JP5455592B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic image display method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic image display method, and more particularly to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that generates and displays an elastic image representing the hardness or softness of a tissue on a tomographic plane of a subject. The present invention relates to a technique for providing an examiner with an elastic image suitable for diagnosis in consideration of a compressed state of a tissue on a tomographic plane of a specimen.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits an ultrasonic wave inside the subject by an ultrasonic probe, receives an ultrasonic reflection echo signal corresponding to the structure of the living tissue from the inside of the subject, and, for example, an ultrasonic tomogram (B A tomographic image such as a mode image is constructed and displayed for diagnosis.

  In recent years, as described in Patent Document 1, an ultrasonic reception signal (RF signal) is measured while pressing a subject with an ultrasonic probe by a manual or mechanical method, and the tissue on the tomographic plane is hardened. An elastic image representing the softness or softness is generated. That is, the displacement generated in each part of the tissue due to the compression is obtained based on a pair of RF signal frame data in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane is different, and elastic information such as strain or elastic modulus is obtained based on the obtained frame data of the displacement. The frame data is calculated, and an elastic image is generated and displayed based on the elastic frame data.

  Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, the strain required in the process of generating an elastic image and the pressure value detected by a pressure sensor provided on the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe are calculated. It is known to provide the examiner with the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject by displaying the graph in time series.

JP 2000-060853 A JP 2008-073417 A JP 2009-195613 A

  By the way, the techniques described in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3 merely provide the examiner with the compressed state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject, and compresses the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject. It is not considered to select and provide an elastic image suitable for diagnosis in consideration of the state.

  In other words, the elastic image is generated in a state where appropriate compression is applied to the tissue of the subject by pressing by the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe, or in a state where appropriate compression is applied by pulsation or the like. Only then will the image be suitable for diagnosis. Therefore, an elastic image generated in a state where the ultrasound probe is not properly compressed or in a state where appropriate compression is not applied to the tissue due to pulsation or the like is not suitable for diagnosis.

  Therefore, when making a diagnosis using an elastic image, a plurality of elastic images are generated while repeatedly applying compression to the subject's tissue, stored in a memory, frozen, and then diagnosed from the elastic image in the memory. It is common practice to select suitable ones. Here, the examiner himself selects elastic images suitable for diagnosis while displaying a plurality of elastic images in the memory in order using an input interface such as a trackball. This sorting operation is troublesome for the examiner and is not preferable in terms of diagnostic efficiency.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to select and provide an elastic image suitable for diagnosis in consideration of the compressed state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention includes an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject, and an ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed. The receiving processing unit that generates the RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the reflected echo signal measured in step (2), and the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data with different compression states A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measurement, and an elastic information calculation that generates elasticity frame data by calculating elasticity information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data And an elastic image forming unit that generates an elastic image based on elastic frame data, and an image display that displays the elastic image.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a period in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is an appropriate cycle based on at least one of displacement frame data, elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject And a display control unit for displaying at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle on an image display.

  That is, the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject indicate the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject, and are appropriate based on at least one of these. The compression cycle can be detected. In addition, since a plurality of elastic images generated in an appropriate compression cycle are all suitable for diagnosis, by displaying at least one of these and providing it to the examiner, the examiner himself can make a diagnosis. There is no need to sort elastic images. As a result, diagnostic efficiency can be improved.

  More specifically, the compression cycle detection unit compresses the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on at least one of displacement frame data, elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject. A compression waveform generation unit that generates a compression waveform that represents a change in the state over time, a waveform of each compression cycle in the generated compression waveform, and a time course of an appropriate compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject stored in the memory in advance An appropriate compression cycle detection unit that performs a correlation operation with a teacher waveform representing a change and detects an appropriate compression cycle based on the obtained correlation value of each compression cycle can be configured. The appropriate compression cycle detector can detect, for example, the compression cycle having the highest correlation value as the appropriate compression cycle. In addition, a threshold value for the correlation value is set in advance, and one or a plurality of compression cycles having a correlation value higher than the threshold value can be detected as an appropriate compression cycle.

  By the way, the elasticity information calculation unit can obtain the strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information. In this case, the compression cycle detection unit generates a strain waveform that represents a temporal change in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data, and each compression waveform detection unit based on the generated strain waveform. An arithmetic mean value of the strain rate of the compression cycle is obtained, and an appropriate compression cycle detection unit that detects an appropriate compression cycle based on the arithmetic average value of the strain rate of each obtained compression cycle is configured. it can. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit can detect, for example, a compression cycle having an arithmetic average value of strain rates of the compression cycle that is closest to 0 as an appropriate compression cycle. In addition, a threshold range for the arithmetic average value of the strain rate of the compression cycle may be set in advance, and one or a plurality of compression cycles in which the arithmetic average value is included in the threshold range may be detected as an appropriate compression cycle.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to select and provide an elastic image suitable for diagnosis in consideration of the compressed state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment. It is a figure for demonstrating the process concept of 1st Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing concept of 2nd Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the process concept of 3rd Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the process concept of 4th Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the process concept of 5th Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the process concept of the 6th Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the process concept of 7th Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the process concept of the 8th Example of a suitable compression area detection. It is a figure for demonstrating the processing concept of an elastic image display. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example of an elastic image display. It is a figure for demonstrating the Example of an elastic image display.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic image display method to which the present invention is applied will be described. In the following description, the same functional parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 includes an ultrasonic probe 12 used in contact with the subject 10, and a time interval between the subject 10 via the ultrasonic probe 12. A transmitter 14 that repeatedly transmits ultrasonic waves, a receiver 16 that receives time-series reflected echo signals generated from the subject 10, a transmission / reception controller 17 that controls the transmitter 14 and the receiver 16, and a receiver 16 And a phasing addition unit 18 for phasing and adding the reflected echo received in (1).

  Further, based on the RF signal frame data from the phasing addition unit 18, the tomographic image forming unit 20 that forms a tomographic image of the subject, for example, a black and white tomographic image, and the output signal of the tomographic image forming unit 20 A black-and-white scan converter 22 that converts the display to suit the display is provided.

  The RF signal frame data output from the phasing adder 18 is stored, the RF signal frame data selector 28 for selecting at least two pieces of frame data, and the displacement measuring unit 30 for measuring the displacement of the living tissue of the subject 10. An elasticity information calculation unit 32 that obtains a strain or strain rate from the displacement information measured by the displacement measurement unit 30; and an elastic image configuration unit 34 that forms a color elasticity image from the strain or strain rate calculated by the elasticity information calculation unit 32 And a color scan converter 36 for converting the output signal of the elastic image construction unit 34 so as to match the display of the image display 26. Then, a switching addition unit 24 that superimposes and displays a black and white tomographic image and a color elastic image or displays them in parallel, and an image display unit 26 that displays the synthesized composite image are provided.

  Further, an image system control unit 44 that outputs various control signals to each unit constituting the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and an interface unit 42 that inputs an instruction from the examiner and outputs the instruction to the image system control unit 44 are provided. It has been.

  The ultrasonic probe 12 is formed by arranging a plurality of transducers, and has a function of transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from the subject 10 via the transducers. The transmission unit 14 has a function of generating a transmission pulse for generating an ultrasonic wave by driving the ultrasonic probe 12 and setting a convergence point of the transmitted ultrasonic wave to a certain depth. Yes. The receiving unit 16 amplifies the reflected echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe 12 with a predetermined gain to generate an RF signal, that is, a received signal. The phasing adder 18 receives the RF signal amplified by the receiver 16 and performs phase control, and forms an ultrasonic beam at one point or a plurality of convergence points to generate RF signal frame data.

  The receiving unit 16 and the phasing / adding unit 18 generate an RF signal and RF signal frame data while ultrasonic transmission / reception is being performed. In particular, the ultrasonic transmission / reception of the ultrasonic probe 12 is performed. RF signal and RF signal in a state where the subject is pressed with the surface and the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane is repeatedly changed, or the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane is repeatedly changed due to the pulsation of the subject, etc. Frame data is generated.

  The tomographic image construction unit 20 receives the RF signal frame data from the phasing addition unit 18 and performs signal processing such as gain correction, log compression, detection, contour enhancement, and filter processing to obtain tomographic image data. . The monochrome scan converter 22 also includes an A / D converter that converts tomographic image data from the tomographic image construction unit 20 into a digital signal, a frame memory that stores a plurality of converted tomographic image data in time series, and a control. It is configured to include a controller. The black and white scan converter 22 acquires tomographic frame data in the subject stored in the frame memory as one image, and reads the acquired image frame data in synchronization with the television.

  The RF signal frame data selection unit 28 stores a plurality of RF signal frame data from the phasing addition unit 18, and selects one set, that is, two RF signal frame data from the stored RF signal frame data group. For example, the RF signal frame data generated based on the time series, that is, the frame rate of the image from the phasing / adding unit 18 is sequentially stored in the RF signal frame data selecting unit 28, and the stored RF signal frame data (N) is first stored. At the same time, one RF signal frame data (X) is selected from the RF signal frame data group (N-1, N-2, N-3... NM) stored in the past in time. select. Here, N, M, and X are index numbers assigned to the RF signal frame data, and are natural numbers.

  Then, the displacement measuring unit 30 performs one-dimensional or two-dimensional correlation processing from the selected set of data, that is, the RF signal frame data (N) and the RF signal frame data (X), and corresponds to each point of the tomographic image. A one-dimensional or two-dimensional displacement distribution related to the displacement and movement vector in the living tissue, that is, the direction and magnitude of the displacement is obtained. Here, a block matching method is used to detect the movement vector. The block matching method divides an image into blocks of N × N pixels, for example, pays attention to the block in the region of interest, searches the previous frame for the block that is closest to the block of interest, and refers to this Thus, predictive coding, that is, processing for determining the sample value by the difference is performed.

  The elasticity information calculation unit 32 uses a measurement value output from the displacement measurement unit 30, for example, a movement vector, and a pressure value output from the pressure measurement unit 46, and strain (distortion) of a living tissue corresponding to each point on the tomographic image. ) And the elastic modulus, and an elastic image signal, that is, elastic frame data (strain frame data) is generated based on the strain and elastic modulus.

  At this time, the strain data is calculated by spatially differentiating the movement amount of the living tissue, for example, the displacement. The elastic modulus data is calculated by dividing the change in pressure by the change in strain. For example, when the displacement measured by the displacement measuring unit 30 is L (X) and the pressure measured by the pressure measuring unit 46 is P (X), the strain ΔS (X) is obtained by spatially differentiating L (X). Since it can be calculated, it is obtained using the equation: ΔS (X) = ΔL (X) / ΔX. Further, the Young's modulus Ym (X) of the elastic modulus data is calculated by the equation Ym = (ΔP (X)) / ΔS (X). Since the Young's modulus Ym determines the elastic modulus of the living tissue corresponding to each point in the tomographic image, two-dimensional elastic image data can be obtained continuously. The Young's modulus is a ratio of a simple tensile stress applied to the object and a strain generated in parallel with the tension.

  The elastic image construction unit 34 is configured to include a frame memory and an image processing unit, and secures elastic frame data output in time series from the elastic information calculation unit 32 in the frame memory. In contrast, image processing is performed.

  The color scan converter 36 has a function of adding hue information to the elastic frame data from the elastic image construction unit 34. That is, the light is converted into the three primary colors of light, that is, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) based on the elastic frame data. For example, elasticity data with a large strain is converted into a red code, and elasticity data with a small strain is converted into a blue code.

  The switching addition unit 24 includes a frame memory, an image processing unit, and an image selection unit. Here, the frame memory includes tomographic image data from the monochrome scan converter 22, elastic image data from the color scan converter 36, compression waveform data output from the compression waveform generation unit 52 described later, and an appropriate compression cycle described later. The correlation value data of the compression information output from the detection unit 54 is stored. The image processing unit combines the tomographic image data and the elasticity image data secured in the frame memory by changing the combining ratio in accordance with a command from the image system control unit 44. The luminance information and hue information of each pixel of the composite image is obtained by adding the information of the black and white tomographic image and the color elastic image at the composite ratio. Further, the image selection unit, according to the command of the image system control unit 44 having the function of the display control unit, tomographic image data and elasticity image data in the frame memory, composite image data of the image processing unit, and waveform data of the compression information An image to be displayed on the image display 26 is selected from various other images.

  In such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is desirable to select and provide an elastic image suitable for diagnosis in consideration of the compressed state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject 10. That is, the elastic image is applied, for example, by applying pressure to the tissue of the subject 10 on the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe 12 or applying pressure to the tissue of the subject 10 using pulsation or the like. Is generated. Therefore, an elastic image generated in a state where the ultrasound probe is not properly compressed or in a state where pressure is not properly applied to the tissue due to pulsation or the like is not suitable for diagnosis.

  In this regard, when making a diagnosis using an elastic image, a plurality of elastic images are generated while repeatedly applying compression to the tissue of the subject, stored in a memory, frozen, and then diagnosed from the elastic image in the memory. Elastic image suitable for diagnosis while the examiner displays a plurality of elastic images in the memory in order using an input interface (interface unit 42) such as a trackball, for example. It is troublesome for the examiner to sort out the images by themselves, which is not preferable in terms of diagnostic efficiency.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment made in view of this point is based on at least one of displacement frame data, elastic frame data, and pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject. A compression cycle detection unit 50 that detects an appropriate cycle of the compressed state of the tissue on the surface has a characteristic configuration, and at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle is displayed on the image display 26. Is displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the compression cycle detection unit 50 includes a compression waveform generation unit 52 and an appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54. The compression waveform generation unit 52 receives the displacement frame data output from the displacement measurement unit 30, the elasticity frame data output from the elasticity information calculation unit 32, and the pressure data output from the pressure measurement unit 46. Based on at least one of the above, a compression waveform representing a change with time of the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject 10 is generated. The generated compression waveform is sent to the switching adder 24, displayed on the image display 26, and sent to the appropriate compression cycle detector 54.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is based on the compression waveform output from the compression waveform generation unit 52 or on the basis of the compression waveform and the teacher waveform stored in the memory 72. A compression cycle with an appropriate compression state is detected and sent to the switching addition unit 24. Hereinafter, details of the compression waveform generation unit 52 and the compression cycle detection unit 50 will be described for each example.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the first embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. In the present embodiment, the compression waveform generation unit 52 includes at least displacement frame data output from the displacement measurement unit 30, elasticity frame data output from the elasticity information calculation unit 32, and pressure data output from the pressure measurement unit 46. Based on one, a compression waveform 56 (compression waveform P (t)) as shown in the lower part of FIG. 2 is generated. That is, the compression waveform generation unit 52 generates the compression waveform P (t) by plotting an average of at least one frame of the input displacement frame data, elasticity frame data, and pressure data in time series.

  Subsequently, the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 reads the teacher waveform 58 (teacher waveform T (t)) as shown in the upper part of FIG. 2 from the memory 72, and determines the teacher waveform T (t) and the compression waveform P (t). A correlation calculation is performed to obtain a correlation value. Alternatively, the correlation value is obtained by calculating the correlation of the compression waveform P (t) with time and calculating the correlation between the past compression waveforms P (t) stored in the memory 72. Further, the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects an appropriate compression section (compression cycle) using the obtained correlation value.

That is, in order to obtain an elastic image that is generally effective for diagnosis, it is necessary to perform an appropriate compression operation on the living tissue. Further, whether or not the compression operation performed by the examiner is appropriate is determined by an elasticity image or The examiner himself must judge the compression information. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the correlation between the tissue-specific compression information data obtained by pressurizing the tissue of the subject 10 with the ultrasonic probe 12 and the teacher data is performed, and the obtained correlation value is, for example, the maximum. Such a section is detected and displayed as an appropriate compression section. For example, it is assumed that a compression waveform P (t) in which a compression amount that is an average of displacement for each frame is plotted with time is obtained from the compression waveform generation unit 52 using the displacement obtained by the displacement measurement unit 30. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, an arbitrary sine wave Asin θt is used as a teacher waveform T (t) with respect to the compression waveform P (t), and a period corresponding to one period of the teacher waveform T (t) from the time when the compression amount becomes 0 When correlation is taken in the interval N, the obtained correlation value C is obtained by the following mathematical formula.

  Pavg and Tavg are arithmetic averages of P (t) and T (t), respectively. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects, for example, a section where the obtained correlation value C (t) is maximum as an appropriate compression section. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, since the correlation value C0 of the section N0 is 0.70, the correlation value C1 of the section N1 is 0.80, and the correlation value C2 of the section N2 is 0.95, the section N2 is the appropriate compression section 60. Detected as

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 can also detect one or a plurality of sections in which the obtained correlation value C (t) is greater than a preset threshold value as an appropriate compression section. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 sends information on the appropriate compression interval to the switching addition unit 24, and the switching addition unit 24 displays the information as an appropriate compression interval on the compression waveform 56. Further, the generated elastic images are sequentially stored in a recording medium such as the memory 72, and when the examiner finishes the imaging of the elastic images and freezes, for example, at least one of the elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section is stored. It is read from the recording medium and displayed on the image display 26.

  In FIG. 2, it is assumed that an appropriate compression section is detected from the correlation between the compression waveform 56 using the tissue displacement frame data obtained from the displacement measurement unit 30 and the teacher waveform 58. Any element other than the displacement of the tissue may be used as long as the element changes periodically. For example, an appropriate compression section may be detected from the correlation between the compression waveform using the pressure obtained from the pressure measurement unit 46, the tissue strain obtained from the elasticity information calculation unit 32, and the strain rate, and the teacher waveform.

  That is, since the displacement frame data, the strain frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject indicate the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject, a compression waveform based on at least one of these An appropriate compression interval can be detected based on the correlation with the teacher waveform. In addition, since a plurality of elastic images generated in an appropriate compression cycle are all suitable for diagnosis, by displaying at least one of these and providing it to the examiner, the examiner himself can make a diagnosis. There is no need to sort elastic images. As a result, diagnostic efficiency can be improved.

  In the above description, the teacher waveform used for correlation with the compression waveform is an arbitrary sine wave. However, any other waveform than the arbitrary sine wave may be used as the teacher waveform as long as it is an element indicating the appropriateness of the compression operation. For example, an appropriate compression waveform empirically calculated for each diagnosis region (mammary gland, prostate, etc.) stored in the memory 72, or a compression waveform calculated during a previous examination stored in the memory 72 is used as a teacher waveform. It may be used.

(Second embodiment)
A second example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the point that the compression waveform generation unit 52 generates a strain waveform as a compression waveform and the point that the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects an appropriate compression section using a calculation different from the correlation calculation are described in the first example. And different. Therefore, the description of the same parts as in the first embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the second embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. When an appropriate compression interval is obtained using the first embodiment, there is a restriction that an appropriate teacher waveform must be prepared for each diagnosis region. Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, an arithmetic average in a certain section (compression cycle) of the strain rate obtained by tissue compression is obtained, and the obtained arithmetic average value of the strain rate in each compression cycle is obtained. Based on this, an appropriate compression interval is detected and displayed.

  That is, for example, when the compression operation is performed by the examiner's ultrasonic probe, if there is unevenness in the compression operation, the strain changes unevenly, and as a result, the arithmetic average of the strain rate increases. On the other hand, when the compression operation is performed stably, the strain change is stable, and as a result, the arithmetic average of the strain rate becomes low.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, when the strain waveform 59 (strain waveform S (t)) in which the average strain value for each frame data is plotted in time series as the compression waveform is obtained from the compression waveform generation unit 52, this strain is obtained. A strain rate SR (t) between a set of adjacent strain values on the time series of the waveform S (t) is obtained by the following mathematical formula.

Here, the arithmetic average SRavg of the strain rate in the section N corresponding to one period of the strain waveform S (t) from the time when the compression amount of the strain waveform S (t) using the strain value becomes 0 is the appropriate compression period detection. In the part 54, it calculates | requires with the following numerical formula.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects, for example, a section where the arithmetic average SRavg of the obtained strain rate is closest to 0 as an appropriate compression section. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, in the sections N0 and N1, the strain change is uneven and the arithmetic average of the strain rate is high, while in the section N2, the strain change is stable and the arithmetic average of the strain rate is Therefore, the interval N2 is detected as the appropriate compression interval 60.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 determines a period in which the arithmetic average SRavg of the obtained strain rate is included in a preset threshold range (a range within a threshold set above and below 0) as the appropriate compression interval. Can also be detected. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 sends information on the appropriate compression interval to the switching addition unit 24, and the switching addition unit 24 displays the information as an appropriate compression interval on the compression waveform. Further, the generated elastic images are sequentially stored in a recording medium such as the memory 72, and when the examiner finishes the imaging of the elastic images and freezes, for example, at least one of the elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section is stored. It is read from the recording medium and displayed on the image display 26.

(Third embodiment)
A third example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Although the present embodiment is common to the second embodiment in that the compression waveform generation unit 52 generates the strain waveform 59 as the compression waveform, the calculation processing content for detecting the appropriate compression section of the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is as follows. Different from the second embodiment. Therefore, description of the same parts as those of the second embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the third embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. The detection of the appropriate compression section as in the second embodiment of the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is effective when uniform compression operation to the tissue is useful, for example, when detecting the hardness of the mammary gland. It is not suitable for the case where it is necessary to detect steep movements such as when detecting the displacement of the liver due to movement. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 according to the present embodiment obtains an arithmetic average of the absolute values of the strain rate of each compression cycle based on the strain waveform 59 generated by the compression waveform generation unit 52. The appropriate compression cycle is detected based on the arithmetic average value of the absolute values of the strain rate of each obtained compression cycle.

That is, for example, in the case of compressing tissue using pulsation, since the section between the pulsation where the tissue is not compressed is unlikely to be displaced, the pulsation occurs and the tissue is compressed. It is necessary to detect the displaced section as an appropriate compression section. Since the strain change is stable between beats, the absolute arithmetic mean of the strain rate is low. On the other hand, when the tissue is pressed and displaced by the pulsation, the strain change becomes steep, so that the absolute value arithmetic average of the strain rate becomes high. Therefore, the arithmetic average SRabs of the absolute value of the strain rate in the section N corresponding to one period of the strain waveform S (t) from the time when the compression amount of the strain waveform S (t) becomes 0 is determined by the appropriate compression period detection unit 54. It is calculated by the following formula.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects, for example, a section in which the arithmetic mean SRabs of the absolute value of the obtained strain rate is maximized as an appropriate compression section. For example, in the example of FIG. 4, the strain change is stable in the sections N0 and N1, and the absolute value average of the strain rate is small, whereas the strain change is steep in the section N2, so the absolute value arithmetic average of the strain rate is calculated. Therefore, the section N2 is detected as the appropriate compression section 60.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 can also detect a section in which the arithmetic mean SRabs of the obtained absolute value of the strain rate is larger than a preset threshold value as the appropriate compression section. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 sends information on the appropriate compression interval to the switching addition unit 24, and the switching addition unit 24 displays the information as an appropriate compression interval on the compression waveform. Further, the generated elastic images are sequentially stored in a recording medium such as the memory 72, and when the examiner finishes the imaging of the elastic images and freezes, for example, at least one of the elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section is stored. It is read from the recording medium and displayed on the image display 26.

(Fourth embodiment)
A fourth example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Although the present embodiment is common to the second embodiment in that the compression waveform generation unit 52 generates the strain waveform 59 as the compression waveform, the calculation processing content for detecting the appropriate compression section of the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is as follows. Different from the second embodiment. Therefore, description of the same parts as those of the second embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the fourth embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. In order to determine whether or not the examiner's compression operation is appropriate when uniform compression on the tissue is necessary to obtain an elastic image useful for diagnosis, one period of the strain waveform 59 becomes the compression amount 0. What is necessary is just to see if the line 62 (strain value line in a state where initial compression by the ultrasonic probe 12 is applied) is line symmetric. In view of this, the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 according to the present embodiment, in each compression cycle of the generated strain waveform 59, uses a strain centered on an initial strain value in a state where initial compression is applied to the subject by the ultrasonic probe 12. The upper and lower symmetry of the waveform 59 is obtained, and an appropriate compression cycle is detected based on the upper and lower symmetry of the strain waveform of each obtained compression cycle.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 5, when one period of the strain waveform is divided into two subsections around the line 62 where the amount of compression is zero, the line symmetry of the two subsection pairs is appropriate as an instruction value. It detects and displays the compression section.

A time when the compression amount of the strain waveform S (t) becomes 0 is set as l, a time when the compression amount becomes 0 after l is set as m, and a time when the compression amount becomes 0 after m is set as n. At this time, the interval between ln is one cycle of the compression waveform S (t), the interval between lm is the small section M, and the interval between mn is the small section N. Here, in order to see the symmetry of the strain in the small section M and the small section N, for example, the total Sls of the strain values in each small section may be viewed. Further, the sum of the added values of the strains of the small section M and the small section N is obtained by the following expression in the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects, as the appropriate compression section, a section in which the total Sls of the obtained strain values is closest to 0, for example. For example, in FIG. 5, the vertical symmetry of the strain waveform 59 is low in the sections N0 and N1, while the vertical symmetry of the strain waveform 59 is high in the section N2, so the section N2 is detected as the appropriate compression section 60.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects, as an appropriate compression interval, a section in which the total Sls of the obtained strain values is included in a preset threshold range (a range within a threshold set up and down across 0). You can also The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 sends information on the appropriate compression interval to the switching addition unit 24, and the switching addition unit 24 displays the information as an appropriate compression interval on the compression waveform. Further, the generated elastic images are sequentially stored in a recording medium such as the memory 72, and when the examiner finishes the imaging of the elastic images and freezes, for example, at least one of the elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section is stored. It is read from the recording medium and displayed on the image display 26.

(5th Example)
A fifth example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Although the present embodiment is common to the second embodiment in that the compression waveform generation unit 52 generates the strain waveform 59 as the compression waveform, the calculation processing content for detecting the appropriate compression section of the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is as follows. Different from the second embodiment. Therefore, description of the same parts as those of the second embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the fifth embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. In Example 4 of the above-described appropriate compression section detection, an appropriate compression section is detected and displayed using the vertical symmetry of the strain around the line 62 where the compression amount is 0 in one period of the compression waveform as an instruction value. . The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 of the present embodiment determines the point symmetry of the strain waveform around the initial strain value in the state where the initial compression is applied by the ultrasonic probe in each compression cycle of the generated strain waveform. An appropriate compression cycle is detected based on the obtained point symmetry of the strain waveform of each compression cycle.

That is, a certain time when the compression amount of the strain waveform S (t) becomes 0 is set as l, a time when the compression amount becomes 0 after l is set as m, and a time when the compression amount becomes 0 after m is set as n. . At this time, the interval between ln is one cycle of the strain waveform S (t), and m is the midpoint of the cycle ln. Here, in order to see the point symmetry of the strain waveform 59 between periods ln centered on m, for example, the strain S (m−Δt) at the position moved from each m by the same time in the positive and negative directions. ) And S (m + Δt) after addition may be viewed. In addition, the absolute value Sps (Δt) of the difference from the point symmetry position of the strains S (m−Δt) and S (m + Δt) in a certain section is obtained by the following expression in the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 obtains a plurality of Sps (Δt) while changing the value of Δt from 0 to (n−1) / 2, and calculates the total added value, maximum value of the plurality of Sps (Δt), Alternatively, a section having an average value closest to 0 is detected as an appropriate compression section. In the example of FIG. 6, in the sections N0 and N1, the strain waveform 59 has a low point symmetry and a large Sps (Δt) value, while in the section N2, the strain waveform 59 has a high point symmetry and Sps (Δt). Since the value becomes smaller, the section N2 is detected as the appropriate compression section 60.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 can also detect a section in which the total addition value, maximum value, or average value of a plurality of absolute values Sps (Δt) is smaller than a preset threshold value as the appropriate compression section. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 sends information on the appropriate compression interval to the switching addition unit 24, and the switching addition unit 24 displays the information as an appropriate compression interval on the compression waveform. Further, the generated elastic images are sequentially stored in a recording medium such as the memory 72, and when the examiner finishes the imaging of the elastic images and freezes, for example, at least one of the elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section is stored. It is read from the recording medium and displayed on the image display 26.

(Sixth embodiment)
A sixth example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Although the present embodiment is common to the second embodiment in that the compression waveform generation unit 52 generates the strain waveform 59 as the compression waveform, the calculation processing content for detecting the appropriate compression section of the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is as follows. Different from the second embodiment. Therefore, description of the same parts as those of the second embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the sixth embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. In the case of determining the uniform compression operation of the examiner as described above, attention is paid to the symmetry of the strain waveform in Example 4 and Example 5, but the strain waveform is used as an index of the uniformity of the tissue movement due to the compression. Note the symmetry of the integral graph obtained from 59 integrals. Therefore, the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 of the present embodiment integrates the generated strain waveform 59 for each compression cycle to obtain an integration graph 64, and in each compression cycle of the integration graph 64, the peak point 66 of the integrated value is obtained. The left and right symmetry of the integral graph as a center is obtained, and an appropriate compression cycle is detected based on the left and right symmetry of the obtained integral graph of each compression cycle.

得られた積分歪を時系列にプロットしたものが、例えば図７下部のような積分グラフ６４となる。適正圧迫周期検出部５４は、この積分グラフ６４の各区間において、実施例４と同様の手法を用いて、積分値がピークとなるピーク点６６を中心とした左右の対称性を求める。そして、例えば対称性が一番高い区間を適正圧迫区間として検出する。図７の例では、区間Ｎ０，Ｎ１における積分グラフ６４の左右対称性は低い一方、区間Ｎ２における積分グラフ６４の左右対称性は高いので、区間Ｎ２が適正圧迫区間６０として検出される。 That is, it is assumed that a strain waveform S (t) using an average strain value for each frame data is obtained from the compression waveform generation unit 52. The integral distortion Sint (t) when the strain waveform S (t) is integrated in a certain section is obtained by the following mathematical formula.

A plot of the obtained integral distortion in time series is an integral graph 64 as shown in the lower part of FIG. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 obtains left-right symmetry about the peak point 66 where the integrated value is a peak in each section of the integration graph 64 using the same method as in the fourth embodiment. For example, a section having the highest symmetry is detected as an appropriate compression section. In the example of FIG. 7, the left and right symmetry of the integral graph 64 in the sections N0 and N1 is low, while the left and right symmetry of the integral graph 64 in the section N2 is high, and thus the section N2 is detected as the appropriate compression section 60.

  The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 sends information on the appropriate compression interval to the switching addition unit 24, and the switching addition unit 24 displays the information as an appropriate compression interval on the compression waveform. Further, the generated elastic images are sequentially stored in a recording medium such as the memory 72, and when the examiner finishes the imaging of the elastic images and freezes, for example, at least one of the elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section is stored. It is read from the recording medium and displayed on the image display 26.

(Seventh embodiment)
A seventh example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. Although the present embodiment is common to the second embodiment in that the compression waveform generation unit 52 generates the strain waveform 59 as the compression waveform, the calculation processing content for detecting the appropriate compression section of the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is as follows. Different from the second embodiment. Therefore, description of the same parts as those of the second embodiment is omitted.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the seventh embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. When judging the uniform compression operation of the examiner as described above, the symmetry of the strain waveform 59 is focused on in the fourth and fifth embodiments. However, as an indicator of the uniformity of the tissue movement due to the compression, the strain is used. You may pay attention to the strain value of the waveform 59 or the strain rate distribution obtained from the strain value. Therefore, the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 of the present embodiment obtains the dispersion or standard deviation in each compression cycle based on the generated strain waveform 59 or the strain rate waveform 67 generated based on this strain waveform. Based on the dispersion or standard deviation, a compression cycle in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate is detected.

That is, the strain distribution σ ² and the standard deviation σ in the section N corresponding to one period of the strain waveform S (t) from the time when the amount of compression of the strain waveform S (t) becomes 0 are expressed in the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 as follows. It is calculated by a mathematical formula.

Here, Savg is an arithmetic average of S (t). When the obtained dispersion σ ² and standard deviation σ are large, it is considered that the strain is biased. On the other hand, when the variance and the standard deviation are small, the strain is small and the strain is considered to be uniform. Therefore, the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 detects a section in which the variance σ ² and the standard deviation σ are minimum as a proper compression section. In the example of FIG. 8, the strain and the standard deviation are increased because the strain is biased in the sections N0 and N1, while the variance and the standard deviation are decreased in the section N2 because the strain is not biased. The section N2 is detected as the appropriate compression section 60.

The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 can also detect a section in which the variance σ ² and the standard deviation σ are smaller than a preset threshold as an appropriate compression section. The appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 sends information on the appropriate compression interval to the switching addition unit 24, and the switching addition unit 24 displays the information as an appropriate compression interval on the compression waveform. Further, the generated elastic images are sequentially stored in a recording medium such as the memory 72, and when the examiner finishes the imaging of the elastic images and freezes, for example, at least one of the elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section is stored. It is read from the recording medium and displayed on the image display 26.

Further, the strain rate is obtained in the same manner as in the second embodiment, and the strain rate waveform 67 (strain rate waveform SR (t)) as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8 is generated by plotting the strain rate value. Is done. For the strain rate waveform SR (t), the variance σ ² and the standard deviation σ of the strain rate are obtained in the same manner as the strain waveform S (t), and the interval in which the variance σ ² and the standard deviation σ are minimum or preset. A section smaller than the threshold value is detected as an appropriate compression section 60. For example, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 8, the strain rate waveform 67 is converted into an absolute value to generate a strain rate absolute value waveform 69. In the strain rate absolute value waveform 69, the variance σ ² and the standard deviation σ are obtained to obtain an appropriate compression interval. Can also be detected.

(Eighth embodiment)
An eighth example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. The above first to seventh examples are examples for detecting and displaying an appropriate compression interval, but there may be cases where no appropriate compression interval exists in the compression waveform used in these examples. It is done. Therefore, the compression cycle detection unit 50 according to the present embodiment applies a compression cycle in which the correlation value of each compression cycle obtained by the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54 is larger than a preset correlation threshold by the same method as in the first embodiment. The compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the specimen is detected as an appropriate compression cycle, and the number of detected appropriate compression cycles is counted and displayed on the image display 26.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept of the eighth embodiment of the compression cycle detection unit 50. The upper part of FIG. 9 shows a teacher waveform 58 (teacher waveform T (t)) similar to that of the first embodiment, and the lower part shows a compression waveform 56 (compression waveform P (t)). For example, as shown in FIG. 9, an arbitrary threshold value (for example, 0.85) is set for the correlation value used for detecting an appropriate compression interval, and the number of compression intervals for which the correlation value is greater than or less than the set threshold value is counted. Then, it is displayed that the appropriate compression section is included on the compression waveform during the compression operation during the examination.

  For example, in the case of the first embodiment of detecting the appropriate compression section, an arbitrary threshold is set in the appropriate compression cycle detection unit 54, and the correlation value between the compression waveform P (t) and the teacher waveform T (t) is equal to or greater than the set threshold. The number of compression sections is counted, and the count value is sent to the switching addition unit 24 and displayed on the image display 26. In the example of FIG. 9, the correlation values C0 to C5 in the sections N0 to N5 are 0.70, 0.80, 0.95, 0.85, 0.80, and 0.95, respectively. N3 and N5 are detected as the appropriate compression section 60, and 3 as the number of detections is displayed.

  In the above example, the number of compression sections that are equal to or greater than the threshold value set based on the first embodiment of the appropriate compression section detection is displayed and displayed, but each of the appropriate compression section detection examples 2-7 is appropriate. The appropriate number of compression sections may be counted and displayed based on the setting of the threshold value for the instruction value used for detection of the compression section and the comparison result between the instruction value and the threshold value.

(Ninth embodiment)
A ninth example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the first to seventh embodiments, the time for selecting the frame of the examiner has been shortened by detecting and displaying the appropriate compression section. However, the selection time for the plurality of elastic images in the appropriate compression section is as follows. It is necessary separately. Therefore, in this embodiment, a combined elastic image is generated by adding or averaging a plurality of elastic images within a compression cycle in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate, and this combined elastic image is displayed on the image display 26. Is displayed.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a processing concept in image display according to the ninth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, there are a plurality (six in this embodiment) of elastic images 68a-68f in the appropriate compression section 60 of the compression waveform 56 (compression waveform P (t)). In order to shorten the selection time of which one of the plurality of elastic images 68a-68f in the appropriate compression section is to be used for diagnosis, the elastic images 68a-68f in the appropriate compression section are added or averaged. A synthetic elasticity image 70 is generated and displayed.

  In the above example, an elastic image obtained by adding or averaging all of the elastic images in the appropriate compression interval is detected and displayed. Elastic images may be generated and displayed.

(Tenth embodiment)
A tenth example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the ninth embodiment, a plurality of elastic images in the appropriate compression section are combined and displayed. However, when the original image is displayed as it is, the ninth embodiment cannot expect a reduction in frame selection time. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to shorten the selection time of a plurality of elastic image data in the appropriate compression section, a plurality of elastic images within the compression cycle in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate are sequentially arranged. A multi-screen display is performed on the image display 26.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an image display example in the tenth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11, there are a plurality (nine in this embodiment) of elastic images 68a to 68i in the appropriate compression section 60 of the compression waveform 56 (the compression waveform P (t)). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of elastic images 68a to 68i are arranged in time series on the image display 26 to perform multi-screen display. Thereby, since the examiner can refer to the plurality of elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section in a list, it is easy to select the elastic image for diagnosis.

(Eleventh embodiment)
An eleventh example of the compression cycle detection unit 50 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. When a plurality of appropriate compression sections detected in the seventh embodiment of the appropriate compression section detection are detected, or when the instruction value used for detecting the appropriate compression section is the same in the plurality of sections, the compression section that is more appropriate among them It is necessary to select. Therefore, in this embodiment, in each of a plurality of compression periods in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate, a plurality of elastic images within the compression period are added or added and averaged to generate. A plurality of synthesized elastic images are displayed on the image display device in multi-screen order in time series.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an image display example in the eleventh embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, it is assumed that a plurality (three in this embodiment) of appropriate compression sections 60a-60c are detected in the compression waveform 56 (compression waveform P (t)), for example. In each of the appropriate compression sections 60a-60c, a plurality of elastic images included in the compression section are added or added and averaged to generate a combined elastic image 70a-70c. Then, a plurality of composite elastic images 70a to 70c are arranged in time series on the image display 26 to perform multi-screen display. Thereby, the examiner can refer to the composite elastic images based on a plurality of elastic images generated in the appropriate compression section in a list, so that the time for selecting a more appropriate compression section and selecting the elastic image can be shortened. Thus, the diagnostic efficiency can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Subject 12 Ultrasonic probe 26 Image display device 30 Displacement measurement part 32 Elasticity information calculation part 34 Elasticity image structure part 42 Interface part 46 Pressure measurement part 50 Compression period detection part 52 Compression waveform generation part 54 Proper compression period detection part 56 Compression waveform 58 Teacher waveform 59 Strain waveform 60 Proper compression section 64 Integration graph 66 Peak point 67 Strain rate waveform 68 Elastic image 70 Synthetic elastic image 72 Memory 100 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Claims (13)

An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
Compression that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of displacement frame data, elasticity frame data indicating the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject, and pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject With a period detector,
The elastic image constructing unit generates a combined elastic image obtained by adding or averaging the plurality of elastic images in the compression period in each of a plurality of compression periods in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate. ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the image display device displays a plurality of the generated synthetic elasticity images in a multi-screen order in time series . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
Based on a reception processing unit that generates RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject and a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states, displacement frame data is generated by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane A displacement measuring unit that calculates elasticity information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data, and generates elastic frame data, and the image display A display control unit for controlling
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
The compression cycle detection unit is configured to compress the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject. Detects the proper period,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the display control unit causes the image display to display at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2.
The compression cycle detection unit is configured to compress the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject. A compression waveform generation unit that generates a compression waveform representing a change over time, a waveform of each compression cycle in the generated compression waveform, and an appropriate compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject stored in advance in memory An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an appropriate compression cycle detection unit that performs a correlation operation with a teacher waveform representing a change over time and detects the appropriate compression cycle based on a correlation value of each obtained compression cycle. An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
A reception processing unit for generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states;
An elastic information calculation unit for generating elastic frame data by calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data;
A compression period detection unit that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A display control unit for controlling the image display,
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
The elasticity information calculation unit obtains strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information,
The compression cycle detection unit generates a strain waveform that represents a change over time in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data, and a compression waveform generation unit that generates a strain waveform based on the generated strain waveform. An arithmetic mean value of the strain rate of the compression cycle is obtained, and an appropriate compression cycle detection unit that detects the appropriate compression cycle based on the arithmetic average value of the strain rate of each compression cycle obtained ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the display control unit causes the image display to display at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle . An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
A reception processing unit for generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states;
An elastic information calculation unit for generating elastic frame data by calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data;
A compression period detection unit that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A display control unit for controlling the image display,
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
The elasticity information calculation unit obtains strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information,
The compression cycle detection unit generates a strain waveform that represents a change over time in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data, and a compression waveform generation unit that generates a strain waveform based on the generated strain waveform. An appropriate compression cycle detection unit that obtains an arithmetic average of the absolute values of the strain rate of the compression cycle and detects the appropriate compression cycle based on the calculated average of the absolute values of the strain rate of each compression cycle. and,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the display control unit causes the image display to display at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle . An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
A reception processing unit for generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states;
An elastic information calculation unit for generating elastic frame data by calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data;
A compression period detection unit that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A display control unit for controlling the image display,
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
When repeatedly pressing the subject on the ultrasound transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasound probe and changing the compression state on the tissue of the tomographic surface,
The elasticity information calculation unit obtains strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information,
The compression cycle detection unit generates a strain waveform representing a temporal change in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data, and each compression cycle of the generated strain waveform In the above, the upper and lower symmetry of the strain waveform about the initial strain value in the state where the initial compression is applied to the subject by the ultrasonic probe is obtained, and the upper and lower symmetry of the strain waveform of each obtained compression cycle is obtained. An appropriate compression cycle detection unit that detects the appropriate compression cycle based on the sex ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the display control unit causes the image display to display at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle . An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
A reception processing unit for generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states;
An elastic information calculation unit for generating elastic frame data by calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data;
A compression period detection unit that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A display control unit for controlling the image display,
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
When repeatedly pressing the subject on the ultrasound transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasound probe and changing the compression state on the tissue of the tomographic surface,
The elasticity information calculation unit obtains strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information,
The compression cycle detection unit generates a strain waveform representing a temporal change in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data, and each compression cycle of the generated strain waveform In the above, the point symmetry of the strain waveform about the initial strain value in the state in which the initial compression is applied by the ultrasonic probe is obtained, and the appropriateness is determined based on the point symmetry of the strain waveform of each obtained compression cycle. An appropriate compression cycle detection unit for detecting the compression cycle ;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the display control unit causes the image display to display at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle . An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
A reception processing unit for generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states;
An elastic information calculation unit for generating elastic frame data by calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data;
A compression period detection unit that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A display control unit for controlling the image display,
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
When repeatedly pressing the subject on the ultrasound transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasound probe and changing the compression state on the tissue of the tomographic surface,
The elasticity information calculation unit obtains strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information,
The compression cycle detection unit generates a strain waveform that represents a temporal change in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data, and the generated strain waveform for each compression cycle. The integral graph is obtained by integrating the left and right symmetry of the integral graph around the peak point of the integral value in each compression cycle of the integral graph, and the left and right symmetry of the integral graph of each obtained compression cycle is obtained. An appropriate compression cycle detection unit that detects the appropriate compression cycle based on the sex ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the display control unit causes the image display to display at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle . An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
A reception processing unit for generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states;
An elastic information calculation unit for generating elastic frame data by calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data;
A compression period detection unit that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A display control unit for controlling the image display,
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
The elasticity information calculation unit obtains strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information,
The compression cycle detection unit generates a strain waveform representing a temporal change in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data, and the generated strain waveform or the strain waveform The dispersion or standard deviation in each compression cycle is obtained based on the strain rate waveform generated based on the above, and the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject has an appropriate compression cycle based on the obtained dispersion or standard deviation. An appropriate compression cycle detection unit to detect ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , wherein the display control unit causes the image display to display at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle . An ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a subject, and a reflected echo signal measured by the ultrasonic probe in a compressed state in which the pressure on the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is repeatedly changed An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising an elastic image constructing unit that generates an elastic image based on the image and an image display that displays the elastic image,
A reception processing unit for generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A displacement measurement unit that generates displacement frame data by measuring the displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states;
An elastic information calculation unit for generating elastic frame data by calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data;
A compression period detection unit that detects an appropriate period of compression based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject;
A display control unit for controlling the image display,
The elastic image construction unit generates an elastic image based on the elastic frame data,
The compression cycle detection unit is configured to compress the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on at least one of the displacement frame data, the elastic frame data, and the pressure applied to the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject. A compression waveform generation unit that generates a compression waveform representing a change over time, a waveform of each compression cycle in the generated compression waveform, and an appropriate compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject stored in advance in memory An appropriate compression cycle detection unit that performs a correlation operation with a teacher waveform representing a change over time and detects the appropriate compression cycle based on a correlation value of each obtained compression cycle, and each of the obtained compression cycles A compression cycle with a correlation value greater than a preset correlation threshold is detected as a compression cycle in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the display control unit counts the number of detected appropriate compression cycles and displays the counted number on the image display. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The elastic image construction unit generates a combined elastic image obtained by adding or averaging a plurality of the elastic images within a compression cycle in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate, and the image display An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that displays a synthetic elasticity image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The image display device is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that displays a plurality of the elastic images within a compression cycle in which the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is appropriate in a time-series order. An ultrasonic image display method for generating an elastic image based on a reflected echo signal measured by an ultrasonic probe and repeatedly displaying it on an image display in a state in which the pressure on the tomographic surface of the subject is repeatedly changed. There,
A step of generating RF signal frame data of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject and a step of generating displacement frame data by measuring a displacement of the tissue on the tomographic plane based on a pair of RF signal frame data having different compression states. When,
Calculating elastic information representing the hardness or softness of the tissue of the tomographic plane based on the generated displacement frame data, and generating elastic frame data;
Obtaining strain frame data based on the displacement frame data as the elasticity information;
Generating a strain waveform representing a temporal change in the compression state of the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject based on the strain frame data;
Based on the generated strain waveform or the strain rate waveform generated based on the strain waveform, the variance or standard deviation in each compression cycle is obtained, and the tissue on the tomographic plane of the subject is obtained based on the obtained variance or standard deviation. Detecting a compression cycle with an appropriate compression state;
And displaying at least one of a plurality of elastic images generated in the detected appropriate compression cycle on the image display.

Images