WO2020175107A1 - Dispositif de traitement de signal ultrasonore, dispositif de diagnostic ultrasonore, dispositif de traitement de signal ultrasonore, et programme - Google Patents

Dispositif de traitement de signal ultrasonore, dispositif de diagnostic ultrasonore, dispositif de traitement de signal ultrasonore, et programme Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2020175107A1
WO2020175107A1 PCT/JP2020/004884 JP2020004884W WO2020175107A1 WO 2020175107 A1 WO2020175107 A1 WO 2020175107A1 JP 2020004884 W JP2020004884 W JP 2020004884W WO 2020175107 A1 WO2020175107 A1 WO 2020175107A1
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Prior art keywords
displacement
time
wave
ultrasonic
observation
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PCT/JP2020/004884
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English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
津島　峰生
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コニカミノルタ株式会社
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Priority to JP2021501863A priority Critical patent/JP7302651B2/ja
Publication of WO2020175107A1 publication Critical patent/WO2020175107A1/fr

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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—Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings

Definitions

  • Ultrasonic signal processing device Ultrasonic diagnostic device, ultrasonic signal processing method, and program
  • the present disclosure relates to an ultrasonic signal processing method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to analysis of shear wave propagation in a tissue using shear waves and measurement of mechanical properties of the tissue.
  • An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasonic waves to the inside of a subject from a plurality of transducers that make up an ultrasonic probe, and receives ultrasonic reflected waves (echoes) generated by the difference in acoustic impedance of the tissues of the subject. Then, it is a medical inspection apparatus that generates and displays an ultrasonic tomographic image showing the structure of the internal tissue of the subject based on the obtained electric signal.
  • Shear Wave Speed Measurement (hereinafter referred to as “Shear Wave Speed Measurement”) is used for the inspection. Since the mechanical properties of tumors found in organs and body tissues can be measured non-invasively and easily, it is necessary to examine the hardness of the tumor in the screening test for cancer and the liver in the test for liver disease. It is expected to be used for the evaluation of fibrosis.
  • a region of interest (R ⁇ ⁇ : Region of In terest) in the subject is defined, and ultrasonic waves are focused from a plurality of transducers to a specific site in the subject.
  • a push wave focused ultrasonic wave or ARFI: Acoustic Radiati on Force Impu lse
  • transmit ultrasonic wave for detection (hereinafter referred to as "detection wave") and receive reflected wave.
  • detection wave ultrasonic wave for detection
  • the velocity of the shear wave generated by the acoustic radiation pressure of the push wave is measured.
  • the mechanical properties of the tissue such as elasticity and viscosity can be estimated based on the shear wave velocity measurement.
  • Patent Document 1 US Patent Application Publication No. 20000/8/0 2 4 9 4 08
  • Patent Document 2 Special Table 2 0 1 4-5 0 3 5 6 5 Publication
  • the present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and in shear wave velocity measurement, detection accuracy of the time at which the displacement peaks regardless of the 3/1 ⁇ 1 ratio of the displacement time series data. To improve the reliability of shear wave velocity measurement.
  • An ultrasonic signal processing device includes a push wave transmitting unit configured to transmit a push wave for generating displacement in a subject to an ultrasonic probe, ⁇ 02020/175107 3 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • a detection wave transmitting unit that transmits a detection wave passing through a region of interest showing the measurement target range in the subject to the ultrasonic probe; and the detection wave using the ultrasonic probe.
  • a detection wave receiving unit that receives the ultrasonic waves reflected from the region of interest and converts it into a received signal, and a rectifying unit that performs phasing addition at each of a plurality of positions in the region of interest to generate an acoustic line signal.
  • a phase adder, a displacement detector that detects a displacement at the observation point based on acoustic line signals corresponding to each of the plurality of observation points in the region of interest, and a displacement time of each observation point.
  • a propagation state estimation unit that estimates the propagation state of the shear wave based on the change
  • the propagation state estimation unit is a time series data of the displacement of the observation point, and a reference time series in which the time when the displacement is maximum is known.
  • the time at which the displacement at the observation point becomes maximum is estimated by the correlation processing with the data, and the earlier the displacement observation time based on the transmission time of the push wave pulse, the shorter the time width of the reference time series data.
  • the feature is that the gate width is reduced.
  • the gate width By not making the value too small, it is possible to detect the peak of the displacement while preventing the false detection of the peak and the undetectability.
  • the gate width in the correlation processing is set to be small at the time when the observation time is small, that is, when the shear wave displacement is large. To do.
  • Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a 33 sequence including shear wave velocity measurement in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. ⁇ 02020/175107 4 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • FIG. 2 A functional block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic system 100 including an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100.
  • FIG. 3 (3) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the transmission focal point of the push wave generated by the push wave pulse generation unit 10 4.
  • (I) is the detection wave generated by the detection wave pulse generation unit 105. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structural outline of a wave pulse.
  • FIG. 4 (3) is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the transmission beamformer unit 106, and (13) is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the reception beamformer unit 108.
  • FIG. 5 A schematic diagram showing the outline of push waves.
  • FIG. 6 ( 3 ) is a schematic diagram showing an outline of detection wave transmission, and ( ⁇ ) is a schematic diagram showing an outline of reflection wave reception.
  • Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a method of calculating a propagation path of ultrasonic waves in the delay processing unit 108 1.
  • Fig. 8 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a displacement detection unit 109, a propagation information analysis unit 110, and a mechanical characteristic calculation unit 1 11.
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the steps of the integrated 33 sequence in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100.
  • FIG. 11] (a) to ( ⁇ ) are schematic diagrams showing how shear waves are generated by push-wave pulses.
  • FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of displacement detection and shear wave propagation analysis.
  • FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the operation of shear wave propagation information analysis in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100.
  • FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the relationship between the observation time and the gate width.
  • FIG. 15] (3) to (D) are schematic diagrams showing an outline of peak time detection by correlation processing.
  • FIG. 16 ( 3 ) and ( ⁇ ) are schematic diagrams showing an example of a time series change of displacement. ⁇ 02020/175107 5 ((171?2020/004884
  • FIG. 17 ( 3 ) and ( ⁇ ) are schematic views showing an example of a time series change of displacement.
  • FIG. 18] (a) to ( ⁇ ) are tables showing the gate width, the peak time detected, and the variation in the time difference between peak times.
  • the inventor conducted various studies in shear wave velocity measurement in order to improve the detection accuracy at the time when the displacement peaks.
  • displacement in the subject is detected by repeatedly transmitting and receiving the detection wave after transmitting the push wave, and the shear wave is detected based on the change over time. Estimate the position of the wavefront of. Then, the moving speed of the wavefront is calculated as the moving speed of the shear wave.
  • peak time we set multiple observation points inside the subject and set the time (hereinafter called “peak time”) when the displacement amount became maximum (peak) at each observation point. A common method is to detect and assume that the observation point has passed the wavefront of the shear wave at the peak time.
  • a method for detecting the peak time for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a method for detecting the time at which the value of the displacement becomes maximum with respect to the change of the displacement in time series (the quoting method) can be cited.
  • the displacement is regarded as a function of time, and the time at which the displacement value is the largest is found. For example, at a position close to the position where the push pulse applies, the shear wave has almost no deterioration, and therefore has a sharp peak when the displacement is regarded as a function of time.
  • the shear wave velocity is fast, so even if the location is far from the location where the push pulse is applied, there is a sharp peak when the displacement is regarded as a function of time. Therefore, in such an environment, the peak time of the displacement can be detected with high accuracy by the polite method.
  • the detection error of the displacement which is the noise component
  • the detection error of the displacement depends on the quality of the acoustic line signal, and not on the magnitude of the displacement, which is the signal component.Therefore, when the absolute amount of displacement decreases, the 3/1 ⁇ 1 ratio Will fall.
  • the displacement due to the shear wave is smaller as the push pulse is transmitted from the transmission time, the displacement of such a time may be erroneously recognized as a displacement peak, or the peak of noise may be misrecognized. It is difficult to stably detect peaks, such as when a peak buried in sound cannot be detected. That is, if the peak time exists at a time distant from the push pulse transmission time, the Ding-tai method may not be able to stably detect the peak time.
  • a correlation processing method can be considered.
  • the correlation processing method is a method of obtaining the time difference between the reference reference series data and the target series data, and correlates the time in the series data with which the reference series data has a high degree of coincidence. It is a method of finding by calculating the value. Therefore, for example, even when the displacement peak is blunt, it is possible to eliminate the influence of noise and perform stable peak detection by performing correlation processing using the blunt peak as reference series data. Becomes
  • the gate width is the data length of the reference series data used for correlation calculation.
  • the number of calculations is almost proportional to the gate width, so if the gate width is too wide, the calculation load increases.
  • the reference series data may include time series changes of displacements other than peaks, and the peak detection accuracy may be reduced due to unnecessary influence of the reference series data.
  • the gate width is very narrow, the absolute value of the series data has a stronger effect on the correlation value than the degree of coincidence with the reference series data, so that the characteristics are substantially the same as those of the manual method.
  • it has the drawbacks of the cutting method.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of an SWS sequence including shear wave velocity measurement in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. As shown in the center frame of Fig. 1, the processing of the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment 100 is "reference detection wave pulse transmission/reception".
  • the reference detection wave pulse pwp0 is transmitted to the ultrasonic probe to detect a plurality of transducers in the range corresponding to the region of interest r ⁇ i in the subject.
  • an acoustic ray signal that serves as a reference for the initial position of the tissue is generated.
  • a push wave pulse PPP is transmitted to the ultrasonic probe, and the push wave PP in which the ultrasonic waves are focused on a specific part of the subject is transmitted to a plurality of transducers. It is transmitted to excite a shear wave in the subject tissue.
  • the detection wave pulse pwp I is transmitted to the ultrasonic probe, and the detection wave pw I and the reflection wave ec are transmitted to the plurality of transducers.
  • the shear wave propagating state is measured by performing the rotation.
  • mechanical property calculation first, the tissue displacement distribution P t 1 associated with the shear wave propagation is calculated in time series, and then the mechanical distribution of the tissue is calculated from the time series change of the displacement distribution pt 1.
  • Shear wave propagation analysis is performed to calculate the propagation velocity of shear waves that express the characteristics, and finally, mechanical properties are imaged and displayed as an image.
  • SW S sequence The above-mentioned series of steps associated with one shear wave excitation based on push wave p p transmission is called “SW S sequence” (SW S: Shear Wave Speed).
  • FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the ultrasonic diagnostic system 100 according to the embodiment.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic system 1100 has multiple transducers (transducer arrays) 1 0 1 3 that transmit ultrasonic waves to the subject and receive the reflected waves.
  • Ultrasonic probes 1 0 1 (hereinafter referred to as “probe 1 0 1 ”) arranged in line, and let the probe 1 0 1 transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, based on the output signal from the probe 1 0 1.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 for generating a signal, an operation input unit 102 for receiving an operation input from an inspector, and a display unit 113 for displaying an ultrasonic image on the screen.
  • the probe 101, the operation input section 102, and the display section 113 are configured to be connectable to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, respectively.
  • the probe 10 1 has, for example, a transducer array (1 0 1 3) composed of a plurality of transducers 1 0 1 3 arranged in a one-dimensional direction (hereinafter, referred to as “transducer array direction”).
  • the probe 101 converts a pulse-shaped electric signal (hereinafter referred to as a “transmission signal”) supplied from a transmission beamformer unit 106, which will be described later, into a pulse-shaped ultrasonic wave.
  • the probe 10 1 is composed of multiple ultrasonic waves emitted from multiple oscillators with the outer surface of the probe 10 1 on the transducer side applied to the skin surface of the subject, etc., via an ultrasonic wave jar.
  • the ultrasonic beam is transmitted toward the measurement target.
  • the probe 101 receives a plurality of reflected detection waves (hereinafter referred to as “reflected waves”) from the subject, and the plurality of transducers 101 3 converts these reflected waves into electric signals.
  • the operation input unit 1002 receives various operation inputs such as various setting operations to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 from an inspector and outputs them to the control unit 115 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100.
  • the operation input unit 102 is, for example, a touch pad integrated with the display unit 1 13. ⁇ 02020/175107 9 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 can be performed by performing a touch operation or a drag operation on the operation keys displayed on the display unit 113. Can be operated by this touch panel.
  • the operation input unit 102 may be, for example, a keyboard having keys for various operations, an operation panel having buttons for various operations, a mouse having a lever or the like, or the like.
  • the display unit 1 13 is a display device for so-called image display, and displays the image output from the display control unit 1 1 2 described later on the screen.
  • the display unit 113 a liquid crystal display, an organic display!
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 selects each of the plurality of transducers 10 1 3 of the probe 1 0 1 for use in transmission or reception, and selects the selected transducer.
  • the multiplexer unit 107 that secures the input and output to the transmission beamformer unit 106 that controls the timing of high voltage application to each transducer 1 0 1 3 of the probe 1 0 1 to transmit ultrasonic waves.
  • a reception beam former unit 108 for generating an acoustic line signal by receiving beam forming based on the reflected wave received by the probe 10 1.
  • a region of interest "O" representing a measurement target range in the subject is set as a region of interest setting unit which sets a plurality of transducers 1 0 1 3 as a reference. 10 3
  • Push wave pulse generator that sends push wave pulses to multiple oscillators 1 0 1 3
  • Detection wave pulse generator that sends detection wave pulse I multiple times following push wave pulse 1 0 4 Having 5.
  • a displacement detection unit 109 for detecting the displacement of the tissue in the region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ from the acoustic line signal, propagation information analysis of shear waves is performed from the detected displacement of the tissue, and Propagation information analysis unit that calculates the wavefront arrival time of shear waves at each observation point 1 1 0, Region of interest "Propagation velocity of shear waves at each observation point in ⁇ , And/or has a mechanical property calculation unit 1 1 1 for calculating mechanical properties.
  • the data storage unit 1 1 4 that stores the displacement amount data output by 09, the wavefront arrival time data output by the propagation information analysis unit 1 1 0, and the mechanical property data output by the mechanical property calculation unit 1 1 1.
  • a display control unit 1 12 for forming a display image and displaying it on the display unit 1 13 is further provided, and a control unit 1 15 for controlling each component is provided.
  • the multiplexer unit 107, the transmission beamformer unit 106, the reception beamformer unit 08, the push wave pulse generation unit 104, the detection wave pulse generation unit 105, the region of interest setting unit 103, the displacement The detection unit 109, the propagation information analysis unit 110, the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 11 11, and the control unit 115 constitute an ultrasonic signal processing circuit 150.
  • the push wave pulse generation unit 104 and the transmission beamformer unit 06 are the push wave transmission unit 1041
  • the detection wave pulse generation unit 105 and the transmission beamformer unit 06 are the detection wave transmission unit 105. Configure 1 respectively.
  • Each element that constitutes the ultrasonic signal processing circuit 150 for example, the displacement detection unit 1 09, the propagation information analysis unit 1 1 0, and the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 1 1 1 are respectively, for example, F PGA (Field It is realized by hardware circuits such as Programmable Gate Array) and AS IC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively, it may be configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), a memory, and software for operating the processor. The configuration used is called G PGPU (General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Unit). These components can be a single circuit component or an assembly of multiple circuit components. Further, a plurality of constituent elements can be combined into one circuit component, or a plurality of circuit components can be assembled.
  • F PGA Field It is realized by hardware circuits such as Programmable Gate Array
  • AS IC Application Specific Integrated Circuit
  • G PGPU General-Purpose computing on Graphics Processing Unit
  • the data storage unit 114 is a computer-readable recording medium, and for example, a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, a flexible disk, M ⁇ , DVD, BD or the like can be used.
  • the data storage unit 1 1 1 4 It may be a storage device externally connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 such as (Network Attached Storage).
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 is not limited to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG.
  • the multiplexer unit 107 is not necessary, and a configuration in which the probe beam 10 1 includes the transmission beam former unit 10 6 and the reception beam former unit 10 8 or a part thereof Good.
  • the operator displays it on the display unit 1 1 3.
  • the measurement target range within the subject is specified and input to the operation input unit 102.
  • the ROI setting unit 103 sets the information specified by the operator from the operation input unit 102 as an input, and outputs it to the control unit 115.
  • the ROI setting unit 103 sets the ROI i indicating the measurement target range in the subject to the transducer array (1 0 1 a) consisting of a plurality of oscillators 1 0 1 a in the probe 1 0 1. You may set based on the position of a).
  • the region of interest rO i may be all or a part of the detection wave irradiation region AX including the transducer array (1 0 1 a) composed of a plurality of transducers 10 1 a.
  • the push wave pulse generation unit 104 acquires information indicating the ROI from the control unit 15 and sets a specific point near or inside the ROI. Then, by transmitting the push wave pulse ppp from the transmission beamformer unit 106 to the plurality of transducers 101a, a plurality of transducers 101a can be set to a specific point (hereinafter referred to as "transmission focus FP").
  • the push wave p P focused by the ultrasonic beam is transmitted to a specific site in the subject corresponding to (1). This excites a shear wave at a specific site in the subject.
  • the number of specific points is 1 here. ⁇ 02020/175107 12 ((171?2020/004884
  • ⁇ 1 ⁇
  • the push wave pulse generation unit 104 based on the information indicating the region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ ", the position of the transmission focus of the push wave and the array of transducers that transmit the push wave (hereinafter, “Push wave transmitter array X”) is determined as shown below.
  • Fig. 3 (3) is a schematic diagram showing the position of the transmission focal point of the push wave generated by the push wave pulse generation unit 104.
  • Region of interest ⁇ The length in the column direction and the length II in the depth direction of the subject are equal to or less than the length 3 in the column direction and the length in the depth direction of the subject of the ultrasonic wave irradiation range by plane waves, respectively.
  • the case where the region of interest “ ⁇ ⁇ is set near the center of the range will be described as an example.
  • the transmission focus position in the column direction of the transmission focus position is the region of interest. “It was configured to match the center position in the column direction of ⁇ .
  • the push wave transmission transducer array is set based on the depth direction transmission focal point position 2.
  • Information indicating the position of the transmission focus and the array of push wave transmission transducers is output to the transmission beamformer unit 106 as a transmission control signal together with the pulse width of the push pulse ⁇ / ⁇ / and the application start time. To be done.
  • the time interval of application start time may be included. The pulse width of the push wave pulse, the application start time, and the time interval will be described later.
  • the positional relationship between the region of interest “O” and the transmission focus is not limited to the above, and may be changed as appropriate depending on the form of the site to be examined of the subject.
  • the column direction transmission focal point position X is from the center of the region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ in the column direction ⁇ " to the positive or negative direction of the X axis.
  • the width of the region of interest and the center of the oscillator row in the row direction are different. ⁇ 0 2020/175 107 13 (: 17 2020 /004884
  • the focal point position X may be configured such that it is offset from the region of interest “ ⁇ ”in the column direction center ⁇ in the positive or negative direction of the X-axis and is located outside the region of interest “ ⁇ ⁇ .
  • the transmission focus may be set to a predetermined position outside the ROI " ⁇ ⁇ and outside the ROI "O ⁇ . At this time, when setting the vicinity of the ROI " ⁇ ⁇ , The transmission focus is set to a distance within which the shear wave can reach the region of interest “ ⁇ ⁇ .
  • the "focusing" of the ultrasonic beam by the push wave means that the ultrasonic beam is focused and is a focus beam, that is, the area irradiated by the ultrasonic beam decreases after transmission and at a specific depth. It means taking the minimum value, and is not limited to the case where the ultrasonic beam is focused on one point. In this case, the "transmission focal point" refers to the center of the ultrasonic beam at the depth at which the ultrasonic beam is focused.
  • Information indicating the position of the transmission focal point and the push wave transmission transducer array is output to the transmission beam former unit 106 as a transmission control signal together with the pulse width of the push wave pulse.
  • the detection wave pulse generation unit 105 inputs the information indicating the region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ " from the control unit 1 15 and outputs the detection wave pulse I from the transmission beamformer unit 1 0 6 to a plurality of transducers 1 0 1 3. To transmit the detection wave to the plurality of transducers 10 1 3 belonging to the detection wave pulse transmission transducer array X so that the ultrasonic beam passes through the region of interest “ ⁇ I”. Is based on the information indicating the region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ ", the detector wave pulse generator 105 transmits a detection wave pulse I so that the ultrasonic beam passes through the region of interest Detected wave transmission oscillator row X”).
  • Fig. 3 (13) is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the detection wave pulse generated by the detection wave pulse generation unit 105.
  • the detection wave pulse generator 105 is a so-called ⁇ 02020/175107 14 ((171?2020/004884
  • the detection wave pulse transmission transducer array X sets the detection wave pulse transmission transducer array X so that the detection wave, which is a plane wave, passes through the entire region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ .
  • the length 3 of the detection wave pulse transmission transducer array X is 3
  • the width of the region of interest is set to be located at a predetermined distance/3 inward from the end of the detection wave pulse transmission oscillator array X in the array direction. Since the wave is a plane wave, it propagates in the direction perpendicular to the transducer array direction, so the region of interest " ⁇ is included in the ultrasonic irradiation region X with a margin of distance / 3 at both ends in the X direction.
  • the detection wave pulse I can be transmitted.
  • the traveling direction of the ultrasonic beam that is the detection wave is not limited to the direction, and may be set so as to travel in a direction forming a predetermined azimuth angle 0 with respect to the direction.
  • the transmit beamformer unit 10 6 is connected to the probe 1 0 1 via the multiplexer unit 1 0 7, and is used to transmit ultrasonic waves from the probe 1 0 1, and a plurality of transmit beamformer units 1 0 6 exist in the probe 1 0 1.
  • This is a circuit that controls the timing of high voltage application to each of a plurality of oscillators included in the push wave transmission oscillator array X or the detection wave transmission oscillator array X that corresponds to all or part of the oscillator 1013.
  • FIG. 4 ( 3 ) is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the transmission beamformer unit 106.
  • the transmission beamformer unit 106 includes a drive signal generation unit 1061, a delay profile generation unit 1062, and a drive signal transmission unit 1063.
  • the drive signal generator 1 0 6 1 is the push wave transmission oscillator array or the detection wave transmission oscillator array among the transmission control signals from the push wave pulse generation unit 10 4 or the detection wave pulse generation unit 105. Based on the information indicating Ding X, the pulse width of the push wave pulse, the information indicating the application start time, the pulse width of the detection wave pulse I, and the information indicating the application start time.
  • the push wave transmission oscillator array X or the detection wave transmission oscillator is selected from the transmission control signals obtained from the push wave pulse generation unit 104 or the detection wave pulse generation unit 105.
  • Delay time from the printing start time which determines the transmission timing of the ultrasonic beam, based on the alignment X and the information indicating the position of the transmission focus or the transmission direction 0 I 1 ⁇ (1 ⁇ is from 1 to transducer 1
  • the ultrasonic beam is focused by delaying the ultrasonic beam transmission for each transducer by the delay time.
  • the drive signal transmitter 1 0 6 3 Based on the pulse signal 3 from the drive signal generator 1 0 6 1 and the delay time 1 ⁇ from the delay profile generator 1 0 6 2, the drive signal transmitter 1 0 6 3 has a plurality of signals existing in the probe 1 0 1.
  • the push wave transmission process is performed to supply the push wave pulse for transmitting the push wave to each oscillator included in the push wave transmission oscillator array X.
  • the push wave transmission oscillator array is selected by the multiplexer unit 107.
  • a push wave that causes a physical displacement in a living body is required to have a remarkably large power as compared with a transmission pulse used for normal normal mode display and the like. That is, as a drive voltage to be given to the pulsar (ultrasonic wave generator), in the case of the acquisition of the Mitsu mode image, it may be normally established even at 30 to 40 V, whereas in the push wave, for example, 50 V or more may be established. It costs.
  • the transmission pulse length is about several 360 for acquisition of the Mitsu mode image, but a push pulse requires a transmission pulse length of several hundreds of ⁇ per transmission.
  • a push wave pulse is output from the drive signal transmission unit 1 0 63.
  • the push wave pulse has a predetermined pulse width (time length) and a predetermined voltage amplitude (10 ⁇ ⁇ 02020/175107 16 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the pulse width is, for example, 100 to 200,360
  • the frequency is, for example.
  • the voltage amplitude may be, for example, +50 V to 1-50.
  • the printing conditions are not limited to the above.
  • the drive signal transmitting unit 1063 includes a plurality of transducers existing in the probe 1011.
  • the detector wave transmitting oscillator array is selected by the multiplexer unit 107.
  • the configuration relating to the supply of the detection wave pulse is not limited to the above, and for example, the configuration without the multiplexer unit 107 may be used.
  • the transmission beam former section 106 After transmitting the push wave pulse, the transmission beam former section 106 transmits the detection wave pulse I a plurality of times based on the transmission control signal from the detection wave pulse generation section 105. After one of the transmitted push wave pulse, it is referred to each time series of the detection wave pulse I sent to be performed multiple times from the signal transducer column Ding father sent the same _ of the detection wave a "transmission events".
  • the receive beamformer unit is located in the detection wave irradiation area X based on the reflected waves from the subject tissue received in time series by the multiple transducers 10 13 in response to each of the multiple detection wave pulses I.
  • Acoustic wave signals are generated for a plurality of observation points ”of the acoustic wave signal frame data 3 (the natural number from 1 to 1 is used as the acoustic ray signal frame data 3 I if the numbers are not distinguished). It is a circuit that generates a can. That is, the reception beamformer unit 108 transmits the detection wave pulse and then, based on the reflected wave received by the probe 101, the acoustic beam is generated from the electric signals obtained by the plurality of transducers 10 13. Generate a signal.
  • the “acoustic ray signal” is a signal obtained by subjecting the received signal ([3 ⁇ 4 signal) to phasing addition processing. ⁇ 02020/175107 17 ((171?2020/004884
  • Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of the reception beamformer unit 108.
  • the reception beamformer unit 108 includes an input unit 1081, a received signal holding unit 1082, and a phasing addition unit 1083.
  • the input unit 1 08 1 is a circuit connected to the probe 1 0 1 via the multiplexer unit 1 0 7 to generate a received signal signal) based on the reflected wave at the probe 1 0 1.
  • the received signal " (1 ⁇ is a natural number from 1 to) is a so-called signal obtained by 8/0 conversion of the electric signal converted from the reflected wave received by each transducer based on the transmission of the detection wave pulse I.
  • the received signal “CH1 ⁇ is composed of a train of signals (received signal train) connected in the transmission direction of ultrasonic waves (depth direction of the subject) received by each receiver transducer “%1 ⁇ Has been
  • the input unit 1 08 1 uses the received signal "1 ⁇ for each receiving transducer "1 ⁇
  • the receiving transducer array is composed of the transducer array that corresponds to some or all of the multiple transducers 1 0 1 3 existing in the probe 1 0 1. It is selected by the multiplexer unit 107 based on the instruction.In this example, all of the plurality of transducers 1013 are selected as the receiving transducer array.
  • the receiving transducer array for all the transducers by receiving the reflected waves from the observation points existing in the entire detection wave irradiation area X with all the transducers by one reception process. ..
  • the generated received signal “CH! ⁇ ” is output to the received signal holding unit 1082.
  • the received signal holding unit 1082 is a computer-readable recording medium, and for example, a semiconductor memory or the like can be used.
  • the received signal holding unit 1082 inputs the received signal "CH! ⁇ " for each receiving transducer "from the input unit 1081 in synchronization with the transmission event and outputs one acoustic line signal. Hold this until the frame data is generated. ⁇ 02020/175107 18 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the received signal holding unit 1082 may be a part of the data storage unit 114.
  • the detection wave pulse receiving transducer array X exists in the probe 1 0 1. It is composed of receiving oscillators 1 ⁇ , which is a part or all of a plurality of oscillators 1 103, and a phasing addition unit 1 0 8 3 and a multiplexer unit 1 0 7 based on instructions from the control unit 1 15.
  • the reflected wave receiving oscillator array [the father] an oscillator array including at least all the oscillators forming the detected wave pulse transmitting oscillator array X in each transmission event is selected. It was composed.
  • the phasing addition unit 1083 includes a delay processing unit 1083 1 for performing processing for the received signal "CH1 ⁇ 1", and an addition unit 10832.
  • the delay processing unit 1 0 8 3 1 is the receiving oscillator in the detection wave pulse receiving oscillator array [3 ⁇ 4 Observing point ⁇ " and receiving transducer 1 ⁇ respectively, the difference in the distance between the receiving transducer 1 ⁇ respectively obtained by dividing the difference in distance by the sound velocity value is compensated by the arrival time difference (delay amount) of reflected ultrasonic waves at each It is a circuit that identifies as the received signal corresponding to the receiving transducer 1 ⁇ based on the reflected ultrasonic wave from the.
  • FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a method of calculating an ultrasonic wave propagation path in the delay processing section 108 1.
  • Detection wave pulse It shows the propagation path of the ultrasonic wave radiated from the transducer array X, which is reflected at the region of interest “Observation point at an arbitrary position in the area ⁇ ” and reaches the receiving transducer 8 1 ⁇ . is there.
  • the detection wave transmitted from the detected wave transmitting oscillator array X (the entire oscillator array (1 0 1 3)) is preferably a plane wave as described above, but is not limited to this. Late ⁇ 02020/175107 19 ((171?2020/004884
  • the extension processing unit 1 0 8 3 1 sets the transmission path up to the observation point ”to the detection wave transmitted from the detection wave transmission transducer array X to the transducer array vertically.
  • the delay processing unit 1 0 8 3 1 responds to the transmission event until it reaches the receiving transducer 8 ! ⁇ included in the detected wave receiving transducer array after being reflected at the "observing point" by the observation point "". Calculates the reception route of.
  • the reception path when the reflected wave at the observation point "" returns to the receiving transducer 1 ⁇ is the path from any observation point "" to each receiving transducer 1 ⁇ Calculated. This is divided by the speed of sound to calculate the reception time.
  • the delay processing unit 1083 1 determines each receiving oscillator from the transmitting time and the receiving time.
  • the delay processing unit 1083 1 receives the received signal sequence "1 ⁇ (delay amount is subtracted from the received signal sequence corresponding to the delay amount from the received signal sequence "1 ⁇ Corresponding received signal) is identified as the signal corresponding to the receiving transducer 1 ⁇ based on the reflected wave from the observation point.
  • the delay processing unit 1 0 8 3 1 responds to the transmission event by the received signal holding unit 1 0 8
  • the addition unit 1 0 8 3 2 is a receiving oscillator output from the delay processing unit 1 0 8 3 1.
  • the received signal "Chi 1 ⁇ identified for each receiving transducer 1 ⁇ is multiplied by the receiving apodization (weight sequence) and then added to obtain the observation point".
  • the acoustic line signal 3" may be generated.
  • the reception apodization is a sequence of weighting factors applied to the received signal corresponding to the reception oscillator 8 1 ⁇ in the detection wave reception oscillator sequence 8 X.
  • the reception apodization is set so that the weight of the transducer located at the center of the detection wave receiving transducer array 8 X in the column direction is maximized, and the central axis of the distribution of the reception apodization is the detection transducer. It agrees with the oscillator row central axis X ⁇ , and the distribution is symmetrical with respect to the central axis.
  • the shape of distribution is not particularly limited.
  • the addition unit 1 0 8 3 2 generates acoustic ray signal frame data 3 I for the region of interest "all observation points existing in ⁇ ⁇ " to generate acoustic ray signal frame data 3 I. ..
  • the detection wave pulse is synchronized with the transmission event.
  • acoustic line signal frame data 3 I is generated for all the sending events.
  • the generated acoustic ray signal frame data (3) is output and stored in the database storage unit 1 1 4 for each transmission event.
  • the displacement detection unit 109 is a circuit that detects the displacement of the tissue in the detection wave irradiation region X from the sequence of the acoustic ray signal frame data 0 13 units.
  • FIG. 8 shows the displacement detection unit 109, the propagation information analysis unit 110, and the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 1
  • FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of 1 1.
  • the displacement detection unit 109 is one line of acoustic line signal frame data to be the displacement detection target included in the sequence of acoustic line signal frame data ⁇ 1 3 units. 3 I and one reference acoustic line signal frame data 30 (hereinafter referred to as “reference acoustic line signal frame data 30”) are stored in the data storage unit 1 1 via the control unit 1 1 5. Get from 4. Reference acoustic line signal frame data Is the signal in the acoustic ray signal frame data 3 I corresponding to each transmission event. ⁇ 0 2020/175 107 21 21 (:171? 2020 /004884
  • the reference data sequence corresponding to the observation point and its vicinity is extracted from the reference acoustic line signal frame data 0 13 0, and the data sequence closest to the reference data sequence is searched from the acoustic line signal frame data 0 13 I. Then, the deviation amount of the position (or range) in the subject corresponding to the found data sequence when the position (or range) in the subject corresponding to the reference data sequence is used as a reference is associated with the observation point. Calculate as displacement. For the comparison processing, for example, correlation processing or pattern matching can be used.
  • the displacement detection unit 109 outputs the generated displacement amount frame data 1: ⁇ to the data storage unit 1 14.
  • the propagation information analysis unit 1100 is a circuit that specifies the peak time of displacement at each observation point in the detected wave irradiation area X from the sequence of displacement amount frame data and generates wavefront arrival time data 3100. is there.
  • the peak time of displacement is specified by correlation processing using displacement amount frame data 1.
  • the propagation information analysis unit 1 10 includes a gate width setting unit 1 1 0 1 and a correlation processing unit 1 1 0 2.
  • the gate width setting unit 1 1 0 1 sets the gate width, which is the data sequence length used in the correlation processing in the correlation processing unit 1 1 0 2.
  • the correlation processing unit 1102 performs a correlation process with the reference displacement amount sequence 0 (I) which is the reference. Specifically, the correlation processing unit 1102 calculates that the correlation value ⁇ () indicated by the following mathematical formula becomes maximum.
  • the gate width setting unit 1 101 is ( ⁇ ) Set the gates specified by 8 and 13 so that the gate width defined by is smaller as the + lever is smaller. That is, the gate is set so that the gate width becomes smaller as the displacement time of 1” (+) used to calculate the correlation value ⁇ (7:) is closer to the push pulse transmission time.
  • the gate width is 1 + less than 5 01 3 It is set to be proportional to Alternatively, the gate width 9 may satisfy the following formula.
  • the gate width is set to be constant. For example, if the gate width is + 3 0 01 3 or more,
  • the gate width setting unit 1 1 0 1 outputs the parameter 3 and the threshold for specifying the set gate to the correlation processing unit 1 1 0 2.
  • the correlation processing unit 1 10 2 sets the time series of the observation point ⁇ 02020/175107 23 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • Correlation processing is performed between the displacement amount sequence “1” (1:) and the reference displacement amount sequence ⁇ 10 (I).
  • the reference displacement amount sequence ⁇ 10 (1:) is a displacement amount sequence whose peak time is known, and the displacement amount sequence I] (I) at the observation point "is the time series near the peak time. It is preferable that the tendency of change (graph shape with time on the horizontal axis and displacement on the vertical axis) is similar.
  • the reference displacement sequence ⁇ for example, the displacement sequence ⁇ 11 ⁇ (1:) of the observation point ! ⁇ ⁇ that is adjacent to the transmission focal point side of the push wave with respect to the observation point ⁇ can be used ..
  • correlation processing section 1102 calculates peak times in order from the observation point close to the transmission focus of the push wave by correlation processing.
  • the peak time is specified in sequence from the observation point with the earliest passage time of the shear wave wavefront.
  • the peak time of an observation point with a sharp peak close to the transmission focus is calculated with high accuracy, and then correlation processing is performed between adjacent observation points to determine the shear rate based on the high similarity of the displacement sequence. Even if the wave is attenuated, the peak time can be detected while keeping the peak sensitivity high.
  • the gate width is extremely small when the time is very close, the peak time can be calculated with high accuracy as in the case of the manual method, regardless of the content of the reference displacement sequence ⁇ (1:).
  • the correlation processing unit 1 102 generates the wavefront arrival time data 3 I 0 by associating the peak time of the displacement with the coordinates of the observation point "" and outputs it to the data storage unit 1 1 4.
  • the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 1 1 1 calculates the shear wave propagation velocity or mechanical characteristics for the region of interest "plurality of observation points", and calculates the mechanical properties for the region of interest "O". This is a circuit for calculating the characteristic data ⁇ I.
  • the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 1 1 1 1 is composed of a propagation velocity conversion unit 1 1 1 1 1 1 and a mechanical characteristic conversion unit 1 1 1 1 2.
  • the propagation velocity conversion unit 1 1 1 1 converts the wavefront arrival time data 3 I ⁇ into the propagation velocity data V ⁇ at the observation region ⁇ within the region of interest ‘ Generate data ⁇ and output to data storage unit 1 1 4
  • the mechanical characteristic conversion unit 1 1 1 2 converts the propagation velocity frame data _ V 0 into the mechanical characteristic ⁇ I in the region of interest “observation point ⁇ ”, and Characteristic data ⁇ I is generated and output to the data storage unit 1 14.
  • the mechanical characteristics include elastic modulus and viscosity, which can be calculated based on the propagation velocity of shear wave. The characteristic is not limited to this.
  • the data storage unit 1 1 4 stores the generated received signal sequence "h, sequence of acoustic line signal frame data ⁇ 1 3 ⁇ , sequence of displacement amount frame data ⁇ , wavefront arrival time data 3 I ⁇ , propagation velocity data It is a recording medium for sequentially recording V ⁇ and mechanical property data 6 I. ⁇ 02020/175107 25 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the control unit 115 controls the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on the command from the operation input unit 102.
  • a processor such as ⁇ II can be used for the control unit 115.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 is a push wave pulse.
  • Mitsu mode image generation unit that generates ultrasonic images (Mitsu mode images).
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the outline of the steps of the integrated 33 sequence in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100.
  • Ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 0 The sequence is the reference acoustic wave signal frame data for transmitting and receiving the reference detection wave and extracting the displacement due to the shear wave corresponding to each subsequent transmission event.
  • Detection area pulse that passes through the region of interest “ ⁇ ⁇ % ⁇ is repeated multiple () times
  • the shear wave propagation analysis is performed and the mechanical characteristics calculation process (1 ⁇ 0) is performed to calculate the shear wave propagation velocity V and mechanical characteristics 6 I.
  • the frame data of the acoustic line signal is formed in time series based on the reflection component from the tissue of the subject based on the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wave performed in 08, and envelope detection, logarithmic compression, etc. of the acoustic line signal are performed.
  • the luminance signal is coordinate-transformed into a rectangular coordinate system to be generated.
  • the display control unit 1 1 1 2 causes the display unit 1 1 1 3 to display the Mitsu mode image in which the tissue of the subject is drawn.
  • FIG. 10 shows an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. Flow showing the operation of the processing _ Chiya _ is me.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 displays on the display unit 1 13 a real-time tomographic image of the subject, which is a tomographic image of the subject acquired by the probe 1 0 1 in real time.
  • the region-of-interest setting unit 103 inputs the information specified by the operator from the operation input unit 102, and inputs the information specified by the operator to the region of interest ‘ Is set as a reference and output to the control unit 1 15.
  • the operator specifies the area of interest " ⁇ ⁇ , for example, by displaying the latest MIN mode image recorded in the data storage unit 1 1 4 on the display unit 1 1 3 and displaying it on the touch panel, mouse, etc. This is done by designating a region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ through an input unit (not shown).
  • the region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ can be defined as, for example, the entire area of the Mitsu mode image as the region of interest ⁇ ⁇ . It may be a fixed range that includes the central part of the image.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 determines the detection wave pulse transmission transducer array so that the detection wave passes through the entire region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ ".
  • the propagation direction of the detected wave is the axial direction
  • the detected wave pulse transmission transducer array includes the range of the region of interest " ⁇ " in the X direction.
  • the detection wave pulse transmission oscillator array may be all the elements of the probe 101.
  • the push wave pulse generation unit 1044 inputs information indicating the region of interest " ⁇ ⁇ " from the control unit 1 15 and sets the transmission focus of the push wave pulse.
  • the row direction transmission focal point position X is the center position of the detection wave irradiation area 8 X in the row direction.
  • the depth direction transmission focal point position 2 coincides with the depth 1 up to the center of the detection wave irradiation area 8 X.
  • the push wave transmission oscillator array is composed of all of the multiple oscillators 10 13.
  • the positional relationship between the detection wave irradiation region X and the transmission focal point is not limited to the above, and may be appropriately changed depending on the form of the site to be examined of the subject.
  • Information indicating the position of the transmission focal point and the push wave transmission transducer array is output to the transmission beam former section 106 as a transmission control signal together with the pulse width of the push wave pulse.
  • the transmission beamformer unit 106 causes the oscillator included in the push-wave transmission oscillator array to transmit a push-wave pulse to the oscillator.
  • a push wave that focuses the ultrasonic beam is transmitted to a specific part of the subject that corresponds to the transmission focus.
  • the transmit beamformer unit 106 is a push wave pulse generator 1
  • a transmission profile is generated based on the transmission control signal consisting of the position of the transmission focal point obtained from 0 4, the push wave transmission oscillator array X, and the pulse width of the push wave pulse.
  • the transmission profile consists of pulse signal 3 and delay time 1 ⁇ for each transmitting oscillator included in the push wave transmitting oscillator array X.
  • a push wave pulse is supplied to each transmission transducer based on the transmission profile.
  • Each transmitting oscillator transmits a pulse-shaped push wave that is focused on a specific site in the subject.
  • Figures 11 (3) to ( ⁇ ) are panel models showing the mechanism of shear wave excitation by push waves.
  • the elastic tissue inside the subject is subjected to spring-loaded compound. ⁇ 02020/175107 28 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • each sphere corresponds to each location of tissue within the subject.
  • a push wave is applied to the focal region in the subject corresponding to the transmission focal point in the state where the probe 10 1 is brought into close contact with the skin surface.
  • the sphere 603 corresponding to the focus point moves in the direction by the push pulse.
  • the sphere 60 4 that is attached to the sphere 6 0 3 is pulled in the direction, and each of the sphere 6 1 3 and the sphere 6 1 4 is sphere 6 0 4. 3, pushed in the direction by the ball 604.
  • the balls 6 0 2, 6 2 3 pressed directly by the push pulse move in the directions and the other balls 6 1 2, 6 2 3 move in the other direction.
  • the directional vibration is propagated to the positions of the spheres 60 4 and 6 14 which are not directly pressed by the push pulse. That is, when the focal portion is pressed in the direction, the focal portion vibrates in the direction, and the tissue adjacent to the X direction is also pulled in the direction, and the tissue also vibrates in the direction. Furthermore, a chain motion occurs in which the tissue adjacent to the X-direction in the direction vibrating in the direction is pulled in the direction and vibrates in the direction. Further, by repeating such an action, vibration in the X direction propagates, that is, a phenomenon in which a shear wave propagates in the X direction occurs.
  • step 3140 the detection wave pulse is transmitted and received multiple times in the region of interest " ⁇ ", and the acquired sequence of the acoustic ray signal frame data (3) is stored.
  • the transducer included in the detector wave transmitter oscillator array transmits the detector wave pulse I toward the object, and the receive beamformer unit 108 detects the detector wave pulse receiver oscillator array [ 3 ⁇ 4 Generates acoustic line signal frame data 3 based on the reflected wave 60 received by the oscillator included in the father. For example, immediately after the end of transmission of the push wave, for example, 500 times per second, ⁇ 02020/175107 29 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the above process is repeated.
  • the acoustic ray signal frame data 3 I in the detection wave irradiation region X of the subject is repeatedly generated from immediately after the shear wave is generated until the propagation ends.
  • the transmission time until the transmitted detected wave reaches the observation point "" is calculated for each "observation point".
  • the transmission time can be calculated by dividing the distance between the observation point "" and the surface of the probe 10 1 by the speed of sound on a straight line passing through the observation point "" in the normal direction of the detected wave.
  • the propagation direction of the detected wave is in the direction, it can be calculated by dividing the difference in coordinates between the surface of the probe 10 1 and the observation point “” by the speed of sound.
  • the reception time can be calculated by dividing the geometric distance between the “observation point” and the receiving oscillator by the speed of sound. Then, the delay time is calculated for each receiving transducer, and the received signal "CH1 ⁇ " corresponding to the observation point "" is identified and weighted addition is performed, so that the acoustic line corresponding to the observation point "" is identified. No. 3 I is generated.
  • the sequence of the generated acoustic ray signal frame data 3 I is stored in the data storage unit.
  • step 3151 the displacement detection unit 109 detects the displacement of the region of interest “observation point in ⁇ ” in each transmission event.
  • Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing operations of displacement detection and shear wave propagation analysis.
  • the displacement detection unit 109 acquires the reference acoustic line signal frame data 30 stored in the data storage unit 114 in step 3130.
  • the reference acoustic line signal frame data 30 is the acoustic line signal frame data acquired before the push wave is transmitted, that is, before the shear wave is generated.
  • the displacement detection unit 109 sets the reference acoustic line signal frame data 3 0 for each acoustic line signal frame data 3 I stored in the data storage unit 1 14 in step 3 150.
  • the acoustic line signal frame data 3 I is acquired from the difference between ⁇ 02020/175107 30 (:171?2020/004884
  • the eight rows in Fig. 12 show the reference acoustic line signal frame data 30 and the acoustic line signal frame data 3 generated in each transmission event, and the row shows the three lines at step 3150. Shows the displacement frame data calculated for each transmission event. As shown in rows 8 and 9 in Fig. 12, displacement amount frame data 1 ⁇ is compared with reference acoustic line signal frame data 3 0 and reference acoustic line signal frame data 3 0, and reference acoustic line signal frame data 3 0 is compared.
  • the observation point "" and its vicinity are used as gates to perform correlation processing between the acoustic line signal frame data 3 and the reference acoustic line signal frame data 30 to obtain the observation point ".
  • the data most similar to the data in the corresponding reference acoustic line signal frame data 30 is extracted from the acoustic line signal frame data 3 I.
  • the displacement of the observation point "" is detected with the position in the subject corresponding to the extracted data as the movement destination of the observation point "".
  • the displacement detection method is not limited to correlation processing, and 3 lines of acoustic ray signal frame data are divided into regions of a predetermined size such as 8 pixels x 8 pixels, and each region and the reference acoustic line signal frame are divided. It is also possible to detect the displacement of each pixel of the acoustic ray signal frame data 3 by pattern matching with the data 30. In addition, any technique other than pattern matching that detects the amount of motion between two acoustic ray signal frame data 3I may be used.
  • the displacement detection unit 109 associates the displacement of each observation point "in relation to the acoustic line signal frame data 3 I of one frame" with the coordinate "of the observation point" in the region of interest ⁇ ⁇ .
  • the displacement amount data 1: ”of the observation point is generated, and the generated displacement amount frame data 1: ”for the region of interest “ ⁇ ”is output to the data storage unit 1 1 4.
  • the displacement detection unit 1 0 9 Do this for all outgoing events. ⁇ 02020/175107 31 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • step 3160 the propagation information analysis unit 1100 inputs the displacement amount frame de- verse 1: the sequence of ⁇ as the input, and the displacement data for each of the ROIs “Observation points in the region of interest”.
  • the peak time is identified from the time series change of "1: ⁇ "
  • the peak time is regarded as the arrival time of the wavefront of the shear wave
  • the wavefront arrival time data 3 1: is generated and output to the data storage unit 1 1 4. The operation of step 3160 will be described later.
  • step 3170 the mechanical property calculator 111 inputs the wavefront arrival time data 3I and inputs the shear wave velocity for each of the regions of interest "Observation points in ⁇ ". Infer and estimate mechanical properties based on shear wave velocity
  • the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 1 11 acquires the wavefront arrival time data 3 1 stored in the data storage unit 1 1 1 4 in step 3 16 0.
  • the mechanical property calculation unit 1 1 1 assumes that the shear wave propagates in the approximately X direction, and divides the distance between two observation points that are close to each other in the X direction by the difference in wavefront arrival time.
  • Column 0 in Fig. 12 shows the state in which the shear wave velocity is associated with the coordinate of the observation point.
  • the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 11 11 stores in the data storage unit 1 1 1 4 the propagation velocity data V generated by associating the shear wave velocity with the coordinate of the observation point.
  • the mechanical property calculation unit 11 11 may calculate the mechanical property of the subject based on the velocity of the shear wave.
  • Mechanical properties include, for example, elastic modulus and viscosity (viscosity).
  • the mechanical characteristic calculation unit 1 1 1 1 associates the mechanical characteristic with the coordinate of the observation point ", as shown in the row of Fig. 12 and stores it as the mechanical characteristic data. Store in 4.
  • Step 3 1 8 the mechanical characteristics calculating device 1 1 1, generated mechanical properties de - evening 6
  • a mechanical characteristic image in which the information is mapped is generated, and the display control unit 11 12 performs coordinate conversion on the mechanical characteristic image and outputs it to the display unit 11 3.
  • step 3160 the propagation information analysis unit 110 inputs the sequence of displacement frame data 1: ⁇ as input, and the displacement data 1: ⁇ for each region of interest “observation point ⁇ ”.
  • the peak time is identified from the time series change of “,” the peak time is regarded as the arrival time of the wavefront of the shear wave, and the wavefront arrival time data 3 I is generated and output to the data storage unit 1 1 4.
  • step 31601 the coordinate "of the observation point" is initialized so that the distance from the transmission focus of the push wave becomes small. Specifically, the position of the transmission focus point is set as the position of the observation point when the transmission focus of the push pulse exists in the interest area " ⁇ ". On the other hand, if there is no push pulse transmission focus within the region of interest, the observation point closest to the transmission focus is the observation point that has the same depth (two coordinates) as the transmission focus. Position.
  • the reference displacement amount sequence 0 10 0 is set.
  • the reference displacement amount sequence "0"" is displacement amount sequence data having a tendency of a time series change similar to that of the displacement at the observation point "", and is a displacement amount sequence data whose peak time is known.
  • the reference displacement amount sequence "" it is possible to use, for example, the reference displacement sequence sequence "10 0" of an observation point closer to the transmission focus than the observation point "”. Note that the reference displacement amount sequence 0 stored in the data storage unit 114 in advance may be used.
  • step 316 the gate range of the correlation processing is set.
  • the acquisition time of the data used for the correlation processing in the displacement amount sequence ”of the observation point ” is specified, and converted to the observation time that is the relative time when the push pulse transmission time is 0. .. Then, depending on the value of the observation time, ⁇ 02020/175107 33 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the gate width is set in the range of 2 3 to 6 3 and the gate width is set to increase as the observation time increases.
  • 3 ⁇ 4 / 9 1: may be set.
  • the observation time is 30 If it is 3 or more, set the gate width to 6
  • step 3160 4 the time difference is initialized to 0.
  • step 3165 the correlation value ⁇ () is calculated for the time difference.
  • step 3160 step 3 16 0 5 is repeated while changing all until the correlation value ⁇ (te) is calculated for all time differences, and the correlation value ⁇ is calculated for all time differences.
  • (te) is calculated, the process proceeds to step 3160.
  • step 316 07 the peak time is specified based on the time difference 7: with respect to the maximum value of the correlation value ⁇ (). Specifically, the maximum value is calculated from all calculated correlation values ⁇ (7:), and the time difference 7: corresponding to the maximum value is specified. Then, with respect to the peak time ⁇ in the reference displacement amount sequence, the time 0 + 7: is specified as the peak time of the displacement at the observation point “”.
  • Step 316 08 it is judged whether or not the peak time has been calculated for all the observation points I ", and if there is an observation point
  • step 3 16 10 the propagation information analysis unit 1 10 0 ⁇ 02020/175107 34 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the wave front arrival time data 3 I in the region of interest “ ⁇ ⁇ ” is generated and output to the data storage unit 1 1 1.
  • Fig. 16 (3) shows the time series of displacement in a phantom with an elastic modulus of 4 4 1 ⁇ 3.
  • the displacements 7 1 1, 7 1 2, 7 1 3, 7 1 4 However, the time series changes of displacement at the 1st position, 2nd position, 3rd position and 4th position are shown respectively.
  • Fig. 16 (Slung) shows that the elastic modulus is 25 3 shows the time-series change of displacement in the phantom of 3 and the displacements 7 2 1, 7 2 2, 7 2 3, and 7 2 4 are respectively at the first position, the second position, the third position, The time series change of the displacement at the 4th position is shown.
  • Figure 17 (3) shows that the elastic modulus is 1 2 3 shows the time series change of displacement in the phantom of 3 and the displacements 7 3 1, 7 3 2, 7 3 3, 7 34 are respectively the 1st position, 2nd position, 3rd position, 4th position. It shows the time series of displacement of the position.
  • the elastic modulus is 3. It shows the time series change of displacement in the phantom, and the displacements 7 4 1, 7 4 2, 7 4 3 and 7 4 4 are respectively the 1st position, 2nd position, 3rd position and 4th position. The time series change of the position displacement is shown.
  • the elastic modulus is 4 4
  • the waveforms near the peaks of the displacement 7 11 and the displacement 7 12 at different positions are similar, and similarly, in the phantom with an elastic modulus of 3.71 ⁇ 3 , different positions are observed.
  • the waveforms near the peaks of displacement 7 41 and displacement 7 4 2 are similar. In other words, if the hardness is uniform, the waveforms at two adjacent observation points are similar, and it can be inferred that the peak time of displacement is easy to detect by correlation processing.
  • Fig. 18 shows variation in peak time difference (standard deviation) between an example in which the correlation processing gate width is set as in the embodiment and a comparative example in which the correlation processing gate width is fixed. Are compared.
  • Figure 18 (3) shows that the first position, the second position, the third position, and the third position of the phantom with an elastic modulus of 1 2 1 ⁇ 3 in the example and the comparative example in which the gate width is fixed. The peak time of displacement at four positions, the difference in peak time between two adjacent observation points, and their standard deviations are shown.
  • the phantom has a uniform hardness
  • the first, second, third, and fourth positions are set at equal intervals on a straight line, so the shear wave between the two points is
  • the peak time difference between two adjacent observation points, which corresponds to the travel time of, should be equal in all three. Therefore, it can be estimated that the smaller the standard deviation value is, the more accurate the peak time detection accuracy is.
  • the transmission and reception of the detected wave is performed every 200 ⁇ ⁇ , and the peak time is shown by the sample number. For example, the peak time 2 4 at the first position has a peak time of 4. It shows that it is 3.
  • the gate width is 1 for the first position.
  • the gate width is 2 3 for the 3rd and 2nd positions, and the gate width is 4 3 for the 3rd and 4th positions. Since the peaks at the first and second positions are sharp, the peak time can be detected with high accuracy even if the gate width is narrow. In particular, when the gate width is extremely narrowed, even the correlation processing method has characteristics similar to those of the manual method, so that the 3 / ! ⁇ 1 ratio is ⁇ 02020/175107 36 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the detection accuracy does not improve even if the gate width is expanded more than necessary, and only the calculation amount increases. Therefore, when the gate width is fixed, if the width of the gate is narrow, the accuracy of peak detection at the 3rd and 4th positions decreases, so the error between the 2nd-3rd time difference and the 3rd-4th time difference tends to increase. Therefore, it can be inferred that if the gate is wide, the accuracy of peak detection at the 1st and 2nd positions decreases, and the error between the 1st-2nd time difference and the 2nd-3rd time difference tends to increase. On the other hand, in the embodiment, since the gate width of the correlation processing is changed for each observation point, it can be inferred that an appropriate gate width can always be used and the standard deviation value has become small.
  • Fig. 18 shows that the elastic modulus is 25
  • the gate width is calculated for the first position and the second position as 101 3
  • the gate width for the third position is 201 3
  • the gate width for the 4th position is 43.
  • Fig. 18 ( ⁇ ) shows that the elastic modulus is 4 4
  • the gate width is 1 at all of the first position, the second position, the third position, and the fourth position. Calculated with 3.
  • the shear wave velocity is faster than that of a phantom with an elastic modulus of 2 5 1 ⁇ 3 , as is clear from Fig. 16(a). Therefore, not only at the first position, the second position, and the third position but also at the fourth position, the peaks are as sharp as the first position, and the peak time can be detected with high accuracy even if the gate width is narrow.
  • the gate width when the gate width is fixed, it can be inferred that when the gate width is wide, the peak detection accuracy decreases and the time difference error tends to increase.
  • the gate width of the correlation processing since the gate width of the correlation processing is changed for each observation point, it can be inferred that the appropriate gate width can always be used and the standard deviation value has become small.
  • the gate width of the correlation processing is too small, erroneous detection of noise is likely to occur with respect to a dull peak, and a time greatly deviated from the peak time is erroneously detected. Sometimes. On the other hand, if the gate width of the correlation processing is too large, the amount of calculation increases and the peak time error may increase due to the use of data at times outside the peak. On the other hand, in the embodiment, the gate width is reduced when the observation time based on the push pulse transmission time is early. With this configuration, when deterioration due to shear wave propagation is small and the absolute amount of displacement and the degree of change are large, the peak time detection accuracy can be increased as in the case of the manual method.
  • the gate width is increased when the observation time based on the push pulse transmission time is late.
  • erroneous detection of noise can be suppressed when the deterioration due to shear wave propagation is large and the absolute amount of displacement and the degree of change are small.
  • the amount of calculation increases. ⁇ 02020/175107 38 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the peak time detection accuracy does not change, and if the gate width is excessively large, the peak time detection accuracy decreases.
  • the gate width is appropriately changed based on the observation time, it is possible to apply the gate width suitable for each observation point, and suppress the false detection of noise, etc. It is possible to improve the detection accuracy.
  • the embodiment according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and may have the following configurations.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 when detecting the peak time of the displacement at the observation point "", is adjacent to the observation point "" on the transmission focal point side.
  • the time series data of the displacement of I was assumed to be the reference time series data, but if the peak time is known and the reference time series data has some similarity with the time series data of the displacement of the "observation point". Good.
  • the time series data of the 2 nth ( n is an integer of 1 or more) observation point displacement may be used as the reference time series data, or the 3 nth or The time series data of the displacement of the 4 nth observation point may be used as the reference time series data.
  • the reference time-series data that is held in advance.
  • the time-series data of the displacement related to the previous push pulse transmission is used as the reference time-series data. It may be data.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 is described as transmitting the push pulse focused on the transmission focal point, but any push pulse wave may be used as long as it excites a shear wave in the subject. Alternatively, it may be a push pulse focused on a region having a certain size.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 transmits a plane wave as a detection wave
  • the detection wave can be transmitted a sufficient number of times to detect the velocity of the shear wave, and is generated by reception. It suffices that the displacement detection accuracy based on the acoustic line signal is sufficiently high. For example, it may be a focused wave, a spherical wave, or the like.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has its constituent elements. All or part of the above may be realized by an integrated circuit of one chip or a plurality of chips, may be realized by a program of a computer, or may be implemented in any other form.
  • the propagation analysis unit and the evaluation unit may be realized by one chip, or only the ultrasonic signal acquisition unit may be realized by one chip and the displacement detection unit and the like may be realized by another chip.
  • LS Large Scale Integration
  • I C system L S I
  • super L S I super L S I
  • ultra L S I ultra L S I depending on the degree of integration
  • the method of circuit integration is not limited to LSI, and it may be realized by a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. It is also possible to use an F PGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) that can be programmed after LS manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connection and settings of the circuit cells inside the LSI.
  • F PGA Field Programmable Gate Array
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may be realized by a program written in a storage medium and a computer that reads and executes the program.
  • the storage medium may be any recording medium such as a memory card or CD-R ⁇ M.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention may be realized by a program downloaded via a network and a computer that downloads and executes the program from the network.
  • a push wave transmitting unit that transmits a push wave for generating a displacement in the subject to the ultrasonic probe, and following the transmission of the push wave
  • a detection wave transmitting unit that transmits a detection wave that passes through a region of interest showing a measurement target range in the subject to the ultrasonic probe, and is reflected from the region of interest in response to the detection wave using the ultrasonic probe.
  • a detection wave receiving unit that receives an ultrasonic wave and converts it into a reception signal; a phasing addition unit that performs phasing addition at each of a plurality of positions in the region of interest to generate an acoustic line signal; A displacement detection unit that detects displacement at the observation point based on acoustic line signals corresponding to each of the plurality of observation points, and a shear wave propagation state based on a temporal change of the displacement at the observation point. And a propagation state estimation unit for estimating, wherein the propagation state estimation unit correlates the time series data of the displacement of the observation point with the reference time series data in which the time at which the displacement is maximum is known.
  • the time at which the displacement at the observation point becomes maximum is estimated, and the earlier the observation time, which is the time of displacement based on the push wave pulse transmission time, is, the more the gate width, which is the time width of the reference time series data, is set. It is characterized by making it small.
  • the ultrasonic signal processing method is configured such that a push wave for generating displacement in the subject is transmitted to the ultrasonic probe, and the push wave is transmitted. ⁇ 02020/175107 41 ⁇ (: 171?2020/004884
  • the detection wave passing through the region of interest showing the measurement target range in the subject is transmitted to the ultrasonic probe, and is reflected from the region of interest in response to the detection wave using the ultrasonic probe.
  • the received ultrasonic waves are received and converted into received signals, and phasing addition is performed for each of the plurality of positions in the region of interest to generate an acoustic line signal, which corresponds to each of the plurality of observation points in the region of interest.
  • An ultrasonic signal processing method for detecting a displacement at the observation point based on an acoustic line signal, and estimating a propagation state of the shear wave based on a time change of the displacement at each of the observation points, wherein the shear wave
  • the displacement at the observation point is maximized by correlating the time-series data of the displacement of the observation point with the reference time-series data where the time at which the displacement is maximum is known.
  • the time is estimated, and the time at which the displacement at the observation point is maximized is estimated by the correlation process between the time series data of the displacement at the observation point and the reference time series data whose peak time is known.
  • the earlier the displacement observation time is based on the transmission time the smaller the gate width, which is the time width of the reference time series data, is set.
  • the program according to the embodiment is a program for causing an ultrasonic signal processing device to which an ultrasonic probe is connected to perform a shear wave propagation analysis process.
  • a push wave for generating displacement in the sample is transmitted to the ultrasonic probe, and following the transmission of the push wave, a detection wave passing through a region of interest showing a measurement target range in the subject is detected by the ultrasonic probe.
  • the ultrasonic wave reflected by the region of interest corresponding to the detected wave is converted into a reception signal by using the ultrasonic probe, and phasing is performed at each of a plurality of positions in the region of interest.
  • An acoustic ray signal is generated by performing addition, based on the acoustic ray signal corresponding to each of the plurality of observation points in the region of interest, the displacement at the observation point is detected, and the displacement time of each of the observation points is detected.
  • This is a process of estimating the propagation state of shear waves based on changes, and when estimating the propagation state of shear waves, time series data of the displacement of the observation point and the standard at which the time when the displacement is maximum are known.
  • the time when the displacement at the observation point becomes maximum is estimated by the correlation processing with the time-series data, and the displacement is observed based on the transmission time of the push wave pulse. ⁇ 02020/175107 42 ((171?2020/004884
  • the gate width which is the time width of the reference time series data, is reduced.
  • the gate width is not guaranteed. By not making the value too small, it is possible to detect the peak of displacement with high probability by preventing erroneous detection of peaks and undetectability.
  • the gate width is reduced in the correlation processing, high detection accuracy is obtained as in the case of the manual method. Therefore, the gate width in the correlation processing is small at the time when the observation time is small, that is, when the shear wave displacement is large.
  • the propagation state estimation unit is
  • the gate width may be set to linearly increase with respect to the observation time when the observation time is within a predetermined range.
  • the detection accuracy of the peak time can be improved by reducing the gate width especially when the observation time is early and the displacement is large.
  • the predetermined range is from 20! 3 to 5 01 3
  • the gate width in the predetermined range is 2 01! It may be in the range of 3 to 6 01 3.
  • the propagation state estimating unit sets the gate width to a constant length when the observation time exceeds a predetermined threshold. You can set it to
  • the gate width is set for the observation point with a slow observation time and small displacement. ⁇ 0 2020/175 107 43 (: 17 2020/004884
  • the predetermined threshold is 30
  • 01 3 and the constant length may be a value of 601 3 or more and 801 3 or less.
  • the propagation state estimation unit is arranged in order from an observation point close to a position in the subject where displacement is caused by the push wave. Estimating the time when the displacement becomes maximum, and estimating the time when the displacement becomes maximum, a part of the time series data of the displacement at the observation point, when estimating the time when the displacement at another observation point becomes maximum, It may be used as the reference time series data.
  • the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the ultrasonic signal processing method according to the present disclosure are useful for measuring mechanical characteristics of a subject using ultrasonic waves. Therefore, it becomes possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the mechanical properties of tissues and substances, and it has high applicability in medical diagnostic equipment and nondestructive inspection equipment.

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Abstract

Selon la présente invention, dans la mesure d'une vitesse d'onde de cisaillement, la fiabilité de l'analyse de propagation d'une onde de cisaillement est améliorée par l'amélioration de la précision de détection d'un moment où le déplacement atteint un pic indépendamment d'un rapport S/N de données de série chronologique du déplacement. Ce dispositif de traitement de signal ultrasonore comporte : une unité de détection de déplacement qui détecte, sur la base d'un signal de ligne acoustique correspondant à chacun d'une pluralité de points d'observation dans une zone d'intérêt, le déplacement au point d'observation ; et une unité d'estimation d'état de propagation qui estime, sur la base d'un changement temporel dans le déplacement à chacun des points d'observation, un état de propagation d'une onde de cisaillement, l'unité d'estimation d'état de propagation estimant un temps lorsque le déplacement au point d'observation devient le déplacement maximal au moyen d'un processus de corrélation entre des données de série chronologique du déplacement au point d'observation et des données de série chronologique de référence que le temps lorsque le déplacement devient le maximum est connu, et effectue une largeur de grille, qui est une largeur temporelle des données de série temporelle de référence, aussi petite qu'un temps d'observation, qui est un temps du déplacement avec un temps de transmission d'une impulsion d'onde de poussée prise en tant que référence, devient plus tôt.
PCT/JP2020/004884 2019-02-28 2020-02-07 Dispositif de traitement de signal ultrasonore, dispositif de diagnostic ultrasonore, dispositif de traitement de signal ultrasonore, et programme WO2020175107A1 (fr)

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015009339A1 (fr) * 2013-07-19 2015-01-22 Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research Système et procédé de mesure de la vitesse d'onde de cisaillement de champs d'ondes multi-directionnelles
JP2015198734A (ja) * 2014-04-07 2015-11-12 株式会社東芝 超音波診断装置及び制御プログラム
WO2015173709A1 (fr) * 2014-05-16 2015-11-19 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Corrélation croisée guidée par une autocorrélation dans l'élastographie d'ondes de cisaillement ultrasonore

Family Cites Families (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP6601320B2 (ja) 2016-06-16 2019-11-06 コニカミノルタ株式会社 超音波診断装置、及び超音波診断装置の制御方法

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015009339A1 (fr) * 2013-07-19 2015-01-22 Mayo Foundation For Medical Education And Research Système et procédé de mesure de la vitesse d'onde de cisaillement de champs d'ondes multi-directionnelles
JP2015198734A (ja) * 2014-04-07 2015-11-12 株式会社東芝 超音波診断装置及び制御プログラム
WO2015173709A1 (fr) * 2014-05-16 2015-11-19 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Corrélation croisée guidée par une autocorrélation dans l'élastographie d'ondes de cisaillement ultrasonore

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