Method for presenting vascular plaque based on ultrasound image and ultrasound imaging system

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images and an ultrasound imaging system. The presenting method comprises: obtaining continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to a target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of an ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information comprises position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; obtaining three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information; generating a three-dimensional model of a blood vessel tree according to the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; obtaining at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and marking at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree; displaying the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree and the marked plaque region, and displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree. Through the presenting method, a user can more intuitively observe the blood vessel profile, the plaque position, and the angle of the ultrasound probe.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of medical equipment technology, and more specifically to a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images and an ultrasound imaging system. Background Art

[0002] Carotid plaques are manifestations of carotid atherosclerosis, and they often occur at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. Studies have found that carotid plaques are closely related to the occurrence of ischemic stroke in the elderly. Carotid ultrasound examination, as a non-invasive, simple and reproducible method, has become the preferred option for the clinical diagnosis of carotid atherosclerosis.

[0003] When performing ultrasound scanning of the carotid arteries, the patient usually starts with the aortic arch branch on the left and goes to the innominate artery at the distal end of the carotid bifurcation on the right, observing the wall of the vessel for plaques. After finding the plaque, switch to the longitudinal section and change multiple angles to find the location of the plaque, observe the morphology of the plaque, and measure the size of the plaque. If there are multiple plaques in a blood vessel, the location of each plaque is usually described in text, but it is not intuitive enough. Moreover, for some patients with follow-up needs, it is necessary to ensure that the section at the same position of the plaque is observed for comparative analysis during each reexamination. Because the positional relationship between plaques is only described in text, the doctor can only change multiple angles and repeat the scan at the corresponding position according to the text description of the ultrasound image in the report, which greatly reduces work efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention is proposed to solve at least one of the above problems. Specifically, the present invention provides a presentation method comprising:

[0005] Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe;

[0006] Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information;

[0007] generating a three-dimensional model of a blood vessel tree according to the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel;

[0008] Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree;

[0009] The vascular tree three-dimensional model and the marked plaque area are displayed.

[0010] Another aspect of the present application provides a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images, the method comprising:

[0011] Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe;

[0012] Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information;

[0013] generating a three-dimensional model of a blood vessel tree according to the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel;

[0014] Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree;

[0015] The vascular tree three-dimensional model and the marked plaque area are displayed, and the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel is displayed on the vascular tree three-dimensional model.

[0016] Another aspect of the present application provides a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images, the method comprising:

[0017] Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe;

[0018] Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information;

[0019] Acquire a general model of a blood vessel tree, and register the general model of the blood vessel tree with the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel;

[0020] Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel tree universal model;

[0021] The vessel tree general model and the marked plaque areas are displayed.

[0022] Another aspect of the present application provides a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images, the method comprising:

[0023] Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe;

[0024] Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information;

[0025] Acquire a general model of a blood vessel tree, and register the general model of the blood vessel tree with the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel;

[0026] Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel tree universal model;

[0027] The general vascular tree model and the marked plaque area are displayed, and the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel is displayed on the general vascular tree model.

[0028] Another aspect of the present application provides a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images, the method comprising:

[0029] Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe;

[0030] Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information;

[0031] Rendering the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a blood vessel image;

[0032] Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel image;

[0033] The blood vessel image and the marked plaque area are displayed.

[0034] Another aspect of the present application provides a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images, the method comprising:

[0035] Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe;

[0036] Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information;

[0037] Rendering the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a blood vessel image;

[0038] Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel image;

[0039] The blood vessel image and the marked plaque area are displayed, and the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel is displayed on the blood vessel image.

[0040] In another aspect, the present application provides an ultrasound imaging system, the ultrasound imaging system comprising:

[0041] Ultrasound probe;

[0042] a transmitting / receiving sequence controller, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to a target blood vessel, receiving ultrasonic echoes based on the ultrasonic waves returned from the target blood vessel, and obtaining ultrasonic echo signals;

[0043] A processor, configured to obtain a continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasonic image related to the target blood vessel according to the ultrasonic echo signal;

[0044] A memory for storing executable program instructions;

[0045] The processor is further configured to execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the aforementioned method for presenting vascular plaques;

[0046] The display device is used to display visual information.

[0047] According to the method for presenting vascular plaques of the present application, the display device is controlled to display the vascular tree three-dimensional model and the marked plaque area on the display interface, so that the user can observe the vascular overview and plaque location more intuitively. When reexamining the patient, the user can accurately determine the specific location of the plaque based on the displayed blood vessels and plaque locations, and thus perform targeted scanning. There is no need to change multiple angles to repeatedly scan the target blood vessels when reexamining the patient, which reduces the number of scans and significantly improves work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying creative labor.

[0049] Figure 1 A flow chart showing a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a vascular plaque and a display screen of an ultrasound probe in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 3A flow chart showing a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a spatial transformation in one embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0053] Figure 5 A flow chart showing a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images in yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0054] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system in one embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention more obvious, the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments of the present invention, and it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present invention described in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0056] In the following description, a large number of specific details are provided to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present invention, some technical features well known in the art are not described.

[0057] It should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in different forms and should not be interpreted as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure thorough and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0058] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. 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.

[0059] In view of the aforementioned problems existing in vascular ultrasound scanning, the present application provides a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images, the presentation method comprising: acquiring continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to a target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of an ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information comprises position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel based on the multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information; generating a three-dimensional model of a vascular tree based on the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; acquiring at least one plaque area in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and marking at least one plaque area at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree; displaying the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree and the marked plaque area, and displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree.

[0060] In summary, according to the method for presenting vascular plaques of the present application, the display device is controlled to display the vascular tree three-dimensional model and the marked plaque area on the display interface, and the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel is displayed on the vascular tree three-dimensional model, so that the user can observe the vascular overview and plaque position and the angle of the ultrasound probe more intuitively and in real time. When reexamining the patient, the user can accurately determine the specific location of the plaque based on the displayed blood vessel and plaque position and the angle of the ultrasound probe, so as to perform targeted scanning. There is no need to change multiple angles to repeatedly scan the target blood vessel when reexamining the patient, which reduces the number of scans and significantly improves work efficiency.

[0061] In order to fully understand the present invention, a detailed structure will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution proposed by the present invention. The optional embodiments of the present invention are described in detail as follows, but in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention may also have other implementations.

[0062] The ultrasonic image-based vascular plaque presentation method and ultrasonic imaging system provided in the present application can be applied to the human body and various animals.

[0063] Specifically, the ultrasonic image-based vascular plaque presentation method and ultrasonic imaging system of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the absence of conflict, the features of the following embodiments and implementations may be combined with each other.

[0064] First, refer to Figures 1 to 6 A method for presenting vascular plaque based on ultrasound images and an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention are described, wherein: Figure 1 A flow chart showing a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a vascular plaque and a display screen of an ultrasound probe in one embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 A flow chart showing a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images in another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a spatial transformation in one embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 5 A flow chart showing a method for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images in yet another embodiment of the present invention is shown; Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0065] First, refer to the attached Figure 1 A method for presenting vascular plaque based on ultrasound images in one embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0066] As an example, Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasonic image-based vascular plaque presentation method of the present application includes the following steps: in step S110, continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasonic images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasonic probe are obtained, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasonic probe; in step S120, three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained based on the multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information; in step S130, a three-dimensional vascular tree model is generated based on the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; in step S140, at least one plaque area in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained, and at least one plaque area is marked at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional vascular tree model; in step S150, the three-dimensional vascular tree model and the marked plaque area are displayed.

[0067] Specifically, in step S110, a continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasonic image related to the target blood vessel can be acquired based on the ultrasonic imaging system, and the transmit / receive sequence controller of the ultrasonic imaging system controls the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target blood vessel, and receives ultrasonic echoes based on the ultrasonic waves returned from the target blood vessel to obtain ultrasonic echo signals; the processor of the ultrasonic imaging system obtains continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasonic images related to the target blood vessel according to the ultrasonic echo signals.

[0068] In the embodiment of the present application, the two-dimensional ultrasound image includes but is not limited to images of any mode such as B-ultrasound images.

[0069] The commonly used sections for ultrasound scanning are transverse sections and longitudinal sections. Among them, the transverse section generally refers to the section along the short axis, and the longitudinal section generally refers to the section along the long axis. When scanning the target blood vessel, such as the carotid artery, you can start with the aortic arch branch on the left and the innominate artery at the distal end of the carotid bifurcation on the right, and observe whether there are plaques on the wall of the vessel in turn. After finding the plaque, switch to the longitudinal section and change multiple angles to find the location of the plaque, observe the morphology of the plaque, and measure the size of the plaque. Among them, the transverse section and the longitudinal section can be roughly vertical sections.

[0070] The multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images may include multiple frames of cross-sectional images and / or multiple frames of longitudinal section images.

[0071] The ultrasound imaging system also includes a navigation device. The spatial position information of the ultrasound probe can be acquired in real time by the navigation device arranged on the ultrasound probe during the process of the ultrasound probe scanning the target blood vessel. The navigation device includes but is not limited to magnetic navigation and inertial navigation. The magnetic navigation includes a magnetic positioning controller and a positioning sensor. The positioning sensor is fixed on the ultrasound probe. As the ultrasound probe moves, it continuously provides position information. The six-degree-of-freedom spatial orientation of the ultrasound probe is obtained through the magnetic positioning controller. The inertial navigation includes a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The inertial navigation system is an autonomous navigation device. The inertial navigation is directly installed on the ultrasound probe. When the carrier rotates, the accelerometer and the gyroscope also rotate with it, thereby continuously and in real time providing information such as the characteristics, posture, and speed of the ultrasound probe.

[0072] The target blood vessels include, but are not limited to, carotid arteries, coronary arteries, abdominal aorta, brain blood vessels, eye blood vessels, femoral arteries, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the carotid arteries are mainly used as an example.

[0073] In step S120, the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel can be obtained based on any suitable method known to those skilled in the art. In one example, the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained based on the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, including: reconstructing the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue based on the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, wherein the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue includes not only the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, but also the three-dimensional volume data of the tissue and structure around the blood vessel; extracting the vascular region from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue to obtain the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel. In another example, the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained based on the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, including: obtaining the vascular region in each ultrasound image in the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images; generating the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel based on the vascular region and the spatial position information.

[0074] The three-dimensional volume data can be reconstructed by any suitable method known to those skilled in the art. For example, the three-dimensional volume data can be reconstructed based on the acquired continuous two-dimensional images and the acquired position and angle information through image preprocessing, data registration and fusion and other image processing methods. In a specific example, the three-dimensional volume data can be reconstructed based on the Freehand method, also known as Freehand three-dimensional ultrasound imaging, which uses traditional two-dimensional ultrasound scanning equipment, combined with a magnetic positioning system, to obtain a series of two-dimensional ultrasound images and corresponding spatial position information through Freehand scanning, and then reconstruct the three-dimensional ultrasound volume data, and finally render and display the reconstructed three-dimensional volume data. Among them, the reconstruction of three-dimensional volume data is one of the key technical links to achieve Freehand three-dimensional ultrasound high-precision imaging. According to the different reconstruction purposes, the three-dimensional reconstruction of ultrasound images can be divided into two categories: one is a method based on surface reconstruction, and the other is a method based on volume data reconstruction.

[0075] The reconstruction process of Freehand three-dimensional ultrasound volume data mainly includes three steps: volume data structure construction, sample pixel redistribution and voxel value calculation in volume data. The first step of three-dimensional ultrasound reconstruction is to determine the size specifications of the reconstructed volume data based on the two-dimensional ultrasound image information, including the coordinate origin of the volume data, the dimension size and the physical interval between voxels. For example, the size of the reconstructed volume data structure can be determined by using image keyframes or more complex principal component analysis methods. Or the size of the reconstruction area can be quickly determined based on the bounding box technology, without predetermining or limiting the reconstruction scan area. The bounding box is completely determined only by its minimum point (Xmin, Ymin, Zmin) and maximum point (Xmax, Ymax, Zmax). The second step of three-dimensional ultrasound reconstruction is to redistribute the pixels on the two-dimensional plane, that is, to traverse every pixel point on the two-dimensional ultrasound plane and map the pixels to the three-dimensional volume data according to the transformation matrix of their position information. If more than one pixel falls into the same voxel at the same time, it is necessary to select the appropriate value (such as the average value, the maximum value, the first (last) value, etc.) according to certain rules.

[0076] Since the sampling data of Freehand 3D ultrasound is sparse, blank areas will inevitably be left in the reconstructed volume data after pixel allocation. Therefore, the third step of the reconstruction process is to fill the blank volume data area (hole-filling). There are many ways to interpolate known data, but the basic principle is to use the surrounding known pixel values ​​to interpolate the unknown voxel values ​​in the voxel grid.

[0077] The vascular region can be extracted from the ultrasound image or the vascular region can be extracted from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue by any suitable method, for example, the vascular region can be extracted based on user instructions, such as the user manually tracing the vascular region, or the vascular region can be automatically extracted based on an intelligent algorithm. The intelligent algorithm includes but is not limited to traditional image processing methods or machine learning or deep learning methods.

[0078] In one example, a method for obtaining a vascular region by an intelligent method includes the following steps: obtaining training data containing multiple vascular images and corresponding annotation information, the annotation information at least including annotations of the foreground (vascular region) and the background (such as tissues and structures around the blood vessels), placing the training data and annotation information into a deep learning segmentation network for training, such as FCN (Fully Convolutional Networks), U-Net, MaskRCNN (Region-Convolutional Neural Networks), etc., and then performing a series of convolution, pooling, deconvolution and other operations in the network to obtain a mask image of the original image or the vascular region scaled by a certain ratio, and taking the result of the pixel value in the image greater than a certain threshold (such as 0.5) as the vascular region. By such a method, the vascular region can be automatically extracted.

[0079] In step S130, the 3D model of the vascular tree can be generated by the 3D volume data of the target blood vessel according to any suitable image processing method known to those skilled in the art, which is not specifically limited herein. For example, the 3D volume data of the target blood vessel can be three-dimensionally thinned, and the 3D thinning method can adopt any suitable method known to those skilled in the art. Through the thinning algorithm, the width of the blood vessel can be thinned into one pixel, and the blood vessel is continuous. The method for generating the 3D model of the vascular tree can include generating a feature tree, and then performing various subsequent processing such as pruning, 3D display, etc. using various operations of the tree, so as to finally generate the 3D volume data of the target blood vessel into the 3D model of the vascular tree.

[0080] Since the spatial structure of target blood vessels such as carotid arteries, cerebral arteries, and coronary arteries is actually in the form of a tree, a tree model is used in the embodiment of the present application to present the target blood vessels. The three-dimensional blood vessel tree model can be a three-dimensional bifurcation topology model, etc.

[0081] In step S140, the plaque region or the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel can be extracted from the blood vessel region by any suitable method, or the blood vessel region can be extracted from the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree, for example, at least one plaque region (i.e., the region of the plaque in the blood vessel) in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel can be determined based on user instructions, for example, the user manually traces the plaque region, or the plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel can be automatically extracted based on an intelligent algorithm. The intelligent algorithm includes but is not limited to methods such as traditional image processing methods or machine learning or deep learning methods.

[0082] In one example, a method for obtaining a plaque region by an intelligent method includes the following steps: obtaining training data of a plurality of vascular images containing plaque regions and corresponding annotation information, wherein the annotation information at least includes annotations of the foreground (plaque region) and the background (e.g., vascular wall, tissues and structures around the vascular wall, etc.), placing the training data and annotation information into a deep learning segmentation network for training, such as FCN (Fully Convolutional Networks), U-Net, Mask RCNN (Region-Convolutional Neural Networks), etc., and then performing a series of convolution, pooling, deconvolution and other operations in the network to obtain a mask image of the original image or vascular image scaled by a certain ratio, and taking the result of the pixel value in the image greater than a certain threshold (e.g., 0.5) as the plaque region. By such a method, the plaque region can be automatically extracted.

[0083] The target blood vessel may include one plaque region or multiple plaque regions, and at least one of the plaque regions may be marked at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree based on the position and shape of the extracted plaque region. The marking method includes but is not limited to marking the edge contour of the plaque region.

[0084] In order to facilitate the subsequent presentation of the vascular tree 3D model, for example, displaying it on a display device, the vascular tree 3D model may also be a rendered vascular tree 3D model, which may be used as a representation of the 3D model. When the vascular 3D model is displayed on the display device, the user may observe the same visual effect as the 3D model.

[0085] In step S150, the vascular tree three-dimensional model and the marked plaque area are displayed.

[0086] In one example, displaying the vascular tree three-dimensional model and the marked plaque area includes: controlling the display device to display the marked plaque area in a differentiated manner on the display interface in a preset manner, wherein the preset differentiated display includes at least one of the following display modes: highlight display, additional symbol display, outline display of the plaque area, flashing display, differentiated shading color display or differentiated color display (that is, displaying the vascular wall and the plaque area in different colors), or other display modes that can highlight the plaque area. The differentiated display mode can facilitate users to observe the location of the plaque intuitively and clearly, thereby assisting doctors to make scanning plans for the plaques to be scanned more quickly and accurately, improving work efficiency and saving time costs.

[0087] Furthermore, the presentation method of the present application also includes: displaying the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree, for example, displaying it at any position on the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree, such as the upper left, upper right, outside, etc. The position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel include at least one of the multiple positions and angles when the ultrasound probe scans the plaque area of ​​the target blood vessel. The position and angle may refer to the position and angle relative to the blood vessel, thereby prompting the user where and at what angle the probe can be placed to accurately locate the position of the plaque and scan the shape, size, etc. of the plaque, which helps to improve the user's scanning efficiency.

[0088] The position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel can be input into the imaging system by the user when the target blood vessel is scanned for the first time, or can be automatically identified by the system after the plaque area of ​​the blood vessel is determined, or can be obtained based on the position and angle information provided by a navigation device during the scanning process, or can be obtained by searching for a section that matches the two-dimensional ultrasound image during the current scan in a three-dimensional image, such as a three-dimensional model of a vascular tree, to obtain the relative position relationship between the probe and the blood vessel.

[0089] In one example, the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel are displayed on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree, including: obtaining a simulation graphic of the ultrasound probe; displaying the simulation graphic of the ultrasound probe outside the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree, wherein the position and angle of the simulation graphic of the ultrasound probe relative to the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree are used to characterize the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel. The simulation graphic can be a simulation graphic of the probe that the user directly imports into the ultrasound imaging device, and the simulation graphic can also be a rendered simulation graphic. When the display device displays the simulation graphic, a three-dimensional stereoscopic effect can be presented to the user. In another example, the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel can also be displayed in other ways, such as directly displaying a text description of the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel when displaying the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree.

[0090] In another implementation, the difference from the above solution is that the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel can be displayed, but it is not necessary to display the position of the probe relative to the target blood vessel at the same time; the presentation method of the present application also includes: displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree. For the relevant description of the angle of the ultrasound probe, please refer to the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0091] For example, Figure 2 As shown, a plaque area 220 is marked on the vascular tree three-dimensional model 210, and a simulated graphic 230 of an ultrasound probe is displayed outside the vascular tree three-dimensional model, and the simulated graphic 230 of the ultrasound probe represents the position and angle information of the ultrasound probe relative to the blood vessel.

[0092] It is worth mentioning that the vascular tree three-dimensional model 210 of the present application can also be rotated based on user instructions, so that when the user wants to view information from another perspective, it can be achieved by rotating the vascular tree model to a corresponding perspective.

[0093] In one example, the presentation method also includes: controlling the display device to display a two-dimensional ultrasound image of a cross-section with maximum thickness and / or a two-dimensional ultrasound image of a longitudinal section with maximum length of the marked plaque area on a display interface; by displaying these ultrasound images, when the user subsequently reviews the scanning information, the user can more intuitively observe the thickness, length and other information of the plaque, thereby assisting the user to make a corresponding diagnosis based on the information.

[0094] In one example, the presentation method of the present application also includes: rendering the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a blood vessel image; controlling the display device to display the blood vessel image on the display interface, so that the user can view more details of the target blood vessel by displaying the blood vessel image, and the position of the plaque area can also be marked on the blood vessel image at the same time. In this way, the user can also determine whether the position of the plaque area displayed in the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree is consistent with the display in the blood vessel image, thereby assisting in determining whether the position of the plaque displayed in the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree is correct.

[0095] Below, reference Figure 3 In another embodiment of the present application, a method for presenting vascular plaque based on ultrasound images is provided.

[0096] As an example, Figure 3 As shown, the method for presenting vascular plaque based on ultrasound images in an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps: in step S301, a continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image related to the target blood vessel and the corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe are obtained, wherein the spatial position information includes the position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; in step S302, three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained according to the multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image and the spatial position information; in step S303, a vascular tree general model is obtained, and the vascular tree general model and the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel are aligned; in step S304, at least one plaque area in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained, and at least one plaque area is marked at a corresponding position on the vascular tree general model; in step S305, the vascular tree general model and the marked plaque area are displayed.

[0097] In one implementation, Figure 3 The presenting method of the illustrated embodiment further includes: displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the general model of the blood vessel tree. For the relevant description of the angle of the ultrasound probe, reference may be made to the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0098] To avoid repetition, the embodiments of the present application mainly describe the differences between this embodiment and the presentation method in the aforementioned embodiments, such as step S303. The descriptions of other steps can refer to the corresponding steps in the previous text.

[0099] The vascular tree universal model and the three-dimensional volume data of the target vessel can be registered by any suitable method known to those skilled in the art. In one example, the ultrasound probe is provided with a navigation device, which is used to obtain the spatial position information of the ultrasound probe in real time. The vascular tree universal model and the three-dimensional volume data of the target vessel are registered, including: registering the vascular tree universal model with the three-dimensional volume data of the target vessel to obtain a transformation matrix, manually registering or automatically registering with the three-dimensional volume data of the target vessel using a traditional image processing method or a machine learning / deep learning method according to the extracted vascular region (for example, the extracted three-dimensional volume data of the target vessel); based on the transformation matrix, mapping the spatial coordinates of the three-dimensional volume data of the target vessel to the vascular tree universal model. By registering the two, the three-dimensional volume data of the target vessel and the vascular tree universal model can be fused, etc., so that the registered vascular tree universal model can represent various image information of the target vessel.

[0100] The general vascular tree model can be any general model (especially a three-dimensional model) known to those skilled in the art that can characterize the three-dimensional shape of the target blood vessel, such as the general vascular tree model of the carotid artery, the general vascular tree model of the coronary artery, etc.

[0101] When performing registration, it is necessary to find a spatial transformation to map the ultrasound image data (such as the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, the two-dimensional ultrasound image data) with the general model of the vascular tree, so that the points corresponding to the same position in the space in the two sets of image data from different sources can correspond one by one, thereby achieving the purpose of correctly registering and fusing the information.

[0102] Figure 4 The spatial transformation relationship in the ultrasound imaging system is shown in FIG. Through the spatial transformation relationship, the fusion processing of ultrasound image data and the vascular tree universal model image can be realized, that is, the points in the ultrasound image data are first transformed from the ultrasound spatial coordinate system to the spatial coordinate system of the position sensor (a magnetic positioning sensor is used in the illustrated embodiment), then transformed from the magnetic positioning sensor spatial coordinate system to the world coordinate system (that is, the magnetic field generator spatial coordinate system), and finally transformed from the world coordinate system to the three-dimensional image spatial coordinate system (that is, the spatial coordinate system where the vascular tree universal model is located). In the form of a formula, it can be expressed as the following formula (1):

[0103] X Sec =P·R probe ·A·X us Formula (1)

[0104] Among them, X US is the coordinate of the pixel point in the ultrasound space, X secis the coordinate of the point in the image space of another modality, A is the transformation matrix from ultrasound space to positioning sensor space, R probe is the transformation matrix from the position sensor space to the world coordinate space, and P is the transformation matrix from the world coordinate system to the three-dimensional image space coordinate system.

[0105] When the position sensor is fixed on the probe and the probe model remains unchanged, the transformation matrix A remains unchanged and is obtained by calibration before registration. For details, reference may be made to the related methods of transforming the ultrasound image space to the positioning sensor space that are well known to those skilled in the art, which will not be described in detail here. probe , which is directly read by the magnetic positioning controller, as the probe moves, R probe The transformation matrix P can be calculated through the registration result, that is, the image registration result in the ultrasound image space and the three-dimensional image space is M. For details, refer to the following formula (2):

[0106]

[0107] Therefore, the key to realizing the registration between ultrasound image data and the universal model image of the vascular tree is to calculate M, and then calculate the transformation matrix P through M.

[0108] The registration result of the ultrasound space and the three-dimensional image space images can be obtained by any suitable method well known to those skilled in the art. For example, before the registration, the doctor imports the universal model of the vascular tree (that is, the universal three-dimensional model of the vascular tree) into the ultrasound imaging system, which can be imported through, for example, a USB flash drive, a CD, network transmission, etc., and then the doctor uses an ultrasound probe to scan the target area (such as the target blood vessel). If the key structure of the target area appears in the scanned image (such as the vascular bifurcation, starting position, and ending position of the target blood vessel), the ultrasound image can be frozen, and then the corresponding two-dimensional (2D) section can be found in the universal model of the vascular tree. The frozen ultrasound image is registered with the selected 2D section of the universal model of the vascular tree. Multiple sections can be used for registration to calculate M.

[0109] For another example, the registration of the ultrasound image with the universal model of the vascular tree can also be achieved by Freehand scanning a segment of ultrasound film with positioning information to obtain a reconstructed three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound image. The P matrix can be automatically obtained, and automatic registration with the real-time ultrasound image can be achieved based on the position information of the 3D ultrasound image during scanning.

[0110] like Figure 5As shown, in another embodiment of the present application, a method 500 for presenting vascular plaques based on ultrasound images is provided. The method 500 includes the following steps: in step S501, a continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image related to a target blood vessel and the spatial position information of the corresponding ultrasound probe are obtained, wherein the spatial position information includes the position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; in step S502, three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained according to the multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image and the spatial position information; in step S503, the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is rendered to obtain a blood vessel image; in step S504, at least one plaque area in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is obtained, and at least one plaque area is marked at a corresponding position on the blood vessel image; in step S505, the blood vessel image and the marked plaque area are displayed. In one example, the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel are displayed on the blood vessel image.

[0111] In one implementation, Figure 5 The presenting method of the illustrated embodiment further includes: displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the blood vessel image. For the relevant description of the angle of the ultrasound probe, reference may be made to the above description, which will not be repeated here.

[0112] The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that the plaque area of ​​the present application is displayed on the blood vessel image, and the blood vessel image is an image rendered based on the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and when it is displayed on the display device, it can also present a three-dimensional stereoscopic effect to the user. Specifically, the various steps in the embodiment of the present application can refer to the relevant description of the presentation method in the previous text, and will not be repeated here.

[0113] In summary, according to the presentation method of the embodiment of the present application, according to the presentation method of the vascular plaque of the present application, the display device is controlled to display the vascular tree three-dimensional model or the vascular tree general model or the vascular image and the marked plaque area on the display interface, and the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel is displayed on the vascular tree three-dimensional model or the vascular tree general model or the vascular image, so that the user can observe the vascular overview and plaque position and the angle of the ultrasound probe more intuitively and in real time. When reexamining the patient, the user can accurately determine the specific location of the plaque based on the displayed blood vessel and plaque position and the angle of the ultrasound probe, so as to perform targeted scanning, and there is no need to change multiple angles to repeatedly scan the target blood vessel when reexamining the patient, thereby reducing the number of scans and significantly improving work efficiency.

[0114] In addition, according to the presentation method of the embodiment of the present application, the position and angle information of the ultrasound probe relative to the blood vessel can also be displayed, thereby prompting the user to place the probe at a certain position and at what angle to accurately locate the plaque and scan the shape, size, etc. of the plaque, which helps to improve the user's scanning efficiency.

[0115] The present application also provides an ultrasonic imaging system, referring to Figure 6 The ultrasound imaging system 10 may include: an ultrasound probe 100, a transmit / receive selection switch 101, a transmit / receive sequence controller 102, a processor 103, an output device 104, and a memory 105. The transmit / receive sequence controller 102 is used to control the ultrasound probe 100 to transmit ultrasound to a target tissue (e.g., a target blood vessel), receive an ultrasound echo based on the ultrasound returned from the target tissue (e.g., a target blood vessel), and obtain an ultrasound echo signal.

[0116] A continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image related to a target blood vessel can be acquired based on an ultrasound imaging system. The transmit / receive sequence controller of the ultrasound imaging system controls the ultrasound probe to transmit ultrasound to the target blood vessel, and receives ultrasound echoes based on the ultrasound returned from the target blood vessel to obtain ultrasound echo signals. The processor of the ultrasound imaging system obtains continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel based on the ultrasound echo signals. In the embodiment of the present application, the two-dimensional ultrasound image includes but is not limited to images of any mode such as B-ultrasound images. The multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image may include multiple frames of cross-sectional images and / or multiple frames of longitudinal images.

[0117] The target blood vessels include, but are not limited to, carotid arteries, coronary arteries, abdominal aorta, brain blood vessels, eye blood vessels, femoral arteries, etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the carotid arteries are mainly used as an example.

[0118] The ultrasonic probe 100 generally includes an array of multiple array elements. Each time an ultrasonic wave is emitted, all array elements of the ultrasonic probe 100 or a part of all array elements participate in the emission of the ultrasonic wave. At this time, each array element or each part of the array elements participating in the ultrasonic wave emission is excited by the emission pulse and emits ultrasonic waves respectively. The ultrasonic waves emitted by these array elements are superimposed during the propagation process to form a synthetic ultrasonic beam emitted to the scanning target. The direction of the synthetic ultrasonic beam is the ultrasonic propagation direction.

[0119] When scanning a target blood vessel, such as the carotid artery, one can start with the aortic arch branch on the left and the innominate artery at the distal end of the carotid bifurcation on the right, and observe whether there are plaques on the vessel wall. After finding the plaque, switch to the longitudinal section and change multiple angles to find the location of the plaque, observe the morphology of the plaque, and measure the size of the plaque. The transverse section and the longitudinal section can be roughly perpendicular sections.

[0120] The ultrasound imaging system also includes a navigation device. For example, the navigation device is arranged on the ultrasound probe. The navigation device arranged on the ultrasound probe can obtain the spatial position information of the ultrasound probe in real time during the process of the ultrasound probe scanning the target blood vessel. The spatial position information includes the position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe. The navigation device includes but is not limited to magnetic navigation and inertial navigation. The magnetic navigation includes a magnetic positioning controller and a positioning sensor. The positioning sensor is fixed on the ultrasound probe. As the ultrasound probe moves, the position information is continuously provided. The six-degree-of-freedom spatial orientation of the ultrasound probe is obtained through the magnetic positioning controller. The inertial navigation includes a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The inertial navigation system is an autonomous navigation device. The inertial navigation is directly installed on the ultrasound probe. When the carrier rotates, the accelerometer and the gyroscope also rotate accordingly, thereby continuously and in real time providing information such as the characteristics, posture, and speed of the ultrasound probe.

[0121] The processor 103 is used to obtain a continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image related to the target blood vessel according to the ultrasound echo signal; for example, the processor 103 is used to process the ultrasound echo signal / data to obtain a continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound image related to the target blood vessel, and the ultrasound image may be a B image (also referred to as a B ultrasound image in this article), a C image, etc., or other types of ultrasound images. The processor 103 is used to perform different processing on the ultrasound echo signal according to different imaging modes required by the user, obtain image data of different modes, and then form ultrasound images of different modes, such as B images, C images, etc., through logarithmic compression, dynamic range adjustment, digital scan conversion, etc.

[0122] In one example, the memory 105 of the ultrasound imaging system may include one or more computer program products, which may include various forms of computer-readable storage media, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, for example, random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory (cache), etc. The non-volatile memory may include, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. One or more computer program instructions may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor 103 may run the program instructions to implement the functions (implemented by the processor 103) in the embodiment of the present application and / or other desired functions. Various applications and various data may also be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, such as various data used and / or generated by the application.

[0123] In one example, the processor 103 of the ultrasound imaging system can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof, and can use circuits, single or multiple application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), single or multiple general purpose integrated circuits, single or multiple microprocessors, single or multiple programmable logic devices, or a combination of the foregoing circuits or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices, so that the processor 103 can perform the functions that need to be implemented by it and / or other desired functions.

[0124] In one example, the ultrasound imaging system may further include an input device (not shown), which may be a device used by a user to input instructions, and may include one or more of a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a touch screen, and the like.

[0125] In one embodiment of the present application, when the program instructions stored in the memory 105 are executed by the processor 103, the processor 103 is used to execute the various relevant steps of the method for presenting vascular plaques described above. The description of each specific step can be found in the above text and will not be repeated here.

[0126] The ultrasound imaging system of the present application further includes an output device (not shown), which can output various information (such as images or sounds) to the outside (such as a user), and can include one or more of a display device 104, a printer, a speaker, etc. The ultrasound images obtained by the processor 103 can be stored in the memory 105, and these ultrasound images can be displayed on the display device 104, for example.

[0127] The display device 104 is used to display various visual information, including but not limited to the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree, the general model of the vascular tree, the marked plaque area, the ultrasound image, the position and angle information of the ultrasound probe relative to the blood vessel, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the display device 104 of the ultrasound imaging system can be a touch screen, a liquid crystal display, etc., or an independent display device such as a liquid crystal display, a television, etc. outside the ultrasound imaging system, or a display screen on an electronic device such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. The display device 104 can be used to display information input by the user or information provided to the user and various graphical user interfaces of the ultrasound imaging device, which can be composed of graphics, text, icons, videos, and any combination thereof.

[0128] Since the ultrasound imaging system of the present application can implement the method for presenting vascular plaques described above, it also has the advantages of the aforementioned method.

[0129] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer storage medium on which a computer program is stored. One or more computer program instructions may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor may run the program instructions stored in the storage device to implement the functions (implemented by the processor) in the embodiments of the present invention described herein and / or other desired functions, such as to execute the corresponding steps of the method for presenting vascular plaques according to the embodiments of the present invention. Various applications and various data, such as various data used and / or generated by the application, may also be stored in the computer-readable storage medium.

[0130] For example, the computer storage medium may include 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.

[0131] 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 invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as required by the appended claims.

[0132] Those skilled 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 the present invention.

[0133] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device 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 device, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0134] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention 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.

[0135] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present invention and help understand one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the various features of the present invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, the method of the present invention should not be interpreted as reflecting the following intention: the claimed invention requires more features than the features explicitly 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 less than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the specific embodiment are hereby expressly incorporated into the specific embodiment, wherein each claim itself serves as a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0136] 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 device 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.

[0137] 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 invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0138] The various component embodiments of the present invention 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 of the functions of some modules according to embodiments of the present invention. The present invention can also be implemented as a device program (e.g., a computer program and a computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program implementing the present invention 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.

[0139] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, 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 shall not be construed as a limitation on the claims. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising a number of different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating a number of means, several of these means 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.

Claims

1. A method for presenting vascular plaques based on vascular ultrasound images, characterized in that: The presenting method comprises: Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information; generating a three-dimensional model of a blood vessel tree according to the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree; Displaying the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree and the marked plaque area; Wherein, acquiring the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information includes: Reconstructing three-dimensional volume data of vascular tissue according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, extracting a vascular region from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; or, A blood vessel region in each of the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images is acquired, and three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is generated according to the blood vessel region and the spatial position information.

2. A method for presenting vascular plaques based on vascular ultrasound images, characterized in that: The presenting method comprises: Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information; generating a three-dimensional model of a blood vessel tree according to the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree; displaying the three-dimensional vascular tree model and the marked plaque area, and displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the three-dimensional vascular tree model; Wherein, acquiring the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information includes: Reconstructing three-dimensional volume data of vascular tissue according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, extracting a vascular region from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; or, A blood vessel region in each of the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images is acquired, and three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is generated according to the blood vessel region and the spatial position information.

3. The presentation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The presenting method further includes: displaying the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree.

4. The presentation method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The displaying the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the three-dimensional model of the blood vessel tree includes: Acquiring a simulated image of the ultrasound probe; The simulated graphic of the ultrasound probe is displayed outside the three-dimensional vascular tree model, wherein the position and angle of the simulated graphic of the ultrasound probe relative to the three-dimensional vascular tree model are used to represent the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel.

5. The presentation method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel include at least one position and angle among a plurality of positions and angles when the ultrasound probe scans a plaque region of the target blood vessel.

6. The presentation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The presenting method further comprises: The marked plaque area is displayed with a transverse two-dimensional ultrasound image having a maximum thickness and / or a longitudinal two-dimensional ultrasound image having a maximum length.

7. The presentation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The displaying of the three-dimensional model of the vascular tree and the marked plaque area includes: The marked patch area is displayed in a differentiated manner in a preset manner, wherein the differentiated display in the preset manner includes at least one of the following display modes: highlight display, additional symbol display, differentiated background color display or differentiated color display.

8. The presentation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The spatial position information is acquired in real time by a navigation device disposed on the ultrasonic probe during the process of the ultrasonic probe scanning the target blood vessel.

9. The presentation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The presenting method further comprises: Rendering the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a blood vessel image; The blood vessel image is displayed.

10. The presentation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Acquiring at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data includes: Based on a user instruction, determining at least one patch region in the three-dimensional volume data; or At least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data is automatically extracted based on an intelligent recognition method.

11. A method for presenting vascular plaque based on vascular ultrasound images, characterized in that: The presenting method comprises: Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information; Acquire a general model of a blood vessel tree, and register the general model of the blood vessel tree with the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel tree universal model; Displaying the vascular tree general model and the marked plaque area; Wherein, acquiring the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information includes: Reconstructing three-dimensional volume data of vascular tissue according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, extracting a vascular region from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; or A blood vessel region in each of the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images is acquired, and three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is generated according to the blood vessel region and the spatial position information.

12. A method for presenting vascular plaques based on vascular ultrasound images, characterized in that: The presenting method comprises: Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information; Acquire a general model of a blood vessel tree, and register the general model of the blood vessel tree with the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel tree universal model; displaying the vascular tree general model and the marked plaque area, and displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the vascular tree general model; Wherein, acquiring the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information includes: Reconstructing three-dimensional volume data of vascular tissue according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, extracting a vascular region from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; or A blood vessel region in each of the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images is acquired, and three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is generated according to the blood vessel region and the spatial position information.

13. The presentation method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The ultrasound probe is provided with a navigation device, and the navigation device is used to obtain the spatial position information of the ultrasound probe in real time. The aligning of the vascular tree universal model with the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel includes: Registering the vascular tree universal model with the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a transformation matrix; Based on the transformation matrix, the spatial coordinates of the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel are mapped to the blood vessel tree general model.

14. The presentation method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The presenting method further includes: displaying the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the general model of the blood vessel tree.

15. The presentation method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The displaying the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the general model of the blood vessel tree includes: Acquiring a simulated image of the ultrasound probe; A simulated graphic of the ultrasound probe is displayed outside the general model of the blood vessel tree, wherein the position and angle of the simulated graphic of the ultrasound probe relative to the general model of the blood vessel tree are used to characterize the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel.

16. The presentation method according to claim 14, characterized in that: The position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel include at least one position and angle among a plurality of positions and angles when the ultrasound probe scans a plaque region of the target blood vessel.

17. The presentation method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The presenting method further comprises: The marked plaque area is displayed with a transverse two-dimensional ultrasound image having a maximum thickness and / or a longitudinal two-dimensional ultrasound image having a maximum length.

18. The presentation method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The displaying of the vascular tree general model and the marked plaque area includes: The marked patch area is displayed in a differentiated manner in a preset manner, wherein the differentiated display in the preset manner includes at least one of the following display modes: highlight display, additional symbol display, differentiated background color display or differentiated font color display.

19. The presentation method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The spatial position information is acquired in real time by a navigation device disposed on the ultrasonic probe during the process of the ultrasonic probe scanning the target blood vessel.

20. The presentation method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The presenting method further comprises: Rendering the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a blood vessel image; The blood vessel image is displayed.

21. The presentation method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The acquiring at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data comprises: Based on a user instruction, determining at least one patch region in the three-dimensional volume data; or At least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data is automatically extracted based on an intelligent recognition method.

22. A method for presenting vascular plaque based on vascular ultrasound images, characterized in that: The presenting method comprises: Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information; Rendering the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a blood vessel image; Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel image; displaying the blood vessel image and the marked plaque area; Wherein, acquiring the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information includes: Reconstructing three-dimensional volume data of vascular tissue according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, extracting a vascular region from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; or, A blood vessel region in each of the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images is acquired, and three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is generated according to the blood vessel region and the spatial position information.

23. A method for presenting vascular plaque based on vascular ultrasound images, characterized in that: The presenting method comprises: Acquire continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasound images related to the target blood vessel and corresponding spatial position information of the ultrasound probe, wherein the spatial position information includes position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe; Acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the spatial position information; Rendering the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel to obtain a blood vessel image; Acquire at least one plaque region in the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel, and mark at least one plaque region at a corresponding position on the blood vessel image; displaying the blood vessel image and the marked plaque area, and displaying the angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the blood vessel image; Wherein, acquiring the three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information includes: Reconstructing three-dimensional volume data of vascular tissue according to the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the spatial position information, extracting a vascular region from the three-dimensional volume data of the vascular tissue to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel; or, A blood vessel region in each of the multiple frames of two-dimensional ultrasound images is acquired, and three-dimensional volume data of the target blood vessel is generated according to the blood vessel region and the spatial position information.

24. The presentation method according to claim 22, characterized in that: The presenting method further includes: displaying the position and angle of the ultrasound probe relative to the target blood vessel on the blood vessel image.

25. The presentation method according to any one of claims 1 to 24, characterized in that: The target blood vessel is the carotid artery.

26. An ultrasonic imaging system, characterized in that: The ultrasonic imaging system comprises: Ultrasound probe; a transmitting / receiving sequence controller, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to a target blood vessel, receiving ultrasonic echoes based on the ultrasonic waves returned from the target blood vessel, and obtaining ultrasonic echo signals; A processor, configured to obtain a continuous multi-frame two-dimensional ultrasonic image related to the target blood vessel according to the ultrasonic echo signal; A memory for storing executable program instructions; The processor is further configured to execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the method for presenting a vascular plaque according to any one of claims 1 to 25; The display device is used to display visual information.

27. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 26, wherein: The ultrasound imaging system further comprises: A navigation device is arranged on the ultrasound probe and is used to obtain the spatial position information of the ultrasound probe in real time when the ultrasound probe scans the target blood vessel, wherein the spatial position information includes the position information and angle information of the ultrasound probe.

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