Elastic imaging method, system and storage medium

Abstract

An elastic imaging method (200), system (1100) and storage medium, the method (200) comprising: controlling an ultrasonic probe (1120) to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object (S210); controlling the ultrasonic probe (1120) to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receiving an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquiring second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave (S220); generating a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data, and generating a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data (S230); and displaying the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image (S240). The elastic imaging method (200), system (1100) and storage medium calculate strain elastic data based on shear wave detection data, thereby enabling shear wave elastic imaging to be combined with strain elastic imaging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of elastic imaging, and more specifically to an elastic imaging method, system and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic elastography has been more widely used in clinical research and diagnosis in recent years. It can qualitatively reflect the hardness of the lesion relative to the surrounding tissue or quantitatively reflect the hardness of the lesion and the surrounding tissue. It is currently commonly used in the clinic for thyroid, breast, musculoskeletal, liver, and vascular elasticity. The determination of the hardness of tissue can effectively assist in the diagnosis and evaluation of cancer lesions, benign and malignant tumors, and postoperative recovery.

[0003] Conventional elastic imaging (compression elastic imaging) uses a probe to press tissues and calculate the displacement and strain of tissues in real time to reflect the elastic parameters of tissues in the region of interest (ROI) and to image them, which also indirectly reflects the softness and hardness of different tissues. However, each tissue pressing operation is performed by a person, and it is difficult to maintain consistency in probe pressure. The degree of pressing and the frequency of pressing will also vary from operator to operator, so the repeatability and stability of strain elastic imaging are difficult to guarantee.

[0004] Shear wave elastography uses a conventional ultrasound probe to excite a focused ultrasound beam to form an acoustic radiation force, form a shear wave source in the tissue and generate a transversely propagating shear wave, and by identifying and detecting the shear waves generated inside the tissue and their propagation parameters (for example, the propagation velocity or the Young's modulus that can be calculated by the propagation velocity and density) and imaging these parameters, the hardness difference of the tissue can be obtained quantitatively and visually. Since the excitation of the shear wave comes from the acoustic radiation force generated by the focused ultrasound beam and no longer depends on the pressure applied by the operator, the shear wave elastography method is improved in terms of stability and repeatability compared to strain elastography. In addition, the quantitative measurement results of shear waves also make the doctor's diagnosis more objective, and it is an elastic imaging method that is currently used more by doctors. However, shear wave elastography is not as good as strain elastography in outlining the lesion morphology and image resolution. At present, there is no technology on the market that combines the advantages of shear wave elastography with the advantages of strain elastography to achieve high resolution and quantitative measurement at the same time. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides an elastic imaging scheme, which can calculate strain elastic data according to shear wave detection data, thereby realizing the combination of shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging. The elastic imaging scheme proposed in the present application is briefly described below, and more details will be described in the specific implementation mode in conjunction with the accompanying drawings later.

[0006] On the one hand, the present application provides an elastic imaging method, which includes: controlling an ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receiving an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquiring second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; generating a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data, and generating a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; and displaying the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0007] On the other hand, the present application provides an elastic imaging method, which includes: controlling an ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receiving an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquiring second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; generating a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receiving an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquiring third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; generating a strain elastic image based on the third ultrasonic echo data; and displaying the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0008] On the other hand, the present application provides an elastic imaging method, which includes: controlling an ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receiving an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquiring second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; generating a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receiving an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquiring third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; generating a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data; and displaying the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0009] On the other hand, the present application provides an elastic imaging system, which includes an ultrasound probe, a transmit / receive sequence controller, a processor and a display device, wherein: the transmit / receive sequence controller is used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller is also used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquire second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor is used to generate a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data, and generate a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the display device is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0010] On the other hand, the present application provides an elastic imaging system, which includes an ultrasound probe, a transmit / receive sequence controller, a processor and a display device, wherein: the transmit / receive sequence controller is used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller is also used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquire second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor is used to generate a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the transmit / receive sequence controller is also used to control the ultrasound probe to at least transmit a third ultrasonic wave to the region of interest, receive an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquire third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; the processor is also used to generate a strain elastic image based on the third ultrasonic echo data; the display device is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0011] On the other hand, the present application provides an elastic imaging system, which includes an ultrasound probe, a transmit / receive sequence controller, a processor and a display device, wherein: the transmit / receive sequence controller is used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller is also used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquire second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor is used to generate a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the transmit / receive sequence controller is also used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit at least a third ultrasonic wave to the region of interest, receive an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquire third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; the processor is also used to generate a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data; the display device is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0012] On the other hand, the present application provides an elastic imaging system, which includes an ultrasound probe, a transmit / receive sequence controller, a processor and a display device, wherein: the transmit / receive sequence controller is used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller is also used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquire second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor generates a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the transmit / receive sequence controller is also used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit at least a third ultrasonic wave to the region of interest, receive an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquire third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; the processor is also used to generate a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and / or the third ultrasonic echo data; the display device is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0013] In yet another aspect of the present application, an elastic imaging system is provided, the system comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program executed by the processor, and the computer program executing the elastic imaging method when executed by the processor.

[0014] In yet another aspect of the present application, a storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, and the computer program executes the elastic imaging method when running.

[0015] According to the elastic imaging method, system and storage medium of the embodiment of the present application, during the shear wave elastic imaging process, strain elastic data is calculated based on the shear wave detection data, thereby making it possible to combine shear wave elastic imaging with strain elastic imaging, and display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image in real time, so that the user can achieve both qualitative judgment and quantitative measurement of the area of ​​interest of the target object. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart showing an elastic imaging scheme according to an embodiment of the present application that combines shear wave elastic imaging with strain elastic imaging is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of an elastic imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 Shows the use of Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an example of the elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastography and strain elastography is shown.

[0019] Figure 4 Shows the use of Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another example of the elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastography and strain elastography is shown.

[0020] Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C A schematic diagram showing a method of speckle pattern tracking in an elastic imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Two examples of display schemes in the elastic imaging method according to the embodiments of the present application are shown.

[0022] Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of an elastic imaging method according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0023] Figure 8 Shows the use of Figure 7 Schematic diagram of an example of the elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastography and strain elastography is shown.

[0024] Fig. 9 Shows the use of Figure 7 A schematic diagram of another example of the elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastography and strain elastography is shown.

[0025] Fig.10 A schematic flowchart of an elastic imaging method according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0026] Fig.11 A schematic block diagram of an elastic imaging system according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0027] Fig.12 A schematic block diagram of an elastic imaging system according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more obvious, the example embodiments according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application, and it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the example embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present application described in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0029] In the following description, a large number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present application, some technical features well known in the art are not described.

[0030] It should be understood that the present application can be implemented in different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0031] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. When used herein, the singular forms "one", "an" and "said / the" are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "consisting of" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, determine the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or groups. When used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the relevant listed items.

[0032] In order to thoroughly understand the present application, detailed steps and detailed structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution proposed by the present application. The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, but in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present application may also have other implementation methods.

[0033] The elastic imaging scheme provided in this application combines shear wave elastic imaging with strain elastic imaging. Figure 1 FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of combining shear wave elastic imaging with strain elastic imaging according to the elastic imaging scheme of the present application in an embodiment. Figure 1 As shown, in the shear wave elasticity calculation process, the probe emits special ultrasonic waves into the target tissue to generate transversely propagating shear waves; then, the probe emits a sound beam for detecting the transmission of shear waves to the same tissue, and receives echoes for signal processing; by calculating the displacement of each position of the tissue over time, the propagation speed of the shear wave is calculated, and then a shear wave elasticity image and / or a shear wave elasticity parameter is formed, for example, the shear wave elasticity parameter can be Young's modulus, etc. Strain elasticity is to compare two frames (or two moments) of echo data, calculate the displacement and strain between two frames (or two moments) of echo data at each position of the tissue, and then form a strain elasticity image and / or a strain elasticity parameter, for example, the strain elasticity parameter can be a strain variable, etc. When calculating strain elasticity, if there is no displacement between the two frames (or two moments) of echo data, the strain elasticity cannot be calculated. In the process of shear wave detection, the small displacement caused by the natural breathing of the human body, or the small displacement caused by the shaking of the user holding the probe, can be used to obtain a strain elasticity image using the strain elasticity calculation method. Therefore, the elastic imaging scheme provided in this application can realize the combination of shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging. In the calculation of strain elasticity, there are many options for the echo data used. Figures 2 to 10 It is described with reference to various embodiments.

[0034] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a schematic flow chart of an elastic imaging method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the elastic imaging method 200 may include the following steps:

[0035] In step S210 , the ultrasound probe is controlled to transmit a first ultrasound wave to a target object to generate a shear wave that propagates in a region of interest of the target object.

[0036] In step S220, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, an echo of the second ultrasonic wave is received, and second ultrasonic echo data is acquired based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave.

[0037] In step S230 , a shear wave elasticity image is generated based on the second ultrasound echo data, and a strain elasticity image is generated based on the second ultrasound echo data.

[0038] In step S240, the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image are displayed.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present application, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to emit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object for the purpose of generating a shear wave; the ultrasonic probe is controlled to emit a second ultrasonic wave in the region of interest for the purpose of detecting the shear wave. Therefore, the second ultrasonic echo data can be obtained according to the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and the second ultrasonic echo data can be used to generate a shear wave elastic image. In this embodiment of the present application, a strain elastic image can be generated according to the second ultrasonic echo data. That is to say, in this embodiment of the present application, the echo data used for strain elastic calculation is the echo data of the ultrasonic wave used to detect the shear wave. Based on this, this embodiment of the present application can simultaneously realize shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging, thereby realizing the combination of the advantages of the two. Here, it should be noted that "simultaneously" realizing shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging does not necessarily mean that the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image are generated at the same time, but it can also mean that in the process of the elastic imaging method of the present application, both the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image can be generated, so that both can provide a diagnosis basis for the user.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the generation of a strain elasticity image based on the second ultrasonic echo data in step S230 may include: acquiring echo data at at least two different moments from the second ultrasonic echo data; generating a strain elasticity image based on the echo data at at least two different moments. As mentioned above, strain elasticity is to calculate the displacement and strain between two frames (or two moments) of each position of the tissue by comparing the echo data of two frames (or two moments). Therefore, at least two echo data at different moments can be acquired from the second ultrasonic echo data, and at least one frame of strain elasticity image can be generated based on the echo data at at least two different moments. The following is combined with Figure 3 and Figure 4 To schematically describe the generation of strain elasticity images.

[0041] Figure 3 Shows the use of Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an example of elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging. Figure 3 As shown in the figure, during the shear wave detection process, the probe emits a specific focused ultrasonic shear wave push pulse (Shearwave Pushing pluse, referred to as SWP wave) into the tissue, thereby forming an acoustic radiation force, which acts as a shear wave source to generate a transversely propagating shear wave. The probe then emits (Shearwave Detecting pluse, referred to as SWD wave) to the same tissue to detect the acoustic beam transmitted by the shear wave, and receives the echo for signal processing. Figure 3 As shown, the echo data of the SWD wave at two moments before and after can be extracted, and the strain elasticity image 310 can be obtained by comparison.

[0042] Here, in Figure 3 In the example shown, the echo data of the SWD wave at the time t1 and the time tn are extracted (ie, the SWD t1 Echo data and SWD tn The echo data of the SWD wave from time t1 to time tn can be used to generate a shear wave elasticity image 320. That is, the echo data of the two moments used to generate a strain elasticity image can be the echo data of the two moments used to generate the same shear wave elasticity image (for example, Figure 3 Further, the echo data at two moments used to generate a frame of strain elasticity image can be the echo data at the first moment and the echo data at the last moment (for example, Figure 3 In other examples, the echo data at two moments used to generate a frame of strain elasticity image may also be the echo data at two moments used to generate different frames of shear wave elasticity images, for example Figure 3 The echo data of the SWD wave at one time is extracted from the left and right sides of a dotted line, where Figure 3 The dotted line in the figure indicates the dividing line for generating each frame of shear wave elastic image.

[0043] In addition, Figure 3 In the example shown, a cycle of generating a shear wave elastic image and a strain elastic image and then generating another shear wave elastic image and a strain elastic image is shown, but it should be understood that this is only exemplary. In other examples, such a cycle may not be used. Figure 4 to describe.

[0044] Figure 4 Shows the use of Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an example of the elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastography and strain elastography is shown. Figure 4 The example shown is similar to Figure 3 The example shown is similar except that Figure 4 In the example shown, the SWP wave is emitted once, and the first group of SWD waves emitted (such as Figure 4 A set of SWDs is shown immediately following the SWP wave. t1 Wave to SWD tn The echo data of the SWD wave is used to calculate a frame of shear wave elasticity image, and the echo data of the SWD wave emitted subsequently is no longer used for shear wave elasticity calculation, but for strain elasticity calculation. Figure 3 Similar to the example shown, Figure 4In the example shown, the echo data at two moments used to generate a frame of strain elasticity image can be the echo data at two moments used to generate the same frame of shear wave elasticity image, or can be the echo data at two moments used to generate different frames of shear wave elasticity image (although in Figure 4 In the example shown, the echo data of the SWD waves after the first set of SWD waves are no longer used to generate the shear wave elastic image), for example Figure 4 The echo data of the SWD wave at one moment is extracted from the first group of SWD waves, and the echo data of the SWD wave at one moment is extracted from the second group of SWD waves for use in strain elasticity calculation.

[0045] In a further embodiment of the present application, in order to enhance the influence of small displacement and improve the accuracy of strain elasticity calculation, echo data at two moments with a longer time interval can be selected as much as possible (for example, at Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the example shown, the echo data of the first moment and the last moment of the same group of SWD waves are selected, or the echo data of two moments of different groups of SWD waves are selected to perform strain calculation. For example, a threshold is preset so that the time interval between the extracted echo data of two moments is greater than the threshold.

[0046] In the embodiment of the present application, the speckle tracking method can be used to perform strain elasticity calculation based on echo data at least at two moments. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C to describe. Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C A schematic diagram showing a method for spot pattern tracking in an elastic imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown, wherein Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of echo data of the reference frame. Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the echo data of the current frame. Figure 5C is a schematic diagram of a single-segment linear regression. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C In the schematic diagram shown, echo data at two moments are used as an example, wherein the previous moment is defined as the reference frame and the next moment is defined as the current frame. In general, the displacement of the current frame relative to the reference frame can be obtained by speckle tracking, and the strain of the tissue can be calculated by the obtained displacement information.

[0047] Specifically, several positions can be selected in the ROI of the reference frame, and the displacements of these selected special positions in the current frame can be measured in sequence. Figure 5A and Figure 5BAs shown in the figure, each circle represents a data point. The black solid dot represents the selected position whose displacement needs to be calculated, and the small box containing 9 data points represents the corresponding data block. The displacement search is based on the correlation method. For a specific position, such as the black solid dot in the center of the small box mentioned above, in the search area of ​​the current frame data ( Figure 5B The large box containing 30 data points) searches for Figure 5A The data in the small box shown in the figure best matches the most relevant data block ( Figure 5B The small box included in the aforementioned large box) is used to obtain the displacement of the position (such as Figure 5B As shown by the arrow in the figure). The correlation can be measured by the sum of the absolute values ​​of the differences between the data blocks in the two frames, the square of the differences, or the normalized correlation coefficient. After the displacement of all special points is obtained, the special points can be divided into multiple lines of data. The positions of the special points on each line in the y-axis direction (transverse direction of the sound beam) remain unchanged, but in the x-axis direction (axial direction of the sound beam). Figure 5A As shown, all special points can be divided into 4 data lines composed of special points, and there are 5 data points on each line. Figure 5A Just for illustration, in actual application, there may be more than 4 data lines composed of special points, and there may be more than 5 special points on each line. For example, there are 100 data lines composed of special points, and each data line has 100 data points. Then, the longitudinal displacement of all or part of the special points of each data line can be linearly regressed in segments, and the slope of each linear regression represents the strain size of each segment. For example, if all special points on each line are used, and the length of the linear regression is selected as 10 special points, and the linear regression is calculated one point at a time, the segments of the linear regression are: 1-10 points, 2-11 points, 3-12 points, ..., 90-99 points, 91-100 points, and finally 91 slopes (strain values) are obtained by linear regression 91 times, and 91 data points are obtained on each strain line; if the first 90 data points on each line are selected, and the length of the linear regression is 20 special points, and the linear regression is calculated 5 points at a time, the segments of the linear regression are calculated as: 1-20 points, 6-25 points, 11-30 points, ..., 66-85 points, 71-90 points, and finally 15 slopes (strain values) are obtained by linear regression 15 times, and 15 data points are obtained on each strain line. In this way, the strain data line corresponding to each data line can be obtained, and multiple strain lines can be combined to obtain the data of the strain image. Among them, the single-segment linear regression method can be as follows Figure 5C shown.

[0048] In other embodiments of the present application, other methods may also be used to perform strain elasticity calculation based on echo data at least at two moments.

[0049] In a further embodiment of the present application, the method 200 may further include the following steps (not shown): Figure 2 (shown in): controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receiving the echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquiring third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; generating an ultrasonic image of the tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasonic echo data; and displaying the ultrasonic image. Here, controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the third ultrasonic wave to the region of interest is for the purpose of generating an ultrasonic image of the tissue. In this embodiment, in addition to generating a shear wave elastic image and a strain elastic image, an ultrasonic image of the target tissue (e.g., a B image) can also be generated to further provide a basis for the user's diagnosis. Of course, in some embodiments, it can also include, after receiving the echo of the second ultrasonic wave for the last time, controlling the ultrasonic probe to at least press the region of interest to obtain echo data at least at two different times from the third ultrasonic echo data, and generating a strain elastic image based on the echo data at least at two different times. That is, after generating one or several frames of shear wave elastic images, shear wave elastic imaging is no longer performed and strain elastic images are no longer calculated through shear wave echo data. Instead, strain elastic images are obtained through B echo data, wherein the purpose of pressing the area of ​​interest is to increase the deformation of the tissue to improve the accuracy of the strain elasticity calculation.

[0050] Of course, in some embodiments of the present application, after obtaining the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image, it also includes: determining the first measurement frame in the shear wave elastic image and the second measurement frame in the strain elastic image; obtaining the shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and the strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; and displaying at least one of the shear wave elastic parameters and the strain elastic parameters. That is, after determining the measurement frames in the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image, further calculating the elastic parameters in the corresponding measurement frames, wherein the shear wave elastic parameters may be Young's modulus, etc., and the strain elastic parameters may be strain, etc. Of course, the first measurement frame and the second measurement frame may be determined according to the system's automatic identification of tissue features, or the system may be determined according to the user's instruction operation. Of course, the third measurement frame may also be determined in the ultrasound image, and the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame may be automatically matched based on the third measurement frame, wherein the sizes of the first measurement frame, the second measurement frame and the third measurement frame may be the same or different. In addition, the first measurement frame, the second measurement frame and the third measurement frame may also be displayed, and they may also be displayed by different color labels.

[0051] It should be noted that, on the display interface finally presented, shear wave elastic images and / or shear wave elastic parameters, as well as strain elastic images and / or strain elastic parameters may be displayed, and the specific display method is not specifically limited.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present application, the shear wave elasticity image, strain elasticity image and ultrasound image generated above can be displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image can be displayed superimposed through one display window. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B The display scheme in the elastic imaging method according to the embodiment of the present application is described.

[0053] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Two examples of display schemes in the elastic imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application are shown. Fig. 6A In the example shown, a four-window display is used, wherein the display window in the upper left corner displays the ultrasound B image, the display window in the upper right corner displays the superimposed image of the ultrasound B image and the shear wave elastic image, the display window in the lower left corner displays the superimposed image of the ultrasound B image and the strain elastic image, and the display window in the lower right corner displays the superimposed image of the first three. Figure 6B In the example shown, a dual-window display is used, wherein the display window on the left displays the ultrasound B image, and the display window on the right displays the superimposed image of the ultrasound B image, the shear wave elastic image, and the strain elastic image. In general, independently displaying the above images can more clearly show their respective contents, and superimposing two or three of the above images helps users to conduct comparative analysis. In actual applications, the above images can be displayed independently or superimposed according to needs, and the user can also choose how to display the above images.

[0054] Based on the above description, according to the elastic imaging method of the embodiment of the present application, during the shear wave elastic imaging process, strain elastic data is calculated based on the shear wave detection data, thereby being able to combine shear wave elastic imaging with strain elastic imaging, and display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image in real time, so that the user can achieve both qualitative judgment and quantitative measurement of the area of ​​interest of the target object.

[0055] Combine the following Figures 7 to 9 A method for elastic imaging according to another embodiment of the present application is described. Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a schematic flow chart of an elastic imaging method 700 according to another embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 As shown, the elastic imaging method 700 may include the following steps:

[0056] In step S710 , the ultrasound probe is controlled to transmit a first ultrasound wave to a target object to generate a shear wave that propagates in a region of interest of the target object.

[0057] In step S720, the ultrasound probe is controlled to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, an echo of the second ultrasound wave is received, and second ultrasound echo data is acquired based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave.

[0058] In step S730 , a shear wave elasticity image is generated based on the second ultrasound echo data.

[0059] In step S740, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, an echo of the third ultrasonic wave is received, and third ultrasonic echo data is acquired based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave.

[0060] In step S750 , a strain elasticity image is generated based on the third ultrasound echo data.

[0061] In step S760, the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image are displayed.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present application, the purpose of controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the first ultrasonic wave to the target object is to generate shear waves; the purpose of controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the second ultrasonic wave in the region of interest is to detect shear waves; the purpose of controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the third ultrasonic wave in the region of interest is to calculate strain elasticity. Therefore, the second ultrasonic echo data can be obtained according to the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and the second ultrasonic echo data can be used to generate a shear wave elastic image; the third ultrasonic echo data can be obtained according to the echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and the third ultrasonic echo data can be used to generate a tissue ultrasonic image (such as an ultrasonic B image). In this embodiment of the present application, a strain elastic image can be generated according to the third ultrasonic echo data. That is to say, in this embodiment of the present application, the echo data used for strain elasticity calculation is tissue detection data (such as B echo data). Based on this, this embodiment of the present application can simultaneously realize shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging, thereby realizing a combination of the advantages of the two. Here, it should be noted that "simultaneous" implementation of shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging does not necessarily mean that the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image are generated at the same time. It can also mean that in the process of the elastic imaging method of the present application, both shear wave elastic images and strain elastic images can be generated, so that both can provide diagnostic basis for users.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, the generation of a strain elasticity image based on the third ultrasonic echo data in step S750 may include: acquiring echo data at least two different times from the third ultrasonic echo data; generating a strain elasticity image based on the echo data at least two different times. As mentioned above, strain elasticity is to calculate the displacement and strain between two frames (or two moments) of each position of the tissue by comparing the echo data of two frames (or two moments). Therefore, at least two echo data at different times can be acquired from the third ultrasonic echo data, and at least one frame of strain elasticity image can be generated based on the echo data at at least two different times. The following is combined with Figure 8 and Fig. 9 To schematically describe the generation of strain elasticity images.

[0064] Figure 8 Shows the use of Figure 7 Schematic diagram of an example of elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging. Figure 8 As shown, during the shear wave detection process, the tissue condition can also be detected at the same time, by extracting the B echo data of the two frames (or two moments) before and after, and by comparison, obtaining the strain elastic image 810. The shear wave elastic image 820 is generated based on the echo data of the SW wave of the detected shear wave.

[0065] exist Figure 8 In the example shown, a frame of ultrasound B image, a frame of shear wave elastic image, and then a frame of ultrasound B image and a frame of shear wave elastic image are generated. Two frames of ultrasound B image can be used to generate a frame of strain elastic image, and so on. However, it should be understood that this is only exemplary. In other examples, such a cycle process may not be used. Fig. 9 to describe.

[0066] Fig. 9 Shows the use of Figure 7 Schematic diagram of an example of the elastic imaging method for performing shear wave elastography and strain elastography is shown. Fig. 9 The example shown is similar to Figure 8 The example shown is similar except that Fig. 9 In the example shown, a SW wave for detecting shear waves is emitted once to calculate one frame of shear wave elasticity image, and then no shear wave elasticity image is generated, but B ultrasonic waves are continuously emitted to obtain B echo data for strain elasticity calculation.

[0067] In a further embodiment of the present application, in order to enhance the influence of small displacement and improve the accuracy of strain elasticity calculation, echo data at two moments with a longer time interval can be selected as much as possible (for example, at Figure 8 and Fig. 9In the example shown, two frames of B echo data with a longer time interval are selected). Exemplarily, a threshold value can be preset so that the time interval between the extracted echo data at two moments is greater than the threshold value. In addition, in order to enhance the influence of small displacements, after the shear wave imaging is completed, the ultrasound probe can also be controlled to press the region of interest (target tissue) of the target object to improve the accuracy of strain elasticity calculation. For example, after the echo of the second ultrasonic wave is received for the last time, the ultrasound probe is controlled to at least press the region of interest to obtain echo data at least at two different moments from the third ultrasonic echo data, and a strain elasticity image is generated based on the echo data at least at two different moments. That is, after generating one or several frames of shear wave elasticity images, shear wave elasticity imaging is no longer performed and strain elasticity images are no longer calculated through shear wave echo data, but strain elasticity images are obtained through B echo data.

[0068] Of course, in some embodiments of the present application, after obtaining the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image, it also includes: determining the first measurement frame in the shear wave elastic image and the second measurement frame in the strain elastic image; obtaining the shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and the strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; and displaying at least one of the shear wave elastic parameters and the strain elastic parameters. That is, after determining the measurement frames in the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image, further calculating the elastic parameters in the corresponding measurement frames, wherein the shear wave elastic parameters may be Young's modulus, etc., and the strain elastic parameters may be strain, etc. Of course, the first measurement frame and the second measurement frame may be determined according to the system's automatic identification of tissue features, or the system may be determined according to the user's instruction operation. Of course, the third measurement frame may also be determined in the ultrasound image, and the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame may be automatically matched based on the third measurement frame, wherein the sizes of the first measurement frame, the second measurement frame and the third measurement frame may be the same or different. In addition, the first measurement frame, the second measurement frame and the third measurement frame may also be displayed, and they may also be displayed by different color labels.

[0069] It should be noted that, on the display interface finally presented, shear wave elastic images and / or shear wave elastic parameters, as well as strain elastic images and / or strain elastic parameters may be displayed, and the specific display method is not specifically limited.

[0070] In the embodiment of the present application, the speckle tracking method can be used to perform strain elasticity calculation based on echo data at least at two moments, which can be referred to in conjunction with the above FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C In other embodiments of the present application, other methods may be used to perform strain elasticity calculation based on echo data at at least two moments.

[0071] In a further embodiment of the present application, the method 700 may further include the following steps (not shown): Figure 7 ): generating an ultrasound image of tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data; and displaying the ultrasound image. In this embodiment, in addition to generating a shear wave elastic image and a strain elastic image, an ultrasound image (e.g., a B image) of the target tissue can also be generated and displayed to further provide a basis for the user's diagnosis.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present application, the shear wave elastic image, strain elastic image and ultrasound image generated above can be displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elastic image, the strain elastic image and the ultrasound image can be displayed superimposed through one display window, which can be referred to in conjunction with the above text. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B The display scheme in the elastic imaging method according to the embodiment of the present application can be understood through the description, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here. In general, the independent display of the aforementioned generated shear wave elastic image, strain elastic image and ultrasonic image can show their respective contents more clearly, and the superimposed display of two or three of them is helpful for users to conduct comparative analysis. In practical applications, the aforementioned generated shear wave elastic image, strain elastic image and ultrasonic image can be displayed independently or superimposed according to needs, and the user can also choose how to display them. In addition, at least one of the shear wave elastic image, strain elastic image and ultrasonic image can be displayed in real time.

[0073] Based on the above description, according to the elastic imaging method of the embodiment of the present application, during the shear wave elastic imaging process, strain elastic data is calculated based on tissue detection data, so that shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging can be combined, and shear wave elastic images and strain elastic images can be displayed in real time, so that the user can achieve both qualitative judgment and quantitative measurement of the area of ​​interest of the target object.

[0074] Combine the following Fig.10 A method for elastic imaging according to yet another embodiment of the present application is described. Fig.10 FIG. 1 is a schematic flow chart of an elastic imaging method 1000 according to another embodiment of the present application. Fig.10 As shown, the elastic imaging method 1000 may include the following steps:

[0075] In step S1010 , the ultrasound probe is controlled to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target object to generate a shear wave that propagates in a region of interest of the target object.

[0076] In step S1020, the ultrasound probe is controlled to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, an echo of the second ultrasound wave is received, and second ultrasound echo data is acquired based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave.

[0077] In step S1030 , a shear wave elasticity image is generated based on the second ultrasound echo data.

[0078] In step S1040, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, an echo of the third ultrasonic wave is received, and third ultrasonic echo data is acquired based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave.

[0079] In step S1050 , a strain elasticity image is generated based on the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data.

[0080] In step S1060, the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image are displayed.

[0081] In an embodiment of the present application, the purpose of controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the first ultrasonic wave to the target object is to generate shear waves; the purpose of controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the second ultrasonic wave in the region of interest is to detect shear waves; the purpose of controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the third ultrasonic wave in the region of interest is to calculate strain elasticity. Therefore, the second ultrasonic echo data can be obtained according to the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and the second ultrasonic echo data can be used to generate a shear wave elastic image; the third ultrasonic echo data can be obtained according to the echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and the third ultrasonic echo data can be used to generate a tissue ultrasonic image (such as an ultrasonic B image). In this embodiment of the present application, a strain elastic image can be generated according to the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data. That is, in this embodiment of the present application, the echo data used for strain elasticity calculation is tissue detection data (such as B echo data) and echo data of the ultrasonic wave used to detect shear waves. Based on this, this embodiment of the present application can simultaneously realize shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging, thereby realizing a combination of the advantages of the two. Here, it should be noted that "simultaneous" implementation of shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging does not necessarily mean that the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image are generated at the same time. It can also mean that in the process of the elastic imaging method of the present application, both shear wave elastic images and strain elastic images can be generated, so that both can provide diagnostic basis for users.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present application, the step S1050 of generating a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data may include: acquiring at least the echo data of the first moment from the second ultrasonic echo data; acquiring at least the echo data of the second moment from the third ultrasonic echo data; generating a strain elastic image based on the echo data of at least two different moments acquired from the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data. As mentioned above, strain elasticity is to calculate the displacement and strain between two frames (or two moments) of each position of the tissue by comparing the echo data of two frames (or two moments). Therefore, at least one moment of echo data can be acquired from each of the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data, and at least one frame of strain elastic image can be generated based on the echo data of at least two different moments.

[0083] In a further embodiment of the present application, in order to strengthen the influence of micro-displacements and improve the accuracy of strain elasticity calculation, echo data at two moments with a longer time interval can be selected as much as possible (for example, B echo data with a longer time interval and echo data of ultrasound waves for detecting shear waves). Exemplarily, a threshold value can be preset so that the time interval between the extracted echo data at two moments is greater than the threshold value. In addition, in order to strengthen the influence of micro-displacements, after the echo of the second ultrasound wave is received for the last time, the ultrasound probe is controlled to at least press the region of interest (target tissue) to obtain echo data at least at two moments from the third ultrasound echo data, and the strain elasticity image is calculated based on the echo data at least at two moments, so as to improve the accuracy of strain elasticity calculation.

[0084] Of course, in some embodiments of the present application, after obtaining the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image, it also includes: determining the first measurement frame in the shear wave elastic image and the second measurement frame in the strain elastic image; obtaining the shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and the strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; and displaying at least one of the shear wave elastic parameters and the strain elastic parameters. That is, after determining the measurement frames in the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image, further calculating the elastic parameters in the corresponding measurement frames, wherein the shear wave elastic parameters may be Young's modulus, etc., and the strain elastic parameters may be strain, etc. Of course, the first measurement frame and the second measurement frame may be determined according to the system's automatic identification of tissue features, or the system may be determined according to the user's instruction operation. Of course, the third measurement frame may also be determined in the ultrasound image, and the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame may be automatically matched based on the third measurement frame, wherein the sizes of the first measurement frame, the second measurement frame and the third measurement frame may be the same or different. In addition, the first measurement frame, the second measurement frame and the third measurement frame may also be displayed, and they may also be displayed by different color labels.

[0085] It should be noted that, on the display interface finally presented, shear wave elastic images and / or shear wave elastic parameters, as well as strain elastic images and / or strain elastic parameters may be displayed, and the specific display method is not specifically limited.

[0086] In an embodiment of the present application, generating a strain elastic image based on echo data at at least two different moments respectively obtained from the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data may include: performing speckle tracking based on echo data at at least two different moments respectively obtained from the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data to generate the strain elastic image. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C In other embodiments of the present application, other methods may be used to perform strain elasticity calculation based on echo data at at least two moments.

[0087] In a further embodiment of the present application, the method 1000 may further include the following steps (not shown): Fig.10 ): generating an ultrasound image of tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data; and displaying the ultrasound image. In this embodiment, in addition to generating a shear wave elastic image and a strain elastic image, an ultrasound image (e.g., a B image) of the target tissue can also be generated and displayed to further provide a basis for the user's diagnosis.

[0088] In an embodiment of the present application, the shear wave elasticity image, strain elasticity image and ultrasound image generated above can be displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image can be displayed superimposed through at least one display window, which can be referred to in conjunction with the above text. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B The display scheme in the elastic imaging method according to the embodiment of the present application can be understood through the description, and for the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here. In general, the independent display of the aforementioned generated shear wave elastic image, strain elastic image and ultrasonic image can show their respective contents more clearly, and the superimposed display of two or three of them is helpful for users to conduct comparative analysis. In practical applications, the aforementioned generated shear wave elastic image, strain elastic image and ultrasonic image can be displayed independently or superimposed according to needs, and the user can also choose how to display them.

[0089] Based on the above description, according to the elastic imaging method of the embodiment of the present application, during the shear wave elastic imaging process, strain elastic data is calculated based on tissue detection data and shear wave detection data, so that shear wave elastic imaging and strain elastic imaging can be combined, and shear wave elastic images and strain elastic images can be displayed in real time, so that the user can achieve both qualitative judgment and quantitative measurement of the area of ​​interest of the target object.

[0090] The above exemplary illustrates the elastic imaging method according to the embodiment of the present application. Fig.11 and Fig.12 An elasticity imaging system according to an embodiment of the present application is described, which can be used to implement the elasticity imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application described above.

[0091] Fig.11 FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an elastic imaging system 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application. Fig.11 As shown, the elastic imaging system 1100 may include a transmit / receive sequence controller 1110, an ultrasound probe 1120, a processor 1130, and a display device 1140. The elastic imaging system 1100 according to an embodiment of the present application may be used to implement the elastic imaging methods 200, 700, and 1000 described above according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] Specifically, when the elastic imaging system 1100 is used to implement the elastic imaging method 200 described above according to the embodiment of the present application, the transmit / receive sequence controller 1100 is used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave propagating in the region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller 1100 is also used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquire second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor 1130 is used to generate a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data, and generate a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the display device 1140 is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0093] In one embodiment of the present application, the processor 1130 generates a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data, which may include: acquiring echo data at at least two different moments from the second ultrasonic echo data; and generating a strain elastic image based on the echo data at at least two different moments.

[0094] In one embodiment of the present application, the echo data at two moments used to generate a frame of strain elasticity image is the echo data at two moments used to generate the same frame of shear wave elasticity image.

[0095] In one embodiment of the present application, the echo data at two moments used to generate a frame of strain elasticity image are the echo data at the first moment and the echo data at the last moment used to generate the same frame of shear wave elasticity image.

[0096] In one embodiment of the present application, the echo data at two moments used to generate one frame of strain elasticity image is the echo data at two moments used to generate different frames of shear wave elasticity image.

[0097] In one embodiment of the present application, the processor 1130 generates the strain elasticity image based on the echo data at least two different moments, which may include: performing speckle tracking based on the echo data at least two different moments to generate the strain elasticity image.

[0098] In one embodiment of the present application, the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 can also be used to: control the ultrasound probe 1120 to transmit a third ultrasound wave at least to the region of interest, receive the echo of the third ultrasound wave, and acquire third ultrasound echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasound wave; the processor 1130 can also be used to generate an ultrasound image reflecting the tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data; the display device 1140 can also be used to display the ultrasound image.

[0099] In one embodiment of the present application, the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image can be independently displayed through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image can be displayed superimposed through one display window.

[0100] In one embodiment of the present application, the processor 1130 can also be used to: after receiving the echo of the second ultrasonic wave for the last time, control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to at least press the region of interest to obtain echo data at least two different times from the third ultrasonic echo data, and generate a strain elastic image based on the echo data at at least two different times.

[0101] In one embodiment of the present application, the time interval between the echo data at at least two different moments is greater than a preset threshold.

[0102] In one embodiment of the present application, the processor 1130 is also used to determine a first measurement frame in the shear wave elastic image and a second measurement frame in the strain elastic image; obtain shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; and the display device is also used for at least one of the shear wave elastic parameters and the strain elastic parameters.

[0103] In one embodiment of the present application, the first measurement box and the second measurement box are determined according to automatic recognition by the system, or the first measurement box and the second measurement box are determined according to an instruction operation of the user.

[0104] In one embodiment of the present application, the processor is further configured to determine a third measurement frame in the ultrasound image, and automatically match the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame based on the third measurement frame.

[0105] When the elastic imaging system 1100 is used to implement the elastic imaging method 700 described above according to the embodiment of the present application, the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave propagating in the region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is also used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and obtain second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor 1130 is used to generate a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is also used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit at least a third ultrasonic wave to the region of interest, receive the echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and obtain third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; the processor 1130 is also used to generate a strain elastic image based on the third ultrasonic echo data; the display device 1140 is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0106] When the elastic imaging system 1100 is used to implement the elastic imaging method 1000 according to the embodiment of the present application described above, the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave propagating in the region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is also used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and obtain second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor 1130 is used to generate a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is also used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to at least transmit a third ultrasonic wave to the region of interest, receive the echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and obtain third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; the processor 1130 is also used to generate a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data; the display device 1140 is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0107] In one embodiment of the present application, the processor 1130 generates a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data, which may include: acquiring echo data of at least a first moment from the second ultrasonic echo data; acquiring echo data of at least a second moment from the third ultrasonic echo data; and generating a strain elastic image based on echo data of at least two different moments respectively acquired from the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data.

[0108] It should be noted that when the elastic imaging system 1100 is used to implement the elastic imaging method 200, method 700 and method 1000 of the embodiments of the present application described above, the specific execution steps can refer to the description of the corresponding embodiments of the above methods 200, method 700 and method 1000, which will not be repeated here.

[0109] In general, the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave propagating in the region of interest of the target object; the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is also used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquire second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; the processor 1130 generates a shear wave elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data; the transmit / receive sequence controller 1110 is also used to control the ultrasonic probe 1120 to transmit at least a third ultrasonic wave to the region of interest, receive the echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquire third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; the processor 1130 is also used to generate a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and / or the third ultrasonic echo data; the display device 1140 is used to display the shear wave elastic image and the strain elastic image.

[0110] Combine the following Fig.12 A schematic block diagram of an elastic imaging system according to another embodiment of the present application is described. Fig.12 A schematic block diagram of an elastic imaging system 1200 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The elastic imaging system 1200 includes a memory 1210 and a processor 1220 .

[0111] The memory 1210 stores a program for implementing the corresponding steps in the elastic imaging methods 200, 700, and 1000 according to the embodiments of the present application. The processor 1220 is used to run the program stored in the memory 1210 to perform the corresponding steps of the elastic imaging methods 200, 700, and 1000 according to the embodiments of the present application.

[0112] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present application, a storage medium is also provided, on which program instructions are stored, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer or a processor, the corresponding steps of the elastic imaging method 200, 700 and 1000 of the embodiment of the present application are executed. The storage medium may include, for example, a memory card of a smart phone, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. The computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0113] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present application, a computer program is also provided, which can be stored in a cloud or local storage medium. When the computer program is run by a computer or a processor, it is used to execute the corresponding steps of the elastic imaging method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0114] Based on the above description, according to the elastic imaging method, system and storage medium of the embodiments of the present application, during the shear wave elastic imaging process, strain elastic data is calculated based on shear wave detection data and / or tissue detection data, thereby being able to combine shear wave elastic imaging with strain elastic imaging, and display shear wave elastic images and strain elastic images in real time, so that the user can achieve both qualitative judgment and quantitative measurement of the area of ​​interest of the target object.

[0115] Although example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above example embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application to this. A person of ordinary skill in the art may make various changes and modifications therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application. All these changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present application as required by the appended claims.

[0116] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0117] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the system embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0118] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that the embodiments of the present application can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0119] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present application and help understand one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present application, the various features of the present application are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, the method of the present application should not be interpreted as reflecting the following intention: the claimed application requires more features than the features clearly stated in each claim. More specifically, as reflected in the corresponding claims, the inventive point is that the corresponding technical problem can be solved with features less than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the specific embodiment are hereby explicitly incorporated into the specific embodiment, wherein each claim itself serves as a separate embodiment of the present application.

[0120] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, except for mutually exclusive features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or system disclosed in this specification may be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that provides the same, equivalent or similar purpose.

[0121] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments described herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present application and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0122] The various component embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) can be used in practice to implement some or all functions of some modules according to the embodiments of the present application. The application can also be implemented as a system program (e.g., computer program and computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program implementing the present application can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can have the form of one or more signals. Such a signal can be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0123] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate rather than limit the present application, and that those skilled in the art may devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference symbol between brackets should not be constructed as a limitation to the claims. The present application may be implemented with the aid of hardware including several different elements and with the aid of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim that lists several systems, several of these systems may be embodied by the same hardware item. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc. does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0124] The above is only a specific implementation or description of a specific implementation of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. The protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An elastic imaging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave that propagates in a region of interest of the target object; Controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receiving an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquiring second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; generating a shear wave elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data, and generating a strain elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data; displaying the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image; Wherein, generating a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data includes: Acquire echo data at least two times at different times from the second ultrasonic echo data; A strain elasticity image is generated based on the echo data at the at least two different moments.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The echo data at two times used to generate one frame of strain elasticity image is the echo data at two times used to generate the same frame of shear wave elasticity image.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The echo data at two moments for generating one frame of strain elasticity image are the echo data at the first moment and the echo data at the last moment for generating the same frame of shear wave elasticity image.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The echo data at two moments used to generate one frame of strain elasticity image are echo data at two moments used to generate different frames of shear wave elasticity images.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receiving an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquiring third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; generating an ultrasound image reflecting tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data; The ultrasound image is displayed.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed in a superimposed manner through one display window.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The method further comprises: Acquire echo data at least two times at different moments from the third ultrasonic echo data; A strain elasticity image is generated based on the echo data at the at least two different moments.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The method further comprises: After receiving the echo of the second ultrasonic wave for the last time, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to at least press the region of interest to obtain echo data at least at two different moments from the third ultrasonic echo data.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that: The generating of the strain elasticity image based on the echo data at least two different moments comprises: Speckle tracking is performed based on the echo data at least two different time moments to generate the strain elasticity image.

10. The method according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that: The time interval between the echo data at at least two different moments is greater than a preset threshold.

11. The method according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: determining a first measurement frame in the shear wave elasticity image and a second measurement frame in the strain elasticity image; Acquiring shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; At least one of the shear wave elastic parameter and the strain elastic parameter is displayed.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to automatic recognition by the system, or the first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to an instruction operation of a user.

13. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: An ultrasonic image of tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object is acquired, a third measurement frame in the ultrasonic image is determined, and the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame are automatically matched based on the third measurement frame.

14. An elastic imaging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave that propagates in a region of interest of the target object; Controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receiving an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquiring second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; generating a shear wave elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data; Controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receiving an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquiring third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; generating a multi-frame ultrasound image reflecting tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data, wherein the ultrasound image is an ultrasound B image; generating a strain elasticity image based on the multiple frames of ultrasound images, wherein two frames of ultrasound images are used to generate one frame of the strain elasticity image; displaying the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image; The two frames of ultrasound images are used to generate one frame of strain elasticity image, including: Speckle tracking is performed based on the two frames of ultrasound images to generate one frame of the strain elasticity image.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further includes displaying an ultrasound image reflecting tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed in a superimposed manner through one display window.

17. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: After receiving the echo of the second ultrasonic wave for the last time, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to at least press the region of interest, so as to generate a strain elasticity image based on the multiple frames of ultrasonic images.

18. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The time interval between the two frames of ultrasound images is greater than a preset threshold.

19. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: determining a first measurement frame in the shear wave elasticity image and a second measurement frame in the strain elasticity image; Acquiring shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; At least one of the shear wave elastic parameter and the strain elastic parameter is displayed.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to automatic recognition by the system, or the first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to an instruction operation of a user.

21. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third measurement frame in the ultrasound image is determined, and the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame are automatically matched based on the third measurement frame.

22. An elastic imaging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave that propagates in a region of interest of the target object; Controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receiving an echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquiring second ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave; generating a shear wave elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data; Controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receiving an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquiring third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; generating an ultrasound image reflecting tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data; generating a strain elasticity image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data; The shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image are displayed.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The generating of the strain elasticity image based on the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data comprises: Acquire echo data at least at a first moment from the second ultrasonic echo data; Acquire echo data at least at a second moment from the third ultrasonic echo data; A strain elasticity image is generated based on echo data at at least two different times acquired from the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data, respectively.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that The generating of the strain elasticity image based on the echo data at at least two different moments respectively acquired from the second ultrasonic echo data and the third ultrasonic echo data comprises: Speckle tracking is performed based on echo data at at least two different time points respectively acquired from the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data to generate the strain elasticity image.

25. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that The method further includes displaying the ultrasound image.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed in a superimposed manner through one display window.

27. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that The method further comprises: After receiving the echo of the second ultrasonic wave for the last time, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to at least press the region of interest to obtain echo data at least two different times from the third ultrasonic echo data, and a strain elastic image is generated based on the echo data at at least two times.

28. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that The time interval between the echo data at the first moment and the echo data at the second moment is greater than a preset threshold.

29. The method according to claim 22 or 25, characterized in that The method further comprises: determining a first measurement frame in the shear wave elasticity image and a second measurement frame in the strain elasticity image; Acquiring shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; At least one of the shear wave elastic parameter and the strain elastic parameter is displayed.

30. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that The first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to automatic recognition by the system, or the first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to an instruction operation of a user.

31. The method according to claim 29, characterized in that The method further comprises: A third measurement frame in the ultrasound image is determined, and the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame are automatically matched based on the third measurement frame.

32. An elastic imaging system, characterized in that: The system comprises an ultrasound probe, a transmit / receive sequence controller, a processor and a display device, wherein: The transmit / receive sequence controller is used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; The transmit / receive sequence controller is further used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive an echo of the second ultrasound wave, and acquire second ultrasound echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave; The processor is used to generate a shear wave elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data, and to generate a strain elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data; The display device is used to display the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image; The processor generates a strain elastic image based on the second ultrasonic echo data, comprising: Acquire echo data at least two times at different times from the second ultrasonic echo data; A strain elasticity image is generated based on the echo data at the at least two different moments.

33. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that The echo data at two times used to generate one frame of strain elasticity image is the echo data at two times used to generate the same frame of shear wave elasticity image.

34. The system according to claim 33, characterized in that The echo data at two moments for generating one frame of strain elasticity image are the echo data at the first moment and the echo data at the last moment for generating the same frame of shear wave elasticity image.

35. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that The echo data at two moments used to generate one frame of strain elasticity image are echo data at two moments used to generate different frames of shear wave elasticity images.

36. The system according to claim 32, characterized in that The transmit / receive sequence controller is further used to: control the ultrasound probe to transmit a third ultrasound wave at least to the region of interest, receive an echo of the third ultrasound wave, and acquire third ultrasound echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasound wave; The processor is further configured to generate an ultrasound image reflecting tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data; The display device is also used to display the ultrasound image.

37. The system according to claim 36, characterized in that The shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed in a superimposed manner through one display window.

38. The system according to claim 36, characterized in that The processor is further configured to acquire echo data at least two different moments from the third ultrasonic echo data; A strain elasticity image is generated based on the echo data at the at least two different moments.

39. The system according to claim 38, characterized in that The processor is further configured to control the ultrasound probe to at least press the region of interest after receiving the echo of the second ultrasound wave for the last time, so as to obtain echo data at least at two different moments from the third ultrasound echo data.

40. The system according to claim 32 or 38, characterized in that The processor generates a strain elasticity image based on the echo data at least two different moments, including: Speckle tracking is performed based on the echo data at least two different time moments to generate the strain elasticity image.

41. The system according to claim 32 or 38, characterized in that The time interval between the echo data at at least two different moments is greater than a preset threshold.

42. The system according to claim 32 or 36, characterized in that The processor is further configured to determine a first measurement frame in the shear wave elastic image and a second measurement frame in the strain elastic image; Acquiring shear wave elastic parameters in the first measurement frame and strain elastic parameters in the second measurement frame; The display device is also used for at least one of the shear wave elastic parameters and the strain elastic parameters.

43. The system according to claim 42, characterized in that The first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to automatic recognition by the system, or the first measurement frame and the second measurement frame are determined according to an instruction operation of a user.

44. The system according to claim 42, characterized in that The processor is further configured to acquire an ultrasonic image of tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object, determine a third measurement frame in the ultrasonic image, and automatically match the first measurement frame and / or the second measurement frame based on the third measurement frame.

45. An elastic imaging system, characterized in that: The system comprises an ultrasound probe, a transmit / receive sequence controller, a processor and a display device, wherein: The transmit / receive sequence controller is used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; The transmit / receive sequence controller is further used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive an echo of the second ultrasound wave, and acquire second ultrasound echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave; The processor is used to generate a shear wave elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data; The transmit / receive sequence controller is further used to control the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receive an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquire third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; The processor is further configured to generate a plurality of frames of ultrasound images reflecting tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data, and generate a strain elasticity image based on the plurality of frames of ultrasound images, wherein two frames of the ultrasound images are used to generate one frame of the strain elasticity image, and the ultrasound image is an ultrasound B image; The display device is used to display the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image; The two frames of ultrasound images are used to generate one frame of strain elasticity image, including: Speckle tracking is performed based on the two frames of ultrasound images to generate one frame of the strain elasticity image.

46. ​​The system according to claim 45, characterized in that The display device is also used to display the ultrasound image.

47. The system according to claim 46, characterized in that The shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed in a superimposed manner through one display window.

48. The system according to any one of claims 45-47, characterized in that The processor is further configured to: After receiving the echo of the second ultrasonic wave for the last time, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to at least press the region of interest, so as to generate a strain elasticity image based on the multiple frames of ultrasonic images.

49. The system according to any one of claims 45 to 47, characterized in that The time interval between the two frames of ultrasound images is greater than a preset threshold.

50. An elastic imaging system, characterized in that: The system comprises an ultrasound probe, a transmit / receive sequence controller, a processor and a display device, wherein: The transmit / receive sequence controller is used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target object to generate a shear wave propagating in a region of interest of the target object; The transmit / receive sequence controller is further used to control the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the region of interest to track the shear wave propagating in the region of interest, receive an echo of the second ultrasound wave, and acquire second ultrasound echo data based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave; The processor is used to generate a shear wave elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data; The transmit / receive sequence controller is further used to control the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave at least to the region of interest, receive an echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and acquire third ultrasonic echo data based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave; The processor is further configured to generate an ultrasound image reflecting tissue of at least the region of interest of the target object based on the third ultrasound echo data; The processor is further configured to generate a strain elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data; The display device is used to display the shear wave elasticity image and the strain elasticity image.

51. The system according to claim 50, characterized in that The processor generates a strain elasticity image based on the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data, including: Acquire echo data at least at a first moment from the second ultrasonic echo data; Acquire echo data at least at a second moment from the third ultrasonic echo data; A strain elasticity image is generated based on echo data at at least two different times acquired from the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data, respectively.

52. The system according to claim 51, characterized in that The processor generates a strain elasticity image based on echo data at at least two different moments respectively acquired from the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data, including: Speckle tracking is performed based on echo data at at least two different time points respectively acquired from the second ultrasound echo data and the third ultrasound echo data to generate the strain elasticity image.

53. The system according to claim 50, characterized in that The display device is also used to display the ultrasound image.

54. The system according to claim 53, characterized in that The shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed independently through different display windows, or at least two of the shear wave elasticity image, the strain elasticity image and the ultrasound image are displayed in a superimposed manner through one display window.

55. The system according to any one of claims 51 to 54, characterized in that The processor is further configured to: After receiving the echo of the second ultrasonic wave for the last time, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to at least press the region of interest to obtain echo data at least two different times from the third ultrasonic echo data, and a strain elastic image is generated based on the echo data at at least two times.

56. The system according to claim 51 or 52, characterized in that The time interval between the echo data at the first moment and the echo data at the second moment is greater than a preset threshold.

57. An elastic imaging system, characterized in that: The system comprises a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program executed by the processor is stored in the memory, and the computer program executes the elastic imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 31 when executed by the processor.

58. A storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program, which executes the elastic imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 31 when running.

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