JP2009153919A - Ultrasonic diagnostic system, ultrasonic image processor and ultrasonic image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic system capable of easily discriminating between a normal blood flow and a microreverse flow using image data photographed by a color Doppler mode and capable of forming an ultrasonic image. <P>SOLUTION: In the case where the Doppler image data photographed by the color Doppler mode is subjected to speed-dispersion display, an image is divided into a plurality of small regions by the difference of colors and, since the small region reduced in the number of pixels is considered to be a reverse flow component being an abnormal blood flow, a correction factor is determined so as to keep or emphasize the pixel value in the small region. On the other hand, since the small region many in the number of pixels is considered to be a turbulent flow component being a normal blood flow, the correction factor is determined so as to lower the pixel value in the small region. This correction factor is used to perform correction processing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and an ultrasonic image processing program capable of generating an ultrasonic image that can easily distinguish between normal blood flow and fine backflow.

  Ultrasound diagnosis can be performed repeatedly by simply touching the ultrasound probe from the body surface, and the heart beats and fetal movements can be obtained in real time, and it is highly safe. . In addition, it can be said that this is a simple diagnostic method in which the scale of the system is smaller than other diagnostic devices such as X-rays, CT, and MRI, and inspection can be easily performed while moving to the bedside. Ultrasound diagnostic devices used in this ultrasound diagnosis vary depending on the types of functions that they have, but small ones that can be carried with one hand have been developed. Thus, there is no influence of exposure, and it can be used in obstetrics and home medical care.

  By the way, there is a velocity-dispersion display as a function used for improving the visibility of the backflow when performing an image diagnosis of the circulatory organ in the color Doppler mode using such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Generally, since the dispersion value is high in the backflow, when the speed-dispersion display is used, it becomes easy to distinguish the backflow from the normal blood flow.

In addition, as a well-known document relevant to this application, there exist the following, for example.
Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-17772

  By the way, there may be some degree of dispersion even in a normal blood flow. In such a case, with the conventional velocity-dispersion display function, there is a possibility that it is not possible to ensure visibility to the extent that it is possible to distinguish backflow and normal blood flow by visual recognition.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and can generate an ultrasonic image that can easily distinguish between normal blood flow and fine backflow using image data captured in color Doppler mode. It is an object to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and an ultrasonic image processing program.

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

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided data generation means for executing ultrasonic transmission / reception in a Doppler mode with respect to a predetermined region of a subject and generating ultrasonic image data to which a color is assigned according to speed, The ultrasonic image data is divided into a plurality of small areas according to the assigned color, and a calculation means for determining a correction coefficient for each small area based on the number of pixels included in each small area, and each correction An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a correction unit that performs correction processing on the ultrasonic image data by integrating coefficients for each corresponding small region.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, ultrasonic transmission / reception in the Doppler mode is performed on a predetermined region of the subject, and ultrasonic image data to which a color is assigned according to the speed is obtained according to the assigned color. By dividing into a plurality of small areas, and calculating means for determining a correction coefficient for each small area based on the number of pixels included in each small area, and integrating each correction coefficient for each corresponding small area An ultrasonic image processing apparatus comprising: correction means for executing correction processing on the ultrasonic image data.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, ultrasonic transmission / reception in a Doppler mode is performed on a predetermined area of a subject on a computer, and ultrasonic image data to which a color is assigned according to speed is assigned to the assigned color. And a calculation function for determining a correction coefficient for each small area based on the number of pixels included in each small area, and integrating each correction coefficient for each corresponding small area By doing so, a correction function for executing a correction process on the ultrasonic image data is provided.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of generating an ultrasonic image that can easily distinguish between normal blood flow and fine backflow using image data captured in the color Doppler mode, An ultrasonic image processing apparatus and an ultrasonic image processing program can be realized.

  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 shows a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes an ultrasonic probe 12, an input device 13, a monitor 14, an ultrasonic transmission unit 21, an ultrasonic reception unit 22, a B-mode processing unit 23, a Doppler processing unit 24, A scan converter 25, a data processing unit 26, a control processor (CPU) 28, an internal storage unit 29, and an interface unit 30 are provided. 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 object due to the Doppler effect, and the frequency Receive a shift.

  The input device 13 is connected to the device main body 11, and includes various switches, buttons, tracks for incorporating various instructions, conditions, region of interest (ROI) setting instructions, various image quality condition setting instructions, etc. from the operator into the device main body 11. A ball 13s, a mouse 13c, a keyboard 13d, and the like are included. For example, when the operator operates the end button or the FREEZE button of the input device 13, the transmission / reception of the ultrasonic wave is ended, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is temporarily stopped.

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

  The ultrasonic transmission unit 21 includes a trigger generation circuit, a delay circuit, a pulsar 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.

  The ultrasonic transmission unit 21 has a function capable of instantaneously changing a transmission frequency, a transmission drive voltage, and the like in order to execute a predetermined scan sequence in accordance with an instruction from the control processor 28. In particular, the change of the transmission drive voltage is realized by a linear amplifier type transmission circuit capable of instantaneously switching the value or a mechanism for electrically switching a plurality of power supply units.

  The ultrasonic receiving unit 22 has an amplifier circuit, an A / D converter, an adder and the like 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 23 receives the echo signal from the transmission / reception unit 21, performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, and the like, and generates data in which the signal intensity is expressed by brightness. This data is transmitted to the scan converter 25 and is 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 24 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 scan converter 25 and displayed in color on the monitor 14 as an average velocity image, a dispersion image, a power image, and a combination image thereof.

  The scan converter 25 combines the data received from the B-mode processing unit 23, the Doppler processing unit 24, and the data processing unit 26 together with character information of various parameters, scales, etc., from the scanning line signal sequence for ultrasonic scanning, and the like. Is converted into a scanning line signal sequence of a general video format represented by the above, and an ultrasonic diagnostic image as a display image is generated. The scan converter 25 is equipped with a storage memory for storing image data. For example, an operator can call up an image recorded during an examination after diagnosis. The data before entering the scan converter 25 is a set of amplitude values or luminance values for each spatial position, for example, and is called “raw data”.

  Based on the control from the control processor 28, the data processing unit 26 uses raw data before scan conversion or image data after scan conversion to perform processing according to a turbulent component correction function (turbulent component correction processing) described later. Execute.

The control processor 28 has a function as an information processing apparatus (computer) and is a control means for controlling the operation of the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The control processor 28 reads out a control program for executing image generation / display, etc. from the internal storage unit 29 and develops it on its own memory, and executes calculation / control related to various processes. A control program for executing a scan sequence, image generation, and display processing, which will be described later, diagnostic information (patient ID, doctor's findings, etc.), diagnostic protocol, transmission / reception conditions, program for realizing a turbulent flow component correction function, body The mark generation program and other data groups are stored. Further, it is also used for storing images in the image memory 26 as necessary. Data in the internal storage unit 29 can also be transferred to an external peripheral device via the interface circuit 30.

  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.

(Turbulent component correction function)
Next, the turbulent flow component correction function of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 will be described.

  FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a turbulent flow component in a typical normal blood flow, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are diagrams showing a reverse flow component generated as a typical abnormal blood flow. is there. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C, it can be said that the reverse flow component generated as abnormal blood flow is smaller than the turbulent flow component in the normal blood flow. . This function pays attention to this point, and this function divides the image into a plurality of small areas according to the difference in color when the image data (Doppler image data) captured in the color Doppler mode is displayed in a speed-distributed manner. Since a small region with a small number of pixels is considered to be a backflow component as an abnormal blood flow, a correction count is determined so as to maintain or emphasize a pixel value in the small region, while for a small region with a large number of pixels Is considered to be a turbulent component as a normal blood flow, so that a correction coefficient is determined so as to reduce the pixel value in the small region, and correction processing is performed using this.

  With this function, when performing velocity-dispersion display, for example, the turbulent flow component and the reverse flow component having a high dispersion value in the normal blood flow are reduced, and the turbulent flow component and the reverse flow component as abnormal blood flow are maintained or emphasized. be able to.

  In this embodiment, in order to make the description more specific, an example in which the diagnostic ineffective component reduction function is applied to image data that is data after scan conversion is taken as an example. However, the function is not limited to the data format and can be applied to raw data that is data before scan conversion.

  In the present embodiment, a case where a turbulent flow component correction function is realized by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 will be described as an example. However, in order to realize this turbulent flow component correction function, the imaging function of ultrasonic images is not essential. For example, a dedicated program may be installed in an ultrasonic image processing apparatus such as a medical workstation so that this turbulent flow component correction function is realized for raw data ultrasonic image data acquired in advance.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing (turbulent flow component correction processing) according to the turbulent flow component correction function. Hereinafter, the contents of processing in each step will be described. In the flowchart, steps S3 to S5 correspond to the diagnostic ineffective component reduction process.

[Ultrasonic scanning (acquisition of echo signal): Step S1]
First, the control processor 28 performs Doppler mode imaging according to a predetermined scan sequence, and acquires an echo signal (step S1).

[Doppler mode processing (image data generation): Step S2]
Next, the Doppler mode processing unit 23 performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, and the like on the acquired echo signal to generate raw data. The scan converter 25 uses the raw data received from the B-mode processing unit 23 to generate Doppler image data to which a predetermined color (color) is assigned (colored) according to the speed of each position (Step S2). ).

[Small Region Division Based on Color: Step S3]
Next, based on the color assigned to each pixel on the Doppler image, the data processing unit 26 divides the Doppler image into a plurality of small regions corresponding to the coloring (Step S3). That is, the Doppler image data is assigned with a predetermined color according to the speed of each position (each pixel). The data processing unit 26 divides the Doppler image into a plurality of small areas corresponding to the coloring (that is, a plurality of small areas corresponding to the speed) based on the color for each pixel (for example, red, blue, green, etc.). .

[Based on the number of pixels, a correction coefficient is determined for each small area: Step S4]
Next, the data processing unit 26 determines a correction coefficient for each small region based on the number of pixels included in each small region (step S4). That is, the data processing unit 26 first calculates the number of pixels included for each small region. Next, for example, based on the correspondence relationship between the number of pixels and the correction coefficient shown in FIG. 4, the data processing unit 26 reduces the pixel value in the small region for the small region with a large number of pixels (that is, On the other hand, for a small area with a small number of pixels, for each small area, the pixel value in the small area is maintained or emphasized (that is, a value of 1 or more). The correction coefficient is determined.

  Note that the method of determining the coefficient in this step is not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, the coefficient can be determined by a predetermined calculation formula, a correspondence table, or the like stored in advance in the internal storage device 29. That is, the correction coefficient is defined so that the pixel value in the small region is decreased for a small region with a large number of pixels, while the pixel value in the small region is maintained or emphasized for a small region with a small number of pixels. As long as the correction coefficient is determined, any correction coefficient determination method may be used.

[Integrate the correction coefficient corresponding to the pixel value at each position: Step S5]
Next, the data processing unit 26 performs a turbulent flow component correction process by adding the correction coefficient determined for each small area to the pixel value included in each small area (step S5). On the Doppler image, by this correction, for the small region corresponding to the backflow component as the abnormal blood flow, the pixel value in the small region is maintained or emphasized, and the small region corresponding to the turbulent flow component as the normal blood flow Is reduced the pixel value in the small area.

[Display of Ultrasonic Image: Step S6]
Next, on the basis of the video signal from the data processing unit 26, the monitor 14 generates an ultrasonic image in which the backflow component as an abnormal blood flow is emphasized relative to the turbulence component as a normal blood flow. Is displayed (step S6).

(Data volume reduction function)
Next, the data amount reduction function of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described. This function rotates the ultrasonic image data for each frame to reduce the total amount of data written to the memory / the total amount of data read from the memory. By executing the processing according to the function (data amount reduction processing) before the diagnostic ineffective component reduction processing, for example, throughput up to ultrasonic image display can be improved, and real-time ultrasonic image display is realized. can do.

  FIGS. 5A, 5 </ b> B, and 5 </ b> C are diagrams illustrating an example for explaining the data amount reduction process. When ultrasonic scanning by sector scanning is performed, the image data after the scan conversion has a fan shape as shown in FIG. When writing / reading such fan-shaped image data to / from the memory, the conventional apparatus writes / reads data in a rectangular area as shown in FIG. Therefore, for example, writing / reading is also performed on unnecessary areas other than the ultrasonic image data such as the areas S1, S2, and S3.

  In this data amount reduction process, for example, the data processing unit 26 converts the obtained ultrasonic image data into image data as shown in FIG. 5B based on the shape and size of the ultrasonic scanning region. The memory area for writing / reading the image data is minimized by rotating the rectangular area so as to minimize the area. The above-described diagnostic ineffective component reduction process is performed on the image data written in the memory area thus minimized, and then the image data is restored to the original orientation as shown in FIG. Rotate so that As a result, the total amount of data written to the memory / the total amount of data read from the memory can be reduced, and the throughput up to the display of ultrasonic images can be improved. As a result, real-time ultrasonic image display can be realized.

  Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, even when the ultrasonic scanning region is oblique to the ultrasonic irradiation surface, the rectangular region including the image data is also displayed as shown in FIG. The memory area for writing / reading the image data is minimized by rotating to minimize the area. Then, after executing the above-described diagnosis ineffective component reduction process, as shown in FIG. 6C, the image data is rotated so as to be in the original direction. Thereby, the throughput up to the ultrasonic image display can be improved, and an ultrasonic image display with high real-time property can be realized.

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

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment, this function divides image data Doppler image data imaged in the color Doppler mode into small areas according to the colors, and each small area according to the number of pixels included therein. In addition, the correction coefficient is determined so that the pixel value in the small region is decreased for a small region with a large number of pixels, while the pixel value in the small region is maintained or enhanced for the small region with a small number of pixels. To do. Further, by integrating the correction coefficients determined for each small region, the pixel value in the small region is maintained or emphasized for the small region corresponding to the backflow component as abnormal blood flow on the Doppler image, For a small region corresponding to a turbulent flow component as a normal blood flow, a turbulent flow component correction process for reducing the pixel value in the small region is executed. As a result, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic image in which the backflow component as the abnormal blood flow is emphasized relative to the turbulence component as the normal blood flow. As a result, it is possible to easily distinguish the backflow component as abnormal blood flow and the turbulent flow component as normal blood flow on the ultrasound image, reducing the burden of observation work in image diagnosis, and improving the quality of image diagnosis. And so on.

  Also, in this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, when writing image data to the memory, the ultrasonic scanning range is rotated so that the amount of data writing / reading is minimized, thereby reducing the amount of data to be processed. Can be made. As a result, the throughput up to ultrasonic image display can be improved, and ultrasonic image display with high real-time property can be realized.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In some cases, the number of pixels corresponding to the backflow component as abnormal blood flow is not significantly smaller than the number of pixels corresponding to the turbulence component as normal blood flow (that is, backflow as abnormal blood flow). In some cases, the components are relatively large. For such cases, on the basis of only the number of pixels included in each small region, when determining the backflow component as abnormal blood flow and the turbulent flow component as normal blood flow, on the ultrasound image, It is predicted that it will be difficult to distinguish the backflow component as abnormal blood flow and the turbulent flow component as normal blood flow.

  In order to eliminate such inconveniences, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment uses a general value of the dispersion value of the backflow component as the abnormal blood flow as compared with the dispersion value of the turbulence component as the normal blood flow. The function of adjusting the correction coefficient by discriminating the reverse flow component as the abnormal blood flow and the turbulent flow component as the normal blood flow using the dispersion value for each small region.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of turbulent component correction processing according to the present embodiment. Steps S11 to S14 are substantially the same as the processes in steps S1 to S4 described in the first embodiment.

[Calculate the average value for each small area: Step S15]
Next, the data processing unit 26 calculates an average value of pixel values included in each small region (step S15).

[Select a small region for maintaining the pixel value from small regions having a correction coefficient of less than 1: Step S16]
Next, the data processing unit 26 selects, based on the average value for each small region, a small region that maintains (or emphasizes) the included pixel value from the small regions whose correction coefficient is less than 1 (step S15). ). That is, depending on the case, the backflow component may correspond to a small region including a large number of pixels. In order to accurately visualize such a case, for example, the data processing unit 26 selects a small region having a correction coefficient determined in step S14 having an average value equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold among the small regions less than 1. .

[Correction of correction coefficient: Step S17]
Next, the data processing unit 26 corrects the correction coefficients of all the small regions selected in step S16 to 1 (or more) (step S17).

[Integrate the correction coefficient corresponding to the pixel value at each position: Step S18]
Next, the data processing unit 26 performs a turbulent flow component correction process by adding the correction coefficient determined for each small area to the pixel value included in each small area (step S18). On the Doppler image, the small region corresponding to the turbulent component as the normal blood flow is maintained or emphasized for the small region corresponding to the reverse flow component as the abnormal blood flow by this correction. Is reduced the pixel value in the small area. Further, the backflow component corresponding to the small region including the number of pixels can be emphasized and imaged as compared with the normal blood flow without being missed.

[Display of Ultrasonic Image: Step S19]
Next, on the basis of the video signal from the data processing unit 26, the monitor 14 generates an ultrasonic image in which the backflow component as an abnormal blood flow is emphasized relative to the turbulence component as a normal blood flow. Is displayed (step S19).

  According to the calibration described above, the pixel values included are calculated based on the average value for each small area from the small area whose correction coefficient determined by the turbulence component correction function according to the first embodiment is less than 1. A small area to be maintained (or emphasized) is selected, and the correction coefficient of all the selected small areas is corrected to 1. Therefore, the backflow component corresponding to the small area including the number of pixels can be emphasized and imaged as compared with the normal blood flow without being missed. As a result, it is possible to easily distinguish the backflow component as abnormal blood flow and the turbulent flow component as normal blood flow on the ultrasound image, reducing the burden of observation work in image diagnosis, and improving the quality of image diagnosis. And so on.

  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. Specific examples of modifications are as follows.

  (1) Each function according to the present embodiment can also be realized by installing a program for executing the processing in a computer such as a workstation and developing the program on a memory. At this time, a program capable of causing the computer to execute the technique is stored in a recording medium such as a magnetic disk (floppy (registered trademark) disk, hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), or a semiconductor memory. It can also be distributed.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the case where the turbulent flow component correction process is executed on the two-dimensional ultrasonic image data has been described as an example. However, this turbulent flow component correction process is not limited to two-dimensional image data. For example, the three-dimensional image data may be divided into small regions based on the color, and the above-described turbulence component correction processing may be executed based on the number of voxels included in each.

  (3) When observing an ultrasonic image, generally, if there is no change beyond a specified luminance value with respect to a certain maximum luminance value, no visual change is felt even if the image data is updated. Therefore, in the above embodiment, for example, pixel values corresponding to positions are compared between adjacent frames before turbulent flow component correction processing or after turbulent flow component correction processing, and the difference is smaller than a predetermined value for all pixels. Alternatively, the image data of the new frame may not be sent to subsequent processing. According to such a configuration, the amount of data processing can be reduced, and an image with high real-time properties can be provided.

  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.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of generating an ultrasonic image that can easily distinguish between normal blood flow and fine backflow using image data captured in the color Doppler mode, An ultrasonic image processing apparatus and an ultrasonic image processing program can be realized.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a turbulent flow component in a typical normal blood flow, and FIGS. 2B and 2C are diagrams showing a reverse flow component generated as a typical abnormal blood flow. is there. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of turbulent component correction processing according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between the number of pixels and the correction coefficient. FIGS. 5A, 5 </ b> B, and 5 </ b> C are diagrams illustrating an example for explaining the data amount reduction processing. FIGS. 6A, 6 </ b> B, and 6 </ b> C are diagrams illustrating another example for explaining the data amount reduction process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the flow of turbulent flow component correction processing according to the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 12 ... Ultrasonic probe, 13 ... Input device, 14 ... Monitor, 21 ... Ultrasonic transmission unit, 22 ... Ultrasonic reception unit, 23 ... B mode processing unit, 24 ... Doppler processing unit, 25 ... Scan converter, 26 ... Data processing section, 28 ... Control processor, 29 ... Internal storage section, 30 ... Interface section

Claims (7)

Data generating means for performing ultrasonic transmission / reception in a Doppler mode with respect to a predetermined region of the subject and generating ultrasonic image data to which a color is assigned according to the speed;
Calculation means for dividing the ultrasonic image data into a plurality of small areas according to the assigned color, and determining a correction coefficient for each small area based on the number of pixels included in each small area;
Correction means for executing correction processing on the ultrasonic image data by accumulating each correction coefficient for each corresponding small region;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:   The calculation means determines the correction coefficient as a value less than 1 for a small area having a relatively large number of pixels so as to reduce the pixel value in the small area, and for the small area having a relatively small number of pixels. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction coefficient is determined as one or more values so as to maintain or enhance a pixel value in the small region. The calculating means includes
Based on the average value of the pixel values for each of the small areas, a small area that maintains or enhances the pixel values included is selected from the small areas whose correction coefficient values are less than 1.
Correcting the correction coefficient of all the selected small areas to a value of 1 or more;
The correction means performs the correction process using the corrected correction coefficient;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2. Based on the size and shape of the predetermined area where the ultrasonic wave is transmitted, the direction of the ultrasonic image data when writing to the memory is determined so that the amount of read data is minimized, and according to the determined direction A writing means for writing the ultrasonic image data into a memory;
The calculation means and the correction means execute the processes using the ultrasonic image data written in a memory according to the determined orientation.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic image data is three-dimensional image data. Performing ultrasound transmission / reception in a Doppler mode for a predetermined region of a subject, dividing ultrasonic image data assigned a color according to speed into a plurality of small regions according to the assigned color, Calculation means for determining a correction coefficient for each small area based on the number of pixels included in each small area;
Correction means for executing correction processing on the ultrasonic image data by accumulating each correction coefficient for each corresponding small region;
An ultrasonic image processing apparatus comprising: On the computer,
Performing ultrasound transmission / reception in a Doppler mode for a predetermined region of a subject, dividing ultrasonic image data assigned a color according to speed into a plurality of small regions according to the assigned color, Based on the number of pixels included in each small area, a calculation function for determining a correction coefficient for each small area,
A correction function for executing correction processing on the ultrasonic image data by integrating each correction coefficient for each corresponding small region;
An ultrasonic image processing program comprising:

Images