Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and method for generating ultrasonic image
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an intracavitary ultrasonic probe, a memory circuit and a generation circuit. The probe includes first piezoelectric transducers performing ultrasonic transmission/reception along a first scan plane, and second piezoelectric transducers performing ultrasonic transmission/reception along a second scan plane. The memory circuit stores first information relating to a positional relationship between a sensor position and a position of the first scan plane, and second information relating to a positional relationship between a sensor position and a position of the second scan plane. The generation circuit generates first three-dimensional image data based on an output of the ultrasonic probe using the first piezoelectric transducers, an output of the sensor and the first information, and second three-dimensional image data based on an output of the ultrasonic probe using the second piezoelectric transducers, an output of the sensor, and the second information.
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
an intracavitary ultrasonic probe including first piezoelectric transducers performing ultrasonic transmission/reception along a first scan plane, and including second piezoelectric transducers performing ultrasonic transmission/reception along a second scan plane different from the first scan plane, the first piezoelectric transducers being different from the second piezoelectric transducers;
a memory circuit configured to store first information relating to a positional relationship between a position of a sensor attached on the intracavitary ultrasonic probe and a position of the first scan plane, and to store second information relating to a positional relationship between a position of the sensor and a position of the second scan plane; and
a generation circuit configured to generate first three-dimensional image data based on an output of the intracavitary ultrasonic probe obtained by the ultrasonic transmission/reception using the first piezoelectric transducers, an output of the sensor and the first information and to generate second three-dimensional image data based on an output of the intracavitary ultrasonic probe obtained by the ultrasonic transmission/reception using the second piezoelectric transducers, an output of the sensor, and the second information, wherein
the generation circuit is configured to, when a scan range of the first three-dimensional image data and a scan range of the second three-dimensional image data are overlapped,
generate, when a display request for a sectional image corresponding to a section in parallel with the first scan plane is accepted, the display-requested sectional image based on the first three-dimensional image data among the first three-dimensional image data and the second three-dimensional image data,
generate, when a display request for a sectional image corresponding to a section in parallel with the second scan plane is accepted, the display-requested sectional image based on the second three-dimensional image data among the first three-dimensional image data and the second three-dimensional image data, and
generate, when a display request for a sectional image corresponding to a section which is not parallel to either the first scan plane or the second scan plane is accepted, the display-requested sectional image based on one of the first three-dimensional image data and the second three-dimensional image data.
2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first scan plane and the second scan plane are in a crossing relationship.
3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the first piezoelectric transducers are arranged on a plane orthogonal to an axis of a probe body of the intracavitary ultrasonic probe and along an arc direction around the axis; and
the second piezoelectric transducers are arranged in parallel with the axis.
4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generation circuit is configured to:
generate a first sectional image based on first echo signals or a second sectional image based on second echo signals; and
generate the first three-dimensional image data by synthesizing the first sectional image using timings based on the first position, or the second three-dimensional image data by synthesizing the second sectional image using timings based on the second position.
5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensor is used both in scan using the first piezoelectric transducers and in scan using the second piezoelectric transducers.
6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the generation circuit is configured to:
generate first sectional images of first scan plane based on first echo signals and the first position, thereby generate the first three-dimensional image data based on the first sectional images;
generate second sectional images of second scan plane based on second echo signals and the second position, thereby generate the second three-dimensional image data based on the second sectional images; and
generate a sectional image corresponding to a display-requested section based on at least a part of the first sectional images and at least a part of the second sectional images.
7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the generation circuit is configured to acquire a brightness value of each pixel of the sectional image corresponding to the display-requested section from the each pixel in accordance with a distance to each pixel of the first and second sectional images.
8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the generation circuit is configured to generate, when a display request for a sectional image corresponding to a section in parallel with the second scan plane is accepted, the display-requested sectional image based on the second three-dimensional image data.
9. A method for generating an ultrasonic image using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including (A) an intracavitary ultrasonic probe including first piezoelectric transducers performing ultrasonic transmission/reception along a first scan plane, and including second piezoelectric transducers performing ultrasonic transmission/reception along a second scan plane different from the first scan plane, (B) a memory circuit configured to store first information relating to a positional relationship between a position of a sensor attached on the intracavitary ultrasonic probe, and to store a position of the first scan plane and second information relating to a positional relationship between a position of the sensor and a position of the second scan plane, the method comprising:
generating first three-dimensional image data based on an output of the intracavitary ultrasonic probe obtained by the ultrasonic transmission/reception using the first piezoelectric transducers, an output of the sensor, and the first information;
generating second three-dimensional image data based on an output of the intracavitary ultrasonic probe obtained by the ultrasonic transmission/reception using the second piezoelectric transducers, an output of the sensor, and the second information; and
generating display-requested sectional image, when a scan range of the first three-dimensional image data and a scan range of the second three-dimensional image data are overlapped,
the display-requested sectional image being based on the first three-dimensional image data among the first three-dimensional image data and the second three-dimensional image data when a display request for a sectional image corresponding to a section in parallel with the first scan plane is accepted,
the display-requested sectional image being based on the second three-dimensional image data among the first three-dimensional image data and the second three-dimensional image data when a display request for a sectional image corresponding to a section in parallel with the second scan plane is accepted, and
the display-requested sectional image being based on one of the first three-dimensional image data and the second three-dimensional image data when a display request for a sectional image corresponding to a section which is not parallel to either the first scan plane or the second scan plane is accepted.