Hitachi Medical Corporation

Hitachi, Ltd.

Koji Waki

Takashi Iimura

Takumi Ito

Tsuyoshi Shiina

Hiroshi Kuribara

Naoyuki Murayama

Makoto Yamakawa

Masaru Maeda

A tomographic image includes a mammary gland image, a greater pectoral muscle image, and a boundary image. A plurality of search paths are set for the tomographic image. In each search path, a boundary search is executed from a deep spot toward a shallow spot. A region of interest is set so as to include the mammary gland image on the basis of a plurality of boundary points. An image portion in the region of interest is an image analysis target.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic image processing method

In order to improve the continuity of the image qualities in the minor-axis direction of plural sets of elastic frame data that constitute elastic volume data and generate a high-quality 3-dimensional elastic image, regarding each elastic frame data constituting elastic volume data, a noise frame interpolation unit subjects plural sets of elastic frame data including said elastic frame data and adjacent in a swing direction to synthesis processing, generates the elastic volume data from the synthesized plural sets of elastic frame data, and volume renders the elastic volume data to generate a 3-dimensional elastic image. The noise frame interpolation unit stores plural sets of elastic volume data, subjects plural sets of elastic frame data at corresponding swing angle positions among the stored plural sets of elastic volume data to synthesis processing to generate synthetic elastic frame data and elastic volume data from the synthesized plural sets of elastic frame data.

3-dimensional elastic image generation method and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Provided is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that constructs and displays a 3-dimensional elastic image showing the hardness or softness of a biological tissue of an object to be examined, and a method of displaying an ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is characterized by being provided with an elastic image constructing unit () that constructs 2-dimensional elastic image data on the basis of the strain or elasticity modulus acquired by the elasticity information calculating unit (), an elastic volume data creating unit () that creates elastic volume data from plural sets of the 2-dimensional elastic image data, and 3-dimensional elastic image constructing unit () that constructs a 3-dimensional elastic image from the elastic volume data.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and method of displaying ultrasonic image

Disclosed is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with: an ultrasonic probe which transmits/receives ultrasonic waves to/from an object while being in contact with the object; a transmission/reception unit which, in a process in which pressing force applied to the object by the ultrasonic probe is changed and the tomographic position at which the ultrasonic waves are transmitted/received to/from the object is moved in a short axis direction, periodically transmits/receives the ultrasonic waves to/from the object, performs reception processing on a reflection echo signal from the object, and measures RF signal frame data at the tomographic position; a displacement measurement unit which, on the basis of two pieces of RF signal frame data, between which the difference in measurement time falls within a set range, selected from among multiple pieces of RF signal frame data sequentially measured by the transmission/reception unit, finds the displacement of a living tissue at the tomographic position and sequentially generates displacement frame data; an elasticity information calculation unit which on the basis of the displacement frame data sequentially generated by the displacement measurement unit, finds elasticity information relating to the living tissue at the tomographic position, and sequentially generates elasticity frame data; and an elasticity image construction unit which on the basis of the elasticity frame data sequentially generated by the elasticity information calculation unit, sequentially constructs elasticity images.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and elasticity image display method

In order to three-dimensionally quantify the elastic information indicating the hardness or softness of tissue of an object with a simple operation, two three-dimensional regions of interest are set on a displayed elastic rendering image. A three-dimensional distortion ratio measuring unitcalculates a ratio between elastic information in the set first three-dimensional region of interest and elastic information in the set second three-dimensional region of interest and displays the ratio on an image display device

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and three-dimensional elastic ratio calculating method

A method of displaying an elastic image according to the present invention includes the steps of measuring ultrasound cross-section data of a cross-section region of a subject while applying compression to the subject(), determining distortion of tissue in the cross-section region on the basis of the ultrasound cross-section data, generating an elastic image of the cross-section region on the basis of the distortion, displaying the elastic image on a display device (), setting a plurality of ROIs on the elastic image displayed on the display device, converting the distortion of each ROI into an index value (), and displays the index value on the display device (). In this way, the method enables quantitative evaluation of the hardness of body tissue of a region to be diagnosed.

Method of displaying elastic image and diagnostic ultrasound system

An elastic image suitable for diagnosis is easily acquired without depending on the examiner's pressure technique. The displacement of tissue in a tomographic portion of an object is measured on the basis of a pair of RF signal frame data items regarding the tomographic portion, which are obtained at different times by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave to and from the object (b). The average displacement of each beam line (dto dn) of an ultrasonic wave is calculated (c), and a displacement gradient () in the scanning direction of an ultrasonic probe is calculated on the basis of the displacement average (d). A correction coefficient () with respect to the displacement of each beam line is calculated on the basis of the calculated displacement gradient (e), and the displacement distribution measured on the basis of the calculated correction coefficient is corrected (f). In this manner, even if the object is pressed by an ultrasonic probe inclined along the scanning direction, an elastic image generated by pressing the object with the ultrasonic probe not inclined along the scanning direction can be generated in a pseudo manner by correcting the displacement distribution on the basis of the correction coefficient.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and elastic image display method

Even when a region of interest (ROI) is changed on a frozen image, an elasticity image of ROI after the change can be displayed without executing re-measurement. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatushas a control unithaving a first ROI setting unitand a second ROI setting unit. When ROI is set by the first ROI setting unitof the control unit, an elasticity information calculating unitsets an area larger than ROI as a calculation area, calculates distortion, elasticity modulus, etc. of a tissue corresponding to each measurement point on a tomographic image of the calculation area, generates elasticity information based on the distortion, the elasticity modulus, etc., and outputs the elasticity information to an elasticity information storing unit. The control unitchanges the position/size of ROI by the second ROI setting unitunder a state that the frozen image is displayed. The elasticity image constructing unitreads the elasticity information corresponding to the changed ROI from the elasticity information storing unit, forms an elasticity image of the changed ROI and displays it on an image display unit

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Provided are an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that constructs and displays a 3-dimensional elastic image showing the hardness or softness of a biological tissue in an object to be examined, and a method of displaying an ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided with an RF signal frame data storing unit () that stores a predetermined range of RF signal frame data based on the reflected echo signals received by the reception unit (), an RF signal frame data selecting unit () that selects the RF signal frame data in the predetermined range stored in the RF signal frame data storing unit (), an elasticity information calculating unit () that calculates strain or elastic modulus from the RF signal frame data in the predetermined range, and a 3-dimensional elastic image constructing unit () that constructs a 3-dimensional elastic image on the basis of the calculated strain or elasticity modulus.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a function of obtaining a tomographic image and an elastic image is adaptable to not only a close examination mode, but also a screening mode, and obtains an elastic image suitable for each examination purpose. Accordingly, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention comprises tomographic image acquisition means for transmitting an ultrasonic wave from a probe to a body being examined, and receiving a reflection echo signal corresponding to the transmission of the ultrasonic wave to obtain a tomographic image, elastic image acquisition means having a first acquisition mode for determining a tissue elasticity amount of a biomedical tissue of the body being examined on the basis of the reflection echo signal to obtain an elastic image, and display means for displaying at least the elastic image. The elastic image acquisition means has a second acquisition mode different from the first acquisition mode.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a probethat transmits and receives ultrasound waves to/from a subject, transmitting meansfor supplying a drive signal to the probefor transmitting ultrasound waves, receiving meansfor receiving and processing a signal output from the probe, a displacement calculating unitfor measuring displacement of a tissue according to an output signal from an ultrasound transmitting and receiving unit, a color DSCfor reconstructuring an elasticity image on the basis of the displacement of the tissue, and an image displayfor displaying the elasticity image. Further, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes setting meansB for setting a displacement search direction that sets a search direction of the displacement to match a tissue displacement direction for displacing the tissue. The color DSCconstructures the elasticity image on the basis of the measurement value of the displacement search direction.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Koji Waki