Ultrasonic image analysis method and ultrasonic imaging system

Abstract

The invention discloses an ultrasonic image analysis method and an ultrasonic imaging system. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring multiple frames of ultrasonic images of the heart of a target object; automatically determining a myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasonic image; at least determining the image quality of the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasonic image; determining a modification priority level of a myocardial contour region of each multi-frame ultrasonic image based on the image quality; and displaying at least one frame of ultrasonic image in the multiple frames of ultrasonic images and the corresponding identification information for identifying the modification priority. According to the ultrasonic image analysis method and the ultrasonic imaging system provided by the invention, the modification priority level of the ultrasonic image is determined, and the ultrasonic image and the corresponding identification information for identifying the modification priority level are displayed, so that the visual prompt for recommending the preferential modification frame is realized, and the operation and use efficiency of a doctor is optimized.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, in particular to an ultrasonic image analysis method and an ultrasonic imaging system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Echocardiography is an imaging technique based on pulse-echo technology. An ultrasound probe generates ultrasound pulses toward a patient, and the pulses are reflected by the boundaries of organs or the internal tissues of the body to generate echoes. The echoes are detected by the probe and transmitted to the screen of an ultrasonic instrument. The ultrasonic instrument processes the echo signals and presents them in the form of speckles to form an anatomical image visible on the screen. The brightness of the speckles represents the echo intensity, and the position of each speckle corresponds to the anatomical position of the object generating the echo. Speckle tracking technology is widely used to track acoustic speckles formed by ultrasonic echoes to identify the motion trajectory of fixed speckles, thereby assisting users to understand the process of myocardial movement of a patient. Meanwhile, the deformation and displacement of the myocardium in multiple directions can be analyzed in any cardiac cycle of any imaging plane to achieve comprehensive analysis of the myocardial movement of the patient.

[0003] However, there are still some difficulties in the application and working mode of ultrasonic image analysis, which leads to a decrease in efficiency and accuracy when the user uses the function to analyze. For example: ① When the user is not satisfied with the speckle tracking effect, the user needs to judge the entire tracking process by eyesight, and manually determine the frame and specific position that need to be changed. The overall method is too cumbersome; ② In the existing manual mode, the user cannot quickly and clearly confirm the specific frame that needs to be modified, so as to bring the greatest benefit to the result modification; ③ In the existing mode, most of the users can only modify the tracking traces of the end diastole (ED) and the end systole (ES) frames, which reduces the user's use scenarios and leads to insufficient granularity of modification, which may miss the key error position that the doctor wants to modify. SUMMARY

[0004] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the summary section, which will be further described in detail in the specific embodiments section. The summary section of the present application does not mean to attempt to limit the key features and necessary technical features of the claimed technical solutions, nor to attempt to determine the protection scope of the claimed technical solutions.

[0005] The first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an ultrasonic image analysis method, including: acquiring a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images of a heart of a target object; automatically determining a myocardial contour of the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images; determining at least an image quality of the myocardial contour of the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images; determining a modification priority level of a myocardial contour region of each of the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images based on the image quality; and displaying at least one frame of ultrasonic images of the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images and corresponding identification information identifying the modification priority level.

[0006] In an embodiment, the automatic determination of the myocardial contours of the multiple ultrasound images comprises: image segmentation on at least one of the multiple ultrasound images to obtain a myocardial contour of the at least one ultrasound image, wherein the myocardial contour comprises a plurality of key points; and tracking of ultrasound images that are not subjected to image segmentation among the multiple ultrasound images based on the plurality of key points to obtain myocardial contours of the ultrasound images that are not subjected to image segmentation among the multiple ultrasound images.

[0007] In an embodiment, the automatic determination of the myocardial contours of the multiple ultrasound images comprises: image segmentation on at least one of the multiple ultrasound images to obtain a myocardial contour of the at least one ultrasound image, wherein the myocardial contour comprises a plurality of key points; and tracking of ultrasound images that are not subjected to image segmentation among the multiple ultrasound images based on the plurality of key points to obtain myocardial contours of the ultrasound images that are not subjected to image segmentation among the multiple ultrasound images.

[0008] In an embodiment, the method further comprises: calculating gradient information according to the myocardial contour and a peripheral region thereof; and the at least determination of the image quality of the myocardial contours of the multiple ultrasound images comprises: at least determination of the image quality of the myocardial contours of the multiple ultrasound images according to the gradient information.

[0009] In an embodiment, the at least determination of the image quality of the myocardial contours of the multiple ultrasound images comprises: determination of a global quality of the multiple ultrasound images to obtain the image quality of the ultrasound images; or determination of the image quality of the myocardial contour and a peripheral region thereof to obtain the image quality of the ultrasound images.

[0010] In an embodiment, the method further comprises: obtaining a position change of the same key point in two consecutive ultrasound images; obtaining a jump speed of the key point based on the position change; and the determination of the modification priority level of the myocardial contour region of each of the multiple ultrasound images based on the image quality comprises: determination of the modification priority level of the myocardial contour region of each of the multiple ultrasound images based on the image quality and the jump speed of the key point.

[0011] In an embodiment, the identification information comprises a mark covering the ultrasound image, a mark surrounding the ultrasound image, and / or a mark pointing to the ultrasound image.

[0012] In an embodiment, the identification information comprises a color mark, a shape mark, a number mark, and / or a letter mark.

[0013] In an embodiment, after displaying at least one of the multiple ultrasound images and identification information of the corresponding modification priority level, the method further comprises: receiving a user selection operation from the multiple ultrasound images, and displaying the selected ultrasound image; and displaying identification of a region to be modified of the myocardial contour in the selected ultrasound image.

[0014] In an embodiment, the mark indicating the region to be modified comprises a mark covering the region to be modified, a mark surrounding the region to be modified and / or a mark pointing to the region to be modified.

[0015] In an embodiment, the mark indicating the region to be modified is indicated by a key point, and the region to be modified is indicated by changing the color, size or shape of the key point.

[0016] In an embodiment, the displaying the at least one ultrasound image of the plurality of ultrasound images and the mark indicating the modification priority comprises: displaying the at least one ultrasound image of the plurality of ultrasound images in a first region; and displaying the mark indicating the modification priority of the plurality of ultrasound images in a second region.

[0017] In an embodiment, the displaying the mark indicating the modification priority of the plurality of ultrasound images in the second region comprises: displaying thumbnails of at least part of the plurality of ultrasound images in the second region, wherein the thumbnails comprise the mark indicating the modification priority, and wherein the thumbnails of the at least part of the plurality of ultrasound images comprise at least thumbnails of the at least one ultrasound image of the plurality of ultrasound images displayed in the first region.

[0018] In an embodiment, the method further comprises: receiving a selection operation of a thumbnail of the thumbnails by a user; and displaying the ultrasound image corresponding to the selected thumbnail in the first display region.

[0019] In an embodiment, the method further comprises: displaying the mark indicating the region to be modified in the ultrasound image displayed in the first display region.

[0020] In an embodiment, the method further comprises: receiving a sliding operation of the thumbnails of the at least part of the plurality of ultrasound images displayed in the second region by a user; and updating and displaying the ultrasound image corresponding to the sliding operation in the first display region.

[0021] In an embodiment, a selection mark is displayed on the selected thumbnail.

[0022] In an embodiment, the method comprises performing quantitative analysis on the plurality of ultrasound images, and performing quantitative analysis on the updated plurality of ultrasound images after receiving the modification of the at least one ultrasound image by the user.

[0023] In an embodiment, the method comprises performing strain analysis on the plurality of ultrasound images, and performing strain analysis on the updated plurality of ultrasound images after receiving the modification of the at least one ultrasound image by the user.

[0024] In one embodiment, an ultrasound image analysis method is provided, comprising: acquiring a plurality of ultrasound images of a target object; automatically determining a region of interest of the plurality of ultrasound images; determining at least an image quality of the region of interest of the plurality of ultrasound images; determining a modification priority level of the region of interest of each of the plurality of ultrasound images based on the image quality; and displaying at least one of the plurality of ultrasound images and corresponding identification information indicating the modification priority level.

[0025] In one embodiment, an ultrasound image analysis method is provided, comprising: acquiring a plurality of ultrasound images of a heart of a target object; automatically determining a myocardial contour of the plurality of ultrasound images; determining at least an image quality of the myocardial contour of the plurality of ultrasound images; determining a modification priority level of a region of the myocardial contour of each of the plurality of ultrasound images based on the image quality; and displaying at least one of the plurality of ultrasound images and corresponding identification information indicating a region to be modified based on the modification priority level.

[0026] In one embodiment, an ultrasound image analysis method is provided, comprising: acquiring a plurality of ultrasound images of a heart of a target object; automatically determining a myocardial contour of the plurality of ultrasound images, wherein the myocardial contour comprises a plurality of key points; obtaining a position change of a same key point in two adjacent ultrasound images; obtaining a jump speed of the key point based on the position change; determining a modification priority level of a region of the myocardial contour of each of the plurality of ultrasound images based on the jump speed of the key point; and displaying at least one of the plurality of ultrasound images and corresponding identification information indicating the modification priority level.

[0027] In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system is provided, comprising: an ultrasound probe; a transmit / receive circuit configured to excite the ultrasound probe to transmit ultrasound waves to a target object and control the ultrasound probe to receive echoes of the ultrasound waves to obtain echo signals of the ultrasound waves; and a processor configured to perform steps of the ultrasound image analysis method as described above.

[0028] According to the ultrasound image analysis method and the ultrasound imaging system provided in the present application, by determining a modification priority level of an ultrasound image and displaying the ultrasound image and corresponding identification information indicating the modification priority level, a visualized prompt of a recommended frame to be modified in priority is realized, and the operation and use efficiency of a doctor is optimized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] The following drawings are included herewith as part of the present application to provide a further understanding of the application. Each drawing illustrates one or more embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0030] In the drawings:

[0031] Figure 1A schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0032] Figure 2 A flowchart of an ultrasound image analysis method according to embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0033] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a myocardial contour and key points according to embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0034] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a first region and a second region according to embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0035] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a second region according to embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0036] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a first region according to embodiments of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the present application can be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the present application. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific details are not presented in order not to obscure the present application in details that are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0038] It is to be understood that the application can assume various alternative forms of embodiment, and it is accordingly not to be limited by the examples set forth herein. Rather, the application is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the application. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers and regions can be exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals can be used to denote like elements throughout the specification.

[0039] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising", when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0040] For a thorough understanding of the present application, reference will be made to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: the technical solutions of the present application are illustrated. The preferred embodiments of the present application are described in detail as follows, however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present application can also have other implementation manners.

[0041] Below, first reference Figure 1 An ultrasound imaging system according to one embodiment of the present application is described, Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0042] As Figure 1 shown, the ultrasound imaging system 100 includes an ultrasound probe 110, a transmit circuit 112, a receive circuit 114, a processor 116 and a display 118. Further, the ultrasound imaging system can also include a transmit / receive selection switch 120 and a beamforming module 122, and the transmit circuit 112 and the receive circuit 114 can be connected with the ultrasound probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120.

[0043] The ultrasound probe 110 includes a plurality of transducer elements, which can be arranged in a row to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a planar array, or arranged to form a convex array. The transducer elements are used to transmit ultrasound waves according to excitation electrical signals, or convert received ultrasound waves into electrical signals, so each transducer element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasound waves, so as to realize the transmission of ultrasound waves to the target region of the measured object, and also can be used to receive the ultrasound wave echoes reflected by the tissue. When performing ultrasound detection, it can be controlled by the transmission sequence and the reception sequence which transducer elements are used to transmit ultrasound waves, which transducer elements are used to receive ultrasound waves, or control the transducer elements to be used for transmitting ultrasound waves or receiving ultrasound wave echoes in time slots. The transducer elements participating in the transmission of ultrasound waves can be excited by electrical signals at the same time, so as to transmit ultrasound waves at the same time; or the transducer elements participating in the transmission of ultrasound beams can also be excited by several electrical signals with a certain time interval, so as to continuously transmit ultrasound waves with a certain time interval.

[0044] During ultrasound imaging, the transmitting circuit 112 sends a delayed-focused transmission pulse to the ultrasound probe 110 via the transmit / receive selection switch 120. Excited by the transmission pulse, the ultrasound probe 110 emits an ultrasonic beam towards the tissue of the target area of ​​the object being measured. After a certain delay, it receives the ultrasonic echo reflecting back from the tissue of the target area, carrying tissue information, and converts this ultrasonic echo back into an electrical signal. The receiving circuit 114 receives the electrical signal converted by the ultrasound probe 110, obtains the ultrasonic echo signal, and sends these ultrasonic echo signals to the beamforming module 122. The beamforming module 122 performs focusing delay, weighting, and channel summation on the ultrasonic echo data, and then sends it to the processor 116. The processor 116 performs signal detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, and logarithmic compression on the ultrasonic echo signal to form an ultrasound image. The ultrasound image obtained by the processor 116 can be displayed on the display 118 or stored in the memory 124.

[0045] Optionally, the processor 116 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, and can use one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more general-purpose integrated circuits, one or more microprocessors, one or more programmable logic devices, or any combination of the foregoing circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices. Furthermore, the processor 116 can control other components in the ultrasound imaging system 100 to perform the corresponding steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this specification.

[0046] The display 118 is connected to the processor 116. The display 118 can be a touch screen, an LCD screen, or a separate display such as an LCD screen or a television, independent of the ultrasound imaging system 100. Alternatively, the display 118 can be the screen of an electronic device such as a smartphone or tablet, etc. The number of displays 118 can be one or more.

[0047] The display 118 can display the ultrasound images obtained by the processor 116. Furthermore, while displaying the ultrasound images, the display 118 can also provide a graphical user interface for human-machine interaction. One or more controlled objects can be set on the graphical interface, allowing the user to input operation commands using a human-machine interaction device to control these controlled objects and perform corresponding control operations. For example, icons can be displayed on the graphical interface, and the human-machine interaction device can be used to operate these icons to perform specific functions, such as drawing a region of interest bounding box on the ultrasound image.

[0048] Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include other human-machine interface devices besides the display 118, which are connected to the processor 116. For example, the processor 116 may be connected to the human-machine interface device via an external input / output port, which may be a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, or a combination of both. The external input / output port may also be based on USB, bus protocols such as CAN, and / or wired network protocols.

[0049] The human-computer interaction device may include an input device for detecting user input information. This input information may be, for example, control commands for the timing of ultrasound transmission / reception, operational input commands for drawing points, lines, or boxes on an ultrasound image, or other types of commands. The input device may include one or a combination of several of the following: a keyboard, mouse, scroll wheel, trackball, mobile input device (e.g., a mobile device with a touchscreen, a mobile phone, etc.), a multi-function knob, etc. The human-computer interaction device may also include an output device such as a printer.

[0050] The ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include a memory 124 for storing instructions executed by the processor, storing received ultrasound echoes, storing ultrasound images, etc. The memory may be a flash memory card, solid-state memory, hard disk, etc. It may be volatile and / or non-volatile memory, removable memory and / or non-removable memory, etc.

[0051] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the ultrasound imaging system 100 shown are merely illustrative and may include more or fewer components. This application is not limiting in this regard.

[0052] The following reference Figure 2 The ultrasound image analysis method 200 proposed in this application includes the following steps:

[0053] In step S210, multiple ultrasound images of the heart of the target object are acquired;

[0054] In step S220, the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images is automatically determined;

[0055] In step S230, at least the image quality of the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined;

[0056] In step S240, the modification priority level of the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined based on the image quality;

[0057] In step S250, at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images and the corresponding identifier modification priority information are displayed.

[0058] The ultrasound image analysis method 200 provided in this application determines the priority level of ultrasound image modification and displays ultrasound images and corresponding identification information indicating modification priority, thereby realizing a visual prompt for recommended priority modification frames and optimizing the operation and usage efficiency of doctors.

[0059] The multi-frame ultrasound images of the target object's heart acquired in step S210 include, but are not limited to, image data or video data. For example, it can be based on... Figure 1 The ultrasound imaging system 100 shown performs ultrasound scanning to obtain an ultrasound image. During the scanning process, the transmitting circuit 112 sends a set of transmission pulses to the ultrasound probe 110 to excite the ultrasound probe 110 to emit ultrasound waves along the heart region of the target object. The receiving circuit 114 controls the ultrasound probe 110 to receive the ultrasound echo reflected back from the target object, converts it into an electrical signal, and the beamforming module 112 performs corresponding delay and weighted summation processing on the ultrasound echo signals obtained from multiple transmissions and receptions to achieve beamforming. The signal is then sent to the processor 116, where it undergoes some or all image post-processing steps such as denoising, smoothing, and enhancement to obtain an ultrasound image of the target object's heart.

[0060] The multi-frame ultrasound images of the target object's heart acquired in step S210 include, but are not limited to, real-time data, offline data, historical data, or imported data. Real-time data mainly refers to ultrasound images played in real-time by the user interface or image sequences viewed by scrolling with a trackball after a doctor's freeze operation. Offline data mainly refers to movie data stored during the doctor's scan. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasound imaging system 100 also includes a memory 124. In some embodiments, the processor 116 directly retrieves the aforementioned ultrasound images from the memory 124. In other embodiments, the processor 116 may also connect to other devices and retrieve the aforementioned ultrasound images from those devices; alternatively, the processor 116 may also communicate with a server and download the aforementioned ultrasound images from the server.

[0061] Step S220, automatically determining the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images, includes: performing image segmentation on at least one frame of the multi-frame ultrasound images to obtain the myocardial contour of the at least one frame, wherein the myocardial contour includes multiple key points; and tracking the unsegmented ultrasound images in the multi-frame ultrasound images based on the multiple key points to obtain the myocardial contour of the unsegmented ultrasound images in the multi-frame ultrasound images, such as... Figure 2 As shown, green spots are used to represent the key points.

[0062] Alternatively, in one embodiment, automatically determining the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images in step S220 includes: performing image segmentation on the multi-frame ultrasound images to obtain the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images, wherein the myocardial contour includes multiple key points.

[0063] For example, the image segmentation method includes: (1) marking the approximate location of the cavity based on a detection algorithm or model, and segmenting or extracting the cavity boundary based on a segmentation algorithm; (2) realizing integrated cavity detection and segmentation based on a segmentation algorithm or model, wherein the segmentation algorithm can be semi-automatic or fully automatic; and (3) extracting the cavity boundary by having the doctor manually mark the cavity boundary. The above detection algorithm and segmentation algorithm include, but are not limited to, algorithms based on deep learning, machine learning, traditional image processing, or combinations thereof.

[0064] For example, speckle tracking technology can be used to track the position of the same ultrasound scattering speckle in an ultrasound image, thereby determining the positional changes of the corresponding myocardial tissue. When the tissue's motion displacement and deformation are small, the speckle pattern of the tissue can be approximated as fixed. Motion tracking and quantitative measurement of a specific tissue can be achieved by tracking the motion of this specific speckle in the ultrasound image. By tracking ultrasound specks at different locations of the heart (endocardium, epicardium, myocardium), the motion of the corresponding tissue structures can be obtained, such as velocity, displacement, and deformation. This information can be used to quantitatively analyze the physiological characteristics of the heart tissue. For example, in patients with cardiovascular obstruction, the movement amplitude of the blood supply area of ​​the obstructed vessel will be lower than that of the normally supplied area. During cardiac motion, the movement of the area affected by the obstructed vessel is passive (movement caused by the pulling of surrounding tissues), therefore, some motion parameters such as deformation, strain, and strain rate will be significantly abnormal. Speckle tracking technology can calculate motion parameters at different parts of the heart by accurately measuring cardiac motion, thereby locating abnormal cardiac motion sites and providing clinical diagnostic significance for users. Quantitative analysis of cardiac motion using speckle tracking technology can be used to assess overall / regional ventricular / attrial function, diastolic / systolic function, evaluate cardiac synchrony, and monitor subsequent treatment.

[0065] In one embodiment, after determining the key point tracking results, the analysis process is automatically initiated to complete the tracking of all myocardial key points in the current cycle, automatically acquire end-diastolic and end-systolic myocardial deformation, and calculate myocardial function parameters. Myocardial function parameters include, but are not limited to, wall motion parameters and perfusion parameters. Wall motion parameters include quantitative parameters such as wall displacement and wall strain, as well as semi-quantitative wall motion scores. Perfusion parameters include quantitative parameters such as perfusion intensity, as well as semi-quantitative perfusion scores.

[0066] In steps S230 and S240, determining the image quality of the myocardial contour of at least the multiple ultrasound images includes: calculating gradient information based on the myocardial contour and its surrounding region; and determining the image quality of the myocardial contour of at least the multiple ultrasound images based on the gradient information. Then, a modification priority level for the myocardial contour region of each of the multiple ultrasound images is determined based on the image quality.

[0067] In one embodiment, gradient information can be calculated based on the edge sharpness of the myocardial contour and its surrounding region. Specifically, refer to... Figure 2 As shown, the myocardial contour in the ultrasound image includes multiple key points, which are marked with green dots. For each frame of the ultrasound image, the gradient of the current segmentation result (i.e., the key points) and its surrounding region is calculated. A higher gradient value indicates a clear edge in the myocardial contour and its surrounding region; conversely, a lower gradient value indicates a less clear edge (e.g., ...). Figure 2 (The area marked by the red circle) The smaller the gradient value, the better. Typically, the range of image gradient values ​​is set to 0–100.

[0068] In one embodiment, the smaller the gradient value, the lower the image is considered to be, the worse the image quality, and the more likely it is to fail to track or experience a decline in performance. Therefore, it should be recommended to the user for modification first, and thus the modification priority of this ultrasound image is relatively high. Conversely, the larger the gradient value, the higher the image is considered to be, the better the image quality, and no modification by the user is required. Therefore, the modification priority of this ultrasound image is relatively low.

[0069] In steps S230 and S240, at least the image quality of the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined. This may further include: determining the global quality of the multi-frame ultrasound images to obtain the image quality of the ultrasound image; or, determining the image quality of the myocardial contour and its surrounding region to obtain the image quality of the ultrasound image. Then, based on the image quality, a modification priority level for the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined.

[0070] In one embodiment, in step S240, the modification priority of the myocardial contour region can also be determined solely based on the jump rate of key points in the myocardial contour. In this embodiment, multiple frames of ultrasound images of the target object's heart can be acquired, and the myocardial contour of the multiple frames of ultrasound images can be automatically determined, wherein the myocardial contour includes multiple key points. Then, the positional change of the same key point in two consecutive frames of ultrasound images can be obtained, and the jump rate of the key point can be obtained based on the positional change. Subsequently, the modification priority of the myocardial contour region of the multiple frames of ultrasound images is determined based on the jump rate of the key point.

[0071] In one embodiment, the method for quantifying image quality can be implemented using regression or classification algorithms. Specifically, during the training phase, experienced professionals categorize all images in the database into at least two quality levels based on image quality, performing classification data labeling. A binary classification model is trained based on a classification algorithm framework. Deep learning classification algorithms include, but are not limited to, network frameworks such as ResNet, VGG, HRNet, and Inception, or their variants. Traditional image classification algorithms include support vector machines, random forests, and clustering algorithms. During the testing phase, based on the pre-trained classification algorithm model, probability values ​​for the classification results are obtained, where probability values ​​typically range from 0 to 1. After obtaining the probability values, they are mapped to a score interval (usually represented as a score range of 0 to 100); the process is similar when using a regression algorithm. The model is trained to output continuous values ​​to represent image quality.

[0072] In one embodiment, the above-described method for quantifying image quality can obtain the global image quality of an ultrasound image, or it can obtain only the local image quality of the myocardial contour and its surrounding area. Both the global and local image quality can be used as the image quality of the ultrasound image to determine its modification priority. For each frame of the ultrasound image, its image quality is obtained. When the image quality is poor, the image is considered to have lower clarity and should be prioritized for modification by the user; therefore, the modification priority of this ultrasound image is higher. Conversely, when the image quality is good, the image is considered to have higher clarity and does not require user modification; therefore, the modification priority of this ultrasound image is lower.

[0073] For example, in step S220, the myocardial contour of multiple ultrasound images is automatically determined, and the myocardial contour includes multiple key points, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the positional change of the same key point in two consecutive ultrasound images can be further obtained; the jump rate of the key point is obtained based on the positional change. The step of determining the modification priority level of the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images based on the image quality includes: determining the modification priority level of the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images based on the image quality and the jump rate of the key point.

[0074] In one embodiment, the modification priority of the ultrasound image is determined based on the continuity of key point tracking. Specifically, speckle tracking technology is used to track the position of the same key point in the ultrasound image. The jump rate is calculated based on the position change of the same key point in two consecutive ultrasound images. When the jump rate is relatively uniform, it can be considered that the position of the key point changes relatively uniformly with the diastole and systole of the heart. This change is reasonable and does not require user modification. Therefore, the modification priority of this ultrasound image is low. However, when the jump rate suddenly increases or decreases, the tracking accuracy is considered to have decreased, and the myocardial contour result obtained in step S220 may be unstable. It needs to be recommended to the user for modification first. Therefore, the modification priority of this ultrasound image is high. Furthermore, the modification priority of the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images can also be determined based on the image quality of the ultrasound image determined in step S230 and the jump rate of the key points obtained above.

[0075] After determining the modification priority level of the ultrasound images, step S250, which involves displaying at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images and its corresponding modification priority identification information, includes: displaying at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images in a first region; and displaying the modification priority identification information of the multiple ultrasound images in a second region. The step of displaying the modification priority identification information of the multiple ultrasound images in the second region includes: displaying thumbnails of at least a portion of the ultrasound images from the multiple ultrasound images in the second region, wherein the thumbnails include the modification priority identification information, and wherein the thumbnails of at least a portion of the ultrasound images include at least a thumbnail of at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images displayed in the first region.

[0076] In one embodiment, such as Figure 4 As shown in the figure, the area at the top of the image that only displays a single frame of ultrasound image is the first region, and the area below the first region circled by the red frame is the second region. Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified view of the second area circled in red, combined with... Figure 4 and Figure 5 As can be seen, the second area displays thumbnails of multiple ultrasound images. Some thumbnails are covered by red semi-transparent blocks, indicating that the modification priority of that ultrasound image frame is the highest, and therefore modification of that ultrasound image frame is recommended. Some thumbnails are covered by blue semi-transparent blocks, indicating that the modification priority of that ultrasound image frame is the lowest, and modification of that ultrasound image frame is not recommended. Some thumbnails are not covered by any blocks, indicating that the modification priority of that ultrasound image frame is medium.

[0077] It should be noted that the number of priority levels mentioned above is merely exemplary, and two or more levels can be set as needed. The form of the identification information for the priority level mentioned above is also merely exemplary. In addition to the markers covering the ultrasound image, markers surrounding the ultrasound image, markers pointing to the ultrasound image, etc., can also be selected, and this application does not impose any limitations on this. Furthermore, different colors, shapes, numbers, and / or letters can be used to distinguish priority levels. For example, priority levels can be distinguished using symbols such as "√", "O", and "×" on or below the thumbnail surface. These symbols can use the same or different colors, and this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0078] For example, after displaying at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images and the corresponding identifier information indicating the modification priority, the method further includes: receiving a selection operation from the multiple ultrasound images by the user, displaying the selected ultrasound image; and displaying an identifier indicating the area to be modified of the myocardial contour in the selected ultrasound image. Further, the method receives a selection operation from the user on one of the thumbnails; and displays the ultrasound image corresponding to the selected thumbnail in the first display area.

[0079] In one embodiment, based on the indication of the aforementioned priority modification information, the user selects one of the multiple thumbnails displayed in the second area, for example, selecting a thumbnail covered by a red semi-transparent block. For the selected thumbnail, a selection indicator can be displayed on it. This selection indicator can also be a mark covering the thumbnail, a mark surrounding the thumbnail, or a mark pointing to the thumbnail; this application does not limit this, but typically the selection indicator and the aforementioned priority modification information are different in form to avoid confusion. For example, when the priority modification information is indicated by semi-transparent blocks of different colors covering the thumbnail, the selection indicator is a triangle located below the thumbnail, such as... Figure 5 As shown.

[0080] In one embodiment, in response to the selection operation, the first region displays the ultrasound image corresponding to the selected thumbnail. In addition to displaying the corresponding ultrasound image, the first region also displays an identifier indicating the area to be modified. Figure 6 As shown, the areas to be modified are outlined in red to alert the user that these areas are to be edited. Furthermore... Figure 6 The image also shows a myocardial outline, which includes multiple key points and the lines connecting adjacent key points.

[0081] It should be noted that the above-described form of the identifier indicating the area to be modified is merely exemplary. In addition to the markers surrounding the area to be modified, other markers may be selected that cover the area to be modified, point to the area to be modified, etc., and this application does not impose any limitations on this. Furthermore, the identifier indicating the area to be modified may also be indicated by key points, for example, by changing the color, size, or shape of the key points to indicate the area to be modified.

[0082] For example, a user's swipe operation on a thumbnail of at least a portion of the ultrasound image displayed in the second area is received; the ultrasound image corresponding to the swipe operation is updated and displayed in the first display area.

[0083] In one embodiment, after receiving a selection operation from the user from the multiple ultrasound images and displaying the selected ultrasound image, the user can also perform a sliding operation on the thumbnail displayed in the second area. For example, by clicking the left-hand arrow at the far left end of the thumbnail or the right-hand arrow at the far right end of the thumbnail, the thumbnail can be slid to the left or right. As the thumbnail is slid, the first display area updates and displays the ultrasound image corresponding to the sliding operation.

[0084] In one embodiment, a user can modify the ultrasound image displayed in a first region based on an identifier indicating the region to be modified. After modifying one frame of ultrasound image, the user can use a swipe gesture to find the next frame of ultrasound image to be modified, and then modify that frame.

[0085] In one embodiment, the multiple ultrasound images obtained in step S210 can be used for quantitative analysis or strain analysis to obtain corresponding analysis results, such as the analysis results before modification. After determining the modification priority level and the area to be modified of the ultrasound images using the above method, the user makes modifications to obtain updated multiple ultrasound images. The updated multiple ultrasound images include partially modified ultrasound images and partially unmodified ultrasound images. Then, quantitative analysis or strain analysis is performed again on the updated multiple ultrasound images.

[0086] According to the ultrasound image analysis method provided in this application, by determining the priority level of ultrasound image modification and displaying ultrasound images and corresponding identification information indicating modification priority, a visual prompt for recommended priority modification frames is realized, thereby optimizing the doctor's operation and usage efficiency.

[0087] This application also provides an ultrasound image analysis method, comprising: acquiring multiple ultrasound images of a target object; automatically determining the region of interest (ROI) of the multiple ultrasound images; determining at least the image quality of the ROI of the multiple ultrasound images; determining the modification priority level of each ROI of the multiple ultrasound images based on the image quality; and displaying at least one ultrasound image in the multiple ultrasound images and corresponding identification information indicating the modification priority.

[0088] In one embodiment, the region of interest includes, but is not limited to, the heart, lungs, liver, and breast. The relevant descriptions of each step can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0089] This application also provides an ultrasound image analysis method, comprising: acquiring multiple ultrasound images of the heart of a target object; automatically determining the myocardial contour of the multiple ultrasound images; determining at least the image quality of the myocardial contour of the multiple ultrasound images; determining a modification priority level for the myocardial contour region of each of the multiple ultrasound images based on the image quality; and displaying at least one ultrasound image and a corresponding identifier indicating the region to be modified based on the modification priority level.

[0090] In one embodiment, after determining the modification priority of multiple ultrasound images, one of the highest priority ultrasound images can be displayed directly without requiring user selection.

[0091] This application also provides an ultrasound imaging system for implementing the aforementioned ultrasound image analysis method. The ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound probe, a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a processor, and a display. (Refer to previous document) Figure 1 This ultrasound imaging system can achieve the following: Figure 1 The ultrasound imaging system 100 shown may include an ultrasound probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116, and a display 118. Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include a transmit / receive selection switch 120, a beamforming module 122, and a memory 124. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 can be connected to the ultrasound probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120. The relevant descriptions of each component can be referred to the relevant descriptions above, and will not be repeated here.

[0092] The transmitting circuit 112 is used to control the ultrasound probe 110 to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue; the receiving circuit 114 is used to control the ultrasound probe 110 to receive the echo of the ultrasound waves returned by the target tissue to obtain an ultrasound echo signal; the processor 116 is used to perform ultrasound imaging based on the ultrasound echo signal; the processor 116 is also used to perform the steps of the ultrasound image analysis method described above.

[0093] Although exemplary embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this application. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this application as claimed in the appended claims.

[0094] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0095] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0096] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of this application may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0097] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to streamline this application and aid in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, features of this application may sometimes be grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the description of exemplary embodiments of this application. However, this approach should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed application requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the corresponding claims, its inventive point lies in solving the corresponding technical problem with features fewer than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of this application.

[0098] Those skilled in the art will understand that, apart from the mutual exclusion of features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or apparatus so disclosed can be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that serves the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0099] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments described herein include certain features but not others included in other embodiments, combinations of features from different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this application and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0100] The various component embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, or as software modules running on one or more processors, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some modules according to the embodiments of this application. This application can also be implemented as an apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and computer program product) for performing part or all of the methods described herein. Such an implementation of this 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, provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0101] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative of this application and not limiting of it, and that those skilled in the art can devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. This application can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

[0102] The above description is merely a specific embodiment or illustration of the embodiments of this application. The scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasound image analysis method, characterized in that, include: Acquire multi-frame ultrasound images of the heart of the target object; Automatically determine the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images; At least determine the image quality of the myocardial contour in the multiple ultrasound images; The priority level for modifying the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined based on the image quality. Display at least one ultrasound image from the multi-frame ultrasound images and the corresponding identifier information indicating the priority of the identifier modification.

2. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic determination of the myocardial contour in the multi-frame ultrasound images includes: At least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images is segmented to obtain the myocardial contour of the at least one ultrasound image, wherein the myocardial contour includes multiple key points. Based on the aforementioned key points, the ultrasound images in the multi-frame ultrasound images that have not undergone image segmentation are tracked to obtain the myocardial contour of the ultrasound images in the multi-frame ultrasound images that have not undergone image segmentation.

3. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic determination of the myocardial contour in the multi-frame ultrasound images includes: Image segmentation is performed on the multi-frame ultrasound images to obtain the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images, wherein the myocardial contour includes multiple key points.

4. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 1, 2, or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Gradient information is calculated based on the myocardial contour and its surrounding region; Determining the image quality of the myocardial contour of at least the multiple ultrasound images includes: determining the image quality of the myocardial contour of at least the multiple ultrasound images based on the gradient information.

5. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Determining the image quality of the myocardial contour in at least the multiple ultrasound images includes: Determine the global quality of the multiple ultrasound images to obtain the image quality of the ultrasound images; or The image quality of the ultrasound image is obtained by determining the image quality of the myocardial contour and its surrounding area.

6. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: The positional change of the same key point in two consecutive ultrasound images was obtained; The jump speed of the key point is obtained based on the position change; The step of determining the modification priority level of the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images based on the image quality includes: The modification priority level of the myocardial contour region in each of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined based on the image quality and the jump rate of the key points.

7. The ultrasound image analysis method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The identification information includes markers covering the ultrasound image, markers surrounding the ultrasound image, and / or markers pointing to the ultrasound image.

8. The ultrasound image analysis method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The identification information includes color markings, shape markings, number markings, and / or letter markings.

9. The ultrasound image analysis method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, After displaying at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images and the corresponding identifier information indicating the priority of the identifier modification, the method further includes: Receive a selection operation from the user from the multiple ultrasound images, and display the selected ultrasound image; The selected ultrasound image displays an identifier for the area to be modified, indicating the contour of the myocardium.

10. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The identifiers marking the area to be modified include marks covering the area to be modified, marks surrounding the area to be modified, and / or marks pointing to the area to be modified.

11. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The area to be modified is marked by key points, and the area to be modified is marked by changing the color, size or shape of the key points.

12. The ultrasound image analysis method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The identification information that displays at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images and the corresponding identification modification priority includes: At least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images is displayed in the first region; The identification information of the priority of the identification modification of the multi-frame ultrasound images is displayed in the second area.

13. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 12, characterized in that, The identification information for modifying the priority of the identification of the multi-frame ultrasound images displayed in the second region includes: The second region displays thumbnails of at least a portion of the multiple ultrasound images, wherein the thumbnails include identification information indicating modification priority, and wherein the thumbnails of at least a portion of the ultrasound images include at least a thumbnail of at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images displayed in the first region.

14. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive user selection operation for one of the thumbnails; The ultrasound image corresponding to the selected thumbnail is displayed in the first display area.

15. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: An identifier indicating the area to be modified is displayed in the ultrasound image shown in the first display area.

16. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive a user's sliding operation on a thumbnail of at least a portion of the ultrasound image displayed in the second area; The ultrasound image corresponding to the sliding operation is updated and displayed in the first display area.

17. The ultrasound image analysis method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The selection indicator is displayed on the selected thumbnail.

18. The ultrasound image analysis method according to any one of claims 1-17, characterized in that, The method includes quantitative analysis of multiple frames of ultrasound images, and quantitative analysis of updated multiple frames of ultrasound images after receiving modifications made by the user to at least one frame of ultrasound image.

19. The ultrasound image analysis method according to any one of claims 1-17, characterized in that, The method includes performing strain analysis on multiple frames of the ultrasound images, and performing strain analysis on the updated multiple frames of ultrasound images after receiving a modification from the user to at least one frame of the ultrasound image.

20. An ultrasound image analysis method, characterized in that, include: Acquire multiple frames of ultrasound images of the target object; The region of interest in the multi-frame ultrasound images is automatically determined; At least the image quality of the region of interest in the multiple ultrasound images is determined; The modification priority level of the region of interest in each of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined based on the image quality. Display at least one ultrasound image from the multi-frame ultrasound images and the corresponding identifier information indicating the priority of the identifier modification.

21. A method for analyzing ultrasound images, characterized in that, include: Acquire multi-frame ultrasound images of the heart of the target object; Automatically determine the myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images; At least determine the image quality of the myocardial contour in the multiple ultrasound images; The priority level for modifying the myocardial contour region of each of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined based on the image quality. Based on the modification priority level, at least one ultrasound image from the multiple ultrasound images and the corresponding identifier indicating the area to be modified are displayed.

22. An ultrasound image analysis method, characterized in that, include: Acquire multi-frame ultrasound images of the heart of the target object; The myocardial contour of the multi-frame ultrasound images is automatically determined, wherein the myocardial contour includes multiple key points; The positional change of the same key point in two consecutive ultrasound images was obtained; The jump speed of the key point is obtained based on the position change; The modification priority level of the myocardial contour region in each of the multi-frame ultrasound images is determined based on the jump rate of the key points. Display at least one ultrasound image from the multi-frame ultrasound images and the corresponding identifier information indicating the priority of the identifier modification.

23. An ultrasound imaging system, characterized in that, include: Ultrasonic probe; A transmitting / receiving circuit is used to excite the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves toward the target object and to control the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves in order to obtain the echo signal of the ultrasonic waves. A processor for performing the steps of the ultrasound image analysis method according to any one of claims 1-22.

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