KR101060348B1 - Ultrasound system and method for forming elastic images - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasound system and method for forming an elastic image are disclosed. According to the system and method, the transmission and reception unit transmits an ultrasonic beam to each object along a plurality of scan lines, receives an ultrasonic beam reflected from the object to form a first received signal, and each scan line steered at the steering angle of the ultrasonic beam. The first signal is transmitted to the object and receives the ultrasonic beam reflected from the object to form a second received signal, and the ultrasonic beam is alternately transmitted and received a plurality of times, and the image processor receives the plurality of first received signals and the plurality of second received signals. Reconstruct a plurality of radiation scan lines set based on the center of the target object to be observed by using the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, the plurality of first ultrasound images, and the plurality of second ultrasound images respectively corresponding to the signals. A first reconstruction image and a second reconstruction image, and a plurality of first reconstruction images and a plurality of second reconstruction images A first interpolation image and a second interpolation image are formed, the composite image forming unit forms a composite image using the first reconstruction image, the first interpolation image, the second reconstruction image, and the second interpolation image, and the elastic image forming unit forms the composite image To form an elastic image.

Ultrasound, elastic image, blood vessel, scanline, target object, center

Description

ULTRASOUND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FORMING ELASTIC IMAGE

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of ultrasound, and more particularly, to an ultrasound system and method for forming an elastic image.

Ultrasound systems have non-invasive and non-destructive properties and are widely used in the medical field for obtaining information inside an object. Ultrasound systems are very important in the medical field because they can provide a doctor with a high-resolution image of the internal tissue of a subject without the need for a surgical operation to directly incise and observe the subject.

In general, an ultrasound system transmits an ultrasound signal to an object and receives an ultrasound signal (hereinafter, referred to as a reflection signal) reflected from the object while a probe including a plurality of conversion elements is in contact with the surface of the object. The ultrasound system forms an ultrasound image of the object based on the reflection signal received through the probe, and displays the formed ultrasound image on the display. Ultrasound images are often represented as B-modes using a reflection coefficient that depends on the difference in acoustic impedance between tissues. However, surrounding tissues such as tumors or cancerous tissues and tissues having a small difference in reflection coefficient are hardly observed on B-mode ultrasound images.

Meanwhile, in order to diagnose an object (hereinafter, referred to as a target object), particularly an intravascular lipid or a lesion, to be observed from an object, the ultrasound system radiates an ultrasonic signal through a probe inserted into the blood vessel in a radial direction. And transmit and receive an ultrasound image of the blood vessel based on the received ultrasound signal.

Since the interavascular ultrasound (IVUS) method transmits and receives an ultrasound signal by inserting a probe into the blood vessel, the resolution of the ultrasound image may be higher than the method of transmitting and receiving an ultrasound signal at a contact surface with an object, but the blood vessel may be damaged. There is concern.

The present invention provides an ultrasound system and method for forming an elastic image of an object without inserting the probe into the object to be observed.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an ultrasound system transmits an ultrasound beam to an object along each of a plurality of scan lines, receives an ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a first reception signal, and scan line steered at a steering angle. A transmission and reception unit configured to transmit to the object and receive an ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a second reception signal, and to perform transmission and reception of the ultrasound beam alternately a plurality of times; The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image corresponding to each of the plurality of first and second reception signals, the plurality of first ultrasound images, and the plurality of second ultrasound images, respectively, are used to observe the target object. Forming a first reconstruction image and a second reconstruction image reconstructing a plurality of radiative scan lines set based on a center, and a first interpolation image and a second interpolation image using a plurality of first reconstruction images and a plurality of second reconstruction images An image processor operable to operate; A composite image forming unit operable to form a composite image using the first reconstructed image, the first interpolated image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolated image; And an elastic image forming unit operable to form an elastic image using the composite image.

In addition, according to the present invention, an elastic image forming method of an ultrasound system including a transceiver, an image processing unit, a composite image forming unit, an elastic image forming unit, and a control unit, a) in the transmitting and receiving unit, each of the plurality of scan lines in the ultrasonic beam Forming a first received signal by transmitting to the object and receiving an ultrasound beam reflected from the object; b) forming, by the image processor, a first ultrasound image by using the first received signal, setting a center of a target object to be observed in the first ultrasound image, and forming center information accordingly; c) controlling, by the controller, steering of each scan line using the center information; d) transmitting, by the transceiver, an ultrasonic beam to the object along each of the steered scan lines and receiving an ultrasonic beam reflected from the object to form a second received signal; e) forming, by the image processor, a second ultrasound image by using the second received signal; f) performing the steps a) to e) a plurality of times; g) a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image of reconstructing a plurality of radiation scan lines set based on a center of the target object by using the plurality of first and second ultrasound images, respectively, in the image processor; Forming a first interpolation image and a second interpolation image using the plurality of first reconstruction images and the plurality of second reconstruction images; h) in the composite image forming unit, forming a composite image by using the first reconstructed image, the first interpolated image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolated image; And i) in the elastic image forming unit, forming an elastic image by using the composite image.

In addition, the ultrasound system according to the present invention, ECG signal providing unit operative to provide an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal for each heart beat cycle; During the 2n-1 (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1) th heartbeat period, an ultrasound beam is transmitted to the object along each of the plurality of scan lines and the ultrasound beam reflected from the object is formed to form a first received signal. A transmitter / receiver configured to transmit an ultrasound beam to the object along each scan line steered at a steering angle during a heartbeat period, and to receive the ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a second received signal; The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image corresponding to each of the plurality of first and second reception signals, the plurality of first ultrasound images, and the plurality of second ultrasound images, respectively, are used to observe the target object. Forming a first reconstruction image and a second reconstruction image reconstructing a plurality of radiative scan lines set based on a center, and a first interpolation image and a second interpolation image using a plurality of first reconstruction images and a plurality of second reconstruction images An image processor operable to operate; A composite image forming unit operable to form a composite image using the first reconstructed image, the first interpolated image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolated image; And an elastic image forming unit operable to form an elastic image using the composite image.

In addition, according to the present invention, a method for forming an elastic image of an ultrasound system including an ECG signal providing unit, a transmitting and receiving unit, an image processing unit, a composite image forming unit, an elastic image forming unit, and a control unit, a) in the ECG signal providing unit, a heart Providing an ECG signal at every beat period; b) transmitting, by the transceiver, the ultrasound beam to the object along each of the plurality of scan lines during the 2n-1th heartbeat period, and receiving the ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a first received signal; c) in the image processor, forming a first ultrasound image by using the first received signal, setting a center of a target object to be observed in the first ultrasound image, and forming center information accordingly; d) controlling, by the controller, steering of each scan line during a 2nth heartbeat period using the center information; e) transmitting, by the transceiver, an ultrasound beam to the object along the steered scan lines during the 2nth heartbeat period, and receiving a ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a second received signal; f) forming, by the image processor, a second ultrasound image by using the second received signal; g) performing the steps a) to f) a plurality of times; h) in the image processor, a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image are formed by reconstructing a plurality of radiation scan lines set based on the center of the target object by using each of the plurality of first and second ultrasound images. Making; i) synthesizing the first reconstructed image and the second reconstructed image in the synthesized image forming unit to form a synthesized image; And j) in the elastic image forming unit, forming an elastic image using the composite image.

According to the present invention, it is possible to observe a lipid or a lesion by forming an elastic image of the object without inserting the probe into the object to be observed.

In addition, according to the present invention, a more accurate elastic image may be formed using a plurality of ultrasound images formed according to an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal provided at the maximum contraction and relaxation of the heart.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Example

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound system 100 may further include a user input unit operable to receive an instruction of a user. The user input includes a control panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

The control unit 110 controls the transmission and reception of an ultrasonic beam consisting of a group of ultrasonic signals. In addition, the controller 110 calculates a steering angle at which each of the plurality of scan lines intersect at the center of the target object by using the center information of the target object, and calculates a steering angle of each scan line by using the calculated steering angle. To control. That is, the controller 110 does not steer each scan line through which the ultrasound beam for transmitting and receiving the 2n-1 (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1) th ultrasound image (hereinafter, referred to as a first ultrasound image), and the 2nth Each scan line through which an ultrasound beam is transmitted and received to obtain an ultrasound image (hereinafter, referred to as a second ultrasound image) is steered using a steering angle. The central information of the target object is described below. In addition, the controller 110 controls the formation and display of the first and second ultrasound images, the composite image, and the elastic image of the object. The controller 110 controls the operation of the ultrasound system 100.

The transmitter / receiver 120 transmits an ultrasonic beam including a group of ultrasonic signals to the object along each unsteered scan line and receives the ultrasonic beam reflected from the object under the control of the controller 110. A first reception signal), an ultrasound beam is transmitted to the object along each scan line steered at a steering angle, and the ultrasound beam reflected from the object is received to receive a reception signal (hereinafter referred to as a second reception signal). Form. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the transceiver 120 transmits and receives an ultrasonic beam along each of the unsteered scan lines S ₁ to S ₁₁ to form a first received signal, and as shown in FIG. 5. The ultrasound beam is transmitted and received along each of the steered scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′ to form a second received signal. 4 and 5, reference numeral 212 denotes a blood vessel, reference numeral 214 denotes a lipid, and reference numeral O denotes a center. The transmitter / receiver 120 alternately performs transmission and reception of the aforementioned ultrasonic beam. In this embodiment, the transceiver 120 provides a linear probe (not shown) including a plurality of transducer elements operable to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal, and a transmission focus delay amount for transmitting and focusing an ultrasonic signal. And a beam former (not shown) operative to form the ultrasonic beam and provide the first and second received signals by providing a received focus delay amount for the focused focus of the ultrasonic signal.

The first image processor 130 forms a first ultrasound image corresponding to each first received signal by using the plurality of first received signals from the transceiver 120 under the control of the controller 110. An image corresponding to each first ultrasound image (hereinafter, referred to as a first reconstructed image) by setting a plurality of scan lines (hereinafter referred to as a radiation scanline) in a radial direction to the first ultrasound image and reconstructing the plurality of radiation scanlines. And an interpolation image (hereinafter, referred to as a first interpolation image) between first reconstructed images by using an interpolation method. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the first image processor 130 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The first ultrasound image forming unit 131 sequentially receives a plurality of first reception signals from the transceiver 120, and as illustrated in FIG. 6, the first ultrasound image 210 corresponding to each first reception signal. To form.

The boundary detector 132 detects a boundary of the blood vessel 212, which is a target object to be observed in each first ultrasound image 210. The boundary can be detected using a change in brightness value by the derivative operator. In the present embodiment, the edge detector 132 may use an edge mask such as Sobel, Prewitt, Robert, The Laplacian of Gaussian or Canny mask. Detect the boundaries of blood vessels 212. In another embodiment, the boundary detector 132 may detect the boundary of the blood vessel 212 from the difference of the eigenvalues using the structure tensor.

The center setting unit 133 sets the center O of the blood vessel 212 using the boundary of the blood vessel 212 detected by the boundary detection unit 132, and provides the center information accordingly. Form. In the above-described embodiment, the center setting unit 133 has been described as setting the center of the blood vessel using the blood vessel boundary, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the center setting unit 133 may set center O of the blood vessel by receiving center information about the blood vessel 212 of each first ultrasound image 210 from the user. The center information as described above is provided to the controller 110, and the controller 110 is used to calculate the steering angle and control the steering of each scan line using the calculated steering angle.

The radiation scan line setting unit 134 uses a steering angle from the control unit 110, as shown in FIG. 7, to form a plurality of radiation centers of the blood vessels 212 in each of the first ultrasound images 210. Radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ are set. In this case, the interval (ie, angle) between the radiation scan lines is the same as the interval (ie, angle) between the scan lines steered at the steering angle as shown in FIG. 5, and thus, the radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₇ ; RS ₁₄ to RS ₂₄ and RS ₃₁ to RS ₃₄ correspond to scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′ of FIG. 5. In the present embodiment, the radiation scan line setting unit 134 is obtained from the position information of each sampling point existing on each radiation scan line RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ set in the first ultrasound image 210 and obtained from each sampling point. Acquire data and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the first reconstructed image forming unit 135 parallels the plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ with respect to the center O as shown in FIG. 8. The first reconstructed image 230 corresponding to each first ultrasound image 210 is formed using the reconstructed radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ . In this case, the first reconstructed image forming unit 135 uses the _first scan line RS ₈ to RS ₁₃ and RS ₂₅ to RS ₃₀ that do not correspond to the steered scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′. The reconstructed image 230 is formed.

The first interpolation image forming unit 136 uses an interpolation method between the k (k is an integer of 1 or more) first reconstructed image formed by the first reconstruction image forming unit 135 and the k + 1 first reconstructed image. A first interpolation image is formed. In the present exemplary embodiment, the first interpolation image forming unit 136 may include the first first reconstructed image M ₁ and the second agent formed in the first reconstruction image forming unit 135 using interpolation as shown in FIG. 10. 1 reconstructed image (M ₂₎ between the first interpolated picture (MI ₁₎ the formation and the first reconstruction of the second image (M ₂₎ and the third of the first reconstructed image (M ₃₎ between the first interpolated picture (MI ₂₎ To form. The first interpolation image forming unit 136 forms a plurality of first interpolation images MI ₁ , MI ₂ , MI ₃ , MI ₄ ,... As described above.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the second image processor 140 may control the second image corresponding to each second received signal using a plurality of second received signals from the transceiver 120 under the control of the controller 110. An ultrasound image is formed, a plurality of radiation scan lines are set in each second ultrasound image, and a plurality of radiation scan lines are reconstructed to form a reconstructed image (hereinafter, referred to as a second reconstructed image) corresponding to each second ultrasound image. The interpolation image (hereinafter, referred to as a second interpolation image) is formed by interpolation between the second reconstructed images. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the second image processor 140 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The second ultrasound image forming unit 141 sequentially receives a plurality of second reception signals from the transceiver 120, and similarly to the first ultrasound image forming unit 131 of the first image processor 130. A second ultrasound image corresponding to the received signal is formed.

Like the boundary detector 132 of the first image processor 130, the boundary detector 142 detects a boundary of a blood vessel that is a target object to be observed in each second ultrasound image.

The center setting unit 143 sets the center of the blood vessel in each second ultrasound image by using the center information formed by the center setting unit 133 of the first image processor 130.

The radiation scan line setting unit 144 sets a plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ as shown in FIG. 7 based on the center of the blood vessel in the second ultrasound image. In this case, the interval (ie, angle) between the radiation scan lines is the same as the interval (ie, angle) between the scan lines steered at the steering angle as shown in FIG. 5, and thus, the radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₇ ; RS ₁₄ to RS ₂₄ and RS ₃₁ to RS ₃₄ correspond to scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′ of FIG. 5. In the present exemplary embodiment, the radiation scan line setting unit 144 stores position information of a plurality of sampling points existing on each radiation scan line RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ set in the second ultrasound image, data obtained at each sampling point, and the like. Acquire.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the second reconstruction image forming unit 145 reconstructs the plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ to be parallel to each other with respect to the center O as illustrated in FIG. 9. The second reconstructed image 240 corresponding to each second ultrasound image is formed by using the reconstructed plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ . In this case, the second reconstructed image forming unit 145 may radiate scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₇ , RS ₁₄ to RS ₂₄ , and RS ₃₁ to RS ₃₄ corresponding to the steered scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′. Next, a second reconstructed image 240 is formed.

The second interpolation image forming unit 146 is formed by interpolation between the k (k is an integer of 1 or more) second reconstructed image formed by the second reconstruction image forming unit 145 and the k + 1 second reconstructed image. 2 Form an interpolation image. In the present exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the second interpolation image forming unit 146 may include a first second reconstruction image N ₁ and a second second reconstruction image formed by the second reconstruction image forming unit 144. The first interpolation image NI ₁ is formed through interpolation between N ₂ ), and the second interpolation image (N ₂ ) is interpolated between a second second reconstruction image N ₂ and a third second reconstruction image N ₃ . NI ₂ ). The second interpolation image forming unit 145 forms a plurality of second interpolation images NI ₁ , NI ₂ , NI ₃ , NI ₄ ,... As described above.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the composite image forming unit 150 may include an i (i is an integer of 1 or more) first interpolated image formed by the first image processor 130 and an i th formed by the second image processor 140. Second reconstructed images are synthesized to form a synthesized image (hereinafter, referred to as a first synthesized image). In addition, the composite image forming unit 150 synthesizes the i + 1 th first reconstructed image formed by the first image processor 130 and the i th second interpolated image formed by the second image processor 140. An image (hereinafter referred to as a second composite image) is formed. In this case, the first composite image and the second composite image are simultaneously formed. In the present exemplary embodiment, the composite image forming unit 150 is the first interpolation image MI ₁ formed by the first image processing unit 130 and the first image formed by the second image processing unit 140 as shown in FIG. 12. The second reconstructed image N ₁ is synthesized to form a first synthesized image MC ₁ . The composite image forming unit 150 forms a plurality of first composite images MC ₁ , MC ₂ , MC ₃ ,... As described above. In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the composite image forming unit may include the second first reconstructed image M ₂ formed by the first image processor 130 and the first second interpolated image formed by the second image processor 140. NI ₁ ) is synthesized to form a second composite image NC ₁ . The composite image forming unit 150 forms a plurality of second composite images NC ₁ , NC ₂ , NC ₃ ,... As described above. Meanwhile, the composite image forming unit 150 may include a first composite image forming unit (not shown) that operates to form a first composite image and a second composite image forming unit (not shown) that operates to form a second composite image. ).

The elastic image forming unit 160 obtains an elastic coefficient between the j-th (j is an integer of 1 or more) first composite image and the second composite image formed by the composite image forming unit 150 using an autocorrelation function, and obtains the obtained elasticity. The elastic image is formed using the coefficients. That is, the elastic image forming unit 160 obtains an elastic modulus corresponding to the displacement of blood vessels, lipids, and surrounding tissues by contracting and relaxing blood vessels, and forms an elastic image using the obtained elastic modulus. In the present embodiment, the elastic image forming unit 160 has an elastic coefficient between the first first composite image MC ₁ and the second composite image NC ₁ formed in the composite image forming unit 150 as shown in FIG. 13. Is obtained and an elastic image E ₁ is formed using the obtained elastic modulus. The elastic image forming unit 160 forms a plurality of elastic images E ₁ , E ₂ , E ₃ , E ₄ , E ₅ ,... As described above.

The display unit 170 displays the elastic image formed by the elastic image forming unit 160. Meanwhile, the display unit 170 may include a first ultrasound image, a first reconstruction image, a first interpolation image, a second composite image, and a second ultrasound image formed by the second image processor 140. The second reconstruction image, the second interpolation image, and the second synthesis image may be displayed.

The first image processor 130, the second image processor 140, the composite image forming unit 150, and the elastic image forming unit 160 of the above-described ultrasound system 100 may be implemented by one or a plurality of processors. .

2nd Example

14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound system 300 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Although not shown in FIG. 14, the ultrasound system 300 may further include a user input unit operable to receive an instruction of a user. The user input includes a control panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

The ECG signal providing unit 310 provides an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal for each heart beat cycle. In the present embodiment, the ECG signal providing unit 310 provides an ECG signal including a P wave signal formed before the start of contraction of the left ventricle, a QRS wave signal, and a T wave signal formed before the start of relaxation of the left ventricle for each heartbeat period. .

The controller 320 calculates a steering angle at which each of the plurality of scan lines is steered using the ECG signal and the center information from the ECG signal provider 310, and controls the steering of each scan line using the calculated steering angle. . The central information is described below. In the present embodiment, the control unit 320 does not steer each scan line according to the ECG signal provided during the 2n-1 (n is an integer of 1 or more) th heartbeat period from the ECG signal providing unit 310, Steer each scanline at the steering angle in accordance with the ECG signal provided during the heart rate cycle. In addition, the controller 320 controls transmission and reception of an ultrasonic beam formed of a group of ultrasonic signals using the ECG signal. In this embodiment, the controller 320 controls the ultrasound beam to be transmitted and received according to each of the P-wave and T-wave signals of the ECG signal. The controller 320 controls the formation and display of the first and second ultrasound images, the synthesized image, and the elastic image of the object. The controller 320 controls the operation of the ultrasound system 300.

The transceiver 330 transmits an ultrasound beam to the object under the control of the controller 320 and receives an ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a received signal. That is, the transceiver 330 transmits an ultrasonic beam according to each of the P-wave and T-wave signals of the ECG signal during each 2n-1th heartbeat period, as shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment. S ₁ to S ₁₁ are transmitted and received to form a reception signal (hereinafter referred to as a first reception signal). In addition, the transmission / reception unit 330 steers the ultrasound beam according to each of the P-wave and T-wave signals of the ECG signal during the 2nth heartbeat period, as shown in FIG. 5 of the first embodiment (S _1). 'S ₁₁ ') transmit and receive to form a reception signal (referred to as a second reception signal). The transceiver 330 transmits and receives the aforementioned ultrasonic beam a plurality of times. In this embodiment, the transceiver 330 provides a linear probe (not shown) including a plurality of transducer elements operable to transmit and receive an ultrasound signal and a transmission focus delay amount for focusing the ultrasound signal. And a beam former (not shown) operative to form the ultrasonic beam and provide the first and second received signals by providing a received focus delay amount for the focused focus of the ultrasonic signal.

The first image processor 340 may use ultrasound signals corresponding to the first received signals using a plurality of first received signals from the transceiver 330 under the control of the controller 320 (hereinafter, referred to as a first ultrasound image). An image corresponding to each first ultrasound image by reconfiguring a plurality of radiation scan lines, and reconfiguring a plurality of radiation scan lines. (Hereinafter referred to as first reconstruction image) is formed. 15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first image processor 340 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The first ultrasound image forming unit 341 sequentially receives a plurality of first reception signals from the transceiver 330, and forms a first ultrasound image corresponding to each first reception signal. In the present exemplary embodiment, the first ultrasound image forming unit 341 receives a first received signal formed according to each of the P-wave and T-wave signals during the 2n-1th heartbeat period from the transceiver 330 and performs a first implementation. As shown in FIG. 6 in the example, a first ultrasound image corresponding to each first received signal is formed.

The boundary detector 342 detects a boundary of a blood vessel, which is a target object to be observed, in each first ultrasound image from the first ultrasound image forming unit 341. Since the boundary detector 342 in the present embodiment is the same as the boundary detector 132 in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The center setting unit 343 sets the center of the blood vessel using the boundary of the blood vessel detected by the boundary detecting unit 342 and forms center information accordingly. Since the center setting unit 343 in this embodiment is the same as the center setting unit 343 in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The radiation scan line setting unit 344 uses a steering angle from the control unit 320 to generate a plurality of radiations around the center O of the blood vessel in the first ultrasound image, as shown in FIG. 7. Scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ are set. At this time, the interval (i.e., angle) between the radiation scan lines is equal to the interval (i.e., angle) of the scan lines steered at the steering angle as shown in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment, so that the radiation scan line RS ₁ to RS ₇ , RS ₁₄ to RS ₂₄ , and RS ₃₁ to RS ₃₄ correspond to the scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′ in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. In the present exemplary embodiment, the radiation scan line setting unit 344 stores position information of a plurality of sampling points existing on each radiation scan line RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ set in the first ultrasound image, data obtained at each sampling point, and the like. Acquire.

The first reconstructed image forming unit 345 performs a plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ with respect to the center O as shown in FIG. 8 in the first embodiment for each first ultrasound image. The first reconstructed image corresponding to each first ultrasound image is formed using the reconstructed parallel scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ . At this time, the first reconstructed image forming unit 345 uses the _first scan line RS ₈ to RS ₁₃ and RS ₂₅ to RS ₃₀ that do not correspond to the steered scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′. Form a reconstruction image.

Referring to FIG. 14 again, the second image processor 350 may control the ultrasound image corresponding to each second received signal using a plurality of second received signals from the transceiver 330 under the control of the controller 320. (Hereinafter, referred to as a second ultrasound image), a plurality of radiation scan lines are set in each second ultrasound image, and a plurality of radiation scan lines are reconstructed so as to correspond to each second ultrasound image. A second reconstructed image). FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a second image processor 350 according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The second ultrasound image forming unit 351 sequentially receives a plurality of second reception signals from the transceiver 330 and forms a second ultrasound image corresponding to each second reception signal. In the present exemplary embodiment, the second ultrasound image forming unit 351 receives the second received signal formed according to each of the P wave and T wave signals during the 2nth heartbeat period from the transceiver 330. Like the second ultrasound image forming unit 351, a second ultrasound image corresponding to each second reception signal is formed.

Like the boundary detector 142 of the first embodiment, the boundary detector 352 detects a boundary of a blood vessel that is a target object to be observed in each second ultrasound image from the second ultrasound image forming unit 351.

The center setting unit 353, like the center setting unit 143 of the first embodiment, uses the center information formed by the center setting unit 342 of the first image processing unit 340 to center the blood vessel on each second ultrasound image. Set.

The radiation scan line setting unit 354 sets a plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ as shown in FIG. 7 in the first embodiment based on the center of the blood vessel in each second ultrasound image. At this time, the spacing (i.e., angle) between the radiation scan lines is equal to the spacing (i.e., angle) between the scan lines steered at the steering angle as shown in FIG. 5 in the first embodiment. RS ₁ to RS ₇ , RS ₁₄ to RS ₂₄ , and RS ₃₁ to RS ₃₄ correspond to scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′ of FIG. 5. In the present exemplary embodiment, the radiation scan line setting unit 354 may provide location information of a plurality of sampling points existing on each of the radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ set in the second ultrasound image, data obtained at each sampling point, and the like. Acquire.

As illustrated in FIG. 9 of the first embodiment, the second reconstructed image forming unit 355 may include a plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ based on the center O as shown in FIG. 9 in the first embodiment. Are reconstructed to be parallel to each other, and a second reconstructed image corresponding to each second ultrasound image is formed by using the reconstructed plurality of radiation scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₃₄ . In this case, the second reconstructed image forming unit 355 may radiate scan lines RS ₁ to RS ₇ , RS ₁₄ to RS ₂₄ , and RS ₃₁ to RS ₃₄ corresponding to the steered scan lines S ₁ ′ to S ₁₁ ′. To form a second reconstructed image.

Referring to FIG. 14 again, the composite image forming unit 360 synthesizes the first reconstructed image from the first image processor 340 and the second reconstructed image from the second image processor 350 to form a composite image. do. In this case, the composite image forming unit 360 may perform motion estimation and compensation between the first reconstructed image and the second reconstructed image to remove motion that may occur in the synthesized image. Since motion estimation and compensation may be performed by a conventionally known method, detailed descriptions are omitted in this embodiment. In the present exemplary embodiment, the composite image forming unit 360 corresponds to the first reconstructed image M _P1 corresponding to the P wave signal of the first heart beat period and the P wave signal of the second heart beat period, as shown in FIG. 17. The second reconstructed image N _P2 is synthesized to form a synthesized image CP1, and corresponds to the first reconstructed image M _T1 corresponding to the T wave signal of the first heart rate period and the T wave signal of the second heart rate period. The second reconstructed image N _T2 is synthesized to form a synthesized image CT1. The composite image forming unit 360 forms a plurality of composite images C _P1 , C _T1 , C _P2 , C _T2 , C _P3 , C _T3 ,... As described above.

The elastic image forming unit 370 uses the autocorrelation function to determine the elastic coefficient between the k (k is an integer of 1 or more) th composite image and the k + 1th composite image formed by the composite image forming unit 360. And an elastic image is formed using the obtained elastic modulus. That is, the elastic image forming unit 370 obtains an elastic modulus corresponding to the displacement of blood vessels, lipids, and surrounding tissues by contracting and relaxing blood vessels, and forms an elastic image using the obtained elastic modulus. In the present embodiment, the elastic image forming unit 370 _obtains an elastic modulus between the first composite image C _P1 and the second composite image C _T1 formed by the composite image forming unit 360 as shown in FIG. 17. Then, the elastic image E ₁ is formed using the obtained elastic modulus. The elastic image forming unit 370 forms a plurality of elastic images E ₁ , E ₂ , E ₃ , E ₄ , E ₅ ,... As described above.

The display 380 displays the elastic image formed by the elastic image forming unit 370. Meanwhile, the display unit 380 may form a first ultrasound image and a first reconstruction image formed by the first image processor 340, a second ultrasound image and a second reconstruction image formed by the second image processor 350, and a composite image. The synthesized image formed by the unit 360 may be displayed.

The first image processor 340, the second image processor 350, the composite image forming unit 360, and the elastic image forming unit 370 of the above-described ultrasound system 300 may be implemented by one or a plurality of processors. .

While the invention has been described and illustrated by way of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first image processing unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a second image processor 140 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an exemplary view showing a non-steered scanline according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is an exemplary view showing a scan line steered at a steering angle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is an exemplary view showing a first ultrasound image formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is an exemplary view showing a plurality of radiation scan lines set in a radial direction about a center of a target object and a center of a target object set in a first ultrasound image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

8 is an exemplary view showing a first reconstructed image formed by reconstructing a plurality of radiant scan lines in parallel to each other based on a center of a target object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is an exemplary view showing a second reconstructed image formed by reconstructing a plurality of radiant scan lines in parallel to each other based on a center of a target object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is an exemplary view showing a first interpolated image formed between first reconstructed images through interpolation in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention.

11 is an exemplary view showing a second interpolation image formed between second reconstruction images through interpolation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

12 is an exemplary view showing first and second composite images formed by using a first reconstructed image, a first interpolated image, a second reconstructed image, and a second interpolated image according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary view illustrating an elastic image formed using a first composite image and a second composite image according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

14 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

15 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a first image processing unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

16 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a second image processing unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is an exemplary view illustrating a composite image formed using a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image and an elastic image formed using the synthesized image according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Claims (46)

As an ultrasonic system, Transmitting an ultrasound beam to the object along each of the plurality of scan lines, receiving an ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a first received signal, transmitting an ultrasound beam to the object along each scan line steered at a steering angle, and A transmitter / receiver configured to receive an ultrasound beam reflected from an object to form a second received signal, and to alternately transmit and receive the ultrasound beam; The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image corresponding to each of the plurality of first and second reception signals, the plurality of first ultrasound images, and the plurality of second ultrasound images, respectively, are used to observe the target object. Forming a first reconstruction image and a second reconstruction image reconstructing a plurality of radiative scan lines set based on a center, and a first interpolation image and a second interpolation image using a plurality of first reconstruction images and a plurality of second reconstruction images An image processor operable to operate; A composite image forming unit operable to form a composite image using the first reconstructed image, the first interpolated image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolated image; And An elastic image forming unit operable to form an elastic image using the composite image Ultrasound system comprising a. The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the target object includes blood vessels. The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises a linear probe. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor comprises: A first image processor operative to form the first ultrasound image, the first reconstructed image, and the first interpolation image; And A second image processor configured to form the second ultrasound image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolation image Ultrasound system comprising a. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first image processor comprises: A first ultrasound image forming unit operable to form a first ultrasound image corresponding to each first reception signal using the plurality of first reception signals; A first boundary detector configured to detect a boundary of the target object in each first ultrasound image; A center setting unit configured to set a center of the target object by using the boundary with respect to each of the first ultrasound images; A first radiation scan line setting unit configured to set the plurality of radiation scan lines in a radial direction with respect to the center of the first ultrasound image; A first reconstructed image forming unit configured to form the first reconstructed image corresponding to each of the first ultrasound images by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with respect to the center; And A first interpolation image forming unit operable to form a first interpolation image between the first reconstructed images using interpolation Ultrasound system comprising a. 6. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first reconstructed image forming unit is configured to form the first reconstructed image by using a radiation scan line that does not correspond to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines. system. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the second image processor comprises: A second ultrasound image forming unit operable to form a second ultrasound image corresponding to each second reception signal by using the plurality of second reception signals; A second boundary detector configured to detect a boundary of the target object in each second ultrasound image; A second center setting unit configured to set a center of the target object by using the center of the target object for each of the second ultrasound images; A second radiation scan line setting unit configured to set the plurality of radiation scan lines in a radial direction with respect to each of the second ultrasound images based on the center of the target object; A second reconstructed image forming unit configured to form the second reconstructed image corresponding to each of the second ultrasound images by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with each other based on the center; And A second interpolation image forming unit operable to form a second interpolation image between the second reconstructed images using interpolation Ultrasound system comprising a. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the second reconstructed image forming unit is configured to form the second reconstructed image by using a radiation scan line corresponding to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines. . The method of claim 8, wherein the composite image forming unit, To form a first composite image by synthesizing an i-th first interpolation image formed by the first interpolation image forming unit and an i-th second reconstructed image formed by the second reconstructing image forming unit; A first composite image forming unit operating; And A second synthesis operable to synthesize the i + 1 th first reconstruction image formed by the first reconstruction image forming unit and the i th second interpolation image formed by the second interpolation image forming unit to form a second composite image Image forming unit Ultrasound system comprising a. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, wherein the elastic image forming unit is formed by the j-th first composite image formed by the first composite forming unit (j is an integer of 1 or more) and the second composite image forming unit by using an autocorrelation function. and a modulus of elasticity between a jth second composite image and forming the elasticity image using the elastic modulus. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, The ultrasound beam for calculating the steering angle at which each scan line intersects the center of the target object using the center of the target object, and obtaining a first ultrasound image of 2n-1 (n is an integer of 1 or more) A control unit operable to steer each scan line through which the ultrasound beam for transmitting and receiving the second n-th ultrasound image is transmitted and received at the steering angle, without steering each scan line transmitted and received. Ultrasonic system further comprising. An elastic image forming method of an ultrasound system including a transceiver, an image processing unit, a composite image forming unit, an elastic image forming unit, and a controller, a) transmitting, by the transceiver, an ultrasound beam to an object along each of a plurality of scan lines and receiving an ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a first received signal; b) forming, by the image processor, a first ultrasound image by using the first received signal, setting a center of a target object to be observed in the first ultrasound image, and forming center information accordingly; c) controlling, by the controller, steering of each scan line using the center information; d) transmitting, by the transceiver, an ultrasonic beam to the object along each of the steered scan lines and receiving an ultrasonic beam reflected from the object to form a second received signal; e) forming, by the image processor, a second ultrasound image by using the second received signal; f) performing the steps a) to e) a plurality of times; g) a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image of reconstructing a plurality of radiation scan lines set based on a center of the target object by using the plurality of first and second ultrasound images, respectively, in the image processor; Forming a first interpolation image and a second interpolation image using the plurality of first reconstruction images and the plurality of second reconstruction images; h) in the composite image forming unit, forming a composite image by using the first reconstructed image, the first interpolated image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolated image; And i) forming an elastic image by using the composite image in the elastic image forming unit Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 12, wherein the target object includes blood vessels. The method of claim 12, wherein b), Forming the first ultrasound image by using the first received signal; Detecting a boundary of the target object in the first ultrasound image; And Setting a center of the target object using the boundary Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 14, wherein step c) Calculating the steering angle at which the scan lines intersect at the center of the target object using the center of the target object; And Steering each scan line at the steering angle Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 15, wherein step e) Detecting a boundary of the target object in the second ultrasound image; And Setting a center of the target object using the center of the target object with respect to the second ultrasound image Elastic image forming method further comprising. The method of claim 16, wherein step g) g1) setting the plurality of radiation scanlines in a radial direction with respect to the center for each of a plurality of first ultrasound images; g2) forming the first reconstructed image corresponding to each first ultrasound image by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with each other based on the center; g3) forming a first interpolation image between the first reconstructed images using interpolation; g4) setting the plurality of radiation scanlines in a radial direction with respect to the center of the target object for each of the plurality of second ultrasound images; g5) forming the second reconstructed image corresponding to each second ultrasound image by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with each other based on the center; And g6) forming a second interpolation image between the second reconstructed images using interpolation Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 17, wherein step g2) Forming the first reconstructed image by using a radiation scan line that does not correspond to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 18, wherein step g5) Forming the second reconstructed image by using a radiation scan line corresponding to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 19, wherein step h) h1) forming a first composite image by synthesizing the i-th first interpolated image formed in step g3) and the i-th second reconstructed image formed in step g4); And h2) forming a second composite image by synthesizing the i + 1 th first reconstructed image formed in step g2) and the i th second interpolated image formed in step g5) Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 20, wherein step i) Obtaining an elastic modulus between the j-th composite image formed in the step h1) and the j-th composite image formed in the step h2 using the autocorrelation function; Forming the elastic image using the elastic modulus Elastic image forming method comprising a. As an ultrasonic system, An ECG signal providing unit operative to provide an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal at every heartbeat period; During the 2n-1 (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1) th heartbeat period, an ultrasound beam is transmitted to the object along each of the plurality of scan lines and the ultrasound beam reflected from the object is formed to form a first received signal. A transmitter / receiver configured to transmit an ultrasound beam to the object along each scan line steered at a steering angle during a heartbeat period, and to receive the ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a second received signal; The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image corresponding to each of the plurality of first and second reception signals, the plurality of first ultrasound images, and the plurality of second ultrasound images, respectively, are used to observe the target object. Forming a first reconstruction image and a second reconstruction image reconstructing a plurality of radiative scan lines set based on a center, and a first interpolation image and a second interpolation image using a plurality of first reconstruction images and a plurality of second reconstruction images An image processor operable to operate; A composite image forming unit operable to form a composite image using the first reconstructed image, the first interpolated image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolated image; And An elastic image forming unit operable to form an elastic image using the composite image Ultrasound system comprising a. The ultrasound system of claim 22, wherein the target object includes blood vessels. The ultrasound system of claim 22, wherein the ECG signal comprises a first signal provided before the start of contraction of the left ventricle of the heart and a second signal provided before the start of relaxation of the left ventricle. The method of claim 24, wherein the transceiver unit, During the 2n-1th heartbeat period, the ultrasound beam is transmitted and received along the scan lines according to each of the first signal and the second signal to form the first received signal, and the 2nth heartbeat period And transmit and receive the ultrasonic beam along each of the steered scan lines according to each of the first and second signals to form the second received signal. The method of claim 25, wherein the image processing unit, A first image processor operative to form the first ultrasound image, the first reconstructed image, and the first interpolation image; And A second image processor configured to form the second ultrasound image, the second reconstructed image, and the second interpolation image Ultrasound system comprising a. The method of claim 26, wherein the first image processor, A first ultrasound that is operable to form a first ultrasound image corresponding to each of the first received signals by using the first received signal corresponding to each of the first signal and the second signal during the 2n-1th heartbeat period An image forming unit; A first boundary detector configured to detect a boundary of the target object in each first ultrasound image; A center setting unit configured to set a center of the target object by using the boundary with respect to each of the first ultrasound images; A first radiation scan line setting unit configured to set the plurality of radiation scan lines in a radial direction with respect to the center of the first ultrasound image; And A first reconstructed image forming unit configured to form the first reconstructed image corresponding to each of the first ultrasound images by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with respect to the center Ultrasound system comprising a. The method of claim 27, wherein the first reconstructed image forming unit is configured to form the first reconstructed image by using a radiation scan line that does not correspond to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines. Ultrasound system. The method of claim 27, wherein the second image processor, Forming a second ultrasound image corresponding to each second received signal by using a second received signal corresponding to each of the first signal and the second signal during the 2nth heartbeat period; part; A second boundary detector configured to detect a boundary of the target object in each second ultrasound image; A second center setting unit configured to set a center of the target object by using the center of the target object for each of the second ultrasound images; A second radiation scan line setting unit configured to set the plurality of radiation scan lines in a radial direction with respect to each of the second ultrasound images based on the center of the target object; And A second reconstructed image forming unit configured to form the second reconstructed image corresponding to each of the second ultrasound images by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with each other based on the center Ultrasound system comprising a. 30. The ultrasound scan method of claim 29, wherein the second reconstruction image forming unit is configured to form the second reconstruction image using a radiation scan line corresponding to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines. system. The method of claim 29, wherein the synthesized image forming unit synthesizes the first reconstructed image and the second reconstructed image formed according to the first signal to form a first synthesized image, and a first reconstructed image formed according to the second signal. And synthesize the second reconstructed image to form a second composite image. The ultrasound system of claim 31, wherein the elastic image forming unit is configured to obtain an elastic coefficient between the first composite image and the second synthetic image using an autocorrelation function and to form an elastic image using the elastic coefficient. . 33. The method of any of claims 22-32, The steering angle at which the scan lines intersect at the center of the target object is calculated using the center of the target object, and the respective scan lines are steered during the 2n-1th heartbeat period using the ECG signal. And a control unit operable to steer the scan line at the steering angle during the 2nth heartbeat period. Ultrasonic system further comprising. An elastic image forming method of an ultrasound system including an ECG signal providing unit, a transceiver, an image processing unit, a composite image forming unit, an elastic image forming unit, and a controller, a) providing, by the ECG signal provider, an ECG signal at every heartbeat period; b) transmitting, by the transceiver, the ultrasound beam to the object along each of the plurality of scan lines during the 2n-1th heartbeat period, and receiving the ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a first received signal; c) in the image processor, forming a first ultrasound image by using the first received signal, setting a center of a target object to be observed in the first ultrasound image, and forming center information accordingly; d) controlling, by the controller, steering of each scan line during a 2nth heartbeat period using the center information; e) transmitting, by the transceiver, an ultrasound beam to the object along the steered scan lines during the 2nth heartbeat period, and receiving a ultrasound beam reflected from the object to form a second received signal; f) forming, by the image processor, a second ultrasound image by using the second received signal; g) performing the steps a) to f) a plurality of times; h) in the image processor, a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image are formed by reconstructing a plurality of radiation scan lines set based on the center of the target object by using each of the plurality of first and second ultrasound images. Doing; i) synthesizing the first and second reconstructed images by the synthesized image forming unit to form a synthesized image; And j) in the elastic image forming unit, forming an elastic image by using the composite image Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 34, wherein the target object comprises blood vessels. The method of claim 34, wherein step a) Providing for each heartbeat cycle an ECG signal comprising a first signal provided before the start of contraction of the left ventricle of the heart and a second signal provided before the start of the left ventricle relaxation Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 36, wherein step b) Forming the first received signal by transmitting and receiving the ultrasound beam along each scan line according to each of the first signal and the second signal during the 2n-1th heartbeat period; Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 37, wherein step c) Forming the first ultrasound image by using the first received signal; Detecting a boundary of the target object in the first ultrasound image; And Setting a center of the target object using the boundary Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 38, wherein step d) Calculating the steering angle at which the scan lines intersect at the center of the target object using the center of the target object; And Steering each scanline to the steering angle during the 2nth heartbeat period Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 39, wherein step e) And transmitting and receiving the ultrasound beam along the steered scan lines in accordance with each of the first and second signals during the 2nth heartbeat period to form the second received signal. Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 40, wherein step f) Detecting a boundary of the target object in the second ultrasound image; And Setting a center of the target object using the center of the target object with respect to the second ultrasound image Elastic image forming method further comprising. The method of claim 41, wherein step h) h1) setting the plurality of radiation scanlines in a radial direction with respect to the center for each of a plurality of first ultrasound images; h2) forming the first reconstructed image corresponding to each first ultrasound image by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with each other based on the center; h3) setting the plurality of radiation scan lines in a radial direction with respect to the center of the target object for each of the plurality of second ultrasound images; And h4) forming the second reconstructed image corresponding to each second ultrasound image by reconstructing the plurality of radiation scan lines in parallel with each other based on the center Elastic image forming method comprising a. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein step h2) Forming the first reconstructed image by using a radiation scan line that does not correspond to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines Elastic image forming method comprising a. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein step h4) Forming the second reconstructed image by using a radiation scan line corresponding to a scan line steered at the steering angle in the plurality of radiation scan lines Elastic image forming method comprising a. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein step i) comprises: Synthesizing a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image formed according to the first signal to form a first synthesized image; And Synthesizing a first reconstructed image and a second reconstructed image formed according to the second signal to form a second synthesized image Elastic image forming method comprising a. The method of claim 45, wherein step j) Obtaining an elastic coefficient between the first synthesized image and the second synthesized image by using an autocorrelation function; And Forming an elastic image using the elastic modulus Elastic image forming method comprising a.

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