Ultrasound apparatus and myocardial data processing method

Abstract

The application provides an ultrasonic device and a myocardial data processing method. The echo signals obtained in the process of tissue Doppler detection of the heart are combined with the contraction and diastole of the myocardium, a plurality of groups of line data are extracted from the digital signals of the echo signals, and the time length of each group of line data is one cardiac cycle. The data of each time point extracted from the plurality of groups of line data are subjected to data mixing processing to obtain myocardial data of a target myocardium. Each group of line data extracted is real detection data, and the data after the data mixing processing can better reflect the actual situation of myocardial movement, that is, the restoration degree of myocardial movement is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasound, in particular to an ultrasound device and a myocardial data processing method. BACKGROUND

[0002] Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) technology can be applied to the detection of myocardial motion, and low-frequency and high-amplitude Doppler frequency shift signals can be extracted. Compared with other conventional echocardiography technologies, the TDI technology has better detection effect.

[0003] In actual application scenarios, under the condition that the imaging conditions such as the transmission frequency, the detection depth, the line density, and the pulse repetition frequency are set to available conditions, it is necessary to ensure that the TDI technology has a high frame rate (such as a frame rate of 90 frames or more) to accurately and completely reflect the changes in myocardial motion on a TDI map. However, the TDI technology under a low frame rate has poor restoration ability for myocardial motion. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides an ultrasound device and a myocardial data processing method to improve the restoration degree of myocardial data collected by the ultrasound device under a low frame rate for myocardial motion.

[0005] The specific technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an ultrasound device, which can include an ultrasound module, an electrocardio signal interface, and a processor.

[0007] The ultrasound module is configured to transmit an ultrasound signal and receive an echo signal of a target myocardium.

[0008] The electrocardio signal interface is connected to an electrocardio acquisition device, and is configured to receive electrocardio signals of the target myocardium at multiple time points collected by the electrocardio acquisition device.

[0009] The processor is connected to the ultrasound module and the electrocardio signal interface, and is configured to:

[0010] determine a cycle length of a cardiac cycle based on the electrocardio signals at the multiple time points;

[0011] determine an extraction start time of each group of line data in K groups of line data based on the cycle length, K being an integer greater than 1;

[0012] starting from the extraction start time of the i-th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal, data is collected at a preset collection frequency to obtain the i-th group of line data, wherein the time length between the time point corresponding to the last data in the i-th group of line data and the extraction start time of the i-th group of line data is the cycle length, and i takes any integer in 1 to K;

[0013] The K groups of line data are mixed to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0014] In the embodiments of the present application, the cardiac cycle can reflect the contraction and relaxation of the myocardium. By using the acquired echo signal, in combination with the contraction and relaxation of the myocardium, a plurality of groups of line data are extracted from the digital signal of the echo signal, and the time length of each group of line data is one cardiac cycle. The data at each time point extracted from the plurality of groups of line data is mixed to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium. Each group of line data extracted is real detection data, and the data after the data mixing process can better reflect the actual situation of myocardial movement, and improve the restoration degree of myocardial movement.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the processor is specifically configured to:

[0016] determine the time point of the first R wave and the time point of the second R wave in the electrocardiogram signal;

[0017] determine the cycle length of a cardiac cycle according to the time point of the first R wave and the time point of the second R wave.

[0018] In the embodiments of the present application, the length of time between the time points of the adjacent two R waves is determined as the cycle length of the cardiac cycle, which can be closer to the situation of myocardial movement. The mixed line data extracted in combination with the cycle length of the cardiac cycle can better reflect the actual situation of myocardial movement.

[0019] In a possible implementation, the processor is specifically configured to: in the K groups of line data, the ratio of the length of time between the extraction starting time point of the jth group of line data and the extraction starting time point of the (j+1)th group of line data to the cycle length is a preset ratio, and j takes any integer from 1 to K-1.

[0020] In the embodiments of the present application, each group of line data includes data within the cycle length of a cardiac cycle. The extraction starting time points of the groups of line data can be equally spaced, which can make the plurality of groups of line data cover at least one cardiac cycle, and the data amount of the plurality of groups of line data is larger, so that the data in the cardiac cycle can have a higher myocardial movement restoration degree, and can better reflect the situation of myocardial movement.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the extraction starting time point of the first group of line data is the time point of any R wave in the electrocardiogram signal. Optionally, the extraction starting time point of the first group of line data is the time point of the second R wave.

[0022] In the embodiments of the present application, the extraction starting time point of the first group of line data is the time point of an R wave, which can make the extraction starting time points of the groups of line data all be on Z equal parts in a cardiac cycle, where Z is the inverse of the preset ratio.

[0023] In a possible implementation, the electrocardiosignal at the plurality of time points includes electrocardiosignals of M cardiac cycles, M being an integer greater than 1; K is an integer greater than M, wherein K and M satisfy the following relationship: wherein N represents the preset ratio.

[0024] In the embodiments of the present application, more groups of line data are collected from a smaller number of cardiac cycles, the myocardial data obtained through data fusion has a higher myocardial motion restoration degree.

[0025] In a possible implementation, the processor is specifically configured to:

[0026] In time sequence, the data at each time point from each group of line data is sorted to obtain the target myocardial data.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the myocardial data of the target myocardium is used for myocardial motion quantification analysis, and / or, an ultrasound image is displayed.

[0028] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a myocardial data processing method, which can be applied to an ultrasound device, and the method can include:

[0029] obtaining a digital signal of an echo signal of a target myocardium;

[0030] receiving electrocardiosignals of the target myocardium at a plurality of time points collected by an electrocardiosignal acquisition device;

[0031] determining a cycle length of a cardiac cycle based on the electrocardiosignals at the plurality of time points;

[0032] determining an extraction start time point of each group of line data in K groups of line data based on the cycle length, K being an integer greater than 1;

[0033] starting from the extraction start time point of the i th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal, data is collected at a preset collection frequency to obtain the i th group of line data, wherein a time length between a time point corresponding to a last data in the i th group of line data and the extraction start time point of the i th group of line data is the cycle length, i taking any integer in 1 to K;

[0034] performing data mixing processing on the K groups of line data to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0035] In a possible implementation, in the foregoing myocardial data processing method, the cycle length of the cardiac cycle is determined based on the electrocardiosignal, which includes:

[0036] determining a time point of a first R wave and a time point of a second R wave in the electrocardiosignal;

[0037] determining a cycle length of a cardiac cycle according to the time point of the first R wave and the time point of the second R wave.

[0038] In a possible implementation, in the aforementioned myocardial data processing method, in the K groups of line data, a ratio of a time length between an extraction start time of the jth group of line data and an extraction start time of the (j+1)th group of line data to a cycle time length is a preset ratio, j is any integer from 1 to K-1.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the extraction start time of the first group of line data is a time of any R wave in the electrocardiosignal. Optionally, the extraction start time of the first group of line data is a time of a second R wave.

[0040] In the embodiment of the application, the extraction start time of the first group of line data is a time of an R wave, which can make the extraction start times of the groups of line data all be at Z equal parts in a cardiac cycle, where Z is an inverse of the preset ratio.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the electrocardiosignal at the plurality of times includes electrocardiosignals of M cardiac cycles, M is an integer greater than 1; K is an integer greater than M, and K and M satisfy the following relationship: N represents the preset ratio.

[0042] In the embodiment of the application, more groups of line data are collected from a smaller number of cardiac cycles, and the myocardial data obtained through data fusion has a higher myocardial motion restoration degree.

[0043] In a possible implementation, in the aforementioned myocardial data processing method, the extracted data is subjected to data mixing processing to obtain myocardial data of a target myocardium, including:

[0044] The data at the times from the groups of line data is sorted in chronological order to obtain the myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0045] In a possible implementation, in the aforementioned myocardial data processing method, the myocardial data of the target myocardium is used for myocardial motion quantification analysis, and / or, an ultrasound image is displayed.

[0046] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the application provides an ultrasound device, including at least one processor, at least one memory, and computer program instructions stored in the memory, when the computer program instructions are executed by the processor, the myocardial data processing method provided in the second aspect of the application is implemented.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the application provides a storage medium, when a computer program in the storage medium is executed by a processor of an ultrasound device, the ultrasound device can execute the myocardial data processing method provided in the second aspect of the application.

[0048] In addition, the technical effects brought by any one of the implementation manners of the second aspect to the fourth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by the different implementation manners of the first aspect, which will not be described here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0049] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0050] Figure 1 A structure schematic diagram of an ultrasonic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] Figure 2 A principle schematic diagram of an ultrasonic device realizing an ultrasonic image according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] Figure 3 An application scenario diagram of a myocardial data processing method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an electrocardiosignal provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart of a myocardial processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a first R wave and a second R wave provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] Figure 7 A relationship schematic diagram of starting moments of data segments extracted from multiple groups of ultrasonic scanning line data provided by the present application;

[0057] Figure 8 A relationship schematic diagram of data segments extracted from multiple groups of ultrasonic scanning line data provided by the present application;

[0058] Figure 9 A schematic flowchart of a specific flow of a myocardial data processing provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 10 A relationship schematic diagram of starting moments of data segments extracted from multiple groups of ultrasonic scanning line data provided by the present application;

[0060] Figure 11 A relationship schematic diagram of data segments extracted from multiple groups of ultrasonic scanning line data provided by the present application;

[0061] Figure 12A structural schematic diagram of an ultrasound device provided for an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 1.

[0062] Figure 13 A structural schematic diagram of another ultrasound device provided for an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0064] The heart is the "engine" of the human body, and is very important to human health. The myocardial tissue accounts for more than 95% of the total volume of the heart. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for effectively detecting myocardial movement.

[0065] Currently, the main methods for quantitatively evaluating myocardial movement of the heart include tissue Doppler (TDI), tissue speckle tracking, and conventional echocardiography. Conventional echocardiography is the most common method for detecting myocardial movement, but it is less sensitive than TDI to the impairment of small myocardial contraction function. M-mode echocardiography is an important component of echocardiography due to its fast time sampling technique, but this method is easily affected by the operator. The biplane Simpson method is a semi-quantitative method, but this method depends on the experience of the operator and has poor repeatability.

[0066] During the detection of myocardial movement by tissue Doppler (TDI), low-frequency and high-amplitude Doppler shift signals can be extracted, and such signals can reflect the speed and direction of myocardial movement. TDI is more sensitive than conventional echocardiography. However, in the TDI technology under the condition of low frame rate, there is an insufficient ability to restore myocardial movement, which makes the collected myocardial data not conducive to quantitative analysis, and easily leads to distortion of the quantitative analysis curve.

[0067] Therefore, the present application provides an ultrasound device and a myocardial data processing method, to improve the restoration degree of myocardial data collected by the ultrasound device under the condition of low frame rate to myocardial movement, and to improve the detection effect of the ultrasound device on myocardial movement under the condition of low frame rate.

[0068] The inventive concept of the present application can be summarized as follows: in the low frame rate ultrasound detection scenario, the echo signals obtained by the present application in the process of tissue Doppler detection of the heart are combined with the contraction and relaxation of the myocardium, a plurality of groups of line data are extracted from the digital signals of the echo signals, and the time length of each group of line data is one cardiac cycle. The data at each time point extracted from the plurality of groups of line data is subjected to data mixing processing to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium. Each group of line data extracted is real detection data, and the data after data mixing processing can better reflect the actual situation of myocardial movement, that is, the degree of restoration of myocardial movement is improved.

[0069] After introducing the main inventive idea of the present application, the ultrasound device to which the myocardial data processing method provided by the present application is applied will be introduced below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in Figure 1 , it is a structural block diagram of an ultrasound device provided by the present application.

[0070] It should be understood that Figure 1 The ultrasound device shown in Figure 1 may have more or fewer components than those shown in Figure 1 may combine two or more components, or may have a different component configuration. The various components shown in the figure can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and / or application specific integrated circuits.

[0071] Figure 1 The hardware configuration block diagram of the ultrasound device according to the exemplary embodiment is exemplarily shown in

[0072] As shown in Figure 1 , the ultrasound device may, for example, include a processor 110, a memory 120, a display unit 130, an ultrasonic module, and an electrocardiosignal interface 150; wherein

[0073] The ultrasonic module can include a probe 140 for emitting ultrasonic signals and receiving echo signals during ultrasonic detection.

[0074] The display unit 130 is configured to display an ultrasonic image; optionally, the display unit 130 can display a quantitative analysis result.

[0075] The memory 120 is configured to store data required for ultrasonic imaging, which can include software programs, application interface data, etc.

[0076] The electrocardiosignal interface 150 is configured to connect an electrocardio acquisition device. The electrocardio acquisition device is generally used to acquire an electrocardiosignal. The electrocardiosignal interface 150 can receive the electrocardiosignal.

[0077] The processor 110, connected with the probe 140, the display unit 130 and the memory 120 respectively, is configured to perform: determining a cycle length of a cardiac cycle based on electrocardiogram signals at multiple time points; extracting a piece of data from each group of ultrasound scan line data according to the cycle length; and performing data mixing processing on the extracted data to obtain myocardial data of a target myocardium.

[0078] The ultrasound image or the myocardial motion quantification analysis result is displayed through the display unit 130.

[0079] Figure 2 An application principle of an embodiment of the present application is shown in the figure. The part can be implemented by part modules or functional components of the ultrasound device shown in the figure, and only the main components will be described below, and other components such as the memory, the controller, the control circuit, etc. will not be described here. Figure 1

[0080] As shown in the figure, the application environment can include a user interface 210, a display unit 220 for displaying the user interface, and a processor 230. Figure 2

[0081] The display unit 220 can include a display panel 221 and a backlight assembly 222. The display panel 221 is configured to display the ultrasound image, and the backlight assembly 222 is located at the back of the display panel 221. The backlight assembly 222 can include a plurality of backlight sub-zones (not shown in the figure), and each backlight sub-zone can emit light to light up the display panel 221.

[0082] The processor 230 can be configured to control the luminance of the backlight sources of each backlight sub-zone in the backlight assembly 222, and control the probe to emit an ultrasound signal, receive an ultrasound echo signal and analyze the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image.

[0083] The processor 230 can control the probe to emit at least one ultrasound signal and receive an echo signal. In the case of controlling the probe to emit multiple ultrasound signals, the emission time and the duration of the ultrasound signal emitted by any one emission can be configurable.

[0084] ​​In the scenario of detecting the heart, it is assumed that the ultrasonic signal is a 1KHz pulse signal, and the speed of the ultrasonic signal is 1540m / s. Since the detection depth of the heart is about 0-38cm, under normal circumstances, the time length of the echo corresponding to a pulse received is in the order of microseconds (us) and is less than or equal to 0.2ms. As can be seen, the echoes of the ultrasonic signals transmitted multiple times are difficult to appear signal aliasing. Therefore, the probe can continuously receive echo signals. The echo signal received by the probe can include the echo signal corresponding to the ultrasonic signal transmitted at least once. If the transmission time of the ultrasonic signal transmitted multiple times is relatively close, the echo signal received by the probe can include the echo signal corresponding to two or more ultrasonic signals.

[0085] The echo signal received by the probe in the present application is an analog signal. The analog-to-digital signal processing is performed on the echo signal to obtain a digital signal corresponding to the echo signal (referred to as the digital signal of the echo signal in the present application) for generating an ultrasonic image frame and the like. The digital signal corresponding to the echo signal is usually discrete, including the amplitude, phase, response peak value and the like of the signal received by each array element of the probe at different time points.

[0086] The processor 230 can determine the cycle length of the cardiac cycle according to the electrocardiogram signals of the target myocardium collected by the electrocardiogram acquisition device at multiple time points; determine the cycle length of the cardiac cycle based on the electrocardiogram signals at multiple time points; determine the extraction start time of each group of line data in the K groups of line data based on the cycle length, K being an integer greater than 1; start data acquisition from the extraction start time of the i th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal, according to a preset acquisition frequency, to obtain the i th group of line data, wherein the time length between the time point corresponding to the last data in the i th group of line data and the extraction start time of the i th group of line data is the cycle length, i takes any integer in 1 to K; and perform data mixing processing on the K groups of line data to obtain the myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0087] As shown in FIG. 1, it is an application scenario diagram of a myocardial data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The diagram includes an ultrasonic device 30, an electrocardiogram acquisition device 31, and an electrocardiogram signal interface 303. Figure 3

[0088] The ultrasonic device 30 includes a display screen 301, a probe 302, and an electrocardiogram signal interface 303.

[0089] ​The ultrasound device 30 acquires ultrasound scan line data at multiple time points by the probe 302 when performing tissue Doppler on the target myocardium. The electrocardiogram signal interface 303 receives the electrocardiogram signals of the target myocardium at multiple time points collected by the electrocardiogram collection device 31. Then, the cycle length of a cardiac cycle is determined based on the electrocardiogram signals at multiple time points; the extraction starting time point of each group of line data in K groups of line data is determined based on the cycle length, K being an integer greater than 1; the i-th group of line data is obtained by collecting data at a preset collection frequency from the extraction starting time point of the i-th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal, wherein the time length between the time point corresponding to the last data in the i-th group of line data and the extraction starting time point of the i-th group of line data is the cycle length, i taking any integer in 1 to K; and the myocardial data of the target myocardium is obtained by performing data mixing processing on the K groups of line data. The ultrasound image of the target myocardium or the myocardial motion quantification analysis result or the tissue speckle tracking quantitative analysis of the target myocardium is displayed on the display screen 301. Optionally, the myocardial motion quantification analysis can include strain, strain rate, velocity, etc. curve quantification analysis of the selected ROI position on certain myocardial segments.

[0090] The electrocardiogram collection device 31 is configured to collect the electrocardiogram signals of the target myocardium.

[0091] The ultrasound device 30 and the electrocardiogram collection device 31 shown in the description in the present application are intended to represent that the technical solutions of the present application are related to the operation of the ultrasound device and the electrocardiogram collection device. It is not intended to limit the type or position of the electrocardiogram collection device. It should be noted that if additional modules are added to the illustrated environment or individual modules are removed therefrom, the underlying concept of the example embodiments of the present application will not change.

[0092] To further illustrate the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, the following will be described in detail in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments. Although the embodiments of the present application provide the method operation steps as described in the following embodiments or shown in the drawings, more or fewer operation steps can be included in the method based on conventional or non-creative labor. The execution order of the steps is not limited to the execution order provided by the embodiments of the present application in the logical sense.

[0093] The electrocardiogram signal can be regarded as a comprehensive reflection of the electrical activity of the heart myocardial cells. When the cell membrane at one end of the myocardial cell is stimulated to a certain extent, the potential change can be detected. These regular electrical stimulation pulses make the myocardial cells (including atrial and ventricular) contract rhythmically, realizing the function of "blood pump" to flow blood to various organs and tissues of the whole body.

[0094] Figure 4The diagram illustrates an electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform over a given period of time. The ECG waveform may include the R wave, P wave, and T wave. The R wave reflects the onset of ventricular contraction and is generally used as a reference point for ventricular contraction. The P wave represents atrial depolarization and reflects the point at which atrial action potentials are triggered. The T wave represents ventricular repolarization and reflects ventricular diastolic action potentials.

[0095] In this embodiment, the duration between two adjacent R waves is taken as the interval between heartbeats (i.e., the duration of the cardiac cycle) and denoted as the RR interval. In real-world scenarios, a normal heart rate is 60-100 beats / min, and a normal RR interval is between 0.6-1 seconds.

[0096] This application provides a method for processing myocardial data, such as... Figure 5 As shown, it includes:

[0097] Step 501: Determine the duration of the cardiac cycle based on the electrocardiogram signals at multiple moments of the target myocardium.

[0098] In practice, while the ultrasound equipment performs ultrasound detection on the target myocardium, the electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition device can acquire ECG signals from the target myocardium and send them to the ultrasound equipment. This allows the ultrasound equipment to have both ultrasound scan line data and ECG signals of the target myocardium. Optionally, the ultrasound equipment and the ECG acquisition device can simultaneously detect the target myocardium. Alternatively, the ultrasound equipment can begin detecting the target myocardium from a first moment, and the ECG acquisition device can begin detecting the target myocardium from a second moment, wherein the time interval between the first and second moments is less than a preset duration.

[0099] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the ultrasound device and the electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition device can synchronously or nearly synchronously detect the target myocardium. Optionally, the sampling frequency of the ECG acquisition device is greater than or equal to a preset frequency. Optionally, the preset frequency can be 500 Hz.

[0100] The processor in an ultrasound device can determine the duration of the cardiac cycle using the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal of the target myocardium. As mentioned earlier, the RR interval in the ECG signal can be used as the duration of the cardiac cycle. Ultrasound devices can determine the duration of the cardiac cycle by using the RR interval determined from the ECG signal.

[0101] Step 502: Extract multiple sets of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal of the target myocardium according to the duration of the cardiac cycle.

[0102] In actual implementation, the processor in the ultrasound device can extract multiple groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal of the target myocardium, and the sampling frequencies of the line data in each group can be the same. Each group of line data is extracted at different starting times, and each group of line data corresponds to a length of a cardiac cycle. There can be an overlap between the time periods corresponding to different groups of line data.

[0103] For example, the multiple groups of line data can be K groups of line data, where K is an integer greater than 1. Taking extraction of the i th group of line data as an example, i can be any integer in K. The processor can start sampling from the starting time ct 1 corresponding to the i th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal of the target myocardium according to the preset sampling frequency, and end at the time ct 1 + yt. Optionally, the sampling frequency can be configured according to the actual application scenario.

[0104] The time of the first data in the i th group of line data is the starting time ct 1, and the time of the last data is ct 1 + yt, where yt is the length of a cardiac cycle. It can be seen that the length of the i th group of line data corresponds to the length of a cardiac cycle, or in other words, the i th group of line data can include data with a length of a cardiac cycle.

[0105] In step 503, the multiple groups of line data extracted are subjected to data mixing processing to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0106] In actual implementation, the processor in the ultrasound device can perform data mixing processing on the data at different times in each group of line data extracted. For example, the data at different times in each group of line data extracted is sorted in chronological order, and the sorted result can be used as the myocardial data of the target myocardium. This achieves expansion of the ultrasound scan line signal at a low frame rate.

[0107] In actual application scenarios, the ultrasound device is used to detect the entire cardiac cycle, and the frame rate of the ultrasound device needs to be at least 400 frames, which makes the cost of the ultrasound device relatively high. Currently, ultrasound devices that support a high frame rate generally support a frame rate of 90 frames. Low-frame-rate ultrasound devices generally support a frame rate of 30 frames, and under the condition that the line density and the scanning depth are not changed, the degree of restoration of myocardial motion of the low-frame-rate ultrasound device is difficult to reach the degree of restoration of myocardial motion of the ultrasound device supporting a high frame rate.

[0108] The myocardial data processing method provided in the embodiments of the present application uses an electrocardiogram signal as a time reference to extract multiple groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal for data mixing, which can increase the amount of line data, and the line data after data mixing can better reflect myocardial motion, which is conducive to improving the degree of restoration of myocardial motion of a low-frame-rate ultrasound device.

[0109] In the above technical solution, the processor in the ultrasound device can detect R waves in an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. The processor can employ any existing method for determining R waves in an ECG signal. The processor can detect the moment of the first (i.e., the first) R wave in the ECG signal, and the moment of the next (i.e., the second) R wave. Based on the moments of the first and second R waves, the duration of one cardiac cycle is determined. For example, the time interval between the moments of the first and second R waves can be defined as the duration of one cardiac cycle.

[0110] Optionally, the processor can employ any existing method capable of directly or indirectly determining the RR interval to determine the duration of the cardiac cycle. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this. Furthermore, the processor can employ existing methods for determining the duration of the cardiac cycle based on electrocardiogram signals. This application embodiment does not impose excessive limitations on this.

[0111] Figure 6 The image exemplifies the positions of the first and second R waves. In one possible implementation, the processor can extract multiple sets of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal in a preset order, with each set of line data corresponding to a duration equal to the duration of one cardiac cycle. The first and second sets of line data are two sequentially adjacent sets of line data, wherein the ratio of the target duration t1 between the extraction start time of the first set of line data and the extraction start time of the second set of line data to the duration T1 of the cardiac cycle is a preset ratio N.

[0112] In some examples, the processor extracts three sets of line data sequentially from the digital signal of the echo signal. The three sets of line data are arranged in the following order: set 1, set 2, and set 3.

[0113] like Figure 7 As shown, the starting time for extracting the first set of line data is ta, the starting time for extracting the second set of line data is tb, and the starting time for extracting the third set of line data is tc. The ratio of the duration between the starting time ta of the first set of line data and the starting time tb of the second set of line data to the duration T1 of the cardiac cycle is a preset ratio N. The ratio of the duration between the starting time tb of the second set of line data and the starting time tc of the third set of line data to the duration T1 of the cardiac cycle is also a preset ratio N.

[0114] In one possible design, the processor extracts the first set of line data starting at the moment of any R wave. Alternatively, the processor extracts the first set of line data starting at the moment of the second R wave in the ECG signal from the aforementioned multiple moments. Figure 8The first group of line data, the second group of line data and the third group of line data are shown in FIG. 1. The timing relationship of the three groups of line data is shown in FIG. 2.

[0115] For example, in some application scenarios, the value of N can be configured as 3. Please refer to Figure 8 The processor extracts the data segments from the line data in sequence, and the extraction starting time of the first group of line data is an R wave time. The positions of the extraction starting times of the line data of the three adjacent groups of line data are at three equal parts of a cardiac cycle, respectively. The three equal parts are the starting points of the three equal parts of the cardiac cycle. The starting time of any group of line data extracted is at any one of the three equal parts of a cardiac cycle. It can be seen that the processor can extract multiple groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal in 2 to 3 cardiac cycles.

[0116] Similarly, the value of N can be configured as any integer. The processor extracts multiple groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal in sequence, wherein the extraction starting time of the first group of line data is an R wave time. The positions of the extraction starting times of the line data of the N adjacent groups of line data are at N equal parts of a cardiac cycle, respectively. In such a design, the processor can extract multiple groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal for data mixing processing in a short duration of electrocardio signal.

[0117] Compared with the scheme of using the line data collected by the low-frame-rate ultrasound device alone, in the embodiment of the present application, the period of extracting data is determined by combining the electrocardio signal, multiple groups of line data are extracted from the digital signal of the echo signal for data mixing processing, which can realize expansion of the line data collected by the low-frame-rate ultrasound device and improve the restoration degree of the myocardial motion of the low-frame-rate ultrasound device.

[0118] The process of myocardial data processing of the ultrasound device of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below. Figure 9 The myocardial data processing method provided by the embodiment of the present application can include the following steps, as shown in FIG. 3. Figure 9

[0119] Step 901, starting the tissue Doppler imaging mode of the ultrasound device to obtain the digital signal of the echo signal of the target myocardium.

[0120] Step 902, receiving the electrocardio signals of multiple time points collected by the electrocardio collection device.

[0121] Step 903, detecting the time of the first R wave in the electrocardio signals of multiple time points.

[0122] Step 904, detecting the time of the second R wave in the electrocardio signals of multiple time points.

[0123] ​Step 905, determining the cycle length of the cardiac cycle according to the time of the first R wave and the time of the second R wave.

[0124] Step 906, determining the extraction starting time of each group of line data based on the cycle length and the preset ratio N.

[0125] In a specific implementation, the processor can obtain a plurality of groups of line data in M cardiac cycles. And according to the cycle length of the cardiac cycle and the preset ratio N, the starting time of extracting each group of line data in the operation of extracting each group of line data is determined, that is, the timestamp of the first data in the group of line data. M is an integer greater than 1.

[0126] The processor can extract a plurality of groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal in a preset order. Wherein, the extraction starting time corresponding to the two groups of line data adjacent in the order can be time A and time B respectively, wherein time A and time B satisfy the following relationship: the ratio of the time length between time A and time B to the cycle length T1 of the cardiac cycle is the preset ratio N.

[0127] For example, the processor can obtain Q groups of line data in M cardiac cycles. Optionally, the relationship between Q and M can be Among the Q groups of line data, the data extraction starting time of the first group of line data is the time C of an R wave. The extraction starting time of the second group of line data is time C+T1*N. Wherein T1 is the cycle length of a cardiac cycle. N is the preset ratio. The extraction starting time of the third group of line data is time C+2*T1*N. Similarly, the extraction starting time of the Qth group of line data is time C+(Q-1)*T1*N. It can be seen that the data extraction time corresponding to the i-th group of line data is time C+(i-1)*T1*N, wherein i can represent the order of the processor in the data extraction of the plurality of groups of line data.

[0128] As an example, please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10 four groups of line data and the extraction starting time of each group of line data are shown in the figure. The extraction starting time of the first group of line data is x1, the extraction starting time of the second group of line data is x2, the extraction starting time of the third group of line data is x3, and the extraction starting time of the fourth group of line data is x4. The time length between adjacent data extraction times is T1*N, wherein T1 is the cycle length of a cardiac cycle, and N is the preset ratio.

[0129] Step 907, extracting each group of line data from the line signal of the echo signal according to the data extraction starting time corresponding to each group of line data, and the length of each group of line data is the cycle length of the cardiac cycle.

[0130] The processor extracts a period length of each group of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal as one heart cycle. For example, the extraction starting time of the first group of line data is the time C of one R wave, the processor starts to collect data from the time C in the digital signal of the echo signal according to the preset collection frequency, and the ending collection time is the time C+T1. The collected data can be used to constitute the first group of line data, or the first group of line data can include the data corresponding to the time C, the data collected according to the preset collection frequency, and the data at the time C+T1. The data extraction time corresponding to the i-th group of line data is the time C+(i-1)*T1*N, and the processor starts to collect data from the time C+(i-1)*T1*N in the digital signal of the echo signal according to the preset collection frequency, and the ending collection time is C+(i-1)*T1*N+T1. The collected data can be used to constitute the i-th group of line data, or the i-th group of line data can include the data corresponding to the time C+(i-1)*T1*N, the data collected according to the preset collection frequency, and the data at the time C+(i-1)*T1*N+T1.

[0131] In step 908, the extracted multiple groups of line data are subjected to data mixing processing to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0132] The processor can extract multiple groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal, and each group of line data includes data corresponding to multiple times. The processor can sort the data corresponding to each time in the multiple groups of line data in time sequence to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium. Compared with the line data collected by the low-frame-rate ultrasound device, the myocardial data obtained by the myocardial data processing method provided in the present application has higher time resolution.

[0133] As an example, please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 extracts multiple groups of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal. Take the first group of line data as an example, and a vertical line represents line data at one time. These line data can form an image through a series of preprocessing and postprocessing such as beam synthesis in ultrasound imaging technology. Figure 11 (a) in FIG. 1 is the first group of line data, Figure 11 (b) in FIG. 1 is the second group of line data, Figure 11 (c) in FIG. 1 is the third group of line data. Figure 11 (d) in FIG. 1 is data sorted in time from the data extracted from the three groups of line data.

[0134] The processor can decode each group of line data to obtain the time stamp of each line data. The extracted data is sorted in time sequence (also the time sequence of the electrocardiogram signal) according to the time stamp.

[0135] In a possible implementation, before the mixed data is processed, the processor can perform data interpolation, smoothing processing, etc. on the first group of line data and the last group of line data, so as to improve the continuity and high precision of the myocardial data after data mixing. The processed first group of line data and the processed last group of line data are mixed with other groups of line data.

[0136] Optionally, the data interpolation can be performed in the following manner: the processor determines the data range for interpolation as the first 1 / N part of the first group of line data and the last 1 / z part of the last group of line data, where z is the reciprocal of N. The processor can calculate the coefficients of the spline function by using a spline function to construct a periodic spline function. The processor can perform interpolation calculation on the new input data by using the spline interpolation function. In a specific implementation, the processor selects a group of interpolation nodes in the periodic range, which are usually uniformly distributed. Then, the processor obtains a coefficient matrix by solving a three-diagonal linear equation set according to the function values and derivative values on the interpolation nodes. The function value of any point is calculated by using the coefficient matrix and the interpolation nodes.

[0137] Optionally, the smoothing processing can be performed in the following manner: the interval [X0, Xm] of the first 1 / z part of the first group of line data is divided into m segments, and a cubic polynomial is solved for each segment. The cubic spline interpolation needs to meet the following conditions: on each interval segment [Xi, Xi+1], the cubic spline interpolation function Si(x) is a cubic equation; the cubic spline interpolation function needs to coincide with the known points of the first 1 / z part [X0, Xm] of the first group of line data; the curve is smooth, that is, S(x), S'(x), and S''(x) are continuous. Each cubic equation can be in the form of Si(x) = ai + bix + cix2 + dix3. According to the natural boundary condition and the above interpolation condition, the coefficients (ai, bi, ci, di) of each interpolation function of the m segments are calculated, and each node (independent variable) of the m segments is input into the spline interpolation function to obtain the predicted value. Similarly, the interval [X0, Xn] of the last 1 / N part of the last group of data is divided into n segments, and the predicted value of the sparse data part is calculated.

[0138] Finally, the TDI data of the sparse part after the spline interpolation is quantitatively analyzed.

[0139] Based on the same idea, the embodiments of the present application also provide an ultrasonic device, as shown in the figure, the ultrasonic device 1200 comprises an electrocardiosignal interface 1201, a receiver 1202 and a processor 1203: Figure 12

[0140] The electrocardiosignal interface 1201 is used to connect with an electrocardio collection device. The electrocardiosignal interface 1201 can receive the electrocardiosignals of the target myocardium at multiple moments;

[0141] ​The receiver 1202 is configured to acquire an echo signal.

[0142] The processor 1203 is configured to determine a cycle length of a cardiac cycle based on the electrocardiosignal at multiple time points.

[0143] Based on the cycle length, the processor 1203 is configured to determine an extraction start time point of each group of line data in the K groups of line data, K being an integer greater than 1.

[0144] The processor 1203 is configured to perform data acquisition according to a preset acquisition frequency from the extraction start time point of the i-th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal, to obtain the i-th group of line data, wherein a time length between a time point corresponding to a last data in the i-th group of line data and the extraction start time point of the i-th group of line data is the cycle length, i being any integer in 1 to K.

[0145] The processor 1203 is configured to perform data mixing processing on the K groups of line data to obtain myocardial data of a target myocardium.

[0146] In a possible implementation, the processor 1203 is specifically configured to determine a time point of a first R wave and a time point of a second R wave in the electrocardiosignal.

[0147] The processor 1203 is configured to determine a cycle length of a cardiac cycle according to the time point of the first R wave and the time point of the second R wave.

[0148] In a possible implementation, in the K groups of line data, a time length between the extraction start time point of the j-th group of line data and the extraction start time point of the j+1-th group of line data is a preset ratio of the cycle length, j being any integer in 1 to K-1.

[0149] In a possible implementation, the extraction start time point of the first group of line data is a time point of any R wave in the electrocardiosignal. Optionally, the extraction start time point of the first group of line data is the time point of the second R wave.

[0150] In a possible implementation, the electrocardiosignal at multiple time points includes electrocardiosignals of M cardiac cycles, M being an integer greater than 1; K is an integer greater than M, wherein K and M satisfy the following relationship: N represents the preset ratio.

[0151] In a possible implementation, the processor 1203 is specifically configured to:

[0152] The processor 1203 is configured to sort the data at the time points from each group of line data in chronological order to obtain the myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0153] In a possible implementation, the myocardial data of the target myocardium is used to display an ultrasound image or myocardial motion quantification analysis.

[0154] The following refers to Figure 13The ultrasound device 1300 according to this embodiment of the present application will be described. Figure 13 The ultrasound device 1300 is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the function and scope of use of the embodiments of the present application.

[0155] As shown in Figure 13 , the components of the ultrasound device 1300 can include, but are not limited to, the at least one processor 1301 described above, the at least one memory 1302 described above, a bus 1303 that connects different system components, including the memory 1302 and the processor 1301.

[0156] The bus 1303 represents one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures, and the like.

[0157] The memory 1302 can include a readable medium for volatile memory in the form of a random access memory (RAM) 1321 or cache memory 1322, and can further include a read-only memory (ROM) 1323.

[0158] The memory 1302 can also include a program / utility 1325 having a set of program modules 1324, including but not limited to an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which can include an implementation of a network environment, or some combination thereof.

[0159] The ultrasound device 1300 can also communicate with one or more external devices 1304 such as a keyboard or a pointing device, which can be a device that enables a user to interact with the ultrasound device 1300, or any devices (e.g., a router, a modem, etc.) that enable the ultrasound device 1300 to communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such communication can occur via an input / output (I / O) interface 1305. Still yet, the ultrasound device 1300 can communicate with one or more networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a public network, such as the Internet, via a network adapter 1306. As Figure 13 indicated, the network adapter 1306 communicates with the other modules of the ultrasound device 1300 via the bus 1303. It should be appreciated that although not shown, other hardware and / or software modules could be used in conjunction with the ultrasound device 1300. Such as, but not limited to, microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival storage systems, etc.

[0160] The processor 1301 is specifically configured to perform the following processes:

[0161] acquire a digital signal of an echo signal of the target myocardium;

[0162] receive electrocardio signals of the target myocardium at multiple time points acquired by an electrocardio acquisition device;

[0163] determine a cycle length of a cardiac cycle based on the electrocardio signals at the multiple time points;

[0164] determine an extraction start time point of each of K groups of line data based on the cycle length, K being an integer greater than 1;

[0165] acquire the i-th group of line data from the digital signal of the echo signal starting from the extraction start time point of the i-th group of line data according to a preset acquisition frequency, wherein a time length between a time point corresponding to a last data in the i-th group of line data and the extraction start time point of the i-th group of line data is the cycle length, i being any integer in 1 to K;

[0166] perform data mixing processing on the K groups of line data to obtain myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0167] In a possible implementation, the determination of the length of the cardiac cycle based on the electrocardio signals comprises:

[0168] determining a time point of a first R wave and a time point of a second R wave in the electrocardio signals;

[0169] determining a cycle length of a cardiac cycle according to the time point of the first R wave and the time point of the second R wave.

[0170] In a possible implementation, a ratio of a time length between the extraction start time point of the j-th group of line data and the extraction start time point of the j+1-th group of line data to the cycle length is a preset ratio, j being any integer in 1 to K-1.

[0171] In a possible implementation, the extraction start time point of the first group of line data is a time point of any R wave in the electrocardio signals. Optionally, the extraction start time point of the first group of line data is the time point of the second R wave.

[0172] In a possible implementation, the electrocardio signals at the multiple time points comprise electrocardio signals of M cardiac cycles, M being an integer greater than 1; K is an integer greater than M, wherein K and M satisfy the following relationship: wherein N represents the preset ratio.

[0173] In a possible implementation, the data mixing processing is performed on the extracted data to obtain the myocardial data of the target myocardium, comprising:

[0174] sorting the data at the multiple time points from the K groups of line data in chronological order to obtain the myocardial data of the target myocardium.

[0175] In a possible implementation, the myocardial data of the target myocardium is used for myocardial motion quantification analysis or displaying ultrasound images.

[0176] In an example embodiment, a computer readable storage medium including instructions, such as a memory including instructions, is also provided, which can be executed by a processor to complete the myocardial data processing method described above. Optionally, the storage medium can be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, for example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, and an optical data storage device, etc.

[0177] In an example embodiment, a computer program product including a computer program is also provided, which, when executed by a processor, implements any of the myocardial data processing methods provided by the present application.

[0178] In an example embodiment, each aspect of the myocardial data processing provided by the present application can also be implemented as a program product in the form of a program code, which, when run on a computer device, is used to make the computer device execute the steps of the myocardial data processing according to various example embodiments of the present application described above in the specification.

[0179] The program product can adopt any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may, for example, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of the readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0180] The program product for the myocardial data processing method of the embodiments of the present application can adopt a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) and include program code, and can be run on an electronic device. However, the program product of the present application is not limited to this, and in this document, the readable storage medium can be any tangible medium containing or storing a program, which can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device or apparatus.

[0181] A readable signal medium can be any medium that can be read by a machine (e.g., a computer) and can contain various kinds of machine-readable program code, calculations, or instructions. Examples of a readable signal medium include, but are not limited to, floppy diskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, ROMs, RAMs, erasable programmable

[0182] The program code embodied on the readable medium can be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0183] Program code, used by or in connection with the embodiments, can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, C++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's electronic device, partly on the user's electronic device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's electronic device and partly on a remote electronic device or entirely on the remote electronic device or server. In the latter scenario, the remote electronic device can be connected to the user's electronic device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can be made to an external electronic device (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). The application is not limited to the above-mentioned programming languages and other programming languages can be used.

[0184] It should be noted that although the above detailed description refers to several units or sub-units of the apparatus, such division into units or sub-units is merely exemplary and not mandatory. In practice, depending on the implementation of the application, features and functions of two or more units described above can be embodied in one unit. Conversely, a unit described above can be divided into several sub-units to be embodied by several units.

[0185] Moreover, while operations of the method according to the present application are described in a particular order in the drawings, this is not meant to imply that the operations must be performed in that particular order, or that all illustrated operations must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps can be omitted, combined, performed in an order different from that shown, or performed concurrently.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic device, characterized in that, include: Ultrasound module, ECG signal interface, and processor; The ultrasound module is configured to: transmit ultrasound signals and receive echo signals from the target myocardium; An electrocardiogram (ECG) signal interface is connected to an ECG acquisition device, and the ECG signal interface is configured to receive ECG signals of the target myocardium at multiple times acquired by the ECG acquisition device. The processor is configured to: Based on the electrocardiogram signals at the aforementioned multiple moments, the duration of the cardiac cycle is determined; Based on the cycle duration, the extraction start time of each group of line data in the K groups of line data is determined, where K is an integer greater than 1; in the K groups of line data, the ratio of the duration between the extraction start time of the j-th group of line data and the extraction start time of the (j+1)-th group of line data to the cycle duration is a preset ratio, where j takes any integer from 1 to K-1; Starting from the extraction start time of the i-th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal, data is collected according to the preset acquisition frequency to obtain the i-th group of line data. The duration between the time corresponding to the last data in the i-th group of line data and the extraction start time of the i-th group of line data is the period duration, and i takes any integer from 1 to K. The data from each time point in the K groups of linear data are sorted according to time sequence to obtain the target myocardial data.

2. The device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The processor is specifically configured as follows: Determine the timing of the first R wave and the timing of the second R wave in the electrocardiogram signal; The duration of a cardiac cycle is determined based on the timing of the first R wave and the timing of the second R wave.

3. The device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The starting time for extracting the first set of line data is the moment of any R wave in the electrocardiogram signal.

4. The device as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The electrocardiogram (ECG) signals at multiple moments include ECG signals from M cardiac cycles, where M is an integer greater than 1; K is an integer greater than M, wherein K and M satisfy the following relationship: , where N represents the preset ratio.

5. A method for processing myocardial data, characterized in that, Applied to ultrasonic equipment, the method includes: Digital signals of echo signals from the target myocardium are acquired. Receives electrocardiogram (ECG) signals at multiple moments from the target myocardium acquired by the ECG acquisition device; Based on the electrocardiogram signals at the aforementioned multiple moments, the duration of the cardiac cycle is determined; Based on the cycle duration, the extraction start time of each group of line data in the K groups of line data is determined, where K is an integer greater than 1; in the K groups of line data, the ratio of the duration between the extraction start time of the j-th group of line data and the extraction start time of the (j+1)-th group of line data to the cycle duration is a preset ratio, where j takes any integer from 1 to K-1; Starting from the extraction start time of the i-th group of line data in the digital signal of the echo signal, data is collected according to the preset acquisition frequency to obtain the i-th group of line data. The duration between the time corresponding to the last data in the i-th group of line data and the extraction start time of the i-th group of line data is the period duration, and i takes any integer from 1 to K. The data from each time point in the K groups of linear data are sorted according to time sequence to obtain the target myocardial data.

6. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, Determining the duration of the cardiac cycle based on the electrocardiogram signal includes: Determine the timing of the first R wave and the timing of the second R wave in the electrocardiogram signal; The duration of a cardiac cycle is determined based on the timing of the first R wave and the timing of the second R wave.

7. The method as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The starting time for extracting the first set of line data is the moment of any R wave in the electrocardiogram signal.

8. The method as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The electrocardiogram (ECG) signals at multiple moments include ECG signals from M cardiac cycles, where M is an integer greater than 1; K is an integer greater than M, wherein K and M satisfy the following relationship: , where N represents the preset ratio.

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