JPH0723958A - Ultrasonographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adjust a parameter to an optimum value while looking at a frozen image by providing an analysis means for reading reception data stored in a storage means and for obtaining blood flow information based on the reception data. CONSTITUTION:In real-time display, color-Doppler data is passed through a switching means 60 and, when in a color-B mode, the color-Doppler data is stored in a cinememory 70, whereas when in a color-M mode it is stored in a scroll cinememory 80. At the same time, the color-Doppler data is fed to an analysis portion 100 through a selecting portion 90. The color-Doppler data analyzed is input to a scanning converter 110, passed through a switching means 112 and, when in the color-B mode, fed to a TV frame memory 116 for color-B after being temporarily stored in a buffer memory for one frame, whereas when in the color-M mode it is fed directly to a TV frame memory 118 for color-M and displayed on a CRT via a color video bus.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention receives an ultrasonic wave transmitted into an object and reflected by the object to obtain a reception signal,
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that displays a tomographic image of a subject and blood flow information based on the received signal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Ultrasonic waves are transmitted to a subject, especially a human body,
Ultrasound that facilitates diagnosis of diseases of internal organs of the human body by receiving ultrasonic waves that have returned from tissues inside the human body and receiving received signals, and displaying ultrasonic images inside the human body based on these received signals. A sound wave diagnostic apparatus has been conventionally used.

In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, in addition to displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image inside the human body (usually displayed in black and white), blood flow information detected by the ultrasonic Doppler method or the like is displayed, for example. Some have a function of displaying in red the blood flow that approaches the ultrasonic transceiver and in blue the blood flow that moves away. Less than,
A conventional example relating to the generation of a color image (image representing blood flow information), which is the subject of the present invention, will be described.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration for generating a color image. A reception signal is obtained by transmitting ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 10 to the inside of a subject (not shown), and receiving the ultrasonic waves reflected and returned inside the subject to the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver. In order to obtain blood flow information, it is necessary to transmit and receive a plurality of ultrasonic waves (for example, eight ultrasonic waves) in the same direction in the subject.

The received signal thus obtained is input to the quadrature detector 20 for quadrature detection, and the quadrature detection output is input to the A / D converter 30 and converted into digital data. This digital data is input to the analysis unit 40. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the analysis unit. The analysis unit 40 is provided with an MTI filter 42, and for example, in the case of heart diagnosis, a filtering process for extracting only data carrying blood flow information by reducing or removing components of valve movement and myocardial movement. Is done. The data that has been filtered by the MTI filter 42 is sent to the calculation unit 44, and the calculation unit 44 calculates the average blood flow velocity, the blood scattering intensity, the variance, and the like. After that, the data is sent to the correction unit 46, and the correction unit 46
Then, for noise removal, for example, when the scattering intensity is less than a certain value, it is considered as noise and the blood flow display is cut, and a correction calculation is performed to weight the dispersion value according to the magnitude of the blood flow velocity. .

With the above-mentioned configuration, the analyzing section 40 generates color B mode data and color M mode data. Color B mode data and Color M mode data are
Both are color Doppler data, and data representing the flow of blood in the body, such as blood flow velocity, scattering power, and dispersion, are displayed in color on the CRT. This color Doppler data can be obtained by analysis using the Doppler effect, as described above. The analyzed Doppler data is sent to the scan converter 50, and the color B mode data and the color M mode data are processed separately.

The color B mode data is stored in the color B cine memory 52, and the address is further converted to T.
Data corresponding to each pixel of V screen display is generated and stored in the TV frame memory 54, and then read out to the CRT. The color B cine memory 52 has a memory capacity for several frames, and the TV frame memory 56 has a memory capacity for one TV frame.

The color M mode data is written in the color M scroll cine TV memory 56 and sequentially read out to obtain C.
Displayed on RT. Color M scroll TV memory 5
A TV frame 6 has a memory capacity of several frames. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 2 may be provided with a cine review function and a scroll cine function. The cine review function is a freeze that temporarily stops the acquisition of new received data, and after that freeze, the B mode data and color B mode data of past frames that have already been stored are sequentially operated manually or automatically. The scroll cine function is a function to store several modes of M mode data, color M mode data, etc., and to review the stored data as a continuous scroll screen after freezing. Say.

The cine review function and the scroll cine function are used for the latest several frames of B mode data, color B mode data and M mode data, and color after freezing without storing or reproducing the image in a video cassette recorder or the like. This is a very effective function for diagnosis because M-mode data etc. can be displayed on the TV screen immediately.

[0010]

By the way, the analysis unit 40
In order to obtain appropriate blood flow information, the values of various parameters such as the coefficient of the MTI filter 42 and the noise cut level are set to the frequency of the transmitted ultrasonic wave, the diagnostic depth, the repetition frequency (PRF) of ultrasonic wave transmission / reception, and Should be set to the optimum value for each patient. In particular, when changing the set value depending on the patient, it is necessary to determine the set value of the parameter without burdening the patient as much as possible, and it is necessary to determine the set value in a short time.

However, in the conventional system shown in FIG. 2, since the cine memory 52 and the scroll cine memory 56 are provided on the downstream side of the analyzing section 40, the color Doppler data stored in these memories is used, and the above-mentioned MTI filter is used. The coefficient of and the noise cut level cannot be adjusted,
There is a problem that the color Doppler image cannot be optimized for diagnosis after freezing, and the parameter values can only be optimized when the patient is actually diagnosed in real time.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of optimally adjusting parameter values while viewing a frozen image.

[0013]

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention that achieves the above object obtains received data by receiving ultrasonic waves transmitted into a subject and reflected within the subject, and receiving the data. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that obtains and displays blood flow information based on data, storage means for storing reception data before conversion into blood flow information, and read reception data stored in the storage means based on the reception data Analysis means for obtaining blood flow information by means of a display, display means for displaying a visible image based on the blood flow information obtained by the analysis means, and a value of at least one of the parameters for obtaining blood flow information from the received data And a changing means for changing.

Here, the storage means may store received data representing a color B mode image,
Alternatively, the storage means may store the received data representing the color M-mode image, or may store both of them.

[0015]

Since the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is provided with the storage means on the upstream side of the analyzing means, after freezing, the blood flow information is adjusted while the blood flow information is obtained by the analyzing means while adjusting the set values. The flow information can be obtained and displayed, and the set value can be optimized while the ultrasonic transceiver is separated from the patient.

[0016]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a characteristic part of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the maximum number of frames that can be reviewed in the cine review mode is 64, the maximum number of frames that can be reviewed in the scroll cine mode is 4, and the maximum number of ultrasonic transmission / reception lines for color B is 1.
28, the maximum number of lines of the color M that can be displayed in one frame on the scroll screen is 512, and the number of transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves for obtaining one blood flow information is n.

In real time display, the color Doppler data that has been transmitted / received, quadrature detected, and A / D converted passes through the switching means 60 and is stored in the cine memory 70 if the color Doppler data is color B mode data. If so, it is stored in the scroll cine memory 80. Further, the color Doppler data is stored in these memories, and at the same time, passes through the selection unit 90 and the analysis unit 10
Sent to 0. This analysis unit 100 is the same as the conventional one shown in FIG. The analyzed color Doppler data is input to the scan converter 110, and the color Doppler data is converted to the color B via the switching unit 112.
If it is mode data, it is once stored in the buffer memory for one frame, and then the color B TV frame memory 1
If the color Doppler data that is sent to 16 and is color M mode data is sent directly to the color M TV frame memory 118, it is displayed on the CRT via the color video bus.

In the cine review mode after freezing, the color B mode data stored in the cine memory 70 is displayed on the CRT through the analysis unit 100 as in the case of real time display. The same applies to the scroll cine mode. With this method, it is possible to change the setting values of various parameters related to color analysis in cine review mode after freezing or scroll cine mode and perform analysis, and display the analysis results in color. Become.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a cine review function or a scroll cine function, a desired image can be obtained even after freeze in blood flow diagnosis. It is possible to adjust the color Doppler image, and to optimize the color Doppler image without burdening the patient. It greatly contributes to the reduction of patient burden in determining the optimum value.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a characteristic part of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration for generating a color image.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an analysis unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 70 Cine memory 80 Scroll cine memory 100 Analysis unit 110 Scan converter

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for obtaining received data by receiving ultrasonic waves transmitted into a subject and reflected within the subject, and obtaining and displaying blood flow information based on the received data. Storage means for storing the reception data before conversion into blood flow information, analysis means for reading the reception data stored in the storage means to obtain blood flow information based on the reception data, and the analysis means A display unit for displaying a visible image based on the obtained blood flow information; and a changing unit for changing the value of at least one of the parameters for obtaining the blood flow information from the received data. And ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. 2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores received data representing a color B mode image. 3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage means stores received data representing a color M mode image.