JP2012061206A - Ultrasonograph and control program thereof - Google Patents
Ultrasonograph and control program thereof Download PDFInfo
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- JP2012061206A JP2012061206A JP2010209022A JP2010209022A JP2012061206A JP 2012061206 A JP2012061206 A JP 2012061206A JP 2010209022 A JP2010209022 A JP 2010209022A JP 2010209022 A JP2010209022 A JP 2010209022A JP 2012061206 A JP2012061206 A JP 2012061206A
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Abstract
An extraction unit that extracts a minute structure in a B-mode image BG based on an echo signal of an ultrasonic wave transmitted to a subject, and a dense part detection unit that detects a dense part of the extracted minute structure; And an emphasized image display control unit that displays a point α as an emphasized image EG in which the detected dense portion is emphasized. The dense part detection unit detects the dense part based on, for example, the number of microstructures per unit area. The enhanced image display control unit may be configured to switch between displaying and not displaying the enhanced image EG.
[Selection] Figure 7
Description
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for detecting a dense portion of a microstructure and a control program therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that displays an ultrasonic image created based on an echo signal obtained by transmitting an ultrasonic wave to a subject is known. Then, there are cases where breast cancer is diagnosed by searching for microcalcifications that have occurred in the breast tissue in the ultrasound image displayed on the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus.
Specifically, when the breast cancer occurs, the portion of microcalcification that occurs in the breast tissue appears as a brighter point than the surroundings in the B-mode image. Therefore, breast cancer is diagnosed by confirming the presence or absence of such high-luminance points in a B-mode image.
However, although it is brighter than the surroundings, it is difficult to visually find such a bright spot from the image. Therefore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 disclose a method for automatically extracting a microstructure such as microcalcification based on an ultrasonic image.
By the way, the part where microcalcification occurs is not necessarily a malignant tumor, and it is said that it is malignant when the part where microcalcification is concentrated. Conventionally, although it was possible to automatically extract microcalcifications, it was not possible to automatically detect a site suspected of being malignant. Therefore, there is a demand for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and its control program that can display an image that can easily find a site suspected of being malignant.
Invention of the 1st viewpoint made | formed in order to solve the above-mentioned subject is the extraction part which extracts the microstructure in an ultrasonic image, The dense part detection part which detects the dense part of the extracted microstructure, An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, comprising: an enhanced image display control unit that displays an enhanced image in which a detected dense portion is enhanced.
The invention of a second aspect is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the invention of the first aspect, wherein the dense part detection unit detects the dense part based on the number of microstructures per unit area. .
The invention according to a third aspect is the invention according to the first aspect, wherein the dense part detection unit detects the dense part based on a distance between two adjacent minute structures. It is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of description.
An invention according to a fourth aspect is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the enhanced image is an image indicating each microstructure in the dense portion. It is.
The invention according to a fifth aspect is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the emphasized image is an image surrounding the entire dense portion.
The invention of a sixth aspect is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the enhanced image is an enlarged image of the dense portion.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the extraction unit is higher than the surrounding in the ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic echo signal transmitted to the subject. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized in that a point having brightness is extracted.
The invention according to an eighth aspect is the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the enhanced image display control unit switches between display and non-display of the enhanced image. It is.
According to the ninth aspect of the invention, an extraction function for extracting a minute structure in an ultrasonic image, a dense part detection function for detecting a dense part of the extracted minute structure, and a detected dense part are emphasized in a computer. A control program for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, which executes an enhanced image display control function for displaying an enhanced image.
According to the invention of the above aspect, since the emphasized image in which the dense portion of the minute structure is emphasized is displayed, it is possible to display an image in which a site suspected of being malignant can be easily found.
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an ultrasonic probe 2, a transmission / reception unit 3, an echo data processing unit 4, a display control unit 5, a display unit 6, an operation unit 7, and a control unit 8.
The ultrasonic probe 2 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (not shown) arranged in an array, and transmits ultrasonic waves to the subject through the ultrasonic transducers, and echo signals thereof. Receive.
The transmission / reception unit 3 drives the ultrasonic probe 2 under a predetermined transmission condition, and scans a scan surface in an acoustic ray sequence with an ultrasonic beam. The transmission / reception unit 3 drives the ultrasonic probe 2 according to a control signal from the control unit 8.
In addition, the transmission / reception unit 3 performs signal processing such as phasing addition processing on the echo signal obtained by the ultrasonic probe 2 and outputs the echo data after the signal processing to the echo data processing unit 4.
The echo data processing unit 4 performs predetermined processing such as logarithmic compression processing and envelope detection processing on the echo data output from the transmission / reception unit 3 to create B-mode data.
As shown in FIG. 2, the display control unit 5 includes an ultrasonic image display control unit 51, an extraction unit 52, a dense part detection unit 53, and an emphasized image display control unit 54. The ultrasonic image display control unit 51 includes a scan converter, and scans the B mode data output from the echo data processing unit 4 into the B mode image data displayed on the display unit 6. Convert. The ultrasonic image display control unit 51 causes the display unit 6 to display a B mode image based on the B mode image data.
The extraction unit 52 extracts a microstructure in the B-mode image based on the echo signal. In this example, the extraction unit 52 extracts a minute structure based on B-mode image data created based on an echo signal (extraction function). This microstructure is a point that has higher brightness than the surroundings in the B-mode image, and the extraction unit 52 extracts, for example, microcalcification in breast tissue as such a microstructure. The extraction unit 52 is an example of an embodiment of the extraction unit in the present invention, and the extraction function is an example of an embodiment of the extraction function in the present invention.
An example of a minute structure extraction method by the extraction unit 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. The extraction unit 52 extracts the microstructure by determining the presence or absence of the microstructure for each pixel, for example. More specifically, in FIG. 3, assuming that a pixel for which the presence / absence of a minute structure is to be determined is P, a sound ray direction 11 passing through the pixel P and an orthogonal direction l2 orthogonal to the sound ray direction l1 are assumed. Next, in the sound ray direction l1 and the orthogonal direction l2, the luminance B of each pixel (not shown) in the predetermined ranges R1 and R2 with the pixel P as the center is detected. Then, the luminance B of the pixel P is a predetermined threshold B TH or more, in yet both the sound ray direction l1 and the perpendicular direction l2, pixel that is a threshold value B TH or more luminance is less than the predetermined number, the pixel It is determined that a microstructure exists in P. Any other hand, when the luminance B of the pixel P is less than the threshold B TH, or in either direction of the sound ray direction l1 and the perpendicular direction l2, pixels in predetermined number or more of which is the threshold value B TH or more luminance For example, it is determined that the minute structure does not exist in the pixel P.
For example, in the case where the pixel indicated by the oblique line in FIG. 4 has a luminance equal to or higher than the threshold value BTH , as shown in FIG. 4A, only the pixel P is present in both the sound ray direction l1 and the orthogonal direction l2. has become the threshold value B TH more brightness, when the pixel that is a threshold value B TH or more luminance is less than the predetermined number, it is determined that the minute structure is present in the pixel P. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4 (B), orthogonal and pixels continuously that is a threshold value B TH or more luminance in the direction l2, if such pixels is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the pixel P microstructure It is determined that there is no object.
However, the method for extracting the microstructure is not limited to the above-described method, and other known methods such as the methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 can be used.
The dense part detection unit 53 detects a dense part of the minute structure extracted by the extraction part 52 (dense part detection function). The dense part detection unit 53 is an example of an embodiment of the dense part detection unit in the present invention, and the dense part detection function is an example of an embodiment of the dense part detection function in the present invention.
For example, the dense portion detection unit 53 sets a portion where the number of microstructures per unit area is a predetermined value or more as a dense portion. Further, the dense part detection unit 53 may detect the dense part based on the distance between two adjacent minute structures. When performing detection based on the distance between two adjacent microstructures, for example, the dense-portion detection unit 53 identifies, for each microstructure, the nearest other microstructure, and identifies these as two adjacent microstructures. To do. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, for the microstructure X1, the microstructure X2 is the closest microstructure, and for the microstructure X2, the microstructure X3 is the closest microstructure. To do. In this case, the microstructures X1 and X2 and the microstructures X2 and X3 are two adjacent microstructures. Then, the dense part detection unit 53 determines whether or not all the distances D between two adjacent minute structures are smaller than a predetermined threshold value DTH , and those that are smaller than the threshold value DTH are more than a predetermined number. If there are too many, it will be a dense part.
The emphasized image display control unit 54 causes the display unit 6 to display an emphasized image in which the dense part detected by the dense part detection unit 53 is emphasized (enhanced image display control function). Details will be described later. The enhanced image display control unit 54 is an example of an embodiment of the enhanced image display control unit in the present invention, and the enhanced image display control function is an example of an embodiment of the enhanced image display control function in the present invention.
The display unit 6 includes an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like. The operation unit 7 includes a keyboard and a pointing device (not shown) for an operator to input instructions and information.
The control unit 8 includes a CPU (CentRal Processing Unit). The control unit 8 reads a control program stored in a storage unit (not shown), and performs functions in each unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 including the extraction function, the dense part detection function, and the emphasized image display control function. Let it run.
Now, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of this example will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S1, transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves to the subject are started by the ultrasonic probe 2, and an echo signal is acquired. A B-mode image created based on this echo signal is displayed on the display unit 6. Next, in step S2, the extraction unit 52 extracts a minute structure. When the minute structure is extracted in step S2, the dense portion detection unit 53 detects the dense portion in step S3.
When a dense part is detected in step S3, the emphasized image display control unit 54 displays an emphasized image in which the dense part is emphasized in step S4. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the emphasized image display control unit 54 displays a point α on each microstructure (not shown) in the dense portion as an emphasized image EG in the B-mode image BG displayed on the display unit 6. Is displayed. In this example, the point α is displayed in white. However, it may be displayed in a color other than white. Further, the point α may be blinked. The point α is an example of an embodiment of an emphasized image in the present invention, and is an example of an embodiment of an image that indicates each microstructure.
However, the enhanced image EG is not limited to the point α. Explaining another example of the emphasized image EG, the emphasized image display control unit 54 may display a circle β surrounding each microstructure X in the dense portion as the emphasized image EG as shown in FIG. This circle β is also an example of an embodiment of an image indicating each microstructure in the present invention.
Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the emphasized image display control unit 54 displays an image surrounding the entire dense portion, that is, one circle γ surrounding all the minute structures X in the dense portion as the emphasized image EG. Good. Furthermore, the emphasized image display control unit 54 may display an enlarged image δ of the dense portion as the emphasized image EG as shown in FIG. In the present example, the enlarged image δ is an enlarged image of a part of the dense portion, and is an enlarged image of the region A indicated by a one-dot chain line (virtual line) set with the cursor C as a reference. The area A can be set to a desired position by moving the cursor C using the pointing device of the operation unit 7 or the like, and an enlarged image δ of the desired area can be displayed. ing.
Here, the emphasized image display control unit 54 may switch between display and non-display of the emphasized image EG. In this case, the emphasized image display control unit 54 switches between display and non-display of the emphasized image EG based on, for example, an input from the operation unit 7.
According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 described above, since the emphasized image EG is displayed, it is possible to display an image that makes it easy to find a site suspected of being malignant.
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the said embodiment, of course, this invention can be variously implemented in the range which does not change the main point.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 52 Extraction part 53 Dense part detection part 54 Enhanced image display control part EG Enhanced image X Microstructure
Claims (9)
- An extraction unit for extracting a minute structure in an ultrasonic image;
A dense part detection unit for detecting a dense part of the extracted microstructure;
An emphasized image display control unit for displaying an emphasized image in which the detected dense portion is emphasized;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: - The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dense part detection unit detects the dense part based on the number of microstructures per unit area.
- The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the dense part detection unit detects the dense part based on a distance between two adjacent minute structures.
- The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enhanced image is an image indicating each microstructure in the dense portion.
- The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emphasized image is an image surrounding the entire dense portion.
- The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the enhanced image is an enlarged image of the dense part.
- 7. The extraction unit according to claim 1, wherein the extraction unit extracts a point that is brighter than the surroundings in the ultrasonic image based on an ultrasonic echo signal transmitted to the subject. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one item.
- The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the emphasized image display control unit switches between display and non-display of the emphasized image.
- On the computer,
An extraction function for extracting microstructures in an ultrasound image;
A dense part detection function for detecting a dense part of the extracted microstructure;
An emphasized image display control function for displaying an emphasized image in which the detected dense portion is emphasized;
A control program for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, characterized in that
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Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2702948A1 (en) * | 2012-08-28 | 2014-03-05 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Object information acquisition apparatus, display method |
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| JPH1156845A (en) * | 1997-06-04 | 1999-03-02 | Advanced Technol Lab Inc | Ultrasonic image processor for diagnosing chest and ultrasonography |
| JP2003305028A (en) * | 2002-04-15 | 2003-10-28 | General Electric Co <Ge> | Method and apparatus for providing mammographic image metrics to clinician |
| JP2003310587A (en) * | 2002-04-26 | 2003-11-05 | Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd | Display device for abnormal shadow detected result |
| JP2009207545A (en) * | 2008-02-29 | 2009-09-17 | Fujifilm Corp | Image display method and apparatus |
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Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH1156845A (en) * | 1997-06-04 | 1999-03-02 | Advanced Technol Lab Inc | Ultrasonic image processor for diagnosing chest and ultrasonography |
| JP2003305028A (en) * | 2002-04-15 | 2003-10-28 | General Electric Co <Ge> | Method and apparatus for providing mammographic image metrics to clinician |
| JP2003310587A (en) * | 2002-04-26 | 2003-11-05 | Fuji Photo Film Co Ltd | Display device for abnormal shadow detected result |
| JP2009207545A (en) * | 2008-02-29 | 2009-09-17 | Fujifilm Corp | Image display method and apparatus |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP2702948A1 (en) * | 2012-08-28 | 2014-03-05 | Canon Kabushiki Kaisha | Object information acquisition apparatus, display method |
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