Ultrasound imaging method and ultrasound imaging apparatus

Abstract

An ultrasonic imaging method and an ultrasonic imaging device, the method comprising: in a gray-scale imaging mode, controlling an ultrasonic probe to emit first ultrasonic waves to a target tissue not containing contrast agent microbubbles, receiving echoes of the first ultrasonic waves to obtain first echo signals, and generating a first ultrasonic image according to the first echo signals; marking at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasonic image; in another imaging mode other than 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 a transmission mechanical index of the other imaging mode is less than a transmission mechanical index of the gray-scale imaging mode; and based on a position of the first region of interest, automatically marking 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] This application relates to the field of ultrasound imaging technology, and more specifically to an ultrasound imaging method and an ultrasound imaging device. Background Technology

[0002] A Region of Interest (ROI) is a region of interest that, in medical imaging diagnosis, is generally the location of a lesion or an area of ​​focus for the physician. Clinically, ROIs are typically selected using manual or automated tracing methods for easy observation. Although the area occupied by an ROI in the entire image may be small, it contains important pathological information and often requires qualitative or quantitative analysis, the results of which are of great significance to clinical diagnosis and treatment.

[0003] Currently, in medical imaging diagnosis, multiple imaging modes are often required to analyze the same target tissue, such as grayscale imaging mode (B mode), color Doppler imaging mode (C mode), pulsed Doppler imaging mode (PW mode), angiography mode, and super-resolution imaging mode. Images obtained from different imaging modes generally require the user to select a Region of Interest (ROI), and different images within the same imaging mode may also require the user to select ROIs separately. This results in cumbersome operation and a poor user experience.

[0004] For example, in contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, doctors often first determine the appropriate scanning plane and approximate location of the lesion in conventional B-mode before performing contrast imaging. In this case, the user needs to select the Region of Interest (ROI) separately on the B-image and the contrast image, which is inconvenient. Similarly, in super-resolution imaging, super-resolution contrast images only contain blood flow information and need to be overlaid on the B-image to determine the corresponding tissue structure information, resulting in unclear lesion outlines and difficulty in manually tracing the ROI. Furthermore, super-resolution parametric images obtained from super-resolution contrast images include super-resolution density images and super-resolution velocity images. Although the target parameters for quantitative analysis differ across these images, the selected ROIs are essentially the same. However, currently, the analysis process requires repeatedly redrawing the ROI on different super-resolution images, which is cumbersome. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application is made to address at least one of the aforementioned problems. According to one aspect of this application, an ultrasound imaging method is provided, the method comprising: in a grayscale imaging mode, controlling an ultrasound probe to emit a first ultrasound wave toward a target tissue not containing contrast agent microbubbles, receiving the echo of the first ultrasound wave to obtain a first echo signal, and generating a first ultrasound image based on 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 emit a second ultrasound wave toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, receiving the echo of the second ultrasound wave to obtain a second echo signal, and generating a second ultrasound image based on the second echo signal, wherein the emission mechanical index of the other imaging mode is less than the emission mechanical index of the grayscale 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 location of the first region of interest.

[0006] According to another aspect of this 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 the emission mechanical index of the first imaging mode is higher than that of the second imaging mode, and the target tissue contains contrast agent microbubbles when emitting ultrasound waves 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 location of the first region of interest.

[0007] According to another aspect of this 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 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 the location of the first region of interest.

[0008] According to another aspect of this application, an ultrasound imaging apparatus is provided, the apparatus comprising a transmitting and receiving circuit, an ultrasound probe, a processor, and a display, wherein: the transmitting and receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward a target tissue, receive the echoes of the ultrasound waves, and acquire ultrasound echo data from the echoes; the processor is used to control the transmitting and receiving circuit and to execute the ultrasound imaging method described above based on the ultrasound echo data; and the display is used to display the data output by the processor.

[0009] According to another aspect of this application, a storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, which, when run by a processor, causes the processor to perform the above-described ultrasound imaging method.

[0010] The ultrasound imaging method and ultrasound imaging device of this application automatically mark and display the corresponding region of interest in the ultrasound image obtained in the imaging mode with a relatively high emission mechanical index and in the ultrasound image obtained in the imaging mode with a relatively low mechanical index. This not only simplifies user operation but also improves the accuracy of the marked region of interest. Alternatively, 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 simplifies user operation and improves user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the more detailed description of the embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same parts or steps.

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

[0013] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an example of an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on a second ultrasound image based on a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image.

[0014] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates another example of an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on a second ultrasound image based on a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image.

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

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

[0017] Figure 6 A schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention described herein without inventive effort should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method 100 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasound imaging method 100 may include the following steps:

[0020] In step S110, in grayscale imaging mode, the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit a first ultrasound wave toward the target tissue that does not contain contrast agent microbubbles, the echo of the first ultrasound wave is received to obtain a first echo signal, and a first ultrasound image is generated based on 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 grayscale imaging mode, the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit a second ultrasound wave toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, the 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 emission mechanical index of other imaging modes is less than the emission mechanical index of grayscale imaging mode.

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

[0024] In embodiments of this application, an automatic region of interest (ROI) marking method is provided, which reduces user operations and improves user experience. Specifically, it is a scheme for automatically marking ROIs in an ultrasound image obtained in another imaging mode based on ROIs in an ultrasound image (B-image) obtained in grayscale mode. Therefore, in ultrasound imaging method 100, grayscale mode imaging is first performed on the target tissue that does not contain contrast agent microbubbles to obtain an ultrasound image in grayscale mode. To distinguish it from ultrasound images described later, it is referred to as the first ultrasound image, which is the grayscale image (B-image). After obtaining the first ultrasound image, at least one ROI is marked on it. To distinguish it from ROIs in other images described later, this ROI is named the first ROI. The absence of contrast agent microbubbles in the tissue can include tissue without injected contrast agent microbubbles, or tissue containing a small amount of contrast agent microbubbles. The marking of the first ROI on the first ultrasound image can be done manually by the user or automatically by the ultrasound device based on image recognition of the first ultrasound image. Following this, a contrast agent is injected into the target tissue, and the target tissue containing the contrast agent microbubbles is imaged using an imaging modality other than grayscale imaging. This other imaging modality has a lower emission mechanical index (MI) than the grayscale imaging modality; examples include contrast imaging modality or super-resolution imaging modality. The resulting ultrasound image is named a second ultrasound image to distinguish it from the first ultrasound image described above; such images may be contrast images or super-resolution images. After obtaining the second ultrasound image, instead of requiring the user to manually delineate and mark the region of interest (ROI) on the second ultrasound image, the second ROI corresponding to the first ROI is automatically marked and displayed on the second ultrasound image based on the location of the first ROI on the first ultrasound image, thus simplifying user operation and improving the user experience.

[0025] Because conventional B-mode imaging uses high-energy, high-frequency ultrasound signals (with a higher emission mechanical index than other imaging modes), its image quality is superior to other examination modes, allowing for better differentiation between lesions and normal tissues. Therefore, acquiring the Region of Interest (ROI) on the B image first yields an accurate ROI location. However, when switching to other imaging modes, such as contrast imaging of target tissues containing contrast agent microbubbles, the emission mechanical index is lower (too high an emission mechanical index would result in excessively high emission voltage, causing the microbubbles to break down and preventing contrast imaging). The resulting image (second ultrasound image) is of lower quality than the B image. Therefore, acquiring the ROI on such a second ultrasound image is not only cumbersome for the user but also fails to achieve the same level of accuracy due to the lower image quality. Switching from B-mode to contrast imaging mode allows the ROI location to remain largely unchanged or slightly change for the same patient. Therefore, automatically marking and displaying the corresponding ROI (second region of interest) on the second ultrasound image based on the accurate ROI (first region of interest) location on the B image (first ultrasound image) simplifies the user operation and improves the accuracy of the ROI.

[0026] In one embodiment of this application, step S140, which involves automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the first ROI on the second ultrasound image based on the location of the first ROI, may include: obtaining the position coordinates of the first ROI on the first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; obtaining the same position coordinates as the first position coordinates on the second ultrasound image as second position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the second ROI at the position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image. The following is in conjunction with... Figure 2 This embodiment will be described below.

[0027] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates an example of an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on a second ultrasound image based on a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image. For example... Figure 2 As shown, the location coordinates of the first region of interest (ROI) 1 on the first ultrasound image are denoted as R1. Here, R1 can include an abscissa and a ordinate. The abscissa can include a single coordinate or a range of coordinates, depending on the shape of the ROI 1; similarly, the ordinate can include a single coordinate or a range of coordinates, depending on the shape of the ROI 1. Figure 2In the example shown, the first region of interest (ROI) 1 is a rectangular box. The coordinates R1 of the first ROI 1 can be further denoted as (X1, Y1), where X1 ranges from x1 to x2, and Y1 ranges from y1 to y2. After determining the coordinates R1 of the first ROI 1, a region of interest (ROI) can be drawn on the second ultrasound image at the same coordinates, i.e., the second ROI 1'. The second ROI 1' has a second coordinate R1'. In this example, R1' and R1 are the same coordinates, meaning the coordinates of R1' can also be further denoted as (X1', Y1'), where X1' ranges from x1' to x2', and Y1' ranges from y1' to y2', where x1' = x1, x2' = x2, y1' = y1, and y2' = y2.

[0028] In this example, it's equivalent to directly "translating" the region of interest (ROI) from the first ultrasound image to the second ultrasound image, thus obtaining the ROI in the second ultrasound image. This approach is suitable for scenarios where the first and second ultrasound images correspond to approximately the same cross-section. For example, for the same patient, the first ultrasound image is a B-image, and the second ultrasound image is a contrast-enhanced image. If we ignore the influence of factors such as the patient's breathing, we can assume that the first and second ultrasound images correspond to the same cross-section. In this case, the simplest method can be used to "translate" the ROI to the second ultrasound image, without complex calculations or manual marking by the user. Here, in Figure 2 In the example shown, for simplicity, only one region of interest is shown on the first and second ultrasound images. In practical applications, multiple regions of interest can also be included. In that case, multiple first regions of interest can be "translated" one by one into the second ultrasound image to obtain the corresponding multiple second regions of interest.

[0029] In another embodiment of this application, step S140, which involves automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the first ROI on the second ultrasound image based on the location of the first ROI, includes: registering the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image to obtain a registered first ultrasound image and a registered second ultrasound image; obtaining the position coordinates of the first ROI 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; and automatically marking and displaying the second ROI at the location corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

[0030] In this embodiment, to ensure that the ROI position drawn on the first ultrasound image (B image) can accurately match the corresponding position on other mode images, registration is performed between the first and second ultrasound images. Registration refers to seeking one or a series of spatial transformations on a medical image to make it spatially consistent with the corresponding points on another medical image; specifically, this means that the spatial position sectional plane corresponding to the ROI is the same. Most medical image registration methods are global image registration for rigid bodies or affine transformations. Registration methods can include the moment and principal axis method, the minimum mean square error registration method based on singular value decomposition (SVD), the chamfer registration method, the maximum mutual information registration method, etc. Since the sectional plane basically does not change during the switching of imaging modes, it is only necessary to consider the image differences caused by small perturbations, displacement changes caused by respiratory motion, and changes in the two-dimensional distribution of ultrasound signals caused by mode switching. Based on this premise, the image registration accuracy requirement in this embodiment is not high. In practice, algorithms that consume less computational resources can be selected as much as possible, and the best algorithm can be selected from the above algorithms based on simulation results. The following is combined with Figure 3 This embodiment will be described below.

[0031] Figure 3 This diagram illustrates another example of an ultrasound imaging method according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed on a second ultrasound image based on a first region of interest on a first ultrasound image. For example... Figure 3 As shown, after registering the first and second ultrasound images, a registered first ultrasound image and a registered second ultrasound image are obtained. The position coordinates of the first region of interest (ROI1) on the registered first ultrasound image are denoted as R1. Here, R1 can include an abscissa and a ordinate. The abscissa can include a single coordinate or a range of coordinates, depending on the shape of the ROI1; similarly, the ordinate can include a single coordinate or a range of coordinates, depending on the shape of the ROI1. Figure 3 In the example shown, the first region of interest (ROI) 1 is a rectangular box. The position coordinates R1 of the first ROI 1 can be further denoted as (X1, Y1), where X1 ranges from x1 to x2, and Y1 ranges from y1 to y2. After determining the position coordinates R1 of the first ROI 1, it is mapped onto the second ultrasound image to obtain the second position coordinates R1” of the second ROI 1” on the second ultrasound image. R1 and R1” have a corresponding mapping relationship k, which is associated with the registration algorithm and / or the registration result. In one example, the position coordinates of R1” can also be further denoted as (X1”, Y1”), where X1” ranges from x1” to x2, and Y1” ranges 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 involves image registration and mapping of the region of interest, thus enabling a more accurate region of interest result on the second ultrasound image. Here, in Figure 3 In the example shown, for simplicity, only one region of interest is shown on the registered first and second ultrasound images. In practical applications, multiple regions of interest may also be included. In that case, multiple first regions of interest can be mapped one by one onto the second ultrasound image to obtain the corresponding multiple second regions of interest.

[0033] In one example, the registration of the first and second ultrasound images described above may include: acquiring image regions corresponding to the same spatial positions in a frame of the first ultrasound image and a frame of the second ultrasound image, as the registered first and registered second ultrasound images. In this example, registering a frame of the first ultrasound image and a frame of the second ultrasound image only requires using the image regions corresponding to the same spatial positions in both as the registered first and registered second ultrasound images. For example, compared to a frame of the second ultrasound image, both are obtained from scanning the same cross-section, but due to minor disturbances such as the patient's breathing, their imaging ranges are not exactly the same. That is, the corresponding spatial positions in the first and second ultrasound images are not exactly the same, but there must be a large area of ​​overlap. Extracting the image regions corresponding to the same spatial positions yields the registered first and registered second ultrasound images.

[0034] In another example, the registration of the first and second ultrasound images described above can include: acquiring two ultrasound images from the first and second ultrasound images whose cross-sections meet preset conditions, where one frame belongs to the first ultrasound image and the other to the second ultrasound image; using one frame of the acquired first ultrasound image as the registered first ultrasound image; and using one frame of the acquired second ultrasound image as the registered second ultrasound image. In this example, both the first and second ultrasound images consist of multiple frames, from which two frames meeting the preset conditions can be selected directly as the two registered frames. These preset conditions can be set as needed; for example, the preset condition could be that the cross-sections of the two images are close to a certain degree, such as the overlap of their imaging ranges exceeding a certain threshold. Whether it's the registration method in the previous example or the registration method in this example, the goal is to obtain first and second ultrasound images (or at least a portion of them) with cross-sections as close as possible, so as to more accurately map the region of interest in the first ultrasound image to the second ultrasound image.

[0035] Furthermore, in some cases, after registration, the second position coordinates obtained based on the first position coordinates may exceed the coordinate range of the registered second ultrasound image. In this case, a first prompt message can 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, if the range of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image is large, after registration of the first and second ultrasound images, the registered second ultrasound image may only contain a portion of the region corresponding to the first region of interest. In this case, it is impossible to completely map the first region of interest onto the registered second ultrasound image to obtain a complete second region of interest. A prompt message can then be output. In this situation, the user can manually mark the region of interest on the second ultrasound image.

[0036] In the embodiments of this application, the operation of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest can be performed automatically or in response to user operation. For example, after switching from mode B to another imaging mode and generating a second ultrasound image in that other imaging mode, step S140 can be executed directly 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 can also be executed in response to user input (e.g., setting a physical or virtual button or key to automatically mark the region of interest). Furthermore, although the first and second ultrasound images described in the foregoing examples are images acquired in real time, in other examples, they can also be images stored offline.

[0037] In a further embodiment of this application, the second region of interest is adjustable, and method 100 may further include: adjusting the second region of interest based on user input after automatically marking and displaying it. In this example, method 100 not only automatically marks and displays 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 supports user adjustment of the automatically marked region of interest, which can further improve the accuracy of the position of the region of interest.

[0038] In embodiments of this application, after obtaining the second region of interest (ROI) on the second ultrasound image, the first and second ultrasound images can be displayed simultaneously. The first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first ROI, and the second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second ROI, facilitating comparison by the user. If image registration has been performed, the registered first ultrasound image and the corresponding registered second ultrasound image can also be displayed simultaneously. The registered first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first ROI, and the registered second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second ROI. In other embodiments, the first and second ultrasound images, each containing its respective ROI, can be displayed interchangeably.

[0039] In the examples described above, the second ultrasound image is primarily used as the example of a contrast imaging image. That is, the other imaging modes described in step S130 mainly describe examples of contrast imaging modes. Exemplarily, this contrast imaging mode can be any of the following: conventional contrast imaging mode, subharmonic contrast imaging mode, or high frame rate contrast imaging mode. In these contrast imaging modes, the second ultrasound image is a contrast imaging image generated based on the microbubble signal in the second echo signal. In other examples, this other imaging mode can be a super-resolution contrast imaging mode, in which the second ultrasound image is obtained by locating the microbubble signal in the second echo signal to obtain a microbubble localization result. The super-resolution contrast imaging image generated based on the microbubble localization result can also be a super-resolution parametric image obtained based on the super-resolution contrast imaging image, such as a super-resolution density map, a super-resolution density pattern, a super-resolution velocity map, or a super-resolution velocity pattern.

[0040] In embodiments of this 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 some or all of the ultrasound images in multiple frames. In this embodiment, marking the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image does not necessarily require marking every frame. 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 can be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one cardiac cycle, without having to mark it for each cardiac cycle, which can save computation or reduce user operations. Similarly, for the same patient, the scanned first ultrasound image may contain images of multiple respiratory cycles. In this case, the first region of interest can be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one respiratory cycle, without having to mark it for each respiratory cycle, which can save computation or reduce user operations.

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

[0042] In embodiments of this application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second ultrasound image, quantitative analysis can be performed on the second region of interest to obtain and display the results of the quantitative analysis. For example, when the second ultrasound image is a contrast-enhanced image, target tissues (such as lesions) in the contrast-enhanced image can be measured and analyzed, and the results of relevant parameters can be output to assist doctors in diagnosis.

[0043] In a further embodiment of this application, method 100 may further include: controlling an ultrasound probe to emit a third ultrasound wave toward a 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 based on the third echo signal; automatically marking and displaying a third region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the first ROI and / or the second ROI on the third ultrasound image based on the location of the first ROI or the location of the second ROI. In this embodiment, the automatic marking and display of the ROI (referred to as the third ROI) on the third ultrasound image may be further realized based on the location of the first ROI in the first ultrasound image or the location of the second ROI in the second ultrasound image, which can further reduce user operations and improve user experience.

[0044] In this context, the third ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image can originate from the same imaging mode or from different imaging modes. When the third and second ultrasound images originate from the same imaging mode, the third ultrasound wave and the aforementioned second ultrasound wave are the same ultrasound wave. That is, the third and second ultrasound images are obtained from the same ultrasound echo signal, but different image processing methods were used to obtain different ultrasound images. For example, when both the third and second ultrasound images originate from a super-resolution imaging mode, where the second ultrasound image is a super-resolution density map and the third ultrasound image is a super-resolution velocity map, since their imaging ranges are the same, the second region of interest can be directly "translated" into the third ultrasound image to obtain the third region of interest in the third ultrasound image.

[0045] When the third ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image originate from different imaging modes, the third ultrasound wave is a different ultrasound wave from the aforementioned second ultrasound wave. In this case, the third region of interest in the third ultrasound image can be obtained from the second region of interest in the second ultrasound image, just as the first region of interest in the first ultrasound image can be obtained from the second region of interest in the second ultrasound image, or the third region of interest in the third ultrasound image can be obtained from the first region of interest in the first ultrasound image.

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

[0047] Similar to the previous description, after obtaining the third region of interest, the first, second, and third ultrasound images can be displayed simultaneously. The first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image contains a marker for the third region of interest, facilitating comparison and viewing by the user. In other embodiments, the first, second, and third ultrasound images, each containing its respective region of interest, can be displayed alternately.

[0048] The above exemplarily illustrates an ultrasound imaging method 100 according to an embodiment of this application. Based on the above description, the ultrasound imaging method 100 according to an embodiment of this 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. This not only simplifies user operation but also improves the accuracy of the marked region of interest.

[0049] The following is combined Figure 4 An ultrasound imaging method 400 according to another embodiment of this application is described. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the ultrasound imaging method 400 includes the following steps:

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

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

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

[0053] The ultrasound imaging method 400 according to the embodiments of this application is generally similar to the ultrasound imaging method 100 described above, except that: ultrasound imaging method 100 automatically marks and displays regions of interest (ROIs) in ultrasound images obtained under another imaging mode based on ROIs in B-mode images; while ultrasound imaging method 400 automatically marks and displays ROIs in ultrasound images obtained under another imaging mode based on ROIs in ultrasound images obtained under one imaging mode (not limited to B-mode, referred to as the first imaging mode) (referred to as the second imaging mode). The emission mechanical index of the first imaging mode is higher than that of the second imaging mode, meaning that the quality of the first ultrasound image obtained under the first imaging mode is better than the quality of the second ultrasound image obtained under the second imaging mode. Therefore, ultrasound imaging method 400 can also achieve similar effects to ultrasound imaging method 100. Specifically, ultrasound imaging method 400 automatically marks and displays corresponding ROIs in ultrasound images obtained under a relatively low mechanical index imaging mode based on ROIs in ultrasound images obtained under an imaging mode with a relatively high emission mechanical index, which not only simplifies user operation but also improves the accuracy of the marked ROIs.

[0054] In one embodiment of this application, step S430, which involves automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the first ROI on the second ultrasound image based on the location of the first ROI, may include: obtaining the position coordinates of the first ROI on the first ultrasound image as first position coordinates; obtaining the same position coordinates as the first position coordinates on the second ultrasound image as second position coordinates; and automatically marking and displaying the second ROI at the position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image. In this example, it is equivalent to directly "translating" the ROI in the first ultrasound image to the second ultrasound image to obtain the ROI in the second ultrasound image. This method is applicable to scenarios where the first and second ultrasound images correspond to substantially the same cross-section, requiring no complex calculations or manual marking by the user to obtain the ROI in the second ultrasound image.

[0055] In another embodiment of this application, step S430, which involves automatically marking and displaying a second region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the first ROI on the second ultrasound image based on the location of the first ROI, includes: registering the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image to obtain a registered first ultrasound image and a registered second ultrasound image; obtaining the position coordinates of the first ROI 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; and automatically marking and displaying the second ROI at the location corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

[0056] In this embodiment, to ensure that the ROI position drawn on the first ultrasound image can accurately match the corresponding position on other mode images, registration is performed between the first and second ultrasound images. Registration refers to seeking one or more spatial transformations on a medical image to make it spatially consistent with the corresponding point on another medical image; specifically, this means that the spatial position sectional plane corresponding to the ROI is the same. Most medical image registration methods are global image registration for rigid bodies or affine transformations. Registration methods can include the moment and principal axis method, the minimum mean square error registration method based on singular value decomposition (SVD), the chamfer registration method, the maximum mutual information registration method, etc. Since the sectional plane basically does not change during the switching of imaging modes, it is only necessary to consider the image differences caused by small perturbations, displacement changes caused by respiratory motion, and changes in the two-dimensional distribution of ultrasound signals caused by mode switching. Based on this premise, the image registration accuracy requirement in this embodiment is not high. In practice, algorithms that consume less computational resources can be selected as much as possible, and the best algorithm can be selected from the above algorithms based on simulation results.

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

[0058] In one example, the registration of the first and second ultrasound images described above may include: acquiring image regions corresponding to the same spatial positions in a frame of the first ultrasound image and a frame of the second ultrasound image, as the registered first and registered second ultrasound images. In this example, registering a frame of the first ultrasound image and a frame of the second ultrasound image only requires using the image regions corresponding to the same spatial positions in both as the registered first and registered second ultrasound images. For example, compared to a frame of the second ultrasound image, both are obtained from scanning the same cross-section, but due to minor disturbances such as the patient's breathing, their imaging ranges are not exactly the same. That is, the corresponding spatial positions in the first and second ultrasound images are not exactly the same, but there must be a large area of ​​overlap. Extracting the image regions corresponding to the same spatial positions yields the registered first and registered second ultrasound images.

[0059] In another example, the registration of the first and second ultrasound images described above can include: acquiring two ultrasound images from the first and second ultrasound images whose cross-sections meet preset conditions, where one frame belongs to the first ultrasound image and the other to the second ultrasound image; using one frame of the acquired first ultrasound image as the registered first ultrasound image; and using one frame of the acquired second ultrasound image as the registered second ultrasound image. In this example, both the first and second ultrasound images consist of multiple frames, from which two frames meeting the preset conditions can be selected directly as the two registered frames. These preset conditions can be set as needed; for example, the preset condition could be that the cross-sections of the two images are close to a certain degree, such as the overlap of their imaging ranges exceeding a certain threshold. Whether it's the registration method in the previous example or the registration method in this example, the goal is to obtain first and second ultrasound images (or at least a portion of them) with cross-sections as close as possible, so as to more accurately map the region of interest in the first ultrasound image to the second ultrasound image.

[0060] Furthermore, in some cases, after registration, the second position coordinates obtained based on the first position coordinates may exceed the coordinate range of the registered second ultrasound image. In this case, a first prompt message can 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, if the range of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image is large, after registration of the first and second ultrasound images, the registered second ultrasound image may only contain a portion of the region corresponding to the first region of interest. In this case, it is impossible to completely map the first region of interest onto the registered second ultrasound image to obtain a complete second region of interest. A prompt message can then be output. In this situation, the user can manually mark the region of interest on the second ultrasound image.

[0061] In the embodiments of this application, the operation of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest can be performed automatically or in response to user operation. Furthermore, the first and second ultrasound images described in the foregoing examples can be images acquired in real time or images stored offline.

[0062] In a further embodiment of this application, the second region of interest is adjustable, and method 400 may further include: adjusting the second region of interest based on user input after automatically marking and displaying it. In this example, method 400 not only automatically marks and displays 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 supports user adjustment of the automatically marked region of interest, which can further improve the accuracy of the position of the region of interest.

[0063] In embodiments of this application, after obtaining the second region of interest (ROI) on the second ultrasound image, the first and second ultrasound images can be displayed simultaneously. The first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first ROI, and the second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second ROI, facilitating comparison by the user. If image registration has been performed, the registered first ultrasound image and the corresponding registered second ultrasound image can also be displayed simultaneously. The registered first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first ROI, and the registered second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second ROI. In other embodiments, the first and second ultrasound images, each containing its respective ROI, can be displayed interchangeably.

[0064] In embodiments of this 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 some or all of the ultrasound images in multiple frames. In this embodiment, marking the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image does not necessarily require marking every frame. 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 can be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one cardiac cycle or a specific number of cardiac cycles, without having to mark each cardiac cycle, which can save computation or reduce user operations. Similarly, for the same patient, the scanned first ultrasound image may contain images of multiple respiratory cycles. In this case, the first region of interest can be marked for the first ultrasound image corresponding to one respiratory cycle or a specific number of respiratory cycles, without having to mark each respiratory cycle, which can save computation or reduce user operations. The number of cardiac cycles and the number of respiratory cycles can be determined based on the acquired data, or can be a preset configuration for specific situations.

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

[0066] In the embodiments of this application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second ultrasound image, quantitative analysis can be performed on the second region of interest to obtain and display the results of the quantitative analysis of the second region of interest.

[0067] In a further embodiment of this application, method 400 may further include: controlling an ultrasound probe to emit a third ultrasound wave toward a 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 based on the third echo signal; and automatically marking and displaying a third region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the first ROI and / or the second ROI on the third ultrasound image based on the location of the first ROI or the location of the second ROI. In this embodiment, the automatic marking and display of the ROI (referred to as the third ROI) on the third ultrasound image may be further realized based on the location of the first ROI in the first ultrasound image or the location of the second ROI in the second ultrasound image, which can further reduce user operations and improve user experience.

[0068] The third ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image can originate from the same imaging mode or from different imaging modes. When the third ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image originate from the same imaging mode, the third ultrasound wave and the aforementioned second ultrasound wave are the same ultrasound wave. That is, the third ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are obtained from the same ultrasound echo signal, but the ultrasound echo signal from the same source has undergone different image processing methods to obtain different ultrasound images. In this case, their imaging ranges are the same, so the second region of interest can be directly "translated" into the third ultrasound image to obtain the third region of interest in the third ultrasound image.

[0069] When the third ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image originate from different imaging modes, the third ultrasound wave is a different ultrasound wave from the aforementioned second ultrasound wave. In this case, the third region of interest in the third ultrasound image can be obtained from the second region of interest in the second ultrasound image, just as the first region of interest in the first ultrasound image can be obtained from the second region of interest in the second ultrasound image, or the third region of interest in the third ultrasound image can be obtained from the first region of interest in the first ultrasound image.

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

[0071] Similar to the previous description, after obtaining the third region of interest, the first, second, and third ultrasound images can be displayed simultaneously. The first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image contains a marker for the third region of interest, facilitating comparison and viewing by the user. In other embodiments, the first, second, and third ultrasound images, each containing its respective region of interest, can be displayed alternately.

[0072] The above exemplarily illustrates an ultrasound imaging method 400 according to an embodiment of this application. Based on the above description, the ultrasound imaging method 400 according to an embodiment of this application automatically marks and displays the corresponding region of interest in ultrasound images obtained in an imaging mode with a relatively high emission mechanical index, and in ultrasound images obtained in an imaging mode with a relatively low mechanical index. This not only simplifies user operation but also improves the accuracy of the marked regions of interest.

[0073] The following is combined Figure 5 An ultrasound imaging method 500 according to another embodiment of this application is described. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the ultrasound imaging method 500 includes the following steps:

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

[0075] In step S520, a 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 user operation.

[0076] In step S530, a second super-resolution imaging image is displayed. Based on the location 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 imaging image.

[0077] The ultrasound imaging method 500 according to the embodiments of this application is similar in part to the ultrasound imaging method 400 described above, both automatically marking and displaying regions of interest (ROIs) on one image and another image based on the region of interest (ROI) on the other. The difference lies in that ultrasound imaging method 400 automatically marks and displays ROIs on an ultrasound image obtained under one imaging mode and another image obtained under a different imaging mode; while ultrasound imaging method 500 operates on images obtained under the same imaging mode. Specifically, it automatically marks and displays ROIs on a second super-resolution contrast image based on the ROI on a first super-resolution contrast image. Both the first and second super-resolution contrast images are super-resolution contrast images, but they are different types of 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 under super-resolution imaging modes, the first and second super-resolution contrast images generally correspond to the same ROI. Therefore, automatically mapping the ROI on the first super-resolution contrast image to the second super-resolution contrast image can solve the cumbersome problem of repeatedly redrawing ROIs on different super-resolution images, improving the user experience.

[0078] In the embodiments of this application, step S530, which involves 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 location 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 same position coordinates as 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 the position corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second super-resolution imaging image.

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

[0080] In the embodiments of this application, the operation of automatically marking and displaying the second region of interest can be performed automatically or in response to user operation.

[0081] In a further embodiment of this application, the second region of interest (ROI) is adjustable, and method 500 may further include: adjusting the second ROI based on user input after automatically marking and displaying it. In this example, method 500 not only automatically marks and displays the position of the ROI in the second super-resolution imaging image according to the position of the ROI in the first super-resolution imaging image, but also supports user adjustment of the automatically marked ROI, which can further improve the accuracy of the ROI position.

[0082] In the embodiments of this application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second super-resolution imaging image, the first super-resolution imaging image and the second super-resolution imaging image can be displayed simultaneously, wherein the first super-resolution imaging image contains a marker for the first region of interest, and the second super-resolution imaging image contains a marker for the second region of interest, so as to facilitate comparison and viewing by the user.

[0083] In the embodiments of this application, after obtaining the second region of interest on the second super-resolution imaging image, quantitative analysis can be performed on the second region of interest to obtain and display the results of the quantitative analysis of the second region of interest.

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

[0085] Since the third, second, and first super-resolution contrast images originate from the same imaging mode, a first ultrasound wave can be emitted towards the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, and the three images are generated based on the echo signal of the first ultrasound wave. Similar to the previous description, after obtaining the third region of interest, the first, second, and third super-resolution contrast images can be displayed simultaneously. The first super-resolution image contains a marker for the first region of interest, the second super-resolution image contains a marker for the second region of interest, and the third super-resolution image contains a marker for the third region of interest, facilitating comparison by the user. In other embodiments, the first, second, and third super-resolution contrast images, each containing its respective region of interest, can be displayed in a switched manner.

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

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

[0088] The following is combined Figure 6 Describes an ultrasound imaging apparatus provided according to another aspect of this application. Figure 6 A schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging apparatus 600 according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Figure 6As shown, the ultrasound imaging device 600 may include a transmitting and receiving circuit 610, an ultrasound probe 620, a processor 630, and a display 640. Specifically: the transmitting and receiving circuit 610 controls the ultrasound probe 620 to transmit ultrasound waves towards a target object, receives the echoes of the ultrasound waves, and acquires ultrasound echo signals from the echoes; the processor 630 controls the transmitting and receiving circuit and executes the ultrasound imaging methods 100, 400, or 500 described above; the display 640 displays the data output by the processor 630. The ultrasound imaging methods 100, 400, or 500 according to embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Those skilled in the art can understand the structure and operation of the ultrasound imaging device 600 in conjunction with the foregoing description; for the sake of brevity, further details are omitted here.

[0089] Furthermore, according to embodiments of this application, a storage medium is also provided, on which program instructions are stored. When the program instructions are run by a computer or processor, they are used to execute corresponding steps of the ultrasound imaging method of the embodiments of this application. The storage medium may, for example, include a memory card of a smartphone, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. A computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0090] Furthermore, according to embodiments of this application, a computer program is also provided, which can be stored on a cloud or local storage medium. When this computer program is run by a computer or processor, it is used to perform the corresponding steps of the ultrasound imaging method of the embodiments of this application.

[0091] Based on the above description, the ultrasound imaging method and ultrasound imaging device according to the embodiments of this application automatically mark and display the corresponding region of interest in the ultrasound image obtained in the imaging mode with a relatively high emission mechanical index and the ultrasound image obtained in the imaging mode with a relatively low mechanical index. This not only simplifies user operation but also improves the accuracy of the marked region of interest. Alternatively, 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 simplifies user operation and improves user experience.

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

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

[0094] In the several embodiments provided by this 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 merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0095] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0096] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to streamline the invention and aid in understanding one or more of the various aspects of the invention, features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. However, the method of the invention should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the corresponding claims, its inventive point lies in solving the corresponding technical problem with fewer features than all of those in a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of the invention.

[0097] Those skilled in the art will understand that, apart from the mutual exclusion of features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or apparatus so disclosed can be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that serves the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0098] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not others, combinations of features from different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0099] The various component embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, or as software modules running on one or more processors, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some modules in the article analysis device according to embodiments of the present invention. The present invention can also be implemented as an apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and computer program product) for performing part or all of the methods described herein. Such programs implementing the present invention can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can be in the form of one or more signals. Such signals can be downloaded from an Internet website, provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0100] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative of the invention and not restrictive, and that those skilled in the art can devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

[0101] The above are merely specific embodiments or descriptions of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: In grayscale imaging mode, the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit a first ultrasound wave toward the target tissue that does not contain contrast agent microbubbles, the echo of the first ultrasound wave is received to obtain a first echo signal, and a first ultrasound image is generated based on the first echo signal. Mark at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasound image; In other imaging modes besides the grayscale imaging mode, the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit a second ultrasound wave toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, receive the echo of the second ultrasound wave to obtain a second echo signal, and generate a second ultrasound image based on the second echo signal, wherein the emission mechanical index of the other imaging modes is smaller than that of the grayscale imaging mode. Based on the location 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 step 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 location of the first region of interest includes: Obtain the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image, and use them as the first position coordinates; On the second ultrasound image, obtain the same position coordinates as the first position coordinates, and use these as the second position coordinates; The second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at the position corresponding to the second location coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step 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 location of the first region of interest includes: The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are registered to obtain the registered first ultrasound image and the registered second ultrasound image. Obtain the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the registered first ultrasound image, and use them as the first position coordinates; The first position coordinates are mapped onto the registered second ultrasound image to obtain the second position coordinates; The second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at the position corresponding to the second location coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The registration of the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image includes: Image regions corresponding to the same spatial position in a frame of the first ultrasound image and a frame of the second ultrasound image are obtained and used as the registered first ultrasound image and the registered second ultrasound image.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The registration of the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image includes: Two ultrasound images with cross-sectional conditions that meet preset conditions are obtained from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, where one frame belongs to the first ultrasound image and the other frame belongs to the second ultrasound image. One frame of the first ultrasound image is used as the first ultrasound image after registration, and one frame of the second ultrasound image is used as the second ultrasound image after registration.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, The registration method used 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 3-5, characterized in that, When the second position coordinates exceed the coordinate range of the registered second ultrasound image, the method further includes: Output a first prompt message 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.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The second region of interest is adjustable, and the method further includes: 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 1-5, characterized in that, The first region of interest can be marked in at least one of the following ways: manually drawn by the user, or automatically marked based on image recognition.

10. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The ultrasound probe is controlled to emit a third ultrasound wave toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles, the echo of the third ultrasound wave is received to obtain a third echo signal, and a third ultrasound image is generated based on the third echo signal. Based on the location of the first region of interest or the location 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 automatic marking and display of a third region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the first or second ROI on the third ultrasound image based on the location of the first or second ROI includes: On the third ultrasound image, obtain position coordinates that are the same as the first position coordinates or the second position coordinates, and use them as the third position coordinates; The third region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at the position corresponding to the third location coordinates on the third ultrasound image.

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

13. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The step 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 location of the first region of interest is performed in response to user operation after the second ultrasound image of the target tissue is acquired.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The first ultrasound image and / or the second ultrasound 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 ultrasound images; Marking at least one first region of interest on the first ultrasound image includes: marking the at least one first region of interest in some 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 ultrasound images in the multi-frame ultrasound images. Acquire electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data corresponding to the first ultrasound image; The partial ultrasound image is determined from the first ultrasound image based on the electrocardiogram data and / or respiratory data.

17. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: A quantitative analysis is performed on the second region of interest, and the results of the quantitative analysis are obtained and displayed.

18. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Simultaneously displaying the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, the first ultrasound image containing a marker for the first region of interest, and the second ultrasound image containing a marker for the second region of interest.

19. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Simultaneously displaying the registered first ultrasound image and the corresponding registered second ultrasound image, wherein the registered first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first region of interest, and the registered second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second region of interest.

20. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The method further includes: Simultaneously displaying the first ultrasound image, the second ultrasound image, and the third ultrasound image, wherein the first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image contains a marker for the third region of interest.

21. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The second and third ultrasound waves are the same ultrasound waves; the second and third ultrasound images are obtained through different image processing methods.

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

23. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: Acquire a first ultrasound image of the target tissue corresponding to a first imaging mode, wherein the first ultrasound image is marked with at least one first region of interest; Acquire a second ultrasound image of the target tissue corresponding to the second imaging mode, wherein the emission mechanical index of the first imaging mode is higher than that of the second imaging mode, and the target tissue does not contain contrast agent microbubbles when emitting ultrasound in the first imaging mode, while the target tissue contains contrast agent microbubbles when emitting ultrasound in the second imaging mode. Based on the location 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 step 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 location of the first region of interest includes: Obtain the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the first ultrasound image, and use them as the first position coordinates; On the second ultrasound image, obtain the same position coordinates as the first position coordinates, and use these as the second position coordinates; The second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at the location corresponding to the second position coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

25. The method according to claim 23, characterized in that, The step 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 location of the first region of interest includes: The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are registered to obtain the registered first ultrasound image and the registered second ultrasound image. Obtain the position coordinates of the first region of interest on the registered first ultrasound image, and use them as the first position coordinates; The first position coordinates are mapped onto the registered second ultrasound image to obtain the second position coordinates; The second region of interest is automatically marked and displayed at the position corresponding to the second location coordinates on the second ultrasound image.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The registration of the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image includes: Two ultrasound images with cross-sectional conditions that meet preset conditions are obtained from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, where one frame belongs to the first ultrasound image and the other frame belongs to the second ultrasound image. One frame of the first ultrasound image is used as the first ultrasound image after registration, and one frame of the second ultrasound image is used as the second ultrasound image after registration.

27. The method according to any one of claims 23-26, characterized in that, The method further includes: Acquire a third ultrasound image of the target tissue corresponding to the third imaging mode, wherein the target tissue contains contrast agent microbubbles when ultrasound is emitted in the third imaging mode; Based on the location of the first region of interest or the location 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 23-26, characterized in that, The method further includes: Simultaneously displaying the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, the first ultrasound image containing a marker for the first region of interest, and the second ultrasound image containing a marker for the second region of interest.

29. The method according to claim 27, characterized in that, The method further includes: Simultaneously displaying the first ultrasound image, the second ultrasound image, and the third ultrasound image, wherein the first ultrasound image contains a marker for the first region of interest, the second ultrasound image contains a marker for the second region of interest, and the third ultrasound image contains a marker for the third region of interest.

30. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: Acquire the first and second super-resolution contrast images of the target tissue; Display the first super-resolution contrast image, and mark at least one first region of interest in the first super-resolution contrast image based on user operation; Display the second super-resolution imaging image, and automatically mark and display the 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; The first super-resolution imaging image and the second super-resolution imaging image are super-resolution imaging images of different types.

31. The method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain a third super-resolution imaging image of the target tissue; The third super-resolution imaging 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 imaging image.

32. The method according to claim 31, characterized in that, The method further includes: A first ultrasound wave is emitted toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles; The first super-resolution imaging image, the second super-resolution imaging image, and the third super-resolution imaging image are generated based on the echo signal of the first ultrasound.

33. The method according to claim 31 or 32, characterized in that, The method further includes: Simultaneously display the first super-resolution imaging image, the second super-resolution imaging image, and the third super-resolution imaging image.

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

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

36. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that, The device 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 ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue, receive the echo of the ultrasound waves, and obtain ultrasound echo data from the echo. The processor is used to control the transmitting and receiving circuit and to execute the ultrasound imaging method according to any one of claims 1-35 based on the ultrasound echo data. The display is used to show the data output by the processor.

37. A storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the ultrasound imaging method according to any one of claims 1-35.

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