Quantitative analysis method for super-resolution radiography and ultrasonic imaging system

Abstract

The invention discloses a quantitative analysis method for super-resolution radiography and an ultrasonic imaging system, and the method comprises the steps: obtaining a super-resolution radiography image of a target region which comprises one or more blood vessels; in response to a tracing operation of a user, obtaining a first region-of-interest curve in the super-resolution contrast image, the first region-of-interest curve intersecting with a target blood vessel, and the target blood vessel being at least one of the one or more blood vessels; the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel is obtained, the first region-of-interest curve is adjusted based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve, and the second region-of-interest curve is perpendicular to or approximately perpendicular to the target blood vessel; and determining a quantitative analysis result corresponding to the position of the second region-of-interest curve in the super-resolution contrast image based on the second region-of-interest curve.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, in particular to a quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast and an ultrasonic imaging system. BACKGROUND

[0002] When performing quantitative analysis on a super-resolution contrast image, a general method is to draw a region of interest (ROI) curve by dragging a cursor in the ROI of the image by a user, and to calculate the diameter of a blood vessel passing through the ROI curve. However, the geometric relationship between the drawn ROI curve and the blood vessel in the image greatly affects the calculation result of the diameter of the blood vessel. Ideally, the ROI curve drawn by the user is perpendicular to the blood vessel in the image. However, since the drawing of the ROI curve is subjective, the user only expresses the intention to analyze the blood vessel in a certain region when drawing the ROI curve, and does not accurately control the position of the ROI curve. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve the accurate perpendicularity between the ROI curve and the blood vessel, and thus it is difficult to obtain a relatively ideal calculation result of the diameter of the blood vessel. SUMMARY

[0003] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the summary section, which will be further described in detail in the detailed description section. The summary section of the present application does not mean to attempt to limit the key features and necessary technical features of the claimed technical solution, and even less to determine the protection scope of the claimed technical solution.

[0004] The first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast, comprising:

[0005] obtaining a super-resolution contrast image of a target region, the target region comprising one or more blood vessels;

[0006] obtaining a first region of interest curve in the super-resolution contrast image in response to a tracing operation of a user, the first region of interest curve intersecting with a target blood vessel, the target blood vessel being at least one of the one or more blood vessels;

[0007] obtaining a blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel, adjusting the first region of interest curve based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region of interest curve, the second region of interest curve being perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel;

[0008] determining a quantitative analysis result corresponding to a position in the super-resolution contrast image passed through by the second region of interest curve based on the second region of interest curve.

[0009] In embodiments of the present application, the determining the quantitative analysis result corresponding to the position of the second region-of-interest curve in the super-resolution angiography image based on the second region-of-interest curve comprises:

[0010] obtaining a contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution angiography image;

[0011] determining a contrast agent density curve for characterizing the position of the second region-of-interest curve in the super-resolution angiography image based on the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution angiography image and the second region-of-interest curve.

[0012] In embodiments of the present application, after the contrast agent density curve is determined, the method further comprises determining a diameter of the target blood vessel based on the contrast agent density curve.

[0013] In embodiments of the present application, the adjusting the first region-of-interest curve based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve comprises:

[0014] the first region-of-interest curve intersects with an anterior wall of the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel at a first intersection point, the first region-of-interest curve intersects with a posterior wall of the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel at a second intersection point, and a first fixed point is any one of the first intersection point, the second intersection point, or any point between the first intersection point and the second intersection point;

[0015] the second region-of-interest curve passes through the first fixed point and is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel.

[0016] In embodiments of the present application, the adjusting the first region-of-interest curve based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve further comprises:

[0017] obtaining a local region-of-interest curve, the local region-of-interest curve passes through the first fixed point and two ends of the local region-of-interest curve intersect with the first region-of-interest curve, the local region-of-interest curve intersects with the anterior wall of the target blood vessel at a third intersection point, and the local region-of-interest curve intersects with the posterior wall of the target blood vessel at a fourth intersection point, wherein a portion of the local region-of-interest curve between the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel;

[0018] obtaining the second region-of-interest curve based on the first region-of-interest curve and the local region-of-interest curve.

[0019] In embodiments of the present application, the second region-of-interest curve being close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel comprises:

[0020] determine a first normal line based on the third intersection point and the blood vessel structure, the second region-of-interest curve having a first included angle with the first normal line;

[0021] determine a second normal line based on the fourth intersection point and the blood vessel structure, the second region-of-interest curve having a second included angle with the second normal line.

[0022] In embodiments of the present application, the second region-of-interest curve being approximately perpendicular to the target blood vessel includes that:

[0023] determine a first normal line based on the third intersection point and the blood vessel structure, the second region-of-interest curve having a first included angle with the first normal line;

[0024] determine a second normal line based on the fourth intersection point and the blood vessel structure, the second region-of-interest curve having a second included angle with the second normal line.

[0025] a sum of the first included angle and the second included angle is a minimum value.

[0026] In embodiments of the present application, the portion of the local region-of-interest curve between the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point includes a line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point, and the second region-of-interest curve being approximately perpendicular to the target blood vessel includes that:

[0027] the line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is the shortest among line segments connecting the third intersection point and any point on a posterior wall of the target blood vessel, and

[0028] the line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is the shortest among line segments connecting the fourth intersection point and any point on an anterior wall of the target blood vessel.

[0029] In embodiments of the present application, a first cursor point is provided on the contrast agent density curve, the first cursor point being movable on the contrast agent density curve for representing a contrast agent density at a specific location of interest.

[0030] In embodiments of the present application, a second cursor point is further provided on the second region-of-interest curve, the second cursor point corresponding to the first cursor point, the second cursor point being movable on the second region-of-interest curve when the first cursor point is moved on the contrast agent density curve, and / or the first cursor point being movable on the contrast agent density curve when the second cursor point is moved on the second region-of-interest curve.

[0031] In embodiments of the present application, obtaining the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image includes:

[0032] obtaining a gray scale distribution and / or a color distribution of the super-resolution contrast image based on the super-resolution contrast image;

[0033] obtaining a contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image based on the gray scale distribution and / or the color distribution of the super-resolution contrast image.

[0034] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging system, comprising:

[0035] an ultrasonic probe;

[0036] a transmitting circuit configured to excite the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves;

[0037] a receiving circuit configured to control the ultrasonic probe to receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves to obtain echo signals of the ultrasonic waves;

[0038] a processor configured to perform the steps of the quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast as described in any one of the above.

[0039] According to the quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast and the ultrasonic imaging system provided by the present application, the first region of interest curve is obtained in response to the tracing operation of the user, and then the first region of interest curve is adjusted based on the blood vessel structure to obtain the second region of interest curve, so that the second region of interest curve is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the blood vessel, thereby obtaining a more ideal blood vessel diameter calculation result. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0040] The following drawings of the present application are hereby included as part of the present application to provide an understanding of the present application. The embodiments of the present application and its description, which are shown in the drawings, are used to explain the principles of the present application.

[0041] In the drawings:

[0042] Figure 1 a schematic block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0043] Figure 2 a flowchart of a quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0044] Figure 3 a schematic diagram of a blood vessel structure of a target blood vessel according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0045] Figure 4 a schematic diagram of a first region of interest curve, a first normal line, a first included angle, a second normal line and a second included angle according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0046] Figure 5 a schematic diagram of a first region of interest curve, a third intersection point and a fourth intersection point according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0047] Figure 6 A schematic diagram showing a local region of interest curve is shown according to an embodiment of the application;

[0048] Figure 7A A schematic diagram showing a contrast agent density curve and a first cursor point is shown according to an embodiment of the application;

[0049] Figure 7B A schematic diagram showing a second region of interest curve and a second cursor point is shown according to an embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art upon

[0051] It should be understood that the present application can be practiced with the

[0052] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, specify the presence of 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 thereof. As used herein the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0053] For a more complete understanding of the present application, reference is made to the following description and accompanying drawings that set forth a particular embodiment in which the present application can be practiced. Preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings.

[0054] Below, first reference is made to Figure 1 An ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the application is described, Figure 1 A schematic block diagram showing an ultrasound imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the application is shown. A schematic block diagram showing an ultrasound imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0055] As shown in Figure 1 The ultrasound imaging system 100 includes an ultrasound probe 110, a transmit circuit 112, a receive circuit 114, a processor 116 and a display 118. Further, the ultrasound imaging system can also include a transmit / receive selection switch 120 and a beamformer 122, and the transmit circuit 112 and the receive circuit 114 can be connected with the ultrasound probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120.

[0056] The ultrasound probe 110 includes a plurality of transducer elements, which can be arranged in a row to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a planar array, or arranged in a convex array. The transducer elements are used to transmit ultrasound waves according to excitation electrical signals, or convert received ultrasound waves into electrical signals, so each transducer element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasound waves, so as to realize the transmission of ultrasound waves to the tissue of the target region of the measured object, and also can be used to receive the ultrasound echo reflected by the tissue. When performing ultrasound detection, it can be controlled by a transmission sequence and a reception sequence which transducer elements are used to transmit ultrasound waves and which transducer elements are used to receive ultrasound waves, or control the transducer elements to be used for transmitting ultrasound waves or receiving echo of ultrasound waves in time slots. The transducer elements participating in the transmission of ultrasound waves can be excited by electrical signals at the same time, so as to transmit ultrasound waves at the same time; or the transducer elements participating in the transmission of ultrasound beams can also be excited by several electrical signals with a certain time interval, so as to continuously transmit ultrasound waves with a certain time interval.

[0057] In the process of ultrasound imaging, the transmit circuit 112 sends the transmission pulse with delay focusing to the ultrasound probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120. The ultrasound probe 110 is excited by the transmission pulse to transmit an ultrasound beam to the tissue of the target region of the measured object, receives the ultrasound echo with tissue information reflected from the tissue of the target region after a certain delay, and converts the ultrasound echo into an electrical signal. The receive circuit 114 receives the electrical signal converted by the ultrasound probe 110, obtains the ultrasound echo signal, and sends the ultrasound echo signal to the beamformer 122, which performs focusing delay, weighting and channel summation on the ultrasound echo data, and then sends the ultrasound echo data to the processor 116. The processor 116 performs signal detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, logarithmic compression and other processing on the ultrasound echo signal to form an ultrasound image. The ultrasound image obtained by the processor 116 can be displayed on the display 118, or stored in the memory 124.

[0058] Optionally, the processor 116 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof and can be used in a single or multi-processor circuit, a single or multi-core processor, a single or multi-processor system, or any combination thereof. Also, the processor 116 can control other components in the ultrasound imaging system 100 to perform the corresponding steps of the methods in various embodiments in this specification.

[0059] The display 118 is connected with the processor 116, and the display 118 can be a touch display screen, a liquid crystal display screen, etc. Alternatively, the display 118 can be a liquid crystal display, a television, etc. independent display which is independent of the ultrasound imaging system 100. Alternatively, the display 118 can be a display screen of a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc. electronic device, etc. The number of the display 118 can be one or more.

[0060] The display 118 can display the ultrasound image obtained by the processor 116. In addition, the display 118 can provide a graphical interface for the user to perform human-computer interaction while displaying the ultrasound image, and set one or more controlled objects on the graphical interface, and provide the user with an input operation instruction to control the controlled objects by using a human-computer interaction device, so as to perform a corresponding control operation. For example, an icon is displayed on the graphical interface, and the icon can be operated by using the human-computer interaction device to perform a specific function, such as drawing a region of interest frame on the ultrasound image, etc.

[0061] Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 can further include other human-computer interaction devices which are independent of the display 118 and are connected with the processor 116. For example, the processor 116 can be connected with the human-computer interaction device through an external input / output port. The external input / output port can be a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, or a combination of the two. The external input / output port can also be implemented based on a USB, a bus protocol such as CAN, a wired network protocol, etc.

[0062] The human-computer interaction device can include an input device for detecting input information of the user. The input information can be a control instruction for the ultrasound wave emission / reception timing, an operation input instruction for drawing a point, a line or a frame, etc. on the ultrasound image, or can further include other instruction types. The input device can include one or a combination of a keyboard, a mouse, a scroll wheel, a trackball, a mobile input device (such as a mobile device with a touch display screen, a mobile phone, etc.), a multifunctional knob, etc. The human-computer interaction device can further include an output device such as a printer.

[0063] The ultrasound imaging system 100 can also include a memory 124 for storing instructions for execution by the processor, for storing received ultrasound echoes, for storing ultrasound images, and the like. The memory can be a flash memory card, a solid state memory, a hard disk, or the like. It can be volatile and / or non-volatile memory, removable and / or non-removable memory, and the like.

[0064] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the illustrated ultrasound imaging system 100 are merely illustrative, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0065] Reference will now be made to Figure 2 A quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast is described, Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of the quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast 200 of the present application. Specifically, the quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast 200 of the present application is applied to Figure 1 The ultrasound imaging system 100 illustrated includes an ultrasound probe 110 and a processor 116, wherein the processor 116 performs the following steps:

[0066] At step S210, a super-resolution contrast image of a target region is obtained, the target region including one or more blood vessels;

[0067] At step S220, in response to a user's tracing operation, a first region-of-interest curve is obtained in the super-resolution contrast image, the first region-of-interest curve intersecting a target blood vessel, the target blood vessel being at least one of the one or more blood vessels;

[0068] At step S230, a blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel is obtained, and the first region-of-interest curve is adjusted based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve, the second region-of-interest curve being perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel;

[0069] At step S240, a quantitative analysis result corresponding to a position in the super-resolution contrast image through which the second region-of-interest curve passes is determined based on the second region-of-interest curve.

[0070] The quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast 200 of the present application can adjust the first region-of-interest curve based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve that is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel after the first region-of-interest curve is obtained, so that a more ideal blood vessel diameter calculation result can be obtained when quantitative analysis is performed.

[0071] First, step S210 is performed: obtaining a super-resolution contrast image of a target region, the target region including one or more blood vessels.

[0072] Super-resolution contrast imaging is generally used for doctors to deeply study the fine structure of capillaries in a section of a scanned target tissue or in a region of interest (ROI), and to observe the perfusion speed and direction of microbubbles in a lumen. The target tissue can be a tissue organ of any human or animal, such as a liver, a kidney, etc.

[0073] In embodiments of the present application, after a proper amount of microbubble contrast agent is injected into a target tissue, a doctor controls an ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves for super-resolution contrast imaging toward the target tissue containing the contrast agent. According to the principle of super-resolution contrast imaging, the ultrasonic waves are scattered by the microbubbles in the target tissue, and the scattered ultrasonic waves are received by the ultrasonic probe. The scattered ultrasonic waves are processed to obtain an ultrasonic echo data of the target region. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitting controller of the transmitting / receiving circuit 120 excites the ultrasonic probe 110 to emit ultrasonic waves for super-resolution contrast imaging toward the target tissue, and the receiving controller of the transmitting / receiving circuit 120 receives the ultrasonic echoes for super-resolution contrast imaging returned from the target tissue through the ultrasonic probe 110. The processor 140 obtains the ultrasonic echo data based on the ultrasonic echoes, processes the ultrasonic echo data, and obtains a super-resolution contrast image of the target region, which includes one or more blood vessels, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. Figure 3 and Figure 7B The super-resolution contrast image obtained by the processor 140 can be stored in the memory 130. In addition, the super-resolution contrast image can be displayed on the display 150.

[0074] In embodiments of the present application, after obtaining the super-resolution contrast image of the target region, a step of obtaining a contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image is further included. The obtaining of the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image includes: obtaining a grayscale distribution and / or a color distribution of the super-resolution contrast image based on the super-resolution contrast image; and obtaining the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image based on the grayscale distribution and / or the color distribution of the super-resolution contrast image.

[0075] In embodiments of the present application, when the super-resolution contrast image is a grayscale image, the contrast agent density distribution can be represented by a grayscale value. The smaller the grayscale value, the darker the color of the corresponding region, indicating that the contrast agent density of the region is smaller. When the grayscale value is 0, the color of the corresponding region is black, indicating that the region is free of contrast agent. The larger the grayscale value, the brighter the color of the corresponding region, indicating that the contrast agent density is larger. When the grayscale value is 255, the corresponding region is white, indicating that the region is full of contrast agent.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, when the super-resolution contrast image is a color image, the contrast agent density can be color-coded, and the contrast agent density distribution can be represented by multiple color values, for example, low contrast agent density is represented by blue pixels, medium contrast agent density is represented by red pixels, and high contrast agent density is represented by yellow pixels. In addition, the super-resolution contrast image can also represent the contrast agent density distribution by combining the color value and the brightness value, and the present application does not limit this.

[0077] In step S220, in response to the tracing operation of the user, a first region of interest curve is obtained in the super-resolution contrast image, the first region of interest curve intersects with a target blood vessel, and the target blood vessel is at least one of the one or more blood vessels.

[0078] In the embodiments of the present application, the user manually draws a first ROI curve in the super-resolution contrast image, the first ROI curve intersects with a target blood vessel, and specifically, as shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 The first ROI curve S1 intersects with the anterior wall of the target blood vessel at a first intersection point A, and the first ROI curve S1 intersects with the posterior wall of the target blood vessel at a second intersection point B.

[0079] It should be noted that when the user drags the cursor to draw the first ROI curve, it only expresses the intention to analyze one or more target blood vessels in the region, and does not accurately control the position of the first ROI curve, so it is difficult to achieve accurate perpendicularity between the first ROI curve and the target blood vessel, and therefore the analysis of the first ROI curve cannot obtain a more ideal blood vessel diameter calculation result.

[0080] In step S230, the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel is obtained, and the first region of interest curve is adjusted based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region of interest curve, and the second region of interest curve is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel.

[0081] In the embodiments of the present application, after obtaining the super-resolution contrast image including the target blood vessel, the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel can be obtained by manually processing the super-resolution contrast image, and the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel can also be obtained by processing the super-resolution contrast image by an image segmentation algorithm or other method. At present, commonly used image segmentation algorithms include traditional image segmentation algorithms, machine learning-based image segmentation algorithms, and deep learning-based image segmentation algorithms, but the above-mentioned methods are not limiting, and other algorithms that can achieve the purpose of obtaining the blood vessel structure can also be used.

[0082] In the embodiments of the present application, the second ROI curve is obtained by adjusting the first ROI curve, specifically, only the region intersecting with the target blood vessel and the peripheral region close to the intersecting region are adjusted on the first ROI curve, and the second ROI curve can be obtained. The second ROI curve passes through one or more preset fixed points on the first ROI curve, and the second ROI curve is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel.

[0083] Exemplarily, the first intersection point, the second intersection point, or any point between the first intersection point and the second intersection point is taken as the first fixed point; the second fixed point and the third fixed point are determined on the first ROI curve, wherein the second fixed point and the third fixed point are located in the direction away from the first fixed point from the first intersection point and the second intersection point respectively; one or more fixed points between the first fixed point and the second fixed point on the first ROI curve are determined, and one or more fixed points between the first fixed point and the third fixed point on the first ROI curve are determined; the local ROI curve is obtained based on all the fixed points determined on the first ROI curve and the blood vessel structure. Wherein, the interval of adjacent fixed points on the first ROI curve is equal. Further, the local ROI curve is automatically obtained based on the fixed points and the blood vessel structure by interpolation and / or fitting method, which is not limited in the present application.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, as shown in Figure 4 to Figure 6 , any point (including A point and B point) between the first intersection point A and the second intersection point B can be taken as the first fixed point O, for example, the first fixed point O is the midpoint of the first intersection point A and the second intersection point B. In addition, the second fixed point and the third fixed point can be further determined on the first ROI curve, as shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the second fixed point M is determined in the direction away from the first fixed point O from the first intersection point A, and the third fixed point N is determined in the direction away from the first fixed point O from the second intersection point B. In addition, one or more fixed points can be set on the first ROI curve S1 between the first fixed point O and the second fixed point M, and one or more fixed points can be set on the first ROI curve S1 between the first fixed point O and the third fixed point N. When there are multiple fixed points on the first ROI curve, the interval of adjacent fixed points on the first ROI curve can be equal interval.

[0085] Exemplarily, the adjusting the first ROI curve based on the vessel structure of the target vessel to obtain a second ROI curve further comprises: obtaining a local ROI curve, the local ROI curve passing through the first fixed point and two ends of the local ROI curve intersecting the first ROI curve, the local ROI curve intersecting the anterior wall of the target vessel at a third intersection point and intersecting the posterior wall of the target vessel at a fourth intersection point, wherein a portion of the local ROI curve between the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target vessel; and obtaining the second ROI curve based on the first ROI curve and the local ROI curve.

[0086] In embodiments of the present application, after the first fixed point O is determined, based on the first fixed point O and the vessel structure, a local ROI curve can be automatically obtained by interpolation and / or fitting method. The local ROI curve passes through the first fixed point O and intersects the target vessel, specifically, the local ROI curve intersects the anterior wall of the target vessel at a third intersection point A' and intersects the posterior wall of the target vessel at a fourth intersection point B', and a portion of the local ROI curve between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target vessel, wherein the portion of the local ROI curve between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' can be a line segment A'B' connecting the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B'. Further, the two ends of the local ROI curve intersect the first ROI curve (not shown), and the second ROI curve can be obtained by replacing the portion of the first ROI curve between the intersections with the portion between the two ends of the local ROI curve.

[0087] In embodiments of the present application, after the first fixed point O, the second fixed point M and the third fixed point N are determined, based on these fixed points and the vessel structure, a local ROI curve connecting the first fixed point O, the second fixed point M and the third fixed point N can be automatically obtained by interpolation and / or fitting method. The local ROI curve intersects the anterior wall of the target vessel at a third intersection point A' and intersects the posterior wall of the target vessel at a fourth intersection point B', and a portion of the local ROI curve between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target vessel, wherein the portion of the local ROI curve between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' can be a line segment A'B' connecting the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B'. As shown in FIG. 6, the local ROI curve is obtained by interpolation and / or fitting method based on the first fixed point O, the second fixed point M and the third fixed point N and the vessel structure of the target vessel. Figure 6As shown, the portion between the second fixed point M and the third fixed point N on the local ROI curve includes a curve S2 between the second fixed point M and the third intersection point A', a line segment A'B' between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B', and a curve S3 between the fourth intersection point B' and the third fixed point N. Furthermore, a second ROI curve can be obtained by replacing the portion between the second fixed point M and the third fixed point N on the first ROI curve with the portion between the second fixed point M and the third fixed point N on the local ROI curve.

[0088] Exemplarily, the second region of interest curve being nearly perpendicular to the target blood vessel includes: determining a first normal based on the third intersection point and the blood vessel structure, and an angle between the second region of interest curve and the first normal is less than a threshold; and determining a second normal based on the fourth intersection point and the blood vessel structure, and an angle between the second region of interest curve and the second normal is less than a threshold.

[0089] Exemplarily, the second region of interest curve being nearly perpendicular to the target blood vessel includes: determining a first normal based on the third intersection point and the blood vessel structure, and the second region of interest curve and the first normal have a first angle; determining a second normal based on the fourth intersection point and the blood vessel structure, and the second region of interest curve and the second normal have a second angle; and the sum of the first angle and the second angle is a minimum value.

[0090] In the embodiments of the present application, Figure 4 As shown, a straight line L1 passing through the first fixed point O is determined, and the straight line L1 intersects the front wall of the target blood vessel at a third intersection A'. The straight line L1 intersects the back wall of the target blood vessel at a fourth intersection B'. A first normal L2 is determined based on the third intersection A' and the blood vessel structure, and the straight line L1 and the first normal L2 have a first angle θ2. A second normal L3 is determined based on the fourth intersection B' and the blood vessel structure, and the straight line L1 and the second normal L3 have a second angle θ1.

[0091] In the embodiment of the present application, when the first angle θ2 is less than a preset threshold value (for example, 5°) and the second angle θ1 is less than a preset threshold value (for example, 5°), it can be considered that the portion between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' on the straight line L1 is nearly perpendicular to the target blood vessel, thereby confirming that the portion between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' on the straight line L1 is part of the second ROI curve, such as Figure 6 When the first angle θ2 is greater than a preset threshold (e.g., 5°) or the second angle θ1 is greater than a preset threshold (e.g., 5°), the straight line L1 passing through the first fixed point O is re-determined. The second ROI curve obtained by this method may not be unique.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, when the sum of the first angle θ2 and the second angle θ1 is the minimum, it can be considered that the portion between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' on the straight line L1 is nearly perpendicular to the target blood vessel, thereby confirming that the portion between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' on the straight line L1 is part of the second ROI curve, such as Figure 6 When the sum of the first angle θ2 and the second angle θ1 is not the minimum value, the straight line L1 passing through the first fixed point O is re-determined. The second ROI curve obtained by this method is unique.

[0093] Exemplarily, the portion of the local area of ​​interest curve located between the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point includes a line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point, and the second area of ​​interest curve being approximately perpendicular to the target blood vessel includes: among the line segments connecting the third intersection point and any point on the posterior wall of the target blood vessel, the line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is the shortest; and among the line segments connecting the fourth intersection point and any point on the anterior wall of the target blood vessel, the line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is the shortest.

[0094] In the embodiments of the present application, Figure 5 As shown, a straight line L1 passing through the first fixed point O is determined. The straight line L1 intersects the anterior wall of the target blood vessel at a third intersection point A', and the straight line L1 intersects the posterior wall of the target blood vessel at a fourth intersection point B'. When, among the line segments connecting the third intersection point A' and any point on the posterior wall of the target blood vessel, the line segment A'B' connecting the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' is the shortest, and among the line segments connecting the fourth intersection point B' and any point on the anterior wall of the target blood vessel, the line segment A'B' connecting the fourth intersection point B' and the third intersection point A' is the shortest, it can be considered that the portion between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' on the straight line L1 is nearly perpendicular to the target blood vessel, thereby confirming that the portion between the third intersection point A' and the fourth intersection point B' on the straight line L1 is part of the second ROI curve, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 When the line segment A'B' is not the shortest line segment, the straight line L1 passing through the first fixed point O is re-determined. The second ROI curve obtained by this method is unique.

[0095] In step S240, a quantitative analysis result corresponding to a position passed by the second ROI curve in the super-resolution angiography image is determined based on the second ROI curve.

[0096] Exemplarily, the determining the quantitative analysis result corresponding to the position of the second ROI curve in the super-resolution contrast image based on the second ROI curve comprises: obtaining a contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image; and determining a contrast agent density curve for representing the position of the second ROI curve in the super-resolution contrast image based on the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image and the second ROI curve.

[0097] In the embodiments of the present application, based on the obtained contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image and the second ROI curve, a contrast agent density curve can be further obtained, as shown in the figure, the ordinate of the contrast agent density curve is the contrast agent density, and the abscissa of the contrast agent density curve is the position of the second ROI curve, so that the contrast agent density curve is used to represent the contrast agent density corresponding to the position of the second ROI curve. Further, based on the contrast agent density curve, the diameter of the target blood vessel through which the second ROI curve passes can be obtained. Figure 7A

[0098] Exemplarily, a first cursor point is arranged on the contrast agent density curve, the first cursor point is movable on the contrast agent density curve, and is used to represent the contrast agent density at a specific position of interest; a second cursor point is also arranged on the second ROI curve, the second cursor point corresponds to the first cursor point, and when the first cursor point moves on the contrast agent density curve, the second cursor point moves on the second ROI curve, and / or when the second cursor point moves on the second ROI curve, the first cursor point moves on the contrast agent density curve.

[0099] In the embodiments of the present application, as shown in the figure, a first cursor point P is arranged on the contrast agent density curve, and the first cursor point P is movable on the contrast agent density curve; as shown in the figure, a second cursor point Q is arranged on the second ROI curve, and the second cursor point Q is movable on the second ROI curve. The first cursor point P and the second cursor point Q correspond to each other, when the user drags the first cursor point P to move on the contrast agent density curve, the second cursor point Q moves correspondingly on the second ROI curve, and when the user drags the second cursor point Q to move on the second ROI curve, the first cursor point P moves correspondingly on the contrast agent density curve. Figure 7A Figure 7B

[0100] In the embodiments of the present application, the contrast agent density curve can be used to determine the diameter of the target blood vessel. Since the contrast agent density curve is used to represent the contrast agent density of the position of the second ROI curve in the super-resolution contrast image, and the second ROI curve is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel, analyzing the second ROI curve can obtain a more ideal blood vessel diameter calculation result.​​​

[0101] According to the method for quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast provided in the application, the first region of interest curve is obtained in response to the tracing operation of the user, and then the first region of interest curve is adjusted based on the blood vessel structure to obtain the second region of interest curve, so that the second region of interest curve is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the blood vessel, thereby obtaining a more ideal blood vessel diameter calculation result.

[0102] The embodiments of the application further provide an ultrasonic imaging system for implementing the method for quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast 200. The ultrasonic imaging system includes an ultrasonic probe, a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a processor and a display. Referring back to Figure 1 , the ultrasonic imaging system can be implemented as the ultrasonic imaging system 100 as shown in Figure 1 , which can include an ultrasonic probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116 and a display 118. Optionally, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 can further include a transmitting / receiving selection switch 120, a beam synthesis module 122 and a memory 124. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 can be connected with the ultrasonic probe 110 through the transmitting / receiving selection switch 120. The related descriptions of the components can be referred to the related descriptions above, and will not be described here.

[0103] Among them, the transmitting circuit 112 is configured to control the ultrasonic probe 110 to transmit ultrasonic waves to a target region; the receiving circuit 114 is configured to control the ultrasonic probe 110 to receive the echo of the returned ultrasonic waves to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; the processor 116 is configured to perform ultrasonic imaging based on the ultrasonic echo signal; and the processor 116 is further configured to perform the steps of the method for quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast described above.

[0104] The above only describes the main functions of the components of the ultrasonic imaging system, and more details can be referred to the related descriptions of the method for quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast, which will not be described here.

[0105] Although the example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the example embodiments described above are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of the application. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the application as claimed in the appended claims.

[0106] Those skilled in the art can understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solutions. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0107] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0108] In the specification provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it can be understood that the embodiments of the present application can be practiced without these specific details. In some examples, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not described in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of the specification.

[0109] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to simplify the present application and help understand one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present application, various features of the present application are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this method of the present application should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed present application requires more features than those explicitly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected by the corresponding claims, the inventive point is that the corresponding technical problem can be solved with fewer features than all the features of a certain disclosed single embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the specific embodiments are hereby expressly incorporated into the specific embodiments, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of the present application.

[0110] Those skilled in the art can understand that, except for the mutual exclusion between features, all the features disclosed in the specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) and all the processes or units of any method or device disclosed in this way can be combined in any combination. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed in the specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) can be replaced by an alternative feature that provides the same, equivalent or similar purpose.

[0111] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that references to various embodiments of the application are not intended to limit the scope of the claims to the specific embodiments. For example, although a number of embodiments including one or more features are described herein, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that not all embodiments need implement all of the features described. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that some embodiments can be implemented without implementing one or more features described herein. In addition, although a number of embodiments of the application are described herein, the parent claims should not be limited to these particular disclosed embodiments. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims. Thus, the scope of the claims should be determined by the candidate claims and the scope of equivalents thereto, rather than by the description in the application.

[0112] Various component embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware, or as software modules running in one or more processors, or in combinations thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some of the modules of the item analysis apparatus according to embodiments of the present application. The present application can also be implemented as a program (e.g., a computer program and computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program implementing the present application can be stored on a computer readable medium, or can have one or more signals. Such signals can be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier medium, or in any other form.

[0113] It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the application, and that one skilled in the art will be able to design many alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word 'comprising' does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. The word 'a' or 'an' preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The application can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a programmed computer. In the unitary or integrated claims enumerating several means, several of these means can be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. The

[0114] The above description is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the present application. The modifications and variations of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims. The scope of the claims is intended to be limited only by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast, characterized in that, The method comprises: obtaining a super-resolution angiography image of a target region, the target region comprising one or more blood vessels; obtaining a first region-of-interest curve in the super-resolution angiography image in response to a tracing operation of a user, the first region-of-interest curve intersecting with a target blood vessel, the target blood vessel being at least one of the one or more blood vessels; obtaining a blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel, adjusting the first region-of-interest curve based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve, the second region-of-interest curve being perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel; determining a quantitative analysis result corresponding to a position in the super-resolution angiography image passed by the second region-of-interest curve based on the second region-of-interest curve.

2. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 1, wherein, The determining a quantitative analysis result corresponding to a position in the super-resolution angiography image passed by the second region-of-interest curve based on the second region-of-interest curve comprises: obtaining a contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution angiography image; determining a contrast agent density curve for characterizing the position in the super-resolution angiography image passed by the second region-of-interest curve based on the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution angiography image and the second region-of-interest curve.

3. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 2, wherein, The determining a contrast agent density curve further comprises: determining a diameter of the target blood vessel based on the contrast agent density curve.

4. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 1, wherein, The adjusting the first region-of-interest curve based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve comprises: the first region-of-interest curve intersects with an anterior wall of the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel at a first intersection point, the first region-of-interest curve intersects with a posterior wall of the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel at a second intersection point, and a first fixed point is determined as the first intersection point, the second intersection point, or any point between the first intersection point and the second intersection point; the second region-of-interest curve passes through the first fixed point and is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel.

5. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 4, wherein, The adjusting the first region-of-interest curve based on the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel to obtain a second region-of-interest curve further comprises: obtaining a local region-of-interest curve, the local region-of-interest curve passing through the first fixed point and two ends of the local region-of-interest curve intersecting with the first region-of-interest curve, the local region-of-interest curve intersects with the anterior wall of the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel at a third intersection point, the local region-of-interest curve intersects with the posterior wall of the blood vessel structure of the target blood vessel at a fourth intersection point, wherein a portion of the local region-of-interest curve between the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is perpendicular or close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel; the second region-of-interest curve is obtained based on the first region-of-interest curve and the local region-of-interest curve.

6. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 5, wherein, The second region-of-interest curve being close to perpendicular to the target blood vessel comprises: a first normal line is determined based on the third intersection point and the blood vessel structure, and an angle between the second region-of-interest curve and the first normal line is less than a threshold value; and a second normal line is determined based on the fourth intersection point and the blood vessel structure, and an angle between the second region-of-interest curve and the second normal line is less than a threshold value.

7. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 5, wherein, The second region of interest curve being approximately perpendicular to the target blood vessel includes: determining a first normal line based on the third intersection point and the blood vessel structure, the second region of interest curve having a first included angle with the first normal line; determining a second normal line based on the fourth intersection point and the blood vessel structure, the second region of interest curve having a second included angle with the second normal line; a sum of the first included angle and the second included angle being a minimum value.

8. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 5, wherein, The part of the local region of interest curve between the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point includes a line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point, the second region of interest curve being approximately perpendicular to the target blood vessel includes: in a line segment connecting the third intersection point and any point on the posterior wall of the target blood vessel, the line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is the shortest; and in a line segment connecting the fourth intersection point and any point on the anterior wall of the target blood vessel, the line segment connecting the third intersection point and the fourth intersection point is the shortest.

9. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 1, wherein, The contrast agent density curve is provided with a first cursor point, the first cursor point being movable on the contrast agent density curve for characterizing the contrast agent density at a specific location of interest.

10. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 9, wherein, The second region of interest curve is also provided with a second cursor point, the second cursor point corresponding to the first cursor point, the second cursor point being movable on the second region of interest curve when the first cursor point is moved on the contrast agent density curve, and / or the first cursor point being moved on the contrast agent density curve when the second cursor point is moved on the second region of interest curve.

11. The method of quantitative analysis of super-resolution contrast of claim 1, wherein, Obtaining the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image includes: obtaining a gray scale distribution and / or a color distribution of the super-resolution contrast image based on the super-resolution contrast image; obtaining the contrast agent density distribution of the super-resolution contrast image based on the gray scale distribution and / or the color distribution of the super-resolution contrast image.

12. An ultrasound imaging system, characterized by It includes: an ultrasonic probe; transmitting circuitry for exciting the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves; receiving circuitry for controlling the ultrasonic probe to receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves to obtain echo signals of the ultrasonic waves; a processor for performing the steps of the quantitative analysis method of super-resolution contrast of any one of claims 1-11.

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