JP4843728B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus capable of displaying a reference image together with an ultrasonic image.

  In a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, for example, a body mark is displayed near a B-mode image (two-dimensional tomographic image) as necessary. The body mark is a very simple graphic image that schematically represents the outer shape of each part (chest, abdomen, etc.) of the human body by a plurality of lines, for example. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is equipped with a large number of body marks, which can be selected by the user.

  On the body mark, it is also possible to display a probe mark composed of simple figures (for example, thick lines). In this case, the position and orientation of the probe mark are set by the user on the display screen in accordance with the actual contact position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe.

Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model Application No. 01-138921 (Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 03-078513) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-257028 JP 07-184906 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-111488

  When observing an ultrasound image, it is possible to roughly grasp which section of the living body the ultrasound image corresponds to, based on the positional relationship between the body mark and the probe mark. I can't do it. That is, the body mark is merely a schematic representation of the outer shape (surface) of a specific part of the human body, and does not represent the state inside the human body. The probe mark represents the contact position of the ultrasonic probe, and the position and inclination of the actual ultrasonic wave transmission / reception region (scanning surface) cannot be expressed. In particular, when the reproduced ultrasonic image or the printed ultrasonic image is observed at a later date, the above problem becomes significant.

  Note that an inspection report is created after execution of ultrasonic diagnosis. Specifically, a printed ultrasound image is pasted on the inspection report, and a schematic diagram (conceptual diagram for explaining the ultrasound image) is drawn by hand and a comment is written on it. The Such an operation was performed manually and was very complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to enable more detailed guidance display together with an ultrasonic image.

  Another object of the present invention is to enable easy identification of an ultrasonic diagnostic site.

  Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to create an inspection report on the display screen of the apparatus.

(1) Preferably, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave to / from a tissue inside a living body, thereby outputting a reception signal, and an ultrasonic wave of the tissue based on the reception signal. ultrasonic imaging means for forming an ultrasound image, the reference image output means for outputting an auxiliary reference image representing the tissue, said display means for displaying the reference image with the ultrasonic image, the including.

  According to the above configuration, the auxiliary reference image is displayed together with the ultrasonic image, and by observing the reference image, it is possible to auxiliaryly observe the inside of the living body. The conventional body mark is merely a simple figure indicating the outer shape of the subject, but the reference image represents a tissue inside the living body (including a diagnosis target tissue or its surrounding tissue). A plurality of reference images may be displayed at the same time, or a plurality of reference images whose content detail level changes step by step may be displayed. It is desirable that the reference image and the ultrasonic image are displayed on the same screen, and the former is smaller and incidentally displayed than the latter. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including a main display and an auxiliary display, an ultrasonic image may be displayed on the main display, and a reference image may be displayed on the auxiliary display. The ultrasonic image is a B-mode image, a two-dimensional Doppler image, a three-dimensional image, or the like.

(2) Preferably, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave to / from a tissue inside the living body, thereby outputting a reception signal, and an ultrasonic wave of the tissue based on the reception signal. An ultrasonic image forming means for forming a sonic image; an image database storing a plurality of illustration images schematically representing the inside of a living body; an image selecting means for selecting an illustration image corresponding to the tissue from the image database; together with the ultrasonic image, and display means for displaying the illustration images said selected and including.

  According to the above configuration, an appropriate illustration image can be selected manually or automatically from a plurality of illustration images, and the illustration image can be displayed together with the ultrasonic image. The illustration image may be a black and white image, but is preferably a color image.

  Preferably, image processing means for processing the illustration image selected from the image database is included, and the display-processed illustration image is displayed on the display means. Examples of the processing process include cutout, shape change such as enlargement / reduction magnification change, resolution conversion, color conversion, and the like.

  Desirably, the said image process means changes the content of the said process according to the change of the display conditions of the said ultrasonic image. Here, the display conditions of the ultrasonic image include a change in operating conditions (for example, a change in transmission / reception conditions) resulting in a change in display contents in addition to zooming, a change in display depth, a change in display area, and the like. . The same applies to the following description.

  Preferably, the image display device includes scan mark generation means for generating a scan mark for schematically representing an ultrasonic transmission / reception region on the displayed illustration image, and the scan mark is synthesized and displayed on the selected illustration image. Is done.

  According to the above configuration, the scan mark is displayed on the illustration image, and the transmission / reception site can be grasped at a glance in relation to the tissue. It is desirable to prepare a plurality of scan marks for each probe type or electronic scanning method.

  Preferably, the scan mark generation unit changes a display mode of the scan mark in accordance with a change in display conditions of the ultrasonic image. According to this configuration, the scan range can be displayed more accurately in relation to the illustration image.

  Preferably, comment display means for inputting a comment in association with the displayed illustration image in the display screen of the display means is included. According to this configuration, it is possible to add information to support observation diagnosis of an ultrasonic image by writing a comment on or near an illustration image without directly entering the ultrasonic image itself. In particular, when reproducing a recorded ultrasonic image or observing a printed ultrasonic image, it is possible to facilitate the diagnosis by referring to such information. The comment includes, for example, the name of each part, description of the tissue properties, and the like.

  Preferably, it includes means for changing the display position of the comment in accordance with a change in the display condition of the ultrasonic image. According to the above configuration, the positional relationship between the illustration image and the comment can be maintained by changing the display position of the comment following the change of the display condition.

  Preferably, the illustration image is a color anatomical chart. The color anatomical chart is preferably a figure having a three-dimensional expression, and it is desirable to hold a plurality of illustration images having different imaging ranges in stages.

(3) Preferably, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from the tissue inside the living body, thereby outputting a reception signal, and coordinate information about the ultrasonic probes. A detecting means for detecting; an ultrasonic image forming means for forming an ultrasonic image of the tissue based on the received signal; an image database storing a plurality of illustration images schematically representing the inside of a living body; and the coordinate information based on the image selection means for selecting an illustration image corresponding to the tissue from the image database, said with ultrasound image, including a display unit, the displaying the illustration images said selected.

  According to the above configuration, for example, the spatial position and posture (such as a three-dimensional position and a rotation angle around each axis) of the ultrasonic probe that is brought into contact with the surface of the living body or inserted into the body cavity are detected, In accordance with such coordinate information, an illustration image is automatically selected from the image database. Therefore, for example, when the ultrasonic probe is moved and scanned, individual illustration images corresponding to the respective moving positions on the scanning surface can be displayed in order. For example, when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves from various directions to the heart, it is possible to automatically select an appropriate illustration image for each direction.

  Preferably, a scan mark generating means for generating a scan mark for schematically representing an ultrasonic wave transmission / reception region on the displayed illustration image based on the coordinate information is provided on the selected illustration image. The scan mark is synthesized and displayed. According to this configuration, it is possible to change the position and shape of the scan mark based on the coordinate information, and more accurately specify the diagnostic site. In that case, for example, the coordinate system of the illustration image is the reference.

  Preferably, the image selection means further selects the illustration image according to the body shape of the subject. According to this configuration, even if each subject has a different body shape, an illustration image corresponding to the body shape can be selected, and the ultrasonic diagnostic site can be specified more accurately.

(4) Preferably, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits / receives an ultrasonic wave to / from a tissue inside the living body, thereby outputting a reception signal, and an ultrasonic wave of the tissue based on the reception signal. ultrasonic imaging means for forming an ultrasound image, comprising: means for acquiring an illustration image representing the living body schematically from an external device, wherein with ultrasound image, including a display means for displaying the illustration images.

  According to the above configuration, an image existing on the network can be taken into the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and used as a reference image. Therefore, illustration images can be transferred or shared between a plurality of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses via a network.

(5) An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention transmits and receives an ultrasonic wave to and from a tissue inside a living body, thereby outputting a reception signal, and the tissue based on the reception signal. ultrasonic imaging means for forming an ultrasound image, wherein the schema image forming means for forming a schema image based on the ultrasound image, the display means for displaying the schema image with the ultrasonic image, the including.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to automatically create a schema image using the ultrasonic image itself, and it is freed from the trouble of handwriting in the figure. The schema image is desirably an image smaller than the ultrasonic image, and is displayed in association with the ultrasonic image.

  Preferably, the schema image forming unit executes at least a reduction process on the ultrasonic image. When performing the reduction process, the resolution may be lowered.

  Preferably, the schema image forming unit executes at least luminance inversion processing on the ultrasonic image. Preferably, the schema image forming unit executes at least contrast enhancement processing on the ultrasonic image. Basically, the schema image is not for detailed expression but for representing a general organization structure, and it is desirable to perform image conversion suitable for such use.

  Preferably, comment display means for inputting a comment in association with the schema image is included in the display screen of the display means. In this case, text data may be directly input on the schema image, but a leader line may be drawn from a specific portion of the schema image and a comment may be input beyond that.

  Preferably, it includes means for changing the display position of the comment in accordance with a change in the display condition of the ultrasonic image. According to this configuration, even if the display condition is changed, and the content of the schema image is thereby changed, the comment position can be changed following the change.

  As described above, according to the present invention, guidance display can be performed together with an ultrasonic diagnostic image. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to facilitate the observation of the ultrasonic image.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of anatomical chart DB. It is a figure which shows the form of various scan marks. It is a figure for demonstrating the extraction process of an anatomical chart, and the synthesis | combination process of a scan mark. It is a figure for demonstrating the simultaneous display of the image of an ultrasonic image and an anatomical chart. It is a figure for demonstrating the simultaneous display of an ultrasonic image and a schema image. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of an ultrasonic diagnosing device. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of an ultrasonic diagnosing device. It is a flowchart which shows the operation example of an ultrasonic diagnosing device.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration thereof. The probe 10 is a transducer that is used in contact with the body surface of the subject in this embodiment and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves. In the probe 10, an array transducer including a plurality of vibration elements is built. An ultrasonic beam is formed by the array transducer, and a scanning plane is formed by electronic scanning of the ultrasonic beam. Here, examples of the electronic scanning method include various scanning methods such as an electronic sector scanning and an electronic linear scanning. Further, when an ultrasonic beam is scanned two-dimensionally to form a three-dimensional echo data space The present invention can also be applied to.

  The transmission unit 18 is a circuit that supplies a transmission signal to a plurality of vibration elements constituting the array transducer. The transmitter 18 functions as a so-called transmission beam former. The receiving unit 20 is a circuit that executes a phasing addition process on the reception signal output from each vibration element in the probe 10 and outputs the reception signal after the phasing addition. The receiving unit 20 functions as a so-called reception beam former. The B-mode processing unit 22 is a circuit that executes a process of forming a B-mode image as a two-dimensional tomographic image based on the reception signal output from the receiving unit 20, and the B-mode image thus formed The image information is output to the DSC 28.

  The Doppler processing unit 24 is a circuit that extracts Doppler information included in the reception signal output from the reception unit 20 and executes signal processing for forming a two-dimensional image of a moving body in a living body, particularly a blood flow. . Doppler information output from the Doppler processing unit 24, for example, speed information and dispersion information, is output to the DSC 28.

  The DSC (digital scan converter) 28 is a known circuit having a coordinate conversion function, a data interpolation function, an image synthesis function, and the like, and image data of an ultrasonic image output from the DSC 28 is output to a display processing unit 30 described later. Has been.

  In the present embodiment, the position sensor unit 12 is provided integrally with the probe 10. The position sensor unit 12 is constituted by a plurality of magnetic sensors arranged in different directions to detect a magnetic field. The magnetic field generation unit 14 is configured by a plurality of magnetic field generators, and thereby a plurality of different magnetic fields are formed in the space where the probe 10 exists. Therefore, by detecting such a plurality of magnetic fields with a plurality of magnetic field sensors, the coordinates of the probe 10 in the three-dimensional space, the rotation angle around each axis, and the like can be specified from the detection results. Such calculation of coordinates and angles is performed by the position / orientation measurement unit 16. These position sensor unit 12, magnetic field generation unit 14, and position / orientation measurement unit 16 are known per se. In any case, coordinate information indicating the position and orientation of the probe 10 is output to the control unit 26 for various automatic settings. As a method for detecting the position and orientation of the probe 10, methods other than those described above can be adopted.

  The control unit 26 is a means for controlling the operation of each component included in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and particularly has a display control function in the present embodiment. This will be described in detail later. The operation panel 42 is connected to the control unit 26, and the operation panel 42 is constituted by, for example, a keyboard or a trackball and is operated by a user. The communication unit 46 is connected to an external network, and can communicate with an external device connected on the network. In this embodiment, illustration data of an anatomical chart stored on an external device can be downloaded into this device.

  As will be described later, the schema image forming unit 34 is a circuit that forms a schema image by processing a B-mode image. The image data of the schema image is output to the display processing unit 30.

  The anatomical chart database (DB) 36 is configured by a storage unit that stores images of various types of anatomical charts representing the inside of the human body. And the image is output to the display processing unit 30.

  The scan mark forming unit 38 is a circuit that forms a scan mark indicating the outer shape of a scan area, which will be described later, and image data of the scan mark is output to the display processing unit 30. Like the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the body mark storage unit 40 is a circuit that stores various body marks representing the outline of each part of the human body as a simple figure, and when any body mark is selected, The image data is output to the display processing unit 30.

  The display processing unit 30 is a circuit that synthesizes another image (image) with the ultrasonic image to form a display screen image and outputs the data to the display unit 32. Further, the image information displayed on the display unit 32 can be printed on a sheet by the printing unit 48, that is, an inspection report can be issued.

  Next, a specific configuration and an operation example of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the data structure of the anatomical chart DB 36. As shown in the figure, the image data of each anatomical chart is divided by subject and type in this example, and coordinate information is associated with each image data. For example, when “abdomen” is designated as the subject and “whole” is designated as the type, the image data having the file name specified by them is retrieved, and the image data is displayed as shown in FIG. The data is output to the processing unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a large number of anatomical chart image data having different levels of detail are prepared in stages, and such image data is appropriately selected and displayed on the display screen together with the ultrasound image. Can be displayed. In this case, for example, the entire surface of the organ inside the living body can be displayed, or a cross section of the organ from a specific direction can be displayed. The coordinate information is information for specifying the coordinate relationship of each image data. As will be described later, the coordinate of each image data is selected when a plurality of image data is selected in order as the probe 10 moves. Information is referenced. Of course, when the moving direction of the probe 10 is fixedly determined in advance, it is only necessary to add information representing the display order without providing image information for each image data.

  Various modifications can be made to the anatomical chart DB 36. Incidentally, the anatomical chart DB 36 may be configured substantially by an external storage device such as a CD-ROM. The image data downloaded from the external device by the control unit 26 is temporarily stored in a storage unit (not shown), and then the image data is output to the display processing unit 30 as necessary.

  FIG. 3 shows a basic form of the scan mark generated by the scan mark forming unit 38. As shown in the drawing, in the present embodiment, a plurality of scan marks (A) to (D) are prepared for two-dimensional scanning, which correspond to each electronic scanning method. In this embodiment, as shown in (E) and (F), scan marks when three-dimensional data is taken are also prepared. Of course, when these scan marks are actually displayed as an image, the shape of the scan mark is converted in relation to the displayed anatomical image or schema image, as will be described in detail later.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of image processing when an illustration image of an anatomical chart is displayed together with an ultrasonic image. First, in this embodiment, an image of an anatomical chart is selected and output from the anatomical chart DB 36 shown in FIG. 1 by manual selection or automatic selection. This is shown as the original anatomical view at 100 in FIG.

  In the display processing unit 30, a part corresponding to a specific region 102 is cut out from the original anatomical chart 100 as necessary by manual designation or automatic designation. This is indicated by reference numeral 104 in FIG.

  On the other hand, an image of any scan mark is output from the scan mark forming unit 38 shown in FIG. 1 by manual designation or automatic selection. This is represented as the original scan mark 106 in FIG. The display processing unit 30 corrects the shape of the original scan mark 106 by manual designation or automatic conversion. This is indicated by reference numeral 108 in FIG. The display position of the corrected scan mark 108 is designated manually or automatically.

  The display processing unit 30 synthesizes an image including the anatomical chart 104 and the scan mark 108 configured as described above with an ultrasound image, and outputs the synthesized image to the display unit 32. Therefore, the image of the anatomical chart and the scan mark are displayed together with the ultrasonic image, so that the tissue to be diagnosed and the surroundings can be observed, and the ultrasonic diagnosis is actually performed from the position and form of the scan mark. It can be easily grasped whether it is performed in the direction.

  In the present embodiment, when the display conditions such as the display depth and the display visual field range are changed in such a display state, as shown by reference numerals 110 and 112 in FIG. With the change, the contents of the display image are changed. In the example indicated by reference numeral 110, for example, when the display depth is reduced, the shape and position of the probe mark 108 are maintained as they are, while the magnification of the anatomical chart is changed. In the example indicated by reference numeral 112, in the same manner as described above, the magnification of the anatomical chart is maintained and the shape of the scan mark is reduced. This is indicated by reference numeral 114.

  Such automatic display change has an advantage that when referring to the image of the anatomical chart, the relationship with the actual diagnosis site can be grasped without error.

  FIG. 5 shows a display example when displaying the image of the anatomical chart as described above. As shown in FIG. 5, a color image 117 that is an anatomical chart is displayed in the vicinity of the B-mode image 118. The color image 117 is an image output from the anatomical chart DB 36, an image obtained by performing processing on the image, or a downloaded image. As shown in FIG. 5, a scan mark 115 ′ representing a scan plane which is an ultrasonic wave transmission / reception region is synthesized and displayed in the color image 117, and this is a scan output from the scan mark forming unit 38. The mark 115 is generated by performing shape conversion.

  In the present embodiment, a comment can also be entered as text data on or in association with the image 117, which is indicated by reference numeral 116 in FIG. For example, in order to enter such a comment, a leader line may be used, or text data may be directly entered on a specific part of the image.

  FIG. 5 shows an illustration image representing the surface of the heart as an example of an anatomical diagram. Of course, an image of an anatomical diagram representing a cross-section of the heart is displayed, and the scan mark 115 ′ is displayed on the image as described above. May be combined and displayed.

  In FIG. 5, an image 117 of an anatomical chart having a slightly smaller size than the size of the B-mode image 118 is shown, but a smaller anatomical chart is displayed on the display screen in an actual ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It is desirable to display the image 117.

  FIG. 6 shows another display example of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 6, a B mode image 206 is displayed on the display screen 204. The B-mode image 206 is generated by the B-mode processing unit 22 shown in FIG. 1, and is indicated by reference numeral 200 in FIG. In the present embodiment, the schema image forming unit 34 shown in FIG. 1 generates a schema image 202 based on such a B-mode image 200.

  Specifically, the schema image 202 is generated by performing image processing such as reduction processing, luminance inversion processing, and contrast enhancement processing on the B-mode image 200. Of course, a schema image may be created using another image processing method.

  The schema image 202 formed in this way is displayed adjacent to the B-mode image 206 on the actual display screen 204. In FIG. 6, this is indicated by reference numeral 208. Also in this display example, the text data 210 can be input as a comment on the schema image 208 or in association therewith.

  Therefore, according to such a display method, when observing the B-mode image 206, it is possible to facilitate the diagnosis of the tissue by referring to the schema image 208 to which the comment 210 is attached. There is an advantage that the main part of the inspection report can be configured by printing a simple display screen.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in this display example, a body mark 214 is also displayed in the display screen 204 as in the conventional case, and the body mark 214 is output from the body mark storage unit 40 (see FIG. 1). It is an image. The probe mark 212 can be displayed on the body mark 214 by a known circuit in the display processing unit 30, that is, the probe contact portion can be roughly grasped by the position of the probe mark 212.

  Next, the operation of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 7 shows an operation example when the display screen as shown in FIG. 5 is configured while performing various settings manually.

  In S101, the organization to be diagnosed is designated using the operation panel 42 or the like. For example, subjects such as the heart and liver are designated. In S102, the scan mark corresponding to the actually used probe 10 or the actually executed electronic scanning method is selected from the scan marks shown in FIG. In this case, for example, a list of scan marks may be displayed on the display screen.

  In S103, anatomical charts related to or including the target tissue specified in S101 are searched from a plurality of anatomical chart images stored in the anatomical chart DB 36, and a list thereof is displayed on the screen. The Therefore, in S104, any image is selected by the user. In S105, the cutout range, display magnification, and the like in the image selected using the operation panel 42 are designated as necessary. Of course, the image of the anatomical chart output from the anatomical chart DB 36 may be displayed as an image. In addition, a user may select a position for displaying it.

  In S106, the B-mode image and the image of the anatomical chart are simultaneously displayed on the display screen (see FIG. 5). Of course, the displayed ultrasonic image is not limited to the B mode, and may be another ultrasonic image.

  In S107, the operation of positioning and correcting the shape of the scan mark temporarily displayed in S106 are performed. This is done by the user using the operation panel 42 as described above.

  In S108, it is determined whether or not resetting is performed. When resetting is performed, each process from S103 is executed. On the other hand, when resetting is not performed, each process after S109 is executed. In S109, the display screen including the ultrasonic image is frozen, that is, a still image is displayed. In S110, the comment is actually input as text data while designating the position to enter the comment using the operation panel 42. This state is shown in FIG. 5 as described above.

  In S111 in FIG. 7, in the display state as described above, for example, it is determined whether or not a display condition such as a display depth or a display visual field range has been changed. Each process is executed. In S112, the cut-out range and display magnification of the anatomical chart are changed as necessary according to the change of the display condition.

  In S113, the position and shape of the scan mark are changed as necessary according to the change of the display condition. That is, when the display condition is changed, the display content is changed so that the relationship between the image of the anatomical chart and the scan mark matches the relationship between the actual tissue and the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception region. . In S114, the position where the comment is inserted is changed as necessary according to the change of the display condition as described above. Thus, for example, when the display magnification is changed, the comment can be positioned at the same part before and after the change. In S115, it is determined whether or not to confirm the contents of the display screen. When a confirmation operation is performed, the contents of the display screen are stored in the storage device or output to the printing unit 48 in S116 as necessary. Will be recorded on the paper.

  FIG. 8 shows an operation example in the case where an image of an anatomical chart is simultaneously displayed together with an ultrasonic image based on automatic setting.

  In S201, information (body type information) for specifying a body type such as age, sex, and weight of the subject is acquired. In this case, information registered in advance in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may be acquired, or user input may be performed using the operation panel 42.

  In S202, a tissue to be subjected to ultrasonic diagnosis is recognized. For example, when a diagnostic target is registered on the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the information may be recognized, or the target tissue may be input by the user using the operation panel 42.

  In S203, the scan mark is automatically selected by automatically recognizing the probe type or the electronic scanning method. Of course, the scan mark may be selected manually.

  In S204, the initial setting of the coordinate system is performed. That is, in order to match the coordinate system of the probe (the coordinate system recognized by the apparatus) with the coordinate system on the living body, for example, the contact of the probe 10 so that the scanning plane matches a specific cross section (reference plane) of the living body. The contact position and contact posture are adjusted by the user. In that case, a skeleton diagram configured according to the physique information of the subject is displayed on the screen, a reference plane is arbitrarily designated on the skeleton diagram, and the probe 10 is set so that the scanning plane matches the reference plane. The coordinates of the scanning surface in the current contact state of the probe 10 may be designated on the skeleton diagram.

  In any case, various methods can be used for initial setting of the coordinate system as long as each image stored in the anatomical chart DB 36 can be automatically selected according to the position and orientation of the probe.

  In S <b> 205, probe coordinate information is generated by the position / orientation measurement unit 16 based on a signal output from the position sensor unit 12, and is output to the control unit 26. In S206, an appropriate anatomical chart image is selected from the anatomical chart DB 36 by the control unit based on such probe coordinate information, body type information, and other information, and the control unit 26 displays the image in the display processing unit 30. On the other hand, conditions such as a cutting range and a display magnification for the image are instructed.

  Similarly, in S207, based on the probe coordinate information, the body type information, and other information, the control unit 26 instructs the scan mark forming unit 38 to generate a specific scan mark, and the scan mark An image of a specific scan mark is output from the forming unit 38 to the display processing unit 30. At the same time, information specifying the display position and shape for the scan mark is output from the control unit 26 to the display processing unit 30.

  Upon receiving various instructions from the control unit 26 as described above, the display processing unit 30 forms an image of an anatomical chart to be synthesized and displayed, and forms an image of a scan mark to be synthesized and displayed in S208. At the same time, a B-mode image is synthesized and displayed.

  In S209, the steps from S205 to S208 are repeatedly executed until the user performs a freeze operation, that is, when the position of the probe 10 is changed on the surface of the subject or the posture of the probe 10 is changed. Each time, an image of an anatomical chart corresponding to an actually formed transmission / reception wave surface is selected and displayed, and an appropriate scan image is formed and displayed accordingly.

  When the freeze operation is performed by the user in S209, each process after S109 shown in FIG. 7 is executed.

  FIG. 9 shows a processing example when the schema image as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed together with the ultrasonic image. In S301, a schema image is formed by the schema image forming unit 34 based on the B-mode image. In S302, a schema image is synthesized and displayed together with the ultrasonic image.

In S303, it is determined whether or not the user has performed a freeze operation. If it is determined that the freeze operation has been performed, in S304, the user enters a comment on the schema image. Specifically, text data is input while designating the entry position on the display screen. In S305, it is determined whether or not the display condition has been changed. If the display condition has been changed, the position in which the comment is displayed is changed in accordance with the change in the display condition in S306, that is, the display. The position of the comment is appropriately modified after the display condition is changed so that the correspondence between the entry site and the comment before and after the change of the condition is maintained. As is clear from the above description, both the ultrasound image and the schema image are displayed as moving images before S303 (before the freeze), and the ultrasound image and the schema image are stationary at the stage of S303 (at the time of freeze). Displayed as an image.

  In S307, it is determined whether or not the display content is confirmed. If it is confirmed, the display content is stored in a storage device (not shown) in S308, and is recorded on the paper in the printing unit 48 as necessary. It will be. When the scan mark is displayed in the above-described embodiment, if it is necessary to distinguish the front surface and the back surface, an accompanying mark indicating the direction may be displayed. Further, the body mark is not displayed in the display example shown in FIG. 5, but of course, in such a display example, the body mark may be displayed as in the prior art.

  In the above embodiment, only one reference image is displayed together with the ultrasonic image. Of course, a plurality of reference images whose display magnifications are changed stepwise may be displayed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Probe, 12 Position sensor part, 14 Magnetic field generation part, 16 Position and orientation measurement part, 18 Transmission part, 20 Reception part, 26 Control part (display control part), 30 Display processing part, 32 Display part, 34 Schema image formation part 36 Anatomical chart database, 38 Scan mark forming part, 40 Body mark forming part.

Claims (6)

An ultrasound probe that transmits and receives ultrasound to and from tissue inside the living body, and outputs a reception signal;
Means for forming an ultrasonic image of the tissue based on the received signal, and forming an ultrasonic image of the tissue as an ultrasonic image of the tissue until a freeze operation is performed ; and
Means for forming a schema image that generally represents the tissue based on the ultrasonic image, and a schema image forming unit that forms a schema moving image as the schema image until the freeze operation is performed ;
Means for displaying the schema image together with the ultrasound image, displaying the schema motion image together with the tissue motion image until the freeze operation is performed, and the ultrasound image of the tissue when the freeze operation is performed; Display means for displaying a schema still image as the schema image together with a tissue still image as
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: The apparatus of claim 1.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the schema image forming unit includes a reduction processing unit that executes a reduction process on the ultrasonic image. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the schema image forming unit includes a luminance reversing unit that performs a luminance reversing process on the ultrasonic image. The device according to any one of claims 1-3.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the schema image forming unit includes a contrast cooperative processing unit that performs a contrast enhancement process on the ultrasonic image. The device according to any one of claims 1-4,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising comment entry means for inputting a comment in association with the schema image in a display screen of the display means. The apparatus of claim 5.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: means for changing a display position of the comment according to a change in display conditions of the ultrasonic image.

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