Ultrasonic diagnostic device, control method of ultrasonic diagnostic device, and processor for ultrasonic diagnostic device

Abstract

The present invention discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic device, a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic device, and a processor for the ultrasonic diagnostic device. The ultrasonic diagnostic device (1) comprises: a bladder extraction unit (9) for extracting a bladder region from an ultrasonic image; a feature value calculation unit (10) for calculating the feature value of the bladder region; a failed frame determination unit (16) for determining whether the ultrasonic image is a failed frame in which ultrasonic beam scanning fails; a rescan determination unit (17) for determining whether ultrasonic beam rescanning is required based on the time series change of the feature value and the time series position of the failed frame; a rescan recommendation unit (19) for recommending ultrasonic beam rescanning to a user when it is determined that ultrasonic beam rescanning is required; a measurement frame selection unit (12) for selecting an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame based on the feature value; and a urine volume measurement unit (13) for analyzing the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame and measuring urine volume.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic device for measuring the amount of urine in the bladder of a subject, a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic device, and a processor for the ultrasonic diagnostic device. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an operation of observing the bladder of a subject using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and measuring the amount of urine in the observed bladder has been performed. Generally, since the amount of urine in the bladder of a subject is approximately equal to the volume of the bladder of the subject, the volume of the bladder of the subject is measured as the amount of urine. In order to easily perform such urine volume measurement, for example, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of Patent Document 1 has been developed. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of Patent Document 1, when a user acquires a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images including the bladder of the subject, if a trigger button provided by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is pressed, an ultrasonic image of a frame determined to be suitable for urine volume measurement is automatically selected based on the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images acquired by the user, and urine volume is measured based on the ultrasonic image of the selected frame.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-109074 Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues to be solved by the invention

[0007] However, when the user attaches the ultrasonic probe to the body surface of the subject and scans the bladder of the subject, the ultrasonic probe may be separated from the body surface of the subject during scanning, and an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the bladder region is not normally photographed may be generated, and an ultrasonic image of a frame suitable for urine volume measurement may not be generated, and the scanning of the ultrasonic beam may fail. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, since an ultrasonic image of a frame for urine volume measurement is automatically selected even when the user fails to scan the ultrasonic beam, urine volume measurement is performed based on an ultrasonic image of a frame not suitable for urine volume measurement, resulting in a problem that the accuracy of urine volume measurement is reduced.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic device, a control method for an ultrasonic diagnostic device, and a processor for an ultrasonic diagnostic device that can improve the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0009] Means for solving technical problems

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that it comprises: an image memory which stores a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images acquired by scanning a subject with an ultrasonic beam using an ultrasonic probe; a bladder extraction unit which extracts a bladder region from each of the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images; a feature quantity calculation unit which calculates, for each of the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images, a feature quantity related to the bladder region extracted by the bladder extraction unit; a failed frame determination unit which determines, for each of the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images, whether it is a failed frame in which the scanning of the subject with the ultrasonic beam fails; and a rescan determination unit which determines, based on a time series change of the feature quantity calculated by the feature quantity calculation unit and a time series change of the feature quantity caused by the failed frame. a failed frame determination unit, which determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is required based on the time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failed frame; a rescan recommendation unit, which recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam to the user when the rescan determination unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is required; a measurement frame selection unit, which selects an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from a plurality of ultrasonic images based on the feature amount calculated by the feature amount calculation unit when the rescan determination unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not required; and a urine volume measurement unit, which measures the urine volume by analyzing the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame selected by the measurement frame selection unit.

[0011] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may further include: an input device for a user to perform input operations; and a rescan execution accepting unit, which, when the rescan recommendation unit recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, accepts a selection of whether to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam according to the input operation performed by the user via the input device. In this case, when the rescan determination unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary or when the rescan execution accepting unit receives a selection of not performing rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, the measurement frame selection unit selects an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from a plurality of ultrasonic image frames based on the feature quantity calculated by the feature quantity calculation unit.

[0012] The failed frame determination unit may determine that the frame is a failed frame when a failed region in which the ultrasonic probe is not attached to the subject is confirmed in the ultrasonic image based on the brightness distribution in the depth direction of the ultrasonic image by performing image analysis on the ultrasonic image.

[0013] Alternatively, the failed frame determination unit may determine that the frame is a failed frame when a failed region due to insufficient penetration of the ultrasonic probe into the subject is confirmed in the ultrasonic image based on edge clarity of the bladder region in the ultrasonic image by performing image analysis on the ultrasonic image.

[0014] Even if a failure region is confirmed in the ultrasonic image by the failure frame determination unit, the rescan determination unit may determine that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary if the bladder region extracted by the bladder extraction unit does not overlap with the failure region.

[0015] The ultrasonic diagnostic device may also include: an ultrasonic probe; and a pressure sensor, which is installed on the ultrasonic probe and detects the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe on the subject. At this time, the failure frame determination unit determines whether it is a failure frame based on the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe detected by the pressure sensor.

[0016] The failed frame determination unit may notify the user of a portion of the ultrasonic probe that is not attached to the subject or a portion that is insufficiently pressed into the subject.

[0017] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may further include a warning unit configured to issue a warning to a user when the failed frame is determined to be a failed frame by the failed frame determination unit.

[0018] The control method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus involved in the present invention is characterized by maintaining a plurality of ultrasonic image frames acquired by scanning a subject with an ultrasonic beam using an ultrasonic probe, extracting a bladder region from each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, calculating a feature value related to the extracted bladder region for each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, determining for each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames whether it is a failed frame in which the ultrasonic beam scanning of the subject failed, determining whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on a time series change of the feature value and a time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined to be the failed frame, recommending rescanning of the ultrasonic beam to a user when it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, and selecting an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from the plurality of ultrasonic image frames based on the feature value when it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, and measuring urine volume by analyzing the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

[0019] The processor for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that it holds a plurality of ultrasonic image frames acquired by scanning a subject with an ultrasonic beam using an ultrasonic probe, extracts a bladder region from each of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, calculates a feature value associated with the extracted bladder region for each of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, determines for each of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames whether it is a failed frame in which the scanning of the subject with the ultrasonic beam failed, determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on a time series change in the feature value and a time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined to be the failed frame, recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam to a user when it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, and selects an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from the plurality of ultrasonic image frames based on the feature value when it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, and measures urine volume by analyzing the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

[0020] Effects of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises: a bladder extraction unit, which extracts a bladder area from each frame of a plurality of ultrasonic image frames; a feature quantity calculation unit, which calculates a feature quantity related to the bladder area extracted by the bladder extraction unit for each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames; a failed frame determination unit, which determines whether each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames is a failed frame in which the ultrasonic beam fails to scan a subject; a rescan determination unit, which determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is required based on a time series change of the feature quantity calculated by the feature quantity calculation unit and a time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined by the failed frame determination unit to be a failed frame; and a rescan recommendation unit, which recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam to a user when the rescan determination unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is required, thereby improving the accuracy of urine volume measurement. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the transmission and reception circuit in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the image generating unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a diagram schematically showing an example of an ultrasonic image including a bladder region in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an example of an ultrasonic image of a failed frame.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a diagram schematically showing a state of scanning the bladder by the swing method.

[0028] Figure 7 This is a diagram showing an example of how the area of ​​the bladder region changes over time.

[0029] Figure 8 It is a figure which shows an example of an ellipsoid.

[0030] Fig. 9 This is a diagram showing an example in which the temporal change in the area of ​​the bladder region becomes maximum in the section of the ultrasonic image in which the generation of the failed frame is performed.

[0031] Fig.10This is a diagram showing an example in which the temporal change in the area of ​​the bladder region does not reach a maximum value in the section of the ultrasonic image of the failed frame generation.

[0032] Fig.11 This is a diagram schematically showing an example in which a graph showing time-series changes in the area of ​​the bladder region and a multi-frame ultrasonic image are displayed on a monitor in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Fig.12 This is a flowchart showing the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Fig.13 This is a diagram schematically showing an example in which the amount of urine in the bladder of a subject is displayed on a monitor in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0035] Fig.14 This is a diagram schematically showing a state of scanning the bladder by the sliding method.

[0036] Fig.15 This is a diagram showing an example of a time-series change in the area of ​​the bladder region during multiple scans of an ultrasonic beam.

[0037] Fig.16 This is a block diagram showing the internal structure of a rescan determination unit in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0038] Fig.17 This is a flowchart showing the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Fig.18 This is a diagram schematically showing an example in which a portion where the ultrasonic probe is not attached to the body surface of a subject is displayed on a monitor in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0040] Fig.19 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention.

[0041] Fig. 20 This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0043] The description of the components described below is based on typical embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments.

[0044] In addition, in this specification, the numerical range expressed using "to" means a range including the numerical values ​​described before and after "to" as the lower limit and the upper limit.

[0045] In this specification, “same” and “identical” include an error range generally allowed in the technical field.

[0046] Implementation Method 1

[0047] Figure 1 The structure of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a transducer array 2, and a transceiver circuit 3, an image generator 4, a display control unit 5, and a monitor 6 are sequentially connected to the transducer array 2. The transducer array 2 and the transceiver circuit 3 are included in an ultrasonic probe 21. The image memory 7 is connected to the image generator 4. The bladder extraction unit 9 and the failed frame determination unit 16 are connected to the image memory 7. The feature amount calculation unit 10 is connected to the bladder extraction unit 9. The rescan determination unit 17 is connected to the feature amount calculation unit 10 and the failed frame determination unit 16. The warning unit 18 is connected to the failed frame determination unit 16. The rescan recommendation unit 19 and the rescan execution acceptance unit 20 are connected to the rescan determination unit 17. The measurement frame selection unit 12 is connected to the feature amount calculation unit 10, the rescan determination unit 17, and the rescan execution acceptance unit 20. The urine volume measurement unit 13 is connected to the measurement frame selection unit 12. Furthermore, the measurement frame selection unit 12 , the urine volume measurement unit 13 , the warning unit 18 , and the rescanning recommendation unit 19 are respectively connected to the display control unit 5 .

[0048] The device control unit 14 is connected to the transceiver circuit 3, the image generation unit 4, the display control unit 5, the bladder extraction unit 9, the feature amount calculation unit 10, the measurement frame selection unit 12, the urine volume measurement unit 13, the failed frame determination unit 16, the rescan determination unit 17, the warning unit 18, the rescan recommendation unit 19, and the rescan execution acceptance unit 20. The input device 15 is connected to the device control unit 14.

[0049] The image generating unit 4, the display controlling unit 5, the bladder extracting unit 9, the feature amount calculating unit 10, the measurement frame selecting unit 12, the urine volume measuring unit 13, the device controlling unit 14, the failed frame determining unit 16, the rescan determining unit 17, the warning unit 18, the rescan recommending unit 19, and the rescan execution accepting unit 20 constitute a processor 22 for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1.

[0050] Figure 1The transducer array 2 of the ultrasonic probe 21 shown has a plurality of transducers arranged in one dimension or two dimensions. These transducers transmit ultrasonic waves according to the driving signals supplied from the transceiver circuit 3, receive ultrasonic echoes from the subject, and output signals based on the ultrasonic echoes. Each transducer is constituted by forming electrodes at both ends of a piezoelectric body composed of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), and a piezoelectric single crystal represented by PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate).

[0051] The transceiver circuit 3 transmits ultrasonic waves from the transducer array 2 under the control of the device control unit 14 and generates a sound ray signal based on the received signal acquired by the transducer array 2. Figure 2 As shown, the transmission and reception circuit 3 includes a pulsar 23 connected to the transducer array 2 , an amplifier 24 , an AD (Analog Digital) converter 25 , and a beam former 26 which are connected in series in order from the transducer array 2 .

[0052] The pulsar 23 includes, for example, a plurality of pulse generators, and adjusts the delay amount of each driving signal and supplies it to the plurality of transducers in such a manner that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 2 form an ultrasonic beam, based on a transmission delay mode selected by a control signal from the device control unit 14. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducers of the transducer array 2, the piezoelectric body expands and contracts, and pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves are generated from each transducer, and an ultrasonic beam is formed by the synthetic wave of these ultrasonic waves.

[0053] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected by an object such as a part of a subject, and propagates toward the transducer array 2 of the ultrasonic probe 21. The ultrasonic echoes thus propagated toward the transducer array 2 are received by the respective transducers constituting the transducer array 2. At this time, the respective transducers constituting the transducer array 2 expand and contract by receiving the propagated ultrasonic echoes, and generate reception signals as electrical signals, and output these reception signals to the amplifier 24.

[0054] The amplifier 24 amplifies the signal input from each transducer constituting the transducer array 2, and sends the amplified signal to the AD converter 25. The AD converter 25 converts the signal sent from the amplifier 24 into digital reception data, and sends the reception data to the beamformer 26. The beamformer 26 adds each delay to each reception data converted by the AD converter 25 and performs addition calculation according to the sound speed or the distribution of the sound speed set based on the reception delay mode selected by the control signal from the device control unit 14, thereby performing so-called reception focusing processing. Through this reception focusing processing, a sound line signal in which each reception data converted by the AD converter 25 is phase-added and the focus of the ultrasonic echo is narrowed is obtained.

[0055] like Figure 3 As shown, the image generating section 4 has a structure in which a signal processing section 27, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 28, and an image processing section 29 are sequentially connected in series.

[0056] The signal processing unit 27 performs attenuation correction based on distance on the acoustic line signal generated by the beam former 26 of the transmitting and receiving circuit 3 according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position, and then performs envelope detection processing to generate a B-mode image signal which is tomographic image information related to the tissue in the subject.

[0057] The DSC 28 converts (raster converts) the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 27 into an image signal conforming to a scanning method of a normal television signal.

[0058] The image processing unit 29 performs various necessary image processing such as grayscale processing on the B-mode image signal input from the DSC 28, and then outputs the B-mode image signal to the display control unit 5 and the image memory 7. Hereinafter, the B-mode image signal subjected to image processing by the image processing unit 29 is simply referred to as an ultrasonic image.

[0059] The image memory 7 is a memory for storing a series of multi-frame ultrasonic images generated for each diagnosis by the image generating unit 4. As the image memory 7, a flash memory, a HDD (Hard Disc Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), an FD (Flexible Disc), an MO disk (Magneto-Optical Disc), an MT (Magnetic Tape), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an SD card (Secure Digital card), a USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), or a server can be used.

[0060] The bladder extraction part 9 is, for example, Figure 4As shown, the bladder region BR is extracted from the ultrasonic image U. The bladder extraction unit 9 can extract the bladder region BR in the ultrasonic image U by using, for example, a deep learning method described in Krizhevsk et al.: ImageNet Classification with Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 25, pp. 1106-1114 (2012). In addition, in order to extract the bladder area BR, the bladder extraction unit 9 can use well-known techniques such as graph cutting (Y. Boykov and V. Kolmogorov, "An experimental comparison of min-cut / max-flow algorithm for energy minimization in vision", IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 26, 9, pp. 1123-1137, 2004.), Snakes (AW Michael Kass and D. Terzopoulos: "Snakes: Active contour models", Int. J. Computer Vision, 1, 4, pp. 321-331, 1988.), and LevelSets (M. Sussman, P. Smereka and S. Osher: "A level set approach for computing solutions to incompressible two-phase flow", J. Comput. Phys, 114, 1, pp. 146-159, 1994) as other methods.

[0061] The feature quantity calculation unit 10 calculates the feature quantity related to the extracted bladder region BR in the ultrasonic image U in which the bladder region BR is extracted by the bladder extraction unit 9. The feature quantity calculation unit 10 can calculate the area of ​​the extracted bladder region BR as the feature quantity by, for example, image analysis. In addition, the feature quantity calculation unit 10 can calculate the maximum diameter of the bladder region BR in three mutually orthogonal directions for measuring the volume of the bladder described later as the feature quantity by, for example, image analysis. In addition, the feature quantity calculation unit 10 can calculate the maximum diameter in any direction, the perimeter of the bladder region BR, etc. as the feature quantity from the extracted bladder region BR by, for example, image analysis.

[0062] The failed frame determination unit 16 determines whether each of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames stored in the image memory 7 is an ultrasonic image of a failed frame. Here, the so-called failed frame ultrasonic image is an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the ultrasonic beam fails to scan the subject due to the fact that the ultrasonic probe 21 is not attached to a part of the body surface of the subject.

[0063] Here, if there is a portion where the ultrasonic probe 21 is not attached to the body surface of the subject, since a signal having a constant intensity or higher cannot be obtained, as in Figure 5 As shown in the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 1 , a black failure area FR is generated in the ultrasonic image U1 .

[0064] Therefore, the failure frame determination unit 16, for example, has a brightness threshold that is constant relative to the brightness value of the ultrasonic image, and analyzes the brightness distribution along the depth direction for each frame of the multiple frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7, and determines that the area with a brightness value smaller than the brightness threshold is a failure area FR where the ultrasonic probe 21 is not attached to the body surface of the subject, and determines the ultrasonic image of the frame including the failure area FR as an ultrasonic image of a failed frame.

[0065] When any frame among the multiple ultrasonic image frames stored in the image memory 7 is determined as a failed frame by the failed frame determination unit 16, the warning unit 18 warns the user. The warning unit 18 can display a message indicating a warning to the user on the monitor 6, for example.

[0066] However, when the image generator 4 generates an ultrasonic image of a frame including the bladder region BR of the subject, the user usually scans the bladder while changing the position or angle of the ultrasonic probe 21 while attaching the ultrasonic probe 21 to the body surface of the subject. In this case, the user can scan the bladder using, for example, a swing method in which the ultrasonic probe 21 is tilted on the body surface of the subject while keeping the position of the ultrasonic probe 21 unchanged.

[0067] When the user scans the bladder by the pendulum method, e.g. Figure 6 As shown, the ultrasonic probe 21 is tilted on the body surface S of the subject by reciprocating between the tilt angle of the scanning section PS1 for photographing one end of the bladder B and the tilt angle of the scanning section PS2 for photographing the other end of the bladder B, with the rotation axis R parallel to the arrangement direction of the transducer array 2 as the center.

[0068] At this time, for example Figure 7As shown, the area value of the bladder region BR included in the ultrasonic image of the frame continuously generated by the image generating unit 4 changes in time series in a manner that alternately has a maximum value and a minimum value. Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 1 , the relationship between the area of ​​the bladder region BR and the time when the ultrasonic image of the frame for calculating the area of ​​the bladder region BR is generated is shown, and the value of the area of ​​the bladder region BR changes in a time series with a maximum value M1 and two minimum values ​​N1 and N2. Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 1 , the time series change of the area value of the bladder region BR is shown, and the maximum diameter of the bladder region BR is also shown. Figure 7 The time series changes shown.

[0069] Here, generally, since the bladder B of the subject is generally formed in a substantially ellipsoidal shape, the amount of urine in the bladder B is measured by treating the bladder B as an ellipsoid and calculating the volume of the bladder B. As is known, Figure 8 As shown, the ellipsoid E has a symmetrical shape with respect to the XY plane, the YZ plane, and the XZ plane, and the maximum diameter of the ellipsoid E in the X direction is LX, the maximum diameter in the Y direction is LY, the maximum diameter in the Z direction is LZ, and the circumference is π, and the volume of the ellipsoid E is calculated by (LX×LY×LZ)×π / 6. Therefore, when calculating the volume of the bladder B using an ultrasonic image, it is desirable to measure two frames of ultrasonic images corresponding to scanning cross sections that pass through the center of the bladder B and are orthogonal to each other.

[0070] Thus, the ultrasonic image of the frame corresponding to the scanning section passing through the center of the bladder B is an ultrasonic image of the frame in which the characteristic quantities such as the area and the maximum diameter of the bladder region BR become maximum in the time series change when the ultrasonic beam is scanned on the bladder B by, for example, the oscillation method.

[0071] The rescan determination unit 17 acquires information indicating the time series change of the feature quantity of the bladder region BR calculated by the feature quantity calculation unit 10, and estimates whether the original time series change of the feature quantity is maximum at the time of generating the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as the failed frame by analyzing the information, and determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on the estimation result. Fig. 9 , a graph showing time-series changes in the area of ​​the bladder region BR is shown as an example of information showing time-series changes in feature quantities of the bladder region BR, and an ultrasonic image of a failed frame is generated in the interval between time T1 and time T2.

[0072] The rescan determination unit 17 can obtain information indicating changes in the graph in a certain interval before and after the interval from time T1 to T2 by analyzing the graph indicating the time change of the feature quantity, and can determine whether the feature quantity is at a maximum at the time of generating the ultrasonic image of the failed frame based on the obtained information. For example, when the graph monotonically increases in a certain interval before the interval from time T1 to T2 and the graph monotonically decreases in a certain interval after the interval from time T1 to T2, the rescan determination unit 17 can estimate that the feature quantity is at a maximum in the interval from time T1 to T2, and in other cases, it can be estimated that the feature quantity is not at a maximum in the interval from time T1 to T2.

[0073] exist Fig. 9 In the example, the graph monotonically increases in a certain interval before the interval of time T1 to T2 when the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated, and the graph monotonically decreases in a certain interval after the interval of time T1 to T2. Therefore, the rescan determination unit 17 estimates that the area of ​​the bladder region BR is maximum in the interval of time T1 to T2.

[0074] In this way, when it is estimated that the feature amount reaches a maximum value at the time of generating the ultrasonic image of the failed frame, the rescan determination unit 17 determines that an ultrasonic image of a frame suitable for urine volume measurement has not been generated and determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary.

[0075] In addition, for example, Fig.10 In the example shown, the area of ​​the bladder region BR has a local maximum value M1 at a time earlier than the interval between time T3 and T4 when the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated. In this case, since the graph decreases monotonically in a certain interval before the interval between time T3 and T4 and a certain interval after the interval between time T3 and T4, the rescan determination unit 17 estimates that the area of ​​the bladder region BR has not reached a local maximum value at the time when the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated.

[0076] Thus, when it is estimated that the area of ​​the bladder region BR has not reached a maximum when the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated, the rescan determination unit 17 determines that an ultrasonic image of a frame suitable for urine volume measurement has been generated and determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary.

[0077] The input device 15 is a device for a user to perform input operations, and may be configured to include a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touch pad, a touch panel, and the like.

[0078] When the rescan determination unit 17 determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, the rescan recommendation unit 19 recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam to the user. The rescan recommendation unit 19 can display a message recommending rescanning of the ultrasonic beam on the monitor 6, for example.

[0079] The rescanning recommendation unit 19 displays, for example, on the monitor 6 a message, a radio button, etc. for prompting the user to select whether to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam by input operation via the input device 15. Fig.11 As shown, the rescanning recommendation unit 19 can display the multi-frame ultrasonic image U2 and a graph G1 showing the time series change of the feature value of the bladder region BR corresponding to the multi-frame ultrasonic image U2 on the monitor 6 so that the user can easily determine whether to rescan the ultrasonic beam. Fig.11 In the example, a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images U2 are scrolled and displayed at the lower portion of the monitor 6, and a user selects an ultrasonic image U3 of a frame corresponding to a mark MP arranged in the graph G1 among the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images U2, and an ultrasonic image U4 which is an enlarged image of the ultrasonic image U3 of the frame is displayed at the upper right portion of the monitor 6.

[0080] When the rescan determination unit 17 determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, the rescan execution acceptance unit 20 accepts a selection of whether to execute rescanning of the ultrasonic beam in accordance with an input operation by the user via the input device 15 .

[0081] After the rescan determination unit 17 determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, when the rescan execution receiving unit 20 receives a selection of not performing rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, or when the rescan determination unit 17 determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, the measurement frame selection unit 12 selects an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from the multiple frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7 based on the feature value calculated by the feature value calculation unit 10.

[0082] When the rescanning determination unit 17 determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, the measurement frame selection unit 12 can, for example, obtain the largest feature value among the feature values ​​calculated by the feature value calculation unit 10 for multiple frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7, and select the ultrasonic image of the frame with the largest feature value as the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

[0083] In addition, when the rescan execution receiving unit 20 receives a selection not to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, the measurement frame selecting unit 12 can, for example, remove the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failed frame by the failed frame determining unit 16 from the multiple frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7, obtain the largest feature value among the feature values ​​in the ultrasonic images of the remaining frames, and select the ultrasonic image of the frame with the largest feature value as the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

[0084] The urine volume measuring unit 13 calculates the volume of the bladder B of the subject based on the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame selected by the measurement frame selecting unit 12, thereby measuring the urine volume in the bladder B. For example, when the ultrasonic images of two measurement frames corresponding to the scanning cross sections passing through the center of the bladder B and orthogonal to each other are selected by the measurement frame selecting unit 12, the urine volume measuring unit 13 can measure the length in the bladder region BR in the ultrasonic images of the two measurement frames, obtain the maximum diameters LX, LY, and LZ in three directions orthogonal to each other, and calculate the volume of the bladder B of the subject by calculating (LX×LY×LZ)×π / 6.

[0085] Under the control of the device control unit 14, the display control unit 5 performs prescribed processing on the ultrasonic image of the frame stored in the image memory 7, the information indicating the warning to the user by the warning unit 18, the information indicating the message that the rescanning recommendation unit 19 recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, and the information indicating the value of the urine volume in the bladder B of the subject measured by the urine volume measurement unit 13, and displays them on the monitor 6.

[0086] The monitor 6 performs various displays under the control of the display control unit 5. The monitor 6 includes, for example, a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0087] The device control unit 14 controls each unit of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 based on a control program stored in advance or the like.

[0088] In addition, the processor 22 including the image generating unit 4, the display controlling unit 5, the bladder extracting unit 9, the feature amount calculating unit 10, the measuring frame selecting unit 12, the urine volume measuring unit 13, the device controlling unit 14, the failed frame determining unit 16, the rescan determining unit 17, the warning unit 18, the rescanning recommending unit 19 and the rescanning execution accepting unit 20 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various processes, but may also be composed of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or other ICs (Integrated Circuits), or may be composed of a combination of these.

[0089] In addition, the image generation unit 4, display control unit 5, bladder extraction unit 9, feature value calculation unit 10, measurement frame selection unit 12, urine volume measurement unit 13, device control unit 14, failed frame determination unit 16, rescan determination unit 17, warning unit 18, rescan recommendation unit 19 and rescan execution acceptance unit 20 of the processor 22 can also be partially or entirely integrated into one CPU or the like.

[0090] Next, use Fig.12 The operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment is described in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0091] First, in step S1, an ultrasonic image is generated in a state where the user attaches the ultrasonic probe 21 to the body surface S of the subject, and the generated ultrasonic image is displayed on the monitor 6. At this time, ultrasonic beams are transmitted from the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 2 into the subject in accordance with the driving signal from the pulsar 23 of the transceiver circuit 3, and a reception signal is generated by each transducer that receives the ultrasonic echo from the subject, and the reception signal is output to the amplifier 24 of the transceiver circuit 3. The reception signal is amplified by the amplifier 24 and AD-converted by the AD converter 25, and then phased and added by the beam former 26 to generate an acoustic line signal. The acoustic line signal is converted into a B-mode image signal by the envelope detection processing performed by the signal processing unit 27 in the image generating unit 4, and is output to the display control unit 5 via the DSC 28 and the image processing unit 29, as shown. Figure 4 As shown, under the control of the display control unit 5 , the ultrasonic image U is displayed on the monitor 6 .

[0092] At this time, the user adjusts the position and inclination of the ultrasonic probe 21 so that the bladder region BR of the subject is depicted in the ultrasonic image U while checking the ultrasonic image U displayed on the monitor 6 .

[0093] Next, in step S2, it is determined whether the measurement mode for measuring the amount of urine in the bladder B of the subject is activated. For example, when the user issues an instruction to activate the measurement mode via the input device 15, it is determined that the measurement mode is activated, and when the user does not issue an instruction to activate the measurement mode, it is determined that the measurement mode is not activated. If it is determined that the measurement mode is not activated, the process returns to step S1 to generate and display an ultrasonic image. If the user completes the position adjustment of the ultrasonic probe 21 and issues an instruction to activate the measurement mode, and it is determined that the measurement mode is activated, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0094] If it is determined in step S2 that the measurement mode has been activated, in step S3, an ultrasonic image is generated in the same manner as in step S1, and the generated ultrasonic image is stored in the image memory 7. The user scans the bladder B with an ultrasonic beam by, for example, a swing method of changing the inclination of the ultrasonic probe 21 while imaging the bladder B of the subject.

[0095] Next, in step S4, it is determined whether the scanning of the bladder B by the ultrasonic beam is completed. For example, when the user issues an instruction to end the scanning of the ultrasonic beam via the input device 15, it is determined that the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is completed, and when the user does not issue an instruction to end the scanning of the ultrasonic beam, it is determined that the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is continuing. In the case where it is determined that the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is continuing, the process returns to step S3 to generate and store the ultrasonic image. In this way, as long as the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is continuing, steps S3 and S4 are repeated. As a result, a series of multi-frame ultrasonic images are stored in the image memory 7. In the case where it is determined that the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is completed, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0096] Here, when an ultrasonic image is generated in step S3, if there is a portion where the ultrasonic probe 21 is not attached to the body surface S of the subject, for example, Figure 5 As shown in the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 1 , a failure area FR filled in black in the ultrasonic image U1 occurs because a signal having an intensity greater than a certain level cannot be obtained.

[0097] Therefore, in step S5, it is determined whether the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is included in the series of multi-frame ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7. At this time, the failed frame determination unit 16 obtains the brightness distribution along the depth direction for each frame in the multi-frame ultrasonic image stored in the image memory 7, and by analyzing the acquired brightness distribution, identifies the region in the ultrasonic image having a brightness value smaller than the constant brightness threshold as the failed region FR, and determines the ultrasonic image of the frame including the failed region FR as the ultrasonic image of the failed frame. When it is determined that the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is included in the multi-frame ultrasonic image stored in the image memory 7, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0098] In step S6, the warning unit 18 warns the user that the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is included in the plurality of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7. The warning unit 18 displays a warning to the user on, for example, the monitor 6. Thus, the user can understand that the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated, and when rescanning the ultrasonic beam, the user can be reminded to make sure that the ultrasonic probe 21 is sufficiently attached to the body surface S of the subject.

[0099] In this way, when the processing of step S6 is completed, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0100] In addition, when it is determined in step S5 that the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is not included in the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7 , step S6 is omitted and the process proceeds to step S7 .

[0101] In step S7 , the bladder extracting unit 9 analyzes the multi-frame ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7 to extract the bladder region BR representing the subject's bladder B. Information on the extracted bladder region BR and the multi-frame ultrasonic images are sent to the feature amount calculating unit 10 .

[0102] In step S8, the feature quantity calculation unit 10 calculates the area of ​​the bladder region BR for each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic images based on the bladder region BR extracted in step S7 as a feature quantity related to the bladder region BR. Since the user scans the ultrasonic beam by the swing method in step S3, for example, Figure 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the area of ​​the bladder region BR calculated in step S6 changes in time series. Here, information on the calculated area of ​​the bladder region BR and a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images are sent to the rescan determination unit 17 and the measurement frame selection unit 12 .

[0103] In step S9 , the rescan determination unit 17 determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on the time series position of the ultrasonic image frame determined as a failed frame in step S5 and the time series change in the area of ​​the bladder region BR calculated in step S8 .

[0104] At this time, the rescan determination unit 17 removes the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failed frame in step S5 from a series of ultrasonic images of multiple frames stored in the image memory 7, and acquires a graph showing the time series change of the area of ​​the bladder region BR in the ultrasonic images of the remaining frames.

[0105] Here, since the amount of urine in the bladder B is measured by regarding the bladder B as an ellipsoid E and calculating its volume, it is desirable to use an ultrasonic image of a frame corresponding to a scan cross section passing through the center of the bladder B as an ultrasonic image of a frame for urine amount measurement. Such an ultrasonic image of a frame is an ultrasonic image of the area of ​​the bladder region BR in the range of Figure 7 The ultrasonic image of the frame that becomes maximum in the time series change shown.

[0106] Therefore, the rescan determination unit 17 can determine whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary by analyzing a graph showing time series changes in the area of ​​the bladder region BR and estimating whether the original area of ​​the bladder region BR has a local maximum value in the time series interval of the ultrasonic image in which the failed frame was generated.

[0107] For example Fig. 9As shown, when an ultrasonic image of a failed frame is generated in the interval between time T1 and time T2, the rescan determination unit 17 obtains information indicating changes in the graph in a certain interval before and after the interval between time T1 and time T2, and based on the obtained information, it is possible to estimate whether the area of ​​the original bladder region BR has a local maximum value in the interval between time T1 and time T2.

[0108] exist Fig. 9 In the example, the graph monotonically increases in a certain interval before the interval of time T1 to T2, and monotonically decreases in a certain interval after the interval of time T1 to T2. Therefore, the rescan determination unit 17 estimates that the area of ​​the original bladder region BR reaches a maximum in the interval of time T1 to T2, determines that an ultrasonic image of a frame suitable for urine volume measurement is not generated, and determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary.

[0109] In addition, in the graph representing the time series change of the area of ​​the bladder region BR, the graph monotonically increases in a certain interval before the interval in which the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated, and the graph monotonically decreases in a certain interval after the interval in which the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated. In other cases, the rescan determination unit 17 estimates that the area of ​​the original bladder region BR has not reached a maximum in the interval in which the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is generated, determines that an ultrasonic image of a frame suitable for urine volume measurement has been generated, and determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary.

[0110] exist Fig.10 In the example, an ultrasonic image of a failed frame is generated in the interval from time T3 to T4 that does not include the maximum value M1. Since the graphs of the certain interval before the interval from time T3 to T4 and the certain interval after the interval from time T3 to T4 are both monotonically decreasing, the rescan determination unit 17 estimates that the area of ​​the original bladder region BR did not reach the maximum in the interval from time T3 to T4.

[0111] In this way, in step S9, the rescan determination unit 17 determines whether or not rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary. If it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0112] In step S10, the rescanning recommendation unit 19 recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam to the user by displaying a message or the like for recommending rescanning of the ultrasonic beam on the monitor 6. The rescanning recommendation unit 19, which is not shown in the figure, displays a message or a radio button or the like on the monitor 6 for allowing the user to select whether to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam by input operation via the input device 15.

[0113] At this time, for example Fig.11As shown, the rescanning recommendation unit 19 can display the multi-frame ultrasonic image U2 and a graph G1 showing the time series change of the feature value of the bladder region BR corresponding to the multi-frame ultrasonic image U2 on the monitor 6 so that the user can easily determine whether to rescan the ultrasonic beam. Fig.11 In the example, a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images U2 are scrolled and displayed at the lower portion of the monitor 6, and a user selects an ultrasonic image U3 of a frame corresponding to a mark MP arranged in the graph G1 among the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images U2, and an ultrasonic image U4 which is an enlarged image of the ultrasonic image U3 of the frame is displayed at the upper right portion of the monitor 6.

[0114] When the user confirms the message and radio button displayed on the monitor 6 in step S10 and inputs whether to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam via the input device 15, in step S11, the rescanning execution accepting unit 20 accepts the selection of whether to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam according to the input operation of the user via the input device 15. For example, when the user inputs an instruction to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam via the input device 15, the rescanning execution accepting unit 20 accepts the selection of performing rescanning of the ultrasonic beam. In addition, when the user inputs an instruction not to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam via the input device 15, the rescanning execution accepting unit 20 accepts the selection of not performing rescanning of the ultrasonic beam.

[0115] In step S11, when the rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is selected, the process returns to step S3 and starts the rescanning of the ultrasonic beam. In this way, as long as it is determined in step S9 that the rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is required and the rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is selected in step S11, the processing of steps S3 to S11 is repeated.

[0116] In this way, it is automatically determined in step S9 whether the ultrasonic beam needs to be rescanned. When it is determined that the ultrasonic beam needs to be rescanned, the rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended to the user in step S10. In step S11, it is selected whether to rescan the ultrasonic beam according to the user's input operation. Therefore, by rescanning the ultrasonic beam, it is easy to obtain an ultrasonic image of a frame suitable for urine volume measurement, which can improve the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0117] In step S11, by selecting whether to rescan the ultrasonic beam according to the user's input operation, urine volume measurement can be performed even when the ultrasonic probe 21 is inevitably partially separated from the subject's body surface S due to the subject's body shape or the like.

[0118] In step S11, when a selection is made not to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, the process proceeds to step S12.

[0119] In addition, when it is determined in step S9 that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary, steps S10 and S11 are omitted and the process proceeds to step S12 .

[0120] In step S12 , the measurement frame selection unit 12 selects an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from among the plurality of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7 , based on the area of ​​the bladder region BR calculated in step S8 .

[0121] For example, when it is determined in step S9 that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, the measurement frame selection unit 12 obtains the largest area among the areas of the bladder region BR calculated in step S8 and selects the ultrasonic image of the frame having the largest area of ​​the bladder region BR as the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

[0122] In addition, for example, when it is determined in step S9 that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary and a selection is made in step S11 not to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, the measurement frame selection unit 12 removes the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failed frame in step S5 from the multiple frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7, obtains the largest area of ​​the bladder region BR calculated for the ultrasonic images of the remaining frames, and selects the ultrasonic image of the frame with the largest area of ​​the bladder region BR as the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

[0123] In this way, when the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame is selected in step S12, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0124] In step S13, in order to measure the urine volume in the bladder B, it is determined whether the ultrasonic images of two measurement frames corresponding to two mutually orthogonal scanning sections of the bladder B of the subject have been selected in step S12. In the completed step S12, only the ultrasonic images of the measurement frames corresponding to one of the two mutually orthogonal scanning sections of the bladder B are obtained. Therefore, it is determined that the ultrasonic images of two measurement frames corresponding to the two mutually orthogonal scanning sections of the bladder B of the subject have not been selected, and the process returns to step S3 to start scanning the ultrasonic beam again. At this time, the user rotates the direction of the ultrasonic probe 21 by 90 degrees to perform scanning of the ultrasonic beam.

[0125] In step S3 and step S4, as long as the user does not issue an instruction to end the scanning of the ultrasonic beam, the generation and retention of the ultrasonic image are repeated. When the user issues an instruction to end the scanning of the ultrasonic beam in step S4, the process proceeds to step S5. Next, the processing of step S5 to step S12 is the same as that already described, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0126] When the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame is selected in step S12, the process proceeds to step S13.

[0127] In step S13, it is determined whether the ultrasonic images of two measurement frames corresponding to two mutually orthogonal scanning cross sections of the subject's bladder B have been selected in step S12. In the second step S12, since the ultrasonic image of the second measurement frame has been selected, it is determined that the ultrasonic images of two measurement frames corresponding to two mutually orthogonal scanning cross sections of the subject's bladder B have been selected, and the process proceeds to step S14.

[0128] In step S14, the urine volume measurement unit 13 extracts the bladder region BR from the ultrasonic images of the two measurement frames selected by the user in step S12 twice, and calculates the volume of the bladder B of the subject based on the diameter of the extracted bladder region BR, thereby measuring the urine volume in the bladder B. For example, Figure 8 As shown, the urine volume measurement unit 13 regards the bladder B as an ellipsoid E, and measures the maximum diameter LX in the X direction, the maximum diameter LY in the Y direction, and the maximum diameter LZ in the Z direction of the ellipsoid E based on the ultrasonic images of the two measurement frames selected in step S12, and calculates (LX×LY×LZ)×π / 6, thereby being able to calculate the volume of the ellipsoid E as the volume of the bladder B. For example, Fig.13 As shown in FIG. 1 , the urine volume measuring unit 13 displays the measured urine volume J in the bladder B on the monitor 6. Fig.13 In the example of FIG. 5 , the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame selected by the user in step S12 for the second time and the urine volume J in the bladder B are displayed together on the monitor 6 .

[0129] In this way, by measuring the amount of urine in the bladder B of the subject, the Fig.12 The operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 is shown in the flowchart.

[0130] In summary, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of embodiment 1 of the present invention, in step S5, it is automatically determined whether there is an ultrasonic image of a failed frame in the multiple frames of ultrasonic images, and based on the determination result and the characteristic value of the bladder region BR calculated in step S8, it is determined in step S9 whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is required. When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is required, rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended to the user. Therefore, by rescanning the ultrasonic beam, it is easy to obtain an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame suitable for urine volume measurement, which can improve the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0131] The beam former 26 that performs so-called reception focusing processing is included in the transceiver circuit 3, but may be included in the image generator 4, for example. In this case, the image generator 4 generates an ultrasonic image in the same manner as when the beam former 26 is included in the transceiver circuit 3.

[0132] In addition, the image generator 4 is included in the processor 22 , but may be included in the ultrasonic probe 21 .

[0133] In addition, in step S4, when the user issues an instruction to end the scanning of the ultrasonic beam, it is determined that the scanning of the ultrasonic beam has ended. However, for example, when the measurement mode is started in step S2, it may be determined that the scanning of the ultrasonic beam has ended when a certain time such as 15 seconds has passed since the generation and retention of the ultrasonic image was started in step S3. In this case, the time and effort of the user to issue an instruction to end the scanning of the ultrasonic beam can be saved.

[0134] In addition, for example, it is also possible to determine whether the ultrasonic probe 21 is attached to the body surface S of the subject, and control the start and end of the scanning of the ultrasonic beam based on the determination result. Here, when the ultrasonic probe 21 is attached to the body surface S of the subject, an ultrasonic image of a frame corresponding to the scanning section in the subject is generated, but when the ultrasonic probe 21 is separated from the subject and becomes a so-called air radiation state, an ultrasonic image that is generally painted black as a whole is generated. Therefore, for example, by analyzing the generated ultrasonic image, it is possible to determine whether the ultrasonic probe 21 is attached to the body surface S of the subject. Thus, for example, when it is determined that the ultrasonic probe 21 is attached to the body surface S of the subject, the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is started, and when it is determined that the ultrasonic probe 21 has been separated from the body surface S of the subject, the scanning of the ultrasonic beam can be ended. In this case, it is also possible to save the user's time and effort in giving an instruction to end the scanning of the ultrasonic beam.

[0135] The plurality of determination methods for starting and ending the scanning of the ultrasonic beam described above can be combined with each other as appropriate.

[0136] Furthermore, an example in which the user scans the bladder B by the swing method has been described, but the scanning of the ultrasonic beam may also be performed by a sliding method in which the ultrasonic probe 21 is moved parallel to the body surface S of the subject while keeping the tilt angle of the ultrasonic probe 21 constant.

[0137] When the user scans the bladder B by the sliding method, for example Fig.14 As shown, the direction in which the ultrasonic probe 21 moves parallel to the body surface S of the subject is set as the sliding direction DS, and the ultrasonic probe 21 moves in a reciprocating manner between the position of the scanning section PS3 for photographing one end on the sliding direction DS passing through the bladder B and the position of the scanning section PS4 for photographing the other end on the sliding direction DS passing through the bladder B.

[0138] In this case, the feature quantity such as the area of ​​the bladder region BR in the ultrasonic image of the generated frame becomes a minimum value at the position of the ultrasonic probe 21 that photographs the scanning section PS3 and the position of the ultrasonic probe 21 that photographs the scanning section PS4, and becomes a maximum value at the position of the ultrasonic probe 21 that photographs the scanning section passing through the center of the bladder B. Figure 7 As shown, the feature amount of the bladder region BR changes in a time series manner similarly to the case where the ultrasonic beam is scanned by the oscillation method.

[0139] Therefore, even when the bladder B is scanned by the sliding method, similar to the case of scanning the bladder B by the swing method, the rescanning determination unit 17 determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on the feature value of the bladder region BR calculated by the feature value calculation unit 10 and the time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failed frame by the failed frame determination unit 16. Therefore, it is easy to obtain an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame suitable for urine volume measurement, which can improve the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0140] In step S9, the rescan determination unit 17 acquires a graph showing a time series change of the feature quantity related to the bladder region BR, and can acquire a graph consisting of a smooth curve by subjecting the curve of the acquired graph to a filtering process such as a so-called smoothing filter or a low-pass filter. Thus, the rescan determination unit 17 analyzes the graph in which the influence of noise and the like is reduced by the filtering process, and can estimate with high accuracy whether the original feature quantity reaches a maximum value at the time of generating the ultrasonic image of the failed frame.

[0141] In addition, in step S10, if Fig.11 As shown, the rescanning recommendation unit 19 may display the multi-frame ultrasonic image U2 and the graph G1 indicating the time series change of the feature quantity corresponding to the multi-frame ultrasonic image U2 on the monitor 6 so that the user can easily determine whether to rescan the ultrasonic beam. However, at this time, for example, the ultrasonic image of the failed frame may be displayed on the monitor 6 in a display manner different from the display manner of the ultrasonic image of the normal frame, such as by indicating the ultrasonic image of the failed frame with a red frame or a thick frame. In this way, the user can more clearly understand the ultrasonic image of the failed frame among the multi-frame ultrasonic images displayed on the monitor 6 and make a choice whether to rescan the ultrasonic beam.

[0142] In addition, when it is determined in step S13 that the ultrasonic images of the two measurement frames corresponding to the two mutually orthogonal scanning cross sections of the bladder B of the subject have not been selected, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 returns to step S3, but, for example, after step S13, a message for rotating the direction of the ultrasonic probe 21 by 90 degrees may be displayed on the monitor 6. Thus, by instructing the user on the operation of the ultrasonic probe 21, the user can proceed with the urine volume measurement step more smoothly.

[0143] In addition, when the bladder B is scanned multiple times by the swing method or the sliding method, the feature amount of the bladder region BR changes in a time series in a manner that has a plurality of maximum values ​​and a plurality of minimum values ​​while alternating between the maximum value and the minimum value. Fig.15 As shown, the area of ​​the bladder region BR changes in time series so as to originally have two local maximums M2 and M3, and a case where an ultrasonic image of a failed frame is generated in the interval between time T5 and T6 including one local maximum M2 of the two local maximums M2 and M3 is considered. In this case, since an ultrasonic image of a frame having the other local maximum M3 of the two local maximums M2 and M3 is normally generated, the ultrasonic image of this frame can be selected as the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame.

[0144] Therefore, the rescan determination unit 17 performs a process of detecting a maximum value of a characteristic amount in the time series change of the characteristic amount of the bladder region BR, and can determine whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on whether a maximum value of the characteristic amount is detected. For example, the rescan determination unit 17 acquires a graph showing the time series change of the characteristic amount of the bladder region BR, analyzes the graph and performs a process of detecting a maximum value of the characteristic amount, and determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary when no maximum value of the characteristic amount is detected, and determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary when even one maximum value of the characteristic amount is detected.

[0145] In addition, it is desirable that the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame is an ultrasonic image of a frame corresponding to a scanning cross section passing through the vicinity of the center of the bladder B, that is, an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the characteristic amount of the bladder region BR is extremely large. Therefore, when the characteristic amount changes in a time series so as to have a plurality of maximum values, it is desirable to select from a plurality of ultrasonic image frames corresponding to the maximum values ​​of the characteristic amount. Therefore, the measurement frame selection unit 12 can analyze a graph showing the time series change of the characteristic amount, extract all the maximum values ​​of the characteristic amount, obtain the maximum value among the extracted maximum values, and select the ultrasonic image of the frame corresponding to the obtained maximum value as the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame.

[0146] In addition, the measurement frame selection unit 12 may extract, for example, all ultrasonic images of frames whose feature amounts are maximum in time series as ultrasonic images of candidate frames to be measurement candidates, and display the extracted ultrasonic images of candidate frames on the monitor 6 so that the user can select them via the input device 15. In this case, the measurement frame selection unit 12 may select, for example, an ultrasonic image of a frame selected by the user from the ultrasonic images of candidate frames displayed on the monitor 6 as the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame.

[0147] In this way, by selecting the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame from the ultrasonic images of the frame having the largest feature value of the bladder region BR, it is easy to select the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame suitable for urine volume measurement, and the accuracy of urine volume measurement can be improved.

[0148] Implementation Method 2

[0149] In the first embodiment, the rescan determination unit 17 determines that the feature quantity related to the bladder region BR is not correctly calculated in the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failure frame by the failure frame determination unit 16, and determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary. However, even if the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failure frame, if the feature quantity is correctly calculated, it is possible to use the ultrasonic image of the frame to determine whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary.

[0150] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment is Figure 1 The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment shown in the figure includes a Fig.16 The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is a rescan determination unit 17A shown in FIG. The rescan determination unit 17A includes an overlap determination unit 31 .

[0151] The overlap determination unit 31 determines whether the bladder region BR extracted by the bladder extraction unit 9 and the failure region FR identified by the failure frame determination unit 16 overlap with each other for the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as a failure frame by the failure frame determination unit 16. Figure 5 In the example of the ultrasonic image U1 shown, the bladder region BR and the failure region FR overlap each other.

[0152] Thus, in the ultrasonic image U1 of the frame where the bladder region BR and the failure region FR overlap each other, there is an overlapping portion of the bladder region BR and the failure region FR, making it difficult to identify the original bladder region BR and to correctly calculate the feature amount of the bladder region BR. On the other hand, in the ultrasonic image of the frame where the bladder region BR and the failure region FR are arranged separately from each other, there is no overlapping portion of the bladder region BR and the failure region FR, so the bladder region BR is identified and the feature amount of the bladder region BR can be correctly calculated.

[0153] Therefore, the rescan determination unit 17A determines that the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as the failed frame by the failed frame determination unit 16, in which the bladder region BR and the failure region FR overlap each other, is an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the feature amount of the bladder region BR is not correctly calculated, and removes the value of the feature amount corresponding to the ultrasonic image of the frame from the graph indicating the time series change of the feature amount. In addition, the rescan determination unit 17A determines that the ultrasonic image of the frame in which the bladder region BR and the failure region FR are arranged separately from each other is an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the feature amount of the bladder region BR is correctly calculated, and includes the value of the feature amount corresponding to the ultrasonic image of the frame in the graph indicating the time series change of the feature amount in the same manner as the value of the feature amount corresponding to the ultrasonic image of the normal frame.

[0154] The rescan determination unit 17A determines whether or not rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary by analyzing the graph of the time series change of the characteristic amount indicating the bladder region BR thus acquired. Even if the ultrasonic image of the frame having the largest characteristic amount is an ultrasonic image of a frame determined as a failure frame, the rescan determination unit 17A determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary as long as the ultrasonic image is an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the bladder region BR and the failure region FR are arranged apart from each other.

[0155] In this case, the measurement frame selection unit 12 obtains the largest feature value among the feature values ​​corresponding to the ultrasonic image of the failure frame and the ultrasonic image of the normal frame, for example, in which the bladder region BR and the failure region FR are separated from each other, and selects the ultrasonic image of the frame with the largest feature value as the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame.

[0156] In summary, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus involved in embodiment 2, even if the failure region FR is confirmed in the ultrasonic image by the failure frame determination unit 16, when the bladder region BR extracted by the bladder extraction unit 9 is configured separately from the failure region FR, the rescan determination unit 17A determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary, thereby reducing the possibility of unnecessary rescanning of the ultrasonic beam and allowing the user to proceed with the urine volume measurement step more quickly.

[0157] In addition, since the measurement frame selection unit 12 selects the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame from the ultrasonic image of the failure frame and the ultrasonic image of the normal frame in which the bladder region BR and the failure region FR are separated from each other, it is easy to select the ultrasonic image of the frame suitable for urine volume measurement, which can improve the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0158] Implementation 3

[0159] In implementation mode 1, after it is determined in step S4 that the scanning of the ultrasonic beam is completed, a determination is made in step S5 as to whether each frame of the multiple frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7 is a failed frame. However, the determination of a failed frame may be made each time an ultrasonic image is generated and stored, and a warning may be issued to the user based on the determination result.

[0160] Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 3 Figure 1 The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the embodiment 1 shown in the figure is the same as that of the embodiment 1, but Fig.17 The operation is performed according to the flowchart shown. Fig.17 The flowchart is in Fig.12 The flowchart in the illustrated embodiment 1 is a flowchart in which step S5 and step S6 are moved between step S3 and step S4.

[0161] In the third embodiment, when the ultrasonic image is generated and stored in step S3, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0162] In step S5, the failed frame determination unit 16 analyzes the latest ultrasonic image frame stored in the image memory 7 in step S3 and determines whether the ultrasonic image of the frame is a failed frame. If the ultrasonic image of the frame is determined to be a failed frame, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0163] In step S6 , the warning unit 18 warns the user of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined to be a failure in step S5 .

[0164] As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the third embodiment of the present invention, the determination of the failed frame in step S5 is performed each time the ultrasonic image is generated and stored in step S3, and when the ultrasonic image of the frame is determined to be an ultrasonic image of a failed frame, a warning is issued to the user in step S6, so that the user immediately responds to the warning and pays attention to scanning the ultrasonic beam while the ultrasonic probe 21 is in contact with the body surface S of the subject, thereby acquiring more ultrasonic images of normal frames in which the ultrasonic probe 21 is attached to the body surface S of the subject. Therefore, it is easy to select the ultrasonic image UD of the measurement frame suitable for urine volume measurement, and the accuracy of urine volume measurement can be improved.

[0165] In addition, when the warning unit 18 warns the user in step S6, information indicating the portion where the ultrasonic probe 21 is not attached to the body surface S of the subject may be displayed on the monitor 6. For example, the failure frame determination unit 16 determines that the shallowest portion of the ultrasonic image located on the shallow side of the failure region FR in the depth direction of the ultrasonic image is the portion where the ultrasonic probe 21 is not attached to the body surface S of the subject. Fig.18As shown, by displaying the portion of the ultrasonic probe 21 that is not attached to the body surface S of the subject on the monitor 6, the user can be notified. Fig.18 In the example, a mark W1 indicating the portion of the ultrasonic probe 21 that is not attached to the body surface S of the subject and a message W2 such as “Please attach the ultrasonic probe here” are displayed on the monitor 6 to instruct the user to attach the portion indicated by the mark W1 to the body surface S of the subject.

[0166] Thereby, the user can specifically grasp the portion where the ultrasonic probe 21 is not attached to the body surface S of the subject, and attach the ultrasonic probe 21 to the body surface S of the subject.

[0167] In addition, the processing of step S7 and step S8 may be performed after step S5 or step S6. Thus, the extraction of the bladder region BR and the calculation of the feature amount are sequentially performed for the ultrasonic image of the latest frame generated in step S3 and stored in the image memory 7. Therefore, compared with the case where the extraction of the bladder region BR and the calculation of the feature amount are performed for the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images stored in the image memory 7 after step S4 in the first embodiment, the waiting time when the extraction of the bladder region BR and the calculation of the feature amount are performed can be shortened, and the urine volume measurement can be performed more quickly.

[0168] Furthermore, although the case where the method of the third embodiment is applied to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment is described, it can also be applied to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the second embodiment in the same manner.

[0169] Implementation 4

[0170] In the first embodiment, the failed frame determination unit 16 determines a failed frame by identifying the failed region FR based on the brightness distribution in the depth direction of the ultrasonic image, but the method of determining a failed frame is not limited to this.

[0171] Here, when gas accumulates in the abdomen of the subject, if the ultrasonic probe 21 is not sufficiently pressed into the subject's body surface S, an ultrasonic image of a failed frame that does not clearly capture the bladder area BR may be generated. In this case, by further pressing the ultrasonic probe 21 toward the subject's body surface S, the gas in the subject moves, and an ultrasonic image that clearly captures the bladder area BR can be obtained.

[0172] Therefore, for example, instead of using the brightness distribution in the depth direction of the ultrasonic image, the ultrasonic image of the failed frame can be determined based on the edge clarity of the bladder region BR. Here, the edge clarity of the bladder region BR is an index value that has a larger value as the contour of the bladder region BR is clearer and has a smaller value as the contour of the bladder region BR is less clear.

[0173] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the fourth embodiment Figure 1 The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment shown is the same.

[0174] The failure frame determination unit 16 in the fourth embodiment has a predetermined edge clarity threshold with respect to the edge clarity of the bladder region BR, performs image analysis on the ultrasonic image of the frame stored in the image memory 7, calculates the edge clarity of the bladder region BR, and when the calculated edge clarity is less than the predetermined edge clarity threshold, it is determined that a failure region FR in which the ultrasonic probe 21 is insufficiently pressed into the body surface S of the subject is confirmed in the ultrasonic image, and the ultrasonic image of the frame is determined to be an ultrasonic image of a failure frame.

[0175] In addition, when the calculated edge clarity is above the specified edge clarity threshold, the failure frame determination unit 16 determines that there is no failure region FR in the ultrasonic image where the ultrasonic probe 21 is insufficiently pressed into the body surface S of the subject, and determines the ultrasonic image of the frame as a normal frame.

[0176] In this way, even when an ultrasonic image of a failed frame is determined based on the edge clarity of the bladder region BR, as with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, whether or not rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary is determined based on the determination result of the failed frame determination unit 16 and the feature value of the bladder region BR. When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended to the user. Therefore, by rescanning the ultrasonic beam, it is easy to acquire an ultrasonic image UD of a measurement frame suitable for urine volume measurement, thereby improving the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0177] Furthermore, the method of Embodiment 3 may be combined with Embodiment 4. In this case, the warning unit 18 has an edge clarity warning threshold value greater than the edge clarity threshold value of the failed frame determination unit 16 with respect to the edge clarity of the bladder region BR, and when the edge clarity of the bladder region BR is smaller than the edge clarity warning threshold value, a warning to strengthen the pressing of the ultrasonic probe 21 into the body surface S of the subject may be displayed on the monitor 6. Thus, the user can press the ultrasonic probe 21 toward the body surface S of the subject while referring to the warning displayed on the monitor 6, and obtain an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the bladder region BR is clearly captured.

[0178] Implementation method 5

[0179] In the fourth embodiment, the ultrasonic image of the failed frame is determined based on the edge clarity of the bladder region BR, but the failed frame may be determined based on the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe 21 when the ultrasonic probe 21 is pressed against the body surface S of the subject, for example.

[0180] like Fig.19 As shown, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1B according to the fifth embodiment is Figure 1 In the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 of embodiment 1 shown, a pressure sensor 32 is installed on the ultrasonic probe 21, and the ultrasonic diagnostic device is provided with a device control unit 14B instead of the device control unit 14, a failed frame determination unit 16B instead of the failed frame determination unit 16, and a processor 22B instead of the processor 22.

[0181] The pressure sensor 32 is mounted on the ultrasonic probe 21 and connected to the image memory 7. When the ultrasonic probe 21 is pressed against the body surface S of the subject, the pressure sensor 32 measures the pressure received by the ultrasonic probe 21 from the body surface S of the subject, that is, the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe 21 on the body surface S of the subject. The information of the contact pressure measured by the pressure sensor 32 is sent to the image memory 7, and is stored in the image memory 7 together with the ultrasonic image of the frame generated by the image generating unit 4 at the same time.

[0182] The failure frame determination unit 16B has a specified contact pressure threshold relative to the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe 21. When the contact pressure measured by the pressure sensor 32 is lower than the specified contact pressure threshold, it is determined that a failure region FR where the ultrasonic probe 21 is insufficiently pressed into the body surface S of the subject is confirmed in the ultrasonic image of the frame corresponding to the contact pressure, and the ultrasonic image of the frame is determined to be an ultrasonic image of a failure frame.

[0183] In addition, when the contact pressure measured by the pressure sensor 32 is greater than the specified contact pressure, the failure frame determination unit 16B determines that there is no failure region FR where the ultrasonic probe 21 is insufficiently pressed into the body surface S of the subject in the ultrasonic image of the frame corresponding to the contact pressure, and determines the ultrasonic image of the frame as an ultrasonic image of a normal frame.

[0184] In this way, even in the case of an ultrasonic image of a failed frame determined based on the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe 21 on the body surface S of the subject, as with the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of embodiment 1, whether or not rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary is determined based on the determination result of the failed frame determination unit 16B and the feature value of the bladder region BR. When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended to the user. Therefore, by rescanning the ultrasonic beam, it is easy to obtain an ultrasonic image UD of a measurement frame suitable for urine volume measurement, thereby improving the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0185] In addition, the method of Embodiment 3 may be combined with Embodiment 5. In this case, for example, the warning unit 18 has a contact pressure warning threshold value greater than the contact pressure threshold value of the failed frame determination unit 16B with respect to the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe 21 on the body surface S of the subject, and when the contact pressure measured by the pressure sensor 32 is smaller than the contact pressure warning threshold value, a warning to strengthen the pressing of the ultrasonic probe 21 into the body surface S of the subject can be displayed on the monitor 6. Thus, the user can press the ultrasonic probe 21 toward the body surface S of the subject while referring to the warning displayed on the monitor 6, and obtain an ultrasonic image of a frame in which the bladder region BR is clearly captured.

[0186] Implementation 6

[0187] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which the monitor 6 , the input device 15 , the ultrasonic probe 21 , and the processor 22 are directly connected. However, for example, the monitor 6 , the input device 15 , the ultrasonic probe 21 , and the processor 22 may be indirectly connected via a network.

[0188] like Fig. 20 As shown, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1C in the sixth embodiment is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in which a monitor 6, an input device 15, and an ultrasonic probe 21 are connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 via a network NW. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 is Figure 1 The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment shown in the figure is configured without the monitor 6 , the input device 15 , and the ultrasonic probe 21 , and is constituted by the image memory 7 and the processor 22C.

[0189] Even in the case where the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1C has such a structure, similarly to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the first embodiment, whether or not rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary is determined based on the determination result of the failed frame determination unit 16 and the feature value of the bladder region BR. When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended to the user. Therefore, by rescanning the ultrasonic beam, it is easy to acquire an ultrasonic image UD of a measurement frame suitable for urine volume measurement, thereby improving the accuracy of urine volume measurement.

[0190] In addition, since the monitor 6, the input device 15, and the ultrasonic probe 21 are connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 via the network NW, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 can be used as a so-called remote server. Thus, for example, by preparing the monitor 6, the input device 15, and the ultrasonic probe 21 at the user's hand, the user can diagnose the subject, thereby improving the convenience of ultrasonic diagnosis.

[0191] Furthermore, for example, when a portable thin computer called a so-called tablet computer is used as the monitor 6 and the input device 15, the user can more easily perform urine volume measurement, and the convenience of urine volume measurement can be further improved.

[0192] The monitor 6 , the input device 15 , and the ultrasonic probe 21 are connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 41 via the network NW. In this case, the monitor 6 , the input device 15 , and the ultrasonic probe 21 may be connected to the network NW by wire or wirelessly.

[0193] Furthermore, although the case where the method of the sixth embodiment is applied to the first embodiment has been described, it can also be applied to the second to fifth embodiments in the same manner.

[0194] Explanation of symbols

[0195] 1, 1B, 1C ultrasonic diagnostic device; 2 transducer array; 3 transceiver circuit; 4 image generation unit; 5 display control unit; 6 monitor; 7 image memory; 9 bladder extraction unit; 10 feature value calculation unit; 12 measurement frame selection unit; 13 urine volume measurement unit; 14, 14B device control unit; 15 input device; 16, 16B failed frame determination unit; 17, 17A rescan determination unit; 18 warning unit; 19 rescan recommendation unit; 20 rescan execution receiving unit; 21 ultrasonic probe; 22, 22B, 22C processor; 23 pulsar; 24 amplifier; 25 AD conversion unit ; 26 beam former; 27 signal processing unit; 28 DSC; 29 image processing unit; 31 overlap determination unit; 32 pressure sensor; 41 ultrasonic diagnostic device body; B bladder; BR bladder area; C contour line; DS sliding direction; E ellipsoid; FR failure area; G1 chart; J urine volume; LX, LY, LZ maximum diameter; M1~M3 maximum value; MP, W1 mark; N1, N2 minimum value; PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4 scanning section; R rotation axis; S body surface; T1~T6 time; U, U1~U4, UD ultrasonic image; W2 message.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising: An image memory that holds a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images acquired by scanning a subject with an ultrasonic beam using an ultrasonic probe; a bladder extraction unit for extracting a bladder region from each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames; a feature quantity calculation unit that calculates a feature quantity related to the bladder region extracted by the bladder extraction unit for each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames; a failed frame determination unit configured to determine, for each of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, whether it is a failed frame in which the ultrasonic beam fails to scan the subject; a rescan determination unit that determines whether rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on the time series change of the feature amount calculated by the feature amount calculation unit and the time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined as the failure frame by the failure frame determination unit; a rescanning recommending unit that, when the rescanning determining unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, recommends rescanning of the ultrasonic beam to the user; a measurement frame selection unit that selects an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from among the plurality of ultrasonic image frames based on the feature amount calculated by the feature amount calculation unit when the rescan determination unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary; as well as A urine volume measuring section measures the urine volume by analyzing the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame selected by the measurement frame selecting section.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The ultrasonic diagnostic device further comprises: An input device, which is used for a user to perform input operations; and a rescanning execution accepting unit that accepts a selection of whether to execute rescanning of the ultrasonic beam according to an input operation performed by the user via the input device when rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended by the rescanning recommending unit, When the rescan determination unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, or when the rescan execution acceptance unit receives a selection not to perform rescanning of the ultrasonic beam, the measurement frame selection unit selects an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured from the multiple frames of ultrasonic images based on the feature value calculated by the feature value calculation unit.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The failed frame determination unit determines that the frame is a failed frame when a failed region in which the ultrasonic probe is not attached to the subject is confirmed in the ultrasonic image based on the brightness distribution in the depth direction of the ultrasonic image by performing image analysis on the ultrasonic image.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The failed frame determination unit determines that the frame is a failed frame when a failed region due to insufficient penetration of the ultrasonic probe into the subject is confirmed in the ultrasonic image based on edge clarity of the bladder region in the ultrasonic image by performing image analysis on the ultrasonic image.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: Even if the failure region is confirmed in the ultrasonic image by the failure frame determination unit, the rescan determination unit determines that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is unnecessary if the bladder region extracted by the bladder extraction unit does not overlap with the failure region.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The ultrasonic diagnostic device further comprises: The ultrasonic probe; and a pressure sensor mounted on the ultrasonic probe and detecting a contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe on the subject, The failed frame determination unit determines whether the frame is a failed frame based on the contact pressure of the ultrasonic probe detected by the pressure sensor.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The failed frame determination unit notifies the user of a portion of the ultrasonic probe that is not attached to the subject or a portion that is insufficiently pressed into the subject.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further includes a warning unit configured to issue a warning to the user when the failed frame determination unit determines that the frame is a failed frame.

9. A method for controlling an ultrasonic diagnostic device, wherein: holding a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images acquired by scanning the subject with an ultrasonic beam using an ultrasonic probe, Extracting a bladder region from each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, calculating a feature quantity related to the extracted bladder region for each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, determining, for each of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, whether it is a failed frame in which the ultrasonic beam fails to scan the subject, determining whether or not rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on the time series change of the feature amount and the time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined to be a failed frame, When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended to the user. When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured is selected from the plurality of ultrasonic image frames based on the feature amount, The urine volume is measured by analyzing the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

10. A processor for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, which performs the following processing: holding a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images acquired by scanning the subject with an ultrasonic beam using an ultrasonic probe, Extracting a bladder region from each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, calculating a feature quantity related to the extracted bladder region for each frame of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, determining, for each of the plurality of ultrasonic image frames, whether it is a failed frame in which the ultrasonic beam fails to scan the subject, determining whether or not rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary based on the time series change of the feature amount and the time series position of the ultrasonic image of the frame determined to be a failed frame, When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is necessary, rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is recommended to the user. When it is determined that rescanning of the ultrasonic beam is not necessary, an ultrasonic image of a measurement frame to be measured is selected from the plurality of ultrasonic image frames based on the feature amount, The urine volume is measured by analyzing the ultrasonic image of the measurement frame.

Images