JP2004147679A - Ultrasonic diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic device capable of easily and accurately executing positioning of a search unit and an object to be examined with excellent reproducibility. <P>SOLUTION: This ultrasonic diagnostic device is provided with the search unit for transmitting ultrasonic waves into a living body and receiving reflected waves from the object to be examined inside the living body, an image preparation part for preparing the tomographic image of the object to be examined on the basis of signals received by the probe, and an image display part for displaying the tomographic image. The search unit is provided with a first array vibrator 1 and a second array vibrator 2 and the array vibrators are arranged such that array directions cross each other. Further, the image preparation part and the image display part generate and display a first tomographic image corresponding to the signals received by the first array vibrator and a second tomographic image corresponding to the signals received by the second array vibrator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves using an arrayed transducer and obtains information inside the body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus obtains two-dimensional information in a living body by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from the living body, and is used in various medical fields. Examples of such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus include a B-mode display apparatus that obtains a tomographic image of a test object using amplitude information, and a Doppler blood that utilizes the fact that the phase of a reflected wave of moving blood changes over time. A flow meter, a color flow blood flow imaging device, and the like are known. In recent years, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for obtaining information on relatively slow movements such as movements of organs as well as relatively fast movements such as blood flow has been proposed (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-67451). Such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe for transmitting an ultrasonic wave to a test object in a living body and receiving a reflected wave from the test object. FIG. 10 is a schematic view showing an example of a probe constituting a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. This probe includes an arrayed transducer 10 in which a plurality of transducers 10a to 10n are arranged in one direction.
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-67451
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as described above has a problem that it is difficult to position the probe during measurement. This problem will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 by taking as an example a case where the test object is an intravascular atheroma.
[0005]
FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams showing a positional relationship between a probe and a test object when using a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. FIG. 11A is a top view, and FIG. 'Corresponds to a sectional view. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the screen display at this time.
[0006]
At the time of measurement, as shown in FIG. 11 (A), in the probe, the arrangement direction of the arrayed oscillators 10 matches the blood flow direction of the blood vessel 4, and the atheroma 5 is positioned below the arrayed oscillators 10. Are arranged as follows. At this time, as shown in FIG. 12, the guide screen 8 indicating the center position of the arrayed transducers 10, that is, the transmission direction of the ultrasonic beam 6, is displayed on the display screen together with the tomographic image 7 of the blood vessel. Positioning of the probe is performed by moving the probe so that the guide line 8 matches the position of the atheroma in the tomographic image 7. However, even if the guideline and the position of the plaque match on the display screen, actually, as shown in FIG. In the (vertical direction), the center position of the arrayed vibrator 10 and the position of the atheroma 5 may have shifted. When such misalignment occurs, it is difficult to accurately and reproducibly measure the internal state of the atheroma. This is also a problem that occurs in a test substance other than an atheroma (eg, a tumor in the liver, a polyp in the gallbladder, and the like).
[0007]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of accurately and reproducibly aligning a probe with a position of a test object.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention transmits an ultrasonic wave into a living body and receives a reflected wave from a test object in the living body, and the probe receives the ultrasonic wave. An image creating unit that creates a tomographic image of the test object based on the obtained signal, and an image display unit that displays the tomographic image,
The probe has a first arrayed oscillator and a second arrayed oscillator arranged such that the array directions of the oscillators cross each other,
A first tomographic image corresponding to a signal received by the first array transducer; and a second tomographic image corresponding to a signal received by the second array transducer. And creating and displaying the image.
[0009]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the probe includes a plurality of arrayed transducers, and a plurality of tomographic images corresponding to each arrayed transducer are displayed. Therefore, the position of the probe and the test object can be confirmed from a plurality of different directions, so that the position of the probe can be easily, reliably, and reproducibly adjusted to the position of the test object. As a result, a signal corresponding to the test object can be obtained with good reproducibility.
[0010]
In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is preferable that the image display unit displays a guideline indicating the positions of the first arrayed transducer and the second arrayed transducer together with the tomographic image of the test object. According to this preferred example, since the position of the probe can be easily confirmed on the tomographic image, the positioning of the probe can be more easily performed.
[0011]
Further, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is preferable that the first arrayed transducers and the second arrayed transducers are arranged so as not to overlap. When the first arrayed oscillator and the second arrayed oscillator intersect, it is necessary to change the shape of the arrayed oscillator such as reducing the width of each oscillator at the intersection. Such a change may reduce the receiving sensitivity of the ultrasonic wave. However, according to this preferred example, such a problem can be avoided.
[0012]
In this case, linear scanning can be performed for the first array transducer. On the other hand, the second array transducer can transmit and receive ultrasonic waves that travel obliquely to the surface of the living body. Further, the second array transducer may perform sector scanning.
[0013]
Further, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is preferable that the width of the first arrayed transducer is adjusted to be small in a portion close to the second arrayed transducer.
[0014]
Examples of the test object targeted by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus include organs, blood vessels, and atheromas present in blood vessels. Among them, knowing the state of atheroma is important for diagnosis of arteriosclerosis such as myocardial infarction and angina, but the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is suitable for obtaining information on the state of this atheroma. .
[0015]
Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
(First Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe 101 that transmits and receives an ultrasonic signal to and from the living body 3, a transmitting and receiving unit 102 that transmits and receives an electric signal to and from the probe 101, An image creating unit 103 that creates a tomographic image based on the obtained electrical signal, and an image display unit 104 that displays the tomographic image created by the image creating unit 103.
[0017]
The probe 101 transmits and receives an ultrasonic signal to and from a living body. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the probe. The probe 101 includes a first arrayed oscillator 1 and a second arrayed oscillator 2. The first arrayed oscillator 1 includes a plurality of oscillators 1a to 1n, and the second arrayed oscillator 2 includes a plurality of oscillators 2a to 2f. These array transducers are arranged such that the arrangement directions of the transducers cross each other. Preferably, the arranged transducers are arranged so as not to overlap each other. For example, in the present embodiment, as shown, the first arrayed oscillator 1 and the second arrayed oscillator 2 are arranged so as to form a T-shape.
[0018]
Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described.
[0019]
First, the probe 101 is brought into contact with the surface of the living body 3 to be inspected. An electric signal (transmission signal) is transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 102 to the array transducer, and the transmission signal is converted into an ultrasonic signal by the array transducer and transmitted to the living body 3. The ultrasonic signal transmitted to the living body 3 is reflected by a test object in the living body 3 (for example, an atheroma in a blood vessel). This reflected wave is received by the arrayed vibrator, converted into an electric signal (received signal), and transmitted to the transmission / reception unit 102. The received signal is subjected to appropriate processing (for example, detection, amplification, etc.) by the transmission / reception unit 102, and the output is input to the image creation unit 103. Such transmission / reception operations are repeatedly performed while scanning ultrasonic waves with the arrayed transducers.
[0020]
The above operation is performed for each of the first arrayed oscillator 1 and the second arrayed oscillator 2. At this time, the scanning method of the ultrasonic wave is linear scanning in the first array transducer 1 and oblique scanning in the second array transducer 2. Here, the “oblique scan” means a scan in which an ultrasonic wave that travels obliquely with respect to a transmitting / receiving surface (a surface in contact with or facing the living body surface) of the arrayed transducers is transmitted and received.
[0021]
Subsequently, in the image creating unit 103, a first tomographic image of the test object is created based on the reception signal obtained for the first arrayed transducer 1, and obtained for the second arrayed transducer 2. A second tomographic image of the subject is created based on the received signal. The image creation method is not particularly limited, and for example, a digital scan conversion method or the like can be adopted. Then, the first tomographic image and the second tomographic image created by the image creating unit 103 are displayed on the image display unit 104. At this time, it is preferable that a guideline indicating the center position of each arrayed transducer is displayed on the image display unit 104 together with the tomographic image of the test object.
[0022]
Further, based on the first tomographic image and the second tomographic image displayed on the image display unit 104, the positioning between the probe and the test object is performed. The positioning of the probe will be described with reference to an example in which the test object is an atheroma formed in a blood vessel. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the positional relationship between the first and second arrayed transducers and the test object when the probe is aligned, and FIG. 3A is a top view, (B) corresponds to the II-II ′ sectional view, and (C) corresponds to the II ′ sectional view.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 3, the positioning of the probe is such that the blood vessel 4 is located immediately below the first arrayed oscillator 1 and the blood flow direction is the same as the arrayed direction of the first arrayed oscillator 1. Perform so that they match. The atheroma 5 formed in the blood vessel 4 is positioned immediately below the first arrayed oscillator 1 and on an extension of the center line extending in the array direction of the second arrayed oscillator 2. Match.
[0024]
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen display after the alignment. As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the longitudinal section of the blood vessel 4 (the section including the central axis of the blood vessel 4) is used as the first tomographic image 7a, and the cross section of the blood vessel 4 is used as the second tomographic image 7b ( A cross section orthogonal to the central axis of the blood vessel 4 is displayed, and the guideline 8 is aligned with the position of the atheroma on both tomographic images. As described above, the alignment can be performed by adjusting the guideline 8 displayed on the image display unit to the position of the atheroma in the tomographic image.
[0025]
As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the probe includes the plurality of array transducers arranged so that the array directions cross each other, and the plurality of tomographic images corresponding to each array transducer. Can be displayed. Therefore, since the positions of the probe and the test object can be confirmed from at least two directions, the position of the probe can be easily and reliably adjusted to the position of the test object. As a result, a signal corresponding to the test object can be obtained with good reproducibility.
[0026]
In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3C, oblique scanning is performed in the second arrayed vibrator 2. If the second array transducer is not a diagonal scan but a normal linear scan (a scan that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves that travel substantially perpendicular to the transmission and reception surface of the array transducer), the second array transducer In order to obtain a tomographic image of the test object, the test object needs to be present directly below the second array transducer. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to intersect the first arrayed oscillator and the second arrayed oscillator, but there is a problem in the shape of the oscillator at the intersection. For example, if the width of each vibrator is reduced at the intersection, the sensitivity may be reduced at that portion.
[0027]
On the other hand, when oblique scanning is performed by the second arrayed oscillator 2, the test is performed by the second arrayed oscillator 2 even if the test object is not located immediately below the second arrayed oscillator 2. A tomographic image of an object can be obtained. Therefore, the first arrayed oscillator 1 and the second arrayed oscillator 2 can be arranged, for example, in a T-shape without crossing each other, so that the above-described reduction in sensitivity can be suppressed.
[0028]
In the above description, the case where oblique scanning is performed in the second arrayed vibrator 2 is illustrated, but sector scanning may be performed in the second arrayed oscillator 2 as shown in FIG. In the same manner as described above, even in such a form, even when the test object is not located immediately below the second array transducer, a tomographic image of the test object can be obtained by the second array transducer. Therefore, the first arrayed oscillator 1 and the second arrayed oscillator can be arranged without crossing each other.
[0029]
(Second embodiment)
Next, an example of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe, a transmission / reception unit, an image creation unit, and an image display unit, as in the first embodiment.
[0030]
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the probe according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the probe when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV ′ in FIG.
[0031]
This probe includes a first arrayed oscillator 1 and a second arrayed oscillator 2. The first arrayed oscillator 1 includes a plurality of oscillators 1a to 1n, and the second arrayed oscillator 2 includes a plurality of oscillators 2a to 2f. These arrayed vibrators are arranged such that the vibrator array directions intersect each other, as in the first embodiment.
[0032]
In the present embodiment, the transmitting and receiving surface of the second arrayed oscillator 2 is inclined with respect to the transmitting and receiving surface of the first arrayed oscillator 1. In other words, when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, the second array transducer 2 is arranged such that the transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic wave is inclined with respect to the surface of the living body, as shown in FIG.
[0033]
Such an arrangement can be realized by placing the second arrayed vibrators 2 on the pedestal 9 as shown. As the pedestal 9, for example, one in which a medium is filled in a container can be used. In this case, it is preferable that the container has flexibility so that it can be in close contact with the surface of the living body, and is freely deformable according to the shape of the surface of the living body. The material constituting the container and the medium is not particularly limited as long as it does not hinder transmission of ultrasonic waves. For example, silicone rubber, urethane rubber, or the like can be used as the container, and water, hydrous gelatin, or the like can be used as the medium.
[0034]
The operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, linear scanning is performed in the second array transducer 2.
[0035]
According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, as in the first embodiment, the positions of the probe and the test object can be confirmed from at least two directions, so that the position of the probe can be easily and reliably detected. Can be adjusted to the position of the object. As a result, a signal corresponding to the test object can be obtained with good reproducibility.
[0036]
Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, linear scanning is performed in the second array transducer. The second arrayed vibrator is arranged so that its transmitting / receiving surface is inclined with respect to the surface of the living body. Therefore, when linear scanning is performed by the second array transducer, ultrasonic waves that travel obliquely with respect to the surface of the living body are transmitted and received. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the same effect as in the case where oblique scanning is performed by the second arrayed vibrator as described in the first embodiment.
[0037]
(Third embodiment)
Next, an example of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe, a transmission / reception unit, an image creation unit, and an image display unit, as in the first embodiment.
[0038]
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of the probe according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing the probe when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV ′ of FIG. Note that the hatched portion in FIG. 9 indicates a projection of a portion of the first arrayed vibrator 1 apart from the second arrayed oscillator 2 (a portion corresponding to the oscillator 1a or 1n in FIG. 8).
[0039]
This probe includes a first arrayed oscillator 1 and a second arrayed oscillator 2. The first arrayed oscillator 1 includes a plurality of oscillators 1a to 1n, and the second arrayed oscillator 2 includes a plurality of oscillators 2a to 2f. These arrayed vibrators are arranged such that the vibrator array directions intersect each other, as in the first embodiment. For example, in the present embodiment, as shown, the first arrayed oscillator 1 and the second arrayed oscillator 2 are arranged so as to form a T-shape.
[0040]
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the width of the first arrayed vibrator 1 is adjusted so as to be smaller at a portion close to the second arrayed vibrator 2. Here, the “width of the arrayed oscillators” means a dimension in a direction parallel to a plane formed by the two arrayed oscillators and orthogonal to the array direction. As shown in the drawing, the decrease in the width in the portion close to the second arrayed oscillator is achieved by changing the end face of the first arrayed oscillator 1 on the second arrayed oscillator 2 side to the first arrayed oscillator 1. Is preferably realized by making it depressed toward the center line side of the width. In this case, the end face of the first arrayed vibrator 1 may be depressed, for example, to about 70%, preferably about 75% of the width of the portion 1a in a portion close to the second arrayed vibrator 2. it can. Further, in order to prevent the deterioration of the ultrasonic image quality, it is preferable that the width of the first arrayed transducer 1 is, for example, 4 mm or more even in a minimum part in a probe having a center frequency of 7 MHz.
[0041]
The operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the ultrasonic scanning in the second arrayed transducer 2 is performed by oblique scanning or sector scanning.
[0042]
According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, as in the first embodiment, the positions of the probe and the test object can be confirmed from at least two directions, so that the position of the probe can be easily and reliably detected. Can be adjusted to the position of the object. As a result, a signal corresponding to the test object can be obtained with good reproducibility.
[0043]
Further, as described above, in the present embodiment, the width of the first arrayed vibrator is reduced in a portion close to the second arrayed vibrator. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the position of the second arrayed vibrator 2 is closer to the test object than in the first embodiment. Therefore, when obliquely scanning the second array transducer, the angle of the traveling direction of the ultrasonic wave with respect to the living body surface can be increased (closer to the direction perpendicular to the living body surface), and as a result, a tomographic image obtained Image quality can be improved. Further, even when sector scanning is performed by the second arrayed transducer, the object can be scanned in a range where the deflection of the ultrasonic beam is small, so that good image quality can be obtained.
[0044]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, the probe has a plurality of arrayed transducers, and displays a plurality of tomographic images corresponding to the received signals of each arrayed transducer. The position of the child and the test object can be confirmed from a plurality of different directions. Therefore, the present invention can provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of accurately and reproducibly adjusting the position of the probe to the position of the test object.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a probe constituting the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams showing a positional relationship between a probe and a test object when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, wherein FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram in a top direction and FIG. FIG. 3C is a schematic view in a cross-sectional direction, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another example of the probe when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, and is a schematic view taken along the line II ′ of FIG. 3A.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a probe constituting the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between a probe and a test object when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, and is a schematic diagram taken along the line IV-IV ′ in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a probe constituting an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship between the probe and the test object when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, and is a schematic diagram taken along the line VV ′ in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a probe constituting a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating a positional relationship between a probe and a test object when a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used, where FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram of an upper surface direction, and FIG. FIG.
FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen display of a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 1 first arrangement transducer 2 second arrangement transducer 3 living body 4 blood vessel 5 atheroma 6 ultrasonic beam 7, 7a, 7b tomogram 8 guideline 9 pedestal 101 probe 102 transmission / reception unit 103 image creation unit 104 image display 104 Department

Claims (8)

A probe that transmits an ultrasonic wave into a living body and receives a reflected wave from the subject in the living body, and an image that creates a tomographic image of the subject based on a signal received by the probe. A creating unit, including an image display unit that displays the tomographic image,
The probe has a first arrayed oscillator and a second arrayed oscillator arranged such that the array directions of the oscillators cross each other,
A first tomographic image corresponding to a signal received by the first array transducer; and a second tomographic image corresponding to a signal received by the second array transducer. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, which creates and displays an image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image display unit displays a guide line indicating a position of the first arrayed transducer and the second arrayed transducer together with a tomographic image of the test object. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first arrayed transducer and the second arrayed transducer are arranged so as not to overlap with each other. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein linear scanning is performed in the first array transducer. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second array transducer transmits and receives ultrasonic waves traveling obliquely to the surface of the living body. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein sector scanning is performed in the second array transducer. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the width of the first arrayed transducer is adjusted to be smaller at a portion close to the second arrayed transducer. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the test object is an atheroma present in a blood vessel.

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