Inspection protocol statistics method, system, imaging device and data processing device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a statistical method, system, ultrasonic imaging device and image data processing device for an inspection protocol, the method comprising: obtaining an inspection protocol for ultrasonic inspection, the inspection protocol comprising inspection guidelines and a plurality of inspection rules; obtaining a plurality of ultrasonic images from a storage medium, wherein at least part of the plurality of ultrasonic images are acquired according to the inspection guidelines; determining evaluation information of each ultrasonic image based on the inspection rules; and statistically analyzing the evaluation information based on the statistical rules, and displaying the statistical results. According to the statistical method, system, ultrasonic imaging device and image data processing device for an inspection protocol provided by the present invention, for a plurality of ultrasonic images acquired according to the inspection guidelines, the evaluation information of each ultrasonic image is determined based on the inspection rules, and / or the evaluation information of the inspection protocol is determined based on the required sections in the inspection rules and the plurality of ultrasonic images, so as to perform multi-dimensional quantitative statistics on the execution of the inspection protocol.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, and in particular to a statistical method and system for an inspection protocol, an ultrasonic imaging device and an image data processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasound imaging is to transmit ultrasound into the human body, receive and record the ultrasound echo signals reflected, scattered or transmitted by various organs and tissue interfaces in the body, and obtain tissue information based on the characteristics of the ultrasound echo signals. An ultrasound examination requires multiple sections to be examined, but there are no national or industry standard inspection specifications for ultrasound examinations, so hospitals usually formulate their own inspection specifications and require doctors to perform ultrasound examinations in accordance with the inspection specifications formulated by the hospital.

[0003] However, for the examination standards formulated by the hospital itself, on the one hand, it is difficult to measure with quantitative indicators whether the doctors have complied with the standards during the ultrasound examination; on the other hand, it is also difficult to measure with quantitative indicators whether the examination standards are appropriate. Summary of the invention

[0004] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the Summary of the Invention, which will be further described in detail in the Detailed Description of the Invention. The Summary of the Invention does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0005] A first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a statistical method for checking a protocol, the method comprising:

[0006] obtaining an examination protocol for ultrasound examination, wherein the examination protocol includes an examination guide and a plurality of examination rules;

[0007] Acquire a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium, wherein at least some of the plurality of ultrasound images are acquired according to the examination guideline;

[0008] determining evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images based on the inspection rule;

[0009] The evaluation information is counted based on statistical rules, and the statistical results are displayed.

[0010] A second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides a statistical method for checking a protocol, the method comprising:

[0011] obtaining an examination protocol for ultrasound examination, wherein the examination protocol includes an examination guide and a plurality of examination rules;

[0012] Acquire a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium, wherein at least part of the plurality of ultrasound images are a plurality of ultrasound images acquired according to the inspection guideline;

[0013] Determining evaluation information of the examination protocol based on the required sections in the examination rule and the plurality of ultrasound images;

[0014] The evaluation information is counted based on statistical rules, and the statistical results are displayed.

[0015] In one embodiment, the evaluation information of the examination protocol includes evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images.

[0016] In one embodiment, the counting of the evaluation information based on statistical rules includes:

[0017] The evaluation information is statistically analyzed based on the attributes of the ultrasound image, and / or

[0018] The evaluation information is counted according to the multiple inspection rules.

[0019] In one embodiment, the attributes of the ultrasound image include a user identification and / or a device identification;

[0020] The evaluation information is statistically calculated based on the attributes of the ultrasound image, including:

[0021] Counting the evaluation information based on the user identification to determine the user compliance; and / or

[0022] The evaluation information is counted based on the device identification to determine the device compliance;

[0023] The displaying of the statistical results includes: displaying the user compliance and / or the device compliance.

[0024] In one embodiment, the attributes of the ultrasound image include the region identification and / or department identification;

[0025] The evaluation information based on attribute statistics of the ultrasound image includes at least one of the following:

[0026] Counting the evaluation information based on the area identifier;

[0027] Counting the evaluation information based on the department identification;

[0028] The evaluation information is counted based on the department identification and the area identification.

[0029] In one embodiment, the counting of the evaluation information based on the user identification to determine the user compliance includes:

[0030] Based on the evaluation information of the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier, counting the number of sections in the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier that belong to the sections required by the examination protocol;

[0031] The user compliance is determined according to a ratio of the number of slices to a total number of slices required by the inspection protocol.

[0032] In one embodiment, the evaluation information based on attribute statistics of the ultrasound image includes:

[0033] Based on the evaluation information of the multiple ultrasound images, counting the number of sections in the multiple ultrasound images that are required by the inspection protocol and have qualified quality;

[0034] The inspection quality is determined based on the ratio of the number of slices to the total number of slices required by the inspection protocol.

[0035] In one embodiment, the attributes of the ultrasound image further include an inspection site identification;

[0036] The evaluation information is statistically calculated based on the attributes of the ultrasound image, including:

[0037] The evaluation information is counted based on the inspection part identification to determine the inspection part scanning quality.

[0038] In one embodiment, the counting of the evaluation information based on statistical rules includes:

[0039] The number of slices required by the inspection protocol in the multiple ultrasound images is obtained; and the protocol compliance is determined according to the ratio of the number of slices to the total number of slices required by the inspection protocol.

[0040] In one embodiment, before displaying the statistical results, the method further includes:

[0041] The statistical results are sorted.

[0042] In one embodiment, the statistical results are displayed in a form of a list, a bar chart or a pie chart.

[0043] In one embodiment, acquiring a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium includes:

[0044] The multiple ultrasound images are received through a network, obtained from a removable storage medium, or acquired from a local storage medium.

[0045] In one embodiment, the method further includes: acquiring and displaying the number of times the inspection protocol is used within a preset time period.

[0046] In one embodiment, the inspection rule includes an acquisition order of the ultrasound images required to be acquired;

[0047] The counting of the evaluation information according to the multiple inspection rules includes:

[0048] Based on the difference between the inspection order of the plurality of ultrasound images and the acquisition order of the ultrasound images required to be acquired, the inspection order compliance is calculated.

[0049] In one embodiment, the evaluation information includes at least one of the inspection quality of the inspection protocol, the utilization rate of the inspection protocol, the number of inspections of the sections required by the inspection protocol, the conformity of the inspection sequence of the sections required by the inspection protocol, and the compliance of the inspection protocol.

[0050] A third aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an image data processing device, the processing device comprising:

[0051] Processor: used to execute the steps of the statistical method of the above inspection protocol to perform quantitative statistics on the inspection protocol;

[0052] a memory for storing a computer program executed by the processor;

[0053] The display is used to display the statistical results.

[0054] A fourth aspect of an embodiment of the present invention provides an ultrasonic imaging device, the device comprising:

[0055] Probe;

[0056] A transmitting circuit, used for stimulating the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target tissue;

[0057] A receiving circuit, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo of the target tissue to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;

[0058] The processor is also used to generate an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound echo signal and to execute the steps of the statistical method of the above-mentioned inspection protocol.

[0059] A fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides a statistical system for inspection protocols, the system comprising: at least one ultrasonic imaging device and an image data processing device, the image data processing device being connected to each of the ultrasonic imaging devices;

[0060] The at least one ultrasound imaging device comprises:

[0061] Ultrasound probe;

[0062] A transmitting circuit, used for stimulating the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target tissue;

[0063] A receiving circuit, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo of the target tissue to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;

[0064] a processor, further configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound echo signal;

[0065] The image data processing device comprises:

[0066] Processor: used for the steps of the above statistical method to perform quantitative statistics on the inspection protocol;

[0067] a memory for storing a computer program executed by the processor;

[0068] The display is used to display the statistical results.

[0069] In one embodiment, the image data processing device comprises a central station or a hospital information system.

[0070] In one embodiment, the image data processing device is communicatively connected to each of the ultrasonic imaging devices.

[0071] According to the statistical method, system and image data processing device of the inspection protocol provided by the present invention, for multiple ultrasound images collected according to the inspection guidelines, the evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images is determined based on the inspection rules, and / or the evaluation information of the inspection protocol is determined based on the required sections in the inspection rules and the multiple ultrasound images, so as to perform multi-dimensional quantitative statistics on the execution of the inspection protocol. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0072] The following drawings of the present invention are used to understand the present invention as part of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and the description thereof is used to explain the principle of the present invention.

[0073] In the attached figure:

[0074] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0075] Figure 2 A schematic flow chart showing a statistical method for checking protocols according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0076] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart showing a statistical method for checking protocols according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0077] Figure 4 A schematic block diagram showing an image data processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0078] Figure 5A schematic block diagram of a statistical system for checking protocols according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] 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.

[0080] 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.

[0081] 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.

[0082] 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.

[0083] In order to fully understand the present invention, detailed steps and detailed structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution proposed by the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, but in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention may also have other implementations.

[0084] Next, first refer to Figure 1 An ultrasonic imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] like Figure 1As shown, the ultrasound imaging device 100 includes a probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116, and a display 118. Further, the ultrasound imaging device may also include a transmitting / receiving selection switch 120 and a beamforming module 122, and the transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 may be connected to the probe 110 through the transmitting / receiving selection switch 120.

[0086] The probe 110 includes a plurality of transducer array elements, which can be arranged in a row to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a surface array, or a plurality of transducer array elements can also form a convex array. The transducer array element is used to transmit ultrasonic waves according to the excitation electrical signal, or to convert the received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals, so each transducer array element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between the electrical pulse signal and the ultrasonic wave, so as to realize the transmission of ultrasonic waves to the tissue of the target area of ​​the object to be tested, and can also be used to receive the ultrasonic wave echo reflected by the tissue. When performing ultrasonic testing, which transducer array elements are used to transmit ultrasonic waves and which transducer array elements are used to receive ultrasonic waves can be controlled by the transmission sequence and the reception sequence, or the transducer array elements can be controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves or receive ultrasonic wave echoes in time slots. The transducer array elements participating in ultrasonic wave transmission can be excited by electrical signals at the same time, so as to transmit ultrasonic waves at the same time; or, the transducer array elements participating in ultrasonic wave beam transmission can also be excited by several electrical signals with a certain time interval, so as to continuously transmit ultrasonic waves with a certain time interval.

[0087] During the ultrasonic imaging process, the transmitting circuit 112 sends the delayed focused transmitting pulse to the probe 110 through the transmitting / receiving selection switch 120. The probe 110 is stimulated by the transmitting pulse to transmit an ultrasonic beam to the tissue of the target area of ​​the object to be measured, and receives the ultrasonic echo with tissue information reflected from the tissue of the target area after a certain delay, and reconverts the ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal. The receiving circuit 114 receives the electrical signal converted and generated by the probe 110, obtains the ultrasonic echo signal, and sends these ultrasonic echo signals to the beamforming module 122, which performs focusing delay, weighting and channel summing on the ultrasonic echo data, and then sends them to the processor 116. The processor 116 performs signal detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, logarithmic compression and other processing on the ultrasonic echo signal to form an ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic image obtained by the processor 116 can be displayed on the display 118 or stored in the memory 124.

[0088] Optionally, the processor 116 may be implemented as software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof, and may use a single or multiple application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a single or multiple general purpose integrated circuits, a single or multiple microprocessors, a single or multiple programmable logic devices, or any combination of the aforementioned circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices. Furthermore, the processor 116 may control other components in the ultrasonic imaging device 100 to perform the corresponding steps of the methods in various embodiments of the present specification.

[0089] The display 118 is connected to the processor 116, and the display 118 may be a touch screen, a liquid crystal display, etc.; or, the display 118 may be an independent display such as a liquid crystal display, a television, etc., which is independent of the ultrasonic imaging device 100; or, the display 118 may be a display screen of an electronic device such as a smart phone or a tablet computer, etc. The number of the display 118 may be one or more.

[0090] The display 118 can display the ultrasound image obtained by the processor 116. In addition, while displaying the ultrasound image, the display 118 can also provide the user with a graphical interface for human-computer interaction. One or more controlled objects are set on the graphical interface, and the user is provided with a human-computer interaction device to input operation instructions to control these controlled objects, thereby performing corresponding control operations. For example, an icon is displayed on the graphical interface, and the icon can be operated by the human-computer interaction device to perform a specific function, such as drawing a region of interest box on the ultrasound image.

[0091] Optionally, the ultrasound imaging device 100 may further include other human-computer interaction devices in addition to the display 118, which are connected to the processor 116. For example, the processor 116 may be connected to the human-computer interaction device via an external input / output port, and the external input / output port may be a wireless communication module, or a wired communication module, or a combination of the two. The external input / output port may also be implemented based on USB, bus protocols such as CAN, and / or wired network protocols.

[0092] The human-computer interaction device may include an input device for detecting user input information, which may be, for example, a control instruction for ultrasonic transmission / reception timing, an operation input instruction for drawing points, lines or frames on an ultrasonic image, or other instruction types. The input device may include a keyboard, a mouse, a scroll wheel, a trackball, a mobile input device (such as a mobile device with a touch screen, a mobile phone, etc.), a multi-function knob, etc., or a combination of multiple thereof. The human-computer interaction device may also include an output device such as a printer.

[0093] The ultrasound imaging device 100 may further include a memory 124 for storing instructions executed by the processor, storing received ultrasound echoes, storing ultrasound images, etc. The memory may be a flash memory card, a solid-state memory, a hard disk, etc. It may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory, a removable memory and / or a non-removable memory, etc.

[0094] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the ultrasonic imaging device 100 are only exemplary, and the ultrasonic imaging device 100 may include more or fewer components, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0095] Figure 2 It is a schematic flow chart of a statistical method 200 for checking protocols according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0096] Specifically, the statistical method 200 for checking protocols according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0097] In step S210: obtaining an inspection protocol for ultrasonic inspection, wherein the inspection protocol includes inspection instructions and a plurality of inspection rules;

[0098] In step S220: acquiring a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium, wherein at least part of the plurality of ultrasound images are acquired according to the inspection guideline;

[0099] In step S230: determining evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images based on the inspection rule;

[0100] In step S240: the evaluation information is counted based on statistical rules, and the statistical results are displayed.

[0101] The statistical method 200 of the inspection protocol of the embodiment of the present invention determines the evaluation information of each of the multiple ultrasound images collected according to the inspection guidelines based on the inspection rules, and then counts the evaluation information based on the statistical rules, so as to perform quantitative statistics on the user's execution of the inspection protocol.

[0102] Figure 3 It is a schematic flow chart of a statistical method 300 for checking protocols according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] Specifically, the statistical method 300 for checking protocols according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0104] In step S310: obtaining an inspection protocol for ultrasonic inspection, wherein the inspection protocol includes inspection instructions and a plurality of inspection rules;

[0105] In step S320: acquiring a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium, wherein at least part of the plurality of ultrasound images are a plurality of ultrasound images acquired according to the inspection guideline;

[0106] Step S330: determining evaluation information of the inspection protocol based on the required sections in the inspection rule and the multiple ultrasound images;

[0107] In step S340: the evaluation information is counted based on statistical rules, and the statistical results are displayed.

[0108] The statistical method 300 of the inspection protocol of the embodiment of the present invention determines the evaluation information of the inspection protocol based on the required sections in the inspection rules and the multiple ultrasound images collected according to the inspection instructions, and then counts the evaluation information based on the statistical rules, so as to quantify the execution of the inspection protocol itself.

[0109] In step S210 and step S310, the method for obtaining the inspection protocol may include receiving the inspection protocol through a network, obtaining the inspection protocol from a removable storage medium, receiving a user-defined inspection protocol input, or obtaining the inspection protocol from a local storage medium. The inspection protocol may be shared between different devices through a network or a removable storage medium. The method for obtaining the inspection protocol may include directly receiving the inspection protocol, or calling the inspection protocol according to a link, name, number, etc. of the inspection protocol.

[0110] Exemplarily, the examination protocol defines multiple sections that need to be examined under the current ultrasound examination type. The examination protocol is configured in the ultrasound section examination guidance workflow. The ultrasound section examination guidance workflow can organize the multiple sections that need to be examined in the ultrasound examination in a certain order or form through the examination protocol, and guide the user to complete the examination one by one. Part of the inspection work can be automatically completed by the ultrasound imaging device 100, thereby improving the doctor's work efficiency and standardizing the doctor's operating procedures.

[0111] Optionally, the inspection guide includes: presenting multiple inspection items of the region of interest and the inspection order of each inspection item, so as to inspect the multiple inspection items one by one according to the inspection order. Among them, the inspection items include inspection site and inspection direction. The inspection site represents the local part of the region of interest. Taking the thyroid region as an example, the inspection site may include the left side, the right side, the isthmus, etc. The inspection direction represents the positioning direction of the probe relative to the region of interest. For example, taking the median sagittal plane of the inspection site as the reference system, the direction perpendicular to the median sagittal plane is an inspection direction, called the transverse direction; the direction parallel to the median sagittal plane is another inspection direction, called the longitudinal direction. Of course, other inspection directions can also be defined according to other inspection needs. For the inspection order, the purpose of defining the inspection order in the present invention is to ensure a comprehensive inspection of the region of interest in a controllable manner to avoid missed inspections. As long as the defined inspection order covers all the inspection items that need to be inspected, they all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. The above-mentioned inspection items and inspection order can be predetermined and stored in the ultrasonic imaging device 100; subsequent users can also adjust the inspection items and inspection order according to personal preferences, better inspection methods, etc.

[0112] In some embodiments, the inspection items determined according to the inspection order can be obtained; and according to the determined inspection items, ultrasonic beams are emitted to the corresponding inspection parts according to the corresponding inspection directions to inspect the multiple inspection items one by one. After the real-time imaging is started, the inspection items are prompted according to the preset inspection order, and the user performs real-time inspection of the corresponding parts accordingly. After the inspection is completed, the next inspection item is prompted according to the inspection order until all objects that need to be inspected are completed.

[0113] In this way, guidance can be provided to the operating users, and the users only need to follow the guidance. It does not require a high level of user experience, and even inexperienced users can complete it, avoiding missing any inspection items, and also standardizing the inspection of any user.

[0114] In step S220 and step S320, multiple ultrasound images that have been collected and are related to the inspection protocol are obtained from the storage medium. Exemplarily, the multiple ultrasound images are ultrasound images collected for the same target object, and are multiple ultrasound images obtained in the same type of ultrasound examination, and the ultrasound examination type includes but is not limited to head ultrasound examination, cardiac ultrasound examination, etc. The multiple ultrasound images may be collected in one ultrasound examination, or in multiple ultrasound examinations. The multiple ultrasound images may include ultrasound images of different imaging modes, such as grayscale mode, color mode, elastic imaging mode, contrast imaging mode, etc. The ultrasound image may include a static ultrasound image, and may also include an ultrasound video image.

[0115] In some embodiments, acquiring multiple ultrasound images from a storage medium includes receiving multiple ultrasound images through a network. Exemplarily, the network may include a wired network or a wireless network. When receiving multiple ultrasound images through the network, multiple ultrasound images may be acquired through the network from an ultrasound imaging system that acquires ultrasound images, or ultrasound images uploaded by the ultrasound imaging system may be acquired from the cloud, or ultrasound images may be acquired from any other device. Acquiring multiple ultrasound images from a storage medium may also include acquiring multiple ultrasound images from a removable storage medium. For example, multiple ultrasound images acquired by an ultrasound imaging device may be copied to a removable storage medium, and an electronic device that displays ultrasound images acquires ultrasound images from the removable storage medium. The removable storage medium includes a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, and the like. Acquiring multiple ultrasound images from a storage medium may also include acquiring multiple ultrasound images from a local storage medium. For an ultrasound imaging system, acquiring multiple ultrasound images from a local storage medium may include acquiring ultrasound images that have been previously acquired and stored in a local storage medium. For electronic devices other than ultrasound imaging systems, acquiring multiple ultrasound images from a local storage medium may include ultrasound images that have been previously acquired and stored in a local storage medium through a network connection or a removable storage medium.

[0116] During the ultrasound examination, the user needs to gradually complete the acquisition of ultrasound images of multiple sections. During the examination, the doctor can examine each section one by one according to the preset section order in the examination protocol, or examine each section one by one according to the patient's condition or the doctor's own habits or in a custom order. When examining each section, the doctor places the probe at the examination position corresponding to the current section to be examined. The ultrasound imaging system transmits ultrasound to the tissue at that position through the probe, receives the ultrasound echo, obtains the ultrasound echo signal, and processes the ultrasound echo signal to obtain the ultrasound image corresponding to the section to be examined. After obtaining the ultrasound image corresponding to the current section to be examined, the doctor can actively freeze the ultrasound image and select a standard section from a set of ultrasound image sequences to store the image. There is a mapping relationship between the stored ultrasound image and the current section to be examined, that is, the ultrasound image has the section information of the current section to be examined. After the doctor saves the image, the ultrasound imaging device can automatically unfreeze the ultrasound image to facilitate the doctor to examine the next section until all sections specified in the examination protocol are examined and multiple ultrasound images are obtained.

[0117] In step S230, each ultrasound image acquired during the above-mentioned ultrasound examination is evaluated to determine whether each ultrasound image belongs to the "section required by the examination protocol", and further determine whether each ultrasound image is a "section of qualified quality", thereby obtaining evaluation information of each ultrasound image.

[0118] In some embodiments, after acquiring the ultrasound image, the evaluation information of each ultrasound image may be determined automatically, manually, or semi-automatically. When the evaluation information of the ultrasound image is determined automatically, it may be determined whether the ultrasound image belongs to the "section required by the inspection protocol" based on a detection algorithm or a detection model, and further determined whether each ultrasound image is a "section of qualified quality" based on a segmentation algorithm. The detection algorithm includes, but is not limited to, algorithms based on deep learning, machine learning, traditional image processing, and the like.

[0119] Exemplarily, when a deep learning algorithm is used, it is necessary to first train the deep learning neural network based on the collected sample ultrasound images and the evaluation information annotated by medical staff. The deep learning neural network includes but is not limited to RCNN, Faster-RCNN, SSD, YOLO, etc. In the network training phase, the error between the evaluation information and the annotation information is calculated in the iterative process, and the weights in the network are continuously updated with the purpose of minimizing the error. The process is repeated continuously so that the detection results gradually approach the true value of the evaluation information, and a trained image evaluation model is obtained. The model can realize the automated evaluation of the newly input ultrasound image to determine whether the ultrasound image belongs to the "section required by the inspection protocol".

[0120] Exemplarily, when a segmentation algorithm is used, the ultrasound image can be segmented and extracted based on a trained deep learning model. Deep learning segmentation networks include Unet, FCN, and networks improved thereon. Exemplarily, when training a deep learning segmentation model, sample ultrasound images and evaluation information annotated by medical personnel are input. The error between the evaluation information output by the calculation model and the annotated information is minimized by continuous iteration until the segmentation result approaches the true value, thereby completing the training of the deep learning segmentation model. The model can realize automated evaluation of newly input ultrasound images to determine whether the ultrasound image is a "qualified quality section".

[0121] The above automatic detection method is only exemplary, and in other implementations, the user may manually mark the evaluation information in the ultrasound image. Alternatively, the evaluation information of each ultrasound image may be determined by a semi-automatic detection method.

[0122] In step S330, the evaluation information of the inspection protocol includes at least one of the following: the scanning quality of the inspection protocol, the utilization rate of the inspection protocol, the number of scans of the sections required by the inspection protocol, the conformity of the scanning sequence of the sections required by the inspection protocol, and the compliance of the inspection protocol. The evaluation information of the inspection protocol includes the evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images.

[0123] In step S240 and step S340, the evaluation information is counted based on statistical rules, including: counting the evaluation information based on attributes of the ultrasound image, and / or counting the evaluation information according to the multiple inspection rules.

[0124] Exemplarily, the attributes of the ultrasound image include, but are not limited to, user identification, device identification, and / or examination site identification, etc. Among them, the identification includes information of the user who collected each ultrasound image, such as the country, region, hospital, department to which the user belongs, and user personal information. For the convenience of subsequent statistics, the identification can be graded, for example, the first-level identification includes the hospital, the second-level identification includes the department, and the third-level identification includes user personal information, etc. This grading method is not restrictive, and the number of grades and the groups represented by each level of identification can be set according to needs. The device identification includes information of the device that collects each ultrasound image. Similarly, the device identification can also be graded according to the country, region, hospital, department to which the device belongs, and the individual information of the device. In addition, the attributes of the ultrasound image also include the examination site identification, which can be manually marked, automatically marked by the inspection guide, or marked by step S230.

[0125] In one embodiment, counting the evaluation information based on the user identifier to determine the user compliance includes: counting the number of slices in the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier that belong to the slice required by the inspection protocol based on the evaluation information of the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier; and determining the user compliance according to the ratio of the number of slices to the total number of slices required by the inspection protocol:

[0126] According to the above user compliance, the execution of the inspection protocol by the user (user group or individual user) can be quantitatively counted. For example, when the user compliance of user 1 is 80% and the user compliance of user 2 is 100%, it means that user 1 did not strictly follow the inspection guidelines during one or more inspections, while user 2 followed the inspection guidelines during each inspection. According to the user compliance, the work performance of the user can be evaluated.

[0127] In one embodiment, counting the evaluation information based on statistical rules includes: obtaining the number of slices required by the inspection protocol in the multiple ultrasound images; and determining the protocol compliance according to the ratio of the number of slices to the total number of slices required by the inspection protocol:

[0128]

[0129] According to the above protocol compliance, the execution of the inspection protocol itself can be quantified and counted. For example, when the user compliance of protocol 1 is 60% and the user compliance of protocol 2 is 80%, it means that users are less willing to follow the inspection guidelines of protocol 1 and more willing to follow the inspection guidelines of protocol 2. According to the protocol compliance, the rationality of the inspection protocol can be evaluated to promote the optimization of the inspection protocol.

[0130] In one embodiment, counting the evaluation information based on the attributes of the ultrasound image includes: counting the number of sections in the multiple ultrasound images that are required by the inspection protocol and have qualified quality based on the evaluation information of the multiple ultrasound images; determining the scan quality according to the ratio of the number of sections to the total number of sections required by the inspection protocol:

[0131]

[0132] For scanning quality, the user scanning quality can be counted to represent the level of users (user groups or individual users) in acquiring ultrasound images of qualified quality. The protocol scanning quality can also be counted to represent the difficulty of acquiring ultrasound images of qualified quality according to different examination protocols. The examination site scanning quality can also be counted based on the examination site identification to represent the difficulty of acquiring ultrasound images of qualified quality at different examination sites.

[0133] In one embodiment, the inspection rules include the acquisition order of the ultrasound images that need to be acquired; the evaluation information is statistically analyzed according to the multiple inspection rules, and also includes: calculating the scanning order compliance based on the difference between the scanning order of the multiple ultrasound images and the acquisition order of the ultrasound images that need to be acquired.

[0134] In one embodiment, counting the usage rate of the inspection protocol includes acquiring and displaying the number of times the inspection protocol is used within a preset time period.

[0135] It should be noted that the above statistical method of the inspection protocol is only exemplary, and the inspection protocol can be quantitatively counted from multiple dimensions according to the properties of various ultrasound images, inspection rules or other statistical methods, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0136] Exemplarily, the display method of the statistical results may include a list or a visual graphic, and the visual graphic has multiple implementation methods, including but not limited to a bar chart or a pie chart. Furthermore, before outputting and displaying the statistical results, a step of processing the statistical results may be included, such as sorting the statistical results or grading the statistical results. Furthermore, for the visual expression of the graded statistical results, different levels may be represented by different colors. For example, when the compliance is higher than 80%, the visual graphic is green, when the compliance is between 60% and 80%, the visual graphic is yellow, and when the compliance is lower than 80%, the visual graphic is red; or, when the compliance is lower, the color of the visual graphic is darker.

[0137] In summary, according to the statistical method 200 and the statistical method 300 of the inspection protocol provided by the present invention, for multiple ultrasound images collected according to the inspection guidelines, the evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images is determined based on the inspection rules, and / or the evaluation information of the inspection protocol is determined based on the required sections in the inspection rules and the multiple ultrasound images, so as to perform multi-dimensional quantitative statistics on the execution of the inspection protocol.

[0138] The embodiment of the present invention further provides an image data processing device, which is used to implement the above-mentioned statistical method 200 and statistical method 300 of the inspection protocol. The image data processing device provided by the embodiment of the present invention may be a device that is not configured with the inspection protocol, such as a personal computer, a mobile terminal, etc. Figure 4 The image data processing device 400 provided in the embodiment of the present invention includes a processor 410, a memory 420 and a display 430. The memory 420 stores a computer program executed by the processor 410. When the computer program is executed by the processor 410, it executes the statistical method 200 of the inspection protocol and / or the statistical method 300 of the inspection protocol.

[0139] The processor 410 may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof, and may use circuits, single or multiple dedicated integrated circuits, single or multiple general purpose integrated circuits, single or multiple microprocessors, single or multiple programmable logic devices, or any combination of the aforementioned circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices, and the processor 410 may control other components in the image data processing device 400 to perform the desired functions. The memory 420 may include one or more computer program products, and the computer program products 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 and / or cache memory, etc. The non-volatile memory may include, for example, read-only memory, hard disk, flash memory, etc. One or more computer program instructions may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor 410 may run the program instructions to implement the statistical method of the inspection protocol in the present invention and / or other various 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. The display 430 can be any conventional cathode ray tube, liquid crystal display, light emitting diode display, etc. The display 430 is connected to the processor 410 and is used to display the statistical results obtained by the processor 410 executing the statistical method 200 of the inspection protocol and / or the statistical method 300 of the inspection protocol.

[0140] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a statistical system 500 for examination protocols, comprising at least one ultrasonic imaging device 100 and an image data processing device 400 , wherein the image data processing device 400 is connected to each of the ultrasonic imaging devices 100 .

[0141] Re-reference Figure 1 The statistical system 500 of the inspection protocol may include one or more implementations such as Figure 1The ultrasonic imaging device 100 shown in the figure may include a probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116 and a display 118. Optionally, the ultrasonic imaging device 100 may also include a transmitting / receiving selection switch 120 and a beamforming module 122. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 may be connected to the probe 110 through the transmitting / receiving selection switch 120. Among them, the transmitting circuit 112 is used to excite the probe 110 to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object; the receiving circuit 114 is used to control the probe to receive ultrasonic echoes returned from the target object to obtain ultrasonic echo signals; the processor 116 is used to process the ultrasonic echo signals to obtain an ultrasonic image of the target object, and to perform the steps of the method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images. On the display interface of the display 118, multiple ultrasonic images are displayed according to the logical relationship between the slices defined by the display protocol and the mapping relationship between the ultrasonic images and the slices. The above only describes the main functions of the various components of the ultrasonic imaging system. For more details, please refer to the relevant description of the method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images, which will not be repeated here.

[0142] Re-reference Figure 4 The statistical system 500 of the inspection protocol may include an image data processing device 400, which includes a processor 410, a memory 420 and a display 430. The memory 420 stores a computer program run by the processor 410. When the computer program is run by the processor 410, it executes the statistical method 200 of the inspection protocol and / or the statistical method 300 of the inspection protocol. The display 430 is connected to the processor 410 and is used to display the statistical results obtained by the processor 410 executing the statistical method 200 of the inspection protocol and / or the statistical method 300 of the inspection protocol.

[0143] In the statistical system 500 of the inspection protocol, the image data processing device 400 may include a central station, a server or a hospital information system. The image data processing device 400 is connected to at least one ultrasonic imaging device 100. Each ultrasonic imaging device 100 sends an ultrasonic image to the image data processing device 400 through an external communication interface. The external communication interface may be one or a combination of a local area network interface composed of Ethernet, Token Ring, Token Bus, and a fiber distributed data interface (FDDI) as the backbone network of these three networks, or may be one or a combination of wireless interfaces such as infrared, Bluetooth, wifi, WMTS communication, or may be one or a combination of wired data connection interfaces such as RS232 and USB. The external communication interface may also be a combination of one or both of a wireless data transmission interface and a wired data transmission interface.

[0144] According to the statistical system 500 of the inspection protocol of the embodiment of the present invention, one or more ultrasound imaging devices 100 are connected to the image data processing device 400, and quantitative statistics can be performed on the data of multiple ultrasound devices included in the system.

[0145] 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.

[0146] 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.

[0147] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, 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.

[0148] 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.

[0149] 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.

[0150] 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.

[0151] 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.

[0152] 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.

[0153] 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.

[0154] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention or an explanation of a specific embodiment. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A statistical method for checking protocols, characterized in that include: obtaining an examination protocol for ultrasound examination, wherein the examination protocol includes an examination guide and a plurality of examination rules; Acquire a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium, wherein at least some of the plurality of ultrasound images are acquired according to the examination guideline; determining evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images based on the inspection rule; Counting the evaluation information based on statistical rules, and displaying the statistical results; The counting of the evaluation information based on statistical rules includes: Based on the evaluation information of the multiple ultrasound images, count the number of sections in the multiple ultrasound images that are required by the inspection protocol and have qualified quality, and determine the inspection quality according to the ratio of the number of sections to the total number of sections required by the inspection protocol; or The evaluation information is counted based on the attributes of the ultrasound image, and the attributes of the ultrasound image include a user identifier. The evaluation information is counted based on the attributes of the ultrasound image, including: based on the evaluation information of the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier, counting the number of slices required by the examination protocol in the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier, and determining the user compliance according to the ratio of the number of slices to the total number of slices required by the examination protocol.

2. A statistical method for checking protocols, characterized in that include: obtaining an examination protocol for ultrasound examination, wherein the examination protocol includes an examination guide and a plurality of examination rules; Acquire a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium, wherein at least part of the plurality of ultrasound images are a plurality of ultrasound images acquired according to the inspection guideline; Determining evaluation information of the examination protocol based on the required sections in the examination rule and the plurality of ultrasound images; Counting the evaluation information based on statistical rules, and displaying the statistical results; The counting of the evaluation information based on statistical rules includes: Based on the evaluation information of the multiple ultrasound images, count the number of sections in the multiple ultrasound images that are required by the inspection protocol and have qualified quality, and determine the inspection quality according to the ratio of the number of sections to the total number of sections required by the inspection protocol; or The evaluation information is counted based on the attributes of the ultrasound image, and the attributes of the ultrasound image include a user identifier. The evaluation information is counted based on the attributes of the ultrasound image, including: based on the evaluation information of the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier, counting the number of slices required by the examination protocol in the ultrasound image corresponding to the user identifier, and determining the user compliance according to the ratio of the number of slices to the total number of slices required by the examination protocol.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The evaluation information of the examination protocol includes evaluation information of each of the ultrasound images.

4. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The method of counting the evaluation information based on statistical rules further includes: The evaluation information is counted according to the multiple inspection rules.

5. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The attributes of the ultrasound image also include a device identification; The evaluation information based on attribute statistics of the ultrasound image further includes: The evaluation information is counted based on the device identification to determine the device compliance; The displaying of the statistical results includes: displaying the user compliance and / or the device compliance.

6. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The attributes of the ultrasound image also include a region identification and / or a department identification; The evaluation information based on attribute statistics of the ultrasound image further includes at least one of the following: Counting the evaluation information based on the area identifier; Counting the evaluation information based on the department identification; The evaluation information is counted based on the department identification and the area identification.

7. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The attributes of the ultrasound image also include an inspection site identification; The evaluation information based on attribute statistics of the ultrasound image further includes: The evaluation information is counted based on the inspection part identification to determine the inspection part scanning quality.

8. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The method of counting the evaluation information based on statistical rules further includes: The number of slices required by the inspection protocol in the multiple ultrasound images is obtained; and the protocol compliance is determined according to the ratio of the number of slices to the total number of slices required by the inspection protocol.

9. The statistical method for checking protocols according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Before displaying the statistical results, it also includes: The statistical results are sorted.

10. The statistical method for checking protocols according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The statistical results may be displayed in the form of a list, a bar chart or a pie chart.

11. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Acquire multiple ultrasound images from a storage medium, including: The multiple ultrasound images are received through a network, obtained from a removable storage medium, or acquired from a local storage medium.

12. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further includes: acquiring and displaying the number of times the inspection protocol is used within a preset time period.

13. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The acquisition order of the ultrasound images required to be acquired contained in the inspection rule; The counting of the evaluation information according to the multiple inspection rules includes: Based on the difference between the inspection order of the plurality of ultrasound images and the acquisition order of the ultrasound images required to be acquired, the inspection order compliance is calculated.

14. The statistical method for checking protocols according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The evaluation information includes at least one of the inspection quality of the inspection protocol, the utilization rate of the inspection protocol, the number of inspections of the sections required by the inspection protocol, the conformity of the inspection sequence of the sections required by the inspection protocol, and the compliance of the inspection protocol.

15. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: The device comprises: Probe; A transmitting circuit, used for stimulating the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target tissue; A receiving circuit, used for controlling the probe to receive the echo of the target tissue to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; The processor is further used to generate an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound echo signal, and to execute the steps of the statistical method of the inspection protocol described in any one of claims 1 to 14 to perform quantitative statistics on the inspection protocol.

16. An image data processing device, characterized in that: The processing device comprises: Processor: used to execute the steps of the statistical method of the inspection protocol according to any one of claims 1 to 14, so as to perform quantitative statistics on the inspection protocol; a memory for storing a computer program executed by the processor; The display is used to display the statistical results.

17. A statistical system for checking protocols, characterized in that include: At least one ultrasonic imaging device and an image data processing device, wherein the image data processing device is connected to each of the ultrasonic imaging devices; The at least one ultrasound imaging device comprises: Probe; A transmitting circuit, used for stimulating the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target tissue; A receiving circuit, used for controlling the probe to receive the echo of the target tissue to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; The processor is further configured to generate an ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic echo signal; The image data processing device comprises: Processor: used to execute the steps of the statistical method of the inspection protocol according to any one of claims 1 to 14, so as to perform quantitative statistics on the inspection protocol; a memory for storing a computer program executed by the processor; The display is used to display the statistical results.

18. The statistical system of examination protocols according to claim 17, wherein the image data processing device comprises a central station, a server or a hospital information system.

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