JP2007236606A - Ultrasonic signal analyzer, ultrasonic signal analysis method, ultrasonic analysis program, ultrasonic diagnostic device, and method of controlling ultrasonic diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic signal analyzer etc. which can make information about movement or deformation of a 2-dimensional (or 3-dimensional) tissue into video precisely by simple and speedy data processing by solving problems of a conventional method. <P>SOLUTION: Based on 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional tracking utilizing B-mode animation data, a first movement vector defined by the movement quantity and the movement direction of the tissue is obtained concerning a plurality of points of the tissue. Based on tissue Doppler animation data, the movement velocity of the plurality of points of the tissue along an ultrasonic scanning direction is obtained. Based on the first movement vector and the movement velocity, a second movement vector concerning the plurality of points of the tissue is obtained. Based of the second movement vector, an image about the movement of the tissue is generated. These are performed by the ultrasonic signal analyzer characteristically. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus and the like having a function of visualizing a state of tissue movement or deformation.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is a medical imaging apparatus that visualizes a structure in a living body by transmitting ultrasonic waves into the living body and receiving ultrasonic waves reflected and scattered from the living body. In recent years, a function for visualizing not only the structure in a living body but also the movement and deformation of a tissue (motion information) has been realized on a diagnostic apparatus, and its method has been studied (for example, see Patent Document 1). ). These methods can be roughly classified into the following two types.

  One is a technique called a tissue Doppler method. This is a technique for obtaining a tissue moving speed using a Doppler method similar to the Doppler method for blood. Currently, hardware that realizes this method is implemented in most ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses. Since the processing itself for realizing this method is relatively simple, there is an advantage that it can be imaged in real time. On the other hand, the disadvantage is that the direct movement speed of the tissue is not known, and only the projection component of the actual movement speed onto the scanning line can be obtained.

  The other is a technique called a two-dimensional (or three-dimensional) tracking method. For example, taking a two-dimensional tracking method as an example, this is a technique for performing a two-dimensional tracking process using received signals or ultrasonic images distributed two-dimensionally. A typical example of the tracking process is the cross-correlation method. Two-dimensional movement speed and movement distance are obtained by the tracking process, and it is possible to evaluate a two-dimensional change by using this. On the other hand, since the processing is complicated, a lot of data processing time is required, and tracking is insufficient due to the deformation of a signal generated between frames, and sufficient estimation accuracy cannot be obtained.

Therefore, the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that employs any of the above methods to visualize motion information has the disadvantages of each method, and grasps the direct movement speed of the tissue and the speed of data processing. Either of the estimation accuracy is not enough.
JP 2003-175041 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, solves the problems of the above two methods, and performs two-dimensional (or three-dimensional) tissue movement with high accuracy by simple and rapid data processing. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus and the like that can visualize information on deformation.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following measures.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of frames of first ultrasonic data acquired by ultrasonic scanning a tissue of a subject in a first imaging mode, and ultrasonic scanning of the tissue by a tissue Doppler mode are acquired. Storage means for storing a plurality of frames of second ultrasonic data, and the amount and direction of movement of the tissue based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using the first ultrasonic data A first movement vector obtaining means for obtaining a first movement vector defined by a plurality of points of the tissue, and a plurality of the tissues along the ultrasonic scanning direction based on the second ultrasonic data. Speed calculation means for obtaining a moving speed of a point, and second movement vector acquisition for obtaining a second movement vector for a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed And the step, based on said second movement vectors for a plurality of points of the tissue, an ultrasound signal analysis apparatus characterized by comprising an image generating means for generating an image relating to exercise of the tissue.

  The second aspect of the present invention is based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using a plurality of frames of first ultrasonic data obtained by ultrasonic scanning of a subject's tissue in the first imaging mode. Obtaining a first movement vector defined by a movement amount and a movement direction of the tissue with respect to a plurality of points of the tissue; and a second of a plurality of frames obtained by ultrasonic scanning the tissue in a tissue Doppler mode. Based on the ultrasonic data, the step of obtaining the moving speeds of the plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction, and the first of the plurality of points of the tissue based on the first moving vector and the moving speed. Obtaining two movement vectors; generating an image relating to the movement of the tissue based on the second movement vector relating to a plurality of points of the tissue; An ultrasound signal analysis method characterized by comprising the.

A third aspect of the present invention is a two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using a plurality of frames of first ultrasonic data obtained by ultrasonically scanning a tissue of a subject in a first imaging mode. A function for determining a first movement vector defined by a movement amount and a movement direction of the tissue with respect to a plurality of points of the tissue,
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction are obtained based on a plurality of frames of second ultrasonic data obtained by ultrasonically scanning the tissue in a tissue Doppler mode. A function for obtaining a movement speed; a function for obtaining a second movement vector for a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed; and the second movement for a plurality of points of the tissue. And a function of generating an image related to the motion of the tissue based on a vector.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic probe that transmits an ultrasonic wave to a subject in response to a supplied driving signal and receives an echo signal from the subject, and the driving to the ultrasonic probe. Ultrasonic scanning the tissue of the subject by acquiring a drive means for supplying a signal and acquiring a plurality of frames of first ultrasonic data by a first imaging mode, and ultrasonic scanning of the tissue by a tissue Doppler mode Then, based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using the first ultrasonic data, control means for controlling the driving means so as to acquire a plurality of frames of second ultrasonic data, the tissue Based on the first movement vector acquisition means for obtaining the first movement vector defined by the movement amount and the movement direction of the plurality of points with respect to the plurality of points of the tissue and the second ultrasonic data, Speed calculating means for determining the moving speed of the plurality of points of the tissue along the wave scanning direction, and a second moving vector for determining the second moving vector for the plurality of points of the tissue based on the first moving vector and the moving speed. Two movement vector acquisition means, image generation means for generating an image relating to the movement of the tissue based on the second movement vector relating to a plurality of points of the tissue, and display means for displaying an image relating to the movement of the tissue And an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for ultrasonically scanning a subject and acquiring an ultrasonic image, wherein the control means supervises the tissue of the subject in a first imaging mode. Drive the ultrasound probe to scan the ultrasound and acquire multiple frames of first ultrasound data, and to scan the tissue ultrasonically and acquire multiple frames of second ultrasound data in tissue Doppler mode The driving means for supplying a signal is controlled, and the first movement vector acquisition means is controlled by the amount and direction of movement of the tissue based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using the first ultrasonic data. A first movement vector to be defined is obtained for a plurality of points of the tissue, and the velocity calculation means moves the movement speeds of the plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction based on the second ultrasonic data. A second movement vector obtaining unit obtains a second movement vector related to a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed, and an image generation unit Generating an image relating to the movement of the tissue on the basis of the second movement vector relating to a point, and displaying the image relating to the movement of the tissue. This is a control method.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the conventional problems realized only by the tracking method or the tissue Doppler method are solved, and the two-dimensional (or three-dimensional) tissue is obtained with high accuracy by simple and rapid data processing. An ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus that can visualize information on movement or deformation of the image can be realized.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be given only when necessary.

  First, the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 includes an ultrasonic probe 11, a receiving circuit 13, a transmitting circuit 14, a beam former 15, a control unit 16, a B / M processing unit 19, a CFM processing unit 21, and a scan converter. 22A, 22B, video I / F 24, monitor 25, storage unit 26, and input unit 27.

  The ultrasonic probe 11 is provided in a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators that generate ultrasonic waves based on drive signals (drive pulses) from the transmission circuit 14 and convert reflected waves from the subject into electrical signals, and the piezoelectric vibrators. The matching layer includes a backing material that prevents the ultrasonic wave from propagating backward from the piezoelectric vibrator. When ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 11 to the subject, the transmitted ultrasonic waves are back-scattered due to the boundary of the acoustic impedance of the body tissue, minute scattering, etc., and are received by the ultrasonic probe 11 as reflected waves (echo signals). Is done.

  The receiving circuit 13 amplifies the echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe 11 for each channel and outputs the amplified echo signal to the beam former 15.

  The beam former 15 performs A / D conversion on the amplified echo signal, gives a delay time necessary for determining the reception directivity, and performs focusing by phasing addition. By this focusing, the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity of the echo signal is emphasized, and the total directivity (scanning line) of ultrasonic transmission / reception is determined by the reception directivity and the transmission directivity.

  The transmission circuit 14 repeatedly generates a rate pulse at a predetermined rate frequency fr Hz (period: 1 / fr second) to form a transmission ultrasonic wave, focuses the ultrasonic wave into a beam shape for each channel, and transmits directivity. The delay time required to determine is given to each rate pulse. In addition, the transmission circuit 14 applies a drive voltage pulse for each channel to the probe 11 in accordance with a rate pulse provided with a necessary delay time.

  In addition, when the movement vector generation process described later is executed in real time, for example, it is necessary to execute B-mode imaging and tissue Doppler mode imaging in parallel. In such a case, the transmission circuit 14 forms a transmission waveform under the control of the control unit 16 so that, for example, several B-mode transmissions and several subsequent Doppler transmissions are performed for each scanning line.

  The control unit 16 includes a CPU 160 and a memory 161, and statically or dynamically controls the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 as a control center of the entire system. Under the control of the control unit 16, the data (ultrasonic signal) is subjected to various processes in each unit and is sent to the next stage unit, and is also stored in the storage unit 26 or the like via the memory 161. . In addition, it is not necessary to store the ultrasonic signals at all stages in the storage unit 26, and may be selectively stored as necessary. Moreover, the structure which can preserve | save the signal in process within each unit may be sufficient.

  Further, the control unit 16 executes control related to a movement vector generation process which will be described later. More specifically, the movement vector generation process is executed by reading a program stored in the storage unit 26 and developing the system in the memory 161 based on the program. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and the movement vector generation process may be executed by a hardware configuration.

  The B / M processing unit 19 attenuates the reflected wave component in a predetermined frequency band, performs bandpass filter processing for extracting the reflected wave component in a desired frequency band, and then performs envelope detection to perform the envelope detection. Detect ingredients. After that, the B / M processing unit 19 performs logarithmic compression processing and, if necessary, edge enhancement processing on the echo signal.

  The CFM processing unit 21 performs high-pass filter processing (also referred to as “MTI filter processing” or “Wall filter processing”) for separating the echo signal into a tissue signal and a blood flow signal, and the movement speed of the tissue and blood flow. An autocorrelation process for detection is executed. Further, the CFM processing unit 21 executes nonlinear processing for reducing / deleting tissue signals in the echo signal as necessary.

  The scan converters 22A and 22B map the signal sequence input from the B / M processing unit 19 and the CFM processing unit 21 to a position corresponding to transmission / reception of an ultrasonic beam and image it.

  The video I / F 24 was laid out for monitor display by combining various image-related information with the image signals for the B mode / M mode, the image signals from the CFM, these three-dimensional images, and other ultrasonic images. A display image is formed, and the display image is displayed on the monitor 25.

  The monitor 25 displays in vivo morphological concessions and blood flow information as images based on the video signal from the DSC 23. Further, when a contrast agent is used, a luminance image and a color image are displayed based on a spatial distribution of the contrast agent, that is, based on a quantitative information amount obtained from a blood flow or a region where blood exists.

  The storage unit 26 stores B-mode images, tissue Doppler images, and the like taken in the past for each frame. In addition, the storage unit 26 primarily stores B-mode images, tissue Doppler images, and images related to exercise information, which will be described later, in the memory 161 and also stores them in the storage unit 26 in response to a predetermined operation. Remembered.

  The input unit 27 is connected to the main body of the apparatus 10 and is provided with an input device (mouse, trackball, mode changeover switch, keyboard, etc.) for incorporating various instructions / commands / information from the operator into the apparatus main body.

(Movement vector generation processing)
Next, the movement vector generation process realized by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 will be described. This process can be broadly classified into the following steps as shown in FIG.

  (1) Using a B-mode moving image or the like (B-mode image or the like for a plurality of consecutive frames), the movement of a roughly sampled tracking point is estimated by a two-dimensional tracking method to obtain a movement vector for each point (step S1) ).

  (2) A movement vector relating to a finer sample point is obtained by interpolation processing (step S2).

  (3) In all the pixels, the velocity value separately acquired by the tissue Doppler is angle-corrected using the angle between the movement vector and the scanning line obtained in (2), and the corrected velocity is obtained (step S3).

  (4) A second movement vector for each sample point is obtained from the movement direction of the movement vector obtained in (1) and the correction speed obtained in (3) (step S4).

(5) The processes (1) to (4) are executed for each frame image (steps S5 and S6).

  Hereinafter, each step will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 to 5. In the following description, an example will be described in which a movement vector is generated afterward using moving image data (B-mode data and tissue Doppler data) collected in advance and temporarily stored in the storage unit 26. However, needless to say, a configuration in which a movement vector is generated in real time using an image obtained by photographing may be used.

[Step S1]
First, as shown in FIG. 3, a rough sample point is set as a tracking point in one frame image, and the movement is estimated by a two-dimensional tracking method using this and a continuous frame image. Find the movement vector. Here, the sample point is set, for example (but not limited to this), by setting a grid-like marker at intervals of 3 mm on one frame image, and sampling data at a position corresponding to the grid intersection It can be realized by using a point. Any method may be adopted as the two-dimensional tracking. In this embodiment, a cross-correlation method that is one of the most representative methods is employed.

  The cross-correlation function R (x ′, y ′) is defined by the following equation (1), for example.

R (x ′, y ′) = ∫∫ [f (x + x ′, y + y ′) · g (x, y)] dxdy (1)
Here, g (x, y) is a function representing a predetermined area in the image, and f (x, y) is a function representing a predetermined area in the image for the next time phase of the image. (X ′, y ′) that maximizes the value of this cross-correlation function R (x ′, y ′) has the highest correlation (similarity) with f (x, y) in the next time phase image And can be estimated to be a moving region. By performing this estimation for all the roughly sampled tracking points (or a region including the tracking points), each tracking point can be tracked.

  The magnitude (norm) of the movement vector is defined by the movement amount of each sample point, and the vector direction is defined by the movement direction of each sample point. Since the movement amount and movement direction of each sample point can be obtained by the tracking, the movement vector for each sample point is defined by these two physical quantities. Further, if necessary, the moving speed related to the point can be obtained by dividing the moving amount by the time difference between frames.

  In addition, as a cross-correlation function, the structure which employ | adopts the correlation function R (x ', y') about the least squares defined, for example by following Formula (2) may be sufficient.

R (x ′, y ′) = ∫∫ [f (x + x ′, y + y ′) − g (x, y)] ² dxdy (2)
[Step S2]
As shown in FIG. 4, a movement vector related to a finer sample point is obtained by interpolation processing. Note that a finer sample point means a sample point related to all pixels in the present embodiment, but it is not necessary to limit to this.

  Fine sample points by interpolation processing can be obtained by executing interpolation processing such as linear interpolation on the x-coordinate and y-coordinate of each sample point based on the movement vector relating to the coarse sample point obtained in (1). it can.

  Note that acquisition of the movement vector in this step is not limited to interpolation processing, and may be realized by fitting processing, for example.

[Step S3]
Next, the velocity value at each point (point corresponding to each sample) of the tissue Doppler image data is angle-corrected by using the angle between the scanning vector and the scanning line of each sample point obtained in (2), and the corrected velocity Ask for. This angle correction is executed according to the following equation (3).

(Speed after correction) = (Speed obtained by tissue Doppler method) / cos θ (3)
Here, θ (Doppler angle) is an angle formed by the scanning direction and the moving direction obtained by two-dimensional tracking, as shown in FIG.

  In general, in the Doppler method, only the velocity along the scanning line direction is obtained. Therefore, by correcting the moving speed of each point in each frame by the above equation (3), it is possible to obtain a moving speed with higher accuracy than that obtained only from a normal tissue Doppler. In the following description, the movement speed corrected by the equation (3) is referred to as “correction speed”.

[Step S4]
Next, the second movement vector for each sample point is redefined based on the movement direction of the movement vector obtained in the above (1) and the correction speed obtained in the above (3). That is, for the vector direction, the movement direction obtained in (1) above is adopted, and for the movement amount, the product of the movement speed obtained in (3) above and the time difference between frames is adopted. , Redefine a new movement vector (second movement vector).

  Note that the angle correction in the above (3) becomes less reliable as the Doppler angle θ increases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as the Doppler angle θ increases, it is preferable from the viewpoint of accuracy to prioritize the movement amount based on the movement vector obtained in (2) above the movement amount based on the correction speed.

That is, _assuming that the movement amount obtained by the correction speed obtained by correcting the Doppler speed in (3) is D _dop and the movement amount obtained by tracking in (1) and (2) is D _track , for example, by the following equation (4): The movement amount D _sec of the second movement vector can be redefined.

D _sec = f (θ) · D _dop + (1−f (θ)) · D _track (4)
Here, as shown in FIG. 6, f (θ) is a function that satisfies 0 ≦ f (θ) ≦ 1 that increases as θ moves away from 90 degrees and decreases as it approaches 90 degrees.

[Steps S5 and S6]
By repeating the processing of steps S1 to S4 for the frames included in the moving image, an accurate movement vector can be obtained for all frames (all time phases). If necessary, the moving speed for each point can be obtained by dividing the size (movement amount) of each second movement vector by the time difference between frames.

  Note that the moving image data used in step S1 and step S2 may be data in any processing stage. For example, if data before scan conversion (raw data) or data before compression is used, more information can be reflected in the movement vector.

(Image of momentum information)
Based on the movement vector for each frame obtained by the above-described processing, it is possible to generate and display images relating to various types of motion information. Hereinafter, some images relating to exercise information that can be generated will be exemplified.

(Distortion image: picture of strain)
A distortion image can be generated using the motion vector information for each frame. For example, when Lagrangian strain (distortion) is employed, this is generally defined by Expression (5) with reference to the initial length L (t ₀ ).

S _L (t) = [L (t) −L (t ₀ )] / L (t ₀ ) (5)
S _L (t): Lagrangian Strain
L (t ₀ ): Length at reference time t ₀ L (t ₀ ): Length at reference time t ₀ FIG. 7 shows the relationship between L (t ₀ ) and L (t). .

This S _L (t) can also be calculated by obtaining the displacement at each point of the tracked pair and taking the difference between the pair of displacements and normalizing with the initial length. That is, two points (points a and b) having an interval of L ₀ are set in the t ₀ time phase, and distortion based on this can be obtained by the following equation (6).

S _L (t) = (tracking displacement at point a−tracking displacement at point b) / L ₀ (6)
The tracking displacement of point a or b in the above equation (6) can be obtained by using the movement vector obtained by this method. By calculating this for each point, the distortion for each point in each frame is obtained, and the distortion image can be displayed by displaying this continuously.

The distortion rate is defined by (tracking speed at point a−tracking speed at point b) / L ₀ . Therefore, if this distortion rate is calculated using a movement vector and output at each time phase, it is possible to obtain an ideal distortion rate obtained by tissue tracking as an output image.

  The generation of these distorted images and distortion rate images is described in detail in Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-272845, for example.

(Displacement image: picture of displacement)
A movement amount image can be generated using movement vector information for each frame. This is because a movement amount image can be generated by obtaining a movement amount from a movement vector relating to each point and moving each point in accordance with the movement amount.

  In addition, it is preferable that this movement amount image shows the movement amount in a certain period which is clinically meaningful. For example, in the ECG waveform as shown in FIG. 8, the heart contracts during the period between the R wave and the T wave (systole). Therefore, if the movement amount image in the systole is generated and displayed, it is possible to observe how the myocardium contracts.

(Moving vector image: picture of displacement vector)
A motion vector image can be generated using the motion vector information for each frame. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the movement vector for each point is represented by an arrow, and the movement direction and movement amount at each point are visualized. By observing such an image, it is possible to easily and quickly grasp the movement state at each point.

  According to the configuration described above, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the direction of the movement vector is determined based on the information obtained based on the two-dimensional (or three-dimensional) tracking method, and the movement vector is determined based on the correction speed obtained by angle-correcting the movement speed based on the tissue Doppler method. Defines the size (movement amount). Therefore, the movement vector can be defined with higher accuracy than the movement vector defined only by the conventional two-dimensional tracking method or only the tissue Doppler method. Furthermore, an image relating to motion information generated using this movement vector is also more reliable than before, and can contribute to improving the quality of image diagnosis.

  In addition, this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus obtains a finer moving vector of sampling points by interpolation processing. Therefore, the amount of information to be processed can be reduced as compared with the conventional case where two-dimensional tracking is performed for all points. As a result, the processing time can be greatly shortened, and prompt and accurate diagnosis information can be provided, particularly in real time.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the components without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the conventional problems realized only by the tracking method or the tissue Doppler method are solved, and the two-dimensional (or three-dimensional) tissue is obtained with high accuracy by simple and rapid data processing. An ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus that can visualize information on movement or deformation of the image can be realized.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a flow of a series of image generation processing including movement vector generation processing. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a movement vector obtained with respect to a rough sample point of one frame image. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the movement vector at each point obtained by the interpolation processing based on the movement vector obtained for the rough sample point. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the angle correction processing of the velocity value at each point. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a graph of the weighting function y = f (θ) used in the movement vector generation process. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining Lagrangian Strain. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the generation of the movement amount image.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 11 ... Ultrasonic probe, 13 ... Reception circuit, 14 ... Transmission circuit, 15 ... Beam former, 16 ... Control unit, 19 ... B / M processing part, 21 ... CFM processing part, 22A, 22B ... Scan converter, 24 ... Video I / F, 25 ... Monitor 25, 26 ... Storage section, 27 ... Input unit

Claims (15)

A plurality of frames of first ultrasound data acquired by ultrasonically scanning the tissue of the subject in the first imaging mode, and a plurality of frames of second ultrasound acquired by ultrasonically scanning the tissue in the tissue Doppler mode. Storage means for storing sound wave data;
A first movement vector defined by a movement amount and a movement direction of the tissue is obtained for a plurality of points of the tissue based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using the first ultrasonic data. Moving vector acquisition means of
Based on the second ultrasonic data, a speed calculation means for obtaining a moving speed of a plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction;
Second movement vector acquisition means for obtaining a second movement vector for a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed;
Image generating means for generating an image relating to the movement of the tissue based on the second movement vector relating to the plurality of points of the tissue;
An ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus comprising: The second movement vector acquisition means includes
Defining the direction of movement of the second movement vector by the first movement vector;
Defining the amount of movement of the second movement vector based on a correction speed obtained by correcting the movement speed by an angle formed by the first movement vector and the ultrasonic scanning direction;
The ultrasonic signal analysis apparatus according to claim 1. The first movement vector acquisition means includes
For a part of the plurality of points of the tissue, the first movement vector is obtained by the two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking,
For the remaining part, obtaining the first movement vector by interpolation processing or fitting processing based on the part,
The ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The ultrasonic signal analysis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first movement vector calculation unit performs the two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking by a cross-correlation method.   The ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first imaging mode is a B mode.   The image generating means generates an image relating to any one of a movement distance of the tissue over a certain period, a strain over the certain period of the tissue, a strain rate of the tissue, and a movement or deformation of the tissue. The ultrasonic signal analyzer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   4. The ultrasonic signal analyzing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first ultrasonic data or the second ultrasonic data is raw data before scan conversion. 5. Based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using a plurality of frames of first ultrasonic data acquired by ultrasonic scanning of the tissue of the subject in the first imaging mode, the amount and direction of movement of the tissue Obtaining a first movement vector defined by: for a plurality of points of the tissue;
Obtaining a moving speed of a plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction based on a plurality of frames of second ultrasonic data acquired by ultrasonic scanning the tissue in a tissue Doppler mode;
Obtaining a second movement vector for a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed;
Generating an image relating to movement of the tissue based on the second movement vector relating to a plurality of points of the tissue;
An ultrasonic signal analysis method comprising: In the step of obtaining the second movement vector,
Defining the direction of movement of the second movement vector by the first movement vector;
Defining the amount of movement of the second movement vector based on a correction speed obtained by correcting the movement speed by an angle formed by the first movement vector and the ultrasonic scanning direction;
The ultrasonic signal analysis method according to claim 8. In the step of obtaining the first movement vector,
For a part of the plurality of points of the tissue, the first movement vector is obtained by the two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking,
For the remaining part, obtaining the first movement vector by interpolation processing or fitting processing based on the part,
The ultrasonic signal analysis method according to claim 7 or 8. On the computer,
Based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using a plurality of frames of first ultrasonic data acquired by ultrasonic scanning of the tissue of the subject in the first imaging mode, the amount and direction of movement of the tissue A function for obtaining a first movement vector defined by
A function of obtaining a moving speed of a plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction based on a plurality of frames of second ultrasonic data obtained by ultrasonic scanning the tissue in a tissue Doppler mode;
A function for obtaining a second movement vector for a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed;
A function of generating an image relating to the movement of the tissue based on the second movement vector relating to a plurality of points of the tissue;
An ultrasonic signal analysis program characterized by realizing the above. The function of obtaining the second movement vector is as follows:
Defining the direction of movement of the second movement vector by the first movement vector;
Defining the amount of movement of the second movement vector based on a correction speed obtained by correcting the movement speed by an angle formed by the first movement vector and the ultrasonic scanning direction;
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to claim 11. The function of obtaining the first movement vector is as follows:
For a part of the plurality of points of the tissue, the first movement vector is obtained by the two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking,
For the remaining part, obtaining the first movement vector by interpolation processing or fitting processing based on the part,
The ultrasonic signal analysis program according to claim 11 or 12. An ultrasonic probe for transmitting an ultrasonic wave to the subject in response to the supplied drive signal and receiving an echo signal from the subject;
Drive means for supplying the drive signal to the ultrasonic probe;
The tissue of the subject is ultrasonically scanned in the first imaging mode to acquire a plurality of frames of first ultrasound data, and the tissue is ultrasonically scanned in the tissue Doppler mode to acquire a plurality of frames of second ultrasound. Control means for controlling the drive means so as to obtain sound wave data;
A first movement vector defined by a movement amount and a movement direction of the tissue is obtained for a plurality of points of the tissue based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using the first ultrasonic data. Moving vector acquisition means of
Based on the second ultrasonic data, a speed calculation means for obtaining a moving speed of a plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction;
Second movement vector acquisition means for obtaining a second movement vector for a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed;
Image generating means for generating an image relating to the movement of the tissue based on the second movement vector relating to the plurality of points of the tissue;
Display means for displaying an image relating to the movement of the tissue;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: A method for controlling an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for ultrasonically scanning a subject to acquire an ultrasonic image,
The control means ultrasonically scans the tissue of the subject by the first imaging mode and acquires a plurality of frames of first ultrasound data, and ultrasonically scans the tissue by the tissue Doppler mode. Controlling a driving means for supplying a driving signal to the ultrasonic probe so as to acquire the second ultrasonic data;
The first movement vector acquisition means, based on two-dimensional or three-dimensional tracking using the first ultrasonic data, a first movement vector defined by the movement amount and movement direction of the tissue, Seeking for multiple points of the organization,
A speed calculation means obtains a moving speed of a plurality of points of the tissue along the ultrasonic scanning direction based on the second ultrasonic data,
A second movement vector obtaining means obtains a second movement vector for a plurality of points of the tissue based on the first movement vector and the movement speed;
An image generating means generates an image relating to the movement of the tissue based on the second movement vector relating to the plurality of points of the tissue;
The display means displays an image relating to the movement of the tissue;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus control method comprising:

Images