JP2009160370A - Ultrasonic diagnosis device and ultrasonic probe for use in ultrasonic diagnosis device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an arrangement for adjusting the positional relation between an ultrasonic transducer and a blood vessel such that the sound line from the ultrasonic transducer passes through the center of the cross-section of the blood vessel when the elastic characteristics are measured. <P>SOLUTION: An ultrasonic probe includes a transducer for transmitting an ultrasonic wave and receiving the ultrasonic wave reflected on the tissue of a living body, and a driver for moving the transducer physically. When the elastic characteristics of a blood vessel are measured by an ultrasonic diagnosis device, the driver moves the transducer based on a control signal from the ultrasonic diagnosis device to vary at least one of the transmitting direction and position of the ultrasonic wave. The determination section of the ultrasonic diagnosis device specifies the position of the transducer when the reflection strength is maximized based on the information about the strength of reflection wave. The operating section of the ultrasonic diagnosis device operates the elastic characteristics of a blood vessel at the specified position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic probe, and in particular, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a control method thereof for measuring a property characteristic of a tissue in a living body, a structure of an ultrasonic probe used in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and It relates to a control method.

  In recent years, an increasing number of people suffer from cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction, and it has become a major issue to prevent and treat such diseases. Arteriosclerosis is closely related to the onset of myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction. Therefore, there is a need for a diagnostic method or apparatus for diagnosing the degree of arteriosclerosis at an early stage where arteriosclerosis proceeds.

  Conventionally, arteriosclerotic lesions have been diagnosed by directly observing the inside of a blood vessel using a vascular catheter. However, in this diagnosis, since it is necessary to insert a vascular catheter into the blood vessel, there is a problem that the physical load on the subject is large. For this reason, observation with a vascular catheter is used to identify the location of a subject who is certain that an arteriosclerotic lesion is present. For example, this method can be used as a test for health care. It was never used.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an X-ray diagnostic apparatus have been used as a non-invasive medical diagnostic apparatus that has less physical burden on a subject. By irradiating ultrasonic waves or X-rays from outside the body, it is possible to obtain shape information in the body or time change information of the shape without causing pain to the subject. When time change information (motion information) of the shape of the measurement object in the body is obtained, the property information of the measurement object can be obtained. For example, the elastic modulus of the blood vessel is obtained based on a minute change in the thickness of the blood vessel superimposed on the large-amplitude displacement motion caused by the heartbeat, that is, the amount of distortion of the blood vessel and the blood pressure difference. Therefore, by obtaining exercise information, it is possible to determine the elastic characteristics of the blood vessels in the living body and directly know the degree of arteriosclerosis.

  In particular, ultrasound diagnosis is superior to X-ray diagnosis in that it can be measured simply by applying an ultrasound probe to a subject, and therefore there is no need for administration of a contrast agent to the subject and there is no risk of X-ray exposure. Yes.

  Recent advances in electronics technology have made it possible to dramatically improve the measurement accuracy of ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. Along with this, development of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses that measure minute movements of living tissues is progressing. It is possible to measure in detail the two-dimensional distribution of the elastic characteristics of the arterial wall by measuring the minute movement of the living tissue with high accuracy.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for tracking a measurement target with high accuracy by analyzing the amplitude and phase of an ultrasonic echo signal using a constrained least square method. This technique is called a phase difference tracking method. According to this technique, an amplitude due to vascular motion is several microns, and a fast vibration component having a frequency up to several hundred Hz can be measured with high accuracy. For this reason, it has been reported that it is possible to measure the thickness change and distortion of the blood vessel wall with high accuracy on the order of several microns.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for measuring a blood vessel elastic modulus for each scanning section by defining a plurality of scanning sections for a subject and scanning with ultrasonic waves.

  On the other hand, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of Patent Document 3 uses an index for determining whether or not a subject has arteriosclerosis based on a blood vessel characteristic different from the elastic characteristic, specifically a value indicating the thickness of the carotid artery. As measured. It is known that the carotid artery has a structure having three layers of an intima, a media, and an outer membrane in order from the inside. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of Patent Document 3 measures the value of the combined thickness of the intima and media (hereinafter referred to as IMT thickness: hereinafter referred to as IMT).

In addition, since the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of Patent Document 3 does not have a means for measuring the displacement (distortion) of the blood vessel 3, it cannot measure the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel. In addition, this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus must have a function for displaying the IMT value in a three-dimensional manner before the measurement, which requires time for processing and increases in cost.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-5226 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-292995 JP 2006-045656 A

  In order to accurately measure the elastic characteristics of a blood vessel, accurate time change information (motion information) regarding the shape of the blood vessel is required. For this purpose, it is necessary to measure the displacement of the blood vessel while the ultrasonic acoustic line passes through the center of the blood vessel cross section.

  For example, (a1) in FIG. 27 is a top view of the probe 100 ideally disposed with respect to the blood vessel 3, and (a2) is a cross-sectional view thereof. An acoustic line of ultrasonic waves output from the transducer 101 provided in the probe 100 passes through the center o of the cross section of the blood vessel 3. In this state, since the direction in which the thickness of the blood vessel 3 changes due to the heartbeat coincides with the direction of the acoustic line, an accurate distortion amount of the blood vessel can be measured. Therefore, an accurate elastic modulus can be measured.

  However, in the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, no particular attention has been paid to whether or not the ultrasonic acoustic line passes through the center o of the blood vessel cross section. This is presumed to be based on the assumption that the user of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is proficient in the operation, but it is naturally expected to be used by a user who is not familiar with the operation. Not appropriate.

  It is difficult for a user who is not familiar with the operation to position the probe so that the ultrasonic acoustic line passes through the center of the blood vessel cross section. For example, (b1) of FIG. 27 shows a top view of the probe 100 arranged at a position shifted from the center of the blood vessel 3. And (b2) of FIG. 27 shows the sectional view. In this state, since the direction in which the thickness of the blood vessel 3 changes does not match the direction of the acoustic line, it is impossible to measure the exact amount of distortion of the blood vessel.

  Further, FIGS. 28A and 28B are top views of the probe 100 arranged in a state not parallel to the blood vessel 3. Since the acoustic line from the transducer 101 does not always pass through the center of the blood vessel cross section, it is impossible to measure the exact amount of distortion of the blood vessel.

  In any of the cases of FIGS. 27 (b1) and (b2) and FIGS. 28 (a) and (b) described above, a user who is not familiar with the operation of the device can perform a cross-sectional view of the blood vessel by a technique while viewing the image. Finding the center of is difficult. This makes the measured elastic properties inaccurate.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a configuration for adjusting the positional relationship between an ultrasonic transducer and a blood vessel so that an acoustic line from the ultrasonic transducer passes through the center of a blood vessel cross section when measuring elastic properties. That is.

  An ultrasonic probe according to the present invention is an ultrasonic probe connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, which transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by a living tissue, and a position of the vibrator And when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus measures the property of the blood vessel, the drive apparatus changes the position of the transducer based on a control signal from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Then, at least one of the direction and position of transmitting the ultrasonic wave is changed.

  A movable range is defined for the transducer, and the drive device may change the position of the transducer within the range while the transducer transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave.

  The drive device may change the position where the ultrasonic wave is transmitted by moving the transducer in a direction parallel to the surface of the living body in contact with the ultrasonic probe.

  The vibrator includes at least one row of ultrasonic vibrator groups arranged along a first direction, and the driving device is on a plane parallel to the surface of the living body in contact with the ultrasonic probe. In addition, the vibrator may be moved in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

  The vibrator includes at least one row of ultrasonic vibrator groups arranged along a first direction, and the driving device is on a plane parallel to the surface of the living body in contact with the ultrasonic probe. The vibrator may be rotated.

  The driving device may be a motor that transmits a driving force to a rack or a wire that moves integrally with the vibrator.

  The drive device may change the angle at which the ultrasonic wave is transmitted by swinging the vibrator about a support shaft in a direction parallel to the surface of the living body with which the ultrasonic probe is in contact.

  The drive device may be a motor having a rotation shaft connected to the support shaft.

  The driving device has a first direction parallel to the surface of the living body, a second direction parallel to the surface of the living body and perpendicular to the first direction, and perpendicular to any of the first direction and the second direction. A third rotation direction, a first rotation direction centered on the axis along the first direction, a second rotation direction centered on the axis along the second direction, and an axis along the third direction. The position of the vibrator may be changed in a plurality of directions among the third rotation directions as the center.

  The driving device includes a plurality of actuators each generating a driving force for moving the vibrator, and a plurality of links, and is generated by the plurality of actuators via the plurality of links. A driving force may be transmitted to the vibrator.

  The drive device may have a parallel link mechanism.

  The vibrator may be installed in a bag portion filled with an acoustic coupling liquid.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic probe that transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by a living tissue, and a driving device that changes a position of the vibrator; A probe control unit that controls the driving device to change at least one of a direction and a position at which the vibrator transmits the ultrasonic wave, and transmits the ultrasonic wave to the vibrator a plurality of times according to the position of the vibrator. A transmission unit that receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the blood vessel repeatedly using the vibrator to generate a plurality of reception signals, and based on the plurality of reception signals, An intensity information generation unit that generates intensity information related to an intensity distribution; and a determination unit that specifies a position of the vibrator when the reflection intensity is maximized based on the intensity information. so Serial to transmit ultrasonic waves to calculate the attribute property value of the blood vessel.

  The intensity information generation unit generates intensity information indicating the intensity distribution of the reflected wave received by the receiving units A and B spaced apart from each other on the vibrator, and the determination unit includes the intensity information of the reception unit A. And when the intensity information of the receiving unit B shows the maximum simultaneously, and the intensity information of the receiving unit A and the intensity information of the receiving unit B do not show the maximum at the same time, the probe control unit May rotate the vibrator by a predetermined angle on a plane parallel to the body surface.

  In the case where the intensity information of the receiving unit A and the intensity information of the receiving unit B do not simultaneously indicate the maximum, the probe control unit is configured to determine the position of the transducer when the intensity information of the receiving unit A is maximum. Based on the position of the transducer when the intensity information of the receiving unit B is maximized and the distance between the receiving units A and B, the transducer is rotated so that the transducer is substantially parallel to the blood vessel. You may let them.

  Until the determination unit determines that the intensity information of the receiving unit A and the intensity information of the receiving unit B are simultaneously maximum, the probe control unit repeatedly rotates the transducer by the predetermined angle. May be.

  After the determination unit determines that the intensity information of the reception unit A and the intensity information of the reception unit B simultaneously indicate the maximum, the determination unit determines that the transducer when the reflection intensity reaches the maximum The position of may be specified.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a control unit that instructs the transmission unit and the reception unit to transmit and receive the ultrasonic wave; and a property of the blood vessel based on the ultrasonic wave received by the reception unit. The control unit may further include a calculation unit that calculates a characteristic value, and the control unit may instruct transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave when the vibrator is present at the position specified by the determination unit.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further includes an operation unit that outputs a control signal for changing the position of the transducer, and the probe control unit may change the position of the transducer based on the control signal. Good.

  The probe control unit may receive the control signal from the operation unit via a network.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention transmits an ultrasonic wave from two rows of ultrasonic transducer groups A and B arranged along the first direction, and receives each ultrasonic wave reflected by a living tissue. An ultrasonic probe having a child and a drive device for changing the position of the vibrator, and the vibrator is controlled in parallel with the surface of the living body in contact with the ultrasonic probe, and the vibrator According to the position of the transducer, and a probe controller that changes the position of the transducer in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and changes at least one of the direction and the position in which the transducer transmits the ultrasonic wave, A transmitter that transmits ultrasonic waves to the ultrasonic transducer groups A and B a plurality of times, and the ultrasonic waves reflected by blood vessels are repeatedly received using each of the ultrasonic transducer groups A and B, Receive signals A and B A receiving unit that generates the signal, an intensity information generating unit that generates intensity information indicating a difference value of the intensity of the reflected wave based on the received signals A and B, and the reflection intensity is zero based on the intensity information. And a determination unit that identifies the position of the transducer when it has become, and calculates the property characteristic value of the blood vessel by transmitting the ultrasonic wave at the identified position.

  In the ultrasonic probe of the present invention, when the elastic characteristic of the blood vessel is measured, the driving device in the ultrasonic probe moves the transducer based on the control signal from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and transmits the ultrasonic wave. And at least one of the positions is changed. The determination unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus specifies the position of the vibrator when the reflection intensity becomes maximum based on the intensity information indicating the intensity of the reflected wave. This makes it possible to adjust the positional relationship between the ultrasonic transducer and the blood vessel so that the acoustic line from the ultrasonic transducer passes through the center of the blood vessel cross section when measuring the elastic characteristics. Then, by calculating the elastic characteristic of the blood vessel at that position, the accurate elastic characteristic of the blood vessel can be obtained.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration for measuring the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel 3 using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11. This configuration is common in each embodiment.

  The ultrasonic probe 13 is supported in close contact with the body surface 2 of the subject, and transmits ultrasonic waves (acoustic rays) to the inside of the body tissue including the extravascular tissue 1 and the blood vessel 3 using one or a plurality of ultrasonic transducers. To do. The extravascular tissue 1 is composed of fat, muscle, and the like. The transmitted ultrasonic wave is reflected and scattered by the blood vessel 3 and the blood 5, and a part thereof returns to the ultrasonic probe 13 and is received as an echo.

  The ultrasonic probe 13 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (ultrasonic transducer group) arranged in an array. In the embodiment described later, the characteristic structure and operation of the ultrasonic probe 13 according to the present invention will be described. Here, the basic operation principle of the ultrasonic probe 13 will be outlined.

  FIG. 2 shows an ultrasonic transducer group 30 built in the ultrasonic probe 13. In the ultrasonic transducer group 30, for example, the ultrasonic transducers are arranged along one direction to constitute a so-called 1D array transducer. Hereinafter, the unit of the ultrasonic transducer group 30 is referred to as a “vibrator 30”.

  The transducer 30 can scan a predetermined range by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves by sequentially swinging each ultrasonic transducer. The transducer 30 can also superimpose the phases of the ultrasonic waves from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers at a predetermined position (focal position) and receive a signal reflected at the focal position. An example of the latter is shown in FIG.

  (A1) and (b1) in FIG. 3 schematically show focused ultrasonic waves when a focal point is formed using a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged along the x direction. The focused ultrasonic wave has a predetermined width as shown, and has a focal point at a predetermined depth in the z-axis direction.

  In addition, description may be simplified on this drawing. For example, instead of the focused ultrasonic wave corresponding to FIG. 3 (a1), only the central axis of the ultrasonic beam indicated as “acoustic line” in FIG. 3 (a2) may be described. In addition, instead of the focused ultrasonic wave corresponding to FIG. 3B1, only the central axis of the ultrasonic beam indicated as “acoustic line” in FIG. 3B2 may be described.

  FIG. 4 schematically shows an ultrasonic beam propagating through a living tissue. The ultrasonic transmission wave emitted from the ultrasonic probe 13 travels in the z-axis direction as an ultrasonic beam 67 having a certain finite width, and propagates through the extravascular tissue 1 and the blood vessel 3 of the living tissue 60. Then, a part of the ultrasonic wave reflected or scattered by the extravascular tissue 1 and the blood vessel 3 in the propagation process returns to the ultrasonic probe 13 and is received as an ultrasonic reflected wave. The reflected ultrasonic wave is detected as a time series signal, and the time series signal of reflection obtained from the tissue close to the ultrasonic probe 13 is located closer to the origin on the time axis. The width (beam diameter) of the ultrasonic beam 67 can be controlled by changing the delay time.

As described above, the ultrasonic reflected wave is generated from the extravascular tissue 1, the blood vessel 3, and the blood 5. A plurality of measurement target positions P _n (P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , P _k ... P _n , n is a natural number of 3 or more) on the anterior wall of the blood vessel located on the acoustic line 66 exceed a certain interval. P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , P _k ... P _n are arranged in the order closest to the acoustic probe 13. In FIG. 4, coordinate axes with the upper side being positive and the lower side being negative are provided in the depth direction, and the coordinates of the measurement target positions P ₁ , P ₂ , P ₃ , P _k ... P _n are respectively Z ₁ , Z ₂ , Z ₃ , Z _k ,... Z _n , the reflection from the measurement target position P _k is located at t _k = 2Z _k / c on the time axis. Here, c represents the speed of ultrasonic waves in the body tissue. The reflected wave signal (time series signal) is used as information representing the state of the measurement target position.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 transmits an ultrasonic wave to the blood vessel 3 to acquire a reflected wave signal before measuring the property characteristic of the blood vessel 3 such as the elastic property or distortion of the blood vessel. Then, the ultrasonic probe 13 or the vibrator is transmitted so that the ultrasonic wave (acoustic ray) transmitted from the vibrator 30 of the ultrasonic probe 13 passes through the center of the cross section of the blood vessel 3 by the method described as the first and second embodiments described later. The positional relationship between 30 and the blood vessel 3 is adjusted.

  When the adjustment of the positional relationship between the two is completed, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 transmits the ultrasonic wave again to the inside of the body tissue, and analyzes and calculates the received signal by the received echo. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 determines the instantaneous position of the object by the constrained least square method using both the amplitude and the phase of the detection signal by the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, with high accuracy (position (Measurement accuracy of change is about ± 0.2 microns) Phase tracking is performed. As a result, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 can measure the movement information of the extravascular tissue 1 and the blood vessel 3, for example, the temporal change of the position and thickness of the minute part on the wall of the blood vessel 3 with sufficient accuracy.

  A blood pressure monitor 12 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11, and information related to the blood pressure value of the subject measured by the blood pressure monitor 12 is input to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11. By using the information regarding the blood pressure obtained from the sphygmomanometer 12, the elastic characteristic of the minute part in the wall of the blood vessel 3 can be obtained.

  An electrocardiograph 22 is connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 11 receives an electrocardiogram waveform from the electrocardiograph 22 and uses the electrocardiogram waveform as a trigger signal for determining the timing of acquiring measurement data and resetting data.

  In the following embodiments, an example in which the elasticity characteristic of a blood vessel is obtained using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described, but it is also possible to measure a blood vessel property characteristic other than the blood vessel elasticity characteristic, such as a blood vessel distortion. is there.

(Embodiment 1)
Hereinafter, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 includes a transmission unit 14, a reception unit 15, a delay time control unit 16, a phase detection unit 17, a filter unit 18, a calculation unit 19, a calculation data storage unit 20, a display unit 21, an intensity information generation unit 23, A center position determination unit 24 and a probe control unit 25 are provided. Moreover, in order to control each of these components, the control part 26 which consists of a microcomputer etc. is provided.

  Among the components of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11, the intensity information generation unit 23, the center position determination unit 24, and the probe control unit 25 mainly perform the operation of the transducer 30 and the blood vessel so that the ultrasonic wave passes through the center of the blood vessel cross section. It is provided to adjust the positional relationship. On the other hand, the phase detection unit 17, the filter unit 18, the calculation unit 19, the calculation data storage unit 20, and the display unit 21 are provided mainly for measuring the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel 3 and displaying the measurement results. The transmission unit 14, the reception unit 15, the delay time control unit 16, and the control unit 26 operate in any operation of adjusting the positional relationship between the transducer 30 and the blood vessel and measuring the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel.

  Note that the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 illustrated in FIG. 5 does not include the ultrasonic probe 13. However, since the ultrasonic probe 13 is essential for the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11, the ultrasonic probe 13 may be regarded as a component of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11.

  Hereinafter, the function of each component of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 will be described.

  The transmission unit 14 generates a predetermined drive pulse signal and outputs it to the ultrasonic probe 13. The ultrasonic transmission wave transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 13 by the drive pulse signal is reflected and scattered in the body tissue such as the blood vessel 3, and the generated ultrasonic reflected wave is detected by the ultrasonic probe 13. The frequency of the drive pulse for generating the ultrasonic wave is determined in consideration of the depth of the measurement target and the ultrasonic velocity so that the adjacent ultrasonic pulses adjacent on the time axis do not overlap.

  The reception unit 15 detects an ultrasonic reflected wave using the ultrasonic probe 13 and amplifies a signal obtained by the detection, thereby generating a reception signal. The receiver 15 includes an A / D converter, and further converts the received signal into a digital signal. The transmission unit 14 and the reception unit 15 are configured using electronic components.

  The delay time control unit 16 is connected to the transmission unit 14 and the reception unit 15, and controls the delay time of the drive pulse signal given from the transmission unit 14 to the ultrasonic transducer group of the ultrasonic probe 13. Thereby, the direction of the acoustic line of the ultrasonic beam of the ultrasonic transmission wave transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 13 and the depth of focus are changed. Further, by controlling the delay time of the reception signal received by the ultrasonic probe 13 and generated by the receiving unit 15, the aperture diameter can be changed or the focal position can be changed. The output of the delay time control unit 16 is input to the phase detection unit 17.

  The phase detection unit 17 performs phase detection on the reception signal subjected to delay control by the delay time control unit 16 and separates it into a real part signal and an imaginary part signal. The separated real part signal and imaginary part signal are input to the filter unit 18. The filter unit 18 removes a high frequency component, a reflection component other than a measurement target, a noise component, and the like. The phase detection unit 17 and the filter unit 18 can be configured by software or hardware. Thereby, a phase detection signal including a real part signal and an imaginary part signal corresponding to each of a plurality of measurement target positions set in the tissue of the blood vessel 3 is generated.

  The calculation unit 19 performs various calculations. FIG. 6 shows functional blocks that implement the arithmetic processing of the arithmetic unit 19. The calculation unit 19 includes a shape measurement value calculation unit 31 and a property characteristic value calculation unit 32. An electrocardiographic waveform obtained from the electrocardiograph 22 is input to the calculation unit 19 and used as a trigger signal for determining the timing of acquiring measurement data and resetting data. For this purpose, the electrocardiograph 22 can be replaced with another biosignal detection means such as a heart sound meter or a pulse wave meter, and instead of the electrocardiographic waveform, the electrocardiographic waveform or the pulse wave waveform is used as a trigger signal. Is also possible.

  The shape measurement value calculation unit 31 uses the real part signal and the imaginary part signal of the phase detection signal to obtain position displacement amounts (positional time displacement amounts) at a plurality of measurement target positions set inside the tissue of the blood vessel 3. . The position displacement amount can also be obtained in the same manner by obtaining the motion speed of the measurement target position (tracking position) and integrating the motion speed. Then, by obtaining the difference between the position displacement amounts at any two positions selected from a plurality of position displacement amounts, the thickness change amount between the two points can be obtained. When the initial value of the two positions or the initial value of the difference between the positional displacement amounts at the two positions is given, the thickness between the two points can be obtained.

  Note that the two points that define the thickness or the amount of change in thickness do not have to coincide with the measurement target position set inside the tissue of the blood vessel 3. For example, the center position of a plurality of measurement target positions may be used. In this case, it is preferable to average the positional displacement amounts of a plurality of measurement target positions whose centers are obtained, and use the averaged positional displacement amount. In the case of using a plurality of measurement target positions, the position representing the plurality of measurement target positions and the position displacement amount may be obtained by a simple average, may be weighted, or based on the plurality of measurement target positions. Thus, it is only necessary to obtain the two positions and the positional displacement amount at the positions.

  The property characteristic value calculation unit 32 calculates the maximum thickness change amount from the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the obtained thickness change amount, and is positioned between two points from the blood pressure data obtained from the sphygmomanometer 12. Obtain the elastic properties of the tissue to be treated.

  Specifically, the property characteristic value calculation unit 32 calculates the difference Δhk between the maximum value and the minimum value of the thickness Hk of the target tissue Tk (value at the time of minimum blood pressure), the thickness change amount Dk (t) of the target tissue, and Using the pulse pressure Δp which is the difference between the minimum blood pressure value and the maximum blood pressure value, an elasticity index Ek representing the stiffness of the blood vessel in the target tissue Tk is expressed as the following equation.

        Ek = Δp × (Δhk / Hk)

  In addition, you may obtain | require the elastic characteristic of one point pinched | interposed by arbitrary two points. However, since the ultrasonic probe 13 used in the present embodiment has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an array, the elastic characteristics of all locations in an arbitrary region in the tomographic plane are obtained. It is possible to ask.

  Note that the property characteristic value calculation unit 32 is not provided only for obtaining the elastic characteristics, but may calculate, for example, Δhk / H to obtain a strain that is one of the characteristic characteristics of the blood vessel.

  Refer to FIG. 5 again. The display unit 21 maps the obtained maximum thickness variation, strain, or elastic characteristic of the living tissue, and displays a spatial distribution image for each cardiac cycle indicating the spatial distribution of the shape measurement value or the property measurement value. The spatial distribution image may be one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional. If the shape measurement value or the property measurement value is displayed in color or tone, the measurement result can be easily grasped.

  At this time, the operator can determine by specifying on the display unit 21 an arbitrary area for which a shape measurement value or a property measurement value is to be obtained. This area is called ROI (abbreviation of Region Of Interest). The ROI is a display for designating a region where the operator wants to obtain a measurement value. While confirming the size and position on the display unit 21, the ROI is passed through an interface unit (not shown) of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11. It can be set freely.

FIG. 7 schematically shows the blood vessel wall 40 and the ROI 41 shown on the display unit 21. The region defined by the ROI 41 includes tissues other than the blood vessel wall 40. The image of the blood vessel wall 40 is obtained, for example, by modulating the received signal with the luminance corresponding to the amplitude intensity separately from the above-described calculation. FIG. 8 shows the elastic characteristics in the region defined by the ROI 41 of the blood vessel wall 40. The area defined by the ROI 41, for example, the mapped image data _{f (k) 11 ~f (k} ) 65 is arranged in six rows × 5 columns, image data _{f (k) 11 ~f (k} ) 65 Constitutes the spatial distribution image Fk. As described above, the image data f (k) _{11 to} f (k) ₆₅ are shape measurement values such as the maximum thickness change amount of the living tissue or property characteristic values such as strain and elastic characteristics.

  Data such as the amount of positional displacement, thickness change, and elastic characteristics calculated by the calculation unit 19 is stored in the calculation data storage unit 20 shown in FIG. 5 and can be read as needed. Further, data such as the position displacement amount, thickness change amount, and elastic characteristics calculated by the calculation unit 19 are input to the display unit 21, and the data can be visualized as a two-dimensional image or the like. Further, by connecting the display unit 21 and the calculation data storage unit 20, various stored data can be displayed on the display unit 21 as needed. Various types of data calculated by the calculation unit 19 are output to the display unit 21 and also output to the storage unit 20 so that the data can be stored so that the data can be used later while displaying the data in real time. Is preferred. However, only one of the outputs may be performed.

  The intensity information generation unit 23 measures the intensity of the reflected wave (reflection intensity) based on the amplitude of the reception signal subjected to delay control by the delay time control unit 16 and generates intensity information indicating the distribution of the reflection intensity. As will be described later, in this embodiment, the x-axis (for example, FIG. 4) of the transducer 30 and the axis of the blood vessel 3 along the direction in which the blood vessel 3 extends (hereinafter referred to as “long axis”) are substantially. The transducers 30 are arranged in parallel, and the transducer 30 moves in the ultrasonic probe 13 while generating ultrasonic waves in this state. The moving direction is a direction perpendicular to the x-axis in a plane parallel to the body surface 2. The intensity information generation unit 23 measures the reflection intensity obtained with the movement of the transducer 30 and generates intensity information.

  The center position determination unit 24 specifies the position of the transducer 30 in the ultrasonic probe 13 when the strongest reflection intensity is obtained based on the intensity information.

  The probe control unit 25 outputs a control signal for controlling the movement of the transducer 30 in the ultrasonic probe 13. For example, the probe control unit 25 controls the movement start and end, the movement direction, and the movement speed of the transducer 30 based on an instruction from the control unit 26. In addition, the probe control unit 25 moves the transducer 30 to the position specified by the center position determination unit 24.

  Hereinafter, the principle of the process for adjusting the positional relationship between the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. According to this processing, since the ultrasonic wave (acoustic ray) transmitted from the transducer 30 passes through the center of the cross section of the blood vessel 3, the elastic characteristic of the blood vessel 3 can be accurately measured.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the x-axis of the transducer 30 (for example, FIG. 4) and the long axis of the blood vessel 3 are arranged substantially in parallel.

  FIG. 9 shows the transducer 30 that moves in the ultrasonic probe 13 while generating an ultrasonic wave. The vibrator 30 is housed in a case 50, and the vibrator 30 and the case 50 move in the y-axis direction shown in the figure. The movable range is indicated as “D”. Note that the position of the ultrasonic probe 13 is fixed while the transducer 30 and the case 50 are moving.

  Based on the control signal from the probe control unit 25, the transducer 30 starts transmitting ultrasonic waves in the z-axis direction at the position of the left end of the movable range D, and moves in the y-axis direction while transmitting ultrasonic waves. And if it moves to the position of the right end of the movable range D, transmission of an ultrasonic wave will be stopped. Note that the transmission of ultrasonic waves and the movement in the y-axis direction may not be performed simultaneously. The transducer 30 may be moved in the y-axis direction and temporarily stopped, ultrasonic waves may be transmitted at that position, and then the transducer 30 may be moved again in the y-axis direction.

  FIG. 10 shows the reflection intensity distribution of the ultrasonic reflected wave generated by the intensity information generation unit 23 as the transducer 30 moves. The horizontal axis is the position of the transducer 30, and the vertical axis is the reflection intensity. When the reflection intensity within the movable range D is obtained, the center position determination unit 24 specifies the position yo of the transducer 30 when the maximum reflection intensity Rmax is obtained.

  The position yo specified by the center position determination unit 24 corresponds to a position where the ultrasonic transmission wave passes through the center of the cross section of the blood vessel 3. The reason is as follows. As the transmitted wave passes through a position farther away from the center of the cross section, the transmitted wave is reflected on the outer wall and the inner wall of the blood vessel 3 at an angle approaching 90 degrees with respect to the incident direction. The detection intensity becomes small. On the other hand, since the ultrasonic wave is reflected in the incident direction on the outer wall and the inner wall of the blood vessel 3 as the ultrasonic transmission wave passes through a position closer to the center o of the cross section, the detection intensity of the reflected wave from the blood vessel 3 becomes larger. Become. When the ultrasonic transmission wave passes through the center o of the cross section, the incident direction and the reflection direction of the ultrasonic wave coincide with each other on the outer wall and the inner wall of the blood vessel 3, so that the detection intensity of the reflected wave is maximized. Therefore, it can be said that the position of the transducer 30 when the reflection intensity is maximum is a position where the ultrasonic transmission wave passes through the center o of the cross section.

  After the position yo is specified, the probe control unit 25 may move and fix the transducer 30 to the position yo, and thereafter, the elastic characteristic of the blood vessel 3 may be measured.

  FIGS. 11A and 11B show a physical configuration of the ultrasonic probe 13 according to the present embodiment. (A) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view. The ultrasonic probe 13 includes a rack 110 and a motor 111. The rack 110 is a flat bar provided with teeth, and is physically coupled to the case 50. The rotation shaft of the motor 111 is provided with a pinion and meshes with the teeth of the rack 110. As the motor 111 rotates, the case 50 moves along with the rack 110 in the y-axis direction. Thereby, the movement of the vibrator 30 shown in FIG. 9 is realized.

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for measuring the elastic characteristic of the blood vessel 3 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment.

  In step S1, when the probe control unit 25 sends a control signal to the ultrasonic probe 13, the transducer 30 moves in the y-axis direction in the ultrasonic probe 13 while generating an ultrasonic wave. In step S <b> 2, the intensity information generation unit 23 repeatedly detects the ultrasonic reflected wave according to the movement of the transducer 30 and acquires the reflection intensity. For example, when the vibrator 30 reciprocates once in the movable range, the reflection intensity distribution is obtained.

  In the next step S <b> 3, the center position determination unit 24 specifies the position of the transducer 30 having the maximum reflection intensity as the position (center position) where the ultrasonic wave passes through the blood vessel center o.

  In step S4, when the probe control unit 25 moves the transducer 30 to the center position, the control unit 26 instructs measurement of the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel 3 at the center position. Based on this instruction, the phase detection unit 17, the filter unit 18, the calculation unit 19, and the calculation data storage unit 20 operate to measure the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel 3.

  In step S5, the display unit 21 displays a cross-sectional view of the long axis of the blood vessel, and displays the elastic characteristics measured by the calculation unit 19 superimposed on the cross-sectional view.

  Since the position of the transducer 30 having the maximum reflection intensity is specified as the center position and the elastic characteristic of the blood vessel 3 is measured at the center position by the processing in steps S1 to S3 described above, the accurate distortion amount of the blood vessel is determined. Can be measured. Therefore, an accurate elastic modulus can be measured.

  In the present embodiment, the transducer 30 is moved in the ultrasonic probe 13 along a predetermined axial direction to specify the cross-sectional center of the blood vessel 3. However, a configuration in which the vibrator 30 is not moved in parallel with a predetermined axial direction can be employed.

  For example, FIG. 13A shows a configuration example of the ultrasonic probe 13 that vibrates the case 50 like a pendulum with a point Ka relatively above the case 50 as a support shaft. FIG. 13B shows a configuration example of the ultrasonic probe 13 that vibrates the case 50 like a pendulum with a point Kb relatively below the case 50 as a support shaft. In any example, the support shaft is parallel to the body surface, and the rotation shaft of the motor is made to coincide with the fulcrum Ka or Kb. However, the rotating shaft of the motor does not necessarily coincide with the fulcrum Ka or Kb. For example, you may comprise so that rotation of a motor may be transmitted to the fulcrum Ka or Kb via transmission mechanisms, such as a gear and a belt. Thereby, the transmission direction of the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transducer 30 can be changed. In addition, the movable range (movable angle) in the example of FIG. 13B corresponding to the movable range D of FIG. 9 is −180 degrees to 180 degrees. The movable range (movable angle) in the example of FIG. 13A is narrower than that.

  When the ultrasonic probe 13 configured in this way is used, if the rotation angle when the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the transducer 30 passes through the cross-sectional center of the blood vessel 3 based on the maximum reflection intensity, The elastic characteristic of the blood vessel 3 can be measured at the center position. According to this configuration, since the blood vessel 3 does not have to exist immediately below the ultrasonic probe 13, a user who is not familiar with the ultrasonic probe 13 and cannot place the ultrasonic probe 13 on the blood vessel 3 is used. Even an accurate elastic modulus can be measured.

  A configuration in which the transducer 30 is moved parallel to the body surface to change the ultrasonic transmission position (FIG. 11 and the like), and a configuration in which the transducer 30 is vibrated like a pendulum to change the ultrasonic transmission angle. (FIG. 9) may be combined. Thereby, the range which can transmit an ultrasonic wave becomes still wider, and the measurable range can be expanded. In other words, the allowable range of the position where the ultrasonic probe 13 is applied to the body surface is widened.

  In the description of the above-described embodiment, the center position where the ultrasonic wave passes through the cross-sectional center of the blood vessel 3 is specified using the maximum reflection intensity. However, it is possible to specify the center position without using the maximum reflection intensity.

  FIG. 14 shows a vibrator 35 obtained by modifying the vibrator 30. The transducer 35 is a so-called 1.5D array transducer and has two rows of ultrasonic transducer groups 35a and 35b. The ultrasonic transducer groups 35 a and 35 b are arranged along the moving direction (y-axis direction) in the ultrasonic probe 13.

  When the transducer 35 is used, the center position can be specified based on the difference T between the reflection intensity detected in the ultrasonic transducer group 35a and the reflection intensity detected in the ultrasonic transducer group 35b. The principle is as follows.

  FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the movement amount y of the transducer 35 in the y-axis direction and the difference value T between the reflection intensities detected in the ultrasonic transducer group 35a and the ultrasonic transducer group 35b. When the transducer 35 moves in the y-axis direction shown in FIG. 14 and approaches the blood vessel 3, first, the reflection intensity detected in the ultrasonic transducer group 35b starts to increase. With respect to the ultrasonic transducer group 35a, when the ultrasonic transducer group 35a is not positioned on the blood vessel 3, the detected reflection intensity from the blood vessel 3 is zero. Therefore, the output difference T gradually increases.

  Thereafter, when the ultrasonic transducer group 35a moves onto the blood vessel 3 and the reflection intensity of the ultrasonic transducer group 35a starts to increase, the output difference T gradually decreases. When the outputs of the ultrasonic transducer groups 35a and 35b become equal, the output difference T becomes zero. When the output difference T is 0, the ultrasonic transducer groups 35a and 35b are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the blood vessel 3 when viewed from the direction shown in FIG. Therefore, the position of the ultrasonic transducer 35 at this time corresponds to the center position.

  According to the method for determining the center position based on the difference in reflection intensity using the vibrator 35, it is not necessary to detect the peak of the reflection intensity as in the method for determining the maximum intensity shown in FIG. It is shortened. Also, before moving the transducer 35, it is confirmed whether the signal is positive or negative. For example, if it is determined that the signal is left if it is positive and right if it is negative, the transducer 35 is positioned on either the left or right side of the blood vessel. I understand. In the present embodiment, the difference between the reflection intensities of the ultrasonic transducer groups 35a and 35b is calculated by the intensity information generation unit 23.

  Note that the ultrasonic probe 13 shown in FIG. 13 may be used as the ultrasonic probe 13 used in the center position determination method shown in FIGS. 14 and 15.

  Of the processes for specifying the center position described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 15, the process of acquiring the reflection intensity by moving the transducer 30 within the movable range D can be applied to other measurements. For example, it can be used for measuring the shape of the blood vessel 3 and measuring the diameter of the blood vessel 3. This means that the center position of the blood vessel can be specified from the measured shape. When used for the process of measuring the shape of the blood vessel 3, the shape data is acquired by accumulating data of a plurality of cross-sectional shapes along the long axis of the blood vessel 3. The shape data may include a change in the thickness of the front wall of the blood vessel 3 in which the blood vessel 3 changes due to a heartbeat. The process of measuring the diameter of the blood vessel 3 calculates the difference between the reflected wave from the wall near the ultrasonic probe 13 of the blood vessel 3 and the reflected wave from the far wall at the center position described so far. Is executed by. If the process for obtaining the above-described reflection intensity is executed in advance when the ultrasonic probe 13 is applied to the body surface of the subject, the subsequent process can be performed quickly.

(Embodiment 2)
In the first embodiment, the transducer 30 is based on the premise that the arrangement direction of the ultrasonic transducer group (for example, the x-axis direction in FIG. 4) and the long axis of the blood vessel 3 are arranged substantially in parallel. Was moved within the ultrasonic probe 13, and the center position passing through the cross-sectional center of the blood vessel was specified.

  However, when a user unfamiliar with the operation of the apparatus operates, there is a possibility that the arrangement direction of the ultrasonic transducer group and the major axis direction of the blood vessel are shifted, and the deviation is corrected quickly. It is difficult to expect that.

  In this embodiment, even when the arrangement direction of the ultrasonic transducer groups and the long axis of the blood vessel are not arranged in parallel, the center position of the blood vessel can be specified and the elastic characteristics can be accurately measured. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described.

  Hereinafter, the principle of the process for adjusting the positional relationship between the transducer and the blood vessel will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that, similarly to the first embodiment, in this embodiment, the transducer moves in the ultrasonic probe. It is assumed that the position of the ultrasonic probe is fixed to the subject's epidermis while the transducer is moving.

  FIG. 16 shows an example in which the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are not arranged in parallel. Now, when the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are in the illustrated positional relationship, it is assumed that the transducer 30 is moved in the y-axis direction while transmitting ultrasonic waves.

  An appropriate number (for example, five) of ultrasonic transducer groups located at both ends of the transducer 30 are set as receiving units A and B, respectively, and attention is paid to the intensity of reflected waves detected at the receiving units A and B.

FIG. 17 shows the waveforms of the respective reflection intensity distributions detected by the receivers A and B. These waveforms are generated by the intensity information generation unit 23. Focusing on the reflection intensity detected by the receiving unit A, the maximum value is obtained when the transducer 30 reaches the position y _A. When attention is paid to the reflection intensity detected in the receiving unit B, the maximum value is obtained when the transducer 30 reaches the position y _B. Since the receiving unit A starts detecting the reflected wave from the blood vessel 3 before the receiving unit B and receives the reflected wave that has passed through the center of the cross section of the blood vessel 3 earlier, y _A <y _B is satisfied. Note that the maximum value at the position y _{A and} the maximum value at the position y _B are not necessarily the same value. The reason is that the target to which ultrasonic waves are transmitted is a living body (blood vessel 3), and the reflected wave includes variations.

  Whether or not the arrangement direction of the ultrasonic transducer group and the long axis of the blood vessel 3 are arranged in parallel is unknown not only to the user but also to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. However, when the reflection intensity detected by the receiving units A and B at both ends of the transducer 30 is measured and the waveform shown in FIG. 17 is obtained, the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are arranged as shown in FIG. You can see that there is a relationship.

  Therefore, in such a case, the vibrator 30 may be rotated and adjusted so that the vibrator 30 is in a direction parallel to the blood vessel 3.

  For example, after rotating the transducer 30 by a predetermined angle, the transducer 30 is moved again in the y-axis direction, and the reflection intensity distribution is acquired by the receiving units A and B. As a result, the reflection intensities detected by the receivers A and B are different, and when the waveform shown in FIG. 17 is obtained, it is rotated again by a predetermined angle. Then, this process is repeated until both reflection intensities detected by the receivers A and B reach the maximum value at the same position.

  FIG. 18 shows an example in which the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are arranged in parallel as a result of rotating the transducer 30. FIG. 19 shows a waveform when both reflection intensities detected by the receivers A and B reach the maximum value at yo. Both reflection intensities detected by the receiving units A and B are simultaneously maximized, and at this time, the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are parallel. Thereafter, the processing described in the first embodiment is performed, and the position of the transducer 30 having the maximum reflection intensity is specified as the position (center position) where the ultrasonic wave passes through the center of the blood vessel. Characteristics can be measured accurately.

  20A and 20B show the physical configuration of the ultrasonic probe 13 according to the present embodiment. (A) is a perspective view, (b) is a top view. Among the constituent elements of the ultrasonic probe 13 according to the present embodiment, the same constituent elements as those in the ultrasonic probe shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In contrast to the ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 13 according to the present embodiment further includes a rack 112 and a motor 113. The rack 112 is a flat bar provided with teeth, and is physically coupled to the case 50. A pinion is provided on the rotating shaft of the motor 113 and meshes with the teeth of the rack 112. For convenience of explanation, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the motors 111 and 113 have the same performance, and the same pinion is provided on the rotation shaft. The number of teeth of the rack 110 and the number of teeth of the 112 are also the same.

  In the present embodiment, the case 50 is connected to the rack 110 and the rack 112, respectively. In particular, the case 50 is connected so as to be rotatable with respect to the rack 110 and is also connected so as to be able to rotate with respect to the rack 112. Note that the connection point of the case 50 and the rack 112 is configured to have a play that can be moved by a slight amount in the x-axis direction. The reason is that when the case 50 rotates in the xy plane, the length between the fulcrums can change.

  The rotation of the motor 111 and the rotation of the motor 113 are independently controlled based on a control signal from the probe control unit 25. Now, it is assumed that the case 50 is arranged in parallel with the x-axis shown in FIG. At this time, when the motor 111 and the motor 113 are rotated in the opposite directions at the same rotational speed, the case 50 moves in the y-axis direction while maintaining a state parallel to the x-axis. This movement control is performed when the transducer 30 shown in FIG. 16 moves.

  On the other hand, when the motor 111 and the motor 113 are rotated at different rotational speeds, the case 50 is not parallel to the x-axis and tilts at an angle corresponding to the rotational speed difference with respect to the x-axis. That is, the case 50 rotates by a predetermined angle in the xy plane. When the rotation of the motors 111 and 113 is stopped when a predetermined inclination is obtained, and then the motor 111 and the motor 113 are rotated at the same rotational speed in opposite directions, the case 50 maintains the inclination and the y axis Move in the direction. This movement control is performed when the transducer 30 shown in FIG. 18 moves.

  FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for measuring the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel 3 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment. In this flowchart, steps S11 and S12 are added to the flowchart shown in FIG. Hereinafter, steps S11 and S12 will be described.

  Step S11 corresponds to a process of determining whether or not the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are tilted. For example, the center position determination unit 24 determines whether or not both reflection intensities detected by the reception units (reception units A and B in FIG. 18) at both ends of the transducer are maximum. When both reflection intensities are maximum, the process proceeds to step S3. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S12. The reflection information is generated by the intensity information generation unit 23 based on the outputs of the receiving units at both ends of the vibrator.

  In the next step S12, the probe control unit 25 rotates the case 50 including the transducer 30 by a predetermined angle (for example, 10 degrees) on the xy plane. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1, and the same process is executed therefrom. The xy plane is a plane perpendicular to the acoustic line. When the ultrasonic probe 13 is applied to the body surface, the xy plane coincides with a plane parallel to the body surface.

  The loop of steps S1, S2, S11, and S12 is continued until the reflection intensities detected by the receiving units at both ends of the vibrator in step S11 are simultaneously maximized. That is, the angle of the transducer 30 is changed in the xy plane until the transducer 30 is parallel to the blood vessel 3. Thereafter, each process from step S3 to S5 is executed, and the elastic characteristic of the blood vessel is accurately measured and displayed.

In FIG. 21, steps S1, S2, S11, and S12 are looped, but other processes that are not looped are also conceivable. For example, once the transducer 30 is scanned with respect to the blood vessel 3, it is also possible to calculate the angle to be rotated using the positions y _A and y _B when the reflection intensity reaches the maximum value. Specifically, the probe control unit 25 calculates the required angle (angle to be rotated) θ by θ = tan ⁻¹ ((y _A −y _B ) / T). Here, T represents the distance between the receiving units A and B.

  Since the angle to be rotated can be calculated by scanning the transducer 30 once with respect to the blood vessel 3, the transducer 30 can be rotated until it is parallel or substantially parallel to the blood vessel 3 quickly and reliably. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time from when the ultrasonic probe 13 is applied to the body surface to when the measurement is started.

  In the present embodiment, the receiving units A and B shown in FIGS. 16 and 18 are given as examples of the receiving units at both ends of the transducer 30. However, various shapes and arrangements of the receiving units A and B are conceivable.

  For example, FIGS. 22A to 22D show examples of transducers 30a to 30d having receivers A and B having different shapes and arrangements, respectively. FIG. 22A is the same as the vibrator 30 shown in FIGS. Whether or not the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are parallel is determined using the intensities of the reflected waves detected in the two receiving units in the region surrounded by the broken line. FIGS. 22B to 22D show examples of arrangement and shape when the physically independent receiving units A and B are provided. Whichever of the transducers 30a to 30d is used, it is possible to detect the reflection intensity required for determining whether or not the transducer 30 and the blood vessel 3 are parallel.

  Each of the above examples is an example in which receiving units A and B are provided at both ends of the vibrator. However, the receiving units A and B may not exist at both ends of the vibrator. For example, the receiving unit A may be provided at the center of the vibrator and the receiving part B may be provided at one end of the vibrator. As long as the receiving units A and B are separated to such an extent that the waveform of the reflection intensity shown in FIG.

  In the first and second embodiments, the transducer 30 is moved in the ultrasonic probe 13 by a so-called rack and pinion method, but this is an example. The movement and rotation of the case 50 and the vibrator 30 may be controlled by connecting the motor 111 and / or the motor 113 and the case 50 with a belt and winding or feeding the belt by the rotation of the motor. Also, the type of motor that is the driving device is arbitrary, and for example, a linear motor or a voice coil motor may be used. It is easy for those skilled in the art to change the structure in the ultrasonic probe 13 for moving the transducer 30 according to the driving method of the motor to be used.

  As described in the first and second embodiments, in the flowchart showing the procedure of the process for measuring the elastic characteristics of FIGS. 12 and 21, the elastic modulus is measured when the probe is moved to the center position after the start, and the measured elasticity is measured. The rate was displayed and finished. However, the process may be performed not only in one measurement but also continuously or in a certain cycle. As a result, even when a positional shift due to camera shake or the like due to the probe holding occurs, it is possible to obtain an accurate elastic characteristic of the blood vessel by moving to the center position and measuring the elastic modulus each time. At this time, the processing time can be shortened by making the movable range of the vibrator smaller than the initial movable range. In addition, after the procedure is completed, the displacement due to camera shake or the like is detected from the change in the reflection intensity acquired in S2 of FIG. 12 and S2 of FIG. 21 without performing the movement of S1 of FIG. 12 and S1 of FIG. You can also When the change in the reflection intensity becomes larger than a certain value, the procedure for measuring the elastic characteristics may be executed again.

  In the first and second embodiments, the moving direction of the vibrator 30 is one direction or two directions. One direction is a direction parallel to the surface of the living body or a rotation direction, and two directions are a direction parallel to the surface of the living body and a rotation direction on a plane.

  However, the vibrator 30 may perform a multi-axis operation that can move not only in the above-described movement in one direction or two directions but also in other directions. As an example of another direction, FIG. 23A shows the vibrator 30 that moves along the x-axis direction and the z-axis direction and rotates around an axis parallel to the y-axis. Hereinafter, rotation about an axis parallel to the y-axis is referred to as “rotation in the y-axis direction”.

  The rotation in the y-axis direction is used when the blood vessel is inclined in the depth direction from the surface of the living body toward the inside of the living body. The movement in the z-axis direction is used to change the physical focal position in the depth direction. The movement in the x-axis direction is used to change the measurement location in the blood vessel axis direction.

  The drive device for realizing the above-described multi-axis operation can be constituted by a plurality of links, a plurality of joints, and a plurality of actuators. For example, it is desirable to use a parallel link mechanism which is one of such configurations. The parallel link mechanism is a mechanism that includes a plurality of links, a plurality of joints, and a plurality of actuators, and has a configuration in which at least two links are arranged side by side.

  FIG. 23B is a cross-sectional view taken along a plane parallel to the yz plane of the ultrasonic probe 13 having a parallel link mechanism.

  The ultrasonic probe 13 is provided with a bag portion 130. The vibrator 30 is sealed in the bag portion 130 together with the acoustic coupling liquid 131. The acoustic coupling liquid 131 between the window portion 132 on the front surface of the ultrasonic probe 13 (the surface that contacts the surface of the living body) and the vibrator 30 propagates the ultrasonic waves generated by the vibrator 30. The bag 130 is preferably made of a material that does not pass through the acoustic coupling liquid 131 and has flexibility, such as a rubber material or a resin film material.

  In the parallel link mechanism, the vibrator 30 and the actuator 123 are arranged away from each other on the opposite side with respect to the operating point portion 133 that is an operating point. Further, a link 121 and a joint 122 for transmitting the power of the actuator 123 to the operating point portion 133 are also arranged on the actuator 123 side of the operating point portion 133. Therefore, the link 121, the joint 122, and the actuator 123 are not sealed in the bag portion 130, and thus are not immersed in the acoustic coupling liquid 131. The ability to install the actuator 123 at a position away from the transducer 30 is an advantage of the parallel link mechanism, which is different from a single link mechanism having an actuator at each joint such as a robot arm.

  FIG. 24 shows the ultrasonic probe 13 composed of a 6-DOF linear motion parallel link mechanism. In the ultrasonic probe 13, the transducer 30 is attached to one side of the movable base portion 124. A joint 122 is attached to the other side of the movable base portion 124. The joint 122 and the link 121 are connected and transmit the driving force of the actuator 123.

  By driving the six linear motion actuators, the position and angle of the movable base 124 change in a total of six degrees of freedom in the x direction, the y direction, the z direction, and the rotation directions around the respective axes. . Thereby, the vibrator 30 can be moved and rotated in a total of six directions as well as parallel to the surface of the living body.

  A direct acting actuator (not shown) is fixed to the casing of the ultrasonic probe 13. The direct acting actuator may be a mechanism that linearly moves the motor with a ball screw or a linear motor. As an example, the ultrasonic probe 13 shown in FIGS. 25 and 26 will be described. FIG. 25 shows a rotary parallel link mechanism, and FIG. 26 shows a telescopic parallel link mechanism. As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, when the actuator 123 is driven, the driving force is transmitted to the movable base 124 via the joint 122 and the link 121. The position and angle of the movable base 124 change with a total of six degrees of freedom in the rotational direction of each axis, not only in the direction parallel to the surface of the living body 30 but also in the x, y, and z directions. The rotary parallel link mechanism employs a rotary actuator, and the telescopic parallel link mechanism employs a telescopic actuator.

  The parallel link mechanism need not always have six degrees of freedom. It suffices to have a necessary number of degrees of freedom in the operation of the probe. For example, it is only necessary to have a movable shaft that gives two degrees of freedom among the above-mentioned six degrees of freedom. The number of joints and the number of links can also vary depending on the degree of freedom. The joint may be omitted depending on the installation position of the actuator, the length of the link, and the like.

  The degree of freedom in changing the position of the vibrator is determined by the number of axes that can drive the vibrator 30. Note that the operation unit may be an input device such as a joystick. The operation of changing the position and orientation of the vibrator may be performed at the time of determination processing of the central position of the blood vessel or at the time of measuring elastic characteristics. For example, it is possible to perform the elastic characteristic measurement operation in a wider range by first determining the central position of the blood vessel and then shifting to the blood vessel axis direction.

  An operation unit (not shown) may be provided in the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The operation unit outputs a control signal for changing the position and orientation of the transducer in the ultrasonic probe when operated by the user. The position of the vibrator changes based on the control signal.

  The operation unit does not need to be provided in the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. For example, the operation unit and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may be connected via a network. At this time, the ultrasonic probe is remotely operated based on a control signal from the operation unit.

  Note that a switch (not shown) may be provided on the probe or the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus so as to switch whether or not to move and / or rotate the transducer in the ultrasonic probe. If the operator is proficient in using the probe, it can be said that the measurement result of the elastic characteristic can be said to be accurate by looking at the displayed elastic characteristic image, that is, the probe is properly arranged, and the blood vessel is This is because it can be easily determined whether or not the elastic property is measured. By switching whether or not the center position determination process is performed, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can be operated according to the level of proficiency of the user, and convenience can be improved.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is suitably used for measuring the property and shape characteristics of a living tissue, and is suitable for measuring an accurate elastic characteristic. In addition, the elastic characteristics of the blood vessel wall are measured, and the blood vessel wall is suitably used for finding an arteriosclerotic lesion or preventing arteriosclerosis.

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration for measuring elastic properties of a blood vessel 3 using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11. FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an ultrasonic transducer group 30 built in the ultrasonic probe 13. (A1) and (b1) are schematic diagrams of an ultrasonic focused wave when a focal point is formed using a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged along the x direction. (A2) and (b2) are It is a simplified diagram of an ultrasonic focused wave. It is a figure which shows typically the ultrasonic beam which propagates the structure | tissue of a biological body. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a calculation unit 19. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a blood vessel wall 40 and an ROI 41 shown on the display unit 21. FIG. It is a figure which shows the elastic characteristic in the area | region prescribed | regulated by ROI41 of the blood vessel wall. It is a figure which shows the vibrator | oscillator 30 which moves the inside of the ultrasonic probe 13, generating an ultrasonic wave. It is a figure which shows the reflection intensity of the ultrasonic reflected wave which the intensity | strength information generation part 23 produced | generated with the movement of the vibrator | oscillator 30. FIG. (A) And (b) is the perspective view and top view which show the physical structure of the ultrasonic probe 13 by Embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for measuring elastic properties of a blood vessel 3 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 according to the first embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the structural example of the ultrasonic probe 13 which moves the case 50 like a pendulum about the points Ka and Kb. The vibrator | oscillator 35 which is a modification of the vibrator | oscillator 30 is shown. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the moving amount y of the vibrator | oscillator 35 to a y-axis direction, and the difference value T of the reflection intensity detected in the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator group 35a and the ultrasonic transducer | vibrator group 35b. It is a figure which shows the example which the vibrator | oscillator 30 and the blood vessel 3 are not arrange | positioned in parallel. It is a figure which shows the waveform of each reflection intensity detected in receiving part A and B. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example by which the vibrator | oscillator 30 and the blood vessel 3 were arrange | positioned in parallel as a result of rotating the vibrator | oscillator 30. FIG. It is a figure which shows a waveform when both the reflection intensities detected by the receiving parts A and B become the maximum value in yo. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the physical structure of the ultrasonic probe 13 by Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing for measuring elastic characteristics of a blood vessel 3 in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 11 according to the second embodiment. (A)-(d) is a figure which shows the example of the vibrator | oscillators 30a-30d which have the receiving parts A and B from which a shape and arrangement | positioning differ, respectively. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the structure of the multi-axis operation | movement of the vibrator | oscillator 30, and the ultrasonic probe 13. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration example of an ultrasonic probe 13. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration example of an ultrasonic probe 13. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration example of an ultrasonic probe 13. FIG. (A1) and (a2) are a top view and a cross-sectional view of the probe 100 ideally arranged with respect to the blood vessel 3, and (b1) and (b2) are arranged at positions shifted from the center of the blood vessel 3. 2 is a top view and a cross-sectional view of the probe 100. FIG. (A) And (b) is a top view of the probe 100 arrange | positioned in the state which is not parallel to the blood vessel 3. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Extravascular tissue 2 Body surface 3 Blood vessel 4 Blood vessel front wall 5 Blood 11 Ultrasound diagnostic device 12 Sphygmomanometer 13 Ultrasonic probe 14 Transmitter 15 Receiver 16 Delay time controller 17 Phase detector 18 Filter 19 Calculator 19 Calculator 20 Data storage unit 21 Display unit 22 Electrocardiograph 23 Intensity information generation unit 24 Center position determination unit 25 Probe control unit 26 Control unit 30, 35 Transducer 31 Shape measurement value calculation unit 32 Property characteristic value calculation unit 40 Blood vessel wall 41 ROI
50 Case 110, 112 Rack 111, 113 Motor 121 Link 122 Joint 123 Actuator 124 Movable base part 125 Base part 130 Bag part 131 Acoustic coupling liquid 132 Window part 133 Operating point part

Claims (21)

An ultrasonic probe connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus,
A vibrator that transmits ultrasonic waves and receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by a living tissue;
A drive device that changes a position of the vibrator, and when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus measures a property characteristic of a blood vessel, the drive apparatus uses the control signal from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to An ultrasonic probe that changes the position of the ultrasonic wave and changes at least one of the direction and position of transmitting the ultrasonic wave. A range of movement is defined for the vibrator,
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the drive device changes the position of the transducer within the range while the transducer is transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic wave.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2, wherein the driving device moves the transducer in a direction parallel to a surface of a living body in contact with the ultrasonic probe to change a position to transmit the ultrasonic wave. . The transducer includes at least one row of ultrasonic transducer groups arranged along a first direction,
4. The drive device according to claim 3, wherein the vibrator moves the vibrator in a second direction that is on a plane parallel to the surface of the living body with which the ultrasonic probe is in contact and is perpendicular to the first direction. The described ultrasonic probe. The transducer includes at least one row of ultrasonic transducer groups arranged along a first direction,
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein the driving device rotates the vibrator on a plane parallel to a surface of a living body with which the ultrasonic probe is in contact.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein the driving device is a motor that transmits a driving force to a rack or a wire that moves integrally with the vibrator.   3. The drive device according to claim 2, wherein the drive device swings the vibrator about a support shaft in a direction parallel to a surface of a living body that is in contact with the ultrasonic probe, and changes an angle at which the ultrasonic wave is transmitted. The described ultrasonic probe.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 7, wherein the driving device is a motor having a rotating shaft connected to the support shaft.   The driving device has a first direction parallel to the surface of the living body, a second direction parallel to the surface of the living body and perpendicular to the first direction, and perpendicular to any of the first direction and the second direction. A third rotation direction, a first rotation direction centered on the axis along the first direction, a second rotation direction centered on the axis along the second direction, and an axis along the third direction. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 3, wherein the position of the transducer is changed in a plurality of directions among the third rotation directions as a center. The driving device includes a plurality of actuators each generating a driving force for moving the vibrator, and a plurality of links.
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 9, wherein driving forces generated by the plurality of actuators are transmitted to the vibrator via the plurality of links.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 10, wherein the driving device has a parallel link mechanism.   The ultrasonic probe according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the vibrator is installed in a bag portion filled with an acoustic coupling liquid. An ultrasonic probe that transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by a tissue of a living body, and an ultrasonic probe that has a drive device that changes the position of the vibrator;
A probe controller that controls the driving device to change at least one of a direction and a position in which the vibrator transmits the ultrasonic wave; and
According to the position of the transducer, a transmitter that transmits the ultrasonic waves to the transducer a plurality of times;
A reception unit that repeatedly receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by the blood vessel using the vibrator and generates a plurality of reception signals;
An intensity information generating unit that generates intensity information related to the intensity distribution of the reflected wave based on the plurality of received signals;
A determination unit that specifies the position of the transducer when the reflection intensity is maximized based on the intensity information, and transmits the ultrasonic wave at the specified position to determine the property characteristic value of the blood vessel. An ultrasonic diagnostic device that computes The intensity information generation unit generates intensity information indicating an intensity distribution of the reflected wave respectively received by the receiving units A and B spaced apart on the vibrator,
The determination unit determines whether the intensity information of the receiving unit A and the intensity information of the receiving unit B are simultaneously maximizing,
When the intensity information of the receiving unit A and the intensity information of the receiving unit B do not simultaneously indicate the maximum, the probe control unit rotates the transducer by a predetermined angle on a plane parallel to the body surface. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13. In the case where the intensity information of the receiving unit A and the intensity information of the receiving unit B do not indicate the maximum at the same time,
The probe control unit includes: a position of the transducer when the intensity information of the reception unit A is maximum; a position of the transducer when the intensity information of the reception unit B is maximum; The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the transducer is rotated based on the distance B so that the transducer is substantially parallel to the blood vessel.   Until the determination unit determines that the intensity information of the reception unit A and the intensity information of the reception unit B are simultaneously maximum, the probe control unit repeatedly rotates the transducer by the predetermined angle. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 14.   After the determination unit determines that the intensity information of the reception unit A and the intensity information of the reception unit B simultaneously indicate the maximum, the determination unit determines that the transducer when the reflection intensity reaches the maximum The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the position of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is specified. A control unit that instructs the transmission unit and the reception unit to transmit and receive the ultrasonic wave;
A calculation unit that calculates a property characteristic value of the blood vessel based on the ultrasonic wave received by the reception unit, and the control unit is located at the position where the transducer is specified by the determination unit The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein when transmitting, the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave are instructed. An operation unit that outputs a control signal for changing the position of the vibrator;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the probe control unit changes the position of the transducer based on the control signal.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the probe control unit receives the control signal from the operation unit via a network. A transducer that transmits ultrasonic waves from the two rows of ultrasonic transducer groups A and B arranged along the first direction and receives each ultrasonic wave reflected by a living tissue, and a position of the transducer An ultrasonic probe having a driving device for changing
Controlling the driving device to change the position of the vibrator in a second direction parallel to the surface of the living body in contact with the ultrasonic probe and perpendicular to the first direction; A probe controller that changes at least one of a direction and a position of transmitting the ultrasonic wave;
A transmitter that transmits ultrasonic waves to the ultrasonic transducer groups A and B a plurality of times according to the position of the transducer;
A reception unit that repeatedly receives the ultrasonic waves reflected by the blood vessels using each of the ultrasonic transducer groups A and B, and generates reception signals A and B, respectively;
Based on the received signals A and B, an intensity information generating unit that generates intensity information indicating a difference value of the intensity of the reflected wave;
A determination unit that specifies a position of the transducer when the reflection intensity becomes 0 based on the intensity information, and transmits the ultrasonic wave at the specified position to obtain a property characteristic value of the blood vessel. An ultrasonic diagnostic device that performs calculations.

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