CN114072066B

CN114072066B - Elastography method, elastography system and computer-readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN114072066B
Application number: CN201980098269.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李双双
Original assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-27
Filing date: 2019-10-22
Publication date: 2024-06-07
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-22
Also published as: CN110710989B; WO2021056645A1; CN110710989A; CN113261991A; CN114072066A; CN114287968A

Abstract

An elastography method, system and computer readable storage medium. The elastography method includes: acquiring a motion parameter image (200) of the tissue under test; determining a main propagation path (202) of a shear wave propagating in the tissue under test in the motion parameter image; the main propagation path (204) is displayed. The main propagation path of the shear wave in the motion parameter image is acquired and then the motion parameter image containing the main propagation path is displayed, so that the defect that medical staff cannot accurately explain the meaning displayed by the motion parameter image due to the influence of interference information such as various residual waves, reflected waves and the like caused by vibration of a probe in the motion parameter image can be reduced, and the comprehensiveness of an elasticity test result is improved.

Description

Elastography method, elastography system and computer-readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of medical technology, and in particular, to an elastography method, a elastography system, and a computer readable storage medium.

Background

The instantaneous elastography utilizes probe vibration to generate shear waves to be transmitted into the tested tissue, and transmits ultrasonic waves to detect the displacement inside the tissue, so that the elasticity parameters of the tested tissue are calculated and displayed. In addition to providing elasticity detection results, the transient elasticity technique generally provides a motion parameter image of tissue displacement or strain. However, due to interference information such as various residual waves and reflected waves caused by vibration of the probe, clinical staff cannot accurately interpret the meaning displayed by the motion parameter image.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides an elasticity imaging method, an elasticity imaging system and a computer readable storage medium, which can improve the understandability of elasticity test results.

In one embodiment, there is provided an elastography method applied to an elastography system including a probe, a transmitting circuit connected to the probe, a receiving circuit connected to the probe, a beam combiner connected to the receiving circuit, a processor connected to the beam combiner, and a display screen displaying image information transmitted by the processor, the elastography method including:

Controlling the probe to emit first ultrasonic waves to the tissue to be tested when receiving a first emission time sequence of the emission circuit so as to track shear waves propagating in the tissue to be tested;

the probe is controlled to receive a first ultrasonic echo returned by the tested tissue, and the first ultrasonic echo is converted into an electric signal and then transmitted to the receiving circuit;

controlling the beam synthesizer to carry out beam synthesis on the electric signals transmitted by the receiving circuit to obtain first ultrasonic echo data;

Controlling the processor to obtain a motion parameter image of the tested tissue based on the first ultrasonic echo data;

Controlling the processor to determine a main propagation path of the shear wave in the motion parameter image, and obtaining a main propagation path diagram, wherein the main propagation path diagram characterizes the main propagation path of the shear wave in the tested tissue;

Controlling the processor to determine elastic information of the tested tissue according to the first ultrasonic echo data or the motion parameter image or the main propagation path diagram;

And controlling the processor to display the main propagation path diagram and the elasticity information of the tested tissue in the display screen.

In one embodiment, there is provided an elastography method, the method comprising:

transmitting a first ultrasonic wave to a tissue under test to track shear waves propagating within the tissue under test;

receiving a first ultrasonic echo returned by the tested tissue to obtain first ultrasonic echo data;

Obtaining motion parameters of the tested tissue at different moments and different depths caused by propagation of the shear wave in the tested tissue according to the first ultrasonic echo data;

Determining a main propagation path of the shear wave according to the motion parameter, and obtaining a main propagation path diagram, wherein the main propagation path diagram represents the main propagation path of the shear wave in the tested tissue;

Determining elasticity information of the tested tissue according to the first ultrasonic echo data or the motion parameter or the main propagation path;

And displaying the main propagation path diagram and the elasticity information of the tested tissue.

And displaying the main propagation path diagram.

In one embodiment, there is provided an elastography method including:

acquiring a motion parameter image of a tested tissue;

Determining a main propagation path of shear waves propagated in the tested tissue according to the motion parameter image;

The main propagation path is displayed.

In one embodiment, there is provided an elastography system comprising:

The probe is used for transmitting first ultrasonic waves to the tested tissue so as to track shear waves propagating in the tested tissue, and is also used for receiving first ultrasonic echoes returned by the tested tissue to obtain first ultrasonic echo data;

The processor is connected with the probe and is used for obtaining motion parameters of the tested tissue at different moments and different depths caused by the propagation of the shear wave in the tested tissue based on the first ultrasonic echo data, determining a main propagation path of the shear wave according to the motion parameters, obtaining a main propagation path diagram, and determining elasticity information of the tested tissue according to the first ultrasonic echo data or the motion parameters or the main propagation path diagram, wherein the main propagation path diagram represents the main propagation path of the shear wave in the tested tissue;

And the display screen is connected with the processor and used for displaying the main propagation path diagram and the elasticity information of the tested tissue in the display screen.

In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program for electronic data exchange, wherein the computer program causes a computer to perform some or all of the steps described in any of the methods of the previous embodiments.

According to the elastic imaging method, the system and the computer readable storage medium, the main propagation path of the shear wave is obtained according to the motion parameters or the motion parameter image, and the main propagation path is displayed, so that the defect that medical staff cannot accurately explain the significance displayed by the motion parameter image due to the influence of interference information such as various residual waves, reflected waves and the like caused by vibration of a probe in the motion parameter image can be reduced, and the comprehensiveness of an elastic test result is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are needed in the description of the embodiments will be briefly described below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the hardware architecture of an elastography system according to an embodiment of the application.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart of steps of an elastography method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a motion parameter image according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the hardware architecture of a probe in an embodiment of the application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a plurality of band-shaped areas in a motion parameter image according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating binarization of a main propagation path diagram in an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a non-binary representation of a main propagation path graph in accordance with one embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a main propagation path in an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of steps of an elastography method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a block diagram schematic of an elastography system in an embodiment of the application.

Fig. 11 is a schematic view of a moving parameter image in an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 12 is a schematic view of a moving parameter image in still another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 13 is a schematic view of a moving parameter image in still another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In order that those skilled in the art will better understand the present application, a technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the application without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the application.

The terms first, second and the like in the description and in the claims and in the above-described figures, are used for distinguishing between different objects and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. Furthermore, the terms "comprise" and "have," as well as any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those listed steps or elements but may include other steps or elements not listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those of skill in the art will explicitly and implicitly appreciate that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

Referring to fig. 1, a hardware configuration of an elastography system according to an embodiment of the application is shown. The elastography system 10 may include a probe 100, a transmitting circuit 102 connected to the probe 100, a receiving circuit 104 connected to the probe 100, a beam combiner 106, a processor 110, and a display 112, wherein the receiving circuit 104, the beam combiner 106, the processor 110, and the display 112 may be electrically connected in sequence. In this embodiment, the elastography system 10 may acquire a motion parameter or a motion parameter image of the tissue under test, and obtain a main propagation path of the shear wave in the tissue under test according to the motion parameter or the motion parameter image, and may display the main propagation path in the display 112. Because the main propagation path can be a single path which can accurately represent the propagation positions of shear waves at different depths, various residual waves, reflected waves and other interference information can be eliminated when the main propagation path is acquired, and thus, medical staff can intuitively diagnose through a motion parameter image containing the main propagation path or through the main propagation path diagram, and the method is beneficial to improving the understandability of an elasticity test result. In one embodiment, the beam combiner 106 and the processor 110 may be implemented by dedicated circuitry or commercially available chips.

Referring to fig. 2, a flowchart illustrating steps of an elastography method according to an embodiment of the application is shown. The elastography method comprises the following steps:

step 200, obtaining a motion parameter image of the tested tissue.

In this embodiment, the transmitting circuit 102 transmits a first transmission timing to the probe 100 to control the probe 100 to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the tissue under test, where the first ultrasonic wave is used to track a shear wave propagating in the tissue under test. After the probe 100 transmits the first ultrasound wave to the tissue under test, the probe 100 may receive, with a delay, the first ultrasound wave reflected from the tissue under test with information of the object under test. The probe 100 may convert this ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal. The receiving circuit 104 receives the electrical signals converted by the probe 100, obtains first ultrasonic echo data, and feeds these first ultrasonic echo data to the beam combiner 106. The beam synthesizer 106 performs beam synthesis processing such as focusing delay, weighting and channel summation on the ultrasonic echo data, and then sends the ultrasonic echo data after beam processing to the processor 110, and the processor 110 obtains a motion parameter or a motion parameter image of the tested tissue according to the first ultrasonic echo data and displays the motion parameter or the motion parameter image on the display screen 112.

Referring to fig. 3, a schematic diagram of a motion parameter image according to an embodiment of the application is shown. The motion parameter image includes a lateral temporal attribute and a vertical depth attribute. In this embodiment, after the shear wave is transmitted into the tissue under test, the interior of the tissue under test vibrates along with the propagation of the shear wave, and the vibration displaces the corresponding position of the tissue under test. A first ultrasonic wave is transmitted into the tissue under test and an echo thereof is received for a period of time.

The processor 110 obtains motion parameters of the tissue under test at different times and different depths caused by propagation of the shear wave in the tissue under test based on the first ultrasound echo data, wherein the motion parameters here may include displacement, velocity or strain. For example, the processor 110 performs comparison analysis (such as a cross-correlation algorithm) on the first ultrasonic echo data obtained at different times, so as to calculate the displacement of the measured tissue at different times, and performs displacement calculation on the first echo data of the measured tissue from different depths, so as to obtain a displacement matrix corresponding to the different depths and different times one by one. In the displacement matrix, each data represents displacement information of the tested tissue at a certain depth at a certain moment. When the displacement matrix is subjected to gradient calculation along the depth direction, a strain matrix can be correspondingly obtained. In the strain matrix, each data represents strain information of a measured tissue at a certain depth at a certain moment. In the above calculation, it is also possible to add some filtering operations in the time direction or in the depth direction in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

The processor 110 may determine a motion parameter image 150 of the tissue under test based on the motion parameters of the shear wave at different times and at different depths.

Referring to fig. 4, a hardware block diagram of a probe according to an embodiment of the application is shown. The probe 100 includes an array-type sound head 130, a vibrator 132, and a sensor 134 located between the array-type sound head 130 and the vibrator 132. Before the transmit circuit 102 transmits the first transmit timing to the probe 100, the transmit circuit 102 may transmit an excitation timing to the probe 100 to control the vibrator 132 of the probe 100 to vibrate and generate shear waves in the tissue under test. The array acoustic head 130 of the probe 100 then tracks shear waves propagating within the tissue under test according to the first transmit timing. The array sound head 130 includes a preset number of array elements, and the array elements of the array sound head 130 are arranged in a linear arrangement or a fan-shaped arrangement. The sensor 132 is used to sense the force with which the probe 100 presses against the tissue under test. In one embodiment, probe 100 may also not include sensor 134.

In one embodiment, the healthcare worker may need to detect a target position range of the tissue under test, and therefore, the healthcare worker needs to select a region of interest corresponding to the target position range in a base image, where the base image includes one or more of a B image and a C image. When acquiring the basic image of the tissue under test, the transmitting circuit 102 transmits a second transmission timing to the probe 100 to control the probe 100 to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the tissue under test. After the probe 100 transmits the second ultrasound wave to the tissue under test, the probe 100 may receive, with a delay, the second ultrasound wave reflected from the tissue under test with information of the object under test. The probe 100 may convert this ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal. The receiving circuit 104 receives the electrical signals converted by the probe 100, obtains second ultrasonic echo data, and feeds these second ultrasonic echo data to the beam combiner 106. The beam synthesizer 106 performs beam synthesis processing such as focusing delay, weighting and channel summation on the ultrasonic echo data, and then sends the ultrasonic echo data after beam processing to the processor 110, the processor 110 performs different processing on signals according to different imaging modes required by a user to obtain tissue image data of different modes, and then performs logarithmic compression, dynamic range adjustment, digital scan conversion, and the like to form ultrasonic tissue images of different modes, and the ultrasonic tissue images of different modes can include an M image, a B image, a C image, and the like, or other types of two-dimensional ultrasonic tissue images or three-dimensional ultrasonic tissue images, and are used for displaying on the display 112. In an embodiment, the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave emitted by the probe 100 may be the same, that is, the processor 110 may obtain parameter information corresponding to the shear wave, generate an instantaneous elasticity map, and generate ultrasonic tissue images of different modes simultaneously after processing the ultrasonic echo received by the probe 100; in an embodiment, the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave emitted by the probe 100 may be different, that is, the probe 100 may emit the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave sequentially, or emit the second ultrasonic wave and the first ultrasonic wave sequentially, or emit the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave alternately (for example, emit the first ultrasonic wave and then emit the second ultrasonic wave, and then emit the first ultrasonic wave repeatedly and alternately), so that the processor 110 may obtain parameter information corresponding to the shear wave after receiving the first ultrasonic echo corresponding to the first ultrasonic wave by the probe 100, generate an instantaneous elasticity map, and generate ultrasonic tissue images in different modes after receiving the second ultrasonic echo corresponding to the second ultrasonic wave by the probe 100.

When the base image is displayed within the display 112, the healthcare worker may determine a region of interest in the base image; the processor 110 may acquire a target location range corresponding to the region of interest in the first ultrasound echo data, and determine elasticity information of the tissue under test, such as a shear wave propagation speed, a shear modulus, a young's modulus, etc., in the target location range of the tissue under test based on the first ultrasound echo data in the target location range.

Step 202, determining a main propagation path of the shear wave propagating in the tested tissue in the motion parameter image, and obtaining a main propagation path diagram.

In this embodiment, the processor 110 determines a target area corresponding to a motion parameter located in a preset range at each depth in the motion parameter image 150, and may determine a target time range of the target area on a time attribute, where the target time range includes a plurality of target times. The processor 110 determines a band-like region based on the successive target regions in the motion parameter image 150. The processor 110 may obtain one or more strip areas when acquiring the strip areas based on the continuous target areas in the motion parameter image 150 due to the influence of various interference information such as residual waves, reflected waves, and the like caused by the vibration of the probe.

Referring to fig. 5, a schematic diagram of a plurality of strip regions in a motion parameter image according to an embodiment of the application is shown. The motion parameter image 150 may include a first strip region S1, a second strip region S2, and a third strip region S3. In this embodiment, the motion parameter image 150 includes a plurality of pixels. Since the pixel value of each pixel in the motion parameter image 150 corresponds to the magnitude of the motion parameter at the depth corresponding to the pixel. For example, when the motion parameter image 150 is a non-gray scale image (e.g., the motion parameter image 150 is a pseudo color image), the processor 110 may perform the graying process on the motion parameter image 150. When the value corresponding to the motion parameter is larger, in the motion parameter image after graying, the pixel point at the corresponding depth is close to white (for example, the pixel value of the pixel point is close to 255); when the value corresponding to the motion parameter is smaller, in the motion parameter image after graying, the pixel point at the corresponding depth is close to black (for example, the pixel value of the pixel point is close to 0). In determining the target region, the processor 110 may determine a maximum extremum range or a minimum extremum range as the preset range, wherein the maximum extremum range may be a to 255, and the target region may be a bright band region in the motion parameter image 150 (e.g., fig. 3); the minimum extremum range may be 0 to b and the target region may be a black band region in the motion parameter image 150 (e.g., fig. 3).

In other embodiments, the target region may also be a region between the bright and black regions in the motion parameter image 150 (e.g., fig. 3). For example, for a set depth, when the pixel value of a pixel is located in the minimum extremum range and the pixel values of other pixels spaced from the pixel by a preset amount are all located in the maximum extremum range, the processor 110 may use the pixel and the other pixels spaced from the pixel by the preset amount as the target area corresponding to the set depth; or when the pixel value of a pixel is located in the maximum extremum range and the pixel values of other pixels spaced from the pixel by a preset amount are all located in the minimum extremum range, the processor 110 may use the pixel and the other pixels spaced from the pixel by the preset amount as the target area corresponding to the set depth.

In this embodiment, when determining the first strip region S1, the second strip region S2, and the third strip region S3 in the motion parameter image 150, if the preset range is the minimum extremum range, the processor 110 determines a target region corresponding to the depth V1, including a target region AB and a target region EF, where the target region AB is a set of pixels (e.g., a line segment AB) of the motion parameter image 150 in which the motion parameter is located in the minimum extremum range under the depth V1, and the target time range corresponding to the target region AB is t1 to t2 target time; the target area EF is a set of pixel points (e.g., line segments EF) of the motion parameter image 150, where the motion parameter is located in the minimum extremum range under the depth V1, and the target time range corresponding to the target area EF is t5 to t 6; in the motion parameter image 150, the target area AB and the other areas except the target area EF do not satisfy the minimum extremum range when the depth is V1. The processor 110 may further determine a target area corresponding to the depth V2, including a target area CD, where the target area CD is a set of pixels (e.g. line segments CD) of the motion parameter image 150 that have the motion parameter within the minimum extremum range at the depth V2, the target time range corresponding to the target area CD is t3 to t4, and the other areas of the motion parameter image 150 other than the target area CD do not satisfy the minimum extremum range at the depth V2.

The processor 110 determines one or more banded regions based on successive target regions in the motion parameter image 150. Since shear waves are continuous in the tissue under test, the target areas at different depths are continuous. In this way, the processor 110 determines the band-shaped areas formed by the continuous target areas in the motion parameter image 150, for example, the processor 110 determines the first band-shaped area S1, the second band-shaped area S2, and the third band-shaped area S3 in the motion parameter image 150.

Since shear waves propagate within the tissue under test, their corresponding propagation paths are single. If the processor 110 determines that there are a plurality of strip regions in the motion parameter image 150, it indicates that there is interference information in the motion parameter image 150, and thus, the processor 110 may determine that a target strip region satisfying a preset condition among the plurality of strip regions is a main propagation path of the shear wave.

In one embodiment, since the shear wave is generated after the vibration of the probe 100 is finished, the processor 110 may acquire a reference time corresponding to the vibration of the probe 100, and determine a band-shaped region composed of target regions having target times later than the reference time among the one or more band-shaped regions as the main propagation path. For example, if the reference time corresponding to the end of the vibration of the probe 100 is t0, the target time corresponding to the third strip-shaped region S3 is earlier than the reference time t0, and thus the processor 110 determines the target region of the first strip-shaped region S1 and the second strip-shaped region S2, the target time being later than the reference time t 0. Since the moving parameter image 150 further includes the first strip region S1 and the second strip region S2, the main propagation path of the moving parameter image 150 is one strip region. At this time, the processor 110 may determine that the strip region having the maximum length or the maximum area of the first strip region S1 and the second strip region S2 is the main propagation path of the shear wave, wherein each strip region includes a first oblique side and a second oblique side, and the length of the strip region may be represented as the length of the first oblique side or the second oblique side, or the longer one of the first oblique side and the second oblique side; the area of the band-shaped region may be expressed as an area of a quadrangle surrounded by the first oblique side, the second oblique side, a difference between projections of the first end of the first oblique side and the first end of the second oblique side on the time axis, and a difference between projections of the second end of the first oblique side and the second end of the second oblique side on the time axis. Since the length of the hypotenuse where AC is located in the first strip region S1 is greater than the length of the hypotenuse where E is located in the second strip region S2, the processor 110 may determine that the first strip region is the main propagation path of the shear wave.

In an embodiment, the processor 110 may directly determine the ribbon region having the greatest length or the greatest area of the one or more ribbon regions as the primary propagation path of the shear wave. For example, among the first strip region S1, the second strip region S2, and the third strip region S3, the first strip region S1 has the largest length and the largest area, and thus, the processor 110 may determine that the first strip region is the main propagation path of the shear wave.

In an embodiment, when the processor 110 determines that the number of the strip areas formed by the target areas of the one or more strip areas having the target time later than the reference time is one, the processor 110 may not need to determine the attribute information of the length or the area of the strip area.

In one embodiment, when determining the region of interest of the tissue under test, the region of interest may be located at a predetermined depth, at which point the processor 110 may determine the target ribbon-like region located at the predetermined depth as the dominant propagation path. For example, when the preset depth is the depth V1, the processor 110 may determine that the target area below the line segment AB in the first strip area S1 satisfies the condition, the second strip area S2 satisfies the condition, and the target area below the line segment EF in the third strip area S3 satisfies the condition, and the processor 110 may also obtain three strip areas. Since the moving parameter image 150 further includes the first strip region S1 and the second strip region S2, the main propagation path of the moving parameter image 150 is a strip region. At this time, the processor 110 may determine that a band region having the maximum length or the maximum area among the target region below the line segment AB in the first band region S1, the second band region S2, and the target region below the line segment EF in the third band region S3 is the main propagation path of the shear wave, e.g., the processor 110 may determine that the target region below the line segment AB in the first band region S1 is the main propagation path of the shear wave.

In one embodiment, when it is determined that there are a plurality of strip regions in the target strip region located at the predetermined depth, the processor 110 also determines the target strip region in combination with the reference time corresponding to the end of the vibration of the probe 100. For example, since the target time corresponding to the second strip region S2 is earlier than the reference time t0, the processor 110 may determine that the target region below the line segment AB in the first strip region S1 and the target region below the line segment EF in the third strip region S3 satisfy the condition, and then the processor 110 may determine that the target region below the line segment AB in the first strip region S1 and the strip region below the line segment EF in the third strip region S3 have the maximum length or the maximum area as the main propagation path of the shear wave, that is, the processor 110 may determine that the target region below the line segment AB in the first strip region S1 is the main propagation path of the shear wave.

In this context, the main propagation path map is a map characterizing the actual main propagation path of the shear wave in the tissue under test, which is obtained on the basis of the motion parameters or motion parameter maps of the tissue under test at different moments and at different depths caused by the propagation of the shear wave in the tissue under test.

Fig. 11, 12 and 13 are graphs of motion parameters or motion parameters of a tissue under test at different times and different depths, respectively, caused by propagation of shear waves in the tissue under test in some embodiments of the invention. In fig. 11, the band-shaped region extending rightward and upward shown on the right side is a reflected wave of the shear wave, the band-shaped region on the right side of the broken line in fig. 12 is a residual wave of the shear wave, and the band-shaped and oblong regions on the right side of the broken line in fig. 13 are the reflected wave and the residual wave of the shear wave. Therefore, the obtained motion parameters or motion parameter diagrams contain interference information such as various residual waves and reflected waves of shear waves, and the like, so that the examination of doctors and the detection of elastic parameters can be influenced.

In the embodiments herein, as described in the foregoing and the following, a main propagation path diagram representing an actual main propagation path of a shear wave in a tested tissue is obtained based on the motion parameter or the motion parameter diagram, and interference information such as a residual wave, a reflected wave and the like in the motion parameter or the motion parameter diagram can be excluded from the main propagation path diagram, so that the actual main propagation path of the shear wave in the tested tissue can be reflected more accurately, and the doctor can check the main propagation path more conveniently.

Step 204, displaying a motion parameter image including the main propagation path.

When the processor 110 acquires the main propagation path of the shear wave in the motion parameter image 150, the processor 110 displays a main propagation path diagram 160 (shown in fig. 6) through the display 112, wherein the main propagation path diagram is also the motion parameter image including the main propagation path. Because the main propagation path diagram comprises the display area corresponding to the main propagation path and other areas except the main propagation path, the influence of interference information is eliminated from the main propagation path diagram, the understandability of the elastic test result is improved, and the medical staff can intuitively diagnose according to the main propagation path diagram.

In one embodiment, the processor 110 may further determine the elasticity information of the tissue under test according to the aforementioned first ultrasound echo data or the aforementioned motion parameter image or the aforementioned main propagation path map. Here, the elastic information of the test tissue may be parameters of a shear wave propagation speed, a young's modulus of the test tissue, a shear modulus of the test tissue, and the like.

Referring to fig. 6, a diagram illustrating binarization of a main propagation path diagram according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. After the main propagation path in the motion parameter image 150 is acquired, the processor 110 may perform binarization processing on the motion parameter image 150, so that the main propagation path in the motion parameter image 150 is displayed in a first color, and an area outside the main propagation path is displayed in a second color, which is better for the medical staff to recognize. For example, the processor 110 may set a target band-like region corresponding to the main propagation path in the moving parameter image 150 to a first color (e.g., white) and set a region other than the target band-like region corresponding to the main propagation path to a second color (e.g., black).

In an embodiment, the influence of the disturbance information is weak, and when the processor 110 performs the binarization processing on the motion parameter image 150, the obtained main propagation path diagram can distinguish the display area of the main propagation path from other areas outside the main propagation path. For example, when the preset range is the minimum extremum range, the processor 110 sets the pixel point in the moving parameter image 150, whose pixel value is greater than the preset threshold, as the first color, that is, sets the color of the other area outside the main propagation path as black; the processor 110 also sets a pixel point in the moving parameter image, whose pixel value is not greater than the preset threshold value, to a second color, that is, a color of the display area of the main propagation path to white. In this way, the main propagation path map 160 can be directly obtained after the processor 110 performs the binarization processing on the moving parameter image 150.

Referring to fig. 7, a non-binary diagram of a main propagation path diagram according to an embodiment of the application is shown. In one embodiment, as the shear wave propagates within the tissue under test, the motion parameters (e.g., strain information or displacement information) or energy of the tissue under test gradually decrease as the propagation depth and propagation time increase, and the processor 110 may display the main propagation path map 160 non-binarizingly to more clearly show the change. The processor 110 may set the pixel value of the pixel point at each depth in the target band-shaped region corresponding to the main propagation path to a third color having a corresponding motion parameter, wherein the third color corresponding to a different motion parameter is different; and an area other than the target band-shaped area corresponding to the main propagation path may be set to the fourth color.

Referring to fig. 8, a schematic diagram of a main propagation path according to another embodiment of the application is shown. When the processor 110 determines that the first strip region S1 is the main propagation path, the processor 110 may also simply display points of certain depth on the main propagation path. For example, the processor 110 may display only the circles in fig. 8 (excluding the two oblique sides of the first strip region S1) in the display 112 for easy display.

In one embodiment, in determining the primary propagation path in the motion parameter image 150, the processor 110 may calculate elastic parameters of the tissue under test, including but not limited to shear wave velocity, young's modulus, shear modulus, and the like. As shown in fig. 5, the processor 110 may fit a straight line shown in dashed lines in the figure based on the main propagation path, wherein the slope of the straight line shown in dashed lines may be used to represent the shear wave velocity; the processor 110 may calculate the Young's modulus of the tissue under test, etc., from the shear wave velocity. In one embodiment, the processor 110 also includes a plurality of measurements of the parameters, such as median, quartile, ratio of quartile to median, etc. of Young's modulus obtained from 10 measurements.

In one embodiment, the processor 110 may control the display 112 to display the base image and the region of interest, young's modulus of the tissue under test and/or the primary propagation path map within the base image for diagnosis by the healthcare worker.

According to the elastography method, the moving parameter image comprising the main propagation path is displayed after the main propagation path of the shear wave in the moving parameter image is obtained, so that the defect that medical staff cannot accurately explain the meaning displayed by the moving parameter image due to the influence of interference information such as various residual waves and reflected waves caused by vibration of a probe in the moving parameter image can be reduced, and the understandability of an elasticity test result is improved.

In one embodiment, an elastography method may include the steps of:

transmitting a first ultrasonic wave to the tissue under test to track shear waves propagating within the tissue under test;

receiving an ultrasonic echo (referred to herein as a first ultrasonic echo) of the first ultrasonic wave returned by the tested tissue, and obtaining first ultrasonic echo data;

Obtaining motion parameters of the tissue under test at different moments and different depths caused by propagation of the shear wave in the tissue under test according to the first ultrasonic echo data, wherein the motion parameters can comprise displacement, speed or strain of the tissue under test;

Determining a main propagation path of the shear wave according to the motion parameter, and generating a main propagation path diagram based on the main propagation path;

and displaying the obtained main propagation path diagram.

In this embodiment, the elasticity information of the tested tissue may be determined according to the first ultrasound echo data, the motion parameter, or the main propagation path diagram, and the elasticity information of the tested tissue may be displayed to the user. The elastic information may be displayed simultaneously with the main propagation path map or may be displayed non-simultaneously with the main propagation path map.

In this embodiment, it is possible to determine a motion parameter (referred to herein as a "target motion parameter") satisfying a preset condition from among these motion parameters, and obtain a main propagation path of the shear wave according to the depth and time corresponding to the target motion parameter. Here, the preset condition may be various suitable conditions, and may be set according to actual needs, for example, the preset condition may be greater than a preset threshold, within a preset range, or the like.

In this embodiment, the confidence of the elastic information of the tested tissue may also be determined according to the obtained main propagation path. For example, one or more confidence parameters corresponding to the primary propagation path may be determined from the primary propagation path, and the confidence of the elastic information of the tested tissue may be determined from the one or more confidence parameters. Here, the confidence parameter may include one or more of a linearity parameter of the main propagation path, an error parameter when the main propagation path straight line fitting calculates the shear wave propagation speed, a length parameter of the main propagation path, an area parameter of the main propagation path, and the like.

In this embodiment, the basic image of the tested tissue may be obtained, and the basic image of the tested tissue and the main propagation path diagram and the elastic information of the tested tissue may be displayed simultaneously. Here, the base image may be one or more of a B image, a C image, or other mode image of the tissue under test. The basic image can be obtained in real time by an ultrasonic imaging system, namely, ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the tissue to be tested through an ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic echoes are received, ultrasonic echo signals are obtained, and the basic image of the tissue to be tested is obtained according to the ultrasonic echo signals; the acquired and stored basic image of the tissue under test may also be read from other devices.

In this embodiment, the confidence of the elastic information of the tested tissue may also be displayed.

Referring to fig. 9, a flowchart illustrating steps of an elastography method according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. The elastography method comprises the following steps:

and 300, acquiring a motion parameter image of the tested tissue.

Step 300 in this embodiment is similar to step 200 in the above embodiment, and refer to step 200 specifically.

Step 302, determining a main propagation path of a shear wave propagating in the tested tissue in the motion parameter image.

Step 302 in this embodiment is similar to step 202 in the above embodiment, and refer to step 202 described above.

Step 304, displaying a motion parameter image including the main propagation path.

Step 304 in this embodiment is similar to step 204 in the above embodiment, and refer to step 204.

Step 306, controlling the processor to determine a confidence of the elasticity information of the tested tissue.

When acquiring the main propagation path of the shear wave in the motion parameter image 150, the processor 110 may calculate the elasticity information of the tissue under test according to the main propagation path, and further, the reliability of the main propagation path affects the elasticity information of the tissue under test. Accordingly, the processor 150 may determine a confidence level of the elasticity information of the tissue under test based on one or more confidence parameters corresponding to the main propagation path, wherein the confidence parameters include one or more of a linearity parameter of the main propagation path, an error parameter when the main propagation path line fit calculates the shear wave propagation velocity, a length parameter of the main propagation path, and an area parameter of the main propagation path.

For example, the length of the main propagation path, the intensity of energy and whether the main propagation path is linear can be conveniently judged from the main propagation path diagram. In clinical liver fibrosis detection, the Young's modulus value of liver tissue is calculated by judging the average propagation speed of shear waves in the liver tissue, so as to reflect the degree of liver fibrosis. In general, a higher Young's modulus indicates a harder liver tissue and a higher degree of liver fibrosis. Since liver fibrosis is mainly a diffuse lesion, the velocity of shear wave propagation is uniform, the main propagation path is a straight path, and the slope of the straight path corresponds to the velocity of shear wave one by one. In some inspections, if the main propagation path is too short (e.g., propagates only to a depth of 50 mm), it is indicated that the shear wave energy is weak or attenuated more, resulting in insufficient penetration; if the main propagation path appears as a curve or a less straight line, indicating that the shear wave propagation is not uniform, the calculated slope or propagation velocity of the shear wave or Young's modulus result of the tissue may be inaccurate; if the main propagation path is not calculated at all, it is indicated that the quality of the data in the present examination is too poor, and it is difficult to obtain an effective result.

The confidence may be the linearity parameter of the main propagation path (e.g., determining the linearity of the main propagation path), and when the linearity of the main propagation path is better, the reliability of the elasticity information of the determined tissue by the processor 110 is higher; or the confidence level may be an error corresponding to the processor 110 performing straight line fitting (such as fitting by least square method) on the main propagation path and calculating the slope of the straight line after fitting, where the smaller the error is, the higher the reliability of the elasticity information indicating that the processor 110 determines the tissue under test; or the confidence level may be that the processor 110 may determine a length parameter of the main propagation path, the longer the length parameter of the main propagation path, the higher the reliability of the elastic information representing the processor 110 in determining the tissue under test; or the confidence may be an area parameter that the processor 110 can determine the main propagation path, the larger the area, the more reliable the processor 110 determines the elasticity information of the tissue under test.

In one embodiment, the confidence level may be a comprehensive scoring parameter obtained by the processor 110 based on the weighted balance of the confidence parameters, where a higher comprehensive scoring parameter indicates a higher reliability of the elasticity information of the determined tissue by the processor 110.

Step 308, control outputs prompt information corresponding to the confidence of the elastic information of the tested tissue.

The processor 110 may display the confidence level of the elastic information of the tissue to be tested, which is determined based on the one or more confidence parameters, in the display screen 112, and each confidence parameter corresponds to a value having a corresponding confidence level, such as 90% confidence level, so that the health care provider can determine the reliability of calculating the elastic information of the tissue to be tested according to the displayed confidence level.

In one embodiment, after the processor 110 obtains the base image of the tissue under test, the processor 110 may display the base image of the tissue under test, the confidence and the primary propagation path map in the display 112.

In one embodiment, the processor 110 may also display the region of interest determined by the healthcare worker on the base image and may display the Young's modulus of the tissue under test calculated from the calculated shear wave velocity.

According to the elastography method, the confidence of the elastography information of the tested tissue is determined through the main propagation path diagram, and medical staff can conveniently determine the reliability and the understandability of the elastography information of the tested tissue according to the displayed confidence.

Referring to FIG. 10, a block diagram of an elastography system 80 according to yet another embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 10, the elastography system 80 may employ the embodiments described above. The elastography system 80 provided by the present application is described below, the elastography system 80 may include a processor 800, a storage device 802, a probe 100, a control circuit 804, and a display 112, and a computer program (instruction) stored in the storage device 802 and capable of running on the processor 800, and the elastography system 80 may further include other hardware parts, such as a communication device, a key, a keyboard, and so on, which will not be described herein. The processor 800 may exchange data with the probe 100, the control circuit 904, the memory device 802, and the display screen 112 via signal lines 808.

The Processor 800 may be a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), but may also be other general purpose processors, digital signal processors (DIGITAL SIGNAL Processor, DSP), application SPECIFIC INTEGRATED Circuit (ASIC), off-the-shelf Programmable gate array (Field-Programmable GATE ARRAY, FPGA) or other Programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware components, or the like. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like that is a control center of the elastography system 80, connecting various parts of the entire elastography system 80 using various interfaces and lines. In this embodiment, the processor 800 may be used to implement all the functions of the image processing module 110, or may be integrated with the functions of the beam combiner 106, and the functions of the elements may be referred to in the foregoing embodiments. For example, the processor 800 may generate a first transmit timing to control the probe 100 to generate a first ultrasonic wave; the processor 800 may generate a second transmit timing to control the probe 100 to generate a second ultrasonic wave; the processor 800 may generate excitation sequences and control the probe 100 to vibrate to generate shear waves in the tissue under test.

The control circuit 804 may include the functions of the transmitting circuit 102, the receiving circuit 104, and/or the beam combiner 106 in the foregoing embodiments, and the specific functions of the elements may refer to the foregoing embodiments. For example, the control circuit 804 may generate a first transmit timing to control the probe 100 to generate a first ultrasonic wave; the control circuit 804 may generate a second transmit timing to control the probe 100 to generate a second ultrasonic wave; the control circuit 804 may generate excitation sequences and control the probe 100 to vibrate to generate shear waves in the tissue under test.

The storage device 802 may be used to store the computer program and/or module, and the processor 800 may implement the various functions of the elastography method described above by executing or executing the computer program and/or module stored in the storage device 802, and invoking data stored in the storage device 802. The storage device 802 may store ultrasonic echo data and may be configured by the processor 800 to determine a main propagation path of the shear wave according to the ultrasonic echo data, and the storage device 802 may mainly include a storage program area and a storage data area, wherein the storage program area may store an operating system, an application program required for at least one function, and the like. In addition, storage 802 may include high-speed random access storage, and may also include non-volatile storage, such as a hard disk, memory, plug-in hard disk, smart memory card (SMART MEDIA CARD, SMC), secure Digital (SD) card, flash memory card (FLASH CARD), at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage device.

The display screen 112 may display a User Interface (UI), a Graphic User Interface (GUI), and the display 112 may include at least one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a thin film transistor LCD (TFT-LCD), an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) touch display, a flexible touch display, a three-dimensional (3D) touch display, and the like.

The processor 800 executes a program corresponding to executable program code stored in the storage device 802 by reading the executable program code for executing the elastography method in any of the previous embodiments.

In the foregoing embodiments, the descriptions of the embodiments are emphasized, and for parts of one embodiment that are not described in detail, reference may be made to related descriptions of other embodiments. The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more detailed description of embodiments of the application, wherein the principles and embodiments of the application are explained in detail using specific examples, the above examples being provided solely to facilitate the understanding of the method and core concepts of the application; meanwhile, as those skilled in the art will have variations in the specific embodiments and application scope in accordance with the ideas of the present application, the present description should not be construed as limiting the present application in view of the above.

Claims

1. An elastography method applied to an elastography system, wherein the elastography system comprises a probe, a transmitting circuit connected to the probe, a receiving circuit connected to the probe, a beam synthesizer connected to the receiving circuit, a processor connected to the beam synthesizer, and a display screen displaying image information transmitted by the processor, the elastography method comprising:

Controlling the processor to display the main propagation path diagram and the elastic information of the tested tissue in the display screen;

the controlling the processor to determine a main propagation path of the shear wave in the moving parameter image includes:

controlling the processor to determine a target area corresponding to a motion parameter located in a preset range at each depth, wherein the preset range is a maximum extremum range or a minimum extremum range;

controlling the processor to determine a plurality of strip-shaped areas based on the continuous target areas in the motion parameter image;

and controlling the processor to determine a target banded region meeting preset conditions in the plurality of banded regions as the main propagation path.

2. The elastography method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the processor to obtain a motion parameter image of the tissue under test based on the first ultrasound echo data comprises:

Controlling the processor to obtain motion parameters of the tested tissue at different moments and different depths caused by propagation of the shear wave in the tested tissue based on the first ultrasonic echo data, wherein the motion parameters comprise displacement, speed or strain;

The processor is controlled to determine a motion parameter image of the tissue under test based on motion parameters of the shear wave at different times and different depths.

3. The elastography method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

The probe is controlled to vibrate upon receipt of an excitation timing of the transmit circuit to generate the shear wave within the tissue under test.

4. The elastography method of claim 1 or 2, wherein each target area corresponds to a target time range, each target time range comprising a number of target times, the elastography method further comprising:

controlling the processor to acquire a reference moment corresponding to the vibration end of the probe;

Wherein the controlling the processor to determine a target strip region satisfying a preset condition among the plurality of strip regions as the main propagation path includes:

Controlling the processor to determine a target area of the plurality of strip areas having a target time later than the reference time;

And controlling the processor to determine a band-shaped region composed of target regions with target moments later than the reference moment in the plurality of band-shaped regions as the main propagation path.

5. The elastography method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the controlling the processor to determine a target band-shaped zone satisfying a preset condition among the plurality of band-shaped zones as the main propagation path comprises:

and controlling the processor to determine a target banded region positioned at a preset depth as the main propagation path.

6. The elastography method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the controlling the processor to determine a target band-shaped zone satisfying a preset condition among the plurality of band-shaped zones as the main propagation path comprises:

The processor is controlled to determine a target strip region having a maximum length or a maximum area among the plurality of strip regions as the main propagation path.

7. The elastography method of claim 1, wherein the controlling the processor to determine a main propagation path of the shear wave in the motion parameter image comprises:

and controlling the processor to perform binarization processing on the motion parameter image, wherein the motion parameter image after the binarization processing is the main propagation path diagram.

8. The elastography method of claim 7, wherein the motion parameter image comprises a plurality of pixels, a pixel value of each pixel corresponds to a size of the motion parameter at a depth corresponding to the pixel, wherein the controlling the processor to binarize the motion parameter image comprises:

Controlling the processor to set a pixel point with a pixel value larger than a preset threshold value in the motion parameter image as a first color;

and controlling the processor to set the pixel point with the pixel value not larger than the preset threshold value in the motion parameter image as a second color.

9. The elastography method of claim 7, wherein the controlling the processor to binarize the motion parameter image comprises:

controlling the processor to set a target banded region corresponding to the main propagation path in the motion parameter image to be a first color;

The processor is controlled to set an area other than the target band-shaped area corresponding to the main propagation path to a second color.

10. The elastography method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the controlling the processor to display the main propagation path map within the display screen comprises:

Controlling the processor to set the pixel value of the pixel point at each depth in the target banded region corresponding to the main transmission path to have a third color corresponding to a motion parameter, wherein the third colors corresponding to different motion parameters are different;

the processor is controlled to set an area other than the target band-shaped area corresponding to the main propagation path to a fourth color.

11. The elastography method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

the processor is controlled to determine a confidence level of the elastic information of the tissue under test.

12. The elastography method of claim 11, wherein the elastography method further comprises:

And controlling the processor to display prompt information corresponding to the confidence of the elastic information of the tested tissue.

13. The elastography method of claim 11, wherein the controlling the processor to determine a confidence of elastography information of the tissue under test comprises:

controlling the processor to determine one or more confidence parameters corresponding to the main propagation path;

The processor is controlled to determine a confidence level of elastic information of the tissue under test based on the one or more confidence parameters.

14. The elastography method of claim 13, wherein the confidence parameter comprises one or more of a linearity parameter of the main propagation path, an error parameter when the main propagation path straight line fitting calculates the shear wave propagation velocity, a length parameter of the main propagation path, an area parameter of the main propagation path.

15. The elastography method of claim 12, wherein controlling the processor to display hints information corresponding to a confidence level of elastography information of the tissue under test comprises:

controlling the processor to acquire a basic image of the tested tissue;

and controlling the processor to display the basic image and prompt information corresponding to the confidence coefficient of the elastic information of the tested tissue in the display screen.

16. The elastography method of claim 15, wherein the controlling the processor to obtain a base image of the tissue under test comprises:

controlling the probe to emit second ultrasonic waves to the tested tissue when receiving a second emission time sequence of the emission circuit;

controlling the probe to receive a second ultrasonic echo returned by the tested tissue, converting the second ultrasonic echo into an electric signal and transmitting the electric signal to the receiving circuit;

Controlling the beam synthesizer to carry out beam synthesis on the electric signals transmitted by the receiving circuit to obtain second ultrasonic echo data;

The processor is controlled to generate the base image based on the second ultrasound echo data.

17. The elastography method of claim 16, wherein the base image comprises one or more of a B image, a C image.

18. An elastography method, comprising:

displaying the main propagation path diagram and the elasticity information of the tested tissue;

the determining the main propagation path of the shear wave according to the motion parameter comprises:

Determining a target area corresponding to a motion parameter located in a preset range under each depth, wherein the preset range is a maximum extremum range or a minimum extremum range;

Determining a plurality of ribbon areas based on the contiguous target areas;

And determining a target banded region meeting preset conditions in the plurality of banded regions as the main propagation path.

19. The elastography method of claim 18, wherein the motion parameter comprises a displacement, a velocity, or a strain.

20. The elastography method of claim 18, wherein said determining a primary propagation path of said shear wave based on said motion parameter comprises:

determining target motion parameters meeting preset conditions from the motion parameters;

And obtaining the main propagation path according to the depth and the moment corresponding to the target motion parameter.

21. The elastography method of claim 20, wherein the predetermined condition is: is greater than a preset threshold.

22. The elastography method of claim 20, wherein the predetermined condition is: within a preset range.

23. The elastography method of any of claims 18 to 22, further comprising:

and determining the confidence of the elastic information of the tested tissue according to the main propagation path.

24. The elastography method of claim 23, wherein determining a confidence of elastography information of the tissue under test from the main propagation path comprises:

determining one or more confidence parameters corresponding to the main propagation path according to the main propagation path;

and determining the confidence of the elastic information of the tested tissue according to the one or more confidence parameters.

25. The elastography method of claim 24, wherein the confidence parameter comprises one or more of a linearity parameter of the main propagation path, an error parameter when the main propagation path straight line fitting calculates the shear wave propagation velocity, a length parameter of the main propagation path, an area parameter of the main propagation path.

26. The elastography method of any of claims 18 to 22, further comprising:

Acquiring a basic image of the tested tissue;

and simultaneously displaying the basic image of the tested tissue, the main propagation path diagram and the elasticity information of the tested tissue.

27. The elastography method of claim 26, wherein the base image comprises one or more of a B image, a C image.

28. An elastography method, comprising:

Displaying the main propagation path diagram;

Determining a plurality of ribbon areas based on the contiguous target areas;

29. An elastography method, characterized in that it comprises:

acquiring a motion parameter image of a tested tissue;

Displaying the main propagation path;

the determining a main propagation path of the shear wave propagating in the tested tissue according to the motion parameter image comprises:

determining a plurality of strip-shaped areas based on the continuous target areas in the motion parameter image;

30. The elastography method of claim 29, wherein the motion parameter image comprises attribute information of depth and time, and wherein determining a target band region satisfying a predetermined condition among the plurality of band regions as the main propagation path comprises:

Selecting a target banded region with time attribute information later than a preset time in the banded regions as the main propagation path; or alternatively

Selecting a target banded region with the attribute information of the depth in the banded regions being positioned at a preset depth as the main propagation path; or alternatively

A target strip region having a maximum length or a maximum area among the plurality of strip regions is selected as the main propagation path.

31. The elastography method of claim 29 or 30, wherein the main propagation path comprises a band-shaped region in the motion parameter image, the displaying the main propagation path comprising:

setting a band-shaped region corresponding to the main propagation path in the motion parameter image as a first color;

And setting the area outside the band-shaped area corresponding to the main propagation path as a second color.

32. The elastography method of claim 29 or 30, wherein the main propagation path comprises a band-shaped region in the motion parameter image, the displaying the main propagation path comprising:

Setting the pixel value of the pixel point at each depth in the strip-shaped area corresponding to the main propagation path to have a third color corresponding to the motion parameter, wherein the third colors corresponding to different motion parameters are different;

and setting the area outside the target banded region corresponding to the main propagation path as a fourth color.

33. The elastography method of claim 29 or 30, further comprising:

a confidence level of the elasticity information of the tested tissue is determined.

34. The elastography method of claim 33, wherein determining a confidence level of elastography information of the tissue under test comprises:

determining one or more confidence parameters corresponding to the main propagation path;

a confidence of the elastic information of the tissue under test is determined based on the one or more confidence parameters.

35. The elastography method of claim 34, wherein the confidence parameter comprises one or more of a linearity parameter of the main propagation path, an error parameter when the main propagation path straight line fitting calculates the shear wave propagation velocity, a length parameter of the main propagation path, an area parameter of the main propagation path.

36. An elastography system, comprising:

The display screen is connected with the processor and used for displaying the main propagation path diagram and the elasticity information of the tested tissue in the display screen;

The processor is used for determining a target area corresponding to the motion parameter in a preset range at each depth in terms of determining a main propagation path of the shear wave according to the motion parameter and obtaining a main propagation path diagram, wherein the preset range is a maximum extremum range or a minimum extremum range; determining a plurality of ribbon areas based on the contiguous target areas; and determining a target banded region meeting preset conditions in the plurality of banded regions as the main propagation path.

37. A computer readable storage medium storing computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the elastography method of any of claims 1 to 35.