JP2768959B2 - Ultrasound diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a two-dimensional color flow mapping method (CFM).
Method) calculates and displays the velocity of blood flow by the method, and in particular, displays the acceleration of the blood flow two-dimensionally (2D display) of XY or three-dimensionally (3D display) of XYT (T is time). The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of performing the above. Here, with the two-dimensional color flow mapping method, pulse Doppler measurement is to measure the blood flow velocity at a specified specific site, but this is enlarged to a two-dimensional cross section, and the blood flow velocity This is a color display of the color.

(Prior art)

As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a probe 1, a Doppler detection circuit 2, an analog / digital (A / D) conversion circuit 3 of a detected Doppler signal, and a moving target indicating device (Moving). Target Indicator: MTI), blood flow velocity (VEL)
O) It comprises a speed calculation circuit 4 for performing calculations, a frame memory 5 having a surface configuration, a display circuit 6 for performing TV display conversion, and a monitor 7.

For example, in the case of examining the pulsatility of a blood vessel by this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the ultrasonic reception signal from the probe 1 is frozen, and FIG. , F is the frequency), a one-dimensional stationary Doppler pattern is displayed, and two points (v ₁ , v ₂ ) as measurement marker points are determined by a computer or the like, the acceleration between them is obtained, and the numerical value is obtained. it's shown.

If the pulsatility of the blood vessels is poor, the acceleration decreases, so that a clinical diagnosis can be made.

However, actual diagnosis requires pulsatile acceleration of blood vessels in real time, and in order to achieve it,
This was not possible with the conventional technique using a frozen image.

Therefore, FIG. 8A (when the pulsatility of blood vessels is good) and FIG.
As shown in Fig. 8B (when blood vessel pulsatility is poor), a two-dimensional blood flow velocity color display (two-dimensional color flow map) by CFM method is used to perform real-time blood vessel pulsatility inspection. ing.

8A and 8B, for example, in the case of performing the linear electronic scanning, if blood is flowing in the direction of the arrow,
The red display indicates that the blood O is approaching the blood vessel P, and the blue display indicates that the blood O is moving away.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, in the above-described blood vessel pulsatility test by the conventional CFM method, the two-dimensional blood flow velocity color display (two-dimensional color flow map) is visually judged, so that the severity of the disease is determined (diagnosis). Was difficult.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of adding the quantitativeness of blood flow acceleration to two-dimensional color flow map information or three-dimensional display information by a CFM method.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention are as follows.
It will be apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the subject and scans the inside of the subject with ultrasonic waves, and the inside of the subject obtained by scanning the probe. Doppler detection means for detecting the Doppler signal from the blood flow information, a signal obtained by inputting a signal obtained by digitizing the Doppler signal from the Doppler detection means, and velocity calculation means for calculating the blood flow velocity from the digital signal. A frame memory in which the obtained blood flow velocity data is written, the blood flow velocity data written in the frame memory, the blood flow velocity data in the frame next to the blood flow velocity data, and these two blood flow velocity data Acceleration calculating means for calculating the acceleration of the blood flow between the two frames from the detected time interval, control means for controlling the acceleration calculating means, and an acceleration calculated by the acceleration calculating means. It is characterized in that it comprises a display means for displaying the time data 2D.

Further, a probe for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to / from the subject, a Doppler detecting means for detecting a Doppler signal from blood flow information in the subject by scanning the probe, and a Doppler signal from the Doppler detecting means. Speed calculation means for inputting the converted signal and calculating the blood flow velocity from the digital signal, and frame memory means for writing a plurality of blood flow velocity data obtained by one scan in a time series for each frame. The time series blood flow velocity data and the blood flow velocity data of the next frame of the certain time phase are sequentially read from the frame memory means in pairs, and the time intervals between the frames are used. Calculation means for calculating the acceleration by the acceleration calculation means, control means for controlling the acceleration calculation means, and graphic data for storing a plurality of acceleration data calculated by the acceleration calculation means. And Li, is characterized in that it comprises a display means for reading out the two-dimensional display in chronological multiple acceleration data stored in the graphic memory in chronological order of those data.

[Action]

According to the means, an acceleration calculating means for calculating the acceleration from the blood flow velocity data is provided, and the acceleration data of the blood flow obtained by the acceleration calculating means is converted into two-dimensional color flow map information or three-dimensional display information by the CFM method. In addition, by displaying the information on the display device, the acceleration of the blood flow can be quantitatively inspected, so that the determination (diagnosis) of the severity of the disease can be facilitated.

[Example I] Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

In all the drawings, components having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of Embodiment I of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of Example I, the probe 1 performs mechanical or electronic scanning to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to and from the subject. There is a built-in oscillator that is a source of ultrasonic waves and receives reflected waves. The Doppler detection circuit 2 detects a Doppler signal from the blood flow information in the subject by scanning the probe 1 using the Doppler effect. A / D
The conversion circuit 3 receives the Doppler signal output from the Doppler detection circuit 2 and converts it into a digital signal.

The speed calculation circuit 4 receives the digital signal output from the A / D conversion circuit 3 and calculates a blood flow speed.

The blood flow velocity data is input to the frame memory 5 and the acceleration calculation circuit 8. The blood flow velocity data read from the frame memory 5 is input to the acceleration calculation circuit 8.

The microcomputer (MPU) 10 controls the acceleration calculation circuit 8 and the like, and outputs a time difference T between the previous frame and the current frame to the acceleration calculation circuit 8. The acceleration data obtained by the acceleration calculation circuit 8 is input to the display circuit 6 and displayed on the monitor 7 as a color having an appropriate gradation.

As shown in FIG. 2 (enlarged view of the acceleration calculation circuit 8 in FIG. 1), the acceleration calculation circuit 8 has a built-in latch circuit 8A.

The calculation formula of the acceleration An performed by the acceleration calculation circuit 8 is as follows: the blood flow velocity data of the previous frame is Vfn _-1 , the blood flow velocity data of the current frame is Vfn, and the velocity data Vfn _{-1 of the} previous frame is Assuming that the time difference between the blood flow velocity data Vfn of the current frame and T is T, the following equation (1) can be used.

FIG. 3 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the acceleration calculation circuit 8 in FIG. 2, and (a) is a data write cycle time of the frame memory. Read / write is performed within one cycle of this cycle time (a). The speed data Vfn- ₁ of the immediately preceding frame is read at the timing shown in (b), and the read data
Rv ₀ , Rv ₁ , Rv ₂ are once latched by the latch circuit 8 A before being input to the acceleration calculation circuit 8, and the data after the latch is indicated by Dv ₀ , Dv ₁ , Dv _2. Have been.

The speed data Vfn of the current frame is written into the frame memory 5 at the timing shown in FIG. Each of the input speed data Vfn of the current frame is indicated by Wv ₀ , Wv ₁ , Wv ₂ .

The acceleration calculation circuit 8 calculates the acceleration A ₀ by subtracting the input Dv ₀ and Wv ₀ and dividing by T. Similarly, subtract Dv ₁ and Wv ₁ and divide by T to get the acceleration
Determine the A _1. Similarly, A ₂ , A ₃ ... Are obtained.

The acceleration An information obtained in this way is input to the display circuit 6 and added to the two-dimensional color flow map information by the CFM method. FIG. 4A (when the pulsatility of blood vessels is good) and FIG. 4B As shown in (when the pulsatility of blood vessels is poor), the acceleration is displayed as a gray bright stripe pattern in the two-dimensional color flow map. The acceleration is greater as the directivity of the gray bright stripe pattern is greater (sharper). This makes it possible to quantitatively display the acceleration of the blood flow for determining in real time whether blood vessel pulsation is good or bad.

Embodiment II FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment II of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment II is provided with a plurality of the frame memories 5 in the embodiment I, and in real time (freeze OFF), the data output from the frame memory 5 Are switched and selected by the multiplexer (MPX) 12 and input to the acceleration calculation circuit 9 to obtain and display the respective velocities of the blood flow at the selected time phase.

The operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment is the same as the operation up to the speed calculation circuit 4 in FIG. The speed data from the speed calculation circuit 4 is input to the plurality of frame memories 5 and the acceleration calculation circuit 9. In the case of real time (freeze OFF), a plurality of frame memories 5
The data output from is switched and selected by the multiplexer (MPX) 12 and input to the acceleration calculation circuit 9, and operates in the same manner as in the first embodiment. However, the frame memory 5 has
... M are sequentially written at every time T, and the select S of the multiplexer (MPX) 12 is also output correspondingly. After the freeze, from the frame memory 5 →→→→ ・ ・ ・ m →→→→→ ・ ・ ・ m
→ is repeatedly read out, and in the subsequent operations, the blood flow acceleration is obtained and displayed in the same manner as in the embodiment.

After freezing, the microcomputer (MPU) 10 selects each surface of the frame memory 5 through the multiplexer (MPX) 12 and can read data at an arbitrary address on the selected surface.

Further, the microcomputer (MPU) 10 can write data in the graphic memory 11 in order to display graphics. The acceleration data of, for example, an 8 × 8 matrix written in the graphic memory is displayed to the display circuit 6 for displaying for 6T time. The display circuit 6 can select or simultaneously display a two-dimensional color flow map display of acceleration and a three-dimensional display created by graphics. The television signal output from the display circuit 6 is displayed on a monitor 7.

In the blood flow acceleration three-dimensional display, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a time-series blood flow acceleration two-dimensional color flow map of times t ₁ , t ₂ , t _3, ... Is displayed.

In the present invention, the microcomputer can have the functions of the A / D conversion circuit 3, the speed calculation circuit 4, the frame memory 5, the acceleration calculation circuits 8, 9, and the display circuit 6.

As mentioned above, although the present invention was explained concretely based on an example, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned example.
It goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the acceleration calculating means for calculating the acceleration from the blood flow velocity data is provided, and the acceleration data of the blood flow obtained by the acceleration calculating means is converted to the CFM.
By displaying on the monitor in addition to the two-dimensional color flow map information or the three-dimensional display information by the method, the acceleration of blood flow can be quantitatively inspected, so that the severity of the disease can be easily determined (diagnosis). Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment I of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of an acceleration calculation circuit of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an acceleration of FIG. 4A is a time chart for explaining the operation of the arithmetic circuit, FIG. 4A is a two-dimensional color flow map in a case where blood vessel pulsation is good, and FIG. 4B is a two-dimensional color flow in the case where blood vessel pulsation is bad. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a second embodiment of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing an example of a three-dimensional blood flow acceleration display image. FIGS. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the problems of the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In the figure, 1 ... probe, 2 ... Doppler detection circuit, 3 ... A /
D conversion circuit, 4 ... speed operation circuit, 5 ... frame memory, 6 ... display circuit, 7 ... monitor, 8,9 ... acceleration operation circuit, 10 ... microcomputer (MPU), 11 ...
… Graphic memory, 12 …… Multiplexer (MP
X).

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-154545 (JP, A) JP-A-61-92657 (JP, A) JP-A-63-117739 (JP, A) 232540 (JP, A) JP-A-61-191346 (JP, A) JP-A-62-62268 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A61B8

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] A probe for transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to / from an object and scanning the inside of the object with an ultrasonic wave, and detecting a Doppler signal from blood flow information in the object obtained by scanning the probe. Doppler detection means, a signal obtained by digitizing a Doppler signal from the Doppler detection means, velocity calculation means for calculating a blood flow velocity from this digital signal, and writing blood flow velocity data obtained by one scan From the frame memory, the blood flow velocity data written in the frame memory, the blood flow velocity data in the frame next to the blood flow velocity data, and the time interval when these two blood flow velocity data are detected, Acceleration calculation means for calculating the acceleration of blood flow between frames; control means for controlling the acceleration calculation means; and acceleration data calculated by the acceleration calculation means.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising display means for displaying a dimension. 2. A probe for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic wave to / from a subject, Doppler detecting means for detecting a Doppler signal from blood flow information in the subject by scanning the probe, and Doppler detecting means for detecting Doppler signals from the Doppler detecting means. A speed calculating means for inputting a digitized signal and calculating a blood flow velocity from the digital signal; and a frame for writing a plurality of blood flow velocity data obtained by one scan in a time series for each frame A memory means, and sequentially reads out the blood flow velocity data of a certain time phase and the blood flow velocity data of the next frame of the certain time phase in a time series from the frame memory means, and reads the time interval between the frames. Acceleration calculating means for calculating acceleration using the control means, control means for controlling the acceleration calculating means, and a graphic for storing a plurality of acceleration data calculated by the acceleration calculating means. Kumemori and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by comprising a display means for reading out the two-dimensional display in chronological multiple acceleration data stored in the graphic memory in chronological order of those data.