KR100968310B1 - Ultrasound method and system for operating spectral doppler compound imaging - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are an ultrasound diagnostic method and system for generating a Doppler spectral image. The ultrasound diagnostic system transmits a first Doppler ultrasound signal to the object at a first transmission time, receives a first Doppler response signal from the object, and a second transmission time associated with the first Doppler ultrasound signal according to a predetermined time interval. Previously, a second Doppler ultrasound signal is transmitted to the object, a second Doppler response signal is received from the object, and a composite Doppler spectral image is generated using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal. Can be.

Doppler spectral imaging, spectral synthesis, ultrasound diagnostics

Description

ULTRASOUND METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING SPECTRAL DOPPLER COMPOUND IMAGING

One embodiment of the present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic method and system, and more particularly, to an ultrasound diagnostic method and system for generating a Doppler spectral image.

Ultrasonic diagnostic systems are compact, inexpensive, displayable in real time, and have high stability because they do not have exposure to X-rays. X-ray diagnostics, CT (Computerized Tomograghy) scanners, MRI (Magnetic Resonance Image) devices It is widely used with other image diagnosis apparatuses, such as a nuclear medical diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasound diagnosis system transmits an ultrasound signal from a body surface toward a predetermined part of the body, and obtains an image of soft tissue tomography or blood flow using information of the ultrasonic response signal reflected from the tissue in the body.

In particular, the ultrasound diagnostic system uses the Doppler effect to obtain an image of blood flow and to measure blood flow. When the user sets a sample volume at a point corresponding to a blood vessel in a normal B mode image, the ultrasound diagnosis system transmits a Doppler ultrasound signal at a point corresponding to the sample volume, and analyzes the Doppler response signal accordingly. A Doppler spectral image is generated and exposed to the display device. At this time, the Doppler ultrasound signal and the Doppler response signal are transmitted and received at a pulse repetition frequency (PRF) interval set by the user, and the user-settable signal repetition frequency is determined by the depth of the sample volume. Limited by the signal repetition frequency.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image using time resources more efficiently by transmitting a second Doppler ultrasound signal between a first transmission time and a second transmission time of the first Doppler ultrasound signal. And a system.

Embodiments of the present invention by generating a composite Doppler spectral image using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal, the ultrasound diagnostic method and system for generating a Doppler spectral image to further improve the image quality of the Doppler spectral image To provide.

One embodiment of the present invention provides an ultrasound diagnostic method and system for generating a Doppler spectral image to remove noise and increase sensitivity of the Doppler spectral image by generating a composite Doppler spectral image using Doppler ultrasonic signals having different transmission characteristics. do.

In an ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectrum image according to an embodiment of the present invention, transmitting a first Doppler ultrasound signal to an object at a first transmission time, and receiving a first Doppler response signal from the object, a predetermined time Transmitting a second Doppler ultrasound signal to the object, receiving a second Doppler response signal from the object, and transmitting the first Doppler response signal before the second transmission time associated with the first Doppler ultrasound signal at intervals And generating a composite Doppler spectral image using the second Doppler response signal.

According to one side of the present invention, the time interval is determined according to a predetermined signal repetition frequency.

In addition, according to one side of the present invention, the first Doppler ultrasound signal and the second Doppler ultrasound signal have mutually different transmission characteristics.

In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, the transmission characteristic is any one of a transmission frequency, a burst number, and an apodization.

Further, according to one aspect of the invention, the step of generating a composite Doppler spectral image using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal is based on the Doppler processor from the first Doppler response signal Generating second Doppler spectral data from the second Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor and synthesizing the first Doppler spectral data and the second Doppler spectral data to generate a composite Doppler spectral image It includes a step.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, the step of generating a composite Doppler spectral image using a first Doppler response signal and a second Doppler response signal may be synthesized by combining the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal. Generating a response signal and generating a composite Doppler spectral image from the composite Doppler response signal based on a Doppler processor.

Further, according to one aspect of the present invention, the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal are used as a single RF signal or a single IQ signal.

In addition, the ultrasound diagnostic system for generating a Doppler spectrum image according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits the first Doppler ultrasound signal to the object at the first transmission time, receives the first Doppler response signal from the object, and is determined Transceiver and a first Doppler response that transmits a second Doppler ultrasound signal to the object and receives a second Doppler response signal from the object before a second transmission time associated with the first Doppler ultrasound signal according to a time interval. And a generator configured to generate a composite Doppler spectral image using the signal and the second Doppler response signal.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an ultrasound diagnostic for generating a Doppler spectral image that can use time resources more efficiently by transmitting a second Doppler ultrasound signal between a first transmission time and a second transmission time of the first Doppler ultrasound signal. Methods and systems can be provided.

One embodiment of the present invention by generating a synthetic Doppler spectral image using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal, an ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image that can further improve the image quality of the Doppler spectral image And a system.

Embodiments of the present invention generate a Doppler spectral image by using Doppler ultrasonic signals having different transmission characteristics, thereby generating a Doppler spectral image capable of removing noise and increasing sensitivity of the Doppler spectral image. Can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and the contents described in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited or limited to the embodiments.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an ultrasound diagnostic system 1100 for generating a Doppler spectral image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 receives a response signal in response to an ultrasound signal transmitted to the object 1200 through the probe 1130. In this case, the response signal is a signal transmitted or reflected from the object 1200 by the ultrasonic signal. In addition, the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 generates ultrasound image data using the response signal, generates an ultrasound image from the ultrasound image data, and exposes the ultrasound image through an internal or external display device 1140. . In this case, an example of the ultrasound image includes a B mode ultrasound image. In addition, an example of the object 1200 includes a human body.

In addition, the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 transmits a Doppler ultrasound signal to the object 1200 through the probe 1130 and receives a Doppler response signal. In this case, the Doppler response signal is a signal transmitted or reflected from the object 1200 by the Doppler ultrasound signal. In addition, the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 may generate a Doppler ultrasound spectrum image by using the Doppler response signal, or expose the Doppler ultrasound spectrum image through an external display device 1140. In addition, the Doppler ultrasound spectrum image may be exposed together with the ultrasound image. In addition, the probe 1130 may include transducers for transmitting and receiving the ultrasound signal and the Doppler ultrasound signal.

As such, the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 may generate both the ultrasound image and the Doppler ultrasound image.

Furthermore, the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 transmits a plurality of Doppler ultrasound signals having different transmission characteristics to the object 1200, receives Doppler response signals corresponding to each Doppler ultrasound signal, and then transmits the Doppler response signals. Can be used to generate synthetic Doppler spectral images. Such synthetic Doppler spectral images may have better image quality and sensitivity compared to the Doppler spectral images.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 includes a transceiver 1110 and a generator 1120. In this case, the transceiver 1110 may transmit a plurality of Doppler ultrasound signals having different transmission characteristics to the object 1200 and receive Doppler response signals corresponding to the respective Doppler ultrasound signals. In addition, the generator 1120 may generate a composite Doppler spectrum image by using the Doppler response signals.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the generation unit 1120 may include a Doppler processing unit 1121 and a combining unit 1122. In this case, the Doppler processor 1121 may generate Doppler spectral data from the Doppler response signal or generate a composite Doppler spectral image from the synthesized Doppler response signal. In addition, the synthesizer 1122 may synthesize a plurality of response signals to generate a synthesized Doppler response signal, or may synthesize a plurality of Doppler spectral data to generate a synthesized Doppler spectrum image.

The operation method of the ultrasound diagnosis system 1100 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7.

2 is a flowchart illustrating an ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectrum image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, an ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image is performed in steps S201 to S203. In this case, steps S201 and S202 may be performed by the transceiver 1110 and step S203 by the generation unit 1120, respectively.

In operation S201, the transceiver 1110 transmits a first Doppler ultrasound signal to an object at a first transmission time, and receives a first Doppler response signal from the object.

In this case, the first Doppler ultrasound signal is transmitted to the object at a predetermined time interval. For example, the first Doppler ultrasound signal may be transmitted to the object at a first transmission time, and may be transmitted to the object at a second transmission interval having a difference between the first transmission time and the time interval. Meanwhile, the first Doppler response signal is received from the object according to the time interval. For example, the first Doppler response signal may be received from the object at a first reception time, and may be received from the object at a second reception time having a difference between the first reception time and the time interval.

In this case, the time interval is determined according to a predetermined pulse repetition frequency (PRF). For example, the time interval may be determined as the inverse of the signal repetition frequency.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the transceiver 1110 transmits the first Doppler ultrasound signal at a point corresponding to the sample volume received from the user, and transmits the first Doppler response signal accordingly. Can be received. In this case, the signal repetition frequency may be limited by the maximum signal repetition frequency determined by the depth of the sample volume.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of transmitting a Doppler ultrasound signal and receiving a Doppler response signal according to the present invention.

For example, through reference numeral 301, the transceiver 1110 transmits the first Doppler ultrasound signal to a depth SV Depth point of the sample volume of the object at a first transmission time Tx1, and transmits the first Doppler ultrasound signal from the object at a first reception time Rx1. The first Doppler response signal may be received. In addition, the transceiver 1110 transmits the first Doppler ultrasound signal to the SV Depth point of the object at a second transmission time Tx2 having a difference between the Tx1 and the time interval 1 / PRF, and the second reception time Rx2. The first Doppler response signal may be received from an object. As such, the transceiver 1110 may transmit a first Doppler ultrasound signal to the object at an interval of 1 / PRF, and may receive the first Doppler response signal. At this time, 1 / PRF may be determined by SV Depth. In addition, even though there is a sufficient time interval between the Rx1 and the Tx2, no event may proceed. However, the transceiver 1110 according to the present invention may efficiently utilize the sufficient time interval by transmitting a second Doppler ultrasound image between the sufficient time intervals.

In operation S202, the transceiver 1110 transmits a second Doppler ultrasound signal to the object and transmits a second Doppler ultrasound signal to the object before a second transmission time associated with the first Doppler ultrasound signal at a predetermined time interval. Receive a response signal. In this case, the first Doppler ultrasound signal and the second Doppler ultrasound signal have different transmission characteristics from each other. In addition, an example of the transmission characteristic may include a transmission frequency, the number of bursts, and apodization.

For example, through reference numeral 302, the transceiver 1110 may transmit Doppler ultrasound signals at intervals of 1 / PRF and receive Doppler ultrasound signals at intervals of 1 / PRF. Specifically, the transceiver 1110 transmits a first Doppler ultrasound signal to Tx a1, receives a first Doppler response signal to Rx a1, and then transmits a second Doppler ultrasound signal to the object before Tx a2. The second Doppler response signal may be received from the object. In this case, the second Doppler ultrasound signal may be transmitted to Tx b1, and the second Doppler response signal may be received to Rx b1. In addition, 1 / sPRF shown in FIG. 3 may be a sample time interval, and may be an interval between the Tx a1 and the Tx b1 or an interval between the Rx a1 and Rx b1.

In addition, as illustrated at 303, the transceiver 1110 transmits the Tx, Tx, and Tx signals of the first Doppler ultrasound signal, the second Doppler ultrasound signal, and the third Doppler ultrasound signal, which are classified according to transmission characteristics based on the predetermined 1 / PRF. A1, Tx b1, and Tx c1 may be transmitted to the object, and the first Doppler response signal, the second Doppler response signal, and the third Doppler response signal may be received at the Rx a1, Rx b1, and Rx c1, respectively. In addition, the first Doppler ultrasound signal is Tx a1, Tx a2, Tx a3, the second Doppler ultrasound signal is Tx b1, Tx b2, Tx b3, and the third Doppler ultrasound signal is Tx c1, Tx c2, Tx c3 may be transmitted to the object, respectively.

In operation S203, the generation unit 1120 generates a composite Doppler spectrum image by using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of generating a composite Doppler spectral image by using a first Doppler ultrasound signal and a second Doppler ultrasound signal according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 401, the generation unit 1120 generates first Doppler spectrum data using a first Doppler response signal, generates second Doppler spectrum data using a second Doppler response signal, and generates the first Doppler spectrum data. Doppler spectral data and the second Doppler spectral data may be synthesized to generate a composite Doppler spectral image. In this case, the first Doppler response signal is sequentially input to the reception times Rx a1, Rx a2, Rx a3, and Rx a4 having a predetermined time interval difference, and the second Doppler response signal is configured to obtain a difference in the time interval. It may be sequentially input to the received time Rx b1, Rx b2, Rx b3 having.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 402, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the generation unit 1120 synthesizes the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal to generate a synthesized Doppler response signal, and generates the synthesized Doppler. The response signal may be used to generate a composite Doppler spectral image. In this case, the first Doppler response signal is sequentially input to the reception times Rx a1, Rx a2, Rx a3, and Rx a4 having a predetermined time interval difference, and the second Doppler response signal is configured to obtain a difference in the time interval. It may be sequentially input to the received time Rx b1, Rx b2, Rx b3 having.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation S203 of generating a composite Doppler spectral image using a first Doppler response signal and a second Doppler response signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, step S203 may be performed as steps S501 to S503. In this case, step S501 and step S502 may be performed by the Doppler processing unit 1121 and step S503 by the combining unit 1122, respectively.

In operation S501, the Doppler processor 1121 generates first Doppler spectrum data from the first Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor.

In operation S502, the Doppler processor 1121 generates second Doppler spectrum data from the second Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor. In this case, the Doppler processor 1121 may generate the first Doppler spectrum data and the second Doppler spectrum data corresponding to the sample volume input from the user.

In operation S503, the synthesis unit 1122 generates the synthesized Doppler spectrum image by synthesizing the first Doppler spectrum data and the second Doppler spectrum data. In this case, the synthesis unit 1122 may generate the composite Doppler spectral image based on the synthesis processor.

Further, the Doppler processor 1121 generates n-th Doppler spectral data from the n-th Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor, and the synthesizer 1122 synthesizes the first Doppler spectral data through the n-th Doppler spectral data. Doppler spectral images can be generated. Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the synthesis unit 1122 stores the first Doppler spectrum data to the n th Doppler spectrum data in a memory, and after the storing of the n th Doppler spectrum data is completed, the synthesis Doppler spectral images can be generated.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal may be used as a single RF signal or a single IQ signal. In this case, the single RF signal and the single IQ signal may be a signal synthesized from the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal.

6 illustrates an example of generating a composite Doppler spectral image from an RF signal according to the present invention.

As illustrated at 601, the Doppler processing unit 1121 uses the first Doppler response signal to the n th Doppler response signal extracted at an interval of 1 / sPRF from the RF signal to the first Doppler spectrum data to the n th Doppler spectrum. Each data is generated, and the synthesis unit 1122 may generate the synthesized Doppler spectrum image by synthesizing the generated first Doppler spectrum data to the nth Doppler spectrum data.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation S203 of generating a composite Doppler spectral image using a first Doppler response signal and a second Doppler response signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7, step S203 may be performed as steps S701 and S702. In this case, step S701 may be performed by the synthesis unit 1122 and step S702 by the Doppler processing unit 1121, respectively.

In operation S701, the combiner 1122 generates a synthesized Doppler response signal by synthesizing the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal. At this time, the synthesis unit 1122 may generate the synthesis Doppler response signal based on the synthesis processor. In addition, the composite Doppler response signal may be a single RF signal or a single IQ signal.

In operation S702, the Doppler processor 1121 generates a synthesized Doppler spectrum image from the synthesized Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor. In this case, the Doppler processor 1121 may generate the composite Doppler spectrum image in response to a sample volume input from a user.

Furthermore, the synthesis unit 1122 generates a synthesized Doppler response signal by synthesizing the first Doppler response signal to the nth Doppler response signal, and the Doppler processor 1121 synthesizes the Doppler spectrum from the synthesized Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor. You can create an image. At this time, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the combining unit 1122 stores the first Doppler response signal to the n-th Doppler response signal in a memory, and after the storing of the n-th Doppler response signal is completed, the synthesis Doppler A response signal can be generated.

As shown at 602, the combiner 1122 generates a synthesized Doppler response signal by synthesizing the first Doppler response signal to the nth Doppler response signal extracted at an interval of 1 / sPRF from the RF signal, and the Doppler processor 1121 may generate a composite Doppler spectral image from the composite Doppler response signal.

The ultrasound diagnostic method for generating the Doppler spectral image according to the present invention may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed by various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks, such as floppy disks. Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications and variations from such descriptions. This is possible.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined not only by the claims below but also by the equivalents of the claims.

1 is a block diagram showing the appearance of an ultrasound diagnostic system for generating a Doppler spectral image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating an ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectrum image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of transmitting a Doppler ultrasound signal and receiving a Doppler response signal according to the present invention.

4 is a diagram illustrating an example of generating a composite Doppler spectral image by using a first Doppler ultrasound signal and a second Doppler ultrasound signal according to the present invention.

5 is an operation flowchart illustrating a step of generating a composite Doppler spectral image using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 illustrates an example of generating a composite Doppler spectral image from an RF signal according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of generating a composite Doppler spectral image using a first Doppler response signal and a second Doppler response signal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

1100: Ultrasound diagnostic system for generating Doppler spectral images

1110: transceiver

1120: generator

1121: Doppler treatment

1122: composite part

Claims (11)

Transmitting a first Doppler ultrasound signal to an object at a first transmission time and receiving a first Doppler response signal from the object; Transmitting a second Doppler ultrasound signal to the object and receiving a second Doppler response signal from the object before a second transmission time associated with the first Doppler ultrasound signal at a predetermined time interval; And Generating a composite Doppler spectral image using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal Ultrasonic diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image comprising a. The method of claim 1, The time interval is, Ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image, characterized in that determined according to the predetermined signal repetition frequency. The method of claim 1, And a first Doppler ultrasound signal and a second Doppler ultrasound signal having different transmission characteristics from each other. The method of claim 3, The transmission characteristic is, An ultrasound diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image, characterized in that any one of a transmission frequency, the number of bursts, and apodization. The method of claim 1, Generating a composite Doppler spectral image using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal, Generating first Doppler spectrum data from the first Doppler response signal based on a Doppler processor; Generating second Doppler spectral data from the second Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor; And Synthesizing the first Doppler spectral data and the second Doppler spectral data to produce a composite Doppler spectral image Ultrasonic diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image comprising a. The method of claim 1, Generating a composite Doppler spectral image using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal, Synthesizing the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal to generate a synthesized Doppler response signal; And Generating a composite Doppler spectral image from the composite Doppler response signal based on a Doppler processor Ultrasonic diagnostic method for generating a Doppler spectral image comprising a. The method of claim 1, And a first Doppler response signal and a second Doppler response signal are used as a single RF signal or a single IQ signal. A computer-readable recording medium in which a program for executing the method of any one of claims 1 to 7 is recorded. Transmitting a first Doppler ultrasound signal to an object at a first transmission time, receiving a first Doppler response signal from the object, A transceiver configured to transmit a second Doppler ultrasound signal to the object and receive a second Doppler response signal from the object before a second transmission time associated with the first Doppler ultrasound signal at a predetermined time interval; And A generator generating a composite Doppler spectrum image by using the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal Ultrasonic diagnostic system for generating a Doppler spectral image comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9, The generation unit, A Doppler processor configured to generate first Doppler spectrum data from the first Doppler response signal based on a Doppler processor, and generate second Doppler spectrum data from the second Doppler response signal based on the Doppler processor; And A synthesizer configured to synthesize the first Doppler spectrum data and the second Doppler spectrum data to generate a synthesized Doppler spectral image Ultrasonic diagnostic system for generating a Doppler spectral image comprising a. 10. The method of claim 9, The generation unit, A synthesizer configured to synthesize the first Doppler response signal and the second Doppler response signal to generate a synthesized Doppler response signal; And A Doppler processor configured to generate a synthesized Doppler spectrum image from the synthesized Doppler response signal based on a Doppler processor Ultrasonic diagnostic system for generating a Doppler spectral image comprising a.

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