JP6662447B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and operation method of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an operation method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of observing a tissue structure or properties by irradiating an ultrasonic wave into a subject, receiving a reflected wave thereof, and imaging or analyzing the reflected wave. In ultrasonic diagnosis, a subject can be examined nondestructively and noninvasively.

  Also, in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, there is known a technique of strain elastography for imaging a strain distribution generated by applying pressure to a subject using an ultrasonic probe. In strain elastography, the hardness of an object (e.g., a tumor) and the reference (e.g., fat) can be evaluated based on a difference in relative distortion.

  A reliable evaluation of hardness requires stable pressure on the subject. With respect to such a background, there has been known an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in which an acquired frame group and a compression direction are linked to each other to simplify selection of a frame in which a user has performed uniform compression (see Patent Document 1). ). This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can display an elastic image of a frame having a good compression direction.

Japanese Patent No. 4769715

  However, in the above-described conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, although the pressed state can be confirmed, basically, a single feature amount is displayed, and for example, a plurality of compression strengths, compression directions, etc. If it is desired to make a comprehensive judgment based on the characteristics, it is necessary to switch the display, and the operation may be complicated.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to easily select a frame of an elastic image with a good pressed state based on a plurality of types of feature amounts.

In order to solve the above problems, the invention described in claim 1 is :
An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasound to and from the subject of the subject by applying pressure to the subject by an ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound and measures the hardness of the subject,
A transmission unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe,
A receiving unit that processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
A transmitting and receiving unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe and processes a reception signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
Based on the processed reception signal, a feature amount calculation unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressed state of each frame of the elastic image,
An evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value from the calculated plurality of feature amounts, and generates information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, based on the evaluation value,
A display control unit that displays the information on the generated stable section on a display unit;
An elasticity image generation unit that generates elasticity image data based on the received signal ,
The feature amount calculation unit generates display information of the calculated plurality of feature amounts,
A storage unit that stores the generated elastic image data and display information of a plurality of feature amounts,
In a cine mode for selecting and displaying the stored elasticity image data, an operation input unit for receiving an input of a type of the characteristic amount to be displayed among the plurality of characteristic amounts, an input of a display frame of the elasticity image data to be displayed, and ,
The display control unit, the stored elastic image data corresponding to the input display frame, display information of the stored feature amount corresponding to the type of the display frame and the input feature amount, Is displayed on the display unit .

According to a second aspect of the invention, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
The display information of the feature amount includes display information indicating whether or not the display frame is a stable section.

The invention according to claim 3 is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
A cine frame selection bar having a stable section frame among a plurality of frames, indicating a display frame of an elasticity image, and having a cursor capable of performing a movement change operation, as the information of the generated stable section; Is generated, and a default display frame corresponding to the cursor is set as a display frame in the stable section.

The invention according to claim 4 is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A cine frame selection bar having a stable section frame among a plurality of frames, indicating a display frame of an elasticity image, and having a cursor capable of performing a movement change operation, as the information of the generated stable section; Produces
When the cursor is within the stable section, a cursor control unit is provided for setting the moving speed of the cursor to be slower than when the cursor is outside the stable section.

The invention of claim 5 provides the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The evaluation value calculation unit generates information of a stable section by making a frame immediately before a freeze operation easier to be a stable section than a frame other than a frame immediately before a freeze operation based on the evaluation value.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects ,
In the live mode, the display control unit displays the generated elasticity image data and the generated information of the stable section on the display unit.
The invention according to claim 7 is
An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasound to and from the subject of the subject by applying pressure to the subject by an ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound and measures the hardness of the subject,
A transmission unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe,
A receiving unit that processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
Based on the processed reception signal, a feature amount calculation unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressed state of each frame of the elastic image,
An evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value from the calculated plurality of feature amounts, and generates information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, based on the evaluation value,
A display control unit that displays the information on the generated stable section on a display unit;
An elasticity image generation unit that generates elasticity image data based on the received signal,
In the live mode, the display control unit displays the generated elasticity image data and the generated information of the stable section on the display unit.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the sixth or seventh aspect,
A freeze control unit that performs freeze setting when the calculated evaluation value satisfies a predetermined condition;

The invention according to claim 9 is
An operation method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to an object of the subject by applying pressure to the object by an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves and measures the hardness of the object,
Transmission unit includes a transmission step of transmitting a driving signal the ultrasonic probe,
A reception step of receiving section processes the received signal outputted from the ultrasonic probe,
Feature amount calculation unit, based on the processed received signal, a feature amount calculation step of calculating a plurality of types of feature amount indicating a pressing state of each frame of the elastic image,
An evaluation value calculation unit calculates an evaluation value from the plurality of calculated feature amounts, and, based on the evaluation value, generates an information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, and an evaluation value calculation step,
A display control unit, a display control step of displaying information on the generated stable section on a display unit ,
The elastic image generating section, based on the received signal, seen containing an elastic image generating step of generating elastic image data, and
A storage unit for storing the generated elasticity image data and display information of a plurality of feature amounts,
In the cine mode in which the operation input unit selects and displays the stored elasticity image data, the input of the type of the characteristic amount to be displayed among the plurality of characteristic amounts and the input of the display frame of the elasticity image data to be displayed are performed. Accepting an operation input step,
In the display control step, the display control unit may store the stored elastic image data corresponding to the input display frame and the stored feature corresponding to the display frame and the type of the input feature amount. The display information of the amount is displayed on the display unit .
The invention according to claim 10 is
An operation method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to an object of the subject by applying pressure to the object by an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves and measures the hardness of the object,
A transmitting unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe,
A receiving unit that processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
A feature amount calculating unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressed state of each frame of the elasticity image based on the processed reception signal;
An evaluation value calculation unit calculates an evaluation value from the plurality of calculated feature amounts, and, based on the evaluation value, generates an information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, and an evaluation value calculation step,
A display control unit, a display control step of displaying information on the generated stable section on a display unit,
Elastic image generating unit, based on the received signal, an elastic image generating step of generating elastic image data,
In the display control step, the display control unit displays the generated elasticity image data and the generated information of the stable section on the display unit in a live mode.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily select a frame of an elastic image having a good pressed state based on a plurality of types of feature amounts.

1 is an external view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is a conceptual diagram which shows evaluation value calculation from a some feature-value. It is a figure showing distribution of an evaluation value to time. It is a figure showing a cine frame selection bar. It is a flowchart which shows an elasticity image display process. It is a figure showing a display picture containing a synthetic elasticity picture.

  Embodiments and modifications according to an example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the illustrated example.

(Embodiment)
An embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, an apparatus configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is an external view of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100.

  The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 is an apparatus that displays and outputs an ultrasound image of a state of a tissue inside a living body of a subject such as a living body of a patient. That is, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 transmits an ultrasonic wave (transmitted ultrasonic wave) to a subject such as a living body, and generates a reflected wave (reflected ultrasonic wave: echo) of the ultrasonic wave reflected in the subject. Receive. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 converts the received reflected ultrasonic waves into an electric signal, and generates ultrasonic image data based on the electric signal. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 displays the internal state of the subject as an ultrasound image based on the generated ultrasound image data. In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 has a strain elastography function that indicates a strain distribution inside the subject under compression.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 includes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 having an operation input unit 11 and a display unit 20, an ultrasonic probe 2, and a cable 3. The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits a transmitted ultrasonic wave to the inside of the subject and receives a reflected ultrasonic wave from the inside of the subject. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 is connected to the ultrasonic probe 2 via a cable 3, and transmits a drive signal of an electric signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 to cause the ultrasonic probe 2 to move the ultrasonic probe 2 into the subject. To transmit transmission ultrasonic waves. Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 receives a reception signal which is an electric signal generated by the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the reflected ultrasonic wave from the inside of the subject received by the ultrasonic probe 2. , And generates and displays ultrasonic image data using the received signal.

  The ultrasonic probe 2 includes a transducer 2a (see FIG. 2) composed of a piezoelectric element, and a plurality of the transducers 2a are arranged in, for example, a one-dimensional array in the azimuth direction (scanning direction). . In the present embodiment, for example, the ultrasonic probe 2 including 192 transducers 2a is used. The transducers 2a may be arranged in a two-dimensional array. Further, the number of transducers 2a can be set arbitrarily. In the present embodiment, a linear electronic scan probe is used as the ultrasonic probe 2 to perform ultrasonic scanning by a linear scanning method. However, any one of a sector scanning method and a convex scanning method is used. Can also be adopted. Communication between the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus body 1 and the ultrasonic probe 2 may be performed by wireless communication such as UWB (Ultra Wide Band) instead of wired communication via the cable 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 1 includes, for example, an operation input unit 11, a transmission unit 12, a reception unit 13, a B-mode image generation unit 14, a storage unit 14a, and an elasticity image generation unit. 15, a storage unit 15a, an elasticity image synthesis unit 16, a feature amount calculation unit 17, an evaluation value calculation unit 18, a display image generation unit 19 as a display control unit, a display unit 20, a cursor control unit, A control unit 21 as a freeze control unit.

  The operation input unit 11 includes, for example, various switches, buttons, a trackball, a mouse, and a keyboard for an examiner such as a doctor or a technician to input a command for instructing the start of diagnosis or data such as personal information of a subject. And outputs an operation signal to the control unit 21. The operation input unit 11 includes a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 20.

  The transmission unit 12 is a circuit that supplies a drive signal, which is an electric signal, to the ultrasonic probe 2 via the cable 3 under the control of the control unit 21 and causes the ultrasonic probe 2 to generate a transmission ultrasonic wave. . The transmission unit 12 includes, for example, a clock generation circuit, a delay circuit, a time and voltage setting unit, and a pulse generation circuit. The clock generation circuit is a circuit that generates a clock signal that determines the transmission timing and transmission frequency of the drive signal. The delay circuit sets the transmission timing of the driving signal to a delay time for each individual path corresponding to each transducer, delays the transmission of the driving signal by the set delay time, and sets the transmission time of the transmission beam formed by the transmission ultrasonic wave. This is a circuit for performing focusing. The time and voltage setting unit is a circuit that sets the time and amplitude voltage of the pulse width of the pulse signal generated from the pulse generation circuit. The pulse generation circuit is a circuit for generating a pulse signal as a drive signal according to the time and voltage set by the time and voltage setting unit. The transmission unit 12 configured as described above drives, for example, a continuous part (for example, 64) of a plurality of (for example, 192) transducers 2a arranged in the ultrasonic probe 2. To generate transmission ultrasonic waves. Then, the transmission unit 12 performs scanning by shifting the driven vibrator in the azimuth direction each time a transmission ultrasonic wave is generated.

  The receiving unit 13 is a circuit that receives a reception signal, which is an electric signal, from the ultrasonic probe 2 via the cable 3 under the control of the control unit 21 and performs signal processing on the reception signal to generate sound ray data. . The receiving unit 13 includes, for example, an amplifier, an A / D conversion circuit, and a phasing addition circuit. The amplifier is a circuit for amplifying a reception signal at a preset amplification factor for each individual path corresponding to each transducer. The A / D conversion circuit is a circuit for A / D converting the amplified received signal. The phasing addition circuit adjusts the time phase by giving a delay time to each A / D-converted received signal for each individual path corresponding to each vibrator, and adds these (phasing addition) to produce a sound ray. This is a circuit for generating data.

  Under the control of the control unit 21, the B-mode image generation unit 14 performs envelope detection processing, logarithmic amplification, and the like on the sound ray data from the reception unit 13, performs dynamic range and gain adjustment, and performs luminance conversion. Thereby, ultrasonic image data in B (Brightness) mode (B-mode image data) as tomographic image data is generated. That is, the B-mode image data represents the intensity of the received signal in terms of luminance.

  The storage unit 14a is a storage unit including a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory. The B-mode image generation unit 14 stores the generated B-mode image data in the storage unit 14a as cine image data of a cine frame in frame units in association with the frame number (time). The B-mode image generation unit 14 reads out the B-mode image data stored in the storage unit 14a and outputs the data to the elasticity image synthesis unit 16 under the control of the control unit 21.

  Under the control of the control unit 21, the elasticity image generation unit 15 performs an operation on the sound ray data from the reception unit 13, converts the sound ray data into a distortion amount as elasticity information, and performs color mapping to convert the elasticity image data. Generate. The size of the image of the elasticity image data generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15 is the size of the ROI (Region Of Interest) specified and input by the examiner via the operation input unit 11, and The size is not limited, and may be the same as the size of the image of the B-mode image data. The storage unit 15a is a storage unit including a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

  Here, the distortion amount will be described. The examiner grasps the ultrasound probe 2 and applies pressure to the body surface of the subject. At this time, the pressure applied from the ultrasonic probe 2 to the subject changes due to the vibration of the examiner himself or the breathing of the subject. For example, it is assumed that the upper end of an object such as a tumor is located at a position xr in the depth direction (X direction) from the body surface in contact with the ultrasound probe 2 in the subject before compression is applied. . It is also assumed that the width of this object in the depth direction is L. Assuming that compression ρ is similarly applied to the object in a state where compression ρ (stress) is applied to the subject, the upper end position of the object changes as the distance xs in the depth direction, and the depth of the object It is assumed that the width in the direction changes so as to be L-ΔL. Then, by measuring the object in these two states, the strain amount ε = ΔL / L is obtained.

  More specifically, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-213733, the elasticity image generation unit 15 appropriately stores and reads the sound ray data from the reception unit 13 into the storage unit 15a for each frame. As a result, two consecutive frames of sound ray data are acquired. Of the two frames, the pressurized state of the subject corresponding to the first signal waveform of the sound ray data of the first frame is set to the first pressurized state, and the second signal waveform of the sound ray data of the second frame is set to the first pressurized state. The pressurized state of the subject to be performed is referred to as a second pressurized state. Then, the elasticity image generation unit 15 extracts a phase difference component at each time between the first signal waveform and the second signal waveform, and according to a correlation between each time and the phase difference component at each time. , And calculates a distortion difference and an initial phase difference relating to a difference between the respective frequencies between the first signal waveform and the second signal waveform, and calculates a distortion amount based on the distortion difference. The elasticity image generation unit 15 calculates the amount of distortion for all pixels, and generates image data composed of pixels having the amount of distortion.

  The elasticity image generation unit 15 generates elasticity image data by coloring the image data of the distortion amount by, for example, color mapping in which the distortion amount increases in the order of blue → green → yellow → red. However, in the drawing of FIG. 5 described later, the expression is such that the distortion amount increases in the order of black → white in the elasticity image.

  In addition, the elastic image generation unit 15 stores the generated elastic image data in the storage unit 15a as cine image data of a cine frame in a frame unit in association with a frame number (time). Under the control of the control unit 21, the elastic image generation unit 15 reads the elastic image data stored in the storage unit 15a and outputs the elastic image data to the elastic image combining unit 16.

  Under the control of the control unit 21, the elasticity image synthesizing unit 16 compares the elasticity image data of the same time generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15 with the B-mode image data generated by the B-mode image generation unit 14 in a predetermined manner. To generate combined elastic image data.

  Under the control of the control unit 21, the feature amount calculation unit 17 compares the elasticity image data generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15, the sound ray data generated by the reception unit 13, and the information stored in the storage unit 17a. Using at least one, calculating a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating the pressed state of the subject for each frame of the elasticity image data, generating display information of a plurality of feature amounts indicating the calculated feature amounts, The elasticity image data and the display information of the plurality of feature amounts are output to the evaluation value calculation unit 18 and the display information of the plurality of feature amounts is stored in the storage unit 17a. The storage unit 17a is a non-volatile storage unit including a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

  As a specific example, an example will be described in which the feature amount calculating unit 17 calculates three types of feature amounts of the distortion amount d of the elastic image, the tempo b of the distortion amount, and the reliability value s. However, the type and number of feature amounts calculated by the feature amount calculation unit 17 are not limited to this example.

但し、ＲＯＩ：弾性画像データの全画素、ｘ：弾性画像内の画素の変数ｑにおける歪み量、ｎ：ＲＯＩ内の画素数、である。Using the elasticity image data generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15, the feature amount calculation unit 17 calculates the distortion amount d of the elasticity image defined by the average distortion amount in the elasticity image (ROI) by the following equation (1). calculate.

Here, ROI: all the pixels of the elastic image data, x: the amount of distortion in the variable q of the pixels in the elastic image, and n: the number of pixels in the ROI.

但し、Ｄ（ω）＝ＦＦＴ（Ｄ（ｔ））、Ｄ（ｔ）：歪み量の時間波形、ｔ：時間・フレーム番号、である。式（２）は、一定の間隔で歪みが生じている場合、特定の周波数が強くなり、分子が大きくなる。この状態をテンポが良い状態と定義している。このとき、分子では周波数成分の最大値を算出するが、単に強い押圧に反応しないよう低周波成分を最大値の算出対象から除き、中周波または高周波成分を最大値の算出対象としても良い。分母は、歪み量に依存しない特徴量として算出するために歪み量の総和で正規化している。また、テンポｂと歪み量とを同時に考慮していい場合に、弾性画像の歪み量のテンポｂは次式（２Ａ）により算出される。

Further, the feature amount calculation unit 17 uses the elasticity image data of a plurality of continuous frames generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15 to calculate the sine of the time waveform of the distortion amount of the elasticity image (ROI) by the following equation (2). The tempo b of the distortion amount of the elastic image defined by the similarity to the waveform / cosine waveform is calculated. At this time, the feature amount calculation unit 17 writes and reads the elasticity image data generated by the elasticity image generation unit 15 to and from the storage unit 17a as appropriate, and uses the elasticity image data as elastic image data of a plurality of continuous frames.

Here, D (ω) = FFT (D (t)), D (t): a time waveform of the distortion amount, and t: time / frame number. Equation (2) indicates that, when distortion occurs at regular intervals, the specific frequency becomes stronger and the numerator becomes larger. This state is defined as a state in which the tempo is good. At this time, the numerator calculates the maximum value of the frequency component, but the low frequency component may be excluded from the calculation target of the maximum value so as not to respond to a strong pressing, and the medium frequency or high frequency component may be calculated as the maximum value. The denominator is normalized by the sum of the distortion amounts in order to calculate as a feature amount independent of the distortion amount. When the tempo b and the amount of distortion can be considered at the same time, the tempo b of the amount of distortion of the elastic image is calculated by the following equation (2A).

Further, the feature amount calculation unit 17 uses the sound ray data of the continuous frames generated by the reception unit 13 and calculates the elasticity image defined by the correlation value of the sound ray data of two consecutive frames by the following equation (3). A confidence value (restoration rate) s is calculated. At this time, the feature quantity calculation unit 17 writes and reads the sound ray data of each frame generated by the reception unit 13 into and from the storage unit 17a as appropriate, and uses the data as sound ray data of a continuous frame.
s = AutoCorr (f (x), f _prev (x + Δx)) (3)
Here, AutoCorr is an autocorrelation operation, f (x): the signal waveform of sound ray data at the current position in the depth direction (depth x) of the current frame, f _prev (x + Δx): the position in the depth direction of the previous frame ( (Depth x + Δx).

Further, as other feature amounts, the feature amount calculating unit 17 uses the current and past feature amounts calculated above and calculates the current feature amount calculated by the following equation (4) and the maximum value of the past feature amounts. May be calculated as the similarity p with the past feature amount defined by the error from the above. At this time, the feature value calculation unit 17 writes and reads the calculated feature value of each frame to and from the storage unit 17a as appropriate, and uses it as a past feature value.
p = | y−y _past | (4)
Here, y: the current feature amount, y _past : the highest value of the past feature amount. The feature amounts y and y _past are, for example, configured to use the distortion amount d, but are not limited thereto. A configuration may be used in which the tempo b or the reliability value s is used as the feature amounts y and y _past , or the sum of values obtained by multiplying a plurality of feature amounts by a weighting factor is used.

  In addition, as other feature amounts, the feature amount calculation unit 17 calculates the distribution of the distortion amount in the horizontal direction (scanning direction) of the pixels of the elasticity image data (the sum or the average value of the distortion amounts of all the pixels for each column in the depth direction). ), A regression line of the strain distribution may be generated, and a score with the slope 0 of the balance line corresponding to the slope of the regression line as a perfect score may be calculated as the feature amount. In this configuration, a balance line may be displayed together with the score of the distortion distribution as the feature amount display information.

  In addition, the feature amount calculation unit 17 generates display information of each calculated feature amount. For example, the display information of the distortion amount d as the feature amount is display information of a graph indicating the distortion amount from a time before a predetermined period in the past to the present. At this time, the feature value calculation unit 17 reads out the current and past feature values from the storage unit 17a as appropriate, and uses them to generate display information of the feature values. The feature amount calculation unit 17 stores the generated display information of the feature amount in the storage unit 17a for the cine frame in association with the frame number (time).

  The evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates an evaluation value score using the plurality of feature amounts generated by the feature amount calculation unit 17 according to the control of the control unit 21, and generates a cine frame bar based on the evaluation value score. The display information of the plurality of feature amounts generated by the feature amount calculation unit 17 and the generated cine frame bar are output to the display image generation unit 19.

The evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates the evaluation value score by, for example, the following equation (5).
_{score = w d · d + w} b · b + w s · s ... (5)
However, _{w d:} the weighting factor of the amount of distortion d, _{w b:} the weighting coefficient of tempo b, _{w s:} a weighting factor of confidence value s,.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating calculation of an evaluation value from a plurality of feature amounts. As shown in FIG. 3, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates an evaluation value from a plurality of feature amounts (distortion amount d, tempo b, reliability value s, similarity p) of the frame at the same time.

However, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates the evaluation value score by Expression (5), and may be configured to calculate the evaluation value score by Expression (6), for example.
score = dbs (6)

  The evaluation value calculation unit 18 stores the calculated evaluation value in the storage unit 18a for the cine frame in association with the frame number (time). The storage unit 18a is a nonvolatile storage unit configured by a semiconductor memory such as a flash memory.

  Further, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 generates a cine frame selection bar having a stable section composed of a temporally continuous frame group having a high evaluation value based on the current and past evaluation values stored in the storage unit 18a. Here, generation of the cine frame selection bar will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. FIG. 4A is a diagram showing a distribution of evaluation values with respect to time. FIG. 4B is a diagram showing the cine frame selection bar 300.

  The distribution of the evaluation value for each frame with respect to time is shown, for example, in FIG. 4A. The time of one frame is, for example, 1/5 to 1/20 [s]. The evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates a moving average of the evaluation values for a predetermined period of time (for example, a one-second section) over time for the evaluation values of all the cine frames. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 generates a cine frame selection bar in which a section for a predetermined time in which the moving average value is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold is set as a stable section. It should be noted that the moving average value calculation section and the stable section may have different times. The evaluation value calculation unit 18 generates, for example, a cine frame selection bar 300 shown in FIG. 4B corresponding to the distribution of the evaluation values in FIG. 4A. The cine frame selection bar 300 has a stable section 301 and a normal section 302. The stable section 301 is a stable section indicating a cine frame in which the moving average value of the evaluation value is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold among all the cine frames. The normal section 302 is a normal section indicating a cine frame in which the moving average value of the evaluation value is less than a predetermined threshold among all the cine frames.

  The display image generation unit 19 generates the synthetic elastic image data generated by the elastic image combining unit 16 as the display image data in the live mode according to the control of the control unit 21, and generates the synthetic elastic image data by the elastic image combining unit 16 in the cine mode. The combined elastic image data of the obtained cine frame, the display information of the characteristic amount input from the characteristic amount calculation unit 17, and the cine frame selection bar input from the evaluation value calculation unit 18 are synthesized to generate display image data. I do. The display image generation unit 19 converts the generated display image data into an image signal for the display unit 20 and outputs the image signal to the display unit 20.

  As the display unit 20, a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) display, an organic EL (Electronic Luminescence) display, an inorganic EL display, and a plasma display is applicable. The display unit 20 displays an image on a display screen according to the image signal output from the display image generation unit 19.

  The control unit 21 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and reads various processing programs such as a system program stored in the ROM to read the RAM. The operation of each unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 is centrally controlled according to the developed program. The ROM is configured by a nonvolatile memory such as a semiconductor, and stores a system program corresponding to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, a program executable on the system program, various data such as a gamma table, and the like. These programs are stored in the form of computer-readable program codes, and the CPU sequentially executes operations according to the program codes. The RAM forms a work area for temporarily storing various programs executed by the CPU and data related to these programs. Note that, in order to prevent the figure from becoming complicated, some control lines from the control unit 21 to each unit are omitted in FIG.

  For each unit included in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, some or all of the functions of each functional block can be realized as a hardware circuit such as an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit is, for example, an LSI (Large Scale Integration), and the LSI may be called an IC, a system LSI, a super LSI, or an ultra LSI depending on the degree of integration. Further, the method of circuit integration is not limited to an LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor, or the connection and setting of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or a circuit cell inside the LSI may be reconfigured. A reconfigurable processor may be used. Further, some or all of the functions of each functional block may be executed by software. In this case, the software is stored in one or more storage media such as a ROM, an optical disk, a hard disk, or the like, and the software is executed by the arithmetic processing unit.

  Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the elasticity image display processing.

  In diagnosing a subject by strain elastography using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, first, the ultrasound probe 2 is brought into contact with the subject, and B-mode image data is generated and a B-mode image is displayed as a live mode in advance. The examiner inputs the ROI of the elasticity image appropriately through the operation input unit 11, and the ultrasonic probe 2 applies pressure to the body surface around the target of the subject.

  Then, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the control unit 21 executes the elasticity image display processing shown in FIG. Hereinafter, as the subject of each step, the direct subject of the processing of the step is described, and the control unit 21 controls the subject of each step.

  First, the transmitting unit 12 supplies a driving signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and the receiving unit 13 receives a received signal from the ultrasonic probe 2 and generates sound ray data ( Step S11). Then, the B-mode image generation unit 14 uses the sound ray data generated in step S11 to generate one frame of B-mode image data and store it as a cine frame in the storage unit 14a. Uses the sound ray data generated in step S11 and the sound ray data one frame before stored in the storage unit 15a to generate one frame of elastic image data and store it as a cine frame in the storage unit 15a. The elastic image synthesizing unit 16 synthesizes the generated B-mode image data and elastic image data to generate one frame of synthetic elastic image data (Step S12).

  Then, the feature amount calculation unit 17 uses the sound ray data obtained in step S11, the elasticity image data obtained in step S12, and the past information stored in the storage unit 17a to obtain the feature amounts (distortion amounts d, The tempo b and the confidence value s) are calculated, and display information of each feature amount is generated and stored in the storage unit 17a (step S13). Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 calculates an evaluation value score of the characteristic amount using the characteristic amount calculated in step S13, and generates information of a stable section in the cine frame selection bar and stores the information in the storage unit 18a. (Step S14).

  Then, the display image generation unit 19 generates one frame of display image data from the one frame of synthetic elasticity image data generated in step S12, and displays the display image on the display unit 20 (step S15). The examiner can diagnose the hardness of an object such as a tumor in the synthetic elasticity image by viewing the synthetic elasticity image displayed on the display unit 20.

  Then, the control unit 21 determines whether or not a freeze input has been made by the inspector via the operation input unit 11 (step S16). If the freeze input has not been made (step S16; NO), the process proceeds to step S11. If a freeze input has been made (step S16; YES), the cine mode is started, and the control unit 21 sets the default display frame number of the cine image data to the B mode image generation unit 14, the elastic image generation unit 15, The output is set to the calculation unit 17 and the evaluation value calculation unit 18 (step S17). The display frame of the initial setting is, for example, a cine frame immediately before a freeze among a plurality of cine frames.

  Then, the B-mode image generation unit 14 reads out the B-mode image data of the input display frame number from the storage unit 14a and outputs the read B-mode image data to the elasticity image synthesis unit 16, and the elasticity image generation unit 15 outputs the input display frame number. Is output from the storage unit 15a to the elastic image combining unit 16, and the elastic image combining unit 16 combines the input B-mode image data and elastic image data to generate combined elastic image data ( Step S18).

  Then, the feature value calculation unit 17 reads out the display information of the feature value of the type for which the input display frame number is being set (initially, initially set) from the storage unit 17a and outputs the information to the display image generation unit 19 (step S19). The initially set feature amount is, for example, a distortion amount d. Then, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 reads the information of the stable section from the storage unit 18a, and generates a cine frame selection bar having a cursor at a position corresponding to the input display frame number based on the information of the stable section. The output is output to the display image generation unit 19 (step S20).

  Then, the display image generation unit 19 generates display image data by synthesizing the synthetic elastic image data of the input display frame number, the display information of the feature amount, and the cine frame selection bar, and displays the display image on the display unit 20. It is displayed (step S21). Then, the control unit 21 determines whether or not a cursor movement input has been performed by the examiner via the operation input unit 11 (step S22). When the cursor movement input is performed (step S22; YES), the control unit 21 sets the display frame number after the change corresponding to the cursor movement in step S22 to the B-mode image generation unit 14, the elastic image generation unit 15, the feature amount The output is set to the calculation unit 17 and the evaluation value calculation unit 18 (step S23), and the process proceeds to step S18.

  When the cursor movement input has not been performed (step S22; NO), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the inspector has input a feature amount change via the operation input unit 11 (step S24). When the feature amount change input is performed (step S24; YES), the feature amount calculation unit 17 reads out the display information of the type of feature amount corresponding to the feature amount after the change in step S24 from the storage unit 17a and generates a display image. It outputs to the part 19 (step S25), and moves to step S21. If the feature amount change input has not been made (step S24; NO), the elasticity image display processing ends.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a display image 200 including the synthetic elasticity image 210. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a display image 200 of a display frame number is displayed on the display unit 20 in the cine mode. The display image 200 includes a synthetic elasticity image 210, a cine frame selection bar 300A, a frame number display column 310, feature amount display information 400, and a feature amount switching button 410.

  The composite elastic image 210 is a composite image of the B-mode image 211 based on the B-mode image data of the display frame number and the elastic image 212 based on the elastic image data of the display frame number. The cine frame selection bar 300A has a stable section 301A, a normal section 302A, and a cursor 303.

  The stable section 301A is a part of a bar indicating a stable section in cine frames of all cine image data. The normal section 302A is a part of a bar indicating a normal section in all cine frames. The cursor 303 is an operation display element that is arranged at the position of the display frame number corresponding to the synthetic elasticity image 210 and receives a selection input of a cine frame to be displayed from the examiner via the operation input unit 11, and is a stable section 301A. In addition, a movement change input can be made on the left and right on the normal section 302A. The frame number display column 310 is a display column showing the frame number of the order of the synthetic elastic image 210 (cursor 303) among the number of cine frames of all cine image data. It is preferable that display colors of the stable section 301A and the normal section 302A be different.

  The feature amount display information 400 is a display column of a distortion amount d as an initially set feature amount. The feature amount display information 400 includes a graph section 401, a reference area 402, and a frame section 403. The graph unit 401 is a portion showing a graph of the temporal distortion amount d using the horizontal axis as time, the vertical axis as the value of the distortion amount d of the feature amount, and the center of the vertical axis of the feature amount display information 400 as a reference value. is there. The right end of the graph section 401 is the distortion amount d of the frame immediately before the freeze. The reference area 402 is an area indicating an appropriate range of the value of the distortion amount d from the center of the vertical axis of the feature amount display information 400. In other words, if the graph portion 401 is within the reference region 402, it indicates that the distortion amount d of that portion is appropriate, and if the graph portion 401 protrudes from the reference region 402, it is determined that the distortion amount d of that portion is not appropriate. Show.

  The frame portion 403 is a frame portion of the feature amount display information 400, and has a display color set to indicate whether or not the cine frame corresponding to the cursor 303 is a stable section. For example, when the cine frame corresponding to the cursor 303 is a stable section, the frame 403 is displayed in the same display color as the stable section 301A.

  The feature amount switching button 410 is an operation display element that receives a switching input of the type of feature amount displayed in the feature amount display information 400 displayed by the inspector via the operation input unit 11. For example, each time the feature amount switching button 410 is pressed, the feature amount of the feature amount display information 400 switches in the order of distortion amount d → tempo b → reliability value s → distortion amount d →. When the feature amount switching button 410 is touch-input via the operation input unit 11 corresponding to step S24, the control unit 21 outputs the switched display feature amount information to the feature amount calculating unit 17. The feature amount calculation unit 17 reads out the display information of the feature amount corresponding to the input display feature amount information of the same display frame number from the storage unit 17a and outputs the display information to the display image generation unit 19. The display image generation unit 19 generates display image data by synthesizing the combined elastic image data of the same display frame number, the display information of the feature amount after switching, and the cine frame selection bar, and displays the display image on the display unit 20. Let it. The display information of the feature amount is not limited to the display format of the graph over time, but may be another display format such as a numerical display of the feature amount.

  Further, in response to step S22, when a display cine frame is selected and input by moving the cursor 303 via the operation input unit 11, the composite image data, the cine frame selection bar, and the like corresponding to the selected display frame number are displayed. A display image including the display information of the feature amount after the switching is displayed.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 supplies a drive signal to the ultrasound probe 2, processes a reception signal output from the ultrasound probe 2, and processes the received signal. , A plurality of types of feature amounts indicating the pressed state of each frame of the elasticity image are calculated, an evaluation value is calculated from the calculated plurality of feature amounts, and based on the evaluation value, the pressed state is good. A cine frame selection bar is generated as information of a stable section composed of frames, and the generated cine frame selection bar is displayed on the display unit 20.

  Therefore, the inspector can visually confirm and easily select the frame of the elasticity image of the stable section in which the pressed state is good based on the plurality of types of feature amounts.

  Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 generates elasticity image data based on the received signal, generates display information of the calculated plurality of feature amounts, and displays the generated elasticity image data and display information of the plurality of feature amounts. In the cine mode, an input of a type of a feature amount to be displayed and an input of a display frame of elastic image data to be displayed are received in the storage units 15a and 17a and correspond to the input display frame. The display unit 20 displays the stored elasticity image data and the display information of the stored feature amount corresponding to the display frame and the type of the input feature amount. Therefore, the inspector can visually recognize the feature amount of the displayed cine frame.

  In addition, the feature amount display unit 400 includes a frame unit 403 that indicates whether or not the display frame is a stable section by a display color. For this reason, the inspector can easily recognize the feature amount of the displayed cine frame together with information on whether or not the section is a stable section.

(Modification)
A plurality of modified examples of the above embodiment will be described in order.

  In the first modified example, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, when the cine mode is started, the control unit 21 sets the display frame number of the cine image data to be initially displayed corresponding to the cursor to the cine frame other than immediately after the freeze. This is a configuration for setting to a frame number. For example, the configuration is such that the control unit 21 sets the display frame number of the cine image data displayed at the start of the cine mode to the frame number of the cine frame in the stable section (for example, the center of the stable section). According to this configuration, the information of the cine frame in the stable section important for the diagnosis can be checked first, and the diagnosis can be performed accurately and the diagnosis time can be reduced.

  In a second modified example, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the cursor of the cine frame selection bar is moved in the normal section with respect to the same moving operation from the examiner via the operation input unit 11 in the moving section. In this configuration, the moving speed of the cursor in the stable section is set lower. According to this configuration, it is easy to select a display cine frame of a stable section important for diagnosis.

  The third modified example has a configuration in which the evaluation value calculation unit 18 in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 makes it easier to set a cine frame immediately before the freeze of the cine frame selection bar to a stable section than a cine frame other than immediately before the freeze. is there. For example, a configuration in which the evaluation value of a cine frame immediately before a freeze is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient or more, a configuration in which a threshold for determining a stable section with respect to a moving average value of an evaluation value including an evaluation value of a cine frame immediately before a freeze is reduced, or the like. There is. According to this configuration, it is easy to set the most recent frame in which the examiner has determined that it is important and has performed the freeze operation as a stable section important for diagnosis, so that diagnosis can be performed more accurately.

  In a fourth modified example, in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 determines, during the live mode, a stable section based on an evaluation value obtained by calculating a moving average value corresponding to a predetermined number of frames up to the present. The configuration is such that the information of the normal section is output to the display image generation unit 19, and the display image generation unit 19 displays the input information of the stable section on the display unit 20 together with the live synthesized image data. According to this configuration, even in the live mode, the inspector can visually recognize the frame of the elasticity image of the stable section in which the pressed state is good based on the plurality of types of feature amounts.

  In a fifth modified example, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the evaluation value calculation unit 18 determines, during the live mode, a stable section based on an evaluation value obtained by calculating a moving average value corresponding to a predetermined number of frames up to the present. The configuration is such that information on the normal section is output to the control unit 21. Further, the control unit 21 determines whether the evaluation value satisfies a predetermined condition set in advance, and automatically sets a freeze when the predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition is, for example, that the moving average value of the evaluation value is equal to or more than a second predetermined threshold different from the first predetermined threshold for determining a stable section. According to this configuration, even in the live mode, the examiner can easily visually confirm the frame of the elastic image important for diagnosis corresponding to the stable section as the elastic image of the still image frame.

Note that the descriptions in the above embodiments and modified examples are examples of a suitable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an operation method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a configuration in which at least two of the above-described embodiments and modified examples are combined may be adopted.

  In the above-described embodiment and the modification, the stable section in the cine frame selection bar is set to the same color, but the present invention is not limited to this. The stable section may be configured to have different display colors according to the height of the evaluation value. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which the higher the evaluation value, the deeper the display color in the stable section. According to this configuration, the height of the evaluation value of the stable section can be easily confirmed, and particularly, when there are a plurality of stable sections in the cine frame selection bar, each stable section can be easily identified.

  Further, in the above embodiment, as the elastic image data, the image data indicating the amount of distortion as the elastic data is generated and used by the strain elastography. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration may be used in which image data indicating the shear wave velocity as elasticity data is generated and used as elasticity image data by shear wave elastography.

  Further, the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each unit configuring the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 in the above-described embodiment and modified examples can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

As described above, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the operation method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention can be applied to ultrasonic diagnosis using an elasticity image.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 11 operation input unit 12 transmitting unit 13 receiving unit 14 B-mode image generating units 14a, 15a, 17a, 18a storage unit 15 elastic image generating unit 16 elastic image synthesizing unit 17 feature amount calculation Unit 18 evaluation value calculation unit 19 display image generation unit 20 display unit 21 control unit 2 ultrasonic probe 2a transducer 3 cable

Claims (10)

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasound to and from the subject of the subject by applying pressure to the subject by an ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound and measures the hardness of the subject,
A transmission unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe,
A receiving unit that processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
Based on the processed reception signal, a feature amount calculation unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressed state of each frame of the elastic image,
An evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value from the calculated plurality of feature amounts, and generates information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, based on the evaluation value,
A display control unit that displays the information on the generated stable section on a display unit;
An elasticity image generation unit that generates elasticity image data based on the received signal ,
The feature amount calculation unit generates display information of the calculated plurality of feature amounts,
A storage unit that stores the generated elastic image data and display information of a plurality of feature amounts,
In a cine mode for selecting and displaying the stored elasticity image data, an operation input unit for receiving an input of a type of the characteristic amount to be displayed among the plurality of characteristic amounts, an input of a display frame of the elasticity image data to be displayed, and ,
The display control unit, the stored elastic image data corresponding to the input display frame, display information of the stored feature amount corresponding to the type of the display frame and the input feature amount, An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that displays on the display unit. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display information of the feature amount includes display information indicating whether the display frame is a stable section . A cine frame selection bar having a stable section frame among a plurality of frames, indicating a display frame of an elasticity image, and having a cursor capable of performing a movement change operation, as the information of the generated stable section; It generates ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the display frame of the initial setting corresponding to the cursor to claim 1 or 2 to set the display frame in the stable section. The valuation value calculation unit includes, as information of the generated stable section, a cine frame selection bar indicating a frame of a stable section among a plurality of frames, indicating a display frame of an elasticity image, and having a cursor capable of performing a movement change operation. Produces
The ultrasonic wave according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , further comprising a cursor control unit configured to set a moving speed of the cursor to be lower when the cursor is within the stable section than when the cursor is outside the stable section. Diagnostic device. The evaluation value calculation unit, when calculating the evaluation value, and relatively higher evaluation value of the frame of the freeze operation immediately before than the frame other than the immediately preceding freeze operation from claim 1 for generating information of stable section 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4. The super display according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the display control unit displays the generated elasticity image data and the generated information of the stable section on the display unit in a live mode. Ultrasound diagnostic device. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasound to and from the subject of the subject by applying pressure to the subject by an ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound and measures the hardness of the subject,
A transmission unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe,
A receiving unit that processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
Based on the processed reception signal, a feature amount calculation unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressed state of each frame of the elastic image,
An evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value from the calculated plurality of feature amounts, and generates information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, based on the evaluation value,
A display control unit that displays the information on the generated stable section on a display unit;
Based on the received signal, comprising an elastic image generating section for generating elastic image data, and
The display controller, in the live mode, the elastic image data generated, the generated stable section of information and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for displaying on the display unit. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising a freeze control unit configured to perform freeze setting when the calculated evaluation value satisfies a predetermined condition. An operation method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to an object of the subject by applying pressure to the object by an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves and measures the hardness of the object,
A transmitting unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe,
A receiving unit that processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
A feature amount calculating unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressed state of each frame of the elasticity image based on the processed reception signal;
An evaluation value calculation unit calculates an evaluation value from the plurality of calculated feature amounts, and, based on the evaluation value, generates an information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, and an evaluation value calculation step,
A display control unit, a display control step of displaying information on the generated stable section on a display unit,
Elastic image generating unit, based on the received signal, an elastic image generating step of generating elastic image data,
In the feature amount calculation step, the feature amount calculation unit generates display information of the calculated plurality of feature amounts,
A storage unit for storing the generated elasticity image data and display information of a plurality of feature amounts,
In the cine mode in which the operation input unit selects and displays the stored elasticity image data, the input of the type of the characteristic amount to be displayed among the plurality of characteristic amounts and the input of the display frame of the elasticity image data to be displayed are performed. Accepting an operation input step,
In the display control step, the display control unit may store the stored elastic image data corresponding to the input display frame and the stored feature corresponding to the display frame and the type of the input feature amount. An operation method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which displays the display information of the amount on the display unit. An operation method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to an object of the subject by applying pressure to the object by an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves and measures the hardness of the object,
A transmitting unit that transmits a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe,
A receiving unit that processes a received signal output from the ultrasonic probe,
A feature amount calculating unit that calculates a plurality of types of feature amounts indicating a pressed state of each frame of the elasticity image based on the processed reception signal;
An evaluation value calculation unit calculates an evaluation value from the plurality of calculated feature amounts, and, based on the evaluation value, generates an information of a stable section including a frame in which the pressed state is good, and an evaluation value calculation step,
A display control unit that displays information on the generated stable section on a display unit,
Elastic image generation unit, based on the received signal, including an elastic image generating step of generating elastic image data,
In the display control step, the operation method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the display control unit displays the generated elasticity image data and the generated information of the stable section on the display unit in a live mode.

Images