JP2006095280A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic signal analyzing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the like automatically appropriately setting a tracing direction in an automatic tracing process for use in a quantitative analysis of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: In the quantitative analysis using blood flow velocity measurement and the like, whether to select the forward direction or reverse direction is determined in accordance with the positional relationship between a baseline for controlling the display scale of a Doppler waveform and a reference line which can be arbitrarily set by an operator. The determination is executed at one of the stages of selecting a tracing direction by the automatic tracing process, selecting an approximate Doppler waveform as an analysis target, and selecting an analysis result as a display target. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic signal analysis program for measuring velocity of blood flow and providing information effective for medical diagnosis.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is a medical imaging device that noninvasively obtains a tomographic image of soft tissue in a living body from a body surface by an ultrasonic pulse reflection method. Compared to other medical imaging equipment, this ultrasonic diagnostic device has features such as small size, low cost, no exposure to X-rays, high safety, blood flow imaging, etc., and the heart, abdomen, urology, Widely used in obstetrics and gynecology.

  In this ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, clinical information by quantitative analysis using an echo signal can be provided in addition to the ultrasonic image generated based on the acquired echo signal. Quantitative analysis includes morphological information and blood flow information. Particularly in the latter, blood flow indexes such as PI (Pulsatility Index), RI (Resistance Index), and S / D (Systelic Velocity / Diastoric Velocity) calculated using a Doppler waveform are typical. Acquisition of these blood flow indices is executed as follows, for example.

  First, the Doppler waveform collected in the Doppler mode is displayed as shown in FIG. 15, for example. The operator determines the display scale of the Doppler waveform by moving the baseline L indicating the speed 0 to an arbitrary position by manual operation. When the display scale is determined, an auto-trace process for extracting the waveform of the approximate shape of the Doppler waveform with respect to a predetermined direction (in FIG. 16, in the positive direction of speed) is executed, and the extracted shape is as shown in FIG. Using the approximate waveform Wa, quantitative indicators of blood flow such as PI, RI, and S / D are calculated.

  By the way, in the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is necessary to artificially set the direction (trace direction) in which the approximate waveform is extracted in the auto trace process before the auto trace. For this reason, when the operator forgets to set the trace direction, the auto trace process is executed according to the previously set or initial set trace direction.

  However, the tracing direction set last time or the initial setting is not necessarily appropriate for the auto-trace processing that is currently being executed. More specifically, for example, in the Doppler waveform collected in the Doppler mode, the main component may appear below the base line Lb as shown in FIG. 17 depending on the blood flow direction. In such a case, if the operator forgets the setting of the trace direction and the previous trace direction setting (for example, the trace direction setting of FIG. 16) has been executed, an approximate waveform Wa as shown in FIG. 18 is extracted. It will be. Therefore, the operator needs to confirm the setting of the trace direction every time the auto trace process is performed, and the operability is lacking. In addition, if auto-trace processing is performed with an incorrect trace direction, the auto-trace processing is forced to be re-executed, resulting in a decrease in the efficiency of the entire work, and the mental and physical burden on the operator and the operator. Will increase.

In addition, as a well-known document relevant to this application, there exist the following.
JP-A-6-133972

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in an auto-trace process used in quantitative analysis of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus capable of appropriately automatically setting a trace direction, and ultrasound The purpose is to provide a signal analysis program.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the subject based on the supplied drive signal, and the first direction and the second direction are based on an echo signal obtained by the transmitted ultrasonic wave. A Doppler information generation unit that generates blood flow Doppler information relating to at least one of the above, an approximate information generation unit that generates approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information, and an analysis using the approximation information to obtain an analysis result An analysis unit; a determination unit that determines whether the first direction or the second direction is a target based on a position of a baseline of the Doppler information; and a display unit that displays the analysis result And an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic wave is transmitted to a subject based on a drive signal supplied to a computer, and the first direction and the second direction are based on an echo signal obtained by the transmitted ultrasonic wave. Analysis results obtained by executing a Doppler information generation function for generating blood flow Doppler information regarding at least one of the directions, an approximate information generation function for generating approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information, and an analysis using the approximation information An analysis function that obtains information, a determination function that determines whether the first direction or the second direction is targeted based on the position of the baseline of the Doppler information, and the analysis result An ultrasonic signal analysis program characterized by realizing a display function.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic signal analysis program capable of automatically and appropriately setting the trace direction in the auto trace process used in the quantitative analysis of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 includes an ultrasonic probe 12, an input device 13, a monitor 14, a transmission / reception unit 21, a B-mode processing unit 22, a Doppler processing unit 23, a data analysis unit 24, and an image generation circuit. 25, an image memory 26, a control processor 27, a storage unit 28, and an interface unit 30. Hereinafter, the function of each component will be described.

  The ultrasonic probe 12 generates ultrasonic waves based on a drive signal from the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 21, converts a reflected wave from the subject into an electric signal, and a matching layer provided in the piezoelectric vibrator. And a backing material for preventing the propagation of ultrasonic waves from the piezoelectric vibrator to the rear. When ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 12 to the subject P, the transmitted ultrasonic waves are successively reflected by the discontinuous surface of the acoustic impedance of the body tissue and received by the ultrasonic probe 12 as an echo signal. . The amplitude of this echo signal depends on the difference in acoustic impedance at the discontinuous surface that is supposed to be reflected. In addition, the echo when the transmitted ultrasonic pulse is reflected by the moving blood flow or the surface of the heart wall depends on the velocity component in the ultrasonic transmission direction of the moving body due to the Doppler effect, and the frequency Receive a shift.

  The input device 13 is connected to the device main body 11, and various switch / buttons 13 a and trackballs 13 b for inputting various parameter condition setting and changing instructions, a region of interest (ROI) setting instruction, etc. from the operator to the device main body 11. A mouse 13c, a keyboard 13d, and the like.

  The monitor 14 displays in vivo morphological information and blood flow information as an image based on the video signal from the image generation circuit 25.

  The transmission / reception unit 21 includes a trigger generation circuit, a delay circuit, a pulser circuit, and the like (not shown). In the pulsar circuit, a rate pulse for forming a transmission ultrasonic wave is repeatedly generated at a predetermined rate frequency fr Hz (period: 1 / fr second). Further, in the delay circuit, a delay time necessary for focusing the ultrasonic wave into a beam shape for each channel and determining the transmission directivity is given to each rate pulse. The trigger generation circuit applies a drive pulse to the probe 12 at a timing based on this rate pulse.

  Further, the transmission / reception unit 21 includes an amplifier circuit, an A / D converter, an adder, and the like which are not shown. The amplifier circuit amplifies the echo signal captured via the probe 12 for each channel. In the A / D converter, a delay time necessary for determining the reception directivity is given to the amplified echo signal, and thereafter, an addition process is performed in the adder. By this addition, the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity of the echo signal is emphasized, and a comprehensive beam for ultrasonic transmission / reception is formed by the reception directivity and the transmission directivity.

  The B-mode processing unit 22 receives the echo signal from the transmission / reception unit 21, performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, and the like, and generates B-mode information in which the signal intensity is expressed by brightness. This B mode information is transmitted to the image generation circuit 25 and displayed on the monitor 14 as a B mode image in which the intensity of the reflected wave is represented by luminance.

  The Doppler processing unit 23 performs frequency analysis on velocity information from the echo signal received from the transmission / reception unit 21, extracts blood flow, tissue, and contrast agent echo components due to the Doppler effect, and obtains blood flow information such as average velocity, dispersion, and power. Ask for multiple points. The obtained blood flow information is sent to the image generation circuit 25 as Doppler information, and is displayed in color on the monitor 14 as an average velocity image, a dispersion image, a power image, and a combination image thereof.

  The data analysis unit 24 performs quantitative analysis processing based on the B mode information received from the B mode processing unit 22 or the Doppler information received from the Doppler processing unit 23. Quantitative analysis processing includes creation processing of a luminance change curve (TIC: Time Intensity Curve) that plots temporal change of luminance information using B-mode information, PI, RI, S / D, etc. using Doppler information There is a blood flow information measurement process for obtaining a quantitative blood flow index.

  Note that typical blood flow information PI, RI, and S / D are defined as shown in the following equations (1) to (3), respectively.

PI = (Vmax−Vmin) / Vmean (1)
RI = (Vmax−Vmin) / Vmax (2)
S / D = Vmax / Ved (3)
Here, Vmax means the maximum value of blood flow velocity, Vmin means the minimum value of blood flow velocity, Vmean means the average value of blood flow velocity, and Ved means the blood flow velocity at the end diastole.

  The blood flow information measurement is executed using a Doppler waveform obtained by auto-trace processing relating to the trace direction. The data analysis unit 24 has a trace direction automatic determination function for automatically determining the trace direction of the auto trace process. This function will be described in detail later.

  The image generation circuit 25 includes a signal processing circuit, a scan converter, and an image formatter (each not shown). First, the signal processing circuit performs filtering so as to determine the image quality at the level of the scanning line signal string of the ultrasonic scan. The output of the signal processing circuit is sent to the scan converter and simultaneously stored in the image memory 26. The scan converter converts a scanning line signal string of ultrasonic scanning into a scanning line signal string of a general video format represented by a television or the like. This output is sent to an image formatter. Here, brightness and contrast adjustment, image processing such as a spatial filter, character information of various setting parameters, scales, a first reference line or a second reference line described later, etc. Are combined and output to the monitor 14 as a video signal. The image formatter controls the position of the baseline displayed on the monitor 14, the display scale of the Doppler waveform, and the like in response to a predetermined operation from the input device 13.

  The image memory 26 includes a storage memory that stores image data received from the image generation circuit 25. This image data can be called by an operator after diagnosis, for example, and can be reproduced as a still image or as a moving image using a plurality of images.

  The control processor 27 has a function as an information processing apparatus (computer), and statically or dynamically controls the operation of the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  The interface unit 30 is an interface related to the input device 13, the network, and a new external storage device (not shown). Data such as ultrasonic images and analysis results obtained by the apparatus can be transferred to another apparatus via the network by the interface unit 30.

(Trace direction automatic determination function)
Next, details of the trace direction automatic determination function executed in the data analysis unit 24 will be described. This automatic trace direction determination function determines the trace direction according to the positional relationship between the first reference line for controlling the display scale of the Doppler waveform and the second reference line that can be arbitrarily set by the operator. It is determined automatically. Hereinafter, in order to simplify the description, the first reference line is a baseline of Doppler waveform display (a line indicating blood flow velocity = 0), and the second reference line is vertically (in the vertical axis direction) the Doppler waveform display area. A straight line that is divided in half.

  FIG. 2 shows an ultrasound image I showing a Doppler waveform Wo, a base line Lb, a second reference line L2, and a scanning region in Doppler mode displayed on the monitor 14, respectively. In addition, although the example which displayed the 2nd reference line was shown in the figure, it is also possible to hide by a setting as needed.

  Many Doppler waveforms shown in the example of FIG. 2 appear in a region above the second reference line L2. In this case, the operator moves the baseline Lb downward by manual operation or automatic operation to change the display scale of the Doppler waveform as shown in FIG. 3 in order to make it easier to observe the Doppler waveform.

  When the position of the base line Lb is determined (that is, the display scale of the Doppler waveform is determined), the data analysis unit 24 detects that the position of the base line Lb exists below the second reference line L2, As shown in FIG. 4, the auto-trace process is executed with the direction above the baseline Lb (forward direction: the direction of blood flow approaching the probe) as the trace direction. As described above, when the position of the base line Lb is below the second reference line L2, the trace direction is set to the forward direction so that the display area above the base line Lb becomes wider in such a case. This is because the display scale is determined and many portions of the Doppler waveform appear to be above (in the forward direction) the base line Lb.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, when the position of the base line Lb is set above the second reference line L2, the data analysis unit 24 determines whether the base line Lb and the second reference line L2 are the same. From the positional relationship, as shown in FIG. 6, the auto-trace process is executed with the direction below the base line Lb (the backward direction, ie, the blood flow direction approaching the probe) as the trace direction. As described above, when the position of the base line Lb is below the second reference line L2, the trace direction is set to the backward direction. In such a case, the display area below the base line Lb is widened. This is because the display scale is determined in this way, and it is considered that many portions of the Doppler waveform appear below (in the rearward direction) the base line Lb.

  In the example described above, the first reference line is the base line Lb, and the second reference line is a straight line that divides the Doppler waveform display region into upper and lower halves. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a desired straight line parallel to the horizontal axis of the Doppler waveform display area can be selected as each reference line.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which a straight line L3 located a predetermined amount below the straight line dividing the Doppler waveform display area into upper and lower halves is selected as the second reference line. Even in such a case, the data analysis unit 24 determines the trace direction by performing the above-described determination based on the positional relationship between the first reference line and the second reference line, and is determined as shown in FIG. Auto trace processing for the specified direction is executed.

(Modification 1)
Next, a modified example of the trace direction automatic determination function will be described. The trace direction automatic determination function according to this modification automatically changes the trace direction based on whether or not the first reference line exists in a preset range (reference range) in the upper area of the Doppler waveform display coordinates. Will be determined.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the reference range Rs set in the Doppler waveform display area. The reference range Rs can also be displayed or hidden in a predetermined form by setting as necessary.

  As shown in the figure, the base line Lb as the first reference line exists in the reference range Rs. When the data analysis unit 24 detects that the base line Lb exists in the reference range Rs, the data analysis unit 24 determines that many portions of the Doppler waveform appear below the base line Lb (backward direction). As shown in FIG. 10, the trace direction is determined as the backward direction, and the auto trace process is executed.

  On the other hand, when the baseline Lb exists outside the reference range Rs, the data analysis unit 24 determines that many portions of the Doppler waveform appear above (in the forward direction) the baseline Lb. Then, the trace direction is determined as the forward direction, and the auto trace process is executed.

  The setting position of the reference range Rs is arbitrary. Therefore, for example, contrary to the examples of FIGS. 9 and 10, it is possible to set the area below the Doppler waveform display coordinates.

  In addition, the present modification can be regarded as a method of determining the trace direction according to the positional relationship between the two boundary lines of the reference range Rs as the second reference line described above and the base line Lb.

(Modification 2)
Next, another modified example of the trace direction automatic determination function will be described. In the trace direction automatic determination function according to another modification example, when a mask area (area to be excluded from the auto trace process) is set in the Doppler waveform display area, the Doppler waveform display area (excluding the mask area) ( In the auto-trace processing target area), the trace direction automatic determination according to the embodiment or the first modification is executed. The function according to this example is to extract only one blood flow and remove the other blood flow information in a quantitative analysis or the like of a portion where blood flows in opposite directions are arranged in a complicated manner such as umbilical blood flow There are real benefits when you want to.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the trace direction automatic determination function according to this modification, and is a diagram showing an example of a monitor screen in which a mask area is set in the Doppler waveform display area. In the figure, for example, the position of the second reference line is set again in the auto-trace processing target area, and the position of the base line Lb is further determined. The data analysis unit 24 determines the trace direction based on the positional relationship between the second reference line and the base line Lb in the auto-trace processing target area, and executes auto-trace processing related to the determined trace direction.

  From the viewpoint of workability, it is preferable that the second reference line, the first reference line, and the base line Lb cannot be set in the mask region.

(Operation)
Next, the operation | movement in the blood-flow information measurement process of this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is demonstrated, referring FIG. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of each process executed in the blood flow information measurement process.

  As shown in the figure, first, Doppler information is acquired by photographing according to a predetermined sequence, and a Doppler waveform is displayed on the monitor 14 at a predetermined scale (step S1). In response to the instruction to move the baseline of the Doppler waveform displayed on the monitor, the image generation circuit 25 changes the scale of the Doppler waveform displayed on the monitor 14 (step S2).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 determines the positional relationship between the baseline set in step S2 and the preset second reference line (step S3), and the base line is below the second reference line. Is determined, the trace direction is determined as the forward direction (step S4). On the other hand, when it is determined that the baseline is above the second reference line, the trace direction is determined to be the backward direction (step S4 ′).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 performs auto-trace processing on the trace direction determined in step S4 or S4 ′ to obtain an approximate value of the Doppler waveform (step S5), and uses this approximate value to determine various quantitative values. Calculate The calculated various quantitative values are displayed in a predetermined form on the monitor and presented to the operator (step S6).

  According to the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the first reference line for determining the display scale of the Doppler waveform and the second reference line set in advance at a desired position or the first reference line Depending on whether or not the reference line exists within a reference range set in advance at a desired position, it is possible to automatically determine the trace direction in the auto-tose processing. Therefore, it is possible to execute auto-trace processing with an appropriate trace direction without artificially determining the trace direction in blood flow information measurement processing. Therefore, the efficiency of the entire work can be improved, and the mental and physical burdens on the operator and the operated person can be reduced.

  Further, according to this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, even when a mask area is set in the Doppler waveform display area, the first reference line in the auto-trace processing target area excluding the mask area from the Doppler waveform display area The trace direction in the auto-tose process can be automatically determined according to the positional relationship between the first reference line and the second reference line. Therefore, the same effect can be obtained even in the case where blood flow information measurement focusing only on a specific blood flow velocity is performed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment has an automatic discrimination function for an analysis target. In other words, in the first embodiment, the trace direction is automatically determined (trace direction automatic determination function) before the auto trace process is performed, and the auto trace process and the quantitative analysis are performed for the determined trace direction. there were. On the other hand, in this embodiment, after the auto-trace process is performed in both the forward direction and the backward direction, the waveform to be analyzed is the waveform corresponding to the forward direction or the waveform corresponding to the backward direction based on the position of the baseline. Is determined. Then, the quantitative analysis is performed only on the approximate value of the Doppler waveform corresponding to the determined direction.

  Note that in the determination of the analysis target based on the position of the baseline, all the methods described in the first embodiment can be applied. In the following, in order to make the description more specific, an example in which the analysis target is determined based on the positional relationship between the baseline and the center line is taken as an example.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of each process in the blood flow information measurement process performed by the apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, first, Doppler information is acquired by photographing according to a predetermined sequence, and a Doppler waveform is displayed on the monitor 14 at a predetermined scale (step S11). In response to the instruction to move the baseline of the Doppler waveform displayed on the monitor, the image generation circuit 25 changes the scale of the Doppler waveform displayed on the monitor 14 (step S12).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 performs auto-trace processing for both the forward direction and the backward direction, and acquires approximate values of the Doppler waveform for each direction (step S13).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 determines the positional relationship between the baseline set in step S2 and the preset second reference line, and determines that the baseline is below the second reference line. In this case, the approximate value of the Doppler waveform in the forward direction is set as the analysis target. On the other hand, when the baseline is determined to be higher than the second reference line, the approximate value of the Doppler waveform in the backward direction is determined as the analysis target. (Step S14).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 calculates various quantitative values using the approximate value of the Doppler waveform determined as the analysis target in Step S14 (Step S15). The calculated various quantitative values are displayed in a predetermined form on the monitor and presented to the operator (step S16).

  According to the configuration described above, according to the positional relationship between the first reference line for determining the display scale of the Doppler waveform and the second reference line set in advance at a desired position, or the first reference line. An approximate value of the Doppler waveform to be analyzed can be determined according to whether or not the line exists within a reference range set in advance at a desired position. Therefore, an analysis result useful for diagnosis can be automatically selected without artificially determining an approximate value of a Doppler waveform to be analyzed in the blood flow information measurement process. Therefore, the efficiency of the entire work can be improved, and the mental and physical burdens on the operator and the operated person can be reduced.

  Note that the first and second modifications described in the first embodiment can also be applied to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment. In such a case, in the determination in step S14 of FIG. 17, the same determination as that described in each modification is performed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment has an automatic discrimination function for a display target. That is, in the present embodiment, the auto-trace process is performed in both the forward direction and the backward direction, and then quantitative analysis is performed using a waveform relating to each direction. Then, based on the position of the baseline, it is determined whether the display target is a waveform corresponding to the forward direction or the waveform corresponding to the backward direction, and only the approximate value of the Doppler waveform corresponding to the determined direction is displayed as the analysis result. Is.

  In the determination of the display target based on the position of the baseline, all the methods described in the first embodiment can be applied. In the following, as in the second embodiment, an example in which the analysis target is determined based on the positional relationship between the base line and the center line is taken as an example in order to make the description concrete.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of each process in the blood flow information measurement process performed by the apparatus according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, first, Doppler information is acquired by photographing according to a predetermined sequence, and a Doppler waveform is displayed on the monitor 14 at a predetermined scale (step S21). The image generation circuit 25 changes the scale of the Doppler waveform displayed on the monitor 14 in response to the instruction to move the baseline of the Doppler waveform displayed on the monitor (Step S22).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 performs auto-trace processing for both the forward direction and the backward direction, and acquires approximate values of Doppler waveforms in each direction (step S23).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 calculates various quantitative values for each direction using the acquired approximate value of the Doppler waveform (step S24).

  Next, the data analysis unit 24 determines the positional relationship between the baseline set in step S2 and the preset second reference line, and determines that the baseline is below the second reference line. In this case, the quantitative value related to the forward direction is set as a display target. On the other hand, if it is determined that the baseline is above the second reference line, the quantitative value related to the backward direction is determined as the display target (step S25). The quantitative value to be displayed is displayed in a predetermined form on the monitor and presented to the operator (step S26).

  According to the configuration described above, according to the positional relationship between the first reference line for determining the display scale of the Doppler waveform and the second reference line set in advance at a desired position, or the first reference line. The analysis result to be displayed can be determined depending on whether or not the line exists within the reference range set in advance at a desired position. Therefore, an analysis result useful for diagnosis can be automatically selected without artificially determining an analysis result to be displayed in the blood flow information measurement process. Therefore, the efficiency of the entire work can be improved, and the mental and physical burdens on the operator and the operated person can be reduced.

  Note that the first and second modifications described in the first embodiment can also be applied to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment. In such a case, in the determination in step S25 of FIG. 17, the same determination as that described in each modification is performed.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage.

  (1) For example, in the above-described automatic trace direction determination process and blood flow information measurement process including this, a program for causing a computer to execute each process is executed by an image processing apparatus such as a workstation or an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It can also be realized by developing.

  (2) In each of the above embodiments, one second reference line or one reference range is set in the coordinate area of the Doppler waveform, and the positional relationship between this reference line and the first reference line (baseline) is used as a reference. Described the determination of the trace direction. However, the second reference line and the reference range that can be set in the coordinate area are not necessarily limited to one, and a configuration in which a plurality of second reference lines and reference ranges can be set may be used. In such a case, the trace direction determination process described in the above embodiment may be executed for each second reference line (or each reference range) and the first reference line.

  (3) In the first embodiment, the automatic determination of the trace direction by the auto trace process has been described. However, waveform extraction is not an essential requirement. For example, in step S5 of FIG. 12, even when Doppler information that is not limited to a waveform (for example, not a waveform but a velocity value collected at a predetermined time interval) is approximately extracted with respect to a predetermined direction, the approximation is performed. The direction can be automatically determined by the method described in the above embodiment.

  (4) In the said embodiment, the example which displays the approximate waveform extracted by the auto trace process was shown. However, the display of the approximate waveform is not essential, and any configuration may be used as long as the final analysis result is displayed.

  (5) In each of the above embodiments, an example in which an analysis result related to the direction finally selected by the apparatus side is displayed has been shown. However, without being limited to this, it is also possible to display the analysis results for both the forward direction and the backward direction simultaneously or sequentially by changing the setting.

  (6) In each of the above embodiments, the displayed analysis result may be displayed in a form in which it can be determined whether the analysis result is forward or backward. Specific examples include display with a Doppler waveform, display with character information such as “Forward” and “Reverse”, and color display such as blue in the forward direction and red in the backward direction.

  In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 shows an ultrasound image I showing a Doppler waveform W, a base line Lb, a second reference line L2, and a scanning region in Doppler mode displayed on the monitor 14, respectively. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the monitor screen of FIG. 2 in which the display scale of the Doppler waveform is changed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a monitor screen including a Doppler waveform that has been subjected to auto-trace processing. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a monitor screen when the base line is set above the second reference line. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining auto-trace processing when the base line is set above the second reference line. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example in which a straight line L3 positioned a predetermined amount below the straight line dividing the Doppler waveform display region into upper and lower halves is selected as the second reference line. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a monitor screen including a Doppler waveform that has been subjected to auto-trace processing for the example of FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the reference range Rs set in the Doppler waveform display area. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining auto-trace processing when the baseline is in the reference range Rs. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the trace direction automatic determination function according to this modification, and is a diagram showing an example of a monitor screen in which a mask area is set in the Doppler waveform display area. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of each process executed in the blood flow information measurement process. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of each process in the blood flow information measurement process performed by the apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of each process in the blood flow information measurement process performed by the apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a conventional auto-trace process. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a conventional auto-trace process. FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a conventional auto trace process. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a conventional auto-trace process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 12 ... Ultrasonic probe, 13 ... Input device, 14 ... Monitor, 21 ... Transmission / reception unit, 22 ... B mode processing unit, 23 ... Doppler processing unit, 25 ... Image generation circuit, 26 ... Image memory , 27 ... control processor, 28 ... storage unit, 29 ... parameter management unit, 30 ... interface unit

Claims (22)

An ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the subject based on the supplied drive signal, and blood flow Doppler information regarding at least one of the first direction and the second direction is obtained based on an echo signal obtained by the transmitted ultrasonic wave. A Doppler information generation unit to generate,
An approximate information generating unit for generating approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information;
An analysis unit that executes an analysis using the approximate information and obtains an analysis result;
A determination unit that determines whether the first direction or the second direction is a target based on the position of the baseline of the Doppler information;
A display unit for displaying the analysis result;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the approximate information generation unit generates only the approximate information related to the direction determined by the determination unit. The approximate information generating unit generates the approximate information regarding both the first direction and the second direction;
The analysis unit executes the analysis using the approximate information related to the direction determined by the determination unit to obtain the analysis result;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1. The approximate information generating unit generates the approximate information regarding both the first direction and the second direction;
The analysis unit performs an analysis using the approximate information regarding both the first direction and the second direction, and acquires the analysis result regarding both the first direction and the second direction. And
The display unit displays the analysis result relating to the direction determined by the determination unit;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1.   5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit performs the determination in accordance with a positional relationship between a reference line set in a display area for the Doppler information and the base line. 6. . The determination unit, when the first direction is a direction approaching the transmission source of the transmission ultrasound, and the second direction is a direction away from the transmission source,
If the baseline is below the reference line, generate approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information for the first direction;
If the first coordinate axis is above the reference line, generating approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information regarding the second direction;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5. A change unit for changing the reference line to a desired position;
The determination unit performs the determination using the reference line after the change by the change unit;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5.   The determination unit targets either the first direction or the second direction depending on whether or not the baseline is in a first range set in the display area of the Doppler information. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination is performed. Further comprising a changing unit for changing the first range;
The determination unit performs the determination using the first range after the change by the change unit;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8. In the display area of the Doppler information, further comprising a setting unit for setting a prohibition area for prohibiting movement and setting of the baseline and generation of approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information,
The determination unit performs the determination according to the position of the baseline set outside the prohibited area;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein:   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the baseline in a predetermined form. On the computer,
An ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the subject based on the supplied drive signal, and blood flow Doppler information regarding at least one of the first direction and the second direction is obtained based on an echo signal obtained by the transmitted ultrasonic wave. Doppler information generation function to be generated,
An approximate information generation function for generating approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information;
An analysis function for executing an analysis using the approximate information and obtaining an analysis result;
A determination function for determining which of the first direction and the second direction is a target based on the position of the baseline of the Doppler information;
A display function for displaying the analysis result;
An ultrasonic signal analysis program characterized by realizing the above.   The ultrasound signal analysis program according to claim 12, wherein the approximate information generation function generates only the approximate information related to the direction determined by the determination function. The approximate information generation function generates the approximate information related to both the first direction and the second direction,
The analysis function performs an analysis using the approximate information related to the direction determined by the determination function to obtain the analysis result;
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to claim 12. The approximate information generation function generates the approximate information related to both the first direction and the second direction,
The analysis function performs an analysis using the approximate information regarding both the first direction and the second direction, and acquires the analysis result regarding both the first direction and the second direction. And
The display function displays the analysis result relating to the direction determined by the determination function;
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to claim 12.   The ultrasonic signal analysis according to claim 13, wherein the determination function performs the determination in accordance with a positional relationship between a reference line set in a display area of the Doppler information and the base line. program. The determination function, when the first direction is a direction approaching the transmission source of the transmission ultrasonic wave, and the second direction is a direction away from the transmission source,
If the baseline is below the reference line, generate approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information for the first direction;
If the first coordinate axis is above the reference line, generating approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information regarding the second direction;
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to claim 16. Further comprising a change function for changing the reference line to a desired position;
The determination function performs the determination using the reference line after the change by the change function,
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to claim 16.   The determination function targets either the first direction or the second direction depending on whether or not the baseline is in the first range set in the display area of the Doppler information. The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the determination is performed. A change function for changing the first range;
The determination function performs the determination using the first range after the change by the change function;
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to claim 19. The display area of the Doppler information further comprises a setting function for setting a prohibited area for prohibiting movement and setting of the baseline and generation of approximate information of the blood flow Doppler information,
The determination function performs the determination according to a position of the baseline set outside the prohibited area;
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to any one of claims 13 to 15.   The ultrasound signal analysis program according to any one of claims 12 to 21, wherein the display function displays the baseline in a predetermined form.

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