KR20190016816A - Method for detecting microcalcification using ultrasound medical imaging device and ultrasound medical imaging device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of an ultrasound medical imaging device detecting a microcalcified tissue. The method of the present invention comprises: a step of acquiring ultrasound data from a target object in real-time; a step of calculating a spatiotemporal phase change value for real-time ultrasound data; and a step of detecting a microcalcified tissue on the basis of a dispersion of the spatiotemporal phase change value.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a method for detecting fine calcified tissue using an ultrasound medical imaging apparatus,

The present invention relates to a method for detecting microcalcified tissue using an ultrasound medical imaging apparatus and an ultrasound medical imaging apparatus.

An ultrasound medical imaging system is an instrument that transmits ultrasound signals to a human tissue and then uses the information contained in the reflected signals to noninvasively image the structure and characteristics of the human body in a non-invasive manner. The ultrasound medical imaging system is small and inexpensive compared to other medical imaging systems such as X-ray medical imaging system, X-ray CT scanner, MRI, and nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, and can display in real time, It has high safety merits and is widely used for diagnosis of heart, abdomen, urinary and obstetrics.

In particular, the detection of microcalcifications using ultrasound medical imaging systems is of increasing interest as it can aid in the early diagnosis of disorders of the organs or cardiovascular function of the human body. Conventional microcalcification detection uses an X-ray medical imaging system based on the absorption rate of calcareous. However, X-ray medical imaging systems are difficult to diagnose in real-time, and there are problems due to potential risks (blood cell death, cancer expression, DNA mutation, etc.) due to exposure to radiation. On the other hand, as described above, the ultrasound medical imaging system can meet the needs for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of microcalcification-related diseases in that the inside of the human body can be monitored in a harmless and noninvasive manner to the human body have.

Conventional methods for detecting microcalcifications using an ultrasound medical imaging system include a method of imaging using various high-frequency beam focusing techniques, and a method of image processing by reinforcing hyperechoic components. However, it is difficult to identify calcified microstructure in a region where various tissues are mixed by using only the above-described methods, so that reading and diagnosis of the user is required. Therefore, in order to prevent misdiagnosis and diagnose diseases rapidly, it is necessary to study the method that can more accurately identify only microcalcifications in ultrasound medical imaging system.

US Patent Publication No. US 2016-0296202 (entitled " Beamforming techniques for ultrasound microcalcification detection "

It is an object of the present invention to detect and image microcalcified tissue independently from ultrasound images. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a user with an emphasis on an independently imaged microcalcified tissue to intuitively identify microcalcified tissue and easily diagnose the disease.

As a technical means for achieving the above technical object, a first aspect of the present invention is a method for acquiring ultrasonic data from a target object in real time; Calculating a temporal / spatial phase change value for the real-time ultrasound data; And detecting the microcalcified tissue based on the degree of dispersion of the spatiotemporal phase change value.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasound medical imaging apparatus including a memory for storing a microcalcification tissue detection program using ultrasound data and a processor for executing the program. At this time, as the program is executed, the control unit acquires ultrasound data from a target object in real time, calculates a temporal / spatial phase change value with respect to real-time ultrasound data, and detects a microcalcification based on the degree of dispersion of the temporal / spatial phase change value .

A third aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable recording medium on which a program for implementing the method of the first aspect is recorded.

According to various embodiments as described above, the micro-calcification component can be independently detected based on the temporal and spatial phase change of the ultrasound data, thereby providing an ultrasound image emphasizing the micro-calcified component in real time. In addition, by independently providing an image showing only the fine calcification component, the user can easily diagnose the disease.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound medical imaging apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of detecting a microcalcified tissue according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.
FIG. 3 (a) is a view showing a temporal / spatial phase change value of blood flow calculated according to an embodiment of the present invention in a complex plane, FIG. 3 (b) Fig.
Figure 4 shows a human tissue simulation phantom for evaluating the performance of the microcalcification tissue detection method of Figure 2;
5 (a) to 5 (c) are views showing a B-mode image reconstructed using a conventional beam focusing technique using the phantom of FIG. 4, and FIGS. 5 (d) Mode image reconstructed according to an embodiment of the present invention using a phantom.
FIG. 6 shows the results of applying the method of FIG. 2 for microcrystalline tissue detection to tissue biopsied from microcrystalline tissue from actual tissue using a commercialized ultrasound medical imaging device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and similar parts are denoted by like reference characters throughout the specification.

In the following description with reference to the drawings, the same reference numerals will be used to designate the same names, and the reference numerals are merely for convenience of description, and the concepts, features, and functions Or the effect is not limited to interpretation.

Throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, it includes not only "directly connected" but also "electrically connected" with another part in between . Also, when an element is referred to as " including " an element, it is to be understood that the element may include other elements as well as other elements, And does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Throughout the specification, an object is an object to be measured by an ultrasonic medical imaging apparatus, and may include a person, an animal, or a part thereof. The subject may also include various organs such as heart, brain or blood vessels or various types of phantoms.

Also, throughout the specification, the user may be, but not limited to, a medical professional such as a doctor, a nurse, a clinical pathologist, a medical imaging expert, and the like.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound medical imaging apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, the ultrasonic medical imaging apparatus 10 includes a probe 11, a beam forming unit 12, an image processing unit 13, and a display unit 14.

In addition, the ultrasound medical imaging device 10 may further include a user input 15 operable to receive user input information. The input information may include input information to be set in a region of interest (ROI), input information to set an operation mode, and the like. The user input unit 15 may include various input means such as a keypad, a mouse, a touch panel, a trackball, a jog wheel, and a jog switch. However, the above-described components are not essential components of the ultrasound diagnostic imaging device 10, and the ultrasound diagnostic imaging device 10 may be implemented with more or fewer components than those described above. Hereinafter, each component will be described.

The probe 11 includes a plurality of 1D / 2D / 3D transducers (not shown). Here, the transducer is a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) that transforms ultrasonic waves and electric signals by changing the pressure while vibrating, a capacitive transducer (ultrasonic transducer a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT), a magnetic micromachined ultrasonic transducer (mMUT) that transforms ultrasonic waves and electrical signals with changes in the magnetic field, an optical ultrasonic detector (Optical ultrasonic detection) or the like. In addition, any probe of any geometrical structure can be used as long as the probe 11 can perform fast beam interleaving.

The probe 11 includes a transmitter that drives an array of elements (e.g., piezoelectric crystals, etc.) in the transducer or as parts thereof to emit ultrasound signals into the body or within a predetermined volume. Ultrasound signals produce echoes that are backscattered back to the device (e.g., piezoelectric crystals) from high density interfaces and / or structures such as, for example, blood flow or tissue within the object. The echo is received by the receiver and provided to the beam forming section 12. [ That is, the probe 11 appropriately delays the input time of pulses input to each transducer, thereby transmitting the focused ultrasonic beam along the transmission scan line to the object. On the other hand, the ultrasonic echo signals reflected from the object are input to the respective transducers with different reception times, and each transducer amplifies the inputted ultrasonic echo signals and outputs them to the beam forming unit 12. The probe 11 may be integrated with the ultrasonic medical imaging apparatus 10 or may be detachably connected to the ultrasonic medical imaging apparatus 10 by wired or wireless connection.

The beam forming unit 12 focuses the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the respective transducers of the probe 11 on the object, focuses the ultrasonic echo signals by applying a time delay to the ultrasonic echo signals reflected by the object and received by the respective transducers .

The image processor 13 reconstructs a plurality of two-dimensional images based on the ultrasound echo signals output from the beam former 12, and displays the reconstructed images on the display unit 14. The image processing unit 13 may include at least one processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and the like).

In particular, according to one embodiment, the image processing unit 13 can reconstruct a two-dimensional image in real time from real-time ultrasound data formed based on an ultrasound echo signal, and independently discriminate micro-calcified tissue from ultrasound data. Accordingly, the image processor 13 can highlight the micro-calcified tissue in the reconstructed two-dimensional image and output the micro-calcified tissue to the display unit 14 so that the user can easily identify the micro-calcified tissue of the target.

Hereinafter, a method of identifying the microcalcified tissue by the ultrasound diagnostic imaging apparatus 10 according to the present invention will be described in more detail.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method of detecting a microcalcified tissue according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

First, the image processing unit 13 acquires ultrasound data from a target object in real time (S200). As described above, the image processing unit 13 focuses the ultrasound beam on the object using the probe 11, and then receives real-time ultrasound data based on the echo signal reflected from the object, from the beam forming unit 12 have.

Then, the image processing unit 13 calculates the temporal / spatial phase change value from the real-time ultrasound data (S210). The ultrasonic data includes spatial information at a predetermined time inside the object. Accordingly, the image processing unit 13 can calculate temporal and spatial phase information corresponding to the ultrasound data by aligning real-time ultrasound data in the time direction and performing quadrature demodulation. Herein, quadrature demodulation may be a process of decomposing a frequency component of ultrasonic data at a predetermined frequency to obtain a dynamic phase component (in-phase) and a quadrature (quadrature). On the other hand, the quadrature demodulation performed by the image processing unit 13 can be performed using any known circuit. The circuit may be a digital or analog circuit.

Subsequently, the image processing unit 13 can obtain the temporal / spatial phase change value by calculating the phase change amount from the temporal / spatial phase information.

Meanwhile, the image processor 13 may further perform an operation of sorting the ultrasonic data in the time direction and converting the dimension of the ultrasonic data, etc., in order to more easily analyze the calculated phase.

Thereafter, the image processing unit 13 detects the fine calcified tissue based on the degree of dispersion of the temporal and spatial phase change values (S220). Here, the degree of dispersion of the spatiotemporal phase change value is a value indicating the degree to which the phase change value is dispersed, and may be a statistical distribution of the phase change value. For example, the degree of dispersion may be a statistical deviation of a trailing phase change value to a preceding phase change value or a randomness of each temporal phase change value.

On the other hand, each of the tissues in the object has inherent variance of the temporal and spatial phase change values. FIG. 3 (a) is a diagram showing a spatial-temporal phase change value of a blood flow calculated according to an embodiment of the present invention in a complex plane. FIG. 3 (b) is a graph showing a time- Fig. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the temporal and spatial phase change values of blood flow are linear and regular. On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 3 (b), the temporal and spatial phase shift values of the microcalcified tissues appear randomly dispersed. Therefore, the degree of dispersion corresponding to the blood flow has a smaller value compared with the dispersion of the calcification component. This is due to the scattering of ultrasonic signals depending on the characteristics of the calcification component produced by the accumulation of calcium.

Based on the above description, the image processing unit 13 compares the dispersion of the temporal and spatial phase variation values calculated from the ultrasonic data with a predetermined threshold dispersion degree, and based on the degree of dispersion greater than the critical dispersion degree, the ultrasound data corresponding to the micro- Can be extracted. Here, the critical dispersion degree may be a predetermined value based on the degree of dispersion of experimentally obtained calcification components.

Subsequently, the image processing unit 13 can identify the position of the fine calcified tissue in the target object from the extracted ultrasound data based on the degree of dispersion. This can be identified based on the spatial information of the extracted ultrasonic data.

Next, the image processor 13 reconstructs the microcalcifications using the extracted ultrasound data corresponding to the microcalcifications (S230). In operation S240, the image processing unit 13 reconstructs the real-time image using the ultrasound data acquired in real time in operation S240. In this case, the image processing unit 13 may perform step S240 independently of the steps S210 to S230 (for example, in parallel or sequentially) according to the embodiment.

Thereafter, the image processing unit 13 synthesizes the microcalcifications and the real-time image based on the position of the micro-calcified tissue, and outputs the result through the display unit 14 (S250). At this time, the image processing unit 13 performs image processing, thereby providing a user with a real-time image emphasizing a microcalcification image. For example, the image processing unit 13 can adjust the color and / or brightness of the microcalcification image. Meanwhile, the real-time image may be a B-mode image.

Also, according to the embodiment, the image processor 13 may display the position of the microcalcification image as an indicator and output it.

As described above, the ultrasonic medical imaging apparatus 10 according to the disclosed embodiment can easily detect the micro-calcification component using the dispersion of the temporal and spatial phase variations of the ultrasound data acquired in real time, Can be provided. In addition, it is also possible to provide an image showing only the fine calcified tissue independently so that the user can easily diagnose the image.

Figure 4 shows a human tissue simulation phantom for evaluating the performance of the microcalcification tissue detection method of Figure 2; The phantom 400 of FIG. 4 includes four wires 410 and 420 having a thickness of about 500 um and a calcium carbonate added to two wires 420 out of the four wires. Calcified tissue was simulated.

5 (a) to 5 (c) are views showing a B-mode image reconstructed using a conventional beam focusing technique using the phantom 400 of FIG. 4, Shows a restored B-mode image using the same phantom 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 (a) to 5 (c) and 5 (d) to 5 (f) show the sensitivity of the microcalcification tissue detection method in order to observe the sensitivity of the cellulose in the phantom 400 by 1% and 5% , And 7%, respectively. 5 (a) to 5 (c), in the conventional B-mode image, all the wires are similarly imaged to make it difficult to distinguish the target wire (i.e., microcalcified wire) , It can be confirmed that the target wire is highlighted and detected in the restored B-mode image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a result of applying the microcalcification detection method of FIG. 2 to a biopsy 600 tissue from a real woven tissue using a commercialized ultrasound medical imaging device. 6, 600-1 shows a Doppler image for a biopsied tissue 600. FIG. Referring to the Doppler image, a random velocity change appears in the region 610 corresponding to the microcalcified tissue. 600-2 shows a variance of spatiotemporal phase shift values according to an embodiment of the present invention, and 600-3 shows a restored B-mode image and a microcalcification image according to an embodiment of the present invention. As described above, it can be confirmed that the method of detecting microcalcified tissue according to the disclosed embodiment can provide useful results even in a human body tissue.

Meanwhile, the micro-calcified tissue detection method according to the above-described various embodiments may be created by software and mounted on an ultrasonic medical imaging apparatus. 1 includes a memory (not shown) to store various algorithms and software executed in the ultrasound medical imaging apparatus 10, and each algorithm or software (E.g., temporal phase shift value, phase shift value variance, etc.) and a result value (microcalcification image, real-time image). Here, the storage unit (not shown) may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (SD, XD memory, etc.) A random access memory (SRAM), a read only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM) , An optical disc, and the like.

In addition, according to the embodiment, the image processing unit 13 of FIG. 1 can be used with the same meaning as the " image generation unit ", " control unit ", &

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention may also be realized in the form of a recording medium including instructions executable by a computer such as a program module executed by a computer. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. In addition, the computer readable medium may include both computer storage media. Computer storage media includes both volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only and that those of ordinary skill in the art can readily understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. will be. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and various changes and modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope of equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

10: Ultrasonic medical imaging device
11: Probe
12: beam forming section
13:
14:
15: User input

Claims (12)

A method for detecting microcalcifications in an ultrasound medical imaging device,
Acquiring ultrasound data from a target object in real time;
Calculating a temporal / spatial phase change value for the real-time ultrasound data; And
And detecting the microcalcified tissue based on the variance of the spatiotemporal phase change value. The method according to claim 1,
The step of calculating the space-time phase change value
Calculating time-space phase information corresponding to the real-time ultrasound data by aligning the real-time ultrasound data in a time direction and performing quadrature demodulation; And
And calculating a phase magnitude change from the spatiotemporal phase information. The method according to claim 1,
The step of detecting the microcalcified tissue
Extracting ultrasound data corresponding to a microcalcification structure based on a dispersion degree of the threshold dispersion degree or more by comparing a dispersion degree of the temporal and spatial phase variation value with a predetermined threshold dispersion degree; And
And identifying the position of the microcalcified tissue within the subject from the extracted ultrasound data. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the degree of dispersion is a statistical distribution of the temporal and spatial phase change values. The method of claim 3,
The micro-calcified tissue detection method
Reconstructing a microcalcification image from the extracted ultrasound data;
Reconstructing a real-time image from the real-time ultrasound data; And
And synthesizing and outputting the microcalcification image and the real-time image based on the position of the micro-calcified tissue. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the real-time image is a B-mode image. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the reconstructing the real-time image is performed in parallel with reconstructing the microcalcification image. An ultrasound medical imaging device,
A memory for storing a microcalcification tissue detection program using ultrasound data; And
And a processor for executing the program,
The control unit, as the program is executed,
Acquiring ultrasound data from a target object in real time, calculating a temporal / spatial phase change value with respect to the real-time ultrasound data,
Wherein the micro-calcified tissue is detected based on the degree of dispersion of the spatiotemporal phase change value. 9. The method of claim 8,
The control unit
Time phase information corresponding to the real-time ultrasound data by performing a quadrature demodulation on the real-time ultrasound data in the time direction, and calculating a phase-size change from the space-time phase information, Imaging device. 9. The method of claim 8,
The control unit
Extracting ultrasound data corresponding to a microcalcification structure on the basis of a dispersion degree of the threshold dispersion degree or more by comparing a dispersion degree of the spatio-temporal phase variation value with a predetermined threshold dispersion degree, and extracting, from the extracted ultrasound data, An ultrasonic medical imaging device. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein,
Restoring a microcalcification image from the extracted ultrasound data, restoring a real-time image from the real-time ultrasound data,
Wherein the microcalcification image and the real-time image are synthesized and output based on the position of the micro-calcified tissue. 8. A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 is recorded.

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