JP6600016B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can easily perform tissue characterization.

  There are various types of mass lesions. In many cases, differential diagnosis is possible by showing typical B-mode images corresponding to the respective tissue types. For example, when an echoless spherical structure is observed in a B-mode image of the mammary gland, it is not a solid mass that is suspected of being malignant, but a cyst containing fluid and a benign lesion. Diagnosed. However, when the liquid inside the cyst contains a lot of scatterers, the inside of the cyst does not become typical echo-free, and it becomes difficult to distinguish it from a solid mass that is suspected of being malignant. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for distinguishing a solid mass from a cyst.

US Pat. No. 5,487,387

  By the way, there are various types of cysts. For example, there are several types of cysts that occur in the ovary: serous cysts that store a clear, clear serous fluid, mucinous cysts that store a lot of fluid, and a uterus that stores old blood. There are endometriotic cysts. Treatment is different for serous cysts, which have a relatively low viscosity, and mucinous cysts and endometriotic cysts, which have a relatively high viscosity. For this reason, it is diagnostically useful not only to distinguish a solid mass from a cyst but also to distinguish the type of cyst according to the viscosity of the liquid inside the cyst.

  Here, the serous cyst and the mucinous cyst typically exhibit both echo-free cyst images in the B-mode image, and thus it is difficult to distinguish them. Endometriotic cysts have uniform speckle brightness in B-mode images because blood components are the source of scattering, but serous cysts rarely have hemorrhage and have echo brightness. Some are elevated, making it difficult to differentiate from endometriotic cysts. Therefore, in the B-mode image, it may be difficult to distinguish the type of cyst corresponding to the viscosity.

  In one aspect of the invention made to solve the above-described problem, after transmitting a first ultrasonic wave that applies an acoustic radiation force to a biological tissue, the motion generated in the biological tissue by the acoustic radiation force is transmitted. Based on the transmission / reception control function for controlling the ultrasonic probe to perform transmission / reception of the second ultrasonic wave for detection and the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave, the magnitude of the movement generated in the living tissue is indicated. Ultrasound diagnosis comprising a control device that executes a first calculation function for calculating a plurality of parameter values for different times and a display control function for displaying an image showing a time change of the parameter values on a display device according to a program Device.

  According to another aspect of the invention, after transmitting a first ultrasonic wave that applies an acoustic radiation force to a biological tissue, a second ultrasonic wave for detecting a motion generated in the biological tissue by the acoustic radiation force is transmitted. Based on the transmission / reception control function for controlling the ultrasonic probe to perform transmission / reception and the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave, a plurality of parameter values indicating the magnitude of the movement generated in the living tissue are calculated for different times. A first calculation function; a second calculation function for calculating a quantitative value relating to a temporal change of the parameter value; and a display form corresponding to any one of the plurality of parameter values and the fixed value. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a control device that executes a display control function for displaying an image on a display device according to a program.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, the parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement of the living tissue by the acoustic radiation force applied to the living tissue by the first ultrasonic wave is calculated. Since the degree of the time change of the parameter value varies depending on the viscosity and viscoelasticity, an image indicating the time change of the parameter value is displayed on the display device, so that the operator can determine the viscosity and viscoelasticity of the biological tissue. Can recognize the difference. Here, the biological tissue is a concept including a cyst, a mass, and the like, and by recognizing the difference in viscosity and viscoelasticity of the biological tissue, the type of cyst according to the viscosity can be identified, It is also possible to distinguish between a cyst and a solid mass that is a viscoelastic body.

  According to another aspect of the invention, an image having a display form corresponding to any one of the plurality of parameter values and the quantitative value is displayed, so that the magnitude of the movement and the time change of the movement are displayed. The tumor and the cyst can be distinguished according to the difference, and the type of the cyst can be identified more reliably according to the viscosity.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the ultrasonic diagnosing device which is an example of embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of an echo data processing part. It is a block diagram which shows an example of a display process part. It is a figure which shows the display device on which the B mode image and the color image were displayed. It is a flowchart which shows the effect | action of 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the display device of the state in which the area | region was set to the B mode image. It is explanatory drawing which shows the sound ray with which a 1st ultrasonic wave is transmitted. It is a block diagram which shows the display process part in the 1st modification of 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the effect | action of the 1st modification of 1st embodiment. In the 1st modification of 1st embodiment, it is a figure which shows the display device on which the graph which shows the time change of the parameter value which shows the magnitude | size of the movement of a biological tissue was displayed. It is a figure which shows an example of the graph obtained about a tumor. It is a figure which shows an example of the graph obtained about a cyst with comparatively low viscosity. It is a figure which shows an example of the graph obtained about a cyst with comparatively high viscosity. It is a block diagram which shows the display process part in the 2nd modification of 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the effect | action of the 2nd modification of 1st embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the effect | action of 2nd embodiment. In 2nd embodiment, it is a figure which shows the display device with which the B mode image and the color image were displayed. It is explanatory drawing of a color map. In the modification of 2nd embodiment, it is a figure which shows the display device on which the graph which shows the time change of the parameter value which shows the magnitude | size of the movement of a biological tissue was displayed. In 3rd embodiment, it is a figure which shows the display by which the graph was displayed instead of the color image. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the echo data processing part in 3rd embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the display process part in 3rd embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the effect | action of 3rd embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the other example of an echo data process part. It is a figure which shows the display device with which the color Doppler image was displayed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
(First embodiment)
First, the first embodiment will be described. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an ultrasonic probe 2, a transmission / reception beamformer 3, an echo data processing unit 4, a display processing unit 5, a display device 6, an operation device 7, a control device 8, and a storage device 9. Is provided. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 has a configuration as a computer.

  The ultrasonic probe 2 transmits an ultrasonic wave to the living tissue of the subject and receives an echo signal thereof. The ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic probe 2 includes a first ultrasonic wave and a second ultrasonic wave that detects the movement of the living tissue caused by the first ultrasonic wave. Details will be described later.

  The transmission / reception beamformer 3 drives the ultrasonic probe 2 based on a control signal from the control device 8 to transmit the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic wave having predetermined transmission parameters (parameters). Let The transmission / reception beamformer 3 performs signal processing such as phasing addition processing on the ultrasonic echo signal. A part of the transmission / reception beamformer 3 is functionally realized by the control device 8 reading and executing a program. The functions of the transmission / reception beamformer 3 and the control device 8 are an example of the embodiment of the transmission control function in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the echo data processing unit 4 includes a B-mode processing unit 41, a doppler processing unit 42, and a quantitative value calculation unit 43. For example, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram, and the B mode processing unit 41, the Doppler processing unit 42, and the quantitative value calculation unit 43 are functionally realized by the control device 8 reading and executing a program.

  The B mode processing unit 41 performs B mode processing such as logarithmic compression processing and envelope detection processing on the echo data output from the transmission / reception beamformer 3 to create B mode data.

  Further, the Doppler processing unit 42 performs Doppler processing on the echo data output from the transmission / reception beamformer 3 to create Doppler data. Doppler processing includes quadrature detection processing, filter processing, and the like. For example, the Doppler processing unit 42 performs color Doppler processing to create color Doppler data. By color Doppler processing, a parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement of the living tissue is obtained. In this example, the parameter value is a velocity value of the moving body in the living tissue. In the present invention, the velocity value is an example of an embodiment of a parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement that has occurred in the living tissue. Color Doppler processing for obtaining a velocity value by the Doppler processing unit 42 is an example of an embodiment of a first calculation function.

  The quantitative value calculation unit 43 calculates the parameter value obtained by the Doppler processing unit 42, that is, a quantitative value related to the temporal change of the speed value. This quantitative value is an example of the embodiment of the quantitative value in the present invention. The quantitative value calculation function by the quantitative value calculation unit 43 is an example of an embodiment of the second calculation function in the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the display processing unit 5 includes a B-mode image data creation unit 51, a color image data creation unit 52, an image display control unit 53, and a region setting unit 54. For example, FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram, and the B-mode image data creation unit 51, the color image data creation unit 52, the image display control unit 53, and the region setting unit 54 are read out and executed by the control device 8. Functionally realized.

  The B-mode image data creation unit 51 creates B-mode image data by scan-converting the B-mode data with a scan converter. The color image data creation unit 52 scans the quantitative value data with a scan converter to create color image data.

  The image display control unit 53 causes the display device 6 to display the B mode image BI based on the B mode image data. Further, the image display control unit 53 synthesizes the B-mode image data and the color image data to create composite image data. Then, the image display control unit 53 displays the composite image I on the display device 6 as shown in FIG. 4 based on the composite image data. The composite image I is an image having a B-mode image BI based on B-mode image data and a color image CI based on color image data. The image display control unit 53 displays the color image CI in the region R set for the B-mode image BI. The color image CI is a translucent image through which, for example, the background B-mode image BI is transmitted. The color image CI is an image having a color corresponding to the quantitative value. The function of the image display control unit 53 is an example of the embodiment of the display control function in the present invention. Further, the color image CI is an example of an embodiment of an image showing a time change of a parameter value in the present invention, and is an example of an embodiment of an image having a display form corresponding to a quantitative value.

  The image display control unit 53 displays the color bar B on the display device 6. A color bar B indicates a color corresponding to the quantitative value. The color image CI is an image having a color corresponding to the quantitative value among the colors indicated by the color bar B.

  The region R is set by the region setting unit 54. More specifically, the area setting unit 54 sets the area R when the operation device 7 receives an input for setting the area R by the operator. The region R is a region where transmission of the first ultrasonic wave and transmission / reception of the second ultrasonic wave are performed.

  The display device 6 is an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, or the like.

  The operation device 7 is a device that receives operations such as an instruction input and information input by an operator. The operation device 7 includes a button for receiving an instruction and information input from the operator, a keyboard, and the like, and further includes a pointing device such as a trackball. Incidentally, the buttons include not only hard keys but also soft keys displayed on the display device 6. The operation device 7 may include a touch panel. In this case, the button includes a soft key displayed on the touch panel.

  The control device 8 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control device 8 reads the program stored in the storage device 9 and controls each part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 to control the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1. The control device 8 is an example of an embodiment of the control device in the present invention.

  For example, the control device 8 reads a program stored in the storage device 9 and causes the functions of the transmission / reception beamformer 3, the echo data processing unit 4, and the display processing unit 5 to be executed by the read program. More specifically, for example, according to a program read from the storage device 9, a B mode processing unit 41, a Doppler processing unit 42, a quantitative value calculation unit 43, a B mode image data creation unit 51, a color image data creation unit 52, an image The functions of the display control unit 53 and the region setting unit 54 are executed.

  The control device 8 may execute all the functions of the transmission / reception beamformer 3, all of the functions of the echo data processing unit 4, and all of the functions of the display processing unit 5 by a program, Only some functions may be executed by a program. When the control device 8 performs only some functions, the remaining functions may be performed by hardware such as a circuit.

  The functions of the transmission / reception beamformer 3, the echo data processing unit 4, and the display processing unit 5 may be realized by hardware such as a circuit.

  The storage device 9 includes a non-transitory storage medium and a transient storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium is a non-volatile storage medium such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and a ROM (Read Only Memory). The non-transitory storage medium may include a portable storage medium such as a CD (Compact Disk) or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

  The temporary storage medium is a volatile storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

  A program executed by the control device 8 is stored in a non-transitory storage medium such as an HDD or a ROM constituting the storage device 9. Further, the program may be stored in a non-transitory storage medium having portability such as a CD or a DVD constituting the storage device 9.

  Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of this example will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. First, in step S1, the ultrasonic probe 2 transmits and receives B-mode ultrasonic waves, and the image display control unit 53 displays the B-mode image BI on the display device 6 based on the obtained echo signal. Then, the operator uses the operation device 7 to set the region R in the B-mode image BI as shown in FIG. The region R is set so as to include the observation object O. The observation object O is a lesion suspected of being a tumor or a cyst, for example.

  Next, in step S <b> 3, the ultrasonic probe 2 transmits a first ultrasonic wave in the region R. The first ultrasonic wave is an ultrasonic wave that applies an acoustic radiation force to the living tissue. The first ultrasonic wave has an acoustic radiation force that can move the moving body in the observation object O. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the control device 8 transmits the first ultrasonic wave on the sound line 1 passing through the center of the region R in the direction orthogonal to the sound ray direction. When the region R is set so that the center of the region R in the direction orthogonal to the sound ray direction passes through the observation object O, the first ultrasonic wave is transmitted on the sound ray l, thereby The first ultrasonic wave is transmitted so as to pass. However, the first ultrasonic wave does not necessarily have to be transmitted on the sound ray l that passes through the center in the region R, and may be transmitted on the sound ray that passes through the region R.

  Next, in step S5, the ultrasonic probe 2 transmits and receives the second ultrasonic wave. The second ultrasonic wave is an ultrasonic wave for detecting the movement generated in the living tissue by the acoustic radiation force. In the present example, the second ultrasonic wave is an ultrasonic wave for detecting the movement of the moving body in the observation target O. Specifically, the second ultrasonic wave is an ultrasonic wave for color Doppler mode, and is transmitted and received for a plurality of sound rays in the region R.

  In step S7, the Doppler processing unit 42 performs color Doppler processing on the echo data of the second ultrasonic wave to create color Doppler data. Thereby, the velocity value of the moving body is obtained as the parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement of the living tissue. The speed value is accompanied by a sign.

  Transmission / reception of the second ultrasonic wave in step S5 is performed so that color Doppler data for a plurality of frames is obtained in step S7. Thereby, in step S7, a plurality of speed values are obtained for different times.

  Next, in step S9, the quantitative value calculation unit 43 calculates a quantitative value related to the temporal change of the parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement of the living tissue. Since the parameter value is a speed value, the quantitative value calculation unit 43 calculates a quantitative value related to the temporal change of the speed value. The quantitative value is, for example, a time until the absolute value of the velocity value becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold, a time until the absolute value of the velocity value becomes half of the maximum velocity value, and t1 from the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave. Or the speed value at the time when t2 (t2> t1) has elapsed from the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave. Since the color Doppler data is obtained for each pixel and the speed value is obtained for each pixel, the quantitative value is also obtained for each pixel.

  The longer the time it takes for the absolute value of the velocity value to fall below the required threshold, and the time it takes for the absolute value of the velocity value to be one half of the maximum velocity value, the viscosity of the portion where the color Doppler data was obtained becomes The lower the time, the higher the viscosity of the portion where the color Doppler data is obtained. The smaller the difference between the speed value when the time t1 has elapsed from the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave and the speed value when the time t2 (t2> t1) has elapsed since the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave, The viscosity of the portion where the color Doppler data is obtained becomes lower, and the viscosity of the portion where the color Doppler data is obtained becomes higher as the difference is larger. Therefore, cysts having different viscosities can be identified based on the quantitative value.

  Further, when the color Doppler data is obtained from a viscoelastic body such as a solid mass, the duration of movement is shorter than that of the cyst. Therefore, when the color Doppler data is obtained from a viscoelastic body such as a solid mass, the time until the absolute value of the velocity value falls below the required threshold, the velocity with the maximum absolute value of the velocity value. The time to half of the value is shorter compared to the cyst. The difference between the speed value at the time when the time t1 has elapsed from the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave and the speed value at the time when the time t2 (t2> t1) has elapsed from the transmission of the first ultrasonic wave is Larger than cysts. Therefore, a solid mass and a cyst can be distinguished based on the quantitative value.

  Next, in step S11, the color image data creation unit 52 creates color image data based on the quantitative value obtained in step S9. The color image data creation unit 52 creates color image data having color information defined in the color bar B according to the quantitative value. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the image display control unit 53 displays a composite image I having a color image CI based on the color image data. Since the color image CI has a color corresponding to the quantitative value, the operator can recognize the viscosity of the portion where the color image CI is displayed by confirming the color image CI.

  According to this example, the operator can distinguish the solid mass from the cyst by the color image CI having a color corresponding to the quantitative value. Further, the color image CI allows the operator to identify the type of cyst corresponding to the viscosity.

  Next, a modification of the first embodiment will be described. First, the first modification will be described. In the first modification, the display processing unit 5 includes a graph creation unit 55 as shown in FIG. The graph creation unit 55 is also functionally realized by the control device 8 reading and executing a program.

  The effect | action of this example is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG. 9, steps S1 to S9 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG. 5, and only step S12 is different. In step S12, the color image CI is displayed in the same manner as in step S11, and as shown in FIG. 10, a graph G indicating the time change of the parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement of the living tissue is displayed. The graph creation unit 55 creates a graph G based on the velocity values obtained for a plurality of different times by the Doppler processing unit 42 and causes the image display control unit 53 to display the graph G. The image display control unit 53 displays the graph G along with the composite image I. A graph G is an example of an embodiment of an image showing a time change of a parameter value in the present invention.

  The graph G shows the time change of the speed value at the point where the operator sets the cursor C in the color image CI. The cursor C is set by the image display control unit 53 when the operation device 7 receives an input from the operator. However, the graph G may be changes such as an average value or a maximum value of speed values of a region (not shown) having an area instead of a point. The area may be set by the operator in the same way as the point.

  The graph G will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13, time t <b> 0 indicates the timing when transmission of the first ultrasonic wave is completed. A graph G1 illustrated in FIG. 11 is an example of a graph when the observation target O is a solid mass. In the graph G1, the absolute value of the maximum value of the speed value is smaller than that of the graphs G2 and G3, and the time from the time t0 until the speed value becomes zero is shorter than that of the graphs G2 and G3. This indicates that the observation object O is a viscoelastic body.

  A graph G2 illustrated in FIG. 12 is an example of a graph in the case where the observation target O is a simple cyst with relatively low viscosity. In the graph G2, the absolute value of the maximum value of the speed value is larger than that of the graph G1, and the speed value does not become zero during a relatively long time from the time t0. This indicates that the viscosity is relatively low.

  A graph G3 illustrated in FIG. 13 is an example of a graph in a case where the observation target O is a mucous cyst having a higher viscosity than a simple cyst. In the graph G3, although the absolute value of the maximum value of the speed value is larger than that of the graph G1, the speed value becomes zero in a short time from the time t0 compared to the graph G2. This indicates that the observation target O of the graph G3 is higher in viscosity than the observation target O of the graph G2.

  Further, the sign of the speed value is different between the graph G1 and the graphs G2 and G3. Specifically, in the graph G1, the speed value becomes a positive sign when the first ultrasonic wave is transmitted at time t0, and in the graphs G2 and G3, the speed is transmitted when the first ultrasonic wave is transmitted at time t0. The value is a negative sign. This is because in the case of a viscoelastic lesion such as a solid mass, the first ultrasonic wave causes movement of the moving body in the same direction as the transmission direction of the ultrasonic wave, and this movement is captured in the color Doppler data. Because. In the case of a cyst, the first ultrasonic wave causes movement of the moving body in the direction opposite to the ultrasonic transmission direction, and this movement is captured in the color Doppler data.

  According to this first modification, the operator can more reliably check the magnitude of the velocity value in the graph G, the sign of the velocity value, and the state of the temporal change of the velocity value, thereby more reliably The cyst can be distinguished from each other, and the type of cyst corresponding to the viscosity can be identified.

  Next, a second modification will be described. In the second modification, the display processing unit 5 includes a determination unit 56 as illustrated in FIG. The determination unit 56 is also functionally realized by the control device 8 reading and executing a program. The function of the determination unit 56 will be described later. The function of the determination unit 56 is an example of an embodiment of the determination function in the present invention.

  The effect | action of this example is demonstrated based on the flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 15, steps S1 to S7 are the same as those in the flowcharts of FIGS. When the speed value is obtained in step S7, the process of step S8 is performed. In step S8, the determination unit 56 compares the speed value obtained in step S7 with a threshold value TH, and determines whether or not the comparison result satisfies a predetermined condition. In this example, the predetermined condition is that the speed value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH.

  The threshold value TH is set to a value between a speed value obtained when the observation object O is a cyst and a speed value obtained when the observation object O is a solid mass. When a velocity value equal to or higher than the threshold value TH is obtained, the threshold value TH is set so that the observation object O is a cyst, and when a velocity value smaller than the threshold value TH is obtained, the observation object O is a solid mass. The The threshold value TH may be a value obtained experimentally.

  The speed value compared with the threshold value TH is one of a plurality of speed values obtained in step S7. For example, the speed value compared with the threshold value TH may be a speed value having a maximum absolute value.

  If the speed value is greater than or equal to threshold value TH ("YES" in step S8), the process of step S9 is performed, and then the process of step S11 is performed. The processes in steps S9 and S11 are the same as those in the flowchart of FIG. Accordingly, when the speed value is equal to or greater than the threshold value TH, the color image CI is displayed.

  On the other hand, when the speed value is not greater than or equal to threshold value TH ("NO" in step S8), the process ends. Therefore, when the speed value is not the threshold value TH, the processes in steps S9 and S11 are not performed, and the color image CI is not displayed.

  According to the second modification, the color image CI is displayed only when the velocity value is greater than or equal to the threshold value TH in step S8. When the color image CI is displayed, the operator can diagnose that the observation object O is not a solid mass but a cyst. On the other hand, when the color image CI is not displayed, the operator can diagnose that the observation object O is not a cyst but a solid mass.

  Further, when the color image CI is displayed, the operator can identify the type of the cyst of the observation object O by the color.

(Second embodiment)
Next, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, items different from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment will be described.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the present example, a color image CI corresponding to a parameter value indicating the magnitude of the motion generated in the living tissue and a quantitative value related to the temporal change of the parameter value is displayed. A specific operation of this example will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.

  In FIG. 16, steps S21 to S29 are the same as steps S1 to S9 in the flowchart of FIG. In step S31, a composite image I having a color image CI is displayed as shown in FIG. In this example, the image display control unit 53 causes the display device 6 to display the two-dimensional color map M instead of the color bar B.

  In this example, the color image CI is created based on the two-dimensional color map M. As shown in FIG. 18, the two-dimensional color map M is a map that defines colors according to values on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis. In the two-dimensional color map M, the vertical axis is a parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement that has occurred in the living tissue, and the horizontal axis is a quantitative value related to the time change of the parameter value. The parameter value is a speed value as in the first embodiment. The two-dimensional color map M defines colors according to the velocity value on the vertical axis and the quantitative value related to the temporal change of the velocity value on the horizontal axis.

  In the two-dimensional color map M, the value at the center of the vertical axis is zero. Therefore, on the vertical axis, the velocity value above the central portion is positive, and the velocity value below the central portion is negative.

  The color image data creation unit 52 identifies the color corresponding to the velocity value obtained in step S27 and the quantitative value obtained in step S29 based on the two-dimensional color map M, and creates color image data. However, in step S27, since a plurality of velocity values are obtained for different times, the color image data creation unit 52 uses, for example, a velocity value having the maximum absolute value among the plurality of velocity values to obtain color image data. You may create it.

  The image display control unit 53 displays the composite image I having the color image CI based on the color image data. The color image CI is an image having a color corresponding to the speed value and the quantitative value.

  According to this example, the color image CI created based on the two-dimensional color map M is displayed, so that the solid mass and the cyst can be distinguished according to the difference in velocity values, and the type of cyst can be determined according to the viscosity. Identification can be performed more reliably.

  Next, a modification of the second embodiment will be described. In this modified example, as in the first modified example of the first embodiment, the display processing unit 5 includes the graph creating unit 55, and the graph G may be displayed together with the color image CI as shown in FIG. .

(Third embodiment)
Next, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, items different from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first and second embodiments will be described.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 20, the graph G is displayed on the display device 6 instead of the color image CI. As shown in FIG. 21, the echo data processing unit 4 may not have the quantitative value calculation unit. As shown in FIG. 22, the display processing unit 5 has a graph creation unit 55, but may not have a color image data creation unit 52.

  A specific operation will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. Steps S41 to S47 are the same as steps S1 to S7 in the flowcharts of FIGS. In step S49, the image display control unit 53 displays the graph G. The image display control unit 53 may display the graph G along with the B-mode image BI. In this example, the cursor C is set in the observation object O in the B-mode image BI.

  According to this example, by displaying the graph G, it is possible to distinguish between a solid mass and a cyst, and to identify the type of cyst corresponding to the viscosity.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated by the said embodiment, of course, this invention can be variously implemented in the range which does not change the main point. For example, as a parameter value indicating the magnitude of movement generated in the living tissue by the acoustic radiation force of the first ultrasonic wave, a displacement amount generated in the living tissue may be calculated instead of the velocity value. In this case, as shown in FIG. 24, the echo data processing unit 4 includes a displacement amount calculation unit 44. The displacement amount calculation unit 44 obtains the displacement amount by integrating the velocity value obtained by the Doppler processing unit 42. The function of the displacement calculation unit 44 is an example of an embodiment of the first calculation function in the present invention.

  In each of the above embodiments, the displacement amount is used as a parameter value indicating the magnitude of the movement of the living tissue instead of the velocity value.

  Further, before the first ultrasonic wave is transmitted, the control device 8 may cause the ultrasonic probe 2 to transmit a third ultrasonic wave for obtaining color Doppler data. This third ultrasonic wave is an ultrasonic wave for detecting a blood flow or the like, and is not an ultrasonic wave for detecting a movement of a living tissue caused by the first ultrasonic wave.

  The Doppler processing unit 42 creates color Doppler data based on the echo signal of the third ultrasonic wave. The function of the Doppler processing unit 42 is an example of an embodiment of the blood flow information acquisition function in the present invention. The image display control unit 53 displays a color Doppler image based on the color Doppler image data created based on the color Doppler data. As shown in FIG. 25, the color Doppler image CD is displayed, for example, superimposed on the B-mode image BI and the color image CI. The color Doppler image CD may be displayed only on a portion where the parameter value is obtained and a portion where the blood flow information is obtained, ie, a portion where the color image CI is superimposed. The color Doppler image is an example of an embodiment of an image indicating the presence of blood flow in the present invention.

  By displaying the color Doppler image CD, it is possible to easily know whether blood flow originally exists in that portion or whether the liquid that is not blood flow has moved by the first ultrasonic wave.

  Instead of displaying the color Doppler image CD, the image display control unit 53 may not display the color of the portion corresponding to the portion where the color Doppler data exists in the color image CI. An image in which the color of a portion corresponding to a portion where color Doppler data is present in the color image CI is also an example of an embodiment of an image indicating the presence of blood flow in the present invention. By not displaying the color of a part such as blood flow in the color image, it is easy to know whether blood flow originally existed in that part or whether the liquid that is not blood flow was moved by the first ultrasound be able to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 2 Ultrasonic probe 3 Transmission / reception beam former 6 Display device 8 Control device 9 Storage device 42 Doppler processing part 43 Quantitative value calculation part 44 Displacement amount calculation part 53 Image display control part 55 Graph preparation part 56 Determination part

Claims (11)

An ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving a second ultrasonic wave for detecting a motion generated in the biological tissue by the acoustic radiation force after transmitting a first ultrasonic wave that applies an acoustic radiation force to the biological tissue. A transmission / reception control function for controlling
Based on the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave, a first calculation function for calculating a plurality of parameter values indicating the magnitude of movement generated in the living tissue for different times;
A display control function for causing the display device to display an image indicating the time change of the parameter value;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a control device that executes the program according to a program.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first calculation function calculates a speed of movement generated in the living tissue as the parameter value.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first calculation function calculates a displacement amount generated in the living tissue as the parameter value. The control device further executes a second calculation function for calculating a quantitative value related to a time change of the parameter value,
The display control function displays an image having a display form corresponding to the quantitative value as the image.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the display control function displays a graph indicating a time change of the parameter value as the image. The control device further performs a determination function of comparing any one of the plurality of parameter values with a threshold value and determining whether the comparison result satisfies a predetermined condition,
The display control function displays the image when the determination function determines that the comparison result satisfies a predetermined condition.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-5. An ultrasonic probe for transmitting and receiving a second ultrasonic wave for detecting a motion generated in the biological tissue by the acoustic radiation force after transmitting a first ultrasonic wave that applies an acoustic radiation force to the biological tissue. A transmission / reception control function for controlling
Based on the echo signal of the second ultrasonic wave, a first calculation function for calculating a plurality of parameter values indicating the magnitude of movement generated in the living tissue for different times;
A second calculation function for calculating a quantitative value related to the time change of the parameter value;
A display control function for causing a display device to display an image having a display form corresponding to any one of the plurality of parameter values and the quantitative value;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a control device that executes the program according to a program.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein any one of the plurality of parameter values is a parameter value indicating that the movement is maximum.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second ultrasonic wave is an ultrasonic wave for Doppler mode. The first ultrasound and the second ultrasound, the sent in a region including the observation target in the biological tissue, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1-9. The control device further executes a blood flow information acquisition function for acquiring blood flow information of the living tissue,
The transmission / reception control function controls the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave before transmitting the first ultrasonic wave,
The blood flow information acquisition function acquires the blood flow information based on an echo signal of the third ultrasonic wave,
The display control function displays an image indicating the presence of blood flow specified based on the blood flow information in an image indicating a time change of the parameter value.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-10.