Ultrasonic imaging system and method and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention discloses an ultrasonic imaging system and method and a computer readable storage medium. The system comprises an ultrasonic probe, a transmitting / receiving sequence controller, a processor and an output device. The processor is used for receiving a region selection instruction of a user for the tissue image of the mammary tissue and determining a scanning region of the mammary tissue based on the region selection instruction; receiving a mode selection instruction input by a user, and entering a plurality of elastic imaging modes according to the mode selection instruction; according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, determining a plurality of elastic parameters of the scanning area of the breast tissue in a plurality of elastic imaging modes; and fusing the multiple elastic parameters to obtain fusion parameters of the mammary tissue. The system provided by the embodiment of the invention supports fusion analysis of multiple elastic parameters of the mammary gland tissue in multiple elastic imaging modes, and the obtained fusion parameters can represent the probability that the mammary gland tissue belongs to fibropathy and malignant lesion, so that a doctor is assisted in distinguishing the fibropathy and the malignant lesion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of ultrasonic imaging technology, and particularly relates to an ultrasonic imaging system, method and computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Breast diseases include benign lesions and malignant lesions. Benign lesions include cysts, nodules, fibrotic lesions, etc. At present, in clinical practice, ultrasonic examinations are generally used to screen and diagnose breast lesions. For these two types of lesions, fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions, due to their similar tissue morphology, it is difficult to effectively distinguish and diagnose these two types of lesions only through a single ultrasonic image. Therefore, it is necessary to combine multiple different ultrasonic images or parameters to distinguish fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions.

[0003] Although the ultrasonic imaging systems currently used in clinical practice can provide multiple different ultrasonic images or parameters, such as strain values, strain ratios, elasticity scores, shear moduli, viscosity coefficients, sound velocity values, etc., the multiple ultrasonic images or parameters provided by them are independent of each other. Clinicians need to make a comprehensive judgment based on experience. The evaluation process is complex and cumbersome, and the judgment method is greatly affected by the doctor's experience. Ordinary doctors, especially those with insufficient experience, are prone to misjudgment during use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasonic imaging system, method and computer-readable storage medium, which can perform fusion analysis on multiple elastic parameters in multiple elastic imaging modes of breast tissue, and the obtained fusion parameters can characterize the probabilities of breast tissue belonging to fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions.

[0005] In a first aspect of the embodiments of the present application, an ultrasonic imaging system is provided. The ultrasonic imaging system includes:

[0006] An ultrasonic probe;

[0007] A transmit / receive sequence controller, configured to excite the ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a scanning area of breast tissue in multiple elastic imaging modes, receive a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the scanning area of breast tissue, and obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0008] A processor, configured to:

[0009] Receive a region selection instruction for an image of breast tissue from a user, and determine the scanning area of breast tissue based on the region selection instruction;

[0010] Receive a mode selection instruction input by the user, and enter multiple elastic imaging modes according to the mode selection instruction;

[0011] Determine multiple elastic parameters of the scanned area of breast tissue in multiple elastography modes based on the first ultrasonic echo signal; wherein, at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode;

[0012] Fuse multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of breast tissue, wherein the fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion types include fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions;

[0013] An output device for outputting the fusion parameter.

[0014] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging system, and the ultrasonic imaging system includes:

[0015] An ultrasonic probe;

[0016] A transmit / receive sequence controller for exciting the ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target tissue in multiple elastography modes, receiving a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the target tissue, and obtaining a first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0017] A processor for:

[0018] Determine multiple elastic parameters of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes based on the first ultrasonic echo signal, wherein at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode;

[0019] Fuse multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the target tissue, wherein the fusion parameter is at least used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion;

[0020] An output device for outputting the fusion parameter.

[0021] A third aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging system, and the ultrasonic imaging system includes:

[0022] An ultrasonic probe;

[0023] A transmit / receive sequence controller for exciting the ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target tissue in multiple ultrasonic imaging modes, receiving a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the target tissue, and obtaining a first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0024] A processor for:

[0025] Determine multiple ultrasonic parameters of the target tissue in multiple ultrasonic imaging modes based on the first ultrasonic echo signal, wherein at least one ultrasonic parameter corresponds to each ultrasonic imaging mode;

[0026] Fuse multiple ultrasonic parameters to obtain a fused parameter of the target tissue, where the fused parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion types include fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions;

[0027] An output device for outputting the fused parameter.

[0028] A fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging method, which is an ultrasonic imaging method executed by the ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of the first to third aspects above.

[0029] A fifth aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a computer or a processor, the steps of the method described in the fourth aspect are implemented.

[0030] The ultrasonic imaging system, method, and computer-readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present application receive a region selection instruction for the tissue image of the breast tissue from the user, determine the scanning region of the breast tissue based on the region selection instruction, receive a mode selection instruction input by the user, enter multiple elastography modes according to the mode selection instruction, determine multiple elastography parameters of the scanning region of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, fuse the multiple elastography parameters to obtain a fused parameter of the breast tissue, and can perform a fusion analysis on the multiple elastography parameters of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes. The obtained fused parameter can intuitively reflect the probabilities of the breast tissue belonging to fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions, thereby assisting doctors in distinguishing fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions and improving the doctor's diagnosis efficiency. Description of the Drawings

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic block diagram of the ultrasonic imaging system provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of obtaining a fused parameter by multi-parameter fusion provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of obtaining a fused image by multi-parameter fusion provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 It is a schematic flowchart of the ultrasonic imaging method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5 A schematic flow chart of an ultrasonic imaging method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 6 A schematic flow chart of an ultrasonic imaging method provided by yet another embodiment of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the present application is not limited by the exemplary embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present application described herein, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0039] In the following description, numerous specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present application may be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, in order to avoid obscuring the present application, some well-known technical features are not described.

[0040] It should be understood that the present application can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments presented herein. On the contrary, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0041] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not a limitation of the present application. When used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprising" and / or "including", when used in this specification, determine the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups. When used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the related listed items.

[0042] To thoroughly understand the present application, detailed structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solutions proposed by the present application. The optional embodiments of the present application are described in detail as follows. However, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present application may also have other implementation manners.

[0043] Specifically, in combination with the accompanying drawings, the ultrasonic imaging system, method, and computer-readable storage medium of the present application will be described in detail below. Without conflict, the features in the following embodiments and implementation manners can be combined with each other.

[0044] First, Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. As Figure 1 shown, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 may include: an ultrasonic probe 110, a transmit / receive selection switch 120, a transmit / receive sequence controller 130, a processor 140, an output device 150, and a memory 160. The ultrasonic imaging system 100 has multiple elastography modes, for example, strain elastography mode, shear wave elastography mode, viscoelastic imaging mode, transient elastography mode, etc.

[0045] Specifically, the transmit / receive sequence controller 130 is configured to drive the ultrasonic probe 110 to emit a first ultrasonic wave to the scanning area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes, receive a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the scanning area of the breast tissue, and obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal.

[0046] The ultrasonic probe 110 generally includes an array of multiple elements. Each time the first ultrasonic wave is emitted, all elements or a part of all elements of the ultrasonic probe 110 participate in the emission of the first ultrasonic wave. At this time, each element or each part of the elements participating in the emission of the first ultrasonic wave is respectively excited by a transmit pulse and emits the first ultrasonic wave respectively. The first ultrasonic waves emitted by these elements are superimposed during propagation to form a synthetic ultrasonic beam emitted to the scanning target, and the direction of this synthetic ultrasonic beam is the ultrasonic propagation direction.

[0047] The processor 140 is configured to receive a region selection instruction for the tissue image of the breast tissue from the user, determine the scanning area of the breast tissue based on the region selection instruction; receive a mode selection instruction input by the user, and enter multiple elastography modes according to the mode selection instruction; determine multiple elastic parameters of the scanning area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal; where at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode; fuse the multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the breast tissue, where the fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion types include fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions, that is, the ultrasonic imaging system provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the fusion analysis of multiple elastic parameters, and the obtained fusion parameter can characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions, thereby assisting doctors in distinguishing fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions and improving the doctor's diagnosis efficiency.

[0048] In one example, the processor 140 can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. Circuits, single or multiple application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), single or multiple general integrated circuits, single or multiple microprocessors, single or multiple programmable logic devices, or a combination of the foregoing circuits or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices can be used, so that the processor 140 can execute the functions that need to be implemented by it and / or other desired functions.

[0049] The output device 150 is used to output the fusion parameters. The output device 150 can include one or more of a display, a printer, a speaker, etc. In one example, the output device 150 includes a display, and the output device 150 can display the fusion parameters in a preset display manner through the display interface of the display. In other examples, the output device 150 includes a printer, and the output device 150 can output the fusion parameters through the printer, that is, print out the fusion parameters for the clinician to view.

[0050] The preset display manner can be any display method. For example, the preset display manner includes at least one of the following manners: graphics, text, table, voice, color, and shape. For example, as Figure 2 shown, the fusion parameters are displayed in the form of the text "Fusion Parameter 1: 32%" and "Fusion Parameter 2: 91%"; or, as Figure 3 shown, the fusion parameters are displayed in the form of a fusion image; or, as shown in Table 1 below, the elastic parameters and fusion parameters in multiple elastography modes are displayed in the form of a table.

[0051] Table 1 Elastic parameters and fusion parameters in multiple elastography modes

[0052]

[0053] In one example, the display of the ultrasound imaging system can be a touch display screen, a liquid crystal display screen, etc., or can be an independent display device such as a liquid crystal display or a television outside the ultrasound imaging system, or can also be a display screen on electronic devices such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. The display can be used to display the information input by the user or the information provided to the user, as well as various graphical user interfaces of the ultrasound imaging system. These graphical user interfaces can be composed of graphics, text, icons, videos, and any combination thereof.

[0054] In one example, the memory 160 of the ultrasonic imaging system may include one or more computer program products, and the computer program products may include various forms of computer-readable storage media, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, for example, random access memory (RAM) and / or cache memory, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, for example, read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, flash memory, etc. One or more computer program instructions may be stored on the computer-readable storage media, and the processor 140 may run the program instructions to implement the functions (implemented by the processor 140) in the embodiments of the present application and / or other desired functions. Various application programs and various data may also be stored in the computer-readable storage media, such as various data used and / or generated by the application programs, etc.

[0055] In one example, the ultrasonic imaging system may further include other human-machine interaction devices other than the display, which are connected to the processor 140. For example, the processor 140 may be connected to the human-machine interaction device through an external input / output port, and the external input / output port may be a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, or a combination of both. The external input / output port may also be implemented based on USB, bus protocols such as CAN, and / or wired network protocols, etc.

[0056] Among them, the human-machine interaction device may include an input device for detecting user input information. The input information may be, for example, a control instruction for the ultrasonic emission / reception timing, an operation input instruction for drawing points, lines, or frames on the fused image, or may also include other instruction types. The input device may include one or a combination of multiple of a keyboard, a mouse, a roller, a trackball, a mobile input device (such as a mobile device with a touch display screen, a mobile phone, etc.), a multi-functional knob, etc.

[0057] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the shown ultrasonic imaging system are only illustrative, and it may include more or fewer components. The present invention is not limited thereto.

[0058] The tissue image includes but is not limited to the B image of the target tissue. Before the processor 140 receives the region selection instruction for the tissue image of the breast tissue, it is necessary to obtain the tissue image of the breast tissue. Specifically, the transmission / reception sequence controller 130 is further configured to drive the ultrasonic probe 110 to emit a second ultrasonic wave to the breast tissue, receive the second ultrasonic echo based on the second ultrasonic wave returned from the breast tissue, and obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal; the processor 140 is further configured to determine the tissue image of the breast tissue according to the second ultrasonic echo signal.

[0059] After obtaining the tissue image of the breast tissue, the processor 140 can display the tissue image of the breast tissue through the display interface of the display, and receive a region selection instruction for the tissue image of the breast tissue, and determine the scanning region of the breast tissue based on the region selection instruction. Among them, the region selection instruction for the tissue image of the breast tissue includes, but is not limited to, a box selection operation for the tissue image of the breast tissue.

[0060] Of course, the processor 140 can also automatically determine the scanning region of the breast tissue on the tissue image of the breast tissue based on relevant machine recognition algorithms, or can also obtain the scanning region of the breast tissue by means of semi-automatic detection. For example, first automatically detect the scanning region on the tissue image based on the machine recognition algorithm, and then the user further modifies or corrects it to obtain a more accurate scanning region.

[0061] The ultrasonic imaging system 100 in this embodiment can be an imaging system that supports the elastic dual / multi-mode real-time elastography mode or an imaging system that does not support the elastic dual / multi-mode real-time elastography mode. When the ultrasonic imaging system 100 is an imaging system that supports the pop-up dual / multi-mode real-time elastography mode, it receives a mode selection instruction input by the user and enters multiple elastography modes according to the mode selection instruction, including: receiving a single mode selection instruction input by the user and entering multiple elastography modes simultaneously based on the single mode selection instruction. In this way, the user only needs to execute a single mode selection instruction to achieve multi-modal elastography, thereby improving the efficiency of multi-modal elastography.

[0062] When the ultrasonic imaging system 100 is an imaging system that does not support the elastic dual / multi-mode real-time elastography mode, it receives a mode selection instruction input by the user and enters multiple elastography modes according to the mode selection instruction, including: receiving multiple mode selection instructions input by the user and entering multiple elastography modes in sequence based on the multiple mode selection instructions. For example, enter the strain elastography mode, shear wave elastography mode, viscoelastic imaging mode, and transient elastography mode respectively based on four mode selection instructions.

[0063] In one example, the processor 140 can automatically switch between multiple elastography modes during the process of the user operating the ultrasonic probe to perform elastography on the breast tissue. For example, after the user adjusts the ultrasonic probe 110 to the scanning region of the breast tissue and activates the elastic dual / multi-mode real-time elastography mode of the ultrasonic imaging system 100, the processor 140 automatically switches between the strain elastography mode, shear wave elastography mode, viscoelastic imaging mode, and transient elastography mode, so as to obtain multiple elastic parameters of the same scanning region of the breast tissue under multiple elastography modes at one time.

[0064] In one example, the processor 140 can automatically switch between multiple elastography modes based on a mode switching operation, thus facilitating the switching between different elastography modes during multi-modal elastography. For example, based on the mode switching operation, it can switch from the strain elastography mode to the shear wave elastography mode, from the shear wave elastography mode to the viscoelastic imaging mode, from the viscoelastic imaging mode to the transient elastography mode, etc.

[0065] In one embodiment, the multiple elastography modes include a first elastography mode and a second elastography mode. For example, the first elastography mode can be the strain elastography mode and the second elastography mode can be the shear wave elastography mode, or the first elastography mode can be the shear wave elastography mode and the second elastography mode can be the viscoelastic imaging mode, or the first elastography mode can be the viscoelastic imaging mode and the second elastography mode can be the transient elastography mode. When the processor 140 switches between multiple elastography modes, it can obtain a first scan section of the breast tissue in the first elastography mode and a second scan section of the breast tissue in the second elastography mode, and determine the matching degree between the first scan section and the second scan section; the output device 150 is further configured to output the matching degree, so as to ensure multi-modal elastography of completely identical or similar scan sections.

[0066] In one example, the multiple elastography modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging. For example, the multiple elastography modes include strain elastography and shear wave elastography, or the multiple elastography modes include shear wave elastography and transient elastography, or the multiple elastography modes include strain elastography, shear wave elastography, and transient elastography, or the multiple elastography modes include shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging, or the multiple elastography modes include strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging.

[0067] In one example, the elastic parameters include at least one of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value. For example, the elastic parameters include strain ratio, or the elastic parameters include shear wave velocity value, or the elastic parameters include elasticity ratio, or the elastic parameters include strain ratio and shear wave velocity value, or the elastic parameters include strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value.

[0068] In one example, the processor 140 may fuse multiple elasticity parameters using a preset parameter combination model to obtain the fusion parameters of the breast tissue. Among them, the parameter combination model includes, but is not limited to, linear regression models, non-linear regression models, deep learning models, etc. The parameter combination model can be obtained through correlation analysis of the pathological results of clinical experiments on a large number of cases and the elasticity parameters in multiple elastography modes, so as to obtain the parameter combination model that best matches the pathological results. The methods of correlation analysis include, but are not limited to, theoretical derivation, clinical experiments, regression analysis (including linear regression and non-linear regression), variance analysis, deep learning, etc.

[0069] In one example, the processor 140 supports users to customize the parameter combination model in a preset form, and the preset form includes, but is not limited to, formulas, texts, pictures, etc. For example, the processor 140 controls the display to show the input interface of the formula, and the user can input the name and form of the fusion parameters, the weight values of multiple elasticity parameters, operation rules, etc. on the input interface.

[0070] In one example, the fusion parameters include a first fusion parameter and a second fusion parameter. The first fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion, and the second fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. For example, when the first fusion parameter = 32% and the second fusion parameter = 91%, it means that the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion is 32%, and the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a malignant lesion is 91%. When the processor 140 fuses multiple elasticity parameters to obtain the fusion parameters of the breast tissue, it first obtains the first weight information and the second weight information corresponding to the multiple elasticity parameters, and then performs a first weighting process on the multiple elasticity parameters based on the first weight information to obtain the first fusion parameter of the breast tissue, and at the same time performs a second weighting process on the multiple elasticity parameters based on the second weight information to obtain the second fusion parameter of the breast tissue. For example, the multiple elasticity parameters include strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, internal elasticity value, then the first fusion parameter = w1*(strain ratio) + w2*(strain score) + w3*(shear wave velocity value) + w4*(elasticity ratio) + w5*(internal elasticity value); the second fusion parameter = s1*(strain ratio) + s2*(strain score) + s3*(shear wave velocity value) + s4*(elasticity ratio) + s5*(internal elasticity value), where w1, w2, w3, w4, and w5 respectively represent the first weight information corresponding to each elasticity parameter, and s1, s2, s3, s4, and s5 respectively represent the second weight information corresponding to each elasticity parameter.

[0071] In one example, the fusion parameter includes a third fusion parameter, which is used to characterize the probabilities of the breast tissue belonging to a fibrotic lesion and a malignant lesion. For example, the third fusion parameter = 0.9, indicating that the probability of the breast tissue belonging to a fibrotic lesion is 10%, and the probability of the breast tissue belonging to a malignant lesion is 90%. When the processor 140 fuses multiple elasticity parameters to obtain the fusion parameter of the breast tissue, it first obtains the third weight information corresponding to the multiple elasticity parameters, and then performs third weighted processing on the multiple elasticity parameters based on the third weight information to obtain the third fusion parameter of the breast tissue. For example, the multiple elasticity parameters include strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value, then the first fusion parameter = k1*(strain ratio)+k2*(strain score)+k3*(shear wave velocity value)+k4*(elasticity ratio)+k5*(internal elasticity value), where k1, k2, k3, k4, and k5 respectively represent the third weight information corresponding to each elasticity parameter.

[0072] In one example, the elasticity parameter can be the mean value of the elasticity data of the entire scanned area of the breast tissue, or the elasticity data of the same position point in the scanned area of the breast tissue, or the mean value of the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanned area of the breast tissue. When the elasticity parameter is the mean value of the elasticity data of the entire scanned area of the breast tissue, when the processor 140 determines multiple elasticity parameters of the scanned area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, it first determines the elasticity data of the entire scanned area of the breast tissue in each elastography mode according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, and then processes the elasticity data of the entire scanned area of the breast tissue in each elastography mode to obtain multiple elasticity parameters of the scanned area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes.

[0073] In one example, when the elasticity parameter is the mean value of the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanned area of the breast tissue, when the processor 140 determines multiple elasticity parameters of the scanned area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, it first determines the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanned area of the breast tissue in each elastography mode according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, and then processes the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanned area of the breast tissue in each elastography mode to obtain multiple elasticity parameters of the scanned area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes.

[0074] In one example, the processor 140 may obtain the fusion parameters of the breast tissue at different time periods, and determine the fusion trend graph of the breast tissue based on the fusion parameters of the breast tissue at different time periods. The fusion trend graph is used to characterize the change trend of the fusion parameters of the breast tissue over time. For example, the processor 140 obtains the fusion parameters of the breast tissue in June, July, August, September, October, November, and December, and then determines the fusion trend graph of the breast tissue with time as the abscissa and the fusion parameters as the ordinate. From the fusion trend graph, the user can intuitively see the change trend of the fusion parameters of the breast tissue over time.

[0075] In one example, after obtaining the first ultrasonic echo signal, the processor 140 may also determine multiple elastograms of the scanned area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes, where at least one elastogram corresponds to each elastography mode, and then fuse the multiple elastograms to obtain the fused image of the breast tissue. When the processor 140 fuses the multiple elastograms, it may fuse the pixel values of the same pixel point in the multiple elastograms. The steps of pixel value fusion are the same as those of the aforementioned fusion of multiple elastic parameters, and will not be elaborated herein.

[0076] In one example, the above-mentioned fused image can be obtained not only by fusing multiple elastograms, but also by color mapping according to the fusion parameters. Specifically, the processor 140 may obtain the fusion parameters of each position point in the scanned area of the breast tissue, and then map the fusion parameters of each position point in the scanned area of the breast tissue to the tissue image of the breast tissue, so as to obtain the fused image of the breast tissue. The mapping methods include but are not limited to mapping to a grayscale image or a color-coded image.

[0077] In one example, after the processor 140 obtains the fused image of the breast tissue, the output device 150 is further configured to output the fusion parameters, the fused image, multiple elastic parameters, and multiple elastograms simultaneously. For example, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the display interface of the display of the output device 150 may simultaneously display the fusion parameters, the fused image, multiple elastic parameters, and multiple elastograms. The display areas of the fusion parameters, the fused image, multiple elastic parameters, and multiple elastograms on the display interface may overlap or not overlap.

[0078] In one example, after the processor 140 obtains the fused image of the breast tissue, it can also receive a region selection instruction from the user for the fused image, determine the target region of the fused image based on the region selection instruction, and determine the region fusion parameter of the target region; the output device 150 is further configured to output the region fusion parameter. The region fusion parameter is at least one of the mean, maximum value, and minimum value of the fusion parameters of the target region. The region selection instruction includes, but is not limited to, a box selection operation for the target region, and the box selection operation can be a rectangular box selection operation, a circular box selection operation, a manual tracing box selection operation, etc.

[0079] In another embodiment of the present application, an ultrasonic imaging system is further provided. Referring to Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 may include: an ultrasonic probe 110, a transmit / receive selection switch 120, a transmit / receive sequence controller 130, a processor 140, an output device 150, and a memory 160. The ultrasonic imaging system 100 has a variety of elastography modes, for example, strain elastography mode, shear wave elastography mode, viscoelastic imaging mode, transient elastography mode, etc.

[0080] Specifically, the transmit / receive sequence controller 130 is configured to excite the ultrasonic probe 110 to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to the target tissue in a variety of elastography modes, receive a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the target tissue, and obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal.

[0081] Herein, the target tissue can be any tissue that needs to be detected by the ultrasonic imaging system, such as the thyroid gland, breast, blood vessels, musculoskeletal, uterus, prostate, etc. The target tissue can be the tissue of any human or animal, where the animal can be a cat, a dog, a rabbit, etc., and no specific limitation is made here.

[0082] The processor 140 is configured to determine a variety of elastic parameters of the target tissue in a variety of elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, where at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode; fuse the variety of elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the fusion parameter is at least used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion. That is, the ultrasonic imaging system provided in the embodiments of the present application supports the fusion analysis of a variety of elastic parameters, and the obtained fusion parameter can characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion, thereby assisting the doctor in distinguishing fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions and improving the doctor's diagnosis efficiency.

[0083] The output device 150 is used to output the fusion parameters. The output device 150 may include one or more of a display, a printer, a speaker, etc. In one example, the output device 150 includes a display, and the output device 150 may display the fusion parameters in a preset display manner through the display interface of the display. In other examples, the output device 150 includes a printer, and the output device 150 may output the fusion parameters through the printer, that is, print out the fusion parameters for the clinician to view.

[0084] The preset display manner may be any display method. For example, the preset display manner includes at least one of the following manners: graphics, text, table, voice, color, and shape. For example, as Figure 2 shown, the fusion parameters are displayed in the form of the text "Fusion Parameter 1: 32%" and "Fusion Parameter 2: 91%"; or, as Figure 3 shown, the fusion parameters are displayed in the form of a fusion image; or, as shown in Table 1 below, the elastic parameters and fusion parameters under multiple elastography modes are displayed in the form of a table.

[0085] Table 1 Elastic Parameters and Fusion Parameters under Multiple Elastography Modes

[0086]

[0087] In one example, the multiple elastography modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging. For example, the multiple elastography modes include strain elastography and shear wave elastography, or the multiple elastography modes include shear wave elastography and transient elastography, or the multiple elastography modes include strain elastography, shear wave elastography, and transient elastography, or the multiple elastography modes include shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging, or the multiple elastography modes include strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging.

[0088] In one example, the elastic parameters include at least one of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elastic ratio, and internal elasticity value. For example, the elastic parameters include strain ratio, or the elastic parameters include shear wave velocity value, or the elastic parameters include elastic ratio, or the elastic parameters include strain ratio and shear wave velocity value, or the elastic parameters include strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elastic ratio, and internal elasticity value.

[0089] In one example, the processor 140 may fuse multiple elasticity parameters using a preset parameter combination model to obtain the fusion parameters of the target tissue. Among them, the parameter combination model includes, but is not limited to, a linear regression model, a non-linear regression model, a deep learning model, etc. The parameter combination model can be obtained through correlation analysis of the pathological results of a large number of clinical experiments and the elasticity parameters in multiple elastography modes, so as to obtain the parameter combination model that best matches the pathological results. The methods of correlation analysis include, but are not limited to, theoretical derivation, clinical experiments, regression analysis (including linear regression and non-linear regression), variance analysis, deep learning, etc.

[0090] In one example, the processor 140 supports the user to customize the parameter combination model in a preset form, and the preset form includes, but is not limited to, formulas, text, pictures, etc. For example, the processor 140 controls the display to show the input interface of the formula, and the user can input the name, form of the fusion parameters, the weight values of multiple elasticity parameters, operation rules, etc. on the input interface.

[0091] In one example, the fusion parameters include a first fusion parameter, and the first fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion. For example, the first fusion parameter = 32%, indicating that the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion is 32%. When the processor 140 fuses multiple elasticity parameters to obtain the fusion parameters of the target tissue, it first obtains the first weight information corresponding to the multiple elasticity parameters, and then performs a first weighting process on the multiple elasticity parameters based on the first weight information to obtain the first fusion parameter of the target tissue. For example, the multiple elasticity parameters include strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, internal elasticity value, then the first fusion parameter = w1*(strain ratio)+w2*(strain score)+w3*(shear wave velocity value)+w4*(elasticity ratio)+w5*(internal elasticity value), where w1, w2, w3, w4, and w5 respectively represent the first weight information corresponding to each elasticity parameter.

[0092] In one example, the fusion parameter is at least further used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. The fusion parameter includes a second fusion parameter and a third fusion parameter. The second fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion, and the third fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. For example, when the second fusion parameter = 32% and the third fusion parameter = 91%, it means that the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion is 32%, and the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion is 91%. When the processor 140 fuses multiple elastic parameters to obtain the fusion parameter of the target tissue, it first obtains the second weight information and the third weight information corresponding to the multiple elastic parameters, and then performs a second weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the second weight information to obtain the second fusion parameter of the target tissue, and at the same time performs a third weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the third weight information to obtain the third fusion parameter of the target tissue. For example, if the multiple elastic parameters include strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value, then the second fusion parameter = s1*(strain ratio) + s2*(strain score) + s3*(shear wave velocity value) + s4*(elasticity ratio) + s5*(internal elasticity value); the third fusion parameter = k1*(strain ratio) + k2*(strain score) + k3*(shear wave velocity value) + k4*(elasticity ratio) + k5*(internal elasticity value), where s1, s2, s3, s4, and s5 respectively represent the second weight information corresponding to each elastic parameter, and k1, k2, k3, k4, and k5 respectively represent the third weight information corresponding to each elastic parameter.

[0093] In one example, the fusion parameter is at least further used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. The fusion parameter includes a fourth fusion parameter, and the fourth fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion and a malignant lesion. For example, the fourth fusion parameter = 0.9, which means that the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion is 10%, and the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion is 90%. When the processor 140 fuses multiple elastic parameters to obtain the fusion parameter of the target tissue, it first obtains the fourth weight information corresponding to the multiple elastic parameters, and then performs a fourth weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the fourth weight information to obtain the fourth fusion parameter of the target tissue. For example, if the multiple elastic parameters include strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value, then the fourth fusion parameter = r1*(strain ratio) + r2*(strain score) + r3*(shear wave velocity value) + r4*(elasticity ratio) + r5*(internal elasticity value), where r1, r2, r3, r4, and r5 respectively represent the fourth weight information corresponding to each elastic parameter.

[0094] In one example, the elasticity parameter may be the mean of the elasticity data of the entire scanning area of the target tissue, or the elasticity data of the same position point in the scanning area of the target tissue, or the mean of the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanning area of the target tissue. When the elasticity parameter is the mean of the elasticity data of the entire scanning area of the target tissue, when the processor 140 determines multiple elasticity parameters of the scanning area of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, first, the elasticity data of the entire scanning area of the target tissue in each elastography mode is determined according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, and then the elasticity data of the entire scanning area of the target tissue in each elastography mode is processed to obtain multiple elasticity parameters of the scanning area of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes.

[0095] In one example, when the elasticity parameter is the mean of the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanning area of the target tissue, when the processor 140 determines multiple elasticity parameters of the scanning area of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, first, the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanning area of the target tissue in each elastography mode is determined according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, and then the elasticity data of the same local area in the scanning area of the target tissue in each elastography mode is processed to obtain multiple elasticity parameters of the scanning area of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes.

[0096] In one example, the processor 140 may obtain the fusion parameters of the target tissue at different time periods, and determine the fusion trend graph of the target tissue based on the fusion parameters of the target tissue at different time periods. The fusion trend graph is used to characterize the change trend of the fusion parameters of the target tissue over time. For example, the processor 140 obtains the fusion parameters of the target tissue in June, July, August, September, October, November, and December, and then determines the fusion trend graph of the target tissue with time as the abscissa and the fusion parameters as the ordinate. From the fusion trend graph, the user can intuitively see the change trend of the fusion parameters of the target tissue over time.

[0097] In one example, after obtaining the first ultrasonic echo signal, the processor 140 may further determine multiple elasticity images of the scanning area of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal. At least one elasticity image corresponds to each elastography mode, and then the multiple elasticity images are fused to obtain the fusion image of the target tissue. When the processor 140 fuses the multiple elasticity images, specifically, the pixel values of the same pixel point in the multiple elasticity images are fused. The steps of pixel value fusion are the same as those of the aforementioned fusion of multiple elasticity parameters, and are not described herein again.

[0098] In one example, the fused image in the above steps can be obtained not only by fusing multiple elasticity images, but also by color mapping according to the fusion parameters. Specifically, the processor 140 can obtain the fusion parameters of each position point in the scanning area of the target tissue, and then map the fusion parameters of each position point in the scanning area of the target tissue to the tissue image of the target tissue, so as to obtain the fused image of the target tissue. Among them, the mapping methods include but are not limited to mapping to a grayscale image or a color-coded image.

[0099] Specifically, the tissue image includes but is not limited to the B image of the target tissue. Before the processor 140 maps the fusion parameters of each position point in the scanning area of the target tissue to the tissue image of the target tissue, it is necessary to obtain the tissue image of the target tissue. Specifically, the transmit / receive sequence controller 130 is further configured to excite the ultrasonic probe 110 to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the target tissue, receive the second ultrasonic echo based on the second ultrasonic wave returned from the target tissue, and obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal; the processor 140 is further configured to determine the tissue image of the target tissue according to the second ultrasonic echo signal.

[0100] In one example, after the processor 140 obtains the fused image of the target tissue, the output device 150 is further configured to output the fusion parameters, the fused image, multiple elasticity parameters, and multiple elasticity images simultaneously. For example, as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the display interface of the display of the output device 150 can simultaneously display the fusion parameters, the fused image, multiple elasticity parameters, and multiple elasticity images, and the display areas of the fusion parameters, the fused image, multiple elasticity parameters, and multiple elasticity images do not overlap.

[0101] In one example, after the processor 140 obtains the fused image of the target tissue, it can also receive a region selection instruction of the user for the fused image, determine the target region of the fused image based on the region selection instruction, and determine the region fusion parameters of the target region; the output device 150 is further configured to output the region fusion parameters. Among them, the region fusion parameters are at least one of the mean value, the maximum value, and the minimum value of the fusion parameters of the target region, and the region selection instruction includes but is not limited to a box selection operation for the target region, and the box selection operation can be a rectangular box selection operation, a circular box selection operation, a manual tracing box selection operation, etc.

[0102] In another embodiment of the present application, an ultrasonic imaging system is further provided. Refer to Figure 1As shown, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 may include: an ultrasonic probe 110, a transmit / receive selection switch 120, a transmit / receive sequence controller 130, a processor 140, an output device 150, and a memory 160. The ultrasonic imaging system 100 has multiple ultrasonic imaging modes, for example, strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, viscoelastic imaging, acoustic attenuation imaging, blood flow imaging, contrast imaging, sound velocity imaging, etc.

[0103] Specifically, the transmit / receive sequence controller 130 is configured to stimulate the ultrasonic probe to emit a first ultrasonic wave to a target tissue in multiple ultrasonic imaging modes, receive a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the target tissue, and obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal; the processor 140 is configured to: determine multiple ultrasonic parameters of the target tissue in multiple ultrasonic imaging modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, where at least one ultrasonic parameter corresponds to each ultrasonic imaging mode; fuse the multiple ultrasonic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion types include fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions; the output device 150 is configured to output the fusion parameter. The ultrasonic imaging system provided by the embodiments of the present application supports the fusion analysis of multiple ultrasonic parameters, and the obtained fusion parameter can characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions, thereby assisting doctors in distinguishing fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions and improving the doctor's diagnosis efficiency.

[0104] In one example, the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, viscoelastic imaging, acoustic attenuation imaging, blood flow imaging, contrast imaging, and sound velocity imaging. For example, the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include strain elastography and shear wave elastography, or the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include shear wave elastography and transient elastography, or the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include viscoelastic imaging and acoustic attenuation imaging, or the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include contrast imaging and sound velocity imaging, or the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include strain elastography, shear wave elastography, and transient elastography, or the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include acoustic attenuation imaging, blood flow imaging, and contrast imaging, or the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, viscoelastic imaging, acoustic attenuation imaging, blood flow imaging, contrast imaging, and sound velocity imaging.

[0105] In one example, the multiple ultrasonic parameters include at least two of a strain ratio, a strain score, a shear wave velocity value, an elasticity ratio, an internal elasticity value, a viscosity coefficient, and a sound velocity value. For example, the multiple ultrasonic parameters include a strain ratio and a strain score, or the multiple ultrasonic parameters include a strain ratio and a shear wave velocity value, or the multiple ultrasonic parameters include a viscosity coefficient and a sound velocity value, or the multiple ultrasonic parameters include a strain ratio, a strain score, and a shear wave velocity value, or the multiple ultrasonic parameters include an internal elasticity value, a viscosity coefficient, and a sound velocity value, or the multiple ultrasonic parameters include a strain ratio, a strain score, a shear wave velocity value, an elasticity ratio, an internal elasticity value, a viscosity coefficient, and a sound velocity value.

[0106] To avoid repetition, for the specific details of the ultrasonic imaging system in the embodiments of the present application, reference may be made to the description of the ultrasonic imaging system above, and no repeated description will be given here.

[0107] In addition, the present application also provides an ultrasonic imaging method performed based on the ultrasonic imaging system described above.

[0108] In one embodiment, reference Figure 4 A description is given of the ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment of the present application. The ultrasonic imaging method can be performed based on the ultrasonic imaging system described above, and some detailed descriptions of the ultrasonic imaging method can be referred to above.

[0109] As an example, as Figure 4 shown, the ultrasonic imaging method may include the following steps 201 to 205, specifically as follows:

[0110] 201. Receive a region selection instruction from the user for a region of the tissue image of the breast tissue, and determine a scanning region of the breast tissue based on the region selection instruction.

[0111] In one example, before receiving the region selection instruction from the user for the tissue image of the breast tissue, it includes: generating a tissue image of the breast tissue according to a second ultrasonic echo signal.

[0112] 202. Receive a mode selection instruction input by the user, and enter multiple elastography modes according to the mode selection instruction.

[0113] In one example, the multiple elastography modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic elastography.

[0114] In one example, the ultrasonic imaging method further includes: automatically switching between multiple elastography modes during the process of the user operating the ultrasonic probe to perform elastography on the breast tissue; or receiving a mode switching instruction input by the user, and switching between multiple elastography modes based on the mode switching instruction.

[0115] In one example, multiple elastography modes include a first elastography mode and a second elastography mode, and the ultrasonic imaging method further includes: obtaining a first scan section of breast tissue in the first elastography mode and a second scan section of breast tissue in the second elastography mode; determining the matching degree between the first scan section and the second scan section; and outputting the matching degree.

[0116] 203. Determine multiple elastic parameters of the scan area of breast tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal; wherein, at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode.

[0117] In one example, the elastic parameters include at least one of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value.

[0118] 204. Fuse multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of breast tissue, where the fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion types include fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions.

[0119] In one example, the fusion parameter includes a first fusion parameter and a second fusion parameter. Fusing multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of breast tissue includes: obtaining first weight information and second weight information corresponding to the multiple elastic parameters; performing a first weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the first weight information to obtain a first fusion parameter of breast tissue, where the first fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion; and performing a second weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the second weight information to obtain a second fusion parameter of breast tissue, where the second fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a malignant lesion.

[0120] In one example, the fusion parameter includes a third fusion parameter. Fusing multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of breast tissue includes: obtaining third weight information corresponding to the multiple elastic parameters; performing a third weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the third weight information to obtain a third fusion parameter of breast tissue, where the third fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions.

[0121] In one example, after fusing multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of breast tissue, it includes: obtaining the fusion parameters of breast tissue at different time periods; determining a fusion trend graph of breast tissue based on the fusion parameters of breast tissue at different time periods, where the fusion trend graph is used to characterize the change trend of the fusion parameter over time; and outputting the fusion trend graph.

[0122] In one example, after fusing multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of breast tissue, it includes: performing color mapping according to the fusion parameter to obtain a fusion image of breast tissue; and outputting the fusion image.

[0123] In one example, the ultrasonic imaging method further includes: determining a plurality of elastograms of the scanned area of the breast tissue in a plurality of elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, wherein at least one elastogram corresponds to each elastography mode, fusing the plurality of elastograms to obtain a fused image of the breast tissue; and outputting the fused image.

[0124] In one example, after obtaining the fused image of the breast tissue, it includes: simultaneously outputting a fusion parameter, the fused image, a plurality of elasticity parameters, and a plurality of elastograms.

[0125] In one example, after obtaining the fused image of the breast tissue, it includes: receiving a region selection instruction of the user for the fused image; determining a target region of the fused image based on the region selection instruction; determining a region fusion parameter of the target region, where the region fusion parameter is at least one of the mean value, the maximum value, and the minimum value of the fusion parameter of the target region; and outputting the region fusion parameter.

[0126] 205. Output the fusion parameter.

[0127] The above process of obtaining the fusion parameter is automatically calculated by the ultrasonic imaging system. After obtaining the above fusion parameter, in order to facilitate the user to view the fusion parameter, the processor can also be used to control the output device to output the fusion parameter, for example, controlling the display to display the fusion parameter on the display interface.

[0128] In one example, outputting the fusion parameter includes: displaying the fusion parameter on the display interface of the display in a preset display manner. In other examples, the output device can also be a printer, and the fusion parameter can be output through the printer, that is, the fusion parameter is printed out for the clinician to view.

[0129] The preset display manner can be any display method. For example, the preset display manner includes at least one of the following manners: graphics, text, table, voice, color, and shape. For example, as Figure 2 shown, the fusion parameter is displayed in the form of the text "Fusion Parameter 1: 32%" and "Fusion Parameter 2: 91%"; or, as Figure 3 shown, the fusion parameter is displayed in the form of the fused image; or, as shown in Table 1 below, the elasticity parameters and the fusion parameter in each elastography mode are displayed in the form of a table.

[0130] Table 1 Elasticity Parameters and Fusion Parameter in Multiple Elastography Modes

[0131]

[0132]

[0133] In another embodiment, reference is made to Figure 5 A description is given of an ultrasonic imaging method according to another embodiment of the present application. This method can be executed based on the ultrasonic imaging system described above, or alternatively, it can also be a part or all of a computer device that can implement the ultrasonic imaging method through software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0134] As Figure 5 shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the ultrasonic imaging method may include the following steps 301 to 303, specifically as follows:

[0135] 301. Determine multiple elastic parameters of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, where at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode.

[0136] In one example, the multiple elastography modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic elastography.

[0137] In one example, the elastic parameters include at least one of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value.

[0138] 302. Fuse the multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the fusion parameter is at least used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion.

[0139] In one example, the fusion parameter includes a first fusion parameter. Fusing the multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the target tissue includes: obtaining first weight information corresponding to the multiple elastic parameters; performing a first weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the first weight information to obtain the first fusion parameter of the target tissue.

[0140] In one example, the fusion parameter is at least further used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. The fusion parameter includes a second fusion parameter and a third fusion parameter. Fusing the multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the target tissue includes: obtaining second weight information and third weight information corresponding to the multiple elastic parameters; performing a second weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the second weight information to obtain the second fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the second fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion; performing a third weighting process on the multiple elastic parameters based on the third weight information to obtain the third fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the third fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion.

[0141] In one example, the fusion parameter is at least further used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. The fusion parameter includes a fourth fusion parameter. Fusing a plurality of elasticity parameters to obtain the fusion parameter of the target tissue includes: obtaining fourth weight information corresponding to the plurality of elasticity parameters; performing a fourth weighting process on the plurality of elasticity parameters based on the fourth weight information to obtain the fourth fusion parameter of the target tissue, and the fourth fusion parameter is used to characterize the probabilities that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion and a malignant lesion.

[0142] In one example, after fusing a plurality of elasticity parameters to obtain the fusion parameter of the target tissue, it includes: obtaining the fusion parameters of the target tissue at different time periods; determining a fusion trend graph of the target tissue based on the fusion parameters of the target tissue at different time periods, and the fusion trend graph is used to characterize the change trend of the fusion parameter over time; outputting the fusion trend graph.

[0143] In one example, after fusing a plurality of elasticity parameters to obtain the fusion parameter of the target tissue, it includes: performing color mapping according to the fusion parameter to obtain a fusion image of the target tissue; outputting the fusion image.

[0144] In one example, the ultrasonic imaging method further includes: determining a plurality of elasticity images of the target tissue in a plurality of elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, wherein at least one elasticity image corresponds to each elastography mode, fusing the plurality of elasticity images to obtain a fusion image of the target tissue; outputting the fusion image.

[0145] In an example, the ultrasonic imaging method further includes: simultaneously outputting the fusion parameter, the fusion image, the plurality of elasticity parameters, and the plurality of elasticity images.

[0146] 303. Output the fusion parameter.

[0147] To avoid repetition, the specific details of each step in the embodiments of the present application can refer to the description of the ultrasonic imaging system above.

[0148] In another embodiment, refer to Figure 6 A description is made of the ultrasonic imaging method according to another embodiment of the present application. This method can be executed based on the ultrasonic imaging system above, or alternatively, it can also be a part or all of a computer device that can implement the ultrasonic imaging method in a software, hardware, or software-hardware combination manner.

[0149] As Figure 6 shown, in the embodiments of the present application, the ultrasonic imaging method may include the following steps 401 to 403, specifically as follows:

[0150] 401. Determine a plurality of ultrasonic parameters of the target tissue in a plurality of ultrasonic imaging modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, wherein at least one ultrasonic parameter corresponds to each ultrasonic imaging mode;

[0151] 402. Fuse multiple ultrasonic parameters to obtain the fused parameters of the target tissue, where the fused parameters are used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion types include fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions.

[0152] 403. Output the fused parameters.

[0153] In the example, the multiple ultrasonic imaging modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, viscoelastic imaging, acoustic attenuation imaging, blood flow imaging, contrast imaging, and sound velocity imaging.

[0154] In the example, the multiple ultrasonic parameters include at least two of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, internal elasticity value, viscosity coefficient, and sound velocity value.

[0155] To avoid repetition, the specific details of each step in the embodiments of the present application can refer to the description of the ultrasonic imaging system above.

[0156] It is worth mentioning that for the Figures 4 to 6 sequence of each step shown herein, it can also be adjusted on the premise of being reasonable. Figures 4 to 6 At least a part of the steps can include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages. These sub-steps or stages do not necessarily need to be executed at the same moment, but can be executed at different moments, and their execution sequence does not necessarily need to be sequential, but can be executed alternately or in turn with at least a part of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0157] In addition, the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. One or more computer program instructions can be stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor can run the program instructions stored in the storage device to implement the functions described herein in the embodiments of the present application (implemented by the processor) and / or other desired functions, such as to execute the corresponding steps of the ultrasonic imaging method in the embodiments of the present application. Various application programs and various data can also be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, such as various data used and / or generated by the application programs, etc.

[0158] For example, the computer storage medium can include, for example, a memory card of a smart phone, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media.

[0159] The above has introduced in detail an ultrasonic imaging system, method, and computer-readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present application. Specific examples are used in this article to elaborate on the principle and implementation manner of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present application; at the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation manner and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic imaging system, characterized in that, The ultrasonic imaging system includes: an ultrasonic probe; a transmit / receive sequence controller, configured to stimulate the ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a scanning area of breast tissue in a plurality of elastography modes, receive a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the scanning area of the breast tissue, and obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal; a processor, configured to: receive a region selection instruction for a tissue image of the breast tissue from a user, and determine the scanning area of the breast tissue based on the region selection instruction; receive a mode selection instruction input by the user, and enter a plurality of the elastography modes according to the mode selection instruction; determine a plurality of elastic parameters of the scanning area of the breast tissue in a plurality of the elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal; wherein, at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode; fuse the plurality of elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the breast tissue, wherein the fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion type includes fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions; an output device, configured to output the fusion parameter.

2. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The fusion parameter includes a first fusion parameter and a second fusion parameter, and the processor is further configured to: acquire first weight information and second weight information corresponding to the plurality of elastic parameters; perform a first weighting process on the plurality of elastic parameters based on the first weight information to obtain the first fusion parameter of the breast tissue, and the first fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to the fibrotic lesion; perform a second weighting process on the plurality of elastic parameters based on the second weight information to obtain the second fusion parameter of the breast tissue, and the second fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to the malignant lesion.

3. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fusion parameter includes a third fusion parameter, and the processor is further configured to: acquire third weight information corresponding to the plurality of elastic parameters; perform a third weighting process on the plurality of elastic parameters based on the third weight information to obtain the third fusion parameter of the breast tissue, and the third fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the breast tissue belongs to the fibrotic lesion and the malignant lesion.

4. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 1, wherein The transmit / receive sequence controller is further configured to stimulate the ultrasonic probe to transmit a second ultrasonic wave to the breast tissue, receive a second ultrasonic echo based on the second ultrasonic wave returned from the breast tissue, and obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal; The processor is further configured to: generate the tissue image of the breast tissue according to the second ultrasonic echo signal.

5. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: acquire the fusion parameters of the breast tissue at different time periods; determine a fusion trend graph of the breast tissue based on the fusion parameters of the breast tissue at different time periods, and the fusion trend graph is used to characterize the change trend of the fusion parameter over time; The output device is further configured to output the fusion trend graph.

6. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: Determine multiple elastograms of the scanned area of the breast tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, where at least one elastogram corresponds to each elastography mode, and fuse the multiple elastograms to obtain a fused image of the breast tissue; or, obtain the fused image of the breast tissue according to color mapping based on the fusion parameter; The output device is further configured to output the fused image.

7. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 6, wherein The output device is further configured to output the fusion parameter, the fused image, multiple elastic parameters, and multiple elastograms simultaneously.

8. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: Receive a region selection instruction from the user for the fused image; Determine a target region of the fused image based on the region selection instruction; Determine a regional fusion parameter of the target region, where the regional fusion parameter is at least one of the mean, maximum value, and minimum value of the fusion parameters of the target region; The output device is further configured to output the regional fusion parameter.

9. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: Automatically switch between multiple elastography modes during the process of the user operating the ultrasonic probe to perform elastography on the breast tissue; Or, Receive a mode switching instruction input by the user, and switch between multiple elastography modes based on the mode switching instruction.

10. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 9, characterized in that, Multiple elastography modes include a first elastography mode and a second elastography mode, and the processor is further configured to: Obtain a first scanning section of the breast tissue in the first elastography mode and a second scanning section of the breast tissue in the second elastography mode; Determine the matching degree between the first scanning section and the second scanning section; The output device is further configured to output the matching degree.

11. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, Multiple elastography modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging.

12. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The elastic parameter includes at least one of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elastic ratio, and internal elastic value.

13. An ultrasonic imaging system, characterized in that, characterized in that, The ultrasonic imaging system includes: An ultrasonic probe; A transmit / receive sequence controller, configured to excite the ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target tissue in multiple elastography modes, receive a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the target tissue, and obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal; A processor, configured to: Determine multiple elastic parameters of the target tissue in multiple elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, where at least one elastic parameter corresponds to each elastography mode; Fuse multiple elastic parameters to obtain a fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the fusion parameter is at least used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a fibrotic lesion; An output device, configured to output the fusion parameter.

14. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 13, wherein The fusion parameter includes a first fusion parameter, and the processor is further configured to: Obtain first weight information corresponding to multiple elastic parameters; Perform a first weighting process on multiple elastic parameters based on the first weight information to obtain a first fusion parameter of the target tissue.

15. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 13, wherein, The fusion parameter is at least further used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. The fusion parameter includes a second fusion parameter and a third fusion parameter. The processor is further configured to: Obtain second weight information and third weight information corresponding to a plurality of the elasticity parameters; Perform second weighting processing on the plurality of elasticity parameters based on the second weight information to obtain a second fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the second fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to the fibrotic lesion; Perform third weighting processing on the plurality of elasticity parameters based on the third weight information to obtain a third fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the third fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to the malignant lesion.

16. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 13, wherein The fusion parameter is at least further used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a malignant lesion. The fusion parameter includes a fourth fusion parameter. The processor is further configured to: Obtain fourth weight information corresponding to a plurality of the elasticity parameters; Perform fourth weighting processing on the plurality of elasticity parameters based on the fourth weight information to obtain a fourth fusion parameter of the target tissue, where the fourth fusion parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to the fibrotic lesion and the malignant lesion.

17. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: Obtain the fusion parameters of the target tissue at different time periods; Determine a fusion trend graph of the target tissue based on the fusion parameters of the target tissue at different time periods, where the fusion trend graph is used to characterize the change trend of the fusion parameter over time; The output device is further configured to output the fusion trend graph.

18. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: Determine a plurality of elasticity images of the target tissue in a plurality of elastography modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, where at least one elasticity image corresponds to each elastography mode, and fuse the plurality of elasticity images to obtain a fused image of the target tissue; or, obtain the fused image of the target tissue by performing color mapping according to the fusion parameter; The output device is further configured to output the fused image.

19. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 18, characterized in that, The output device is configured to output the fusion parameter, the fused image, a plurality of the elasticity parameters, and a plurality of the elasticity images simultaneously.

20. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that The plurality of elastography modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, and viscoelastic imaging.

21. The ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 13 to 19, characterized in that, The elasticity parameter includes at least one of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, and internal elasticity value.

22. An ultrasonic imaging system, characterized in that, The ultrasonic imaging system includes: An ultrasonic probe; A transmit / receive sequence controller, configured to drive the ultrasonic probe to transmit a first ultrasonic wave to a target tissue in a plurality of ultrasonic imaging modes, receive a first ultrasonic echo based on the first ultrasonic wave returned from the target tissue, and obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal; A processor, configured to: Determine a plurality of ultrasonic parameters of the target tissue in a plurality of ultrasonic imaging modes according to the first ultrasonic echo signal, where at least one ultrasonic parameter corresponds to each ultrasonic imaging mode; Fuse a plurality of the ultrasonic parameters to obtain a fused parameter of the target tissue, where the fused parameter is used to characterize the probability that the target tissue belongs to a preset lesion type, and the lesion types include fibrotic lesions and malignant lesions; An output device for outputting the fused parameter.

23. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 22, characterized in that, The plurality of ultrasonic imaging modes include at least two of strain elastography, shear wave elastography, transient elastography, viscoelastic imaging, acoustic attenuation imaging, blood flow imaging, contrast imaging, and sound velocity imaging.

24. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 22, wherein, The plurality of ultrasonic parameters include at least two of strain ratio, strain score, shear wave velocity value, elasticity ratio, internal elasticity value, viscosity coefficient, and sound velocity value.

25. An ultrasonic imaging method, characterized in that, The method is an ultrasonic imaging method performed by the ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program is stored thereon, characterized in that when the computer program is executed by a computer or a processor, the steps of the method described in claim 25 are implemented.

Images