JPH07313512A - Ultrasonic diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To observe continuous tomographic image data, and diagnose an image having the same time phase as an organismic signal such as an electrocardiographic signal by arranging a display means to display tomographic image data produced by a tomographic image processing means and tomographic image data stored in an image memory. CONSTITUTION:In an ordinary mode, a selecting circuit 6 inputs output of an A/D converting circuit 5 to a frame correlation processing circuit 8, and displays tomographic image data in real time on a display device 12. In an electrocardiographic synchronous mode, it successively reads out tomographic image data stored in an image memory 7, and displays it on the display device 12. At this time, the tomographic image data stored in the image memory 7 is tomographic image data having the same heart time phase set by a heart time phase setting part 14, and this is continuously displayed on the display device 12. Thereby, images having the same heart time phase in plural heartbeats can be continuously observed, and functional evaluation or the like of a heart can be reliably performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic wave which transmits an ultrasonic beam into a living body, generates tomographic image data based on a reflection echo signal, and displays the tomographic image data on a display means. Regarding diagnostic equipment.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, particularly an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for a circulatory organ, transmits an ultrasonic beam into a living body and obtains tomographic image data based on a reflected echo signal. The tomographic image data is stored in the frame memory for each predetermined number of frames and simultaneously displayed on the display device in real time.
This tomographic image data, which is a so-called B-mode image, is sequentially stored in the frame memory on a frame-by-frame basis. When checking the fine movement of the tomographic image, the storage of the tomographic image data in the frame memory is temporarily stopped (freeze) and the image is read by frame advance,
Display on a display device such as a CRT monitor.

Further, when a biomedical signal is input, the tomographic image data is displayed at a timing based on this biomedical signal. For example, in cardiac diagnosis, an electrocardiographic signal is input, and electrocardiographically synchronized display is performed in which tomographic image data is displayed for each fixed time phase of the target electrocardiographic signal.

[0004]

The function of the heart can be evaluated by observing tomographic images of the same time phase at a plurality of heartbeats by utilizing the above-mentioned ECG-gated display function. However, this ECG synchronization function display is a display function in real time. The frame memory stores continuous tomographic image data, but is currently only allowed to store tomographic image data for about 1 to 2 heartbeats due to its capacity limitation. Therefore, even if the time phase of the electrocardiographic signal is specified from the frame memory and the tomographic image data is read out and reproduced, only one or two heartbeats are available at most, and it is difficult to capture changes in the heart over multiple heartbeats. .

Further, it is possible to store the tomographic image data of the same time phase for a plurality of heartbeats in the frame memory by using the ECG synchronized display function. However, the display in this case is a discontinuous image display in both the real-time display and the reproduction display. Therefore, it becomes impossible to make a diagnosis using continuous display images, and there is a problem that the diagnosis of a portion that does not require ECG synchronization is hindered.

An object of the present invention is to enable continuous B-mode images of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to be observed and also to diagnose images of the same time phase synchronized with biological signals such as electrocardiographic signals. .

[0007]

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention comprises a transmitting means, a receiving means, a tomographic image processing means, an image memory, a time phase designating means, a memory storage control means, and a display. And means. The transmitting means transmits the ultrasonic beam in the living body. The receiving means receives the reflected echo signal from the living body. The tomographic image processing means generates tomographic image data based on the reflected echo signal. The image memory can store a plurality of frames of tomographic image data.
The time phase designating means designates a time phase for sampling the tomographic image data based on the inputted biological signal waveform. The memory storage control means stores the tomographic image data in the image memory in the time phase designated by the time phase designation means.
The display means displays the tomographic image data generated by the tomographic image processing means and the tomographic image data stored in the image memory.

[0008]

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, the tomographic image processing means generates tomographic image data based on the reflected echo signal received by the receiving means. The time phase specifying means specifies a time phase for sampling the tomographic image data based on the input biological signal waveform. The tomographic image data is sampled and stored in the image memory in the time phase specified by the time phase specifying means.

As a result, the tomographic image data generated by the tomographic image processing means is displayed on the display means. Further, the tomographic image data stored in the image memory can be displayed on the display means by sequentially reading and reproducing the tomographic image data. As a result, a tomographic image synchronized with the biological signal waveform can be continuously observed, and necessary diagnosis can be performed.

[0010]

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Probe 1
It is composed of a plurality of minute oscillators and is connected to the wave transmitting / receiving circuit 2. The transmission / reception circuit 2 includes a high-frequency pulse oscillator for transmitting an ultrasonic beam, a receiver for receiving and processing reflected echoes, a delay circuit for performing electronic scanning, a delay amount selection circuit, and the like.

An oscillator (OSC) 3 for generating a reference reference wave signal is connected to the transmission / reception circuit 2. The output signal of the wave transmission / reception circuit 2 is input to the tomographic signal processing circuit 4. The tomographic signal processing circuit 4 is a circuit for obtaining tomographic data of a living body, and has a detection function and the like. The output of the tomographic signal processing circuit 4 is A /
It is input to the selection circuit 6 and the image memory 7 via the D conversion circuit 5. The output of the selection circuit 6 is input to the frame correlation processing circuit 8. The frame correlation processing circuit 8 performs correlation processing for each image frame, and stores the tomographic data to be displayed in the display frame memory 9.

The read processing unit 10 reads the image data stored in the frame memory 9 in synchronization with the TV signal. A D / A conversion unit 11 to which the image data read from the frame memory 9 is input is connected to the read processing unit 10. The D / A conversion unit 11 displays each image data on the display device 12.
To display. The R-wave trigger generator 13 receives an electrocardiographic signal (ECG signal) as shown in FIG.
The R wave is detected based on this electrocardiographic signal (Fig. 2
(B)). The heart time phase setting unit 14 is the R wave trigger generation unit 1
The cardiac phase at which tomographic image data is to be stored is designated in the ECG signal input to No. 3. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when it is desired to sample tomographic image data in the cardiac phase delayed by the time t from the R wave detected by the R wave trigger generation unit 13, this R wave is sampled.
The cardiac time phase setting unit 14 sets the relay time t for the wave.

In the time counting section 15, the R wave detection signal from the R wave trigger generating section 13 and the delay time t from the cardiac phase setting section 14 are input, and the R wave detection signal is delayed by the time t. The phase setting signal (FIG. 2 (c)) is output. The cardiac phase setting signal from the time counting section 15 is input to the image memory control section 16. The image memory control unit 16 stores the tomographic image data A / D converted by the A / D conversion unit 5 in the image memory 7 at the timing of the cardiac phase set by the cardiac phase setting unit 14.

In the normal mode, the selection circuit 6 inputs the output of the A / D converter 5 into the frame correlation processing circuit 8 and displays the tomographic image data (B mode image) on the display device 12 in real time. In the electrocardiographic synchronization mode, the tomographic image data stored in the image memory 7 is sequentially read and displayed on the display device 12. At this time, the tomographic image data stored in the image memory 7 is the tomographic image data of the same cardiac phase set by the cardiac phase setting unit 14, and this is continuously displayed on the display device 12. . Therefore, it is possible to continuously observe images of the same cardiac phase in a plurality of heartbeats, and it is possible to reliably perform functional evaluation of the heart.

The setting of the cardiac phase in the cardiac phase setting section 14 can be input by operating a keyboard, a joystick, a rotary dial or the like provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is also possible to display the ECG signal on the display device 12 and set which cardiac phase of the ECG signal is to be checked on the screen.

[0016]

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention designates a time phase for sampling based on an input biological signal waveform, and stores tomographic image data in the image memory at the designated time phase. Therefore, by reading this out and displaying it on a display device, it is possible to continuously display images of the same time phase in a plurality of heartbeats. For example, it is possible to evaluate the function of the heart that requires ECG synchronization. It can be easily performed. In normal mode, continuous B
Since the mode image can be displayed, diagnosis that does not require ECG synchronization can be performed without any problem.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a control block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart showing processing waveforms.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 probe 2 wave transmitting / receiving circuit 3 oscillator 4 tomographic signal processing circuit 5 A / D conversion circuit 6 selection circuit 7 image memory 8 frame correlation processing circuit 9 frame memory 10 readout processing unit 11 D / A conversion circuit 12 display device 13 R wave Trigger generation unit 14 Heart time phase setting unit 15 Time counting unit 16 Image memory control unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A transmitting means for transmitting an ultrasonic beam into a living body, a receiving means for receiving a reflected echo signal from the living body, and a tomographic image processing means for generating tomographic image data based on the reflected echo signal. An image memory capable of storing the tomographic image data for a plurality of frames; a time phase designating unit that designates a time phase at which the tomographic image data is sampled based on an input biological signal waveform; and the time phase designating unit. A memory storage control unit that stores the tomographic image data in the image memory in a designated time phase, and a display that displays the tomographic image data generated by the tomographic image processing unit and the tomographic image data stored in the image memory. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: