Granted Patent B2

US 12,383,239 · App. 18/419,525 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Inventors: Tsuyoshi Matsumoto (Tokyo, JP); Tomoki Inoue (Tokyo, JP)

Assignee: FUJIFILM Corporation

A61B8/5253A61B8/085A61B8/462A61B8/463A61B8/54A61B8/4488

Abstract

Claims (67)

1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasound probe;

a monitor that has a display screen; and

one or more processors configured to:

generate an ultrasound image from ultrasound image data obtained by performing transmission and reception of an ultrasound beam with respect to an examination location of a subject using the ultrasound probe;

generate a panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of a plurality of frames included in the same tomographic plane formed by moving the ultrasound probe;

display the panoramic image on the display screen;

detect whether or not a hidden region that is not displayed on the display screen is present in the panoramic image;

a blood vessel in the panoramic image; and

notify of a message in a case where it is detected that the hidden region is present and it is detected that the blood vessel is present in the hidden region.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames generated by moving the ultrasound probe in a width direction of a transducer array of the ultrasound probe along a body surface of the examination location in a state where the ultrasound probe is in contact with the body surface.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

perform image analysis on the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames,

generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames on the basis of a result of the image analysis, and

detect whether or not the hidden region is present by aligning the panoramic image and the ultrasound image of a current frame on the basis of the result of the image analysis.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames generated by moving the ultrasound probe in a direction from a body surface toward an inside of a body of the examination location or in a direction from the inside of the body toward the body surface in a state where the ultrasound probe is in contact with the body surface of the examination location.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

perform image analysis on the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames,

generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames on the basis of a result of the image analysis, and

detect whether or not the hidden region is present by aligning the panoramic image and the ultrasound image of a current frame on the basis of the result of the image analysis.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the ultrasound probe includes a motion sensor that detects a motion of the ultrasound probe, and

the one or more processors are configured to:

perform image analysis on the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames,

generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames on the basis of a result of the image analysis and the motion of the ultrasound probe, and

detect whether or not the hidden region is present by aligning the panoramic image and the ultrasound image of a current frame on the basis of the result of the image analysis and the motion of the ultrasound probe.

7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames generated within a certain period from the present to the past.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames generated within one examination period for performing an examination on the examination location.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of the plurality of frames generated within one contact period in which the ultrasound probe is in contact with a body surface of the examination location.

10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a case where the ultrasound image data or ultrasound image of a current frame is ultrasound image data or an ultrasound image of the same tomographic plane as the panoramic image, the one or more processors are configured to update the panoramic image using the ultrasound image data or ultrasound image of the current frame.

11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a case where it is detected that the blood vessel is present in the hidden region, the one or more processors are configured to notify of a message indicating a direction of the blood vessel in the hidden region.

12. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a case where it is detected that the blood vessel is present in the hidden region, the one or more processors are configured to notify of a message for an instruction of displaying the panoramic image in a reduced manner.

13. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a case where it is detected that the hidden region is present in a part on a lower side of the panoramic image in a depth direction, the one or more processors are configured to notify of a message for an instruction of changing depth setting of the ultrasound image.

14. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein an orientation of the monitor is changeable to a vertically long posture or a laterally long posture,

the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further includes a posture sensor that detects whether the orientation of the monitor is the vertically long posture or the laterally long posture, and

in a case where it is detected that the monitor is in the vertically long posture and it is detected that the hidden region is present in a part of the panoramic image in a width direction, or in a case where it is detected that the monitor is in the laterally long posture and it is detected that the hidden region is present in a part of the panoramic image in a depth direction, the one or more processors are configured to notify of a message for an instruction of changing the orientation of the monitor between the vertically long posture and the laterally long posture.

15. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to notify of a message for an instruction of moving the ultrasound probe in a direction of the blood vessel in the hidden region.

16. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a case where it is detected that the blood vessel is present in a display region and it is not detected that a blood vessel is present in the hidden region, the one or more processors do not notify of the message.

17. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

set a condition for a blood vessel as a puncture target, and

in a case where it is detected that the blood vessel is present in a display region and the hidden region, notify of the message on the basis of a comparison result between the blood vessel in the display region and the hidden region and the condition.

18. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a case where it is not detected that a blood vessel is present in a display region and it is detected that the blood vessel is present in the hidden region, the one or more processors are configured to notify of the message.

19. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein, in a case where it is not detected that a blood vessel is present in a display region and the hidden region, the one or more processors are configured to notify of a message indicating that no blood vessel is detected.

20. A control method of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, the control method comprising:

a step of generating an ultrasound image from ultrasound image data obtained by performing transmission and reception of an ultrasound beam with respect to an examination location of a subject using an ultrasound probe, via one or more processors;

a step of generating a panoramic image from the ultrasound image data or ultrasound images of a plurality of frames included in the same tomographic plane formed by moving the ultrasound probe, via the one or more processors;

a step of displaying the panoramic image on a display screen of a monitor, via the one or more processors;

a step of detecting whether or not a hidden region that is not displayed on the display screen is present in the panoramic image, via the one or more processors;

a step of detecting a blood vessel in the panoramic image, via the one or more processors; and

a step of notifying of a message, via the one or more processors, in a case where it is detected that the hidden region is present and it is detected that the blood vessel is present in the hidden region.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (10)