JPS63315040A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform accurate diagnosis by obtaining the natural image of an objective region without disturbing the hue thereof even when an echo level is low and a blood flow speed is low, by mounting a display control means applying a color threshold to two-dimensional blood flow speed data and preferentiating either one of white-and-black display and color display on the basis of the magnitude of an echo level and that of a blood flow speed. CONSTITUTION:When a blood speed V is smaller than a color brightness threshold COLTH, the output of a comparator 8 becomes 'L' and, when echo data B/W is smaller than a white-and-black brightness threshold B/HTH, the output of a comparator 9 becomes 'L' and, therefore, the output of a change-over logic generating circuit 10 becomes 'L'. Since the output of a latch circuit 5 is applied to the output of a multiplexer 11, the content of a white-and-black frame memory 2 for echo data is outputted. At the time of V<COLTH and B/W>B/WTH, a B- or M-mode image is also subjected to white-and-black display. Further, at the time of V>COLTH and B/W<B/WTH, a two-dimensional blood flow speed image is subjected to color display. Furthermore, at the time of V>COLTH and B/W>B/WTH, the B- or M-mode image is subjected to white-and-black display.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention uses ultrasonic waves to obtain anatomical information such as a B-mode image of a living body, and to obtain in-vivo information such as an M-mode image. Regarding ultrasonic diagnostic equipment that obtains and visualizes functional information associated with the movement of moving objects within a living body, such as motion information of moving organs and two-dimensional blood flow velocity information using the Doppler effect, it is particularly important to obtain B or M mode images. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that displays black and white and superimposes two-dimensional blood flow velocity information on it to display color.

(Prior art) Ultrasonic diagnostic methods use anatomical information, typically represented by B-mode images, movement information of in-vivo organs, typically represented by M-mode images, and the Doppler effect, typically represented by blood flow imaging. Functional information associated with the movement of moving objects within a living body is used for diagnosis.

Here, the M-mode image obtained by fixed scanning in the same direction represents temporal changes in the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving site, and is particularly suitable for diagnosis of moving organs such as the heart.

On the other hand, the ultrasonic Doppler method, of which blood flow imaging is a typical example, is a method of obtaining and visualizing functional information accompanying the movement of a moving object within a living body, and will be described in detail below. That is, the ultrasonic Doppler method utilizes the ultrasonic Doppler effect in which when an ultrasonic wave is reflected by a moving object, the frequency of the reflected wave shifts in proportion to the moving speed of the moving object.

Specifically, if an ultrasonic rate pulse or continuous wave is transmitted into a living body and the frequency shift due to the Doppler effect is obtained from the phase change of the reflected wave echo, the movement at the depth position where the echo was obtained is Information on the movement of objects can be obtained.

This allows us to know the state of blood flow, such as the direction of the flow of blood, the state of the flow (disturbed or regular), the pattern of the flow, the absolute value of the velocity, etc., at a certain position in the living body.

Next, the device will be explained. That is, Figures 3 and 4
As shown in the figure, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the probe 21 driven by the wave transmitting/receiving circuit 22 in the direction A in the figure, and the wave transmitting/receiving circuit 22
A phase detector 23 detects a Doppler shift signal from the ultrasound echo received at 2. In this case, the detected Doppler shift signal is captured at each of, for example, 256 sample points SP provided in the direction of the ultrasound beam. The Doppler shift signal captured for each sample point SP in this way is sent to the blood flow calculation unit 24.
The obtained blood flow signal is displayed on the DSC 25° display section 26.
The blood flow image in the A direction is displayed on the monitor of the display section 26.

Next, the ultrasound beam is shifted in direction B and the same operation as described above is performed to scan the display range in real time, detecting blood flow information in each direction and displaying blood flow signals, thereby detecting two-dimensional blood flow. To obtain flow images in real time.

In this case, the transmitting/receiving circuit 22 separates the ultrasound echo into an echo component from a stationary object such as a tissue and an echo component from a moving object such as a blood cell, and the former is used for B or M mode image formation. The latter is used to detect the Doppler shift signal by the phase detector 23. Then, echo components from a stationary object are formed as a B or M mode image and displayed with varying brightness levels in black and white, and echo components from a moving object are formed as a two-dimensional blood flow velocity image and displayed in color brightness levels. There is a configuration in which both images are displayed in a superimposed manner.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In such a conventional configuration, a B or M mode image displayed in black and white (brightness) is simply superimposed and displayed with two-dimensional blood flow velocity information displayed in color (brightness). As a result, the hue of superimposed areas where the echo level is low and the blood flow is slow becomes distorted, resulting in an unnatural image.
The problem was that accurate diagnosis could not be made.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can perform accurate diagnosis as a natural image without disturbing the hue of the area even if the echo level is low and the blood flow velocity is low. be.

[Object of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has a configuration in which the following measures are taken to solve the above problems and achieve the objects. That is, the present invention transmits and receives ultrasonic waves into the subject to detect B of the subject.
Alternatively, M-mode image information is obtained and black-and-white processing is performed based on the echo level, and 2.
In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that obtains dimensional blood flow velocity information, performs color processing based on the blood flow velocity, and displays both in a superimposed manner, a black and white threshold is attached to the B or M mode image information, and a color threshold is added. is attached to the two-dimensional blood flow velocity information, and is characterized by comprising a display control means for giving priority to either black and white display or color display depending on the magnitude of the echo level and the magnitude of the blood flow velocity.

(Function) In this way, the display control means gives priority to either black and white display or color display depending on the magnitude of the echo level and the magnitude of the blood flow velocity, so that the echo level is low and the blood flow velocity is low. Since a predetermined black and white display or color display is performed for a region where the speed is low, accurate diagnosis can be performed as a natural image without disturbing the hue of the region.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of this embodiment. In FIG. 1, a color frame memory 1 stores blood flow data detected from echo data obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in the form of digital signals. The black-and-white frame memory 2 stores echo data, for example, for forming a B-mode image by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, in the form of digital signals.

The ROM (read only memory) 3 is for converting the blood flow data in the color frame memory 1 into RGB signals corresponding to the size thereof. The latch circuit 4 is RO
This is to temporarily hold the RGB signalized blood flow data by M3. The latch circuit 5 temporarily holds the echo data stored in the monochrome frame memory 2.

The V threshold value setting circuit 6 is for setting a color brightness threshold for forming a two-dimensional blood flow velocity image, and its value can be set to a desired value. The comparator 8 inputs the color luminance threshold set by the V threshold value setting circuit 6 as the comparison signal C0LTH, inputs the data of the blood flow velocity V from the color frame memory 1 as the compared signal, and inputs the blood velocity V data as the color luminance threshold. Shihold C0LT
When it is larger than H, an H level signal is output, and when the blood flow velocity V data is smaller than the color brightness threshold C0LTH, an L level signal is output. The input/output relationship of this comparator 8 is shown in Table 1 below.

The B/W threshold setting circuit 7 is used to set a black-and-white luminance threshold for echo data for B-mode image formation, for example, and the value can be set to a desired value. The comparator 9 outputs a comparison signal B/HT using the black and white luminance threshold set by the B/W threshold value setting circuit 7.
H, echo data B/ by monochrome frame memory 2
W is input as the compared signal, and when the echo data B/W is greater than the monochrome luminance threshold B/HTH, an H level signal is output, and the echo data B/W is smaller than the monochrome luminance threshold B/HTH. In this case, an L level signal is output. The input/output relationship of this comparator 9 is shown in Table 2 below.

The switching logic generating circuit 10 receives the outputs of the comparators 8 and 9, and outputs a select signal to the input terminal S of the multiplexer 11, which will be described later, based on the input/output relationship shown in Table 3 below. That is, the output of the comparator 8 is “H”.
” and the output of the comparator 9 is “L”, the output of the switching logic generating circuit 10 is “H”, and in all other states, it is “L”.

Table 3 The multiplexer 11 selects which of the latch circuits 4.5 to output according to the contents of the select signal of the switching logic generating circuit 10, as shown in Table 4 below, and outputs each RGB output signal. That is, when S-5m, the output of the multiplexer 11 is generated as the output of the latch circuit 5 for echo data (B or M mode image), and when S-"Hl, the output of the multiplexer 11 is generated as blood flow data (two-dimensional blood flow). fast image)
The output of the latch circuit 4 is generated.

Table 4 Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained. That is, when the blood flow velocity V is smaller than the color brightness threshold C0LTH, the output of the comparator 8 -
When the signal becomes "L#" and the echo data B/W is smaller than the black and white luminance threshold B/HTH, the output of the comparator 9 becomes "L", so the output of the switching logic generating circuit 10 -
It becomes “L”. According to Table 4, the output of the latch circuit 5 is given to the output of the multiplexer 11, so the contents of the monochrome frame memory 2 for echo data are output. Therefore, the B or M mode image is displayed in black and white.

Similarly to the above, when vC0LTH and B/W>B/WTH, the B or M mode image is displayed in black and white.

Furthermore, V>C0LTH and B/W<B/W
A two-dimensional blood flow velocity image is also displayed in color during TH.

Furthermore, V > COL T H and B / W
>B When /WTH, the B or M mode image is displayed in black and white.

Figure 2 shows the above relationship, and shows the echo level B
The magnitude of /W with respect to the monochrome luminance threshold B/WTH and the magnitude of blood flow velocity V with respect to the color luminance threshold C0LTH indicate that priority is given to either monochrome luminance display or color luminance display.

As described above, according to this embodiment, even in areas where the echo level is low and the blood flow is slow, such as the boundary between the blood vessel wall and the blood flow, the hue can be natural without being disturbed. Clear images are displayed and accurate diagnosis can be made.

In addition, the black-and-white brightness threshold B/WTH, which determines the black-and-white brightness display, and the color brightness threshold C0LTH, which determines the color brightness display, can be set to desired values. Even in the case of low-velocity blood cells such as those in the abdomen, the blood flow velocity image is displayed naturally and clearly without any color disturbance, and as a result, the low-velocity flow detection ability has been improved, making it useful for diagnosis of the liver and kidneys. It will also be applied.

In addition, in the conventional simple FFI, the dynamic range of the B or M mode image in the area where the color brightness is displayed is reduced, but this embodiment does not have this reduction, so there is an advantage in image diagnosis.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and display may be performed using elements other than brightness in black and white and color display, and can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist of the invention. It is something.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with the display control means according to the present invention, priority is given to either black and white display or color display depending on the magnitude of the echo level and the magnitude of blood flow velocity. By doing so, a predetermined black and white display or color display is performed for areas where the echo level is low and the blood flow rate is slow, so the hue of the area is not disturbed and accurate diagnosis can be made as a natural image. It has the effect of being able to do the following.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of essential parts of an embodiment of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operation of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the principle of ultrasound scanning. Figure, 4th
The figure is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus capable of detecting blood velocity images. 1... Color frame memory for blood flow data, 2...
Black and white frame memory for echo data, 3... RGB conversion ROM, 4.5... Latch circuit, 6... Blood flow data V threshold setting circuit, 7... Echo data B/W threshold setting circuit, 8 , 9... Comparator, 10... Switching logic generation circuit, 11... Multiplexer. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) Ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received within the subject to obtain B or M mode image information of the subject, and black and white processing is performed based on the echo level, and two-dimensional blood flow velocity is generated by scattered ultrasound in the transmitted and received waves. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that obtains information, performs color processing based on the blood flow velocity, and displays both in a superimposed manner, a black and white threshold is attached to the B or M mode image information, and a color threshold is attached to the above 2 What is claimed is: 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising display control means for giving priority to either a black and white display or a color display depending on the magnitude of an echo level and the magnitude of a blood flow velocity, in accordance with dimensional blood flow velocity information. (2) The display control means displays B or M mode image information in black and white when the blood flow velocity is higher than the color threshold and the echo level is higher than the black and white threshold, and the display control means displays the B or M mode image information in black and white when the blood flow velocity is higher than the color threshold and When the echo level is large and smaller than the black and white threshold, the two-dimensional blood flow velocity information is displayed in color, and when the blood flow velocity is smaller than the color threshold, the B or M mode image information is displayed in black and white. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: (3) The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the value of at least one of the black-and-white threshold and the color threshold is variable.