Focused ultrasound system and method of determining imaging parameters, control method, medium

Abstract

The application provides a method for determining imaging parameters of a focused ultrasound system, comprising: acquiring an ultrasound image; identifying a position of a skin edge in the ultrasound image; determining a distance between the skin and an ultrasound probe according to the position of the skin edge in the ultrasound image; and determining current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe. The application also provides a control method of a focused ultrasound system, an image processing device, a controller, a focused ultrasound system and a computer readable medium.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of medical equipment, in particular to a method for determining imaging parameters of a focused ultrasound system, a control method of a focused ultrasound system, an image processing device, a controller, a focused ultrasound system and a computer readable medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the process of treating tumors by focused ultrasound surgery (FUS), real-time image monitoring is needed. B-ultrasound or color Doppler ultrasound can be used for image monitoring, however, the ultrasound equipment on the market is used for diagnostic purposes, not for monitoring and positioning in the process of tumor treatment.

[0003] When using ultrasound equipment for diagnosis, a coupling agent similar to the acoustic properties of human tissue is used, and the ultrasound probe is in close contact with the skin. After adjusting the imaging parameters, the imaging parameters do not need to be adjusted again.

[0004] However, when treating tumors by FUS, coupling agent cannot be used, but pure water is used as medium, and the distance between the probe and the skin is constantly changing, and the imaging parameters also need to be constantly adjusted. These factors make it difficult for ultrasound equipment used for diagnostic purposes to be used for monitoring in the FUS process. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a method for determining imaging parameters of a focused ultrasound system, a control method of a focused ultrasound system, an image processing device, a controller, a focused ultrasound system and a computer readable medium.

[0006] As a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for determining imaging parameters of a focused ultrasound system is provided, comprising:

[0007] acquiring an ultrasound image;

[0008] identifying the position of the skin edge in the ultrasound image;

[0009] determining the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe according to the position of the skin edge in the ultrasound image;

[0010] determining the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe.

[0011] Optionally, the imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system include the probe power of the ultrasound probe, and in the step of generating the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe, the probe power is calculated according to the following formula:

[0012] P1=k0*S1+kw*Sw;

[0013] S1=S-Sw=1 / 2*θ*(h*h-skin_dis*skin_dis);

[0014] Sw=1 / 2*θ*(skin_dis)*(skin_dis);

[0015] wherein,

[0016] P2 is the probe power;

[0017] S1 is the area of the ultrasound image through which the ultrasound wave penetrates the biological body;

[0018] Sw is the area of the ultrasound image through which the ultrasound wave penetrates the medium;

[0019] θ is the fan angle of the ultrasound image;

[0020] skin_dis is the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin;

[0021] k0 is the average acoustic impedance coefficient of the biological body;

[0022] Kw is the acoustic impedance coefficient of the medium between the probe and the skin.

[0023] Optionally, the imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system include the position of the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe, and in the step of generating the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe, the distance between the imaging focus and the ultrasound probe is calculated according to the following formula:

[0024] F=(h+skin_dis) / 2;

[0025] wherein, h is the detection depth of the ultrasound probe;

[0026] skin_dis is the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin.

[0027] As a second aspect of the present disclosure, a control method of a focused ultrasound system is provided, comprising:

[0028] receiving the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system determined according to the method of one aspect of the present disclosure;

[0029] generating an adjustment signal according to a predetermined strategy and the imaging parameters;

[0030] providing the adjustment signal to the functional components of the focused ultrasound system.

[0031] Optionally, when the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe is located outside the living body, the adjusting signal generated according to the imaging parameter comprises an adjusting signal for making the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe located inside the living body.

[0032] Optionally, in the step of generating the adjusting signal according to the predetermined strategy and the imaging parameter, adjusting the time gain compensation parameter comprises:

[0033] adjusting the time gain compensation parameter to the lowest value.

[0034] As a third aspect of the present disclosure, an image processing device is provided, comprising:

[0035] a first storage module having a first executable program stored thereon;

[0036] one or more first processors capable of implementing the method of the first aspect of the present disclosure when the one or more first processors invoke the first executable program.

[0037] As a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a controller is provided, comprising:

[0038] a second storage module having a second executable program stored thereon;

[0039] one or more second processors capable of implementing the control method of the second aspect of the present disclosure when the one or more second processors invoke the second executable program.

[0040] As a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a focused ultrasound system is provided, comprising:

[0041] the image processing device of the third aspect;

[0042] the controller of the fourth aspect;

[0043] a functional component.

[0044] Optionally, the focused ultrasound system can further comprise an information transmission interface and an image transmission interface, the information transmission interface being arranged in the image processing device to transmit the imaging parameter determined by the image processing device to the controller, and the image transmission interface being used to receive an ultrasound image.

[0045] As a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable medium having an executable program stored thereon is provided, the executable program being capable of implementing the above-mentioned method when invoked.

[0046] The imaging parameter is related to the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin. By identifying the position of the skin affected by the ultrasound, the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe can be determined. After the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe is determined, the current imaging parameter of the focused ultrasound system can be determined.

[0047] Determining the imaging parameter is equivalent to monitoring the FUS process. The imaging parameter can be adjusted according to the FUS operation requirements.

[0048] In the present disclosure, the monitoring of the FUS process can be achieved by identifying the ultrasound image without the need for the operator to observe manually.

[0049] The method provided by the present disclosure can be performed by an electronic device without the need for improving the existing ultrasound device on the market. That is, the imaging parameter monitoring in the FUS process can be achieved at a lower cost through the method provided by the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0050] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present application and serve to explain the principles of the present application, but are not intended to limit the present application. In the drawings:

[0051] Figure 1 is a flowchart of the method provided by the first aspect of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the method provided by the second aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] In order for those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the method for determining the imaging parameter of the focused ultrasound system, the control method of the focused ultrasound system, the image processing device, the controller, the focused ultrasound system and the computer readable medium provided by the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] In the following, example embodiments will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments can be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0055] In the case of no conflict, the embodiments of the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0056] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0057] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0058] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an overly literal or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0059] As a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for determining imaging parameters of a focused ultrasound system is provided, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method comprises:

[0060] In step S110, an ultrasound image is acquired;

[0061] In step S120, a position of a skin edge in the ultrasound image is identified;

[0062] In step S130, a distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe is determined according to the position of the skin edge in the ultrasound image;

[0063] In step S140, a current imaging parameter of the focused ultrasound system is determined according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe.

[0064] The imaging parameter is related to the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin. By identifying the position of the skin in the ultrasound image in step S120, the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe can be determined. After the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe is determined, the current imaging parameter of the focused ultrasound system can be determined.

[0065] Determining the imaging parameter is equivalent to monitoring the FUS process. The imaging parameter can be adjusted according to the FUS operation requirement.

[0066] In the present disclosure, the operator does not need to observe manually. The monitoring of the FUS process can be achieved by identifying the ultrasound image.

[0067] The method provided by the present disclosure can be performed by an electronic device without modifying existing ultrasonic devices on the market. That is, the imaging parameter monitoring in the FUS process can be realized at a lower cost through the method provided by the present disclosure.

[0068] In the FUS process, the boundary between the medium and the skin edge is very clear, and in the present disclosure, how to identify the position of the skin in the ultrasonic image is not specially limited. For example, the skin edge in the ultrasonic image can be determined by using an edge detection algorithm. For another example, a deep learning neural network model can be trained by using a labeled sample image to obtain a trained neural network model. After the received ultrasonic image is input into the trained neural network model, the position information of the skin edge in the ultrasonic image can be output.

[0069] For the ultrasonic image, the surface of the ultrasonic probe is either at the top of the ultrasonic image or at the bottom of the ultrasonic image. After the position of the skin edge in the ultrasonic image is determined, the distance between the ultrasonic probe and the skin can be determined.

[0070] For the focused ultrasonic system, the imaging parameter includes the probe power of the ultrasonic probe, and the following describes how to calculate the probe power according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasonic probe.

[0071] Generally, the shape of the ultrasonic image is a fan shape, and the fan angle θ and the detection depth h (equivalent to the radius of the circle where the fan shape is located) are determined.

[0072] Correspondingly, the area S of the ultrasonic image is:

[0073] S = 1 / 2 * θ * h * h.

[0074] At this time, the ultrasonic wave needs to pass through the area shown in the ultrasonic image, and the required ultrasonic power P0 is:

[0075] P0 = k0 * S;

[0076] Wherein, k0 is the average acoustic impedance coefficient of the biological body (for example, human body) including the skin.

[0077] Through the above formula, k0 can be calculated and determined, that is, k0 = P0 / S.

[0078] When the distance between the probe and the skin is skin_dis, the area of the ultrasonic wave passing through the medium (for example, pure water) is:

[0079] Sw = 1 / 2 * θ * (skin_dis) * (skin_dis);

[0080] Correspondingly, the area of the ultrasonic wave passing through the biological body is:

[0081] S1=S-Sw=1 / 2*θ*(h*h-skin_dis*skin_dis).

[0082] When the acoustic impedance coefficient of the medium is kw, the required power is:

[0083] P1=k0*S1+kw*Sw.

[0084] That is, in the step of generating the current imaging parameter of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe, the probe power is calculated according to the following formula:

[0085] P1=k0*S1+kw*Sw.

[0086] S1=S-Sw=1 / 2*θ*(h*h-skin_dis*skin_dis).

[0087] Sw=1 / 2*θ*(skin_dis)*(skin_dis).

[0088] wherein,

[0089] P2 is the probe power;

[0090] S1 is the area of the ultrasound image through which the ultrasound wave penetrates the biological body;

[0091] Sw is the area of the ultrasound image through which the ultrasound wave penetrates the medium;

[0092] θ is the fan angle of the ultrasound image;

[0093] skin_dis is the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin;

[0094] k0 is the average acoustic impedance coefficient of the biological body;

[0095] kw is the acoustic impedance coefficient of the medium between the probe and the skin.

[0096] The acoustic impedance coefficient of pure water is approximately 0, so the probe power can also be calculated using the following formula:

[0097] P1=k0*S1+0*Sw=K0*(1 / 2*θ*(h*h-skin_dis*skin_dis).

[0098] The formula for calculating the probe power can be selected according to the accuracy requirement.

[0099] In the present disclosure, k0 can be determined by basic power calculation, and kw can be determined according to experiments. Of course, for different ultrasound devices or ultrasound probes, k0 and kw will be different.

[0100] For a phased array ultrasound probe, in addition to the probe power, the imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system include the position of the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe. In the step of generating the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe, the distance between the imaging focus and the ultrasound probe is calculated according to the following formula:

[0101] F = (h + skin_dis) / 2;

[0102] wherein h is the detection depth of the ultrasound probe;

[0103] skin_dis is the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin.

[0104] When F < skin_dis is calculated, it indicates that the imaging focus is outside the biological body, and the imaging focus needs to be adjusted.

[0105] As a second aspect of the present disclosure, a control method of a focused ultrasound system is provided, as shown in Figure 2 The control method can include:

[0106] In step S210, the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system determined according to the method provided by the first aspect of the present disclosure are received;

[0107] In step S220, an adjustment signal is generated according to a predetermined strategy and the imaging parameters;

[0108] In step S230, the adjustment signal is provided to the functional components of the focused ultrasound system.

[0109] In the case where the imaging parameters have been determined, a signal for adjusting the current imaging parameters can be generated according to a predetermined strategy. After the adjustment signal is provided to the functional components of the focused ultrasound system, the functional components can be adjusted to ensure the smooth progress of the FUS.

[0110] As described above, the adjustment signal generated according to the imaging parameters when the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe is located outside the biological body can include an adjustment signal for causing the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe to be located inside the biological body.

[0111] In order to reduce noise on the ultrasound image and highlight biological tissues on the ultrasound image, after the position of the skin edge is determined, the time gain compensation parameter (TGC) can be adjusted to the minimum value, i.e. in the step of generating the adjustment signal according to the imaging parameters, adjusting the time gain compensation parameter includes:

[0112] adjusting the time gain compensation parameter to the minimum value.

[0113] In this period, the minimum TGC parameter can not only reduce the noise, but also make the medium water show as pure black on the final ultrasonic image, improve the imaging weight of biological tissue, and facilitate identification of biological tissue.

[0114] As a third aspect of the present disclosure, an image processing device is provided, comprising:

[0115] A first storage module has a first executable program stored thereon;

[0116] One or more first processors can implement the method provided by the first aspect of the present disclosure when the one or more first processors invoke the first executable program.

[0117] Optionally, the image processing device can further comprise a first I / O interface connected between the first processor and the first storage module, configured to realize information interaction of the first processor and the first storage module.

[0118] The first processor is a device with data processing capability, including but not limited to a central processing unit (CPU) and the like; the first storage module is a device with data storage capability, including but not limited to a random access memory (RAM, more specifically SDRAM, DDR, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and a flash memory (FLASH); the first I / O interface (read-write interface) is connected between the first processor and the first storage module, and can realize information interaction of the first processor and the first storage module, including but not limited to a data bus (Bus) and the like.

[0119] In some embodiments, the first processor, the first storage module, and the first I / O interface are connected to each other through a bus, and further connected to other components of the computing device.

[0120] As a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a controller is provided, comprising:

[0121] A second storage module has a second executable program stored thereon;

[0122] One or more second processors can implement the control method provided by the second aspect of the present disclosure when the one or more second processors invoke the second executable program.

[0123] Optionally, the controller can further comprise a second I / O interface connected between the second processor and the first storage module, configured to realize information interaction of the second processor and the second storage module.

[0124] The second processor is a device with data processing capability, including but not limited to a central processing unit (CPU) and the like; the second storage module is a device with data storage capability, including but not limited to a random access memory (RAM, more specifically, SDRAM, DDR, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and a flash memory (FLASH); and the second I / O interface (read-write interface) is connected between the second processor and the second storage module, and can realize information interaction between the second processor and the second storage module, including but not limited to a data bus (Bus) and the like.

[0125] In some embodiments, the second processor, the second storage module, and the second I / O interface are connected to each other through a bus, and further connected to other components of the computing device.

[0126] As a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a focused ultrasound system is provided, including:

[0127] The image processing device provided in the third aspect of the present disclosure;

[0128] The controller provided in the fourth aspect of the present disclosure;

[0129] The functional component.

[0130] As shown above, the functional component can be an ultrasonic probe.

[0131] Optionally, the focused ultrasound system can further include an information transmission interface and an image transmission interface, the information transmission interface is arranged in the image processing device to transmit the imaging parameter determined by the image processing device to the controller, and the image transmission interface is used to receive an ultrasonic image.

[0132] Optionally, the image transmission interface has the function of transmitting a standard signal (for example, vga / dvi / hdmi / sdi), and can also have the function of transmitting a 16-bit dicom image in real time. Alternatively, the image transmission interface can also transmit an imaging rfid signal.

[0133] In the present disclosure, the functional component of the focused ultrasound system can include but is not limited to an ultrasonic probe, an imaging device, and the like, and a plurality of functional components can constitute an ultrasonic device (for example, a B-ultrasound machine) and the like.

[0134] As a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable medium is provided, which stores an executable program, when the executable program is called, the method provided in the first aspect or the second aspect of the present disclosure can be realized.

[0135] Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize and understand that all or some of the steps in the methods disclosed above and the functional modules / units in the systems and devices can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between the functional modules / units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, one physical component can have multiple functions, or one function or step can be performed by several physical components in cooperation. Some or all of the physical components can be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit. Such software can be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which can include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transitory media). As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, the term computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and that can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, it is common knowledge to those of ordinary skill in the art that communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media.

[0136] Example embodiments have been disclosed herein and, although the use of specific terms is expressly used herein, they are intended in a generic sense only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some instances, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that features, aspects and / or elements described in connection with a particular embodiment can be used, combined, or eliminated in various ways. Accordingly, the skilled artisan will understand that various changes in form and detail can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for determining imaging parameters of a focused ultrasound system, comprising: acquiring an ultrasound image; identifying a position of a skin edge in the ultrasound image; determining a distance between the skin and an ultrasound probe according to the position of the skin edge in the ultrasound image; determining current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe; the imaging parameters include a probe power of the ultrasound probe and a position of an imaging focus of the ultrasound probe.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, In the step of determining the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe, the probe power is calculated according to the following formula: P1=k0*S1+kw*Sw; S1=S-Sw=1 / 2*θ*(h*h-skin_dis*skin_dis); Sw=1 / 2*θ*(skin_dis)*(skin_dis); wherein, P1 is the probe power; S1 is an area of the ultrasound image through which an ultrasound wave penetrates a biological body; Sw is an area of the ultrasound image through which the ultrasound wave penetrates a medium; θ is a fan angle of the ultrasound image; skin_dis is the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin; k0 is an average acoustic impedance coefficient of the biological body; Kw is an acoustic impedance coefficient of the medium between the probe and the skin.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, In the step of determining the current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system according to the distance between the skin and the ultrasound probe, the distance between the imaging focus and the ultrasound probe is calculated according to the following formula: F=(h+skin_dis) / 2; wherein, h is a detection depth of the ultrasound probe; and skin_dis is the distance between the ultrasound probe and the skin. 4.A control method of a focused ultrasound system, comprising: receiving current imaging parameters of the focused ultrasound system determined according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 3; generating an adjustment signal according to a predetermined strategy and the imaging parameters; providing the adjustment signal to a functional component of the focused ultrasound system; wherein, in the step of generating the adjustment signal according to the predetermined strategy and the imaging parameters, adjusting a time gain compensation parameter comprises: adjusting the time gain compensation parameter to a minimum value.

5. The control method according to claim 4, wherein When the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe is located outside a biological body, the adjustment signal generated according to the imaging parameters comprises an adjustment signal for causing the imaging focus of the ultrasound probe to be located inside the biological body. 6.An image processing apparatus, comprising: a first storage module having a first executable program stored thereon; one or more first processors capable of implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 3 when the one or more first processors invoke the first executable program. 7.A controller, comprising: a second storage module having a second executable program stored thereon; one or more second processors capable of implementing the control method of claim 4 or 5 when the one or more second processors invoke the second executable program. 8.A focused ultrasound system, comprising: the image processing apparatus of claim 6; the controller of claim 7; a functional component.

9. The focused ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein, The focused ultrasound system can further comprise an information transmission interface and an image transmission interface, the information transmission interface being arranged in the image processing device to transmit the imaging parameters determined by the image processing device to the controller, and the image transmission interface being used to receive the ultrasound image.

10. A computer readable medium having stored thereon an executable program which, when called, enables the method of any one of claims 1 to 5.

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