Muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method and system

Abstract

The invention discloses a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method which comprises the following steps: scanning a target muscle to obtain a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and a plurality of corresponding three-dimensional space information; forming an initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image according to the plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the corresponding plurality of pieces of three-dimensional space information; marking the boundary of the target muscle in each two-dimensional ultrasonic image; performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the labeled initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image to obtain a first three-dimensional curved surface; and acquiring muscle parameters of the target muscle according to the first three-dimensional curved surface. A series of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and three-dimensional space information thereof are obtained by scanning muscles; then combining all the two-dimensional ultrasonic images in a three-dimensional space according to three-dimensional space information; marking a muscle part on each two-dimensional ultrasonic image so as to form a three-dimensional curved surface of the muscle in a three-dimensional space; and muscle parameters are obtained based on the three-dimensional curved surface, so that the muscle is subjected to three-dimensional imaging and analysis through a convenient, rapid and low-cost method.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of muscle imaging, and in particular to a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method and system. Background Art

[0002] Human muscle is an important tissue. Ultrasound imaging has been widely used in muscle examination, but it is mainly based on two-dimensional ultrasound imaging. The three-dimensional structure of muscle, the direction of muscle fibers, the three-dimensional direction of blood vessels and nerves, etc., all require three-dimensional information to be clearly displayed.

[0003] Currently, three-dimensional imaging of muscles can only rely on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but MRI imaging is very long and expensive, and subjects usually need to lie down for imaging; in addition, MRI imaging cannot provide dynamic information of muscles and the speed of blood flow in blood vessels.

[0004] Based on this, a new solution is needed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method and system, so that three-dimensional imaging analysis of muscle tissue can be performed conveniently, quickly and at a low cost.

[0006] The present invention provides a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method, comprising the following steps:

[0007] Step S1, scanning the target muscle with an ultrasonic probe to obtain a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images including the target muscle and a plurality of corresponding three-dimensional spatial information;

[0008] Step S2, forming an initial three-dimensional ultrasound image according to the multiple two-dimensional ultrasound images and the corresponding multiple three-dimensional space information;

[0009] Step S3, marking the boundary of the target muscle in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image;

[0010] Step S4, performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image to obtain a first three-dimensional curved surface;

[0011] Step S5: Acquire muscle parameters of the target muscle according to the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface.

[0012] Preferably, before step S3, the method further includes performing three-dimensional reconstruction on the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image;

[0013] In step S3, a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images obtained from the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image after three-dimensional reconstruction are processed.

[0014] Preferably, in step S1, the target muscle is scanned in multiple directions by the ultrasonic probe, including scanning along the cross-sectional direction of the muscle and scanning along the muscle fiber direction.

[0015] Preferably, in step S3, the boundary of the target muscle is marked by manual marking, semi-automatic marking or fully automatic marking.

[0016] Preferably, in the semi-automatic labeling method, step S3 includes:

[0017] selecting a plurality of key points on a two-dimensional ultrasound image among the plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images;

[0018] According to the selected multiple key points and the boundary characteristics of the target muscle, the boundary of the target muscle is detected on the two-dimensional ultrasound image and multiple marked line segments are formed.

[0019] Preferably, after step S4, the muscle parameters include one or more of muscle volume, average cross-sectional area, muscle length, muscle morphology, muscle texture, and muscle fiber orientation.

[0020] Preferably, after step S4, the method further includes: obtaining the fat content of the target muscle according to the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional curved surface.

[0021] Optionally, the fat content of the target muscle is obtained by calculating the muscle attenuation and scattering degree in the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional surface; or the fat content of the target muscle is obtained by calculating the brightness value and brightness distribution of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional surface.

[0022] Preferably, it also includes:

[0023] In each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image, marking a blood vessel boundary;

[0024] Performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image to obtain a second three-dimensional curved surface representing the blood vessels inside the target muscle;

[0025] According to the second three-dimensional curved surface, blood vessel parameters of the target muscle are obtained.

[0026] Preferably, it also includes:

[0027] marking a nerve boundary in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image;

[0028] Performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a third three-dimensional curved surface representing the nerves inside the target muscle;

[0029] According to the third three-dimensional curved surface, neural parameters of the target muscle are obtained.

[0030] Preferably, it also includes: simultaneously displaying the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasound image within the first three-dimensional curved surface, the second three-dimensional curved surface and the third three-dimensional curved surface.

[0031] Preferably, it also includes:

[0032] When the target muscle is scanned by an ultrasonic probe in step S1, a Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image or a tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle is obtained;

[0033] A three-dimensional Doppler blood flow map or a three-dimensional tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle is obtained according to the Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image or the tissue elasticity ultrasound image and the plurality of three-dimensional spatial information.

[0034] Preferably, before step S1, the method further comprises:

[0035] The target muscle is located to determine the part of the human body to which the target muscle belongs.

[0036] Preferably, it also includes:

[0037] According to the human body part to which the target muscle belongs and a preset muscle information library, muscle statistical features of the target muscle are obtained, and the muscle statistical features include one or more of muscle direction, muscle texture, surrounding related muscles, bones and tendons.

[0038] Preferably, it also includes:

[0039] fusing the muscle statistical features to the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target muscle;

[0040] The fused initial three-dimensional ultrasound image is displayed in real time.

[0041] Preferably, the method further comprises: fusing the muscle statistical features into the first three-dimensional surface of the three-dimensional ultrasound image serving as the target muscle.

[0042] In addition, to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention also proposes a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system, comprising:

[0043] Ultrasound probe, used to scan the target muscle;

[0044] A two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging device, used for obtaining a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle;

[0045] A three-dimensional spatial sensor, used for acquiring a plurality of three-dimensional spatial information of the ultrasonic probe;

[0046] A first data processing module, configured to form an initial three-dimensional ultrasound image according to the plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the corresponding plurality of three-dimensional space information;

[0047] A boundary marking module, used for marking the boundary of the target muscle in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image;

[0048] A second data processing module performs three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a first three-dimensional curved surface;

[0049] A data analysis module is used to obtain muscle parameters of the target muscle according to the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface.

[0050] Preferably, the muscle parameters include one or more of muscle volume, average cross-sectional area, muscle length, muscle morphology, muscle texture, and muscle fiber orientation, and the data analysis module is also used to obtain the fat content of the target muscle based on the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional surface.

[0051] Optionally, the boundary marking module is further used to mark blood vessel boundaries and nerve boundaries in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image;

[0052] The second data processing module is further used to perform three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a second three-dimensional curved surface representing blood vessels inside the target muscle and a third three-dimensional curved surface representing nerves inside the target muscle;

[0053] The data analysis module is also used to obtain blood vessel parameters and nerve parameters of the target muscle based on the second three-dimensional surface.

[0054] Preferably, it also includes a display module for simultaneously displaying the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface, the second three-dimensional curved surface and the third three-dimensional curved surface.

[0055] Preferably, it also includes:

[0056] A Doppler imaging device, used for obtaining a Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle;

[0057] An elastic ultrasonic imaging device, used for obtaining a tissue elastic ultrasonic image of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle;

[0058] The first data processing module is also used to obtain a three-dimensional Doppler blood flow map or a three-dimensional tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle according to the Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image or the tissue elasticity ultrasound image and the multiple three-dimensional spatial information.

[0059] Preferably, it also includes:

[0060] A muscle information database, used to store muscle statistical features of muscles in various parts of the human body, wherein the muscle statistical features include muscle direction, muscle texture, one or more of surrounding related muscles, bones and tendons;

[0061] The positioning module is used to locate the target muscle through the position information obtained by the three-dimensional space sensor, and determine the part of the human body to which the target muscle belongs.

[0062] Preferably, it also includes:

[0063] a fusion module, used for fusing the muscle statistical features of the target muscle obtained according to the human body part to which the target muscle belongs and the muscle information library into the initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target muscle, and also for fusing the obtained muscle statistical features into the first three-dimensional curved surface as the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target muscle;

[0064] The display module is also used to display the fused initial three-dimensional ultrasound image in real time.

[0065] The technical solution provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects: the muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method and system provided by the present invention obtains a series of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and their corresponding three-dimensional spatial information by scanning the muscle with an ultrasonic probe equipped with a three-dimensional spatial sensor; then all the two-dimensional ultrasonic images are combined accordingly in the three-dimensional space according to their three-dimensional spatial information; and then the muscle parts on each two-dimensional ultrasonic image are marked, thereby forming a three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the muscle in the three-dimensional space, thereby performing three-dimensional imaging of the muscle in a convenient, fast and low-cost method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0066] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative work:

[0067] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 2 Shown is a two-dimensional ultrasound image including the target muscle;

[0069] Figure 3 Shown is a 2D ultrasound image of the target muscle with its boundaries annotated;

[0070] Figure 4 Shown is the first three-dimensional surface of the target muscle;

[0071] Figure 5 Shown are a first three-dimensional curved surface, a second three-dimensional curved surface and a third three-dimensional curved surface displayed simultaneously;

[0072] Figure 6 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0073] Figure 7 Shown is a structural block diagram of a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the invention will be described more fully below with reference to the relevant drawings. Typical embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the disclosure of the invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0075] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the invention belongs. The terms used in the specification of the invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0076] Embodiment 1

[0077] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method, referring to Figure 1 , the muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method comprises the following steps:

[0078] Step S1, scanning the target muscle with an ultrasonic probe to obtain a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images including the target muscle and a plurality of corresponding three-dimensional spatial information;

[0079] It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the target muscles are a plurality of target muscle groups divided according to the structure of the human body, for example, the quadriceps femoris, biceps brachii, deltoid muscle, and the like.

[0080] Specifically, in this embodiment, the target muscle is ultrasonically scanned by an ultrasonic probe, and then a series of two-dimensional ultrasonic images of the target muscle (such as Figure 2 As shown). It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging device can be built into the ultrasonic probe, integrated with the ultrasonic probe, or external to the ultrasonic probe. The present invention is not limited thereto, and can be constructed by any ultrasonic probe and two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging device in the art. The communication connection between the ultrasonic probe and the two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging device can be a wired or wireless communication connection.

[0081] Specifically, in this embodiment, during the scanning process of the ultrasound probe, the three-dimensional space information of the ultrasound probe is synchronously acquired through a three-dimensional space sensor that is communicatively connected to the ultrasound probe, where the three-dimensional space information includes position and direction information. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the three-dimensional space sensor can be a three-dimensional positioning sensor known in the art, including but not limited to a laser radar, a tracking camera, etc.

[0082] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the target muscle is scanned in multiple directions by the ultrasonic probe, including scanning along the cross-sectional direction of the muscle and scanning along the muscle fiber direction. By scanning along different directions of the target muscle, the direction-related characteristics of the target muscle can be obtained.

[0083] Step S2: forming an initial three-dimensional ultrasound image according to the multiple two-dimensional ultrasound images and the corresponding multiple three-dimensional space information.

[0084] Specifically, in this embodiment, a series of two-dimensional ultrasound images acquired by wired or wireless communication are placed in a three-dimensional space according to their corresponding position and direction information to form an unsegmented initial three-dimensional ultrasound image containing the target muscle.

[0085] Furthermore, when all scanned two-dimensional ultrasound images are placed in three-dimensional space according to their respective spatial positions and angles, not every place in the three-dimensional space is placed with a two-dimensional ultrasound image, that is, in a three-dimensional space, there is a part without a two-dimensional ultrasound image. At this time, gaps will be left in the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image formed, that is, there are voxels that are not assigned image values, which will affect the quality and integrity of the image. Therefore, it is necessary to perform three-dimensional reconstruction on the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to fill the voxels in the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image that are not occupied by the two-dimensional ultrasound image, thereby improving the image quality and integrity. Therefore, in another embodiment of the present invention, the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image is also included in the three-dimensional reconstruction; then, a series of cross-sectional two-dimensional ultrasound images are obtained from the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image after three-dimensional reconstruction. Those skilled in the art should know that any reconstruction method known in the art can be used to achieve the reconstruction of the three-dimensional ultrasound image, and the present invention will not be repeated here.

[0086] Step S3, marking the boundary of the target muscle in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image;

[0087] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, each two-dimensional ultrasound image is analyzed, and the boundary of the target muscle therein is marked by line segments (such as Figure 3 If the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image is three-dimensionally reconstructed before step S3, a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images obtained from the three-dimensionally reconstructed initial three-dimensional ultrasound image are processed.

[0088] Further, in one embodiment of the present invention, the boundary of the target muscle can be marked by manual marking, semi-automatic marking or fully automatic marking. Among them, the manual marking method refers to marking the boundary of the muscle point by point on the computer screen with a mouse or a stylus for each two-dimensional ultrasound image, and connecting them into a closed loop shape. The semi-automatic marking method refers to selecting a two-dimensional ultrasound image from multiple two-dimensional ultrasound images, and marking several key parts of the muscle boundary of the target muscle on the selected two-dimensional ultrasound image; then automatically detecting the entire boundary of the muscle according to the boundary characteristics of the target muscle and the selected marking points and drawing the corresponding closed line segments; after marking the muscle boundary on a two-dimensional ultrasound image, automatically marking the muscle boundary of the target muscle on the image adjacent to it according to the marked muscle boundary; and so on, completing the boundary marking of all two-dimensional ultrasound images. The fully automatic marking method refers to automatically detecting each two-dimensional ultrasound image according to a pre-designed algorithm or artificial intelligence model to obtain the muscle boundary therein.

[0089] Step S4: performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a first three-dimensional curved surface.

[0090] Specifically, in one embodiment of the present invention, three-dimensional smoothing is performed on all boundary segments of the target muscle obtained in the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a first three-dimensional surface (such as Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 ). The first three-dimensional curved surface boundary is composed of boundary line segments of the target muscle, and only the muscle portion is inside. It should be known to those skilled in the art that any smoothing method known in the art can be used to achieve three-dimensional smoothing, and the present invention will not be repeated here.

[0091] Step S5, obtaining muscle parameters of the target muscle according to the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface, wherein the muscle parameters include one or more of muscle volume, average cross-sectional area, muscle length, muscle morphology, muscle texture, and muscle fiber orientation.

[0092] Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first three-dimensional surface is a space surrounded by the boundary line segments of the target muscle, and the interior thereof is the target muscle. Therefore, after obtaining the first three-dimensional surface, the muscle volume, average cross-sectional area and muscle length of the target muscle can be obtained by performing three-dimensional space correlation calculations on the first three-dimensional surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image in the first three-dimensional surface. For example, by calculating the total voxels contained in the three-dimensional surface, we can calculate the volume contained in the three-dimensional surface, which is the muscle volume of the target muscle. For another example, by calculating the average value of the area of ​​all sections along a certain section direction (such as the cross section of the muscle) (the area of ​​a section is the sum of all pixels in the section multiplied by the area occupied by each pixel), the average cross-sectional area of ​​the tissue contained in the three-dimensional surface is obtained, which is the average cross-sectional area of ​​the target muscle. For another example, the dimension of the height direction of the range contained in the three-dimensional surface is its length. Therefore, in a specific application, the maximum dimension in the height direction or the average height in the entire height direction can be defined as the muscle length.

[0093] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the muscle color of the target muscle can be obtained by performing color analysis on the space within the three-dimensional surface. For example, the pixel color values ​​within the region are collected, and the average value and standard deviation thereof are calculated to characterize the color characteristics of the region.

[0094] Furthermore, in this embodiment, muscle texture information can be extracted by analyzing and processing the muscle region in the three-dimensional surface. Common methods include gray level co-occurrence matrix, Gabor wavelet transform, and the like.

[0095] In the muscle three-dimensional imaging and analysis method provided in the present embodiment, muscles are scanned by an ultrasonic probe equipped with a three-dimensional spatial sensor to obtain a series of two-dimensional ultrasonic images and their corresponding three-dimensional spatial information; then all the two-dimensional ultrasonic images are combined accordingly in three-dimensional space according to their three-dimensional spatial information; then the muscle parts on each two-dimensional ultrasonic image are marked, thereby forming a three-dimensional surface of the muscle in three-dimensional space; then, various muscle-related measurements are performed based on the three-dimensional surface to obtain muscle parameters including muscle volume, average cross-sectional area, muscle length, etc.; thus, three-dimensional imaging of muscles is performed in a convenient, fast, and low-cost method, which can greatly help medical diagnosis and related scientific research.

[0096] Embodiment 2

[0097] Figure 6 The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method provided by the second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 6 ,and Figure 1 The difference between the three-dimensional muscle imaging analysis method shown in the figure is that the three-dimensional muscle imaging analysis method provided in this embodiment further includes the following steps:

[0098] Step S6: Obtain the fat content of the target muscle according to the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional curved surface.

[0099] Specifically, in this embodiment, the fat content of the target muscle is obtained by calculating the muscle attenuation and scattering degree in the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional surface; or the fat content of the target muscle is obtained by calculating the brightness value and brightness distribution of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional surface.

[0100] In this embodiment, by further analyzing the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the muscle, muscle parameters including the ultrasonic echo brightness, acoustic attenuation, and scattering parameters of the muscle are obtained, which can greatly help medical diagnosis and related scientific research.

[0101] Embodiment 3

[0102] In order to facilitate the clinical assessment of muscles and provide more abundant muscle assessment information, in another embodiment of the present invention, the boundaries of blood vessels are further annotated in each two-dimensional ultrasound image manually, semi-automatically or fully automatically. Then, three-dimensional surfaces representing the blood vessels in the muscles are obtained by three-dimensional smoothing, and displayed together with the three-dimensional surfaces representing the muscle boundaries, wherein the muscle boundaries can be displayed as semi-transparent, such as Figure 5 As shown. Furthermore, the volume, average cross-sectional area and length of the blood vessels can also be calculated.

[0103] Therefore, in this embodiment, after step S2, the following steps are further included:

[0104] In each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image, marking a blood vessel boundary;

[0105] Performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image to obtain a second three-dimensional curved surface representing the blood vessels inside the target muscle;

[0106] According to the second three-dimensional curved surface, blood vessel parameters of the target muscle are obtained.

[0107] Embodiment 4

[0108] In order to facilitate the clinical assessment of muscles and provide more abundant muscle assessment information, in another embodiment of the present invention, the boundary of the nerve is further annotated in each two-dimensional ultrasound image manually, semi-automatically or fully automatically. Then, three-dimensional surfaces representing the nerves in the muscle are obtained by three-dimensional smoothing, and displayed together with the three-dimensional surface representing the muscle boundary, wherein the muscle boundary can be displayed as semi-transparent, such as Figure 5As shown. Furthermore, the volume, average cross-sectional area and length of the nerve can also be calculated.

[0109] Therefore, in this embodiment, after step S2, the following steps are further included:

[0110] In each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image, marking a nerve boundary;

[0111] Performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a third three-dimensional curved surface representing the nerves inside the target muscle;

[0112] According to the third three-dimensional surface, neural parameters of the target muscle are obtained.

[0113] Embodiment 5

[0114] In order to facilitate the clinical evaluation of muscles and provide richer muscle evaluation information, in another embodiment of the present invention, in step S1, when the target muscle is scanned by an ultrasonic probe, a Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image of the target muscle can be obtained by a Doppler imaging device or a tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle can be obtained by an elasticity ultrasound imaging device; then, the three-dimensional Doppler blood flow map or the three-dimensional tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle is obtained in combination with the three-dimensional spatial information obtained by the three-dimensional spatial sensor.

[0115] Embodiment 6

[0116] In order to improve the accuracy of image analysis, in another embodiment of the present invention, three-dimensional spatial information of three or more reference positions on the object to be inspected is obtained through a three-dimensional spatial sensor, which is used to locate the target muscle to be scanned in step S1 relative to the object to be inspected, that is, it is possible to know which part of the human body the scanned target muscle is in. Then, based on the muscle information library storing the muscle information and the obtained positioning, various statistical features of the scanned muscle are obtained, including muscle direction, muscle texture, surrounding related muscles, bones and tendons; and one or more of this information is fused to the initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target muscle and displayed in real time.

[0117] Therefore, in this embodiment, before the step S1, it also includes: locating the target muscle and determining the part of the human body to which the target muscle belongs; obtaining the muscle statistical features of the target muscle according to the part of the human body to which the target muscle belongs and a preset muscle information library, wherein the muscle statistical features include one or more of muscle direction, muscle texture, surrounding related muscles, bones and tendons. After step S2, it also includes: fusing the muscle statistical features into the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target muscle; and displaying the fused initial three-dimensional ultrasound image in real time. After step S4, it also includes: fusing the muscle statistical features into the first three-dimensional surface as the three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target muscle.

[0118] Embodiment 7

[0119] Furthermore, the present invention also proposes a muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system, referring to Figure 3 , Figure 3 The structural block diagram of the muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system provided by the present invention. The system includes an ultrasonic probe 310 for scanning the target muscle; a two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging device 320 for obtaining multiple two-dimensional ultrasonic images of the target muscle based on the scanning of the target muscle; a three-dimensional space sensor 330 for obtaining multiple three-dimensional spatial information of the ultrasonic probe; a first data processing module 340 for forming an initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image based on the multiple two-dimensional ultrasonic images and the corresponding multiple three-dimensional spatial information; a boundary annotation module 350 for annotating the boundary of the target muscle in each of the two-dimensional ultrasonic images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image; and a second data processing module 360 ​​for performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image to obtain a first three-dimensional curved surface; and a data analysis module 370 for obtaining muscle parameters of the target muscle based on the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface.

[0120] Furthermore, in order to facilitate clinical muscle evaluation and provide richer muscle evaluation information, in another embodiment of the present invention, the boundary annotation module is also used to annotate blood vessel boundaries and nerve boundaries in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image; the second data processing module is also used to perform three-dimensional smoothing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a second three-dimensional surface representing the blood vessels inside the target muscle and a third three-dimensional surface representing the nerves inside the target muscle; the data analysis module is also used to obtain blood vessel parameters and nerve parameters of the target muscle based on the second three-dimensional surface; the display module is used to simultaneously display the first three-dimensional surface, the second three-dimensional surface and the third three-dimensional surface.

[0121] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the clinical evaluation of muscles and provide richer muscle evaluation information, in another embodiment of the present invention, it also includes: a Doppler imaging device for obtaining a Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle; an elastic ultrasound imaging device for obtaining a tissue elastic ultrasound image of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle; the first data processing module is also used to obtain a three-dimensional Doppler blood flow map or a three-dimensional tissue elastic ultrasound image of the target muscle based on the Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image or the tissue elastic ultrasound image and the multiple three-dimensional spatial information.

[0122] Furthermore, in order to improve the accuracy of image analysis, in yet another embodiment of the present invention, it also includes:

[0123] A muscle information database, used to store muscle statistical features of muscles in various parts of the human body, wherein the muscle statistical features include one or more of muscle direction, muscle texture, surrounding related muscles, bones and tendons;

[0124] A positioning module, used to locate the target muscle through the position information obtained by the three-dimensional space sensor, and determine the part of the human body to which the target muscle belongs;

[0125] a fusion module, used for fusing the muscle statistical features of the target muscle obtained according to the human body part to which the target muscle belongs and the muscle information library into the initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target muscle, and also for fusing the obtained muscle statistical features into the first three-dimensional curved surface as the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target muscle;

[0126] The display module is also used to display the fused initial three-dimensional ultrasound image in real time.

[0127] The functions of the various functional modules described in the device embodiment of the present invention can be specifically implemented according to the method in the above method embodiment. The specific implementation process can refer to the relevant description of the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0128] It should be noted that the description of various modules above is divided into these modules for the purpose of clarity. However, in actual implementation, the boundaries of various modules may be fuzzy. For example, any or all functional modules herein may share various hardware and / or software elements. For another example, any and / or all functional modules herein may be implemented in whole or in part by a shared processor executing software instructions. In addition, various software submodules executed by one or more processors may be shared between various software modules. Accordingly, unless explicitly required, the scope of the present invention is not limited by the mandatory boundaries between various hardware and / or software elements.

[0129] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a non-transitory computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium stores computer executable instructions, and the computer executable instructions can perform the above-mentioned muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis. The storage medium can be a disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a hard disk (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc.; the storage medium can also include a combination of the above-mentioned types of memory.

[0130] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. The storage medium can be a disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM) or a random access memory (RAM), etc.

[0131] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and such modifications and variations are all within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step S1, scanning the target muscle with an ultrasonic probe to obtain a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images including the target muscle and a plurality of corresponding three-dimensional spatial information; Step S2, forming an initial three-dimensional ultrasound image according to the multiple two-dimensional ultrasound images and the corresponding multiple three-dimensional space information; Step S3, marking the boundary of the target muscle in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image; Step S4, performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image to obtain a first three-dimensional curved surface; Step S5: Acquire muscle parameters of the target muscle according to the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface.

2. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before step S3, the method further includes performing three-dimensional reconstruction on the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image; In step S3, a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images obtained from the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image after three-dimensional reconstruction are processed.

3. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step S1, the target muscle is scanned in multiple directions by the ultrasonic probe, including scanning along the cross-sectional direction of the muscle and scanning along the muscle fiber direction.

4. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step S3, the boundary of the target muscle is marked by manual marking, semi-automatic marking or fully automatic marking.

5. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 4, characterized in that: In the semi-automatic labeling method, step S3 includes: selecting a plurality of key points on a two-dimensional ultrasound image among the plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images; According to the selected multiple key points and the boundary characteristics of the target muscle, the boundary of the target muscle is detected on the two-dimensional ultrasound image and multiple marked line segments are formed.

6. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The muscle parameters include one or more of muscle volume, average cross-sectional area, muscle length, muscle morphology, muscle texture, and muscle fiber orientation.

7. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: After step S4, the method further includes: obtaining the fat content of the target muscle according to the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional curved surface.

8. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The fat content of the target muscle is obtained by calculating the muscle attenuation and scattering degree in the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional curved surface; or the fat content of the target muscle is obtained by calculating the brightness value and brightness distribution of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional curved surface.

9. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: In each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image, marking a blood vessel boundary; Performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image to obtain a second three-dimensional curved surface representing the blood vessels inside the target muscle; According to the second three-dimensional curved surface, blood vessel parameters of the target muscle are obtained.

10. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: marking a nerve boundary in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image; Performing three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a third three-dimensional curved surface representing the nerves inside the target muscle; According to the third three-dimensional curved surface, neural parameters of the target muscle are obtained.

11. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: Also includes: The first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasound image within the first three-dimensional curved surface, the second three-dimensional curved surface and the third three-dimensional curved surface are displayed simultaneously.

12. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes; When the target muscle is scanned by an ultrasonic probe in step S1, a Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image or a tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle is obtained; A three-dimensional Doppler blood flow map or a three-dimensional tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle is obtained according to the Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image or the tissue elasticity ultrasound image and the plurality of three-dimensional spatial information.

13. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before step S1, the method further includes: The target muscle is located to determine the part of the human body to which the target muscle belongs.

14. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 13, characterized in that: Also includes: According to the human body part to which the target muscle belongs and a preset muscle information library, muscle statistical features of the target muscle are obtained, and the muscle statistical features include one or more of muscle direction, muscle texture, surrounding related muscles, bones and tendons.

15. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 14, characterized in that: Also includes: fusing the muscle statistical features to the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target muscle; The fused initial three-dimensional ultrasound image is displayed in real time.

16. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis method according to claim 14, characterized in that: Also includes: The muscle statistical features are fused into the first three-dimensional surface of the three-dimensional ultrasound image serving as the target muscle.

17. A muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system, characterized in that: include: Ultrasound probe, used to scan the target muscle; A two-dimensional ultrasonic imaging device, used for obtaining a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic images of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle; A three-dimensional spatial sensor, used for acquiring a plurality of three-dimensional spatial information of the ultrasonic probe; A first data processing module, configured to form an initial three-dimensional ultrasound image according to the plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images and the corresponding plurality of three-dimensional space information; A boundary marking module, used for marking the boundary of the target muscle in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image; A second data processing module performs three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a first three-dimensional curved surface; A data analysis module is used to obtain muscle parameters of the target muscle according to the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface.

18. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system according to claim 17, characterized in that: The muscle parameters include one or more of muscle volume, average cross-sectional area, muscle length, muscle morphology, muscle texture, and muscle fiber orientation; The data analysis module is also used to obtain the fat content of the target muscle according to the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image or the first three-dimensional curved surface.

19. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system according to claim 18, characterized in that: The boundary annotation module is further used to annotate blood vessel boundaries and nerve boundaries in each of the two-dimensional ultrasound images of the initial three-dimensional ultrasound image; The second data processing module is further used to perform three-dimensional smoothing processing on the annotated initial three-dimensional ultrasound image to obtain a second three-dimensional curved surface representing blood vessels inside the target muscle and a third three-dimensional curved surface representing nerves inside the target muscle; The data analysis module is also used to obtain blood vessel parameters and nerve parameters of the target muscle based on the second three-dimensional surface.

20. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system according to claim 19, characterized in that: It also includes a display module for simultaneously displaying the first three-dimensional curved surface and / or the three-dimensional ultrasonic image within the first three-dimensional curved surface, the second three-dimensional curved surface and the third three-dimensional curved surface.

21. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system according to claim 17, characterized in that: Also includes: A Doppler imaging device, used for obtaining a Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle; An elastic ultrasonic imaging device, used for obtaining a tissue elastic ultrasonic image of the target muscle based on scanning the target muscle; The first data processing module is also used to obtain a three-dimensional Doppler blood flow map or a three-dimensional tissue elasticity ultrasound image of the target muscle according to the Doppler blood flow color ultrasound image or the tissue elasticity ultrasound image and the multiple three-dimensional spatial information.

22. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system according to claim 17, characterized in that: Also includes: A muscle information database, used to store muscle statistical features of muscles in various parts of the human body, wherein the muscle statistical features include one or more of muscle direction, muscle texture, surrounding related muscles, bones and tendons; The positioning module is used to locate the target muscle through the position information obtained by the three-dimensional space sensor, and determine the part of the human body to which the target muscle belongs.

23. The muscle three-dimensional imaging analysis system according to claim 22, characterized in that: Also includes: a fusion module, used for fusing the muscle statistical features of the target muscle obtained according to the human body part to which the target muscle belongs and the muscle information library into the initial three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target muscle, and also for fusing the obtained muscle statistical features into the first three-dimensional curved surface as the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target muscle; The display module is also used to display the fused initial three-dimensional ultrasound image in real time.

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