KR102182134B1 - Untrasonic Imaging Apparatus having needle guiding function using marker - Google Patents

Abstract

An image display control technology of an ultrasound imaging device is disclosed. Specific anatomical area information for each needle treatment site is prepared and stored in advance. One or more markers are fixed near the site of the patient to be treated. The position of the needle is tracked by the positioning system. When a needle treatment site is selected, specific anatomical area information corresponding to the selected treatment site is extracted from the stored specific anatomical area information, and the ultrasound image is recognized with the help of this specific anatomical area information, and the anatomical area in the actual image To decide. The determined specific anatomical region information is stored together with the location information of the marker. Warn if the needle position is close to the anatomical area. When the patient's procedure is resumed, if the marker is recognized, the ultrasound imaging system extracts and utilizes the stored specific anatomical region information of the patient's procedure. This specific anatomical region information can be easily matched to an actual image by using the position information of the detected marker again.

Description

Ultrasound imaging device having a needle procedure guide function using a marker {Untrasonic Imaging Apparatus having needle guiding function using marker}

An image display control technology of an ultrasound imaging device is disclosed.

U.S. Patent No. 9,292,654 discloses an ultrasound imaging device that provides tutorial information. Instructional information including text, images, and videos is provided for each operation step of the ultrasound imaging device. In addition, reference parameters of the setting status corresponding to each operation step are prepared, and these are set according to the operation step.

US Patent Publication No. 2014/0039304A9 discloses a technology that detects blood flow by driving an ultrasound imaging device in a Doppler mode to generate location information of blood flow, and warns when a needle approaches a blood vessel.

However, it is technically still very difficult to recognize biological tissue in low-resolution ultrasound images.

An ultrasound imaging device suitable for needle surgery is proposed. Guidance information suitable for each region to be treated is provided to users who do not have much experience in the treatment of an ultrasound imaging device. When a needle approaches a specific anatomical area during needle surgery, the ultrasound imaging device recognizes it and provides a warning. Furthermore, a method that enables an ultrasound imaging device to detect the entry of a needle into a specific anatomical region more quickly and reliably is presented.

Additionally, a method of reducing the time required for image recognition is proposed by storing and recycling specific anatomical region information recognized for a patient for each acupuncture point. Furthermore, a needle procedure technology capable of further reducing the time required for image recognition is proposed by recognizing the position of a marker fixed on the skin surface of a patient and reusing specific anatomical region information stored based on the position of the marker.

According to an aspect of the proposed invention, specific anatomical region information for each needle treatment site is prepared and stored in advance. A specific anatomical area refers to the area of a living body tissue that is paying attention, such as a specific organ or nerve. For example, a specific anatomical area may refer to an organ to be treated with a needle, a risk area that the needle should avoid, or an area of an organ that is susceptible to damage. One or more markers are fixed near the site to be treated on the patient. The position of the needle is tracked by the positioning system. When a needle treatment site is selected, specific anatomical area information corresponding to the selected treatment site is extracted from the stored specific anatomical area information, and the ultrasound image is recognized with the help of this specific anatomical area information, and the anatomical area in the actual image To decide. The determined specific anatomical region information is stored together with the location information of the marker. Warn if the needle position is close to a specific anatomical area. When the patient's procedure is resumed, if the marker is recognized, the ultrasound imaging system extracts and utilizes the stored specific anatomical region information of the patient's procedure. The specific anatomical region information can be easily matched to the currently acquired ultrasound image by using the position information of the marker detected again.

According to an additional aspect, a warning may be output when the position of the needle tip approaches a specific anatomical region even when the position of the needle tip is out of the range of the ultrasound image displayed on the screen.

According to the proposed invention, it is possible to reduce the risk of needle treatment. Furthermore, it is advantageous for real-time processing because it can quickly and accurately detect the entry of the anatomical region. Furthermore, when re-operating the same treatment site for a patient, by using specific anatomical area information for the same treatment site of the patient, which was recognized and stored before that using a marker fixed on the skin surface, without matching the ultrasound image again. You can reduce the time required to prepare for the procedure.

1 shows a configuration of a needle treatment system according to an embodiment.
2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a probe according to an embodiment.
3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasound imaging apparatus for needle surgery according to an embodiment.
4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an anatomical region determining unit according to an exemplary embodiment.
5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a needle position detection unit according to another embodiment.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a configuration of a method for controlling an ultrasound image display according to an exemplary embodiment.
7 is a flow chart showing the configuration of an embodiment of a sensor-based location calculation step.

The above and additional aspects are embodied through embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the constituent elements of the respective embodiments may be variously combined within the embodiments unless otherwise stated or contradictory to each other. That is, although the drawings are shown as one embodiment, it should not be understood as being limited to one embodiment. As described in the following description as a separate optional or additional aspect, each block is understood to represent various embodiments by adding one, two, or a combination of the number of blocks that are not to the essential blocks. Should be.

1 shows a configuration of a needle treatment system according to an embodiment. As shown, the needle treatment system according to an embodiment includes an ultrasound imaging apparatus 50, a probe 10, and a needle 30. The operator selects the treatment site, and the body of the ultrasound imaging apparatus 50 responds to the user's manipulation through the operation unit, a document explaining the needle treatment method of the treatment site, 2D or 3D showing the anatomy of the treatment site An image, a graphic animation or a video showing the needle procedure of the acupuncture point is output on the screen. According to one aspect, a positioning system for positioning the position of the needle 30 is mounted. The position of the needle 30 detected by the positioning system is displayed on the image scanned by the probe 10 on the screen of the ultrasound imaging apparatus 50.

According to one aspect, the marker 70 is fixed on the skin surface of the acupuncture point to be treated by the patient. The marker 70 can be clearly recognized in the ultrasound image and can be anything that maintains a fixed state to some extent. In addition, the marker 70 is not limited to being attached to the skin surface, and may be, for example, a pattern drawn with a print or pen, made of a paint that absorbs or reflects ultrasonic waves well. As another example, it may be implanted deep into the skin.

2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a probe according to an embodiment. As shown, the probe according to an embodiment includes an ultrasonic element array 250 and an ultrasonic element driver 225 driving the ultrasonic element array 250. Additionally, the probe according to an embodiment may further include an acceleration sensor 230 and an acceleration sensor driver 223. The acceleration sensor 230 may be, for example, a gyro sensor. The absolute position of the probe may be calculated using the acceleration sensor. Additionally, the probe according to an embodiment may further include magnetic position sensors 210-1, 210-2, ..., 210-n, and a magnetic sensor driver 221 driving them. In one embodiment, the needle positioning system is a magnetic force based positioning system. The needle is magnetized, and a plurality of magnetic position sensors provided in the probe measure the strength of the magnetic field to calculate the position of the magnetized needle. In another embodiment, the needle positioning system is an RF-based positioning system. The RF transmitter is fixed to the needle, and a plurality of receivers provided in the probe measure the strength of the RF field to calculate the position of the needle. The proposed invention is not limited to a specific positioning system, and may be one of known positioning systems that are not based on ultrasound images.

3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasound imaging apparatus for needle surgery according to an embodiment. An ultrasound imaging apparatus for needle treatment provides an image of a living body tissue at a treatment site during needle treatment. As shown, the ultrasound imaging apparatus for needle surgery according to an exemplary embodiment includes an ultrasound signal processing unit 370, a needle position detection unit 330, and a treatment risk warning unit 310. In the illustrated embodiment, the ultrasonic signal processing unit 370, the needle position detection unit 330, and the procedure risk warning unit 310 are all or part of one or more such as a microprocessor and a digital signal processing processor. It can be implemented as program instructions executed by computational elements. The computing elements process data by reading and executing program instructions stored in the storage unit 320. The storage 320 may be, for example, one of a large-capacity storage such as a hard disk, an SSD, and a network storage, and a memory such as a nonvolatile memory and a volatile RAM, or a combination thereof.

The ultrasonic signal processor 370 generates an image by processing an ultrasonic signal obtained by driving an ultrasonic element array. The imaging modes of the ultrasound imaging apparatus include B mode, M mode, D mode using Doppler effect, and C mode. The ultrasonic signal processing unit 370 drives the ultrasonic element array 250 in one of these modes to generate ultrasonic image information from an output signal.

The needle position detection unit 330 calculates the position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs. U.S. Patent No. 9,597,008, issued to EZONO AG as of March 21, 2017, uses a plurality of magneto-metric detectors to measure the strength of the magnetic field of a magnetized needle and uses it to position the needle. Disclosing a technique for measuring The needle positioning system of EZONO AG is commercially available and provided, and the applicants are using this technology in developing the proposed invention in cooperation with EZONO AG. The magnetic positioning system of EZONO AG uses a plurality of magnetic positioning detection devices built into the probe, and can calculate the position of the needle and output it by superimposing it on an ultrasound image. However, the proposed invention is not limited thereto, and various known positioning techniques, such as an RF method, a method using an anchor, and a positioning system using a radio fingerprint, may be applied.

In one embodiment, the probe 10 includes an acceleration sensor 230, for example a gyro sensor. The probe position detection unit 350 measures the position and posture of the probe, that is, an inclined direction, from the output of the acceleration sensor 230. The needle position detection unit 330 first calculates the position of the needle 30 in the reference coordinate system of the probe 10 from the outputs of the magnetic positioning detection elements 210. Thereafter, the needle position detection unit 330 converts the coordinate system using the position and posture information of the probe detected by the probe position detection unit 350 to calculate the position of the needle 30 in the reference coordinate system of the probe. However, when detecting the needle position using another method, the acceleration sensor 230 of the probe 10 may be unnecessary to detect the needle position.

The procedure risk warning unit 310 determines a specific 3D anatomical region from the ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound signal processing unit 370, and the position of the needle tip according to the position of the needle calculated by the needle position detection unit 330 A warning signal is output when approaching that specific anatomical area. According to an aspect, the procedure risk warning unit 310 includes a marker position detection unit 312, an anatomical region determination unit 313, and a risk determination unit 311.

The marker position detection unit 312 recognizes a marker from an image output from the ultrasonic signal processing unit 370. One, two or three markers can be fixed. If only one marker is fixed, the location of a specific skin surface near the treatment site can be determined. When two or more markers are fixed, the location and orientation of a specific skin surface near the treatment site can be determined. When the marker is on the surface of the skin, the ultrasonic signal processing unit 370 may more easily calculate the position of the marker on the plane.

In an embodiment, the marker position detection unit 312 identifies a marker in the ultrasound volume image. When a 3D space is defined for image recognition in an ultrasound volume image generated by ultrasound scanning around the treatment area, the position of the marker may be a reference for defining the 3D space. Thereafter, by using an acceleration sensor inside the probe, the ultrasound imaging apparatus may start positioning the corresponding treatment site of the patient based on the marker. For example, scanned volume images may be identified based on the marker position. For example, the position of the needle detected by the needle position detection unit 330 may be calculated based on the marker position. Detecting a clearly visible marker in an ultrasound image and setting a location in a space identified by an acceleration sensor can be processed relatively accurately and quickly in image processing. The calculated location information of the marker may be stored in a database as a partial item of a record for a corresponding procedure in the storage unit 320.

According to another aspect, the marker may include identification information. Numbers or barcodes recorded with ultrasonic sensitive ink that can be identified in ultrasound images can help to quickly identify the patient and the treatment area. The identification information of the recognized marker may be stored in a database as a partial item of a record for a corresponding procedure in the storage unit 320.

The anatomical region determination unit 313 determines a specific 3D anatomical region from the ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound signal processing unit 370. In an embodiment, the anatomical region determination unit 313 generates a volume image from an ultrasound image generated by scanning the area around the treatment area of the person to be treated with a probe. The procedure risk warning unit 310 recognizes a boundary of a biological tissue such as a bone or an organ by processing a 3D volume image, and recognizes a specific anatomical region such as a blood vessel or an organ during needle treatment. In addition, the anatomical region determination unit 313, when the specific anatomical region information of the selected treatment region of the person to be treated is calculated, stores the information in the database as some items of the record of the treatment of the person to be treated in the storage unit 320. According to an aspect, the stored specific anatomical region information may be extracted when the same recipient performs a procedure on the same region later and used for re-recognition of the anatomical region. In this case, the anatomical region recognition can be processed much faster and more simply by the matching process.

According to an aspect, the anatomical region determination unit 313 uses the specific anatomical region information of the same marker previously detected and the position information of the marker detected by the marker position detection unit 312 to determine the corresponding anatomical region of the subject. Generate information.

When the position of the marker is calculated in the ultrasound image acquired at the treatment site from the operator and a specific anatomical region is recognized, the ultrasound imaging apparatus stores them as some items of a record for the treatment in the database of the storage unit 320. The position of the marker and the specific anatomical region information may be independently stored based on the probe coordinate system. As another example, the relative position of the marker to the corresponding anatomical region may be stored. As another example, a location relative to a corresponding marker of a specific anatomical region may be stored. In these two cases, the ultrasound imaging apparatus may further include a relative position calculator 314. The relative position calculation unit 314 calculates a relative position of the marker with respect to the anatomical region or the relative position of the anatomical region with respect to the marker and stores it in the storage unit 320.

In the case of performing the same treatment site again for the patient, specific anatomical region information of the recipient using the specific anatomical region information of the same marker previously detected and stored and the position information of the marker detected by the marker position detection unit 312 Create If the position of the marker is not changed and the anatomical structure of the patient to be treated is not significantly changed, the position and direction of the corresponding anatomical region from the position of the currently detected marker can be easily determined by the stored information. The anatomical region can be determined by matching the determined anatomical region with an actually acquired ultrasound volume image or one to several ultrasound images. It can be applied more easily when repeatedly performed for a certain period or when a narrow area is performed. For example, when applied to acupuncture for acupuncture in the field of oriental medicine, this aspect can reduce the burden of image processing, thereby reducing processing time and improving reliability.

The risk determination unit 311 outputs a warning signal when the position of the needle tip according to the position of the needle calculated by the needle position detection unit 330 approaches a specific anatomical region. A warning message is generated and output when the distance from the needle tip to the vertical part of the boundary of a specific anatomical area is less than a certain standard value, or when the direction of movement of the needle tip is toward the corresponding anatomical area and its movement speed is more than a certain level. do. The warning message may be output on screen and/or audio.

According to one aspect, the needle position is measured by an independent positioning system that does not rely on ultrasound images. In addition, the 3D modeling information of the anatomical region is calculated from an ultrasound volume image and then stored. Accordingly, since the treatment risk warning unit 310 compares the position of the needle tip with the stored 3D modeling region information of a specific anatomical region, the stored position of the needle tip is generated by the ultrasound signal processing unit 370 and displayed on the screen. Even if it is out of the display range of the ultrasound image to be displayed, a warning may be output when it approaches the corresponding anatomical region.

According to another aspect, the ultrasound imaging apparatus may further include a storage unit 320 and a user interface unit 390. The storage unit 320 stores procedure guide information including operation guide content for each treatment part. When a treatment site is selected, the user interface unit 390 extracts and provides a corresponding manipulation guide content from the storage unit.

For example, in acupuncture needle treatment in the field of oriental medicine, the treatment site is determined according to the acupuncture point. When the operator selects acupuncture points, the corresponding treatment site is selected. The acupuncture point where needles are operated is defined in the field of oriental medicine. Accurately performing acupuncture points requires a lot of experience and anatomical knowledge. The invention proposed in this field is particularly well applicable.

According to an aspect, the operation guide content is prepared as a database having a tree structure for each major and sub-category of the treatment site. In one embodiment, the manipulation guide content includes document information describing a needle treatment method at a corresponding treatment site, 2D or 3D image information showing the anatomical structure of the treatment site, and a graphic animation or video showing the needle treatment process at the treatment site Includes. The document information may include a brief description of a corresponding needle procedure, information on a patient's posture and a region where the probe is to be placed, and a specific method of accurately finding the treatment region using ultrasound.

The user interface unit 390 receives a user's operation command through an operation unit such as a mouse, a touch pad, and a keyboard, and outputs an ultrasound image or information generated by the system as visual information through a screen or as audio information through a speaker. do. According to an aspect, the user interface unit 390 includes an instruction information providing unit 391. The guide information providing unit 391 extracts and provides a corresponding manipulation guide content from the storage unit 320 by selecting a treatment site from the operator. According to an aspect, the user selects one of the major categories through, for example, a touch input, and then selects one of the subcategories to select a treatment site. The user interface unit 390 extracts the operation guide content of the treatment site selected from the database. Document information describing the needle treatment method of the selected treatment site, 2D or 3D image information showing the anatomical structure of the treatment site, and graphic animation or video showing the needle treatment process at the treatment site are provided according to the user's selection.

The image display control unit 360 combines and displays the ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound signal processing unit 370, the guide information provided by the user interface unit 390, and the position of the needle detected by the needle position detection unit 330. . For example, the image display control unit 360 overlays and displays a needle image generated as a graphic reflecting the position of the needle detected by the needle position detection unit 330 on the ultrasonic image generated by the ultrasonic signal processing unit 370. I can. As another example, the image display controller 360 may simultaneously display the instruction information provided by the user interface unit 390 on the ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound signal processing unit 370 by dividing the screen.

4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an anatomical region determining unit according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, the anatomical region determining unit 313 according to an exemplary embodiment may include an anatomical region recognition unit 315 and an anatomical region re-recognition unit 316. The anatomical region recognition unit 315 determines an anatomical region from standard specific anatomical region information corresponding to the selected treatment region and a real-time ultrasound image generated by the ultrasonic signal processing unit.

According to an additional aspect, the procedure guide information stored in the storage unit 320 may further include specific anatomical region information for each treatment site. The specific anatomical region information may be, for example, an image pattern or feature information capable of distinguishing a specific biological tissue, such as a blood vessel, in an ultrasound image. For example, 3D modeling of an organ existing near a specific treatment site, and image patterns that generally appear when each modeling is viewed on an ultrasound image may be information about a specific anatomical region. As another example, a pattern value capable of determining a blood vessel region by comparing the function value with a reference value when a specific correlation function between blocks, for example, 16*16 pixel blocks and blocks of the corresponding size of the actual ultrasound image is calculated. This may be the specific anatomical region information.

In general, it is known that ultrasound images have a limitation in resolution, so it is not easy to recognize a specific biological tissue in the image. If the treatment location is limited to a very narrow location, the treatment site can be more easily specified. Although the biological tissues are slightly different for each person, the anatomical area in the ultrasound image is based on information about the pattern or feature of the image of the biological tissue commonly seen in ultrasound images, for example, the characteristics of the luminance distribution and the shape of the boundary line. In recognizing that, it can increase the accuracy or the likelihood of success. As another example, the specific anatomical region information may be three-dimensional region information of a biological tissue. The standard 3D area information of a living tissue indicates the shape of the corresponding biological tissue, and the overall 3D area information may be a map for finding a corresponding living tissue in an ultrasound image.

In one embodiment, the anatomical region recognition unit 315 first stores a plurality of images obtained by scanning the probe 10 around the selected treatment region, and the surrounding 3D information including the treatment region from the plurality of images. Get This 3D information has not been modeled as a 3D volume image. In this ultrasound volume image, a specific anatomical area in 3D is recognized using specific anatomical area information. In this embodiment, the 3D image is zoomed and shifted so as to have the same scale and position compared with the dangerous 3D anatomical region modeling information stored through recognition of the feature points of the 3D image acquired first. Subsequently, the converted 3D ultrasound image is divided into blocks. After that, a correlation function is calculated for the pattern around the location in the image corresponding to the specific anatomical region information and the block of the ultrasound image to find 3D modeling in the ultrasound image. 3D anatomical region modeling information may be generated from an ultrasound volume image obtained by repeating this process. However, the proposed invention is not limited to this embodiment, and encompasses various techniques for detecting an anatomical region in an ultrasound image of a corresponding treatment site using information stored for each treatment site.

Since the needle procedure is limited to a very narrow position, the exact procedure location can be specified. Although the biological tissues are slightly different for each person, the anatomical area in the ultrasound image is based on information about the pattern or feature of the image of the biological tissue commonly seen in ultrasound images, for example, the characteristics of the luminance distribution and the shape of the boundary line. It is possible to increase the processing speed or accuracy in recognizing.

According to an additional aspect, the user interface unit 390 may further include a display setting unit 393 for each portion. In this case, the procedure guide information stored in the storage unit 320 may further include setting parameters for each treatment part. The display setting unit 393 for each region extracts the setting parameter for each treatment region from the storage unit 320 and sets the display control parameter of the ultrasound image accordingly. By setting parameters related to the ultrasound scan depth, zooming magnification, and selection of the display range as standard values for each treatment area, the size and range of the displayed image can be limited. Accordingly, an actual image that is closer in size and range to the ultrasound image for which specific anatomical region information is assumed may be obtained, and the speed or precision of image recognition may be improved.

The anatomical region re-recognition unit 316 generates specific anatomical region information from the currently input ultrasound image using specific anatomical region information of the same marker previously detected and position information of the marker detected by the marker position detection unit. . This has been described in the portion described with respect to the anatomical region determining unit 313 in the embodiment of FIG. 1, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a needle position detection unit according to another embodiment. As shown, according to another aspect of the proposed invention, the needle position detection unit 330 includes a sensor-based position calculation unit 331, an image-based position calculation unit 333, and a position information output unit 335 It may include. The sensor-based position calculator 331 calculates the position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs. This is as described above.

The image-based position calculating unit 333 estimates the position of the needle by tracking the movement of the tissue in the ultrasound image. It is advantageous to use other methods in parallel, since the entry of certain anatomical regions may be made at the moment when the magnetic positioning system is not working. The needle is so thin that it is not visible on the ultrasound image.

According to an aspect, the image-based position calculator 333 continuously compares the generated ultrasound images to identify a changing portion and a non-changing portion, and calculates a portion that changes in a specific direction as a needle position. For example, by calculating the amount of change between image frames, a motion vector can be obtained, and accordingly, a motion of a biological tissue can be identified. When the needle enters the living tissue, the surrounding living tissue is pushed out, causing movement. This amount of change can reflect movement relatively well even when the image quality is poor. By analyzing the direction of movement of the biological tissue, the position of the needle tip can be estimated.

In another embodiment, the ultrasonic signal processing unit 370 drives the ultrasonic element array in a Doppler mode, detects the velocity of the biological tissue pushed out when the needle enters, identifies the biological tissue, and estimates the position of the needle therefrom. I can. Compared to luminance mode, Doppler mode can sensitively identify moving tissue. While driving in the Doppler mode, the motion of the biological tissue can be obtained through the difference between the frames of the ultrasound image, and the needle position can be estimated by finding a part with large motion or a central axis of motion from the distribution of motion.

The position information output unit 335 calculates the position of the needle by synthesizing the outputs of the sensor-based position calculating unit 331 and the image-based position calculating unit 333. The location information output unit 335 preferentially selects the output of the sensor-based location calculation unit 331, but if it is determined that there is no output or is not reliable, the image-based location calculation unit 333 is executed in parallel. Select output. The reliability of the needle position calculation result may be judged to be unreliable, for example, when the continuity of the movement of the needle tip is greatly broken. As another example, the location information output unit 335 preferentially selects the output of the sensor-based location calculation unit 331, but when it is determined that the output does not exist or is unreliable, the image-based location calculation unit ( 333) Create a location by combining it with the output of the task.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a configuration of a method for controlling an ultrasound image display according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, the ultrasound image display control method according to an embodiment includes a procedure site selection step 610, a marker position detection step 643, a specific anatomical region information check step 644, and anatomical region re-recognition. A step 645, a needle position detection step 660, and a risk determination step 670 are included.

In the operation site selection step 610, the ultrasound imaging device selects a treatment site from the operator through the manipulation unit. Since the processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device in the operation site selection step 610 is similar to that of the user interface unit 390 described with reference to FIG. 3, a detailed description will be omitted.

In the marker position detection step 620, the ultrasound imaging device detects the position of at least one marker fixed on the surface of the treatment site in the generated ultrasound image. In one embodiment, the marker position detection step 620 includes a procedure area scan step 641 and a marker check step 643. In the operation portion scanning step 641, the ultrasound imaging device acquires an ultrasound image when the operator scans the area around the selected treatment area with a probe. In the marker check step 643, the ultrasound imaging device checks whether a marker exists in the acquired ultrasound image. If there are markers, the positions of the corresponding markers are detected. The configuration of detecting the position of the marker is similar to the processing of the marker position detection unit 312 described with reference to FIG. 3, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the marker check step 643, if there is a marker, it is checked whether there is previously stored anatomical region information for the treatment site of the subject, that is, specific anatomical region information previously recognized and stored for the subject (step 644). ). If the information exists, the anatomical region re-recognition step 645 is performed. In the anatomical region re-recognition step 645, the ultrasound imaging device extracts the stored specific anatomical region information and generates specific anatomical region information using this information and the position information of the marker detected in the marker position detection step 643. . In the anatomical region re-recognition step 645, the processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device is similar to that of the anatomical region re-recognition unit 316 described with reference to FIG. 4, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the needle position detection step 660, the ultrasonic imaging device calculates the position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs. The processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device in the needle position detection step 660 is similar to that of the needle position detection unit 330 described with reference to FIG. 3, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the risk determination and warning steps 670 and 680, the ultrasound imaging device outputs a warning signal when the position of the needle tip according to the position of the needle calculated in the needle position detection step 660 is close to the stored anatomical region. First, in the risk determination step 670, the ultrasound imaging device checks whether the position of the needle tip calculated in the needle position detection step 660 is close to the calculated specific anatomical region. Subsequently, in the operation risk warning step 680, the ultrasound imaging device outputs a risk warning when it is approached. Since the processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device in the risk determination step 670 and the procedure risk warning step 680 is similar to the processing of the risk determination unit 311 described with reference to FIG. 3, detailed descriptions are omitted.

As described above, the needle position is measured by an independent positioning system that does not depend on the ultrasound image, and the 3D modeling information of the anatomical region is calculated from the ultrasound volume image and then stored, and a procedure risk warning unit ( 310) compares the position of the needle end with the 3D modeling region information of the stored anatomical region, so that the position of the stored needle end is generated by the ultrasonic signal processor 370 and displays the display range of the ultrasound image on the screen. Even if it deviates, a warning can be output when approaching the anatomical area.

According to an additional aspect, the ultrasound image display control method may further include a specific anatomical region information extraction step 620 and an anatomical region recognition step 650. If the marker is not found in the marker position detection step 643 or the corresponding anatomical region information stored in the anatomical region information check step 644 is not found, the ultrasound imaging device executes a specific anatomical region information extraction step 620 do.

In step 620 of extracting specific anatomical region information, the ultrasound imaging device reads specific anatomical region information corresponding to the selected treatment region from the database. Since the processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device in the specific anatomical region information extraction step 620 is similar to that of the anatomical region determining unit 313 described with reference to FIG. 3, a detailed description will be omitted.

In the anatomical region recognition step 650, the ultrasound imaging device generates three-dimensional specific anatomical region information from the ultrasonic volume image generated from the ultrasound images input in the treatment region scanning step 640, The anatomical region information extracted in step 620 is generated by referring to the specific anatomical region information of a corresponding treatment site and stored. The processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device in the anatomical region recognition step 650 is similar to the processing of the anatomical region determination unit 313 described with reference to FIG. 3, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to an additional aspect, the ultrasound image display control method may further include a display setting step 630 for each region. In the display setting step 630 for each region, the ultrasound imaging device sets a display control parameter of the ultrasound image according to the setting parameter for each treatment region included in the procedure guide information. Since the processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device in the display setting step 630 for each region is similar to the processing of the display setting unit 393 for each region described with reference to FIG. 3, a detailed description will be omitted.

According to an additional aspect, the needle position detection step 660 may include a sensor-based position calculation step 661, an image-based position calculation step 663, and a position information output step 665. 7 is a flow chart showing the configuration of an embodiment of the sensor-based location calculation step 661. In the sensor-based position calculation step 661, the ultrasonic imaging device calculates the position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs. In the image-based position calculation step 663, the ultrasound imaging device estimates the position of the needle by tracking the movement of the tissue in the ultrasound image. According to an additional aspect, in the image-based position calculation step 663, the ultrasound imaging device continuously compares the generated ultrasound images to identify the changing and unchanging areas, and calculates the area changing in a specific direction as the needle position. can do. In the position information output step 665, the ultrasonic imaging device calculates the position of the needle by synthesizing the outputs of the sensor-based position calculation step 661 and the image-based position calculation step 663. The processing configuration of the ultrasound imaging device in the needle position detection step 660 is similar to that of the needle position detection unit 330 described with reference to FIG. 4, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the above, the present invention has been described through embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and it should be interpreted to cover various modifications that can be apparently derived from those skilled in the art. The described aspects may be freely combined without contradicting each other, and all such combinations are also included in the scope of the present invention.

The appended claims are intended to cover such combinations or embodiments that are omitted or simplified, but do not claim all such combinations, and such combinations should be allowed to enter the scope of the present invention through future amendments. .

10: probe 30: needle
50: ultrasound imaging device 70: marker
210: magnetic position sensor 221: magnetic sensor driving unit
223: acceleration sensor driving unit 225: ultrasonic element driving unit
230: acceleration sensor
240: control unit 250: ultrasonic element array
270: interface unit
310: procedure risk warning unit 311: risk judgment unit
312: marker position detection unit 313: anatomical region determination unit
314: relative position calculation unit 315: anatomical region recognition unit
317: anatomical region re-recognition unit 320: storage unit
330: needle position detection unit 331: sensor-based position calculation unit
333: image-based location calculation unit 335: location information output unit
350: probe position detection unit 360: image display control unit
370: ultrasonic signal processing unit 380: display
390: user interface unit 391: instruction information providing unit
393: display setting unit for each part

Claims (11)

In an ultrasound imaging apparatus that provides an image of a living body tissue at a treatment site during needle treatment,
An ultrasonic signal processor configured to transmit ultrasonic waves and receive reflected waves to generate ultrasonic images;
A needle position detection unit that calculates the position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs;
In the generated ultrasound image, the marker position detection unit detects the position of at least one marker fixed on the surface of the treatment site, and the specific anatomical region information of the same marker previously detected and the position information of the marker detected by the marker position detection unit are used. Thus, an anatomical region determination unit that generates specific anatomical region information corresponding to the ultrasound image generated by the ultrasonic signal processing unit, and a warning signal when the position of the needle tip calculated by the needle position detection unit is close to the generated specific anatomical region. A procedure risk warning unit including a risk determination unit outputting a;
Ultrasound imaging device comprising a. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the treatment risk warning unit outputs a warning when the needle tip is close to the anatomical area even when the position of the needle tip is out of the display range of the ultrasound image generated and displayed by the ultrasound signal processing unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound imaging device:
A storage unit in which procedure guide information including operation guide content for each treatment site is stored;
A user interface unit that extracts and provides a corresponding operation guide content from a storage unit when a treatment site is selected;
Ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprising a. The method of claim 1, wherein the anatomical region determining unit:
An anatomical region recognition unit for recognizing a corresponding specific anatomical region from an ultrasound image generated by the ultrasonic signal processing unit, using standard specific anatomical region information corresponding to the selected treatment site;
Anatomical region re-recognition unit that generates specific anatomical region information corresponding to the ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound signal processing unit by using the specific anatomical region information of the same marker previously detected and the position information of the marker detected by the marker position detection unit
Ultrasound imaging device comprising a. The method of claim 3, wherein the user interface unit:
A display setting unit for each region for setting a display control parameter of an ultrasound image according to a setting parameter for each treatment region included in the procedure guide information;
Ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprising a. The method according to claim 1, the needle position detection unit:
A sensor-based position calculator that calculates the position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs;
An image-based position calculator for estimating the position of the needle by tracking the movement of the tissue in the ultrasound image;
A position information output unit for calculating the position of the needle by synthesizing the output of the sensor-based position calculating unit and the image-based position calculating unit;
Ultrasound imaging device comprising a. In the display control method of an ultrasound image for providing an image of a living body tissue at a treatment site during needle treatment,
A treatment site selection step of selecting a treatment site from a practitioner through a manipulation unit;
A marker position detection step of detecting the position of at least one marker fixed on the surface of the treatment site in the generated ultrasound image;
A specific anatomical region information checking step of checking whether specific anatomical region information of the same marker has been previously detected and stored;
When there is specific anatomical region information stored in the specific anatomical region information check step, anatomical information that generates corresponding specific anatomical region information in the current ultrasound image using this information and the location information of the marker detected in the marker position detection step A region re-recognition step;
A needle position detection step of calculating the position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs;
A risk determination and warning step of outputting a warning signal when the position of the needle tip calculated in the needle position detection step is close to the anatomical region;
Ultrasound image display control method comprising a. The method of claim 7, wherein in the warning of the risk of the procedure, the warning unit outputs a warning when the tip of the needle is close to the anatomical area even when the position of the needle tip is out of the display range of the ultrasound image generated and displayed by the ultrasound signal processing unit. . The method of claim 7, wherein the method comprises:
Specific anatomical region information that reads specific anatomical region information corresponding to the selected treatment site from the database if no marker is found in the marker position detection step or the corresponding anatomical region information stored in the anatomical region information check step An extraction step;
3D specific anatomical region information is generated from the ultrasound volume image generated from the ultrasound image generated in the procedure of scanning the procedure site, but by referring to the specific anatomical region information of the treatment region extracted in the step of extracting specific anatomical region information. Recognizing an anatomical region that is generated and stored;
Ultrasound image display control method further comprising a. The method of claim 9, wherein the control method:
Ultrasound image display control method further comprising a; site-specific display setting step of setting a display control parameter of the ultrasound image according to the set parameter for each treatment part included in the procedure guide information. The method of claim 10, the needle position detection step:
A sensor-based position calculation step of calculating a position of the needle from at least two sensor inputs;
An image-based position calculation step of estimating the position of the needle by tracking the movement of the tissue in the ultrasound image;
A position information output step of calculating the position of the needle by synthesizing the output of the sensor-based position calculation step and the image-based position calculation step;
Ultrasound image display control method comprising a.

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