JP7401643B1 - Swallowing evaluation device, swallowing evaluation method, swallowing evaluation program and swallowing evaluation system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a swallowing evaluation device, a swallowing evaluation method, a swallowing evaluation program, and a swallowing evaluation system that can easily quantitatively evaluate the swallowing function of a subject. [Solution] A swallowing evaluation device 30 that evaluates swallowing function from an ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle, in which a movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is greater than or equal to a threshold value. a motion speed determination section 31B that determines whether or not the motion speed is greater than or equal to a threshold; and a display control section that displays on the display section 33 that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section 30 determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value. 31D. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a swallowing evaluation device, a swallowing evaluation method, a swallowing evaluation program, and a swallowing evaluation system.

Conventionally, various swallowing evaluation devices have been used to evaluate the swallowing function of a subject (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Among such swallowing evaluation devices, one is known that evaluates swallowing function based on the shape characteristics of, for example, the geniohyoid muscle.

JP2017-78666A

However, with the swallowing evaluation device as described above, although the shape of the geniohyoid muscle can be visually observed through images etc., there is a problem in that it is difficult to perform accurate evaluation.

In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a swallowing evaluation device, a swallowing evaluation method, a swallowing evaluation program, and a swallowing evaluation system that can easily quantitatively evaluate a subject's swallowing function.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following means.
The present invention is a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from an ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle, in which a movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is equal to or higher than a threshold value. and a display control section that displays on a display that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

According to one aspect of the present application, a subject's swallowing function can be easily quantitatively evaluated.

1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a swallowing evaluation system as an embodiment of the present invention. It is a sequence diagram showing the flow of swallowing evaluation processing in the swallowing evaluation system. It is a chart showing the breakdown of people to be tested. It is a chart showing the measurement results of the number of RSSTs, the number of times of oral diadochokinesis, the normal length of the geniohyoid muscle, the length during swallowing, the amount of contraction, the rate of contraction, and the speed in Examples. This shows the relationship between the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle, where (A) is a chart showing the relationship between the contraction rate and the number of RSSTs, and (B) is the relationship between the contraction rate and the average value of oral diadochokinesis. This is a chart showing the following. This shows the relationship between the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle, where (A) is a chart showing the relationship between the movement speed and the number of RSSTs, and (B) is the relationship between the movement speed and the average value of oral diadochokinesis. This is a chart showing the following. This is an image showing an ultrasonic image for contraction rate, and is an image (photograph substituted for a drawing) showing the state of the geniohyoid muscle at normal times. This is an image showing an ultrasonic image for contraction rate, and is an image (photograph substituted for a drawing) showing the state of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing. This is an image showing an ultrasound image for operating speed, and is an image (photograph substituted for a drawing) showing the entire ultrasound image for operating speed. This is an image showing an ultrasonic image for operating speed, and is a partially enlarged image (photograph substituted for a drawing) showing the area indicated by symbol A shown in FIG. 8(A).

(Embodiment)
Hereinafter, a swallowing evaluation device, a swallowing evaluation method, a swallowing evaluation program, and a swallowing evaluation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a swallowing evaluation system 1 as an embodiment of the present invention.
The swallowing evaluation system 1 includes an ultrasound examination device 10, an image analysis device 20, a swallowing evaluation device 30, and a subject terminal 40. These ultrasound examination apparatus 10, image analysis apparatus 20, swallowing evaluation apparatus 30, and subject terminal 40 are connected via a network.

The ultrasonic examination apparatus 10 generates an ultrasonic image of a subject. This ultrasonic inspection apparatus 10 includes a control section 11, a communication section 12, a display section 13, and an image acquisition section 14.
The control unit 11 is realized by, for example, arithmetic means such as a processor and a CPU, functions in cooperation with various types of memory and storage means such as a hard disk, and executes various programs. This control section 11 includes a main control section 11A and an image generation section 11B.
The main control unit 11A executes various programs to control each functional unit and control the entire device.
The image generation unit 11B generates an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound image information of the subject acquired by the image acquisition unit 14.
The communication unit 12 includes various communication devices that transmit and receive information to and from internal equipment and external equipment. This communication unit 12 transmits the ultrasound image data generated by the image generation unit 11B to the image analysis device 20.
The display unit 13 includes, for example, a monitor, a display, etc., and displays various screens, ultrasound images, and the like.
The image acquisition unit 14 includes, for example, a probe, and acquires ultrasound image information of the geniohyoid muscle by transmitting and receiving ultrasound to and from the subject, and transmits it to the control unit 11 .

The image analysis device 20 displays and analyzes ultrasound images, and calculates feature quantities such as the operating speed and contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle. The image analysis device 20 includes a control section 21, a communication section 22, a display section 23, and an operation section 24.
The control unit 21 is realized by, for example, arithmetic means such as a processor and a CPU, functions in cooperation with various memories and storage means such as a hard disk, and executes various programs. The control section 21 includes a main control section 21A, an operation speed calculation section 21B, and a contraction rate calculation section 21C.
The main control unit 21A executes various programs to control each functional unit and control the entire device.

The motion speed calculation unit 21B calculates the motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle based on the motion of the geniohyoid muscle from the start of swallowing to the maximum contraction in the ultrasound image. That is, the motion speed calculating unit 21B calculates the motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle based on the distance and elapsed time that the geniohyoid muscle moves from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the ultrasound image. Note that the distance traveled by the geniohyoid muscle refers to the distance between the position of the geniohyoid muscle during normal times and the position of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing. Specifically, the motion speed calculation unit 21B calculates the point at the start of swallowing and the maximum contraction at the time of swallowing in the ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle in M mode (movement analysis mode) displayed by the display unit 23. The operating speed of the geniohyoid muscle is calculated by calculating the slope of the straight line connecting the two points. That is, the operating speed calculation unit 21B calculates the operating speed using the following formula.
Movement speed = distance traveled by the geniohyoid muscle from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction ÷ elapsed time

The contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing based on the normal length of the geniohyoid muscle and the length at the most contraction in the ultrasound image. Specifically, the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates the normal length of the geniohyoid muscle and the normal length of the ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle in B mode (a mode that analyzes based on brightness) displayed by the display unit 23. , calculate the length of the geniohyoid muscle at its maximum contraction during swallowing. Then, the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle using the following formula.
Contraction rate = Contraction amount of geniohyoid muscle ÷ Normal length of geniohyoid muscle x 100
Note that the amount of contraction of the geniohyoid muscle = the length of the geniohyoid muscle at normal times - the length of the geniohyoid muscle at its maximum contraction during swallowing.

The communication unit 22 includes various communication devices that transmit and receive information to and from internal and external devices. The communication unit 22 transmits the movement speed calculated by the movement speed calculation unit 21B and the contraction rate calculated by the contraction rate calculation unit 21C to the swallowing evaluation device 30.
The display unit 23 includes, for example, a monitor, a display, etc., and displays various screens, ultrasound images, and the like.
The operation unit 24 includes, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, or buttons, and receives various instruction operations from an operator and inputs the various instructions to the control unit 21 .

The swallowing evaluation device 30 evaluates swallowing function based on feature amounts calculated from ultrasound images. This swallowing evaluation device 30 includes a control section 31, a communication section 32, a display section 33, and a storage section 34.
The control unit 31 is realized, for example, by a calculation means such as a processor or a CPU, functions in cooperation with various memories, storage means such as a hard disk, and executes various programs. The control section 31 includes a main control section 31A, an operation speed determination section 31B, a shrinkage rate determination section 31C, and a display control section 31D.
The main control unit 31A executes various programs to control each functional unit and control the entire device.
The motion speed determination section 31B determines whether the motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle calculated by the motion speed calculation section 21B is equal to or greater than a threshold value, and transmits the motion speed determination result to the display control section 31D.
The contraction rate determination unit 31C determines whether the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle calculated by the contraction rate calculation unit 21C is less than or equal to a threshold value, and transmits the contraction rate determination result to the display control unit 31D.

The display control section 31D evaluates the swallowing risk based on the motion speed determination result determined by the motion speed determination section 31B and the contraction rate determination result determined by the contraction rate determination section 31C. That is, the display control section 31D evaluates that there is a risk of swallowing when the motion speed determination result determined by the motion speed determination section 31B is equal to or higher than the threshold value or when the contraction rate determination result determined by the contraction rate determination section 31C is equal to or less than the threshold value, The evaluation results are displayed on the display section 33. Further, the display control unit 31D evaluates that the risk of swallowing is high when the movement speed determination result determined by the movement speed determination unit 31B is equal to or greater than the threshold value and the contraction rate determination result determined by the contraction rate determination unit 31C is less than or equal to the threshold value. , the evaluation results are displayed on the display unit 33.
Note that the swallowing risk refers to the risk of developing aspiration pneumonia due to a decline in swallowing function.

The communication unit 32 includes various communication devices that transmit and receive information to and from internal and external devices. The communication unit 32 receives the operating speed and contraction rate transmitted by the image analysis device 20 and inputs them to the control unit 31 .
The display unit 33 includes, for example, a monitor, a display, etc., and displays various screens, swallowing risk evaluation results, and the like.
The storage unit 34 includes, for example, a hard disk or a memory, and stores various programs, work data, and the like. Specifically, the storage unit 34 stores an operating speed threshold, a contraction rate threshold, and the like. Note that the operating speed threshold is, for example, "2.0 cm/S", and the shrinkage rate threshold is, for example, "30.0%".

Next, operations such as swallowing evaluation in the swallowing evaluation system 1 will be explained.
FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of swallowing evaluation processing, etc. of the ultrasound examination apparatus 10, the image analysis apparatus 20, the swallowing evaluation apparatus 30, and the subject terminal 40.
First, the image acquisition unit 14 acquires ultrasound image information of the subject's geniohyoid muscle and transmits it to the control unit 11 (step S1). That is, the ultrasonic examination apparatus 10 is set to M mode, and the subject is asked to swallow thick water while the probe (image acquisition unit 14) is applied vertically to the tip of the subject's jawbone. At this time, the image acquisition unit 14 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the subject to acquire image information for the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing (including movement distance information and elapsed time information), and the control unit Send to 11. Furthermore, the ultrasound examination apparatus 10 was set to B mode, and in the same manner, the probe (image acquisition unit 14) was applied vertically to the tip of the subject's jawbone, and the subject swallowed thick water. In response to this, the image acquisition unit 14 acquires image information for the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing (including length information of the geniohyoid muscle), and transmits it to the control unit 11 .

When the image generation unit 11B receives the ultrasound image information including the image information for operation speed and the image information for contraction rate, it generates an ultrasound image including the ultrasound image for operation speed and the ultrasound image for contraction rate ( Step S2). That is, the image generation unit 11B generates an ultrasonic image for operating speed based on the image information for operating speed, and generates an ultrasonic image for shrinkage rate based on the image information for shrinkage rate. When the image generation unit 11B generates an ultrasound image, it transmits it to the main control unit 11A. When the main control unit 11A receives the ultrasound image, it transmits it to the image analysis device 20 via the communication unit 12 (step S3).
When the main control unit 21A in the image analysis device 20 receives the ultrasound image via the communication unit 22, it displays the ultrasound image on the display unit 23. That is, the display unit 23 displays the ultrasonic image for operating speed and the ultrasonic image for contraction rate.

Then, the motion speed calculating unit 21B calculates the motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing based on the motion speed ultrasonic image as follows (step S4).
8A and 8B are images showing an ultrasonic image for operating speed, in which (A) is an image showing the entire ultrasonic image for operating speed, and (B) is a partially enlarged image showing the region of code A.
In FIG. 8, the vertical axis indicates the distance traveled by the geniohyoid muscle, and the horizontal axis indicates the elapsed time.
With the display unit 23 displaying the ultrasonic image for operating speed, the examiner operates the operating unit 24 to move the pointer to the point at which the distance on the vertical axis begins to move in the ultrasonic image for operating speed. let At this time, the examiner visually observes the ultrasonic image for operating speed and operates the operation unit 24 while looking at the boundary between the white part and the black part. Then, the examiner operates the operation unit 24 and clicks with the pointer placed at the point at which the distance on the vertical axis begins to move. This point is the point at which the geniohyoid muscle begins to move, that is, the point at which swallowing begins, and is the swallowing starting point P1. Then, the examiner similarly operates the operation unit 24 to move the pointer to the point where the distance is the greatest and clicks. This point is the point where the distance traveled by the geniohyoid muscle is the largest, that is, the point where the geniohyoid muscle is contracted the most, and is the most contracted point P2. The operation unit 24 transmits the coordinate information of the swallowing start point P1 and the most contraction point P2 to the motion speed calculation unit 21B.
When inputting the coordinate information of the swallowing start point P1 and the most contracted point P2, the motion speed calculation unit 21B calculates the distance on the vertical axis and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis based on the coordinate information. Then, the motion speed calculation unit 21B calculates the motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing based on these distances and elapsed time. That is, the motion speed calculation unit 21B calculates "motion speed=distance traveled by the geniohyoid muscle from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction/elapsed time" based on the ultrasound image for motion speed. Then, the operating speed calculation section 21B transmits the calculated operating speed to the main control section 21A.

Furthermore, the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing based on the ultrasound image for contraction rate as follows (step S5).
FIG. 7 shows ultrasound images for contraction rate, where (A) is an image showing the state of the geniohyoid muscle during normal times, and (B) is an image showing the state of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing. be.
The ultrasound image for contraction rate shows the geometrical state of the geniohyoid muscle.
With the display unit 23 displaying the normal contraction rate ultrasound image, the examiner operates the operation unit 24 to move the pointer to the tip of the jawbone in the contraction rate ultrasound image. At this time, the examiner visually observes the ultrasonic image for contraction rate and operates the operation unit 24 while looking at the boundary between the white part and the black part, as described above. Then, the examiner operates the operation unit 24 and clicks with the pointer placed on the tip of the jawbone. This point becomes the normal jawbone tip P3. Then, the examiner similarly operates the operation unit 24 to move the pointer to the distal end of the geniohyoid muscle and clicks. This point normally becomes the tip of the hyoid muscle P4. Further, while the display unit 23 is displaying the ultrasonic image for contraction rate during swallowing, the examiner similarly operates the operation unit 24 to move the pointer to the tip of the jawbone and clicks. This point becomes the jawbone tip P5 during swallowing. Then, the examiner similarly operates the operation unit 24 to move the pointer to the distal end of the geniohyoid muscle and clicks. This point is the tip of the geniohyoid muscle that contracts most during swallowing, and becomes the tip P6 of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing.

The operation unit 24 transmits the coordinate information of the normal jawbone tip P3, the normal hyoid muscle tip P4, the jawbone tip P5 during swallowing, and the hyoid muscle tip P6 during swallowing to the contraction rate calculation unit 21C.
When the contraction rate calculation unit 21C inputs the coordinate information of the tip of the jawbone P3 during normal times, the tip of the hyoid muscle during normal times P4, the tip of the jawbone during swallowing P5, and the tip of the hyoid muscle during swallowing P6, the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates the coordinate information based on the coordinate information. Based on this, the length Ln of the geniohyoid muscle at normal times and the length Ls of the geniohyoid muscle at its maximum contraction during swallowing are calculated. That is, the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates the length Ln of the geniohyoid muscle in normal conditions based on the coordinate information of the normal jawbone tip P3 and the normal hyoid muscle tip P4, and calculates the length Ln of the geniohyoid muscle in normal conditions, and The length Ls of the geniohyoid muscle at its maximum contraction during swallowing is calculated based on the coordinate information of the part P5 and the distal end part P6 of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing. Then, the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates "the amount of contraction of the geniohyoid muscle = the length of the geniohyoid muscle at normal times Ln - the length Ls of the geniohyoid muscle at the time of maximum contraction during swallowing". Furthermore, the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculates "contraction rate=contraction amount of the geniohyoid muscle ÷ normal length Ln of the geniohyoid muscle"×100. Then, the shrinkage rate calculation unit 21C transmits the calculated shrinkage rate to the main control unit 21A.
When the main control section 21A receives the motion speed transmitted by the motion speed calculation section 21B and the contraction rate transmitted by the contraction rate calculation section 21C, it transmits these motion speed and contraction rate to the swallowing evaluation device 30 (step S6).

When the main control unit 31A in the swallowing evaluation device 30 inputs the movement speed and contraction rate via the communication unit 32, it transmits the movement speed to the movement speed determination unit 31B and the contraction rate to the contraction rate determination unit 31C. .
When the motion speed is input, the motion speed determination section 31B reads a motion speed threshold (for example, "2.0 cm/S") from the storage section 34, and determines whether the motion speed is equal to or greater than the threshold (step S7). That is, the operating speed determination unit 31B transmits the operating speed determination result of either “the operating speed is greater than or equal to the threshold” or “the operating speed is less than the threshold” to the display control unit 31D.
Then, when the shrinkage rate is input, the shrinkage rate determining unit 31C reads a shrinkage rate threshold value (for example, "30.0%") from the storage unit 34, and determines whether the shrinkage rate is less than or equal to the threshold value ( Step S8). That is, the shrinkage rate determination unit 31C transmits the shrinkage rate determination result of either “the shrinkage rate is below the threshold value” or “the shrinkage rate is greater than the threshold value” to the display control unit 31D.

When the display control unit 31D receives the motion speed determination result transmitted by the motion speed determination unit 31B and the contraction rate determination result transmitted by the contraction rate determination unit 31C, the display control unit 31D performs swallowing risk evaluation processing (step S9). That is, the display control unit 31D calculates any one of the following four based on the operation speed determination result and the shrinkage rate determination result.
(1) If the movement speed is above the threshold and the contraction rate is below the threshold, there is a high risk of swallowing. (2) If the movement speed is above the threshold and the contraction rate is above the threshold, there is a risk of swallowing. (3) The movement speed is below the threshold. and if the contraction rate is below the threshold, there is a risk of swallowing (4) If the movement speed is below the threshold and the contraction rate is above the threshold, there is no risk of swallowing.In other words, in the case of the evaluation result of (1) above, the risk of swallowing is high. (Swallowing risk is high level), in the case of the evaluation results of (2) and (3) above, there is a swallowing risk (Swallowing risk is medium level), and in the case of the evaluation result of (4) above, there is no swallowing risk (Swallowing risk is (low level of risk).

Then, the display control section 31D displays the calculated evaluation results on the display section 33. That is, the display unit 33 displays "There is a high risk of swallowing" in the case of the evaluation result of (1) above, and displays "There is a risk of swallowing" in the case of the evaluation results of (2) and (3) above. However, in the case of the evaluation result in (4) above, "There is no swallowing risk" is displayed. At this time, the display control section 31D may display the operation speed determination result and the shrinkage rate determination result.
Thereby, the examiner can confirm the evaluation result by visually observing the display on the display unit 33.
Furthermore, the display control section 31D transmits the calculated evaluation result to the main control section 31A. When the main control unit 31A receives the evaluation result, it transmits it to the subject terminal 40 via the communication unit 32 (step S10).
Upon receiving the evaluation result, the subject terminal 40 displays it on the display unit 41 (step S11). In other words, in the same way as above, the display unit 41 displays "The risk of swallowing is high" in the case of the evaluation result of (1) above, and displays "The risk of swallowing is high" in the case of the evaluation results of (2) and (3) above. In the case of the above evaluation result (4), "There is no swallowing risk" is displayed.
Thereby, the test subject can confirm the evaluation result by visually viewing the display on the display unit 41.

Next, the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to Examples and Comparative Examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
(Example)
The purpose of this example is the following two points.
(1) Measurability evaluation of each evaluation item In this example, two items are prepared for testing using the testing device, as described below. We will confirm whether it is actually possible to measure these items using ultrasound (echo).
(2) Correlation between each evaluation result number/questionnaire based on ultrasound (echo) and existing evaluation results Currently, RSST (Repetitive saliva swallowing test) and oral diadochokinesis are used to evaluate swallowing function. exist.
Dysphagia is defined as a subject who has difficulty in swallowing (hereinafter referred to as "dysphagia") based on the score of the questionnaire survey conducted in this example and the results of RSST and oral diadochokinesis. (Hereinafter, those who are not defined as having dysphagia will be referred to as "normal swallowing persons") will be used to determine the results of ultrasound (echo) examinations. The data is divided into those with dysphagia and those with normal swallowing.

(Inspection implementation summary)
・Equipment used:
An image of the geniohyoid muscle was taken using an ultrasonic (echo) testing device (hereinafter referred to as the "testing device") BenQ Medical_H1300 (sold by BenQ Medical Technology). Testing equipment is not a medical device and cannot be used to diagnose patients.
·probe:
The convex probe was connected to the inspection equipment and used.
(Test subjects and number of cases)
This example was conducted on 26 cases aged 20 to 90 years. The elderly people (70-90 years old) are users of day care facilities, and the working-age people (20-70 years old) are office workers (working at the head office of Dental Support Co., Ltd.). The composition of age and gender is as shown in the breakdown of test subjects in FIG.
(Measurement item)
・Contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle ・Operation speed of the geniohyoid muscle

(Testing person)
One dental hygienist operated the testing equipment.

(Test result evaluation implementer)
Evaluation of inspection results involves setting the points necessary to measure distance and speed on the image displayed on the inspection device, and formulating formulas to calculate each measurement item using the obtained distance and speed values. The experiment was carried out in three steps: determining the numerical value of each measurement item by substituting it into , and examining the correlation between the numerical value of each measurement item and the results of oral diadochokinesis and RSST.
Test result evaluation was performed by one dental hygienist at all stages.

(Measurement method)
(1) Measurement of the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle After setting the testing device to the specified values (B mode, Depth: 5.0, Focus: 3.0, Gain: 42, Resolution), measure the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle from the tip of the jawbone. Apply the convex probe vertically.
With the probe placed on the subject, have the subject swallow thickened water, and compare the distance from the tip of the jawbone to the geniohyoid muscle when the subject is normal and when swallowing. "Thickened water" refers to "Tsururinko Quickly," a thickening material sold by Clinico Co., Ltd., which is classified as "lightly thick" (viscosity: 50 to 150 mPa・s) by the Japan Society for Eating and Swallowing Rehabilitation. It is dissolved in water so that
The reason why the subjects were asked to swallow thick water when swallowing was because we determined that if each subject swallowed different saliva, the conditions for each subject would not be unified and accurate measurements would not be possible. be. It has been confirmed that the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle is faster when the same subject swallows saliva than when swallowing thickened water (when swallowing saliva: 2. 03 cm/s, while when swallowing thickened water: 3.78 cm/s).
Substitute the values during normal and swallowing into the equation below to find the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle.
Contraction rate = Contraction amount of geniohyoid muscle ÷ Normal length of geniohyoid muscle x 100

(2) Measuring the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle After setting the testing device to the predetermined values (M mode, Depth: 3.5, Focus: 1.0, Gain: 42, Resolution), start from the tip of the jawbone. Apply the convex probe vertically and convert the movement of the geniohyoid muscle into a waveform. The motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle is measured by having the subject swallow thickened water with the probe placed on the subject and calculating the slope of the waveform when swallowing.

(Inspection results)
(1) Contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle The vertical length of the geniohyoid muscle was photographed during normal times and during swallowing, and the images shown in FIG. 7 were obtained. FIG. 7(A) is an image during normal operation, and FIG. 7(B) is an image during swallowing.
Points were set on the image at the tips of the jawbone and hyoid bone, and the distance between them was measured. As a result, the vertical length of the geniohyoid muscle during normal and swallowing conditions was obtained. Therefore, the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle was calculated.
FIG. 4 is a chart showing the measurement results of the number of RSSTs, the number of oral diadochokinesis, the normal length of the geniohyoid muscle, the length during swallowing, the amount of contraction, the rate of contraction, and the speed of movement.
Furthermore, when the contraction rate was compared with the results of RSST and oral diadochokinesis, the results shown in FIG. 5 were obtained. Figure 5 shows the relationship between the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle, where (A) is a chart showing the relationship between the contraction rate and the number of RSSTs, and (B) is the average contraction rate and oral diadochokinesis. It is a chart showing the relationship with values.
Furthermore, since it was determined that dysphagia was suspected if the RSST was performed twice or less, the subjects were divided into two groups: subjects who had taken the RSST once or twice and subjects who had taken the test three or more times, and their swallowing function was analyzed. Also, for oral diadochokinesis, the average value of the results when uttering "PA,""TA," and "KA" is calculated, and the correlation with the average value is examined.
The correlation coefficient between the shrinkage rate and the average value in FIG. 5(B) was 0.53.

(Consideration)
Regarding the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle Analysis of the images obtained in this example shows that the index of the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle has a correlation with the RSST and oral diadochokinesis, which are used to evaluate swallowing function. Admitted. That is, a positive correlation was observed between the contraction rate, RSST, and oral diadochokinesis, and new findings were obtained that the lower the contraction rate, the higher the risk of swallowing. This confirmed that the risk of swallowing function could be determined using the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle.

(2) Movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle When the geniohyoid muscle contracts due to the movement during swallowing, the geniohyoid muscle is photographed using a probe, and the vertical axis is set to the geniohyoid muscle using the M mode of the testing device. A graph was drawn on the inspection device with the length of movement and the elapsed time on the horizontal axis.
FIG. 8 is an image showing the length and elapsed time of the movement of the geniohyoid muscle in M mode.
In analyzing the images, we determined the point at which the subject began to swallow and the geniohyoid muscle began to move, and the point at which the geniohyoid muscle contraction was completed and the geniohyoid muscle began to return to its original state from its contracted state. Points were set for each.
These operating speeds from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction were calculated (shown in FIG. 4).
The operating speed of the geniohyoid muscle was compared with the results of RSST and oral diadochokinesis.
Figure 6 shows the relationship between the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle, where (A) is a chart showing the relationship between the movement speed and the number of RSSTs, and (B) is the average of the movement speed and oral diadochokinesis. It is a chart showing the relationship with values.
The correlation coefficient between the operating speed and the average value in FIG. 6(B) was -0.52.

(Consideration)
About the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle Analysis of the images obtained in this example shows that the index of the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle has a correlation with the RSST and oral diadochokinesis, which are used to evaluate swallowing function. Admitted. That is, a negative correlation was observed between movement speed, RSST, and oral diadochokinesis, and new findings were obtained that the higher the movement speed, the higher the risk of swallowing. This confirmed that the risk of swallowing function could be determined using the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle.

As described above, according to the swallowing evaluation device 30, the swallowing evaluation method, and the swallowing evaluation system 1 in this embodiment, the operating speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing, which is calculated based on the ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle, is the threshold value. If the movement speed determination unit 31B determines that the movement speed is above, the display control unit 31D displays that there is a risk of swallowing. Therefore, it is possible to easily quantitatively evaluate the swallowing function of the subject using ultrasound images. can.
Methods for evaluating swallowing function include VE (videoendoscopic evaluation of swallowing) and VF (video fluoroscopic evaluation of swallowing). is known. However, these methods are highly specialized and invasive, and require the use of specialized equipment at medical institutions. According to the swallowing evaluation device 30, the swallowing evaluation method, and the swallowing evaluation system 1 in this embodiment, since ultrasound images obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound are used, evaluation can be easily performed.

Furthermore, the starting motion of the geniohyoid muscle at the beginning of swallowing is relatively fast and changes significantly compared to normal times, but the ending motion at the end of swallowing is relatively slow and changes small compared to the peak during swallowing. . That is, although the starting motion of the geniohyoid muscle is a large movement, it is easy to recognize the start of swallowing, but the ending motion continues to have small changes, making it difficult to recognize the end of swallowing. In addition, the distance that the geniohyoid muscle moves gradually increases during the contraction movement from the start of swallowing to the maximum contraction, and conversely, it gradually decreases during the restoration movement from the maximum contraction to the end of swallowing. It is easy to recognize the switching point from the start of swallowing to the maximum contraction and then to the restoring motion. According to the swallowing evaluation device 30, the swallowing evaluation method, and the swallowing evaluation system 1 in the present embodiment, the motion speed calculation unit 21B calculates By calculating the movement speed, it is possible to measure the start of swallowing and the time of maximum contraction, which are easy to recognize, and quantitative evaluation can be performed more easily. In addition, for example, in the evaluation method using two-dimensional waveforms such as sound waves and electromyograms during swallowing, it is technically difficult to extract and analyze the section from the start of swallowing to the final contraction point from the entire swallowing motion.
In addition, the motion speed calculation unit 21B calculates the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle based on the distance that the geniohyoid muscle moves from the start of swallowing to the maximum contraction in the ultrasound image and the elapsed time from the start of swallowing to the maximum contraction. By calculating the movement speed of the muscle, it is possible to measure the start of swallowing and the time of maximum contraction, which are easy to recognize in ultrasound images, making quantitative evaluation easier.

Further, when the movement speed determination unit 31B determines that the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle is equal to or higher than the threshold value, and the contraction rate determination unit 31C determines that the contraction rate is equal to or lower than the threshold value, an indication that the risk of swallowing is high is displayed. Since the control unit 31D displays the information, detailed quantitative evaluation can be performed.
In addition, if the contraction rate determining unit 31C determines that the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing, which is calculated based on the ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle, is less than the threshold, an indication that there is a risk of swallowing is displayed. Since the control unit 31D displays the image, the swallowing function of the subject can be easily quantitatively evaluated using the ultrasound image.

Note that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, although the operating speed and contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle are determined, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration can be changed as appropriate. For example, only the operating speed may be determined, or only the contraction rate may be determined. That is, at least either the operating speed or the contraction rate may be determined. In that case, the image analysis device 20 may include at least one of the motion speed calculation section 21B or the contraction rate calculation section 21C, and the swallowing evaluation device 30 may include the motion speed determination section 31B or the contraction rate determination section 31C. It is sufficient if at least one of the following is provided.

Furthermore, although the display control unit 31D calculates any one of the four values based on the operation speed determination result and the shrinkage rate determination result, the present invention is not limited to this, and the content of the evaluation result can be changed as appropriate. be. For example, if the movement speed is above a threshold value and the contraction rate is below a threshold value, it is determined that the risk of swallowing is high, but in this case, it may be determined that there is a "risk of swallowing". In addition, if the movement speed is above the threshold or the contraction rate is below the threshold, it is said that there is a risk of swallowing. If the rate is below a threshold value, it may be determined that there is a "swallowing risk."

Further, although the display control section 31D displays the swallowing risk evaluation result on the display section 33, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be displayed on at least one of the display section 33, the display section 13 of the ultrasound examination apparatus 10, the display section 23 of the image analysis apparatus 20, or the display section 41 of the subject terminal 40.
Further, although the display control unit 31D displays the swallowing risk evaluation results in the form of text, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display control unit 31D may display the results by other means such as images, charts, lights, sounds, vibrations, etc. good.
Further, although the operating speed threshold is "2.0 cm/S" and the shrinkage rate threshold is "30.0%", the present invention is not limited to these, and these thresholds can be changed as appropriate.
Furthermore, although the operating speed determination unit 31B is described as determining whether the operating speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the present invention is not limited to this, and may determine whether or not the operating speed exceeds a threshold value. That is, "more than a threshold value" means more than a threshold value or more than a threshold value.
Furthermore, although the shrinkage rate determining unit 31C determines whether the shrinkage rate is less than or equal to a threshold value, the present invention is not limited to this, and may determine whether or not the shrinkage rate is less than a threshold value. That is, "below a threshold value" means below a threshold value or less than a threshold value.

Furthermore, although the motion speed is calculated based on the motion of the geniohyoid muscle from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the ultrasound image, the present invention is not limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, it may be calculated based on the movement from the start of swallowing to the end of swallowing, from the time of maximum contraction to the time of end of swallowing, or it may be calculated based on the movement between arbitrary points in time.
Furthermore, the movement speed is calculated based on the distance that the geniohyoid muscle moves from the start of swallowing to the point of maximum contraction in the ultrasound image, and the elapsed time from the start of swallowing to the point of maximum contraction. , the calculation of the operating speed can be changed as appropriate without being limited to this.
In addition, when calculating the operating speed and contraction rate, the examiner visually observes the ultrasound image and operates the operation unit 24 to set the measurement point, but the configuration is not limited to this. It can be changed as appropriate. For example, the motion speed calculation unit 21B and the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculate the swallowing start point P1 and the final contraction point P2 by image processing, and calculate the tip of the jaw bone P3 during normal operation, the tip of the hyoid muscle P4 during normal operation, and the end point P4 of the hyoid muscle during swallowing. The jaw bone tip P5 and the hyoid muscle tip P6 during swallowing may be calculated. In addition, the motion speed calculation unit 21B and the contraction rate calculation unit 21C utilize AI and, for example, machine learning, to calculate the swallowing start point P1, the final contraction point P2, the normal jaw bone tip P3, and the normal hyoid muscle tip P4. , the jawbone tip P5 during swallowing and the hyoid muscle tip P6 during swallowing may be calculated.

Furthermore, although the operating speed calculation unit 21B and the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculate the operating speed and contraction rate based on the ultrasound image, the present invention is not limited to this, and the configuration thereof can be changed as appropriate. For example, in addition to ultrasound, the operation speed calculation unit 21B and contraction rate calculation are performed based on images such as VE, VF, CT (Computed Tomography), and MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The unit 21C may calculate the operating speed and contraction rate. That is, the swallowing evaluation device 30 may evaluate the swallowing function from the geometric motion information of the swallowing motion part of the subject. The geometric motion information is geometric information regarding the motion of the swallowing motion section during swallowing, and includes the distance, length, shape, area, etc. of the movement of the swallowing motion section. Specifically, the geometric motion information is geometric motion information obtained by an ultrasonic inspection device, a magnetic resonance imaging device, or an X-ray inspection device.
Furthermore, the swallowing evaluation device 30 may evaluate the swallowing function based on the operation information of the swallowing operation part of the subject. The motion information is information regarding the motion of the swallowing motion part during swallowing, and includes, for example, geometric motion information, as well as information based on sounds during swallowing, electromyography, and the like. The motion speed and contraction rate may be calculated based on the sound during swallowing, electromyogram, etc.
Further, although the movement speed calculation unit 21B and the contraction rate calculation unit 21C calculate the movement speed and contraction rate using the geniohyoid muscle, the object is not limited to this, and the swallowing movement unit moves in response to swallowing. If so, the object for which the operating speed and shrinkage rate are calculated can be changed as appropriate. For example, the swallowing motion part includes muscles, bones, nerves, etc. that operate in response to swallowing.
Muscles include the suprahyoid muscle group (geniohyoid muscle, mylohyoid muscle, stylohyoid muscle, digastric muscle, etc.), the infrahyoid muscle group (thyrohyoid muscle, sternohyoid muscle, sternohyoid muscle, sternohyoid muscle, etc.). muscles, etc.), tongue muscle group (internal tongue muscles such as superior longitudinal tongue muscle, inferior longitudinal tongue muscle, transverse tongue muscle, vertical tongue muscle, etc.), and external tongue muscles such as genioglossus, hyoglossus, and styloglossus. muscles, etc.), masticatory muscle groups (lateral pterygoid muscle, medial pterygoid muscle, temporalis muscle, masseter muscle, etc.).
Bones include the hyoid, larynx (thyroid cartilage, cricoid cartilage, arytenoid cartilage, etc.), and the mandible.
Nerves include the medulla oblongata, etc.

Moreover, each of the above-mentioned functional units constituting the swallowing evaluation system 1 may be provided in a single computer, or may be provided in a distributed manner in a plurality of computers that can communicate via a communication network. Distributed computers may be located not only in Japan but also in foreign countries. For example, the ultrasound examination apparatus 10, the image analysis apparatus 20, and the swallowing evaluation apparatus 30 may be a single apparatus, or the ultrasound examination apparatus 10 and the image analysis apparatus 20 may be a single apparatus, The image analysis device 20 and the swallowing evaluation device 30 may be a single device, or the ultrasound examination device 10 and the swallowing evaluation device 30 may be a single device.
Furthermore, at least one of the functional units of the ultrasound examination apparatus 10, the image analysis apparatus 20, or the swallowing evaluation apparatus 30 may be provided in the subject terminal 40. For example, by installing a program on the subject terminal 40, the subject terminal 40 may function as at least one of the ultrasound examination apparatus 10, the image analysis apparatus 20, or the swallowing evaluation apparatus 30.

Moreover, although the ultrasound examination apparatus 10, the image analysis apparatus 20, the swallowing evaluation apparatus 30, and the subject terminal 40 are connected via a network, the present invention is not limited to this and may not be connected to the network. For example, data may be exchanged using a portable medium such as a USB (registered trademark) memory.
Furthermore, a program for realizing the functions of the swallowing evaluation system 1, the ultrasound examination apparatus 10, the image analysis apparatus 20, the swallowing evaluation apparatus 30, and the subject terminal 40 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program is stored in this recording medium. Various processes may be performed by loading a recorded program into a computer system and executing it. Note that the "computer system" herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.
This program can also produce effects similar to those described above.

Furthermore, the term "computer system" includes the homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.
Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as hard disks, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, DVDs, and USB (registered trademark) memory, hard disks built into computer systems, etc. storage device. Furthermore, a "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a storage medium that dynamically stores a program for a short period of time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. It also includes devices that retain programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system that serves as a server or client. Further, the above-mentioned program may be one for realizing a part of the above-mentioned functions, or may be one that can realize the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.
It goes without saying that the combinations of the elements of the above embodiments, examples, and modifications can be changed, and these elements can be combined as appropriate.

Regarding the already described embodiments, the following additional notes are further shown.
(Additional note 1)
A swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from ultrasound images of the geniohyoid muscle,
a motion speed determination unit that determines whether a motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

(Additional note 2)
The swallowing evaluation device according to appendix 1, wherein the motion speed is calculated based on the motion of the geniohyoid muscle from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the ultrasound image.

(Additional note 3)
The movement speed is calculated based on the distance that the geniohyoid muscle moves from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the ultrasound image and the elapsed time from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction. The swallowing evaluation device according to Supplementary Note 1, characterized by:

(Additional note 4)
comprising a contraction rate determination unit that determines whether the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing, which is calculated based on the ultrasound image, is less than or equal to a threshold;
The display control unit may indicate that the risk of swallowing is high when the movement speed determination unit determines that the movement speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value and the contraction rate determination unit determines that the contraction rate is equal to or lower than a threshold value. The swallowing evaluation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, which is displayed on the display unit.

(Appendix 5)
A swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from ultrasound images of the geniohyoid muscle,
a contraction rate determination unit that determines whether the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing, which is calculated based on the ultrasound image, is less than or equal to a threshold;
and a display control unit that displays on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the contraction rate determination unit determines that the contraction rate is less than or equal to a threshold value.

(Appendix 6)
A swallowing evaluation method in a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from an ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle,
a motion speed determination step of determining whether a motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold.

(Appendix 7)
A swallowing evaluation program for a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from ultrasound images of the geniohyoid muscle,
a motion speed determination step of determining whether a motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is equal to or higher than a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation program comprising: a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

(Appendix 8)
A swallowing evaluation system comprising an ultrasound examination device that generates ultrasound images, an image analysis device that analyzes the ultrasound images, and a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of the geniohyoid muscle from the ultrasound images. hand,
The ultrasonic inspection device includes:
Equipped with an image generation unit that photographs the subject's geniohyoid muscle and generates an ultrasound image,
The image analysis device includes:
comprising a movement speed calculation unit that calculates the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing based on the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit;
The swallowing evaluation device includes:
a motion speed determination unit that determines whether the motion speed calculated by the motion speed calculation unit is greater than or equal to a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation system comprising: a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

(Appendix 9)
A swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from geometric motion information of a swallowing motion part,
a movement speed determination unit that determines whether a movement speed during swallowing of the swallowing movement unit calculated based on the geometric movement information is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

(Appendix 10)
9. The swallowing evaluation device according to appendix 9, wherein the motion speed is calculated based on the motion of the swallowing motion section from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the geometric motion information.

(Appendix 11)
The movement speed is calculated based on the distance that the swallowing movement part has moved from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the geometric movement information and the elapsed time from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction. 9. The swallowing evaluation device according to appendix 9.

(Appendix 12)
comprising a contraction rate determination unit that determines whether a contraction rate during swallowing of the swallowing operation unit calculated based on the geometrical movement information is equal to or less than a threshold;
The display control unit may indicate that the risk of swallowing is high when the movement speed determination unit determines that the movement speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value and the contraction rate determination unit determines that the contraction rate is equal to or lower than a threshold value. The swallowing evaluation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 9 to 11, which is displayed on the display unit.

(Appendix 13)
A swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from geometric motion information of a swallowing motion part,
a contraction rate determination unit that determines whether a contraction rate during swallowing of the swallowing motion part calculated based on the geometric motion information is equal to or less than a threshold;
and a display control unit that displays on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the contraction rate determination unit determines that the contraction rate is less than or equal to a threshold value.

(Appendix 14)
A swallowing evaluation method in a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from geometric motion information of a swallowing motion part,
a motion speed determining step of determining whether a motion speed during swallowing of the swallowing motion section calculated based on the geometric motion information is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold.

(Appendix 15)
A swallowing evaluation program for a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from geometric motion information of a swallowing motion part,
a motion speed determining step of determining whether a motion speed during swallowing of the swallowing motion section calculated based on the geometric motion information is equal to or higher than a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation program comprising: a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

(Appendix 16)
an inspection device that generates an image of the swallowing motion part; an image analysis device that analyzes the image; and a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of the swallowing motion region from geometric motion information of the swallowing motion region in the image. A swallowing evaluation system comprising:
The inspection device includes:
comprising an image generation unit that generates an image of the swallowing movement part of the subject;
The image analysis device includes:
comprising a movement speed calculation unit that calculates the movement speed of the swallowing movement unit during swallowing based on the geometric movement information in the image generated by the image generation unit;
The swallowing evaluation device includes:
a motion speed determination unit that determines whether the motion speed calculated by the motion speed calculation unit is greater than or equal to a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation system comprising: a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

Note that in Supplementary Note 16, the inspection device may be a magnetic resonance imaging device, an X-ray inspection device, or the like in addition to the ultrasonic inspection device 10.

(Appendix 17)
A swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of a swallowing motion part,
an operation speed determination unit that determines whether the operation speed of the swallowing operation unit during swallowing is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

(Appendix 18)
18. The swallowing evaluation device according to appendix 17, wherein the motion speed is calculated based on the motion of the swallowing motion section from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction.

(Appendix 19)
Supplementary note 17, characterized in that the movement speed is calculated based on the distance that the swallowing movement part moves from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction and the elapsed time from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction. The swallowing evaluation device described in .

(Additional note 20)
comprising a contraction rate determination unit that determines whether the contraction rate of the swallowing operation unit during swallowing is less than or equal to a threshold;
The display control unit may indicate that the risk of swallowing is high when the movement speed determination unit determines that the movement speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value and the contraction rate determination unit determines that the contraction rate is equal to or lower than a threshold value. The swallowing evaluation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 17 to 19, which is displayed on the display unit.

(Additional note 21)
A swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of a swallowing motion part,
a contraction rate determination unit that determines whether the contraction rate of the swallowing operation unit during swallowing is less than or equal to a threshold;
and a display control unit that displays on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the contraction rate determination unit determines that the contraction rate is less than or equal to a threshold value.

(Additional note 22)
A swallowing evaluation method in a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of a swallowing motion part,
an operation speed determining step of determining whether the operation speed of the swallowing operation unit during swallowing is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold.

(Additional note 23)
A swallowing evaluation program for a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of a swallowing motion part,
an operation speed determining step of determining whether the operation speed of the swallowing operation unit during swallowing is equal to or higher than a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation program comprising: a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

(Additional note 24)
A swallowing evaluation system comprising an inspection device that generates motion information of a swallowing motion section, an analysis device that analyzes the motion information, and a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of the swallowing motion section from the motion information,
The inspection device includes:
comprising a motion information generation section that generates motion information from the swallowing motion section of the subject;
The analysis device includes:
comprising a motion speed calculation unit that calculates a motion speed during swallowing of the swallowing motion section based on motion information generated by the motion information generation section;
The swallowing evaluation device includes:
a motion speed determination unit that determines whether the motion speed calculated by the motion speed calculation unit is greater than or equal to a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation system comprising: a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

Note that in Supplementary Note 24, the inspection device functions as, for example, the ultrasonic inspection device 10, the analysis device functions as, for example, the image analysis device 20, and the motion information generation section functions as, for example, the image generation section 11B.
In addition to the ultrasonic testing device 10, the testing device may be VE, VF, CT, MRI, or a device that generates sound, electromyogram, or the like.
In addition to the image generation section 11B that generates images, the motion information generation section may generate motion information in the form of charts, characters, or numbers other than images.

1 Swallowing evaluation system 10 Ultrasonic examination device 11B Image generation section 20 Image analysis device 21B Motion speed calculation section 30 Swallowing evaluation device 31B Motion speed determination section 31C Shrinkage rate determination section 31D Display control section

Claims (7)

A swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from ultrasound images of the geniohyoid muscle,
a motion speed determination unit that determines whether a motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value. The swallowing evaluation device according to claim 1, wherein the motion speed is calculated based on the motion of the geniohyoid muscle from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the ultrasound image. The movement speed is calculated based on the distance that the geniohyoid muscle moves from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction in the ultrasound image and the elapsed time from the start of swallowing to the time of maximum contraction. The swallowing evaluation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: comprising a contraction rate determination unit that determines whether the contraction rate of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing, which is calculated based on the ultrasound image, is less than or equal to a threshold;
The display control unit may indicate that the risk of swallowing is high when the movement speed determination unit determines that the movement speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value and the contraction rate determination unit determines that the contraction rate is equal to or lower than a threshold value. The swallowing evaluation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is displayed on a display unit. A swallowing evaluation method in a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from an ultrasound image of the geniohyoid muscle,
a motion speed determination step of determining whether a motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is equal to or higher than a threshold;
and a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold. A swallowing evaluation program for a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates swallowing function from ultrasound images of the geniohyoid muscle,
a motion speed determination step of determining whether a motion speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing calculated based on the ultrasound image is equal to or higher than a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation program comprising: a display control step of displaying on a display unit that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determining step determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value. an ultrasonic inspection device that generates an ultrasound image; an image analysis device that analyzes the ultrasound image;
A swallowing evaluation system comprising a swallowing evaluation device that evaluates the swallowing function of the geniohyoid muscle from the ultrasound image,
The ultrasonic inspection device includes:
Equipped with an image generation unit that photographs the subject's geniohyoid muscle and generates an ultrasound image,
The image analysis device includes:
comprising a movement speed calculation unit that calculates the movement speed of the geniohyoid muscle during swallowing based on the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit;
The swallowing evaluation device includes:
a motion speed determination unit that determines whether the motion speed calculated by the motion speed calculation unit is greater than or equal to a threshold;
A swallowing evaluation system comprising: a display control section that displays on a display section that there is a swallowing risk when the motion speed determination section determines that the motion speed is equal to or higher than a threshold value.

Images