JP4384125B2 - Breast ultrasound image display device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a breast ultrasound image display apparatus using ultrasound. More specifically, the ultrasound probe is rotated around the nipple of the breast held horizontally by position adjustment, and the ultrasound reflection information of the entire breast is taken into the device, and the center axis passing through the nipple is used as a reference. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic image display apparatus for breasts which makes it possible to form and display a cross-sectional image of a breast .

  In recent years, the number of breast cancer patients in Japan has shown a significant increase. In Europe and the United States, breast cancer patients are decreasing, but in Japan and Asia, the increasing trend does not stop. In Europe and the United States, the older the elderly, the higher the incidence of breast cancer. In Japan, the incidence of breast cancer in women in their 40s is markedly high. The prevalence of cancer among Japanese women is overwhelmingly higher than other cancers. Breast cancer is a cancer that can be cured by simple excision surgery if it is detected early, but if the detection is delayed, it spreads throughout the breast and the breast has to be removed, and further, life-threatening by metastasis to the whole body. There are many cases to drop. The most effective way to reduce deaths from breast cancer patients and breast cancer in Japan is to have young people in their 30s undergo breast cancer screening.

  Common methods of breast cancer screening are visual palpation, mammography, and ultrasound diagnosis. In the past, doctors generally used breast examinations, but in recent years, there has been data showing that breast examinations have little effect (decrease in the number of patients). Is being viewed. This is said to be due to the lack of experience of the doctors making the diagnosis and individual differences in the breasts.

  On the other hand, mammography is recommended as a standard breast cancer screening method. However, there are major drawbacks to mammography. That is because of the use of X-rays, there is always a problem of exposure. This may not be important if the elderly have a large number of breast cancers, such as in the US and Europe, but if the number of patients in their 40s is the largest, as in Japan, they must be screened from the age of 30. And women of this age are still giving birth and the problem of X-ray exposure cannot be ignored. Further, mammography is performed by thinly extending the breast between upper and lower sides or right and left sides. The pain caused by this operation procedure is very burdensome mentally and physically for the examinee. In addition, the breasts of Japanese people in their 30s and 50s are more muscular than the fat layer, and there are more dense breasts (dense breasts), so they appear white in mammography and have white calcifications that are characteristic of breast cancer. Is difficult to distinguish. Furthermore, mammography cannot detect lumpy cancers that do not cause calcification. This ratio is also relatively high and cannot be ignored.

  For some time, ultrasound has been used for breast diagnosis. In particular, when a mammary tumor is discovered by visual inspection or mammography, it is an indispensable diagnostic method for identifying benign and malignant and positioning the tumor before surgery. It is said that a tumor having a diameter of 3 mm or more can be detected by using a recently advanced ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Further, the goodness of ultrasonic diagnosis is that X-ray exposure does not occur at the time of examination unlike mammography. It is one of the few non-invasive tests with diagnostic methods. Using this property, it is used for fetal diagnosis in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. Furthermore, in ultrasonic examination, it is only necessary to apply jelly to the breast or the probe, and the pain to the subject such as mammography is extremely small.

  Ultrasound diagnosis has such excellent properties but is not generally used for breast cancer screening because ultrasound diagnosis / examination is highly dependent on the knowledge, experience, and skill of the examiner. This is because X-ray diagnosis, CT (X-ray computed tomography), MR (nuclear magnetic resonance tomography), and the like are less dependent on the ability of the examiner and the apparatus itself automatically performs inspection / diagnosis. On the other hand, in ultrasonic examination / diagnosis, the prober's experience is obtained by holding the probe with his / her hand, scanning while visually checking the body surface of the examination site, and visually viewing the obtained diagnostic image. Based on the above, the presence of tumor, malignant and benign must be differentiated. In particular, the examiner himself must scan the probe throughout the breast. In the unlikely event that scanning of the tumor part is missed, it will lead to oversight. In addition, breast diagnostic images have large individual differences among subjects such as the degree of mammary gland development, the ratio of fat layer and muscle mass, and the size of the breast, which also has a great influence on the difficulty of diagnosis. Unless you have sufficient experience and education, you will not be able to make a sufficient diagnosis.

(First problem) In breast examinations conducted so far, a probe is directly applied to the surface of the breast and arbitrarily scanned vertically and horizontally to display an image (B mode image) to check for abnormalities. It was. In such manual vertical and horizontal scanning, it is difficult to grasp the position even if a tumor is found, and it cannot be said that the image is optimal for a surgical procedure for removing the tumor. Therefore, when diagnosing breasts using ultrasound, automation is incorporated into the scanning of the probe as much as possible to enable examination / diagnosis without depending on the experience and skill of the examiner. A patent application (Patent Document 1) has been filed in pursuit of ease of diagnosis.
JP 2003-310614 A

  In the invention according to Patent Document 1, a probe is rotated around a breast nipple that is kept horizontal by position adjustment, and interpretation is performed using a B-mode image obtained by the rotation. In this method, by detecting the rotation angle of the probe, the obtained image (B-mode image) is confirmed in which position in the rotation direction (the position of the image on the clock display) ) Is possible. However, the displayed image (B mode image) still has a narrow visual field width (determined by the scanning width of the ultrasonic beam emitted from the probe). It remains on the side of the B-mode image. For detailed diagnosis and surgical treatment of breast cancer, it is desired that the position of the tumor in the breast can be determined on an image displaying the entire breast.

(Second problem) Further, when a B-mode image obtained by this method is continuously recorded on a VTR and reproduced for interpretation, there is a problem that it takes the same time as the time required for probe scanning. Shortening the time for interpretation is an issue.

  In the device according to the invention described in Patent Document 1, a probe having a visual field width of about 6 cm is directly brought into contact with the breast and rotationally scanned. This is because when a wide-field probe (with a field width of 8 cm to several tens of centimeters) is brought into direct contact with the breast surface and the whole breast is scanned with a single rotation, the outside of the breast (especially on the breast) This is because the probe is separated from the body surface at a portion close to the side) and the image is not displayed. Therefore, a probe with a visual field width of about 6 cm is set at a position close to the center of rotation (referred to as the inner side), rotated once around the center of the nipple, and then outward (away from the nipple). After the movement, the whole breast is scanned by another rotation (two rotations in total).

There is a strong demand to obtain an image that facilitates recognition that has been difficult or difficult to be recognized with the image obtained by the apparatus, and that the position of the tumor in the breast can be determined on the image displaying the entire breast. is there.
A B-mode image of the entire breast where the perpendicular passing through the nipple is the central axis, and a cross-sectional image (C-mode image) equidistant in the depth direction from the probe surface (ie, the breast surface) are displayed over the entire breast. If possible, it is possible to measure the position and size of the tumor present in the image.
In the past, in the ultrasound image display of the breast, a case where a horizontal cross-sectional image (based on the level of the earth) is called a C-mode image has been seen, but the C-mode image is only in the depth direction from the probe surface. It is a cross-sectional image at an equal distance .
Figure of the gun 3, FIG. 5, FIG. 12 (a), (b) in FIG. 13, (c) hits the C-mode image.
Further, in the present application, a vertical cross-sectional image of the whole breast including the central axis (used to exclude a cross section not including this axis) with a perpendicular passing through the nipple as a central axis is defined as a B-mode image . The selected rotation angle around the axis uses an angle display by a clock in the present application.
2, FIG. 6, FIG. 8, FIG. 10, FIG. 11 (a), (b), FIG. 12 (b), (c), and FIG. 13 (a) correspond to this B-mode image .
In the present specification, the B mode and the C mode are used synonymously with the second mode and the first mode.

The object of the present invention is not only the B-mode image of the breast, but also any cross-section of the breast, including a cross-sectional image (C-mode image) equidistant in the depth direction from the probe surface (ie, the breast surface). An object of the present invention is to provide a breast ultrasound image display device capable of acquiring and displaying various data related to an image .
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an instantaneous judgment of a practitioner (reader) using the data acquired by the breast ultrasound image display device, and to display quantitative data. An object of the present invention is to provide a suitable breast ultrasound image display device .
A more detailed object of the present invention is to provide a probe was removed as much as possible the human factors of the probe operation by automatically rotating further displays the full picture breast, data that objectivity of It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic image display apparatus for breasts that makes it possible to acquire the above.
More detailed another object of the present invention, by automating the acquisition of data by the ultrasonic image display apparatus of the breast, even those who are not familiar with the ultrasound probe scanning can breast super An object is to provide a sound image display device .

As described above, the apparatus according to the present invention enables display of the first mode image corresponding to the C mode image and the second mode image corresponding to the B mode image. Here, in any case, the axis passing through the nipple is the reference, and in the first mode image, the axis is the center of the circle in the display screen. In the second mode image, an image not including this axis is not displayed.

In order to achieve the object, an ultrasonic image display apparatus of a breast according to claim 1 according to the present invention comprises:
The linear electronic scanning ultrasonic probe is supported through the arm so as to be parallel to the breast surface, and the probe is rotated about the nipple while the ultrasonic beam is incident on the inside of the breast to generate a reflected signal. A breast ultrasound image display device using a system for obtaining
A memory for storing all ultrasonic reflection information in the breast from the reflection signal obtained while sequentially detecting the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the probe;
From the information in the memory, information on a curved surface at an arbitrary distance in the irradiation direction of the ultrasonic beam from the probe rotating with an inclination with respect to a plane parallel to the axis centered on the nipple is obtained, and the nipple is centered. Reconstructed image forming means for forming C mode image display (referred to as first mode image display) data,
Display means for displaying the first mode image display data;
An input means for inputting a start instruction for acquiring the ultrasonic reflection information and selection of the distance after information acquisition;
Wherein to initiate acquisition of the the probe ultrasonic reflection information to form a first mode image Display data to the reproduction image construction means for a selected distance, and a control means for displaying on said display means It is configured.
The selection of the distance corresponds to the selection of Dcm in FIGS. 6 and 12 and the selection of the depths d ₁ and d ₂ shown in FIG. 13 and is input from the input means I in FIG.

A breast ultrasound image display device according to claim 2 of the present invention is the breast ultrasound image display device according to claim 1,
The first mode image display data is displayed for each distance designated in the depth direction from the probe surface.
The display for each designated distance corresponds to the display in FIGS. 13B and 13C.

A breast ultrasound image display device according to claim 3 according to the present invention,
The linear electronic scanning ultrasonic probe is supported through the arm so as to be parallel to the breast surface, and the probe is rotated about the nipple while the ultrasonic beam is incident on the inside of the breast to generate a reflected signal. A breast ultrasound image display device using a system for obtaining
A memory for storing all ultrasonic reflection information in the breast from the reflection signal obtained while sequentially detecting the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the probe;
From the information in the memory, the breast centering on the nipple corresponding to the selected rotation angle around the axis of a plane parallel to the ultrasound beam from the probe and including the axis centered on the nipple Reconstructed image forming means for forming display data of the entire B-mode image ;
Display means for displaying the display data;
An input means for inputting an instruction to start acquisition of the ultrasonic reflection information and selection of the rotation angle after information acquisition;
It said probe said to initiate the acquisition of the reflected ultrasonic information to form a display data of the B-mode image on the reproduced image construction means for the selected rotation angle, the B-mode image on the display means And control means for continuously displaying images according to the rotation of the probe .
The selection of the rotation angle is selection at 4 o'clock (or 10 o'clock) or 11 o'clock (or 5 o'clock) in FIG. 12A, and is input from the input means I of FIG. The corresponding B-mode image ( second mode image ) is displayed as (b) and (c) in FIG.

A breast ultrasound image display device according to claim 4 according to the present invention,
The linear electronic scanning ultrasonic probe is supported through the arm so as to be parallel to the breast surface, and the probe is rotated about the nipple while the ultrasonic beam is incident on the inside of the breast to generate a reflected signal. A breast ultrasound image display device using a system for obtaining
A memory for storing all ultrasonic reflection information in the breast from the reflection signal obtained while sequentially detecting the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the probe;
From the information in the memory, the breast centering on the nipple corresponding to the selected rotation angle around the axis of a plane parallel to the ultrasound beam from the probe and including the axis centered on the nipple Reconstructed image forming means for forming display data of the entire B-mode image;
Display means for displaying the display data;
An input means for inputting an instruction to start acquisition of the ultrasonic reflection information and selection of the rotation angle after information acquisition;
The probe starts to acquire the ultrasonic reflection information, causes the reproduction image composing means to form display data of the B-mode image for the selected rotation angle, and causes the display means to display B of the left and right breasts. The mode images are displayed on one screen symmetrically by arranging the breasts on the outside and the breast surface on the inside, and the B mode images of the left and right breasts are continuously displayed according to the rotation of the probe. Control means for displaying an image automatically.

The ultrasonic image display apparatus of the breast according to the present invention is suitable for mass examination because it can accurately depict and record a cross-sectional image of the entire breast including the nipple from the anatomical relationship of the mammary gland. In group examination, all the data can be reproduced after images of many subjects are continuously recorded .
Et al., Probe was removed as much as possible the human factor of probe operations by automatically rotating, it can further display the entire picture breast of.
This automated apparatus is capable of scanning a probe even for those who are not proficient in ultrasonic examination, and is an optimal apparatus for use as a breast cancer mass screening apparatus .

With reference to the drawings will be described embodiments of the equipment according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the entire system. The apparatus according to the present invention includes a probe S (including a rotating mechanism) that represents a probe (see FIGS. 2, 4, 6 to 10, 12, and 13; probe 3 in each figure) described later. Yes.
The probe S outputs θ at the time of detection, θ related to the angle of the probe S, and acquired data ρ.
Those that have been image Zoka the output of the display unit D is probe S, or by later playing image construction unit RC, and displays the imaged image (B-mode image and the C-mode image) in accordance with the display mode and the like. Data probe S can also be displayed on the display unit D as an image during scanning while being stored in the external memory M.
The control means CPU causes the activation and automatic operation of each part to be executed in accordance with the command input from the input means I.
The input means I is an input means such as a dedicated or normal keyboard, and is a means for inputting an instruction to start or end an operation for data acquisition and designation of a mode of a reproduced image at the time of reproduction.
The reproduction image composing means RC is means for converting the acquired image or data stored in the large-capacity memory after acquisition into reproduction mode image data in accordance with an image conversion program.
In equipment using ultrasound according to the present invention, in order to obtain a wide field of view of the image (B-mode image and the C-mode image), the rotational position when rotation scanning of the probe S (probe 3 to be described later) And the rotation angle information (θ) and the image information (ρ) are associated with each other and stored in a memory (external memory such as a hard disk) M.

When the rotational scanning is finished from the inside to the outside of the breast, the rotational angle information (shown in the clockwise direction), the tilt angle information of the probe S, the distance information D in the depth direction, and the scanning width by electronic scanning. The reconstructed image composing means RC composes the image based on the image information generated from the information and the echo information, and the synthesized B-mode image with the nipple as the central axis as shown in FIG. 2 and the nipple as shown in FIG. A synthesized C-mode image centered on is created.
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 27 denotes a boundary line, which indicates a joint line of image data of adjacent probes 3. The boundary line passing through the nipple 13 is a vertical line with respect to the breast kept horizontal.

FIG. 3 is an image that does not include the tilt angle information of the probe, and is used to confirm the presence and position of a tumor or the like. Further, when the measurement of the tumor size or the like is performed on the C-mode image, the measurement is performed by calculation software (including the probe tilt angle information) included in the reproduction image constructing means RC of FIG. Done.
In the figure, the numerical values (12, 3, 6,...) On the circumference indicate the azimuth in the clock display.

  When a B-mode image is continuously recorded in an external memory M such as a VTR, reproduced and read, the present invention sequentially detects the tilt angle during probe rotation scanning as described above, and obtains the angle information. Along with image information and stored in a memory (such as a hard disk), a wide-field B-mode image and C-mode image can be created as a composite image.

  Therefore, at the time of reproduction, when those composite images are reproduced, it can be reproduced in a quarter of the time at the time of recording (that is, at the time of scanning), and the time for interpretation can be greatly saved. That is, if it is rotated once in 30 seconds during recording, it takes 1 minute to rotate the inside and outside of the breast. At the time of playback, as shown in FIG. 2, if the synthesized B-mode image is continuously played back, 360 ° rotation playback is not necessary, and 180 ° rotation playback is sufficient, so that it takes only a quarter of the conventional time. .

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an arrangement example of the probe tilt angle sensor in the device of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for breast according to the present invention has a probe of a predetermined length provided on a probe block holding part 21 attached to a rotary shaft 1 having a rotation center right above the nipple. A probe 3 is supported via a child support arm 2.
An acoustic coupler 22 is provided on the lower surface of the probe 3. While interlocking with an angle sensor 5 provided on the probe holder 4 for detecting the inclination of the probe 3, the probe 3 is moved along the breast skin surface including the nipple by the rotation of the rotating shaft 1. The entire echo information from the inside of the breast obtained by rotating and rotating the ultrasonic beam while displaying the tilt angle θ of the probe is stored in the memory.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a display example when the breast is viewed from above in the apparatus of the present invention. If a tumor is present below the line connecting 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock when the breast is viewed from above, a B-mode image in the line where the tumor exists is synthesized and produced as shown in FIG. .
That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a B-mode image synthesized with the nipple as the central axis can be displayed.
Note that the points B, A, O (center), C, and D on the line where the tumor exists in FIG. 5 correspond to the points B, A, O, C, and D in FIG.
The composite image shown in FIG. 6 can be created by a technique similar to the conventional technique. That is, images overlap due to the inclination of the probe, but a synthesized image (see FIG. 2) can be created by processing the overlapping portions (taking an average or deleting one). Here, as shown in FIG. 6, when the probe is in the (rotary) position on the inside (of the breast), a portion (overlapping) that protrudes from the perpendicular (boundary line 27) passing through the nipple (O) The images of the sections 29 and 29) are deleted by image processing. When the probe is at the outer (rotation) position (of the breast), the center of the portion where the image at the inner (rotation) position and the image at the outer (rotation) position overlap 2 is obtained by deleting the image of the portion (29, 29) protruding from the boundary line passing through (center lines 27, 27 passing through A or C in FIG. 6). be able to.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the setting of the angle and the like of the synthesized B-mode image when the probe rotates at two positions in the apparatus of the present invention. When the tumor 17 is found on the synthesized B-mode image as shown in FIG. 6, a line (C-mode depth setting line 30) of the depth (Dcm) where the tumor exists is set and stored in the memory described above. Based on the various information (depth distance, probe rotation angle, tilt angle, etc.), the synthesized C mode centered on the nipple as shown in FIG. 3 at that depth (Dcm) An image can be created.

  The image in FIG. 3 is merely an image for confirming the presence and position of a tumor, that is, an image for observation. As described above, when actually measuring a tumor size or the like on a C-mode image, it is calculated by calculation software (including the tilt angle information of the probe) included in the reproduction image constructing means RC in FIG. Measurement is performed.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing another example of the arrangement of the probe tilt angle sensor in the apparatus of the present invention. The elements described in FIG. 4 are denoted by common numerals and description thereof is omitted.
An angle sensor 7 for detecting the tilt angle θ ₁ of the probe support arm 2 is provided at a joint portion where the rotary shaft 1 and the probe support arm 2 intersect, and a probe holder for the probe support arm 2 An angle sensor 8 for detecting the inclination angle θ ₂ of the probe 4 (that is, the probe 3) is provided at a joint portion where the probe support arm 2 and the probe holder 4 intersect. Therefore, the inclination angle θ of the probe is obtained by θ = θ ₁ + θ ₂ . This detection method is superior in angle detection accuracy compared to the method shown in FIG. 4 (using one angle sensor).

Equipment according to the present invention is also applicable to the measurement of the subject by the probe rotation in a water bath. When a water tank is used, a probe having a wide visual field width (ultrasonic scanning width of about 10 cm) can be arranged so as to be parallel to the breast surface and rotated around the nipple as a central axis.
FIG. 8 is a view showing an embodiment in which the subject realized measurement in the supine position by rotating the probe in the water tank. In the example of FIG. 8, a large water bag (or a water tank 10) filled with deaerated water 11 that is an ultrasonic transmission liquid is placed on the breast while the subject is in the supine position. A probe holder 4 that supports a probe 3 having a wide visual field width (ultrasonic scanning width of about 10 cm) is placed in a water tank so as to be parallel to the breast surface and rotated around the nipple as a central axis. It is. The angle sensor 9 (rotary potentiometer as an example) is used to capture data on the angle θ of the probe holder 4.

  FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which measurement in the prone position of a subject is realized by the apparatus of the present invention. The probe 3 supported by the probe holder 4 is rotated by a rotation driving device 12 disposed under the water tank, and the inclination θ data of the probe 3 is an angle as in the embodiment of FIG. Captured by sensor 9.

  Since the two examples described above are rotating mechanisms in the water tank, echo information of the entire breast can be obtained by rotating the probe having a wide visual field width once. The inclination angle θ of the probe is detected by an angle sensor 9 (for example, a rotary potentiometer) provided at a joint portion where the rotating shaft 1 and the probe holder 4 intersect. By one rotation of the probe, a B mode image (FIG. 10) synthesized with the nipple as the central axis and a C mode image (not shown) synthesized with the nipple as the center are obtained.

Still another display mode will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the same screen display of B-mode images of the left and right breasts in the apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4A shows a B-mode image of the right breast, and FIG. 4B shows a B-mode image of the left breast.
When this display is selected by the input means I in FIG. 1, the accumulated data is reconstructed and displayed as shown.
According to this device, it is Rukoto to Sassu seen while comparing the left and right breasts at the same rotational position. If the B mode images of the left and right breasts are simultaneously rotated (reproduced) from the 9 o'clock position to the 3 o'clock position (180 °) on the clock display, they can be reconstructed in 1/8 time of inspection (recording). Interpretation is possible, and the time can be greatly reduced.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining an example of a display image when a B-mode image of the entire breast is continuously displayed in the apparatus of the present invention. Usually, the rotation of the probe starts from the 9 o'clock position of the clock display as shown in FIG. As described above, in this system, sequential echo information is stored when the probe is rotated, and after completion, a B-mode image of the entire breast as shown in FIG. 2 is obtained over the entire rotation by the stored total echo information. It is done.
When these doctors interpret all B-mode images and interpret the images, they start from the 9 o'clock position on the clock display as in the examination (recording). In the example of FIG. 12, when the reproduction (interpretation) is started and it reaches the 10 o'clock position (that is, the same as the 4 o'clock position by image synthesis), as shown in FIG. It appears on the B-mode image ((b) of FIG. 12). Further, when the rotation (at the time of reproduction) is advanced, a cyst 18 appears at the 11 o'clock (5 o'clock) position on the B-mode image ((c) of FIG. 12). Image reproduction ends at the 3 o'clock position, that is, at 9 o'clock, and a B-mode image of the entire breast can be reproduced and interpreted in a quarter of the time of the examination. Interpretation can be performed while observing the entire breast, so that it is easy to find an abnormal part (leading to an improvement in detection rate), and the examination time can be shortened as a whole.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining an example in which a C-mode image is displayed at predetermined distances in the depth direction in the apparatus of the present invention. As shown in (a) of the figure, the tumor 17 is present on the B-mode image at the position where the rotational position of the probe connects the lines of 10:00 and 4 o'clock (distance from the probe surface). A C-mode image at a depth of d ₁ is displayed as shown in FIG. Further, a C-mode image having a depth of d ₂ that is a little farther than the depth of d ₁ is displayed as shown in FIG.
In FIG. 13C, a part of the tumor 17 is displayed, and at the same time, the cyst 18 is displayed on the same C-mode image. As described above, when the C-mode image is observed by continuously (or finely) changing the depth from the probe surface (that is, the breast surface), a three-dimensional (three-dimensional) shape such as a tumor or a cyst is observed. Is easy to grasp. That is, three-dimensional display is facilitated .
As before mentioned, in so far conducted by which three-dimensional representation, but are apparently the case that call (reference the horizontal earth) horizontal sectional image and the C-mode image, the last C-mode image feeler It is a cross-sectional image equidistant from the child surface in the depth direction.

The ultrasonic image display apparatus of the breast according to the present invention can display an image of the entire breast including the nipple from the anatomical relationship of the mammary gland, and can accurately display the site of the breast tumor. Therefore, it is useful in the field of manufacturing medical electronics.
Since the ultrasonic image display apparatus according to the present invention is easy to handle, it is possible to further improve the productivity and certainty in the fields such as group screening.

1 is a block diagram of a system of an apparatus according to the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the synthetic | combination B mode image centering on a nipple. It is a figure for demonstrating the synthetic | combination C mode image centering on a nipple. It is a perspective view which shows the example of arrangement | positioning of the probe inclination angle sensor in this invention apparatus. It is a figure at the time of seeing the breast in this invention apparatus from the top. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting of the angle etc. of the synthetic | combination B mode image when a probe rotates in two positions in this invention apparatus . It is a perspective view which shows the other example of arrangement | positioning of the probe inclination angle sensor in this invention apparatus. It is a figure which shows the Example which a subject can implement | achieve the measurement in a supine position by rotation of the probe in a water tank. It is a figure which shows the Example which a subject can implement | achieve the measurement in a prone position by rotation of the probe in a water tank. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the synthetic | combination B mode image centering on the nipple in the case of this invention apparatus when a probe rotates in one position. It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a display on the same screen of the B mode image of right and left breasts in this invention apparatus . It is a figure for demonstrating the example of a display image when the B mode image of the whole breast is continuously displayed in this invention apparatus . It is a figure for demonstrating the example which displayed the C mode image for every predetermined distance in the depth direction in this invention apparatus .

Explanation of symbols

S Probe B Bus line D Display means I Input means M External memory RC Reconstructed image construction means CPU Control means 1 Rotating shaft 2 Probe support arm 3 Probe 4 Probe holder 5, 7, 8, 9 Angle Sensor 10 Water tank (or large water bag)
11 Liquid (deaerated water)
13 Nipple 15 Breast 17 Tumor 18 Cyst 19 Mammary gland 21 Probe block holding part 22 Acoustic coupler 27 Boundary line 29 Overlap part

Claims (4)

The linear electronic scanning ultrasonic probe is supported through the arm so as to be parallel to the breast surface, and the probe is rotated about the nipple while the ultrasonic beam is incident on the inside of the breast to generate a reflected signal. A breast ultrasound image display device using a system for obtaining
A memory for storing all ultrasonic reflection information in the breast from the reflection signal obtained while sequentially detecting the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the probe;
From the information in the memory, information on a curved surface at an arbitrary distance in the irradiation direction of the ultrasonic beam from the probe rotating with an inclination with respect to a plane parallel to the axis centered on the nipple is obtained, and the nipple is centered. Reconstructed image forming means for forming C mode image display (referred to as first mode image display) data,
Display means for displaying the first mode image display data;
An input means for inputting a start instruction for acquiring the ultrasonic reflection information and selection of the distance after information acquisition;
Wherein to initiate acquisition of the the probe ultrasonic reflection information to form a first mode image Display data to the reproduction image construction means for a selected distance, and control means for displaying on said display means,
A breast ultrasound image display device comprising: The breast ultrasound image display device according to claim 1,
An ultrasonic image display apparatus for breasts, wherein the first mode image display data is displayed for each distance designated in the depth direction from the probe surface. The linear electronic scanning ultrasonic probe is supported through the arm so as to be parallel to the breast surface, and the probe is rotated about the nipple while the ultrasonic beam is incident on the inside of the breast to generate a reflected signal. A breast ultrasound image display device using a system for obtaining
A memory for storing all ultrasonic reflection information in the breast from the reflection signal obtained while sequentially detecting the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the probe;
From the information in the memory, the breast centering on the nipple corresponding to the selected rotation angle around the axis of a plane parallel to the ultrasound beam from the probe and including the axis centered on the nipple Reconstructed image forming means for forming display data of the entire B-mode image ;
Display means for displaying the display data;
An input means for inputting an instruction to start acquisition of the ultrasonic reflection information and selection of the rotation angle after information acquisition;
It said probe said to initiate the acquisition of the reflected ultrasonic information to form a display data of the B-mode image on the reproduced image construction means for the selected rotation angle, the B-mode image on the display means Control means for continuously displaying images according to the rotation of the probe ;
A breast ultrasound image display device comprising: The linear electronic scanning ultrasonic probe is supported through the arm so as to be parallel to the breast surface, and the probe is rotated about the nipple while the ultrasonic beam is incident on the inside of the breast to generate a reflected signal. A breast ultrasound image display device using a system for obtaining
A memory for storing all ultrasonic reflection information in the breast from the reflection signal obtained while sequentially detecting the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the probe;
From the information in the memory, the breast centering on the nipple corresponding to the selected rotation angle around the axis of a plane parallel to the ultrasound beam from the probe and including the axis centered on the nipple Reconstructed image forming means for forming display data of the entire B-mode image;
Display means for displaying the display data;
An input means for inputting an instruction to start acquisition of the ultrasonic reflection information and selection of the rotation angle after information acquisition;
The probe starts to acquire the ultrasonic reflection information, causes the reproduction image composing means to form display data of the B-mode image for the selected rotation angle, and causes the display means to display B of the left and right breasts. The mode images are displayed on one screen symmetrically by arranging the breasts on the outside and the breast surface on the inside, and the B mode images of the left and right breasts are continuously displayed according to the rotation of the probe. Control means for automatically displaying an image;
A breast ultrasound image display device comprising:

Images