Method for evaluating achilles tendon rehabilitation condition and ultrasonic imaging equipment

Abstract

According to the method for evaluating the achilles tendon rehabilitation condition and the ultrasonic imaging equipment, the injury conditions of the achilles tendon of an affected leg in different rehabilitation stages are evaluated according to ultrasonic images of multiple sections in different rehabilitation stages, so that quantitative indexes used for representing the injury conditions in the different rehabilitation stages are obtained, and the quantitative indexes in the different rehabilitation stages are displayed; a doctor can judge whether the injury of the achilles tendon is good or worsened or does not change by comparing the quantitative indexes of the rehabilitation stages before and after, and the injury condition is quantified, so that the accuracy of evaluating the rehabilitation condition of the achilles tendon is improved, and the evaluation efficiency is also improved.

Description

Method for evaluating Achilles tendon rehabilitation and ultrasound imaging device Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the medical field, and in particular to a method for evaluating the rehabilitation of an Achilles tendon and an ultrasonic imaging device. Background Art

[0002] The most common injuries suffered by racehorses are the Achilles tendon and leg bones. For racehorses with Achilles tendon injuries, regular follow-up examinations are required after treatment to determine if the tendon has recovered enough to continue training or retire. Doctors typically examine the injured Achilles tendon using ultrasound imaging equipment. Doctors then use ultrasound images of the injured area and their own experience to determine the current extent of the injury. Different doctors may have different assessment criteria, and the same Achilles tendon may be assessed by different doctors before and after different recovery periods. This results in inaccurate assessments of Achilles tendon recovery, and due to limitations in doctor experience and manual methods, the assessment efficiency is also low. Technical issues

[0003] The present invention mainly provides a method for evaluating the rehabilitation of the Achilles tendon and an ultrasonic imaging device, aiming to improve the accuracy of evaluating the rehabilitation of the Achilles tendon. Technical Solutions

[0004] One embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging device, including:

[0005] Probe;

[0006] a transmitting circuit, configured to stimulate the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves toward a target object;

[0007] a receiving circuit, configured to receive the ultrasonic echo returned from the target object through the probe to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;

[0008] monitor;

[0009] Processor for:

[0010] Acquire ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target subject during the first rehabilitation phase;

[0011] Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the first rehabilitation stage, obtaining at least one quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition in the first rehabilitation stage, and displaying the quantitative index of the first rehabilitation stage on the display;

[0012] Acquiring ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg during a second rehabilitation phase, wherein the second rehabilitation phase is later than the first rehabilitation phase;

[0013] The injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg is evaluated based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the second rehabilitation stage, and at least one quantitative indicator for characterizing the injury condition in the second rehabilitation stage is obtained. The quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage and the quantitative indicators of the second rehabilitation stage are displayed on the display.

[0014] One embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging device, including:

[0015] Probe;

[0016] a transmitting circuit, configured to stimulate the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves toward a target object;

[0017] a receiving circuit, configured to receive the ultrasonic echo returned from the target object through the probe to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;

[0018] monitor;

[0019] Processor for:

[0020] Acquire ultrasound images of multiple current sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg;

[0021] Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg according to the ultrasound images of the current multiple sections to obtain at least one current quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition;

[0022] The current quantitative index is displayed on the display, and when there is a historical quantitative index corresponding to the current quantitative index for the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, the historical quantitative index is also displayed on the display.

[0023] One embodiment provides a method for assessing Achilles tendon rehabilitation, comprising:

[0024] Acquire ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target subject during the first rehabilitation phase;

[0025] Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the first rehabilitation stage, obtaining at least one quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition in the first rehabilitation stage, and displaying the quantitative index in the first rehabilitation stage;

[0026] Acquiring ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg during a second rehabilitation phase, wherein the second rehabilitation phase is later than the first rehabilitation phase;

[0027] The injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg is evaluated based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the second rehabilitation stage, and at least one quantitative indicator for characterizing the injury condition in the second rehabilitation stage is obtained, and the quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage and the quantitative indicators of the second rehabilitation stage are displayed.

[0028] One embodiment provides a method for assessing Achilles tendon rehabilitation, comprising:

[0029] Acquire ultrasound images of multiple current sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg;

[0030] Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg according to the ultrasound images of the current multiple sections to obtain at least one current quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition;

[0031] The current quantitative index is displayed, and when there is a historical quantitative index corresponding to the current quantitative index for the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, the historical quantitative index is also displayed.

[0032] One embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium having a program stored thereon. The program can be executed by a processor to implement the method described above. Beneficial effects

[0033] According to the method for evaluating the rehabilitation of the Achilles tendon and the ultrasonic imaging device of the above-mentioned embodiment, the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg at different rehabilitation stages is evaluated based on the ultrasonic images of multiple sections at different rehabilitation stages, thereby obtaining quantitative indicators for characterizing the injury condition at different rehabilitation stages, and then displaying the quantitative indicators of different rehabilitation stages. By comparing the quantitative indicators before and after the rehabilitation stages, the doctor can determine whether the injury to the Achilles tendon is improving, worsening, or unchanged. Quantifying the injury condition improves the accuracy of evaluating the rehabilitation of the Achilles tendon and also improves the evaluation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] FIG1 is a structural block diagram of an embodiment of an ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0035] FIG2 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method for assessing Achilles tendon rehabilitation provided by the present invention;

[0036] FIG3 is an ultrasonic image of a cross section of the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0037] FIG4 is an ultrasonic image of another cross section of the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0038] FIG5 is an ultrasonic image of a longitudinal section in the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0039] FIG6 is a flow chart of another embodiment of a method for assessing Achilles tendon rehabilitation provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 7 is an ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention, the percentage of damaged tendon trend diagram;

[0041] Figure 8 is an ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention, the injury type score trend diagram;

[0042] FIG9 is a graph showing a changing trend of the fiber linear arrangement score in the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0043] The present invention will be further described in detail below by means of specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are numbered with associated similar elements. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are provided to enable the present application to be better understood. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that some of the features may be omitted in different circumstances, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid the core portion of the present application being overwhelmed by excessive descriptions, and for those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail. They will fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0044] In addition, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification may be combined in any appropriate manner to form various embodiments. Furthermore, the steps or actions in the method description may be reordered or adjusted in a manner readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are provided solely for the purpose of clearly describing a particular embodiment and are not intended to be mandatory, unless otherwise specified.

[0045] Component numbers used herein, such as "first" and "second," are used solely to distinguish the components being described and do not convey any sequential or technical meaning. References to "connection" and "coupling" herein, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0046] As shown in FIG1 , the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention includes a probe (ie, an ultrasonic probe) 10 , a transmitting circuit 30 , a receiving circuit 40 , a processor 20 , a human-computer interaction device 70 , and a memory 80 .

[0047] The ultrasound probe 10 includes a transducer (not shown) composed of multiple array elements arranged in an array. The array elements are used to transmit ultrasonic waves in response to excitation electrical signals or to convert received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each array element can be used to convert electrical pulse signals into and from ultrasonic waves, thereby transmitting ultrasonic waves toward the target biological tissue and receiving echoes of ultrasonic waves reflected from the tissue.

[0048] The transmitting circuit 30 is used to stimulate the ultrasound probe 10 to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the target object under the control of the processor 20 .

[0049] The receiving circuit 40 is used to receive the ultrasonic echo returned from the target object through the ultrasonic probe 10 to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal, and can also process the ultrasonic echo signal. The receiving circuit 40 may include one or more amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), etc.

[0050] The human-computer interaction device 70 is used for human-computer interaction, such as outputting visual information and receiving user input. The user input may be received using a keyboard, operating buttons, mouse, trackball, touchpad, or a touch screen integrated with a display. The visual information may be output using a display.

[0051] The memory 80 is used to store various types of data.

[0052] The ultrasound imaging apparatus may further include a beamforming module 50 and an IQ demodulation module 60 .

[0053] The beamforming module 50 is signal-connected to the receiving circuit 40 and is used to perform beamforming processing, such as delay and weighted summation, on the echo signals. Because the distances between the ultrasound receiving points in the tissue being measured and the receiving elements vary, the channel data for the same receiving point output by different receiving elements have different delays. This requires delay processing, phase alignment, and weighted summation of the different channel data for the same receiving point to produce beamformed ultrasound image data. The ultrasound image data output by the beamforming module 50 is also referred to as radio frequency data (RF data). The beamforming module 50 outputs the RF data to the IQ demodulation module 60. In some embodiments, the beamforming module 50 may also output the RF data to the memory 80 for caching or storage, or directly output the RF data to the processor 20 for image processing.

[0054] The beamforming module 50 can perform the above functions in the form of hardware, firmware or software. The beamforming module 50 can be integrated into the processor 20 or set separately, which is not limited in the present invention.

[0055] The IQ demodulation module 60 removes the signal carrier through IQ demodulation, extracts the tissue structure information contained in the signal, and performs filtering to remove noise. The resulting signal is called a baseband signal (IQ data pair). The IQ demodulation module 60 outputs the IQ data pair to the processor 20 for image processing. In some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 also outputs the IQ data pair to the memory 80 for caching or storage, so that the processor 20 can read the data from the memory 80 for subsequent image processing.

[0056] The IQ demodulation module 60 may also perform the above functions in the form of hardware, firmware or software. Similarly, the IQ demodulation module 60 may be integrated into the processor 20 or may be provided separately, which is not limited in the present invention.

[0057] The processor 20 is configured to be a central control circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessors, a graphics controller circuit (GPU) or any other electronic component that can process input data according to specific logical instructions. It can control peripheral electronic components according to input instructions or predetermined instructions, or read and / or save data from the memory 80. It can also process the input data by executing the program in the memory 80, for example, performing one or more processing operations on the collected ultrasound data according to one or more working modes. The processing operations include but are not limited to adjusting or limiting the form of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound probe 10, generating various image frames for subsequent display on the display of the human-computer interaction device 70, or adjusting or limiting the content and form displayed on the display, or adjusting one or more image display settings displayed on the display (such as ultrasound images, interface components, and positioning areas of interest).

[0058] As echo signals are received, the acquired ultrasound data may be processed by the processor 20 in real time during scanning, or may be temporarily stored on the memory 80 and processed in quasi-real time in either on-line or off-line operation.

[0059] In this embodiment, the processor 20 controls the operation of the transmitting circuit 30 and the receiving circuit 40, for example, controlling the transmitting circuit 30 and the receiving circuit 40 to operate alternately or simultaneously. The processor 20 may also determine an appropriate operating mode based on a user selection or program setting, form a transmission sequence corresponding to the current operating mode, and send the transmission sequence to the transmitting circuit 30 so that the transmitting circuit 30 uses the appropriate transmission sequence to control the ultrasound probe 10 to transmit ultrasonic waves.

[0060] The processor 20 is also used to process the ultrasound data to generate a grayscale image of the signal strength changes within the scanning range. The grayscale image reflects the anatomical structure inside the tissue, which is called a B image. The processor 20 can output the B image to the display of the human-computer interaction device 70 for display.

[0061] The present invention can automatically quantify the damage condition of the injured Achilles tendon without the need for manual damage assessment, thereby improving the accuracy of the assessment.

[0062] As shown in FIG2 , the processor 20 controls the ultrasonic imaging device to evaluate the recovery of the Achilles tendon, which may include the following steps:

[0063] Step 1: Processor 20 obtains ultrasound images of multiple current sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg. Processor 20 can obtain these images from an external device or by scanning with a user-controlled ultrasound imaging device. This embodiment uses the latter as an example. The target subject can be a human or an animal. This embodiment uses a horse as an example, and the ultrasound imaging device can be a veterinary ultrasound imaging device.

[0064] The multiple-section ultrasound images may include ultrasound images of multiple cross-sections (transverse sections) of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. For a horse, if the injured Achilles tendon is in the front leg, ultrasound images of seven standard cross-sections of the Achilles tendon of the front leg may be obtained; if the injured Achilles tendon is in the hind leg, ultrasound images of nine standard cross-sections of the Achilles tendon of the hind leg may be obtained.

[0065] The user operates the probe to scan according to a preset scanning technique. The processor 20 then scans the target patient's Achilles tendon through the probe, emitting ultrasonic waves, receiving and processing the ultrasonic echo signals, and generating and freezing the ultrasonic image data. The user issues a save command via the input device. Upon receiving the save command, the processor 20 saves the scanned ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon. The ultrasonic image data includes cross-sectional ultrasound images of multiple locations of the Achilles tendon.

[0066] There are multiple preset scanning methods to facilitate subsequent matching. Two of them are listed below for illustration.

[0067] One scanning technique is to move the probe along one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end for continuous scanning. For example, the user places the probe against one end of the Achilles tendon and operates the input device of the human-computer interaction device 70 to cause the processor 20 to activate the probe 10. The probe 10 starts to transmit ultrasonic waves and receive ultrasonic echoes. The user moves the probe 10 along one end of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg to the other end. The probe 10 can be moved at a constant speed to facilitate subsequent matching. During the movement of the probe 10, the processor 20 processes the ultrasonic echo data in real time, generates a real-time ultrasonic image, and displays it on the display of the human-computer interaction device 70. After the probe 10 moves to the other end of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg, the user operates the input device to cause the processor 20 to freeze the image. The process from activating the probe 10 to freezing the image is one scan. The scanning technique in this example covers the entire Achilles tendon in one scan, which is a continuous scan. The obtained ultrasonic image data is continuous in time. This continuous ultrasound image data is the data after the ultrasound echo is processed by beam synthesis during the continuous scanning period (when the probe moves from one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end). For example, it can be a segment of radio frequency data, an IQ data pair, or an ultrasound video. This embodiment is explained using the latter as an example, that is, in this embodiment, continuous scanning obtains a segment of ultrasound video, which includes multiple frames of continuous ultrasound images.

[0068] Processor 20 then determines multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the time sequence of each ultrasound image in the ultrasound image data. Since the ultrasound images of both ends of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg (the first and last ultrasound images) are known, and probe 10 moves at a constant speed during continuous scanning, the time of each ultrasound image in the ultrasound image data corresponds one-to-one to the Achilles tendon position. Processor 20 can associate time when generating ultrasound images, or it can associate time with frame number. Taking the latter as an example, assuming that the ultrasound image data contains a total of 1000 ultrasound image frames, and these 1000 frames are sorted by generation time, then the Achilles tendon position corresponding to the 500th ultrasound frame is the middle of the Achilles tendon, and the 333rd ultrasound frame corresponds to the 1 / 3 position of the Achilles tendon. Dividing these 1000 frames into equal parts means dividing the Achilles tendon into equal parts, thereby determining the Achilles tendon position corresponding to each ultrasound image. Then, based on the Achilles tendon position corresponding to the ultrasound image, ultrasound images of multiple preset Achilles tendon positions can be determined, thereby obtaining ultrasound images of multiple cross sections of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg, such as ultrasound images of cross sections at seven positions that divide the Achilles tendon of the affected leg into six equal parts, and ultrasound images of cross sections at nine positions that divide the Achilles tendon of the affected leg into eight equal parts.

[0069] Another scanning technique is: the probe scans multiple preset Achilles tendon positions in a preset order (such as from top to bottom or from bottom to top, etc.). The previous scanning technique exemplified is continuous scanning, while the scanning technique in this example is multi-point scanning or multiple scanning. For example, the multiple preset Achilles tendon positions include the two ends of the Achilles tendon. The user places the probe against one end of the Achilles tendon and operates the input device of the human-computer interaction device 70 to cause the processor 20 to activate the probe 10. The probe 10 begins to transmit ultrasonic waves and receive ultrasonic echoes, obtaining ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon end. The user then operates the input device to cause the processor 20 to freeze the image. The probe 10 is then moved to the next Achilles tendon position (such as moving the probe down 2 cm or up 2 cm), and the probe 10 is continued to be activated. After obtaining the ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon position, the image is frozen. The scanning of subsequent Achilles tendon positions is repeated in this manner until all preset Achilles tendon positions are scanned, and the ultrasonic image data of all preset Achilles tendon positions constitute the ultrasonic image data. Similarly, in this example, the type of ultrasound image data can be radio frequency data, IQ data pairs, or ultrasound images. This example uses the latter as an example, that is, the ultrasound image data in this example includes ultrasound images of each preset Achilles tendon position.

[0070] The multiple-section ultrasound images may also include multiple longitudinal section ultrasound images of the Achilles tendon, as shown in FIG5 . For example, a user operates the probe to scan the longitudinal section of the Achilles tendon to obtain a longitudinal section ultrasound image. The longitudinal section ultrasound images obtained by the processor 20 may be three or four standard longitudinal section ultrasound images.

[0071] Step 2: Processor 20 evaluates the damage to the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of the multiple sections, and obtains at least one quantitative indicator for characterizing the current damage. The quantitative indicator includes at least one of the following: damage severity, damaged tendon percentage, injury type score, and fiber alignment score.

[0072] For example, the quantitative indicators obtained by the processor 20 include the damaged tendon percentage CSA%, and the processor 20 processes the currently acquired multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images to obtain the area of ​​the Achilles tendon region and the area of ​​the damaged region in each cross-sectional area. For example, the processor 20 can input the acquired multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images into a pre-trained deep learning model, and the model outputs the Achilles tendon region and the damaged region in each cross-sectional ultrasound image. The model can be trained by multiple training images, some of which are cross-sectional ultrasound images marked with the Achilles tendon region and the damaged region, and some of which are cross-sectional ultrasound images of the Achilles tendon without damage, marked with the Achilles tendon region. For another example, the processor 20 can perform image recognition on the acquired multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images, thereby identifying the Achilles tendon region and the damaged region in the ultrasound image, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the brighter one is the Achilles tendon region, and the darker one is the damaged region (indicated by the arrow). Specifically, the damaged region (damaged part of the Achilles tendon) can be identified based on the different grayscales of the image. The processor 20 then calculates the area of ​​the Achilles tendon region and the area of ​​the damaged region, for example, by enveloping the Achilles tendon region and the damaged region to calculate the area of ​​the Achilles tendon region and the area of ​​the damaged region. The sum of the areas of the damaged regions is divided by the sum of the areas of the Achilles tendon regions to obtain the damaged tendon percentage. For example, for the Achilles tendon of the front leg, the damaged tendon percentage CSA% = the sum of the areas of the seven damaged regions / the sum of the areas of the seven Achilles tendon regions; for the Achilles tendon of the hind leg, the damaged tendon percentage CSA% = the sum of the areas of the nine damaged regions / the sum of the areas of the nine Achilles tendon regions.

[0073] The quantitative indicator obtained by processor 20 may also include the degree of injury. Processor 20 is further configured to determine the degree of injury as mild when the percentage of damaged tendons is less than a preset first percentage, moderate when the percentage of damaged tendons is between the first and second percentages, and severe when the percentage of damaged tendons is greater than the second percentage. The first percentage is less than the second percentage. The first and second percentages can be set as needed. In this embodiment, the first percentage is 15% and the second percentage is 25%.

[0074] The Achilles tendon is divided into the superficial flexor tendon (SDFT) and the deep flexor tendon (DDFT). In this embodiment, the damaged tendon percentage includes the damaged tendon percentage of the superficial flexor tendon (SDFT) and / or the damaged tendon percentage of the deep flexor tendon (DDFT). The degree of injury and damaged tendon percentage of the injured Achilles tendon are assessed for each injured Achilles tendon. Specifically, the processor 20 processes the currently acquired multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images to obtain the area of ​​the Achilles tendon region and the area of ​​the damaged region of the superficial flexor tendon (SDFT) in each cross-sectional area. The sum of the areas of the damaged regions of the superficial flexor tendon (SDFT) is divided by the sum of the areas of the Achilles tendon regions of the superficial flexor tendon (SDFT) to obtain the damaged tendon percentage of the superficial flexor tendon (SDFT). Similarly, the processor 20 processes the currently acquired multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images to obtain the area of ​​the Achilles tendon region and the area of ​​the damaged region of the deep flexor tendon (DDFT) in each cross-sectional area. The sum of the areas of the damaged regions of the deep flexor tendon (DDFT) is divided by the sum of the areas of the Achilles tendon regions of the deep flexor tendon (DDFT) to obtain the damaged tendon percentage of the deep flexor tendon (DDFT).

[0075] Correspondingly, the degree of injury may include the degree of injury to the superficial flexor tendon and / or the degree of injury to the deep flexor tendon. The processor 20 determines that the degree of injury to the superficial flexor tendon is mild when the damaged tendon percentage of the superficial flexor tendon is less than a preset first percentage, determines that the degree of injury to the superficial flexor tendon is moderate when the damaged tendon percentage of the superficial flexor tendon is between the preset first percentage and the preset second percentage, and determines that the degree of injury to the superficial flexor tendon is severe when the damaged tendon percentage of the superficial flexor tendon is greater than the preset second percentage. The processor 20 determines that the degree of injury to the deep flexor tendon is mild when the damaged tendon percentage of the deep flexor tendon is less than the preset first percentage, determines that the degree of injury to the deep flexor tendon is moderate when the damaged tendon percentage of the deep flexor tendon is between the preset first percentage and the preset second percentage, and determines that the degree of injury to the deep flexor tendon is severe when the damaged tendon percentage of the deep flexor tendon is greater than the preset second percentage.

[0076] The quantitative indicators obtained by the processor 20 may also include the injury type score of each cross section. The processor 20 subtracts the area of ​​the damaged area from the area of ​​the Achilles tendon area to obtain the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon. The processor 20 can compare the size of the damaged area with the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon, and determine the injury type score of the cross section based on the comparison result. The larger the area of ​​the damaged area relative to the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon, the higher the injury type score. Specifically, when the damaged area of ​​the cross section presents a weak echo and the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon (the bright area in the ultrasound image) is larger than the area of ​​the damaged area (the dark area in the ultrasound image), that is, when the area of ​​the damaged part of the Achilles tendon is smaller than that of the undamaged part, the processor 20 determines that the injury type score of the cross section is the first score. The processor 20 determines that the injury type score of the cross section is the second score when the damaged area of ​​the cross section is weakly echogenic and the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon is substantially equal to the area of ​​the damaged area; determines that the injury type score of the cross section is the third score when the damaged area of ​​the cross section is weakly echogenic and the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon is smaller than the area of ​​the damaged area; determines that the injury type score of the cross section is the fourth score when the damaged area of ​​the cross section is anechoic and the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon is 0, that is, when the entire Achilles tendon area is a dark black area. The fourth score indicates that the injury is more serious than the third score, the third score indicates that the injury is more serious than the second score, and the second score indicates that the injury is more serious than the first score. Each score can be set as needed. In this embodiment, the first score is 1, the second score is 2, the third score is 3, and the fourth score is 4. Whether the injured area is hypoechoic or anechoic can be determined based on its grayscale. Generally, hypoechoic areas are darker, while anechoic areas are black. For example, if the grayscale mean of the injured area is greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold, it is considered hypoechoic. If the grayscale mean of the injured area is less than the first threshold, it is considered anechoic. This method can generate injury type scores for each cross-section of the Achilles tendon, facilitating physicians' assessment of injuries at different locations within the Achilles tendon.

[0077] The quantitative indices obtained by the processor 20 may also include a fiber alignment score (FAS). The processor 20 detects the fiber bundle alignment in each longitudinal ultrasound image and determines normal and abnormal areas of fiber bundle alignment. For example, through image recognition or a pre-trained deep learning model, it can identify areas of abnormal highlighting, fiber bundle crossing, or fiber bundle adhesion on the ultrasound image and define them as abnormal areas. The areas of the normal and abnormal areas are then calculated, and the proportion of the abnormal area to the total fiber bundle alignment area (normal area + abnormal area) is calculated based on the area. The model can be trained using multiple training images, some of which are longitudinal ultrasound images with abnormally highlighted fiber bundles, with the abnormally highlighted areas marked; some of which are longitudinal ultrasound images with crossed fiber bundles, with the crossed fiber bundle areas marked; some of which are longitudinal ultrasound images with adhered fiber bundles, with the adhered fiber bundle areas marked; and some of which are longitudinal ultrasound images of intact Achilles tendons, with the fiber bundle alignment areas marked. The processor 20 determines the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section based on the abnormal area ratio. For example, there are four fiber alignment scores, which are equivalent to four gears. Each fiber alignment score corresponds to an abnormal area ratio interval. The fiber alignment score corresponds to the interval in which the current abnormal area ratio is located. Specifically, when the abnormal area ratio of the longitudinal section ultrasound image is 0, that is, when there is no abnormal area, the processor 20 determines that the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is the fifth score; when the abnormal area ratio of the longitudinal section ultrasound image is greater than 0 and less than a preset value, the processor 20 determines that the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is the sixth score; when the abnormal area ratio of the longitudinal section ultrasound image is greater than the preset value and less than 100%, the processor 20 determines that the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is the seventh score; when the abnormal area ratio of the longitudinal section ultrasound image is 100%, that is, when the arrangement of all fiber bundles is abnormal, the processor 20 determines that the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is the eighth score. Among them, the injury indicated by the eighth score is more serious than that of the seventh score, the injury indicated by the seventh score is more serious than that of the sixth score, and the injury indicated by the sixth score is more serious than that of the fifth score. Each score can be set as needed. In this embodiment, the fifth score is 0, the sixth score is 1, the seventh score is 2, and the eighth score is 3. The role of the preset value is to divide the situation where the fiber bundle arrangement is abnormal into two gears. For example, the preset value can be 10% or 50%. Evaluating the injury of the Achilles tendon from both the cross-section and the longitudinal section is more comprehensive and accurate.

[0078] Step 3. The processor 20 displays the current quantitative index through the display. When there is a historical quantitative index corresponding to the current quantitative index for the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg, the historical quantitative index is displayed through the display. For example, if the current examination is the first examination after the horse's Achilles tendon is injured, there is no historical quantitative index, so the current quantitative index is displayed to facilitate the veterinarian to evaluate the injury of the horse's Achilles tendon. If the current examination is done during the rehabilitation stage of the horse's Achilles tendon, it is usually done before and there are historical quantitative indicators. Therefore, the historical quantitative indicators can be displayed together with the current quantitative indicators to facilitate the veterinarian to compare and evaluate the recovery of the horse's Achilles tendon.

[0079] The current quantitative index and the historical quantitative index can be displayed directly or in the form of a chart. This embodiment will be described using the latter as an example. When the target subject's affected leg Achilles tendon has a historical quantitative index corresponding to the current quantitative index, the processor 20 generates a trend chart of the quantitative index based on the current quantitative index and its corresponding historical quantitative index, and displays the trend chart of the quantitative index on the display, such as generating and displaying a curve showing the change of the quantitative index over time. The doctor can easily see the recovery status of the Achilles tendon by looking at the trend chart, which is very convenient.

[0080] In addition to the aforementioned quantitative indicators, non-quantitative indicators can also be displayed. For example, the processor 20 assesses the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on ultrasound images from multiple cross-sections, determining whether fibrosis or adhesions are present around the Achilles tendon. If adhesions or fibrosis are present around the Achilles tendon, the brightness (grayscale) and contrast displayed on the ultrasound image will differ from those of the Achilles tendon region. Therefore, the processor 20 can use image recognition to identify the presence of fibrosis or adhesions around the Achilles tendon. Alternatively, the processor 20 can input the acquired ultrasound images from multiple cross-sections into a pre-trained deep learning model, which will then output a result indicating whether fibrosis or adhesions are present around the Achilles tendon. The model can be trained using multiple training images; some training images are ultrasound images showing fibrosis around the Achilles tendon, labeled with a fibrosis result; some training images are ultrasound images showing adhesions around the Achilles tendon, labeled with an adhesion result; and some training images are ultrasound images showing neither adhesions nor fibrosis around the Achilles tendon, labeled with either no adhesions or no fibrosis results. The processor 20 displays the results indicating whether fibrosis or adhesions are present around the Achilles tendon on the display, facilitating physicians' assessment of Achilles tendon recovery.

[0081] It can be seen that the ultrasonic imaging equipment provided by the present invention can perform multi-dimensional evaluation based on ultrasonic images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon and display the evaluation results. Doctors can make judgments based on the evaluation results, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of evaluating Achilles tendon rehabilitation.

[0082] As shown in FIG6 , the processor 20 controls the ultrasonic imaging device to evaluate the recovery of the Achilles tendon, which may include the following steps:

[0083] In step 1', the processor 20 obtains ultrasonic images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg at the injury stage. For example, after a horse's Achilles tendon is injured and before rehabilitation training begins, it is in the injury stage. During this stage, the doctor will perform an ultrasonic examination on the horse's Achilles tendon to assess the injury and formulate a rehabilitation training plan for the first rehabilitation stage. The injury stage is earlier than the first rehabilitation stage. The doctor uses the horse's unique identifier (such as a number, name, etc.) to create a new examination on the ultrasonic imaging equipment, and obtains ultrasonic images of the multiple sections by scanning the horse's Achilles tendon. The specific process is the same as step 1 above and will not be repeated here.

[0084] Step 2', the processor 20 evaluates the degree of injury of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasonic images of multiple sections at the injury stage, and obtains the degree of injury and / or the percentage of damaged tendon at the injury stage. The specific process of obtaining the degree of injury and / or the percentage of damaged tendon is the same as the above step 2, which will not be described in detail here. The processor 20 displays the degree of injury and / or the percentage of damaged tendon at the injury stage on the display, so that the doctor can evaluate the injury and formulate a rehabilitation training plan for the first rehabilitation stage. After the Achilles tendon is injured, edema may exist, resulting in the inability to evaluate the injury type score, the fiber linear arrangement score, whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon, etc. Of course, in some cases, an evaluation can be performed, and the injury type score, the fiber linear arrangement score, whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon, etc. can be evaluated based on the ultrasonic images of multiple sections at the injury stage. The specific process is shown in the above step 2, which will not be described in detail here.

[0085] The processor 20 can also predict the recovery time and / or recovery rate of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the degree of injury or the percentage of damaged tendon, and display the recovery time and / or recovery rate on the display. For example, a mild injury would have a corresponding recovery time of 9-10 months and a recovery rate of 63%; a moderate injury would have a corresponding recovery time of 11 months and a recovery rate of 30%; and a severe injury would have a corresponding recovery time of 12-18 months and a recovery rate of 23%, thereby providing the physician with an approximate recovery time for the horse.

[0086] Step 3': After the target subject (e.g., a horse) begins rehabilitation training, they typically undergo an examination every two to three months to assess the recovery of the Achilles tendon and determine whether the training plan needs to be adjusted. Therefore, after the target subject has completed two to three months of rehabilitation training, processor 20 acquires ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg during the first rehabilitation phase. The doctor uses the horse's unique identifier to create a new examination on the ultrasound imaging device. By scanning the horse's Achilles tendon, ultrasound images of the multiple sections are obtained. The specific process is the same as in step 1 above and is not further described here.

[0087] In step 4', processor 20 assesses the injury status of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections during the first rehabilitation phase, obtaining at least one quantitative indicator representing the injury status during the first rehabilitation phase. The quantitative indicator includes at least one of the following: injury severity, damaged tendon percentage, injury type score, and fiber alignment score. Processor 20 then displays the quantitative indicator for the first rehabilitation phase on a display.

[0088] For example, the quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage obtained by the processor 20 include the damaged tendon percentage CSA%. The processor 20 evaluates the damage to the Achilles tendon of the affected leg and obtains the quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage. Specifically, the ultrasonic images of multiple cross sections of the first rehabilitation stage can be processed to obtain the cross-sectional area of ​​the Achilles tendon region and the cross-sectional area of ​​the damaged region of each cross section; and then the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each damaged region is divided by the sum of the cross-sectional areas of each Achilles tendon region to obtain the damaged tendon percentage. The specific process is described in the relevant description of step 2 above and will not be repeated here.

[0089] The quantitative indicator for the first rehabilitation stage obtained by processor 20 may also include the degree of injury. Processor 20 determines the degree of injury as mild when the percentage of damaged tendons is less than 15%, moderate when the percentage of damaged tendons is between 15% and 25%, and severe when the percentage of damaged tendons is greater than 25%.

[0090] Similarly, the processor 20 can predict the recovery time and / or recovery rate of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the degree of injury or the percentage of damaged tendon, and display the recovery time and / or recovery rate on the display. In this way, after a certain amount of rehabilitation training, the doctor can get an indication of how long the horse will need to recover.

[0091] For another example, the quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage obtained by the processor 20 include an injury type score. The multiple sections of ultrasonic images obtained by the processor 20 include multiple cross-sectional ultrasonic images. The processor 20 evaluates the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg and obtains the quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage. Specifically, the ultrasonic images of multiple cross sections of the first rehabilitation stage can be processed to obtain the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon and the area of ​​the damaged area of ​​each cross section; when the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is larger than the area of ​​the damaged area, the injury type score of the cross section is determined to be the first score; when the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is substantially equal to the area of ​​the damaged area, the injury type score of the cross section is determined to be the second score; when the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is smaller than the area of ​​the damaged area, the injury type score of the cross section is determined to be the third score; when the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is 0, the injury type score is determined to be the fourth score. The specific process is described in the above step 2 and will not be repeated here.

[0092] For another example, the quantitative index of the first rehabilitation stage obtained by the processor 20 includes a fiber alignment score. The multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images obtained by the processor 20 include multiple longitudinal ultrasound images. The processor 20 assesses the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg and obtains a quantitative index of the first rehabilitation stage. Specifically, the processor 20 may detect the fiber bundle arrangement of the longitudinal ultrasound image of the first rehabilitation stage to obtain the percentage of abnormal areas of fiber bundle arrangement. When the percentage of abnormal areas of fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image is 0, the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is determined to be a fifth score. When the percentage of abnormal areas of fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image is greater than 0 and less than a preset value, the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is determined to be a sixth score. When the percentage of abnormal areas of fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image is greater than a preset value and less than 100%, the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is determined to be a seventh score. When the percentage of abnormal areas of fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image is 100%, the fiber alignment score of the longitudinal section is determined to be an eighth score. The specific process is described in the relevant description of step 2 above and is not repeated here.

[0093] The processor 20 can also evaluate the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the first rehabilitation stage, obtain the results of whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon in the first rehabilitation stage, and display the results of whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon in the first rehabilitation stage through the display.

[0094] Step 5': After the target subject continues rehabilitation training for 2-3 months or changes the training content, another assessment may be performed. For example, the processor 20 obtains ultrasound images of multiple sections of the target subject's Achilles tendon during the second rehabilitation phase. The specific process is the same as that of step 1 above and is not described here. The second rehabilitation phase is later than the first rehabilitation phase.

[0095] In step 6', processor 20 assesses the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections during the second rehabilitation phase, obtains at least one quantitative indicator representing the injury condition during the second rehabilitation phase, and displays the quantitative indicators for the first rehabilitation phase and the second rehabilitation phase on the display. The processor 20 assesses the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg and obtains the quantitative indicators for the second rehabilitation phase. The specific process is the same as for the first rehabilitation phase. That is, this step is identical to step 4' except for the different rehabilitation phases.

[0096] Similarly, the processor 20 can evaluate the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the second rehabilitation stage, obtain the result of whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon in the second rehabilitation stage, and display the result of whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon in the second rehabilitation stage through the display.

[0097] It can be seen that no matter it is the injury stage or each rehabilitation stage, the steps shown in Figure 2 are performed once in each stage, so that the Achilles tendon can be quantitatively evaluated in each stage.

[0098] The processor 20 displays the quantitative index of the first rehabilitation stage and the quantitative index of the second rehabilitation stage on the display in the following manner:

[0099] As shown in Figures 7-9, for the same quantitative indicator, a trend graph is generated based on the quantitative indicator at different stages and displayed on the display. The trend graph can be a curve showing the quantitative indicator changing over time, but other graph types are also acceptable. Because the rehabilitation period can be long, historical quantitative indicators are displayed together with each assessment to clearly identify their changing trends. For the CSA% trend graph, if the current stage's CSA% increases compared to the previous stage, it indicates that the injury has not decreased but has become more severe, and training intensity should be reduced. If the current stage's CSA% remains the same or decreases compared to the previous stage, it indicates that the Achilles tendon is improving and training intensity can be increased. For the Injury Type trend graph, if the current stage's Injury Type score increases compared to the previous stage, training intensity should be reduced; if it decreases, training intensity can be increased. For the Fiber Alignment trend graph, if the current stage's Fiber Alignment score increases compared to the previous stage, training intensity should be reduced; if it decreases, training intensity can be increased.

[0100] The processor 20 can also display the results of whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon at each stage in the form of a list on the display interface of the display, which is convenient for the doctor to compare. If there is no fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon at the current stage, the training intensity can be increased.

[0101] It can be seen that the present invention evaluates the injury of the Achilles tendon in four dimensions through three quantitative indicators and the result of whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon, providing a comprehensive, complete and accurate evaluation reference, and improving the accuracy and efficiency of evaluating the rehabilitation of the Achilles tendon.

[0102] Each cross-section of the ultrasound image acquired by the processor is assigned a lesion type score and FAS (Fiber Alignment Score). Therefore, the lesion type score for each cross-section at the current stage can be generated and displayed as a trend graph of the cross-sectional lesion type score. The physician can view a separate trend graph of the lesion type score for each cross-section. Of course, the trend graphs of the lesion type score for each cross-section at the current stage can also be displayed in a single graph, marked and distinguished. This allows the physician to understand the lesion type score curves for different cross-sections by looking at a single graph. Similarly, the FAS for each longitudinal section at the current stage can be generated and displayed as a trend graph of the longitudinal FAS. The physician can view a separate trend graph of the FAS for each longitudinal section. Of course, the trend graphs of the FAS for each longitudinal section at the current stage can also be displayed in a single graph, marked and distinguished. This allows the physician to understand the lesion type score curves for different longitudinal sections by looking at a single graph.

[0103] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by computer program. When all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer program, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium can include: read-only memory, random access memory, disk, optical disk, hard disk, etc., and the program is executed by a computer to implement the above functions. For example, the program is stored in the memory of the device, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the above functions can be implemented. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer program, the program can also be stored in a storage medium such as a server, another computer, disk, optical disk, flash disk or mobile hard disk, and saved in the memory of the local device by downloading or copying, or the system of the local device is updated. When the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments can be implemented.

[0104] This document is described with reference to various exemplary embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of this document. For example, the various operational steps and components used to perform the operational steps may be implemented in different ways (e.g., one or more steps may be deleted, modified, or incorporated into other steps) depending on the specific application or any number of cost functions associated with the operation of the system.

[0105] Furthermore, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the principles herein may be embodied in a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium pre-installed with computer-readable program code. Any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), flash memory, and / or the like. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to form a machine, such that the instructions, when executed on the computer or other programmable data processing device, generate a device that implements a specified function. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory, which may instruct the computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory may form an article of manufacture, including a device that implements a specified function. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, causing the computer or other programmable device to execute a series of operational steps to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, when executed on the computer or other programmable device, provide the steps for implementing the specified function.

[0106] Although the principles of this invention have been shown in various embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportion, elements, materials and components that are particularly suitable for specific environments and operational requirements can be used without departing from the principles and scope of this invention. The above modifications and other changes or amendments are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.

[0107] The foregoing detailed description has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure will be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications will be included within its scope. Similarly, the advantages, other advantages and solutions to the problems of the various embodiments have been described above. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to the problems and any elements that can produce these, or make them more specific, should not be interpreted as critical, required or necessary. The term "comprising" and any other variants used in this article are all non-exclusive inclusions, so that a process, method, article or device that includes a list of elements includes not only these elements, but also other elements that are not explicitly listed or do not belong to the process, method, system, article or device. In addition, the term "coupled" and any other variants used in this article refer to physical connections, electrical connections, magnetic connections, optical connections, communication connections, functional connections and / or any other connections.

[0108] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes can be made to the details of the above embodiments without departing from the basic principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: include: Probe; a transmitting circuit, configured to stimulate the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves toward a target object; a receiving circuit, configured to receive the ultrasonic echo returned from the target object through the probe to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; monitor; Processor for: Acquire ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target subject during the first rehabilitation phase; Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the first rehabilitation stage, obtaining at least one quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition in the first rehabilitation stage, and displaying the quantitative index of the first rehabilitation stage on the display; Acquiring ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg during a second rehabilitation phase, wherein the second rehabilitation phase is later than the first rehabilitation phase; The injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg is evaluated based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the second rehabilitation stage, and at least one quantitative indicator for characterizing the injury condition in the second rehabilitation stage is obtained. The quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage and the quantitative indicators of the second rehabilitation stage are displayed on the display.

2. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1, wherein The processor is further configured to: Acquiring ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg at an injury stage, wherein the injury stage is earlier than the first rehabilitation stage; The degree of injury of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg is assessed based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections at the injury stage to obtain the degree of injury and / or percentage of damaged tendon at the injury stage, and the degree of injury and / or percentage of damaged tendon at the injury stage are displayed on the display.

3. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The processor displays the quantitative index of the first rehabilitation stage and the quantitative index of the second rehabilitation stage through the display, including: For the same quantitative indicator, a change trend graph of the quantitative indicator is generated according to the quantitative indicators at different stages, and the change trend graph of the quantitative indicator is displayed on the display.

4. The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The quantitative indicators include at least one of the degree of injury, the percentage of damaged tendons, the injury type score, and the fiber linear arrangement score; wherein the degree of injury includes the degree of injury of the superficial flexor tendon and / or the degree of injury of the deep flexor tendon, and the percentage of damaged tendons includes the percentage of damaged tendons of the superficial flexor tendons and / or the percentage of damaged tendons of the deep flexor tendons.

5. The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The processor is further configured to: evaluating the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections during the first rehabilitation stage, determining whether fibrosis or adhesion exists around the Achilles tendon during the first rehabilitation stage, and displaying the result of whether fibrosis or adhesion exists around the Achilles tendon during the first rehabilitation stage on the display; and / or, The injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg is assessed based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the second rehabilitation stage to determine whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon in the second rehabilitation stage, and the result of whether there is fibrosis or adhesion around the Achilles tendon in the second rehabilitation stage is displayed on the display.

6. The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The quantitative indicators include the degree of injury or the percentage of damaged tendons; the processor is also used to predict the recovery time and / or recovery rate of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the degree of injury or the percentage of damaged tendons, and display the recovery time and / or recovery rate through the display.

7. The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The quantitative index includes a percentage of damaged tendon, and the multiple ultrasonic images of sections acquired by the processor include ultrasonic images of multiple cross sections. The processor evaluates the damage to the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasonic images of the multiple sections in the first rehabilitation stage, and obtains at least one quantitative index for characterizing the damage in the first rehabilitation stage, including: Processing the ultrasound images of multiple cross sections during the first rehabilitation stage to obtain the area of ​​the Achilles tendon region and the area of ​​the injury region of each cross section; The percentage of damaged tendons was obtained by dividing the sum of the areas of the damaged regions by the sum of the areas of the Achilles tendons.

8. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 7, characterized in that The quantitative indicators also include the degree of injury; the processor is also used to determine that the degree of injury is mild when the percentage of damaged tendons is less than 15%, to determine that the degree of injury is moderate when the percentage of damaged tendons is between 15% and 25%, and to determine that the degree of injury is severe when the percentage of damaged tendons is greater than 25%.

9. The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that The quantitative index includes an injury type score, and the multiple slice ultrasound images acquired by the processor include multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images; the processor evaluates the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the multiple slice ultrasound images in the first rehabilitation stage, and obtains at least one quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition in the first rehabilitation stage, including: Processing the ultrasound images of multiple cross sections during the first rehabilitation stage to obtain the area of ​​a normal region and the area of ​​an injured region of the Achilles tendon in each cross section; When the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is larger than the area of ​​the damaged area, the injury type score of the cross section is determined to be a first score; when the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is basically equal to the area of ​​the damaged area, the injury type score of the cross section is determined to be a second score; when the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is smaller than the area of ​​the damaged area, the injury type score of the cross section is determined to be a third score; when the area of ​​the normal area of ​​the Achilles tendon in the cross section is 0, the injury type score is determined to be a fourth score; the injury condition represented by the fourth score is more serious than the third score, the injury condition represented by the third score is more serious than the second score, and the injury condition represented by the second score is more serious than the first score.

10. The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The quantitative index includes a fiber alignment score, and the multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images acquired by the processor include multiple longitudinal cross-sectional ultrasound images; the processor evaluates the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the multiple cross-sectional ultrasound images in the first rehabilitation stage, and obtains at least one quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition in the first rehabilitation stage, including: detecting the fiber bundle arrangement of the longitudinal section ultrasound image of the first rehabilitation stage to obtain the proportion of abnormal areas of the fiber bundle arrangement; When the abnormal area of ​​fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image accounts for 0%, the fiber straight arrangement score of the longitudinal section is determined to be a fifth score; when the abnormal area of ​​fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image accounts for more than 0 and less than a preset value, the fiber straight arrangement score of the longitudinal section is determined to be a sixth score; when the abnormal area of ​​fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image accounts for more than the preset value and less than 100%, the fiber straight arrangement score of the longitudinal section is determined to be a seventh score; When the abnormal area of ​​fiber bundle arrangement in the ultrasound image accounts for 100%, the fiber linear arrangement score of the longitudinal section is determined to be the eighth score; the damage represented by the eighth score is more serious than the seventh score, the damage represented by the seventh score is more serious than the sixth score, and the damage represented by the sixth score is more serious than the fifth score.

11. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: include: Probe; a transmitting circuit, configured to stimulate the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves toward a target object; a receiving circuit, configured to receive the ultrasonic echo returned from the target object through the probe to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; monitor; Processor for: Acquire ultrasound images of multiple current sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg; Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg according to the ultrasound images of the current multiple sections to obtain at least one current quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition; The current quantitative index is displayed on the display, and when there is a historical quantitative index corresponding to the current quantitative index for the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, the historical quantitative index is also displayed on the display.

12. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 11, wherein The processor displays the current quantitative index through the display, and when there is a historical quantitative index corresponding to the current quantitative index for the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target subject, displays the historical quantitative index through the display, including: When there is a historical quantitative indicator corresponding to the current quantitative indicator for the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, a change trend graph of the quantitative indicator is generated according to the current quantitative indicator and the corresponding historical quantitative indicator, and the change trend graph of the quantitative indicator is displayed on the display.

13. A method for evaluating the rehabilitation of the Achilles tendon, characterized in that: include: Acquire ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target subject during the first rehabilitation phase; Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the first rehabilitation stage, obtaining at least one quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition in the first rehabilitation stage, and displaying the quantitative index in the first rehabilitation stage; Acquiring ultrasound images of multiple sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg during a second rehabilitation phase, wherein the second rehabilitation phase is later than the first rehabilitation phase; The injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg is evaluated based on the ultrasound images of multiple sections in the second rehabilitation stage, and at least one quantitative indicator for characterizing the injury condition in the second rehabilitation stage is obtained, and the quantitative indicators of the first rehabilitation stage and the quantitative indicators of the second rehabilitation stage are displayed.

14. A method for evaluating the recovery of Achilles tendon, characterized in that: include: Acquire ultrasound images of multiple current sections of the Achilles tendon of the target subject's affected leg; Assessing the injury condition of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg according to the ultrasound images of the current multiple sections to obtain at least one current quantitative index for characterizing the injury condition; The current quantitative index is displayed, and when there is a historical quantitative index corresponding to the current quantitative index for the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, the historical quantitative index is also displayed.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The medium stores a program, which can be executed by a processor to implement the method according to claim 13 or 14.

Images