KR20190008055A - Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and operating method for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and an operating method thereof are provided. The operating method of an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes: a step of acquiring first Doppler data of blood flow entering a ventricle of a subject and second Doppler data of blood flow exiting the ventricle; a step of setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of a first Doppler image generated based on the first Doppler data and a second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data; a step of synchronizing the first Doppler image with the second Doppler image based on the set landmark; and a step of displaying the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image. It is possible to synchronize the first Doppler image with the second Doppler image.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus,

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an operation method thereof.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus irradiates an ultrasound signal generated from a transducer of a probe to a target object, receives information of an echo signal reflected from the target object, and obtains an image of a site inside the target object. In particular, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used for medical purposes such as observation of an object, foreign object detection, and injury measurement. Such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is more secure than the diagnostic apparatus using X-ray, is capable of displaying images in real time, and is safe because there is no radiation exposure, so that it is widely used with other image diagnostic apparatuses.

Even if the cycle of the heartbeat obtained from the first Doppler data of the blood flow entering the ventricle differs from the cycle of the heartbeat obtained from the second Doppler data of the blood flow originating from the ventricle, The first Doppler image generated based on the Doppler data and the second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data can be synchronized.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus can display the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image and can more accurately acquire and display the value of the at least one parameter related to the function of the heart.

According to one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: obtaining first Doppler data of a bloodstream flowing into a ventricle of a subject and second Doppler data of a bloodstream flowing out of the ventricle; Setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of a first Doppler image generated based on the first Doppler data and a second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data; Synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark; And displaying the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image.

The step of synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image may further include the steps of determining a first period of heartbeat of the subject based on the first Doppler data, Determining a second period of heartbeat of the subject; Correcting at least one Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide if the first period and the second period are different; And synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image in which the cycle of the heartbeat of the subject matches the correction based on the landmark.

In addition, the step of correcting the at least one Doppler image may include the steps of: correcting the scale of the time axis in the spectrum in the at least one Doppler image such that the first period and the second period coincide; And correcting Doppler data of blood flow entering or exiting the ventricle in a spectrum within the at least one Doppler image, in accordance with a scale correction of the time axis.

The step of correcting the at least one Doppler image may include: determining a Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image as a reference Doppler image; And correcting the Doppler image other than the reference Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other based on the determined reference Doppler image.

In addition, the ventricle is a right ventricle, and the predetermined operation of the ventricle corresponds to one of an operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of closing the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle, and an operation of opening the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle .

The obtaining of the first Doppler data and the second Doppler data may include obtaining an ultrasound image of a heart of the object; Obtaining the first Doppler data of the blood flow into the ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in the tricuspid of the ventricle in the ultrasound image; And obtaining the second Doppler data of the blood flow out of the ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in the pulmonary valve of the ventricle in the ultrasound image.

The method of operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may further comprise: obtaining a value of at least one parameter related to a function of the heart based on the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image; And displaying the value of the obtained at least one parameter.

The at least one parameter may include at least one of a closing time of the tricuspid valve of the ventricle, an opening time of the pulmonic valve of the ventricle, a myocardial performance index associated with the heartbeat, a relaxation time of the heart, and a contraction time of the heart can do.

Also, the step of displaying the value of the obtained at least one parameter may comprise comparing the value of the at least one parameter and the at least one parameter to at least one of the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image Displaying on a Doppler image; And displaying diagnostic information of the heart based on the value of the at least one parameter.

The step of setting the landmark may further comprise the step of, through a user interface device for controlling the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, detecting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image And receiving an input to set.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blood pressure monitor comprising: a probe which transmits an ultrasonic signal to the heart of a subject and receives an echo signal reflected from the heart; Acquiring first Doppler data of a blood flow introduced into the ventricle and blood flow exiting the ventricle based on the echo signal and generating a first Doppler image based on the first Doppler data, Setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the second Doppler images generated based on the second Doppler data and synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark Processor; And a display for displaying the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a method for obtaining a first Doppler data of a bloodstream flowing into a ventricle of a subject and second Doppler data of a bloodstream flowing out of the ventricle; Setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of a first Doppler image generated based on the first Doppler data and a second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data; Synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark; And displaying the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image. A computer-readable recording medium embodying a program for executing an operating method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising:

The present invention may be readily understood by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which reference numerals refer to structural elements.
1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 (a) to 2 (c) are views showing an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment.
3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment.
4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to another embodiment.
5 is a flow diagram illustrating an operation method of an ultrasound attenuation device, according to one embodiment.
6 is a diagram for explaining a heart structure of a human according to an embodiment.
7 is a diagram for explaining Doppler data acquired from a heart, according to an embodiment.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for acquiring Doppler data for a heart of a subject in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment.
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are views for explaining an ultrasound image and a Doppler image provided by the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, according to an embodiment.
11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus to synchronize a first Doppler image and a second Doppler image using a landmark, according to an embodiment.
12 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting a Doppler image for Doppler data having different periods in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment.
13 is a diagram for explaining a method of synchronizing a first Doppler image and a second Doppler image using a landmark according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying parameters and parameter values associated with cardiac function in a Doppler image, according to one embodiment.
FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a Doppler image that displays parameters and parameter values related to cardiac function in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG.
16 is a view for explaining a Doppler image that displays parameters and parameter values related to cardiac function in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to another embodiment.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Also, in certain cases, there may be a term selected arbitrarily by the applicant, in which case the meaning thereof will be described in detail in the description of the corresponding invention. Therefore, the term used in the present invention should be defined based on the meaning of the term, not on the name of a simple term, but on the entire contents of the present invention.

When an element is referred to as "including" an element throughout the specification, it is to be understood that the element may include other elements as well, without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Also, as used herein, the term "part " refers to a hardware component such as software, FPGA or ASIC, and" part " 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 not limitation, "part (s) " refers to components such as software components, object oriented software components, class components and task components, and processes, 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 ".

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

Throughout the specification, the term "image" can 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).

The term "ultrasound image " in the entire specification refers to an image of an object obtained using ultrasound. The ultrasound image may be an image obtained by irradiating an ultrasound signal generated from a transducer of a probe to a target object and receiving information of an echo signal reflected from the target object. For example, the ultrasound image may be an A-mode image, a B-mode image, a C-mode image, a Doppler mode image, And the ultrasound image may be a two-dimensional image or a three-dimensional image.

In addition, the subject may comprise 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. In addition, the object may comprise a phantom, and the phantom may refer to a material having a volume very close to the biological density and the effective atomic number.

Also, throughout the specification, the term "user" may be a medical professional such as a doctor, a nurse, a clinical pathologist, a medical imaging specialist, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 includes a probe 20, an ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 110, a control unit 120, an image processing unit 130, a display unit 140, a storage unit 150, a communication unit 160 And an input unit 170. The input unit 170 may include a plurality of input units.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 can be realized not only as a cart type but also as a portable type. Examples of portable ultrasound diagnostic devices include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a PDA, a tablet PC, etc., including probes and applications.

The probe 20 may include a plurality of transducers. The plurality of transducers can transmit an ultrasonic signal to the object 10 according to a transmission signal applied from the transmission unit 113. The plurality of transducers can receive ultrasonic signals reflected from the object 10 and form a received signal. The probe 20 may be implemented integrally with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 or may be implemented as a separate type connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 by wired or wireless connection. In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 may include one or a plurality of probes 20 according to an embodiment.

The control unit 120 controls the transmission unit 113 to form a transmission signal to be applied to each of the plurality of transducers in consideration of the positions and focusing points of the plurality of transducers included in the probe 20. [

The control unit 120 converts the received signal received from the probe 20 into a digital signal and outputs the digitized signal to the receiver 115 to generate ultrasonic data by summing the received signals in consideration of the positions and focusing points of the plurality of transducers ).

The image processing unit 130 generates an ultrasound image using the ultrasound data generated by the ultrasound receiving unit 115.

The display unit 140 may display the generated ultrasound image and various information processed in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 may include one or a plurality of display units 140 according to an embodiment. In addition, the display unit 140 may be implemented as a touch screen in combination with the touch panel.

The controller 120 may control the overall operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 and the signal flow between the internal components of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. The control unit 120 may include a memory for storing programs or data for performing the functions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, and a processor for processing programs or data. In addition, the control unit 120 may receive a control signal from the input unit 170 or an external device to control the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. [

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 160 and can be connected to an external device (for example, a server, a medical device, a portable device (smart phone, tablet PC, wearable device, etc.) have.

The communication unit 160 may include at least one of a short-range communication module, a wired communication module, and a wireless communication module. The communication unit 160 may include at least one component that enables communication with an external device.

The communication unit 160 receives the control signal and data from the external device and transmits the received control signal to the control unit 120 so that the control unit 120 controls the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the received control signal It is also possible.

Alternatively, the control unit 120 may transmit a control signal to the external device via the communication unit 160, thereby controlling the external device according to the control signal of the control unit.

For example, an external device can process data of an external device according to a control signal of a control unit received through a communication unit.

The external device may be provided with a program for controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. The program may include an instruction to perform a part or all of the operation of the control unit 120. [

The program may be installed in an external device in advance, or a user of the external device may download and install the program from a server that provides the application. The server providing the application may include a recording medium storing the program.

The storage unit 150 may store various data or programs for driving and controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, input / output ultrasound data, and acquired ultrasound images.

The input unit 170 can receive a user's input for controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. [ For example, the input of the user may be an input for operating a button, a keypad, a mouse, a trackball, a jog switch, a knob, etc., an input for touching a touch pad or a touch screen, a voice input, (E.g., iris recognition, fingerprint recognition, etc.), and the like.

An example of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to one embodiment will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (c).

2 (a) to 2 (c) are views showing an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses 100a and 100b may include a main display unit 121 and a sub-display unit 122. FIG. One of the main display unit 121 and the sub-display unit 122 may be implemented as a touch screen. The main display unit 121 and the sub display unit 122 may display various information processed by the ultrasound diagnostic apparatuses 100a and 100b. The main display unit 121 and the sub-display unit 122 are implemented with a touch screen. By providing a GUI, data for controlling the ultrasound diagnostic apparatuses 100a and 100b can be received from a user. For example, the main display unit 121 may display an ultrasound image, and the sub-display unit 122 may display a control panel for controlling the display of the ultrasound image in a GUI form. The sub-display unit 122 can receive data for controlling display of an image through a control panel displayed in a GUI form. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses 100a and 100b can control the display of the ultrasound image displayed on the main display unit 121 using the received control data.

 2B, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100b may further include a control panel 165 in addition to the main display unit 121 and the sub-display unit 122. FIG. The control panel 165 may include a button, a trackball, a jog switch, a knob, and the like, and receives data for controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100b from a user. For example, the control panel 165 may include a Time Gain Compensation (TGC) button 171, a Freeze button 172, and the like. The TGC button 171 is a button for setting the TGC value for each depth of the ultrasound image. Also, when the input of the freeze button 172 is detected during the scan of the ultrasound image, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100b can maintain the state of displaying the frame image at the time point.

A button, a trackball, a jog switch, a knob, and the like included in the control panel 165 may be provided as a GUI on the main display unit 121 or the sub display unit 122.

Referring to FIG. 2 (c), the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100c may be implemented as a portable type. Examples of portable ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100c include, but are not limited to, smart phones, probes and applications, laptop computers, PDAs, tablet PCs, and the like.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100c includes a probe 20 and a body 40. The probe 20 may be connected to one side of the body 40 by wire or wirelessly. The body 40 may include a touch screen 145. The touch screen 145 may display an ultrasound image, various information processed by the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, GUI, and the like.

3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment.

The ultrasound diagnostic device 300 may include a probe 310, a processor 320, and a display 330. However, not all illustrated components are required. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can be implemented by a larger number of components than the illustrated components and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can be implemented by fewer components. Hereinafter, the components will be described.

The probe 310 may include a plurality of transducer elements for converting an ultrasonic signal and an electric signal. That is, the probe 310 may include a transducer array composed of a plurality of transducer elements, and the plurality of transducer elements may be arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. Each of the plurality of transducer elements separately generates an ultrasonic signal, and a plurality of transducer elements simultaneously generate an ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signal transmitted from each of the transducer elements is reflected from the discontinuity of the impedance inside the object. Each transducer element can convert a received reflected echo signal into an electrically received signal. The probe 310 may transmit an ultrasonic signal to the heart of the subject and receive an echo signal reflected from the heart. Here, the object may be a person. Specifically, the object may include an adult, a child, a fetus, and the like.

Processor 320 may obtain first Doppler data of blood flow entering the ventricle and second Doppler data of blood flow exiting the heart chamber based on the echo signal. Specifically, the processor 320 can acquire an ultrasound image of the heart of the object based on the echo signal. Here, the heart's ventricle may correspond to the right ventricle. The processor 320 may obtain the first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the right ventricle based on the sample volume gate set in the tricuspid valve (TV: Tricuspid Valve) of the right ventricle in the ultrasound image. In addition, the processor 320 may acquire the second Doppler data flowing out of the right ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in a pulmonary valve (PV) of the right ventricle in the ultrasound image.

The processor 320 may obtain a first Doppler image based on the first Doppler data and a second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data. Processor 320 may set a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in a first Doppler image and a second Doppler image. Here, the ventricle may correspond to the right ventricle. The predetermined operation of the ventricle may be, but is not limited to, closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, closing the right ventricle's tricuspid, and opening the right ventricular tricuspid valve. For example, the processor 320 may set a landmark corresponding to the operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle to each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image.

The processor 320 may synchronize the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark. Here, the term "synchronization" refers to a first period for the periodic motion of the object obtained from the first Doppler image in the first Doppler image and a second period for the periodic motion of the object obtained from the second Doppler image in the second Doppler image Two cycles may have the same cycle, and the operation timing of a predetermined operation of the object may be matched. Further, "synchronization" may include a process for adjusting the interval of time such that, for the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image, predetermined operations of the object occur simultaneously or at regular intervals.

Specifically, the processor 320 may determine a first period of heartbeat of the subject based on the first Doppler data and a second period of heartbeat of the subject based on the second Doppler data. Here, if the first period and the second period are the same, the processor 320 may synchronize the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image with respect to the point of the set landmark.

On the other hand, if the first period and the second period are different, the processor 320 may correct at least one Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other. The processor 320 can synchronize the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image with the period of the heartbeat of the object matched with the correction based on the point of the landmark.

With respect to the method of calibrating at least one Doppler image so that the first and second periods are matched, the processor 320 may correct the scale of the time axis in the spectrum within the first Doppler image or the second Doppler image. The processor 320 may correct Doppler data of the blood flow into or out of the ventricles in the spectrum within the first Doppler image or the second Doppler image, according to the scale correction of the time axis.

Also, with respect to the method of correcting at least one Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide, the processor 320 determines a Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image as a reference Doppler image . The processor 320 may correct the Doppler image other than the reference Doppler image so that the first period and the second period are matched based on the determined reference Doppler image.

The processor 320 may obtain a value of at least one parameter associated with the function of the heart based on the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image. The value of the at least one parameter may be an indicator used to diagnose the function of the heart.

The parameters are the closure time of TV of the ventricle, the opening time of PV, the myocardial performance index (MPI) associated with the heartbeat, the relaxation time of the heart An isovolumetric contraction time (IVCT), and an isovolumetric contraction time (IVCT), and the present invention is not limited thereto and can be understood by those skilled in the art.

The display 330 displays a predetermined screen. Specifically, the display 330 may display a predetermined screen under the control of the processor 320. The display 330 includes a display 330 panel and may display an ultrasound image or the like on the display 330 panel.

Display 330 may display the value of at least one parameter. Display 330 may also display values of at least one parameter and at least one parameter on at least one of the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image.

The display 330 may also display diagnostic information of the heart based on the value of the at least one parameter.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may include a central processing unit to collectively control the operation of the probe 310, the processor 320, and the display 330. The central processing unit may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general purpose microprocessor and a memory in which a program executable in the microprocessor is stored. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be implemented in other forms of hardware.

4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to another embodiment.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 400 may include a probe 410, a processor 420, a display 430, a user interface device 440 and a communication unit 450.

4, the probe 410, the processor 420 and the display 430 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 400 are connected to the probe 310, the processor 320, and the display (not shown) of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 described in FIG. 330, the description overlapping with that in FIG. 3 will be omitted. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 400 can be implemented by a larger number of components than the components shown in Fig. 4, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 400 can be implemented by fewer components.

The user interface device 440 refers to a device that receives data from a user to control the ultrasound diagnostic device. The processor may control the display to generate and output a user interface screen for receiving a predetermined command or data from the user. The display may display on the display panel an input screen for setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image. Here, the predetermined operation of the ventricle may correspond to an operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of closing the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle, and an operation of opening the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle.

The user interface device 440 may receive a user input that sets a landmark in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image. The processor may set a landmark in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the user input and synchronize the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark.

The communication unit 450 can receive data from the external device and / or transmit the sub data to the external device. For example, the communication unit 450 may transmit the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image to the external terminal. Also, the communication unit 450 may transmit at least one parameter and parameter values related to the cardiac function to the external terminal. Here, the external terminal may be a patient's terminal. Further, the external device may be a server for managing a patient's medical record or a relay server of an application for providing health information to a patient. The communication unit 450 may be connected to a wireless probe or an external device through a communication network based on Wi-Fi or Wifi direct. The wireless communication network to which the communication unit 450 can connect includes a wireless LAN, a wifi, a Bluetooth, a zigbee, a Wifi-direct, an ultra wideband (UWB) (IrDA), a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), a Near Field Communication (NFC), and the like.

Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may further include a memory (not shown). The memory (not shown) may correspond to the memory (not shown) 180 of FIG. The memory (not shown) may store data related to the ultrasound image (e.g., ultrasound image, ultrasound data, scan-related data, Doppler data, Doppler images, patient diagnostic data, etc.) and data transmitted from an external device to the ultrasound diagnostic device Lt; / RTI > The data transmitted from the external device may include patient related information, data necessary for diagnosis and treatment of the patient, history of the patient's previous care, and a medical worklist corresponding to the diagnosis instruction for the patient.

The memory (not shown) may store first Doppler data of blood flow into the ventricle and second Doppler data of blood flow out of the ventricle. Also, the memory (not shown) may store the first Doppler image generated based on the first Doppler data and the second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data. In addition, the memory (not shown) may store the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image, each of which has a landmark set therein. In addition, the memory (not shown) may store the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image synchronized based on the landmark. In addition, the memory (not shown) may store values of at least one parameter associated with the function of the heart obtained based on the synchronized first Doppler image and the second Doppler image, respectively.

Further, the memory (not shown) may store a program for executing the operation method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The memory (not shown) may include a code indicating an operation method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. For example, the code may include code for acquiring first Doppler data of blood flow entering the ventricle of a subject and second blood flow of blood flow exiting the ventricle, first Doppler image generated based on first Doppler data, A code for setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the second Doppler images generated based on the Doppler data, a code for synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark, And a code for displaying the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image synchronized. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other codes for operating the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may be included in addition to the above-mentioned codes.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 400 includes a central processing unit to perform operations of the probe 410, the processor 420, the display 430, the user interface unit 440 and the communication unit 450 and the memory (not shown) . The central processing unit may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general purpose microprocessor and a memory in which a program executable in the microprocessor is stored. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be implemented in other forms of hardware.

Hereinafter, various operations and applications performed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses 300 and 400 will be described. The probes 310 and 410, the processors 320 and 420, the displays 330 and 430, the user interface 440, (450) and memory (not shown), the contents to the extent that can be clearly understood and expected by those skilled in the art can be understood as a normal implementation, Is not limited by the name or physical / logical structure of a particular configuration.

5 is a flow diagram illustrating an operation method of an ultrasound attenuation device, according to one embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 may be applied to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 400 as well.

5, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can acquire first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the ventricle of the subject and second blood Doppler data of the blood flowing out of the ventricle. The method of acquiring the first Doppler data and the second Doppler data will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 8 to FIG.

In step S520, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 generates a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the first Doppler image generated based on the first Doppler data and the second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data Can be set. Here, the predetermined operation of the ventricle may correspond to one of an operation for closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation for opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation for closing the tricuspid valve for the right ventricle, and an operation for opening the tricuspid valve for the right ventricle.

Specifically, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 is configured to perform the following operations: closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, and opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle to the first Doppler spectrum in the first Doppler image and the second Doppler spectrum in the second Doppler image, A landmark corresponding to at least one operation of the operation for closing the right ventricle and the operation for opening the tricuspid of the right ventricle can be set. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may set a plurality of landmarks corresponding to each of a plurality of actions of the heart to the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image.

In step S530, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can synchronize the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the landmarks. Specifically, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can perform an operation of adjusting the interval of time for the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the predetermined operation of the heart of the object occurs simultaneously with a predetermined interval .

For example, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may set a landmark for a point at which the pulmonary valve closing action occurs for each of the first Doppler spectrum in the first Doppler image and the second Doppler spectrum in the second Doppler image. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may include a first Doppler spectrum and a second Doppler spectrum so that a closing operation of the pulmonary valve is simultaneously performed based on the landmark set in the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image, And the second Doppler image.

In step S540, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image.

6 is a diagram for explaining a heart structure of a human according to an embodiment.

Referring to the image 600 of FIG. 6, the heart is an organ that plays a role of sending blood to the whole body. The blood that flows out of the heart is called the artery, and the blood that flows into the heart is called the vein. Blood circulates in the order of right atrium, right ventricle, lung, left atrium, left ventricle, whole body, right atrium.

As shown in FIG. 6, the heart may be composed of a right atrium, a right ventricle, a left atrium, a left ventricle, a tricuspid valve 610, a pulmonary valve 620, and a diaphragm. The blood vessels into the heart include the superior vein, the inferior vein, and the pulmonary vein. There are pulmonary arteries and aorta in the blood flowing to the heart.

The tricuspid valve 610 is a valve between the right atrium and the right ventricle and serves to prevent blood from flowing from the right atrium to the right ventricle. The diseases associated with tricuspid valve 610 are tricuspid stenosis, tricuspid regurgitation, Ebstein's anomaly, and tricuspid valve endocarditis.

The pulmonary valve (620) is a valve located between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery, and serves to prevent blood flow to the pulmonary artery from reversing. Pulmonary valve (620) related diseases include pulmonary valve stenosis, pulmonary valve regurgitation, aortic stenosis, and aortic regurgitation.

7 is a diagram for explaining Doppler data acquired from a heart, according to an embodiment.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may acquire the first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the ventricle to generate the first Doppler image. Also, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may acquire second Doppler data of the blood flowing out of the ventricle to generate a second Doppler image. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may obtain a value of at least one parameter related to the function of the heart based on the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image.

7, the parameters include Closure time of TV (710), Opening time of PV (720), Heart contraction time (IVCT: isovolumetric contraction time 730, isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) 740, and myocardial performance index (MPI) associated with cardiac pumping.

Cardiac relaxation time (IVRT) can be used as an indicator of heart diastolic dysfunction. For example, a normal cardiac relaxation time span may be about 70 or 12 ms. In addition, heart contraction time (IVCT) can be used as an indicator of systolic dysfunction in the heart.

In addition, the cardiac performance index (MPI) can be calculated according to the following equation (1).

Here, the cardiac performance index can be calculated as a ratio of time, so it is not influenced by the shape of the ventricle. Accordingly, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 can calculate the cardiac perfomance index using the spectrum in the Doppler image, and quantitatively diagnose the functions of the left ventricle and the right ventricle based on the cardiac perfomance index. In addition, the cardiac performance index can be used to quantitatively assess cardiac function in adults and children with congenital heart disease.

In addition, the cardiac performance index (MPI) can be calculated according to the following equation (2).

It is to be understood that the cardiac perfomance index can be calculated according to the above-mentioned equations (1) and (2) and can be calculated according to a mathematical expression based on a combination of other parameters, as long as a person skilled in the art I can understand.

Since the first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the tricuspid at different periods and the second Doppler data of the blood flow out of the pulmonary artery are obtained at the different periods, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 calculates the first Doppler data of the heart obtained from the first Doppler data, And correct at least one of the first Doppler data and the second Doppler data so that the second period of the heart acquired from the second Doppler data is consistent. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may obtain parameters related to cardiac function based on the corrected Doppler data.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of acquiring Doppler data for a heart of a subject in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 according to an embodiment.

In step S810, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 can acquire an ultrasound image of the subject's heart.

In step S820, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 can acquire first Doppler data of the blood flow into the ventricle, based on the sample volume gate set in the tricuspid valve (TV) of the ventricle in the ultrasound image.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can obtain Doppler data of the sample volume located at the changed sample volume gate while changing the position of the sample volume gate. The sample volume refers to a limited area where the Doppler signal is received by the operation of the sample volume gate.

Specifically, the ultrasound diagnostic device 300 can position the sample volume gate in the tricuspid valve of the ventricle and acquire first Doppler data of the blood flow entering the ventricle from the sample volume gate located in the tricuspid valve.

In step S830, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may acquire second Doppler data flowing out of the ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in a pulmonary valve (PV) of the ventricle in the ultrasound image. Specifically, the ultrasound diagnostic device 300 can position the sample volume gate in the pulmonary valve of the ventricle and acquire second Doppler data flowing from the sample volume gate located in the pulmonary valve to the ventricle.

FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are views for explaining an ultrasound image and a Doppler image provided by the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300, according to an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 can acquire an ultrasound image for a heart by irradiating an ultrasound signal to the heart of a subject using a probe and receiving an echo signal reflected from the heart. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the acquired ultrasound image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can position the sample volume gate at a position 910 corresponding to the tricuspid of the ventricle in the ultrasound image using the scan line. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can acquire first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the ventricle from the sample volume gate. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the ventricle as a first Doppler spectrum 920. [

As shown in FIG. 10, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can position the sample ball gate at the position 930 corresponding to the pulmonary valve of the ventricle in the ultrasound image using the scan line. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may obtain second Doppler data of the blood flow out of the ventricle from the sample volume gate. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the second Doppler data of the blood flowing out from the ventricle as the second Doppler spectrum 940. [

11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 to synchronize a first Doppler image and a second Doppler image using landmarks, according to an embodiment.

In step S1110, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can determine the first period of the heartbeat of the subject based on the first Doppler data, and can determine the second period of the heartbeat of the subject based on the second Doppler data .

For example, the first period is a period of heart beat for first Doppler data of blood flow into the ventricle, the second period is a period of heart beat for second Doppler data of blood flow exiting the heart chamber, Lt; / RTI >

If the first period and the second period are different in step S1120, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 may correct at least one Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other have.

The first period determined based on the first Doppler data acquired from the tricuspid valve and the second period determined based on the second Doppler data acquired from the pulmonary valve may be different according to the contraction and relaxation movements of the heart. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may include a first Doppler image generated based on first Doppler data of the blood flow entering the ventricle and a second Doppler image of the blood flow originating from the ventricle to obtain a value of a parameter related to a function of the heart The second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler image can be used. If the first period and the second period are different, an error may occur when acquiring values for the first parameter obtained in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image. Accordingly, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may correct at least one Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other.

According to one embodiment, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may automatically correct the scale of the time axis in the spectrum within the at least one Doppler image so that the first and second periods are coincident. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 can automatically correct Doppler data of the blood flowing into or out of the ventricles in the spectrum within the at least one Doppler image according to the scale correction of the time axis.

According to another embodiment, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may determine one of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image as a reference Doppler image. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may correct the Doppler image other than the reference Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other based on the reference Doppler image.

In step S1130, based on the landmark, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can synchronize the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image with the period of the heartbeat matched by the correction.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may be configured such that a time point at which a predetermined operation of the heart occurs simultaneously with reference to a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the heart set in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image, The first Doppler image and the second Doppler image can be synchronized.

12 is a diagram for explaining a method of correcting a Doppler image for Doppler data having different periods in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 positions the sample volume gate at a position corresponding to the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle in the ultrasound image and obtains first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the ventricle from the sample volume gate located at the position corresponding to the tricuspid valve .

As shown in FIG. 12, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 may display a first Doppler spectrum 1211 for first Doppler data of the blood flowing into the right ventricle. Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 is configured such that, based on the first Doppler spectrum 1211 of the blood flowing into the right ventricle, the heartbeat number of the heart of the subject is 124 bpm, and 3.333 per one dot shown in the first Doppler spectrum 1211 ms < / RTI > of the heart of the subject.

In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 may be configured such that the sample volume gate is located at a point corresponding to the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle in the ultrasound image, and second Doppler data of blood flow out of the ventricle from the sample volume gate located at the point corresponding to the pulmonary valve Can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 12, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display a second Doppler spectrum 1212 for the second Doppler data of the blood flowing out of the right ventricle. The number of heart beats of the heart of the subject is 140 bpm and the number of heartbeats of the subject is 3.333 dots per dot shown in the second Doppler spectrum 1212. On the basis of the second Doppler spectrum 1212 of the blood flowing out of the right ventricle, ms < / RTI > of the subject's heart.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the first Doppler spectrum 1211 and the second Doppler spectrum 1212 together as one Doppler image 1210. Also, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the first period information and the second period information on the first Doppler spectrum 1211 and the second Doppler spectrum 1212, respectively. 12, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the first period information and the second period information at the lower end of the Doppler image 1210. [

Since the first period and the second period are different from each other, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 may correct at least one Doppler image among the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other.

12, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 generates a corrected second Doppler spectrum 1222 by correcting the scale of the time axis in the second Doppler spectrum 1212 so that the first period and the second period are coincident with each other, can do. Specifically, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 corrects the Doppler data of the blood flowing into the ventricle and / or the blood flow flowing out of the ventricle in the second Doppler spectrum 1212 according to the scale correction of the time axis, 2 < / RTI > Doppler spectrum 1222. < RTI ID =

Based on the corrected second Doppler spectrum 1222, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 determines that the target heartbeat number is 124 bpm and is 3.747 ms per dot shown in the second Doppler spectrum 1222, The corrected second period information of the heart of the heart.

That is, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may correct the second period information of the second Doppler spectrum 1212 to match the first period information of the first Doppler spectrum 1211. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the first Doppler spectrum 1211 and the corrected second Doppler spectrum 1222 together as one Doppler image 1220. In addition, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the first period information and the corrected second period information at the lower end of the Doppler image 1220. [

13 is a diagram for explaining a method of synchronizing a first Doppler image and a second Doppler image using a landmark according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the Doppler image 1220 shown in FIG. 13, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 sets a point corresponding to the operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle to the first landmark 1223 in the first Doppler spectrum 1211 . In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can set, in the second Doppler spectrum 1222, the second landmark 1224 as a point corresponding to the operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle.

Here, although the point corresponding to the operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle is set as a landmark, the position corresponding to the operation of opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, the point corresponding to the operation of closing the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle and the point corresponding to the operation of opening the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present embodiment can be set as a landmark.

Referring to the Doppler image 1230 shown in FIG. 13, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 includes a first landmark 1223 set in the first Doppler spectrum 1211, a second land 1232 set in the second Doppler spectrum 1222, The synchronized first Doppler spectrum 1211 and the second Doppler spectrum 1232 can be generated by setting the mark 1224 at the same time point on the time axis basis.

14 is a flowchart illustrating a method of displaying parameters and parameter values associated with cardiac function in a Doppler image, according to one embodiment.

In step S1410, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may obtain a value of at least one parameter related to the function of the heart based on the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image. The parameters are the closure time of TV of the ventricle, the opening time of PV, the myocardial performance index (MPI) associated with the heartbeat, the relaxation time of the heart IVRT (Iovolumic relaxation time), and IVCT (isovolumetric contraction time).

In step S1420, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 may display the value of the obtained at least one parameter. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 may display values of at least one parameter and at least one parameter on at least one of the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image.

In step S1430, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can display diagnostic information of the heart based on the value of the at least one parameter.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining a Doppler image that displays parameters and parameter values related to cardiac function in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG.

Referring to the Doppler image 1230 shown in FIG. 15, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 includes a first landmark 1223 set in the first Doppler spectrum 1211 and a second land 1223 set in the second Doppler spectrum 1222, The synchronized first Doppler spectrum 1211 and the second Doppler spectrum 1232 can be generated by setting the mark 1224 at the same time point on the time axis basis.

Referring to the Doppler image 1240 shown in FIG. 15, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 can calculate the closing time 1241 of the tricuspidator based on the first Doppler spectrum 1211. In addition, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can calculate the opening time 1242 of the pulmonary valve based on the second Doppler spectrum 1232. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can display the interval corresponding to the closing time 1241 of the tricuspid valve and the opening time 1242 of the pulmonary valve on each Doppler spectrum and the closing time 1241 of the tricuspid valve and the opening time 1242 of the pulmonary valve ) Can be displayed.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can calculate the heart relaxation time IVRT and the heart contraction time IVCT_ based on the first Doppler spectrum 1211 and the second Doppler spectrum 1232.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a Doppler image that displays parameters and parameter values related to cardiac function in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 according to another embodiment.

16, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 synchronizes the first Doppler spectrum 1211 with respect to the blood flowing into the right ventricle and the second Doppler spectrum 1232 with respect to the blood flowing out of the right ventricle, The image 1240 can be displayed. The ultrasound diagnostic device 300 may determine the parameters associated with the function of the heart and obtain the value of the parameter based on the Doppler image 1240. [ Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can display the indicators and intervals used for acquiring the parameters on the Doppler image 1240. [

Here, the parameters include the closure time of TV of the ventricle, the opening time of PV, the isovolumetric contraction time (IVCT), the relaxation time of the heart (IVRT: Isovolumic relaxation time, and the myocardial performance index (MPI) associated with heart beating. In addition, the myocardial performance index can be calculated by combining values of a plurality of parameters.

16, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 300 can display an ultrasound image and can display an image with a closed time of 3.6 seconds, a pulmonary valve opening time of 3.46 seconds, a heart retraction time of 68 ms, The relaxation time of the heart: It is possible to display information of the parameters and parameter values used for diagnosing the function of the heart for 72 ms.

Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 can display diagnostic information indicating the diagnosis result of the heart of the subject based on the information of the parameters and parameter values used for diagnosing the function of the heart. For example, as in the case of the image 1250 shown in Fig. 16, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300 is configured such that the closing time of the tricuspid valve is 3.6s, the opening time of the pulmonary valve is 3.46s, the contraction time of the heart is 68ms, Time: 72 ms "information, the information indicating that the heart of the subject is normal can be displayed. In addition, the diagnostic information may be automatically generated based on the information of the medical information related to the heart and the value of the parameter stored in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 300. Further, the diagnostic information may be input by the user.

The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus described above may be implemented as a hardware component, a software component, and / or a combination of hardware component and software component. For example, the apparatus and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a field programmable array (FPA) A programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions.

The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software.

For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded.

The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions to be recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software.

Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like.

Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced.

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

Claims (21)

Acquiring first Doppler data of blood flow entering the ventricle of a subject and second Doppler data of blood flow exiting the ventricle;
Setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of a first Doppler image generated based on the first Doppler data and a second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data;
Synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark; And
And displaying the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image comprises:
Determining a first period of heartbeat of the subject based on the first Doppler data and determining a second period of heartbeat of the subject based on the second Doppler data;
Correcting at least one Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide if the first period and the second period are different; And
And synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image in which the cycle of the heartbeat of the object matches the correction based on the landmark. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the correcting the at least one Doppler image comprises:
Correcting the scale of the time axis in the spectrum in the at least one Doppler image such that the first period and the second period coincide; And
Correcting Doppler data of blood flow entering or exiting the ventricle in a spectrum within the at least one Doppler image in accordance with scale correction of the time axis. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the correcting the at least one Doppler image comprises:
Determining one of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image as a reference Doppler image; And
And correcting the Doppler image other than the reference Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other based on the determined reference Doppler image. The method according to claim 1,
The ventricle is the right ventricle,
The predetermined operation of the ventricle corresponds to one of an operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of closing the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle, and an operation of opening the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle. . The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the acquiring of the first Doppler data and the second Doppler data comprises:
Obtaining an ultrasound image of a heart of the object;
Obtaining the first Doppler data of a blood stream flowing into the ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in a tricuspid valve of the ventricle in the ultrasound image; And
And acquiring the second Doppler data of blood flow out of the ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in a pulmonary valve (PV) of the ventricle in the ultrasound image. The method according to claim 1,
Obtaining a value of at least one parameter related to a function of the heart based on the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image; And
Further comprising the step of displaying the value of the obtained at least one parameter. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises:
Closure time of TV, opening time of PV, myocardial performance index (MPI) associated with the heartbeat, relaxation time of the heart, IVRT: Isovolumic relaxation time, and IVCT (isovolumetric contraction time). 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the step of displaying the value of the obtained at least one parameter comprises:
Displaying the at least one parameter and the at least one parameter value on at least one Doppler image of the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image; And
And displaying diagnostic information of the heart based on the value of the at least one parameter. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the step of setting the landmark comprises:
And receiving an input for setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image through a user interface device for controlling the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. A method of operating an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. A probe for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the heart of a subject and receiving an echo signal reflected from the heart;
Acquiring first Doppler data of a blood flow introduced into the ventricle and blood flow exiting the ventricle based on the echo signal and generating a first Doppler image based on the first Doppler data, Setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the second Doppler images generated based on the second Doppler data and synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark A processor; And
And a display for displaying the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image. 12. The method of claim 11,
The processor comprising:
Determining a first period of a heartbeat of the subject based on the first Doppler data, determining a second period of a heartbeat of the subject based on the second Doppler data,
Correcting at least one Doppler image of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide if the first period and the second period are different from each other,
And synchronizes the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image in which the cycle of the heartbeat of the object matches the correction based on the landmark. 13. The method of claim 12,
The processor comprising:
Correcting the scale of the time axis in the spectrum in the at least one Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide,
And corrects Doppler data of a blood flow flowing into or out of the ventricle in a spectrum in the at least one Doppler image according to the scale correction of the time axis. 13. The method of claim 12,
The processor comprising:
Determining a Doppler image of one of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image as a reference Doppler image,
And corrects the Doppler image other than the reference Doppler image so that the first period and the second period coincide with each other based on the determined reference Doppler image. 12. The method of claim 11,
The ventricle is the right ventricle,
Wherein the predetermined operation of the ventricle corresponds to one of an operation of closing the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of opening the pulmonary valve of the right ventricle, an operation of closing the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle, and an operation of opening the tricuspid valve of the right ventricle. 12. The method of claim 11,
The processor comprising:
Acquiring an ultrasound image of a heart of the object based on the echo signal,
Acquiring the first Doppler data of a blood stream flowing into the ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in a tricuspid valve of the ventricle in the ultrasound image,
And acquires the second Doppler data of a blood flow flowing out of the ventricle based on a sample volume gate set in a pulmonary valve (PV) of the ventricle in the ultrasound image. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the processor is configured to obtain a value of at least one parameter related to cardiac function based on the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image,
Wherein the display indicates a value of the obtained at least one parameter. 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the at least one parameter comprises:
Closure time of TV, opening time of PV, myocardial performance index (MPI) associated with the heartbeat, relaxation time of the heart, IVRT (Iovolumic relaxation time), and IVCT (isovolumetric contraction time). 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein the display comprises:
Displaying the at least one parameter and the value of the at least one parameter on at least one Doppler image of the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image,
And displays diagnosis information of the heart based on the value of the at least one parameter. 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising a user interface device for controlling operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus,
Wherein the user interface device receives an input for setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing an operation method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus,
Acquiring first Doppler data of blood flow entering the ventricle of a subject and second Doppler data of blood flow exiting the ventricle;
Setting a landmark corresponding to a predetermined operation of the ventricle in each of a first Doppler image generated based on the first Doppler data and a second Doppler image generated based on the second Doppler data;
Synchronizing the first Doppler image and the second Doppler image based on the set landmark; And
And displaying the synchronized first Doppler image and the synchronized second Doppler image.

Images