WO2018223294A1 - 一种在超声扫描中成像的方法、装置及系统 - Google Patents

一种在超声扫描中成像的方法、装置及系统 Download PDF

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WO2018223294A1
WO2018223294A1 PCT/CN2017/087345 CN2017087345W WO2018223294A1 WO 2018223294 A1 WO2018223294 A1 WO 2018223294A1 CN 2017087345 W CN2017087345 W CN 2017087345W WO 2018223294 A1 WO2018223294 A1 WO 2018223294A1
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interest
region
ultrasonic
ultrasound
transducer array
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
李双双
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Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
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Shenzhen Mindray Bio Medical Electronics Co Ltd
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Priority to CN201780018490.XA priority Critical patent/CN109069115B/zh
Priority to US16/619,644 priority patent/US11717270B2/en
Priority to CN202010769292.0A priority patent/CN111728642B/zh
Priority to PCT/CN2017/087345 priority patent/WO2018223294A1/zh
Publication of WO2018223294A1 publication Critical patent/WO2018223294A1/zh
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Priority to US18/209,955 priority patent/US20230324530A1/en
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/08—Clinical applications
    • A61B8/0833—Clinical applications involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
    • A61B8/085—Clinical applications involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/13—Tomography
    • A61B8/14—Echo-tomography
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
    • A61B8/4411—Device being modular
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
    • A61B8/4483—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
    • A61B8/4483—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
    • A61B8/4488—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer the transducer being a phased array
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
    • A61B8/4483—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
    • A61B8/4494—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/46—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient
    • A61B8/461—Displaying means of special interest
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/46—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient
    • A61B8/467—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient characterised by special input means
    • A61B8/469—Ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic devices with special arrangements for interfacing with the operator or the patient characterised by special input means for selection of a region of interest
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/48—Diagnostic techniques
    • A61B8/485—Diagnostic techniques involving measuring strain or elastic properties
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/52—Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/5207—Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/54—Control of the diagnostic device
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S15/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems
    • G01S15/88—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications
    • G01S15/89—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications for mapping or imaging
    • G01S15/8906—Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques
    • G01S15/8909—Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques using a static transducer configuration
    • G01S15/8915—Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques using a static transducer configuration using a transducer array
    • G01S15/8927—Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques using a static transducer configuration using a transducer array using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S15/00—Systems using the reflection or reradiation of acoustic waves, e.g. sonar systems
    • G01S15/88—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications
    • G01S15/89—Sonar systems specially adapted for specific applications for mapping or imaging
    • G01S15/8906—Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques
    • G01S15/8934—Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques using a dynamic transducer configuration
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/52—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S15/00
    • G01S7/52017—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S15/00 particularly adapted to short-range imaging
    • G01S7/52023—Details of receivers
    • G01S7/52036—Details of receivers using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation
    • G01S7/52042—Details of receivers using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation determining elastic properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
    • G01S7/00—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00
    • G01S7/52—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S15/00
    • G01S7/52017—Details of systems according to groups G01S13/00, G01S15/00, G01S17/00 of systems according to group G01S15/00 particularly adapted to short-range imaging
    • G01S7/52053—Display arrangements
    • G01S7/52057—Cathode ray tube displays
    • G01S7/5206—Two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction; B-scan display

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of medical technology, and in particular, to a method, device and system for imaging in ultrasound scanning.
  • Ultrasound elastography is one of the hotspots of clinical research in recent years. It can reflect the elasticity or softness of tissue, and it is used more and more in the auxiliary detection of cancerous lesions, benign and malignant discrimination, and evaluation of prognosis.
  • the existing ultrasonic shear wave elastography technology mainly reflects the difference in hardness between tissues by generating shear wave propagation inside the tissue and detecting its propagation parameters (such as propagation speed).
  • the ultrasound system in order to accurately calculate the shear wave propagation velocity in the region of interest, the ultrasound system usually needs to obtain the ultrasonic echo information at various moments quickly and continuously for a period of time, in order to accurately capture the arrival position of the shear wave at each moment. This requires the system to get all the information in the area of interest in a very short time.
  • the range of ultrasonic echoes that can be detected by a single transmission is narrow, which is difficult to meet the demand.
  • the invention provides a method, device and system for imaging in ultrasonic scanning, which can obtain accurate echo information, effectively improve imaging frame rate and signal quality, and is widely used.
  • a method of imaging in an ultrasound scan comprising the steps of:
  • Obtaining shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest is obtained according to the echo information.
  • an apparatus for imaging in an ultrasound scan comprising:
  • a shear wave control unit for generating a shear wave inside the tissue target and causing the shear wave to propagate to the region of interest
  • a focus control unit is configured to select at least one ultrasound transducer array in the ultrasound probe according to the depth and width of the region of interest in the tissue target, and determine a focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array And a transmit aperture of each of the ultrasound transducer arrays, such that the sound field boundary range formed by the at least one ultrasound transducer array completely covers the region of interest in the tissue target;
  • a launch control unit configured to determine a relative delay of transmitting ultrasonic waves between each array element in each of the ultrasonic transducer array elements, and control each array element in each ultrasonic transducer array element group according to the corresponding relative Delaying the transmission of ultrasonic waves, so that the ultrasonic waves emitted by the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer arrays simultaneously reach their corresponding focal positions, forming an emission focusing effect;
  • a receiving control unit configured to receive ultrasonic echoes originating from the feedback of the region of interest during a duration, and obtain echo information of different locations in the region of interest corresponding to different moments;
  • an imaging processing unit configured to obtain shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest according to the echo information obtained by the receiving control unit to perform an imaging process.
  • an ultrasound imaging system comprising:
  • An ultrasound probe comprising at least one ultrasound transducer array
  • a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit configured to excite the probe to emit an ultrasonic beam to the tissue target, and receive an echo of the ultrasonic beam to obtain an echo signal
  • a memory for storing a series of computer programs
  • the processor executes the computer program in memory and performs the following steps:
  • a display for displaying an image generated by the imaging processing unit.
  • the embodiment provides a method, device and system for imaging in an ultrasound scan.
  • at least one ultrasound transducer array is selected in the ultrasound probe according to the depth and width of the region of interest and each ultrasound transducer is determined.
  • a focus position corresponding to the array of elements and a transmit aperture of each of the ultrasound transducer arrays such that the boundary of the sound field formed by the at least one ultrasound transducer array completely covers the region of interest in the tissue target,
  • controlling each of the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer arrays to emit ultrasonic waves according to the corresponding relative delays, so that the ultrasonic waves emitted by the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer arrays simultaneously reach their corresponding ultrasonic waves.
  • Focus forming an emission focusing effect, thereby making the ultrasonic energy passing through the region of interest uniform, and obtaining accurate echo information;
  • the signal-to-noise ratio of the echo signal can be improved, thereby improving the letter. No. Quality.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a main flow of an embodiment of a method for imaging in an ultrasound scan according to the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of an embodiment of selecting an ultrasound transducer array and a focus position in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of another embodiment of selecting an ultrasound transducer array and a focus position in FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of selecting another embodiment of the ultrasonic transducer array and the focus position of FIG. 1;
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of determining the relative delay of transmitting ultrasonic waves between array elements in each ultrasound transducer array element group in FIG. 1;
  • Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the principle of receiving in Figure 1;
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic flow chart of an embodiment of the step S14 of Figure 1;
  • Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of another embodiment of Figure 1 involving step S14;
  • step S14 is a schematic flow chart of still another embodiment of FIG. 1 involving step S14;
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the main flow of another embodiment of a method for imaging in an ultrasound scan provided by the present invention.
  • FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of adjusting the ultrasonic parameters and performing weighting processing in FIG. 10;
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of a system for imaging in an ultrasound scan provided by the present invention.
  • Figure 13 is a schematic structural view of the emission control unit of Figure 12;
  • FIG. 14 is another embodiment of a system for imaging in an ultrasound scan provided by the present invention. Schematic;
  • FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the structure of the emission control unit of Figure 14.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a main flow of an embodiment of a method for imaging in an ultrasound scan according to the present invention; in this embodiment, the method for imaging in an ultrasound scan includes the following steps:
  • step S10 the ultrasound probe is controlled by the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit to generate a shear wave in the tissue target, and the shear wave is propagated in the region of interest in the tissue target.
  • a shear wave can be formed by transmitting an ultrasound beam into a tissue target and causing the shear wave to propagate in a region of interest in the tissue target.
  • Step S11 selecting at least one ultrasound transducer array in the ultrasound probe according to the depth and width of the region of interest in the tissue target, and determining a focal position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array and each ultrasound
  • the transmit aperture of the transducer array ie, the total width of the transmit array of each ultrasound transducer array
  • the at least one transmitted sound field corresponding to the at least one ultrasonic transducer array is respectively focused at a corresponding focus position, and the at least one emitted sound field is superimposed to form a sound field completely covering the aforementioned region of interest.
  • the ultrasound probe can be a line probe or an area array probe.
  • the number of ultrasound transducer arrays, the emission aperture, and the number and location of the focus may be determined based on the depth and width of the region of interest.
  • a set of ultrasound transducer arrays and a collection location are selected, wherein the depth distances of the focus positions of the ultrasound transducer arrays are more interesting than The depth distance of the region is large, and the sound field boundary range composed of the group of ultrasonic transducer arrays completely covers the region of interest in the tissue target.
  • each ultrasonic transducer array element group corresponding to one gathering position, wherein in the figure, the selected focus points are distributed in a straight line.
  • the selected focus is symmetrically distributed with respect to the region of interest, and the depth distance of the corresponding focus position of each ultrasound transducer array is greater than the depth distance of the region of interest, and all of the ultrasound transducer arrays are composed of
  • the sound field boundary range completely covers the region of interest in the tissue target. Since the emission elements of each ultrasound transducer array are respectively focused on different focal points, and the focal points are distributed on a straight line, the sound field energy distribution is relatively uniform.
  • the sound field energy distribution passing through the region of interest is also as uniform as possible; in addition, since the edge-transmitting array of elements is relatively far from the focus, the number of array elements in the boundary array of array elements can be appropriately increased, which is understandable. Yes, the number of elements in each ultrasound transducer array is not necessarily the same, and the number of elements in each group can be appropriately adjusted according to the focus strength.
  • each ultrasound transducer array corresponding to an aggregation location, wherein each ultrasound transducer array corresponds to a focus position
  • the depth distance is within a range of depth distances of the region of interest, and all of the focus forms a width range greater than a width distance of the region of interest, and the sound field boundary range of all sets of ultrasound transducer arrays completely covers the tissue The region of interest in the target with uniform energy distribution.
  • the ideal sound field coverage can be achieved on the upper or specific curve.
  • the method of the present invention is also applicable to ultrasound arrays of different morphological arrangements, such as linear alignment, convex alignment, circular alignment, and the like.
  • the focus position is always symmetrically distributed relative to the region of interest.
  • Fig. 2 shown in Fig. 2 is an asymmetrically distributed embodiment which produces an effect similar to the effect of implementing a certain angular deflection emission under the above-described symmetrically distributed focus setting, and thus can also be directly at the above-mentioned symmetrical focus. Based on the set a certain deflection angle directly to calculate the new focus position.
  • the strength of the focus can be judged according to the Fnumber index, which is also called the emission aperture, as follows:
  • the number of array elements in each ultrasound transducer array element group may be the same.
  • Step S12 determining a relative delay of transmitting ultrasonic waves between each array element in each ultrasonic transducer array element group, and controlling each array element in each ultrasonic transducer array element group by a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit
  • the corresponding relative delays transmit ultrasonic waves (ie, the order of transmission, relative time interval, etc.), so that the ultrasonic waves emitted by the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer arrays simultaneously reach their corresponding focal points, forming an emission focusing effect.
  • the time difference between the ultrasonic waves emitted by each array element reaching its focus position is calculated, and compensation is performed at the emission start time, thereby determining each ultrasonic transducer.
  • Relative delay of transmitting ultrasonic time between array elements in an array of elements for example, a relative delay for determining the time of transmitting ultrasonic waves between array elements in each ultrasound transducer array is shown in FIG. Schematic diagram, it can be seen that the array elements far away from the focus need to be transmitted first, and the array elements close to the focus need to be launched later, and finally the ultrasonic waves emitted by all the array elements reach the focus at the same time.
  • the plurality of ultrasound transducer arrays respectively correspond to a plurality of focus positions, and the plurality of focus positions are laterally arranged along the shear wave propagation direction.
  • the determined depth distance of the focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array is greater than the region of interest
  • the depth distance is large; or the depth distance of the focus position corresponding to each ultrasonic transducer array is determined to be within the depth distance of the aforementioned region of interest, and all the focus positions are arranged along the shear wave propagation direction.
  • the width is greater than the width of the region of interest.
  • the transmission aperture of the ultrasound transducer array, the corresponding focal position of each ultrasound transducer array, and/or each ultrasonic transduction may also be adjusted.
  • the relative delays corresponding to the array elements in the array of elements are used to obtain different emission parameters, so that different focus position distributions or ultrasonic waves with different deflection angles can be obtained.
  • adjusting the transmit aperture of the selected ultrasound transducer array, the focus position of each ultrasound transducer array, and/or each ultrasound transducer array The relative delay corresponding to each array element respectively obtains a first transmission parameter and a second transmission parameter, and according to the first transmission parameter, each array element in each ultrasound transducer array is controlled by a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit. Transmitting a first ultrasonic wave, according to the second transmitting parameter, controlling, by the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit, each of the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer array elements to emit a second ultrasonic wave.
  • the first transmit parameter is different from the second transmit parameter.
  • the emission parameter includes at least one of a transmit aperture, a focus position corresponding to the ultrasound transducer array, and a relative delay corresponding to each element in the ultrasound transducer array.
  • Step S14 the ultrasound echo is controlled by the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit to control the ultrasonic echoes of the lateral positions of the regions of interest in the duration of time, and obtain echo information of different positions in the region of interest corresponding to different moments. And performing imaging processing on the aforementioned region of interest according to the aforementioned echo information.
  • a schematic diagram of the principle of receiving is shown in Figure 6, wherein the shear wave propagates laterally through the region of interest, and the receive beam includes a plurality of lateral locations within the region of interest.
  • step S14 may include multiple embodiments, for example, the imaging process may be a shear wave imaging process, a B-type image imaging process, and a C-type image imaging process, etc.
  • the transmitting sequence of transmitting ultrasonic waves and the receiving sequence of receiving ultrasonic waves also need different control, and the transmitting and receiving processes are mutually coordinated.
  • the transmitting sequence includes the order of transmission, Time interval, number of shots, etc.; simply speaking, in an imaging process, it may be necessary to transmit multiple ultrasonic waves, or to emit multiple types of ultrasonic waves, and then perform imaging processing according to each echo information; the following will be combined with different examples. Detailed explanation.
  • Shear wave information includes:
  • the echo of the first ultrasonic wave and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave are weighted, and shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest is obtained according to the weighting processing result.
  • the echo of the first ultrasonic wave and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave are superimposed and calculated according to the weight.
  • step S14 a schematic flowchart of an embodiment related to step S14 is shown.
  • steps S11 to S14 specifically include:
  • Step S140 after the shear wave is generated in the region of interest, the tracking pulse is sent to the region of interest for the duration, and the ultrasonic echo of the lateral position of each region of the region of interest is controlled to receive the shear wave at different times.
  • Information on the change of position within the region of interest for example, in an example, in order to accurately capture the propagation position of the shear wave, a high-density (ie, a small gap between the beams) setting, such as a beam, may be employed.
  • the pitch is set to 0.2 mm.
  • the spacing between the beams may be appropriately expanded according to actual needs, such as 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 1 mm, and the like.
  • Step S141 obtaining shear wave propagation speeds at various positions in the region of interest according to the change information of the positions of the shear waves in the region of interest at different times;
  • Step S142 calculating, according to the shear wave propagation velocity at each position in the region of interest, obtaining an elastic property quantity of the tissue in the region of interest, the elastic feature amount being a Young's modulus or a shear modulus;
  • Step S143 performing imaging shear wave processing according to the tissue elastic feature amount, and displaying a shear wave image of the region of interest formed after the processing.
  • the shear wave information mentioned herein includes one of shear wave propagation velocity and elastic feature amount.
  • a push pulse is sent to the region of interest of the target tissue in an aggregated manner to generate a shear wave, and the push pulse emission duration is longer than a conventional ultrasonic transmit pulse, which is about several tens Up to the order of hundreds of microseconds, the push pulse can generate a shear wave source at the emission position, the shear wave is emitted from the shear wave source and propagates in a direction different from the direction in which the push pulse is emitted; and then through steps S11, S12 And S14, sending a series of tracking pulses to the region of interest and obtaining echo information, after transmitting a driving pulse to the target region and generating a shear wave, transmitting a series of tracking pulses and receiving each corresponding echo information thereof, thereby obtaining The echo data of the tracking pulse in a range of propagation within a period of time in the region of interest, the echo data recording the tissue information at each position within the propagation range of the shear wave during the propagation of the shear
  • the parameters of the transmission of the tracking pulse may be different each time, such as the transmission frequency, the transmission waveform, the emission focus position, the emission focus intensity, and the transmission aperture may be adjusted according to actual conditions.
  • each transmission is accompanied by a process of reception, and then the next transmission and reception process is started, and the time interval between transmission/reception of each group is also set as needed.
  • the change of the position of the shear wave in the region of interest at different times can be obtained, or the shear wave in the region of interest can be obtained at any two lateral positions.
  • the time difference is calculated to calculate the shear wave propagation velocity at various locations within the region of interest.
  • Young's modulus E 3 ⁇ Cs 2
  • shear modulus G ⁇ Cs 2
  • ⁇ Tissue density
  • Cs the propagation velocity of the shear wave in the tissue
  • the elastic characteristic quantity (such as Young's modulus) of the tissue is calculated according to the shear wave propagation velocity of the shear wave at various positions in the region of interest.
  • a shear wave image of the region of interest formed after processing can then be displayed in the display.
  • the method can be used for elastic measurement of a tissue target, wherein the shear wave imaging process is an elastic measurement mode.
  • the elastic measurement method may be a vibration elastic measurement method based on external force vibration, a shear wave measurement method based on sound amplitude radiation, a strain elastic measurement method, or the like. Therefore, the manner in which the shear wave is generated in the foregoing step S10 can be derived from the aforementioned elastic measuring method.
  • the vibration elastic measurement method based on the external force vibration generates shear waves into the tissue by external force vibration, and then reflects the inter-tissue by generating a shear wave propagation inside the tissue and detecting its propagation parameters (such as propagation speed).
  • the acoustic wave-based shear wave measurement method generates shear wave propagation inside the tissue by ultrasonic sound radiation force, and then generates a shear wave propagation inside the tissue and detects its propagation parameters (such as propagation speed). Reflects the difference in hardness between tissues.
  • Young's modulus E 3 ⁇ Cs 2 (where ⁇ is the tissue density). That is to say, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the shear wave velocity and the elastic modulus.
  • the strain elastic measurement method or conventional ultrasonic elastic measurement method, has the basic principle: the probe is slightly pressed against the target tissue or the body is formed with a certain pressure by the process of the body's own breathing, blood vessel pulsation, etc., and two frames before and after compression are obtained. Ultrasonic echo signals, when the tissue is compressed, a strain along the compression direction will be generated in the tissue. If the Young's modulus distribution inside the tissue is not uniform, the strain distribution in the tissue will also be different, and then the tissue will be detected by some methods.
  • the strain information is calculated and synthesized by parameters such as strain and strain rate related to the elasticity of the tissue, thereby indirectly reflecting the difference in elasticity between different tissues in the pressure region.
  • the manner of generating shear waves is not limited to the various elastic measurement methods listed above, and may be other elastic measurement methods based on ultrasonic elastography. That is to say, the tracking detection method for shear waves proposed by the present invention may not be limited to the various elastic measurement methods described above, and may be applied to other elastic measurement methods based on ultrasonic elastography.
  • a flow chart showing another embodiment involving step S14 is shown.
  • a process of B-type image imaging processing is added to the aforementioned tracking detection of shear waves, and a B-type image is shown.
  • the transmitting and collecting process can be performed by interspersing the processes of the foregoing steps S10 to S14. For example, imaging data transmission and reception of at least one or more frames of B-type images is performed, followed by detection of at least one frame of shear waves (including the aforementioned steps S11, S12, and step S14).
  • the method further includes:
  • Step S144 controlling the ultrasonic echoes of the lateral positions of the respective regions of interest in the duration of the control to obtain the intensity information of the echoes of the respective regions of the region of interest at different times;
  • Step S1441 in the duration of time, controlling the ultrasonic echoes of the lateral positions of the regions of interest of the shear wave to be received, and obtaining echo signals at various positions of the region of interest at different times;
  • Step S145 performing B-type image imaging processing according to the intensity information of the echoes at each position of the region of interest at different times, for obtaining a B-type image
  • Step S1451 Obtain shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest according to echo signals of each location of the region of interest at different times;
  • step S1452 the shear wave information is superimposed and displayed on the B-type image to obtain a shear wave image.
  • a flow chart showing still another embodiment related to step S14 is shown.
  • a process of C-type image imaging processing is additionally added to the aforementioned tracking detection of shear waves, and a C-type image is shown.
  • the transmitting and collecting process can be performed by interspersing the processes of the foregoing steps S10 to S14. For example, imaging data transmission and reception of at least one or more frames of C-type images is performed, followed by detection reception of at least one frame of shear waves.
  • the method further includes:
  • Step S146 controlling, during the duration, receiving ultrasonic echoes of the lateral positions of the respective regions of interest, and obtaining blood flow velocity information at positions in the region of interest at different times;
  • Step S1461 in the duration, controlling the ultrasonic echoes of the lateral positions of the regions of interest of the shear wave to be received, and obtaining echo signals at various positions of the region of interest at different times;
  • Step S147 performing C-type image imaging processing for obtaining a C-type image according to the blood flow velocity information of the position in the region of interest at the different time.
  • Step S1471 Obtain shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest according to echo signals of each position of the region of interest at different times.
  • step S1472 the shear wave information is superimposed and displayed on the C-type image to obtain a shear wave image.
  • the method for imaging in ultrasound scanning is applicable not only to the shear wave imaging mode but also to other imaging modes, such as B-type image imaging, C-type image imaging, and the like.
  • the detection processing of the shear wave or the reception processing of the echo signal in the B-type image or the C-type image processing may be performed by the following method. For example, in the foregoing steps, receiving ultrasonic waves derived from the feedback of the aforementioned region of interest In the process of the wave, the ultrasonic echoes fed back in the lateral range of the region of interest are received, and the lateral range is greater than or equal to the width of the region of interest in the direction of shear wave propagation.
  • the lateral extent can be a range along the direction of shear wave propagation.
  • ultrasonic echoes originating from feedback of the region of interest are received by a plurality of array elements in the ultrasound probe.
  • the step of receiving the ultrasonic echoes originating from the region of interest and obtaining the echo information of different locations in the region of interest corresponding to the different moments in the duration includes:
  • the ultrasonic echoes originating from the feedback of the region of interest are received according to the receiving density, and echo information of different locations in the region of interest corresponding to different moments is obtained.
  • the beam spacing corresponding to the received density is selected in the range of 0-1 mm.
  • the reception density mentioned herein can be understood as the distribution of the ultrasonic receiving wire harness over the lateral extent of the region of interest.
  • FIG. 10 it is a schematic diagram of a main flow of another embodiment of a method for imaging in an ultrasound scan provided by the present invention; in this embodiment, the method further includes:
  • Step S20 adjusting the number of selected ultrasound transducer array elements, the focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array, and the emission aperture of each ultrasound transducer array, and each ultrasound transducer array.
  • the relative delay corresponding to each array element in the tuple for example, in some examples, the different emission angles may be sequentially selected at the time of transmission, or different emission apertures may be sequentially selected, or the emission focus positions of different position distributions may be sequentially selected;
  • Step S22 transmitting ultrasonic waves according to the adjusted parameters, and controlling the ultrasonic echoes of the lateral positions of the regions of the region of interest to receive ultra-wide beam reception for the duration, and obtaining different positions in the region of interest corresponding to different moments. Echo information
  • Step S24 performing weighting processing on the echo information before the adjustment and the adjusted echo information, and performing imaging processing on the region of interest according to the weighting processing result.
  • FIG. 11 a schematic diagram of the principle of adjusting the ultrasound parameters and performing weighting processing in FIG. 10 is shown. It can be seen that the schematic on the right side is at least concentrated compared to the schematic diagram on the left side. The position and the deflection angle of the array element are changed; the echo information obtained by the two ultrasonic detections is weighted to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the echo signal, thereby improving the quality of the echo signal.
  • the system needs to continuously transmit a series of detection ultrasonic waves to the region of interest in a certain period of time, and The corresponding echo signal is received, and the elastic feature quantity in the region of interest is obtained and displayed through the shear wave elastography calculation link.
  • the system selects special emission focus control parameters according to the size and position of the region of interest, transmits ultrasonic waves to the tissue target, forms an ultra-wide sound field in the region of interest, and receives corresponding ultrasonic echo signals. , to obtain information on the region of interest within an ultra-wide range.
  • the method of the invention can obtain a wide range of information of the region of interest using a small number of transmissions, and greatly improves the detection frame rate, so that the target at each moment can be obtained with a higher time resolution within the above detection time. Organize the information to accurately calculate the propagation position of the shear wave at each moment, and finally calculate the propagation velocity at each position.
  • FIG. 12 shows a schematic structural view of an embodiment of an ultrasonic imaging system provided by the present invention; in this embodiment, the system includes an ultrasonic probe 10, a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit 20, and a shear wave control unit. 90.
  • An ultrasound probe 10 comprising at least one ultrasound transducer array
  • a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit 20 configured to excite the probe to emit an ultrasonic beam to the tissue target, and receive an echo of the ultrasonic beam to obtain an echo signal; wherein the transmitting circuit will have a certain amplitude and polarity after being delayedly focused
  • the ultrasonic pulse is sent to the probe, and the probe is excited by the ultrasonic pulse to transmit ultrasonic waves to a tissue target (not shown in the figure, such as cardiac tissue, etc.) of the tested body, and receives the reflected back from the target area after a certain delay.
  • Organizing the ultrasonic echo of the information, and reconverting the ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal, and the receiving circuit receives the electrical signal generated by the probe conversion to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;
  • the shear wave control unit 90 is configured to control the ultrasonic probe to generate a shear wave inside the tissue target through the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit 20, and propagate the shear wave to the region of interest;
  • a focus control unit 30 is configured to select at least one ultrasound transducer array in the ultrasound probe according to the depth and width of the region of interest in the tissue target, and determine each ultrasound a focus position corresponding to the array of energy elements and a transmission aperture of each of the ultrasound transducer arrays, such that the boundary of the sound field formed by the at least one ultrasound transducer array completely covers the region of interest in the tissue target ;
  • the emission control unit 40 is configured to determine a relative delay of transmitting ultrasonic waves between the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer array elements, and control each ultrasonic transducer array element group through the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit 20 Each array element emits ultrasonic waves according to the corresponding relative delays, so that the ultrasonic waves emitted by the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer array elements simultaneously reach their corresponding focus positions to form an emission focusing effect;
  • the receiving control unit 50 is configured to receive, by using the transmitting circuit and the receiving circuit 20, ultrasonic echoes originating from the region of interest for a duration of time, and obtain echo information of different locations in the region of interest corresponding to different moments;
  • An imaging processing unit 60 configured to obtain shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest according to the echo information obtained by the receiving control unit 50, to perform an imaging process
  • the display 70 is configured to display an image generated by the imaging processing unit 60.
  • the aforementioned shear wave control unit 90, the emission focus control unit 30, the transmission control unit 40, the reception control unit 50, and the imaging processing unit 60 can implement the corresponding control by one processor or a plurality of processors.
  • steps S10 to S14 may be implemented by a computer program, and the computer program is stored in a memory, and the computer program stored in the memory may be executed by one processor or a plurality of processors, thereby executing step S10 in the foregoing method.
  • the process to step S14 is to implement the functions of the aforementioned shear wave control unit 90, emission focus control unit 30, emission control unit 40, reception control unit 50, and imaging processing unit 60.
  • the processor referred to herein includes the processor itself and its peripheral circuitry.
  • the transmission control unit 40 includes:
  • the delay determining unit 400 is configured to calculate, according to the geometric relationship between each focus position and the ultrasonic probe, a time difference between the ultrasonic waves emitted by the array elements reaching the focus position thereof, and perform compensation on the emission start time to determine each The relative delay of the ultrasonic time between the array elements in the ultrasound transducer array;
  • the control unit 402 is configured to control, according to the relative delay, each array element to send an ultrasonic wave for tracking to the region of interest.
  • the receiving control unit 50 further receives an ultrasonic echo fed back over a lateral extent of the region of interest, the lateral extent being greater than or equal to a width of the region of interest in a shear wave propagation direction .
  • the plurality of ultrasound transducer arrays respectively correspond to a plurality of focus positions, the plurality of focus positions being laterally aligned along the shear wave propagation direction.
  • the at least one transmitted sound field corresponding to the at least one ultrasound transducer array is respectively focused at a corresponding focus position, and the at least one transmitted sound field is superimposed to form a complete coverage of the region of interest. Sound field.
  • the depth distance of the focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array determined by the transmit focus control unit 30 is greater than the depth distance of the region of interest;
  • the depth distance of the focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array determined by the emission focus control unit 30 is within a depth distance range of the region of interest, and all focus positions are arranged along the shear wave propagation direction
  • the width formed is greater than the width of the region of interest.
  • the receiving control unit further includes:
  • a reception density adjustment unit (not shown) is provided for adjusting the reception density of the ultrasonic echoes in the lateral extent within the region of interest. For example, the receiving density of the ultrasonic echo in the lateral range in the aforementioned region of interest may be increased, and the ultrasonic echoes derived from the feedback of the region of interest are received according to the receiving density during the duration to obtain the region of interest corresponding to the different moments. Echo information in different locations within.
  • the information obtained by the receiving control unit 30 is: change information of the position of the shear wave in the region of interest at different times;
  • the imaging processing unit 60 includes a shear wave imaging processing unit 600, configured to obtain shear wave propagation speeds at various positions in the region of interest according to the change information of the shear wave position in the region of interest at different times. Thereby, the amount of tissue elastic feature in the region of interest is obtained, and shear wave imaging processing is performed.
  • a shear wave imaging processing unit 600 configured to obtain shear wave propagation speeds at various positions in the region of interest according to the change information of the shear wave position in the region of interest at different times. Thereby, the amount of tissue elastic feature in the region of interest is obtained, and shear wave imaging processing is performed.
  • the information obtained by the receiving control unit 30 is: different Intensity information of echoes at various locations in the region of interest;
  • the imaging processing unit 60 includes a B-type image imaging processing unit 601 for performing B-type image imaging processing according to intensity information of echoes at respective positions of the region of interest at different times. It can be understood that the B-type image imaging processing unit 601 can exist simultaneously with the shear wave imaging processing unit 600, and the process of the B-type image imaging processing can be added in the foregoing tracking detection of the shear wave, the B-type image. The transmission and acquisition process of the B-type image in the imaging processing unit 601 can be interspersed with the shear wave imaging process of the shear wave imaging processing unit 600.
  • the information obtained by the receiving control unit 30 is: blood flow velocity information at a position in the region of interest at different times;
  • the imaging processing unit 60 includes a C-type image imaging processing unit 603 for performing C-type image imaging processing according to the standby speed information of the position in the region of interest at the different time. It can be understood that the C-type image imaging processing unit 603 can coexist with the shear wave imaging processing unit 600, and the process of C-type image imaging processing can be added in the foregoing tracking detection of the shear wave, C-type image imaging The transmission and acquisition process of the C-type image in the processing unit 603 can be interspersed with the shear wave imaging process of the shear wave imaging processing unit 600.
  • FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of another embodiment of an ultrasonic imaging system provided by the present invention, and is combined with FIG. 15; in this embodiment, the system further includes:
  • the adjusting unit 80 is configured to adjust a transmit aperture of the selected ultrasound transducer array, a focus position corresponding to the ultrasound transducer array, and/or a corresponding one of the array elements in the ultrasound transducer array Relative delay
  • the transmitting control unit 40 further includes a parameter obtaining unit 401, configured to respectively obtain a first transmitting parameter and a second transmitting parameter according to the adjusted content of the parameter adjusting unit 80;
  • the control unit 402 in the emission control unit 40 controls each array element in each ultrasound transducer array to emit a first ultrasonic wave according to the first transmission parameter, and controls each according to the second transmission parameter.
  • Each array element in the ultrasound transducer array element emits a second ultrasonic wave;
  • the receiving control unit 50 includes:
  • the echo receiving unit 500 is configured to receive an echo of the first ultrasonic wave and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, which are fed back from the region of interest, respectively, during the duration;
  • a weighting processing unit 501 configured to use an echo of the first ultrasonic wave and an echo of the second ultrasonic wave A weighting process is performed to obtain shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest according to the result of the weighting process.
  • FIG. 14 the other functional units in FIG. 14 are the same as the corresponding functional units in FIG. 12, and the corresponding descriptions of FIG. 12 can be referred to in the foregoing;
  • the present invention also provides an apparatus for imaging in an ultrasound scan, comprising: a shear wave control unit for generating a shear wave inside a tissue target and propagating the shear wave to the interest region;
  • a focus control unit is configured to select at least one ultrasound transducer array in the ultrasound probe according to the depth and width of the region of interest in the tissue target, and determine a focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array And a transmit aperture of each of the ultrasound transducer arrays, such that the sound field boundary range formed by the at least one ultrasound transducer array completely covers the region of interest in the tissue target;
  • a launch control unit configured to determine a relative delay of transmitting ultrasonic waves between each array element in each of the ultrasonic transducer array elements, and control each array element in each ultrasonic transducer array element group according to the corresponding relative Delaying the transmission of ultrasonic waves, so that the ultrasonic waves emitted by the array elements in each of the ultrasonic transducer arrays simultaneously reach their corresponding focal positions, forming an emission focusing effect;
  • a receiving control unit configured to receive ultrasonic echoes originating from the feedback of the region of interest during a duration, and obtain echo information of different locations in the region of interest corresponding to different moments;
  • an imaging processing unit configured to obtain shear wave information corresponding to the region of interest according to the echo information obtained by the receiving control unit to perform an imaging process.
  • the emission control unit comprises:
  • the delay determining unit is configured to calculate a time difference between the ultrasonic waves emitted by each array element and the focus position according to the geometric relationship between each focus position and the ultrasonic probe, and perform compensation on the emission start time to determine each ultrasonic wave The relative delay of the ultrasonic time between the array elements in the transducer array;
  • control unit configured to control, according to the relative delay, each array element to send an ultrasonic wave for tracking to the region of interest.
  • the receiving control unit further receives an ultrasonic echo fed back in a lateral extent of the region of interest, the lateral extent being greater than or equal to the The area is located in the width of the shear wave propagation direction.
  • the plurality of ultrasound transducer arrays respectively correspond to a plurality of focus positions, the plurality of focus positions being laterally aligned along the shear wave propagation direction.
  • the at least one transmitted sound field corresponding to the at least one ultrasound transducer array is respectively focused at a corresponding focus position, and the at least one transmitted sound field is superimposed to form a complete coverage of the interest.
  • the sound field of the area is respectively focused at a corresponding focus position, and the at least one transmitted sound field is superimposed to form a complete coverage of the interest. The sound field of the area.
  • the depth distance of the focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array determined by the emission focus control unit is greater than the depth distance of the region of interest;
  • the depth distance of the focus position corresponding to each ultrasound transducer array determined by the emission focus control unit is within a depth distance range of the region of interest, and all focus positions are arranged along the shear wave propagation direction.
  • the width is greater than the width of the region of interest.
  • the receiving control unit includes:
  • a receiving density adjusting unit configured to adjust a receiving density of the ultrasonic echo in a lateral range within the region of interest.
  • the method further includes:
  • An adjusting unit configured to adjust a transmit aperture of the selected ultrasound transducer array, a focus position corresponding to the ultrasound transducer array, and/or a relative corresponding to each array element in the ultrasound transducer array Delay
  • the transmitting control unit further includes a parameter obtaining unit, configured to respectively obtain a first transmitting parameter and a second transmitting parameter according to the adjusted content of the parameter adjusting unit;
  • the control unit in the emission control unit controls each array element in each ultrasound transducer array to emit a first ultrasonic wave according to the first transmission parameter, and controls each ultrasonic conversion according to the second transmission parameter.
  • Each array element in the array of energy elements emits a second ultrasonic wave.
  • the receiving control unit includes:
  • An echo receiving unit configured to receive an echo of the first ultrasonic wave and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave that are fed back from the region of interest, respectively, for a duration
  • a weighting processing unit configured to perform weighting processing on the echo of the first ultrasonic wave and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and obtain a cut corresponding to the region of interest according to a result of the weighting process Wave information.
  • the embodiment provides a method, device and system for imaging in an ultrasound scan, wherein at least one ultrasound transducer array is selected in the ultrasound probe according to the depth and width of the region of interest and each ultrasound transducer is determined. a focus position corresponding to the array of elements and a transmit aperture of each of the ultrasound transducer arrays, such that the boundary of the sound field formed by the at least one ultrasound transducer array completely covers the region of interest in the tissue target, and Controlling each array element in each ultrasonic transducer array to emit ultrasonic waves according to the corresponding relative delays, so that the ultrasonic waves emitted by the array elements in each ultrasonic transducer array group simultaneously reach their corresponding focal points Forming an emission focusing effect so that the ultrasonic energy passing through the region of interest is uniform and accurate echo information can be obtained;
  • the signal-to-noise ratio of the echo signal can be improved, thereby improving the signal quality
  • the method, device and system provided by the embodiment can be widely applied to aspects such as shear wave imaging processing, B-type image imaging processing, and C-type image imaging processing, and the application is very extensive.
  • the storage medium may be a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM).

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Abstract

公开的是一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，包括步骤：在组织目标内部产生剪切波（S10）；在超声探头中选择超声换能器阵元组，并确定超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及发射孔径，使超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域（S11）；确定各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并控制各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，形成发射聚焦效果（S12）；在持续时间内，接收来源于感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息，根据回波信息获得感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息（S14）。本发明还公开了执行上述成像方法的相应装置及超声成像系统，能够获得准确的回波信息、有效提升成像帧率以及信号质量，并且应用广泛。

Description

一种在超声扫描中成像的方法、装置及系统 技术领域
本发明涉及医疗技术领域，尤其涉及一种在超声扫描中的成像的方法、装置及系统。
背景技术
超声弹性成像是近年来临床研究关心的热点之一，其可以反映组织的弹性或软硬程度，在组织癌症病变的辅助检测、良恶性判别、预后恢复评价等方面得到越来越多应用。
现有的超声剪切波弹性成像技术，主要是通过在组织内部产生剪切波的传播并检测其传播参数(比如传播速度)的方法来反映组织间的硬度差异。对于各向同性的弹性组织，剪切波的传播速度与组织弹性模量之间存在下述关系：杨氏模量E＝3ρCs2，其中，Cs表示剪切波在组织中的传播速度，ρ为组织密度。从中可以看出，剪切波速度与弹性模量存在一一对应的关系。由于该方法可以得到定量的硬度测量结果，可使医生的诊断更加方便客观，因此受到了医生的广泛关注和欢迎。
但是，为了准确计算出感兴趣区域内的剪切波传播速度，超声系统通常需要在一段时间内快速且持续的获得各个时刻的超声回波信息，才能准确捕捉到各个时刻剪切波的到达位置，这就需要系统能在非常短的时间内获取到感兴趣区域内的全部信息。而常规超声成像检测方法，单次发射接收的超声回波可检测的范围很窄，难以满足需求。
发明内容
本发明提供了一种在超声扫描中的成像的方法、装置及系统，能够获得准确的回波信息、有效提升成像帧率以及信号质量，并且应用广泛。
作为本发明的一方面，提供了一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，包括如下步骤：
在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域；
根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至 少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域；
确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果；
在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息；
根据所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。
相应地，作为本发明的另一方面，提供了一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，包括：
剪切波控制单元，用于在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域；
发射聚焦控制单元，用于根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域；
发射控制单元，用于确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果；
接收控制单元，用于在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息；
成像处理单元，用于根据接收控制单元所获得的所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息，以进行成像处理。
相应地，作为本发明的再一方面，提供了一种超声成像系统，包括：
超声探头，其包括至少一个超声换能器阵元组；
发射电路和接收电路，用于激励所述探头向组织目标发射超声波束，并接收所述超声波束的回波，获得回波信号；
存储器，用于存储一系列的计算机程序；
处理器，执行存储器中的计算机程序并执行以下步骤：
通过发射电路和接收电路控制超声探头在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域，
根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域，
确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果，
在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息，
根据接收控制单元所获得的所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息，以进行成像处理；和，
显示器，用于显示所述成像处理单元所生成的图像。
本实施例提供一种在超声扫描中成像的方法、装置及系统，可以首先根据感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点，形成发射聚焦效果，从而使通过感兴趣区域的超声能量均匀，并能够获得准确的回波信息；
同时，由于进一步采用调整超声扫描的参数，并将各不同参数设定下获得的回波信号进行加权处理，可以提升回波信号的信噪比，从而提升信 号质量。
附图说明
为了更清楚地说明本发明实施例或现有技术中的技术方案，下面将对实施例或现有技术描述中所需要使用的附图作简单地介绍，显而易见地，下面描述中的附图仅仅是本发明的一些实施例，对于本领域普通技术人员来讲，在不付出创造性劳动的前提下，还可以根据这些附图获得其他的附图。
图1为本发明提供的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法的一个实施例的主流程示意图；
图2为图1中选择超声换能器阵元组以及聚焦位置的一个实施例的原理示意图；
图3为图1中选择超声换能器阵元组以及聚焦位置的另一个实施例的原理示意图；
图4为图1中选择超声换能器阵元组以及聚焦位置的再一个实施例的原理示意图；
图5是图1中确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时的原理示意图；
图6是图1中进行接收的原理示意图；
图7是图1中涉及步骤S14的一个实施例的流程示意图；
图8是图1中涉及步骤S14的另一个实施例的流程示意图；
图9是图1中涉及步骤S14的再一个实施例的流程示意图；
图10是本发明提供的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法的另一个实施例的主流程示意图；
图11是图10中对超声参数进行调整并进行加权处理的原理示意图；
图12是本发明提供的一种在超声扫描中成像的系统的一个实施例的结构示意图；
图13是图12中发射控制单元的结构示意图；
图14是本发明提供的一种在超声扫描中成像的系统的另一个实施例的 结构示意图；
图15是图14中发射控制单元的结构示意图。
具体实施方式
下面将结合本发明实施例中的附图，对本发明实施例中的技术方案进行清楚、完整地描述，显然，所描述的实施例仅仅是本发明一部分实施例，而不是全部的实施例。基于本发明中的实施例，本领域普通技术人员在没有作出创造性劳动前提下所获得的所有其他实施例，都属于本发明保护的范围。
下面参考附图对本发明的优选实施例进行描述，并且还可以结合图12或图14的系统结构示意图。
如图1所示，为本发明提供的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法的一个实施例的主流程示意图；在该实施例中，该在超声扫描中成像的方法，包括如下步骤：
步骤S10，通过发射电路和接收电路控制超声探头在组织目标中产生剪切波，并使所述剪切波在组织目标中的感兴趣区域内进行传播。例如，可以通过向组织目标中发射超声波束来形成剪切波，并使剪切波在组织目标中的感兴趣区域中进行传播。
步骤S11，根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径(即每一超声换能器阵元组的发射阵元的总宽度)，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域。前述至少一个超声换能器阵元组对应的至少一个发射声场分别在对应的焦点位置处聚焦，前述至少一个发射声场相叠加后形成完整覆盖前述感兴趣区域的声场。超声探头可以为线阵探头或面阵探头。
可以理解的是，在不同的实施例中，可以根据感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度来确定超声换能器阵元组的数量、发射孔径，以及焦点的数量和位置。
例如在图2的实施例中，选择了一组超声换能器阵元组以及一个聚集位置，其中，该超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比感兴趣 区域的深度距离大，该组超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域。
在图3的实施例中，选择了三组超声换能器阵元组，每一超声换能器阵元组对应一个聚集位置，其中，在该图中，所选焦点分布在一条直线上，所选焦点相对于感兴趣区域对称分布，且使每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比感兴趣区域的深度距离大，所有超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域，由于各超声换能器阵元组的发射阵元分别聚焦于不同的焦点处，且各焦点分布在一条直线上，因此声场能量分布较均匀，从而使感兴趣区域内通过的声场能量分布也尽可能均匀；此外，由于靠边的发射阵元组离焦点相对较远，所以边界的发射阵元组内的阵元数目可以适当增加，可以理解的是，各超声换能器阵元组中的阵元数不一定是相同的，可以根据聚焦强弱情况，适当调整各组内的阵元数。
在图4的实施例中，选择了五组超声换能器阵元组，每一超声换能器阵元组对应一个聚集位置，其中，每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离在所述感兴趣区域的深度距离范围之内，且所有焦点形成的宽度范围大于所述感兴趣区域的宽度距离，所有组超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域，且能量分布均匀。
可以理解的是，只要选择合适的焦点宽度、焦点深度、发射孔径，不论焦点深度是否在感兴趣区域的深度范围内或范围外，是小于还是大于感兴趣区域的深度，焦点是否分布在一条直线上或者特定的曲线上，都可以达到理想的声场覆盖效果。本发明的方法也适用于不同形态排列的超声阵元组，比如直线排列、凸形排列、环形排列等。
当然，在一些实施例中，也不要求焦点位置总是相对感兴趣区域是对称分布的。例如在图2中示出的即是一种非对称分布的实施例，其造成的效果类似于在上述对称分布的焦点设置下实施一定角度的偏转发射的效果，因此也可以直接在上述对称焦点的基础上直接设置一定的偏转角度来计算新的焦点位置。
设定聚焦位置后，一般还需要选择合适的探头阵元来进行发射，来决 定当前聚焦的强弱。聚焦的强弱可以根据Fnumber指数来判断，发射阵元宽度又叫发射孔径，如下：
Fnumber＝聚焦深度/发射孔径
Fnumber越大，说明聚焦越弱，焦区处的声场相对越宽越分散；
Fnumber越小，说明聚焦越强，焦区处的声场相对越窄越集中；
其中，每个超声换能器阵元组内的阵元个数可以相同。
步骤S12，确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波(即发射先后顺序、相对时间间隔等)，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点，形成发射聚焦效果。具体地，根据每一焦点与超声探头的探头之间的几何关系，计算各阵元发出的超声波达到其焦点位置的时间差异，并在发射起始时间上进行补偿，从而确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时；例如，在图5中示出一种确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时的原理示意图，从中可以看出，距离焦点远的阵元需要先发射，距离焦点近的阵元需要后发射，最后所有阵元发射的超声波同时到达焦点处。
在其中一个实施例中，为了形成较好的超宽覆盖效果，多个超声换能器阵元组分别对应多个焦点位置，多个焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向横向排列。
为了能使形成发射聚焦效果的声场能够完全覆盖感兴趣区域，则在其中一个实施例中，所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比所述感兴趣区域的深度距离大；或者，所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离在前述感兴趣区域的深度距离范围之内，且所有焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向排列形成的宽度大于所述感兴趣区域的宽度。
此外，在上述发射超声波的过程中还可以通过调整超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径、每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和/或每一超声换能 器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时，来获得不同的发射参数，从而可以获得不同焦点位置分布，或不同偏转角度的超声波。例如，在其中一个实施例中，调整所选择超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径、每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和/或每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时，分别获得第一发射参数和第二发射参数，根据第一发射参数，通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第一超声波，根据第二发射参数，通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第二超声波。第一发射参数不同于第二发射参数。发射参数至少包括发射孔径、超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时等其中之一。
步骤S14，在持续时间内，通过发射电路和接收电路控制超声探头对前述感兴趣区域的各位横向位置的超声波回波进行接收，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息，并根据前述回波信息对前述感兴趣区域进行成像处理。例如，在图6中示出了一种进行接收的原理示意图，其中，剪切波横向传播穿过感兴趣区域，接收波束包含了感兴趣区域内的多个横向位置。
其中，对于成像处理，步骤S14可以包含多个实施例，例如，该成像处理可以为剪切波成像处理、B型图像成像处理以及C型图像成像处理等，可以理解的是，在实际的实现过程中，对于不同类型的图像处理过程，其发射超声波的发射序列和接收超声波的接收序列也需要进行不同的控制，且发射和接收过程是相互配合的，此处所说发射序列包括发射的顺序、时间间隔、发射次数等；简单来说，一次成像过程，可能需要发射多次超声波，或者发射多种类型的超声波，然后根据每次的回波信息进行成像处理；下述将结合不同的例子进行详细的说明。
此外，前述在持续时间内，接收来源于前述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息，根据前述回波信息获得前述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息包括：
在持续时间内，通过发射电路和接收电路分别接收来源于前述感兴趣区域反馈的第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波，
将前述第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波进行加权处理，根据前述加权处理结果获得前述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。例如，按照权重将前述第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波进行叠加计算。
如图7所示，示出了涉及步骤S14的一个实施例的流程示意图，在该实施例中，其示出了剪切波成像处理的过程，该步骤S11至S14具体包括：
步骤S140，在感兴趣区域产生剪切波后，在持续时间内向感兴趣区域发送追踪脉冲，并控制对所述感兴趣区域的各位横向位置的超声波回波进行接收，获得不同时刻剪切波在感兴趣区域内位置的变化信息；例如，在一个例子中，为了能够准确捕捉剪切波的传播位置，可以采用高密度(即波束之间的宽度间距设定较小)的接收方式，比如波束间距设定为0.2mm。当然，为了减小计算量，根据实际需要也可以适当扩大波束之间的间距，比如间隔0.4mm、0.6mm、1mm等等。当剪切波在感兴趣区域内传播时，通过一次发射和接收的过程，即可计算得到剪切波在感兴趣区域内的位置。
步骤S141，根据所述不同时刻剪切波在感兴趣区域内位置的变化信息，获得感兴趣区域内各个位置处的剪切波传播速度；
步骤S142，根据感兴趣区域内各个位置处的剪切波传播速度，计算获得感兴趣区域内组织弹性特征量，该弹性特征量为杨氏模量或剪切模量；
步骤S143，根据组织弹性特征量进行成像剪切波处理，并显示处理后形成的感兴趣区域的剪切波图像。本文中提到的剪切波信息包括：剪切波传播速度和弹性特征量等中的其中之一。
具体地，在一个例子中，在步骤S10中，采用聚集的方式向目标组织的感兴趣区域发送推动脉冲以产生剪切波，所述推动脉冲发射时长比常规超声发射脉冲长，约为几十到几百微秒量级，所述推动脉冲可以在发射位置产生剪切波源，自剪切波源发射剪切波并沿着与所述推动脉冲发射方向不同的方向传播；然后通过步骤S11、S12和S14，向感兴趣区域发送一系列追踪脉冲并获得回波信息，在向目标区域发射推动脉冲并产生剪切波后，发射一系列追踪脉冲并接收其每一次对应的回波信息，从而得到感兴趣区域内一段时间内一段传播范围内的追踪脉冲的回波数据，所述回波数据记录了剪切波传播过程中，上述一段传播范围内各位置上的组织信息。
可以理解的是，每次发送追踪脉冲的发射的参数可能不同，比如发射频率、发射波形、发射聚焦位置、发射聚焦强度、发射孔径根据实际情况可能会有调整。一般来说，在每次发射完会伴随着接收的过程，然后再开始下一次发射以及接收过程，另外各组发射/接收之间的时间间隔也是按需要进行设置。
经过持续一段时间检测时，根据回波的信息，即可获得各个不同时刻剪切波在感兴趣区域内位置的变化，或者可以得到感兴趣区域内剪切波经过任意两个横向位置处时的时间差，从而计算出感兴趣区域内各个位置处的剪切波传播速度。
由于剪切波在各向同性的弹性组织中的传播速度Cs与组织的弹性模量之间有特定的关系：杨氏模量E＝3ρCs2，剪切模量G＝ρCs2，其中ρ为组织密度，Cs为剪切波在组织中的传播速度，从而根据剪切波在感兴趣区域内各个位置处的剪切波传播速度来计算组织的弹性特征量(如杨氏模量)，从而进行剪切波成像处理，通过组织弹性特征量进行成像处理可以参考很多现有的技术，在此不进行详述。
然后在显示器中可以显示处理后形成的感兴趣区域的剪切波图像。
可以理解的是，在本实施例中，该方法可以用于对组织目标进行弹性测量，其中该剪切波成像处理即是一种弹性测量方式。可以理解的是，在本实施例中，弹性测量方式可以为基于外力振动的振动弹性测量方式、基于声幅射力的剪切波测量方式、应变弹性测量方式等。因此，在前述步骤S10中产生剪切波的方式可以来源于前述弹性测量方法。
具体的，基于外力振动的振动弹性测量方式通过外力振动产生剪切波传入组织，然后通过在组织内部产生剪切波的传播并检测其传播参数(比如传播速度)的方法来反映组织间的硬度差异。对于各向同性的弹性组织，剪切波的传播速度Cs与组织弹性模量E之间存在下列关系：杨氏模量E＝3ρCs2(其中，ρ为组织密度)。也就是说，剪切波速度与弹性模量存在一一对应的关系。
基于声幅射力的剪切波测量方式通过超声声辐射力在组织内部产生剪切波的传播，然后通过在组织内部产生剪切波的传播并检测其传播参数(比 如传播速度)的方法来反映组织间的硬度差异。对于各向同性的弹性组织，剪切波的传播速度Cs与组织弹性模量E之间存在下列关系：杨氏模量E＝3ρCs2(其中，ρ为组织密度)。也就是说，剪切波速度与弹性模量存在一一对应的关系。
而应变弹性测量方式，或称常规超声弹性测量方式，其基本原理是：将探头轻微压迫目标组织或者借助人体自身的呼吸、血管搏动等过程对组织形成一定的压力，获取压缩前、后两帧超声回波信号，组织被压缩时，组织内将产生一个沿压缩方向的应变，如果组织内部杨氏模量分布不均匀，组织内的应变分布也将有所差异，然后通过一些方法检测出组织的应变信息，再将应变量、应变率等与组织弹性相关的参数计算出来并合成，从而间接反映施压区域内不同组织之间的弹性差异。具体的，根据胡克定律，对于各向同性的弹性体，应力σ＝应变ε×杨氏模量E，即E＝σ/ε。其中，杨氏模量E是与组织硬度相关的参数，杨氏模量越高，表明组织硬度越大。
需要说明的是，在本实施例中，剪切波产生的方式并不限于上述列举的各种弹性测量方式，还可以是其他基于超声弹性成像的弹性测量方式。也就是说，本发明提出的关于剪切波的追踪检测方法可以并不限于应用于前述各种弹性测量方式，还可以应用于其他基于超声弹性成像的弹性测量方式中。
如图8所示，示出了涉及步骤S14的另一个实施例的流程示意图，在该实施例中，在前述对剪切波的追踪检测中还附加B型图像成像处理的过程，B型图像的发射和采集过程可以于前述步骤S10至步骤S14的过程穿插进行。例如，进行至少一帧或多帧B型图像的成像数据发射接收，接着进行至少一帧剪切波的检测(包括前述步骤S11、S12和步骤S14)。
在执行前述步骤S14的过程中还包括：
步骤S144，在持续时间内，控制对前述感兴趣区域的各位横向位置的超声波回波进行接收，获得不同时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波的强度信息；
步骤S1441，在持续时间内，控制对剪切波行经的感兴趣区域的各位横向位置的超声波回波进行接收，获得不同时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波信号；
步骤S145，根据所述不同时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波的强度信息，进行B型图像成像处理，用于获得B型图像；
步骤S1451，根据不同时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波信号获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息；
步骤S1452，在B型图像上叠加显示剪切波信息获得剪切波图像。
具体在一个例子中，为进行B型图像成像处理，需要多次选择超声换能器阵元组发射超声波，并获得相应回波，具体地，每次发射的聚焦位置(横向位置)都不同，从而获得不同横向位置的回波信息，根据这些回波信息来进行B型图像成像处理。
如图9所示，示出了涉及步骤S14的再一个实施例的流程示意图，在该实施例中，在前述对剪切波的追踪检测中还附加C型图像成像处理的过程，C型图像的发射和采集过程可以于前述步骤S10至步骤S14的过程穿插进行。例如，进行至少一帧或多帧C型图像的成像数据发射接收，接着进行至少一帧剪切波的检测接收。在执行前述步骤S14的过程中还包括：
步骤S146，在持续时间内，控制对前述感兴趣区域的各位横向位置的超声波回波进行接收，获得不同时刻在感兴趣区域内位置的血流速度信息；
步骤S1461，在持续时间内，控制对剪切波行经的感兴趣区域的各位横向位置的超声波回波进行接收，获得不同时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波信号；
步骤S147，根据所述不同时刻在感兴趣区域内位置的血流速度信息，进行C型图像成像处理，用于获得C型图像。
步骤S1471，根据不同时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波信号获得感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。
步骤S1472，在C型图像上叠加显示剪切波信息获得剪切波图像。
综上，本发明提供的在超声扫描中成像的方法不仅适用于剪切波成像模式，也可用于其他成像模式，如B型图像成像、C型图像成像等。
例如，在其中一个实施例中，无论是对剪切波的检测接收，还是在B型图像或C型图像处理过程中对回波信号的接收处理，均可以采用以下方法来进行。比如，在前述步骤接收来源于前述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回 波的过程中，接收前述感兴趣区域的横向范围上反馈的超声波回波，前述横向范围大于等于前述感兴趣区域位于剪切波传播方向上的宽度。横向范围可以为沿剪切波传播方向的范围。
在接收来源于感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波中，通过超声探头中的多个阵元接收来源于感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波。
进一步地，前述步骤S14中，在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息的步骤包括：
改变(例如增加)前述感兴趣区域内横向范围上超声波回波的接收密度，
在持续时间内，根据接收密度接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息。
例如，在其中一个实施例中接收密度对应的波束间距在0-1毫米范围内选择。本文中提到的接收密度可以理解为超声波接收线束在感兴趣区域横向范围上的分布情况。
如图10所示，是本发明提供的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法的另一个实施例的主流程示意图；在该实施例中，该方法进一步包括：
步骤S20，调整所选择超声换能器阵元组数量、每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，以及每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时，例如在一些例子中，可以在发射时依次以不同的偏转角度、或依次选择不同发射孔径、或依次选择不同位置分布的发射焦点位置；
步骤S22，根据调整后的参数发射超声波，并在持续时间内，控制对所述感兴趣区域的各位横向位置的超声波回波进行超宽波束接收，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息；
步骤S24，将调整前的回波信息以及调整后的回波信息进行加权处理，根据所述加权处理结果对所述感兴趣区域进行成像处理。
如图11所示，示出图10中对超声参数进行调整并进行加权处理的原理示意图。从中可以看出，右侧的示意图与左侧的示意图相比，至少聚集 位置以及阵元的偏转角度均有变化；将两次超声检测获得的回波信息进行加权处理，可以提升回波信号的信噪比，从而可以提升回波信号的质量。
在本发明提供的方法中，例如在实现剪切波成像的处理过程中，在组织内产生剪切波传播后，系统需在一定时间内，向感兴趣区域依次连续发射一系列检测超声波，并接收相应的回波信号，并经过剪切波弹性成像计算环节得到感兴趣区域内的弹性特征量并显示。在上述检测超声波的发射接收中，系统根据感兴趣区域的大小和位置，选择特殊的发射聚焦控制参数，向组织目标发射超声波，在感兴趣区域形成超宽声场，并接收相应的超声回波信号，获得超宽范围内的感兴趣区域的信息。本发明的方法可以使用较少的发射次数即可获得大范围的感兴趣区域信息，大幅提升了检测帧率，因此可以在上述检测时间内，以较高的时间分辨率，获得各个时刻的目标组织信息，从而准确计算出剪切波在各个时刻的传播位置，最终计算出各位置处的传播速度。
相应地，图12示出了本发明提供的一种超声成像系统的一个实施例的结构示意图；在该实施例中，该系统包括超声探头10、发射电路和接收电路20、剪切波控制单元90、发射聚焦控制单元30、发射控制单元40、接收控制单元50、成像处理单元60以及显示器70，其中：
超声探头10，其包括至少一个超声换能器阵元组；
发射电路和接收电路20，用于激励所述探头向组织目标发射超声波束，并接收所述超声波束的回波，获得回波信号；其中，发射电路将经过延迟聚焦的具有一定幅度和极性的超声脉冲发送到探头，探头受超声脉冲的激励，向受测机体的组织目标(图中未示出，例如心脏组织等)发射超声波，经一定延时后接收从目标区域反射回来的带有组织信息的超声回波，并将此超声回波重新转换为电信号，接收电路接收探头转换生成的电信号，获得超声回波信号；
剪切波控制单元90，用于通过发射电路和接收电路20控制超声探头在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域；
发射聚焦控制单元30，用于根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换 能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域；
发射控制单元40，用于确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并通过发射电路和接收电路20控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果；
接收控制单元50，用于通过发射电路和接收电路20在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息；
成像处理单元60，用于根据接收控制单元50所获得的所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息，以进行成像处理；
显示器70，用于显示所述成像处理单元60所生成的图像。
前述剪切波控制单元90、发射聚焦控制单元30、发射控制单元40、接收控制单元50和成像处理单元60可以通过一个处理器或多个处理器来实现执行相应的控制。
对于前述步骤S10至步骤S14的过程可以通过计算机程序来实现，并将计算机程序存储在存储器中，通过一个处理器或多个处理器可以执行存储器中存储的计算机程序，从而执行前述方法中步骤S10至步骤S14的过程，用以实现前述剪切波控制单元90、发射聚焦控制单元30、发射控制单元40、接收控制单元50和成像处理单元60的功能。下文中有关步骤S10至步骤S14过程的具体说明可参见前文方法的相关说明。本文所提到的处理器包括处理器本身及其外围电路。
进一步结合图13所示，其中发射控制单元40包括：
延时确定单元400，用于根据每一焦点位置与超声探头之间的几何关系，计算各阵元发出的超声波达到其焦点位置的时间差异，并在发射起始时间上进行补偿，从而确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时；
控制单元402，用于根据所述相对延时控制各阵元向感兴趣区域发送用于追踪的超声波。
在一个实施例中，所述接收控制单元50进一步接收所述感兴趣区域的横向范围上反馈的超声波回波，所述横向范围大于或等于所述感兴趣区域位于剪切波传播方向上的宽度。
在一个实施例中，多个超声换能器阵元组分别对应多个焦点位置，所述多个焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向横向排列。
在一个实施例中，，所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组对应的至少一个发射声场分别在对应的焦点位置处聚焦，所述至少一个发射声场相叠加后形成完整覆盖所述感兴趣区域的声场。
在一个实施例中，所述发射聚焦控制单元30所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比所述感兴趣区域的深度距离大；或者，
所述发射聚焦控制单元30所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离在所述感兴趣区域的深度距离范围之内，且所有焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向排列形成的宽度大于所述感兴趣区域的宽度。
在一个实施例中，所述接收控制单元进一步包括：
接收密度调整单元(未示出)，用于调整所述感兴趣区域内横向范围上超声波回波的接收密度。例如，可以增加前述感兴趣区域内横向范围上超声波回波的接收密度，在持续时间内，根据接收密度接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息。
其中，在一个具体的实施例中，所述接收控制单元30获得的信息为：不同时刻剪切波在感兴趣区域内位置的变化信息；
所述成像处理单元60包括剪切波成像处理单元600，用于根据所述不同时刻剪切波在感兴趣区域内位置的变化信息，获得感兴趣区域内各个位置处的剪切波传播速度，从而获得感兴趣区域内组织弹性特征量，并进行剪切波成像处理。
在另一个具体的实施例中，所述接收控制单元30获得的信息为：不同 时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波的强度信息；
所述成像处理单元60包括B型图像成像处理单元601，用于根据所述不同时刻感兴趣区域各位置的回波的强度信息，进行B型图像成像处理。可以理解的是，所述B型图像成像处理单元601可以和剪切波成像处理单元600同时存在，在前述对剪切波的追踪检测中可附加该B型图像成像处理的过程，B型图像成像处理单元601中对B型图像的发射和采集过程可以和剪切波成像处理单元600的剪切波成像过程穿插进行。
在又一个具体的实施例中，所述接收控制单元30获得的信息为：不同时刻在感兴趣区域内位置的血流速度信息；
所述成像处理单元60包括C型图像成像处理单元603，用于根据所述不同时刻在感兴趣区域内位置的备流速度信息，进行C型图像成像处理。可以理解的是，所述C型图像成像处理单元603可以和剪切波成像处理单元600同时存在，在前述对剪切波的追踪检测中可附加C型图像成像处理的过程，C型图像成像处理单元603中对C型图像的发射和采集过程可以和剪切波成像处理单元600的剪切波成像过程穿插进行。
相应地，图14示出了本发明提供的一种超声成像系统的另一个实施例的结构示意图，同时结合图15所示；在该实施例中，该系统进一步包括：
调整单元80，用于调整所选择超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径、超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和/或超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时；
所述发射控制单元40进一步包括参数获得单元401，用于根据所述参数调整单元80的调整内容，分别获得第一发射参数和第二发射参数；
所述发射控制单元40中的控制单元402根据所述第一发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第一超声波，根据所述第二发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第二超声波；
其中所述接收控制单元50包括：
回波接收单元500，用于在持续时间内，分别接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波；
加权处理单元501，用于将所述第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波 进行加权处理，根据所述加权处理的结果以获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。
可以理解的是，在图14中其他的功能单元与图12中相应的功能单元原理相同，可以一并参照前述对图12的相应描述；
可以理解的是，本发明还提供了一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，包括：剪切波控制单元，用于在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域；
发射聚焦控制单元，用于根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域；
发射控制单元，用于确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果；
接收控制单元，用于在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息；
成像处理单元，用于根据接收控制单元所获得的所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息，以进行成像处理。
在一个具体的实施例中，所述发射控制单元包括：
延时确定单元，用于根据每一焦点位置与超声探头之间的几何关系，计算各阵元发出的超声波达到其焦点位置的时间差异，并在发射起始时间上进行补偿，从而确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时；
控制单元，用于根据所述相对延时控制各阵元向感兴趣区域发送用于追踪的超声波。
在一个具体的实施例中，所述接收控制单元进一步接收所述感兴趣区域的横向范围上反馈的超声波回波，所述横向范围大于或等于所述感兴趣 区域位于剪切波传播方向上的宽度。
在一个具体的实施例中，多个超声换能器阵元组分别对应多个焦点位置，所述多个焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向横向排列。
在一个具体的实施例中，所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组对应的至少一个发射声场分别在对应的焦点位置处聚焦，所述至少一个发射声场相叠加后形成完整覆盖所述感兴趣区域的声场。
在一个具体的实施例中，所述发射聚焦控制单元所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比所述感兴趣区域的深度距离大；或者，
所述发射聚焦控制单元所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离在所述感兴趣区域的深度距离范围之内，且所有焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向排列形成的宽度大于所述感兴趣区域的宽度。
在一个具体的实施例中，所述接收控制单元包括：
接收密度调整单元，用于调整所述感兴趣区域内横向范围上超声波回波的接收密度。
在一个具体的实施例中，进一步包括：
调整单元，用于调整所选择超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径、超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和/或超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时；
所述发射控制单元进一步包括参数获得单元，用于根据所述参数调整单元的调整内容，分别获得第一发射参数和第二发射参数；
所述发射控制单元中的控制单元根据所述第一发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第一超声波，根据所述第二发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第二超声波。
在一个具体的实施例中，其中，所述接收控制单元包括：
回波接收单元，用于在持续时间内，分别接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波；
加权处理单元，用于将所述第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波进行加权处理，根据所述加权处理的结果以获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切 波信息。
更多的细节可参照前述对图1至图15的描述。
本实施例提供一种在超声扫描中成像的方法、装置及系统，可以根据感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点，形成发射聚焦效果，从而使通过感兴趣区域的超声能量均匀，并能够获得准确的回波信息；
同时，由于进一步采用调整超声扫描的参数，并将各不同参数设定下获得的回波信号进行加权处理，可以提升回波信号的信噪比，从而提升信号质量；
而且，本实施例提供的方法、装置及系统可以广泛应用于诸如剪切波成像处理、B型图像成像处理以及C型图像成像处理等方面，应用场合非常广泛。
本领域普通技术人员可以理解实现上述实施例方法中的全部或部分流程，是可以通过计算机程序来指令相关的硬件来完成，上述的程序可存储于计算机可读取存储介质中，该程序在执行时，可包括如上述各方法的实施例的流程。其中，上述的存储介质可为磁碟、光盘、只读存储记忆体(Read-Only Memory，ROM)或随机存储记忆体(Random Access Memory，RAM)等。
以上内容是结合具体的优选实施方式对本发明所作的进一步详细说明，不能认定本发明的具体实施只局限于这些说明。对于本发明所属技术领域的普通技术人员来说，在不脱离本发明构思的前提下，还可以做出若干简单推演或替换，都应当视为属于本发明的保护范围。

Claims (30)

  1. 一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，包括如下步骤：
    在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域；
    根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域；
    确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果；
    在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息；
    根据所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。
  2. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时的步骤具体为：
    根据每一焦点位置与超声探头之间的几何关系，计算各阵元发出的超声波达到其焦点位置的时间差异，并在发射起始时间上进行补偿，从而确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时。
  3. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波的步骤包括：接收所述感兴趣区域的横向范围上反馈的超声波回波，所述横向范围大于或等于所述感兴趣区域位于剪切波传播方向上的宽度。
  4. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述每个超声换能器阵元组内的阵元个数相同。
  5. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，多个超 声换能器阵元组分别对应多个焦点位置，所述多个焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向横向排列。
  6. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组对应的至少一个发射声场分别在对应的焦点位置处聚焦，所述至少一个发射声场相叠加后形成完整覆盖所述感兴趣区域的声场。
  7. 如权利要求1或5所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比所述感兴趣区域的深度距离大；或者，
    所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离在所述感兴趣区域的深度距离范围之内，且所有焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向排列形成的宽度大于所述感兴趣区域的宽度。
  8. 如权利要求1-4任一项所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波的步骤包括：
    调整超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径、超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和/或超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时；
    根据所述调整内容，分别获得第一发射参数和第二发射参数；
    根据所述第一发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第一超声波；以及根据所述第二发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第二超声波；和，
    所述在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息，根据所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息的步骤包括：
    在持续时间内，分别接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波；
    将所述第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波进行加权处理，根据所述 加权处理结果以获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。
  9. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波中，通过超声探头中的多个阵元接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波。
  10. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述超声探头为线阵探头或面阵探头。
  11. 如权利要求1所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，其中，所述在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息的步骤包括：
    增加所述感兴趣区域内横向范围上超声波回波的接收密度，
    在所述持续时间内，根据所述接收密度接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息。
  12. 如权利要求11所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的方法，所述接收密度对应的波束间距在0-1毫米范围内选择。
  13. 一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，包括：
    剪切波控制单元，用于在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域；
    发射聚焦控制单元，用于根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域；
    发射控制单元，用于确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果；
    接收控制单元，用于在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息；
    成像处理单元，用于根据接收控制单元所获得的所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息，以进行成像处理。
  14. 如权利要求13所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，所述发射控制单元包括：
    延时确定单元，用于根据每一焦点位置与超声探头之间的几何关系，计算各阵元发出的超声波达到其焦点位置的时间差异，并在发射起始时间上进行补偿，从而确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时；
    控制单元，用于根据所述相对延时控制各阵元向感兴趣区域发送用于追踪的超声波。
  15. 如权利要求13所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，所述接收控制单元进一步接收所述感兴趣区域的横向范围上反馈的超声波回波，所述横向范围大于或等于所述感兴趣区域位于剪切波传播方向上的宽度。
  16. 如权利要求13所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，多个超声换能器阵元组分别对应多个焦点位置，所述多个焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向横向排列。
  17. 如权利要求13所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组对应的至少一个发射声场分别在对应的焦点位置处聚焦，所述至少一个发射声场相叠加后形成完整覆盖所述感兴趣区域的声场。
  18. 如权利要求13所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，所述发射聚焦控制单元所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比所述感兴趣区域的深度距离大；或者，
    所述发射聚焦控制单元所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离在所述感兴趣区域的深度距离范围之内，且所有焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向排列形成的宽度大于所述感兴趣区域的宽度。
  19. 如权利要求13所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，所述接收控制单元包括：
    接收密度调整单元，用于调整所述感兴趣区域内横向范围上超声波回波的接收密度。
  20. 如权利要求13-19任一项所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中，进一步包括：
    调整单元，用于调整所选择超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径、超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和/或超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时；
    所述发射控制单元进一步包括参数获得单元，用于根据所述参数调整单元的调整内容，分别获得第一发射参数和第二发射参数；
    所述发射控制单元中的控制单元根据所述第一发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第一超声波，根据所述第二发射参数，控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第二超声波。
  21. 如权利要求20所述的一种在超声扫描中成像的装置，其中所述接收控制单元包括：
    回波接收单元，用于在持续时间内，分别接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波；
    加权处理单元，用于将所述第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波进行加权处理，根据所述加权处理的结果以获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。
  22. 一种超声成像系统，其中，包括：
    超声探头，其包括至少一个超声换能器阵元组；
    发射电路和接收电路，用于激励所述探头向组织目标发射超声波束，并接收所述超声波束的回波，获得回波信号；
    存储器，用于存储一系列的计算机程序；
    处理器，执行存储器中的计算机程序并执行以下步骤：
    通过发射电路和接收电路控制超声探头在组织目标内部产生剪切波，并使剪切波传播至感兴趣区域，
    根据组织目标中的感兴趣区域的深度以及宽度，在超声探头中选择至少 一个超声换能器阵元组，并确定每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置以及每一超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径，使所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组所组成的声场边界范围完整覆盖组织目标中的感兴趣区域，
    确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波，使每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发出的超声波同时到达其所对应的焦点位置，形成发射聚焦效果，
    在持续时间内，接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息，
    根据接收控制单元所获得的所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息，以进行成像处理；和，
    显示器，用于显示所述成像处理单元所生成的图像。
  23. 如权利要求22所述的一种超声成像系统，其中，所述处理器还通过以下方式实现所述确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波：
    根据每一焦点位置与超声探头之间的几何关系，计算各阵元发出的超声波达到其焦点位置的时间差异，并在发射起始时间上进行补偿，从而确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时；
    根据所述相对延时控制各阵元向感兴趣区域发送用于追踪的超声波。
  24. 如权利要求22所述的一种超声成像系统，其中，所述处理器还进一步接收所述感兴趣区域的横向范围上反馈的超声波回波，所述横向范围大于或等于所述感兴趣区域位于剪切波传播方向上的宽度。
  25. 如权利要求22所述的一种超声成像系统，其中，多个超声换能器阵元组分别对应多个焦点位置，所述多个焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向横向排列。
  26. 如权利要求22所述的一种超声成像系统，其中，所述至少一个超声换能器阵元组对应的至少一个发射声场分别在对应的焦点位置处聚焦，所 述至少一个发射声场相叠加后形成完整覆盖所述感兴趣区域的声场。
  27. 如权利要求22所述的一种超声成像系统，其中，所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离均比所述感兴趣区域的深度距离大；或者，
    所确定的每一超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置的深度距离在所述感兴趣区域的深度距离范围之内，且所有焦点位置沿剪切波传播方向排列形成的宽度大于所述感兴趣区域的宽度。
  28. 如权利要求22所述的一种超声成像系统，其中，所述处理器还可以调整所述感兴趣区域内横向范围上超声波回波的接收密度。
  29. 如权利要求22-28任一项所述的一种超声成像系统，其中，所述处理器还可以通过以下步骤实现所述确定各超声换能器阵元组中各阵元之间发射超声波时间的相对延时，并通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元根据所对应的相对延时发射超声波：
    调整所选择超声换能器阵元组的发射孔径、超声换能器阵元组对应的焦点位置、和/或超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元所对应的相对延时；
    根据调整内容，分别获得第一发射参数和第二发射参数；
    根据所述第一发射参数，通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第一超声波，根据所述第二发射参数，通过发射电路和接收电路控制每一超声换能器阵元组中的各阵元发射第二超声波。
  30. 如权利要求29所述的一种超声成像系统，其中所述处理器还可以通过以下步骤实现所述在持续时间内，通过发射电路和接收电路接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的超声波回波，获得不同时刻所对应的感兴趣区域内不同位置的回波信息，根据所述回波信息获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息：
    在持续时间内，通过发射电路和接收电路分别接收来源于所述感兴趣区域反馈的第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波；
    将所述第一超声波的回波和第二超声波的回波进行加权处理，根据所述加权处理的结果以获得所述感兴趣区域对应的剪切波信息。
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