Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, image processing method, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium. The image processing method includes: a puncture needle initial detection step of detecting a puncture needle connected domain signal frame by frame in an ultrasonic image; a region of interest setting step of forming a region of interest for predicting a movement trajectory of the puncture needle within a frame in which the puncture needle connected domain signal is first detected, and performing emphasized display of the puncture needle connected domain movement signal on the ultrasonic image; a puncture needle continued movement detection step of detecting whether a puncture needle continued movement signal exists with respect to the region of interest from a next frame of the frame; and a display control step of displaying the last detected puncture needle connected domain movement signal which is emphasized displayed if the puncture needle continued movement signal is not detected, and performing emphasized display of the puncture needle continued movement signal if the puncture needle continued movement signal is detected.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, an image processing method, and a storage medium for improving the visibility of ultrasound-guided puncture needles. Background Technology

[0002] In interventional diagnosis and treatment, in vivo puncture technology is widely used. In this technique, because the exact location of the puncture needle cannot be seen after it enters the body, it is usually inserted while simultaneously using ultrasound imaging to observe its position in real time, in order to avoid accidental puncture of other tissues. In this case, the puncture needle is detected in the ultrasound image based on the motion signal captured by Doppler mode (especially color Doppler mode).

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: PCT / US2019 / 030615

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-525328

[0007] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-107061

[0008] Patent Document 4: PCT / JP2016 / 069901

[0009] Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-279079

[0010] Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-028125

[0011] Patent Document 7: PCT / JP2014 / 062064 Summary of the Invention

[0012] However, Doppler mode can only capture motion signals. Therefore, when the puncture needle stops moving and is temporarily still, the signal will not be captured. The puncture needle will appear to disappear on the ultrasound image. There is a risk that the operator may not be able to find the location of the puncture needle and may accidentally puncture other tissues during subsequent operations.

[0013] In addition, since Doppler mode captures motion signals, it also captures blood flow and tissue motion signals outside the puncture needle, which may affect the accuracy of puncture needle identification.

[0014] The purpose of this invention is to provide an ultrasound diagnostic device, image processing method, and storage medium that are suitable for Doppler mode and can improve the accuracy of needle identification and the visibility of needles.

[0015] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of the present invention comprises: an ultrasound probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves relative to a subject into which a puncture needle is inserted; an image generation unit for generating an ultrasound image based on a received signal of a reflected wave received by the ultrasound probe; and a display unit for displaying the ultrasound image. The image generation unit is characterized by comprising: a puncture needle initial detection unit for detecting, frame by frame, motion signals representing the connected domains of the puncture needle (i.e., puncture needle connected domain signals) in the ultrasound image based on motion pattern information representing the motion pattern of the puncture needle; and a region of interest setting unit for forming a region of interest outside the outline of the detected puncture needle connected domain motion signal in a frame where the puncture needle connected domain signal is first detected, and for predicting the motion trajectory of the puncture needle, emphasizing the puncture needle connected domain motion signal on the ultrasound image, wherein the shorter side of the region of interest is larger than the puncture needle connected domain motion signal. The short side of the contour of the connected domain motion signal, and the long side of the region of interest extend parallel to the long side of the connected domain motion signal of the puncture needle; the puncture needle continued motion detection unit, starting from the next frame of the frame, detects the connected domain motion signal of the puncture needle for the region of interest, and detects whether there is a connected domain motion signal indicating continued movement of the puncture needle, i.e., a continued motion signal of the puncture needle, based on the degree of correlation between the detected connected domain motion signal of the puncture needle and the previously detected connected domain motion signal of the puncture needle; and the display control unit, if the puncture needle continued motion detection unit does not detect the continued motion signal of the puncture needle, causes the display unit to display the previously detected connected domain motion signal of the puncture needle that is highlighted, and if the puncture needle continued motion detection unit detects the continued motion signal of the puncture needle, highlights the continued motion signal of the puncture needle on the ultrasound image.

[0016] The image processing method of the present invention is an image processing method in an ultrasound diagnostic device, which includes: an ultrasound probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves relative to a subject into which a puncture needle is inserted; an image generation unit for generating an ultrasound image based on the received signal of the reflected wave received by the ultrasound probe; and a display unit for displaying the ultrasound image. The image processing method is characterized by comprising the following steps performed by the image generation unit: a puncture needle initial detection step, in which, in the ultrasound image, a connected component motion signal representing the puncture needle, i.e., a puncture needle connected component signal, is detected frame-by-frame based on motion pattern information representing the motion pattern of the puncture needle; and a region of interest setting step, in a frame in which the puncture needle connected component signal is first detected, a region of interest for predicting the motion trajectory of the puncture needle is formed outside the outline of the detected puncture needle connected component motion signal, and the puncture needle connected component motion signal is emphasized on the ultrasound image. The display shows that the short side of the region of interest is greater than the short side of the outline of the puncture needle connected domain motion signal, and the long side of the region of interest extends parallel to the long side of the puncture needle connected domain motion signal; the puncture needle continued motion detection step, starting from the next frame of the first frame, detects the puncture needle connected domain motion signal for the region of interest, and detects whether there is a connected domain motion signal indicating continued movement of the puncture needle, i.e., a puncture needle continued motion signal, based on the degree of correlation between the detected puncture needle connected domain motion signal and the previously detected puncture needle connected domain motion signal; and the display control step, if the puncture needle continued motion signal is not detected in the puncture needle continued motion detection step, then the display unit displays the previously detected puncture needle connected domain motion signal that is highlighted; if the puncture needle continued motion signal is detected in the puncture needle continued motion detection step, then the puncture needle continued motion signal is highlighted on the ultrasound image.

[0017] The computer-readable storage medium of the present invention stores a program that enables the computer to execute the above-described image processing method.

[0018] According to the present invention, even when the puncture needle is stationary, the last frame of the needle image before it came to rest can be displayed until the movement of the new needle image is detected. This eliminates the risk of the operator accidentally puncturing tissue during subsequent operations because they cannot locate the puncture needle on the ultrasound image. Furthermore, since a Region of Interest (ROI) for predicting the puncture needle's trajectory is automatically set after the puncture needle is first detected, taking into account the characteristics of the needle's movement pattern, and the continued movement of the puncture needle is detected and emphasized only within this ROI, which is reduced in size compared to the entire ultrasound image, non-puncture needle movement signals in other areas can be excluded, thus improving processing speed.

[0019] According to the present invention, even in color Doppler mode, which is usually used to observe blood vessels, blood flow, etc. and is not originally suitable for the identification of puncture needles, puncture needles can be accurately identified.

[0020] According to the present invention, since an ultrasound diagnostic device, image processing method, and storage medium are provided that are suitable for Doppler mode and can improve the accuracy of needle identification and the visibility of needles, it is possible to use precise needle tracking technology to examine and treat the affected area, thereby reducing misdiagnosis and discomfort to patients. It can improve the diagnostic accuracy and treatment precision during interventional procedures, thus more reliably assisting doctors in examination and treatment, and reducing the workload of doctors. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the image processing method of the present invention implemented using an ultrasonic diagnostic device.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the initial detection of the puncture needle.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram representing the minimum bounding rectangle formed by motion signals in a connected region.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a diagram used to illustrate the situation after signal processing of motion signals in a connected region.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of ROIs.

[0027] Figure 7 It is a schematic representation of a needle-emphasized image created by superimposing a tissue image in B mode with an emphasized needle image based on color Doppler mode.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the image processing method of the present invention implemented using an ultrasonic diagnostic device.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a flowchart indicating the detection of continued movement of the puncture needle.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram used to illustrate the working principle of the ultrasonic probe in the modified example. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound diagnostic device. The device includes: an ultrasound probe 1 with multiple transducers configured to transmit ultrasound waves into the body of the patient and receive reflected waves from a puncture needle 2 and target tissue within the patient's body; a signal processing unit 3 for performing noise reduction, smoothing, and other signal processing on the received signal generated based on the reflected waves; and an image generation unit 4 for generating an ultrasound image of the area scanned by the ultrasound probe 1 based on the signal processed by the signal processing unit. The image generation unit 4 includes: a puncture needle initial detection unit 41 for detecting, frame by frame, the motion signal representing the connected domain of the puncture needle 2 (i.e., the puncture needle connected domain signal) in the ultrasound image based on motion morphology information representing the motion pattern of the puncture needle 2; RO The I setting unit 42 is used to set the ROI (Region of Interest) on the ultrasound image for predicting the movement trajectory of the puncture needle 2, as described later. The puncture needle continued movement detection unit 43 is used to detect the puncture needle connected region movement signal only for the ROI, starting from the frame following the first frame in which the puncture needle connected region signal is detected, and to detect whether there is a connected region movement signal indicating continued movement of the puncture needle, i.e., a puncture needle continued movement signal, based on the degree of correlation between the detected puncture needle connected region movement signal and the previously detected puncture needle connected region movement signal. The display control unit 44 is used to emphasize the connected region movement signal corresponding to the puncture needle 2 on the ultrasound image. The display unit 5 displays the ultrasound image. In addition, the puncture needle 2 inserted into the subject may be equipped with an adapter, which is fixed to the ultrasound probe 1 to allow the puncture needle 2 to puncture within a specified angle range. Furthermore, the description of the known basic functional modules of the ultrasound diagnostic device is omitted here.

[0033] Here, the ultrasound image is, for example, a color Doppler image superimposed on a B-mode image after signal processing. A B-mode image refers to a black-and-white image obtained by imaging the subject in B-mode, showing a cross-section of a portion of the tissue or organ to be examined. However, it is not limited to B-mode; ultrasound images of the subject can also be obtained through other ultrasound imaging modes besides B-mode. The color Doppler image includes images of moving blood flow within the scanning range and images of the puncture needle after information processing. Here, it is not limited to the color Doppler mode; other modes that can acquire moving blood flow, puncture needles, etc., can also be used.

[0034] The following is for reference Figures 2-7 The image processing method of the present invention implemented using an ultrasonic diagnostic device will be described.

[0035] First, the operator begins the procedure, assuming the operator uses the so-called parallel method, where the plane of the puncture needle 2 is coplanar with the scanning plane of the ultrasound probe 1, starting from the upper right edge of the image displayed on the display unit 5 (refer to...). Figure 4 Insert the puncture needle 2 into the skin within the adapter angle range.

[0036] If the operation begins, the initial detection unit 41 of the puncture needle uses motion detection methods such as Doppler mode to detect the motion signals of all connected regions within the entire ultrasound image frame by frame, and performs the following combined... Figure 3 The initial detection of the puncture needle (S100) involves determining whether the puncture needle 2 appears in the image based on motion pattern information representing the motion pattern of the puncture needle 2 (S101-S105 described later), until the first connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle is detected. Here, a connected component refers to a region in the image where two or more pixels are connected, and the connected component motion signal refers to the motion signal of the connected component detected by the Doppler mode.

[0037] like Figure 3 As shown, in the initial detection of the puncture needle (S100), firstly, it is detected whether there is a connected component motion signal in the entire frame (step S101). If there is no connected component motion signal in the entire frame (step S101: No), then the process ends and waits for the next frame.

[0038] If a connected component motion signal is detected in the entire screen in a certain frame (step S101: Yes), then it is determined whether one of the connected component motion signals starts from a specified edge (step S102). If the determination is no, the determination of S103 to S105 will not be performed on that signal. Instead, the next connected component motion signal is similarly determined to start from a specified edge (step S102), until a connected component motion signal is determined to start from a specified edge (step S102: Yes). This means that the connected component motion signal may be a puncture needle that has just been inserted from the edge, rather than a blood flow signal that is not connected to the edge of the screen. Therefore, the determination of step S103 is performed on the connected component motion signal. If all connected component motion signals are determined in turn but none of them start from a specified edge (step S102: No), then the determination ends and waits for the next frame.

[0039] If the condition is yes in step S102, that is, if a certain connected component motion signal is determined to originate from a specified edge, then the area of ​​the connected component motion signal is compared with a predetermined threshold (step S103). Here, the predetermined threshold is preset to determine whether the connected component motion signal is a signal from an inserted puncture needle with a certain area or a signal from blood flow with a very small area. In this embodiment, it is preferable to... Figure 4As shown, a minimum bounding rectangle is formed for the motion signal of the connected component. The area of ​​this bounding rectangle (hereinafter referred to as the "minimum connected component area") is used as the area of ​​the motion signal of the connected component and compared with a predetermined threshold. If the minimum connected component area is above the threshold (step S103: Yes), it means that the connected component may be a puncture needle with a certain area, rather than a blood flow signal with a very small area. Therefore, the motion signal of the connected component is judged in step S104. If the area of ​​the motion signal of the connected component is not above the threshold, the judgment in S104 to S105 will not be performed on the signal. Instead, the next connected component motion signal judged as "yes" in step S102 will be compared with the predetermined threshold. If all connected component motion signals judged as "yes" in step S102 are judged in turn and are all less than the threshold (step S103: No), the judgment ends and waits for the next frame.

[0040] If the condition in step S103 is "yes," meaning that the minimum connected component area of ​​a certain connected component motion signal is determined to be above a specified threshold, then it is determined whether the orientation (i.e., length direction) of the connected component motion signal is within a specified angle range relative to the horizontal or vertical direction (step S104). Preferably, the angle between the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle formed in step S103 and the horizontal or vertical direction is compared with the specified angle range. If it is within the specified angle range (step S104: yes), it means that the connected component may be a puncture needle inserted at a specified angle. Therefore, the motion signal of the connected component is judged in step S105. If it is not within the specified angle range, step S105 is not performed on the signal. Instead, the next connected component motion signal judged as "yes" in step S103 is judged to be within the specified angle range. If all connected component motion signals judged as "yes" in step S103 are judged sequentially and none are within the specified angle range (step S104: no), then the judgment ends, and the process waits for the next frame.

[0041] If the result in step S104 is "yes," meaning that a motion signal of a connected component is determined to be within a specified angle range, then it is determined whether the area of ​​the connected component has increased or decreased compared to the previous frame (step S105). Preferably, this is done by combining a certain number of previous frames, or all frames, to determine whether the area of ​​the connected component has a continuous increasing or decreasing trend compared to the previous frame. If the result is "yes" (step S105: yes), it means that the connected component is a puncture needle during insertion or removal, and not a blood vessel (including vessels with periodic changes like arterial blood flow) that has a relatively constant area despite having a certain area but not undergoing insertion or removal. Therefore, it is identified as a puncture needle image and proceeds to step 300. If the result is "no," then the next connected component motion signal determined to be "yes" in step S104 is judged to have a continuous increasing or decreasing trend. If all connected component motion signals determined to be "yes" in step S104 are judged sequentially and no continuous increasing or decreasing trend is found (step S105: no), then the judgment ends, and the process waits for the next frame.

[0042] Here, assuming that in the nth frame, the above steps S101 to S105 are judged sequentially for a certain connected component motion signal for the first time and the results are all yes, that is, the connected component motion signal corresponding to the moving puncture needle is detected for the first time, then in the nth frame, the following steps S300 to S500 are performed on the connected component motion signal.

[0043] Specifically, return Figure 2 In step S300, the signal processing unit 3 performs signal processing on the connected component motion signal, including noise reduction, smoothing, and extraction. Specifically, methods such as neighborhood noise reduction and connected component noise reduction can be used to remove motion noise other than the needle motion signal and smooth the signal. Furthermore, in step S300... Figure 5 As shown, a new minimum bounding rectangle is further formed on the noise-reduced and smoothed connected component motion signal. Figure 5 The new minimum bounding rectangle shown is the same as the one formed in S103. Figure 4 Compared to the minimum bounding rectangle shown, the edges are narrowed due to the removal of noise signals, making it look closer to the shape of a needle. Then, the ROI (Region of Interest) setting step, i.e., step S400, is performed.

[0044] Specifically, in step S400, the ROI setting unit 42 is used, such as... Figure 6 As shown, outside the contour of the connected region motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle formed in step 300 (here, the minimum bounding rectangle), a rectangular region with a short side formed by symmetrically expanding the short side of the minimum bounding rectangle to both sides to a width approximately twice that of the original rectangle, and with the long side extending parallel to the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle, is designated as the ROI. Preferably, the long side is as follows: Figure 6 The elongated area extending to the edge of the image is designated as the Region of Interest (ROI). This ROI is used to predict the subsequent trajectory and range of the puncture needle. Here, an example is given where the width of the ROI is twice the width of the smallest bounding rectangle formed in step 300. However, this "twice" is an example for convenient expansion during step S310' described later. It could also be any appropriate number such as 1.5 times or 3 times. However, the closer the ROI is to 1 times the width of the shorter side, in other words, the smaller the expansion, the closer the ROI is to the outline of the puncture needle, and therefore the higher the accuracy of predicting the puncture needle's trajectory.

[0045] return Figure 2 Next, in step S500, the display control unit 44 uses the motion signal of the puncture needle 2 extracted in step S300 (here, the smallest circumscribed rectangle formed in step S300 can be directly used) to emphasize the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 4, so that it can be seen in a way that is distinguishable from other motion signals, thereby forming an image like... Figure 7 The image shown highlights the puncture needle by coloring.

[0046] Thus, steps S100 and S300 to S500 for a single frame are completed.

[0047] After the initial detection of the motion signal of the connected region corresponding to the puncture needle, the following steps are performed: Figure 8 The image processing method of the present invention is shown. The frame in which the motion signal of a certain connected component is first identified as a puncture needle and S300 to S500 are completed is named the nth frame. For each frame after the nth frame (i.e., the (n+1)th frame), the present invention executes... Figure 8 The processing shown.

[0048] Specifically, in the (n+1)th frame, such as Figure 8 As shown, firstly, the puncture needle continued motion detection unit 43 is used to detect the continued motion of the puncture needle (step 200). At this time, only within the ROI formed in the nth frame, based on the degree of correlation with the connected component motion signal corresponding to the previously detected puncture needle, it is detected whether there is a connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle after continued motion, i.e., a puncture needle continued motion signal. Details of this puncture needle continued motion detection process will be discussed later. Figure 9 Please provide an explanation.

[0049] If the puncture needle continues to move in step S200 (step S200: Yes), the signal processing proceeds to step S300'.

[0050] Specifically, in step S300', with Figure 2The process is the same as step S300, where noise reduction, smoothing, and extraction are performed on the motion signal of the connected components to form the minimum bounding rectangle of the (n+1)th frame. Then, the ROI of the (n+1)th frame is set.

[0051] Specifically, firstly, it is determined whether the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle of the (n+1)th frame intersects with the long side of the ROI formed in the previous frame, i.e., the nth frame (step S310'). If they do not intersect (step S310': yes), it means that in this frame, i.e., the (n+1)th frame, the detected moving puncture needle is still moving within the ROI formed in the nth frame to predict the puncture needle's trajectory. Therefore, there is no need to form a new ROI; instead, the ROI formed in the previous frame can be reused (step S320'). If they intersect (step S310': no), it means that the puncture needle has deviated from the predicted trajectory shown by the ROI. Therefore, the ROI is reset for the (n+1)th frame (step S400'). Specifically, for example, in step S400', similar to the operation in step S300 above, the minimum bounding rectangle of the (n+1)th frame is expanded and extended to form a new ROI.

[0052] Step S310' is not mandatory and can be omitted, allowing direct execution of the ROI reset process in step S400'. However, by performing the judgment in S310', if it is determined that the puncture needle is still moving in the direction of the previous frame (i.e., the nth frame), the process of regenerating the ROI can be omitted, reducing the processing load and increasing the processing speed, which is therefore preferred. Alternatively, as a variation of step S310', a new ROI can be formed when the longer side of the minimum bounding rectangle of the (n+1)th frame does not intersect with but is not parallel to the longer side of the ROI formed in the previous frame (i.e., the nth frame), thus preventing the puncture needle from deviating from the predicted trajectory shown by the ROI shortly afterward.

[0053] Next, in step S500', with Figure 2 The same as step S500 in the previous step is used to emphasize the motion signal of the puncture needle 2 using the display control unit 44 and overlay it with the tissue image in mode B to form a needle emphasis image.

[0054] The above describes the image processing flow for the (n+1)th frame.

[0055] The following, combined with Figure 9 Detailed Explanation Figure 8 The intermediate step S200 involves detecting and processing the continued movement of the puncture needle.

[0056] like Figure 9As shown, in step 200, firstly, for one of the connected component motion signals detected in the (n+1)th frame, it is determined whether it is connected to the connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle detected in the previous frame (or previous frames) on the screen (step S201). If they are connected, in other words, the detected connected component motion signal and the connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle detected in the previous frame are not two completely separate regions in the same screen, which means that the connected component motion signal may be a continuation of the motion of the connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle detected in the previous frame. Therefore, the determination in step S202 is performed for the connected component motion signal. Conversely, if the determination in step S201 is negative, it means that the signal may be a signal of blood flow or human tissue in other movements. Therefore, the determination in S202 to S203 will not be performed on the signal. Instead, the next detected connected component motion signal is similarly determined to be connected to the connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle detected in the previous frame on the screen, until a certain connected component motion signal is determined to be positive (step S201: positive). If all detected connected component motion signals are judged sequentially but none of them are connected to the connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle detected in the previous frame on the screen (step S201: No), it means that the continuation of the motion of the puncture needle in the previous frame has not been detected. That is, it means that the puncture needle has not moved compared to the previous frame, in other words, it is in a stationary state. Therefore, no motion signal was acquired by the Doppler mode. Thus, the needle emphasis image formed in S500 in the previous frame is displayed on the screen.

[0057] If the condition in step S201 is yes, meaning that a certain connected component motion signal is determined to be connected to the connected component motion signal corresponding to the puncture needle detected in the previous frame on the screen, then the connected component motion signal is judged to determine whether the signal increases or decreases along the long side of the ROI (step S202). If the judgment is yes, it means that the connected component motion signal may be formed by the puncture needle detected in the previous frame being inserted or withdrawn along a predetermined trajectory. Then the connected component motion signal is judged in step S203. If the judgment is no, it means that the signal may be a signal of blood flow or human tissue in other movements, and therefore the signal will not be further processed. Instead of performing the judgment in S203, the next connected component motion signal judged as "yes" in step S201 is judged to determine whether it increases or decreases along the long side of the ROI. If all connected component motion signals judged as "yes" in step S201 are judged in turn and none of them increase or decrease along the long side of the ROI, it means that no moving puncture needle has been detected. That is, it means that the puncture needle has not moved compared to the previous frame, i.e., it is in a stationary state. Therefore, no motion signal is acquired by the Doppler mode. Thus, the same as the case of "step S201: no" is mentioned above, and the needle emphasis image formed in S500 of the previous frame is displayed on the display screen.

[0058] If the condition is "yes" in step S202, that is, if the motion signal of a certain connected component in the ROI is determined to be increasing or decreasing along the length direction of the ROI, then the orientation of the motion signal is judged to be within the specified range compared with the previous frame (step S203). Here, the orientation of the puncture needle detected in the previous frame has been obtained in step S104. In step S203, as above, a minimum bounding rectangle is formed for the newly added connected component motion signal, and the angle between the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle and the horizontal or vertical direction is compared with the orientation of the puncture needle detected in the previous frame in step S104. If the deviation angle between the two is within the specified range (step S203: yes), it means that the connected component motion signal is formed by the puncture needle detected in the previous frame being inserted or withdrawn at a predetermined angle. Therefore, it is identified as a continuation of the motion of the puncture needle detected in the previous frame, and the process proceeds to step 300. If not, then the deviation angle of the next connected component motion signal that was determined to be yes in step S202 is judged to be within the specified range. If all connected component motion signals that were determined to be yes in step S202 are judged in turn and none of them have a deviation angle within the specified range, it means that no moving puncture needle has been detected. That is, it means that the puncture needle has not moved compared to the previous frame, that is, it is in a stationary state. Therefore, no motion signal is acquired by the Doppler mode. Thus, the same as the case of "step S201: no" is mentioned above, and the needle emphasis image formed in S500 of the previous frame is displayed on the display screen.

[0059] If the condition in step S203 is yes, that is, if the deviation angle of the orientation of a certain connected component motion signal is determined to be within the specified range compared to the previous frame, then it is considered that a continuing motion of the puncture needle has been detected, the puncture needle continuing motion detection process ends, and then the connected component motion signal is further processed. Figure 8 Processing steps S300' to S500' in the middle.

[0060] The above code executes the following for the (n+1)th frame. Figure 8 The processing of S200, S300' to S500' is shown.

[0061] Then, starting from the next frame after frame n+1, i.e., frame n+2, until the operation is completed and the puncture needle is withdrawn from the body, this process is repeated for all frames. Figure 8 The processing steps S200, S300' to S500' shown are described.

[0062] That is, in the (n+2)th frame, the motion signal of the connected component is detected in the ROI formed in the (n+1)th frame, and then steps S201 to S203 and S300' to S500' are performed sequentially until the operation ends.

[0063] As mentioned above, in Figure 8 In step S310', it is determined whether the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle of the current frame intersects with the long side of the ROI of the previous frame. If, from frame n+1 until the end of the operation, it is determined in step S400' that the long side of the newly formed minimum bounding rectangle does not intersect with the long side of the ROI of the previous frame, then the ROI formed in frame n will be used until the end of the operation, without the need to form a new ROI.

[0064] Since motion signals are detected only within the ROI that matches the shape of the puncture needle and predicts its movement trajectory, instead of across the entire frame after the puncture needle is detected, processing speed is improved and processing load and time are reduced compared to detecting the movement of the puncture needle across the entire frame.

[0065] (Modified Example)

[0066] In a modified example, based on the above embodiment, the ultrasonic probe 1 is positioned at the lower edge of the formed ROI. Figure 10 Using the lower hypotenuse of the parallelogram as a reference, the system is divided into multiple regions for ultrasonic wave transmission and reception, thereby reducing the signal transmission and reception time of the ultrasonic probe 1. Specifically, the multiple transducers of the ultrasonic probe 1 are divided into multiple regions, and the signal transmission and reception time of each transducer is set according to each region. This ensures that in each region, the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the transducer is reflected and received by the transducer when it reaches the position corresponding to the lower edge of the ROI in the object under inspection. The received signal of the reflected wave is then used for motion detection.

[0067] By controlling the transmission and reception time of ultrasound in different regions in this way, in such a way... Figure 10 In the example shown, the area further to the right, that is, the area with the shallower depth of the lower edge of the ROI, the shorter the ultrasonic wave transmission and reception time, thereby improving the overall frame rate of the image.

[0068] Specifically, in step S400' of the above embodiment, in this modified example, after forming a new ROI (as described above, if the long side of the smallest bounding rectangle does not intersect with the long side of the previously formed old ROI, then the old ROI is used), the edge information of the ROI is sent to the control unit (not shown) of the ultrasonic probe 1, so that the transducer of the ultrasonic probe 1 sets the duration of the signal transmission according to the lower edge of each region divided by the ROI. Figure 10The diagram illustrates a scenario where the ROI (Region of Interest) is divided into six regions along the surface of the subject in contact with the ultrasonic probe 1, with the lower edge as the boundary, for signal transmission and reception by six groups of transducers. In this diagram, the rightmost region corresponds to a group of transducers whose signal transmission and reception time is set to be the shortest. Specifically, the transmission time of this group of transducers is set such that the signal emitted by the leftmost transducer in this group returns just as it reaches the lower boundary of the ROI.

[0069] In addition, although Figure 10 The example shown is dividing the ROI into 6 regions, but the invention is not limited to this number. The more regions are divided, the more groups of oscillators are needed for each region to transmit and receive signals. While setting the transmission and reception time of each group so that the signal emitted by the leftmost oscillator of that group returns just as it reaches the lower boundary of the ROI, the more regions are divided, the larger the region with reduced transmission and reception time in the lower right corner will become in the direction towards the lower boundary of the ROI.

[0070] Therefore, the transducer of ultrasonic probe 1 avoids sending signals to the lower right corner of the signal transmission and reception time reduction area, thus saving signal transmission and reception time, reducing the time for each frame to be formed, and increasing the overall refresh rate and frame rate of the image.

[0071] While the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the image processing method implemented therein, which are preferred embodiments of the present invention, have been described above, the invention is not limited thereto.

[0072] For example, in S100, when a connected component motion signal is detected in the image, steps S102 to S105 are performed sequentially for each connected component motion signal, but steps S102 to S105 can also be performed simultaneously for all connected component motion signals.

[0073] Furthermore, in steps S100 and S200 above, a positive judgment result is obtained only when all steps S102-S105 and steps S201-S203 are true, thus proceeding to step S300. However, these steps are designed to improve the accuracy of judging the puncture needle and the accuracy of setting the ROI used for trajectory prediction. If the judgment can be made by other means, such as the operator directly inputting the judgment result into the device or directly locating and drawing the position of the puncture needle using a mouse, some steps in S100 or S200 can be appropriately omitted. In addition, the execution order of steps S102-S105 is not limited and can be arbitrarily changed.

[0074] In addition, in the above steps S300 and S300', the motion signal of the connected domain is denoised and smoothed, but it is also possible not to denoise and smooth, but only to extract and form the minimum bounding rectangle.

[0075] In addition, in the above steps S500 and S500', the extracted motion signal of the puncture needle is processed as follows: Figure 7 The coloring method was used to emphasize the motion signal of the puncture needle, but the method of emphasizing the motion signal of the puncture needle is not limited to this. For example, the circumscribed rectangle formed in steps S300 and S300' can be used as is. Alternatively, only the short side at the front end of the circumscribed rectangle can be retained and its brightness increased. The tip of the extracted motion signal of the puncture needle can be depicted as a pointer, triangle, etc. In short, any method of emphasis is acceptable as long as it allows the operator to identify in the displayed image that the puncture needle is moving along the ROI.

[0076] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are provided as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included within the scope of the invention as described in the claims and its equivalents.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic device, characterized in that, have: An ultrasonic probe sends and receives ultrasonic waves relative to the subject into which the puncture needle is inserted. The image generation unit generates an ultrasonic image based on the received signal of the reflected wave received by the ultrasonic probe. as well as The display unit displays the ultrasound image. The image generation unit is characterized by comprising: The initial detection unit for the puncture needle detects, frame by frame, the motion signal of the connected domain of the puncture needle, i.e., the puncture needle connected domain signal, based on the motion pattern information of the features representing the motion pattern of the puncture needle in the ultrasonic image. The region of interest setting unit, within one frame in which the puncture needle connected domain signal is first detected, forms a region of interest outside the outline of the detected puncture needle connected domain motion signal for predicting the motion trajectory of the puncture needle, and emphasizes the puncture needle connected domain motion signal on the ultrasound image. The short side of the region of interest is larger than the short side of the outline of the puncture needle connected domain motion signal, and the long side of the region of interest extends parallel to the long side of the puncture needle connected domain motion signal. The puncture needle continued movement detection unit, starting from the next frame, detects the motion signal of the connected components of the puncture needle only for the region of interest. Based on the correlation between the detected motion signal and the previously detected motion signal, it detects whether there exists a motion signal indicating continued movement of the puncture needle, i.e., a continued motion signal. If the puncture needle continued movement detection unit does not detect the puncture needle continued movement signal, the display unit will display the previously detected puncture needle connected region movement signal, which will be highlighted. If the puncture needle continued movement detection unit detects the puncture needle continued movement signal, the display unit will highlight the puncture needle continued movement signal on the ultrasound image.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the region of interest setting unit performs signal processing on the motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain, it forms a minimum circumscribed rectangle according to the contour of the motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, If the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle formed for the detected continued movement signal of the puncture needle does not intersect with the long side of the region of interest, the puncture needle continued movement detection unit retains the region of interest. If the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle formed for the detected continued movement signal of the puncture needle intersects with the long side of the region of interest, the puncture needle continued movement detection unit updates the region of interest so that its long side is parallel to the long side of the minimum bounding rectangle formed for the detected continued movement signal of the puncture needle.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The ultrasonic image is formed by superimposing the motion signal of the connected domain detected by Doppler mode onto a B-mode image.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The initial detection unit of the puncture needle determines that it has detected a motion signal of the connected domain of the puncture needle if the detected motion signal of the connected domain meets the following conditions: Start from the designated edge; The area is above the specified threshold; Orientation within a specified angular range relative to the horizontal or vertical direction; Compared to all previous frames, the area tends to increase or decrease continuously.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The puncture needle continued movement detection unit determines that the detected puncture needle connected region movement signal is a puncture needle continued movement signal if all of the following conditions are met: The motion signal of the puncture needle connectivity region detected previously is connected to the display screen; Compared with the previously detected motion signal of the puncture needle connected region, the signal increases or decreases along the length direction of the region of interest; The deviation angle between the orientation of the previously detected motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain and the previous one is within the specified range.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The ultrasonic probe is divided into multiple regions according to the lower edge of the region of interest. The time for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves in each region is set so that the reflected ultrasonic wave is received at the position in the subject corresponding to the lower edge of the region of interest.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The initial detection unit of the puncture needle forms a minimum bounding rectangle for the detected connected component motion signal.

9. An image processing method in an ultrasonic diagnostic device, the ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising: An ultrasonic probe sends and receives ultrasonic waves relative to the subject into which the puncture needle is inserted. The image generation unit generates an ultrasonic image based on the received signal of the reflected wave received by the ultrasonic probe; and The display unit displays the ultrasound image. Its features are, The image processing method includes the following steps performed by the image generation unit: The initial detection step of the puncture needle involves detecting the motion signal of the connected domain of the puncture needle, i.e., the puncture needle connected domain signal, frame by frame in the ultrasonic image based on the motion pattern information of the features representing the motion pattern of the puncture needle. The region of interest setting step involves forming a region of interest outside the outline of the detected motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain in one frame for predicting the motion trajectory of the puncture needle, outside the outline of the detected motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain, and emphasizing the motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain on the ultrasound image. The short side of the region of interest is larger than the short side of the outline of the motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain, and the long side of the region of interest extends parallel to the long side of the motion signal of the puncture needle connected domain. The step of detecting continued movement of the puncture needle involves detecting the motion signal of the connected domain of the puncture needle only for the region of interest, starting from the next frame of the previous frame. Based on the degree of correlation between the detected motion signal of the connected domain of the puncture needle and the previously detected motion signal of the connected domain of the puncture needle, it is determined whether there is a motion signal of the connected domain of the puncture needle indicating continued movement, i.e., a continued motion signal of the puncture needle. as well as In the display control step, if the puncture needle continues to move signal is not detected in the puncture needle continued movement detection step, the display unit displays the previously detected puncture needle connected region movement signal that is highlighted. If the puncture needle continues to move signal is detected in the puncture needle continued movement detection step, the puncture needle continued movement signal is highlighted on the ultrasound image.

10. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program, characterized in that, This program is used to enable a computer to perform the image processing method as described in claim 9.

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