JP2001204729A - Ultrasonic image diagnosing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily set an ROI when an object position moves. SOLUTION: In this ultrasonic image diagnosing device, even after releasing CFM mode display, an arithmetic circuit 86 continues the calculation of an index value based on blood stream information in the ROI 3 and the CFM mode display is resumed, and the ROI is moved automatically to a position corresponding to the index value for displaying. Thus, the ROI can be displayed in the center of a position where blood stream information is obtained without user action.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus and, more particularly, to easily setting a region of interest (ROI) for observing blood flow information obtained from a blood flow flowing in a blood vessel. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a medical application of ultrasonic waves, an ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus for obtaining a tomographic image of a soft tissue of a living body using an ultrasonic pulse reflection method is well known. The inspection by the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus is a non-invasive inspection method, and other medical image diagnostic apparatuses such as an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, an X-ray CT,
Compared to RI, nuclear medicine equipment, etc., it has features such as real-time display, small and inexpensive equipment, and high safety without radiation exposure. Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus can perform blood flow imaging by the ultrasonic Doppler method, and can analyze the velocity (blood flow velocity), dispersion, or power value of blood flowing in a blood vessel (hereinafter, these are referred to as blood flow information). ), And various diagnostic support functions, such as measurement of ejection and cardiac output as cardiac functions, are also remarkable.
Methods of obtaining an ultrasonic image based on a received echo signal in this ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus are classified into several methods, but the most common method is the B mode. In the B mode, a cross section of a body tissue is scanned with an ultrasonic beam, and the brightness (brig) of each ultrasonic beam is determined according to the amplitude of the echo.
The method is a method of displaying morphological information such as a tissue structure as a cross-sectional image (tomographic image) by changing htnes), and is also called an ultrasonic tomography method. The B mode is derived from the luminance B, and this image is called a B mode image. The B-mode image displayed on the monitor is a black and white image.

There is also a color Doppler method in which a blood flow velocity and a power value are detected by utilizing the Doppler effect of ultrasonic waves, and blood flow information is displayed as a color image. In this method, for example, the average velocity of the blood flow and the variation (dispersion) of the velocity are calculated using the autocorrelation method, and the blood flow toward the ultrasonic probe is usually red, and the blood flow away from the probe is blue. In both cases, the faster the blood flow velocity, the brighter the display, and the greater the variation in the velocity, the more yellow or green is displayed. This is called a color mode. Then, a method of displaying a blood flow information image in color on a monochrome B-mode image (morphological information image) in color flow mapping (color fl
ow mapping (hereinafter abbreviated as CFM) or color Doppler tomography, which is also referred to as CFM mode. Here, these are referred to as color mode. In this color mode, usually, one ultrasonic probe is used, and the ultrasonic beam is used for both envelope detection for obtaining a B-mode image and Doppler detection for obtaining a blood flow information image. Frame drawing and Doppler detection are performed alternately.

[0004] The number of images collected in a unit time in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus is determined depending on the pulse repetition frequency of ultrasonic waves, scanning density, scanning range, and the like.
Usually, it is about 30 frames (30 frames / second). However, in the case of the color mode, a frequency analysis is required, so that a plurality of (for example, 16) received signals are required for the same raster, so that a longer image generation time is required than in the B mode. And the frame rate decreases. In particular, when displaying a blood flow information image, there is a strong demand to increase the number of frames in order to obtain a higher quality image. Therefore, in the color mode, the B mode image displayed on the monitor is particularly detailed. A region of interest (hereinafter abbreviated as ROI) is set at a site to be observed, and the ROI is used as a color flow mapping region (CFM region) to scan the CFM region to obtain blood flow information and the like. ing. Therefore, when the user sets the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus in the color mode state, the ROI is displayed at the center of the screen or at the position set by the user last time.

[0005]

FIG. 11 shows a procedure for setting an ROI when observing blood flow information. That is, as shown in FIG. 11 (a), the user operates the ultrasonic probe to display the B-mode image 2 of the subject on the monitor 1 to search for a diagnostic site, and puts the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus in the color mode state. Then, ROI3 is displayed at the center of the image. The B-mode image 2 includes, for example, a blood vessel 4
Is displayed. Then, the user moves the ROI 3 to a position where he / she wants to observe the blood flow information of the blood vessel 4 displayed as the B-mode image 2 as shown in FIG.
This moving operation is performed by using a trackball, a mouse, or the like provided on an operation unit of an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus (not shown). When ROI3 is set for the target site, ROI
A blood flow information image is displayed during I. Next, after canceling the color mode, even if the ultrasonic probe was not moved with respect to the body surface of the subject, it could be moved to such an extent that the angle was slightly changed, as shown in FIG.
When the color mode is set again when the position of the blood vessel 4 displayed as the B-mode image 2 slightly moves on the screen, as shown in FIG.
The position is displayed at the position shown in FIG. 1 (b), and the position is shifted from the target part where the blood flow information is desired to be observed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11E, the user has to perform the operation of moving the ROI 3 again to the position where the blood flow information of the blood vessel 4 is to be observed.

In addition to the case where the color mode is canceled and then the color mode is set again, the target portion may move during the color mode. In such a case, it is necessary to observe the blood flow information. It was necessary to reset the ROI for the moved target part. That is, as shown in FIG. 12A, when the ROI 3 is set at the position of the blood vessel 4 displayed as the background in the color mode state and the blood flow information at this position is observed, 12 (b), the position of the blood vessel 4 displayed as the B-mode image 2 slightly moved within the screen, as shown in FIG. In some cases, the target part for which the blood flow information is to be observed may deviate from the ROI 3. At this time, the user again moves the blood flow information to the position where the blood flow information of the blood vessel 4 is to be observed, as shown in FIG.
The operation of moving OI3 had to be performed. As described above, when the target part moves in the visual field during the diagnosis, the user has to repeat the operation of resetting the ROI 3, and the operation is complicated and the diagnosis throughput is reduced. I was The present invention has been made to release a user from such annoyance and to improve the throughput of diagnosis.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted and received to and from a subject, and morphological information is obtained based on the obtained ultrasonic echo signal. In an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus for displaying an image and a blood flow information image, a morphological information processing unit for obtaining morphological information based on the ultrasonic echo signal, and obtaining blood flow information based on the ultrasonic echo signal Blood flow information processing means, ROI setting means for determining an index value corresponding to each of a plurality of different regions based on the blood flow information, and setting a blood flow information display ROI based on the index value;
Image processing means for generating a display image based on the morphological information and the blood flow information. Thus, the ROI can always be set to a position corresponding to the index value of the blood flow information without a user's setting operation.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
In the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus according to the above, the image processing means obtains the index value when a mode in which the blood flow information is not displayed is selected, and moves the ROI according to the index value. It is characterized by having. With this, even when the B mode display is selected, the operation mode is set to the color mode, and the index value of the blood flow information in the ROI is continuously calculated, so that the ROI is moved to a position corresponding to the index value of the blood flow information in the image. It can be moved and displayed. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus according to any one of the first and second aspects, the index value obtained based on the blood flow information is the most average value. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus according to any one of the first to second aspects, the information is based on the blood flow information. The index value obtained by the calculation is a peak value. With these, it is possible to clarify the target site where the ROI is to be set.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving ultrasonic wave to / from a subject and displaying a morphological information image and a blood flow information image based on the obtained ultrasonic echo signal. In the diagnostic imaging apparatus, ROI setting means for setting an ROI at a desired position in the morphological information image;
Image recording means for recording an image in the ROI set by the setting means; and moving the ROI to a position coincident with the image recorded in the image recording means when the morphological information image moves within the field of view. And an ROI moving means for performing the operation. Thus, even when the image moves, the ROI can be moved to a position where blood flow information should be observed without user action.

Further, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave to and from a subject, and displaying a morphological information image and a blood flow information image based on the obtained ultrasonic echo signal. In the image diagnostic apparatus, a morphological information processing means for obtaining morphological information based on the ultrasonic echo signal, a blood flow information processing means for obtaining blood flow information based on the ultrasonic echo signal, A first blood vessel structure, a blood vessel structure extracting means for extracting a second blood vessel structure after the first blood vessel structure based on at least one of the flow information, and the first blood vessel structure surrounded by a blood flow information display ROI. A storage unit for storing one vascular structure, and performing a correlation process between the first vascular structure and the second vascular structure to match the first vascular structure in the second vascular structure The position where the It is characterized in that it comprises the ROI moving means for moving the blood flow information displaying the ROI are. Thereby, when the image moves, the ROI can be moved to the position of the blood vessel where the blood flow information should be observed without user action.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied. The ultrasonic probe 1
It is detachably connected to the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, and has a plurality of micro piezoelectric elements arranged at the distal end thereof, which emits ultrasonic pulses to the subject P and returns from the inside of the subject P. It receives ultrasonic echoes and converts them into electrical signals. The ultrasonic probe 1 can be arbitrarily selected from a sector probe, a linear probe, a convex probe and the like having different scanning methods. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus has a transmitting unit 2, a receiving unit 3, a B-mode processing unit 4, a CFM mode processing unit 5, a digital scan converter (hereinafter abbreviated as DSC) unit 6, and image data. A synthesizing unit 7 and a control unit 8 for organically controlling each of these constituent units are provided.
Ultrasound images and various data obtained from the ultrasound image diagnostic apparatus main body are displayed on a color monitor 9 as a display. In addition, as the color monitor 9, an appropriate display device other than a CRT can be used.

The ultrasonic probe 1 includes a transmitting unit 2 and a receiving unit 3
Connected to. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission unit 2 includes a clock generator 21, a rate pulse generator 22, a transmission delay circuit 23, and a pulser 24. A clock signal is oscillated from the clock generator 21, and a rate pulse for determining a transmission rate of ultrasonic waves (the number of ultrasonic pulses transmitted per second) is output from the rate pulse generator 22 according to the clock signal. The rate pulse receives a proper delay necessary for determining the directivity of the ultrasonic wave in the transmission delay circuit 23, and is supplied to the pulser 24 as a trigger pulse. Then, a high-frequency signal pulse having a center frequency fo is applied from the pulser 24 to the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic probe 1 individually or in units of neighboring groups in synchronization with the trigger pulse. Upon receiving this signal pulse, the ultrasonic probe 1
Of the piezoelectric element mechanically vibrate, whereby the center frequency f
The ultrasonic pulse o is generated and emitted to the subject P.
The ultrasonic pulse radiated from the ultrasonic probe 1 to the subject P propagates in the living body, is reflected one after another on the discontinuous surface of the acoustic impedance during propagation, and returns to the ultrasonic probe 1 as an echo. come. The amplitude of the echo depends on the difference in acoustic impedance of the living body at the discontinuous surface that has been reflected. Further, an echo when the ultrasonic pulse is reflected by a moving blood flow or a surface such as a heart wall is subject to a frequency shift due to the velocity component of the moving body in the beam direction due to the Doppler effect. .

When the echo returns to the ultrasonic probe 1, the piezoelectric element at the tip of the ultrasonic probe vibrates mechanically, whereby the piezoelectric element generates a weak electric signal.
This electric signal is taken into the receiving unit 3. As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving unit 3 includes a preamplifier 31, a reception delay circuit 3,
2. It has an adder 33. The electric signal from the ultrasonic probe 1 based on the ultrasonic echo introduced into the receiving unit 3 is first amplified by the preamplifier 31. The amplified electric signal is subjected to a delay required for determining the reception directivity by the reception delay circuit 32, for example, a delay opposite to that at the time of transmission.
By adding at 3, one echo signal having reception directivity is obtained. This echo signal is supplied to the B mode processing unit 4 and the CFM mode processing unit 5. The B-mode processing unit 4 is for obtaining morphological information based on the echo signal, and as shown in FIG.
1. Logarithmic amplifier 42, analog-to-digital converter (A
/ D) 43. The echo signal acquired by the above-mentioned receiving unit 3 is supplied to a detection circuit 41 and detected to become an envelope signal, which is supplied to a logarithmic amplifier 42. This envelope signal is an analog signal, which is logarithmically amplified by a logarithmic amplifier 42, and
Is converted into a digital signal, and the morphological information image (that is, B
Mode image).

On the other hand, the CFM mode processing section 5 obtains a blood flow information image based on the echo signal.
As shown in (1), it has a mixer 51, a low-pass filter 52, an analog-to-digital converter (A / D) 53, an MTI filter 54, an autocorrelator 55, and a calculation unit 56. Here, the mixer 51 and the low-pass filter 52 form a quadrature phase detection circuit, and separately add a reference signal of the center frequency fo and a reference signal shifted by 90 degrees from the echo signal to the echo signal supplied from the receiving unit 3. The Doppler signal having the shifted frequency component is extracted by multiplying and removing the high frequency component from each of the signals obtained by the multiplication. The Doppler signal mainly includes a high-frequency component subjected to frequency shift due to reflection from a fast moving body such as blood cells, and a low-frequency component subjected to frequency shift due to reflection from a slow moving body such as a heart wall. And is included. This Doppler signal is supplied to an analog-to-digital converter 53, where one scanning line is sampled according to a predetermined sampling frequency corresponding to, for example, a 0.5 mm interval, and is converted into a digital signal. moving target indicatio
n filter) 54. MTI filter 5
4 functions as a high-pass filter, passes only high-frequency components (blood flow components) that have undergone frequency shift due to reflection of a fast moving body such as a blood flow, and mainly passes through a slow moving body such as a heart wall. It removes low frequency components (clutter components) that have undergone frequency shift due to reflection. Therefore, the Doppler signal which has passed through the MTI filter 54 and becomes only a blood flow component is frequency-analyzed by the autocorrelator 55, and a shift frequency due to blood cells is obtained. Further, based on the shift frequency, the calculation unit 56 samples the blood flow velocity (average velocity) and its variance and the power (square of the amplitude of the Doppler signal) mainly reflecting the blood flow rate (number of blood cells). By calculating for each point, a signal of a blood flow information image (that is, a blood flow image) is obtained.

The signal of the morphological information image, ie, the B-mode image obtained by the B-mode processing unit 4 and the CFM mode processing unit 5
The blood flow information image obtained in the above, that is, the signal of the blood flow image
It is sent to the unit 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the DSC unit 6
B mode frame memory 61, CFM mode frame memory 62, digital scan converter (DSC)
63, a monochrome image memory circuit 64, a color map memory circuit 65, a write / read circuit 66, and the like. The signal of the morphological information image sent from the B-mode processing unit 4 is temporarily stored in the B-mode frame memory 61.
Is stored in Similarly, the signal of the blood flow information image sent from the CFM mode processing unit 5 is temporarily stored in the CFM mode frame memory 62.

Since these image signals are signals synchronized with the ultrasonic scanning, the image signals are read out by the DSC 63 in synchronization with the standard television scanning so that they can be displayed on the color monitor 9 of the television scanning system. ,
The scanning method is individually converted, and the converted morphological information image signal is stored in the memory of the monochrome image memory circuit 64, and the blood flow information image signal is stored in the memory of the color map memory circuit 65.
Each is stored separately under the control of the write / read circuit 66. In addition, these monochrome image memory circuits 64
The signals stored in the color map memory circuit 65 are individually read out at appropriate frame timings under the control of the writing / reading circuit 66, and are passed to the image data synthesizing unit 7. This image data synthesizing unit 7 is shown in FIG.
, The multiplexer 71 and the color processing circuit 7
2. A digital / analog converter (A / D) 73 is provided. The signal of the morphological information image from the monochrome image memory circuit 64 and the signal of the blood flow information image from the color map memory circuit 65, which are supplied to the multiplexer 71, are alternatively selected for each pixel. A blood flow information image having the information image as a background is synthesized. This synthesized image is a CFM image, and the color monitor 9 will be described later.
Usually, the morphological information image portion is displayed in black and white, and the blood flow information image portion is displayed in color, but the blood flow information image can be selectively displayed.

Further, graphics data, character data, and the like provided from the control unit 8 are superimposed on the composite image, as described later, to generate one frame of image data. When the display mode is set to a mode for displaying blood flow information, the image data is subjected to a color signal application process such as RGB according to a color map of a lookup table (not shown) by the color processing circuit 72.
The data is read out at a predetermined timing, returned to an analog amount by a digital / analog converter (A / D) 73, supplied to the color monitor 9, and displayed as a CFM image. On the other hand, when the display mode is set to a mode in which blood flow information is not displayed, the digital-to-analog converter (A) remains in the color processing circuit 72 without performing the color signal addition processing.
/ D) 73 is displayed on the color monitor 9 as a black and white image. That is, the display mode includes a mode in which only morphological information is displayed without displaying blood flow information (B mode display) and a mode in which an image obtained by combining a morphological information image and a blood flow information image is displayed (CFM mode display). The switching can be performed, and the switching is performed by a user operating a control unit 8 described later as necessary.

Next, the control section 8 will be described. The control unit 8 has a central function of controlling the entire ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, and provides various instructions and information from a user to each of the above-described constituent units configuring the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, and performs an operation. It controls the setting (switching) of the mode and the display mode, the drive timing, the transmission / reception delay, various calculations, and controls the ROI setting function of the present invention for setting the target site for displaying the blood flow information. ing. That is, as shown in FIG.
And a central control circuit 81 having a work memory and the like.
A control console 83 is connected to an input interface of the central control circuit 81 via an input control circuit 82. In addition,
Although not shown, the control console 83 is provided with a keyboard, a trackball, various setting switches, and the like. As setting switches, an operation mode switching switch for switching the operation mode between the B mode and the color mode, a display mode switching switch for switching the display mode of the image on the color monitor 9 between the B mode display and the CFM mode display, Further, it has an ROI setting switch for setting the ROI. A part of the output interface of the central control circuit 81 is connected to the multiplexer 71 of the image data synthesizing unit 7 via the graphics control circuit 84 and the graphics memory circuit 85. Another part of the output interface of the central control circuit 81 includes a transmitting unit 2, a receiving unit 3, a B-mode processing unit 4, a CFM
It is connected to supply various control signals to the mode processing unit 5, the DSC unit 6, the image data synthesizing unit 7, and the like.

Further, the control unit 8 is provided with an arithmetic circuit 86. The arithmetic circuit 86 is provided with the image data synthesizing unit 7
, A target part is extracted, a pattern of the target part is recognized, blood flow information of the target part is calculated, or a coordinate position of the ROI is calculated. Then, the output of the arithmetic circuit 86 is supplied to the memory circuit 87. The memory circuit 87 has a non-volatile memory together with the write / read circuit, and writes and registers the calculation result in the arithmetic circuit 86. The ROI for the target part is set by displaying an ROI of a desired shape on the image displayed on the color monitor 9 and moving the ROI to a desired position on the display screen with a trackball. The operation is performed by operating a ROI setting switch provided on the device 83. The trackball is a pointing device for moving a cursor on the screen by a user's hand turning operation, and its signal is supplied to the arithmetic circuit 86 via the input control circuit 82. Therefore, the position information at the time of moving the cursor on the screen is calculated based on the relative coordinates input by the rotation of the trackball, whereby the coordinate position of the ROI is obtained, and the data is stored in the memory circuit 87. It is stored in a non-volatile memory.

Assuming that the blood vessel 4 is displayed on the color monitor 9 as a B-mode image 2 as shown in FIG. The operation mode is set to the color mode by the provided operation mode changeover switch. Then
Since ROI3 is displayed at the center of the screen, the user next operates the trackball or the like to display ROI3 in FIG.
As shown in (b), the user moves to the target site, that is, the center of the blood vessel 4, and performs the setting operation of the ROI 3. Therefore, ROI
Color scanning is started for the CFM area set in step 3, and blood flow information at this position is calculated by the arithmetic circuit 86. Here, what is obtained as blood flow information is
As described above, the blood flow velocity, its variance, the power value, and the like. Then, using the blood flow velocity and the power value obtained based on the blood flow information in the ROI 3 as an index, a position where the average value or the peak value is highest in the image is defined as the center of the ROI.

Then, when the display of the image is to be switched to a mode in which the blood flow information is not displayed, only the display mode is changed from the CFM mode display to the B mode by the display mode switch without changing the operation mode. Switch to display. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9C, the image displayed on the color monitor 9 is a B-mode black and white image, and the ROI 3 is not displayed.
That is, only the display of the color monitor 9 is switched to the B mode display while the operation in the color mode is continuously performed. As a result, even if the target site for which blood flow information is to be obtained moves, blood flow information is always collected in the background, and the blood flow velocity and power value in the ROI 3 initially set are continuously calculated from this blood flow information. . If the blood flow velocity and the power value in the ROI are smaller than when the display mode is switched, the blood flow information is continuously collected while shifting the ROI by several pixels, and the same as when the CFM mode is displayed. The ROI follows the ROI to a position centered on the position where the blood flow velocity or the power value is reached, and is moved in the entire screen, and the position is recorded in the memory circuit 87. That is,
For a plurality of different areas, ROIs for displaying blood flow information are set based on index values obtained based on the blood flow information. Therefore, when the user returns the display mode from the B-mode display to the CFM mode display state, the center of the blood flow information, that is, the memory circuit, as shown in FIG. The ROI 3 is automatically displayed at the coordinate position recorded in 87. This position is the target part itself, and the user is free from the trouble of manually setting the ROI many times as in the related art. In the above embodiment, the display mode is only switched from the CFM mode display to the B mode display, and the operation in the color mode is continued during the B mode display. Since the value is calculated and the position of the ROI is specified according to the index value, the ROI can be immediately displayed on the target part when the display returns to the CFM mode display even if the target part moves. Was something.

Then, the ROI can be displayed at the center of the blood flow information even when the operation mode is changed from the color mode to the B mode and then returned to the color mode state again by the operation mode switch. The embodiment will be described. That is, when the operation mode is switched from the B mode to the color mode, the blood flow information in all the images is acquired for several frames in conjunction with the operation of the operation mode switch, and the averaging is obtained. Further, an average value and a peak value of the blood flow velocity and the power are calculated from the added average.
Then, the position coordinates at which the average value of the blood flow velocity is the highest or the position coordinates of the peak value of the power are obtained, and the ROI is set with the position as the center. This way,
When the operation mode is returned to the color mode, FIG.
The image of the blood vessel 4 displayed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (d), the ROI can be displayed at the center of the blood flow information. That is, it is possible to display the ROI by skipping the conventional state of FIG.

Next, a description will be given of a means for automatically moving and setting the ROI to the target portion, that is, the center of the blood flow information even when the target portion moves while operating in the color mode. That is, as shown in FIG.
In the color mode state, when the ROI 3 is set at the position of the blood vessel 4 displayed as the B-mode image 2 and blood flow information is observed, the structure of the blood vessel 4 in the ROI 3 is determined by, for example, a pattern recognition method. Then, the memory circuit 87 is recorded as a specific blood vessel structure via the arithmetic circuit 86. afterwards,
As shown in FIG. 10B, when the position of the blood vessel 4 slightly moves in the screen, the pattern of the blood vessel 4 in the ROI 3 is recognized as a new blood vessel structure, and this is recognized as a new blood vessel structure.
The specific blood vessel structure recorded in 7 is compared with a specific blood vessel structure by performing a correlation process or the like, a position where the specific blood vessel structure matches the blood vessel structure in the new blood vessel structure is obtained, and the ROI 3 is moved to that position. By doing so, even if the target part whose blood flow information is to be observed has deviated from the ROI 3, as shown in FIG. 10A to FIG. The ROI 3 can be moved to a position where blood flow information is desired to be observed.

[0025]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, when the display mode is switched from the CFM mode display to the B mode display or when the apparatus is operating in the color mode, blood flow information is obtained. Even if the target part to be moved moves, the ROI can always be automatically displayed at the center of the blood flow information or the target part. In other words, even when the image moves, the ROI can be moved to a position corresponding to the index value obtained based on the blood flow information or a position of a desired blood vessel structure. Therefore, the user is freed from the conventionally troublesome operation of setting the ROI, can concentrate on the diagnosis, and can improve the diagnosis throughput.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram of a general ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram of a transmission unit in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram of a receiving unit in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a system diagram of a B-mode processing unit in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram of a CFM mode processing unit in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a system diagram of a DSC unit in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a system diagram of an image data synthesis unit in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a system diagram of a control unit of one embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram shown to explain an operation of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of a conventional ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining another operation of the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ultrasonic probe 2 transmission unit 3 reception unit 4 B mode processing unit 5 CFM mode processing unit 6 digital scan converter (DSC) unit 7 image data synthesis unit 8 control unit 9 color monitor 81 central control circuit 82 input control circuit 83 Control console 84 Graphics control circuit 85 Graphics memory circuit 86 Operation circuit 87 Memory circuit

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave to and from a subject and displaying a morphological information image and a blood flow information image based on an obtained ultrasonic echo signal. A morphological information processing means for obtaining morphological information based on a signal; a blood flow information processing means for obtaining blood flow information based on the ultrasonic echo signal; and an index value corresponding to each of a plurality of different regions. ROI setting means for determining based on the information and setting the ROI for blood flow information display based on the index value, and image processing means for generating a display image based on the morphological information and the blood flow information. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing means obtains the index value when a mode in which the blood flow information is not displayed is selected, and moves an ROI according to the index value. The ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1. 3. The ultrasound image diagnosis according to claim 1, wherein the index value obtained based on the blood flow information is a highest average value. apparatus. 4. The ultrasound image diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the index value obtained based on the blood flow information is a peak value. 5. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a subject and displaying a morphological information image and a blood flow information image based on the obtained ultrasonic echo signals. ROI to set ROI at desired position inside
Setting means, and the RO set by the ROI setting means.
Image recording means for recording the image in I, and ROI moving means for moving the ROI to a position coincident with the image recorded in the image recording means when the morphological information image moves within the field of view. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus comprising: 6. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a subject and displaying a morphological information image and a blood flow information image based on the obtained ultrasonic echo signals. A morphological information processing means for obtaining morphological information based on the signal; a blood flow information processing means for obtaining blood flow information based on the ultrasonic echo signal; and at least one of the morphological information and the blood flow information. A first blood vessel structure, a blood vessel structure extracting means for extracting a second blood vessel structure after the first blood vessel structure, and a storage means for storing the first blood vessel structure surrounded by a blood flow information display ROI. And the first
A position matching the first blood vessel structure in the second blood vessel structure by performing a correlation process between the blood vessel structure of the second blood vessel structure and the blood flow information based on the position. An ROI moving means for moving the display ROI.