JP2011115456A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and control program for image data display - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To update reference image data for displaying with diagnostic image data comparatively in accordance with an update of diagnostic mode. <P>SOLUTION: When diagnostic image data is generated and displayed by ultrasonic examination of predetermined diagnostic mode, the diagnostic mode is searched among each reference image data which is previously acquired in the past ultrasonic examination, and thumbnail data of a plurality of reference image data acquired in the same diagnostic mode is displayed together with the diagnostic image data. Then reference image data suitable for comparative display with the diagnostic image data is selected based on these thumbnail data among the plurality of reference image data and comparatively displayed with the diagnostic image data. Additionally, when the diagnostic mode is updated in a process of the ultrasonic examination, reference image data suitable for comparative display with the diagnostic image data of the updated diagnostic mode is selected among the each reference image data in the same procedures. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an image data display control program, and in particular, diagnostic image data collected in a current ultrasonic examination for a diagnosis target region of a subject and collected in a past ultrasonic examination. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an image data display control program capable of comparing and displaying the reference image data.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus radiates an ultrasonic wave generated from a vibration element provided in an ultrasonic probe into a subject, receives a reflected wave caused by a difference in acoustic impedance of a subject tissue, and receives biological information by the vibration element. Since ultrasonic image data can be displayed in real time with a simple operation by simply bringing an ultrasonic probe into contact with the body surface, it is widely used for morphological diagnosis and functional diagnosis of various organs.

  Ultrasound diagnostic methods for obtaining biological information from reflected waves from tissues or blood cells in a living body have made rapid progress with the development of two major technologies, the ultrasonic pulse reflection method and the ultrasonic Doppler method. The obtained B-mode image and color Doppler image are indispensable in today's ultrasonic image diagnosis.

  In recent years, in the case where diagnosis is performed on a subject using image data (hereinafter, referred to as diagnostic image data) collected by the current ultrasonic examination using the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, Diagnosis is performed by reading out image data (hereinafter referred to as reference image data) collected by ultrasonic examination and stored in a storage unit, and comparing and displaying the obtained reference image data and diagnostic image data. There are also methods to improve accuracy. In particular, in the case of diagnosing a disease site accompanied by a change with time using diagnostic image data, the diagnostic accuracy can be improved by performing comparison display with the reference image data as described above.

  Reference suitable for comparative display with diagnostic image data from among various reference image data collected in past ultrasonic examinations for the purpose of comparative display between diagnostic image data and reference image data In the case of selecting image data for use, a method has been proposed in which the above-described reference image data is searched based on subject information such as a subject ID input prior to the current ultrasonic examination (for example, patent document). 1).

JP 2008-188163 A

  According to the method described in Patent Document 1 described above, suitable reference image data from among various reference image data stored in advance based on subject information or the like input prior to the current ultrasonic examination. Thus, the comparison display of the diagnostic image data and the reference image data collected from the same subject can be easily performed.

  However, in the case where the diagnostic mode is updated from “B mode diagnosis” to “color Doppler mode diagnosis” during the current ultrasonic examination of the subject using a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, for example. Since there was no function for automatically searching for reference image data corresponding to the updated diagnostic mode, there is a problem that it is difficult to compare and display the diagnostic image data and the reference image data. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and its purpose is to collect diagnostic image data generated in the current ultrasonic examination of the subject and the previous ultrasonic examination and collect it in advance. Reference image data collected in a diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the updated diagnostic mode in association with the generation or display of diagnostic image data when comparing and displaying the reference image data. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an image data display control program that can be automatically searched.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes diagnostic image data collected by a current ultrasonic examination of a subject and a reference image collected in a past ultrasonic examination. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for comparing and displaying data, a diagnostic mode selection means for selecting a diagnostic mode of the current ultrasonic examination, and the diagnosis from various reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic examination Image data search means for searching for reference image data in a diagnosis mode that is the same as or similar to the mode, and display means for displaying the reference image data or thumbnail data thereof searched by the image data search means, When the diagnostic mode is updated by the diagnostic mode selection means during the current ultrasonic examination, the image Over data retrieval means is characterized to search the reference image data in the diagnostic mode the same or similar diagnostic mode after updating from the image data for the various reference.

  On the other hand, the image data display control program of the present invention according to claim 11 compares the diagnostic image data collected by the current ultrasonic examination of the subject with the reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic examination. A diagnostic mode selection function for selecting a diagnostic mode of the current ultrasonic examination for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to be displayed, and the same as the diagnostic mode among various reference image data collected by the past ultrasonic examination Alternatively, when the reference image data in the similar diagnosis mode is searched and the diagnosis mode is updated by the diagnosis mode selection means during the current ultrasonic examination, the reference image corresponding to the updated diagnosis mode An image data search function for searching for data from among the various reference image data, and a previous search by the image data search function. It is characterized in that to perform the display function of displaying the image data or its thumbnail data for reference.

  According to the present invention, when comparing and displaying diagnostic image data generated in the current ultrasonic examination and reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic examination and stored in advance, generation of diagnostic image data is generated. Alternatively, reference image data collected in a diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the updated diagnostic mode can be automatically retrieved along with the update of the diagnostic mode in the display. For this reason, comparison display of the diagnostic image data collected from the subject and the reference image data effective for the diagnosis of the subject is facilitated, and diagnostic accuracy and diagnostic efficiency can be improved.

1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the specific structure of the transmission / reception part with which the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the Example is provided, and an ultrasonic data generation part. The figure which shows the 1st display data with which the thumbnail data of the reference image data produced | generated when "B mode diagnosis" is selected as a diagnosis mode in the Example is added to the diagnostic image data. The figure which shows the 2nd display data by which the reference image data and diagnostic image data which are produced | generated when "B mode diagnosis" is selected as a diagnostic mode in the Example are arranged in parallel. The figure which shows the 1st display data with which the thumbnail data of the reference image data produced | generated when "B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis" is selected as a diagnostic mode in the Example are added to the diagnostic image data. The figure which shows the 2nd display data by which the reference image data and diagnostic image data which are produced | generated when "B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis" is selected as a diagnostic mode in the Example are arranged in parallel. The flowchart which shows the comparison display procedure of the diagnostic image data and reference image data in the Example.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment described below, when displaying diagnostic image data generated by performing an ultrasonic examination with the “B-mode diagnosis” as the diagnostic mode for the diagnosis target region of the subject, A plurality of reference image data collected in the same diagnosis mode as the diagnosis mode is searched from various reference image data collected in advance in ultrasonic examination, and thumbnail data of the obtained reference image data is diagnosed. Displayed together with image data. Next, reference image data suitable for comparison display with diagnostic image data is selected from the plurality of reference image data based on the displayed thumbnail data, and comparison display with the diagnostic image data is performed. When the above-described diagnosis mode is updated from “B mode diagnosis” to “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” in the middle of the current ultrasonic examination, the reference image data corresponding to the updated diagnosis mode is stored in the various types. Search from the reference image data, and select reference image data suitable for comparison display with the diagnostic image data collected in the updated diagnostic mode based on the obtained thumbnail data of the reference image data .

  In the following, as described above, generation and display of B-mode image data on which color Doppler image data is superimposed from “B-mode diagnosis” that enables generation and display of B-mode image data as an update of the diagnosis mode. The case of updating to “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” that enables the above will be described, but the type and update order of the diagnosis mode are not limited to this.

(Device configuration and functions)
The configuration and functions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration of a transmission / reception unit and an ultrasonic data generation unit provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is a block diagram.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 transmits an ultrasonic pulse (transmitted ultrasonic wave) to a diagnosis target region of a subject, and an ultrasonic reflected wave (received ultrasonic wave) obtained by this transmission is an electrical signal ( An ultrasonic probe 1 in which a plurality of vibration elements to be converted into reception signals) are arranged at the tip thereof, and a drive signal for transmitting ultrasonic pulses in a predetermined direction of the diagnosis target region is supplied to the vibration elements The transmission / reception unit 2 for phasing and adding the reception signals of a plurality of channels obtained from these vibration elements, and the ultrasonic data generation for generating the B-mode data and the color Doppler data by processing the reception signal after the phasing addition The B-mode image data and color Doppler data are stored by storing the B-mode data and color Doppler data generated by the unit 3 and the ultrasound data generating unit 3 in correspondence with the transmission / reception direction of the ultrasound. The image data generating unit 4 that generates image data, the obtained B-mode image data and color Doppler image data are stored, and various image data collected in past ultrasonic examinations are stored in advance as reference image data. The reference image data storage unit 5 is provided.

  Furthermore, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 collects reference images collected in a diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the diagnostic mode of diagnostic image data from among various reference image data stored in the reference image data storage unit 5. An image data search unit 6 for searching for data, a display unit 7 for comparing and displaying the searched reference image data and the diagnostic image data generated by the image data generation unit 4, input of subject information, and diagnostic mode Selection unit, setting of image data generation conditions and image data display conditions, input of various command signals, etc., a reference signal generation unit 9 for generating a reference signal, and the above-mentioned units are centrally controlled. A system control unit 10 is provided.

  The ultrasonic probe 1 has M arranged vibration elements (not shown) arranged at the tip thereof, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves by bringing the tip into contact with the body surface of the subject. The vibration element is an electroacoustic transducer that converts electrical pulses (driving signals) into ultrasonic pulses (transmitting ultrasonic waves) during transmission, and converts ultrasonic reflected waves (receiving ultrasonic waves) into electrical reception signals during reception. It has a function to do. Each of these vibration elements is connected to the transmission / reception unit 2 via an M channel multi-core cable (not shown). In this embodiment, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 using the sector scanning ultrasonic probe 1 in which M vibrating elements are one-dimensionally arranged will be described. However, the ultrasonic probe corresponding to linear scanning, convex scanning, or the like is described. May be used. Further, a so-called two-dimensional array ultrasonic probe in which vibration elements are two-dimensionally arranged may be used.

  Next, the transmission / reception unit 2 shown in FIG. 2 includes a transmission unit 21 that supplies a drive signal to the vibration element of the ultrasonic probe 1 and a phasing addition (phase is added to the reception signal obtained from the vibration element). A receiving unit 22 is provided for performing matching (adding and combining).

  The transmission unit 21 includes a rate pulse generator 211, a transmission delay circuit 212, and a drive circuit 213. The rate pulse generator 211 divides the reference signal of a predetermined frequency supplied from the reference signal generation unit 9 to transmit the signal. A rate pulse that determines the repetition period of the sound wave is generated and supplied to the transmission delay circuit 212. The transmission delay circuit 212 is composed of the same number of independent delay circuits as the Mt number of vibration elements used for transmission. The transmission delay circuit 212 has a focusing delay time and a predetermined delay time for focusing the transmission ultrasonic wave to a predetermined depth in the imaging region. A deflection delay time for transmission in the direction θp is given to the rate pulse and supplied to the drive circuit 213. The drive circuit 213 has the same number of independent drive circuits as the transmission delay circuit 212, and Mt pieces selected for transmission from among the M vibration elements arranged at the distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe 1. Are driven to radiate transmission ultrasonic waves into the body of the subject.

  On the other hand, the receiving unit 22 includes an Mr channel preamplifier 221, an A / D converter 222, corresponding to the Mr vibration elements selected for reception among the M vibration elements incorporated in the ultrasonic probe 1. A reception delay circuit 223 and an adder 224 are provided, and the Mr channel reception signal supplied from the reception vibration element via the preamplifier 221 is converted into a digital signal by the A / D converter 222 and received delay circuit. 223.

  The reception delay circuit 223 has a convergence delay time for focusing the received ultrasonic wave reflected at a predetermined depth in the imaging region and a deflection delay time for setting a strong reception directivity in the predetermined direction θp. An adder 224 adds the reception signal from the reception delay circuit 223 to each of the Mr channel reception signals output from the A / D converter 222. That is, the reception signal obtained from the predetermined direction is phased and added by the reception delay circuit 223 and the adder 224. A part of the transmission unit 21 and the reception unit 22 included in the transmission / reception unit 2 may be provided inside the ultrasonic probe 1.

  Next, the ultrasonic data generation unit 3 performs a B-mode data generation unit 31 that generates B-mode data on the reception signal output from the adder 224 of the reception unit 22 and performs quadrature detection on the reception signal. A Doppler signal detection unit 32 that detects a Doppler signal, and a color Doppler data generation unit 33 that generates color Doppler data in which blood flow information in a blood vessel or a heart chamber is reflected based on the detected Doppler signal. . The B-mode data generation unit 31 performs logarithmic conversion on the envelope detector 311 that performs envelope detection on the reception signal after the phasing addition supplied from the adder 224 of the reception unit 22 and the amplitude of the reception signal that has been subjected to envelope detection Logarithmic converter 312 is provided. However, the envelope detector 311 and the logarithmic converter 312 may be configured by changing the order.

  On the other hand, the Doppler signal detection unit 32 includes a π / 2 phase shifter 321, mixers 322-1 and 322-2, and LPFs (low-pass filters) 323-1 and 323-2, and an adder 224 of the reception unit 22. The received signal supplied from is detected by quadrature detection based on the reference signal supplied by the reference signal generator 9, and a Doppler signal is detected. The color Doppler data generation unit 33 includes a Doppler signal storage circuit 331 that temporarily stores the Doppler signal detected by the Doppler signal detection unit 32, and a component (clutter component) caused by movement of a living tissue included in the Doppler signal. The MTI filter 332 that excludes and extracts the blood flow component, and the autocorrelation calculation is performed on the extracted blood flow component, and the characteristic values (for example, average velocity value, variance value, power, etc.) obtained based on the calculation result An autocorrelation calculator 333 that generates color Doppler data based on (value).

  Returning to FIG. 1, the image data generation unit 4 includes a data storage unit and an image data processing unit (not shown), and B-mode data and color Doppler data obtained by ultrasonic transmission / reception in a plurality of directions of the diagnosis target region are: B-mode image data and color Doppler image data are generated sequentially in the data storage unit corresponding to the ultrasonic transmission / reception direction. On the other hand, the image data processing unit performs image processing such as interpolation processing, filtering processing, and contour enhancement processing on the B-mode image data and color Doppler image data generated in the data storage unit. It is supplied to the display unit 7 and further supplied to the reference image data storage unit 5 as supplementary information in the diagnostic mode of the ultrasonic examination.

  On the other hand, the reference image data storage unit 5 has a large-capacity storage circuit (not shown), and various image data (reference image data) collected in past ultrasonic examinations on the subject or other subjects are stored. The diagnostic mode in the ultrasonic examination is stored in advance in the storage circuit as incidental information. Further, diagnostic image data generated by the image data generation unit 4 in the current ultrasonic examination is also stored in the storage circuit together with information on the diagnostic mode as future reference image data.

  Next, the image data search unit 6 selects a new diagnostic mode when the first diagnostic mode in the ultrasonic examination is selected prior to the current ultrasonic examination or in the middle of the current ultrasonic examination. In this case, the diagnostic mode selection information supplied from the input unit 8 via the system control unit 10 is received, and various reference images stored in advance in the storage circuit of the reference image data storage unit 5 are received. Based on the selection information, reference image data collected in the diagnosis mode that is the same as or similar to the diagnosis mode of the current ultrasonic examination is searched from the data. Then, the searched one or plural reference image data are supplied to the display unit 7.

  As described above, the display unit 7 has a function of comparing and displaying the reference image data searched by the image data search unit 6 and the diagnostic image data generated by the image data generation unit 4. A generation unit 71, a display data generation unit 72, a data conversion unit 73, and a monitor 74 are provided.

  The thumbnail data generation unit 71 is used for the image data storage unit that temporarily stores the reference image data searched by the image data search unit 6, the arithmetic processing unit that reduces the reference image data, and the reduction process. A program storage unit (none of which is shown) in which dedicated software programs are stored in advance, and a function of generating thumbnail data by reducing each of the reference image data searched by the image data search unit 6 Have. That is, the arithmetic processing unit of the thumbnail data generating unit 71 reduces the one or more reference image data read from the image data storage unit using a dedicated software program supplied from the program storage unit, and performs thumbnail data. Is generated.

  On the other hand, the display data generation unit 72 uses the diagnostic image data generated by the image data generation unit 4 and the reference image data searched by the image data search unit 6 or the reference image data generated by the thumbnail data generation unit 71. Display data is generated based on the thumbnail data. For example, when the thumbnail data of the reference image data searched by the image data search unit 6 is generated by the thumbnail data generation unit 71, the display data generation unit 72 supplies the diagnostic image data supplied from the image data generation unit 4. The above-described thumbnail data supplied from the thumbnail data generation unit 71 is added to the first display data based on a predetermined display format.

  On the other hand, when the input unit 8 selects thumbnail data of reference image data suitable for comparison display with diagnostic image data from among a plurality of thumbnail data shown together with diagnostic image data in the first display data The display data generation unit 72 reads the reference image data corresponding to the selected thumbnail data from the image data storage unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71, and is supplied from the obtained reference image data and the image data generation unit 4. The diagnostic image data are arranged in parallel based on a predetermined display format to generate second display data. Then, the data conversion unit 73 performs conversion processing such as D / A conversion and television format conversion on the first display data and the second display data described above and displays them on the monitor 74.

  Next, specific examples of the first display data and the second display data generated by the display data generation unit 72 of the display unit 7 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIGS. 3 and 4 show, for example, display data when “B-mode diagnosis” that enables collection of B-mode image data by ultrasonic transmission / reception with respect to the diagnosis target region is selected as the first diagnosis mode of the current ultrasonic examination. The 1st display data and 2nd display data which the production | generation part 72 produces | generates are shown. That is, prior to the current ultrasonic examination, if “B mode diagnosis” is selected as the first diagnosis mode from among the various diagnosis modes set in advance in the input unit 8, “B” is set via the system control unit 10. The image data search unit 6 that has received the selection information of “mode diagnosis” stores the same diagnosis mode “B mode diagnosis” in the reference image data storage unit 5 as incidental information, for example, for three reference purposes. Image data Db 1 to Db 3 are extracted and stored in an image data storage unit provided in the thumbnail data generation unit 71 of the display unit 7.

  On the other hand, the arithmetic processing unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71 reduces the reference image data Db1 to Db3 read from the image data storage unit to generate thumbnail data Sb1 to Sb3, and the display data generation unit 72 The first display data Rb1 as shown in FIG. 3 is generated by adding the above-described thumbnail data Sb1 to Sb3 to the diagnostic image data Dbx collected by the current ultrasonic examination based on the selection information of “B mode diagnosis” To do.

  In this case, for example, in the left region of the first display data Rb1 generated by the display data generation unit 72, the reference image extracted from the reference image data storage unit 5 based on the diagnosis mode of “B mode diagnosis”. Thumbnail data Sb1 to Sb3 of data Db1 to Db3 are arranged, and diagnostic image data Dbx collected by the current ultrasonic examination is arranged in the right region of the first display data Rb1.

  Subsequently, for example, when the thumbnail data Sb2 is selected by the input unit 8 from the thumbnail data Sb1 to Sb3 shown in the first display data Rb1 displayed on the monitor 74 of the display unit 7, the display is performed. The data generation unit 72 reads the reference image data Db2 corresponding to the thumbnail data Sb2 from the image data storage unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71, and parallelizes the obtained reference image data Db2 and the diagnostic image data Dbx described above. The second display data Rb2 as shown in FIG.

  In this case, for example, in the left area of the second display data Rb2 generated by the display data generation unit 72, the thumbnail selected by the input unit 8 from among the thumbnail data Sb1 to Sb3 shown in the first display data Rb1 Reference image data Db2 corresponding to the data Sb2 is arranged, and diagnostic image data Dbx collected by the current ultrasonic examination is arranged in the right region of the second display data Rb2.

  Next, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, for example, enable collection of B-mode image data in which color Doppler image data is superimposed from the above-described “B-mode diagnosis” in the middle of the current ultrasonic examination. When updated to “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis”, the first display data and the second display data generated by the display data generation unit 72 are shown. That is, when the diagnosis mode is updated, if “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” is selected in the input unit 8 from among various preset diagnosis modes, the image data search unit 6 that has received this selection information For example, three reference image data Dc1 to Dc3 are extracted and stored in the image data storage unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71. The reference image data storage unit 5 stores the same or similar diagnosis mode as supplementary information. To do.

  On the other hand, the arithmetic processing unit of the thumbnail data generating unit 71 reduces the reference image data Dc1 to Dc3 read from the image data storage unit to generate thumbnail data Sc1 to Sc3, and the display data generating unit 72 is configured as described above. First display data Rc1 as shown in FIG. 5 by adding thumbnail data Sc1 to Sc3 to diagnostic image data Dcx collected by the current ultrasonic examination based on the selection information of “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” of FIG. Is generated.

  In this case, for example, in the left region of the display data Rb1 generated by the display data generation unit 72, the reference data extracted from the reference image data storage unit 5 based on the diagnosis mode of “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” The thumbnail data Sc1 to Sc3 of the image data Dc1 to Dc3 are arranged, and the diagnostic image data Dcx collected by the current ultrasonic examination is arranged in the right region of the first display data Rc1.

  Next, if, for example, the thumbnail data Sc2 is selected by the input unit 8 from the thumbnail data Sc1 to Sc3 indicated in the first display data Rc1 displayed on the monitor 74 of the display unit 7, The display data generation unit 72 reads the reference image data Dc2 corresponding to the thumbnail data Sc2 from the image data storage unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71, and obtains the obtained reference image data Sc2 and the above-described diagnostic image data Dcx. The second display data Rc2 as shown in FIG. 6 is generated by arranging in parallel.

  In this case, for example, in the left area of the second display data Rc2 generated by the display data generation unit 72, the thumbnail selected by the input unit 8 from among the thumbnail data Sc1 to Sc3 shown in the first display data Rc1 Reference image data Dc2 corresponding to the data Sc2 is arranged, and diagnostic image data Dcx collected by the current ultrasonic examination is arranged in the right region of the second display data Rb2.

  As shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5, when a plurality of thumbnail data is displayed in the first display data, it is desirable to arrange these thumbnail data based on the collection date and time of the reference image data. Is not particularly limited.

  Next, the input unit 8 in FIG. 1 includes an input device such as a display panel, a keyboard, a trackball, a mouse, and a selection button on the operation panel, and is connected to the display unit 7 via the system control unit 10. Forms an interactive interface. Then, a diagnostic mode selection function 81 for selecting a desired diagnostic mode at the time of initial setting or updating of the diagnostic mode, and comparison display with diagnostic image data from among a plurality of reference image data searched by the image data search unit 6 A reference image data selection function 82 for selecting suitable reference image data is provided. Input of object information, setting of image data generation conditions and image data display conditions, input of various command signals, and the like are also performed using the above-described display panel and input device.

  The system control unit 10 includes a CPU and a storage circuit (not shown), and various information input / selected / set in the input unit 8 is stored in the storage circuit. Then, the CPU comprehensively controls each unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 based on the above-described input information, selection information, and setting information, and the reference image extracted based on the diagnostic mode of the current ultrasonic examination. The display of the diagnostic image data to which the thumbnail data of the data is added or the comparison display of the reference image data and the diagnostic image data suitable for the current ultrasonic examination selected based on the thumbnail data is executed.

(Comparison display procedure of diagnostic image data and reference image data)
Next, a comparison display procedure between the diagnostic image data and the reference image data in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this case as well, it is possible to generate and display B-mode image data on which color Doppler image data is superimposed from “B-mode diagnosis” that enables generation and display of B-mode image data as an update of the diagnosis mode. Although the case of updating to “mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” will be described, the type and update order of the diagnosis mode are not limited to this.

  Prior to the ultrasound examination of the subject, the operator of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 connects the ultrasound probe 1 to the apparatus body and inputs subject information at the input unit 8. Next, the diagnosis mode selection function 81 of the input unit 8 is used to select “B mode diagnosis” from among various preset diagnosis modes as the first diagnosis mode, and further, image data generation conditions and image data display conditions Set up. These input information, setting information, and selection information are stored in the storage circuit of the system control unit 10 (step S1 in FIG. 7).

  When the above initial setting is completed, the operator inputs a command for starting generation of B-mode image data as diagnostic image data at the input unit 8 (step S2 in FIG. 7). Then, when this command signal is supplied to the system control unit 10, generation of B-mode image data for the diagnosis target region of the subject and storage of the B-mode image data in the reference image data storage unit 5 are started. (Step S3 in FIG. 7). Incidentally, regarding generation of B-mode image data in “B-mode diagnosis” of the present embodiment and generation of color Doppler image data in “B-mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” described later, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-279110 Detailed description will be omitted.

  On the other hand, the image data search unit 6 that has received the selection information of “B mode diagnosis” via the system control unit 10 includes various reference image data stored in advance in the storage circuit of the reference image data storage unit 5. From the reference image data collected in the diagnosis mode that is the same as or similar to the diagnosis mode of “B mode diagnosis” (step S4 in FIG. 7), and a plurality of corresponding reference image data is stored in the reference image data storage unit. 5, the extracted reference image data is stored in the image data storage unit provided in the thumbnail data generation unit 71 of the display unit 7.

  Next, the arithmetic processing unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71 reduces the reference image data read from the image data storage unit by using a dedicated software program supplied from the program storage unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71, and the thumbnail data Is generated (step S5 in FIG. 7). Then, the display data generation unit 72 of the display unit 7 converts the above-described thumbnail data supplied from the thumbnail data generation unit 71 into the B-mode image data supplied as diagnostic image data from the image data generation unit 4 in a predetermined display format. The first display data is generated based on the above and is displayed on the monitor 74 (step S6 in FIG. 7).

  An operator who observes the first display data described above on the display unit 7 uses the reference image data selection function 82 provided in the input unit 8 and uses diagnostic image data (B-mode image data) in the first display data. The thumbnail data of the reference image data suitable for comparison display with the diagnostic image data is selected from the plurality of thumbnail data shown together (step S7 in FIG. 7). Then, the display data generation unit 72 of the display unit 7 that has received the selection information via the system control unit 10 receives the reference image data corresponding to the selected thumbnail data as the image data storage unit of the thumbnail data generation unit 71. The second display data generated by arranging the reference image data obtained from the image data and the diagnostic image data of the current ultrasonic examination supplied from the image data generation unit 4 in parallel is displayed on the monitor 74 (FIG. 7 step S8).

  On the other hand, if the reference image data collected in the diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the diagnostic mode of the current ultrasonic examination in step S4 does not exist in the reference image data storage unit 5, the display data generation unit of the display unit 7 72, a message that the corresponding reference image data does not exist in the reference image data storage unit 5 is added to the diagnostic image data supplied from the image data generation unit 4 and displayed on the monitor 74 (FIG. 7). Step S9).

  During the current ultrasonic examination performed by such a procedure, the operator uses the diagnostic mode selection function 81 of the input unit 8 to change the diagnostic mode of the ultrasonic examination from “B mode diagnosis” to “B mode / When updating to “color Doppler mode diagnosis”, the image data generation unit 4 that has received the update information of the diagnosis mode from the input unit 8 via the system control unit 10 is obtained by ultrasonic examination in the updated diagnosis mode. B-mode image data and color Doppler image data are generated based on the ultrasound data, and further, B-mode image data on which the color Doppler image data is superimposed is generated as diagnostic image data (step S3 in FIG. 7).

  On the other hand, the image data search unit 6 that has received the selection information of “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” via the system control unit 10 includes various reference image data stored in the reference image data storage unit 5 in advance. The image data for reference corresponding to the diagnosis mode “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” is searched from (step S4 in FIG. 7).

  Then, generation and display of thumbnail data for the retrieved reference image data (steps S5 and S6 in FIG. 7), selection of reference image data based on the thumbnail data (step S7 in FIG. 7), and the selected reference. The comparison display of the image data for diagnosis and the image data for diagnosis (step S8 in FIG. 7) is performed by the same procedure as when “B mode diagnosis” is set to the diagnosis mode. Further, when the diagnosis mode is updated from “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” to “B mode diagnosis” or another diagnosis mode in the input unit 8, diagnostic image data suitable for the updated diagnosis mode and for reference Comparison display with the image data is performed by the above-described procedure of steps S3 to S9.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the diagnostic image data generated in the current ultrasonic examination for the subject is compared with the reference image data collected and stored in the past ultrasonic examination. When displaying, it is possible to automatically search for reference image data collected in a diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the updated diagnostic mode in association with the update of the diagnostic mode in collecting diagnostic image data.

  Furthermore, when a plurality of reference image data are searched in the above search, the reference image data suitable for comparison display with the diagnostic image data is displayed by displaying a list of thumbnail data of the searched reference image data. Can be easily selected. For this reason, comparison display with reference image data effective for ultrasonic diagnosis is facilitated, and diagnosis accuracy and diagnosis efficiency can be improved.

  In addition, since the above-described reference image data is stored in advance as supplementary information in various diagnostic modes including “B mode diagnosis” and “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis”, it is in the middle of the current ultrasonic examination. When the diagnostic mode is updated in the above, the reference image data corresponding to the updated diagnostic mode can be searched accurately. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently select reference image data suitable for comparison display with diagnostic image data without searching for more reference image data than necessary.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned Example, It can change and implement. For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to generate and display B-mode image data on which color Doppler image data is superimposed from “B-mode diagnosis” that enables generation and display of B-mode image data as an update of the diagnosis mode. Although the case of updating to “B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis” is described, the type and update order of the diagnosis mode are not limited to this.

  In particular, the diagnostic mode includes “color Doppler mode diagnosis” and “Doppler spectrum mode diagnosis that indicates temporal changes in the frequency spectrum of the Doppler signal, in addition to the above-mentioned“ B mode diagnosis ”and“ B mode / color Doppler mode diagnosis ”. ”May be a diagnostic mode based on the type of ultrasonic data. In addition, subject information such as subject name, subject ID, age, and sex, diagnosis target region, disease name, image data collection range (for example, depth of field and width of image data), two-dimensional image data / The diagnostic mode may be based on the classification of the three-dimensional image data, the type of ultrasonic probe to be used, or the like, or may be a diagnostic mode newly formed by combining these.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of reference images collected in a diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the diagnostic mode of the current ultrasonic examination among various reference image data stored in the reference image data storage unit 5. The case where image data is extracted and thumbnail data of these reference image data is displayed together with diagnostic image data has been described. However, when one or a small number of reference image data is extracted, these reference images are displayed. The data may be displayed together with diagnostic image data. The thumbnail data described above may be displayed independently of the diagnostic image data.

  On the other hand, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the first display data is generated by adding the thumbnail data of the reference image data searched by the image data search unit 6 to the diagnostic image data has been described. If the thumbnail data of the reference image data cannot be displayed simultaneously on the monitor 74 by searching for the image data, the input unit 8 may be provided with a scroll function for scrolling and displaying a plurality of thumbnail data. That is, in a case where a lot of reference image data is extracted by the image data search unit 6 by scroll-displaying a lot of thumbnail data generated based on the reference image data using the scroll function described above. In addition, it is possible to easily select reference image data suitable for comparison display with diagnostic image data.

  Further, the reference image data displayed in comparison with the diagnostic image data may be a still image or a moving image. However, when the reference image data is displayed as a moving image, the reference image data storage unit 5 stores time-series image data collected in a past ultrasonic examination for a predetermined period as reference image data. The

  In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 including the reference image data storage unit 5 that stores various reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic examination has been described. It may be provided outside the diagnostic apparatus 100 and connected by a network or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasonic probe 2 ... Transmission / reception part 21 ... Transmission part 22 ... Reception part 3 ... Ultrasound data generation part 31 ... B mode data generation part 32 ... Doppler signal detection part 33 ... Color Doppler data generation part 4 ... Image data generation part 5 ... Reference image data storage unit 6 ... Image data search unit 7 ... Display unit 71 ... Thumbnail data generation unit 72 ... Display data generation unit 73 ... Data conversion unit 74 ... Monitor 8 ... Input unit 81 ... Diagnostic mode selection function 82 ... Reference image data selection function 9 ... reference signal generator 10 ... system controller 100 ... ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

Claims (11)

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for comparing and displaying the diagnostic image data collected by the current ultrasonic examination for the subject and the reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic examination,
A diagnostic mode selection means for selecting a diagnostic mode of the current ultrasonic examination;
Image data search means for searching for reference image data in a diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the diagnostic mode from among various reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic examination,
Display means for displaying the reference image data searched by the image data search means or thumbnail data thereof,
When the diagnostic mode is updated by the diagnostic mode selection unit during the current ultrasonic examination, the image data search unit retrieves the reference image data in the diagnostic mode that is the same as or similar to the updated diagnostic mode. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by searching from among the various reference image data.   2. The super display device according to claim 1, wherein the display means includes thumbnail data generation means for generating the thumbnail data by reducing the reference image data searched by the image data search means. Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment.   Reference image data selection means is provided, and the reference image data selection means is suitable for comparison display with the diagnostic image data among the plurality of reference image data searched by the image data search means. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein reference image data is selected based on the thumbnail data.   The display means includes the reference image data searched by the image data search means or the reference image data selected by the reference image data selection means and the diagnostic image collected in the current ultrasonic examination. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the image data is displayed in comparison.   The display means displays the time-series reference image data searched by the image data search means or the time-series reference image data selected by the reference image data selection means as a moving image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display unit adds the plurality of thumbnail data generated by the thumbnail data generation unit to the diagnostic image data for display.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display unit scrolls and displays the plurality of thumbnail data generated by the thumbnail data generation unit.   Reference image data storage means is provided, and the image data search means performs the current ultrasonic inspection from among various reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic inspection and stored by the reference image data storage means. 2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reference image data corresponding to a diagnostic mode is searched.   The super diagnosis according to claim 1, wherein the diagnosis mode is any one of "B mode diagnosis", "Color Doppler mode diagnosis", "B mode / Color Doppler mode diagnosis", and "Doppler spectrum mode diagnosis". Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment.   The diagnosis mode is based on at least one of object information, diagnosis target region, disease name, image data collection range, 2D image data / 3D image data classification, and ultrasonic probe type. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1. For the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that compares and displays the diagnostic image data collected by the current ultrasonic examination for the subject and the reference image data collected in the past ultrasonic examination,
A diagnostic mode selection function for selecting a diagnostic mode of the current ultrasonic examination;
The reference image data in the same or similar diagnostic mode as the diagnostic mode is searched from the various reference image data collected by the past ultrasonic examination, and the diagnostic mode is updated by the diagnostic mode selection means. An image data search function for searching the reference image data corresponding to the updated diagnostic mode from among the various reference image data,
An image data display control program for executing a display function for displaying the reference image data retrieved by the image data retrieval function or thumbnail data thereof.

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