KR20140115921A - Apparatus and method for providing elasticity information - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, disclosed is a method to provide elasticity information which includes the steps of: obtaining the elasticity image of an object generated based on a strain between a first ultrasonic data for the object obtained when pressure is not applied to the object, and a second ultrasonic data for the object obtained when the pressure is applied to the object; classifying the elasticity image into at least one similar tissue; determining the reference strain of at least one similar tissue based on the strain of the reference similar tissue; and outputting a difference or a ratio between the reference strain and the strain of an interest region inputted by a user from the elasticity image.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING ELASTICITY INFORMATION [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for providing elasticity information on a target object. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for providing a user with elasticity information of an object obtained from an elasticity image of the object.

The ultrasound system is a device for observing the internal structure of an organism. The ultrasound system is a non-invasive testing device that shows the structural details, internal tissue and fluid flow within the body.

The ultrasound system transmits an ultrasound signal to a target object and generates an ultrasound image of the target object using a response signal reflected from the target object.

The ultrasound image is mainly expressed as a B-mode image using the reflection coefficient due to the impedance difference between tissues. However, in malignant tumors, areas where the difference in reflection coefficient is not large compared to surrounding tissues are hardly observed in B-mode images. Malignant tumors included in the subject can be observed in elastic images that image the mechanical properties of the tissue. In B mode images, the difference in scattering efficiency between normal tissue and abnormal tissue is not so significant. However, in the elastic image generated by using the difference of the mechanical reaction between the media with and without the external pressure, It becomes possible to distinguish between abnormal tissues.

The elasticity image is useful for the diagnosis of lesions because it imaged the mechanical properties of the tissue which can not be diagnosed in the B mode image.

Malignant tumors are harder than the surrounding soft tissues, so they are less deformed when the same pressure is applied from the outside. Therefore, the user can confirm the lesion such as malignant tumor through the elastic image.

The degree to which the object is deformed by the applied pressure per unit area of the object is called strain. Conventionally, when the user wants to know the strain or elasticity information of a predetermined region of the elastic image, the ultrasound system receives a selection of the reference region from the user, and provides the difference between the strain of the reference region and the strain of the predetermined region to the user Respectively.

According to this conventional method, when the reference region selected by the user is a relatively hard region as compared with the normal tissue, a lesion such as a malignant tumor having a strain not significantly different from that of the reference region can be determined as a normal tissue exist. In addition, the elasticity information of the predetermined area may vary depending on the user who selects the reference area, so that the reliability of the elasticity information may be lowered.

An apparatus and method for providing elastic information according to an embodiment of the present invention is intended to provide a user with reliable elasticity information on a region of interest of a target object.

In addition, an apparatus and method for providing elastic information according to an embodiment of the present invention is intended to enable a user to easily identify a lesion from an elastic image of a target object.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing elasticity information,

And a second ultrasonic signal generator for generating a second ultrasonic signal based on a strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object, Obtaining an elastic image of the object; Dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue; Determining a reference strain based on a strain of the reference pseudo-tissue among the at least one pseudo-tissue; And outputting a ratio or a difference between a strain of the region of interest input by the user and the reference strain in the elastic image.

Wherein the elasticity information providing method comprises the steps of mapping ratios or differences between a strain of each of a plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to a color scale and assigning a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions to each of the plurality of regions And displaying it on the display unit.

The color scale may comprise a lightness scale or a chroma scale for the first color.

Wherein the step of displaying comprises displaying a region of the plurality of regions where a ratio or a difference from the reference strain exceeds a predetermined reference value in a first color and a ratio or a difference between the plurality of regions and the reference strain is less than a predetermined reference value Of the first color and a second color different from the first color.

The elasticity information providing method includes: receiving a selection from an area included in the elastic image from the user; Modifying the reference strain according to a strain of an area selected by the user; And mapping a ratio or difference between a strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the changed reference strain to the color scale and displaying a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions in each of the plurality of regions As shown in FIG.

Wherein the dividing step includes at least one of the first, second, third, and fourth elastic response signals based on at least one of the intensity value, the phase value, and the attenuation coefficient value of each of the plurality of first response signals reflected from the object while no pressure is applied to the object. And the like.

Wherein the dividing step comprises dividing the elastic image by at least one of an intensity value, a phase value, and a damping coefficient value of each of a plurality of second response signals reflected from the object while pressure is applied to the object, And may be classified into similar tissues.

Wherein the dividing step divides the elastic image into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of a texture of the elastic image, a geometry of the elastic image, and a gradient of the elastic image. .

Wherein the distinguishing step comprises: dividing the B mode image of the object generated using the first ultrasound data or the second ultrasound data into at least one similar tissue; And dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue based on positional information of each of at least one similar tissue of the B mode image.

A phase value included in a predetermined phase range and a phase value included in a predetermined attenuation coefficient range among a plurality of first response signals reflected from a target object while no pressure is applied to the target object; Determining a region that emits a first response signal having at least one of the included attenuation factor values as a reference similarity.

Wherein the step of classifying comprises the steps of: determining a value of intensity included in a predetermined intensity range, a phase value included in a predetermined phase range, and a phase value included in a predetermined attenuation coefficient range among a plurality of second response signals reflected from a target object while pressure is applied to the target object Determining a region that emits a second response signal having at least one of the included attenuation factor values as a reference similarity.

Wherein determining the reference strain based on a strain of the reference microorganism comprises determining a reference strain based on an average value, a median value, or a frequency of a plurality of strains obtained for the reference microorganism Step < / RTI >

The at least one analogous tissue may comprise at least one tissue of the subject's skin, adipose tissue, mammary tissue, skeletal tissue.

The reference analogous tissue may comprise the adipose tissue of the subject.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for providing elasticity information,

An elastic image of the object generated based on the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object ; Dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue; Determining a reference strain as a reference strain based on a strain of the reference pseudo-tissue among the at least one pseudo-tissue; And mapping the ratios or differences between the strain of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to the color scale and displaying a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions in each of the plurality of regions can do.

A computer program for executing the elasticity information providing method may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing elasticity information,

An elastic image of the object generated based on the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object An elastic image acquiring unit acquiring an elastic image; A similar tissue classification unit for classifying the elastic image into at least one similar tissue; A strain determination unit that determines a reference strain based on a strain of the reference similar tissue among the at least one similar tissue; And an output unit outputting a ratio or a difference between a strain of the ROI input by the user and the reference strain of the elasticity image.

Wherein the output unit maps the ratios or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to the color scale and displays a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions on each of the plurality of regions Display.

The color scale may comprise a lightness scale or a chroma scale for the first color.

Wherein the display indicates an area where a ratio or difference between the plurality of areas and the reference strain exceeds a predetermined reference value in a first color and a ratio or a difference between the plurality of areas and the reference strain is less than a predetermined reference value May be displayed in a second color different from the first color.

The elasticity information providing apparatus may further include a user input section for receiving a selection of an area included in the elastic image from the user, wherein the strain determining section changes the reference strain according to a strain of an area selected by the user , The display maps the ratio or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the modified reference strain to the color scale so that the color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions is divided into the plurality of regions Can be displayed.

Wherein the similar-tissue classifying unit is configured to classify at least one of the elastic images based on at least one of an intensity value, a phase value, and a damping coefficient value of each of a plurality of first response signals reflected from the target object while no pressure is applied to the target object And the like.

Wherein the similar tissue classifier divides the elastic image into at least one of a plurality of second response signals reflected from the object while pressure is applied to the object, And similar organizations.

Wherein the similar tissue classifying unit classifies the elasticity image into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of a texture of the elasticity image, a geometry of the elasticity image, and a gradient of the elasticity image .

The similar-tissue classifying unit may classify the B-mode image of the object generated using the first ultrasound data or the second ultrasound data into at least one similar tissue, and determine a position of each of the at least one similar tissue of the B- The elastic image can be divided into at least one similar tissue based on the information.

Wherein the elasticity information providing device includes an intensity value included within a predetermined intensity range among a plurality of first response signals reflected from the object while no pressure is applied to the object, a phase value included in a predetermined phase range, And determining a region in which the first response signal having at least one of the attenuation coefficient values included in the range is emitted as the reference similarity structure.

The elasticity information providing device may include an intensity value included in a predetermined intensity range, a phase value included in a predetermined phase range, and a predetermined attenuation coefficient range within a predetermined intensity range, among a plurality of second response signals reflected from the object while pressure is applied to the object, And a second similarity determining unit that determines a region that emits a second response signal having at least one of the attenuation coefficient values included in the reference similarity determining unit.

The strain determining unit may determine the reference strain based on an average value, a median value, or a frequency of a plurality of strains obtained for the reference similar tissue.

The at least one analogous tissue may comprise at least one tissue of the subject's skin, adipose tissue, mammary tissue, skeletal tissue.

The reference analogous tissue may comprise the adipose tissue of the subject.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for providing elasticity information,

An elastic image of the object generated based on the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object An elastic image acquiring unit acquiring an elastic image; A similar tissue classification unit for classifying the elastic image into at least one similar tissue; A strain determination unit that determines a reference strain as a reference strain based on a strain of the reference similar tissue among the at least one similar tissue; And an output unit for mapping the ratios or differences between the strain of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to the color scale and displaying the color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions on each of the plurality of regions can do.

1 is a view for explaining a general method of acquiring an elastic image of a target object.
2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an elastic information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 (a) is a view showing an elastic image divided into at least one similar tissue.
3 (b) is a view showing a B mode image divided into at least one similar tissue.
4 is a diagram showing elasticity information of a region of interest output by the output unit;
5 (a) and 5 (b) are views showing an elastic image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an elastic information providing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration of a wireless probe that can be connected to the elasticity information providing apparatus shown in FIG. 6. FIG.
8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a method of providing elasticity information according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a method of providing elasticity information according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

The term " part " used in this embodiment means a hardware component such as software, FPGA, or ASIC, and 'part' performs certain roles. However, 'minus' is not limited to software or hardware. The " part " may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium and configured to play back one or more processors. Thus, by way of example, and by no means, the terms " component " or " component " means any combination of components, such as software components, object- oriented software components, class components and task components, Subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays and variables. The functions provided in the components and parts may be combined into a smaller number of components and parts or further separated into additional components and parts.

As used herein, the term "image" may refer to multi-dimensional data composed of discrete image elements (e.g., pixels in a two-dimensional image and voxels in a three-dimensional image). For example, the images may include CT, MRI, ultrasound, and medical images of objects obtained by other medical imaging devices.

Also, in this specification, an "object" may include a person or an animal, or a part of a person or an animal. For example, the subject may include a liver, a heart, a uterus, a brain, a breast, an organ such as the abdomen, or a blood vessel. The "object" may also include a phantom. A phantom is a material that has a volume that is very close to the density of the organism and the effective atomic number, and can include a spheric phantom that has body-like properties.

In this specification, the term "user" may be a doctor, a nurse, a clinical pathologist, a medical imaging expert or the like as a medical professional and may be a technician repairing a medical device, but is not limited thereto.

1 is a view for explaining a general method of acquiring an elastic image of a target object.

The probe 100 of the ultrasound system transmits an ultrasonic signal to a target object 10 which is not under pressure and receives a plurality of first response signals reflected from the reflection points A, The probe 100 acquires the first ultrasound data corresponding to the frame data using the plurality of received first response signals. The first ultrasonic data may be generated based on at least one of the intensity value, the phase value, and the attenuation coefficient value of each of the plurality of first response signals. Next, the probe 100 transmits an ultrasonic signal to the object 10 'under pressure and receives a plurality of second response signals reflected from the reflection points A, B and C. The probe 100 acquires second ultrasound data corresponding to the frame data using the received second response signal. The second ultrasonic data may be generated based on at least one of the intensity value, the phase value, and the attenuation coefficient value of each of the plurality of second response signals.

1, the positions of the reflection points A, B, and C of the object 10 'under pressure and the positions of the reflection points A, B, and C of the object 10, It can be seen that the positions are different from each other. That is, when pressure is applied to the object 10, the positions of the reflection points A, B, and C of the object 10 change along the direction in which the pressure is applied. The degree of positional change of the reflection points A, B, and C of the target object 10 increases as the distance from the probe 100 increases.

Due to the positional difference between the reflection points A, B and C of the object 10 'under pressure and the reflection points A, B and C of the object 10 under pressure, The ultrasonic data is delayed from the first ultrasonic data and the displacement of the tissues in the object can be calculated by calculating the degree of delay of the second ultrasonic data. By obtaining the slope by differentiating the function of the displacement, the strain of each tissue of the object is obtained, and an elastic image can be generated based on the strain value. Displacements of tissues within an object can be calculated using a cross-correlation method or an autocorrelation method.

2 is a diagram showing a configuration of an elastic information providing apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the apparatus 200 for providing elasticity information according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an elastic image acquisition unit 210, a similar tissue classification unit 230, a strain determination unit 250, and an output unit 270, . ≪ / RTI > The elasticity image acquiring unit 210, the similar tissue classifying unit 230, and the strain determining unit 250 may be constructed of a microprocessor.

The elastic image acquiring unit 210 acquires an elastic image for a target object. The elastic image can be generated based on the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object .

The elastic image acquiring unit 210 can acquire an elastic image of a target object from an external server or an external medical image photographing apparatus or the like. In addition, the elastic image acquiring unit 210 may acquire an elastic image of a target object by directly photographing an ultrasound image of the target object.

The similar-tissue classification unit 230 divides the elasticity image acquired by the elasticity-image acquisition unit 210 into at least one similar tissue. Pseudo-tissue can refer to a collection of cells with similar shape and function. The at least one pseudo-tissue may comprise at least one tissue of the subject's skin tissue, adipose tissue, mammary tissue, muscle tissue, and skeletal tissue.

The similar-tissue division unit 230 may divide the entire region of the elastic image into at least one similar tissue, and may divide a part of the region included in the elastic image into at least one similar tissue. Generally, lesions such as tumors are distributed widely in the mammary gland tissue, so the user also wants to confirm whether the lesion of the mammary gland is included in the elasticity image. Therefore, when the user sets the region of interest, the similar-organizing unit 230 may determine the partial region to be divided into at least one similar tissue in consideration of the position of the set region of interest. For example, when the user wants to determine the fat tissue of the object as the reference tissue, the fat tissue is located between the mammary tissue and the skin tissue. Therefore, the region from the region of interest selected by the user to the bone tissue Some regions may be classified into at least one similar organization. Thereby, the processing time and processing complexity for dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue can be reduced.

The similar-tissue classifying unit 230 may classify the elasticity image into at least one similar tissue using various methods.

For example, first, the similar-tissue classifying unit 230 may classify at least one of the intensity values, the phase values, and the attenuation coefficient values of the plurality of first response signals reflected from the object while no pressure is applied to the object The elastic image can be divided into at least one similar tissue.

In addition, the similar-tissue classifying unit 230 may classify the elasticity image into at least one similarity based on at least one of the intensity value, the phase value, and the attenuation coefficient value of the plurality of second response signals reflected from the object while the pressure is applied to the object. Organization.

Since the response signals reflected from cells having similar shape and function have similar characteristics, the similar-tissue classifying unit 230 groups the plurality of first response signals or the plurality of second response signals according to the characteristics of response signals, The image can be classified into at least one similar organization.

Secondly, the similar-structure classifying unit 230 may classify the elastic image into at least one similar structure using at least one of the texture of the elastic image, the geometry of the elastic image, and the gradient of the elastic image. . That is, the similar-tissue classifying unit 230 can classify the elasticity images into regions having similar image characteristics based on the image characteristics of the elasticity image.

Third, the similar-tissue classifying unit 230 classifies the B-mode image of the object generated from the first ultrasound data or the second ultrasound data into at least one similar tissue, The elastic image may be divided into at least one similar tissue based on the position information. For example, the similarity classifier 230 may classify a B mode image using at least one of a texture of a B mode image, a geometry of a B mode image, and a gradient of a B mode image, And one similar organization.

The strain determination unit 250 determines a reference strain based on the strain of the reference similar tissue among at least one similar tissue of the elastic image. Generally, the fat tissue of the body is constant in elasticity, and lesions such as malignant tumor do not occur well, so that the strain determination unit 250 can determine the reference strain based on the strain of the adipose tissue of the subject. Depending on the embodiment, the reference strain may be determined based on the strain such as the mammary tissue or the mammary tissue other than the adipose tissue of the subject.

On the other hand, a plurality of strains which are different from each other can be obtained from the reference microorganism, because even the cells included in one similar tissue may have different characteristics from one cell to another. Accordingly, the strain determining unit 250 can determine the reference strain based on the average value, the median value, or the frequency of the obtained strains when a plurality of strains are obtained from the reference similar tissue. Specifically, the strain determining section 250 can determine an average value or an intermediate value of a plurality of strains obtained from the reference similar tissue as a reference strain, determine a strain indicating the highest frequency among a plurality of strains as a reference strain have.

The output unit 270 may output the ratio or the difference between the strain of the region of interest and the reference strain inputted by the user in the elastic image. The output unit 270 may include a display, a speaker, a printer, or the like that provides predetermined information, and may include various output devices within a range that is obvious to a person skilled in the art.

The ratio between the strain of the region of interest input by the user and the reference strain is the ratio of the reference strain to the strain of the region of interest (reference strain ÷ strain of the region of interest) or the ratio of strain of the region of interest to the reference strain Strain / reference strain). The difference between the strain of the region of interest and the reference strain is determined by subtracting the reference strain from the strain of the region of interest (strain-reference strain of the region of interest) or subtracting the strain of the region of interest from the reference strain (strain of the reference strain- . ≪ / RTI >

Meanwhile, the elasticity information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a reference similarity determining unit (not shown).

The reference similarity determining unit may determine a reference similarity among at least one similar tissue classified from the elastic image. The reference similarity determining unit can determine the reference similarity in various ways.

For example, firstly, the reference similarity determining unit determines an intensity value included in a predetermined intensity range among a plurality of first response signals reflected from a target object while no pressure is applied to the target object, Value and a damping coefficient value included in a predetermined damping coefficient range, as the reference similarity.

In addition, the reference similarity determining unit may be configured to determine, based on the intensity value included in the predetermined intensity range, the phase value included in the predetermined phase range, and the predetermined attenuation coefficient range within the predetermined range of the plurality of second response signals reflected from the object while the pressure is applied to the object, The second response signal having at least one of the attenuation coefficient values included in the reference similarity tissue.

The predetermined intensity range, the predetermined phase range, and the predetermined attenuation coefficient range can be preset by the user. Specifically, if the user intends to determine adipose tissue as the reference adipose tissue, the user can pre-determine the intensity range, phase range, and attenuation coefficient range of the response signal emitted from the average adipose tissue. The reference similarity determining unit may determine a reference similarity determining unit to calculate a reference similarity determining value based on the intensity value included in the intensity range set by the user, the phase value included in the phase range set by the user, and the attenuation coefficient value included in the attenuation coefficient range set by the user among the plurality of first response signals The region that emits the first response signal having at least one of the first response signal and the second response signal can be determined as the adipose tissue.

Secondly, the reference similar-tissue determining unit determines at least one of the at least one similar tissue using the at least one of the texture of the elastic image or the B mode image, the geometry of the elastic image, and the gradient of the elastic image. Similar tissue can be determined. Specifically, the reference similarity determining unit determines at least one of texture, geometry, and gradient of the elasticity image or the B mode image for the average fat tissue, at least one of the texture, geometry, and gradient of the elasticity image or the B mode image of the object The reference similar tissue can be determined from at least one similar tissue that is distinguished from the elastic image by comparison.

The elasticity information providing apparatus 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention can automatically determine the reference strain for the reference similar tissue even if it does not receive the selection of the reference region from the user to determine the reference strain. That is, the user can confirm the elasticity information of the ROI only by selecting one ROI from the elasticity image. In addition, the elasticity information providing apparatus 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention automatically determines the strain of the reference similar tissue of the object as the reference strain, so that the elasticity information of the region of interest does not depend on the user.

3 (a) is a view showing an elastic image divided into at least one similar tissue.

Referring to FIG. 3 (a), it can be seen that the elastic image is divided into three similar tissues 310, 330, and 350. Reference numeral 370 denotes a region of interest selected by the user.

The first similar tissue 310 shown in FIG. 3 (a) corresponds to adipose tissue, the second similar tissue 330 corresponds to the mammary tissue, and the third similar tissue 350 corresponds to the muscle tissue .

3 (b) is a view showing a B mode image divided into at least one similar tissue. Referring to FIG. 3 (b), the B mode image of FIG. 3 (b) can be divided into three regions 310 ', 330' and 350 'like the elastic image of FIG. 3 (a).

The similar-tissue classifying unit 230 classifies the elastic image into a first image based on the position information of the first similar tissue 310 ', the second similar tissue 330' and the third similar tissue 350 ' A similar tissue 310, a second similar tissue 330, and a third similar tissue 350. Thereby, the first similar tissue 310, the second similar tissue 330, and the third similar tissue 350 of the elastic image can be more accurately distinguished.

4 is a diagram showing elasticity information of a region of interest output by the output unit; The output may include a display 400 that displays elasticity information.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the display 400 receives a selection from the user for the region of interest 370 included in the resilient image, the display 400 determines the strain of the region of interest 370 and the reference strain, The ratio of the reference strain can be outputted.

5 (a) and 5 (b) are views showing an elastic image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The display 400 maps the ratios or differences between the strain and the reference strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image to the color scale 510 and displays the color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions on each of the plurality of regions . Each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image may include a predetermined number of pixel units.

Specifically, the display 400 acquires, from the color scale 510, a color corresponding to the ratio or difference between the strain and the reference strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image, and displays each of the plurality of regions in the color can do. The color scale 510 may include a plurality of colors corresponding to ratio values or difference values. B of the color scale 510 shown in Fig. 5 (a) may be a natural number greater than a.

That is, the display 400 can display a predetermined color on the elastic image based on the reference strain determined by the strain determining unit 250, even if the display 400 does not receive the selection of the reference area from the user.

The larger the ratio of the reference strain to the strain of the predetermined region, the lower the color scale 510 shown in FIG. 5 (a), and the larger the ratio of the reference strain to the strain of the predetermined region, It means that the region is harder than the reference-like tissue, and therefore the predetermined region is highly likely to be a lesion such as a malignant tumor or the like.

The color scale 510 shown in FIG. 5 (a) may include a lightness scale or a chroma scale for the first color.

The display 400 displays an area in which the ratio or difference between the plurality of areas and the reference strain exceeds a predetermined reference value in a first color and an area in which a ratio or difference between the plurality of areas and a reference strain is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value It is possible to display the first color and the second color different from each other. 5 (b), the display 400 displays an area where the ratio or difference of the reference strain to the strain of each of the plurality of areas exceeds a predetermined reference value c in a first color And the other areas are displayed in the second color, so that the area having a high probability of lesion can be emphasized and displayed.

The elasticity information providing apparatus 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a user input unit (not shown) for receiving a selection of a reference area included in the elasticity image from a user. The user input unit may include a mouse, a keyboard, a trackball, a touch screen, and the like, and may include various input devices within a range that is obvious to a person skilled in the art.

The elasticity information providing apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may change the reference strain based on the input of the user.

That is, when the user selects a partial region included in the elastic image using the user input unit, the strain determining unit 250 can change the reference strain based on the strain of the region selected by the user. The display 400 maps the ratios or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the changed reference strain to the color scale so that the color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions can be displayed in each of the plurality of regions have. By so doing, a more accurate elastic image can be displayed by changing the colors displayed on the elastic image based on the strain of the selected region judged by the user as a normal region in the elastic image.

6 is a diagram showing a configuration of an elasticity information providing apparatus 600 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6 includes a probe 605, an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 610, an image processing unit 640, a communication unit 670, a memory 692, a user input unit 694, and a controller (not shown) 696, and the various configurations described above may be interconnected via a bus 699. [

The elasticity information providing device 600 can be realized not only as a cart type but also as a portable type. Examples of portable devices include, but are not limited to, a PACS viewer, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a PDA, a tablet PC, and the like.

The probe 605 transmits an ultrasonic signal to the object 10 according to a driving signal applied from the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 610 and receives an echo signal reflected from the object 10. The probe 605 includes a plurality of transducers, and the plurality of transducers generate ultrasonic waves that are vibrated according to an electrical signal transmitted and are acoustic energy. The probe 605 may be connected to the body of the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 by wire or wirelessly, and the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 may include a plurality of probes 605 according to an embodiment.

The transmission unit 630 supplies a driving signal to the probe 605 and includes a pulse generation unit 632, a transmission delay unit 634, and a pulsar 636. The pulse generator 632 generates a pulse for forming a transmission ultrasonic wave in accordance with a predetermined pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and the transmission delay unit 634 determines a transmission directionality And applies the delay time to the pulse. Each of the pulses to which the delay time is applied corresponds to a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators included in the probe 605, respectively. The pulser 636 applies a driving signal (or a driving pulse) to the probe 605 at a timing corresponding to each pulse to which the delay time is applied.

The receiving unit 620 processes the echo signals received from the probe 605 to generate ultrasonic data and includes an amplifier 622, an ADC (Analog Digital Converter) 624, a receiving delay unit 626, And a summing unit 628. The amplifier 622 amplifies the echo signal for each channel, and the ADC 624 converts the amplified echo signal analog-to-digital. The reception delay unit 626 applies the delay time for determining the reception directionality to the digitally converted echo signal and the summation unit 628 sums the echo signals processed by the reception delay unit 166 And generates ultrasonic data.

The image processing unit 640 generates and displays an ultrasound image through a scan conversion process on the ultrasound data generated by the ultrasound transmission / reception unit 610. On the other hand, the ultrasound image has not only a gray scale ultrasound image obtained by scanning an object according to an A mode (amplitude mode), a B mode (brightness mode) and an M mode (motion mode), but also a Doppler image . The Doppler image may include a blood flow Doppler image (also referred to as a color Doppler image) representing blood flow, a tissue Doppler image representing tissue motion, and a spectral Doppler image representing a moving velocity of the object as a waveform have.

The B mode processing unit 652 extracts and processes the B mode component from the ultrasonic data. The image generating unit 660 can generate an ultrasound image in which the intensity of the signal is expressed by the brightness based on the B mode component extracted by the B mode processing unit 652. [

Similarly, the Doppler processing unit 654 extracts the Doppler component from the ultrasonic data, and the image generating unit 660 can generate the Doppler image that expresses the motion of the object in color or waveform based on the extracted Doppler component.

The image generating unit 660 may generate a 3D ultrasound image through a volume rendering process on the volume data and may also generate an elastic image that images the degree of deformation of the object 10 according to the pressure. Further, the image generating unit 660 may display various additional information on the ultrasound image in text or graphics. Meanwhile, the generated ultrasound image may be stored in the memory 692.

The image generation unit 660 may include an elasticity image acquisition unit 662, a similar tissue classification unit 664, a reference similarity determination unit 666, and a strain determination unit 668. The elasticity image acquiring unit 662, the similar tissue classifying unit 664, the reference similarity determining unit 666, and the strain determining unit 668 have been described above, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The output unit 669 displays and outputs the generated ultrasound image. The output unit 669 can display various information processed by the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 on the screen through GUI (Graphic User Interface) as well as the ultrasound image. Meanwhile, the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 may include two or more output units 669, depending on the implementation. In addition, the output unit 669 may output a ratio or a difference between the strain of the region of interest input by the user and the reference strain in the elastic image.

The communication unit 670 is connected to the network 680 by wire or wireless, and communicates with an external device or a server. The communication unit 670 can exchange data with other medical devices in the hospital server or the hospital connected through the PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System). In addition, the communication unit 670 can communicate data according to the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) standard.

The communication unit 670 can transmit and receive data related to diagnosis of a target object such as an ultrasound image, ultrasound data, and Doppler data of a target object via the network 680, and can transmit medical images captured by other medical devices such as CT, MRI, It can also send and receive. Further, the communication unit 670 may receive information on the diagnosis history of the patient, the treatment schedule, and the like from the server and may utilize the information for diagnosis of the target object. Further, the communication unit 670 may perform data communication with not only a server or a medical device in a hospital but also a doctor or a portable terminal of a patient.

The communication unit 670 may be connected to the network 680 by wire or wirelessly to exchange data with the server 682, the medical device 684, or the portable terminal 686. The communication unit 670 may include one or more components that enable communication with an external device and may include, for example, a local communication module 672, a wired communication module 674, and a mobile communication module 676 .

The short range communication module 672 means a module for short range communication within a predetermined distance. The local area communication technology according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a wireless LAN, a Wi-Fi, a Bluetooth, a zigbee, a Wi-Fi Direct, an ultra wideband (UWB) IrDA, Infrared Data Association), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), NFC (Near Field Communication), and the like.

The wired communication module 674 is a module for communication using an electrical signal or an optical signal. In the wired communication technology according to an exemplary embodiment, a pair cable, a coaxial cable, an optical fiber cable, an ethernet cable, May be included.

The mobile communication module 676 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. Here, the wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal, or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The memory 692 stores various pieces of information to be processed in the elasticity information providing device 600. [ For example, the memory 692 may store medical data related to diagnosis of a target object such as input / output ultrasound data and ultrasound images, and may store an algorithm or a program executed in the elasticity information providing device 600.

The memory 692 may be implemented by various types of storage media such as a flash memory, a hard disk, and an EEPROM. In addition, the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 may operate a web storage or a cloud server that performs a storage function of the memory 692 on the web.

The user input unit 694 means means for receiving data for controlling the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 from the user. The user input unit 694 may include a hardware configuration such as a keypad, a mouse, a touch panel, a touch screen, a trackball, a jog switch, and the like. , A fingerprint recognition sensor, an iris recognition sensor, a depth sensor, a distance sensor, and the like.

The control unit 696 controls the operation of the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 as a whole. That is, the control unit 696 controls the operation between the probe 605, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 610, the image processing unit 640, the communication unit 670, the memory 692, and the user input unit 694 shown in FIG. can do.

Some or all of the probe 605, the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 610, the image processing unit 640, the communication unit 670, the memory 692, the user input unit 694 and the control unit 696 can be operated by a software module However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and some of the above-described configurations may be operated by hardware. At least some of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 610, the image processing unit 640, and the communication unit 670 may be included in the controller 696, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless probe 700 that can be connected to the elasticity information providing apparatus 600 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The wireless probe 700 includes a plurality of transducers as described with reference to FIG. 6, and may include some or all of the components of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 610 of FIG. 6 according to an implementation.

7 includes a transmitting unit 710, a transducer 730, and a receiving unit 750. The configuration of each of the wireless probes 700 is described with reference to FIG. 6, It is omitted. Meanwhile, the wireless probe 700 may selectively include the reception delay unit 765 and the summation unit 758 according to the implementation.

The wireless probe 700 may transmit ultrasonic signals to the object 10, receive echo signals, generate ultrasonic data, and wirelessly transmit the generated ultrasonic data to the elasticity information providing device 600 of FIG.

8 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a method of providing elasticity information according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the method of providing elasticity information according to another embodiment of the present invention is comprised of steps of time series processing in the elasticity information providing apparatus 200 shown in FIG. Therefore, it is understood that the above description about the elasticity information providing device 200 shown in FIG. 2 applies to the elasticity information providing method of FIG. 8, even if omitted from the following description.

First, in step S810, the elasticity information providing apparatus 200 determines whether or not the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object And obtains an elastic image of the object based on the strain of the object. The elasticity information providing device 200 can acquire an elasticity image from an external server or an external medical device and can acquire an elasticity image of the object by directly photographing the elasticity image with respect to the object.

In step S820, the elasticity information providing device 200 divides the elastic image into at least one similar tissue. The at least one pseudo-tissue may comprise at least one of a skin tissue, an adipose tissue, a mammary tissue and a skeletal tissue of the subject.

In step S830, the elasticity information providing device 200 determines a reference strain based on the strain of the reference similar tissue among at least one similar tissue. The baseline similar tissue may include adipose tissue of the subject.

In step S840, the elasticity information providing device 200 provides the user with a ratio or difference between the strain of the region of interest and the reference strain inputted by the user in the elasticity image.

9 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a method of providing elasticity information according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In step S910, the elasticity information providing device 200 determines the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object And acquires an elastic image of the object generated on the basis.

In step S920, the elasticity information providing device 200 divides the elasticity image into at least one similar tissue.

In step S930, the elasticity information providing device 200 determines a reference strain based on the strain of the reference similar tissue among at least one similar tissue.

In step S940, the elasticity information providing device 200 maps the ratios or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to the color scale.

In step S950, the elasticity information providing device 200 displays a color corresponding to each of the plurality of areas in each of the plurality of areas.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention can be embodied in a general-purpose digital computer that can be embodied as a program that can be executed by a computer and operates the program using a computer-readable recording medium.

The computer readable recording medium may be a magnetic storage medium such as a ROM, a floppy disk, a hard disk, etc., an optical reading medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD and a carrier wave such as the Internet Lt; / RTI > transmission).

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

200, 600: elastic information providing device
210, and 662:
230, 664:
250, 668: strain determination unit
666: a reference similarity determination unit
270, 669:

Claims (31)

And a second ultrasonic signal generator for generating a second ultrasonic signal based on a strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object, Obtaining an elastic image of the object;
Dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue;
Determining a reference strain based on a strain of the reference pseudo-tissue among the at least one pseudo-tissue; And
And outputting a ratio or a difference between a strain of the ROI input by the user and the reference strain of the elastic image.
The method according to claim 1,
The elasticity information providing method includes:
Mapping the ratios or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to the color scale and displaying and displaying a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions on each of the plurality of regions, Further comprising the steps of:
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the color scale comprises:
Wherein the brightness information comprises a brightness scale or a saturation scale for the first color.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the displaying comprises:
A region in which a ratio or difference between the plurality of regions and the reference strain exceeds a predetermined reference value in a first color and an area in which a ratio or a difference between the plurality of regions and the reference strain is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, And displaying the second information in a second color different from the first color.
3. The method of claim 2,
The elasticity information providing method includes:
Receiving a selection of an area included in the elastic image from the user;
Modifying the reference strain according to a strain of an area selected by the user; And
Mapping a ratio or difference between a strain of each of a plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the changed reference strain to the color scale and displaying a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions on each of the plurality of regions Further comprising the steps of:
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the distinguishing step comprises:
The elastic image is divided into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of the intensity value, the phase value, and the attenuation coefficient value of each of the plurality of first response signals reflected from the target object while the pressure is not applied to the target object The method comprising the steps of:
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the distinguishing step comprises:
A step of dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of an intensity value, a phase value, and a damping coefficient value of each of a plurality of second response signals reflected from the object while pressure is applied to the object; The method comprising the steps of:
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the distinguishing step comprises:
And dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of a texture of the elastic image, a geometry of the elastic image, and a gradient of the elastic image Wherein the elasticity information providing method comprises the steps of:
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the distinguishing step comprises:
Dividing the B mode image of the object generated using the first ultrasound data or the second ultrasound data into at least one similar tissue; And
And dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue based on positional information of each of at least one similar tissue of the B mode image.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein,
An intensity value included in a predetermined intensity range, a phase value included in a predetermined phase range, and a damping coefficient value included in a predetermined damping coefficient range, among a plurality of first response signals reflected from the object while no pressure is applied to the object, Determining a region that emits a first response signal having at least one of the first response signal and the second response signal as a reference similarity.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the distinguishing step comprises:
Among the plurality of second response signals reflected from the target object while the pressure is applied to the target object, the intensity value included in the predetermined intensity range, the phase value included in the predetermined phase range, and the attenuation coefficient value included in the predetermined attenuation coefficient range And determining a region that emits a second response signal having at least one as a reference similar tissue.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein determining the reference strain based on a strain of the reference microstructure comprises:
Determining the reference strain based on an average, a median value, or a frequency of a plurality of strains obtained for the reference microstructure.
The method according to claim 1,
Said at least one similar tissue comprising:
And at least one of a skin tissue, an adipose tissue, a mammary tissue and a skeletal tissue of the subject.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the reference similarity comprises:
And the fat tissue of the subject.
An elastic image of the object generated based on the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object ;
Dividing the elastic image into at least one similar tissue;
Determining a reference strain as a reference strain based on a strain of the reference pseudo-tissue among the at least one pseudo-tissue; And
Mapping the ratios or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to the color scale and displaying a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions in each of the plurality of regions Wherein the elasticity information is obtained from the elasticity information.
A computer-readable recording medium on which a computer program for executing the elasticity information providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 is recorded.
An elastic image of the object generated based on the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object An elastic image acquiring unit acquiring an elastic image;
A similar tissue classification unit for classifying the elastic image into at least one similar tissue;
A strain determination unit that determines a reference strain based on a strain of the reference similar tissue among the at least one similar tissue; And
And an output unit outputting a ratio or a difference between a strain of a region of interest input by a user and the reference strain of the elasticity image.
18. The method of claim 17,
The output unit includes:
And a display that maps ratios or differences between a strain of each of a plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to a color scale and displays a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions in each of the plurality of regions The elasticity information providing device comprising:
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the color scale comprises:
And a brightness scale or saturation scale for the first color.
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the display comprises:
A region in which a ratio or difference between the plurality of regions and the reference strain exceeds a predetermined reference value in a first color and an area in which a ratio or a difference between the plurality of regions and the reference strain is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value, And the second color is different from the color.
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the elasticity information providing device comprises:
And a user input unit for receiving a selection of an area included in the elastic image from the user,
Wherein the strain determining unit comprises:
Modifying the reference strain according to a strain of an area selected by the user,
Wherein the display comprises:
And mapping the ratios or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the changed reference strain to the color scale and displaying a color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions on each of the plurality of regions The elasticity information providing device comprising:
18. The method of claim 17,
The similar-
The elastic image is divided into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of the intensity value, the phase value, and the attenuation coefficient value of each of the plurality of first response signals reflected from the target object while the pressure is not applied to the target object The elasticity information providing device comprising:
18. The method of claim 17,
The similar-
The elastic image is divided into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of the intensity value, the phase value, and the attenuation coefficient value of each of the plurality of second response signals reflected from the target object while the pressure is applied to the target object And the elasticity information providing device.
18. The method of claim 17,
The similar-
Wherein the elastic image is divided into at least one similar tissue based on at least one of a texture of the elastic image, a geometry of the elastic image, and a gradient of the elastic image. Information providing device.
18. The method of claim 17,
The similar-
Mode image, the B mode image of the object generated using the first ultrasonic data or the second ultrasound data is divided into at least one similar tissue, and the elasticity Wherein the image is divided into at least one similar tissue.
18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the elasticity information providing device comprises:
An intensity value included in a predetermined intensity range, a phase value included in a predetermined phase range, and a damping coefficient value included in a predetermined damping coefficient range, among a plurality of first response signals reflected from the object while no pressure is applied to the object, And a reference similarity determining unit that determines a region that emits the first response signal having at least one of the first response signal and the second response signal as a reference similarity structure.
18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the elasticity information providing device comprises:
Among the plurality of second response signals reflected from the target object while the pressure is applied to the target object, the intensity value included in the predetermined intensity range, the phase value included in the predetermined phase range, and the attenuation coefficient value included in the predetermined attenuation coefficient range Further comprising: a reference similarity determining unit for determining a region that emits a second response signal having at least one of the first response signal and the second response signal as a reference similarity structure.
18. The method of claim 17,
The strain determination unit may determine,
And determines the reference strain based on an average value, a median value, or a frequency of a plurality of strains obtained for the reference similar tissue.
18. The method of claim 17,
Said at least one similar tissue comprising:
And at least one of a skin tissue, an adipose tissue, a mammary tissue, and a skeletal tissue of the subject.
18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the reference similarity comprises:
And an adipose tissue of the subject.
An elastic image of the object generated based on the strain between the first ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is not applied to the object and the second ultrasonic data for the object obtained while the pressure is applied to the object An elastic image acquiring unit acquiring an elastic image;
A similar tissue classification unit for classifying the elastic image into at least one similar tissue;
A strain determination unit that determines a reference strain as a reference strain based on a strain of the reference similar tissue among the at least one similar tissue; And
And an output unit for mapping the ratios or differences between the strain of each of the plurality of regions included in the elastic image and the reference strain to the color scale and displaying the color corresponding to each of the plurality of regions on each of the plurality of regions The elasticity information providing device comprising:

Images