An ultrasonic imaging apparatus and a pulse wave imaging method

Abstract

The application provides an ultrasonic imaging device and a pulse wave imaging method. Ultrasonic data of a predetermined time period is acquired, an ultrasonic image containing an axial section structure of a blood vessel is generated according to the ultrasonic data, a blood vessel wall hardness characteristic quantity reflected by a pulse wave propagating along an axial direction of the blood vessel on the blood vessel wall is obtained according to the ultrasonic data, and the blood vessel wall hardness characteristic quantity is visually expressed along the axial direction of the blood vessel, so that a pulse wave propagation state image is generated and displayed. The blood vessel wall hardness characteristic quantity is visually expressed along the axial direction of the blood vessel, so that the pulse wave propagation state image is generated and displayed, and the pulse wave propagation is intuitively presented.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical devices, specifically to an ultrasound imaging device and a pulse wave imaging method. Background Technology

[0002] Vascular pulse wave detection technology is an important tool for clinical vascular examination. A pulse wave is a radially pulsating, axially propagating mechanical wave generated by the heart's pumping action on the blood vessel wall. Specifically, the pulse wave manifests as two vascular expansions: one at the start of pumping by the left ventricle and the other at the end of pumping. These two expansions correspond to the pulse wave during the beginning of systole (BS) and the end of systole (ES), respectively, and the pulse wave propagates along the artery from the proximal to the distal end. Current vascular pulse wave detection technology displays the pulse wave velocity (PWV) on a monitor. However, medical staff only obtain a numerical value reflecting the pulse wave velocity and an ultrasound B-image, failing to effectively represent the dynamic process of pulse wave propagation. Therefore, the existing method of expression is not intuitive enough and can easily confuse medical staff. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention mainly provides an ultrasound imaging device and a pulse wave imaging method to intuitively present the propagation of pulse waves.

[0004] According to a first aspect, one embodiment provides a pulse wave imaging method, comprising:

[0005] Acquire ultrasound data for a predetermined time period, wherein the ultrasound data is obtained by beamforming of ultrasound echo signals obtained from the blood vessels of the target object.

[0006] An ultrasound image containing blood vessels is generated based on the ultrasound data;

[0007] Based on the ultrasound data, a vessel wall stiffness characterization measure is obtained, which is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel wall along the vessel axis.

[0008] The propagation speed is dynamically displayed on the display interface in a graphical visualization along the blood vessel axis, according to the order of propagation time.

[0009] According to a second aspect, one embodiment provides a pulse wave imaging method, comprising:

[0010] Acquire multiple frames of ultrasound data, wherein the ultrasound data is the data obtained by beamforming of ultrasound echo signals obtained by detecting blood vessels of the target object;

[0011] An ultrasound image containing axial cross-sectional structures of blood vessels is generated based on at least a portion of the multi-frame ultrasound data.

[0012] A measure of vessel wall stiffness, as reflected by pulse waves propagating axially along the vessel wall, is obtained based on at least a portion of the multi-frame ultrasound data; and

[0013] The vessel wall stiffness is visualized along the axial direction of the vessel, thereby generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram.

[0014] According to a third aspect, one embodiment provides an ultrasound imaging device, comprising:

[0015] An ultrasound probe is used to emit ultrasound waves into the blood vessel being examined and to receive the echo signals of the ultrasound waves.

[0016] Human-computer interaction devices are used to acquire user input and generate visual output.

[0017] The processor is configured to acquire echo signals from an ultrasound probe and process them into ultrasound data; generate an ultrasound image containing axially arranged blood vessels based on the ultrasound data; obtain a blood vessel wall stiffness characterization quantity reflected by pulse waves propagating along the blood vessel axis on the blood vessel wall based on the ultrasound data; visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness characterization quantity along the blood vessel axis, thereby generating a pulse wave propagation state diagram, and display the pulse wave propagation state diagram through the human-computer interaction device.

[0018] According to a fourth aspect, one embodiment provides an ultrasound imaging device, comprising:

[0019] Memory, used to store programs;

[0020] A processor for executing a program stored in the memory to implement the method described above.

[0021] According to a fifth aspect, one embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that it includes a program that can be executed by a processor to implement the method described above.

[0022] According to the ultrasound imaging device and pulse wave imaging method of the above embodiments, the pulse wave propagation state diagram is generated and displayed by visually expressing the characterization of blood vessel wall stiffness along the axial direction of the blood vessel, so as to intuitively present the propagation of the pulse wave. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of pulse wave propagation.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0025] Figure 3 A flowchart of a pulse wave imaging method provided in one embodiment;

[0026] Figure 4 A flowchart of a pulse wave imaging method provided in one embodiment;

[0027] Figure 5a A schematic diagram of an ultrasonic imaging device provided in one embodiment, in which the ultrasonic probe uses a plane wave mode for scanning;

[0028] Figure 5b To adopt Figure 5a A schematic diagram of the reconstructed image after beamforming scanning in the above manner;

[0029] Figure 6a A schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment, in which the ultrasound probe uses a conventional focused wave mode for scanning;

[0030] Figure 6b To adopt Figure 6a A schematic diagram of the reconstructed image after scanning using the traditional beamforming method;

[0031] Figure 7a A schematic diagram of an ultrasonic imaging device provided in one embodiment, in which the ultrasonic probe uses a sparse focused wave mode for scanning;

[0032] Figure 7b To adopt Figure 7a A schematic diagram of the reconstructed image after beamforming scanning in the above manner;

[0033] Figure 8a A schematic diagram of an ultrasound probe scanning in a wide-focusing-wave mode in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0034] Figure 8b To adopt Figure 8a A schematic diagram of the reconstructed image after beamforming scanning in the above manner;

[0035] Figure 9 An ultrasound image of a blood vessel in one embodiment;

[0036] Figure 10 for Figure 4 The detailed flowchart for step 3' is shown below;

[0037] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of two adjacent frames of ultrasound images of blood vessels in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment.

[0038] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the spatial-first time fitting curves for each detection point in an ultrasonic imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0039] Figure 13 A curve showing the change of blood vessel diameter over time in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0040] Figure 14 A schematic diagram showing the pulse wave propagation state diagram presented in a first visualization method and the ultrasound image displayed adjacent to each other in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0041] Figure 15 A schematic diagram showing the pulse wave propagation state diagram and ultrasound image superimposed on each other in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0042] Figure 16 A schematic diagram showing the superposition of a pulse wave propagation state diagram and an ultrasound image in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0043] Figure 17 A schematic diagram showing the superposition of a pulse wave propagation state diagram and an ultrasound image in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0044] Figure 18 A schematic diagram showing the overlay of a pulse wave propagation state diagram and an ultrasound image in a fifth visualization method in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0045] Figure 19 A schematic diagram showing the superimposed display of a pulse wave propagation state diagram and an ultrasound image in a sixth visualization method in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0046] Figure 20 A schematic diagram showing the superposition of a pulse wave propagation state diagram and an ultrasound image in a seventh visualization method in an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment;

[0047] Figure 21 A schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment, in which a waveform diagram showing the propagation speed of a pulse wave is displayed adjacent to an ultrasound image;

[0048] Figure 22 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment, in which a pulse wave propagation state diagram showing the propagation velocity is displayed adjacent to an ultrasound image using a bar chart. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by associated similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of this application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to this application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of this application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0050] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can be rearranged or adjusted in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders in the specification and drawings are only for the clear description of a particular embodiment and do not imply a necessary order, unless otherwise stated that a particular order must be followed.

[0051] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages).

[0052] Vascular pulse wave imaging is an important tool for the clinical detection of arteriosclerosis. For example... Figure 1 As shown, a pulse wave is a radially pulsating, axially propagating mechanical wave generated by the heart's pumping action on the blood vessel wall. Specifically, the pulse wave manifests as two vasodilations: one at the start of systole (BS) and the other at the end of systole (ES). These two vasodilations correspond to the pulse wave during the early systole (BS) and late systole (ES) phases, respectively. The pulse wave propagates along the artery from the proximal to the distal end, and its propagation velocity (PWV) is related to the stiffness of the blood vessel wall.

[0053] This invention generates a pulse wave propagation state diagram, supplemented by an ultrasound B-mode image of the blood vessel. This not only effectively correlates the structure and pulsation of the blood vessel wall, but also visually demonstrates the pulse wave propagation status through dynamic display. The following is a detailed description using examples.

[0054] like Figure 2As shown, the ultrasound imaging device provided by the present invention includes an ultrasound probe 30, a transmitting / receiving circuit 40 (i.e., a transmitting circuit 410 and a receiving circuit 420), a beamforming module 50, an IQ demodulation module 60, a processor 20, a human-computer interaction device 70, and a memory 80.

[0055] The ultrasound probe 30 includes a transducer (not shown) composed of multiple array elements arranged in an array. These elements can be arranged in a row to form a linear array, or in a two-dimensional matrix to form a planar array. They can also form a convex array. Each element is used to emit ultrasonic waves according to an excitation electrical signal, or to convert received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each element can be used to achieve the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasonic waves, thereby emitting ultrasonic waves towards the object to be imaged (e.g., an artery in this embodiment) and receiving echoes of ultrasonic waves reflected back from tissue. During ultrasound detection, the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420 can control which elements are used to emit ultrasonic waves and which are used to receive ultrasonic waves, or control the elements to be used in time-slotted manner for emitting or receiving ultrasonic wave echoes. Elements participating in ultrasonic wave emission can be simultaneously excited by electrical signals to emit ultrasonic waves simultaneously; or elements participating in ultrasonic wave emission can be excited by several electrical signals with a certain time interval to continuously emit ultrasonic waves with a certain time interval.

[0056] The array elements, for example, employ piezoelectric crystals, which convert electrical signals into ultrasonic signals according to the transmission sequence transmitted by the transmitting circuit 410. Depending on the application, the ultrasonic signals may include one or more scanning pulses, one or more reference pulses, one or more driving pulses, and / or one or more Doppler pulses. Depending on the wave morphology, the ultrasonic signals include focused waves, plane waves, and diverging waves.

[0057] The user selects a suitable position and angle by moving the ultrasonic probe 30 to emit ultrasonic waves toward the object to be imaged 10 and receives the echo of the ultrasonic waves returned by the object to be imaged 10, and outputs an ultrasonic echo signal. The ultrasonic echo signal is a channel analog electrical signal formed by the receiving array element, which carries amplitude information, frequency information and time information.

[0058] The transmitting circuit 410 generates a transmission sequence under the control of the processor 20. This transmission sequence controls some or all of the multiple array elements to transmit ultrasonic waves towards the object to be imaged. The transmission sequence parameters include the position and number of array elements, and the ultrasonic beam transmission parameters (e.g., amplitude, frequency, number of transmissions, transmission interval, transmission angle, waveform, focusing position, etc.). In some cases, the transmitting circuit 410 also performs phase delay on the transmitted beam, allowing different transmitting array elements to transmit ultrasonic waves at different times, so that each transmitted ultrasonic beam can be focused in a predetermined region of interest. Different operating modes, such as B-image mode, C-image mode, and D-image mode (Doppler mode), may have different transmission sequence parameters. After the echo signal is received by the receiving circuit 420 and processed by subsequent modules and corresponding algorithms, a B-image reflecting tissue anatomy, a C-image reflecting blood flow information, and a D-image reflecting the Doppler spectrum can be generated.

[0059] The receiving circuit 420 receives and processes ultrasonic echo signals from the ultrasonic probe 30. The receiving circuit 420 may include one or more amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), etc. The amplifier amplifies the received echo signal after appropriate gain compensation. The amplifier samples the analog echo signal at predetermined time intervals, converting it into a digitized echo signal. The digitized echo signal still retains amplitude, frequency, and phase information. The data output from the receiving circuit 420 can be sent to the beamforming module 50 for processing or to the memory 80 for storage.

[0060] The beamforming module 50 is signal-connected to the receiving circuit 420 and is used to perform beamforming processing on the echo signal, including delay and weighted summation. Because the distance from the ultrasonic receiving point in the tested tissue to the receiving array elements varies, the channel data from the same receiving point output by different receiving array elements has delay differences, requiring delay processing to align the phases. Weighted summation of the different channel data from the same receiving point is then performed to obtain the beamformed ultrasonic image data. The ultrasonic image data output by the beamforming module 50 is also called radio frequency (RF) data. The beamforming module 50 outputs the RF data to the IQ demodulation module 60. In some embodiments, the beamforming module 50 can also output the RF data to the memory 80 for caching or storage, or directly output the RF data to the processor 20 for image processing.

[0061] The beamforming module 50 can perform the above functions in hardware, firmware, or software. For example, the beamforming module 50 may include a central controller circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessor chips, or any other electronic components capable of processing input data according to specific logic instructions. When the beamforming module 50 is implemented in software, it can execute instructions stored on a tangible and non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory) to perform beamforming calculations using any suitable beamforming method. The beamforming module 50 can be integrated into the processor 20 or set up separately; this invention is not limited thereto.

[0062] The IQ demodulation module 60 removes the signal carrier through IQ demodulation, extracts the tissue structure information contained in the signal, and filters to remove noise. The signal obtained at this time is called the baseband signal (IQ data pair). The IQ demodulation module 60 outputs the IQ data pair to the processor 20 for image processing.

[0063] In some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 also caches or saves the IQ data output to the memory 80 so that the processor 20 can read the data from the memory 80 for subsequent image processing.

[0064] The IQ demodulation module 60 can also perform the above functions in hardware, firmware or software. In some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 can also be integrated with the beamforming module 50 in a single chip.

[0065] The processor 20 is configured to process input data according to specific logical instructions. It is a central controller circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessors, a graphics controller circuit (GPU), or any other electronic component. It can control peripheral electronic components according to input instructions or predetermined instructions, or perform data reading and / or saving on the memory 80. It can also process input data by executing programs in the memory 80. For example, it can perform one or more processing operations on the acquired ultrasound data according to one or more operating modes. The processing operations include, but are not limited to, adjusting or limiting the form of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound probe 30, generating various image frames for display on the display of the human-machine interface device 70, or adjusting or limiting the content and form displayed on the display, or adjusting one or more image display settings displayed on the display (e.g., ultrasound images, interface components, locating regions of interest).

[0066] When an echo signal is received, the acquired ultrasound data can be processed in real time by the processor 20 during the scan, or it can be temporarily stored in the memory 80 and processed in a near real-time manner during online or offline operation.

[0067] In this embodiment, the processor 20 controls the operation of the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420, for example, controlling the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420 to operate alternately or simultaneously. The processor 20 can also determine a suitable operating mode according to the user's selection or the program settings, form a transmission sequence corresponding to the current operating mode, and send the transmission sequence to the transmitting circuit 410 so that the transmitting circuit 410 can use the appropriate transmission sequence to control the ultrasonic probe 30 to emit ultrasonic waves.

[0068] The processor 20 is also used to process the ultrasound data to generate a grayscale image showing the changes in signal intensity within the scanning range. This grayscale image reflects the anatomical structure inside the tissue and is called a B-image. The processor 20 can output the B-image to the display of the human-computer interaction device 70 for display.

[0069] The human-computer interaction device 70 is used for human-computer interaction, that is, to receive user input and output visual information; it can receive user input through a keyboard, operation buttons, mouse, trackball, etc., or it can use a touch screen integrated with the display; it can output visual information through a display.

[0070] based on Figure 2 The ultrasound imaging device shown illustrates the basic process of pulse wave imaging as follows: Figure 3 Steps 1, 3, and 4 are shown in the diagram: Multiple frames of ultrasound data are acquired, where the ultrasound data is the ultrasound echo signal obtained from the target blood vessel and then beam-synthesized; based on the ultrasound data, the vessel wall stiffness characterization reflected by the pulse wave propagating along the vessel wall along the vessel's axial direction is obtained; the vessel wall stiffness characterization is visualized along the vessel's axial direction, thereby generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram. In this way, doctors can intuitively observe the propagation of the pulse wave along the vessel wall through the pulse wave propagation state diagram.

[0071] When acquiring multi-frame ultrasound data, ultrasound data over a specific time period can be acquired. This time period can be greater than or equal to one cardiac cycle and can be a pre-set time period configured by the system or a pre-set time period that can be freely adjusted by the user. Acquiring ultrasound data over a specific time period can be done continuously or in segments, with the accumulated duration constituting a specific time period. For example, in the case of real-time acquisition and obtaining a pulse wave propagation state map, the ultrasound imaging device acquires ultrasound data in real time based on the echo signal obtained from the ultrasound probe; the real-time acquisition time is this specific time period. Similarly, when acquiring a pulse wave propagation state map in real time, the ultrasound imaging device can acquire ultrasound data in real time within a predetermined time period based on the echo signal obtained from the ultrasound probe. Finally, when acquiring a pulse wave propagation state map in real time, the ultrasound imaging device can extract ultrasound data for a predetermined time period from the real-time acquired ultrasound data.

[0072] Of course, the present invention is not limited to this; a more detailed embodiment is provided below, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the pulse wave imaging method of ultrasound imaging equipment includes the following steps:

[0073] Step 1': The processor 20 acquires ultrasound data over a predetermined time period. This ultrasound data is obtained by beamforming the ultrasound echo signals from the blood vessels of the target object. Specifically, the processor 20 controls the ultrasound probe 30 via the transmit / receive circuit 40, causing the ultrasound probe 30 to emit ultrasound waves towards the target object and receive the echo signals during the scan time. For example, under scan control, the ultrasound probe 30 emits ultrasound waves towards the target object at a preset scan frame rate and receives the echo signals. Ideally, the scan frame rate should be 1000Hz or higher. Below this frame rate, the upper limit of the pulse wave propagation speed detectable by pulse wave imaging will be limited, potentially affecting accuracy. The scan time should be no less than one cardiac cycle (approximately 0.6–1 s) to ensure the processor 20 obtains ultrasound data for at least one cardiac cycle. Less than one cardiac cycle cannot guarantee the detection of a pulse wave. The typical scan lasts for several cardiac cycles to allow for subsequent observation by the sonographer; the target is usually the neck or abdomen, and the target blood vessel is the carotid artery or abdominal aorta.

[0074] The processor 20 then performs beamforming on the ultrasound echo signal to obtain ultrasound data of the target vessel within a predetermined time period. The signal processing of the ultrasound echo signal during ultrasound imaging may include analog signal gain compensation, beamforming, IQ demodulation, digital signal gain compensation, amplitude calculation, and other signal processing steps. Specifically, the echo signal is front-end filtered and amplified (i.e., gain compensation) by analog circuitry, then converted to a digital signal by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The channel data after analog-to-digital conversion is further processed by beamforming to form scan line data. The data obtained after this stage, i.e., the ultrasound echo signal output by the beamforming module 50, can be called radio frequency (RF) signal data. After acquiring the RF data, the signal carrier is removed by IQ demodulation, the tissue structure information contained in the signal is extracted, and noise is removed by filtering. The signal obtained at this point is the baseband signal (IQ data). Finally, the intensity of the baseband signal is calculated, and its grayscale level is logarithmically compressed and converted to obtain the ultrasound image.

[0075] The ultrasonic data of this invention is data processed by beamforming based on ultrasonic echo signals. That is, the ultrasonic data can be data generated at any stage after the beamforming stage in the aforementioned signal processing steps. For example, the ultrasonic data can be data after beamforming, such as the ultrasonic echo signal output by the beamforming module 50; it can also be data after IQ demodulation, such as the ultrasonic echo signal output by the IQ demodulation module 60; or it can be ultrasonic image data obtained by further processing the beamformed data or the IQ demodulated data.

[0076] The ultrasound data acquired in real time is sent to the memory 80 for storage. The processor 20 can directly retrieve the ultrasound data from the memory 80 for subsequent pulse wave propagation status processing.

[0077] Furthermore, in order to improve the scanning frame rate of the ultrasound probe 30 in the above steps, any of the following methods can be used.

[0078] Method 1: The ultrasound probe 30 emits unfocused ultrasound waves towards the target object at a preset scanning frame rate. The scanning area of ​​a single emission of unfocused ultrasound waves covers the designated examination area of ​​the blood vessel (target area a in the figure). Unfocused ultrasound waves include planar ultrasound waves or diverging ultrasound waves. Taking planar ultrasound waves as an example, the ultrasound probe 30 uses a planar wave mode for scanning, such as... Figure 5a As shown, the arrows represent ultrasound echoes. The ultrasound probe 30 emits plane waves covering the entire target area a (i.e., the vascular region of the target object) and receives the echo data. Figure 5b As shown, beamforming module 50 performs beamforming to reconstruct the image b of the entire target area. Method one, at the cost of reduced image quality, allows for a single transmission and reception to complete a full area scan, thereby increasing the scan frame rate.

[0079] Method 2: For example Figure 6a As shown, the ultrasound probe 30 emits focused ultrasound waves of a preset number of times in a focused imaging mode to the target object using a traditional focused wave mode. For example, it emits a dense array of focused waves (100-200 beams) to cover the entire designated examination area (target area b in the figure) and receives the echo signal. The entire target area is then reconstructed using beamforming. Figure 6b This traditional focused wave mode can achieve high image quality imaging, but because it involves a large number of scans with densely emitted focused waves, the scanning frame rate is lower than that of the first mode.

[0080] This invention further improves upon this traditional focused wave method to increase the scanning frame rate. The ultrasound probe 30 of this invention emits multiple focused ultrasound waves towards the target object at a preset scanning frame rate. The number of times the multiple focused ultrasound waves are emitted is lower than the preset number of times for focused imaging, and the scanning area of ​​the multiple focused ultrasound waves covers the designated examination area of ​​the blood vessel. See Methods 3 and 4 below for details.

[0081] Method 3: The ultrasound probe 30 uses a sparse focused wave mode for scanning, such as... Figure 7a As shown, the arrows represent ultrasonic echoes. The ultrasonic probe 30 performs focused imaging based on a focused wave scanning mode. By reducing the emission density, the number of emission times is reduced (e.g., 10-20 times), thereby increasing the scanning frame rate. Since the echo data mainly comes from the area covered by the focused wave, beamforming only reconstructs the image information within that area. Figure 7b There are only two focused beams in the target area a. Therefore, after beam combining, only the area covered by these two focused beams is reconstructed in the target area a.

[0082] Method 4: The ultrasound probe 30 scans using a wide-focus wave mode, emitting at least one wide-focus ultrasound wave towards the target object at a preset scanning frame rate. The scanning area of ​​this at least one wide-focus ultrasound wave covers the designated examination area of ​​the blood vessel. For example... Figure 8a As shown, the arrows represent ultrasonic echoes. The ultrasonic probe 30 performs focused imaging based on a focused wave scanning mode, emitting a wide focused wave to cover the entire target area a and receiving the echo signal. The scanning frame rate is increased by reducing the number of transmissions. Beamforming reconstructs the entire target area a to obtain image b.

[0083] Step 2': Processor 20 generates an ultrasound image containing blood vessels based on the ultrasound data. The blood vessels in the ultrasound image are arranged axially, meaning the doctor can see them arranged in an "I" or "I" pattern. For example, as... Figure 5a and Figure 5b As shown, processor 20 reconstructs image b of target region a using multiple composite lines from the echo signals of each target location point, thus obtaining an ultrasound image frame. Since the time corresponding to the ultrasound data exceeds one cardiac cycle, the ultrasound image generated by processor 20 based on the ultrasound data can be an ultrasound video or a single ultrasound image frame from the ultrasound video. Furthermore, the ultrasound image can be a three-dimensional ultrasound image or a two-dimensional one, such as ultrasound B-image, ultrasound C-image, etc. If the ultrasound image generated by processor 20 is a three-dimensional ultrasound image, it can be an image showing the length of the blood vessel (non-sectional view) or it can include the axial section structure of the blood vessel wall (axial section view); both reflect the axis of the blood vessel. If the ultrasound image generated by processor 20 is a two-dimensional ultrasound image, it includes the axial section structure of the blood vessel wall, such as... Figure 9As shown, this embodiment uses a two-dimensional ultrasound B-image as an example for illustration, but the pulse wave propagation state diagram described in conjunction with the two-dimensional ultrasound B-image can also be applied to three-dimensional ultrasound B-images, two-dimensional or three-dimensional ultrasound C-images, etc.

[0084] Step 3': The processor 20 obtains the vessel wall stiffness characterization quantity reflected by the pulse wave propagating along the axial direction of the vessel wall on the vessel wall based on the ultrasound data. The vessel wall stiffness characterization quantity can be the propagation velocity (PWV) of the pulse wave propagating along the axial direction of the vessel wall on the vessel wall, or it can be the pulsation parameters (radial displacement, radial movement velocity, etc.) of the vessel wall pulsating in the radial direction of the vessel. This embodiment uses the propagation velocity as an example for explanation. The propagation velocity (PWV) of the pulse wave refers to the propagation velocity of the pulse wave between two predetermined points in the arterial system, including the pulse wave propagation velocity at the beginning of systole (BS) and the end of systole (ES) of the anterior arterial wall. Only one of BS and ES can be calculated and displayed, or both can be calculated and displayed. Figure 13 It shows the change in tubal diameter over two cardiac cycles. There are two peaks in one cardiac cycle: the highest peak is formed at the beginning of systole of the anterior artery wall, and the lower peak is formed at the end of systole.

[0085] Among them, such as Figure 10 As shown, step 3' specifically includes:

[0086] Step 31: The processor 20 detects the pulsation parameters of each detection point arranged along the vascular axis on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image at different time points based on ultrasound data over a predetermined time period. Pulsation parameters reflect the radial pulsation of the blood vessel wall. Due to the action of the heartbeat, the blood vessel wall mainly pulsates radially; therefore, the pulsation parameters in this invention refer to the radial direction. Pulsation parameters include at least one of: displacement of one side of the blood vessel wall, radial velocity of one side of the blood vessel wall, radial acceleration of one side of the blood vessel wall, change in blood vessel diameter, rate of change of blood vessel diameter, or acceleration of change of blood vessel diameter. If the user does not select a Region of Interest (ROI) through the human-computer interaction device, the processor 20 calculates the pulsation parameters of the blood vessel wall within the entire target area (audio window); if the user selects an ROI, the processor 20 only calculates the pulsation parameters within the ROI.

[0087] Furthermore, the processor 20 detects the pulsation parameters of each detection point arranged along the vascular axis on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image at different time points based on ultrasound data over a predetermined time period. This includes: detecting the position of the blood vessel wall in a frame of image data from the ultrasound data; calculating the radial displacement of each detection point arranged along the vascular axis on the blood vessel wall at different time points based on the position of the blood vessel wall in different frames; and obtaining the pulsation parameters of each detection point at different time points based on the radial displacement of each detection point on the blood vessel wall. Each detection point can be uniformly arranged along the vascular axis, equivalent to sampling points, to save computational load. In some examples, the spacing between each detection point may also be unequal, i.e., the detection points are non-uniformly arranged. Specifically, based on the ultrasound data, the processor 20 first extracts the spatial position information (e.g., coordinates) of the blood vessel wall from a frame of beamforming data obtained in the beamforming data stage, or extracts the spatial position information of the blood vessel wall from the ultrasound image obtained in the image synthesis stage. Because the acoustic properties of the blood vessel wall differ significantly from those of the blood within the lumen and the surrounding soft tissue, it appears on the image as two bright, elongated structures closely adhering to the anechoic area of ​​the lumen, such as... Figure 9 As shown. By setting an appropriate threshold in the Y-axis direction (radial direction of the blood vessel) to filter the signal, the specific location of the vessel wall can be obtained. The processor 20 uses each detection point on the vessel wall as its center point ( Figure 11 Point M in the left image represents a fixed-size one-dimensional data segment along the Y-axis direction of the first frame of beamforming data or the first frame of ultrasound image. Figure 11 The solid line segment passing through point M in the left image serves as characteristic information of the tube wall at the current location. On the second frame of beamforming data or the second frame of ultrasound image, using the same location as the center point... Figure 11 Point M in the right figure), within the one-dimensional search area along the Y-axis ( Figure 11 The solid line segment in the right figure) is used to find the data segment that best matches the feature information. Figure 11 The dashed line segment in the right figure), and the center point of this data segment ( Figure 11 Point N in the right figure is taken as the new position of the blood vessel wall at the current horizontal position in this frame. The change in the position of each detection point between two frames is the radial change of the blood vessel wall within the corresponding time period. This is repeated until the radial change of the blood vessel wall between each two adjacent frames or between several frames within the entire predetermined time period is calculated. The change results are accumulated to obtain the displacement of each detection point on the blood vessel wall at different time points within the predetermined time period. The pulsation parameters are radial displacement, radial velocity, radial acceleration, change in blood vessel diameter, rate of change in blood vessel diameter, or acceleration of change in blood vessel diameter. Subtracting the radial displacement of the corresponding posterior wall detection point from the radial displacement of the anterior wall detection point yields the change in blood vessel diameter corresponding to that anterior wall detection point or that posterior wall detection point. Figure 13By taking the first and second derivatives of the radial displacement and the change in vessel diameter in the time dimension, respectively, the radial velocity, radial acceleration, and the rate and acceleration of change in vessel diameter can be obtained. By combining the pulsation parameters of each detection point on the vessel wall at different time points, the displacement of one side of the vessel wall, the radial velocity of one side of the vessel wall, the radial acceleration of one side of the vessel wall, the change in vessel diameter, and the rate or acceleration of change in vessel diameter can be obtained at different time points. If the user has not selected a Region of Interest (ROI), the processor 20 calculates the pulsation parameters of the vessel wall within the entire target area; if the user has selected an ROI, the processor 20 only calculates the pulsation parameters within the ROI. When calculating the pulsation parameters of the blood vessel wall, after determining the center point, a fixed-size two-dimensional data can be taken from the first frame of beamforming data or the first frame of ultrasound image. Using the same position as the center point, the two-dimensional image block is calculated to find the data block with the best matching feature information in the two-dimensional search area through template matching and other methods. The center point position of the data block is then used as the new blood vessel wall position at the current horizontal position of the frame.

[0088] The processor 20 is also used to obtain the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the axial direction on the blood vessel wall based on the pulsation parameters of each detection point. See steps 32 and 33 for details.

[0089] Step 32: The processor 20 detects the first time when the pulsation parameters of each detection point reach the first predetermined threshold.

[0090] Specifically, such as Figure 12 As shown in the figure, the points are detection points. The horizontal axis represents the position of the detection point in the axial direction of the blood vessel wall, and the vertical axis represents the first time corresponding to the detection point. The first predetermined threshold can be set according to user needs. For example, for the early systolic pulse wave, the pulsation parameter can be selected as radial displacement, and the first predetermined threshold can be the minimum value among the empirical values ​​of the maximum radial displacement (corresponding to the peak), or it can be 50% or more of the empirical value of the maximum radial displacement, etc. For the late systolic pulse wave, the first time when the pulsation parameter of each detection point is within the first predetermined threshold range and is at its maximum value is detected. By setting the maximum value of the first predetermined threshold range, the peak of the early systolic wave can be excluded, and by setting the minimum value of the first predetermined threshold range, the maximum value of the late systolic wave (the lower peak in the cardiac cycle) can be included. By judging the maximum value (using conventional mathematical methods), the first time reflecting the arrival of the peak of the late systolic pulse wave can be obtained. This embodiment uses the early systolic pulse wave as an example for explanation.

[0091] Users can conveniently observe the pulse parameters of interest by using the minimum empirical value of the parameter they are interested in as the first predetermined threshold. In other words, the pulse parameters of each detection point can be chained together to reflect the propagation process of the pulse wave. Users are usually interested in the propagation process of the wave crest, which is explained in this embodiment.

[0092] Step 33: The processor 20 obtains the propagation velocity of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the first time corresponding to each detection point. Specifically, the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave on a portion or the entire blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is obtained based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the first time corresponding to each detection point; the propagation velocity of the pulse wave at each detection point is obtained based on the difference between the positions of two adjacent detection points along the blood vessel axis and the first times corresponding to the two adjacent detection points. The two adjacent detection points here are not limited to two detection points that are spatially adjacent; they can also refer to two detection points on the boundary of the blood vessel area corresponding to an acoustic window. For example, the processor 20 selects at least two detection points, extracts the first time of the detection points, and obtains the propagation velocity of the pulse wave based on the difference between the axial distance and the first time between the detection points. To improve accuracy, multiple detection points are selected, the more the better within the processing capacity, to obtain the temporal and spatial correspondence of each detection point, such as... Figure 12 As shown, a linear fit is performed on each point to obtain an oblique line, and the slope of this line is the average propagation speed of the pulse wave in the current cardiac cycle. Of course, the propagation speed of the pulse wave at each detection point can also be obtained based on the position of two adjacent detection points along the vascular axis and the difference between the first time points of the two adjacent detection points, so that users can obtain the stiffness differences of the blood vessel wall at different locations.

[0093] Since the location of each detection point and the corresponding first time are known, the pulse wave propagation velocity at the beginning of the systolic phase (BS) and the end of the systolic phase (ES) of the anterior arterial wall, the propagation velocity at any detection point on the vessel wall, and the average propagation velocity of any segment can all be calculated using the above method.

[0094] Based on the above-described method for calculating propagation speed, an optional embodiment optimizes this method. Specifically, the processor 20 detects the time point at which the pulsation parameter of a specified detection point reaches a predetermined specific value, and extends forward and / or backward by a preset time from this time point to obtain an effective time period; it acquires the pulsation parameters of each detection point at different time points within the effective time period; it detects the first time at which the pulsation parameter of each detection point reaches a first predetermined threshold within the effective time period; and it obtains the propagation speed of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the corresponding first time. The specified detection point can be a detection point located at the peak of the wave to facilitate identification and selection. The preset time can be set according to actual conditions, as long as the obtained effective time period is not shorter than the time required for the pulse wave to pass through each detection point. The setting of the effective time period is to reduce the computational load of the processor 20. This is because the scanning range of the ultrasound probe is relatively small (0.03–0.05 m), the propagation time of the pulse wave within one cardiac cycle (0.6–1 s) is (0.003–0.02 s), and the time it takes for the pulse wave to pass through each detection point is very short (0.003–0.02 s). After that, there will be a relatively long period (0.597–0.98 s) during which the pulsation parameters at each detection point change very little. If data with very small changes in pulsation parameters were also included in the calculation, it would increase the amount of computation. Therefore, by limiting the effective time period, the amount of computation required by the processor to calculate the propagation speed can be saved.

[0095] In some examples, in addition to performing B-mode imaging (two-dimensional or three-dimensional tissue grayscale imaging) on ​​the blood vessels of the target object, ultrasound imaging devices can also perform M-mode imaging and Doppler imaging on the blood vessels of the target image. Doppler imaging may include, for example, tissue doppler imaging (TDI) and tissue velocity imaging (TVI). The propagation velocity of the pulse wave can be obtained in each ultrasound imaging mode according to the following steps.

[0096] When performing M-images, ultrasound imaging equipment can acquire ultrasound data in the form of M-data. This M-data includes grayscale data along multiple scan lines arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel, with each detection point being a point on the blood vessel wall along each scan line. When a pulse wave propagates past a detection point, the blood vessel wall at that point will undergo a certain displacement in the depth direction (i.e., radial direction) due to the effect of the pulse wave. Correspondingly, the M-data reflects this radial displacement change. The processor 20 can obtain the grayscale value of the detection point on the blood vessel wall along each scan line as a function of time based on the M-data for that scan line, and calculate the radial displacement of that detection point on the blood vessel wall as a function of time based on the grayscale value.

[0097] The processor 20 can then detect the first time when the radial displacement of each detection point reaches a second predetermined threshold. This second predetermined threshold can be set according to user requirements. For example, the second predetermined threshold can be the minimum value among empirical values ​​of the maximum radial displacement, or 50% or more of the empirical value of the maximum radial displacement. After detecting the first time at each detection point, the processor 20 can obtain the propagation velocity of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the corresponding first time. Since the positions of each detection point on the blood vessel wall are known, and the time difference between each detection point is determined, the propagation velocity of the pulse wave can be obtained.

[0098] When performing B-mode imaging, the ultrasound imaging device can obtain M-mode ultrasound data based on the B-mode ultrasound data (tissue grayscale). Subsequently, the processor 20 can calculate the propagation velocity of the pulse wave based on the method described above in the M-mode imaging.

[0099] When performing TVI or TDI imaging, ultrasound imaging equipment can acquire ultrasound data with Doppler information. The processor 20 can analyze the Doppler information of the ultrasound data to calculate the velocity information of each detection point arranged along the vessel axis on the vessel wall at different time points. For example, during TVI imaging, the velocity variance energy can be solved from the ultrasound data with Doppler information to obtain the velocity information of each detection point changing over time. Similarly, during TDI imaging, a spectral image of each detection point on the vessel wall can be obtained. This spectral image records the frequency information of each detection point changing over time, and a simple conversion based on this frequency information can yield the velocity information of each detection point at different time points.

[0100] The processor 20 can then detect the first time when the velocity information at each detection point reaches a third predetermined threshold. This third predetermined threshold can be set according to user requirements. For example, the third predetermined threshold could be 50% or more of the maximum detected velocity information. After detecting the first time at each detection point, the processor 20 can obtain the propagation velocity of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the corresponding first time. Since the positions of each detection point on the blood vessel wall are known, and the time difference between each detection point is determined, the propagation velocity of the pulse wave can be obtained.

[0101] Step 4': The processor 20 visualizes the vessel wall stiffness along the axial direction of the blood vessel, thereby generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram through the human-computer interaction device 70. For example, along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point, preset image elements are used to visualize the pulse wave propagation velocity corresponding to each detection point. The pulse wave propagation state diagram can be static or dynamic. Taking dynamic as an example, the processor 20 dynamically displays the pulse wave propagation velocity on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device in a graphical visualization manner along the axial direction of the blood vessel, according to the chronological order of propagation time. For example, along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point, when the first time corresponding to each detection point arrives, preset image elements are used to visualize the pulse wave propagation velocity corresponding to each detection point, thereby realizing the periodic updating of the pulse wave propagation velocity at each detection point. Image elements can be one or more combinations of color, pattern, texture, and pattern density. The pulse wave propagation state diagram shows the propagation speed. Since doctors may be interested in the propagation speed across the entire blood vessel wall, the propagation speed across a specific segment of the blood vessel wall, or the propagation speed at the corresponding locations of each detection point, there are multiple ways to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness using the pulse wave propagation state diagram. Specific examples will be given below.

[0102] Before listing various visualization methods, let's first explain how the pulse wave propagation state diagram and ultrasound image are displayed together on the display interface. To combine the pulse wave propagation state diagram with the actual ultrasound image, there are two specific methods: adjacent display and overlay display. The processor 20 displays the pulse wave propagation state diagram A1 near the ultrasound image C, such as... Figure 14 As shown, this is an adjacent display. In this mode, when the blood vessel is horizontal, the pulse wave propagation state diagram A1 and the ultrasound image C share the same horizontal axis, meaning the two images are set vertically corresponding to each other. Figure 14 As shown; when the blood vessel is vertical, the pulse wave propagation state diagram and the ultrasound image share the same vertical axis, meaning the two images are set to correspond left and right. Alternatively, the processor 20 can overlay the axial cross-sectional structures of the blood vessels in the pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 and the ultrasound image C according to preset weights, such as... Figure 15As shown, this is an overlay display, where the pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 and the ultrasound image C are overlaid and share a common coordinate system. Furthermore, the processor 20 is also used to detect user modifications to the weights via the human-computer interaction device 70; and to update the overlay display of the axial cross-sectional structure of the blood vessels in the pulse wave propagation state diagrams A2-A8 and the ultrasound image C according to the modified weights. When the weight of one diagram is 0, only the other diagram is displayed; if neither weight is 0, both the blood vessel wall structure and the propagation speed can be visually reflected. By setting the weights, doctors can adjust the display effect to highlight the structure of the blood vessel wall or the propagation speed. The ultrasound image C generated from the ultrasound data displayed on the interface can be an ultrasound image frame or an ultrasound video. This embodiment uses an ultrasound video as an example of overlay display.

[0103] Of course, regardless of whether the display is adjacent or superimposed, the processor 20 also synchronously displays the value bar B, which is used to indicate the correspondence between the magnitude of the blood vessel wall stiffness and the color, texture, pattern or pattern density, through the display interface of the human-computer interaction device.

[0104] In one example, using such Figure 14 The method shown visualizes the characteristic of blood vessel wall stiffness. In this example, the characteristic of blood vessel wall stiffness is the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, for example, the average propagation velocity of all detection points. The processor 20 visualizes this average propagation velocity using preset image elements at positions corresponding to the entire blood vessel wall along the axial direction, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram A1 distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel. Taking the density of the image elements as an example... Figure 14 In the pulse wave propagation diagram A1 shown, the diagonal lines (patterns) cover the entire segment of the blood vessel wall. They must cover the vessel along its axial direction, while a certain length is sufficient in the radial direction; they do not necessarily need to be as long as... Figure 14 The ultrasound provides full radial coverage, similar to the method described in the original text. Doctors can quickly determine the approximate range of the average propagation velocity by observing the density of the diagonal lines, and then compare this to value bar B for a more precise reading. For the doctor's convenience, the display also shows the specific value of the average propagation velocity and the current time relative to the entire time frame of the ultrasound data. Of course, using different colors to represent different average propagation velocities is even more intuitive; for example, a colored area could cover the entire blood vessel wall, with redder areas indicating faster propagation and bluer areas indicating slower propagation. This is essentially equivalent to... Figure 14 The slanted area is replaced with the corresponding color. Of course, this average propagation velocity can be the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave within a cardiac cycle, or it can be the average of the average propagation velocities of the pulse wave across multiple cardiac cycles. Regardless of the type, since the propagation velocity of the pulse wave does not change significantly between cycles, Figure 14The pulse wave propagation state diagram A1 shown does not change much even as it is updated with the cardiac cycle; it is essentially static.

[0105] In another example, the vessel wall stiffness characterization measure is the average propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis on the target segment of the vessel wall in the ultrasound image, which includes the section of vessel wall through which the pulse wave is currently propagating in the ultrasound image. For example... Figure 15 As shown, the processor 20 visualizes the average propagation velocity along the axial direction of the blood vessel at positions corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall using preset image elements, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel. For example, the processor 20 acquires the average propagation velocity of the blood vessel wall segment that the pulse wave has passed through as it propagates along the axial direction to each detection point in the ultrasound image; at positions corresponding to the blood vessel wall segments that the pulse wave has passed through, it uses color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the average propagation velocity, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel. The display is updated according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point (i.e., dynamic display). Since the pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 presents the average propagation velocity of the segment of the blood vessel wall that the pulse wave has currently passed through in the ultrasound image, the average propagation velocity presented by the pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 changes dynamically over time. Figure 15 As shown, the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave is calculated once every 0.03 seconds of propagation along the blood vessel wall. This average propagation velocity is then displayed using preset image elements, such as pattern density, within the range from the proximal end of the blood vessel (the starting point of the ultrasound image) to the current propagation position. Figure 15 The diagonal area in the left image; after the pulse wave continues to propagate along the blood vessel for 0.033 seconds, the average propagation speed within that 0.033 seconds is calculated again. This propagation speed is then displayed using preset image elements within the range from the proximal end of the blood vessel to the current propagation position, such as... Figure 15 The right-hand diagram shows the diagonal line region. Similarly, the axial length of the diagonal line region is determined by the current propagation range, and the density of the diagonal line region is determined by the average propagation speed of the current propagation range. Furthermore, the density of the diagonal lines changes as propagation progresses, and the diagonal line region lengthens along the axial direction of the blood vessel. Likewise, different colors can be used to represent different average propagation speeds; for example, a colored region could cover the entire blood vessel wall, with redder colors indicating faster speeds and bluer colors indicating slower speeds. This is essentially equivalent to... Figure 15 Replace the diagonal lines with the corresponding colors.

[0106] Because the pulse wave propagation state map A2 is dynamically changing, the superposition of the pulse wave propagation state map A2 and the ultrasound image C is equivalent to a movie playing dynamically in chronological order, that is, a real-time representation of pulse wave propagation. Pulse wave propagation is manifested in the fact that the image element regions of the pulse wave propagation state map A2, or rather, the image element regions of the pulse wave propagation state map A2, advance along the vascular axis from the proximal end to the distal end according to the time of pulse wave propagation. For example… Figure 15 As shown, the propagation time of the pulse wave progresses horizontally. Figure 15 The left image is a superimposed display of the pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 at a given moment and an ultrasound video. After a period of time, the superimposed image becomes the right image, showing the process of the pulse wave propagating from the left to the right side of the diagram. When the pulse wave propagation state diagram A2 is displayed on the human-computer interaction device's display interface, it is dynamic (the image elements change with time), and can also be called a pulse wave propagation state video or a pulse wave propagation state animation.

[0107] In another example, the vessel wall stiffness characterization measure is the average propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis on the target segment of the vessel wall in the ultrasound image, which includes the section of vessel wall through which the pulse wave is currently propagating in the ultrasound image. For example... Figure 16 As shown, the processor 20 visualizes the average propagation velocity of the target segment of the blood vessel wall at a position corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, using preset image elements along the axial direction of the blood vessel. The position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall is indicated on the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the pulse wave propagation state diagram A3 (as shown by the triangular arrow in the figure, allowing the doctor to know the peak position). In other words, the processor 20 acquires the average propagation velocity of the blood vessel wall segment traversed by the pulse wave as it propagates along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall to each detection point in the ultrasound image; it uses color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the average propagation velocity at a position corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image along the axial direction, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel. The pulse wave propagation state diagram is updated according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point during display. That is to say, with... Figure 15 The average propagation speeds are the same, but the presentation methods are different. Figure 15 Image elements are displayed only in the target segment of the blood vessel, while Figure 16 It displays image elements across the entire blood vessel. For example, when a pulse wave travels along the vessel wall for 0.03 seconds, it calculates the average propagation speed of the pulse wave along the segment of the vessel wall it has traversed during that time period, and displays this average propagation speed at the corresponding position along the entire vessel wall using preset image elements, such as... Figure 16 The diagonal area; when the pulse wave continues to propagate along the blood vessel for 0.033s, the average propagation speed of the pulse wave in the blood vessel wall segment that has been traversed within 0.033s is calculated again, and the image elements are updated.

[0108] In another example, the measure of vessel wall stiffness is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis to each detection point on the vessel wall in an ultrasound image. For example... Figure 17 As shown, the processor 20 visualizes the propagation velocity of each detection point along the axial direction of the blood vessel at positions corresponding to the detection points in the ultrasound image using preset image elements, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram A4 distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel. For example, if the total propagation time of the pulse wave on the blood vessel within the acoustic window (field of view) is 0.04s, the propagation velocity of each detection point during the propagation of the pulse wave on that segment of the blood vessel is calculated and displayed using preset image elements, such as color mapping. This makes it clear which detection point has a slow propagation velocity and which has a fast propagation velocity. Since the detection points are similar to sampling points, it is impossible to calculate the propagation velocity of all points along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall from a computational perspective. Therefore, image elements are used to represent the propagation velocity of the detection points, displaying a small area, such as... Figure 17 The image uses small rectangular areas instead of narrow points to more intuitively represent the propagation speed as image elements. Since the propagation speed of the detection points does not differ significantly between cardiac cycles, the color display range and color in the pulse wave propagation state diagram A4 remain largely unchanged throughout the cardiac cycle. Similar to the first type, this is a "static" pulse wave propagation state diagram A4. Dynamically displaying the propagation speed is more intuitive, and this invention focuses on the dynamic display scenario. Of course, the processor 20 is also used to determine the standard deviation of the propagation speed at each detection point; and to simultaneously display the standard deviation when displaying the pulse wave propagation state diagram A4, so that doctors can more intuitively see the uniformity of the pulse wave propagation speed.

[0109] In another example, the measure of vessel wall stiffness is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis to each detection point on the vessel wall in an ultrasound image. For example... Figure 18As shown, the processor 20, along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point, visualizes the pulse wave propagation speed at each detection point using preset image elements when the pulse wave reaches each detection point (e.g., at the first moment). For example, the processor 20 acquires the propagation speed of the pulse wave at each detection point on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image; along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point on the blood vessel wall segment already traversed by the pulse wave, it uses color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the propagation speed at each detection point, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram A5 distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel. The display is updated according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to reach the detection point (i.e., dynamic display). Since the pulse wave propagation state diagram A5 presents the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image to each detection point, the area of ​​the image elements in the pulse wave propagation state diagram A5, or the area of ​​the image elements in the pulse wave propagation state diagram A5, changes dynamically as propagation progresses. Figure 18 As shown in the left figure, the propagation speed of the pulse wave to the detection point is calculated once every 0.03 seconds of propagation along the blood vessel wall. This propagation speed is then displayed as a preset image element at the corresponding location of the detection point. Image elements at the locations of detection points that the pulse wave has already passed through are retained. Figure 18 The diagonal area in the left image; when the pulse wave continues to propagate along the blood vessel for 0.033 seconds, the propagation speed of the current pulse wave to the detection point is calculated again, and this propagation speed is displayed as a preset image element at the corresponding position of the detection point. The image elements corresponding to the detection points that the pulse wave has already passed through are retained, such as... Figure 18 The right-hand image shows the diagonal line region. Similarly, the length of the entire diagonal line region is determined by the current propagation range, and the density of diagonal lines at the corresponding detection points is determined by the propagation speed of those points. Furthermore, as propagation progresses, the entire diagonal line region lengthens along the axial direction of the blood vessel. Likewise, different colors can be used to represent different propagation speeds, essentially equivalent to... Figure 18 Replace the slashes with the corresponding colors.

[0110] Because the pulse wave propagation state map A5 is dynamically changing, the superposition of the pulse wave propagation state map A5 and the ultrasound image C is equivalent to a movie playing dynamically in chronological order, that is, a real-time representation of pulse wave propagation. Pulse wave propagation is manifested in the fact that the image element regions of the pulse wave propagation state map A5, or rather, the image element regions of the pulse wave propagation state map A5, advance along the vascular axis from the proximal end to the distal end according to the time of pulse wave propagation. For example… Figure 18 As shown, the propagation time of the pulse wave is advanced horizontally. This intuitively reflects the propagation process of the pulse wave and also allows observation of the differences in propagation speed at each detection point.

[0111] In another example, the measure of vessel wall stiffness is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis to each detection point on the vessel wall in an ultrasound image. For example... Figure 19 As shown, the processor 20 visualizes the propagation velocity of each detection point along the vascular axis at positions corresponding to the target segment of the vessel wall in the ultrasound image, using preset image elements. The target segment of the vessel wall includes the section of the vessel wall through which the pulse wave currently propagates in the ultrasound image. For example, the processor 20 acquires the propagation velocity of the pulse wave at each detection point on the vessel wall in the ultrasound image (the velocity of the pulse wave passing through the detection point, either instantaneous or the average velocity of a small segment of the vessel wall corresponding to the detection point); along the vascular axis, at positions corresponding to the current detection point, it uses color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the propagation velocity at the current detection point, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram A6 distributed along the vascular axis. The display is updated based on the time it takes for the pulse wave to reach the detection point. This approach is more advanced than... Figure 18 In essence, the only difference is that image elements outside the target segment of the blood vessel wall are not preserved; everything else is the same, so it will not be elaborated upon. Of course, the target segment of the blood vessel wall can also be a pre-defined length extending from the detection point currently reached by the pulse wave, representing a section of the blood vessel wall that the pulse wave has already traversed. In other words... Figure 19 Based on this, the extension length of the image element region along the blood vessel axis can be adjusted as needed.

[0112] In another example, the measure of vessel wall stiffness is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis to each detection point on the vessel wall in an ultrasound image. For example... Figure 20 As shown, the processor 20 visualizes the propagation speed of the pulse wave at the detection point corresponding to the entire blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image using preset image elements along the axial direction of the blood vessel. The processor also indicates the current position of the pulse wave on the entire blood vessel wall in the pulse wave propagation state diagram A7. For example, the processor 20 acquires the propagation speed of the pulse wave at each detection point on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image; along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the entire blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, it uses color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the propagation speed corresponding to the current detection point, generating and displaying the pulse wave propagation state diagram A7 distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel. The pulse wave propagation state diagram A7 is updated according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point. This scheme is compared to... Figure 19 All the methods present the propagation speed corresponding to the current detection point or the propagation speed of a small segment of blood vessel corresponding to the current detection point. The difference is that in this method, the image element area covers the entire blood vessel wall, and the current propagation position of the pulse wave is indicated by the marker (triangular arrow in the figure). Everything else is the same, so it will not be described in detail.

[0113] In another example, the vascular wall stiffness is characterized by the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vascular axis to each detection point on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image. The processor 20, along the vascular axis, uses preset image elements at positions corresponding to the target segment of the vascular wall in the ultrasound image to visualize the propagation speed of the pulse wave at the current detection point. The target segment of the vascular wall in the ultrasound image includes the section of the vascular wall through which the pulse wave currently propagates in the ultrasound image. For example, the processor 20 acquires the propagation speed of the pulse wave at each detection point on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; along the vascular axis, at positions corresponding to each detection point on the vascular wall segment traversed by the pulse wave, it uses color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the propagation speed at the current detection point, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram A distributed along the vascular axis. The pulse wave propagation state diagram A is updated based on the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point during display. The display effect of this method is similar to... Figure 15 The methods shown are similar, the difference being that... Figure 15 The image elements at the location corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall represent the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave along that segment. In this example, the image elements at the location corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall represent the propagation velocity at the detection point currently reached. Of course, the target segment of the blood vessel wall can also be a segment of the blood vessel wall that the pulse wave has already propagated through, extending a predetermined length from the detection point currently reached. Figure 20 Based on this, the extension length of the image element region along the blood vessel axis can be adjusted as needed.

[0114] In the visualization display method illustrated above, the processor 20 also obtains the second time when each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image reaches the peak position based on the ultrasound data, and displays it on the pulse wave propagation state diagram using icons (such as...). Figure 15 , 16 The triangular arrows in Figures 18-20 indicate the detection point where the current peak is located, indicating to the doctor where the pulse wave has propagated, which is very intuitive. If the first predetermined threshold is used to determine the peak, then at the first moment when each detection point reaches the peak position, the detection point where the current peak is located can be marked with an icon on the pulse wave propagation state diagram, without having to repeat the second time.

[0115] In the visualization method illustrated above, the processor 20 also pauses the updating of the pulse wave propagation state diagrams A1-A7 based on the pause command input by the user through the human-computer interaction device 70; and displays the propagation velocity of the detection point closest to the cursor position on the paused pulse wave propagation state diagrams A1-A7 according to the position of the cursor (mouse cursor, trackball cursor, or touch point, etc.) on the paused pulse wave propagation state diagrams A1-A7. Thus, regardless of the visualization method used, doctors can obtain the propagation velocity of the desired detection point position by manual selection.

[0116] In the visualization display method illustrated above, when the pulse wave propagates through the entire blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, the processor 20 also presents the propagation speed corresponding to each detection point in the form of an image through the display interface of the human-computer interaction device, which is convenient for doctors to observe, record, and print the results.

[0117] In an optional embodiment, Figure 14-20 The propagation speed can be represented by color as an image element. Besides dynamically displaying the propagation speed in color, it can also be dynamically displayed as a two-dimensional vector graphic. For example, it can be represented by waveforms, bar charts, or area charts, generating pulse wave propagation state diagrams A8 and A9, such as... Figure 21 and Figure 22 As shown.

[0118] The visualization of this invention is preferably dynamic, which displays the propagation speed of the pulse wave graphically on the display interface and changes over time, making it easy and intuitive for ultrasound doctors to understand at a glance.

[0119] Similarly, on the display interface, if the user does not select a ROI, the entire vessel wall segment is displayed as the vessel wall segment of the ultrasound image within the entire target area, overlaid with the ultrasound B-image video and pulse wave propagation status diagrams A1-A7 of the entire target area. If the user selects a ROI, the entire vessel wall segment is displayed as the vessel wall segment of the ultrasound image within the ROI area, and only the ultrasound B-image video and pulse wave propagation status diagrams A1-A7 of the ROI area can be overlaid. Of course, the specific value of the propagation speed can also be displayed on the display interface in real time, allowing the user to accurately grasp the information.

[0120] As can be seen, using the technical solution of this invention, in real-time imaging mode, the user only needs to place the probe flat on the body surface, positioning the viewing angle along the long axis of the blood vessel. Keeping the probe position stationary, scanning begins, and the ROI can be selected. The ultrasound imaging device then generates a blood vessel B-map and a pulse wave propagation state map A. These two maps are superimposed, allowing the propagation velocity to be displayed at the corresponding position, thus better associating the vascular structure with the propagation velocity. In non-real-time imaging mode, the ultrasound imaging device acquires data stored in its memory, processes it, and generates a blood vessel B-map and a pulse wave propagation state map A, allowing the propagation velocity displayed in the propagation state map to be shown at the corresponding position. Simultaneously, the pulse wave propagation status is dynamically displayed in a cinematic manner, accompanied by peak indicators, providing a direct and accurate representation of the pulse wave propagation process. In this embodiment of the invention, the pulse wave propagation state map and the blood vessel B-map can be displayed synchronously and dynamically, or only the pulse wave propagation state map can be displayed dynamically while a single frame of the B-map during the propagation process is displayed statically.

[0121] This document describes various exemplary embodiments with reference to them. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of this document. For example, various operational steps and components for performing operational steps can be implemented in different ways depending on the specific application or considering any number of cost functions associated with the operation of the system (e.g., one or more steps can be deleted, modified, or combined with other steps).

[0122] Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, the principles herein can be reflected in a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium pre-loaded with computer-readable program code. Any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), flash memory, and / or the like. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to form a machine, such that instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, can generate means for performing a specified function. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can instruct the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium can form an article of manufacture, including means for implementing the specified function. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to perform a series of operational steps on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, can provide steps for implementing the specified function.

[0123] While the principles herein have been illustrated in various embodiments, numerous modifications to the structure, arrangement, proportions, elements, materials, and components, particularly suited to specific environmental and operational requirements, may be used without departing from the principles and scope of this disclosure. These modifications and other alterations or alterations will be included within the scope of this document.

[0124] The foregoing specific descriptions have been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, considerations for this disclosure are to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications are to be included within its scope. Similarly, advantages, other advantages, and solutions to problems with respect to various embodiments have been described above. However, benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that produce these, or make them more explicit, should not be construed as critical, essential, or necessary. The term “comprising” and any other variations thereof as used herein are non-exclusive inclusion, meaning that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or not part of the process, method, system, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the term “coupled” and any other variations thereof as used herein refer to physical connections, electrical connections, magnetic connections, optical connections, communication connections, functional connections, and / or any other connections.

[0125] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes can be made to the details of the above embodiments without departing from the basic principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined according to the following claims.

Claims

1. A pulse wave imaging method, characterized in that... include: Acquire ultrasound data for a predetermined time period, wherein the ultrasound data is obtained by beamforming of ultrasound echo signals obtained from the blood vessels of the target object. An ultrasound image containing blood vessels is generated based on the ultrasound data; Based on the ultrasound data, a vessel wall stiffness characterization measure is obtained, which is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel wall along the vessel axis. The propagation speed is dynamically displayed on the display interface in a graphical visualization along the blood vessel axis, according to the chronological order of propagation time, including: On the display interface, along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, the propagation speed is visualized using preset image elements, and dynamically displayed in chronological order of propagation time; based on the ultrasound data, the second time when each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image reaches its peak position is obtained, and the detection point where the current peak is located is marked with an icon when dynamically displaying the propagation speed; or... On the display interface, along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, the propagation speed is visualized using preset image elements, and the propagation speed is dynamically displayed in chronological order of propagation time; the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is a segment of the blood vessel wall through which the pulse wave currently propagates in the ultrasound image, or the target segment of the blood vessel wall is a segment of the blood vessel wall through which the pulse wave has already propagated, extending a preset length from the detection point to which the pulse wave currently propagates; or, On the display interface, along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point in the ultrasound image, the propagation speed of each detection point is visualized using preset image elements, and the propagation speed is dynamically displayed in chronological order of propagation time; based on the ultrasound data, the second time when each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image reaches the peak position is obtained, and an icon is used to mark the detection point where the current peak is located when the propagation speed is dynamically displayed; or... On the display interface, along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the positions corresponding to each detection point, when the pulse wave propagates to each detection point, preset image elements are used to visualize the propagation speed of the pulse wave at each detection point, and the propagation speed is dynamically displayed in chronological order of propagation time.

2. A pulse wave imaging method, characterized in that... include: Acquire multiple frames of ultrasound data, wherein the ultrasound data is the data obtained by beamforming of ultrasound echo signals obtained by detecting blood vessels of the target object; An ultrasound image containing axial cross-sectional structures of blood vessels is generated based on at least a portion of the multi-frame ultrasound data. A measure of vessel wall stiffness, as reflected by pulse waves propagating along the axial direction of the vessel wall, is obtained from at least a portion of the multi-frame ultrasound data. as well as The vessel wall stiffness is visualized along the axial direction of the blood vessel, thereby generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram, including: Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram; based on the ultrasound data, the second time when each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image reaches the peak position is obtained, and the detection point where the current peak is located is marked with an icon on the pulse wave propagation state diagram; or... Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness characterization, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram; the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is a segment of the blood vessel wall through which the pulse wave currently propagates in the ultrasound image, or the target segment of the blood vessel wall is a segment of the blood vessel wall that the pulse wave has already propagated through, extending a preset length from the detection point where the pulse wave currently propagates. or, Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness characterization at each detection point, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram; based on the ultrasound data, the second time when each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image reaches the peak position is obtained, and the detection point where the current peak is located is marked with an icon on the pulse wave propagation state diagram; or... Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point, when the pulse wave propagates to each detection point, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness at each detection point, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram.

3. A pulse wave imaging method, characterized in that, include: Ultrasound imaging is performed by emitting ultrasound waves into the blood vessels of the target object. Receive the ultrasound echo returned by the blood vessels of the target object to obtain the ultrasound echo signal; The ultrasonic echo signal is processed to obtain ultrasonic data; The vessel wall stiffness characterization quantity is obtained based on the ultrasound data, which is reflected by the pulse wave propagating along the axial direction of the vessel wall. as well as The vessel wall stiffness is visualized along the axial direction of the vessel, generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram, including: Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness, generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram. Based on the ultrasound data, the second time when each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image reaches its peak position is obtained, and the detection point where the current peak is located is marked with an icon on the pulse wave propagation state diagram; or... Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness characterization, generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram; the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is a segment of the blood vessel wall through which the pulse wave currently propagates in the ultrasound image, or the target segment of the blood vessel wall is a segment of the blood vessel wall that the pulse wave has already propagated through, extending a preset length from the detection point where the pulse wave currently propagates. or, Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness at each detection point, generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram. Based on the ultrasound data, the second time when each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel in the ultrasound image reaches its peak position is obtained, and the detection point where the current peak is located is marked with an icon on the pulse wave propagation state diagram; or... Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point, when the pulse wave propagates to each detection point, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness at each detection point, generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram.

4. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The vascular wall stiffness is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vascular axis on the vascular wall.

5. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Acquiring ultrasound data includes: The ultrasonic wave is emitted towards the target object at a preset scanning frame rate, and the echo of the ultrasonic wave is received to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal. The ultrasound echo signal is subjected to at least beamforming processing to obtain ultrasound data of the blood vessels of the target object.

6. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The process of emitting ultrasound waves toward the blood vessels of the target object includes emitting ultrasound waves toward the target object at a preset scanning frame rate.

7. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The scanning frame rate is at least 1000Hz.

8. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The step of emitting ultrasonic waves at a preset scanning frame rate to the target object includes: Unfocused ultrasound waves are emitted toward the target object at a preset scanning frame rate, and the scanning area of ​​the unfocused ultrasound waves emitted in one go covers the designated examination area of ​​the blood vessel.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The unfocused ultrasound includes planar ultrasound or divergent ultrasound.

10. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The step of emitting ultrasonic waves at a preset scanning frame rate to the target object includes: Multiple focused ultrasound waves are emitted toward the target object at a preset scanning frame rate. The number of times the multiple focused ultrasound waves are emitted is lower than the preset number of times for focused imaging, and the scanning area of ​​the multiple focused ultrasound waves covers the designated examination area of ​​the blood vessel.

11. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The step of emitting ultrasonic waves at a preset scanning frame rate to the target object includes: At least one wide-focus ultrasound wave is emitted toward the target object at a preset scanning frame rate, wherein the scanning area of ​​the at least one wide-focus ultrasound wave covers a designated examination area of ​​the blood vessel.

12. The method as described in claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that, The parameters characterizing vessel wall stiffness obtained from ultrasound data, as reflected by pulse waves propagating along the vessel axis, include: Based on the ultrasound data, the pulsation parameters of each detection point arranged along the vascular axis on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image at different time points were detected; The first time when the pulsation parameters at each detection point reach a first predetermined threshold; The propagation speed of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is obtained based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the first time corresponding to each detection point.

13. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The step of detecting the pulsation parameters of each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image at different time points based on the ultrasound data includes: The effective time period is obtained by detecting the time point at which the pulsation parameter of a specified detection point reaches a predetermined specific value, and extending the time point forward and / or backward by a preset time. Obtain pulsation parameters at different time points within the effective time period for each detection point.

14. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The pulsation parameters at different time points were detected based on ultrasound data at various points along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, including: Detect the position of the blood vessel wall in a frame of ultrasound data; The radial displacement of each detection point arranged along the blood vessel axis on the blood vessel wall at different time points is calculated based on the position of the blood vessel wall in different frames. The pulsation parameters of each detection point at different time points are obtained based on the radial displacement of each detection point on the blood vessel wall.

15. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The pulsation parameters are the displacement of the unilateral vessel wall, the radial velocity of the unilateral vessel wall, the radial acceleration of the unilateral vessel wall, the change in vessel diameter, the rate of change of vessel diameter, or the acceleration of the change in vessel diameter.

16. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Ultrasound imaging performed by emitting ultrasound waves towards a blood vessel of a target object includes B-mode imaging or M-mode imaging, wherein the ultrasound data includes M-mode data; obtaining a measure of blood vessel wall stiffness reflected by pulse waves propagating along the blood vessel axis on the vessel wall based on the ultrasound data includes: Based on the M data, the radial displacement of each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall at different time points was detected; The first time when the radial displacement of each detection point reaches the second predetermined threshold; The propagation speed of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is obtained based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the first time corresponding to each detection point.

17. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Ultrasound imaging performed by emitting ultrasound waves towards a target vessel includes Doppler imaging; obtaining a measure of vessel wall stiffness based on ultrasound data, reflected by pulse waves propagating along the vessel axis on the vessel wall, includes: By analyzing the Doppler information of the ultrasound data, the velocity information of each detection point arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall at different time points is obtained. The first moment when the speed information of each detection point reaches the third predetermined threshold; The propagation speed of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is obtained based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the first time corresponding to each detection point.

18. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The method of emitting ultrasound waves to the blood vessels of the target object for ultrasound imaging includes: emitting ultrasound waves to the blood vessels of the target object for B-mode imaging, M-mode imaging, TDI imaging, or TVI imaging.

19. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, Based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the first time corresponding to each detection point, the propagation velocity of the pulse wave on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image includes: The average propagation velocity of the pulse wave along the entire blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is obtained based on the position of each detection point along the blood vessel axis and the first time corresponding to each detection point; or The propagation speed of the pulse wave at each detection point is obtained by comparing the position of two adjacent detection points along the vascular axis and the difference between the first time points of the two adjacent detection points.

20. The method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The step of visually representing the vascular wall stiffness at each detection point using preset image elements at the corresponding positions along the vascular axial direction when the pulse wave propagates to each detection point includes: visually representing the pulse wave propagation speed at each detection point using preset image elements at the corresponding positions along the vascular axial direction when the first time corresponding to each detection point arrives.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The vessel wall stiffness characterization measure is the average propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis on the target segment of the vessel wall in the ultrasound image, where the target segment of the vessel wall in the ultrasound image is the segment of the vessel wall through which the pulse wave is currently propagating in the ultrasound image.

22. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at a position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the propagation velocity or blood vessel wall stiffness, including: Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the blood vessel wall of the target segment, the average propagation speed is visualized using preset image elements.

23. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at a position corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the propagation velocity or blood vessel wall stiffness, including: Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, the average propagation velocity is visualized using preset image elements, and the position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall is indicated on the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the pulse wave propagation state diagram.

24. The method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The vessel wall stiffness characterization measure is the propagation speed of the pulse wave along the vessel axis to each detection point on the vessel wall in the ultrasound image.

25. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Determine the standard deviation of the propagation velocity at each detection point; and The pulse wave propagation status diagram and the standard deviation are displayed simultaneously.

26. The method as described in claim 24, characterized in that, Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at a position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the propagation velocity or blood vessel wall stiffness, including: Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at each detection point corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, the propagation speed of each detection point is visualized using preset image elements.

27. The method as described in claim 24, characterized in that, Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at a position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the propagation velocity or blood vessel wall stiffness, including: Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, the propagation speed of the pulse wave at the detection point to which it is currently propagating is visualized using preset image elements. The target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image is the segment of the blood vessel wall through which the pulse wave is currently propagating in the ultrasound image.

28. The method as described in claim 24, characterized in that, Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at a position corresponding to the target segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the propagation velocity or blood vessel wall stiffness, including: Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at a position corresponding to the entire blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the propagation speed of the pulse wave at the detection point to which it is currently propagating, and the current propagation position of the pulse wave is indicated on the entire blood vessel wall of the pulse wave propagation state diagram.

29. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The image elements include color, pattern, or pattern density.

30. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The visualization of the vessel wall stiffness characterization along the axial direction of the vessel also includes: simultaneously displaying a value bar indicating the correspondence between the magnitude of the vessel wall stiffness characterization and the color, pattern, or pattern density.

31. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, When displaying the pulse wave propagation state diagram, the pulse wave propagation state diagram and the ultrasound image are superimposed and displayed according to a preset weight; or the pulse wave propagation state diagram is displayed near the ultrasound image.

32. The method as described in claim 31, characterized in that... It also includes, Detect user modifications to the weights; The overlay display of the pulse wave propagation state diagram and ultrasound image is updated according to the modified weights.

33. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The pulse wave propagation state diagram is advanced along the vascular axis from the proximal end to the distal end according to the time of pulse wave propagation.

34. The method as described in claim 33, characterized in that, The pulse wave propagation state diagram progresses horizontally according to the time of pulse wave propagation.

35. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The blood vessel wall stiffness characterization value is the average value of each detection point arranged along the blood vessel axis on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, or the value corresponding to the position of each detection point.

36. The method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The step of visually representing the vessel wall stiffness using preset image elements at positions corresponding to the entire vessel wall in the ultrasound image along the axial direction of the vessel, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram or generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram, includes: The vascular wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave along the vascular axis along the entire segment of the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; and the generation and dynamic display of a pulse wave propagation state map distributed along the vascular axis at positions corresponding to the entire segment of the vascular wall in the ultrasound image, using color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the average propagation velocity, or the generation and real-time display of a pulse wave propagation state map; or... The vascular wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave along the vascular axis to each detection point on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image, traversing the segment of the vascular wall through which the pulse wave passes; representing the average propagation velocity using color, pattern, or pattern density at positions corresponding to the entire segment of the vascular wall in the ultrasound image along the vascular axis, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram distributed along the vascular axis, or generating a pulse wave propagation state diagram for real-time display, updating the pulse wave propagation state diagram according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point; wherein each detection point is arranged along the vascular axis on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; or... The blood vessel wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the propagation velocity of the pulse wave at each detection point on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image; along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at the position corresponding to the entire segment of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, using color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the propagation velocity corresponding to the current detection point, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram distributed along the axial direction of the blood vessel, or generating a pulse wave propagation state diagram for real-time display, updating the pulse wave propagation state diagram according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point; wherein each detection point is arranged along the axial direction of the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image; The step of visually representing the vessel wall stiffness using preset image elements at a position corresponding to the target segment of the vessel wall in the ultrasound image along the axial direction of the vessel, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram or generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram, includes: The vascular wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the average propagation velocity of the pulse wave along the vascular axis to each detection point on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image, traversing the vascular wall segment through which the pulse wave passes; representing the average propagation velocity using color, pattern, or pattern density at the corresponding positions along the vascular axis of the vascular wall segment through which the pulse wave passes, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state map distributed along the vascular axis, or generating a pulse wave propagation state map for real-time display, updating the pulse wave propagation state map according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point; wherein each detection point is arranged along the vascular axis on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; or... The vascular wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the propagation velocity of the pulse wave at each detection point on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; and the generation and display of a pulse wave propagation state diagram distributed along the vascular axis, using color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the propagation velocity at each detection point along the vascular wall segment traversed by the pulse wave, or generating a pulse wave propagation state diagram for real-time display, updating the pulse wave propagation state diagram according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to reach the detection point; wherein each detection point is arranged along the vascular axis on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; or... The vascular wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the propagation velocity of the pulse wave at each detection point on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; along the vascular axis, at each detection point on the vascular wall segment traversed by the pulse wave, the propagation velocity corresponding to the current detection point is represented by color, pattern, or pattern density; a pulse wave propagation state diagram distributed along the vascular axis is generated and displayed, or a pulse wave propagation state diagram is generated and displayed in real time, and the pulse wave propagation state diagram is updated according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point; wherein each detection point is arranged along the vascular axis on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image. Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point in the ultrasound image, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness characterization at each detection point, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram or generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram, including: The blood vessel wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the propagation velocity of the pulse wave at each detection point on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image; and the generation and dynamic display of a pulse wave propagation state diagram distributed along the blood vessel axis at positions corresponding to each detection point in the ultrasound image, using color, pattern, or pattern density to represent the propagation velocity at each detection point. Alternatively, a pulse wave propagation state diagram can be generated and displayed in real-time. The detection points are arranged along the blood vessel axis on the blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image. Along the axial direction of the blood vessel, at positions corresponding to each detection point, when the pulse wave propagates to each detection point, preset image elements are used to visualize the blood vessel wall stiffness at each detection point, thereby generating and dynamically displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram or generating a real-time pulse wave propagation state diagram, including: The vascular wall stiffness characterization parameters include: the propagation velocity of the pulse wave at each detection point on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image; along the vascular axis, at the position corresponding to the current detection point where the pulse wave passes, the propagation velocity at the current detection point is represented by color, pattern, or pattern density, generating and displaying a pulse wave propagation state diagram distributed along the vascular axis or generating a pulse wave propagation state diagram for real-time display, updating the pulse wave propagation state diagram according to the time it takes for the pulse wave to propagate to the detection point; wherein each detection point is arranged along the vascular axis on the vascular wall in the ultrasound image.

37. The method as described in claim 36, characterized in that, Also includes: Based on the ultrasound data, the second time when each detection point on the blood vessel wall along the blood vessel axis in the ultrasound image reaches the peak position is obtained, and the detection point where the current peak is located is marked with an icon on the pulse wave propagation state diagram.

38. The method as described in claim 36, characterized in that, Obtaining the vessel wall stiffness characterization quantity reflected by the pulse wave propagating along the vessel axis on the vessel wall based on the ultrasound data includes: obtaining the propagation speed of the pulse wave at each detection point arranged along the vessel axis on the vessel wall in the ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data. The method further includes: pausing the update of the pulse wave propagation state diagram according to the pause command input by the user; and displaying the propagation speed of the detection point closest to the cursor position on the paused pulse wave propagation state diagram according to the position of the cursor on the human-computer interaction device.

39. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The visualization of the vessel wall stiffness characterization along the axial direction of the vessel also includes: After the pulse wave propagates through the entire blood vessel wall in the ultrasound image, the propagation speed corresponding to each detection point is presented in the form of an image.

40. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The predetermined time period is greater than or equal to one cardiac cycle.

41. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that, include: An ultrasound probe is used to emit ultrasound waves into the blood vessel being examined and to receive the echo signals of the ultrasound waves. A transmitting circuit is used to excite the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward the blood vessel being detected. A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasound probe to receive the echo of the ultrasound waves returned from the blood vessel being tested, and to obtain the echo signal. Human-computer interaction devices are used to acquire user input and generate visual output. A processor for executing the method as described in any one of claims 1-40.

42. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that... include: Memory, used to store programs; A processor for executing a program stored in the memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-40.

43. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Includes a program that can be executed by a processor to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-40.

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