HRP20130491A2 - Method for determining and counting b-lines in ultrasonic diagnoses of lung disease - Google Patents

Abstract

The procedure for determining and counting B-lines in ultrasound diagnosis of lung disease within the patient's chest consists of connecting a diagnostic ultrasound device (1) via the video signal output (3) to a computer (7) in which a software package (5) is placed. in such a way that the digital video signal (4) enters the software (program) package (5) where it is processed and as a processed signal (6) goes or to the screen (11) with the display of results via connection (9) in real time with all necessary data for diagnostics (Figure 3), or on the medium for storing the results (10) via the connection (8) and is later displayed on the screen (11) via the connection (12).

Description

Technical field to which the invention relates

This invention relates to the medical field of ultrasound diagnosis of lung disease inside the patient's chest, and according to the International Classification of Patents (IPC) it is classified as

Technical problem

One of the problems in ultrasound diagnosis of lung diseases is the accurate determination of the number of B-lines (comet tails). B-lines, which are also called comet tails, represent a diagnostic picture of the state of the patient's lung tissue, based on which the severity of the disease and the necessary further treatment of the same patient can be more accurately determined. B-lines (comet tails) appear in the form of vertical lines across the monitor of the ultrasound device as a type of flashes whose intensity and number are variable. Therefore, it is very difficult to determine the number of these lines objectively precisely because of the "sluggishness" of the human eye, even if it is a very well-trained professional person.

State of the art

Current technical solutions mainly consist of older or more modern ultrasound devices on which, during the ultrasound examination of the patient's lung tissue, the expert-physician concludes the approximate number of B-lines based on his observations. Given that, due to the dynamics of the examination, B-lines appear in the form of flashes and have a variable number in a very short time, such an assessment is very often only qualitative, in the sense of more or less, and not quantitative. Depending on the connection of the ultrasound technician with the treatment of the same patient or scientific research, the same assessment can be quite subjective and there can be a significant deviation of the determined number of B-lines, and thus a distorted diagnosis of the patient.

Presentation of the essence of the invention

The primary objective of the invention is to enable the accurate determination of B-lines in real time as well as the storage of this information.

The secondary goal of the invention is to enable precise and unambiguous counting of B-lines in real time as well as the storage of this information,

A further goal of the invention is to enable handling of the ultrasound diagnostic device by a person (doctor) with less ultrasound experience, given that the obtained data are not subject to experiential decision-making and assessment, but to completely precise determination and counting of B-lines.

The procedure for determining and counting B-lines (comet tails) in the ultrasound diagnosis of lung diseases according to this invention includes processing the output digital signal from the ultrasound device on a computer or some other programmable device.

A software package is installed on a computer or other programmable device to process these signals in real time, which results in an accurate display of B-lines, their precise number, the average number per unit of time, as well as other processed data necessary for diagnosis.

Brief description of the drawing

The accompanying drawings which form part of the description of the invention illustrate the hitherto best considered mode of carrying out the invention and assist in explaining the basic principles of the invention.

Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the flow of the entire procedure for determining and counting B-lines, in which the digital video signal (4) enters the computer (7) or the software package ( 5) where it is processed and as a processed signal (6) it goes either to the screen (11) with the display of the results via connection (9) or to the medium for storing the results (10) via connection (8) and is later displayed on the screen (11) via connection (12).

Figure 2 is a flow diagram of the steps of the software (program) package (5) which is installed on the computer (7) which shows the flow of processing the digital video signal (4) from the diagnostic ultrasound device (1). It consists of: receiving a digital video signal (5.1), extracting only one image from a series of video signals (5.2), determining the center of the image in the polar coordinate system, which also represents the starting point of the ultrasound probe (5.3), determining the area of application of the algorithm (ROI) in polar coordinate system (5.4), application of vertical integration within the area of application of the algorithm in the polar coordinate system (5.5), application of a digital low-pass filter to reduce the noise obtained after integration (5.6), application of the algorithm for detection of local maxima of the curve under given conditions (5.7), determination of other diagnostically necessary properties of B-lines (5.8) and obtaining a graphic representation of all obtained data in the form of a screen size format (5.9) through the output of the processed digital signal (6).

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail of the display of the obtained results of the determination and counting of B-lines on the screen (11), on which one can see the current display of an isolated image from the video signal (11.6), a toolbar (11.1), for managing the software (program) package , the number of detected B-lines in real time (11.2), the average number of detected B-lines per unit of time (11.3), the absolute average of the number of detected B-lines during the examination (11.4), a graphic representation of the number of B-lines as a function of the time course overview (11.5) and a graphic representation of the positions of the detected B-lines (11.7).

A detailed description of at least one way of realizing the invention

Reference will now be made to the details of the implementation of this invention, an example of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Referring to Figure 1, one can see the entire schematic representation of the procedure for determining and counting B-lines, which takes place as follows:

The ultrasonic diagnostic device (1) has a part on its body for connecting input digital signals (2) and output digital signals (3). A computer (7) with its input port is connected to the output digital signal port (3), which also represents a video signal, so that the flow of the digital video signal (4) is realized.

Furthermore, it can be seen that the software (program) package (5) for determining and processing B-lines is placed in the computer (7) which, according to the algorithms from that package, processes the input digital video signal (4) and the obtained result via connection (9) is given as display of the results on the screen (11) in real time or via connection (8) is stored on a digital data storage medium (10). Later, the processed data can be displayed on the screen (11) from that medium via the link (12) as needed.

Figure 2 shows the flow diagram of the software (program) package (5) that is installed on the computer (7). As the first step (5.1), the digital video signal input (4) is marked. The next step (5.2) is to extract only one image from the sequence of video signals. The next position (5.3) represents the determination of the center of the image in the polar coordinate system, which also represents the starting point of the ultrasound probe. The next position (5.4) represents the determination of the area of application of the algorithm (ROI) also in the polar coordinate system. Determining the application area of the algorithm to the area where the comet actually appears also optimizes the execution time of the algorithm and reduces the possibility of false readings. The next position (5.5) represents the application of vertical integration (summation), which is performed within the application area of the algorithm, and in the polar coordinate system for the ultrasound probe. When using linear ultrasound probes, integration is performed in the Cartesian coordinate system.

The next position (5.6) represents the application of a digital low-pass filter in order to reduce the potential noise obtained after integration. The next position (5.7) represents the application of the algorithm for the detection of local maxima of the curve according to the given conditions (height, width, spacing), which is also the most important step of the algorithm that actually decides which of the events is significant for further analysis.

The next position (5.8) represents the determination of other diagnostically necessary properties of the comet. The next position (5.9) represents obtaining a graphic representation of all obtained data in the form of a screen size format through the processed video signal (6).

Figure 3 shows a detailed and enlarged view of the data on the screen (11), which data was obtained through the processed video signal (6). On the screen (11) you can see the current display of one single image from the video signal (11.6), which is a graphic display of the positions of the detected B-lines (11.7). In the upper part of the screen there is a toolbar (11.1) for managing the software (program) package, and in the middle right there are numerical data: the number of detected B-lines in real time (11.2), the average number of detected B-lines per unit of time ( 11.3) and the absolute average of the number of detected B-lines during the examination (11.4). As an additional aid for diagnostics, a graphic representation of the number of B-lines depending on the time course of the examination is located in the lower right corner (11.5).

Method of application of the invention

This invention enables a very precise determination and measurement of the number of B-lines on an ultrasound diagnostic device during an ultrasound examination of the lung tissue inside the patient's chest. Obtaining the number of B-lines in real time, as well as the average of the number of these lines in a unit of time, gives the doctor-diagnostician a very realistic picture of the state of the lungs of the examined patient, and thus the establishment of a correct diagnosis for further necessary corrections in the treatment or interventions on the patient. Even an operator of an ultrasound diagnostic device with less experience, with a suitable learning curve, can very precisely assess the condition of the lung tissue in a patient due to the unequivocal nature of the data.

Claims (4)

1. Procedure for determining and counting B-lines in the ultrasound diagnosis of lung disease, which consists of receiving the output digital video signal (4) from the diagnostic ultrasound device (1) and processing the signal in the computer (7), indicated by the fact that the digital video signal is processed of the output video signal (4) takes place through the software-program package (5) built into the computer (7) which in turn provides the processed data with the exact number of B-lines on the screen (11) via the output digital signal of the processed data (6). 2. The procedure for determining and counting B-lines in the ultrasound diagnosis of lung diseases according to claim 1, characterized in that the diagrammatic flow of the software-program package (5) consists of receiving a digital video signal (5.1), extracting only one image from the video sequence signal (5.2), determining the center of the image in the polar coordinate system, which also represents the starting point of the ultrasound probe (5.3), determining the area of application of the algorithm (ROI) in the polar coordinate system (5.4), applying vertical integration within the area of application of the algorithm in the polar coordinate system ( 5.5), application of a digital low-pass filter to reduce noise obtained after integration (5.6), application of an algorithm for detection of local maxima of the curve under given conditions (5.7), determination of other diagnostically necessary properties of B-lines (5.8) and obtaining a graphic representation of all obtained data in in the form of the screen size format (5.9). 3. Method for determining and counting B-lines in ultrasound diagnosis of lung disease according to claim 1, characterized in that the output digital pulse of the processed data (6) can be stored on the data storage medium (10) via connection (8). 4. The procedure for determining and counting B-lines in the ultrasound diagnosis of lung diseases according to claim 1 and 2, characterized by the fact that the screen (11) displays the processed digital signal (6) with all the elements necessary for diagnosis: the exact number of detected B -line in real time (11.2), the average number of detected B-lines per unit of time (11.3), the absolute average of the number of B-lines during the examination (11.4), the graphical display of the number of B-lines depending on the time course of the examination (11.5), the current display of one single image from the video signal (11.6), a graphic display of the positions of the detected B-lines (11.7) and a toolbar (11.1) for managing the software-program package (5).