JP2008068133A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which may be easily and suitably operated by even an unprofessional or unskilled doctor. <P>SOLUTION: In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a preliminarily acquired reference image 42, an ultrasonic image 41 being currently imaged, and position information 44 indicating relation between a position of the ultrasonic probe in transmission/reception of ultrasonic waves for producing the reference image 42 and a current position of the ultrasonic probe are displayed on a display part as navigation information. A movement position of the ultrasonic probe for acquiring the next diagnostic image is displayed as movement information 46 on the display part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used in, for example, medical treatment.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus displays a tomographic image of a tissue by a non-invasive examination method using ultrasonic waves. This ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus is highly practical even in clinical settings. For example, heart beats and fetal movements can be displayed in real time with a simple operation by simply touching the ultrasound probe from the body surface. . In addition, since X-rays are not used, the inspection can be repeated without worrying about exposure. Furthermore, the scale of the system is small compared to other diagnostic equipment such as X-ray, CT, MRI, etc., it is possible to move to the bedside for examinations, and further miniaturized ultrasonic diagnostic equipment has been developed. .

  By the way, in general, operation of a medical device requires advanced technology and knowledge. Therefore, medical devices are often operated only by specific specialist doctors and engineers. However, due to recent technological advances, medical devices are becoming operable by non-specialized or inexperienced doctors and engineers. In addition, due to the above-described characteristics of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is conceivable that the patient will operate the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus himself / herself in telemedicine or home medical care in the future.

  However, in order to capture a suitable diagnostic image with a conventional ultrasonic apparatus, it is necessary to have an ability to interpret an ultrasonic image, an anatomical grasping power, and the like. Therefore, it is not easy for non-specialized or inexperienced doctors, engineers, patients, and the like, and a suitable diagnostic image cannot be taken.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can be easily and appropriately operated even by a doctor or engineer who is not specialized or has little experience. .

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

  An aspect of the present invention provides an ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasonic waves to a subject and receives reflected waves from the subject, and an image generation unit that generates an ultrasonic image based on the received reflected waves. Storage means for storing first support information including at least information related to a reference image, which is a diagnostic image acquired in the past by any of an X-ray CT apparatus, a magnetic resonance diagnostic apparatus, a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus Positioning means for associating the reference image and the generated ultrasonic image as substantially matching each other, display means for displaying the associated reference image and the ultrasonic image, An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can be operated easily and appropriately even by a non-specialized or inexperienced doctor or engineer.

  Hereinafter, first to third 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 embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 includes an ultrasonic probe 12, a position sensor 13, a position detection processor 14, an ultrasonic transmission unit 21, an ultrasonic reception unit 22, a B-mode processing unit 23, and a Doppler processing unit 24. DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 25, image composition unit 26, display unit 28, audio output unit 29, storage medium 30, network circuit 31, controller 32, navigation processor 33, and operation panel 40.

  The ultrasonic probe 12 has a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators as acoustic / electric reversible conversion elements such as piezoelectric ceramics. These piezoelectric vibrators are arranged in parallel and are provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe 12. The configuration of the ultrasonic probe 12 will be described in detail later.

  The position sensor 13 is provided inside the ultrasonic probe 12 or is fixed to the ultrasonic probe 12 with an attachment or the like, and position information for specifying the position and orientation (orientation) of the ultrasonic probe 12 is obtained. To detect. The position sensor 13 is a sensor that detects the position using, for example, a magnetic field, and is installed in order to obtain position information of at least two points of the ultrasonic probe 12. The position information detected by the position sensor 13 is transmitted to the position detection processor 14 as needed.

  The position detection processor 14 specifies the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe 12 based on the position information detected by the position sensor 13. Specifically, the position detection processor 14 specifies the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe 12 as follows, for example.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for specifying the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe 12 by the position sensor 13 and the position detection processor 14. As shown in the figure, a position sensor 13 a and a position sensor 13 b are provided at two locations inside the ultrasonic probe 12. Each sensor 13a, 13b detects the position of two points, point P1 and point P2. The position information of the points P1 and P2 is transmitted to the position detection processor 14 as needed. The position detection processor 14 detects the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 based on the position of the point P1 or the point P2, for example, and detects the posture (orientation) of the ultrasonic probe 12 based on the relationship between the point P1 and the point P2.

  Further, the center of the position sensor 13a and the center of the position sensor 13b are installed in a form not along the central axis of the ultrasonic probe 12 (the axis in the direction along the ultrasonic irradiation direction). The position detection processor 14 determines how much the ultrasonic probe 12 is rotated about the central axis from the angle formed by the straight line connecting the center of the position sensor 13a and the center of the position sensor 13b and the central axis of the ultrasonic probe 12. Identify whether or not

  Although not shown, the ultrasonic transmission unit 21 includes a trigger generator, a delay circuit, and a pulsar circuit. The ultrasonic transmission unit 21 generates a pulsed ultrasonic wave and sends it to the vibration element of the ultrasonic probe 12 to generate a convergent ultrasonic pulse. . The echo signal scattered by the tissue in the subject is received by the ultrasonic probe 12 again.

  The echo signal output for each element from the ultrasonic probe 12 is taken into the ultrasonic receiving unit 22. Here, although not shown, the echo signal is amplified by a preamplifier for each channel, given a delay time necessary for determining reception directivity by a reception delay circuit after A / D conversion, and added by an adder. By this addition, the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity is emphasized. The echo signal strength data is formed by the transmission directivity and the reception directivity.

  The output from the ultrasonic receiving unit 22 is sent to the B mode processing unit 23. Here, logarithmic amplification of the echo signal, envelope detection processing, and the like are performed, and the signal intensity is data expressed by brightness. The Doppler processing unit 24 performs frequency analysis of velocity information from the echo signal and sends the analysis result to the DSC 25.

  In the DSC 25, the scanning line signal sequence of the ultrasonic scan is converted into a scanning line signal sequence of a general video format represented by a television or the like.

  The image synthesizing unit 26 synthesizes a navigation image including a real-time image output from the DSC 25, character information and scales of various setting parameters, images of other modalities described later, and the like, and outputs the synthesized video signal to the display unit 28. .

  The display unit 28 is a CRT or the like that functions as a console window when executing various analysis programs in addition to displaying an ultrasonic image and a navigation image described later.

  The voice output unit 29 provides the operator with various navigation information at the time of navigation execution, which will be described later, by voice.

  The storage medium 30 stores a diagnostic analysis program defined in advance, diagnostic images collected by the apparatus 10 or other apparatuses, diagnostic images by other modalities such as X-ray CT images, and ultrasonic probe position information. Remember every time. In addition, various software programs related to a navigation system, which will be described later, and libraries such as voice and images are stored. As this storage medium 30, other IC memories such as PROM (EPROM, EEPROM, Flash, EPROM), DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc., an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor storage device, and the like can be used. The data stored in the storage medium 30 can also be transferred via a network circuit 31 to an external peripheral device via a wired or wireless network.

  The network circuit 31 transmits / receives various data to / from other devices via a network such as a hospital LAN, WAN, or the Internet.

  The controller 32 has a function as an information processing apparatus (computer) and is a control means for controlling the operation of the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  The navigation processor 33 performs processing related to image display or audio output for navigation according to a predetermined program.

  The operation panel 40 is a device that is connected to the device 10 and for inputting instruction information from an operator. The operation panel 40 can control a diagnostic device and set various image quality conditions. Ball, TCS (Touch Command Screen), etc. The operator inputs a navigation system start / end instruction, a reference image capture instruction, and the like, which will be described later, from the operation panel 40.

(Navigation system)
Next, a navigation system provided by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 will be described. The navigation system provides navigation information in a user-friendly form so that even an inexperienced engineer or the patient himself or herself can easily operate the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The navigation information is acquired in advance with reference to the work of an engineer having abundant experience, for example. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 for the acquisition of navigation information regarding the acquisition of ultrasonic images of an experienced engineer or the like and the provision of the navigation information, taking as an example the case where navigation related to position control of the ultrasonic probe 12 is performed. While explaining.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when an engineer or the like with abundant experience acquires a reference image used as navigation information. First, an engineer or the like determines the position of the ultrasound probe 12 for appropriately acquiring, for example, a long-axis tomographic image of the heart while viewing the ultrasound image displayed on the display unit 28 in real time (step S1). At this time, the ultrasonic image acquired in real time and the current position information of the ultrasonic probe 12 are displayed on the display unit 28.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display screen of the display unit 28 that displays the currently acquired ultrasound image and the current position of the ultrasound probe 12. An engineer or the like aligns the ultrasonic probe 12 for obtaining a desired image while observing the ultrasonic image and position information as shown in FIG.

  For example, in the case of cardiac examination, the operator aligns the ultrasonic probe 12 so that a long-axis tomographic image is displayed, and presses the reference storage button on the operation panel when the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 is determined. When the reference save button is pressed, the navigation processor 33 stores the ultrasonic image obtained at this time as a reference image in the storage medium 30 (step S2). At this time, the position information of the ultrasonic probe 12 detected by the position detection processor 14 based on the position information from the position sensor 13 and the order of collection are also stored in association with the reference image. Thereby, the positional relationship between the reference image of the patient and the ultrasonic probe 12 is stored. Subsequently, when obtaining another reference image, for example, another reference image in which the position of the ultrasound probe 12 is changed, the processing of step S1 and step S2 is repeatedly executed. If no reference image is required, the acquisition of the reference image is terminated. The plurality of reference images collected at this time are associated with each other and stored as one navigation information.

  Next, a navigation system that is executed in accordance with the navigation information when, for example, an inexperienced engineer diagnoses will be described. In ultrasonic diagnosis, it is common to acquire a plurality of different cross-sectional images by appropriately moving the ultrasonic probe 12. Therefore, it is assumed that there are a plurality of reference images as the navigation information, and the navigation when acquiring a plurality of diagnostic images while referring to each of the reference images as the information will be described below.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the navigation system. In FIG. 5, when an instruction to execute a navigation system, an instruction to select navigation information to be used, and the like are input from the operation panel 40, the navigation processor 33 reads the selected navigation information from the storage medium 30, and the first sheet Is displayed on the display unit 28 (step S4).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display form of the reference image on the display unit 28. As shown in FIG. 6, the reference image 42 is displayed together with the ultrasonic image 41 displayed in real time and the current position information 44 of the ultrasonic probe 12. First, the display unit 28 displays, on the display unit 28, a reference image whose collection order is 1 among a plurality of reference images associated as one navigation information.

  The operator (in this case, an inexperienced engineer or the like) refers to the ultrasonic image and the reference image displayed on the display unit 28, and positions the ultrasonic probe 12 at a position where the same ultrasonic image as the reference image is obtained. (Step S5).

By pressing the reference image reference button at the determined ultrasonic probe position, it is determined whether or not the displayed reference image 42 and the diagnostic image acquired and displayed by the current ultrasonic probe position match. (Step S6). In this determination, the navigation processor 33 obtains the similarity between both images by, for example, image processing, image recognition, or the like. Note that without performing such determination, the reset operation of the next step may be performed when the reference image reference button is pressed.

  If it is determined that the diagnostic image matches the reference image, the detection value of the position sensor 13 is reset in response to a predetermined operation or automatically (step S7). That is, when it is determined that the diagnostic image and the reference image match, the position information 13 of the ultrasonic ultrasonic probe 12 shown in FIG. 6 is all “0” by resetting the position sensor 13. The reference position alignment between the reference image and the currently acquired ultrasonic image has been performed. Therefore, the position information 44 after the reset indicates a deviation from the reference image. As a result, the operator determines how much the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 operated by the operator is deviated from the desired arrangement position of the ultrasonic probe 12 (that is, the ultrasonic probe position with respect to the reference image) by the position information 44. Can be grasped quantitatively. On the other hand, when it is determined that the diagnostic image and the reference image do not match, positioning of the ultrasonic probe 12 is executed until they match. When the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 is determined, an image is captured according to a predetermined operation and stored in the storage medium 30 (step S8). At this time, the position information of the ultrasonic probe 12 detected by the position detection processor 14 based on the position information from the position sensor 13 is also stored in association with the reference image.

  Subsequently, the process proceeds to acquisition of the next diagnostic image. At this time, the navigation processor 33 displays a reference image for acquiring the next diagnostic image and operation support information representing how the ultrasonic probe should be moved based on the navigation information (step S9).

  FIG. 7 is a display example of the display unit 28 and displays ultrasonic probe movement information 46 as operation support information. The ultrasonic probe movement information 46 is a diagram showing the current position of the ultrasonic probe 12 and the positional relationship of the ultrasonic probe 12 for collecting a reference image.

The ultrasonic probe movement information 46 shown in FIG. 7 represents the position of the existing ultrasonic probe 12 by a solid line and the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 to be moved by a dotted line. With this ultrasonic probe movement information, even an inexperienced engineer or the like can easily grasp the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 to be moved next. Note that the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 to be moved may be provided by voice from the voice output unit 29. In the case of outputting by sound, in order to move the ultrasonic probe 12 to a position where a reference image is obtained, the direction in which the probe is translated, the direction in which the probe is tilted, and the direction in which the probe is twisted are output by sound.

  Subsequently, the operator performs positioning based on the ultrasonic probe movement information (step S10), and the reference image 42 to be referenced matches the diagnostic image acquired and displayed by the current ultrasonic probe position. It is determined whether or not (step S11). When it is determined that they do not match, positioning of the ultrasonic probe 12 is executed until they match, while when it is determined that they match, an image is captured according to a predetermined operation, and the storage medium 30 (Step S12).

  Then, when acquiring another diagnostic image, the process from step S9 to step S12 is repeated again. On the other hand, when the imaging of the prepared diagnostic images for the reference image is finished, the operation of the navigation system is finished (step S13).

  In the navigation system, it is not always necessary to take diagnostic images for all the prepared reference images, and it is also possible to skip predetermined reference images during the investigation.

  According to the configuration described above, the ultrasonic image to be referred to and the arrangement position of the ultrasonic probe 12 are provided as navigation information. The operator can take a diagnostic image while referring to the navigation information, for example, while grasping the difference between the reference image as the navigation information and the currently taken ultrasonic image. Therefore, even when an inexperienced engineer or the patient himself / herself takes an image, it is possible to obtain an appropriate diagnostic image relating to the diagnostic part.

  Further, according to the present navigation system, since the presently acquired ultrasonic image, the current position of the ultrasonic probe 12, and the reference image are provided in the form of being simultaneously displayed, the operator can display the current image. The correspondence between the ultrasonic probe position and the reference image can be easily grasped. In addition, since the position of the ultrasonic probe to be moved to acquire the next diagnostic image is instructed, even when an inexperienced engineer or the patient himself / herself takes an image, the process can be quickly performed. .

  Furthermore, the navigation information can be received from a basic hospital or the like by the network circuit 31 via the network. Therefore, for example, an ultrasonic image can be taken in accordance with the navigation information even in a remote place or a patient's home. The patient can receive a high-quality diagnosis with a suitable diagnostic image by transferring an ultrasonic image appropriately captured according to the navigation information to a basic hospital or the like.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, images acquired by different modalities (X-ray CT apparatus, magnetic resonance diagnosis apparatus, nuclear medicine diagnosis apparatus, etc.), for example, three-dimensional X-ray CT images and MRI images are used as navigation information. This is an example.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the navigation system according to the second embodiment, and shows the flow of processing when generating navigation information. In FIG. 8, first, diagnostic images are collected by another modality, for example, an X-ray CT apparatus, and volume data is generated (step S21).

  Next, a reference cross section is set in the volume data (step S22). For example, a cross-sectional image is generated from volume data and displayed by a technique such as MPR (multi plane reconstruction). The operator moves the position of the cross-sectional image and sets a reference cross-sectional image (hereinafter referred to as “reference cross-section”) to a desired position. The reference cross-sectional image preferably has the same shape as the ultrasonic image, for example, a fan shape. This shape correspondence can be realized by a predetermined coordinate transformation.

  Next, the reference cross section and the ultrasonic image are associated (positioned) (step S23). Specifically, the ultrasonic probe 12 is moved so that an ultrasonic image is displayed at the same position as the reference cross section. At a position that seems to match, the reference section and the ultrasound image are associated (positioned) by a predetermined operation such as resetting. After the association, the ultrasonic image and the MPR image move in conjunction with the movement of the ultrasonic probe 12.

  Note that the above association may be configured only when the similarity between the two images is obtained by image recognition, image processing, or the like and the similarity is equal to or greater than a threshold in order to obtain a more accurate association. .

  Next, the ultrasonic probe 12 is positioned (step S24). That is, an ultrasonic image and an MPR image corresponding to the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 are generated, and an ultrasonic image and an MPR image that are linked to the movement of the ultrasonic probe 12 are displayed. The operator can perform positioning for acquiring a reference image while referring to both images that are linked.

  Next, an MPR image as a reference image is acquired by pressing a reference save button on the operation panel at the determined ultrasonic probe position (step S25). When the reference save button is pressed, the navigation processor 33 stores the MPR image obtained at this time in the storage medium 30 as a reference image. At this time, the position information of the ultrasonic probe 12 detected by the position detection processor 14 based on the position information from the position sensor 13, the position information of the MPR image, and the collected order are stored in association with the reference image. . Thereby, the positional relationship between the reference image of the patient and the ultrasonic probe 12 is stored. At this time, the configuration may be such that an ultrasonic image is also stored as a sub-reference image at the same time.

  Subsequently, when obtaining another reference image, for example, another reference image in which the position of the ultrasound probe 12 is changed, the processes of step S24 and step S25 are repeatedly executed. If no reference image is required, the acquisition of the reference image is terminated. The plurality of reference images collected at this time are associated with each other and stored as one navigation information.

  A diagnostic image based on the navigation information obtained in this way can be acquired in the same procedure as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 5).

  According to such a configuration, images acquired with other modalities can be used as navigation information, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In the present embodiment, since the ultrasonic probe can be positioned while simultaneously observing the CT image and the ultrasonic image, a higher-quality reference image can be acquired. Furthermore, since the reference image of the CT image and the reference image of the ultrasonic image can be acquired at the same time, the work load in generating the reference image can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment, images acquired by different modalities (X-ray CT apparatus, magnetic resonance diagnostic apparatus, nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, etc.), for example, three-dimensional X-ray CT images and MRI images are used as navigation information. This is another example.

  That is, in the second embodiment, a CT image as a reference image is acquired with reference to an ultrasonic image and a CT image that are linked with an ultrasonic probe. On the other hand, in this embodiment, a CT image as a reference image is acquired while referring to only the CT image.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the navigation system according to the third embodiment, and shows the flow of processing when generating navigation information. In FIG. 9, first, diagnostic images are collected by another modality, for example, an X-ray CT apparatus, and volume data is generated (step S31).
Next, based on the position information of the generated volume data, from a reference image manually set by the operator, for example, a cross-sectional image as a reference image set at a predetermined slice width or angular interval (for example, MPR image) Is automatically set by three-dimensional position calculation (step S32). The set cross-sectional image and its position information are stored in the storage medium 30 (step S33). Acquisition of this reference image and its position information is repeated as many times as necessary (step S34). In addition, the structure which an operator sets by manual operation may be sufficient as acquisition of the cross-sectional image as said reference image, and its positional information.

  A diagnostic image based on the navigation information obtained in this way can be acquired in the same procedure as in the first embodiment (see FIG. 5).

  According to such a configuration, images acquired with other modalities can be used as navigation information, and the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Although the present invention has been described based on the embodiments, those skilled in the art can come up with various changes and modifications within the scope of the idea of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs to the scope of the present invention. For example, as shown in the following (1) and (2), various modifications can be made without changing the gist thereof.

  (1) In each of the above embodiments, a diagnostic image acquired from an actual subject is used as navigation information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which an animation image created in advance is used as navigation information may be used.

  (2) In each of the above-described embodiments, an appropriate ultrasonic probe placement position is provided by image display or sound. However, the provision form of the appropriate ultrasonic probe arrangement position is not limited to this. For example, the ultrasonic probe 12 itself may be provided with a display device such as a liquid crystal or a light-emitting diode, and the moving direction and the moving amount may be displayed on the display device based on information from the position detection processor 14.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can be operated easily and appropriately even by a non-specialized or inexperienced doctor or engineer.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method for specifying the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe 12 by the position sensor 13 and the position detection processor 14. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing when an engineer or the like with abundant experience acquires a reference image used as navigation information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display screen of the display unit 28 that displays the currently acquired ultrasound image and the current position of the ultrasound probe 12. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the navigation system. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a display form of the reference image on the display unit 28. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing ultrasonic probe movement information 46 displayed on the display unit 28 and displaying the position of the ultrasonic probe 12 to be moved from the current position of the ultrasonic probe 12. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the navigation system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the navigation system according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 12 ... Ultrasonic probe, 13 ... Position sensor, 14 ... Position detection processor, 21 ... Ultrasonic transmission unit, 22 ... Ultrasonic unit, 22 ... Ultrasonic reception unit, 23 ... B mode processing part , 25 ... DSC, 26 ... image composition unit, 28 ... display unit, 29 ... audio output unit, 30 ... storage medium, 31 ... network circuit, 32 ... controller, 33 ... navigation processor, 40 ... operation panel, 41 ... ultrasonic wave Image, 42 ... Reference image, 44 ... Position information, 46 ... Ultrasonic probe movement information, 46 ... Movement information

Claims (5)

An ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasonic waves to the subject and receives reflected waves from the subject;
Image generating means for generating an ultrasonic image based on the received reflected wave;
Storage means for storing first support information including at least information related to a reference image which is a diagnostic image acquired in the past by any of an X-ray CT apparatus, a magnetic resonance diagnostic apparatus, a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus; ,
An alignment unit that associates the reference image and the generated ultrasonic image as substantially matching each other;
Display means for displaying the associated reference image and the ultrasound image;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: Determination means for determining a similarity between the ultrasonic image and the reference image, and determining whether the ultrasonic image and the reference image substantially match based on the similarity;
The alignment unit performs the association only when it is determined that the ultrasonic image and the reference image substantially match.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1. The first support information further includes first position information corresponding to a position of an ultrasonic probe recommended when acquiring an ultrasonic image corresponding to the reference image using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus,
The display means simultaneously displays the first position information and the second position information, which is information on the current spatial position of the ultrasonic probe;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2. Support information for generating second support information for supporting operation of the ultrasonic probe based on the association and second position information that is information on the current spatial position of the ultrasonic probe Further comprising generating means,
The display means displays the second support information;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3. The first support information includes volume data capable of generating the reference image,
The display means generates and displays the reference image that is linked to the movement of the ultrasonic probe, using second position information that is information relating to the current spatial position of the ultrasonic probe and the volume data. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

Images