KR20020064406A - Ultrasonic bone image diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An ultrasonic bone image diagnosis apparatus is provided to measure correctly an osteoporosis index by minimizing a measuring error according to a measuring position. CONSTITUTION: An ultrasonic bone image diagnosis apparatus is an X-Y scanning bone densitometer using a mechanical scanning method. The X-Y scanning bone densitometer is formed with a scanning portion(100), a computer(200), and a power distributor(300). The scanning portion(100) performs a scanning operation and generates an ultrasonic signal. The computer(200) receives and processes information from the scanning portion(100) and controls temperature of a pump and an operation of a transferring device. The computer(200) is formed with a main body, a monitor, and a keyboard, and a mouse. The power distributor(300) is formed with an input terminal, three output terminals, and an on/off switch.

Description

Ultrasonic Bone Imaging Device {ULTRASONIC BONE IMAGE DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE}

The present invention relates to an ultrasound bone imaging apparatus, and more particularly, an ultrasound scanner capable of scanning a certain region of a heel in water, a control algorithm through an interface with a computer system thereof, and an ultrasound signal received through scanning. Diagnosis that can improve the reliability of the diagnosis results by providing the image of the bone distribution using the ultrasonic diagnostic parameters obtained through the analysis in the time domain and the frequency domain An ultrasound bone imaging apparatus having an algorithm is provided.

Osteoporosis (OSTEOPOROSIS) is a condition in which the bone itself loses weight, the microstructure becomes thinner and weaker, so that the bone can easily be broken even with a small impact.In the elderly, osteoporosis causes more serious consequences such as femoral fractures and vertebral fractures. And mortality rate within one year due to complications exceeds 10%. In addition, osteoporosis is usually only known as painless and symptom-free progression after fractures and severe pains, and is more severe in that it is irreversible after the disease has progressed. Development of diagnostics is called for.

Conventional osteoporosis diagnosers have been diagnosed using X-rays as represented by Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA), but these devices are large in size and uncomfortable and have problems such as radiation exposure. have.

In order to solve the problems of the above-mentioned diagnostic apparatus using X-rays, a diagnostic apparatus using ultrasonic waves has been developed. Ultrasound Bone Imaging System changes the arrival rate and amplitude of the received ultrasound due to the energy loss caused by the properties of the medium (elastic coefficient, Poisson's ratio, density, porosity, etc.) as the ultrasound passes through the medium. And the characteristics that cause reflection and scattering in the interface and inside the medium. Conventional osteoporosis diagnostic apparatus using ultrasound does not provide accurate diagnosis by measuring at a fixed point, nor does it provide an image of the bone distribution, and because the thickness of the heel bone is not calculated, an accurate diagnosis is not made.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the problems of the prior art as described above, by providing a bone distribution image of the heel bone through the scanning of a certain area of the heel in the water and at the same time automatically the center of measurement (ROI) (Auto ROI) It is to provide an ultrasound bone image diagnosis apparatus that can diagnose osteoporosis as an average value in this part and eliminate the error according to the measurement position.

Another object of the present invention is to calculate the thickness of the heel bone at the scanning point, which enables accurate diagnosis as a standardized diagnostic parameter using the thickness, and the three-dimensional imaging of the heel bone using the bone thickness and the outline of the bone It is to provide a possible ultrasound bone imaging apparatus.

That is, the present invention is an ultrasound bone image diagnosis apparatus composed of a computer system, a power distributor, and a scanning system, wherein the computer system analyzes an ultrasonic signal obtained by scanning by an ultrasonic probe of a scanning system in a time domain to determine an ultrasonic velocity ( SOS), shape index (GI), and bone thickness are calculated and analyzed in the frequency domain to obtain ultrasonic wide band attenuation (BUA) and ultrasonic pure attenuation (UA), shape index (GI) and ultrasonic pure attenuation (UA). Ultrasonic Bone Imaging, characterized by extracting the measurement center region and calculating the osteoporosis index (OI) by linear combination of ultrasonic wide band attenuation (BUA) and ultrasonic velocity (SOS) in the measurement center region To provide a device.

1 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound bone imaging apparatus of the present invention,

2 is a schematic perspective view of a scanning system of an ultrasound bone imaging apparatus;

3 is an internal block diagram of an ultrasound bone imaging apparatus according to the present invention;

4 is a conceptual diagram of a shape index (GI) and a measurement center area (ROI);

5 is a conceptual diagram of a calculation principle of a shape index (GI) and a measurement center area (ROI);

6 is a flowchart of a shape index (GI) calculation process;

7 is a graph for explaining the concept of ultrasonic wide band attenuation (BUA) during scanning of the heel bone,

8 is a graph for explaining the concept of ultrasonic pure attenuation (UA) during scanning of the heel bone,

9 is a graph for explaining the concept of ultrasonic speed (SOS) during scanning of the heel bone,

10 is a view for explaining the principle of the three-dimensional imaging method of the heel bone;

11 is a flowchart illustrating a process of processing an ultrasonic signal according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

1: Foot Bath 2: Scanning Water Bath

3: Ultrasonic Transducer

4: Silicon Heater 5: Stepping Motor (x-axis, y-axis)

6: limit switch 7: foot bath water level sensor

8: Scanning bath water level sensor 9: Temperature sensor

10: Fill Pump 11: Drain Pump

12: first solenoid valve 13: second solenoid valve

14: Fill Bottle 15: Drain Bottle

16: Control Board 17: Input / Output Board

18: Ultrasonic Pulser / Receiver Board

19: Heater Control 20: Transformer

21: power

22: Stepping Motor Driver

37: third solenoid valve

The ultrasound bone imaging apparatus of the present invention is used to extract bone contours using newly defined shape index (GI) parameters. The present inventors have developed a new diagnostic technique for defining bone strength by defining a region in which the shape index (GI) parameter has a local maximum within the calcaneus and determining the average value of the ultrasonic diagnostic parameters therein. Ultrasonic Osteoporosis Diagnosis minimizes the measurement error according to the measurement position, thereby obtaining more accurate and reliable bone strength measurement results and at the same time automatically finds the center of measurement (ROI) of the calcaneus that can reflect the overall bone quality of the calcaneus. Develop new algorithms

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Ultrasonic bone imaging apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object is a control board, pulser receiver for the control of the ultrasound scanner and ultrasound scanner made to facilitate the ultrasonic transmission and reflection method in the water to the heel bone It consists of a diagnostic algorithm that can image various bone distributions by extracting various diagnostic parameters by analyzing ultrasonic signals obtained through the board and scanning in time domain and frequency domain. Ultrasonic bone imaging apparatus of the present invention is fixed to the patient's foot in the water of the water tank maintained at a temperature of about 30 ^° C, and then can be applied to the ultrasonic reflection method and transmission method by scanning a certain area of the heel It has a control board for controlling each operation part.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound bone imaging apparatus of the present invention is an XY scan-type bone density measuring apparatus using a mechanical scanning method of an ultrasound bone density measuring apparatus produced by computer system 200 (Windows 95 or Windows 98 environment, Borland C ++ Builder). It consists of a user software, an ultrasonic pulser / receiver board, an interface card between the scanning system and the computer system, a scanning system (scanner control board, ultrasonic transducer) 100 and a power distributor 300.

Computer system 200 is responsible for processing the information of the scanning system and controlling the operation of the water supply pump and the temperature, the transfer mechanism, and the like, specifically the ultrasonic bone density measurement by driving the user software; A monitor for outputting an image of ultrasound bone density image; A keyboard which is an input device for ultrasonic bone density measurement; And a mouse as an input device for ultrasonic bone density measurement.

The power divider 300 is double-insulated and has electrical stability. The power divider 300 can turn on / off an interlocked system with a single switch, and outputs an input voltage as a voltage required for a computer system and a scanning system. The power splitter 300 includes an input terminal for input of commercial power; Three output terminals for supplying a voltage required for a computer system, a scanning system, and the like, and an on / off switch capable of turning on / off all the systems interlocked with a single switch.

2 is an internal schematic diagram of the scanning system 100 of the ultrasound bone imaging apparatus of the present invention. In the present invention, the scanning system 100 of the ultrasonic bone image diagnosis apparatus scans the heel bone of the human body to receive ultrasonic bone density information, perform drainage, transfer mechanism operation, etc., using a stepping motor and a ball screw mechanism. Mechanism part that can be controlled simultaneously in two axes (x, y axis) through the linear transfer of a pair of ultrasonic transducers (3), and the water tank unit that has a structure that can minimize the amount of water fixed and supplied during the measurement ( 1), consisting of a scanning tank 2 having a structure in which scanning is performed and capable of supplying heated water, and a water circulation section in which water is circulated during scanning.

The ultrasonic transducer 3 is connected to an arm so as to be driven at the same time, and can be transferred to the x-axis and the y-axis by two sets of ball screw mechanisms and two stepping motors 5. In addition, a control board 16 and a stepping motor driver 22 for driving each operating unit are mounted. Scanning system control of the ultrasound bone image diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention is performed by user software of a computer system, and an input / output board 17 embedded in the computer system and a donor of the stepping motor 5 built in the scanning system are formed. Scanning is performed by communication with the control board 16, which is an interface card. In addition, a heater controller 19 for controlling the temperature of the water supplied through the control board 16 inside the scanning system, one temperature sensor 9, and two first and second solenoid valves for supplying and discharging water (12, 13) and feed pump (10) and discharge pump (11), water tank water level sensor (7), scanning water level sensor (8), per axis (x-axis and y-axis) to prevent malfunction during scanning Control of the two limit switches 6 takes place.

3 is an internal connection diagram of the ultrasound bone imaging apparatus according to the present invention. The pair of ultrasonic transducers 3 are armed to maintain a constant distance (115 mm) inside the scanning bath 2 with their central axes coinciding with each other, and the ultrasonic pulser / receiver board 18 inside the computer system. ), The reflection method and the transmission method can be applied at the same time during scanning, and are connected to be transported at the same time. The transfer of the ultrasonic probe 3 for scanning is performed by two sets of ball screw mechanisms and a stepping motor 5 on the outside of the scanning tank 2, and the driving of the stepping motor 5 is performed by the input / output board 17 of the computer system. And a stepping motor driver 22 on the control board 16 inside the scanner. Two limit switches 6 are provided for each axis (x-axis, y-axis) to prevent malfunction during scanning. The switch is connected to the control board 16 to transmit operation signals to the input / output board 17 inside the computer system. do.

The supply and circulation of water for scanning is carried out as follows. The silicon is attached to the outside of the scanning tank 2 by filling the inside of the scanning tank 2 with the amount of water detected by the scanning tank level sensor 8 through the supply pump 10 connected to the supply tank 14. It is heated by the heater 4. The silicon heater 4 is operated to maintain a constant water temperature by the heater controller 19 connected to the control board 16 and the transformer 20 and the temperature sensor 9 connected to the control board 16. When the foot is placed in the water repellent bath 1 after being heated to a predetermined temperature, water is again supplied into the scanning bath 2 and water is introduced into the water repellent tank 1 from the outside of the water repellent bath 1. The incoming water is filled by the amount detected by the water / water level sensor 7 inside the water / water tank 1, and scanning is performed. After scanning, the first solenoid valve 12 connected to the control board 16 is opened and the discharge pump 11 connected to the control board 16 is operated so that the water inside the water repellent tank 1 is discharged to the discharge tank 15. Discharged. When scanning is started again, water flows back into the scanning bath 2 and is filled with the amount of water detected by the water repellent bath level sensor 7. In order to discharge the water in the scanning bath 2, the second solenoid valve 13 connected to the control board 16 is opened and the discharge pump 11 connected to the control board 16 is operated to operate the inside of the scanning bath 2. Water is discharged to the discharge tank 15.

The control board 16 inside the scanning system is connected to the input / output board 17 inside the computer system to transmit signals in the scanner to the input / output board 17 and receive commands from the input / output board 17.

Next, the detailed operation of the ultrasound bone imaging apparatus of the present invention as described above will be described in detail. First, when the ultrasonic bone imaging apparatus is operated by using the user software installed in the computer system, the third solenoid valve 37 is opened and the supply pump 10 is operated so that the scanning tank 2 and the water repellent tank from the supply tank 14 can be operated. (1) When the water is filled and the water level reaches a certain level, signals from the scanning water level sensor 8 and the water level sensor 7 are input to the control board 16 to block and supply the third solenoid valve 37. The water supply is stopped by stopping the pump 10.

When the water supplied by the silicon heater 4 installed outside the scanning bath 2 is heated and reaches a predetermined temperature, the control board 16 receives the signal of the temperature sensor 9 and sends it to the heater controller 19. The silicon heater 4 connected to the heater controller 19 is controlled to maintain a constant temperature. Then, when the screen to put the foot in the water repellent tank 1 in the computer system 200 comes out to put the foot in the water repellent tank (1) to measure.

When the measurement is started, the arm is cascaded by the stepping motor 5 driven by the stepping motor driver 22 in the x-axis and the y-axis, and at the same time, the ultrasonic transducer mounted at the end of the arm (3) receives a signal from the ultrasonic pulser / receiver 18 and fires pulse ultrasonic waves to the measurement unit to analyze the amount of change of the ultrasonic parameters obtained through repetitive scanning to perform a stability test to enter the actual measurement when the amount of change reaches a certain condition. Rough

After the end of the stability test (Stability Test), the final measurement center (ROI) (26) is correctly specified. The ROI (Region of Interest) 26 is designated, compared with the reference pattern, and the 3D stereoscopic image can be viewed.

Finally, the patient's bone condition can be diagnosed using various figures and diagnostic graphs.

When the measurement is finished, the second solenoid valve 13 connected to the control board 16 is opened and the discharge pump 11 is operated to drain water from the water repellent tank 1 and the scanning tank 2, and this water is discharged to the discharge tank ( Go to 15). When all the water is discharged, the control board 16 receives signals from the scanning bath water level sensor 8 and the water bath level sensor 7 to shut off and supply the first solenoid valve 12 and the second solenoid valve 12. The water discharge is stopped by stopping the pump 10.

The diagnostic algorithm of the ultrasonic bone imaging apparatus according to the present invention can obtain the measurement center region (ROI) of the heel bone by using the shape index (GI) and the pure ultrasonic attenuation (UA), which are automatically obtained through user software. By finding (Auto ROI), the reliability and accuracy of the diagnosis is guaranteed.

In addition, the standardized BUA (nBUA: normalized BUA) allows accurate diagnosis of osteoporosis, taking into account the exact SOS and thickness of the heel using the thickness of the heel bone calculated by ultrasound reflex at each scanning point. Ultrasonic Pure Attenuation (nUA: normalized UA) can be calculated, and the shape index (GI) is used to extract the outer shape of the heel bone. Dimensional imaging is possible.

4 is a diagram for explaining the calculation principle of the shape index (GI) 24. The shape index (GI) 24 is the maximum value of the amplitude of the time-domain ultrasonic signal 23 received through the heel bone by ultrasonic transmission at each measurement point during scanning. This shape index (GI) shows a sharp difference in the values of the heel bone, skin and soft tissue, and water as the temperature of the water, which is the measurement medium, approaches the body temperature. (25) shows the shape of the heel bone and (26) shows the schematic location of the center of measurement (ROI).

5 is a process of determining the measurement center region (ROI) 26 of the heel bone by using the local maximum value 28 of the heel bone shape index (GI) and the local minimum value 27 of the pure ultrasonic attenuation (UA). This is a flowchart for explaining. First, the local minimum of the heel bone contour extraction and the ultrasonic pure attenuation (UA) is searched using the shape index (GI) (S1), and the local maximum value of the heel bone shape index (GI) is obtained (S2). . Subsequently, the measurement center region ROI of the heel bone may be obtained using the local maximum region of the heel bone shape index GI and the local minimum region of the pure ultrasonic attenuation UA (S1).

6 is a view for explaining the principle of calculation of the measurement center region ROI using the shape index (GI). 30 is a view showing the position of the ultrasonic sensor when scanning the heel bone, the ultrasonic probe (3) is moved while scanning the heel bone to calculate the shape index (GI) to determine the measurement center area (ROI) have. 31 represents an ultrasound signal when the heel bone is scanned, 32 represents an ultrasound signal when the heel bone and the skin and soft tissue boundaries are scanned, and 33 represents an ultrasound signal when the water portion is scanned. In FIG. 6, 34 is an image of a heel bone constructed using a shape index (GI) extracted from respective ultrasound signals of 31, 32, and 33, and 35 is an ultrasound just before 32 ultrasound signals are generated as 31 ultrasound signals. This is an image extracted from the shape of the heel bone by using the shape index (GI) value of the portion where the signal decreases rapidly. As shown in FIG. 5, water, the heel bone and the boundary between the skin and the soft tissue, and the shape index (GI) extracted from each ultrasonic signal by the ultrasonic signal when the heel bone portion is scanned An image 34 of the heel bone can be obtained. In addition, the shape index (GI) of the portion where the ultrasonic signal 32 at the time of scanning the heel bone and the skin and the skin soft tissue boundary rapidly decreases before the ultrasonic signal 31 at the heel bone scan comes out as the ultrasonic signal 31. ), The edge shape of the heel bone can be extracted as shown in 35 (Edge Detection).

The ultrasound bone imaging apparatus of the present invention calculates an osteoporosis index (OI) by a linear combination of ultrasound wide band attenuation (BUA) and ultrasound speed (SOS), which are osteoporosis diagnostic parameters, and uses the respective diagnostic parameters. It can be characterized by being able to image the bone.

The amplitude reduction of the ultrasonic signal, due to attenuation, is represented by the exponential form of

A = A ₀ e ^-αx

Where A ₀ is the initial amplitude and A is the amplitude at distance x away from the ultrasonic origin. α is a damping coefficient, which is expressed as follows.

Here, the amplitude may be obtained by using a fast Fourier transform (FFT) of the received ultrasonic signal. FIG. 7 illustrates the calculation principle of ultrasonic broadband attenuation (BUA). Two frequency spectra obtained after converting an ultrasonic signal received through distilled water only into a frequency domain and converting an ultrasonic signal received through a calcaneus in distilled water into a frequency domain Is the amplitude in dB. After obtaining the difference in amplitude in the frequency spectrum of the two ultrasonic signals obtained for each frequency in the 0.3 to 0.7 MHz band, the slope of the straight line obtained by linear regression analysis of these values becomes the ultrasonic broadband attenuation (BUA) value.

FIG. 8 illustrates the calculation principle of pure ultrasonic attenuation (UA) and obtains two frequency-domain ultrasonic signals in the same manner as in the calculation of ultrasonic broadband attenuation. Ultrasonic pure attenuation (UA) is calculated by expressing the two frequency spectrums as amplitude in dB and calculating the difference between the two amplitudes at 0.5 MHz.

9 illustrates a difference in arrival time of an ultrasonic signal used to obtain an ultrasonic velocity (SOS). First, the difference in arrival time (Δt = t ₁ -t ₂ ) is calculated by calculating the arrival time (t ₁ ) of the ultrasonic signal received only through distilled water and the arrival time (t ₂ ) of the ultrasonic signal received through the calcaneus. Can be. Using the calculated difference in arrival time of the ultrasonic signal and the thickness d of the calcaneus, the ultrasonic velocity SOS at the calcaneal can be obtained by the following equations.

Where SOS is the ultrasonic velocity (m / s) in the calcaneus, SOS _w is the ultrasonic velocity (m / s) in the distilled water, t ₁ is the ultrasonic arrival time (s) in distilled water, t ₂ is the The arrival time (s) of the ultrasonic waves, Δt is the difference in time of arrival (s) of the two ultrasonic signals measured, d _w is the distance (m) between the ultrasonic transducers, d is the thickness of the calcaneus.

The thickness of the calcaneus can be obtained by using the reflection method using the respective ultrasonic transducers, which is the final distance obtained by subtracting the distance from each transducer to the calcaneus from the distance between the ultrasonic transducers. That is, the thickness d of the calcaneus is obtained as in Equation (4).

d = d _w -d ₁ -d ₂ = d _w -c _w (t ₁ + t ₂ )

Here, d is the thickness of the calcaneus, d ₁ and d ₂ are the distances from the ultrasonic transducers to the calcaneus, and t ₁ and t ₂ are the arrival times from the ultrasonic transducers to the calcaneus of the ultrasonic signal. c _w represents the speed of sound in distilled water. Where c _w is a function of temperature and is expressed as

Osteoporosis index (OI) used as a parameter for measuring bone density in the present invention is defined as Equation 1 as a linear combination of ultrasonic wide band attenuation (BUA) and ultrasonic speed (SOS).

Osteoporosis index (OI) = αBUA + β (SOS-γ)

Where α and β are the weights for the parameters of BUA and SOS, respectively, and γ is the coefficient used to match the magnitude of the relative values of BUA and SOS. That is, SOS is related to bone mineral density of cartilage and elastic modulus of material, and BUA is related to bone microstructure such as cartilage anisotropy, porosity and pore size. Osteoporosis can be diagnosed with an osteoporosis index (OI) that reflects all of the microstructures of the microstructure to obtain reliable diagnosis. Higher osteoporosis index (OI) indicates better bone condition, and lower osteoporosis index indicates poorer condition.

10 is an explanatory diagram of an algorithm for three-dimensional imaging of the heel bone using the ultrasonic pulser / receiver developed to obtain the thickness of the heel bone 25 by using the ultrasonic reflection method at each measurement point. The outer shape of the heel bone 25 can be extracted by the shape index (GI) 24 using the method, and used for three-dimensional imaging of the heel bone. That is, the contour of the bone is extracted using the shape index 24, the thickness of the heel bone 25 is obtained at each scanning point, the three-dimensional position is calculated at each scanning point, and the respective data are combined. Obtain a 3D image of the heel bone 25. 10 to 36 are flowcharts of three-dimensional imaging using heel bone thickness values measured by ultrasonic reflection and shape index (GI) values obtained by ultrasonic transmission.

As shown in FIG. 10, the central axis of the calcaneus (middle of the scaffold) is first defined for the three-dimensional image of the bone, and the outer shape of the calcaneus is extracted using the shape index (GI) (S10), and developed in-house. Using the ultrasonic pulser / receiver, the thickness of the bone based on the central axis may be obtained using the distance from the respective ultrasonic sensors to the central axis to the longitudinal bone (S20). The outer shape of the calcaneus obtained by this and the shape index parameter is extracted to image the calcanoid three-dimensionally (S30).

11 shows an overall signal processing algorithm during ultrasonic scanning for bone strength evaluation. When scanning is started, ultrasonic signals are transmitted and received at each scanning point. The ultrasonic signal received at each point is A / D converted to a sampling rate of 8Ms (mega sampling) (S100), and the signal peaks for ultrasonic pure attenuation (UA) parameters and ultrasonic wide band attenuation (BUA) extraction. Only signals of a predetermined region (128 points) before and after the portion having a portion are separated and subjected to Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) (S200). The purpose of this signal separation is to remove noise and reduce high frequency components of the signal. Also, windowing is applied by applying a windowing function to remove the error of the FFT result according to the component of the signal cut out at both ends of the extracted ultrasonic signal. The number of data obtained through the FFT process is 10, and spline interpolation is performed to obtain more data. Six data are extracted from the ultrasonic curve equation in the frequency domain obtained through spline interpolation. The above method receives and processes the ultrasonic signal in distilled water, receives and processes the ultrasonic signal at each scanning point in the state of the calcaneus, and is used for calculating the attenuation parameter at each scanning point. Further, the obtained time-domain ultrasonic signal and the thickness of the calcaneus at each scanning point are used to calculate the ultrasonic velocity parameter at each scanning point. This enables calculation of bone thickness, velocity, shape, and attenuation parameters at each scanning point during scanning, enabling image processing of bone distribution and three-dimensional imaging of calcaneus using the same.

In order to solve the error of the diagnosis result due to the simple averaging of the bone distribution generated by edge detection, which is one of the existing image extraction processes for bone, in the present invention, By comparing and analyzing the reference pattern (Pattern) for bone distribution with the measured heel bone, it is possible to improve the reliability by calculating accurate diagnosis results by calculating and calculating the reference pattern (Pattern) with the most similar bone distribution.

The ultrasound bone imaging apparatus of the present invention minimizes the measurement error according to the measurement position of the existing ultrasonic osteoporosis diagnostic apparatus that measures only one point, thereby obtaining more accurate and reliable bone strength measurement results, and at the same time, the overall inside of the heel bone. The ROI (region of interest) that can reflect the bone quality can be found automatically and diagnosed at the same time.

In addition, it is widely used because it is not limited to the installation site, so it can be installed in gynecology, internal medicine, orthopedics or health centers of private hospitals and general hospitals, and it is possible to effectively treat fractures and prevent future fractures with reliable diagnosis of osteoporosis through ultrasonic scanning. Can provide an effect.

Claims (5)

An ultrasound bone image diagnosis apparatus comprising a computer system, a power distributor, and a scanning system, wherein the computer system analyzes an ultrasonic signal obtained by scanning by an ultrasonic probe of a scanning system in a time domain to determine an ultrasonic velocity (SOS) and a foot. The shape index (GI), which is the maximum value of the amplitude of the time-domain ultrasonic signal received through the heel bone, and the thickness of the bone are calculated and analyzed in the frequency domain to obtain the ultrasonic broadband attenuation (BUA) and the ultrasonic pure attenuation (UA). Ultrasound Bone image, characterized by extracting the measurement center region (ROI) by using the shape index (GI) and pure attenuation (UA), and calculating the osteoporosis index by a linear combination of BUA and SOS in the measurement center region Diagnostic device. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the osteoporosis index is calculated by Equation 1 below: [Equation 1] OI = αBUA + β (SOS-γ) Where α and β are the weights for the parameters of BUA and SOS, respectively, and γ is the coefficient used to match the magnitude of the relative values of BUA and SOS. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system includes a digital input / output board having a stepping motor driving driver circuit, an interface card embedded in the scanning system, and a pulser / receiver board configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. Ultrasound bone imaging apparatus, characterized in that. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanning system comprises: a control board and a stepping motor driver for driving each part; A heater for temperature control of water supplied through the control board; A temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of water in the tank; First, second and third solenoid valves for supplying and discharging water; Feed pump and discharge pump; Ultrasonic bone imaging device comprising a water tank water level sensor, a scanning water level sensor, two limit switches per x-axis and y-axis to prevent malfunction during scanning. The method of claim 1, wherein the osteoporosis diagnostic apparatus extracts the outline of the bone using a shape index, calculates the three-dimensional position at each scanning point by calculating the thickness of the heel bone at each scanning point, and then combines the respective data. Ultrasonic bone imaging device, characterized in that to obtain a three-dimensional image of the heel bone.