Ultrasonic elastography method, device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides an ultrasonic elastography method and device, equipment and a storage medium. The ultrasonic elastography method comprises the following steps: determining an energy compensation expression of a transducer for ultrasonic elastography; obtaining an initial signal for performing ultrasonic elastography on the target tissue by using a transducer; compensating the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a correction signal; and determining elasticity information of the target tissue according to the correction signal. According to the scheme, the detected initial signal is compensated, and the elasticity analysis of the target tissue is realized, so that the sensitivity and the resolution of ultrasonic elastography are improved, and more accurate elasticity information is obtained.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasound imaging, and more particularly to an ultrasound elasticity imaging method, an ultrasound elasticity imaging device, an ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus, a storage medium and a computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] Ultrasound elasticity imaging technology is a method for directly or indirectly measuring the elasticity (or hardness) of soft tissue using ultrasound waves, and can realize the identification of a target tissue.

[0003] It can be understood that, under the action of physical laws such as elastomechanics and biomechanics, a target tissue will generate a response, such as a change in the distribution of displacement, strain and velocity, when a dynamic / static / quasi-static excitation is applied to the target tissue from the inside (including itself) or the outside. By using ultrasound elasticity imaging technology in combination with digital signal processing or image processing technology, the corresponding change in the target tissue can be detected, thereby indirectly or directly reflecting the difference in the mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus of the target tissue.

[0004] Current ultrasound elasticity imaging technology is not accurate enough in detecting the elasticity of a target tissue, and the elasticity information obtained thereby is difficult to accurately reflect the real situation of the target tissue. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application is proposed in consideration of the above problems.

[0006] According to an aspect of the present application, an ultrasound elasticity imaging method is provided, which includes: determining an energy compensation expression of a transducer used for ultrasound elasticity imaging; obtaining, by using the transducer, an initial signal for ultrasound elasticity imaging of a target tissue; compensating the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal; and determining elasticity information of the target tissue according to the corrected signal.

[0007] Exemplarily, the transducer used for ultrasound elasticity imaging includes an excitation transducer and a detection transducer. The energy compensation expression of the transducer used for ultrasound elasticity imaging is determined by: obtaining first sound field data of the excitation transducer and second sound field data of the detection transducer; determining a tissue energy attenuation expression of an ultrasound signal propagating in the target tissue; and determining the energy compensation expression based on the tissue energy attenuation expression, the first sound field data and the second sound field data.

[0008] According to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression, a first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer is determined; according to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression, a second attenuation expression of the detection transducer is determined; and according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression, the energy compensation expression is determined.

[0009] According to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression, the energy compensation expression is determined, including: based on the positional relationship between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer, a positional difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the direction of the withdrawal is determined; according to the second attenuation expression and the positional difference in the direction of the withdrawal, a correction expression is determined; and according to the first attenuation expression and the correction expression, the energy compensation expression is determined.

[0010] According to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression, a first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer is determined, including: the first sound field data is multiplied by corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain first attenuation data, and the first attenuation data is fitted to obtain the first attenuation expression.

[0011] According to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression, a second attenuation expression of the detection transducer is determined, including: the second sound field data is multiplied by corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain second attenuation data, and the second attenuation data is fitted to obtain the second attenuation expression.

[0012] According to the first attenuation expression and the correction expression, the energy compensation expression is determined, including: the first attenuation expression is multiplied by the correction expression to obtain an attenuation coefficient expression; and according to the attenuation coefficient expression, the energy compensation expression is determined.

[0013] According to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression, a first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer is determined; according to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression, a second attenuation expression of the detection transducer is determined; and according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression, the energy compensation expression is determined.

[0014] According to the energy compensation expression, the initial signal is compensated to obtain a corrected signal, including: the energy of the initial signal is multiplied by a value corresponding to the depth calculated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a normalized corrected signal.

[0015] The elasticity information of the target tissue includes an elastic modulus. The elasticity information of the target tissue is determined according to the corrected signal, including: obtaining a propagation distance of the shear wave; determining a propagation time of the shear wave according to the corrected signal; determining a propagation speed of the shear wave according to the propagation distance and the propagation time; and determining the elastic modulus of the target tissue according to the propagation speed of the shear wave and a density of the target tissue.

[0016] The excitation transducer and the detection transducer are arranged on the catheter respectively, and the catheter performs the withdrawing action along the axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography. For the case that there is no position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer along the withdrawing direction, the propagation time of the shear wave is determined according to the corrected signal, including: determining a time difference value between adjacent wave peaks and wave troughs of the shear wave according to the corrected signal, and determining the propagation time of the shear wave according to the time difference value.

[0017] The excitation transducer and the detection transducer are arranged on the catheter respectively, and the catheter performs the withdrawing action along the axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography. For the case that there is no position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer along the withdrawing direction, the propagation time of the shear wave is determined according to the corrected signal, including: determining a time difference value between adjacent wave peaks and wave troughs of the shear wave according to the corrected signal, and determining the propagation time of the shear wave according to the time difference value.

[0018] The transducer is arranged on the catheter, and the initial signal for the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue is obtained by using the transducer, including: controlling the transducer to perform the rotating scanning and the withdrawing action along the axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography; and obtaining the initial signal for the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue by using the transducer during the rotating and withdrawing process.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present application, an ultrasonic elastography device is also provided, which includes a compensation module, an imaging module, a correction module and a determination module. The compensation module is configured to determine an energy compensation expression of a transducer used for ultrasonic elastography; the imaging module is configured to obtain an initial signal for ultrasonic elastography of a target tissue by using the transducer; the correction module is configured to compensate the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal; and the determination module is configured to determine elasticity information of the target tissue according to the corrected signal.

[0020] According to still another aspect of the present application, an ultrasonic elastography device is also provided, which includes a transducer, a processor and a memory. The transducer is configured to obtain an initial signal for ultrasonic elastography of a target tissue, the memory stores computer program instructions, and the computer program instructions are configured to be executed by the processor to perform the ultrasonic elastography method in the above embodiments.

[0021] Exemplarily, the device further comprises a catheter, and a distal end of the catheter is provided with the transducer.

[0022] Exemplarily, the transducer comprises an excitation transducer and a detection transducer. The excitation transducer and the detection transducer are arranged along an axial direction of the catheter or along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and / or an included angle between an excitation direction of the excitation transducer and a receiving direction of the detection transducer is between 0 and 360 degrees.

[0023] According to still another aspect of the present application, a storage medium is provided, and program instructions are stored on the storage medium, and the program instructions are used for executing the ultrasonic elastography method in the above embodiments when executed.

[0024] According to still another aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided, and the computer program product comprises computer program instructions, and the computer program instructions are used for executing the ultrasonic elastography method in the above embodiments when executed.

[0025] According to the above technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, the energy compensation expression of the transducer used for ultrasonic elastography is determined, the initial signal of the ultrasonic elastography is compensated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal, and the elastic information of the target tissue is determined according to the corrected signal, so that the elastic analysis of the target tissue is realized. In the above technical solution, the initial signal is compensated, which is beneficial to improving the sensitivity and resolution of the ultrasonic elastography, so that more accurate elastic information is obtained.

[0026] The above description is only a summary of the technical solutions of the present application. In order to enable one skilled in the art to better understand the technical means of the present application, the embodiments of the present application can be implemented according to the content of the specification, and in order to enable the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application to be more obvious, the following specific embodiments of the present application are described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] The above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, and constitute a part of the specification, and are used to explain the present application together with the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation of the present application.

[0028] Figure 1 a schematic flowchart of an ultrasonic elastography method according to one embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0029] Figure 2 a schematic diagram showing the sound field data curve of the transducer, the tissue energy attenuation curve and the attenuation coefficient curve according to one embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0030] Figure 3a schematic diagram showing an attenuation coefficient curve, an energy compensation curve, and a normalized sound field energy curve according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 4 a schematic block diagram showing an ultrasound elastography apparatus according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 5 a schematic block diagram showing an ultrasound elastography apparatus according to one embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 6 a schematic block diagram showing an ultrasound elastography apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figures 7a to 7c a schematic diagram showing different position relationships of an excitation transducer and a detection transducer according to some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the application. One of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the application can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail in order to avoid obscuring aspects of the application.

[0036] With the development of ultrasound elastography technology, it can be applied to various different scenarios. For example, the composition and morphology of atherosclerotic lesions are considered to be more important determinants than the degree of stenosis in acute coronary ischemic syndrome. Most acute coronary syndromes are caused by the rupture of vulnerable plaques. One subclass of vulnerable plaques, called thin-cap fibroatheroma, can be described as a large soft lipid pool covered by a thin fibrous cap. In addition to the composition and geometry of the plaque, inflammation caused by macrophage infiltration is also considered to be a major determinant of plaque rupture. Therefore, how to accurately detect these fragile plaques in vivo is crucial. Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) technology can be used to detect blood vessels, and its image is a gray-scale image. Since there is a certain difference in gray scale between different tissues in the blood vessel, when using intravascular ultrasound technology, the part of the image area that appears as a bright echo with a shadow behind it will be identified as a calcified plaque, but the identification of lipid, fibrous and fibro-lipid plaques is much more complex because the gray scale brightness of the three plaques is close. Therefore, the use of intravascular ultrasound imaging technology is still very limited for the characterization of some tissues, such as atherosclerotic plaques. For this purpose, ultrasound elastography technology can be used to detect blood vessels to directly or indirectly measure the elasticity information of soft tissue using ultrasound waves, thereby realizing the identification of the measured tissue. However, the existing ultrasound elastography technology has low accuracy and is difficult to meet the needs in many application scenarios such as the above-mentioned blood vessel detection.

[0037] To at least partially solve the above technical problems, according to one aspect of the present application, an ultrasound elastography method is provided. The ultrasound elastography method can improve the sensitivity and resolution of ultrasound elastography by compensating the initial signal on the basis of realizing the elastic analysis of the target tissue, thereby obtaining more accurate elastic information.

[0038] The ultrasound elastography method in the present application can be applied to in vivo imaging of a living body. For example, it can be used to detect plaque tissue in the blood vessels of the human body. The blood vessels of the human body can be the coronary blood vessels of the heart, venous blood vessels, etc., and the plaque tissue includes atherosclerotic plaques, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application more obvious, the following will describe example embodiments according to the present application in detail with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart of an ultrasound elastography method according to one embodiment of the present application is shown. The ultrasound elastography method can be implemented using an ultrasound elastography device. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound elastography method can include the following steps. Figure 1As shown, the method includes step S200, step S400, step S600, and step S800.

[0041] In step S200, an energy compensation expression for a transducer used in ultrasonic elastography is determined.

[0042] As described previously, an ultrasonic elastography device used in ultrasonic elastography can apply a dynamic / static / quasi-static excitation to a target tissue, which is internal (including the target tissue itself) or external. It can be understood that, under the action of physical laws such as elastomechanics and biomechanics, the target tissue will generate a response, for example, a certain change in the distribution of displacement, strain, and velocity. By using ultrasonic elastography technology, combined with digital signal processing or image processing operations, the corresponding change in the tissue can be detected, thereby indirectly or directly reflecting the difference in the mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus of the tissue, to achieve the identification of the target tissue.

[0043] An ultrasonic elastography device used in ultrasonic elastography can include a transducer. The transducer is an energy conversion device that converts energy from one form to another. Specifically, the transducer in the embodiments of the present application can be a device that can convert acoustic energy and electric energy into each other, and can detect continuous acoustic energy. For example, the transducer can include a magnetostrictive transducer or a piezoelectric crystal transducer, and the like. Those skilled in the art can select a suitable transducer according to the actual application, and the present application does not limit the specific type of the transducer.

[0044] Exemplarily, the ultrasonic elastography device can include an excitation transducer and a detection transducer. In some embodiments, the excitation transducer is used to emit a high-energy acoustic beam, thereby exciting an elastic wave in the target tissue. The detection transducer can rapidly image the target tissue to detect the elastic wave.

[0045] It can be understood that the elastic wave detected by the transducer has depth information of the target tissue to be measured.

[0046] The elastic wave detected by the transducer and propagated through the target tissue has an attenuation effect, which adversely affects the final accuracy of ultrasonic elastography. Therefore, according to the embodiments of the present application, the elastic wave detected by the transducer is compensated. The above attenuation of the elastic wave is related to various factors, such as the depth of the target tissue, the position of the transducer, and the like.

[0047] Exemplarily, the energy compensation expression can be understood as a mathematical model in which the compensation value of the acoustic energy varies with a specific physical quantity of the target tissue, the transducer and / or the elastic wave. According to the energy compensation expression, the gain value of the acoustic energy to be compensated for can be determined when the specific physical quantity is a specific value. The specific physical quantity can include the depth of the target tissue, the distance between the transducers, the frequency of the elastic wave, etc. According to the embodiments of the present application, the energy compensation expression can adopt an exponential decay model. When the depth of the target tissue and other factors are considered more accurately, the decay of the acoustic energy decreases exponentially with the depth, and the energy compensation expression increases exponentially with the depth. When the compensation accuracy is considered roughly, the energy compensation expression can adopt a linear decay model, i.e., the energy compensation increases linearly with the specific physical quantity. Alternatively, according to the compensation accuracy and the considered factors, the energy compensation expression can also adopt a logarithmic decay model, a polynomial decay model, etc.

[0048] Exemplarily, the energy compensation expression can be determined by experimental data. Specifically, the energy compensation expression can be determined by fitting a curve with experimental data. Alternatively, a mathematical model can be derived according to physical principles to determine the energy compensation expression. For example, the energy compensation expression can be derived according to the acoustic properties of the transducer and the characteristics of the target tissue to be measured. Specifically, the acoustic field data of the transducer can be obtained, and an expression of tissue energy attenuation of the ultrasonic signal propagating in the target tissue can be determined. Then, based on the expression of tissue energy attenuation and the acoustic field data of the transducer, the energy compensation expression can be determined.

[0049] In step S400, an initial signal for ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue is obtained by using the transducer.

[0050] It should be noted that the target tissue can be a part of any suitable object, including but not limited to a human body, other animals or static objects, etc., and the present application does not limit the same. The target tissue can also be any tissue of the object, and the present application also does not limit the same. Exemplarily, the target tissue is soft tissue. Specifically, the target tissue can be soft tissue at any body part of a patient. Exemplarily, the target tissue is a coronary artery of the heart of the patient. The coronary artery can have plaque tissue therein, such as one or more of a fibrous plaque, a lipid plaque, a fibrous lipid plaque, a necrotic core, a calcified plaque, an atherosclerotic plaque.

[0051] Exemplarily, the transducer is arranged on the catheter, and specifically, can be arranged on the catheter head. The step S400 can further include: controlling the transducer to perform a rotating scan in the ultrasonic elastography and execute a withdrawing action along the axial direction of the catheter; and obtaining, by the transducer, an initial signal for the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue in the rotating and withdrawing process. That is, after the catheter head enters the lumen (for example, in the blood vessel), the catheter can be controlled to drive the transducer to perform a rotating and withdrawing in the lumen, and the initial signal for the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue can be obtained in the rotating and withdrawing process.

[0052] Exemplarily, the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue by the transducer can include the following steps. The transducer emits a high-energy beam pulse. The high-energy beam pulse interacts with the internal structure of the target tissue, deforms the target tissue, and generates a return signal. The transducer receives the return signal and converts it into an electrical signal. Then, the received return signal is digitized to obtain an initial signal. The initial signal can be used for subsequent further image reconstruction and elasticity analysis.

[0053] In an embodiment in which the target tissue is an intravascular tissue, in the process of the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue by the transducer, the transducer can be sent to any position in the blood vessel to excite the target tissue at the position to obtain an elastic wave. The elastic wave includes a shear wave and / or a longitudinal wave. Detecting the propagation of the elastic wave in the target tissue can obtain an initial signal of the ultrasonic elastography. After the target tissue at the position is imaged, the transducer can be moved to other positions in the blood vessel to obtain an initial signal of the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue at the other positions, so as to obtain a complete initial signal for imaging of different positions in the blood vessel.

[0054] Exemplarily, the obtained initial signal can be subjected to corresponding signal processing operations. Specifically, the signal processing operations can include signal conditioning, filtering, digitization, data processing, etc. For example, signal conditioning of the initial signal can amplify the collected initial signal for subsequent processing and analysis; filtering of the initial signal can remove noise and interference, so that the initial signal is clearer; digitization of the initial signal can convert the analog signal into a digital signal, which is convenient for computer or other digital devices to process; and further data processing of the initial signal can be performed according to specific requirements and applications, such as removing outliers, smoothing processing, feature extraction, etc.

[0055] In the step S600, the initial signal is compensated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal.

[0056] It can be understood that the sound energy will gradually attenuate in the process of propagation due to various factors, including but not limited to distance attenuation, absorption attenuation, scattering attenuation or multiple reflection attenuation, etc. That is, the sound energy will gradually attenuate in the process of propagation. For example, the sound energy will gradually attenuate with the increase of the propagation distance in the process of propagation due to the influence of medium damping on the sound wave. For another example, the sound energy will be partially absorbed by the surrounding objects in the process of propagation, resulting in the weakening of the intensity of the sound energy. Since the sound energy gradually attenuates in the process of propagation, the energy of the initial signal also attenuates to a certain extent. According to the energy compensation expression, the initial signal is compensated to obtain a corrected signal, so that the original intensity of the sound energy can be obtained, thereby improving the sensitivity and resolution of ultrasonic elastography, so as to facilitate more accurate subsequent elastic analysis of the target tissue.

[0057] Exemplarily, the corrected signal can be directly obtained by compensating the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression, or the corrected signal can be obtained after further signal processing before or after compensating the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression. Specifically, in step S600, the initial signal can be first subjected to Fourier transform to obtain an energy spectrum of the energy distribution of the initial signal at different frequencies. The energy of the signal at different frequencies is compensated according to the energy compensation expression. The compensated signal is then subjected to inverse Fourier transform to obtain the compensated signal, i.e. the corrected signal.

[0058] In step S800, the elastic information of the target tissue is determined according to the corrected signal.

[0059] Table 1 shows the density and acoustic impedance of different medium types. The difference in density and acoustic impedance between different human tissues is small, which is not conducive to the identification between tissues by density or acoustic impedance.

[0060] Table 1

[0061] Medium type Density (g / cm3) Acoustic impedance (10 6 N*s / m 3 )]]> Air 0.0013 0.000428 Water 0.993 1.513 Blood 1.065 1.656 Liver 1.050 1.648 Muscle 1.074 1.684 Soft tissue 1.016 1.524 Fat 0.955 1.410

[0062] Table 2 shows the Young's modulus of different tissue types in human body, which is one kind of elastic information. Compared with the difference in acoustic impedance or density, the difference in Young's modulus between different tissue types is larger, and in the same soft tissue type, the difference in Young's modulus between different parts is also large. Therefore, the difference in Young's modulus between different tissues can be used to more accurately identify and classify the tissues, and further evaluate the properties of the tissues. This helps medical personnel to more accurately identify and evaluate the pathological conditions of the target tissues, thereby providing an important reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

[0063] Table 2

[0064]

[0065] It can be understood that when the acoustic energy propagates in the medium, the elastic properties of the medium will affect the propagation speed and attenuation degree of the acoustic energy, i.e., the elastic information of the target tissue will affect the propagation of the signal therein. The propagation of the signal in the medium with different elastic properties is also different. Therefore, the elastic information of the target tissue, such as the density, Young's modulus, shear modulus, etc. of the target tissue, can be determined by correcting the signal. The elastic information of the target tissue can reflect the softness and hardness of the target tissue, such as the softness and hardness of the blood vessel wall of the human body. According to different elastic information, normal tissue and plaque tissue (such as blood vessel wall with lesions) can be intuitively distinguished, and different properties of plaque tissue can be distinguished to more accurately evaluate atherosclerotic plaques, etc.

[0066] In the ultrasonic elastography method of the above embodiment, the energy compensation expression of the transducer used for ultrasonic elastography is determined, the initial signal of the ultrasonic elastography is compensated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal, and the elastic information of the target tissue is determined according to the corrected signal, so as to realize the elastic analysis of the target tissue. In this technical solution, the initial signal is compensated, which is beneficial to improve the sensitivity and resolution of ultrasonic elastography, so as to obtain more accurate elastic information.

[0067] It should be understood that, although Figure 1 The steps in the flowchart of the method are displayed in sequence according to the arrows, but these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise specified herein, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in sequence, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, Figure 1 At least part of the steps in the method can include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages, which are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these sub-steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed in rotation or alternation with at least part of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0068] Exemplarily, the transducer used for ultrasonic elastography includes an excitation transducer and a detection transducer. It should be noted that the transducer used for ultrasonic elastography can include but is not limited to one excitation transducer and one detection transducer. For example, the transducer used for ultrasonic elastography can include multiple excitation transducers and multiple detection transducers. Specifically, it can be configured that one excitation transducer corresponds to multiple detection transducers, or multiple excitation transducers correspond to one detection transducer, or multiple excitation transducers and multiple detection transducers one-to-one correspond.

[0069] Specifically, in an embodiment where one excitation transducer corresponds to multiple detection transducers, the one excitation transducer is configured to emit a high-energy acoustic beam to excite an elastic wave in the target tissue. The multiple detection transducers are configured to detect the elastic wave to obtain multiple initial signals. The initial signals can be compensated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain multiple corrected signals, respectively. An average of the multiple corrected signals can be calculated to obtain an averaged corrected signal. The elastic information of the target tissue is determined according to the averaged corrected signal. The average of the multiple initial signals can be calculated to obtain an averaged initial signal. The averaged initial signal can be compensated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal.

[0070] Correspondingly, in an embodiment where multiple excitation transducers correspond to one detection transducer, the multiple excitation transducers are configured to emit multiple high-energy acoustic beams to excite a stronger elastic wave in the target tissue. The detection transducer is configured to detect the elastic wave to obtain an initial signal. The detection transducer can be configured to collect and process the detected elastic wave in a directional manner through a beamforming technique. The beamforming can adjust the phase difference of the elastic wave in different directions within the target tissue to form a "beam" in a specific direction. The signal delay and amplitude of the multiple high-energy acoustic beams emitted by the multiple excitation transducers are configured such that the detected elastic wave forms a focused beam in a specific direction. The initial signal can be compensated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal.

[0071] Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, the transducers used for ultrasonic elastography are exemplarily described as including one excitation transducer and one detection transducer.

[0072] In some embodiments, the excitation transducer is configured to serve as an elastography excitation to cause the target tissue to produce an elastic strain. The acoustic beam emitted by the excitation transducer can be a high-energy pulse with a large pulse width, a high amplitude, multiple cycles, etc., which is beneficial to the excitation of elastic deformation. The detection transducer is configured to receive and detect echo signals. Through signal and image processing, ultrasonic elastography is completed. Specifically, taking the target tissue as a blood vessel tissue, the excitation transducer can be configured to emit an excitation signal, i.e., an acoustic radiation force, which is focused in the blood vessel tissue to generate an elastic wave. The detection transducer is configured to emit an ultrasonic signal to detect the elastic wave and process the collected signal to obtain the elastic information of the tissue within the blood vessel.

[0073] In an embodiment, the excitation transducer adopts a low-frequency transducer. Since low-frequency acoustic waves have good penetration performance when propagating in a medium, they can propagate a longer distance and penetrate a thicker medium. Therefore, the use of a low-frequency transducer helps to improve the excitation energy and can improve the propagation effect of the ultrasonic signal.

[0074] In one embodiment, a high-frequency transducer is used for detection. Because high-frequency transducers can generate high-frequency sound waves, they have better resolution and sensitivity, and can more accurately receive and analyze the ultrasound signals reflected by the target tissue.

[0075] It is understandable that using a low-frequency transducer as the excitation transducer and a high-frequency transducer as the detection transducer can achieve good results in both liquid medium transmission and target tissue detection. This configuration can make full use of the penetration performance of low-frequency sound waves and the resolution advantage of high-frequency sound waves, thereby improving the performance and efficiency of ultrasound elastography.

[0076] In step S200, determining the energy compensation expression for the transducer used in ultrasound elastography may include the following steps S210, S220, and S230.

[0077] Step S210: Obtain the first sound field data of the excitation transducer and the second sound field data of the detection transducer.

[0078] Figure 2 The acoustic field data curves of a transducer according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown. Please refer to... Figure 2 In essence, a sound field refers to the distribution and characteristics of sound energy within a specific region. A sound field can be displayed in three dimensions, or represented in one or two dimensions. For example, the sound field data acquired in step S210 is represented using a one-dimensional function. One-dimensional sound field data characterizes the propagation of sound energy in one direction and can be represented by, for instance, a function... Figure 2 The curve A, representing the change of acoustic energy with depth, is shown in the figure. Depth can be understood as the distance from the transducer. Obtaining the first acoustic field data of the excitation transducer and the second acoustic field data of the detection transducer helps to understand the change of acoustic energy of the excitation and detection transducers with depth, which in turn helps to determine their energy compensation expression.

[0079] In one embodiment, the first sound field data and the second sound field data can also be represented by a sound energy attenuation curve. This sound energy attenuation curve can represent the change of sound energy with the square root or logarithm of depth.

[0080] Specifically, a hydrophone can be used to acquire first sound field data for exciting the transducer and second sound field data for detecting the transducer at different locations. A hydrophone is a device used to receive sound energy in a medium. Information about the sound field in the medium can be obtained through a hydrophone. A hydrophone typically consists of a sound energy sensor and a signal processor, which converts the sound energy signal in the medium into an electrical signal for analysis and processing. Based on the sound field data of the transducer acquired by the hydrophone at different locations, i.e., different depths, curve fitting can be performed to determine the expressions for the aforementioned first and second sound field data. Figure 2 The curve A is used to represent this.

[0081] In step S220, the tissue energy attenuation expression of the ultrasound signal propagating in the target tissue is determined.

[0082] Please refer to Figure 2 It should be understood that the tissue energy attenuation expression reflects the acoustic characteristics of the target tissue, which characterizes the energy attenuation of the ultrasound signal propagating in the target tissue, and can be represented by the tissue energy attenuation curve B as shown in the figure. Figure 2

[0083] Specifically, the tissue energy attenuation expression can be expressed as: y' = e -a*x ; in the formula, y' represents the tissue energy attenuation value, e represents the natural logarithm, a represents the tissue attenuation coefficient, and x represents the depth relative to the transducer; the tissue attenuation coefficient a = fc*0.7 / dB / cm, in which fc represents the center frequency of the transducer. It can be understood that in this specific example, the tissue energy attenuation value is related to the center frequency of the transducer and the position of the transducer.

[0084] In step S230, based on the tissue energy attenuation expression, the first sound field data and the second sound field data, the energy compensation expression is determined.

[0085] Because the first sound field data and the second sound field data respectively represent the information of the ultrasound signal of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer, and the tissue energy attenuation expression reflects the characteristics of the ultrasound signal of the transducer propagating in the target tissue, therefore, based on the three, the energy compensation value that the target tissue at each position should have when the target tissue is detected by the excitation transducer and the detection transducer can be determined, and then the energy compensation expression is determined.

[0086] Exemplarily, based on the tissue energy attenuation expression, the first sound field data and the second sound field data, the energy attenuation coefficients of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer propagating in the target tissue along the depth direction can be obtained, and then the energy compensation expression is determined according to the energy attenuation coefficients.

[0087] In the above embodiment, by obtaining the sound field data of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer, the sound energy attenuation information of the two is obtained, and the energy attenuation information of the tissue, i.e. the tissue energy attenuation expression, is determined, and then based on the three, the energy compensation expression of the current ultrasonic elasticity detection operation is determined. In this scheme, the number of variables involved is small, which is conducive to reducing the calculation difficulty and improving the calculation accuracy, so as to improve the accuracy of the determined energy compensation expression. Thus, the accuracy of the finally determined elasticity information of the target tissue is ensured.

[0088] ​Exemplarily, at step S230, the energy compensation expression is determined based on the tissue energy attenuation expression, the first sound field data and the second sound field data, including the following steps S231, S232 and S233.

[0089] At step S231, the first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer is determined according to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression.

[0090] In combination Figure 2 It is understood that the first sound field data can be characterized by a curve A as shown in FIG. 2A, and the tissue energy attenuation expression can be characterized by a curve B as shown in FIG. 2B. At step S231, the first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer can be determined according to the first sound field data A and the tissue energy attenuation expression B. Figure 2 Figure 2 In combination

[0091] Exemplarily, the first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer can be determined by fitting based on the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression. Specifically, for the sound field data at any depth in the first sound field data, the tissue energy attenuation value at the depth can be determined based on the tissue energy attenuation expression. The first attenuation data of the excitation transducer at the depth can be determined based on the sound field data at the depth and the tissue energy attenuation value. Based on the first attenuation data at different depths, various fitting methods can be used to determine the first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer. For example, a linear fitting method can be used to determine the first attenuation expression. Using a linear regression method, the first attenuation data points at different depths are fitted into a straight line representing the first attenuation expression. In an embodiment, the linear regression can determine the optimal fitting straight line by least squares method, so that the residual sum of squares of the fitting straight line and the data points is minimized. Alternatively, a polynomial fitting method can also be used to fit the first attenuation data points at different depths into a curve representing the first attenuation expression. In an embodiment, the polynomial fitting can also determine the coefficients of the optimal fitting curve by least squares method, and select a suitable polynomial order to fit the data.

[0092] At step S232, the second attenuation expression of the detection transducer is determined according to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression.

[0093] In combination Figure 2 It is understood that the second sound field data can also be characterized by a curve A as shown in FIG. 2A, and the tissue energy attenuation expression can be characterized by a curve B as shown in FIG. 2B. At step S232, the second attenuation expression of the excitation transducer can be determined according to the second sound field data A and the tissue energy attenuation expression B. Figure 2 Figure 2 In combination

[0094] ​​Exemplarily and similar to the first attenuation expression, the second attenuation expression of the excitation transducer can be determined based on the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression by means of data fitting, which will not be described herein again.

[0095] In step S233, the energy compensation expression is determined according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression.

[0096] The first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression respectively represent the attenuation characteristics of the ultrasonic signals of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the target tissue, and thus the energy compensation expression of the ultrasonic elastography device can be determined based thereon. Again referring to Figure 2 wherein the energy determined according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression is also shown.

[0097] In the above technical solution, the energy compensation expression of the ultrasonic elastography device is determined by the first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer and the second attenuation expression of the detection transducer, so that a more accurate energy compensation expression is obtained with a smaller calculation cost, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the elastic information determined by the ultrasonic elastography device.

[0098] Exemplarily, the excitation transducer and the detection transducer are respectively arranged on the catheter, and the catheter performs the action of retraction along the axial direction of the catheter during ultrasonic elastography. Step S233 of determining the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression can include the following steps S2331, S2332 and S2333.

[0099] In step S2331, the position difference of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the retraction direction is determined based on the positional relationship between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer.

[0100] It is worth noting that the retraction timing of the ultrasonic elastography process refers to the movement timing of the catheter on which the transducer is arranged when scanning or detecting. One key step in the retraction timing is the retraction movement of the catheter. As the catheter retracts, the transducer arranged on the catheter also retracts. The transducer retracts at a certain speed in the scanning area to ensure comprehensive scanning of the entire scanning area. The position difference of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the retraction direction is the position difference in the retraction direction.

[0101] Specifically, the position difference in the retraction direction ranges from 0 mm to 5 mm. In one embodiment, the position difference in the retraction direction can be understood as a constant during the ultrasonic elastography process. For example, the retraction direction position difference can be 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm or 4 mm, etc.

[0102] Step S2332, determining a correction expression according to the second attenuation expression and the position difference in the withdrawal direction.

[0103] Since there is a position difference in the withdrawal direction between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer, in this step S2332, the second attenuation expression is corrected to reduce the negative impact of the position difference in the withdrawal direction on the energy compensation.

[0104] Step S2333, determining an energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the correction expression.

[0105] The first attenuation expression and the correction expression respectively represent the attenuation characteristics of the ultrasonic signals of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the target tissue, and thus a more accurate energy compensation expression of the ultrasonic elastography device can be determined based thereon.

[0106] In the above embodiments, it can be understood that the size of the position difference in the withdrawal direction will affect the working effect of the transducer and the accuracy of the output energy. If the position difference in the withdrawal direction is large, it may cause a greater impact on the accuracy of the energy output. When determining the energy compensation expression, the position difference in the withdrawal direction between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer is considered, which can more comprehensively and accurately determine the energy compensation expression to achieve more accurate energy compensation, and is beneficial to improve the accuracy and reliability of the ultrasonic elastography method.

[0107] Exemplarily, the above step S231 of determining the first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer according to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression includes the following step S2311. In step S2311, the first sound field data is multiplied by corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain first attenuation data, and the first attenuation data is fitted to obtain the first attenuation expression.

[0108] It should be noted that the multiplication of the first sound field data and the corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain the first attenuation data can be understood as multiplying the data points of the two corresponding to obtain new data points, and the new data points are the first attenuation data. Here, the corresponding data refers to data at the same depth. The fitting of the first attenuation data to obtain the first attenuation expression can be understood as curve fitting of the new data points, for example, a curve fitting method such as linear fitting, polynomial fitting or nonlinear fitting can be used to fit the multiplied data points into a curve, which is the curve corresponding to the first attenuation expression.

[0109] Specifically, the first attenuation expression can be expressed as: y1=e -a1*x; wherein y1 represents the first attenuation data, e represents a natural logarithm, a1 represents a first attenuation coefficient of the excitation transducer, and x represents a depth.

[0110] Similarly to step S231, step S232, determining the second attenuation expression of the detection transducer according to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression, can include the following step S2321. In step S2321, the second sound field data is multiplied by corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain second attenuation data, and the second attenuation data is fitted to obtain the second attenuation expression.

[0111] It should be noted that the multiplication of the second sound field data and the corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain the second attenuation data can be understood as multiplying the data corresponding to the same depth to obtain new data points, and the new data points are the second attenuation data. The fitting of the plurality of second attenuation data to obtain the second attenuation expression can be understood as curve fitting of the new data points, for example, the multiplied data points can be fitted into a curve, i.e., the second attenuation expression, using curve fitting methods such as linear fitting, polynomial fitting or nonlinear fitting.

[0112] Specifically, the second attenuation expression can be expressed as: y2 = e -a2*x ; wherein y2 represents the second attenuation data, e represents a natural logarithm, a2 represents a second attenuation coefficient of the detection transducer, and x represents a depth.

[0113] In the case where the second attenuation expression is expressed as y2 = e -a2*x , the above correction expression can be expressed as:

[0114] y2' = e -a2*(x+dx) ; wherein y2' represents the corrected second attenuation data, e represents a natural logarithm, a2 represents a second attenuation coefficient of the detection transducer, x represents a depth, and dx represents a position difference in the withdrawal direction.

[0115] Step S2333, determining the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the correction expression, includes the following steps. First, the first attenuation expression and the correction expression are multiplied to obtain an attenuation coefficient expression. Then, the energy compensation expression is determined according to the attenuation coefficient expression. Figure 2 An attenuation coefficient curve C according to an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. 2, which is determined according to Figure 2 the sound field data curve and the tissue energy attenuation curve shown in FIG. 1. Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the attenuation coefficient curve C according to an embodiment of the present application and an energy compensation curve F determined according to the attenuation coefficient curve C is shown in FIG. 3.

[0116] Exemplarily, the product of the attenuation coefficient curve and the corresponding data on the energy compensation curve can be a constant value. It can be understood that the corresponding data is data corresponding to the same depth. In other words, the product of the reciprocal of the attenuation coefficient and the constant value can be calculated as the corresponding energy compensation value on the energy compensation curve. From the perspective of expression, the energy compensation expression can be determined by dividing the constant value by the attenuation coefficient expression. Alternatively, the product of the attenuation coefficient curve and the corresponding data on the energy compensation curve can be a function having a linear relationship with the depth. This relationship can be used to determine the energy attenuation expression according to the attenuation coefficient expression.

[0117] In the above embodiment, the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression are obtained by fitting through multiplication operation respectively. In the multiplication operation, more parameters and degrees of freedom can be introduced to construct a more complex model, so that the complex relationship and change in the data in each expression can be better captured, and the characteristics and change trend of the data can be more accurately described. Moreover, since the multiplication operation can better fit the real characteristics and change rules of the ultrasonic elastography data, the model obtained through the multiplication operation can more accurately predict future data points, which is conducive to better understanding the relationship and trend between the data, thereby providing a guarantee for accurate analysis and decision of the data.

[0118] Exemplarily, in step S400, an initial signal for ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue is obtained by using the transducer, including the following steps S410 and S420.

[0119] In step S410, the excitation transducer is controlled to emit a sound beam to excite a shear wave in the target tissue.

[0120] Exemplarily, the excitation transducer can be controlled to emit a high-energy sound beam. The high-energy sound beam can focus multiple sound beams to concentrate energy in a small area, which is conducive to generating clearer and more detailed ultrasonic images. Specifically, the high-energy sound beam can concentrate acoustic energy in a specific area, improving the resolution and clarity of ultrasonic elastography. On the one hand, due to the concentration and focusing of acoustic energy, the high-energy sound beam can penetrate deeper tissues to obtain deeper information. On the other hand, the energy density of the sound beam is high, which can provide stronger acoustic signals to help overcome the absorption and scattering of the target tissue during ultrasonic elastography. In addition, by focusing the sound beam, artifacts in ultrasonic elastography can be reduced or eliminated to improve imaging quality.

[0121] In the above embodiment, the excitation transducer emits a high-energy sound beam to excite a shear wave in the target tissue.

[0122] In step S420, the detection transducer is controlled to detect the propagation of the shear wave to obtain the initial signal.

[0123] For example, an ultrafast ultrasonic imaging mode can be used when detecting the propagation of shear waves using a transducer. Ultrasonic imaging is a high-speed imaging technique that uses ultrasound waves to achieve rapid and accurate imaging. Compared to conventional imaging modes, ultrafast ultrasonic imaging requires a much higher rotation speed, and its receiving repetition frequency and processing speed are correspondingly faster. This mode can acquire a large amount of image data in a short time, thereby improving the speed and resolution of imaging.

[0124] Furthermore, the excitation and detection processes can be implemented during the rotation and retraction of the transducer. For example, in ultrasound elastography, the excitation and detection transducers can be rotated and retracted along the axial direction of the transducer by controlling the catheter; during the rotation and retraction, the excitation transducer is controlled to emit a sound beam to excite shear waves in the target tissue; and the detection transducer is controlled to detect the propagation of the shear waves during the rotation and retraction to obtain an initial signal.

[0125] The above technical solution, through the cooperation of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer, can accurately obtain the detected initial signal, thereby ensuring that the ultrasonic elastic image obtained based on the initial signal more realistically reflects the elastic information of the target tissue.

[0126] For example, step S600, which compensates the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal, includes the following step S610.

[0127] Step S610: Multiply the energy of the initial signal by the value corresponding to the depth calculated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain the normalized correction signal.

[0128] Combination Figure 3 Understanding, the energy compensation curve can be derived from, for example... Figure 3 The curve F shown is used to represent this. After compensating the initial signal based on this energy compensation curve, a normalized correction signal can be obtained, which can be represented by curve G as shown in Figure 3. It can be seen that the compensated correction signal no longer changes with depth, but maintains a constant energy. Specifically, the normalized correction signal can be obtained by multiplying the energy of the initial signal at different depths by the compensation value corresponding to the depth in the energy compensation curve.

[0129] In the above technical solution, the energy of the correction signal is determined by multiplying the energy of the initial signal by the energy compensation value corresponding to the depth. This method is not only easy to implement, but also produces a correction signal that more realistically reflects the target tissue. This ensures the imaging accuracy of the ultrasonic elastography device.

[0130] Exemplarily, the elasticity information of the target tissue includes an elastic modulus. The step S800 of determining the elasticity information of the target tissue according to the correction signal includes the following steps S810, S820, S830 and S840.

[0131] The step S810 is to obtain the propagation path of the shear wave.

[0132] Specifically, the propagation path of the shear wave can be understood as the path experienced by the high-energy acoustic beam emitted by the excitation transducer to the target tissue and returned to the detection transducer by the target tissue.

[0133] The step S820 is to determine the propagation time of the shear wave according to the correction signal.

[0134] It can be understood that the shear wave is generated by the excitation transducer emitting an acoustic beam in the target tissue. After the shear wave is generated in the target tissue, it needs a certain time to propagate before it can be detected by the detection transducer. This time is the propagation time of the shear wave. Based on the correction signal, the propagation time of the shear wave can be more accurately determined.

[0135] The step S830 is to determine the propagation speed of the shear wave according to the propagation path and the propagation time. Specifically, the propagation speed of the shear wave can be equal to the ratio of the propagation path of the shear wave to its propagation time.

[0136] The step S840 is to determine the elastic modulus of the target tissue according to the propagation speed of the shear wave and the density of the target tissue.

[0137] Specifically, under the condition of determining the propagation speed of the shear wave, the elastic modulus of the target tissue can be determined according to the following formula: E = 3p * c 2 , where E represents the elastic modulus, p represents the density of the target tissue, and c represents the propagation speed of the shear wave.

[0138] It can be understood that, taking the target tissue as an intravascular tissue for example, the propagation speed c of the shear wave in different tissues in the blood vessel is quite different, about in the range of 1m / s-100m / s. The difference of the propagation speed c of the shear wave in different tissues can reach 4 orders of magnitude. The difference of the elastic modulus E between different tissues can be reflected to some extent by the difference of the shear wave speed c. Combined with Table 1 in the foregoing, by comparing the difference of the elastic modulus E between different tissues, different tissues can be identified to determine the properties of the target tissue, which is helpful for medical personnel to accurately determine the target tissue.

[0139] As described above, the excitation transducer and the detection transducer can be respectively arranged on the catheter, and the catheter performs the action of withdrawing along the axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography.

[0140] For the case that there is no position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the withdrawal direction, the step S820 of determining the propagation time of the shear wave according to the corrected signal can include the following step S821. In the step S821, a time difference between adjacent wave peaks and wave troughs of the shear wave is determined according to the corrected signal, and the propagation time of the shear wave is determined according to the time difference.

[0141] It can be understood that the shear wave is generated in the target tissue by the excitation transducer emitting an acoustic beam. The acoustic beam emitted by the transducer can be a high-energy pulse, which has periodicity. Therefore, the transmission of the shear wave in the target tissue also has periodicity. By determining the time points of adjacent wave peaks and the time points of wave troughs of the shear wave, the time difference between adjacent wave peaks and wave troughs of the shear wave can be determined, and then the period of the shear wave can be obtained. The wave peak of the shear wave represents the maximum positive amplitude point of the shear wave waveform, and the wave trough represents the maximum negative amplitude point of the shear wave waveform.

[0142] As described above, the period of the shear wave can be determined according to the time difference. According to the period of the shear wave, the propagation time of the shear wave can be further determined.

[0143] The above technical solution is applied to the case that there is no position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the withdrawal direction. In this case, the propagation time of the shear wave is directly determined according to the time difference between adjacent wave peaks and wave troughs of the shear wave signal. Not only the accuracy of the determined propagation time of the shear wave is ensured, but also the accuracy of the determined elastic information of the target tissue is ensured, and the calculation is convenient.

[0144] For the case that there is a position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the withdrawal direction, the step S820 of determining the propagation time of the shear wave according to the corrected signal can include the following step S822. In the step S822, a time difference between the time point at which the signal of the shear wave reaches a maximum value and the time point at which the excitation transducer emits the acoustic beam is determined according to the corrected signal, and the propagation time of the shear wave is determined according to the time difference.

[0145] The time point at which the signal of the shear wave reaches a maximum value is the time at which the shear wave reaches the maximum amplitude at the detection transducer. The time difference between this time and the time at which the excitation transducer emits the acoustic beam can be directly determined as the propagation time of the shear wave. In this technical solution, the interference of the position difference of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the withdrawal direction on the determined propagation time of the shear wave is avoided, and the determined result is more accurate, and the accuracy of the finally determined elastic information of the target tissue is ensured. Exemplarily, after the step S800 of determining the elastic information of the target tissue according to the corrected signal, the method further includes the following steps S910 and S920.

[0146] At step S910, actual position information of the target tissue is acquired, and the actual position information is mapped with the elasticity information to obtain a target ultrasound image.

[0147] It can be understood that the target ultrasound image can include actual distribution information and elasticity information of the target tissue, which helps medical personnel more intuitively determine the properties of the target tissue. For example, in an embodiment in which the target tissue includes an intravascular plaque tissue, based on the determined elasticity information of the plaque tissue, the actual position information of the intravascular plaque tissue is mapped to obtain an elasticity ultrasound image of the intravascular plaque tissue. The elasticity ultrasound image of the intravascular plaque tissue can show the distribution of the intravascular plaque tissue, which helps identify the intravascular plaque tissue based on ultrasound elastography.

[0148] Specifically, the target ultrasound image obtained in this step can be any suitable size, suitable resolution, two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, and the ultrasound image can be any one of a black and white image, a grayscale image, or an RGB image.

[0149] Specifically, any suitable image processing method can be used to process the obtained target ultrasound image, and a suitable target ultrasound image is selected as the final target ultrasound image according to the processing result. The image processing method includes, but is not limited to, one or more of a morphological processing algorithm, a target recognition algorithm, a target detection algorithm, and an image segmentation algorithm. The final target ultrasound image can also be determined by a user-selected operation during an ultrasound scanning process.

[0150] At step S920, the transducer is controlled to retract according to a preset timing.

[0151] Specifically, the motor speed can be determined and different preset timing configurations can be performed according to the positional relationship between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer to control the transducer to retract.

[0152] In one specific embodiment, first sound field data of the excitation transducer and second sound field data of the detection transducer are acquired, and a tissue energy attenuation expression of an ultrasonic signal propagating in the target tissue is determined. The first sound field data is multiplied by corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression, and a first attenuation expression is fitted. The second sound field data is multiplied by corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression, and a second attenuation expression is fitted. A correction expression is determined according to a position difference of the withdrawal direction of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer and the second attenuation expression. The first attenuation expression is multiplied by the correction expression to obtain an attenuation coefficient expression. An energy compensation expression is determined according to the attenuation coefficient expression. The excitation transducer is controlled to emit a high-energy sound beam to excite a shear wave in the target tissue. The detection transducer is controlled to detect the propagation of the shear wave to obtain an initial signal. The energy of the initial signal is multiplied by a value corresponding to the depth calculated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a normalized corrected signal. A propagation distance of the shear wave is acquired. According to the corrected signal, a time difference value between adjacent wave peaks and wave troughs of the shear wave is determined. According to the propagation distance and the time difference value, a propagation velocity of the shear wave is determined. According to the propagation velocity of the shear wave and the density of the target tissue, an elastic modulus of the target tissue is determined, thereby realizing elastic analysis of the target tissue. On this basis, the initial signal is compensated, which is conducive to improving the sensitivity and resolution of ultrasonic elastography, thereby obtaining more accurate elastic information.

[0153] Reference is made to Figure 4 According to another aspect of the present application, an ultrasonic elastography device 10 is also provided. The ultrasonic elastography device 10 comprises a compensation module 11, an imaging module 12, a correction module 13, and a determination module 14. The compensation module 11 is configured to determine an energy compensation expression of a transducer for ultrasonic elastography. The imaging module 12 is configured to obtain an initial signal for ultrasonic elastography of a target tissue by using the transducer. The correction module 13 is configured to compensate the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal. The determination module 14 is configured to determine elastic information of the target tissue according to the corrected signal.

[0154] Exemplarily, the transducer for ultrasonic elastography comprises an excitation transducer (not shown) and a detection transducer (not shown).

[0155] Exemplarily, the compensation module 11 comprises a first compensation submodule, a second compensation submodule, and a third compensation submodule. The first compensation submodule is configured to acquire first sound field data of the excitation transducer and second sound field data of the detection transducer. The second compensation submodule is configured to determine a tissue energy attenuation expression of an ultrasonic signal propagating in the target tissue. The third compensation submodule is configured to determine an energy compensation expression based on the tissue energy attenuation expression, the first sound field data, and the second sound field data.

[0156] Exemplarily, the third compensation submodule includes a first compensation unit, a second compensation unit, and a third compensation unit. The first compensation unit is configured to determine a first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer according to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression. The second compensation unit is configured to determine a second attenuation expression of the detection transducer according to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression. The third compensation unit is configured to determine the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression.

[0157] Exemplarily, the excitation transducer and the detection transducer are arranged on a catheter, and the catheter performs a withdrawing action along an axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography. The third compensation unit includes a first correction unit, a second correction unit, and a third correction unit. The first correction unit is configured to determine a position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer along the withdrawing direction based on a positional relationship between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer. The second correction unit is configured to determine a correction expression according to the second attenuation expression and the position difference along the withdrawing direction. The third correction unit is configured to determine the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the correction expression.

[0158] Exemplarily, the first compensation unit includes a first operation unit. The first operation unit is configured to perform a multiplication operation on the first sound field data and corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain first attenuation data, and perform fitting on the first attenuation data to obtain the first attenuation expression.

[0159] Exemplarily, the second compensation unit includes a second operation unit. The second operation unit is configured to perform a multiplication operation on the second sound field data and corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain second attenuation data, and perform fitting on the second attenuation data to obtain the second attenuation expression.

[0160] Exemplarily, the second correction unit includes a third operation unit. The third operation unit is configured to perform a multiplication operation on the first attenuation expression and the correction expression to obtain an attenuation coefficient expression, and determine the energy compensation expression according to the attenuation coefficient expression.

[0161] Exemplarily, the imaging module 12 includes a first imaging submodule and a second imaging submodule. The first imaging submodule is configured to control the excitation transducer to emit a sound beam to excite a shear wave in the target tissue. The second imaging submodule is configured to control the detection transducer to detect propagation of the shear wave to obtain an initial signal.

[0162] Exemplarily, the correction module 13 includes a first correction submodule. The first correction submodule is configured to multiply energy of the initial signal by a value corresponding to a depth calculated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a normalized correction signal.

[0163] Exemplarily, the elasticity information of the target tissue includes an elastic modulus.

[0164] Exemplarily, the determining module 14 includes a first determining submodule, a second determining submodule, a third determining submodule and a fourth determining submodule. The first determining submodule is configured to obtain the propagation distance of the shear wave. The second determining submodule is configured to determine the time difference between adjacent wave crests and wave troughs of the shear wave according to the corrected signal. The third determining submodule is configured to determine the propagation speed of the shear wave according to the propagation distance and the time difference. The fourth determining submodule is configured to determine the elastic modulus of the target tissue according to the propagation speed of the shear wave and the density of the target tissue.

[0165] Exemplarily, the excitation transducer and the detection transducer are respectively arranged on the catheter, and the catheter performs the action of retraction along the axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography. For the case that there is no position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the retraction direction, the first determining submodule includes a first determining unit. The first determining unit is configured to determine the time difference between adjacent wave crests and wave troughs of the shear wave according to the corrected signal, and determine the propagation time of the shear wave according to the time difference.

[0166] Exemplarily, the excitation transducer and the detection transducer are respectively arranged on the catheter, and the catheter performs the action of retraction along the axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography. For the case that there is a position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the retraction direction, the first determining submodule includes a second determining unit. The second determining unit is configured to determine the time difference between the time point at which the signal of the shear wave reaches the maximum value and the time point at which the sound beam of the excitation transducer is emitted according to the corrected signal, and determine the propagation time of the shear wave according to the time difference.

[0167] Exemplarily, the transducer is arranged on the catheter, and the imaging module 12 includes a rotating retraction control submodule and a signal acquisition submodule. The rotating retraction control submodule is configured to control the transducer to perform the action of rotating scanning and retraction along the axial direction of the catheter during the ultrasonic elastography. The signal acquisition submodule is configured to obtain the initial signal for the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue by using the transducer during the rotating retraction.

[0168] Please refer to Figure 5 According to another aspect of the present application, an ultrasonic elastography device 20 is also provided. The ultrasonic elastography device 20 includes a transducer UT, a processor 201 and a memory 202. Exemplarily, the transducer UT is configured to obtain the initial signal for the ultrasonic elastography of the target tissue. The memory 202 stores computer program instructions, and the computer program instructions are configured to be executed by the processor 201 to perform the ultrasonic elastography method in the above embodiments.

[0169] Exemplarily, the ultrasound elastography device 20 can be various types of ultrasound elastography devices, such as an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus or an ultrasound image workstation. Specifically, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus can have different transducer types and accordingly examine different parts, such as blood vessels, abdomen, gynecology, breast, etc. The ultrasound image workstation can be a device integrating patient registration, image acquisition, diagnosis editing, report printing, image post-processing, medical record inquiry, statistical analysis, etc. The ultrasound image workstation can be communicatively connected with the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, such as through any wired or wireless communication manner. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus can transmit the acquired ultrasound echo signals to the ultrasound image workstation for processing, analysis and storage.

[0170] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of an ultrasound elastography device 20 according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0171] As shown in Figure 6 exemplarily, the device 20 includes a catheter 21, the distal end of which is provided with a transducer. The transducer includes an excitation transducer UT1 and a detection transducer UT2.

[0172] Exemplarily, the device further includes a host 22, which can be mechanically and electrically connected with the catheter 21.

[0173] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 6 the processor 201 and the memory 202 can be both arranged in the host 22. In another embodiment, any one of the processor 201 and the memory 202 can be arranged outside the host 22.

[0174] Exemplarily, the host 22 is further provided with an ultrafast rotating device 221 and a retracting device 222. The ultrafast retracting device 222 is mechanically connected with the catheter 21, for controlling the catheter 21 to drive the excitation transducer UT1 and the detection transducer UT2 to rotate for imaging or retracting movement. The retracting device 222 is connected with the ultrafast rotating device 221, for controlling the excitation transducer UT1 and the detection transducer UT2 to retract according to a predetermined timing.

[0175] Exemplarily, the host 22 is further provided with a high-energy excitation module 223 and a normal excitation module 224. The high-energy excitation module 223 is electrically connected with the catheter 21, for controlling the excitation transducer UT1 to emit a high-energy sound beam to stimulate a shear wave in the target tissue. The normal excitation module 224 is connected with the high-energy excitation module 223, for controlling the detection transducer UT2 to detect the propagation of the shear wave in the target tissue.

[0176] Exemplarily, the processor 201 comprises a signal processing module 225. The signal processing module 225 is electrically connected with the catheter 21, and is configured to amplify, filter, encode, and the like, the received ultrasonic signals, so as to improve the signal-to-noise ratio and image quality.

[0177] Exemplarily, the processor 201 comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA) module 226. The FPGA module 226 is connected with the retraction device 222, the general excitation module 224, and one end of the signal processing module 225, and can be configured to realize functions such as digitization, sampling, storage, and transmission of the ultrasonic signals, so as to improve the real-time performance and stability of the device.

[0178] Exemplarily, the processor 201 comprises an image processing module 227. The image processing module 227 is connected with the FPGA module 226 and the signal processing module 225, and is configured to perform post-processing such as denoising, enhancement, segmentation, and measurement on the collected ultrasonic images, so as to improve the definition and accuracy of the images.

[0179] Figures 7a to 7c Different positional relationships of the excitation transducer UT1 and the detection transducer UT2 on the catheter 21 are shown. Exemplarily, the excitation transducer UT1 and the detection transducer UT2 are arranged along an axial direction of the catheter 21 or along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0180] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, the excitation transducer UT1 and the detection transducer UT2 are arranged along the axial direction of the catheter 21. Figure 7a

[0181] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B, the excitation transducer UT1 and the detection transducer UT2 are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the catheter 21. Figure 7b Figure 7c

[0182] Exemplarily, an included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is between 0 and 360 degrees. Specifically, the included angle can be 0 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 120 degrees, 150 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, or 360 degrees, and the like.

[0183] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 0 degrees, 180 degrees, or 360 degrees. Figure 7a Figure 7b

[0184] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. Figure 7c In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the included angle between the excitation direction of the excitation transducer UT1 and the receiving direction of the detection transducer UT2 is 90 degrees or 270 degrees. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG.

[0185] According to still another aspect of the present application, there is also provided a storage medium having stored thereon program instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the ultrasound elastography method of the above embodiments. The storage medium may, for example, include an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. The storage medium can be any combination of one or more computer readable storage media.

[0186] According to still another aspect of the present application, there is also provided a computer program product comprising program instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the ultrasound elastography method of the above embodiments.

[0187] Those skilled in the art can understand the specific implementation schemes and beneficial effects of the above ultrasound elastography apparatus, ultrasound elastography device, storage medium and computer program product by reading the above description related to the ultrasound elastography method, which will not be repeated here for brevity.

[0188] Although the example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the example embodiments are only exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of the present application. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present application as claimed in the appended claims.

[0189] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented 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 solution. 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.

[0190] 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 above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be omitted or not executed.

[0191] In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the application can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

[0192] Similarly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the present application can be used in any combination, and that not all embodiments of the present application include all features. For example, in the description of the example embodiments of the present application, various features are sometimes described as being part of the same embodiment, figure, or description. However, this is not to be construed as reflecting an intention that embodiments of the present application require more features than are explicitly recited in each claim. Rather, the inventive aspect lies in each claim, as reflecting a solution to a particular technical problem, that can be solved with fewer features than are recited in some disclosed individual embodiments. Thus, the claims following, depending on the specific implementation, expressly incorporate the entire disclosure of the Background, Summary and detailed description of the application, as well as the claims themselves, as separate embodiments of the present application.

[0193] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all features described in this specification (including the summaries of the application and the accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) and / or all methods or processes outlined in any form that are collectively disclosed in this specification can be combined in any combination, excepting where either:

[0194] Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features of the different embodiments can be combined in any combination, as the scope of the application is not limited by the features of any one embodiment. For example, in the claims, any of the claims, can be read limiting the claimed embodiments to combinations with the features of the embodiment specified in that claim. Further, it is to be understood that the use of "or" in the description or claims is used to mean "and / or" unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0195] The 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. As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some of the modules in the ultrasonic elastography apparatus according to the embodiments of the present application. The present application can also be implemented as a program (for example, a computer program and a computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. The program implementing the present application can be stored on a computer readable medium, or can be in the form of one or more signals. Such signals can be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier medium, or in any other form.

[0196] 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 both hardware and software, and any combination thereof. In a unit claim, several devices can be listed with a conjunction like 'or', but it is to be understood that a combination of these devices can be used in the application. The use of the word 'at least' followed by a list of one or more items does not exclude additional items not listed. The word 'first' or'second' does not have any order significance, but merely distinguishes one item from another. The terms 'comprise', 'comprising', 'comprises' and 'comprised of' do not exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

[0197] The above description is only specific embodiments of the present application or specific explanations of specific embodiments, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, and all such changes or replacements should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. The protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic elastography method, characterized by, The method comprises: determining an energy compensation expression of a transducer for ultrasonic elastography; obtaining an initial signal for ultrasonic elastography of a target tissue by using the transducer; compensating the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal; and determining elasticity information of the target tissue according to the corrected signal. The transducer for ultrasonic elastography comprises an excitation transducer and a detection transducer, 2. The ultrasonic elastography method of claim 1, wherein, The method of determining an energy compensation expression of a transducer for ultrasonic elastography comprises: obtaining first sound field data of the excitation transducer and second sound field data of the detection transducer; determining a tissue energy attenuation expression of ultrasonic signal propagation in the target tissue; determining the energy compensation expression based on the tissue energy attenuation expression, the first sound field data and the second sound field data. The method of determining the energy compensation expression based on the tissue energy attenuation expression, the first sound field data and the second sound field data comprises:

3. The ultrasonic elastography method of claim 2, wherein, determining a first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer according to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression; determining a second attenuation expression of the detection transducer according to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression; determining the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression. The excitation transducer and the detection transducer are respectively arranged on a catheter, the catheter performs a withdrawing action along an axial direction of the catheter during ultrasonic elastography, and the method of determining the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the second attenuation expression comprises:

4. The ultrasonic elastography method of claim 3, wherein, determining a position difference of the excitation transducer and the detection transducer along the withdrawing direction based on a positional relationship between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer; determining a correction expression according to the second attenuation expression and the position difference along the withdrawing direction; determining the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the correction expression.

5. The method of ultrasonic elastography according to claim 4, wherein The method of determining a first attenuation expression of the excitation transducer according to the first sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression comprises: performing a multiplication operation on the first sound field data and corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain first attenuation data, and performing fitting on the first attenuation data to obtain the first attenuation expression. The method of determining a second attenuation expression of the detection transducer according to the second sound field data and the tissue energy attenuation expression comprises: performing a multiplication operation on the second sound field data and corresponding data calculated according to the tissue energy attenuation expression to obtain second attenuation data, and performing fitting on the second attenuation data to obtain the second attenuation expression. The method of determining the energy compensation expression according to the first attenuation expression and the correction expression comprises: performing a multiplication operation on the first attenuation expression and the correction expression to obtain an attenuation coefficient expression. ​ According to the attenuation coefficient expression, the energy compensation expression is determined.

6. The ultrasound elastography method of any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, The initial signal for the target tissue for the ultrasonic elastography is obtained by using the transducer, including: The excitation transducer is controlled to emit a sound beam to excite a shear wave in the target tissue; The detection transducer is controlled to detect the propagation of the shear wave to obtain the initial signal.

7. The ultrasound elastography method of claim 6 depending on claim 5, characterized in that, The initial signal is compensated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal, including: The energy of the initial signal is multiplied by the value corresponding to the depth calculated according to the energy compensation expression to obtain the normalized corrected signal.

8. The ultrasonic elastography method of claim 6, wherein, The elastic information of the target tissue includes an elastic modulus, The elastic information of the target tissue is determined according to the corrected signal, including: The propagation distance of the shear wave is obtained; According to the corrected signal, the propagation time of the shear wave is determined; According to the propagation distance and the propagation time, the propagation speed of the shear wave is determined; According to the propagation speed of the shear wave and the density of the target tissue, the elastic modulus of the target tissue is determined.

9. The ultrasonic elastography method of claim 8, wherein, The excitation transducer and the detection transducer are respectively arranged on a catheter, and the catheter performs a withdrawing action along the axial direction of the catheter during ultrasonic elastography, and there is no position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the withdrawing direction, According to the corrected signal, the propagation time of the shear wave is determined, including: According to the corrected signal, the time difference between adjacent wave peaks and wave troughs of the shear wave is determined, and the propagation time of the shear wave is determined according to the time difference.

10. The ultrasonic elastography method of claim 8, wherein, The excitation transducer and the detection transducer are respectively arranged on a catheter, and the catheter performs a withdrawing action along the axial direction of the catheter during ultrasonic elastography, and there is a position difference between the excitation transducer and the detection transducer in the withdrawing direction, According to the corrected signal, the propagation time of the shear wave is determined, including: According to the corrected signal, the time difference between the time point at which the signal of the shear wave reaches the maximum value and the time point at which the excitation transducer emits a sound beam is determined, and the propagation time of the shear wave is determined according to the time difference.

11. The ultrasonic elastography method of claim 1, wherein, The transducer is arranged on a catheter, and the initial signal for the target tissue for the ultrasonic elastography is obtained by using the transducer, including: The transducer is controlled to perform a rotating scan and a withdrawing action along the axial direction of the catheter during ultrasonic elastography; The initial signal for the target tissue for the ultrasonic elastography is obtained by using the transducer during the rotating and withdrawing process.

12. An ultrasonic elastography apparatus characterized by comprising: Including: A compensation module is configured to determine an energy compensation expression of a transducer for ultrasonic elastography; An imaging module is configured to obtain an initial signal for a target tissue for ultrasonic elastography by using the transducer; A correction module is configured to compensate the initial signal according to the energy compensation expression to obtain a corrected signal; And A determination module is configured to determine elastic information of the target tissue according to the corrected signal.

13. An ultrasonic elastography device, comprising a transducer, a processor and a memory, characterized in that, The transducer is used to obtain initial signals for ultrasonic elastography of a target tissue. The memory stores computer program instructions, which, when executed by the processor, are used to perform the ultrasonic elastography method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein, The device further comprises a catheter, a distal end of the catheter being provided with the transducer.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, The transducer comprises an excitation transducer and a detection transducer, the excitation transducer and the detection transducer being arranged along an axial direction of the catheter or along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction; and / or an included angle between an excitation direction of the excitation transducer and a receiving direction of the detection transducer is between 0 and 360 degrees.

16. A storage medium having stored thereon program instructions, the program instructions being executable by a processor to cause the processor to execute operations comprising: The program instructions, when executed, are used to perform the ultrasonic elastography method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

17. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions, characterised in that, The computer program instructions, when executed, are used to perform the ultrasonic elastography method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

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