JPH09299371A - Ultrasonic diagnostic device and image reproducing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid image deterioration even if noise enters the course of a display image composing process by composing a display image while updating or retaining the image data of a recording medium by each pixel, and reproducing the composition process of a display image according to the frame information on the image data. SOLUTION: A digital scan converter(DSC) 8 displays a B-mode tomographic image constructed at the time of B-mode scan on a monitor 4 and displays a CFM image constructed at the time of doppler scan to be superposed on the B-mode tomographic image of the monitor 4. An image composing part 13 composes a display image from the image data of an image memory 2, writes the image on a frame memory 11 in pixel unit, and displays the image data on a monitor 3 while being interpolated by a straight line interpolation processing part 12. A reproduction control part 9 receives an operating signal S1 based on the frame information from an input device 10 to set a loop pattern, and reproduces the image data of a specified frame on the monitor 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing a motion state including velocity information of a body fluid such as blood by utilizing the Doppler effect of ultrasonic waves and an image reproducing method thereof, and particularly to a capture method. (Captur) image and 3D
It relates to image reproduction display of a (three-dimensional) image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on a color Doppler tomography method, an inspection using a "capture image" or a "3D image" as an ultrasonic image has attracted attention.

The capture image is a color display image based on the Max-hold processing method for holding the maximum value of, for example, the blood flow velocity, and the 3D image is obtained by moving the ultrasonic probe while manually moving the ultrasonic probe. It is a color display image based on a three-dimensional image processing method that superimposes a plurality of tomographic images obtained by scanning.

Such color capture images and 3D
By observing the configuration process of the image, the structure of blood vessel running and the like can be more easily understood and the diagnostic efficiency thereof can be improved, as compared with a normal ultrasonic image.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned capture image and 3D image are constructed while updating or holding the image data in pixel units, and an image with a lot of noise enters once during scanning. Then, since the image data of the pixels corresponding to the noise portion of this image is retained and left until the end, the image quality is likely to be deteriorated as compared with an ultrasonic image updated in a normal frame unit. Therefore, when such noise is generated, the operator needs to perform scanning again, and this operation is troublesome, resulting in a problem that the inspection time becomes long.

On the other hand, with respect to the captured image and the 3D image, there has been a demand for repeatedly observing a process of constructing a desired frame range by a simple operation, if necessary. unknown.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the problems of the prior art as described above, and while taking advantage of the advantage of using a capture image or a 3D image, noise may be included in the process of forming the display image. The main purpose is to avoid image deterioration without re-scanning and to further improve the efficiency of diagnosis of the structure of blood vessel running.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an image reproducing method for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, which can repeatedly observe the process of constructing a desired frame range.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 drives an ultrasonic probe to direct an ultrasonic beam toward a body fluid of a subject. While the image data including the motion state information of the body fluid is acquired by scanning, a storage medium that stores the image data and an image data of the storage medium is updated or held for each pixel. ,
Image forming means for forming a predetermined display image, and image reproducing means for reproducing the process of forming the display image by the image forming means on the basis of frame information relating to the image data are provided.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the display image is
At least one of a picture image based on the Maxhold processing method and a three-dimensional image based on the three-dimensional image processing method.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the image reproducing means is at least one of at least one set of frame information arbitrarily designated as frame information regarding the image data and a plurality of arbitrarily selected frame information. Is a means for loop-reproducing the process of constructing the display image based on the above.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, the image reproducing means is means for reproducing the process of constructing the display image at a variable speed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image reproducing method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein image data including motion state information of a body fluid of a subject is stored in a storage medium, and the image data in the storage medium is stored for each pixel. A predetermined display image is formed while being updated or held, and the process of forming the display image is reproduced based on the frame information regarding the image data.

In the sixth aspect of the invention, at least one of a capture image based on the Maxhold processing method and a three-dimensional image based on the three-dimensional image processing method is used as the display image.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is an application of the color Doppler tomographic method, and ultrasonic image data (hereinafter referred to as a blood vessel running state) of a body fluid P such as blood of a subject is detected (hereinafter A data acquisition system 1 that simply acquires “image data”, an image memory (IM) 2 that stores the image data and forms a storage medium of the present invention, and a predetermined display image (image) from the image data of the image memory 2 ( Image construction system 3 for constructing an ultrasonic image including a 3D image and a capture image, and a monitor (display unit) for displaying the ultrasonic image
4 is provided.

The data acquisition system 1 includes a transmission / reception unit 6 and an MTI unit (a phase detection unit, an MTI filter, an autocorrelator) for driving the ultrasonic probe 5 to scan the ultrasonic beam UB toward the body fluid P of the subject. , And a calculator for calculating the blood flow velocity, etc.) 7). A signal obtained by detecting an ultrasonic echo at the time of B-mode scanning by the transmission / reception unit 6 is supplied to the image construction system 4 as image data for B-mode tomographic image (ultrasonic scanning signal), and also at the time of Doppler scanning. The signal obtained by phasing addition of the sound wave echoes is time-series blood flow data such as blood flow velocity calculated by MTI after phase detection by the MTI unit 7, that is, image data for CFM image (color flow mapping image). A raster image is written as a (ultrasonic scanning signal) in the image memory 2 and is supplied to the image construction system 3 from here.

The image construction system 3 mainly controls a digital scan converter (hereinafter referred to as "DSC") 8 which constitutes an essential part of the image forming means of the present invention, and the operation of the DSC 8 during image reproduction. , And a reproduction control section 9 which is a main part of the image reproducing means of the present invention. This reproduction control unit 9
An input device 10 such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a panel that receives various operation commands from an operator is connected to the.

The DSC 8 is for B-mode tomographic image and CFM.
The image data for the image is converted from the ultrasonic scanning signal into a standard TV scanning signal in a format to construct an ultrasonic image.
A B-mode tomographic image constructed during the B-mode scan is displayed on the monitor 4, and a C image constructed during the Doppler scan is displayed.
The FM image is superimposed and displayed on the B-mode tomographic image of the monitor 4 via the frame memory (FM) 11 and the linear interpolation processing unit (“LIP” for CFM image smoothing) 12.

Further, the DSC 8 is provided between the image memory 2 and the frame memory 11 with an image forming section (image processing circuit for forming a 3D image and a captured image) 1 for forming a display image.
3, the image construction unit 13 executes a predetermined image processing algorithm regarding the 3D image and the captured image construction based on the control signal from the reproduction control unit 9,
The above-mentioned predetermined display image is constructed from the image data such as the blood flow velocity in the image memory 2 and is used as a frame memory (FM)
The image data is written on the pixel 11 while being updated or held, and the image data is displayed on the monitor 3 while being interpolated by the linear interpolation processing unit 12.

The reproduction control unit 9 comprises, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU as a main part, and receives an operation signal S1 based on frame information relating to image data designated at the time of observing a display image from the input device 10 to form a loop pattern. By setting (described later) and supplying a control signal S2 including a clear signal (a command to start the formation of a display image) based on this pattern to the image memory 2 and the DSC 8,
The image data forming the designated frame Fx is reproduced on the monitor 4. Here, the image data of the display image reproduced based on the loop pattern can be stored in the image memory 2. In addition, the reproduction control unit 9 controls the reproduction speed of the display image at a variable speed such as slow reproduction based on the operation signal for speed switching from the input device 10.

Here, an example of the loop pattern to be set by the reproduction controller 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b).

2 (a) and 2 (b) illustrate the process range of the display image for each loop pattern. As the loop pattern shown in the figure, "pattern 1" from the start frame F0 to the end frame Fe to be designated first, "pattern 1" arbitrarily designated between F0 and Fe from "F1 to end frame Fe""Pattern2","Pattern3" of one set of frames F1 to F2, which is also arbitrarily designated, and "Group 4" of two or more sets of frames, that is, "Pattern 4" of F1a to F1b and F2a to F2b. Frame F1 ... F5
“Pattern 5” or the like for picking up a new frame group can be set based on the operation signal S1. For example, according to pattern 4, two or more frames are alternately and repeatedly reproduced, and according to pattern 5, only a new frame group is sequentially and repeatedly reproduced.

The overall operation of this embodiment will now be described with reference to FIG. 3, focusing on the processing of the reproduction controller 9.

First, in the ultrasonic examination of the subject using the captured image or the 3D image, the data acquisition system 1
It is assumed that the ultrasonic image data obtained in step 1 is written in the image memory 2 and the image memory reproduction is started from this state.

At the start of this reproduction, a start frame F0 and end frame Fe for loop reproduction are designated in advance, and image data forming a frame group between these F0 and Fe are stored in the frame memory 2.

Here, the reproduction control unit 3 executes the processing shown in FIG. 3, the operation signal S1 carrying frame information is input in step S10, and the loop pattern based on the operation signal S1, that is, the start frame F0 is input in step S20. The pattern 1 from the end frame Fe to the end frame Fe is set, and the control signal S2 based on the pattern 1 is output to the image memory 2 and the DSC 7 in step S30. Thereby, F
A display image is sequentially constructed from image data that forms a frame from 0 to Fe, and the construction process is repeatedly reproduced on the monitor 4.

Next, the monitor 4 monitors the process of constructing this display image.
It is assumed that the operator operates the input device 10 to specify a desired reproduction range while observing with, for example, to remove a noisy frame image on the way. At this time, for example, when the operator indicates the end and start of the desired reproduction range using the input device 10 while looking at the monitor 4, a set of frames F1 and F2 is generated as frame information regarding the image data in the reproduction range. The operation signal S1 designated and based on the F1 and F2 is supplied from the input device 10 to the reproduction control unit 9.

Next, the reproduction controller 9 executes the processing of steps S10 to S30 shown in FIG. 3 in the same manner as described above. In this case, the "pattern 3" based on F1 and F2 is set, and the control based on this is set. The signal S2 is output. Therefore, the process of constructing the display image from the frames F1 to F2, which is the desired reproduction range designated by the operator, is repeatedly reproduced on the monitor 4.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, even if noisy image data is input during scanning, a process of removing unnecessary frames or picking up only necessary frames is performed by the image memory reproduction by a simple input operation. Since it can be easily performed at times, there is no need to re-scan as in the past, and the operator's time and effort required for such a scanning operation can be saved, and the captured image or 3D image can be captured.
The inspection time using the image can be greatly shortened.

Further, by removing the noisy frame or selecting only the necessary portion as described above, it is possible to almost avoid the deterioration of the image quality due to the noise during the construction as in the conventional case, and only the necessary frame is required. Since the loop reproduction can be easily performed by using it, it is possible to repeatedly observe the structure of blood vessel traveling and the like as necessary while maintaining the image quality with improved visibility, and the diagnostic ability is greatly improved.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, a display image such as a 3D image or a capture image is formed while the image data of the storage medium is updated or held for each pixel, and the structure of the display image is formed. Since the main part is to reproduce the process based on the frame information related to the image data, even if noise is included in the process of forming the display image, the image deterioration can be almost avoided without scanning again and the structure of the blood vessel running, etc. The diagnostic efficiency of can be further improved,
For example, by using a loop reproduction means, it is possible to repeatedly observe the process of forming a display image in a desired frame range,
The advantage of the inspection using the 3D image or the captured image can be maximized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention.

2A and 2B are views for explaining an example of setting a loop pattern.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flowchart illustrating processing of a reproduction control unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Data Acquisition System 2 Image Memory 3 Image Construction System 4 Monitor 5 Ultrasonic Probe 6 Transmitting / Receiving Unit 7 MTI Unit 8 DSC 9 Playback Control Section 10 Input Device 11 Frame Memory 12 Linear Interpolation Processing Section

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus adapted to acquire image data including motion state information of the body fluid by driving an ultrasonic probe to scan the body fluid of a subject with an ultrasonic beam. In the storage medium for storing the image data, an image forming means for forming a predetermined display image while updating or holding the image data of the storage medium for each pixel, and the structure of the display image by the image forming means. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an image reproducing means for reproducing a process based on frame information relating to the image data. 2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display image is at least one of a picture image based on a Maxhold processing method and a three-dimensional image based on a three-dimensional image processing method. 3. The display image based on at least one of at least one set of frame information arbitrarily designated as frame information regarding the image data and at least one of a plurality of arbitrarily selected frame information. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, which is a means for performing a loop reproduction of the configuration process of. 4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image reproducing means is means for reproducing the process of forming the display image at a variable speed. 5. An image data containing motion state information of a body fluid of a subject is stored in a storage medium, and a predetermined display image is formed while updating or holding the image data of the storage medium for each pixel. An image reproducing method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, characterized in that a process of constructing a display image is reproduced based on frame information relating to the image data. 6. The image reproducing method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein at least one of a capture image based on a Maxhold processing method and a three-dimensional image based on a three-dimensional image processing method is used as the display image. .