condition are processed, and generates third volume data in which the plurality of the medical images of the three-dimensional scanning region under the third imaging condition are processed.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to detect a position of the needle-tip portion from the first volume data, or differential volume data between the first volume data and the second volume data, calculate a puncture line of the puncture needle in the three-dimensional scanning region from the position of the needle-tip portion and positional information of a puncture adaptor including the puncture needle, and add the puncture line to the composite image.

11. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein

the processor generates three cross-sectional images perpendicular to each other as the composite image, and projects the position of the needle-tip portion on the three cross-sectional images.

12. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein

the processor sets transmitting conditions of the first imaging condition and the second imaging condition to be identical, and sets receiving conditions thereof to be different.

13. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

the processor sets the first imaging condition as a condition for visualizing a relatively low frequency band of the received signal compared to a frequency band of the received signal in the second imaging condition, and sets the second imaging condition as conditions for visualizing a relatively narrow and relatively high frequency band of the received signal compared to the frequency band of the received signal in the first imaging condition.

14. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein

the processor sets a relatively broad beam sound field and a relatively broad receiving opening of the ultrasonic probe as the first imaging condition, and sets a relatively narrow beam sound field and a relatively narrow receiving opening of the ultrasonic probe as the second imaging condition.

15. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein

the processor controls the ultrasonic probe so as to perform scanning by sequential scanning lines in the scanning region, and sequentially perform the transmitting and receiving under the first imaging condition, the transmitting and receiving under the second imaging condition, and a transmitting and receiving under a third imaging condition in the same cross-section, the third imaging condition being different from the first and second imaging conditions,

the processor generates the first image, the second image, and a third image obtained by processing the received signal under the third imaging condition, the first, second and third images being images in which signal intensity is expressed by brightness, and

the processor performs the composite processing between the differential image and the third image to generate the composite image.

16. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second imaging conditions are different in a receiving condition of the echo corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse.

17. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second imaging conditions are different.

18. An ultrasonic diagnostic method making an ultrasonic probe transmit an ultrasonic pulse to a two-dimensional scanning region or a three-dimensional scanning region, and making the ultrasonic probe receive an echo corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse as a received signal, comprising:

controlling the ultrasonic probe so as to perform, scanning by sequential scanning lines in the scanning region, and to sequentially perform a transmitting and receiving under a first imaging condition and a transmitting and receiving under a second imaging condition which is different from the first imaging condition in a same cross-section;

basic image generating which generates a first image obtained by processing the received signal under the first imaging condition and a second image obtained by processing the received signal under the second imaging condition, the first and second images being images in which signal intensity is expressed by brightness;

differential image generating which performs a differential processing between the first image and the second image to generate a differential image; and

composite image generating which performs a composite processing between the differential image and a medical image to generate a composite image.

19. The ultrasonic diagnostic method according to claim 18 , wherein

the controlling makes, when the scanning region includes a needle-tip portion of a puncture needle in an object, the ultrasonic probe perform the transmitting and receiving under the first and second imaging conditions, by changing in the first and second imaging conditions at least one of a transmitting condition in transmitting the ultrasonic pulse or a receiving condition in receiving the echo corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse, the first imaging condition being set so that an echo from the needle-tip portion is relatively stronger than a substantial portion other than the needle-tip portion compared to in the second imaging condition, and the second imaging condition being set so that the echo from the needle-tip portion of the puncture needle is relatively weaker than the substantial portion compared to in the first imaging condition.

20. The ultrasonic diagnostic method according to claim 18 , wherein

the controlling controls the ultrasonic probe so as to perform scanning by sequential scanning lines in the scanning region, and sequentially performs the transmitting and receiving under the first imaging condition, the transmitting and receiving under the second imaging condition, and a transmitting and receiving under a third imaging condition in the same cross-section, the third imaging condition being different from the first and second imaging conditions,

the basic image generating generates the first image, the second image, and a third image obtained by processing the received signal under the third imaging condition, the first, second and third images being images in which signal intensity is expressed by brightness, and

the composite image generating performs the composite processing between the differential image and the third image to generate the composite image.