Ultrasound imaging systems, methods, and computer storage media

Abstract

This invention provides an ultrasound imaging method, comprising: emitting a first ultrasound wave toward a target region and receiving an ultrasound echo returned from the target region to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal; processing the first ultrasound echo signal to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the target region; in response to a spectrum information acquisition command, setting sampling gates at a first target position and a second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image; emitting a second ultrasound wave toward the first target position and the second target position to obtain first spectrum data at the sampling gate of the first target position and second spectrum data at the sampling gate of the second target position, respectively; and obtaining comprehensive spectrum information of the target region based on the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of ultrasound imaging technology, and more specifically to an ultrasound imaging system, method and computer storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In modern medical imaging, ultrasound technology has become one of the most widely used, frequently employed, and rapidly adopting new technologies due to its advantages such as high reliability, speed, convenience, real-time imaging, and repeatability. The development of new ultrasound technologies has further promoted the application of ultrasound imaging in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

[0003] In assessing cardiac diastolic function, E / E' and E / A ratios obtained from ultrasound imaging are crucial evaluation indicators. Current procedures require physicians to manually enter pulsed Doppler imaging (PW mode), select the sampling gate location, and calculate characteristic locations on the spectrum to obtain the early diastolic peak value (E) and late diastolic peak value (A) of mitral valve blood flow. Then, they must enter tissue Doppler imaging (TDI mode), again selecting the sampling gate location and calculating characteristic locations on the spectrum to obtain the early diastolic peak value (E') and late diastolic peak value (A') of the valve annulus muscle. This entire process involves numerous steps, impacting physician efficiency. Invention Overview

[0005] Technical issues

[0006] Solution to the problem

[0007] Technical solutions

[0008] The first aspect of this invention provides an ultrasound imaging method, the method comprising:

[0009] A first ultrasonic wave is emitted toward a target area, and an ultrasonic echo is received from the target area to obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal; the first ultrasonic echo signal is processed to obtain at least one frame of ultrasonic tissue image of the target area; in response to a spectrum information acquisition command, sampling gates are respectively set at a first target position and a second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasonic tissue image; a second ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the first target position and the second target position to obtain first spectrum data at the sampling gate of the first target position and second spectrum data at the sampling gate of the second target position, respectively; and comprehensive spectrum information of the target area is obtained based on the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention provides an ultrasound imaging system, the system comprising:

[0011] An ultrasound probe is used to emit a first ultrasound wave toward the heart region before the sampling gate is set, receive the echo of the first ultrasound wave, and obtain a first ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasound wave; after the sampling gate is set, it emits a second ultrasound wave toward a first target position and a second target position where the sampling gate is set, receives the echo of the second ultrasound wave, and obtains a second ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave.

[0012] A transmit / receive control circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a first ultrasonic wave before the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a first ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasonic wave; and to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a second ultrasonic wave after the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a second ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave.

[0013] The processor is configured to: process the first ultrasound echo signal to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the heart region; set a sampling gate at the first target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and obtain first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target position based on the second ultrasound echo signal; set a sampling gate at the second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and obtain second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target position based on the second ultrasound echo signal; and perform interactive analysis on the first spectral data and the second spectral data to obtain comprehensive spectral information.

[0014] A display for showing the integrated spectrum information.

[0015] A third aspect of this invention provides an ultrasound imaging method, comprising: transmitting first ultrasound waves to multiple target regions and receiving ultrasound echoes returned from the multiple target regions respectively to obtain multiple first ultrasound echo signals; processing the multiple first ultrasound echo signals to obtain ultrasound tissue images of each target region; setting sampling gates on the ultrasound tissue images of each target region respectively; transmitting second ultrasound waves to the target positions of each sampling gate respectively to obtain multiple spectral images at each sampling gate; obtaining multiple sets of spectral data based on the multiple spectral images; and performing interactive analysis on the multiple sets of spectral data to obtain comprehensive spectral information.

[0016] A fourth aspect of the present invention provides an ultrasonic imaging system, comprising: an ultrasonic probe, configured to emit a first ultrasonic wave toward a target area before a sampling gate is set, receive the echo of the first ultrasonic wave, and acquire a first ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasonic wave; and after the sampling gate is set, emit a second ultrasonic wave toward at least two target locations where the sampling gate is set, receive the echo of the second ultrasonic wave, and acquire a second ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave.

[0017] A transmit / receive control circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a first ultrasonic wave before the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a first ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasonic wave; and to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a second ultrasonic wave after the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a second ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave.

[0018] A processor is configured to process the first ultrasound echo signal to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the target region; the processor is further configured to automatically perform at least one of the following: setting a first sampling gate at a first target location of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image; setting a second sampling gate at a second target location of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image; obtaining first spectral data at the first sampling gate based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the first target location; and obtaining second spectral data at the second sampling gate based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the second target location;

[0019] A display for showing ultrasound tissue images with a first sampling gate and / or a second sampling gate.

[0020] A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a computer storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a computer or processor, implements the steps of the above-described ultrasound imaging method.

[0021] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0022] Beneficial effects

[0023] The ultrasound imaging system and method, and computer storage medium according to embodiments of the present invention can perform automatic and intelligent spectral analysis on multiple target locations, improving the efficiency of doctors' operations.

[0024] Brief description of the accompanying drawings Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0026] In the attached diagram:

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the sampling gate position on a cardiac ultrasound image according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 It is based on Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the sampling gate spectrum obtained at sampling gate B position;

[0031] Figure 5a This is a schematic diagram of a sampling gate spectrum image obtained by scanning the mitral valve orifice according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5b This is a schematic diagram of a sampling gate spectrum image obtained by scanning the lobe ring according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Invention Embodiments

[0035] Embodiments of the present invention

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present invention described herein, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0037] Below, first refer to Figure 1 An ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. Figure 1 A schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasound imaging system 100 includes an ultrasound probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a beamforming circuit 116, a processor 118, a display 120, a transmit / receive selection switch 122, and a memory 124. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 can be connected to the ultrasound probe 110 via the transmit / receive selection switch 122. The transmitting circuit 112, the receiving circuit 114, and the transmit / receive selection switch 122 can form the transmit / receive control circuit of the ultrasound imaging system 100.

[0039] An ultrasonic probe 110 typically comprises an array of multiple elements. Each time an ultrasonic wave is emitted, all or some of the elements of the ultrasonic probe 110 participate in the emission of the ultrasonic wave. At this time, each element or part of these elements participating in the ultrasonic wave emission is excited by the emission pulse and emits an ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic waves emitted by these elements are superimposed during propagation to form a composite ultrasonic beam emitted to the target object. For example, this composite ultrasonic beam can be an ultrasonic wave emitted towards a target area of ​​the target object (e.g., a human body).

[0040] During ultrasound imaging, the transmitting circuit 112 sends a delayed-focused transmission pulse with a certain amplitude and polarity to the ultrasound probe 110 via the transmit / receive selection switch 122. Excited by the transmission pulse, the ultrasound probe 110 emits ultrasound waves towards the target object. After a certain delay, it receives the ultrasound echoes reflected and / or scattered from the target area, carrying information about the target object, and converts these echoes back into electrical signals. The receiving circuit 114 receives the electrical signals generated by the ultrasound probe 110, obtains the ultrasound echo signals, and sends these echo signals to the beamforming circuit 116. The beamforming circuit 116 performs focusing delay, weighting, and channel summation on the ultrasound echo signals, and then sends the ultrasound echo signals to the processor 118 for relevant signal processing.

[0041] Processor 118 can process ultrasound echo signals obtained based on ultrasound echoes to obtain ultrasound images of the target object. The ultrasound images processed by processor 118 can be stored in memory 124 or displayed on display 120. Memory 124 can be used to store instructions executed by processor 118, to store received ultrasound echo signals, to store ultrasound images, etc. A more detailed description can be found in the subsequent embodiments of this specification.

[0042] The display 120 is connected to the processor 118 and can display the ultrasound images obtained by the processor 118. In addition to displaying ultrasound images, the display 120 can also provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for human-machine interaction. One or more controlled objects can be set on the GUI, allowing the user to input operation commands via the GUI to control these controlled objects and execute corresponding control operations. For example, icons can be displayed on the GUI, and the user can operate these icons using the GUI to perform specific functions, such as initiating the comprehensive spectrum information calculation function.

[0043] Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include other human-computer interaction devices besides the display 120, which are connected to the processor 118. These human-computer interaction devices may include input devices for detecting user input information, such as control commands for ultrasound transmission / reception timing, input commands for acquiring spectrum information, or other command types. Input devices may include one or more of the following: keyboard, mouse, scroll wheel, trackball, mobile input devices (such as mobile devices with touchscreens, mobile phones, etc.), multi-function knobs, etc. The human-computer interaction device may also include output devices such as printers, for example, for printing ultrasound reports.

[0044] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the ultrasound imaging system 100 shown are merely illustrative and may include more or fewer components. This invention is not limited thereto.

[0045] In embodiments of the present invention, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can obtain spectral data from at least two target locations within a target area, and can further calculate comprehensive spectral information based on the spectral data from each target location. Furthermore, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can automatically obtain spectral data and / or calculate comprehensive spectral information. Through the automation of at least some operations, the ultrasound imaging system 100 of the present invention can significantly reduce the complexity of obtaining spectral data and / or comprehensive spectral information, thereby improving user operating efficiency.

[0046] Below, we will refer to Figure 2 An ultrasound imaging method 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. This method can acquire spectral data of multiple (≥2) target locations and obtain comprehensive spectral information based on these spectral data. (The above is combined with...) Figure 1 The described ultrasound imaging system 100 can be used to perform ultrasound imaging method 200.

[0047] The method 200 includes step S201, emitting a first ultrasonic wave toward a target area and receiving the ultrasonic echo returned from the target area to obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal. Exemplarily, the target area may be a human heart, a fetal heart, a fetal umbilical artery, or other organ tissue. In embodiments of this application, the first ultrasonic wave emitted toward the target area is for the purpose of obtaining an ultrasonic tissue image. The transducer of the ultrasonic probe 110 emits the first ultrasonic wave toward the target area and converts the echo received from the first ultrasonic wave into an electrical signal, i.e., obtains the first ultrasonic echo signal. It should be noted that the terms "first ultrasonic wave" and "first ultrasonic echo signal" used herein are used only to distinguish them from the "second / third ultrasonic wave" and "second / third ultrasonic echo signal" described below, and are not intended to be limiting.

[0048] Step S202 involves processing the first ultrasound echo signal to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the target region. In embodiments of this application, based on the first ultrasound echo signal obtained in step S201, it can be processed to generate B-image data. Based on the generated B-image data, ultrasound tissue images can be obtained, for example, multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images can be obtained.

[0049] In step S203, in response to the spectral information acquisition command, sampling gates are set at a first target location and a second target location in at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image. The first target location and the second target location can be on the same frame of ultrasound tissue image or on two different frames of ultrasound tissue image. Here, the first target location and the second target location should be understood as referring to two or more target locations, with one sampling gate set at each target location. Therefore, two or more sampling gates can be set in step S203. The two or more sampling gates can be on the same frame of ultrasound tissue image or on two different frames of ultrasound tissue image.

[0050] In some embodiments of this application, the ultrasound imaging system can set sampling gates at a first target location and a second target location on a frame of ultrasound tissue image. For example, a first target location and a second target location are determined on a frame of ultrasound tissue image, and then sampling gates are set at the first target location and the second target location, respectively. For example, as... Figure 3 As shown, when measuring the cardiac E / E' ratio, a first sampling gate A can be set at the mitral valve orifice and a second sampling gate B at the valve annulus on a single frame of ultrasound tissue image of the cardiac region. When at least two sampling gates are set on the same frame of ultrasound tissue image, the target locations usually correspond to different sites, or at most to partially overlapping sites.

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, the ultrasound imaging system can determine target locations on two or more frames of ultrasound tissue images to set sampling gates. For example, taking setting sampling gates on two frames of ultrasound tissue images as an example, a first target location can be determined on one frame of ultrasound image, and a second target location can be determined on another frame of ultrasound image, thereby setting sampling gates on both frames of ultrasound tissue images. For example, when measuring the heart's E / E' ratio, a first sampling gate can be set at the mitral valve orifice in one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the heart region, and a second sampling gate can be set at the valve annulus in another frame of ultrasound tissue image of the heart region. For example, when measuring the umbilical cord blood S / D value, a first sampling gate can be set at the umbilical cord orifice in one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a second sampling gate can be set at the umbilical cord orifice in another frame of ultrasound tissue image. When setting sampling gates on two or more frames of ultrasound tissue images, the number of ultrasound tissue images used to set the sampling gates can be equal to the number of sampling gates to be set, or it can be greater than 1 and less than the number of sampling gates to be set. When setting sampling gates on two or more frames of ultrasound tissue images, the target locations for setting the sampling gates can correspond to different parts, partially overlapping parts, or even the same parts.

[0052] The following explanation mainly uses the example of setting at least two sampling gates on a single frame of ultrasound tissue image. However, it should be understood that unless otherwise stated or specifically emphasized, the identification operation of sampling gates can also be applied to setting sampling gates on two or more frames of ultrasound tissue images.

[0053] In this step, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can automatically identify sampling gates in response to spectral information acquisition commands. The system can automatically identify multiple (at least two) target sites in a frame of ultrasound tissue image as multiple target locations for setting sampling gates, and set sampling gates at the target sites corresponding to each target location. In one approach, each target site can be identified based on machine learning or deep learning methods. Taking the measurement of cardiac E / E' as an example, standard images of the mitral valve orifice and annulus can be used to pre-train the ultrasound imaging system. Based on learning from the standard images, the system can identify the mitral valve orifice and / or annulus in the input image. In another approach, automatic identification can be performed based on the image features or motion features of each target site. Again, taking the measurement of cardiac E / E' as an example, the annulus moves very fast and will appear as two bright lines on the ultrasound tissue image. The position of the annulus in the ultrasound tissue image can be identified based on the grayscale difference between the bright lines and the surrounding tissue. After the location of the target site is determined, a sampling gate can be set at the target location; the setting of the sampling gate is a conventional technique and will not be described in detail here.

[0054] In some variations, after the ultrasound imaging system automatically sets the sampling gates, it can also receive user input to adjust the positions of the sampling gates, thereby setting the sampling gates at the adjusted locations. The system can prompt the user whether to adjust the position of a single sampling gate after determining its location, or it can prompt the user after determining the positions of all sampling gates. Alternatively, the system may not actively provide sampling gate position adjustment prompts, allowing the user to actively trigger the adjustment operation. For example, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may include sampling gate setting buttons. Users can adjust the positions of the set sampling gates using these buttons. After receiving the user's adjustment, the processor of the ultrasound imaging system 100 will determine the adjusted positions and set the sampling gates at those locations. These include the buttons described below, which can be physical buttons or interactive options on a touchscreen or display screen, as long as the user can operate and trigger the corresponding sampling gate position adjustment operation.

[0055] In some modified schemes, users can input the image range to be identified on the ultrasound tissue image before the system starts automatic recognition, thereby reducing the computational load of the system's automatic recognition and improving overall work efficiency. Users can directly draw a bounding box of interest on the ultrasound image, or specify the image recognition range, etc. Of course, users can also restart the sampling gate setting operation after the system has output the sampling gate, until the set sampling gate meets the user's needs.

[0056] In some embodiments, the ultrasound imaging system can use a frame of ultrasound tissue image corresponding to the trigger time of the spectrum information acquisition command as the object to be sampled by a gate. Taking the measurement of cardiac E / E' as an example, the user plays a video of an ultrasound tissue image of a segment of the heart region of the target object. When the system detects that the user has triggered the spectrum information acquisition command (e.g., at the 5th second), it uses the frame of ultrasound tissue image corresponding to the trigger time of the command (at the 5th second) from the multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images in the video as the object to be sampled by a gate. If the system is set to set a sampling gate on at least two frames of ultrasound tissue images, this step, after detecting the spectrum information acquisition command, can also use another frame of ultrasound tissue image corresponding to a preset time interval after the trigger time of the spectrum information acquisition command as the object to be sampled by a gate; or it can prompt the user to input another spectrum information acquisition command after the spectrum information acquisition command, and use the ultrasound tissue images corresponding to the trigger times of the two spectrum information acquisition commands as the objects to be sampled by a gate.

[0057] The ultrasound imaging system 100 may include an imaging mode switching button. When the imaging mode switching button is triggered, it is considered a trigger command for acquiring spectral information. Correspondingly, a frame of ultrasound tissue image corresponding to the trigger time of the imaging mode switching button is used as the object to be set for sampling gate. For example, the imaging mode switching button may include a blood flow Doppler imaging button and a tissue Doppler imaging button. When the blood flow Doppler imaging button is triggered, and / or the tissue Doppler imaging button is triggered, it can be considered a trigger command for acquiring spectral information. Alternatively, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include a spectral information acquisition button. When this spectral information acquisition button is triggered, a sampling gate is set on the ultrasound tissue image. The spectrum information acquisition button can be a dedicated button that triggers the system to automatically acquire spectrum information. After the spectrum information acquisition button is triggered, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can automatically execute at least one of the following steps: S203, S204, and S205. Specifically, it can automatically execute the operation of setting a sampling gate, a partial sampling gate, or all sampling gates in step S203, and it can automatically execute the operation of acquiring a set of spectrum data, a partial set of spectrum data, or all sets of spectrum data in step S204. The ultrasound imaging system 100 can support user presets for the system's automatic operations. For example, the system defaults to automatically executing steps S203-S205. After the spectrum information acquisition button is triggered, the system can prompt the user to reset the system's automated operation settings.

[0058] In some embodiments, the ultrasound imaging system can perform time-smoothing processing on the target location of a sampling gate in a frame of ultrasound tissue image. Specifically, at least two ultrasound tissue images can be selected from multiple frames, and multiple sampling gate locations can be determined on the selected at least two frames. Then, based on the sampling gate locations on the selected frames, the target location of the sampling gate is calculated. Taking the measurement of cardiac E / E' as an example, the system can determine the location of the mitral valve orifice on multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images of the cardiac region, and then perform statistical analysis on the mitral valve orifice locations on these multiple frames to obtain the target location of the mitral valve orifice, and then set a sampling gate at the target location on any of the selected frames of ultrasound tissue image. This time-smoothing processing can further improve the accuracy of sampling gate setting.

[0059] In some embodiments, when the ultrasound imaging system performs cardiac E / E' measurements, it can further acquire electrocardiogram (ECG) signals and use a frame of ultrasound tissue image of the cardiac region (also called a cardiac tissue image) corresponding to a specified time of the ECG signal as the object to be sampled; that is, a sampling gate is set on a frame of cardiac tissue image corresponding to a specified time of the ECG signal. The ECG signal can be acquired from a monitor, electrocardiograph, or Holter monitor. When the system is set to set a sampling gate on two frames of ultrasound tissue images, a sampling gate can be set on at least two frames of cardiac tissue images corresponding to a specified time of the ECG signal.

[0060] In some embodiments, the ultrasound imaging system can further utilize blood flow and tissue motion information to determine the target location for setting a sampling gate, based on tissue information obtained from ultrasound tissue images. Specifically, a third ultrasound wave can be emitted towards the target area, and a third ultrasound echo signal can be obtained from the echo of the third ultrasound wave. This echo signal is then processed to obtain Doppler data (including blood flow Doppler data and tissue Doppler data) of the target area. Subsequently, the target location for setting a sampling gate is determined based on the Doppler data of the target area and the ultrasound tissue image. For example, the target location for setting a sampling gate can be directly obtained by performing a fusion analysis based on the Doppler data of the target area and the ultrasound tissue image data. Alternatively, the location of the sampling gate can be determined first based on the Doppler data of the target area, and then the location determined based on the Doppler data can be mapped onto the ultrasound tissue image, thereby achieving automatic identification of the target location on the ultrasound tissue image. In some embodiments, at least one frame of color velocity image of the target area (including a color blood flow image obtained from blood flow Doppler data and a color tissue image obtained from tissue Doppler data) can be obtained based on the Doppler data of the target area. In response to a spectral information acquisition command, the ultrasound imaging system can identify at least two locations for setting sampling gates based on at least one frame of color velocity image, and then determine the target location for setting sampling gates on the ultrasound tissue image based on the locations for setting sampling gates on at least one frame of color velocity image.

[0061] In some embodiments, of the at least two sampling gates provided, at least one sampling gate is of a different type from the other sampling gates. When at least two sampling gates are provided, a first type of sampling gate is provided at a first target location of at least two target locations, and a second type of sampling gate, different from the first type of sampling gate, is provided at a second target location of at least two target locations. Here, different types of sampling gates may, in some examples, refer to sampling gates used for different imaging modes, and may have different sampling gate widths, sampling gate center positions, and other characteristic information. Specifically, taking the measurement of cardiac E / E' as an example, a first type of sampling gate is provided at the mitral valve orifice, specifically a sampling gate for blood flow Doppler imaging, and a second type of sampling gate is provided at one or two valve annulus locations, specifically a sampling gate for tissue Doppler imaging.

[0062] In step S204, a second ultrasonic wave is emitted towards the first target location and the second target location, and Doppler imaging is performed at the sampling gates of the first and second target locations, respectively, to obtain first spectral data at the sampling gates of the first target location and second spectral data at the sampling gates of the second target location. If the object corresponding to the target location is blood flow, blood flow Doppler imaging is performed; if the object corresponding to the target location is tissue, tissue Doppler imaging is performed.

[0063] In some embodiments of the present invention, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 can simultaneously acquire multiple sets of spectral data at each sampling gate. Correspondingly, after sampling gates are set at both the first target position and the second target position, second ultrasonic waves are alternately emitted to the first target position and the second target position, and the first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target position and the second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target position are simultaneously acquired based on the alternately acquired second ultrasonic echo signals. Alternating the emission of second ultrasonic waves at the two target positions allows the ultrasonic imaging system 100 to perform ultrasonic scanning at the two sampling gates approximately simultaneously, thereby simultaneously acquiring the spectral data at the two sampling gates.

[0064] In some embodiments of the present invention, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 can acquire multiple sets of spectral data at each sampling gate sequentially, that is, first scan to obtain spectral data at one sampling gate, and then scan to obtain spectral data at another sampling gate. For example, a second ultrasonic wave can be emitted towards a first target location, and the first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target location can be obtained based on the obtained second ultrasonic echo signal. After the first spectral data has been obtained, a second ultrasonic wave can be emitted towards a second target location, and the second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target location can be obtained based on the obtained second ultrasonic echo signal. When the first target location and the second target location correspond to two target locations, the spectral data corresponding to the two target locations are obtained sequentially. When the first target location and the second target location correspond to more than two target locations, the spectral data of each target location can be obtained sequentially, or the spectral data of some target locations can be obtained synchronously first, and the spectral data of the remaining target locations can be obtained synchronously later, etc.

[0065] Further combining steps S203 and S204, steps S203 and S204 are not used to restrict the execution order of the ultrasound imaging method 200. The ultrasound imaging system 100 may perform scanning to obtain multiple sets of spectral data at each sampling gate after sampling gates have been set at both the first and second target positions; or it may first set sampling gates at the first target position, perform corresponding scanning to obtain the first spectral data at the sampling gate, and then set sampling gates at the second target position to perform scanning to obtain the second spectral data at the sampling gate. Taking the first target position and the second target position as two target positions corresponding to each other as an example, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can perform alternating ultrasound scans on the two target positions after setting two sampling gates, so as to simultaneously obtain the spectral data at the two sampling gates; the ultrasound imaging system 100 can perform ultrasound scans on one target position and obtain spectral data after setting two sampling gates, and then perform ultrasound scans on the other target position; the ultrasound imaging system 100 can also first set a sampling gate at one target position and perform ultrasound scans to obtain the corresponding spectral data, and then set a sampling gate at the other target position to obtain the spectral data at the sampling gate of the other target position.

[0066] In this step, the ultrasound imaging system 100 obtains a spectral image based on the emitted second ultrasonic wave, and then processes the spectral image to obtain spectral data. Specific Doppler imaging techniques for obtaining spectral images are well known in the art and will not be elaborated upon in this application. For example, emitting a second ultrasonic wave towards a first target location and a second target location to obtain first spectral data and second spectral data respectively includes: emitting a second ultrasonic wave towards the first target location, scanning the target object to obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal, obtaining a first spectral image based on the second ultrasonic echo signal, and automatically extracting feature values ​​from the first spectral image to obtain first spectral data. Similarly, emitting a second ultrasonic wave towards the second target location, scanning the target object to obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal, obtaining a second spectral image based on the second ultrasonic echo signal, and automatically extracting feature values ​​from the second spectral image to obtain second spectral data. Feature value extraction may include tracing the spectral image or directly extracting amplitude. Tracing may involve partially or completely tracing the waveform of the spectral image, and then extracting amplitude based on the tracing result. Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 According to Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the sampling gate spectrum obtained at sampling gate position B. Amplitude extraction can be directly performed based on this sampling gate spectrum, or further... Figure 4 The sampling gate spectrum is traced. Full tracing yields tracing results that better reflect the actual spectrum data, while partial tracing can improve the speed at which the system automatically acquires spectrum data.

[0067] In some embodiments, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may receive adjustments to the feature extraction operation by the user, and obtain first spectral data and second spectral data based on the adjusted feature extraction operation. After the system performs a tracing operation, the user may, for example, adjust the position of the tracing line, thereby adjusting the feature values ​​(such as amplitude) subsequently obtained based on the tracing results.

[0068] In step S205, comprehensive spectral information of the target region is obtained based on the first spectral data and the second spectral data. In some embodiments, the first spectral data and the second spectral data can be interactively analyzed to obtain comprehensive spectral information of the target region. Here, interactive analysis refers to comprehensive analysis of the first spectral data and the second spectral data, for example, based on the relationship between different sets of spectral data. The obtained comprehensive spectral information can be further displayed, for example, directly on an ultrasound image, or displayed separately from the ultrasound image.

[0069] like Figure 5a and Figure 5b As shown, taking the measurement of cardiac E / E' as an example, the first target location is the mitral valve orifice of the heart, and the first spectral data is the blood flow Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the mitral valve orifice. Figure 5a The image shows a spectral image obtained from a scan at the mitral valve orifice. The blood flow Doppler data obtained from this spectral image includes a positive first peak E and a positive second peak A. The second target location is the valve annulus of the heart, and the second spectral data is tissue Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the valve annulus (when sampling gates are set at two valve annulus locations, the statistical values ​​of tissue Doppler data at both valve annulus locations can be taken as the second spectral data). Figure 5b A spectral image obtained from scanning the annulus is shown. Based on this spectral image, tissue Doppler data includes a negative first peak E' and a negative second peak A'. The ultrasound imaging system 100 can then calculate the ratio of the positive first peak E to the negative first peak E', and / or the ratio of the positive first peak E to the positive second peak A. In this example, the interactive analysis performed by the ultrasound imaging system 100 is a ratio calculation. Of course, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can also perform other processing besides ratio calculation, such as difference calculation, weighted addition, and weighted multiplication, to comprehensively consider the first and second spectral data to obtain comprehensive spectral information of the target region including each target location.

[0070] In some other embodiments, the ultrasound imaging method may further include the following steps: performing image quality assessment on an ultrasound tissue image with a sampling gate, and obtaining the confidence level of the spectral data (first spectral data and second spectral data) obtained in step S204 based on the image quality assessment result. The ultrasound imaging system 100 can analyze attributes such as image sharpness and image uniformity of the ultrasound tissue image to perform quality assessment. Higher image quality generally indicates more accurate target location determination, more accurate sampling gate setting, and consequently, higher confidence level of the spectral data.

[0071] In some other embodiments, the ultrasound imaging method may further include the following steps: evaluating the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the first spectral data and the second spectral data, and obtaining the confidence level of the first spectral data and the second spectral data based on the SNR evaluation result. A higher SNR generally corresponds to a higher confidence level for the spectral data.

[0072] In some embodiments, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may internally set a threshold for the confidence level of spectral data. After determining the confidence level of each group of spectral data, it can be further determined whether the confidence level of the spectral data conforms to the valid data range defined by the threshold. If the confidence level of the spectral data does not conform to the valid data range defined by the threshold, the user can be prompted which spectral data has a low confidence level. For example, it may directly report an error and not output the corresponding spectral data and / or comprehensive spectral information; it may output the spectral data and / or comprehensive spectral information while prompting the user with color, pattern, sound, and / or a combination thereof to indicate that the confidence level of the spectral data is low; it may output the confidence level value and reference range of the spectral data along with the output of the spectral data and / or comprehensive spectral information, etc.

[0073] The ultrasound imaging method described above in conjunction with steps S201 to S205 can be automatically executed by the ultrasound imaging system 100 in at least one of the following operations: setting a first sampling gate at a first target location in at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image; setting a second sampling gate at a second target location in at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image; obtaining first spectral data at the first sampling gate based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the first target location; obtaining second spectral data at the second sampling gate based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the second target location; and performing interactive calculations based on the first and second spectral data to obtain comprehensive spectral information. The automation of sampling gate setting operations at multiple target locations and subsequent spectral analysis achieved by this ultrasound imaging method is more efficient and intelligent overall compared to the process requiring doctors to manually set sampling gates and perform spectral analysis.

[0074] Will Figure 2When the ultrasound imaging method 200 shown is applied to E / E' measurements of the heart, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can identify the mitral valve orifice as a first target location on at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the cardiac region, set a sampling gate (e.g., described as a first sampling gate) at the mitral valve orifice, and identify one or more valve annulus as a second target location, setting a sampling gate (e.g., described as a second sampling gate) at one or more valve annulus. This operation of determining the target location and setting the sampling gate can be at least partially performed automatically by the system. The ultrasound imaging system 100 performs flow Doppler imaging at the first sampling gate, emits a second ultrasound wave towards the mitral valve orifice, obtains a flow Doppler image based on the second ultrasound echo signal obtained at the mitral valve orifice, extracts feature values ​​from the flow Doppler image, and obtains flow Doppler data, such as a positive first peak on a spectral image. The ultrasound imaging system 100 performs tissue Doppler imaging at the second sampling gate, emitting a second ultrasound wave towards one or more valve annulus. Based on the second ultrasound echo signal obtained at the valve annulus, a tissue Doppler image is acquired. Feature values ​​are extracted from the tissue Doppler image to obtain tissue Doppler data, such as negative peaks on the spectral image (which can be multiple negative peaks, including the previously described negative first peak and negative second peak). The second ultrasound waves emitted towards the first and second sampling gates can be the same or different. This acquisition of spectral data can also be performed at least partially automatically by the system. The ultrasound imaging system 100 can calculate the ratio of the positive first peak to the negative first peak, and / or calculate the ratio of the positive first peak to the negative second peak, using these ratios as comprehensive spectral information for the cardiac region. The specific processes and variations of each step are the same as those described in the ultrasound imaging method 200 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0075] Will Figure 2When the ultrasound imaging method shown is applied to the S / D measurement of umbilical cord blood, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can identify the umbilical cord opening as a first target location in one frame of an ultrasound tissue image of the uterine region that includes the umbilical cord opening, and set a sampling gate (e.g., described as a first sampling gate) at the umbilical cord opening; the ultrasound imaging system 100 then sets another sampling gate (e.g., described as a second sampling gate) at the umbilical cord opening in another frame of an ultrasound tissue image of the uterine region that includes the umbilical cord opening. This operation of determining the target location and setting the sampling gate can be at least partially performed automatically by the system. The ultrasound imaging system 100 performs blood flow Doppler imaging at the first and second sampling gates respectively, emits a second ultrasound wave towards the umbilical cord opening, obtains a blood flow Doppler image based on the second ultrasound echo signal obtained at the umbilical cord opening, and extracts feature values ​​from the blood flow Doppler image to obtain two sets of blood flow Doppler data. This operation of acquiring spectral data can also be at least partially performed automatically by the system. The ultrasound imaging system 100 can calculate the ratio of the positive first peak value to the negative first peak value, and use this ratio as the comprehensive spectral information of umbilical cord blood flow in the uterine region. The specific processes and variations of each step are the same as those of the ultrasound imaging method 200 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] As described above, the imaging method performed by the ultrasound imaging system 100 in this application mainly includes the following steps: setting a first sampling gate at a first target location in at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image; setting a second sampling gate at a second target location in at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image; obtaining first spectral data at the first sampling gate based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the first target location; obtaining second spectral data at the second sampling gate based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the second target location; and performing interactive calculations based on the first and second spectral data to obtain comprehensive spectral information. The ultrasound imaging system 100 can automatically perform at least one of the above steps. For example, the ultrasound imaging system can automatically set only the first sampling gate, automatically acquire only the first and second spectral data, or automatically set the first sampling gate and automatically acquire the first spectral data, etc. Taking cardiac E / E' measurement as an example, the sampling gate can be automatically set and the corresponding spectral data automatically acquired only at the valve annulus, while retaining the user's manual setting of the sampling gate at the mitral valve orifice and manual acquisition of spectral data at the mitral valve orifice; or only the spectral data at the mitral valve orifice and valve annulus can be automatically acquired, but the user's manual setting of the sampling gate can be retained; or the sampling gate at the mitral valve orifice and valve annulus can be set and the corresponding spectral data acquired fully automatically. For example, the ultrasound imaging system can automatically acquire only the comprehensive spectral information, or it can automatically acquire the first spectral data and the second spectral data, and automatically obtain the comprehensive spectral information based on the first spectral data and the second spectral data. Similarly, taking cardiac E / E' measurement as an example, the comprehensive spectral information of the mitral valve orifice and valve annulus can be automatically calculated after obtaining the spectral data at the valve annulus and mitral valve orifice; or the spectral data at the mitral valve orifice and the valve annulus can be automatically acquired separately, and the comprehensive spectral information can be automatically calculated based on the spectral data of these two target sites. By automatically performing at least one of the steps described herein by the ultrasound imaging system 100, the operational efficiency of the user in performing comprehensive assessments of multiple target sites using the ultrasound imaging system can be improved.

[0077] In another embodiment, this application may also provide Figure 2 A variation of the ultrasound imaging method, which sets the imaging target as multiple (at least two) target regions. This ultrasound imaging method 600, as shown... Figure 6 As shown, the specific steps may include steps S601 to S605.

[0078] In step S601, first ultrasound waves are emitted to multiple target areas, and ultrasound echoes returned from the multiple target areas are received to obtain multiple first ultrasound echo signals. Similarly, the multiple target areas can be selected from the human heart, fetal heart, fetal umbilical artery, or other organs and tissues; the first ultrasound waves emitted to the multiple target areas are also for the purpose of obtaining ultrasound tissue images.

[0079] In step S602, multiple first ultrasound echo signals are processed to obtain ultrasound tissue images of each target region. The first ultrasound echo signals obtained in step S601 can be processed by beamforming, envelope solving, etc., to obtain ultrasound tissue images.

[0080] In step S603, sampling gates are set on the ultrasound tissue images of each target region. This step also involves first determining the target location on each ultrasound tissue image, and then setting a sampling gate at each target location. The ultrasound tissue image used to set the sampling gate for each target region can be one frame or multiple frames. One or more sampling gates can be set on a single frame of ultrasound tissue image. When the sampling gate corresponding to each target region is not unique, subsequent steps can perform statistical processing on the obtained spectral data, such as calculating the mean and median of the spectral data.

[0081] In this step, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can automatically set sampling gates. The system can automatically identify target areas on a frame of ultrasound tissue image as target locations for setting sampling gates, and set sampling gates at the target areas corresponding to each target location. In one approach, each target area can be identified based on machine learning or deep learning methods. In another approach, automatic identification can be performed based on the image features or motion features of each target area. Once the location of the target area is determined, sampling gates can be set at the target locations; the process of setting sampling gates is a conventional technique and will not be described in detail here. Similar to method 200, the user can adjust the setting position of the automatically set sampling gates and can input the image range of the target location to be identified, etc.

[0082] In step S604, a second ultrasonic wave is emitted to the target location of each sampling gate to obtain multiple spectral images at each sampling gate. The process of obtaining the spectral images can be referred to the Doppler imaging process well known in the art, and will not be elaborated here.

[0083] In this step, multiple sets of spectral data are further obtained based on multiple spectral images. Specifically, feature values ​​can be extracted from each spectral image to obtain one or more feature values ​​corresponding to each spectral image, which serve as a set of spectral data corresponding to each spectral image. As mentioned above, feature value extraction can be performed through trace processing or amplitude extraction. It should be understood that the execution order of the ultrasound imaging method is not limited in the above steps S603 to S604. In one embodiment, multiple sampling gates can be set first, and then second ultrasound waves can be alternately emitted to each sampling gate to simultaneously obtain multiple spectral images and further multiple sets of spectral data. In one embodiment, after setting multiple sampling gates, a second ultrasound wave can be emitted to one sampling gate first to obtain a spectral image and calculate the corresponding spectral data, and then a second ultrasound wave can be emitted to another sampling gate to obtain a spectral image and corresponding spectral data at the other sampling gate, and so on. In one embodiment, a sampling gate can be set at a target location, an ultrasound wave can be emitted to the sampling gate at that location to obtain a spectral image and corresponding spectral data, and then a sampling gate can be set at another target location, an ultrasound wave can be emitted to the other sampling gate to obtain a spectral image and corresponding spectral data.

[0084] In step S605, multiple sets of spectral data are interactively analyzed to obtain comprehensive spectral information. This interactive analysis refers to the comprehensive analysis of the first and second spectral data, for example, based on the relationship between the various sets of spectral data. Combined with step S604, one or more feature values ​​from the multiple sets of spectral data can be taken, and interactive calculations can be performed between these feature values. The result is the comprehensive spectral information. At least two sets of spectral data can be selected from the multiple sets, and then one or more feature values ​​from the selected sets can be taken, and interactive calculations can be performed based on these feature values. The obtained comprehensive spectral information can be further displayed, for example, directly on an ultrasound image, or displayed separately from the ultrasound image.

[0085] Further integration Figure 1 The ultrasound imaging system 100 of the present invention can execute the ultrasound imaging methods 200 and 600 described above, thereby obtaining spectral data of at least two target locations and obtaining comprehensive spectral information based on multiple spectral data. It includes an ultrasound probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a beamforming circuit 116, a processor 118, a display 120, a transmit / receive selection switch 122, and a memory 124.

[0086] In one embodiment, the ultrasound probe 110 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can be used to emit a first ultrasound wave toward a target area and obtain a first ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasound wave, so that the ultrasound imaging system can subsequently obtain an ultrasound tissue image. For example, the ultrasound probe 110 can emit a first ultrasound wave toward a heart region before the sampling gate is set, receive the echo of the first ultrasound wave returning from the heart region, and obtain a first ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasound wave.

[0087] In one embodiment, the ultrasound probe 110 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can be used to emit a second ultrasound wave toward a target area and obtain a second ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave, so that the ultrasound imaging system can subsequently obtain spectral data. For example, after the sampling gate is set, the ultrasound probe 100 can emit a second ultrasound wave toward a first target position and a second target position where the sampling gate is set, respectively, receive the echo returned from the sampling gate setting position, and obtain multiple second ultrasound echo signals based on the echo.

[0088] In one embodiment, the transmit / receive control circuit of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can be used to control the ultrasound probe 100 to transmit ultrasound waves (first ultrasound waves and second ultrasound waves) and receive the echoes of the ultrasound waves to obtain a second ultrasound echo signal.

[0089] In one embodiment, the processor 118 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can be used to process a first ultrasound echo signal to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image. Sampling gates can be set at a first target location and a second target location in the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and multiple spectral data can be obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signals at multiple sampling gates. Interactive analysis of the multiple spectral data can be performed to obtain comprehensive spectral information. For example, the processor 118 can process a first ultrasound echo signal from the heart region to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the heart region. The processor 118 can set a first sampling gate at the mitral valve orifice of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the heart region for blood flow Doppler imaging, and a second sampling gate at the valve annulus of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the heart region for tissue Doppler imaging. First spectral data at the first sampling gate is obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the mitral valve orifice, and second spectral data at the second sampling gate is obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the valve annulus. The processor 118 can interactively analyze the first and second spectral data to obtain comprehensive spectral information.

[0090] In one embodiment, the processor 118 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can automatically set at least one of a first sampling gate and a second sampling gate. For example, the processor 118 can automatically set the first sampling gate at the mitral valve orifice alone, the processor 118 can automatically set the second sampling gate at the valve annulus alone, or the processor 118 can automatically set sampling gates at both the mitral valve orifice and the valve annulus.

[0091] In one embodiment, the processor 118 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can obtain first spectral data and second spectral data based on the second ultrasound echo signal. For example, the processor 118 can obtain a blood flow Doppler image based on the second ultrasound echo signal obtained at the mitral valve orifice, and extract feature values ​​from the blood flow Doppler image to obtain blood flow Doppler data. The processor 118 can also obtain a tissue Doppler image based on the second ultrasound echo signal obtained at the valve annulus, and extract feature values ​​from the tissue Doppler image to obtain tissue Doppler data.

[0092] In one embodiment, the processor 118 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can automatically extract feature values ​​from at least one of the blood flow Doppler image and the tissue Doppler image. For example, taking the E / E' measurement of the heart as an example, the processor 118 can automatically extract feature values ​​from the tissue Doppler image obtained at the valve annulus; the processor 118 can automatically extract feature values ​​from the blood flow Doppler image obtained at the mitral valve orifice; the processor 118 can automatically extract feature values ​​from both the tissue Doppler image at the valve annulus and the blood flow Doppler image obtained at the mitral valve orifice. Extracting feature values ​​from the blood flow Doppler image at the mitral valve orifice yields blood flow Doppler data, which includes a positive first peak. Extracting feature values ​​from the tissue Doppler image at the valve annulus yields tissue Doppler data, which can amplify a negative first peak and a negative second peak. The subsequent processor 118 can calculate the ratio of the positive first peak to the negative first peak to obtain comprehensive spectrum information; it can also calculate the ratio of the positive first peak to the negative second peak to obtain comprehensive spectrum information in another dimension.

[0093] In one embodiment, after sampling gates are respectively set at the mitral valve orifice and the valve annulus, the processor 118 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 controls the ultrasound probe to alternately emit second ultrasound waves to the mitral valve orifice and the valve annulus through the transmit / receive control circuit, thereby synchronously obtaining the first spectral data at the mitral valve orifice and the second spectral data at the valve annulus.

[0094] In one embodiment, the processor 118 of the ultrasound imaging system 100 can control the ultrasound probe to emit a second ultrasonic wave toward the mitral valve orifice via a transmit / receive control circuit. After obtaining the first spectral data at the mitral valve orifice, the processor 118 then controls the ultrasound probe to emit a second ultrasonic wave toward the valve annulus via the transmit / receive control circuit to obtain the second spectral data at the valve annulus. In various embodiments of the present invention, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can support the simultaneous acquisition of spectral data from multiple target locations, or the sequential acquisition of spectral data from multiple target locations.

[0095] In one embodiment, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may be configured with a button to trigger spectral information acquisition. This button may be a dedicated button for initiating spectral information acquisition, or it may be one or more imaging mode switching buttons. These imaging mode switching buttons allow the user to further select whether to initiate spectral information acquisition while switching imaging modes. When performing E / E' measurements of the heart, the ultrasound imaging system 100 first acquires at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the cardiac region. When switching from tissue grayscale imaging mode to blood flow Doppler imaging or tissue Doppler imaging, the user can further select to trigger spectral information acquisition, and can use the ultrasound image corresponding to the time the imaging mode switching button is triggered as the ultrasound tissue image for which the sampling gate is to be set. For E / E' measurements of the heart, an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal can be acquired, and one or more frames of ultrasound tissue images corresponding to a specified time of the ECG signal can be used as the ultrasound tissue image for which the sampling gate is to be set. The ultrasound imaging system 100 may also determine the ultrasound tissue image for setting the sampling gate based on other methods described in method 200.

[0096] Furthermore, according to embodiments of this application, a storage medium is also provided, on which program instructions are stored. When executed by a computer or processor (such as the aforementioned processor 118), these program instructions are used to perform corresponding steps of the ultrasound imaging methods 200 and / or 600 of this application. The storage medium may, for example, include a memory card of a smartphone, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. The computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0097] Furthermore, according to embodiments of this application, a computer program is also provided, which can be stored on a cloud or local storage medium. When this computer program is run by a computer or processor, it is used to perform the corresponding steps of the ultrasound image analysis method of the embodiments of this application.

[0098] Based on the above description, the ultrasound imaging method, ultrasound imaging system, and computer storage medium according to the embodiments of this application automatically perform at least one of setting the sampling gate, acquiring spectral data, and calculating comprehensive spectral information. This automated operation can greatly reduce the workload of comprehensive spectral analysis, making ultrasound diagnosis better meet clinical needs.

[0099] Although exemplary embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this application as claimed in the appended claims.

[0100] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0101] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0102] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this application may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0103] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to streamline this application and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, features of this application may sometimes be grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the description of exemplary embodiments of this application. However, this approach should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed application requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the corresponding claims, its inventive point lies in solving the corresponding technical problem with features fewer than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of this application.

[0104] Those skilled in the art will understand that, apart from the mutual exclusion of features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or elements of any method or apparatus so disclosed may be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that serves the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0105] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments described herein include certain features but not others included in other embodiments, combinations of features from different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this application and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0106] The various component embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, or as software modules running on one or more processors, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some modules according to the embodiments of this application. This application can also be implemented as an apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and computer program product) for performing part or all of the methods described herein. Such an implementation of this application can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can be in the form of one or more signals. Such signals can be downloaded from an Internet website, provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0107] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative of this application and not limiting of it, and that those skilled in the art can devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. This application can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

[0108] The above description is merely a specific embodiment or illustration of the embodiments of this application. The scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, include: A first ultrasound wave is emitted toward a target area, and the ultrasound echo returned from the target area is received to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal, wherein the target area is the heart; The first ultrasound echo signal is processed to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the target region; In response to the spectral information acquisition command, a first target location and a second target location are automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and sampling gates are automatically set at the first target location and the second target location respectively. The first target location is the mitral valve orifice, and the second target location is the valve annulus. A second ultrasound wave is emitted toward the first target location and the second target location to obtain first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target location and second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target location, respectively. The first spectral data is blood flow Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the mitral valve orifice based on Doppler spectral mode, and the blood flow Doppler data includes a positive first peak value. The second spectral data is tissue Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the valve annulus based on tissue Doppler mode, and the tissue Doppler data includes a negative first peak value. as well as The comprehensive spectrum information of the target region is obtained based on the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data. The step of obtaining the comprehensive spectral information of the target region based on the first spectral data and the second spectral data includes: calculating the ratio of the positive first peak value to the negative first peak value, and using the ratio to evaluate cardiac diastolic function.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of transmitting a second ultrasonic wave to the first target location and the second target location to obtain first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target location and second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target location, respectively, includes: The second ultrasonic wave is alternately emitted toward the first target location and the second target location to simultaneously obtain the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of transmitting a second ultrasonic wave to the first target location and the second target location to obtain first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target location and second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target location, respectively, includes: First, the second ultrasonic wave is emitted towards the first target location, and the first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target location is obtained; The second ultrasonic wave is then emitted toward the second target location, and the second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target location is obtained.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, When the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images, setting sampling gates at the first target position and the second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes setting the sampling gates on the ultrasound tissue image corresponding to the trigger time of the spectrum information acquisition command.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, When the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes multiple frames of cardiac tissue image, setting sampling gates at the first target position and the second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes: Acquire electrocardiogram (ECG) signals; The sampling gate is set on a frame of ultrasound tissue image corresponding to a specified time of the electrocardiogram signal.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: A third ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the target area, a third ultrasonic echo signal is obtained based on the echo of the third ultrasonic wave, and the third ultrasonic echo signal is processed to obtain Doppler data of the target area. In response to the spectrum information acquisition command, the first target position and the second target position of the sampling gate on the ultrasound tissue image are determined based on the Doppler data of the target region and at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the target region.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, When the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images, the step of setting sampling gates at the first target position and the second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes: The first target location and the second target location are determined on at least two frames of ultrasound tissue images of the multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images, and sampling gates are set at each target location; Alternatively, the first target location and the second target location can be determined on one of the multiple ultrasound tissue images, and sampling gates can be set at each target location.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: Image quality assessment of ultrasound tissue images equipped with the sampling gate; The confidence levels of the first spectral data and the second spectral data are obtained based on the image quality assessment results.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the first and second spectral data is evaluated, and the confidence levels of the first and second spectral data are obtained based on the SNR evaluation results.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the comprehensive spectrum information of the target region based on the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data includes: performing interactive analysis on the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data to obtain comprehensive spectrum information, and displaying and outputting the comprehensive spectrum information.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The step of transmitting a second ultrasonic wave to the first target location and the second target location to obtain first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target location and second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target location, respectively, includes: A first spectral image is obtained based on the second ultrasonic wave emitted toward the first target location, and feature values ​​are automatically extracted from the first spectral image to obtain the first spectral data. A second spectral image is obtained based on the second ultrasonic wave emitted toward the second target location, and feature values ​​are automatically extracted from the second spectral image to obtain the second spectral data.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: The system receives user adjustments to the feature extraction operation and obtains the first and second spectrum data based on the adjusted feature extraction operation.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: The system receives user adjustments to the positions of the sampling gates and sets up sampling gates at the adjusted positions.

14. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic identification of the first target site and the second target site on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes: Identify the first target region and the second target region using machine learning or deep learning methods; Alternatively, automatic identification can be performed based on the image features or motion features of the first target region and the image features or motion features of the second target region.

15. An ultrasound imaging system, characterized in that, include: An ultrasound probe is used to emit a first ultrasound wave toward the heart region before the sampling gate is set, receive the echo of the first ultrasound wave, and obtain a first ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasound wave. After the sampling gate is set, it emits a second ultrasound wave toward a first target position and a second target position where the sampling gate is set, receives the echo of the second ultrasound wave, and obtains a second ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave. A transmit / receive control circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a first ultrasonic wave before the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a first ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasonic wave; and to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a second ultrasonic wave after the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a second ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave. Processor, used for: The first ultrasound echo signal is processed to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the heart region; The first target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a sampling gate is automatically set at the first target location. The first spectral data at the sampling gate of the first target location is obtained according to the second ultrasound echo signal. The first target location is the mitral valve orifice. The first spectral data is blood flow Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the mitral valve orifice based on the Doppler spectral mode. The blood flow Doppler data includes a positive first peak. The second target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a sampling gate is automatically set at the second target location. The second spectral data at the sampling gate of the second target location is obtained according to the second ultrasound echo signal. The second target location is a valve annulus. The second spectral data is tissue Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the valve annulus based on tissue Doppler mode. The tissue Doppler data includes a negative first peak. as well as Interactive analysis of the first and second spectral data yields comprehensive spectral information, specifically including: calculating the ratio of the positive first peak value to the negative first peak value, and using the ratio to assess cardiac diastolic function; A display for showing the integrated spectrum information.

16. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that, The system also includes a sampling gate setting button; the processor is also used to receive the user's adjustment of the position of the set sampling gate through the sampling gate setting button, and set the sampling gate at the adjusted position respectively.

17. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that, The processor obtains the first spectral data based on the second ultrasound echo signal by: obtaining a blood flow Doppler image based on the second ultrasound echo signal obtained at the mitral valve orifice; extracting feature values ​​from the blood flow Doppler image to obtain blood flow Doppler data; and The processor obtains the second spectral data based on the second ultrasound echo signal by: obtaining a tissue Doppler image based on the second ultrasound echo signal obtained at the valve ring, and extracting feature values ​​from the tissue Doppler image to obtain tissue Doppler data.

18. The system according to claim 17, characterized in that, The processor automatically extracts feature values ​​from the blood flow Doppler image, and / or the processor automatically extracts feature values ​​from the tissue Doppler image.

19. The system according to claim 18, characterized in that, The system also includes a feature value extraction button; the processor is further configured to receive adjustments made by the user to the feature value extraction operation via the feature value extraction button, and obtain the blood flow Doppler data and / or the tissue Doppler data based on the adjusted feature value extraction operation.

20. The system according to claim 15, characterized in that, The blood flow Doppler data also includes a positive second peak; The step of interactively analyzing the first and second spectrum data to obtain comprehensive spectrum information further includes: calculating the ratio of the positive first peak value to the positive second peak value.

21. The system according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that, The transmit / receive control circuit controls the ultrasound probe to alternately transmit the second ultrasound waves to the first target position and the second target position, so as to simultaneously obtain the first spectral data at the mitral valve orifice and the second spectral data at the valve annulus.

22. The system according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that, The transmit / receive control circuit controls the ultrasonic probe to first transmit the second ultrasonic wave toward the first target location, and after obtaining the first spectral data of the first target location, transmit the second ultrasonic wave toward the second target location to obtain the second spectral data of the second target location.

23. The system according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that, The at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images, and the system also includes an imaging mode switching button; The processor sets sampling gates at the first target position and the second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, including: automatically setting the sampling gates on the ultrasound tissue image corresponding to the time when the imaging mode switching button is triggered.

24. The system according to any one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that, The at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image includes multiple frames of ultrasound tissue images, and the processor sets sampling gates at the first target position and the second target position of the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, including: Acquire electrocardiogram (ECG) signals; The sampling gate is set on a frame of ultrasound tissue image corresponding to a specified time of the electrocardiogram signal.

25. An ultrasound imaging system, characterized in that, include: An ultrasound probe is used to emit a first ultrasound wave toward a target area before a sampling gate is set, receive the echo of the first ultrasound wave, and acquire a first ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasound wave; after the sampling gate is set, it emits a second ultrasound wave toward at least two target locations where the sampling gate is set, receives the echo of the second ultrasound wave, and acquires a second ultrasound echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasound wave; the target area is the heart. A transmit / receive control circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a first ultrasonic wave before the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a first ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the first ultrasonic wave; and to control the ultrasonic probe to emit a second ultrasonic wave after the sampling gate is set, and to acquire a second ultrasonic echo signal based on the echo of the second ultrasonic wave. A processor is configured to process the first ultrasound echo signal to obtain at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image of the target region; the processor is further configured to: The first target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a first sampling gate is automatically set at the first target location, wherein the first target location is the mitral valve orifice. The second target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a second sampling gate is automatically set at the second target location, wherein the second target location is a valve annulus; The first spectral data at the first sampling gate is automatically obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the first target location. The first spectral data is blood flow Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the mitral valve orifice based on the Doppler spectral mode. The blood flow Doppler data includes a positive first peak value. as well as The second spectral data at the second sampling gate is automatically obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal at the second target location. The second spectral data is tissue Doppler data obtained at the sampling gate of the valve annulus based on tissue Doppler mode. The tissue Doppler data includes a negative first peak. A display for showing ultrasound tissue images with a first sampling gate and / or a second sampling gate.

26. The system according to claim 25, characterized in that, The system includes blood flow Doppler imaging buttons and tissue Doppler imaging buttons; the processor is used for: In response to the triggering of the blood flow Doppler imaging button, the first target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and the first sampling gate is automatically set at the first target location; In response to the triggering of the tissue Doppler imaging button, the second target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a second sampling gate is automatically set at the second target location.

27. The system according to claim 25, characterized in that, The system includes a spectrum information acquisition button; the processor is used for: In response to the triggering of the spectrum information acquisition button, a first target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a first sampling gate is automatically set at the first target location; and a second target location is automatically identified on the at least one frame of ultrasound tissue image, and a second sampling gate is automatically set at the second target location.

28. The system according to claim 25, characterized in that, The processor is also used to perform interactive calculations based on the first spectrum data and the second spectrum data to obtain comprehensive spectrum information, and to control the display to display the comprehensive spectrum information.

29. A computer storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a computer or processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

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