JP2009153925A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, ultrasonic image processor, and ultrasonic image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which filters a three-dimensional ultrasonic image data at a high TAP number prior to its reconfiguration, and can treat the data in a comparable time to a conventional two-dimensional filtering. <P>SOLUTION: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus writes a raw data or an image data composing a volume data in a memory successively according to its flame number to produce a sheet of pseudo-two dimensional image data, which is then filtered. The volume data is treated as if it is a sheet of two-dimensional image, thereby simplifing, for examples, initializing a memory in filtering and transferring to a video memory. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image quality adjustment function for three-dimensional image data obtained using an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus.

  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.

  The acquisition and display of a three-dimensional image using such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is generally as follows. That is, a process of receiving ultrasonic reception vector data (hereinafter raw data), performing coordinate conversion to a cube, performing reconstruction processing, and rendering is performed. Conventionally, when performing image filtering processing on 3D image data, a 3D spatial filter is applied at the time of reconstruction or rendering. In addition, with respect to the image before reconstruction, filter processing is performed by hardware or the like on a boundary portion between sub-volumes having a time phase difference in an image such as trigger scanning.

  By the way, in the 3D spatial filter, the peripheral data amount referred to in order to determine 1 pixel data with respect to the 2D spatial filter increases rapidly (in the case of a 3 × 3 filter, 9 pixels including its own pixel are 9 pixels). There is data of interest, but in 3D there are 27 in 3x3x3, and 4096 in 16x16x16.) Spend a lot of processing time. For this reason, if the number of filter taps (3 for a 3 × 3 filter) is set to a large number, the real-time property of the three-dimensional display itself is impaired. When the real-time property is not sacrificed, a trade-off problem such as reducing the display size of the three-dimensional image occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and performs image filter processing with a high TAP number before performing reconstruction on three-dimensional ultrasonic image data, and the processing time is the conventional two-dimensional An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and an ultrasonic image processing program that can be executed in a processing time comparable to a filter.

  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 performing ultrasonic scanning on a three-dimensional region of a subject and generating ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region, and corresponding to the three-dimensional region. The image processing means for generating the pseudo two-dimensional image data by developing the ultrasonic image data to be two-dimensionally with the beam unit data, and the predetermined filter processing is executed on the pseudo two-dimensional image data An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: filter processing means; and reconstruction means for reconstructing volume data corresponding to the three-dimensional region using the pseudo two-dimensional image data after the filter processing. It is.

  According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, ultrasonic scanning is performed on a three-dimensional region of a subject, and ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region is developed two-dimensionally by beam unit data. Then, using the image development means for generating the pseudo two-dimensional image data, the filter processing means for executing a predetermined filter process on the pseudo two-dimensional image data, and the pseudo two-dimensional image data after the filter process An ultrasonic image processing apparatus comprising: reconstruction means for reconstructing volume data corresponding to the three-dimensional region.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic scan is performed on a three-dimensional region of a subject on a computer, and ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region is two-dimensionally converted into data in units of beams. An image development function for generating pseudo two-dimensional image data by developing, a filter processing function for executing predetermined filter processing on the pseudo two-dimensional image data, and the pseudo two-dimensional image data after the filter processing And a reconstruction function for reconstructing the volume data corresponding to the three-dimensional region.

  As described above, according to the present invention, high-TAP image filter processing is performed on three-dimensional ultrasound image data before reconstruction, and the processing time is comparable to that of a conventional two-dimensional filter. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and an ultrasonic image processing program that can be executed in time can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 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, an interface unit 30, a volume data generation unit 31, and a 3D image processing unit 32 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 executes processing according to a later-described filter processing acceleration function using raw data before scan conversion or image data after scan conversion.

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. Control program for executing scan sequence, image generation, and display processing described later, diagnostic information (patient ID, doctor's findings, etc.), diagnostic protocol, transmission / reception conditions, filter processing speed-up 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.

  The volume data generation unit 31 uses the B mode image data received from the B mode processing unit 23 to generate B mode volume data. The volume data generation unit 31 generates Doppler mode volume data using the Doppler mode data received from the Doppler processing unit 24. Further, the volume data generation unit 31 receives image data after filter processing, which will be described later, from the data processing unit 26, rearranges the data, and performs interpolation processing as necessary to reconstruct the B-mode volume data. To do.

  The three-dimensional image processing unit 32 performs volume rendering, multi-section conversion display (MPR) on the volume data received from the volume data generation unit 31 or the B-mode volume data subjected to speckle removal processing received from the speckle removal processing unit 26. : Predetermined planar image processing such as multi planar reconstruction (MIP) and maximum intensity projection (MIP).

(Filter processing acceleration function)
Next, the filter processing speed-up function of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 will be described. This function speeds up predetermined signal processing and image processing (especially filter processing, etc.) by processing volume data in two-dimensional form with beam data and handling it as a single two-dimensional image (planar image). Is realized.

  In this embodiment, in order to make the description more specific, an example in which the filter processing acceleration 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 the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 realizes the filter processing speed-up function will be described as an example. However, in order to realize this filter processing speed-up 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, and processing according to this filter processing speed-up function may be executed on volume data acquired in advance.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, in order to make the description more specific, an example in which the filter processing acceleration function is applied to ultrasonic image data obtained by B-mode imaging is taken as an example. However, this function is not limited to the imaging mode, and can be applied to ultrasonic image data obtained by the Doppler mode.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing from image acquisition to display of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 including processing according to the filtering processing acceleration function (filtering processing acceleration processing). Hereinafter, the processing of each step will be described with reference to FIG.

[Acquisition of Ultrasonic Image Data: Step S1]
First, ultrasonic image data is acquired by ultrasonically scanning a three-dimensional region of a subject (step S1). That is, the control processor 28 executes mode imaging according to a predetermined scan sequence and acquires an echo signal. The B-mode processing unit 23 performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, and the like on the acquired echo signal to generate raw data for each frame. The volume data generation unit 31 generates ultrasonic image data (B mode volume data) using the raw data received from the B mode processing unit 23.

[Beam rearrangement processing: step S2]
Next, the data processing unit 26 treats each raw data (that is, data corresponding to each beam) received from the B-mode processing unit 23 for each frame as a single two-dimensional image. While rearranging the array, the two-dimensional expansion is performed and the image data is written in the memory (step S3), that is, the data processing unit 26 sequentially writes the raw data in the memory according to the frame number as shown in FIG. A pseudo piece of two-dimensional image data (pseudo two-dimensional image data) is constructed.

  In the example of FIG. 3, all the beams are arranged in the same direction (that is, in a direction from a shallow depth to a deep position) according to the frame number. However, the beam arrangement is not tied to this example. For example, for odd-numbered frames, the beam is arranged in a direction from a shallow depth to a deep position, while for an even-numbered frame in a direction from a deep depth to a shallow position (alternately according to the frame number). It may be.

[Filter processing: Step S3]
Next, the data processing unit 26 performs a predetermined filter process on the pseudo two-dimensional image data obtained by the beam rearrangement process (step S3). In this way, in this step, the volume data is handled as pseudo two-dimensional image data, and the two-dimensional image filter processing is performed, so that the number of TAPs of the filter can be compared with the case where the volume data is directly filtered. The waste of processing time due to the increase can be reduced. In addition, it seems that such filter processing does not improve the image quality in the depth direction (Z-axis) direction of the ultrasonic image. However, in actuality, since coordinate conversion processing in a three-dimensional space is performed in step S4, which will be described later, if the original raw data changes, the image quality of the slice plane in the Z-axis direction after coordinate conversion is also improved by interpolation processing. Can do.

[Image reconstruction processing: step S4]
Next, the volume data generation unit 31 generates B mode volume data again by returning the data after the filtering process to the original array (step S4). That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the volume data generation unit 31 performs coordinate conversion of each raw data constituting the filtered pseudo two-dimensional image data based on the position information, and interpolates between slice planes in the Z-axis direction. By performing the process, the B-mode volume data is reconstructed.

[Image Processing / Display of Ultrasonic Image: Step S5, Step S6]
Next, the three-dimensional image processing unit 32 receives the B-mode volume data from the volume data generation unit 31, and executes image processing such as volume rendering and maximum value projection processing based on these (step S5). The three-dimensional image data generated by the image processing is converted into a scanning line signal sequence of a general video format by the scan converter 25 and displayed on the monitor 14 in a form as shown in FIG. 5, for example (step S6). .

  By the way, there is a technique called trigger scan as a technique for visualizing a part having a motion such as a heart in real time. This can be achieved by continuously collecting volume (sub-volume) data relating to a plurality of spatially adjacent small regions as shown in FIG. 6 and connecting them based on a trigger or a reference section at the time of data collection. Real-time performance is maintained by generating full volume data relating to the range of the sub-volumes and sequentially updating the sub-volumes according to the time information. In such a trigger scan method, as shown in FIG. 6, the depth plane (Z axis) and the scan plane (X axis) are often largely asymmetric, so that the speed of filter processing using pseudo two-dimensional image data is increased. It can be said that it is suitable for applying. However, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, when the slice plane is along the first direction and the angle of view is extremely narrow, as shown in FIG. 8, the boundary between the slice plane and the slice plane on the pseudo two-dimensional image data is shown. There is a possibility that the corresponding position (the position that becomes the boundary of the frame) is edge-enhanced by the filter and appears as an artifact (for example, streak) on the image.

  In order to solve such a problem in the filter processing using the pseudo two-dimensional image data, the processing according to any of the following embodiments can be performed in the beam rearrangement processing (step S2) described above. .

Example 1
The data processing unit 26 compares, for example, the angle of view of the slice plane along the azimuth axis direction with the angle of view of the slice plane along the elevation axis direction for the ultrasonic scanning region, and the slice plane with a larger angle of view. The beams are rearranged so that they are arranged with reference to. For example, as shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9A, the region shown in FIG. 7 is ultrasonically scanned, and each beam is arranged according to the slice plane along the first direction in the beam rearrangement process. Suppose that the simulated two-dimensional image data is generated. In such a case, the data processing unit 26 compares the angle of view of the slice plane along the first direction with the angle of view of the slice plane along the second direction, and as shown in FIG. Each beam is rearranged along the azimuth axis direction in which is larger, and subsequent filtering is performed. Note that each rearranged beam is returned to its original state after the filter is executed.

  By using simulated two-dimensional image data obtained by such rearrangement, the number of boundaries between slice planes and slice planes can be reduced in a pseudo manner compared to simulated two-dimensional image data before rearrangement. As a result, edge enhancement at the boundary between the slice plane and the slice plane and in the vicinity thereof can be reduced, and artifacts on the ultrasonic image can be suppressed.

(Example 2)
The data processing unit 26 smoothes the raw data values in the vicinity of the boundary between the slice plane and the slice plane (that is, the frame boundary) with respect to the pseudo two-dimensional image data after the beam rearrangement processing and before the filter processing. Reduce (smoothing process). As a result, when filtering the pseudo two-dimensional image data, edge enhancement at the boundary between the slice plane and the slice plane and in the vicinity thereof can be reduced, and artifact generation on the ultrasonic image can be suppressed.

(Example 3)
For example, when the number of beams in the depth direction and the scanning direction is substantially the same, the data processing unit 26 performs pseudo two-dimensional image data after the beam rearrangement process and before the filter process as shown in FIG. On the other hand, a dummy beam is inserted at the boundary between the slice planes as shown in FIG. The dummy beam is generated by copying a plurality of data of arbitrary luminance or raw data of adjacent frames from those close to the boundary. As a result, when filtering the pseudo two-dimensional image data, edge enhancement at the boundary between the slice plane and the slice plane and in the vicinity thereof can be reduced, and artifact generation on the ultrasonic image can be suppressed.

Example 4
As shown in FIG. 11B, the data processing unit 26 applies the slice plane and slice plane to the pseudo two-dimensional image data after the beam rearrangement process and before the filter process as shown in FIG. The beam rearrangement process is executed so as to be a mirror image with respect to the boundary. If the subsequent filter is an image filter that depends on the symmetry of the image data, the efficiency of artifact reduction may be improved by arranging the beams in this way. In this case, dummy data may be inserted at the boundary between the slice planes (that is, once every two slices).

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

  According to this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, raw data or image data constituting volume data is developed in a two-dimensional form by data in beam units and sequentially written in a memory, so that one piece of pseudo two-dimensional image data is obtained. Generate and perform filtering on this. Therefore, by treating the volume data as one two-dimensional image, for example, initialization of a memory executed in filter processing, transfer processing to a video memory, and the like can be simplified. As a result, it is possible to speed up a predetermined process such as a filter process, and it is possible to realize an advanced real-time three-dimensional image filter process without greatly reducing the frame rate.

  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 ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having the filter processing speed-up function has been described. However, regardless of this, the filter processing speed-up function can be applied to other modalities, for example, images acquired by a computed tomography apparatus or images acquired by a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus. .

  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, high-TAP image filter processing is performed on three-dimensional ultrasound image data before reconstruction, and the processing time is comparable to that of a conventional two-dimensional filter. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic image processing apparatus, and an ultrasonic image processing program that can be executed in time can be realized.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing from image acquisition to display of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 including processing according to the filtering processing acceleration function (filtering processing acceleration processing). FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the beam rearrangement process executed by the data processing unit 26. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the reconstruction process after the filter process. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display form of a three-dimensional image displayed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the trigger scan method. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the filter processing acceleration processing. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the filtering process speeding-up process according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining the filter processing speeding-up process according to the first embodiment. FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the filtering process speeding-up process according to the third embodiment. FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining the filter processing speeding-up process according to the fourth 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 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Scan converter, 26 ... Data processing part, 28 ... Control processor, 29 ... Internal storage part, 30 ... Interface part, 31 ... Volume data generation part, 32 ... Three-dimensional image processing part

Claims (7)

Data generating means for performing ultrasonic transmission scanning on a three-dimensional region of a subject and generating ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region;
Image development means for generating pseudo two-dimensional image data by developing ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region in a two-dimensional manner using beam unit data;
Filter processing means for executing predetermined filter processing on the pseudo two-dimensional image data;
Reconstructing means for reconstructing volume data corresponding to the three-dimensional region using the pseudo-two-dimensional image data after the filtering process;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:   The image development means divides the ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region by a plurality of slice planes having a maximum angle of view, and arranges the data in units of beams with reference to the plurality of slice planes, The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pseudo two-dimensional image data is generated.   The filter means performs a smoothing process on at least one of the data on the boundary between the slice plane and the slice plane in the ultrasonic scanning on the pseudo two-dimensional image data and the data in the vicinity thereof, and then the filter process The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   The filter means executes the filtering process after inserting data corresponding to a pseudo beam at a boundary between a slice plane and a slice plane in the ultrasonic scanning on the pseudo two-dimensional image data. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The filter means rearranges the beam unit data so that adjacent slice planes are mirror images of the boundary between slice planes and slice planes in the ultrasonic scanning on the pseudo two-dimensional image data. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filtering process is executed later. Generates pseudo two-dimensional image data by performing ultrasonic scanning on the three-dimensional region of the subject and expanding the ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region into two-dimensional form using beam unit data. Image developing means for
Filter processing means for executing predetermined filter processing on the pseudo two-dimensional image data;
Reconstructing means for reconstructing volume data corresponding to the three-dimensional region using the pseudo-two-dimensional image data after the filtering process;
An ultrasonic image processing apparatus comprising: On the computer,
Generates pseudo two-dimensional image data by performing ultrasonic scanning on the three-dimensional region of the subject and developing the ultrasonic image data corresponding to the three-dimensional region in a two-dimensional manner using data in beam units. Image development function
A filter processing function for executing predetermined filter processing on the pseudo two-dimensional image data;
Using the pseudo two-dimensional image data after the filtering process, a reconstruction function for reconstructing volume data corresponding to the three-dimensional region;
An ultrasonic image processing program characterized by realizing the above.

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