Ultrasonic imaging method and ultrasonic imaging device

Abstract

The invention discloses an ultrasonic imaging method and an ultrasonic imaging device, and the method comprises the steps: in a gray-scale imaging mode, controlling an ultrasonic probe to emit a first ultrasonic wave to a target tissue which does not contain a contrast agent microbubble, receiving an echo of the first ultrasonic wave to obtain a first echo signal, and generating a first ultrasonic image according to the first echo signal; marking at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasonic image; and in other imaging modes except the gray-scale imaging mode, controlling the ultrasonic probe to emit second ultrasonic waves to the target tissue containing the contrast agent microbubbles, receiving echoes of the second ultrasonic waves to obtain second echo signals, and generating a second ultrasonic image according to the second echo signals, wherein the emission mechanical indexes of other imaging modes are smaller than the emission mechanical index of the gray-scale imaging mode; and based on the position of the first region of interest, automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasonic image. The method can simplify user operation and improve user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, and more specifically to an ultrasonic imaging method and an ultrasonic imaging device. Background Art

[0002] ROI (region of interest) means the region of interest. In medical imaging diagnosis, it is usually the location of the lesion or the area that the doctor focuses on. In clinical practice, ROI is generally selected by manual tracing or automatic tracing for easy observation. The area of ​​ROI may not be large in the entire image, but it contains important pathological information and often requires qualitative or quantitative analysis. The results are of great significance for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

[0003] At present, in medical imaging diagnosis, it is often necessary to use multiple imaging modes to perform imaging analysis on the same target tissue, such as grayscale imaging mode (i.e., B mode), color blood flow imaging mode (i.e., C mode), pulsed Doppler imaging mode (i.e., PW mode), angiography imaging mode, super-resolution imaging mode, etc. Images obtained in different imaging modes generally require users to select ROIs, and different images under the same imaging mode may also require users to select ROIs separately, which makes user operations cumbersome and the user experience is not good.

[0004] For example, in ultrasound contrast imaging, doctors often first determine the appropriate scanning section and the approximate location of the lesion in the conventional B mode, and then perform contrast imaging. At this time, the user needs to select the ROI on the B image and the contrast image respectively, which is inconvenient to operate. For another example, in super-resolution imaging, the super-resolution contrast image only contains blood flow information, which needs to be superimposed on the B image to determine the tissue structure information at the corresponding position. Therefore, there are problems such as unclear lesion contours and difficulty in manually tracing ROI. For another example, the super-resolution parameter images obtained based on super-resolution contrast images include super-resolution density images, super-resolution velocity images, etc. Although the target parameters of quantitative analysis of different parameter images are different, the ROI selected during analysis is basically the same. However, during the analysis process, it is currently necessary to repeatedly re-draw the ROI on different super-resolution images, which is complicated. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application is proposed to solve at least one of the above problems. According to one aspect of the present application, an ultrasound imaging method is provided, the method comprising: in a grayscale imaging mode, controlling an ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasound wave to a target tissue that does not contain contrast agent microbubbles, receiving an echo of the first ultrasound wave to obtain a first echo signal, and generating a first ultrasound image according to the first echo signal; marking at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasound image; in an imaging mode other than the grayscale imaging mode, controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the target tissue that contains contrast agent microbubbles, receiving an echo of the second ultrasound wave to obtain a second echo signal, and generating a second ultrasound image according to the second echo signal, wherein the transmission mechanical index of the other imaging mode is less than the transmission mechanical index of the grayscale imaging mode; based on the position of the first region of interest, automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present application, an ultrasound imaging method is provided, the method comprising: acquiring a first ultrasound image of a target tissue corresponding to a first imaging mode, the first ultrasound image being marked with at least one first region of interest; acquiring a second ultrasound image of the target tissue corresponding to a second imaging mode, wherein an emission mechanical index of the first imaging mode is higher than an emission mechanical index of the second imaging mode, and the target tissue contains contrast agent microbubbles when ultrasound waves are emitted in the second imaging mode; and automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present application, an ultrasound imaging method is provided, the method comprising: acquiring a first super-resolution contrast image and a second super-resolution contrast image of a target tissue; displaying the first super-resolution contrast image, marking at least one first region of interest in the first super-resolution contrast image based on a user operation, displaying the second super-resolution contrast image, and automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second super-resolution contrast image based on a position of the first region of interest.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present application, an ultrasonic imaging device is provided, which includes a transmitting and receiving circuit, an ultrasonic probe, a processor and a display, wherein: the transmitting and receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target tissue, receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves, and obtain ultrasonic echo data from the echo; the processor is used to control the transmitting and receiving circuit, and execute the above-mentioned ultrasonic imaging method based on the ultrasonic echo data; and the display is used to display the data output by the processor.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present application, a storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor executes the above-mentioned ultrasound imaging method.

[0010] The ultrasonic imaging method and the ultrasonic imaging device of the present application automatically mark and display the corresponding region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in the imaging mode of a relatively high transmission mechanical index based on the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in the imaging mode of a relatively low mechanical index, which can not only simplify user operations but also improve the accuracy of the marked region of interest; or automatically mark and display the corresponding region of interest in the second super-resolution contrast image based on the region of interest in the first super-resolution contrast image, which can simplify user operations and improve user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the embodiments of the present invention in more detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present invention, they are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute a limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same components or steps.

[0012] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing an example of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest on a second ultrasound image according to a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image in an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0014] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing another example of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest on a second ultrasound image according to a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image in an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0016] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method according to yet another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0017] Figure 6 A schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention more obvious, the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments of the present invention, and it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present invention described in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic flow chart of an ultrasonic imaging method 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasound imaging method 100 may include the following steps:

[0020] In step S110 , in the grayscale imaging mode, the ultrasound probe is controlled to transmit a first ultrasound wave to a target tissue that does not contain contrast agent microbubbles, an echo of the first ultrasound wave is received to acquire a first echo signal, and a first ultrasound image is generated according to the first echo signal.

[0021] In step S120 , at least one first region of interest is marked on the first ultrasound image.

[0022] In step S130, in imaging modes other than the grayscale imaging mode, the ultrasound probe is controlled to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, an echo of the second ultrasound wave is received to obtain a second echo signal, and a second ultrasound image is generated based on the second echo signal, wherein the transmission mechanical index of the other imaging modes is less than the transmission mechanical index of the grayscale imaging mode.

[0023] In step S140, based on the position of the first region of interest, a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present application, a method for automatically marking a region of interest is provided, which can reduce user operations and improve user experience. Specifically, it is a scheme for automatically marking a region of interest in an ultrasound image obtained in another imaging mode according to a region of interest in an ultrasound image (B image) obtained in a grayscale mode. Therefore, in the ultrasound imaging method 100, grayscale mode imaging is first performed for a target tissue that does not contain contrast agent microbubbles to obtain an ultrasound image in a grayscale mode. In order to distinguish it from the ultrasound image in the following text, it is referred to as a first ultrasound image, and the first ultrasound image is a grayscale image (B image). After obtaining the first ultrasound image, at least one region of interest is marked on it. In order to distinguish it from the regions of interest on other images in the following text, the region of interest is named the first region of interest. The absence of contrast agent microbubbles in the tissue may include contrast agent microbubbles not being injected into the tissue, or may include a small amount of contrast agent microbubbles contained in the tissue. Among them, marking the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image may be a manual marking by the user, or it may be an automatic marking by the ultrasound device based on image recognition of the first ultrasound image. After that, a contrast agent is injected into the target tissue, and the target tissue containing the contrast agent microbubbles is imaged in other imaging modes other than the grayscale imaging mode. The emission mechanical index (MI) of the other imaging mode is less than the emission mechanical index of the grayscale imaging mode, such as a contrast imaging mode or a super-resolution imaging mode. After imaging, an ultrasound image is obtained, which is named as a second ultrasound image to distinguish it from the first ultrasound image described above, such as a contrast image or a super-resolution image. After obtaining the second ultrasound image, there is no need for the user to manually draw and mark the region of interest on the second ultrasound image. Instead, according to the position of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image, the second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image, thereby simplifying user operations and improving user experience.

[0025] Since conventional B-mode imaging uses high-energy high-frequency ultrasonic signal emission (the emission mechanical index is higher than other imaging modes), its image quality is better than other examination modes and can better distinguish the lesion site from normal tissue. Therefore, the ROI is first obtained on the B image to obtain the accurate ROI position. After switching to other imaging modes, such as contrast imaging of the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, the quality of the obtained image (second ultrasonic image) is worse than that of the B image due to its lower emission mechanical index (too high will make the emission voltage too high, causing the microbubbles to be crushed and unable to be imaged). Therefore, obtaining the ROI on such a second ultrasonic image by the user not only makes the user's operation cumbersome, but also cannot obtain the accurate ROI on the B image due to the problem of poor quality relative to the B image. When switching from B mode to contrast mode, for the same patient, the ROI position can basically remain unchanged or change slightly. Therefore, the corresponding ROI (second region of interest) is automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasonic image through the accurate ROI (first region of interest) position on the B image (first ultrasonic image), which not only simplifies the user operation, but also improves the accuracy of the ROI.

[0026] In one embodiment of the present application, the step S140 of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest may include: obtaining the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image as the first position coordinates; obtaining the position coordinates identical to the first position coordinates on the second ultrasound image as the second position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest at the position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image. Figure 2 This embodiment will be described.

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing an example of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest on a second ultrasound image according to a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image in an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the position coordinates of the first region of interest ROI1 on the first ultrasound image are R1. Here, R1 may include a horizontal coordinate and a vertical coordinate, wherein the horizontal coordinate may include a coordinate or a coordinate range, which depends on the shape of the first region of interest ROI1; similarly, the vertical coordinate may include a coordinate or a coordinate range, which depends on the shape of the first region of interest ROI1. Figure 2In the example shown, the first region of interest ROI1 is in the shape of a rectangular frame, and the position coordinates R1 of the first region of interest ROI1 can be further recorded as (X1, Y1), where the range of X1 is from x1 to x2, and the range of Y1 is from y1 to y2. After determining the position coordinates R1 of the first region of interest ROI1, the region of interest on the second ultrasound image, i.e., the second region of interest ROI1', can be drawn at the same coordinate position on the second ultrasound image. The second region of interest ROI1' has a second position coordinate R1', and in this example, R1' and R1 are the same position coordinates, that is, the position coordinates of R1' can also be further recorded as (X1', Y1'), where the range of X1' is from x1' to x2', and the range of Y1' is from y1' to y2', where x1'=x1, x2'=x2, y1'=y1, y2'=y2.

[0028] In this example, it is equivalent to directly "translating" the region of interest in the first ultrasound image to the second ultrasound image, and obtaining the region of interest in the second ultrasound image. This can be applicable to the scenario where the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image correspond to substantially the same section. For example, for the same patient, the first ultrasound image is a B image, and the second ultrasound image is a contrast image. If the influence of factors such as the patient's breathing is ignored, it can be considered that the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image correspond to the same section. At this time, the region of interest can be "translated" to it in the simplest way. No complex calculations are required, and no manual marking by the user is required to obtain the region of interest on the second ultrasound image. Here, in Figure 2 In the example shown, for simplicity, only one region of interest is shown on the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image. In actual applications, multiple regions of interest may also be included. At that time, the corresponding multiple second regions of interest can be obtained by "translating" the multiple first regions of interest one by one into the second ultrasound image.

[0029] In another embodiment of the present application, the method of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest in step S140 includes: registering the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image to obtain a registered first ultrasound image and a registered second ultrasound image; acquiring the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the registered first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; mapping the first position coordinates to the registered second ultrasound image to obtain second position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest at a position on the second ultrasound image corresponding to the second position coordinates.

[0030] In this embodiment, in order to ensure that the ROI position drawn on the first ultrasound image (B image) can accurately match the corresponding position on the other mode image, the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are registered. Registration refers to seeking one or a series of spatial transformations for a medical image so that it is spatially consistent with the corresponding point on another medical image. Specifically, it refers to the same spatial position section corresponding to the ROI. Most medical image registration methods are global image registration for rigid bodies or affine transformations. Registration methods may include moment and principal axis method, minimum mean square error registration method based on singular value (SVD) decomposition, chamfer registration method, maximum mutual information registration method, etc. Since the section basically does not change during the switching of imaging modes, it is only necessary to consider the displacement changes caused by small disturbances and respiratory movements and the image differences caused by the changes in the two-dimensional distribution of ultrasound signals caused by mode conversion. Based on this premise, the image registration accuracy requirements in this embodiment are not high. In practice, algorithms that occupy less computing resources can be selected as much as possible, and the above algorithms can be selected based on simulation results. The following is combined with Figure 3 This embodiment will be described.

[0031] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing another example of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest on a second ultrasound image according to a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image in an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 As shown, after the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are registered, a registered first ultrasonic image and a registered second ultrasonic image are obtained. The position coordinates of the first region of interest ROI1 on the registered first ultrasonic image are R1. Here, R1 may include a horizontal coordinate and a vertical coordinate, wherein the horizontal coordinate may include a coordinate or a coordinate range, depending on the shape of the first region of interest ROI1; similarly, the vertical coordinate may include a coordinate or a coordinate range, depending on the shape of the first region of interest ROI1. Figure 3 In the example shown, the first region of interest ROI1 is in the shape of a rectangular frame, and the position coordinates R1 of the first region of interest ROI1 can be further recorded as (X1, Y1), where the range of X1 is from x1 to x2, and the range of Y1 is from y1 to y2. After determining the position coordinates R1 of the first region of interest ROI1, it is mapped to the second ultrasound image to obtain the second position coordinates R1" of the second region of interest ROI1" on the second ultrasound image, where R1 and R1" have a corresponding mapping relationship k, and k is associated with the registration algorithm and / or the registration result. In an example, the position coordinates of R1" can also be further recorded as (X1", Y1"), where the range of X1" is from x1" to x2", and the range of Y1" is from y1" to y2", where x1" = kx1, x2" = kx2, y1" = ky1, y2" = ky2.

[0032] In this example, relative to Figure 2 The example shown is not a simple translation of the region of interest, but includes image registration and mapping of the region of interest, so that a more accurate result of the region of interest can be obtained on the second ultrasound image. Figure 3 In the example shown, for the sake of simplicity, only one region of interest is shown on the registered first and second ultrasound images. In actual applications, multiple regions of interest may also be included. In that case, the multiple first regions of interest can be mapped one by one to the second ultrasound image to obtain the corresponding multiple second regions of interest.

[0033] In one example, the registration of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image as described above may include: obtaining image regions corresponding to the same spatial position in a frame of the first ultrasonic image and a frame of the second ultrasonic image as the registered first ultrasonic image and the registered second ultrasonic image. In this example, to register a frame of the first ultrasonic image with a frame of the second ultrasonic image, it is only necessary to use the image regions corresponding to the same spatial position in the two as the registered first ultrasonic image and the registered second ultrasonic image. For example, compared with a frame of the first ultrasonic image and a frame of the second ultrasonic image, both are obtained by scanning the same section, but due to minor disturbances such as the patient's breathing, the imaging ranges of the two are not exactly the same, that is, the spatial positions corresponding to the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are not exactly the same, but there must be a large overlap, and the image regions corresponding to the same spatial position are extracted to obtain the registered first ultrasonic image and the registered second ultrasonic image.

[0034] In another example, the aforementioned registration of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image may include: obtaining two frames of ultrasonic images whose sections meet preset conditions from the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image, wherein one frame belongs to the first ultrasonic image and the other frame belongs to the second ultrasonic image, and using one frame of the first ultrasonic image obtained as the first ultrasonic image after registration, and using one frame of the second ultrasonic image obtained as the second ultrasonic image after registration. In this example, the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image both include multiple frames, and the two frames that meet the preset conditions can be selected from them and directly used as the two frames of images after registration. The preset condition can be set as needed, for example, the preset condition can be that the sections of the two are sections that meet a certain degree of proximity, such as the overlap degree of the imaging ranges of the two is greater than a certain threshold. Whether it is the registration method in the previous example or the registration method in this example, it is to obtain the first and second ultrasonic images (or at least part of them) with sections as close as possible, so as to more accurately map the region of interest in the first ultrasonic image to the second ultrasonic image.

[0035] In addition, in some cases, after registration, the second position coordinates obtained based on the first position coordinates may exceed the coordinate range of the second ultrasound image after registration. In this case, a first prompt message may be output to indicate that the second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest cannot be automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image. For example, the range of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image is large. After the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are registered, the registered second ultrasound image may only contain a partial area corresponding to the first region of interest. In this case, the first region of interest cannot be completely mapped on the second ultrasound image after registration to obtain a complete second region of interest. In this case, a prompt message may be output. In this case, the user can mark the region of interest on the second ultrasound image by himself.

[0036] In an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned operation of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest may be performed automatically or in response to a user operation. For example, after switching from B mode to other imaging modes and generating a second ultrasound image in other imaging modes, step S140 may be directly executed to automatically mark and display the second region of interest in the second ultrasound image based on the first region of interest in the first ultrasound image. Alternatively, after obtaining the second ultrasound image, step S140 may also be executed in response to user input (for example, setting a physical or virtual button or key for automatically marking the region of interest). In addition, although the first and second ultrasound images described in the foregoing examples are images captured in real time, in other examples, they may also be images stored offline.

[0037] In a further embodiment of the present application, the second region of interest is adjustable, and the method 100 may further include: after automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest, adjusting the second region of interest based on user input. In this example, the method 100 can not only automatically mark and display the position of the region of interest in the second ultrasound image according to the position of the region of interest in the first ultrasound image, but also support the user to adjust the automatically marked region of interest, which can further improve the accuracy of the position of the region of interest.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second ultrasound image, the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image can be displayed simultaneously, wherein the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest, so as to facilitate the user to compare and view. If the images are registered, the registered first ultrasound image and the corresponding registered second ultrasound image can also be displayed simultaneously, wherein the registered first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the registered second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest. In other embodiments, the first and second ultrasound images containing their respective regions of interest can also be switched for display.

[0039] In the examples described above, the second ultrasound image is mainly described as a contrast image, that is, the other imaging modes described in step S130 mainly describe examples of contrast imaging modes. Exemplarily, the contrast imaging mode can be any one of a conventional contrast imaging mode, a subharmonic contrast imaging mode, and a high frame rate contrast imaging mode. In these contrast imaging modes, the second ultrasound image is a contrast imaging image generated according to a microbubble signal in a second echo signal. In other examples, the other imaging mode can be a super-resolution contrast imaging mode, in which the second ultrasound image is a microbubble positioning result obtained by positioning the microbubble signal in the second echo signal, and a super-resolution contrast imaging image generated according to the microbubble positioning result can also be a super-resolution parameter image obtained based on a super-resolution contrast imaging image, such as a super-resolution density map, a super-resolution density direction map, a super-resolution velocity map, and a super-resolution velocity direction map.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, marking at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasound image as described above may include: marking at least one first region of interest in part or all of the ultrasound images in multiple frames of ultrasound images. In this embodiment, marking the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image does not require marking for each frame of the image. In one example, for the same patient, the scanned first ultrasound image may contain images of multiple cardiac cycles. In this case, the first region of interest may be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one cardiac cycle without marking for each cardiac cycle, which can save calculation or reduce user operations. For another example, for the same patient, the scanned first ultrasound image may contain images of multiple respiratory cycles. In this case, the first region of interest may be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one respiratory cycle without marking for each respiratory cycle, which can save calculation or reduce user operations.

[0041] Based on this, method 100 may also include: before marking at least one first region of interest in a partial ultrasound image in a multi-frame ultrasound image, obtaining electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data corresponding to the first ultrasound image; determining a partial ultrasound image from the first ultrasound image based on the electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data. In this embodiment, the first ultrasound image corresponding to data of a cardiac cycle and / or a respiratory cycle can be obtained based on the electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data, and the first region of interest can be marked on it. In other embodiments, the first ultrasound image corresponding to abnormal electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data can also be obtained, and the first region of interest can be marked on it.

[0042] In an embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second ultrasound image, the second region of interest may be quantitatively analyzed to obtain and display the result of the quantitative analysis of the second region of interest. For example, when the second ultrasound image is a contrast image, the target tissue (such as a lesion) in the contrast image may be measured and analyzed, and the results of related parameters may be output to assist doctors in diagnosis.

[0043] In a further embodiment of the present application, method 100 may also include: controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a third ultrasound wave to the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, receiving the echo of the third ultrasound wave to obtain a third echo signal, and generating a third ultrasound image according to the third echo signal; based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest, automatically marking and displaying a third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest and / or the second region of interest on the third ultrasound image. In this embodiment, the region of interest (referred to as the third region of interest) on the third ultrasound image may be automatically marked and displayed based on the position of the first region of interest in the first ultrasound image or the position of the second region of interest in the second ultrasound image, which may further reduce user operations and improve user experience.

[0044] Among them, the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image can be derived from the same imaging mode or from different imaging modes. When the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are derived from the same imaging mode, the third ultrasonic wave and the aforementioned second ultrasonic wave are the same ultrasonic wave, that is, the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are obtained by ultrasonic echo signals from the same source, but the ultrasonic echo signals from the same source are subjected to different image processing methods to obtain different ultrasonic images. For example, when the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are both derived from the super-resolution imaging mode, the second ultrasonic image is a super-resolution density map, and the third ultrasonic image is a super-resolution velocity map. At this time, since the imaging ranges of the two are the same, the second region of interest can be directly "translated" into the third ultrasonic image to obtain the third region of interest in the third ultrasonic image.

[0045] When the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image originate from different imaging modes, the third ultrasonic wave and the aforementioned second ultrasonic wave are different ultrasonic waves. At this time, the third region of interest in the third ultrasonic image can be obtained from the second region of interest in the second ultrasonic image, as the second region of interest in the second ultrasonic image is obtained from the first region of interest in the first ultrasonic image as described above, or the third region of interest in the third ultrasonic image can be obtained from the first region of interest in the first ultrasonic image.

[0046] Therefore, based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest, automatically marking and displaying the third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest or the second region of interest on the third ultrasound image may include: acquiring position coordinates that are the same as the first position coordinates or the second position coordinates on the third ultrasound image as third position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the third region of interest at the position corresponding to the third position coordinates on the third ultrasound image.

[0047] Similar to the above, after obtaining the third region of interest, the first ultrasound image, the second ultrasound image and the third ultrasound image can be displayed simultaneously, the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image includes a mark of the third region of interest, so that the user can compare and view. In other embodiments, the first, second, and third ultrasound images including their respective regions of interest can also be switched for display.

[0048] The above is an exemplary illustration of the ultrasound imaging method 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. Based on the above description, the ultrasound imaging method 100 according to an embodiment of the present application automatically marks and displays the corresponding region of interest on the ultrasound image obtained in other imaging modes based on the region of interest on the grayscale image, which can not only simplify the user operation, but also improve the accuracy of the marked region of interest.

[0049] Combine the following Figure 4 The ultrasonic imaging method 400 according to another embodiment of the present application is described. Figure 4 As shown, the ultrasound imaging method 400 includes the following steps:

[0050] In step S410, a first ultrasound image of a target tissue corresponding to a first imaging mode is acquired, where the first ultrasound image is marked with at least one first region of interest.

[0051] In step S420, a second ultrasound image of the corresponding target tissue in a second imaging mode is acquired, wherein the emission mechanical index of the first imaging mode is higher than the emission mechanical index of the second imaging mode, and the target tissue contains contrast agent microbubbles when ultrasound is emitted in the second imaging mode.

[0052] In step S430, based on the position of the first region of interest, a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image.

[0053] The ultrasonic imaging method 400 according to the embodiment of the present application is substantially similar to the ultrasonic imaging method 100 described above, except that: the ultrasonic imaging method 100 automatically marks and displays the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in another imaging mode based on the region of interest in the B image; while the ultrasonic imaging method 400 automatically marks and displays the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in another imaging mode based on the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in one imaging mode (not limited to the B mode, referred to as the first imaging mode) (referred to as the second imaging mode). Among them, the transmission mechanical index of the first imaging mode is higher than the transmission mechanical index of the second imaging mode, which means that the quality of the first ultrasonic image obtained in the first imaging mode is better than the quality of the second ultrasonic image obtained in the second imaging mode. Therefore, the ultrasonic imaging method 400 can also achieve an effect similar to that of the ultrasonic imaging method 100. Specifically, the ultrasonic imaging method 400 automatically marks and displays the corresponding region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in the imaging mode with a relatively high transmission mechanical index based on the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in the imaging mode with a relatively low mechanical index, which can not only simplify the user operation, but also improve the accuracy of the marked region of interest.

[0054] In one embodiment of the present application, the step S430 of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest may include: obtaining the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image as the first position coordinates; obtaining the position coordinates identical to the first position coordinates on the second ultrasound image as the second position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest at the position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image. In this example, it is equivalent to directly "translating" the region of interest in the first ultrasound image into the second ultrasound image to obtain the region of interest in the second ultrasound image, which can be applicable to the scenario where the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image correspond to substantially the same section, and the region of interest on the second ultrasound image can be obtained without complex calculations or manual marking by the user.

[0055] In another embodiment of the present application, the method of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest described in step S430 includes: registering the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image to obtain a registered first ultrasound image and a registered second ultrasound image; acquiring the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the registered first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; mapping the first position coordinates to the registered second ultrasound image to obtain second position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest at a position on the second ultrasound image corresponding to the second position coordinates.

[0056] In this embodiment, in order to ensure that the ROI position drawn on the first ultrasound image can accurately match the corresponding position on the other mode image, the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are registered. Registration refers to seeking one or a series of spatial transformations for a medical image so that it can be spatially consistent with the corresponding points on another medical image, specifically referring to the same spatial position section corresponding to the ROI. Most medical image registration methods are global image registration for rigid bodies or affine transformations, and the registration methods may include moment and principal axis method, minimum mean square error registration method based on singular value (SVD) decomposition, chamfer registration method, maximum mutual information registration method, etc. Since the section basically does not change during the switching of imaging modes, it is only necessary to consider the image difference caused by the displacement changes caused by small disturbances and respiratory movements and the changes in the two-dimensional distribution of ultrasound signals caused by mode conversion. Based on this premise, the image registration accuracy requirement in this embodiment is not high. In practice, algorithms that occupy less computing resources can be selected as much as possible, and the above algorithms can be selected based on simulation results.

[0057] Compared with the previous embodiment, this embodiment does not involve a simple translation of the region of interest, but includes image registration and region of interest mapping, so that a more accurate region of interest result can be obtained on the second ultrasound image.

[0058] In one example, the registration of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image as described above may include: obtaining image regions corresponding to the same spatial position in a frame of the first ultrasonic image and a frame of the second ultrasonic image as the registered first ultrasonic image and the registered second ultrasonic image. In this example, to register a frame of the first ultrasonic image with a frame of the second ultrasonic image, it is only necessary to use the image regions corresponding to the same spatial position in the two as the registered first ultrasonic image and the registered second ultrasonic image. For example, compared with a frame of the first ultrasonic image and a frame of the second ultrasonic image, both are obtained by scanning the same section, but due to minor disturbances such as the patient's breathing, the imaging ranges of the two are not exactly the same, that is, the spatial positions corresponding to the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are not exactly the same, but there must be a large overlap, and the image regions corresponding to the same spatial position are extracted to obtain the registered first ultrasonic image and the registered second ultrasonic image.

[0059] In another example, the aforementioned registration of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image may include: obtaining two frames of ultrasonic images whose sections meet preset conditions from the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image, wherein one frame belongs to the first ultrasonic image and the other frame belongs to the second ultrasonic image, and using one frame of the first ultrasonic image obtained as the first ultrasonic image after registration, and using one frame of the second ultrasonic image obtained as the second ultrasonic image after registration. In this example, the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image both include multiple frames, and the two frames that meet the preset conditions can be selected from them and directly used as the two frames of images after registration. The preset condition can be set as needed, for example, the preset condition can be that the sections of the two are sections that meet a certain degree of proximity, such as the overlap degree of the imaging ranges of the two is greater than a certain threshold. Whether it is the registration method in the previous example or the registration method in this example, it is to obtain the first and second ultrasonic images (or at least part of them) with sections as close as possible, so as to more accurately map the region of interest in the first ultrasonic image to the second ultrasonic image.

[0060] In addition, in some cases, after registration, the second position coordinates obtained based on the first position coordinates may exceed the coordinate range of the second ultrasound image after registration. In this case, a first prompt message may be output to indicate that the second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest cannot be automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image. For example, the range of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image is large. After the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are registered, the registered second ultrasound image may only contain a partial area corresponding to the first region of interest. In this case, the first region of interest cannot be completely mapped on the second ultrasound image after registration to obtain a complete second region of interest. In this case, a prompt message may be output. In this case, the user can mark the region of interest on the second ultrasound image by himself.

[0061] In the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned operation of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest may be performed automatically or in response to a user operation. In addition, the first and second ultrasound images described in the above examples may be images collected in real time or images stored offline.

[0062] In a further embodiment of the present application, the second region of interest is adjustable, and the method 400 may further include: after automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest, adjusting the second region of interest based on user input. In this example, the method 400 can not only automatically mark and display the position of the region of interest in the second ultrasound image according to the position of the region of interest in the first ultrasound image, but also support the user to adjust the automatically marked region of interest, which can further improve the accuracy of the position of the region of interest.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second ultrasound image, the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image can be displayed simultaneously, wherein the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest, so as to facilitate the user to compare and view. If the images are registered, the registered first ultrasound image and the corresponding registered second ultrasound image can also be displayed simultaneously, wherein the registered first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the registered second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest. In other embodiments, the first and second ultrasound images containing their respective regions of interest can also be switched for display.

[0064] In an embodiment of the present application, marking at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasound image as described above may include: marking at least one first region of interest in part or all of the ultrasound images in the multi-frame ultrasound image. In this embodiment, marking the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image does not require marking for each frame of the image. In one example, for the same patient, the scanned first ultrasound image may contain images of multiple cardiac cycles. At this time, the first region of interest may be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one cardiac cycle or a specific number of cardiac cycles, without marking for each cardiac cycle, which can save the amount of calculation or reduce user operations. For another example, for the same patient, the scanned first ultrasound image may contain images of multiple respiratory cycles. At this time, the first region of interest may be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one respiratory cycle or a specific number of respiratory cycles, without marking for each respiratory cycle, which can save the amount of calculation or reduce user operations. Several cardiac cycles and several respiratory cycles can be determined according to the situation of collecting data, and can also be preset configurations for specific situations.

[0065] Based on this, method 400 may also include: before marking at least one first region of interest in a partial ultrasound image in a multi-frame ultrasound image, obtaining electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data corresponding to the first ultrasound image; determining a partial ultrasound image from the first ultrasound image based on the electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data. In this embodiment, the first ultrasound image corresponding to data of a cardiac cycle and / or a respiratory cycle can be obtained based on the electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data, and the first region of interest can be marked on it. In other embodiments, the first ultrasound image corresponding to abnormal electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data can also be obtained, and the first region of interest can be marked on it.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present application, after the second region of interest on the second ultrasound image is obtained, a quantitative analysis may be performed on the second region of interest to obtain and display a result of the quantitative analysis of the second region of interest.

[0067] In a further embodiment of the present application, method 400 may further include: controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a third ultrasound wave to the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, receiving the echo of the third ultrasound wave to obtain a third echo signal, and generating a third ultrasound image according to the third echo signal; based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest, automatically marking and displaying a third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest and / or the second region of interest on the third ultrasound image. In this embodiment, the region of interest (referred to as the third region of interest) on the third ultrasound image may be automatically marked and displayed based on the position of the first region of interest in the first ultrasound image or the position of the second region of interest in the second ultrasound image, which may further reduce user operations and improve user experience.

[0068] Among them, the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image can be derived from the same imaging mode or from different imaging modes. When the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are derived from the same imaging mode, the third ultrasonic wave and the aforementioned second ultrasonic wave are the same ultrasonic wave, that is, the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are obtained by ultrasonic echo signals from the same source, but the ultrasonic echo signals from the same source are processed by different image processing methods to obtain different ultrasonic images. At this time, the imaging ranges of the two are the same, so the second region of interest can be directly "translated" into the third ultrasonic image to obtain the third region of interest in the third ultrasonic image.

[0069] When the third ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image originate from different imaging modes, the third ultrasonic wave and the aforementioned second ultrasonic wave are different ultrasonic waves. At this time, the third region of interest in the third ultrasonic image can be obtained from the second region of interest in the second ultrasonic image, as the second region of interest in the second ultrasonic image is obtained from the first region of interest in the first ultrasonic image as described above, or the third region of interest in the third ultrasonic image can be obtained from the first region of interest in the first ultrasonic image.

[0070] Therefore, based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest, automatically marking and displaying the third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest or the second region of interest on the third ultrasound image may include: acquiring position coordinates that are the same as the first position coordinates or the second position coordinates on the third ultrasound image as third position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the third region of interest at the position corresponding to the third position coordinates on the third ultrasound image.

[0071] Similar to the above, after obtaining the third region of interest, the first ultrasound image, the second ultrasound image and the third ultrasound image can be displayed simultaneously, the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image includes a mark of the third region of interest, so that the user can compare and view. In other embodiments, the first, second, and third ultrasound images including their respective regions of interest can also be switched for display.

[0072] The above exemplarily illustrates the ultrasound imaging method 400 according to the embodiment of the present application. Based on the above description, the ultrasound imaging method 400 according to the embodiment of the present application automatically marks and displays the corresponding region of interest in the ultrasound image obtained in the imaging mode of relatively high transmission mechanical index based on the region of interest in the ultrasound image obtained in the imaging mode of relatively low mechanical index, which can not only simplify the user operation, but also improve the accuracy of the marked region of interest.

[0073] Combine the following Figure 5 The ultrasonic imaging method 500 according to another embodiment of the present application is described. Figure 5 As shown, the ultrasound imaging method 500 includes the following steps:

[0074] In step S510, a first super-resolution angiography image and a second super-resolution angiography image of a target tissue are acquired.

[0075] In step S520, the first super-resolution imaging image is displayed, and at least one first region of interest is marked in the first super-resolution imaging image based on a user operation.

[0076] In step S530, the second super-resolution angiography image is displayed, and based on the position of the first region of interest, a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the second super-resolution angiography image.

[0077] The ultrasonic imaging method 500 according to the embodiment of the present application is partially similar to the ultrasonic imaging method 400 described above, both of which are based on the automatic marking of the region of interest on one image to display the region of interest on another image. The difference is that the ultrasonic imaging method 400 is based on the automatic marking of the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in one imaging mode to display the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in another imaging mode; while the ultrasonic imaging method 500 is an operation performed on the image obtained in the same imaging mode, specifically, based on the region of interest on the first super-resolution contrast image, the region of interest on the second super-resolution contrast image is automatically marked and displayed. Both the first super-resolution contrast image and the second super-resolution contrast image are super-resolution contrast images, but they are different super-resolution contrast images, for example, one is a super-resolution density image and the other is a super-resolution velocity image. Since both are images obtained in the super-resolution imaging mode, the first super-resolution contrast image and the second super-resolution contrast image generally correspond to the same ROI, so the ROI on the first super-resolution contrast image is automatically mapped to the second super-resolution contrast image, which can solve the cumbersome operation problem of repeatedly redrawing ROI on different super-resolution images and improve the user experience.

[0078] In an embodiment of the present application, the step S530 of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second super-resolution imaging image based on the position of the first region of interest may include: obtaining the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the first super-resolution imaging image as the first position coordinates; obtaining the position coordinates identical to the first position coordinates on the second super-resolution imaging image as the second position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest at a position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second super-resolution imaging image.

[0079] The first region of interest on the first super-resolution contrast image may be marked by the user, or automatically marked by image recognition, or may be automatically marked according to the region of interest in the grayscale image as described in the above methods 100 and 400. Based on this, the method 500 may also include: before acquiring the first super-resolution contrast image of the target tissue, acquiring a grayscale image of the target tissue, marking at least one region of interest on the grayscale image, and automatically marking and displaying a first region of interest corresponding to the region of interest on the grayscale image on the first super-resolution contrast image based on the position of the region of interest on the grayscale image.

[0080] In the embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned operation of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest may be performed automatically or in response to a user operation.

[0081] In a further embodiment of the present application, the second region of interest is adjustable, and the method 500 may further include: after automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest, adjusting the second region of interest based on user input. In this example, the method 500 can not only automatically mark and display the position of the region of interest in the second super-resolution angiography image according to the position of the region of interest in the first super-resolution angiography image, but also support the user to adjust the automatically marked region of interest, which can further improve the accuracy of the position of the region of interest.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second super-resolution angiography image, the first super-resolution angiography image and the second super-resolution angiography image can be displayed simultaneously, wherein the first super-resolution angiography image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the second super-resolution angiography image includes a mark of the second region of interest, so as to facilitate comparative viewing by the user.

[0083] In an embodiment of the present application, after the second region of interest on the second super-resolution angiography image is obtained, a quantitative analysis may be performed on the second region of interest to obtain and display a result of the quantitative analysis of the second region of interest.

[0084] In a further embodiment of the present application, method 500 may also include: acquiring a third super-resolution angiography image of the target tissue; displaying the third super-resolution angiography image, and automatically marking and displaying a third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest or the second region of interest on the third super-resolution angiography image based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest. In this embodiment, the automatic marking and display of the region of interest (referred to as the third region of interest) on the third super-resolution angiography image may be further realized based on the position of the first region of interest in the first super-resolution angiography image or the position of the second region of interest in the second super-resolution angiography image, which may further reduce user operations and improve user experience. The third super-resolution angiography image may be one or more frames of super-resolution angiography images of the same type, or one or more frames of super-resolution angiography images of different types. That is to say, the types of super-resolution angiography images may be equal to or greater than three types.

[0085] Among them, since the third super-resolution contrast image, the second super-resolution contrast image, and the first super-resolution contrast image are derived from the same imaging mode, the first ultrasonic wave can be emitted to the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, and the three of them can be generated according to the echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave. Similar to the above, after obtaining the third region of interest, the first super-resolution contrast image, the second super-resolution contrast image, and the third super-resolution contrast image can be displayed simultaneously, the first super-resolution contrast image includes a mark of the first region of interest, the second super-resolution contrast image includes a mark of the second region of interest, and the third super-resolution contrast image includes a mark of the third region of interest, so as to facilitate the user to compare and view. In other embodiments, the first, second, and third super-resolution contrast images containing their respective regions of interest can also be switched for display.

[0086] In a further embodiment of the present application, method 500 may further include: after receiving a modification operation on the region of interest on one of the first super-resolution angiography image, the second super-resolution angiography image, and the third super-resolution angiography image, the other two adaptively modify the region of interest. Since the regions of interest of the first super-resolution angiography image, the second super-resolution angiography image, and the third super-resolution angiography image are substantially the same, after the user modifies the region of interest on one of them, the other two can adaptively perform the same modification without user operation, further improving the user experience.

[0087] The above exemplifies the ultrasound imaging method 500 according to the embodiment of the present application. Based on the above description, the ultrasound imaging method 500 according to the embodiment of the present application automatically marks and displays the corresponding region of interest in the second super-resolution contrast image based on the region of interest in the first super-resolution contrast image, which can simplify user operations and improve user experience.

[0088] Combine the following Figure 6 An ultrasonic imaging device provided according to another aspect of the present application is described. Figure 6 FIG. 6 shows a schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging device 600 according to an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6As shown, the ultrasonic imaging device 600 may include a transmitting and receiving circuit 610, an ultrasonic probe 620, a processor 630 and a display 640. Among them: the transmitting and receiving circuit 610 is used to control the ultrasonic probe 620 to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object, receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves, and obtain the ultrasonic echo signal from the echo; the processor 630 is used to control the transmitting and receiving circuit and execute the ultrasonic imaging method 100, 400 or 500 described above; the display 640 is used to display the data output by the processor 630. The ultrasonic imaging method 100, 400 or 500 according to the embodiment of the present application has been described in detail above. Those skilled in the art can understand the structure and operation of the ultrasonic imaging device 600 in combination with the above description, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0089] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present application, a storage medium is also provided, on which program instructions are stored, and when the program instructions are run by a computer or a processor, the corresponding steps of the ultrasonic imaging method of the embodiment of the present application are used to execute. The storage medium may include, for example, a memory card of a smart phone, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. The computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0090] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present application, a computer program is also provided, which can be stored in a cloud or local storage medium. When the computer program is run by a computer or a processor, it is used to execute the corresponding steps of the ultrasound imaging method of the embodiment of the present application.

[0091] Based on the above description, according to the ultrasonic imaging method and the ultrasonic imaging device of the embodiments of the present application, based on the region of interest in the ultrasonic image obtained in the imaging mode of a relatively high transmission mechanical index, the corresponding region of interest is automatically marked and displayed in the ultrasonic image obtained in the imaging mode of a relatively low mechanical index, which can not only simplify user operations but also improve the accuracy of the marked region of interest; or based on the region of interest in the first super-resolution contrast image, the corresponding region of interest is automatically marked and displayed in the second super-resolution contrast image, which can simplify user operations and improve user experience.

[0092] Although example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above example embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as required by the appended claims.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0094] In the several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0095] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0096] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present invention and help understand one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the various features of the present invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, the method of the present invention should not be interpreted as reflecting the following intention: the claimed invention requires more features than the features explicitly stated in each claim. More specifically, as reflected in the corresponding claims, the inventive point is that the corresponding technical problem can be solved with less than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the specific embodiment are hereby expressly incorporated into the specific embodiment, wherein each claim itself serves as a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0097] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, except for mutually exclusive features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or device disclosed in this specification may be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that provides the same, equivalent or similar purpose.

[0098] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0099] The various component embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP) may be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some modules in the article analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention may also be implemented as a device program (e.g., a computer program and a computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program for implementing the present invention may be stored on a computer-readable medium, or may have the form of one or more signals. Such a signal may be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0100] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate the present invention rather than limit it, and that those skilled in the art may devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference symbol between brackets shall not be construed as a limitation on the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "one" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising a number of different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating a number of devices, several of these devices may be embodied by the same hardware item. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0101] The above is only a specific embodiment or description of a specific embodiment of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic imaging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: In a grayscale imaging mode, controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a first ultrasound wave to a target tissue that does not contain contrast agent microbubbles, receiving an echo of the first ultrasound wave to acquire a first echo signal, and generating a first ultrasound image according to the first echo signal; marking at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasound image; In other imaging modes other than the grayscale imaging mode, controlling the ultrasound probe to transmit a second ultrasound wave to the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, receiving an echo of the second ultrasound wave to acquire a second echo signal, and generating a second ultrasound image according to the second echo signal, wherein the transmission mechanical index of the other imaging mode is less than the transmission mechanical index of the grayscale imaging mode; Based on the position of the first region of interest, a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest includes: Acquire the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; Acquire, on the second ultrasound image, position coordinates identical to the first position coordinates as second position coordinates; The second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at a position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest includes: Registering the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image to obtain a registered first ultrasonic image and a registered second ultrasonic image; Acquire the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the registered first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; Mapping the first position coordinates onto the registered second ultrasound image to obtain second position coordinates; The second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at a position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The registering the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image comprises: Image regions corresponding to the same spatial position in a frame of ultrasonic image of the first ultrasonic image and a frame of ultrasonic image of the second ultrasonic image are acquired as the registered first ultrasonic image and the registered second ultrasonic image.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The registering the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image comprises: Two frames of ultrasound images whose cross-sections meet preset conditions are obtained from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, one frame belonging to the first ultrasound image and the other frame belonging to the second ultrasound image, and one frame of the first ultrasound image obtained is used as the first ultrasound image after registration, and one frame of the second ultrasound image obtained is used as the second ultrasound image after registration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The registration method used in the registration includes at least one of the following: moment and principal axis registration method, minimum mean square error registration method based on singular value decomposition, chamfer registration method, maximum mutual information registration method, and deep learning registration method.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: When the second position coordinates exceed the coordinate range of the registered second ultrasound image, the method further includes: Outputting first prompt information to prompt that a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest cannot be automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The second region of interest is adjustable, and the method further comprises: after automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest, The second region of interest is adjusted based on user input.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The marking of the first region of interest may be obtained by at least one of the following methods: manual drawing by a user, automatic marking based on image recognition.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit a third ultrasonic wave to the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, receiving an echo of the third ultrasonic wave to acquire a third echo signal, and generating a third ultrasonic image according to the third echo signal; Based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest, a third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest and / or the second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the third ultrasound image.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The method of automatically marking and displaying a third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest or the second region of interest on the third ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest includes: Acquire, on the third ultrasound image, a position coordinate that is the same as the first position coordinate or the second position coordinate as a third position coordinate; The third region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at a position corresponding to the third position coordinates on the third ultrasound image.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The step of generating a second ultrasound image according to the second echo signal comprises: When the other imaging mode is any one of a conventional contrast imaging mode, a subharmonic contrast imaging mode or a high frame rate contrast imaging mode, generating a contrast image as the second ultrasound image according to the microbubble signal in the second echo signal; When the other imaging mode is a super-resolution contrast imaging mode, the microbubble signal in the second echo signal is located to obtain a microbubble localization result, and a super-resolution contrast image is generated as the second ultrasound image according to the microbubble localization result.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The automatic marking and displaying of the second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest is performed in response to a user operation after acquiring the second ultrasound image of the target tissue.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The first ultrasonic image and / or the second ultrasonic image are images acquired in real time or images stored offline.

15. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first ultrasound image includes multiple frames of ultrasound images; The marking of at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasound image comprises: marking the at least one first region of interest in part or all of the ultrasound images in the multiple frames of ultrasound images.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The method further includes: before marking the at least one first region of interest in a portion of the multiple frames of ultrasound images, Acquiring electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data corresponding to the first ultrasound image; The partial ultrasound image is determined from the first ultrasound image according to the electrocardiogram data and / or the respiratory data.

17. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: Performing a quantitative analysis on the second region of interest, obtaining and displaying a result of the quantitative analysis on the second region of interest.

18. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are displayed simultaneously, the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest.

19. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The registered first ultrasound image and the corresponding registered second ultrasound image are displayed simultaneously, wherein the registered first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the registered second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest.

20. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first ultrasound image, the second ultrasound image and the third ultrasound image are displayed simultaneously, the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image includes a mark of the third region of interest.

21. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The second ultrasonic wave and the third ultrasonic wave are the same ultrasonic wave; the second ultrasonic image and the third ultrasonic image are obtained by different image processing methods.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The second ultrasound image and the third ultrasound image respectively include any of the following types of images: Contrast image, super-resolution contrast image, super-resolution density map, super-resolution density direction map, super-resolution velocity map or super-resolution velocity direction map.

23. An ultrasonic imaging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Acquire a first ultrasound image of a target tissue corresponding to a first imaging mode, wherein the first ultrasound image is marked with at least one first region of interest; Acquiring a second ultrasound image of the target tissue corresponding to a second imaging mode, wherein the emission mechanical index of the first imaging mode is higher than the emission mechanical index of the second imaging mode, and the target tissue contains contrast agent microbubbles when emitting ultrasound waves in the second imaging mode; Based on the position of the first region of interest, a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image.

24. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that The method of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest includes: Acquire the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; Acquire, on the second ultrasound image, position coordinates identical to the first position coordinates as second position coordinates; A second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at a position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

25. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that The method of automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest on the second ultrasound image based on the position of the first region of interest includes: Registering the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image to obtain a registered first ultrasonic image and a registered second ultrasonic image; Acquire the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the registered first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; Mapping the first position coordinates onto the registered second ultrasound image to obtain second position coordinates; The second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at a position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that The registering the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image comprises: Two frames of ultrasound images whose cross-sections meet preset conditions are obtained from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, one frame belonging to the first ultrasound image and the other frame belonging to the second ultrasound image, and one frame of the first ultrasound image obtained is used as the first ultrasound image after registration, and one frame of the second ultrasound image obtained is used as the second ultrasound image after registration.

27. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that The method further comprises: Acquiring a third ultrasonic image of the target tissue corresponding to a third imaging mode, wherein the target tissue contains contrast agent microbubbles when emitting ultrasonic waves in the third imaging mode; Based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest, a third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest or the second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the third ultrasound image.

28. The method according to any one of claims 23 to 26, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are displayed simultaneously, the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, and the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest.

29. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first ultrasound image, the second ultrasound image and the third ultrasound image are displayed simultaneously, the first ultrasound image includes a mark of the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image includes a mark of the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image includes a mark of the third region of interest.

30. An ultrasonic imaging method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Acquire a first super-resolution contrast image and a second super-resolution contrast image of the target tissue; displaying the first super-resolution angiography image, and marking at least one first region of interest in the first super-resolution angiography image based on a user operation; The second super-resolution angiography image is displayed, and based on the position of the first region of interest, a second region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the second super-resolution angiography image.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that The method further comprises: Acquiring a third super-resolution angiography image of the target tissue; The third super-resolution angiography image is displayed, and based on the position of the first region of interest or the position of the second region of interest, a third region of interest corresponding to the first region of interest or the second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on the third super-resolution angiography image.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that The method further comprises: transmitting a first ultrasonic wave toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles; The first super-resolution contrast image, the second super-resolution contrast image, and the third super-resolution contrast image are generated based on the echo signal of the first ultrasonic wave.

33. The method according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that The method further comprises: The first super-resolution angiography image, the second super-resolution angiography image and the third super-resolution angiography image are displayed simultaneously.

34. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that The method further comprises: After receiving a modification operation on a region of interest on one of the first super-resolution contrast image, the second super-resolution contrast image, and the third super-resolution contrast image, the other two images adaptively modify the region of interest.

35. The method according to claim 33, characterized in that The method further comprises: Before acquiring the first super-resolution angiography image of the target tissue, a grayscale image of the target tissue is acquired, at least one region of interest is marked on the grayscale image, and based on the position of the region of interest on the grayscale image, the first region of interest corresponding to the region of interest on the grayscale image is automatically marked and displayed on the first super-resolution angiography image.

36. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: The device comprises a transmitting and receiving circuit, an ultrasound probe, a processor and a display, wherein: The transmitting and receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target tissue, receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves, and obtain ultrasonic echo data from the echoes; The processor is used to control the transmitting and receiving circuit, and execute the ultrasonic imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 35 based on the ultrasonic echo data; The display is used to display the data output by the processor.

37. A storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor executes the ultrasonic imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 35.

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