JP2020062200A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and display method - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable recognition of the current position and direction of a probe while making a manual scanning coordinate system a background, without moving a line of sight from a display screen in a manual scanning step.SOLUTION: A manual scanning guide 78 is displayed in performing manual scanning of a probe. The manual scanning guide 78 is composed of a probe symbol 80 and a coordinate system symbol 82. The probe symbol 80 is composed of a position indicator 80a and a direction indicator 80b. When positional deviation in an X axial direction occurs, the probe symbol 80 moves vertically. When the direction of the probe is deviated from a Z axis, the probe symbol 80 performs an inclined motion (rotary motion).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a display method, and more particularly to assisting probe operation.

  Ultrasonic diagnostic devices are used in the medical field. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is an apparatus that forms an ultrasonic image based on data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a living body. Recently, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an RVS (Real-time Virtual Sonography) function or a function equivalent thereto is becoming widespread, and it is expected that the function will be utilized more and more. According to the RVS function, for example, it is possible to simultaneously observe a real-time tomographic image showing a certain cross section in the living body and another tomographic image (CT image, MRI image, etc.) showing the same cross section. Calibration is performed prior to using the RVS function. The calibration is to match or match the coordinate system of the volume data acquired by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with the coordinate system of the volume data acquired by another medical apparatus.

JP, 2015-156907, A JP, 2005-124712, A

  There is known a technique for acquiring volume data from a three-dimensional space in a living body by manually scanning a probe provided with a one-dimensional vibrating element array (manual scanning). Such manual scanning is performed, for example, prior to coordinate system calibration or prior to volume rendering. To improve the accuracy of coordinate system calibration or the quality of the rendered image, maintain or adjust the position and orientation of the probe so that the probe performs a predetermined movement (for example, parallel movement) during the manual scanning process. There is a need to. That is, from the viewpoint of using the volume data, it is required to perform the manual scanning so that the arrangement of the plurality of frame data forming the volume data is optimized. In many cases, manual scanning must be performed while observing the displayed ultrasonic image, that is, without moving the line of sight from the display screen.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique of displaying the manual scanning direction of the probe as a projection image on the body surface of the subject. According to that technique, it is necessary to move the line of sight from the display screen during manual scanning. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique that assists in matching the current position and orientation of the probe with the registered past position and orientation. That technique cannot assist in adjusting the position and orientation of the probe at individual points in the manual scanning process.

  It is an object of the invention to support manual scanning of probes. Alternatively, it is an object of the present invention to be able to recognize the current position information about the probe in the manual scanning process without moving the line of sight from the display screen.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is a scanner that is manually scanned to form a beam scanning surface, an acquisition unit that acquires position information about the probe, and a tomographic image based on data obtained from the beam scanning surface. A manual including a tomographic image forming unit that forms an image, a coordinate system symbol indicating a manual scanning coordinate system defined based on initial position information about the probe, and a probe symbol indicating current position information about the probe The present invention is characterized by including a guide generation unit that generates a scanning guide, and a display unit that displays the tomographic image and the manual scanning guide.

  A display method according to the present invention includes a step of displaying a tomographic image based on data obtained from a beam scanning surface formed by a probe, and a step of displaying a manual scanning guide together with the tomographic image, The scanning guide includes a coordinate system symbol indicating a manual scanning coordinate system defined based on an initial position and an initial orientation of the probe, and a probe symbol indicating a current position and a current orientation of the probe. It is a thing.

  According to the present invention, manual scanning of the probe can be supported. Alternatively, according to the present invention, in the manual scanning process, it is possible to recognize the current position information of the probe against the background of the manual scanning coordinate system without moving the line of sight from the display screen.

It is a block diagram which shows the ultrasonic diagnosing device which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a manual scan. It is a figure for demonstrating the calibration of a coordinate system. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the tomographic image and reference image which show the same cross section. It is a figure showing a plurality of frame data acquired by manual scanning. It is a figure which shows the initial state about the 1st example of a manual scanning guide. It is a figure showing the 1st state about the 1st example of a manual scanning guide. It is a figure showing the 2nd state about the 1st example of a manual scanning guide. It is a flowchart which shows a calibration operation. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of a manual scanning guide. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of a manual scanning guide. It is a figure which shows the 4th example of a manual scanning guide.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

(1) Outline of Embodiment An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment includes a probe, an acquisition unit, a tomographic image forming unit, a guide generation unit, and a display unit. The probe is manually scanned to form a beam scanning surface. The acquisition unit acquires the position information about the probe. The tomographic image forming unit forms a tomographic image based on the data obtained from the beam scanning surface. The guide generation unit generates a manual scanning guide including a coordinate system symbol indicating a manual scanning coordinate system defined based on initial position information about the probe and a probe symbol indicating current position information about the probe. The tomographic image and the manual scanning guide are displayed on the display unit.

  According to the above configuration, by observing the manual scanning guide, it is possible to accurately recognize the current position information about the probe while using the coordinate system symbol indicating the manual scanning coordinate system as the background. Then, it becomes possible to adjust the position, direction (posture), etc. of the probe. Since the manual scanning guide is displayed together with the tomographic image, it is not necessary to remove the line of sight from the display screen when adjusting the position and orientation of the probe. The position information is a concept including one or both of the position and the direction. The manual scanning coordinate system is, in embodiments, conveniently defined by the probe itself, in other words, at the discretion of the user. For example, it is possible to define a manual scanning coordinate system even before coordinate system calibration.

  In the embodiment, the manual scanning coordinate system is defined based on the initial position and the initial orientation as the initial position information, and the probe symbol is generated based on the current position and the current orientation as the current position information. The position of the probe symbol changes with respect to the coordinate system symbol in accordance with the deviation of the current position, and the direction of the probe symbol changes with respect to the coordinate system symbol in accordance with the deviation of the current direction from the initial orientation. According to this configuration, it is possible to recognize the degree of deviation of the current position and the degree of deviation of the current direction in real time by observing the manual scanning guide.

  As for the probe, the y-axis as the center axis of the probe, the z-axis corresponding to the normal line of the beam scanning surface, the y-axis and the x-axis orthogonal to the z-axis, the rotation angle α around the y-axis, and the rotation angle β around the x-axis. , The rotation angle γ about the z-axis can be defined. Of these six coordinate components, it is desirable to construct a simple coordinate system symbol and probe symbol so that a small number of coordinate components that are particularly important in manual scanning can be recognized. For example, a manual scanning guide is one that displays a limited two or three coordinate components. By doing so, confusion in recognizing the current situation and confusion in operating the probe are less likely to occur.

  In the embodiment, the initial position and the initial orientation are the position and orientation of the probe at the time when the initial setting signal is generated, the probe is brought into contact with the living body, and the manual scanning direction of the probe is fixed. An initialization signal is generated at. The initialization signal is generated automatically or manually. After the probe is brought into contact with the surface of the living body, the user may instruct generation of the initial setting signal in a state where the position and the orientation of the probe are proper. The initialization signal may be automatically generated when the position and orientation of the probe last for a certain period of time. Even if it is necessary to observe the probe and tissue when determining the initial position and orientation, after that, the position and orientation of the probe are adjusted by referring to the manual scanning guide, that is, without removing the line of sight from the display screen. it can. However, the probe or the like may be observed during the manual scanning, if necessary.

  In the embodiment, the coordinate system symbol has a first axis defined by the initial orientation and a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. The probe symbol is an indicator that indicates the current position, a position indicator that moves on or along the orthogonal axis, and an indicator that indicates the current direction, which is an orientation indicator that tilts with respect to the direction axis. And, including. With this configuration, it becomes easy to individually specify the positional deviation and the orientation deviation. The first axis corresponds to the z axis, and the second axis corresponds to the x axis or the y axis. A configuration in which the position indicator moves in the orthogonal axis direction at a position apart from the orthogonal axis instead of on the orthogonal axis may be adopted.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment includes a calibration unit that performs coordinate system calibration between volume data obtained by manual scanning of the probe and other volume data obtained by another apparatus. The quality of coordinate system calibration can be improved by improving the quality of volume data. A manual scanning guide may be displayed when manual scanning is performed after coordinate system calibration.

  The display method according to the embodiment includes a step of displaying a tomographic image based on data obtained from a beam scanning surface formed by the probe, and a step of displaying a manual scanning guide together with the tomographic image. The manual scanning guide includes a coordinate system symbol indicating a manual scanning coordinate system defined based on an initial position and an initial orientation of the probe, and a probe symbol indicating a current position and a current orientation of the probe. This display method can be realized as a function of hardware or as a function of software. In the latter case, the program for executing the above display method is installed in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus via a portable storage medium or a network.

(2) Details of Embodiment FIG. 1 shows an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is an apparatus that is installed in a medical institution such as a hospital and forms an ultrasonic image based on received data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from a living body.

  The probe 10 as an ultrasonic probe is a so-called intraoperative probe used during surgery in the present embodiment. That is, the probe 10 is used by being brought into contact with the surface of the exposed organ in the laparotomy state. The organ is, for example, the liver. A probe that abuts the surface (eg, abdomen) of the subject may be used.

  The probe 10 includes a probe head, a cable and a connector. The probe head is provided with a one-dimensional vibrating element array (1D vibrating element array). In the embodiment, the 1D vibrating element array includes a plurality of vibrating elements arranged in an arc shape. Ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received by the 1D vibrating element array, thereby forming ultrasonic beams. The beam scanning surface 12 is formed by electronically scanning the ultrasonic beam. As an electronic scanning method, an electronic linear scanning method, an electronic sector scanning method, etc. are known. In the embodiment, an electronic convex scanning method, which is one aspect of the electronic linear scanning method, is adopted. The probe head is held by a plurality of fingers of a surgeon who is a user. A 1D vibrating element array including a plurality of linearly arranged vibrating elements may be provided in the probe head.

  In the embodiment, the probe 10 is manually scanned along the surface of the liver while the wave transmission / reception surface of the probe 10 is kept in contact with the surface of the liver. In FIG. 1, the manual scanning is indicated by reference numeral 13. The probe after movement is indicated by reference numeral 10A. The manual scanning direction is basically a direction orthogonal to the beam scanning surface 12 at the time of initial setting. By this manual scanning, a plurality of beam scanning surfaces 12 are formed at a plurality of spatially different positions, and a plurality of frame data corresponding to them are acquired. These frame data form volume data described later.

  A magnetic sensor 14 is provided on the probe 10, specifically on the probe head of the probe 10. A magnetic field for positioning (three-dimensional magnetic field) is generated by the magnetic field generator 16, and the magnetic field is detected by the magnetic sensor 14. The detection signal output from the magnetic sensor 14 is sent to the positioning controller 18. A drive signal is sent from the positioning controller 18 to the magnetic field generator. The positioning controller 18 calculates the position and orientation of the probe provided with the magnetic sensor 14, that is, the position and orientation of the beam scanning surface 12, based on the detection signal output from the magnetic sensor 14. . That is, in the embodiment, the position information is calculated for each frame data. The calculated position information is output to the control unit 38 described later. The positioning controller 18 can be configured as an electronic circuit. The positioning controller 18 may be incorporated in the control unit 38. The magnetic sensor 14, the magnetic field generator 16, and the positioning controller 18 constitute a positioning system.

  The transmitting unit 20 is a transmission beamformer that supplies a plurality of transmission signals in parallel to a plurality of vibrating elements forming a 1D vibrating element array during transmission, and is configured as an electronic circuit. The reception unit 22 is a reception beamformer that performs phasing addition (delay addition) of a plurality of reception signals output in parallel from a plurality of vibrating elements forming a 1D vibrating element array during reception, which is an electronic circuit. Configured as. The reception unit 22 includes a plurality of A / D converters, a detection circuit, and the like. Beam data is generated by phasing addition of a plurality of reception signals in the reception unit 22. Each frame data is composed of a plurality of beam data arranged in the electronic scanning direction. Each beam data is composed of a plurality of echo data arranged in the depth direction. A beam data processing unit is provided after the receiving unit 22, but the illustration thereof is omitted.

  The tomographic image forming unit 24 is configured by a processor including a digital scan converter (DSC) in the embodiment. The DSC has a coordinate conversion function, a pixel interpolation function, a frame rate conversion function, and the like. The tomographic image forming unit 24 sequentially forms a plurality of tomographic images based on the plurality of frame data that are sequentially input. The substance of each tomographic image is frame data (display frame data) after coordinate conversion. Each frame data is composed of a plurality of luminance data arranged in two dimensions. The plurality of frame data sequentially output from the tomographic image forming unit 24 are sent to the display processing unit 26.

  Under control of the control unit 38, the 3D memory 27 stores the frame data string output from the reception unit 22, that is, volume data. Specifically, the 3D memory 27 stores a plurality of frame data generated within a period from the time point when the start of capturing is determined to the time point when the end of capturing is determined. In the embodiment, the initial setting signal is generated manually or automatically, and the start of capturing is determined when the initial setting signal is generated. When storing each frame data in the 3D memory 27, the position information may be stored in association with each frame data. Each of the stored position information indicates a spatial relationship between the plurality of frame data. The position information is used for coordinate system calibration or other purposes. The coordinate conversion may be performed based on the position information when writing each frame data, or the coordinate conversion may be performed based on the position information when reading each frame data. The frame data sequentially output from the tomographic image forming unit 24 may be stored in the 3D memory 27.

  The three-dimensional image forming unit 28 forms a three-dimensional image based on the volume data stored in the 3D memory 27. The three-dimensional image is a three-dimensional image of the tissue. When forming a three-dimensional image, a volume rendering method, a surface rendering method, or the like is used.

  The 3D memory 30 stores volume data 31 acquired by another medical apparatus (for example, an X-ray CT apparatus, an MRI apparatus, another ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus). The volume data is acquired from the same subject, and specifically, is acquired from a three-dimensional region including the liver of the same person.

  The reference image forming unit 32 forms a tomographic image, a three-dimensional image, or the like as a reference image based on the volume data in the 3D memory 30. When the RVS function is executed, the reference image forming unit 32 forms a tomographic image showing the same cross section as the currently displayed tomographic image as an MPR (Multi-Planar Reconstruction) image.

  The manual scanning guide generation unit 34 generates a manual scanning guide under the control of the control unit 38. Position information from the control unit 38 is given to the manual scanning guide generation unit 34, and the manual scanning guide generation unit 34 generates a manual operation guide based on the positional information. The manual scanning guide is an image displayed together with the real-time tomographic image, and is an image that supports the manual scanning. Specifically, as described below, the manual scanning guide includes a coordinate system indicator and a probe indicator. A manual scanning coordinate system is defined based on the position (initial position) and orientation (initial orientation) of the probe at the time when the initialization signal is generated, and a coordinate system indicator is generated to represent the manual scanning coordinate system. A probe indicator showing the current position and orientation of the probe is generated against the background of the coordinate system indicator. In the manual scanning process, it is possible to confirm that the position (current position) and orientation (current orientation) of the probe are correct by referring to the manual scanning guide, or the position (current position) and orientation (current orientation) of the probe are confirmed. It can be modified. Data indicating the manual scanning guide is sent to the display processing unit 26.

  Tomographic image data, three-dimensional image data, reference image data, manual scanning guide data, and the like are input to the display processing unit 26. The display processing unit 26 has an image synthesizing function, a color processing function, a graphic image generating function, and the like. The display processing unit 26 forms a display image to be displayed on the display unit 36. The display unit 36 is composed of an LCD, an organic EL display device, or the like. The operation panel 42 connected to the control unit 38 is an input device, which has a plurality of switches, a plurality of buttons, a trackball, a keyboard, and the like.

  The three-dimensional image forming unit 28, the reference image forming unit 32, the manual scanning guide generating unit 34, and the display processing unit 26 are each configured by a processor, for example. They may be configured by a single processor. They may be realized as a function of the control unit 38. They may be configured by other devices.

  The control unit 38 functions as a control unit, and is configured by a CPU and an operation program in the embodiment. The control unit 38 controls the operation of each component shown in FIG. In the embodiment, the control unit 38 has a coordinate system calibration function, a manual scanning support function, a volume data acquisition control function, an RVS function, and the like. The coordinate system calibration function is represented as the calibration unit 40 in FIG.

  The manual scanning guide generation unit 34 functions when executing the manual scanning support function. The volume data capture control function is a function for automatically determining the capture start and capture end of the frame data sequence forming the volume data in the manual scanning process of the probe 10. The initialization signal may be automatically generated if the position and orientation are maintained for a period of time after abutting the tissue. The contact with the tissue may be automatically determined based on the frame data sequence, and the initialization signal may be automatically generated at that time. Then, the capture of the frame data may be started by using the generation of the initial setting signal as a trigger. The capturing end signal may be automatically generated when the manual scanning is performed for a certain distance or for a certain time, or when the necessary number of frame data is captured. It may be automatically determined that the probe 10 has moved away from the living body, and the capture end signal may be generated at that time.

  The calibration unit 40 functions during coordinate system calibration. At that time, the two volume data stored in the 3D memories 27 and 30 are read into the control unit 38. Here, in order to avoid confusion, the volume data acquired by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as first volume data, and the volume data acquired by another medical apparatus is referred to as second volume data. Express. The calibration unit 40 automatically recognizes a predetermined object (image of a predetermined portion) in the first volume data, and defines a coordinate system with the position and orientation of the predetermined object as a reference. The predetermined object is, for example, a portal vein image corresponding to the portal vein in the liver or the vicinity of the portal vein. The coordinate system defined based on the object is applied to the first volume data. For the second volume data stored in the 3D memory 30, the coordinate system is already defined in another medical device with the portal vein image as a reference. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the same processing as above may be applied to the second volume data to define the coordinate system. With the above processing, it is possible to match the coordinate system between the two volume data. For object recognition, for example, a machine learning type classifier may be used. It can be configured by, for example, a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network).

  FIG. 2 shows an example of manual scanning. The probe 10 is brought into contact with the surface of the liver 50 exposed in the laparotomy state, and the probe 10 is manually scanned (translated) while the contact state of the probe 10 is maintained. At the start of the manual scanning, the probe 10 is positioned at a predetermined position and the orientation of the probe 10 is aligned with a predetermined direction so that the portal vein image as the coordinate system defining object can be captured. The manual scanning distance (target distance) is, for example, a predetermined value within a range of 3 to 8 cm, and the distance can be set arbitrarily. The probe at the end of the manual scanning is indicated by reference numeral 10A.

  FIG. 3 shows the first volume data 56 and the second volume data 52. The first volume data 56 is obtained by the above manual scanning. The first volume data 56 is composed of a plurality of frame data 58 arranged in the storage space. Here, # 1 shows the first frame data, and #n shows the last frame data. A portal image 60 is included in the first volume data 56. The second volume data 52 is previously acquired by another medical device, and the portal vein image 54 is also included in the second volume data 52. For the second volume data 52, an X'Y'Z 'coordinate system is defined with the portal image 54 as a reference.

  In the embodiment, after the first volume data 56 is acquired, the portal vein image 60 in the first volume data 56 is automatically extracted or recognized, and the first volume data 56 is used as a reference. An XYZ coordinate system is defined for. The XYZ coordinate system is a coordinate system associated with the X'Y'Z 'coordinate system. By this coordinate system calibration, when a certain cross section is designated in the first volume data 56, the same cross section can be specified in the second volume data 52. In the embodiment, the manual scanning of the probe is performed before the coordinate system calibration is performed in order to acquire the volume data necessary for the coordinate system calibration. Of course, manual scanning of the probe may be performed for other purposes. The coordinate system may be calibrated using a method other than that described above.

  FIG. 4 illustrates an image 62 displayed by executing the above RVS function. In the illustrated example, the image 62 includes a tomographic image 64 and a reference image 66. The tomographic image 64 is a real-time image formed based on the frame data sequence acquired from the beam scanning plane, and is a moving image representing a certain tissue cross section in the living body. The reference image 66 is a still image showing the same cross section as the tissue cross section. For example, the reference image 66 is formed based on the volume data acquired by the X-ray CT apparatus. Reference numeral 68 indicates an area corresponding to the beam scanning surface.

  FIG. 5 shows a frame data string 72 obtained by manual scanning. A coordinate system (manual scanning coordinate system) xyz is defined based on the position and orientation of the probe when the initialization signal is generated. The y-axis corresponds to the probe center axis. The z-axis corresponds to the direction of the probe, that is, the normal to the beam scanning surface 70. The z-axis direction is the manual scanning direction. The x-axis is an axis orthogonal to the y-axis and the z-axis. In the illustrated example, the apex of the beam scanning plane 70 is the transmission / reception origin, which coincides with the origin of the xyz coordinate system. The angle around the y-axis is represented by α, the angle around the y-axis is represented by β, and the angle around the z-axis is represented by γ.

  FIG. 6 shows a first example of the manual scanning guide. Specifically, FIG. 6 shows the manual scanning guide 78 at the time when the initial setting signal is generated. The display image 74 includes a tomographic image 76 and a manual scanning guide 78. The manual scanning guide 78 includes a probe symbol 80 and a coordinate system symbol 82. In the first example, the probe symbol 80 includes a position indicator 80a having a round shape and a direction indicator 80b having a triangular shape. The position indicator 80a and the orientation indicator 80b are integrated, and both move integrally. The coordinate system symbol 82 is composed of a line 82z representing the z axis, that is, a moving direction, and a line 82x representing the x axis. The line 82x has a form extending in the left-right direction in FIG. 6, but the probe symbol 80 moves only in the vertical direction in FIG. 6, that is, moves only on the line 82x. A message 84 is displayed for a predetermined time after the generation of the initialization signal. The message prompts a parallel movement of the probe in the scanning direction. According to the message, the manual scanning is started.

  FIG. 7 shows the manual scanning guide 78 in the case where displacement occurs. Although the orientation does not change during the manual scanning process, if the position of the probe shifts in the x-axis direction (+ x direction), the manual scanning guide 78 moves to the + x side as indicated by reference numeral 86. The position after the shift is indicated by + x1. Within the probe symbol 80, the position indicator 80a is displaced toward the + x side, while the orientation indicator 80b is oriented parallel to the z-axis. Specifically, the control unit displays the message 88 when the difference between the initial position and the current position on the x-axis exceeds a certain value. The message 88 indicates, for example, that a displacement has occurred, or requests that the probe be moved so that the displacement is eliminated. When the positional deviation is eliminated, the position indicator 80a returns to the origin of the coordinate system symbol.

  FIG. 8 shows the manual scanning guide 78 in the case where the orientation is further deviated from the state shown in FIG. The orientation of the probe changes by the angle α around the y-axis. As a result, the probe symbol 80, specifically the orientation indicator 80b, is tilted so that the orientation indicated thereby is away from the z-axis. A message 90 is displayed when the angle α exceeds a certain value. The message 90 indicates that misalignment has occurred, or requests that the posture of the probe be changed so that misalignment is eliminated. When the misalignment is eliminated, the orientation of the orientation indicator 80b becomes parallel to the z axis.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation at the time of coordinate system calibration. This operation is executed under the control of the control unit. In the state where the ultrasonic beam is repeatedly scanned, the following series of steps are executed.

  In S10, it is determined whether to start this process. In the embodiment, the initial setting signal is automatically or manually generated, and at the generation point of time, the start of this process is determined in S10, and the processes of S12 and thereafter are executed. In S12, the manual scanning coordinate system is defined based on the initial position information, that is, based on the initial position and the initial orientation of the probe. In S14, the probe symbol is generated based on the current position information, and the manual scanning guide including the probe symbol is displayed near the tomographic image. In S16, the frame data acquired by beam scanning is stored in the 3D memory.

  The above S14 and S16 are repeatedly executed until it is determined in S18 that the ending condition is satisfied. During the manual scanning process, the user can adjust the position and orientation of the probe or move the probe so that the initial position and initial orientation are maintained by referring to the manual scanning guide. Examples of the termination condition include various conditions such as an instruction to terminate the manual scanning, reaching a predetermined manual scanning distance, reaching a predetermined manual scanning time, and completion of capturing a predetermined number of frames. The end of manual scanning may be determined by the detachment of the probe from the living body.

  In S20, the number of captured frame data is referred to, and it is determined whether the number is less than k. If the number is less than k, error processing is executed in S22. For example, a message prompting another manual scan is displayed. When it is determined in S20 that the number of captured frame data is k or more, the volume data in the 3D memory is analyzed in S24. For example, a predetermined object is automatically extracted. In S26, a coordinate system is defined for the volume data based on the processing result of S24. The coordinate system is the same as the coordinate system defined for volume data acquired by another device. Then, if necessary, ultrasonic diagnosis is performed under the execution of the RVS function.

  FIG. 10 shows a second example of the manual scanning guide. The same elements as those shown in FIG. 6 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. This also applies to each of the drawings starting from FIG.

  In FIG. 10, the manual scanning guide 92 includes a coordinate system symbol 94 and a probe symbol 96. The coordinate system symbol 94 is composed of a line 94z representing the z axis and a line 94y representing the y axis. The probe symbol 96 includes an origin indicator 96a and a direction indicator 96b. They are integrated. In the example shown in the figure, the probe is swing-scanned (tilted scan) when the volume data is captured, and the swing angle, that is, the angle β around the x-axis at that time is expressed as the direction of the direction indicator 96b. The origin indicator 96a does not move in either the z-axis direction or the y-axis direction. A message 98 is displayed along with the manual scanning guide 92. The message 98 prompts swing scanning.

  FIG. 11 shows a third example of the manual scanning guide. Below the display image 74, a manual scanning guide 78 and a manual scanning guide 99 are shown in two stages. This manual scanning guide pair is displayed when parallel scanning is manually performed. The manual scanning guide 78 represents displacement of the probe in the x direction and displacement of the probe orientation around the y axis. The manual scanning guide 99 represents the misalignment of the probe about the y-axis. That is, three of the six coordinate components in the coordinate system are displayed. The probe symbol in the manual scanning guide 99 also performs only rotational movement around the origin of the coordinate system symbol.

  FIG. 12 shows a fourth example of the manual scanning guide. The manual scanning guide 102 is displayed below the displayed image. The manual scanning guide 102 has a coordinate system symbol 104, which includes a line 104z indicating the z-axis, a line 194xs indicating the x-axis across the start position, and a line 104xg indicating the x-axis across the goal position.

  The probe symbol 106 moves along the z-axis according to the probe movement in the z-direction during manual scanning. Past history is shown by reference numerals 106A, 106B, 106C, and 106D. Such history may be actually displayed, or the movement trajectory may be displayed in place of such history. The manual scanning guide 102 includes a scale 108. It functions as a scale in the z-axis direction.

  According to the fourth example shown in FIG. 12, since the probe symbol 106 moves in the screen, it becomes easy to intuitively recognize the distance of manual scanning or the distance to the goal. Further, by displaying the history or the display corresponding thereto, it becomes easy to evaluate the quality of the frame data sequence afterwards.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the positional deviation or the misorientation exceeds a certain level, an alarm sound or the like may be generated in addition to the message. A message may be displayed and an electronic sound may be generated when the manual scanning satisfies the termination condition. Instead of moving the probe symbol, the coordinate system symbol may be moved. The manual scanning guide may be displayed so that the manual scanning direction is the vertical direction.

10 probe, 12 beam scanning plane, 14 magnetic sensor, 16 magnetic field generator, 18 positioning controller, 24 tomographic image forming unit, 26 display processing unit, 32 reference image forming unit, 34 manual scanning guide generating unit, 38 control unit, 40 Calibration unit, 78 manual scanning guide, 80 probe symbol, 82 coordinate system symbol.

Claims (7)

A probe that is manually scanned to form a beam scan plane;
An acquisition unit that acquires position information about the probe,
A tomographic image forming unit that forms a tomographic image based on the data obtained from the beam scanning surface,
A guide generation unit that generates a manual scanning guide including a coordinate system symbol indicating a manual scanning coordinate system defined based on initial position information about the probe and a probe symbol indicating current position information about the probe,
A display unit for displaying the tomographic image and the manual scanning guide,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
The manual scanning coordinate system is defined based on an initial position and an initial orientation as the initial position information,
The probe symbol is generated based on the current position and the current direction as the current position information,
The position of the probe symbol changes with respect to the coordinate system symbol according to the deviation of the current position from the initial position,
The orientation of the probe symbol changes with respect to the coordinate system symbol according to the deviation of the current orientation from the initial orientation,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by the above. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2,
The initial position and the initial orientation are the position and orientation of the probe at the time when the initial setting signal is generated,
The probe is brought into contact with a living body, and the initial setting signal is generated at a stage where the manual scanning direction of the probe is determined.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by the above. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2,
The coordinate system symbol is
A directional axis defined by the initial orientation,
An orthogonal axis orthogonal to the direction axis,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,
The probe symbol is
An indicator showing the current position, a position indicator that moves on the orthogonal axis or moves along the orthogonal axis,
An indicator showing the current orientation, which is an orientation indicator that tilts with respect to the direction axis,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
A calibration means for performing coordinate system calibration between volume data obtained by manual scanning of the probe and volume data obtained by another device;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by the above. Displaying a tomographic image based on the data obtained from the beam scanning surface formed by the probe;
Displaying a manual scanning guide with the tomographic image,
Including,
The manual scanning guide is
A coordinate system symbol indicating a manual scanning coordinate system defined based on the initial position and the initial orientation of the probe,
A probe symbol indicating the current position and current direction of the probe,
A display method comprising: