Hitachi Medical Corporation

Other

Hitachi, Ltd.

Tsuyoshi Mitake

Takeshi Matsumura

Satoshi Tamano

Hiroshi Kanda

Mitsuhiro Oshiki

Tetsuya Hayashi

Tsuyoshi Shiina

Takashi Osaka

Naoyuki Murayama

Okinori Yuasa

Minoru Yoshida

Akira Sasaki

Tatsuya Hayashi

Osamu Arai

Koichi Oshio

Kazutaka Okada

Takao Iwasaki

Tsuyoshi Siina

Akiko Tonomura

Hiroshi Shinmoto

Kiyoshi Okuma

Kageyoshi Katakura

Shinichiro Umemura

Osamu Miyazaki

Ryuichi Shinomura

Hiroshi Ikeda

Shinichi Kondo

Noriyoshi Ichikawa

Shizuo Ishikawa

Yasuo Omi

Tomoyuki Miyazawa

An ultrasonic image is captured by an ultrasonic probe. A reference image is obtained by extracting a tomographic image corresponding to the scan plane of the ultrasonic image from volume image data that is pre-obtained by a diagnostic imaging apparatus and that is stored in a volume-data storing unit. The ultrasonic image and the reference image are displayed on the same screen. In this case, of the reference image, a portion corresponding to the view area of the ultrasonic image is extracted and the resulting reference image having the same region as the ultrasonic image is displayed as a fan-shaped image.

Reference image display method for ultrasonography and ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including: a tomogram constructing means; an elasticity information calculating means; an elasticity image constructing means; a display means; an estimation data generating means configured to generate estimation data for estimating the characteristic of a biomedical tissue on the basis of the elasticity image; an estimation data selecting means configured to select at least one parameter used for the estimation of the characteristic of the biomedical tissue and to make the selected parameter displayed on the display means, an analyzing means configured to analyze the elasticity image using at least one parameter selected by the estimation data selecting means and to make the result of analysis displayed on the display means; wherein the display means displays the parameter used for the estimation of the characteristic and the result of analysis.

Ultrasonic diagnostic arrangements selecting parameters for selecting relevant estimation data for classifying an elasticity image

An ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus includes an elastic data processing section which processes a received signal detected by an ultrasound probe and generates elastic frame data, a display evaluation section which evaluates a display value of the elastic frame data based on various data in the generation of the elastic frame data, a display processing section which performs image processing of the elastic frame data according to the evaluation result by the display evaluation section, and a display section which displays an elastic image based on the elastic frame data processed by the image processing section.

Ultrasound probe and ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus

A pressing device for smoothly performing pressing operation, an ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus are provided. The pressing device has a balloon installed on an ultrasonic transmission/reception surface of an ultrasonic probe and presses an object to be examined by the balloon. The balloon has a hollow pressing unit made of an elastic material, a tube for charging/discharging liquid to/from the pressing unit, and an attachment part contiguous to the peripheral edge of the pressing unit and attaching the pressing unit to the ultrasonic transmission/reception unit of the ultrasonic probe. The inner diameter of the attachment part or the pressing unit is set smaller than the outer diameter of the part of the ultrasonic probe on which the attachment part is attached. Because tension is applied to the pressing unit, pressing operation can be started with a less amount of initial injection, and this makes the pressing operation smooth.

Pressing device, and ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the pressing device

There is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can classify an elasticity image by using elasticity data of the elasticity image and image information and objectively estimate a progress state of a disorder. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has an elasticity information calculator for calculating elasticity data of a biomedical tissue by using RF signal frame data from the inside of an object which is received by ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving means, an elasticity image constructing unit for generating an elasticity image on the basis of a distortion amount and/or an elasticity modulus calculated by an elasticity information calculator, an elasticity image estimating unitfor generating estimation data for estimating the characteristic of a biomedical tissue on the basis of an elasticity image, and an image classifying unitfor classifying an elasticity image by using at least one of estimation data generated by the elasticity image estimating unit. A classification result of the classifying unitis displayed on a display unit through a switching and displaying unit

An automated pressing device () for an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention is constituted by being provided with a probe holding member () including an attaching portion () to which a probe () is detachably attached and a griping portion () to which the attaching portion is slidably attached together with the probe attached thereto so as to permit advancing and retreating of an ultrasonic transmission and reception plane () of the probe, a motive power transmission wire () including a flexible cylindrical body () of which one end is secured to the griping portion in the probe holding member and an inner wire () that is inserted in the cylindrical body and of which one end is coupled to the attaching portion and a pressing motive power means () to which the other end of the cylindrical body in the motive power transmission wire is secured and that couples with the other end of the inner wire to advance and retreat the same. Thereby, a user friendly automated pressing device is realized that permits to eliminate influences of electromagnetic noises as well as permits to apply a stable pressing to a body surface of a subject via such as a motor and a spring.

Automated pressing device and ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus using the device

An ultrasonic imageis captured by an ultrasonic probe. A reference imageis obtained by extracting a tomographic image corresponding to the scan plane of the ultrasonic image from volume image data that is pre-obtained by a diagnostic imaging apparatusand that is stored in a volume-data storing unit. The ultrasonic image and the reference imageare displayed on the same screen. In this case, of the reference image, a portion corresponding to the view area of the ultrasonic image is extracted and the resulting reference image having the same region as the ultrasonic image is displayed as a fan-shaped image.

An ultrasonographic device includes an ultrasonic wave transmitter/receiver section which transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a test subject through a probe, a phasing addition circuit which controls the phase of the received ultrasonic wave and generates RF signal frame data, an RF signal frame data selection section which makes variable the frame interval of the RF signal frame data to be outputted, and an elastic image generating section which sets the optimum imaging range for each elastic frame data generated based on the RF signal frame data and generates elastic image.

Ultrasonographic elasticity imaging device

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for recognition helpful to diagnosis by giving and displaying a score serving as an index of diagnosis. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises a displacement measuring section () for measuring the displacement of an organism tissue of a subject () according to a reflection echo signal received correspondingly when an ultrasonic wave is transmitted from a probe () to the subject (), an elastic image creating section for creating an elastic image after determining the distortion amount or the elastic modulus from the displacement, and an image display () for displaying the elastic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further comprises scoring means for specifying the distorted state or elastic state according to the information on the elastic image outputted from the elastic image creating section.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe which transmits/receives an ultrasound wave with respect to a subject to be diagnosed, an ultrasound wave transmit section which transmits an ultrasound wave for driving the ultrasound probe, a pressing section which applies an external pressure to the subject, a displacement measuring section which obtains two tomographic image data different in time series from a reflected echo signal received from the ultrasound probe and measures a displacement of each part in the subject based on the two tomographic image data, an image generating section which generates an elastic image from elasticity information based on the displacement of each part measured by the displacement measuring section, and a display section which displays the generated elastic image. Further, a pressing decision section decides whether or not the pressing operation by the pressing section is proper.

An ultrasound probe includes an ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface coming into contact with a contact surface of a subject, an ultrasound wave transmit/receive section which transmits an ultrasound wave to the subject via the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface and the contact surface and receives an ultrasound wave reflected in the subject, and a pressing mechanism for performing a pressing operation for applying a pressure to the contact surface perpendicularly to the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface via the ultrasound wave transmit/receive surface.

Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic elasticity imaging device

An ultrasonic enhanced-contrast imager and method includes an ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave to and from an organism, a transmitting section for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the ultrasonic probe, a receiving section for processing a response signal ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic probe, a filter for extracting a specific frequency component from the processed response signal, and a setting control section for setting a pass frequency band of the filter on the basis of a frequency band of the response signal from a contrast medium injected to the organism. A control section controls the operation of the filter in the set pass band, and the setting control section sets the center frequency of the pass band of the filter to be greater than fand less than 2f, where fis the average frequency of the ultrasonic signal transmitted to the ultrasonic probe.

Ultrasonic enhanced-contrast imager and method

An image processing device according to the present invention which includes image creating means for creating each of a smoothened image and a sharpened image with respect to at least a part of image data, and mixed image creating means for mixing the smoothened image and the sharpened image created by the image creating means to create a mixed image, including: analysis quantity calculating means for calculating an analysis quantity on plural pixel values in each matrix that surrounds each pixel of the image data and has any matrix size; control means for controlling the mixing ratio between the smoothened image and the sharpened image in the mixed image creating means in accordance with the analysis quantity calculated by the analysis quantity calculating means; and display means for displaying the mixed image that is controlled by the control means and output from the mixed image generating means.

Image processing device and method

Ultrasonographic device

An ultrasonic enhanced-contrast imager includes an ultrasonic probe for transmitting an ultrasonic wave to an organism and receiving an ultrasonic wave from the organism, a transmitting section for transmitting an ultrasonic signal to the ultrasonic probe, a receiving section for processing a response signal ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic probe, a filter for extracting a specific frequency component from the processed response signal, a setting control section for setting a pass frequency band of the filter on the basis of a frequency band of the response signal from a contrast medium injected to the organism, and a control section for controlling the operation of the filter in the set pass band.

Growing community of inventors

Chiba, Japan

Tsuyoshi Mitake