JP2000316863A - Ultrasonograph - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the visibility of a tissue of concern and a treatment means such as a puncture needle when performing treatments such as ultrasonically guided treatments or ultrasonically guided puncture. SOLUTION: A signal processing circuit 13 originates ultrasonic image data from echo data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a tissue to be observed, and an image processing circuit 14 generates analysis data in which the malignity of each part in the ultrasonic image data is accentuated. A puncture route data originating circuit 16 calculates the position at which the route of puncture should be superimposed on image data and displayed, so as to originate puncture route data showing the direction in which a puncture needle is expected to pierce the tissue. An image obtained by adding the analysis data and the puncture route data to the ultrasonic image data by means of an addition circuit 15 is displayed on a monitor 12. An operator performs treatments while checking on the monitor 12 that the puncture route along which the puncture needle pierces the tissue crosses the accentuated tissue of concern.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of improving the visibility of a tissue of interest when performing treatment such as ultrasonic guided treatment, puncture, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in medical practice, a so-called biopsy, in which a puncture needle is inserted into a target tissue such as a tumor, and then a tissue piece or a cell is aspirated to perform a detailed pathological examination, has been widely used. ing. It is a well-known fact that this biopsy is essential for the definitive diagnosis of a lesion, for example, for distinguishing benign / malignant tumors.

[0003] In addition, a treatment has been attempted in which a puncture needle is inserted and a drug is directly injected into an affected part. Drug administration by such a method has the advantage of requiring fewer drugs than oral administration, and has fewer side effects and is safe. Furthermore, there is also an advantage that the medicinal effect is more effective than oral administration since it is administered directly to the affected area.

[0004] Although puncture has various advantages as described above,
Whether or not the tip of the puncture needle is correctly positioned at the tissue of interest when performing puncture greatly affects the success or failure of biopsy or treatment. For this reason, so-called ultrasound-guided puncturing, in which ultrasound is scanned on a cross section including a target tissue and a puncture needle and puncture is performed while monitoring the ultrasound image in real time, has become widespread.

[0005] Further, various attempts for treatment have been made under the guidance of ultrasonic waves, and convergent ultrasonic waves (High Int
efficiency Focused Ultrasound
d; HIFU) or an ultrasound-guided treatment for cauterizing an affected part such as a tumor using a laser element.

[0006]

However, ultrasonic guided puncture and ultrasonic guided treatment mainly have the following two problems.

(1) It is not clear where the tissue of interest is located on the ultrasonic image, that is, the visibility of the tissue of interest may be poor.

(2) The puncture needle is bent and deviated from the ultrasonic scanning plane, so that the puncture needle is not drawn on the ultrasonic image, that is, the visibility of the puncture needle may be poor.

Regarding the above (1), Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-236
No. 952, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-258050, and Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-32777, image processing such as texture analysis is performed on an ultrasonic image, and a target tissue is set to a different hue on the ultrasonic image. There is known an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which displays the information by using a symbol or extracts a boundary of a tissue of interest.

The above (2) is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-135.
No. 498, the ground electrode is divided into a plurality of ground electrodes among the excitation electrode and ground electrode of each element constituting the ultrasonic transducer array, and a beam is used for normal scanning and scanning during puncturing. There is known an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus whose width can be changed. In this apparatus, at the time of normal scanning, all the ground electrodes are used to excite the ultrasonic waves, so that the aperture can be widened and the ultrasonic beam can be narrowed to obtain an ultrasonic image with high resolution. Also, at the time of puncturing, by stimulating the ultrasonic waves using only some of the ground electrodes, the aperture is narrowed, the ultrasonic beam is expanded, and the puncture needle is effectively thickened by making the scanning surface thicker. Even if bent, the puncture needle is drawn on the ultrasonic image, and the position of the puncture needle can be easily confirmed.

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Hei 4-236952 and Hei 10-258050, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 7-3
In the 2777 publication, the configuration when ultrasonic image processing is used for ultrasonic guided treatment, ultrasonic guided puncture,
No suggestion is given about the action or effect.

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-135498, when puncturing, the ultrasonic beam is expanded, so that puncturing must be performed under an image with high resolution. Can't do it. Further, since the ground electrode of each element constituting the ultrasonic transducer array is decomposed into a plurality of parts and the beam width is changed between normal scanning and scanning at the time of puncturing, several tens to several hundred elements The number of electrodes increases about several times, and the operation of forming the electrodes becomes very difficult. Further, the O of the ground electrode is
A circuit for switching N / OFF is required, and the circuit scale is increased.

Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to improve the visibility of a target tissue when performing a treatment such as an ultrasound-guided treatment or an ultrasound-guided puncture.

A second object of the present invention is to improve the visibility of a treatment means such as a puncture needle when performing puncture under ultrasonic guide without sacrificing image resolution.

[0015]

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a signal processing means for generating ultrasonic image data from echo data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a tissue to be observed; Treatment means for performing treatment on the tissue to be observed, analysis means for recognizing a tissue of interest in the ultrasonic image data obtained by the signal processing means, and obtaining analysis data for emphasis, and the treatment means A synthesizing unit for synthesizing the analysis data with the ultrasonic image data so as to serve as a guide unit when performing a treatment in the apparatus, and a display unit for displaying the data synthesized by the synthesizing unit as an image. It is characterized by.

According to this configuration, ultrasonic image data is generated from echo data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from the tissue to be observed, and a target tissue in the ultrasonic image data is recognized. , Obtaining analysis data for emphasis, synthesizing the analysis data with the ultrasonic image data, displaying the synthesized data as an image on the display means, and treating the tissue to be observed using the treatment means. Use as a guide when applying.

Further, in the present invention, the treatment means generates treatment path data for performing a treatment, and the treatment means adds the path data obtained by the treatment path data generation means to the combining means. It is characterized by.

According to this configuration, the route data for performing the treatment is generated by the treatment means, and the route data is displayed in addition to the data obtained by combining the analysis data and the ultrasonic image data, so that the operator can perform the treatment. It is possible to perform treatment while confirming on the display means that the route to be applied and the emphasized target tissue intersect.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the insertion side tip of a cylindrical ultrasonic probe to be inserted into a body cavity, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a mechanism inside the ultrasonic probe, and FIG. 3 is a case where an acoustic lens is provided and an acoustic lens is provided. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in directivity of an ultrasonic beam when no ultrasonic beam is applied. In this case, the ultrasonic probe includes a so-called ultrasonic endoscope provided with an optical system. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an image processing routine, FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of image data showing a state in which colors are assigned to each determination window, and FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of reflected analysis data, FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of puncture route data, FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of image data obtained by adding the analysis data and the puncture route data to a background image, and FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a corresponding modification, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another modification.

As shown in FIG. 1, a tip cap 1a and a forceps protrusion 1b are provided at the tip 1 on the insertion side of the ultrasonic probe. In FIG. 1, a treatment inserted from outside the body at the time of puncturing is shown. A state is shown in which a puncture needle 2 as an example of the means projects from a forceps projection opening 1b via a conduit (not shown) in an ultrasonic probe and punctures an affected part. by the way,
The direction of the forceps protrusion 1b is fixed, and the puncture needle 2
Are set to always project in the same direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, an ultrasonic transducer 4 provided with an acoustic lens 3 on its surface is held in the tip cap 1a. The ultrasonic transducer 4 is connected to the flexible shaft 6 via two bevel gears 5a and 5b fitted at right angles to each other. Flexible shaft 6
At the rear end, a motor 7 and an angle detector 8 including an optical rotary encoder and the like are provided.
The motor 7 is rotatably driven by receiving a drive signal from a drive unit 10 provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 4, and has a flexible shaft 6 and an angle detector 8 connected to the motor 7.
To rotate.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ultrasonic transducer 4 is connected to a transmission / reception circuit 11 which performs well-known signal processing on an ultrasonic signal, such as signal amplification, logarithmic conversion, envelope detection, and A / D conversion. I have.

The echo data output from the transmission / reception circuit 11 is input to a signal processing circuit 13, where scan conversion is performed to convert the data into image data in a rectangular coordinate system that can be output to a monitor 12, which is a display means.

Further, the signal processing circuit 13 receives the angle signal from the angle detector 8 and obtains angle information on the direction of the ultrasonic transducer 4 necessary for the above-mentioned scan conversion. Then, the image data processed in a predetermined manner by the signal processing circuit 13 is output to an image processing circuit 14 which is an example of the analysis means and an addition circuit 15 which is an example of the synthesis means.

In the image processing circuit 14, the signal processing circuit 13
Performs analysis data processing reflecting the degree of malignancy of each part of the image data input from, and outputs the result to the switch A. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, a puncture route data generation circuit 16 for generating puncture route data as treatment route data is provided, and an output from this puncture route data generation circuit 16 is input to switch B.

The switches A and B are simultaneously opened and closed in conjunction with a control signal from an input section 18 via an input control circuit 17. The input unit 18 includes a keyboard, a mouse,
It is composed of known input means such as a trackball. Thus, the image processing circuit 14, the puncture route data generation circuit 16
Output from the adder 1 via switches A and B
5 is input.

The output of the adder circuit 15 is the display circuit 1
The display circuit 19 converts the input signal into an analog television signal and outputs it to the monitor 12.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment having the above configuration will be described. When a drive signal from the drive unit 10 is input to the motor 7, the flexible shaft 6, the bevel gear 5
The ultrasonic vibrator 4 is mechanically driven to rotate via a and 5b.

On the other hand, the transmission / reception circuit 11 includes the ultrasonic vibrator 4
, A high-voltage pulse is applied to excite the ultrasonic waves to electrically drive the ultrasonic vibrator 4. Then, the excited ultrasonic waves are radiated into the body cavity through the acoustic lens 3, as a sharp beam having strong directivity (see FIG. 3A), through the distal end cap 1 a, and into the body cavity. As shown by the dashed line in FIG. 3B, when the ultrasonic wave is output without passing through the acoustic lens 3, the directivity of the beam is weakened.

As described above, the ultrasonic transducer 4 emits ultrasonic waves while rotating, thereby forming a fan-shaped scanning surface outward from the tip cap 1a as shown by a dashed line in FIG. Sector scanning is realized. As shown in the figure, at the time of puncturing, the puncture needle 2 projecting from the forceps projection port 1b having a fixed opening direction is fixed so that the puncture needle 2 always exists in the scanning plane.

Then, the echo of the ultrasonic wave radiated into the body cavity and reflected from the living body is received by the ultrasonic vibrator 4 and output to the transmission / reception circuit 11 as an electric echo signal. The transmission / reception circuit 11 subjects the echo signal to signal processing such as signal amplification, logarithmic conversion, envelope detection, and A / D conversion, which is a known signal processing for the ultrasonic signal, converts the echo signal into digital echo data, and outputs the digital echo data to the signal processing circuit 13. I do.

The signal processing circuit 13 uses the angle signal from the angle detector 8 to perform a scan conversion on the echo data to convert the echo data into image data in a rectangular coordinate system that can be output to the monitor 12. Output to the processing circuit 14 and the addition circuit 15.

At this time, when the switches A and B are open at the same time, the input to the adding circuit 15 is only the image data from the signal processing circuit 13, and at this time, the ultrasonic image is output by the ultrasonic vibrator 4. The images are sequentially displayed on the monitor 12 in accordance with the scanning.

When the operator starts puncturing, the input control circuit 17 instructs the input control circuit 17 to output a puncture guide via the input unit 18, and a control signal is output from the input control circuit 17 to the switches A and B. Both switches A and B are closed, and in addition to the image data from the signal processing circuit 13, data from the image processing circuit 14 and the puncture path data generation circuit 16 are output to the addition circuit 15.

The memory provided inside the image processing circuit 14 is quantified by performing texture analysis on image data representing a typical echo pattern of a target tissue of interest such as a tumor. The stored characteristic amount is stored. Note that various feature values are already known for the feature value calculated at this time.
Various characteristic amounts described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 952, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-258050, and Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 7-32777 can be used.

In the image processing circuit 14, the signal processing circuit 13
Small part of the image data output from
A similarity (hereinafter, malignancy) between the “discrimination window” and typical image data of the target tissue is calculated, and a color corresponding to the malignancy is assigned to each determination window.

Image processing in the image processing circuit 14 for assigning colors to a plurality of determination windows is performed according to an image processing routine shown in FIG.

In this routine, first, in step S1, the characteristic amount of the discrimination window is calculated. Next, in step S2,
The degree of malignancy is calculated by comparing the characteristic amount calculated in step S1 with a typical characteristic amount of the target tissue stored in the memory. Various methods are known for this comparison, such as so-called discriminant analysis and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-258.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-32777 discloses a method using an FS transformation in a feature space having a feature amount as an orthogonal axis and a distance in a classification plane. A method using a fuzzy agreement can be adopted.

Next, in step S3, a color corresponding to the degree of malignancy is assigned to the discrimination window.

Then, the process proceeds to step S4, where it is determined whether or not the analysis has been completed for all the images.
Proceeding to step S5, the discrimination window on which the texture analysis is performed is changed to the next adjacent discrimination window, the process returns to step S1, and the above-described processing is repeated. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S4 that the analysis has been completed for all the images, the routine ends. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, a color is assigned to each of the plurality of determination windows.

Then, analysis data reflecting the degree of malignancy of each part of the image data input from the signal processing circuit 13 is output from the image processing circuit 14 to the addition circuit 15 via the switch A. FIG. 7 shows an example of the analysis data at this time. In addition, the colors shown in the comparison table of FIG. 3B are actually displayed in A to C described in each discrimination window shown in FIG. 4A, and the color tone is dark in this embodiment. It is set so that the degree of malignancy is emphasized as it becomes. In this case, a setting may be made so that the degree of malignancy is emphasized by a change in gradation.

The puncture route data generating circuit 16 calculates the position to be superimposed on the image data and displayed on the puncture route, and it is predicted that the puncture needle is punctured as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. The puncture route data indicating the traveling direction, that is, the direction of the puncture needle, is output to the adding circuit 15.

The adder circuit 15 analyzes the analysis data output from the image processing circuit 14 (see FIG. 7) and the puncture route data output from the puncture route data generation circuit 16 (see FIG. 8).
Are added to the image data output from the signal processing circuit 13 while changing the hue.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9, the analysis result and the puncture route are processed into image data having a hue different from the background image, output to the display circuit 19, and displayed on the monitor 12.

The operator confirms the target tissue indicated by the broken line in FIG. 9 and the puncture route indicated by the alternate long and short dash line on the image displayed on the monitor 12, and then performs the puncture to perform the biopsy and the administration of the medicine. The point O in FIG. 9 is the center of rotation of the ultrasonic transducer 4.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from the body cavity to obtain echo data, the transmitting / receiving circuit 11 for constructing image data from the echo data, and the signal processing circuit 13, a puncture needle 2 for puncturing the tissue of interest in the living body, and processing the echo pattern on image data reflecting the tissue properties of the living body to convert the tissue of interest expressed on the ultrasonic image into the hue of the tissue of interest or Since the image processing circuit 14 that emphasizes by changing the gradation is provided and used as a puncture guide, the visibility of the tissue of interest can be improved when performing puncture under ultrasound guidance.

In this embodiment, the image processing circuit 14
In addition, a puncture route data generation circuit 16 for displaying the route punctured by the puncture needle 2 on the ultrasonic image is provided, and the emphasis on the tissue of interest and the display of the puncture route are simultaneously performed to provide a guide for puncture. Therefore, the operator can perform the puncture more safely by confirming on the monitor 12 that the puncture path intersects with the emphasized tissue of interest.

In general, a high degree of skill is required to understand how to read an ultrasonic image in a body cavity. With this configuration, an operator can convert an ultrasonic image in a body cavity into a pathological and anatomical image. Puncture can be easily and safely performed even when it is difficult to understand the situation.

In this embodiment, the image processing circuit 14
In the above, the texture analysis is performed on the image data to emphasize the target tissue by the image processing. However, a known tissue property diagnosis method using a sound speed, an attenuation rate, or the like of an ultrasonic wave may be used instead of the image processing.

In the present embodiment, the analysis data and the image data are simply added by the adder circuit 15. However, various additions with appropriate weights added or various weights changed depending on the location of the image data are provided. But it is good.

In the present embodiment, the puncture path and the tissue of interest are processed into image data in which the background image and the background image are shown in different hues, respectively. The analysis result and the puncture path may be processed into image data in which the analysis result and the puncture path are shown in a different mode from the background image by using another method such as different saturation.

In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity has been described. However, an ultrasonic probe that irradiates an ultrasonic wave from outside the body and performs diagnosis and treatment may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, a mechanical scanning type ultrasonic probe for rotating and driving a single ultrasonic transducer 4 via a flexible shaft 6 is used.
An electronic scanning type ultrasonic probe that drives and scans a plurality of ultrasonic transducers may be used.

In this embodiment, the vertical and horizontal directions of the determination window are fixed with respect to the vertical and horizontal directions of the image data as shown in FIG. 6, but the vertical and horizontal directions of the plurality of determination windows are fixed as shown in FIG. The direction may always be set to point to the direction of the ultrasonic transducer 4. This is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
JP, JP-A-10-258050, JP-B-7-
The feature amount disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 32777 is calculated for each of the vertical, horizontal, and oblique directions of the determination window, and the accuracy of the determination depends on the orientation of the determination window. The vertical direction of the discrimination window is always directed to the direction of the ultrasonic transducer 4 because the texture pattern formed by speckled speckles constituting the ultrasonic image often depends on the direction of the ultrasonic beam. That's why.

When the living body itself has a directional tissue structure such as a layer structure in an ultrasonic image of the stomach wall,
A plurality of discriminating windows may be arranged along the direction of the tissue structure, and their directions may be set to be along the direction of the tissue structure.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, a direction in which the spatial frequency of the image data in the discrimination window is minimized (ie, a direction in which the space between layers is cut to be the smallest).
Is searched while rotating the discrimination window, and is matched with the y-axis direction, so that the discrimination window can be oriented along the direction of the tissue structure.

Similarly, the direction in which the spatial frequency of the image data in the discrimination window is maximized (that is, the direction in which the space between layers is cut so as to be the largest) is searched while rotating the discrimination window, and the x-axis direction is searched. It is also possible to match with.

Further, in the case where the living body itself has a directional tissue structure as described above, the feature amounts calculated for each of the vertical, horizontal, and oblique directions of the discrimination window are integrated, and steps S1 to S5 in FIG.
The process shown in S5 may be performed based on the integrated feature amount. By doing so, it is possible to perform texture analysis in which the direction dependency of the living tissue structure is reduced.

Incidentally, in FIGS. 1 to 11, one ultrasonic transducer 4 is attached to the tip cap 1a of the ultrasonic probe.
Although the description has been given of the case where two ultrasonic transducers are provided, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, two ultrasonic transducers may be provided in the tip cap 1 a. Here, FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an insertion-side tip of a cylindrical ultrasonic probe to be inserted into a body cavity,
FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a mechanism inside the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe in this case includes a so-called ultrasonic endoscope provided with an optical system. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of image data after binarization processing, and FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of image data in which a puncture needle is added to a background image. is there.

As shown in FIG. 12, a distal end cap 1a and a forceps protrusion 1b are provided at the distal end 1 on the insertion side of the ultrasonic probe. In FIG. 12, a puncture inserted from outside the body at the time of puncture is shown. A state is shown in which the needle 2 projects from the forceps projection opening 1b via a conduit (not shown) in the ultrasonic probe, and punctures the affected part. Note that the direction of the forceps projection port 1b is fixed, and the puncture needle 2 is set so as to always project in the same direction.

As shown in FIG. 13, two ultrasonic vibrators 4a, 4a
b is provided. One of the ultrasonic transducers 4a
The acoustic lens 3 is provided on the surface of the ultrasonic transducer 4b, and the acoustic lens is not provided on the surface of the other ultrasonic transducer 4b. Each ultrasonic transducer 4a, 4b is connected to the flexible shaft 6 via two bevel gears 5a, 5b fitted at right angles to each other.

At the rear end of the flexible shaft 6, a motor 7 and an angle detector 8 composed of an optical rotary encoder and the like are provided. This motor 7
In response to a driving signal from the driving unit 10 shown in FIG. 14, the driving unit 10 is rotationally driven to rotate the flexible shaft 6 and the angle detector 8 connected to the motor 7.

As shown in FIG. 14, each ultrasonic transducer 4
a, 4b are signal amplification, logarithmic conversion,
It is connected to a transmission / reception circuit 11 which performs well-known signal processing on an ultrasonic signal, such as envelope detection and A / D conversion.

The output from the transmission / reception circuit 11 is input to a signal processing circuit 13, where a scan conversion for converting echo data into image data in a rectangular coordinate system that can be output to a monitor 12 is performed.

Further, the signal processing circuit 13 receives an angle signal from the angle detector 8 and obtains angle information on the directions of the ultrasonic transducers 4a and 4b necessary for the above-mentioned scan conversion. Then, the image data processed in a predetermined manner by the signal processing circuit 13 is selectively output to the buffer memory α and the binarization circuit 20 via the switch D.

The binarizing circuit 20 binarizes the input image data and outputs it to the mask circuit 21. The mask circuit 21 performs a mask process on the binarized image data.

The image data subjected to the mask processing by the mask circuit 21 is output to the buffer memory β.

Then, the image data stored in the buffer memories α and β is read out by the adding circuit 15.

In this embodiment, a controller 22 for outputting a switching signal for switching the switch to the switches C and D is provided, and the angle signal from the angle detector 8 is also output to the controller 22. . Switches C and D are simultaneously switched to terminal I or terminal II in response to a switching signal from controller 22.

The controller 22 includes an adder circuit 15,
Addition circuit 15 to buffer memory α and buffer memory β
Outputs a read control signal so as to read the image data stored in the buffer memories α and β.

Further, in the present embodiment, a thread controlled by a control signal from an input control circuit 17 which is output in response to a command from an input unit 18 composed of well-known input means such as a mouse and a trackball. A shawl adjustment circuit 23 is provided. This threshold adjustment circuit 23
The threshold data necessary for the binarization processing is output to the binarization circuit 20. The threshold data is output by a command from the input unit 18 via the input control circuit 17.
You can change that value.

Then, the image data from the adding circuit 15 is output to the display circuit 19. The display circuit 19 converts the input image data into an analog television signal and outputs it to the monitor 12.

According to such a configuration, when the motor 7 provided on the ultrasonic probe is rotated by the drive signal from the drive unit 10 shown in FIG. 14, the flexible shaft 6 connected to the motor 7 and the ultrasonic vibration The child 4 is driven to rotate mechanically. At this time, the controller 22 switches the switches C and D every time the flexible shaft 6 rotates 180 ° based on the angle signal from the angle detector 8.

That is, when the ultrasonic transducer 4a faces forward, the switches C and D are switched to the terminal I.
When the ultrasonic transducer 4b faces forward, the switches C and D are switched to the terminal II.

The transmission / reception circuit 11 applies a high-voltage pulse to the ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b via the switch C to excite ultrasonic waves and electrically drive the ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b. . At this time, the transmission / reception circuit 11 and the ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b are selectively switched by the switch C. Therefore, while a high-voltage pulse is applied to one of the ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b, the other is not. The power is turned on.

When the switch C is switched to the terminal I and a high voltage pulse is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 4a provided with the acoustic lens 3, the ultrasonic wave excited by the ultrasonic vibrator 4a is 3, it is radiated into the body cavity from the tip cap 1 a as a sharp beam having a high directivity.

On the other hand, when the switch C is switched to the terminal II and a high voltage pulse is applied to the ultrasonic vibrator 4b having no acoustic lens, the ultrasonic wave excited by the ultrasonic vibrator 4b The beam is radiated into the body cavity from the distal end cap 1a as a beam having weak directivity.

The ultrasonic transducers 4a and 4b alternately emit ultrasonic waves while rotating, thereby forming a sector-shaped scanning surface outward from the tip cap 1a. This is realized for each child 4a, 4b.

The ultrasonic vibrator 4 provided with the acoustic lens 3
The sector scan at a is as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1, and the sector scan by the ultrasonic transducer 4b without the acoustic lens is as shown by the dashed line in FIG.
At this time, the forceps protrusion 1b having a fixed opening direction is provided.
The protruding direction of the puncture needle 2 passing through is fixed.

The echoes of the radiated ultrasonic waves reflected by the living body are received by the ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b and output to the transmitting / receiving circuit 11 as electric echo signals.

The transmission / reception circuit 11 subjects the echo signal to signal processing such as signal amplification, logarithmic conversion, envelope detection, and A / D conversion, which is a known signal processing for the ultrasonic signal, and converts the signal into digital echo data. 13 is output.

The signal processing circuit 13 performs scan conversion on the echo data by using the angle signal from the angle detector 8, converts the echo data into image data in a rectangular coordinate system that can be output to the monitor 12, and converts the image data. Output to switch D.

The switch D can simultaneously switch the terminal I or the terminal II in conjunction with the switch C in response to a switching signal from the controller 22.

Therefore, when the switch D is switched to the terminal I, the image obtained by the sharp ultrasonic beam having strong directivity generated from the ultrasonic transducer 4a provided with the acoustic lens 3 is stored in the buffer memory α. The data is stored. On the other hand, when the switch D is switched to the terminal II, the operation is as follows.

That is, image data obtained by an ultrasonic beam having weak directivity generated from the ultrasonic transducer 4b having no acoustic lens is subjected to binarization processing by the binarization circuit 20 and punctured. It is determined whether or not the needle 2 is present.

More specifically, the puncture needle 2 is usually represented by image data having a large pixel value in many cases, and is also represented by a high echo on the ultrasonic image finally output to the monitor 12. Therefore, by performing a binarization process using the threshold data from the threshold adjustment circuit 23 as a threshold based on the pixel ultrasonic waves of the image data, the puncture needle 2 can be positioned at any part of the ultrasonic image. You can determine if it exists.

Next, the image data which has been subjected to the binarization processing by the binarization circuit 20 is subjected to mask processing by a mask circuit 21 on a portion other than the puncture needle 2, and data of a portion other than the puncture needle 2 is obtained. Is converted to “0”. At this time, the part in which the puncture needle 2 is shown and the part other than the puncture needle 2 are distinguished from each other in the binarized image data in such a way that a part that is somewhat clumpy is defined as the puncture needle 2 and not. It is assumed that the part is recognized as a part other than the puncture needle 2.

As a result, the pixel values of the portion other than the puncture needle 2 on the image data are replaced with “0”, so that the noise as shown in FIG. 15 is automatically removed from the image data.

The image data output from the mask circuit 21, that is, the image data obtained by the ultrasonic beam having weak directivity generated from the ultrasonic transducer 4b without the acoustic lens 3 is stored in the buffer memory β. Is stored.

As a result, in the buffer memory α, image data obtained by a sharp ultrasonic beam having strong directivity radiated from the ultrasonic transducer 4a is stored for a half turn.
Further, in the buffer memory β, image data obtained by an ultrasonic beam having weak directivity radiated from the ultrasonic transducer 4b is subjected to a binarization process and a mask process, and then stored for half a circumference. Will be. The image data in the buffer memories α and β is image data of the same part of the living body.

Further, the controller 22 outputs a read control signal to the buffer memories α and β and the addition circuit 15 each time the controller rotates 360 °. For this reason, every time it rotates 360 °, the addition circuit 15 reads out the image data from the buffer memories α and β, and processes the image data into which the puncture needle 2 and the background image are added as shown in FIG. The added image data is output to the display circuit 19. Display circuit 19
Then, the input image data is converted into an analog television signal and output to the monitor 12.

As described above, the ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b are provided, the one ultrasonic vibrator 4a is provided with the acoustic lens 3, and the other ultrasonic vibrator 4b is provided with no acoustic lens.
Since the sector scanning is performed alternately forward from both the ultrasonic transducers 4a and 4b, on the ultrasonic image displayed on the monitor 12, portions other than the puncture needle 2 are provided by the ultrasonic lens provided with the acoustic lens 3. Diagnosis can be made with a high-resolution ultrasonic image by the vibrator 4a. Also, in the part of the puncture needle 2,
The ultrasonic vibrator 4b without the acoustic lens 3 provides
In fact, by making the scanning surface “thick”, even if the puncture needle 2 is bent, it is drawn on an ultrasonic image, and the position of the puncture needle 2 can be easily confirmed.

That is, two ultrasonic vibrators 4 provided in 180 ° opposite directions and having different ultrasonic beam shapes.
According to a and 4b, a mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to a living body and acquiring echo data, a puncture needle 2 for puncturing a tissue of interest in the living body, and an ultrasonic transducer 4 are arbitrarily selected. Only the switches C and D, the transmitting / receiving circuit 11 for constructing image data from the echo data from one ultrasonic transducer 4a, the signal processing circuit 13, and only the puncture needle 2 from the echo data from the other ultrasonic transducer 4b. The transmission / reception circuit 11 for constructing image data, the signal processing circuit 13, the binarization circuit 20, the mask circuit 21, and the addition circuit 15 for adding and combining the image data and the image data of only the puncture needle 2 are provided. Puncture needle 2 for performing puncture under ultrasonic guide
Can be improved without sacrificing image resolution and without increasing the circuit scale.

Further, a threshold adjusting circuit 23 is provided,
Since the threshold data as the threshold value of the binarization process in the binarization circuit 20 is configured to be changed according to a command from the input unit 18 via the input control circuit 17, the puncture needle 2 can be drawn. It can be controlled to a good state.

Further, since a binarization circuit 20 and a mask circuit 21 are provided to extract image data of only the puncture needle 2, the binarization circuit 20, the mask circuit 21 or the addition circuit 15 The visibility of the puncture needle 2 on the ultrasonic image can be further improved by, for example, making the image data of only the needle 2 different in hue, gradation and other saturation from the background image.

In the present embodiment, two ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b provided at 180 ° opposite directions are provided at the tip 1 of the mechanical scanning type ultrasonic probe, and one of the ultrasonic vibrators is provided with an acoustic lens 3 at one end. Although the ultrasonic transducer 4a was used, and the other was an ultrasonic transducer 4b having no acoustic lens, the ultrasonic beam had a different shape, and the beam width was wide when obtaining image data of only the puncture needle 2; The second object of the present invention can be achieved by using an ultrasonic beam having a narrow beam width when obtaining image data other than the above.
May be provided with two ultrasonic vibrators 4a and 4b having different curvatures in a direction (so-called slice direction) that makes the scanning surface thicker.

Further, in this embodiment, two ultrasonic transducers 4a and 4b are provided, but three or more ultrasonic transducers may be provided.

Further, in the present embodiment, the image data of only the puncture needle 2 is extracted to improve the visibility of the puncture needle 2, but the image processing circuit 14 shown in FIG. The circuit 16 and the switches A and B may be added to improve the visibility of the target tissue or to guide the puncture.

By doing so, the visibility of the puncture needle 2 when performing puncture under the ultrasonic guide can be improved without sacrificing the resolution of the image and without increasing the circuit scale. In addition, at the same time, the visibility of the tissue of interest can be improved, and puncturing can be performed more easily and safely.

FIGS. 17 to 20 show modified examples of the present embodiment. Here, FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of an insertion side tip of an ultrasonic probe to be inserted into a body cavity, FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of therapeutic beam path data. 20 is an explanatory diagram of image data obtained by adding the analysis data, the treatment beam path data, and the background image.

As shown in FIG. 17, in addition to the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ultrasonic probe for treatment having an acoustic lens 3a on the surface is provided at the tip 1 on the insertion side of the ultrasonic probe according to this modification. A child 4c is provided. The direction of the therapeutic ultrasonic transducer 4c is always fixed with respect to the scanning plane.

As shown in FIG. 18, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present modification, in addition to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 4, a therapeutic ultrasonic vibration which has a large output and can cauterize a target tissue such as a tumor. The treatment transmission circuit 24 for electrically driving the transducer 4c and the treatment ultrasonic transducer 4c is provided, and in response to the treatment transmission control signal from the input control circuit 17,
It is set so as to output a focused ultrasound beam for treatment.

The puncture route data generating circuit 1 shown in FIG.
Instead of 6, a therapeutic beam path data generation circuit 25 is provided. Other configurations are the same as those of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. The operation when the switches A and B are open at the same time is the same as that of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, a case where the switches A and B are closed at the same time will be described. First, when the operator inputs an instruction to output a cauterization guide from the input unit 18 before starting the cauterization treatment by the ultrasonic wave, the input control circuit 17 outputs a control signal for closing the switches to the switches A and B, and both of them are output. Switches A and B are linked and closed simultaneously.

The treatment beam path data generation circuit 25
For the path of the therapeutic ultrasonic beam, the position to be superimposed on and displayed on the image data is calculated, and the therapeutic beam path data shown in FIG. It should be noted that, in the same figure, a portion where the output is reduced by about 6 dB (about half value) compared with the output of the therapeutic beam at the central axis is displayed as two curves (therapeutic beam).

Then, the analysis data processed by the image processing circuit 14 and the therapeutic beam path data generated by the therapeutic beam path data generating circuit 25 are transmitted to the switches A and B.
Is output to the adder circuit 15 via.

The addition circuit 15 uses the hue of the analysis data (see FIG. 6) output from the image processing circuit 14 and the treatment beam path data (see FIG. 19) output from the treatment beam path data generation circuit 25. Is changed and added to the image data output from the signal processing circuit 13, and the analysis result and the therapeutic beam path are processed into image data having a hue different from the respective background images, and the processed image data is sent to the display circuit 19. Output. The display circuit 19 converts the input image data into an analog television signal, outputs the signal to the monitor 12, and displays the image.

After confirming the target tissue and the therapeutic beam path from the image displayed on the monitor 12, the operator instructs the input control circuit 17 via the input section 18 to output the therapeutic beam. Then, a therapeutic transmission control signal is output from the input control circuit 17 to the therapeutic transmission circuit 24.

The therapy transmission circuit 24 receives the therapy transmission control signal, applies a high-voltage pulse to the therapy ultrasound transducer 4c, and excites the therapy ultrasound having a large output.
The excited therapeutic ultrasonic wave passes through the acoustic lens 3 and converges in the living body, and cauterizes the tissue in the converged range. The other operations are the same as those of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG.

As described above, in this modification, the ultrasonic probe transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the body cavity to acquire echo data, the transmitting / receiving circuit 11 for constructing image data from the echo data, the signal processing circuit 13, and An ultrasonic transducer for treatment 4c for cauterizing and treating a target tissue in a living body, a transmission circuit for treatment 2
4 and an image processing circuit 14 that processes an echo pattern on image data reflecting tissue properties of a living body and emphasizes a target tissue represented on an ultrasonic image by changing the hue or gradation of the target tissue. Is provided to serve as a guide for the treatment, so that the visibility of the tissue of interest can be improved when performing an ultrasound-guided treatment.

In this modification, in addition to the image processing circuit 14, a therapeutic beam path data generating circuit 25 for displaying the path of the therapeutic beam on the ultrasonic image is provided to enhance the target tissue, Since the guide of the treatment is displayed by simultaneously displaying the beam path, the operator can perform the cauterization treatment more safely by confirming that the treatment beam path intersects with the emphasized tissue of interest. Can be.

In this modification, the ultrasonic transducer 4c for cauterizing using ultrasonic waves and the transmitting circuit for treatment 24 are used as the treatment means, but a laser element or the like for cauterizing using laser is used. Other elements that output a high-power therapeutic beam may be used.

[Appendix] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following configuration can be obtained.

<Additional Item 1> An ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to a living body to obtain echo data, a construction means for constructing image data from the echo data, and a treatment for treating a target tissue in the living body And an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with a guide means for emphasizing the tissue of interest expressed on the ultrasonic image by the tissue properties of the living body, and used as a guide for the treatment. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment.
According to the configuration described in Additional Item 1, the ultrasonic probe transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the living body and acquires echo data. The construction means constructs image data from the echo data.

The treatment means performs treatment on the target tissue in the living body. The guide means emphasizes the target tissue expressed on the ultrasonic image by the tissue characteristics of the living body.

<Additional Item 2> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Additional Item 1, wherein the treatment means is a puncture needle for puncturing a tissue of interest in a living body. According to the configuration described in Additional Item 2, the puncture needle punctures the target tissue in the living body.

<Additional Item 3> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Additional Item 1, wherein the treatment means is a treatment means for outputting a therapeutic beam and treating a target tissue in the output. And According to the configuration described in Additional Item 3, the treatment means outputs a treatment beam to treat a target tissue in a living body.

<Additional Item 4> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Additional Item 3, wherein the treatment means is cauterizing means using ultrasonic waves. According to the configuration described in Additional Item 4, the cauterizing means treats a target tissue in a living body using ultrasonic waves.

<Additional Item 5> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Additional Item 3, wherein the treatment means is cauterizing means using a laser. According to the configuration described in Additional Item 5, the cauterizing means treats a target tissue in a living body using a laser.

<Supplementary Item 6> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Supplementary Item 1, wherein a second guide means for displaying a path to be treated by the treatment means on the ultrasonic image is provided in addition to the guide means. And providing the guide of the treatment by simultaneously emphasizing the target tissue and displaying the path. According to the configuration of the additional item 6, the second guide means displays a path to be treated by the treatment means on the ultrasonic image,
Simultaneous highlighting of the tissue of interest and display of the route serve as a guide for treatment.

<Supplementary Item 7> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Supplementary Item 1, wherein the guide means performs a texture analysis on an echo pattern on the ultrasonic image reflecting a tissue property of a living body, thereby obtaining the tissue of interest. Is emphasized. According to the configuration described in Additional Item 7, the guide unit emphasizes the target tissue by performing texture analysis on an echo pattern on the ultrasonic image that reflects the tissue properties of the living body.

<Supplementary Item 8> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Supplementary Item 1, wherein the guide means changes the hue or gradation of the tissue of interest to emphasize the tissue of interest.
It is characterized by. According to the configuration described in Additional Item 8, the guide unit emphasizes the target tissue by changing the hue or gradation of the target tissue.

<Supplementary Item 9> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to supplementary item 1, wherein the ultrasonic probe is a cylindrical ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity of a living body.
According to the configuration described in Additional Item 9, the cylindrical ultrasonic probe is inserted into a body cavity of a living body, transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the living body, and acquires echo data.

<Additional Item 10> A mechanical scanning ultrasonic wave that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a living body and obtains echo data by a plurality of ultrasonic transducers having different ultrasonic beam shapes provided at the tip at different angles. A probe, a puncture needle for puncturing a tissue of interest in the living body, a selection switch for arbitrarily selecting the ultrasonic transducer, and, among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers,
Construction means for constructing image data from echo data from one ultrasonic transducer, and echo data from one ultrasonic transducer among the remaining ultrasonic transducers, excluding the one ultrasonic transducer. A puncture needle image data constructing means for constructing image data of only the puncture needle, and a synthesizing means for synthesizing the image data and the image data of only the puncture needle are provided. According to the configuration described in Supplementary Item 10, the mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a living body by a plurality of ultrasonic transducers having different ultrasonic beam shapes provided at different angles at the distal end thereof. Get the data. The puncture needle punctures a target tissue in a living body. The selection switch arbitrarily selects an ultrasonic transducer. The construction means constructs image data from echo data from one of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The puncture needle image data constructing means constructs image data of only the puncture needle from echo data from one of the remaining ultrasonic transducers.

The combining means combines the image data and the image data of only the puncture needle.

<Supplementary Item 11> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Supplementary Item 10, wherein the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are connected to each other by 180 °.
Two ultrasonic transducers provided in opposite directions,
It is characterized by. According to the configuration described in Supplementary Note 11, the mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the living body by two ultrasonic vibrators provided in 180 ° opposite directions and having different ultrasonic beam shapes. Get the data.

<Additional Item 12> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Additional Item 10, wherein the synthesizing means adds and synthesizes the image data and the image data of only the puncture needle. According to the configuration of the supplementary item 12, the combining means:
The image data and the image data of only the puncture needle are added and combined.

<Supplementary Item 13> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Supplementary Item 10, wherein the puncture needle image data generating means includes a binarizing means for binarizing data from the ultrasonic transducer. It is characterized by the following. According to the configuration described in Additional Item 13, the binarizing means binarizes data from the ultrasonic transducer.

<Additional Item 14> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Additional Item 10, wherein the puncture needle image data generating means masks a portion other than the puncture needle in the data from the ultrasonic transducer. Means is provided.
According to the configuration described in Additional Item 14, the masking unit masks a portion other than the puncture needle in the data from the ultrasonic transducer.

<Additional Item 15> The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Additional Item 10, wherein the mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe is a cylindrical ultrasonic probe inserted into a body cavity of a living body. . According to the configuration described in the additional item 15,
The cylindrical mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe is inserted into a body cavity of a living body, transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the living body, and acquires echo data.

[0131]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Ultrasound image data is generated from echo data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to the observation control, and analysis data for recognizing and enhancing a tissue of interest in the ultrasonic image data is obtained. Combining the data with the ultrasound image data,
Since the guide means is used when the treatment is performed by the treatment means, the visibility of the tissue of interest when performing a treatment such as ultrasonic guided treatment or ultrasonic guided puncture is improved.

In this case, route data for performing a treatment by the treatment means is generated, and the route data is combined with the analysis data and the ultrasound image data and displayed, so that the ultrasound-guided puncture is performed. Visibility of the treatment means such as a puncture needle,
The resolution of the image can be improved without sacrificing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the insertion-side tip of a cylindrical ultrasonic probe to be inserted into a body cavity.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a mechanism inside the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a difference in directivity of an ultrasonic beam when an acoustic lens is provided and when an acoustic lens is not provided.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an image processing routine.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of image data showing a state of assigning a color to each determination window.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of analysis data reflecting a degree of malignancy;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of puncture route data.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of image data in which analysis data and puncture route data are added to a background image

FIG. 10 is an explanatory view showing a modification and corresponding to FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing another modification.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the insertion side tip of a cylindrical ultrasonic probe to be inserted into a body cavity.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing a mechanism inside the ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of image data after binarization processing;

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of image data obtained by adding a puncture needle to a background image.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram of an insertion-side tip of an ultrasonic probe to be inserted into a body cavity.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of treatment beam path data.

FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram of image data obtained by adding analysis data, treatment beam path data, and a background image.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 puncture needle (treatment means) 12 monitor (display means) 13 signal processing circuit 14 image processing circuit (analysis means) 15 addition circuit (synthesis means) 16 puncture path data generation circuit (treatment path data generation means) 25 therapeutic beam path Data generation circuit (treatment route data generation means)

Continued on front page F term (reference) 2F068 AA39 CC07 FF12 GG01 JJ03 JJ14 KK12 LL25 RR02 RR13 4C301 AA02 BB02 BB23 BB28 BB30 DD12 DD18 EE20 FF01 FF17 FF22 GA13 GA15 GB02 GB27 GD10 HH52 JB03 JB07 JB03 JB03 JB03 JB03 JB03 JB03 JB03 JB03 JB03 JB03 CB01 CE03 CE08 CE16 DA08 DA16 DC30 5C054 AA05 CA08 CC01 EH01 FA00 FC15 FE13 HA12

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Signal processing means for generating ultrasonic image data from echo data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from an observation target tissue; treatment means for performing a treatment on the observation target tissue; Analyzing means for recognizing a tissue of interest in the ultrasound image data obtained by the processing means and obtaining analysis data for emphasis; and the analysis data for guiding the treatment by the treatment means. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: synthesizing means for synthesizing the data with the ultrasonic image data; and display means for displaying the data synthesized by the synthesizing means as an image. 2. A treatment route data generating means for generating route data to be subjected to a treatment by the treatment means, and the route data obtained by the treatment route data generating means are added to the synthesizing means and synthesized. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1.