Ultrasonic elastography method and ultrasonic imaging equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses an ultrasonic elastography method and ultrasonic imaging equipment. In the embodiment of the invention, ultrasonic imaging equipment can respectively obtain a first shear wave elasticity result and a first strain elasticity result of an external area of a focus in target tissue of a testee and obtain a second strain elasticity result of an internal area of the focus in the target tissue; a quantitative elasticity result for the internal region of the lesion is determined based on the first shear wave elasticity result, the first strain elasticity result, and the second strain elasticity result. The shear wave elasticity result and the strain elasticity result of the external region of the focus and the strain elasticity result of the internal region of the focus are accurate, so that the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the focus is calculated according to the results; compared with the method of directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the internal area of the focus, the method has the advantages that the obtained result is more accurate, and the form and boundary of the focus can be presented more accurately.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application filed on August 1, 2023, with application number 202310961081.0 and invention title "Ultrasonic Elastography Method and Ultrasonic Imaging Device". Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of medical devices, specifically to an ultrasound elastography method and an ultrasound imaging device. Background Technology

[0003] Ultrasound elastography can non-invasively extract and image information about the elasticity or hardness of human tissues, making up for the inability of traditional ultrasound medical imaging to extract mechanical information. It plays an increasingly important role in various clinical scenarios such as the differentiation of benign and malignant tumors, the assessment of the degree of liver fibrosis, arteriosclerosis, and muscle and nerve injuries.

[0004] The most commonly used elastography method in clinical liver examination is shear wave elastography. This method is based on the generation of shear waves within liver tissue by acoustic radiation, followed by ultrasound detection of the wave propagation process. Physical quantities such as shear wave propagation velocity and Young's modulus are calculated for imaging, thereby quantitatively measuring the elastic parameters of the liver tissue. This method is a quantitative imaging technique with significant advantages in assessing the progression and severity of chronic liver fibrosis, and is therefore widely used and highly regarded in clinical liver care.

[0005] However, since the shear wave sources generated inside the tissue are often only at a depth of micrometers, such as only ten micrometers, their penetration power is limited for large-area and high-hardness lesions (such as malignant cancer). For focal liver tumors, the propagation of shear waves is often difficult to penetrate, resulting in poor performance of shear wave elastography. It is impossible to obtain accurate shear wave measurement results inside the lesion, and it is also difficult to accurately present the morphology and boundary of the lesion. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides an ultrasound elastography method and ultrasound imaging device to improve the accuracy and reliability of shear wave elasticity results in the lesion region of tissue.

[0007] The first aspect of this application provides an ultrasonic elastography method, including:

[0008] Acquire ultrasound images of the target tissue, and determine the internal region and external region of the lesion in the target tissue based on the ultrasound images;

[0009] A first acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted toward the external region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the external region of the lesion and generate a first shear wave that propagates in the external region of the lesion.

[0010] First ultrasound waves at different times are emitted to the external region of the lesion to detect changes in the displacement or strain of the tissue corresponding to the external region of the lesion and to track the first shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion, and to receive the echoes of the first ultrasound waves at different times to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal.

[0011] Based on the first ultrasound echo signal, a first strain elastic result of the outer region of the lesion is obtained; and based on the first ultrasound echo signal, a first shear wave elastic result of the outer region of the lesion is obtained.

[0012] A second acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted into the internal region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the corresponding tissue within the internal region of the lesion;

[0013] A second ultrasound wave is emitted at different times into the internal region of the lesion to detect the change in displacement or strain of the tissue corresponding to the internal region of the lesion, and the echoes of the second ultrasound waves at different times are received to obtain the second ultrasound echo signal.

[0014] Based on the second ultrasound echo signal, a second strain elastic result of the internal region of the lesion is obtained;

[0015] Based on the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result, the quantitative elastic result of the internal region of the lesion is determined;

[0016] The ultrasound images and the quantitative elasticity results are displayed.

[0017] A second aspect of this application provides an ultrasonic elastography method, comprising:

[0018] Acquire an ultrasound image of the target tissue, the ultrasound image including a first region of interest and a second region of interest of the target tissue;

[0019] This causes displacement or strain in the tissues corresponding to the first and second regions of interest.

[0020] First ultrasonic waves are emitted at different times to the first region of interest and the second region of interest to detect changes in displacement or strain of the tissues corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest, and the echoes of the first ultrasonic waves at different times are received to obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal.

[0021] Based on the first ultrasonic echo signal, the first strain elastic result of the first region of interest and the second strain elastic result of the second region of interest are obtained.

[0022] A first shear wave is generated that propagates in the first region of interest;

[0023] A second ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the first region of interest to track the first shear wave propagating in the first region of interest, and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave is received to obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal.

[0024] Based on the second ultrasonic echo signal, the first shear wave elastic result of the first region of interest is obtained;

[0025] Based on the first strain elastic result, the second strain elastic result, and the first shear wave elastic result, the quantitative elastic result of the second region of interest is determined.

[0026] The ultrasound images and the quantitative elasticity results are displayed.

[0027] A third aspect of this application provides an ultrasound imaging device, comprising:

[0028] Ultrasonic probe;

[0029] A transmitting circuit is used to excite the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue of the subject.

[0030] A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasound probe to receive the echo of the ultrasound waves returned by the target tissue and obtain an ultrasound echo signal;

[0031] A processor is configured to process the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image of the target tissue, and to perform the ultrasound elastography method described in the first or second aspect above based on the ultrasound image.

[0032] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the embodiments of this application have the following advantages:

[0033] Ultrasound imaging equipment can acquire the first shear wave elasticity result and the first strain elasticity result of the external region of the lesion in the target tissue of the subject, and the second strain elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion in the target tissue. Based on the first shear wave elasticity result, the first strain elasticity result, and the second strain elasticity result, the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion is determined. Since the shear wave elasticity result and strain elasticity result of the external region of the lesion, as well as the strain elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion, are accurate, the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion calculated based on the above results is more accurate than the result obtained by directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the internal region of the lesion, and can more accurately present the morphology and boundary of the lesion. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1This is a schematic block diagram illustrating the structure of the ultrasound imaging device in the embodiments of this application;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of an ultrasonic elastography method in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 3 This is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the location of the internal and external regions of the lesion in an ultrasound image, as described in the embodiments of this application.

[0037] Figure 4 This is an exemplary schematic diagram showing the location of the target tissue used to calculate the shear wave elastic results and strain results in the embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one method of marking the internal region of a lesion in an ultrasound image, as described in an embodiment of this application.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a marking method for marking the internal and external regions of a lesion in an ultrasound image, as described in an embodiment of this application.

[0040] Figure 7 This is another schematic diagram of the ultrasonic elastography method in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0041] This application provides an ultrasound elastography method and ultrasound imaging device to improve the accuracy and reliability of shear wave elasticity results in the lesion region of tissue.

[0042] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in a sequence other than that illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0043] Please see Figure 1 The ultrasound imaging device in this embodiment includes:

[0044] The system includes an ultrasonic probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 118, and a display 120. Additionally, it may include a transmit / receive selection switch 122, a beamforming module 116, and a memory 124.

[0045] The ultrasonic probe 110 can be any probe used for ultrasonic testing, such as a 2D ultrasonic probe or a 3D ultrasonic probe. The acoustic head portion of the ultrasonic probe 110 can be an array of multiple elements, such as multiple elements arranged in a row to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a planar array; multiple elements can also form a convex array. These elements are used to emit ultrasonic beams according to excitation electrical signals, or to convert received ultrasonic echoes into electrical signals. Therefore, each element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasonic beams, thereby realizing the emission of ultrasonic waves to target tissues in the human body, and can also be used to receive the echoes of ultrasonic waves reflected back by the tissue.

[0046] The transmitting circuit 112 is used to generate a transmission sequence according to the control of the transmitting control module of the processor 118. The transmission sequence is used to control some or all of the multiple array elements to transmit ultrasound waves to biological tissue.

[0047] The receiving circuit 114 is used to receive the electrical signal of the ultrasonic echo from the ultrasonic probe 110, obtain the ultrasonic echo signal, and send these ultrasonic echo signals into the beamforming module 116.

[0048] The beamforming module 116 is used to perform corresponding delay, weighted summation, and beamforming processing on the signal output by the receiving circuit 114. Because the distance from the ultrasonic receiving point to the receiving array element varies in the tissue being measured, the channel data of the same receiving point output by different receiving array elements has delay differences. Delay processing is required to align the phases, and the different channel data of the same receiving point are weighted and summed to obtain the beamformed data.

[0049] Processor 118, connected to beamforming module 116, primarily processes the beamformed data through detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, and logarithmic compression to form an ultrasound image. The ultrasound image obtained by processor 118 can be displayed on display 120 or stored in memory 124.

[0050] Optionally, the processor 118 may be at least one of the following: Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Digital Signal Processing Device (DSPD), Programmable Logic Device (PLD), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Central Processing Unit (CPU), controller, microcontroller, or microprocessor. This allows the processor 118 to control other components in the ultrasound imaging device 100 to perform the ultrasound imaging steps in the various embodiments of this specification. The processor 118 may be a single element or a collective term for control and processing devices in the ultrasound imaging device capable of controlling other components of the ultrasound imaging device to perform the various functions in the embodiments.

[0051] The display 120 is connected to the processor 118. The display 120 can be a touch screen or an LCD screen, etc.; or, the display 120 can be a standalone display such as an LCD screen or a television, independent of the ultrasound imaging system 100; or, the display 120 can be the screen of an electronic device such as a smartphone or a tablet, etc. The number of displays 120 can be one or more.

[0052] In addition to the above structure, the ultrasound imaging device 100 may also include a human-machine interface. Specifically, this human-machine interface may be a display 120. If all the functions of the human-machine interface are integrated into the display 120, the display 120 may also provide a graphical interface for user interaction when displaying ultrasound images. One or more controlled objects are set on the graphical interface, allowing the user to input operation commands through the human-machine interface to control these controlled objects and perform corresponding control operations. For example, icons may be displayed on the graphical interface, and the human-machine interface can be used to operate these icons to perform specific functions, such as changing the image position and / or magnifying a specific area.

[0053] The human-computer interaction device can also be any other human-computer interaction device besides the display 120. For example, the human-computer interaction device may include an input device for detecting user input information, such as instructions to edit and annotate ultrasound images, or other types of instructions. The input device may include one or a combination of several of the following: a keyboard, scroll wheel, trackball, and mobile input devices (such as mobile devices with touchscreens, mobile phones, etc.), multi-function knobs, etc. The human-computer interaction device may also include an output device such as a printer.

[0054] The aforementioned ultrasound imaging device 100 may further include a memory 124, which stores instructions for processing execution, received ultrasound echo signals, ultrasound image data, and so on. The memory 124 may be volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM); or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid-state drive (SSD); or a combination of the above types of memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor.

[0055] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the ultrasound imaging device 100 shown are merely illustrative and may include more or fewer components; this application does not limit the scope accordingly.

[0056] The following will further describe in detail several embodiments and implementation methods of the ultrasonic elastography method performed by the ultrasonic imaging device in this application, based on the specific structural composition of the aforementioned ultrasonic imaging device and the function of each structure. Please refer to... Figure 2 One embodiment of the ultrasonic elastography method in this application includes:

[0057] 201. Acquire an ultrasound image of the target tissue, and determine the internal region and external region of the lesion in the target tissue based on the ultrasound image;

[0058] In this embodiment, the ultrasound imaging device performs an ultrasound scan on the target tissue of the subject under the user's scanning operation to obtain an ultrasound image of the target tissue, and determines the internal region and external region of the lesion in the target tissue based on the ultrasound image.

[0059] The target tissue can be any organ tissue of the subject, such as liver tissue. The ultrasound imaging device determines the internal and external regions of the lesion in the ultrasound image. This can be done by using a pre-trained image recognition neural network model to identify the internal and external regions of the lesion; alternatively, the user can mark the internal and external regions of the lesion on the ultrasound image, and the ultrasound imaging device can then determine these two regions based on the user's instructions; or a combination of both methods can be used, where the ultrasound imaging device automatically determines the two regions, and the user can manually adjust the determined regions if they are not satisfied with the results. This embodiment does not limit the method by which the ultrasound imaging device determines the internal and external regions of the lesion in the ultrasound image.

[0060] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the internal area of ​​the lesion in the ultrasound image is the area surrounded by white lines, while the external area of ​​the lesion is the area outside the area surrounded by white lines. These two areas can be automatically determined by the ultrasound imaging device or determined by the ultrasound imaging device according to the user's instructions.

[0061] 202. A first acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted to the external region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the external region of the lesion and generate a first shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion.

[0062] Based on the internal and external regions of the lesion in the ultrasound image, the ultrasound imaging equipment further determines the internal and external regions of the lesion within the target tissue. It then emits a first acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI), such as a focused ultrasound shear wave pushing pulse (SWP), towards the external region of the lesion. This pulse signal induces displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the external region of the lesion. Furthermore, based on the principle of acoustic radiation force, a force is generated within the tissue, subsequently producing a first shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion.

[0063] 203. Emit first ultrasound waves at different times to the external region of the lesion to detect changes in the displacement or strain of the tissue corresponding to the external region of the lesion and to track the first shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion, and receive the echoes of the first ultrasound waves at different times to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal.

[0064] 204. Based on the first ultrasound echo signal, obtain a first strain elastic result of the outer region of the lesion; and based on the first ultrasound echo signal, obtain a first shear wave elastic result of the outer region of the lesion.

[0065] Based on the effect of acoustic radiation force, while shear waves are generated in the external region of the lesion, the force will also cause tissue displacement or strain near the shear wave source (usually within the focusing area of ​​the acoustic radiation force pulse sound field). The greater the acoustic radiation force pulse intensity, the stronger the acoustic radiation force, and the greater the tissue displacement or strain near the shear wave source.

[0066] Therefore, to detect displacement or strain changes in the tissue corresponding to the external region of a lesion, an ultrasound imaging device can emit first ultrasound waves at different times to the external region of the lesion and receive the echoes of these first ultrasound waves at different times to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal. The ultrasound imaging device also obtains a first strain-elasticity result of the external region of the lesion based on this first ultrasound echo signal. The strain-elasticity result is achieved through pressure elasticity imaging. Specifically, the imaging method involves applying pressure to the target tissue using an ultrasound probe, acquiring two frames of ultrasound echo information before and after compression, and then calculating the displacement at the corresponding positions before and after compression using the ultrasound echo signals. This represents the spatial positional change of the target tissue at two different times. By calculating the axial gradient of the displacement, the strain-elasticity result at each point in the target tissue region is obtained. The strain-elasticity result can intuitively reflect the differences in hardness or elasticity between different tissues. Under the same external force compression, a larger strain indicates a softer tissue; a smaller strain indicates a harder tissue.

[0067] For example, an acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted to a location in the external region of the lesion, followed by the emission of ultrasound waves at different times (e.g., at least two sets of ultrasound waves with intervals of 1 ms, 2 ms, or 3 ms). The echo signals of each set of ultrasound waves are received, and the movement state of the tissue at that location is determined based on the echo signals. By comparing the differences before and after, the strain elasticity at that location can be calculated. Based on the transformation relationship between physical quantities, the strain elasticity result can usually be obtained using the spatial gradient of the displacement result.

[0068] Furthermore, the first ultrasound echo signal can also be used to track the first shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion. Therefore, the elastic result of the first shear wave in the external region of the lesion can also be obtained based on the processing of the first ultrasound echo signal.

[0069] For example, in the various structures of the ultrasound imaging device described above, the transducer in the ultrasound probe 110 is also used to apply acoustic radiation force pulses to the external region of the lesion in the target tissue of the subject to generate shear waves. Specifically, during shear wave elastography, the transducer in the ultrasound probe applies acoustic radiation force pulses to the external region of the lesion to generate shear waves; the transmitting circuit 112 sends the delayed-focused transmitting pulse to the ultrasound probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 122, and the ultrasound probe 110, excited by the transmitting pulse, transmits an ultrasonic beam to the external region of the lesion to track the shear waves; after a certain delay, the ultrasound probe 110 receives the ultrasonic echo with tissue information reflected back from the external region of the lesion and converts this ultrasonic echo back into an electrical signal. The receiving circuit 114 receives the electrical signal generated by the ultrasound probe 110, obtains the ultrasound echo signal, and sends these ultrasound echo signals to the beamforming module 116. The beamforming module 116 performs focusing delay, weighting, and channel summation on the ultrasound echo data, and then sends it to the processor 118. The processor 118 performs elastic imaging processing on the ultrasound echo signal and calculates the shear wave elasticity and strain elasticity results of the external region of the lesion.

[0070] 205. A second acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted into the internal region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the corresponding tissue within the internal region of the lesion;

[0071] The ultrasound imaging device also determines the internal region of the lesion in the target tissue of the subject based on the internal region of the lesion in the ultrasound image, and emits a second acoustic radiation force pulse to the internal region of the lesion in the target tissue. The second acoustic radiation force pulse can induce displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the internal region of the lesion in the target tissue.

[0072] 206. Emit second ultrasound waves at different times to the internal region of the lesion to detect displacement or strain changes of the tissue corresponding to the internal region of the lesion, and receive the echoes of the second ultrasound waves at different times to obtain second ultrasound echo signals;

[0073] 207. Based on the second ultrasound echo signal, obtain the second strain elastic result of the internal region of the lesion;

[0074] Similarly, the ultrasound imaging device also emits a second ultrasound wave at different times into the internal region of the lesion. This second ultrasound wave is used to detect the displacement or strain changes of the tissue corresponding to the internal region of the lesion, and receives the echo of the second ultrasound wave at different times to obtain the second ultrasound echo signal. Based on the second ultrasound echo signal, the second strain elastic result of the internal region of the lesion is obtained.

[0075] For example, a second acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted into the internal region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in tissue at any location within the lesion. Then, a second ultrasound wave is emitted at that location at different times, such as at least two sets of ultrasound waves with intervals of 1 ms, 2 ms, or 3 ms. The echo signals from each set of ultrasound waves are received, and the motion state of the tissue at that location is determined based on the echo signals. By comparing the differences before and after, the strain elasticity at that location can be calculated. Based on the transformation relationship between physical quantities, the strain elasticity result can usually be obtained by calculating the spatial gradient of the displacement result.

[0076] 208. Based on the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result, determine the quantitative elastic result of the internal region of the lesion;

[0077] Since shear wave sources generated within tissues are often only at a depth of micrometers, such as ten micrometers, their penetration is limited for large-area, high-hardness lesions (such as malignant cancer). For focal liver tumors, shear wave propagation is often difficult to penetrate, leading to inaccurate shear wave measurements in the internal region of the lesion. To address this technical problem, in this embodiment, because the tissue in the external region of the lesion is relatively homogeneous and usually has relatively low hardness, the detection of shear wave elasticity and strain elasticity is relatively reliable and accurate. However, the tumor tissue in the internal region of the lesion is usually harder or non-uniform, and although the generated shear waves cannot propagate well, the strain or displacement values ​​within the sound field focusing area directly caused by the acoustic radiation force are relatively reliable. Therefore, the ultrasound imaging device determines the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion based on the first strain elasticity result, the first shear wave elasticity result, and the second strain elasticity result calculated in the above steps. Since the external region of the lesion is generally diffuse lesion or homogeneous healthy tissue, the shear wave elasticity measurement of the external region of the lesion can usually obtain more accurate measurement results. Therefore, since the shear wave elasticity and strain elasticity results of the external region of the lesion and the strain elasticity results of the internal region of the lesion are accurate, the shear wave elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion calculated based on the above results is more accurate than the result obtained by directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the internal region of the lesion.

[0078] The quantitative elastic result can be quantitative elastic results such as shear wave propagation velocity, Young's modulus, and shear modulus, that is, the quantitative elastic result can be expressed as the above parameters.

[0079] 209. Display the ultrasound image and the quantitative elasticity result;

[0080] Ultrasound imaging equipment can display ultrasound images of the target tissue of the subject, as well as the quantitative elasticity results obtained from the above steps, so that doctors can determine the location of the lesion and the shear wave elasticity results of the lesion based on the ultrasound images.

[0081] In this embodiment, the ultrasound imaging device can acquire the first shear wave elasticity result and the first strain elasticity result of the outer region of the lesion in the target tissue of the subject, and the second strain elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion in the target tissue. Based on the first shear wave elasticity result, the first strain elasticity result, and the second strain elasticity result, the quantitative elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion is determined. Since the shear wave elasticity result and strain elasticity result of the outer region of the lesion, as well as the strain elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion, are all accurate, the quantitative elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion calculated based on the above results is more accurate than the result obtained by directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the inner region of the lesion, and can more accurately present the morphology and boundary of the lesion.

[0082] The shear wave elastic result may include Young's modulus result. According to Hooke's Law, under a certain stress, the strain elastic result Strain is inversely proportional to the Young's modulus result E, which can be expressed by the formula Stress = Strain * E. Based on this, in a preferred embodiment of this example, the acoustic radiation force generated by the first acoustic radiation force pulse on the first target position of the external region of the lesion is the same as the acoustic radiation force generated by the second acoustic radiation force pulse on the second target position of the internal region of the lesion, or the difference between the two is within a preset range. The first target position is the position corresponding to the first strain elastic result, and the second target position is the position corresponding to the second strain elastic result. Therefore, it can be ensured that the stress (i.e., acoustic radiation force) induced by the first acoustic radiation force pulse on the first target position is the same as or approximately the same as the stress induced by the second acoustic radiation force pulse on the second target position. When the stress is the same or approximately the same, that is, the stress OutStress in the external region of the lesion is equal to the stress InStress in the internal region of the lesion, and then according to the formula Stress = Strain * E, we can obtain:

[0083] OutStrain*OutE = Instrain(i)*InE(i);

[0084] Where OutStrain refers to the first strain elastic result, OutE refers to the first shear wave elastic result, and OutStrain*OutE is the stress in the outer region of the lesion (OutStress); Instrain(i) refers to the second strain elastic result, InE(i) refers to the quantitative elastic result, and Instrain(i)*InE(i) is the stress in the inner region of the lesion (InStress).

[0085] Therefore, the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion can be calculated based on this formula.

[0086] In one embodiment, to ensure that the acoustic radiation force of the first acoustic radiation pulse on the first target location is the same as or within a preset range as the acoustic radiation force of the second acoustic radiation pulse on the second target location, the values ​​of the parameters of the first acoustic radiation pulse and the second acoustic radiation pulse can be set to be the same. Furthermore, the depth of the first target location in the outer region of the lesion is the same as the depth of the second target location in the inner region of the lesion, thereby ensuring that the tissue depth causes the same attenuation of the sound field energy intensity generated by the first and second acoustic radiation pulses.

[0087] For example, when the depth of the first target location in the outer region of the lesion is the same as the depth of the second target location in the inner region of the lesion, the parameters of the first acoustic radiation force pulse and the second acoustic radiation force pulse can be set to be consistent in terms of pulse length, pulse waveform, emission frequency, emission aperture or focusing intensity, so as to ensure that the acoustic radiation force generated by the first acoustic radiation force pulse on the first target location is the same or approximately the same as the acoustic radiation force generated by the second acoustic radiation force pulse on the second target location.

[0088] In addition, another way to ensure that the acoustic radiation force generated by the first acoustic radiation force pulse is the same as or approximately the same as that generated by the second acoustic radiation force pulse is to emit a first acoustic radiation force pulse with a parameter value equal to the first target value towards the external region of the lesion; and to determine a second target value corresponding to the first target value based on the depth of the first target location in the external region of the lesion and the depth of the second target location in the internal region of the lesion, and then emit a second acoustic radiation force pulse with a parameter value equal to the second target value towards the internal region of the lesion. In other words, after determining the parameter value of the first acoustic radiation force pulse, the parameter value of the second acoustic radiation force pulse can be adjusted according to the depth difference between the locations where the first and second acoustic radiation force pulses act, so that the acoustic radiation force generated by the first and second acoustic radiation force pulses is the same as or approximately the same.

[0089] For example, if the depth of the second target location within the lesion's internal region is greater than the depth of the first target location within the lesion's external region, then when emitting the second acoustic radiation force pulse, its emission frequency can be lowered relative to the first acoustic radiation force pulse; or, the pulse length of the second acoustic radiation force pulse can be increased; or the number of array elements in the ultrasound probe emitting the second acoustic radiation force pulse can be increased to enhance its signal strength, and so on. Therefore, by adjusting the parameter values ​​of the second acoustic radiation force pulse, its signal strength can be improved, avoiding excessive attenuation of sound field energy intensity due to excessive depth, thereby ensuring that the acoustic radiation force generated by the two acoustic radiation force pulses is the same or approximately the same.

[0090] In this embodiment, the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion can be the quantitative elasticity result of a single location within the internal region of the lesion, or it can be the quantitative elasticity result of multiple locations within the internal region of the lesion. Therefore, the ultrasound imaging device can emit a second acoustic radiation force pulse towards one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the one or more target locations. Furthermore, second ultrasound waves at different times are emitted towards the one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion to detect the displacement or strain changes in the tissue corresponding to the target locations, and the echoes of the second ultrasound waves at different times at the one or more target locations are received to obtain second ultrasound echo signals. Based on the second ultrasound echo signals of the one or more target locations, the second strain elasticity result of the one or more target locations is obtained.

[0091] After obtaining the second strain elastic results for one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion, the quantitative elastic results for the one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion can be determined based on the first strain elastic results, the first shear wave elastic results, and the second strain elastic results for the one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion.

[0092] Specifically, because the range of acoustic radiation force generated by the focused area of ​​the acoustic radiation force pulse is limited (usually less than 0.5mm*0.5mm), when the lesion area is small, a second set of acoustic radiation force pulses can be emitted only in the internal region or center of the lesion to obtain a strain result for the internal region of the lesion. This method can save detection time and reduce computational load. When the lesion area is large and the hardness is uneven, second acoustic radiation force pulses can be emitted sequentially at different positions in the transverse or longitudinal direction of the internal region of the lesion, depending on the size of the lesion area, to obtain strain results at multiple different local positions. Then, the quantitative elastic result of that local position can be calculated based on the strain result of each local position.

[0093] After obtaining quantitative elasticity results for multiple target locations within the internal region of the lesion, the ultrasound imaging device can also perform statistical analysis on the quantitative elasticity results for multiple target locations within the internal region of the lesion and display the statistical results, which include one or more of the following: median, mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation.

[0094] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, when displaying the ultrasound image and the quantitative elastography result, the ultrasound image can be displayed, and the quantitative elastography results of multiple target locations within the internal region of the lesion can be mapped to a quantitative elastography image of the target display effect, and the quantitative elastography image of the target display effect can be displayed. The target display effect may include any one or more of grayscale, pseudo-color, and color display effects.

[0095] In this embodiment, the target tissue can be liver tissue. The external region of the lesion includes the diffuse lesion area outside the lesion of the liver tissue or the non-lesion area outside the lesion, and the internal region of the lesion includes the focal lesion area inside the lesion of the liver tissue.

[0096] In a preferred embodiment of this example, the first shear wave elastic result includes the propagation velocity, Young's modulus, or shear modulus of the first shear wave. When the first shear wave elastic result is the propagation velocity of the first shear wave, one calculation method is to determine the time it takes for the first shear wave to propagate from the wave source location to the first reference location based on the first ultrasound echo signal at a first reference location in the external region of the lesion, and then determine the propagation velocity of the first shear wave in the external region of the lesion based on the distance between the wave source location and the first reference location and the time.

[0097] The duration of the first shear wave propagating from the wave source location to the first reference location is the time interval between the time the first shear wave is generated and the time the first shear wave propagates to the first reference location. The time of the first shear wave generation can be the time when the ultrasound imaging device emits the first acoustic radiation force pulse to the external area of ​​the lesion.

[0098] For example, such as Figure 4As shown, the area outside the region enclosed by the dashed line in the target tissue is the external region of the lesion. When calculating the shear wave elasticity result of the external region of the lesion, it is assumed that point A is the point where the first acoustic radiation force pulse emitted by the ultrasound imaging device acts, that is, the first acoustic radiation force pulse generates a shear wave at point A, and point A is the location of the shear wave source. After the shear wave is generated at point A, the shear wave can propagate to both sides and pass through point B. The ultrasound imaging device then emits a series of ultrasound waves towards point B to track the shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion and receives the echo signal of the ultrasound waves. Based on the echo signal of the ultrasound waves, the propagation time t of the shear wave from point A to point B is determined, and the propagation speed of the shear wave is calculated according to the distance l between points A and B and the time t, that is, the propagation speed of the shear wave when it passes through point B, Vs = l / t.

[0099] In addition, another way to calculate the propagation velocity of the shear wave is to determine the time interval between the propagation of the first shear wave to the first reference position and the propagation to the second reference position based on the first ultrasound echo signal at the first reference position in the outer region of the lesion and the first ultrasound echo signal at the second reference position in the outer region of the lesion; and to determine the propagation velocity of the first shear wave in the outer region of the lesion based on the distance between the first reference position and the second reference position and the time interval.

[0100] Still with Figure 4 For example, after a shear wave is generated at point A, it can propagate in both directions, passing through points B and C. The ultrasound imaging device sequentially emits a series of ultrasound waves towards points B and C to track the shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion, and receives the echo signals from points B and C. Based on the echo signal from point B, the time it takes for the shear wave to propagate to point B is determined, and based on the echo signal from point C, the time it takes for the shear wave to propagate to point C is determined. The time interval t between these two times is determined, and the propagation speed of the shear wave is calculated based on the distance l between points B and C and the time interval t, i.e., the propagation speed Vs = l / t.

[0101] In the two methods for calculating the propagation velocity of shear waves mentioned above, determining whether the shear wave has propagated to the first reference position or the second reference position can be done by finding the time it takes for the shear wave to propagate to the reference position based on the tissue displacement / tissue velocity curve at that reference position. For example, it can be considered that the shear wave has just reached the reference position when the tissue displacement at that reference position reaches its peak value.

[0102] After obtaining the propagation velocity of the shear wave, according to Young's modulus E = 3*ρVs 2 Or, the shear modulus G = ρVs 2Using formulas like these, various physical quantities reflecting tissue stiffness can be further calculated, where ρ is tissue density. A higher shear wave propagation velocity Vs, or a higher Young's modulus E, or a higher shear modulus G indicates higher tissue stiffness.

[0103] Therefore, the first shear wave elastic result may include the propagation velocity of the first shear wave, or may include a first Young's modulus converted from the propagation velocity of the first shear wave or a first shear modulus converted from the propagation velocity of the first shear wave. Then, the quantitative elastic result may include the propagation velocity of the second shear wave propagating in the internal region of the lesion, or may include a second Young's modulus converted from the propagation velocity of the second shear wave or a second shear modulus converted from the propagation velocity of the second shear wave.

[0104] In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the ultrasound imaging device can display ultrasound images, as well as first strain elasticity results, first shear wave elasticity results, and second strain elasticity results, and quantitative elasticity results, which facilitates the user to compare the hardness between the external and internal regions of the lesion, and also facilitates the user to compare the difference between the hardness reflected in the strain elasticity measurement results and the hardness reflected in the quantitative elasticity results in the internal region of the lesion.

[0105] Alternatively, the ultrasound imaging device could display ultrasound images, as well as first shear wave elasticity results and quantitative elasticity results, allowing the user to compare the hardness between the outer and inner regions of the lesion. Alternatively, in addition to displaying ultrasound images, first shear wave elasticity results, and quantitative elasticity results, it could also display a comparison between the first shear wave elasticity results and the quantitative elasticity results, allowing the user to directly determine the hardness difference between the outer and inner regions of the lesion through this comparison.

[0106] The comparison result can be the difference or ratio between the first shear wave elasticity result and the quantitative elasticity result, so that the user can know the difference in tissue elasticity or tissue hardness between the internal area and the external area of ​​the lesion through the comparison result.

[0107] In a preferred embodiment of this example, the external region of the lesion in the target tissue is determined based on the ultrasound image. This can be achieved by determining the location of a first region of interest in the ultrasound image, using the first region of interest as the external region of the lesion, and marking the first region of interest on the ultrasound image with a first marking pattern based on the location of the first region of interest. The first region of interest may include a diffuse lesion area or a non-lesion area.

[0108] When determining the internal region of a lesion in a target tissue based on ultrasound images, the location of a second region of interest (ROI) in the ultrasound image can be determined. This second ROI is considered the internal region of the lesion, and it is marked on the ultrasound image using a second marking pattern different from the first marking pattern described above. This second ROI includes focal lesion areas, and the depth of the diffuse lesion areas or non-lesion areas relative to the body surface is less than the depth of the focal lesion areas relative to the body surface.

[0109] Because the signal transmission and reception processing differs for the internal and external regions of a lesion, it is necessary to identify these regions to perform different processing operations. Prior to this, an ultrasound scan of the target tissue can be performed under the user's ultrasound scanning operation to obtain ultrasound images, which can be B-mode, D-mode, or M-mode ultrasound images, etc. After obtaining the ultrasound images, the ultrasound imaging equipment can determine the region of interest (ROI) containing the focal lesion area within the ultrasound image. This ROI is then identified as the internal region of the lesion, and its location can be marked. Figure 5 As shown, after acquiring the ultrasound image, the region of interest (ROI) is determined, which is the closed region containing the lesion. This ROI is defined as the internal region of the lesion and its location is indicated by a rectangle (as shown by the arrow). Alternatively, the ROI can be indicated by a circle, an ellipse, or a boundary line drawn by the user based on the 2D image. After determining the internal region of the lesion, the area outside the closed region where this ROI is located is defined as the external region of the lesion. Different processing operations can then be performed on the internal and external regions of the lesion respectively.

[0110] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, after marking the rectangular area corresponding to the internal region of the lesion, the region of interest (ROI) containing the diffuse lesion area or non-lesion area in the ultrasound image can be further determined. This ROI is then used as the external region of the lesion, and its location is marked on the ultrasound image, as shown below. Figure 6 The closed area is enclosed by the rectangle on the right. The right rectangle can differ from the left rectangle in its marking style; for example, the borders of the left and right rectangles can be displayed in different colors, or with different line shapes (such as solid and dashed lines), or with lines of different thicknesses, and so on. Therefore, users can distinguish the internal and external regions of a lesion in an ultrasound image by using rectangles with different marking styles.

[0111] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, when calculating the quantitative elastic result of the internal region of the lesion, the stress result can be determined based on the first strain elastic result and the first shear wave elastic result, and the quantitative elastic result corresponding to the second strain elastic result can be determined based on the stress result.

[0112] For example, as mentioned earlier, the formula OutStrain*OutE = Instrain(i)*InE(i) is used, where the product of the first strain elastic result OutStrain and the first shear wave elastic result OutE is the stress on the outer region of the lesion, and then the quantitative elastic result of the inner region of the lesion InE(i) = OutStrain*OutE / Instrain(i).

[0113] In this embodiment, the first ultrasound wave used to detect the displacement or strain change of the tissue in the external region of the lesion and the first ultrasound wave propagating in the external region of the lesion may include multiple sets of ultrasound waves. The first ultrasound echo signal corresponding to one set of ultrasound waves can be processed to obtain the first strain elastic result, while the first ultrasound echo signal corresponding to another set of ultrasound waves can be processed to obtain the first shear wave elastic result. That is, the first shear wave elastic result and the first strain elastic result of the external region of the lesion are obtained by processing the ultrasound echo signals of different sets of ultrasound waves.

[0114] Furthermore, the first shear wave elasticity result and the first strain elasticity result of the external region of the lesion can also be obtained by processing the ultrasound echo signals of the same set of ultrasound waves. That is, the first ultrasound wave includes a set of ultrasound waves, and the first strain elasticity result is obtained by processing the first ultrasound echo signals corresponding to the set of ultrasound waves, while the first shear wave elasticity result is also obtained by processing the first ultrasound echo signals corresponding to the set of ultrasound waves.

[0115] In this embodiment, the second acoustic radiation force pulse emitted towards the internal region of the lesion will also generate a second shear wave propagating in the internal region of the lesion. Therefore, the shear wave elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion can be calculated based on the second shear wave. That is, the ultrasound imaging device emits a third ultrasound wave towards the internal region of the lesion to track the second shear wave propagating in the internal region of the lesion and receives the echo of the third ultrasound wave to obtain a third ultrasound echo signal. The second shear wave elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion is obtained based on the third ultrasound echo signal.

[0116] After obtaining the second shear wave elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion, the ultrasound imaging device can also compare and display the second shear wave elasticity result with the above-mentioned quantitative elasticity result, so that the user can compare the difference between the result obtained by the conventional shear wave elasticity measurement method and the quantitative elasticity result obtained by the above-mentioned quantitative calculation.

[0117] Alternatively, the final elastic result can be determined based on the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result. For example, a weighted sum of the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result can be calculated, with the respective weights preset by the user. This weighted sum can be used as the final elastic result of the internal region of the lesion, and the final elastic result can be displayed at the position corresponding to the second shear wave elastic result.

[0118] Therefore, in this embodiment and its several preferred embodiments, the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion can be calculated based on the shear wave elasticity result and strain elasticity result of the external region of the lesion, and the strain elasticity result of the internal region outside the lesion. This quantitative elasticity result is a specific numerical value, thereby quantitatively determining the degree of tissue elasticity and hardness inside the lesion. Furthermore, since the shear wave elasticity result and strain elasticity result of the external region of the lesion, as well as the strain elasticity result of the internal region outside the lesion, are accurate and reliable, the quantitative elasticity result of the internal region of the lesion calculated in this embodiment is more accurate than directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the internal region of the lesion, and thus can better describe the morphology and boundary of the lesion.

[0119] Based on and Figure 2 Using the same inventive concept as the illustrated embodiments, this application also proposes another embodiment of the ultrasonic elastography method. Please refer to... Figure 7 Another embodiment of the ultrasonic elastography method in this application includes:

[0120] 701. Acquire an ultrasound image of the target tissue, wherein the ultrasound image includes a first region of interest and a second region of interest of the target tissue;

[0121] Ultrasonic imaging equipment can perform ultrasonic scanning on target tissues of a subject under user operation, obtaining ultrasound images of the target tissues. The first and second regions of interest (ROIs) of the target tissues in the ultrasound images can be automatically determined by the ultrasonic imaging equipment, or the user can input settings for the ROIs. The ultrasonic imaging equipment determines the first and second ROIs based on the user's settings. This embodiment does not limit the method by which the ultrasonic imaging equipment determines the aforementioned ROIs.

[0122] The target tissue can be any organ or tissue of the subject, such as liver tissue. The subject can be a human or various animals. When the target tissue is liver tissue, the first region of interest includes the diffuse lesion area outside the lesion or the non-lesion area outside the lesion in the liver tissue, and the second region of interest includes the focal lesion area inside the lesion in the liver tissue. The focal lesion area inside the lesion restricts the propagation of shear waves, resulting in inaccurate results obtained by conventional shear wave elastography; while the diffuse lesion area outside the lesion or the non-lesion area outside the lesion has less impact on the penetrating power of shear waves, and therefore the results obtained by conventional shear wave elastography are relatively more accurate.

[0123] 702. Causing displacement or strain in the tissues corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest;

[0124] Ultrasonic imaging equipment can induce displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the first and second regions of interest by emitting ultrasonic waves into the tissue corresponding to the first and second regions of interest. The ultrasonic waves cause the tissue to vibrate, thereby inducing displacement or strain in the tissue.

[0125] 703. Emit first ultrasonic waves at different times to the first region of interest and the second region of interest to detect the changes in displacement or strain of the tissues corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest, and receive the echoes of the first ultrasonic waves at different times to obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0126] 704. Based on the first ultrasonic echo signal, obtain the first strain elastic result of the first region of interest and the second strain elastic result of the second region of interest;

[0127] While inducing displacement or strain in the tissues corresponding to the first and second regions of interest, the ultrasound imaging device also emits first ultrasound waves at different times into the first and second regions of interest to detect changes in displacement or strain in the tissues corresponding to these regions. Furthermore, based on the first ultrasound echo signals corresponding to these first ultrasound waves at different times, a first strain-elastic result for the first region of interest and a second strain-elastic result for the second region of interest are obtained.

[0128] 705. A first shear wave is generated that propagates in the first region of interest;

[0129] 706. A second ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the first region of interest to track the first shear wave propagating in the first region of interest, and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave is received to obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal.

[0130] 707. Based on the second ultrasonic echo signal, obtain the first shear wave elastic result of the first region of interest;

[0131] The ultrasound imaging device also generates a first shear wave propagating in a first region of interest and emits a second ultrasound wave to track the first shear wave, and obtains the first shear wave elasticity result of the first region of interest based on the second ultrasound echo signal corresponding to the second ultrasound wave.

[0132] 708. Based on the first strain elastic result, the second strain elastic result, and the first shear wave elastic result, determine the quantitative elastic result of the second region of interest;

[0133] 709. Display the ultrasound image and the quantitative elasticity result;

[0134] Based on the first strain elastic result, the second strain elastic result, and the first shear wave elastic result, the ultrasound imaging device determines the quantitative elastic result of the second region of interest and displays the ultrasound image and the quantitative elastic result of the second region of interest.

[0135] In this embodiment, the ultrasound imaging device can acquire the first shear wave elasticity result and the first strain elasticity result of the first region of interest in the target tissue of the subject, and the second strain elasticity result of the second region of interest in the target tissue. Based on the first shear wave elasticity result, the first strain elasticity result, and the second strain elasticity result, the quantitative elasticity result of the second region of interest is determined. Since the shear wave elasticity result and strain elasticity result of the first region of interest, and the strain elasticity result of the second region of interest are all accurate, the quantitative elasticity result of the second region of interest calculated based on the above results is more accurate than the result obtained by directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the second region of interest, and can more accurately present the morphology and boundary of the lesion.

[0136] In one embodiment of this example, the target organization can be one or more, and the organizations corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest can be different regions of the same target organization, or the organizations corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest can be different target organizations.

[0137] For example, the first region of interest could be a diffuse lesion area outside the lesion in the liver tissue or a non-lesion area outside the lesion, while the second region of interest could be a focal lesion area inside the lesion in the liver tissue. Alternatively, the first region of interest could be a diffuse lesion area outside the lesion in the spleen tissue or a non-lesion area outside the lesion, while the second region of interest could be a focal lesion area inside the lesion in the liver tissue.

[0138] Because the deeper a tissue is relative to the body surface, the less favorable it is for shear wave propagation, the shear wave elasticity results obtained at this location using conventional shear wave elasticity measurements are inaccurate. Therefore, in another embodiment of this invention, the tissue region corresponding to the first region of interest is less deep than the tissue region corresponding to the second region of interest relative to the body surface. The quantitative elasticity result of the second region of interest can be calculated based on the method of this embodiment. This result is more accurate than the result obtained by measuring a deeper second region of interest using conventional shear wave elasticity measurements.

[0139] Furthermore, the greater the tissue stiffness, the less conducive it is to the propagation of shear waves. Therefore, the results obtained by conventional shear wave elasticity measurement will be inaccurate for tissues with higher stiffness. To address this, in another embodiment of this invention, the tissue region corresponding to the first region of interest is less stiff than the tissue region corresponding to the second region of interest. The quantitative elasticity result of the second region of interest can be calculated based on the method of this embodiment. This result is more accurate than the result obtained by measuring the harder second region of interest using conventional shear wave elasticity measurement.

[0140] In another embodiment of this example, the driving force that induces displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the first and second regions of interest is the same. This driving force can be an acoustic radiation force, which can be generated by emitting an acoustic radiation force pulse towards the first or second region of interest. That is, the acoustic radiation force generated by emitting an acoustic radiation force pulse towards the first region of interest is the same as the acoustic radiation force generated by emitting an acoustic radiation force pulse towards the second region of interest. Furthermore, emitting an acoustic radiation force pulse towards the first region of interest can also generate a first shear wave propagating in the first region of interest, and the first shear wave elastic result of the first region of interest can then be obtained based on this first shear wave.

[0141] Based on this, according to the stress formula Stress = Strain * E, when the stresses are the same or approximately the same, that is, the stress OutStress in the first region of interest is equal to the stress InStress in the second region of interest, we can then obtain the following from the formula Stress = Strain * E:

[0142] OutStrain*OutE = Instrain(i)*InE(i);

[0143] Where OutStrain refers to the first strain elastic result, OutE refers to the first shear wave elastic result, and OutStrain*OutE is the stress in the first region of interest, OutStress; Instrain(i) refers to the second strain elastic result, InE(i) refers to the quantitative elastic result, and Instrain(i)*InE(i) is the stress in the second region of interest, InStress.

[0144] Therefore, based on the above principle, the quantitative elasticity result of the second region of interest can be calculated.

[0145] In another embodiment of this invention, when displaying the ultrasound image and the quantitative elastography result, the ultrasound image can be displayed, and the quantitative elastography result of the second region of interest can be mapped to a quantitative elastography image of the target display effect, and the quantitative elastography image of the target display effect can be displayed. The target display effect includes any one or more of grayscale, pseudo-color, and color display effects.

[0146] In another embodiment of this invention, the ultrasonic imaging device can display ultrasonic images, as well as first strain elastic results, first shear wave elastic results, and second strain elastic results, and quantitative elastic results, which facilitates the user to compare the hardness between the first region of interest and the second region of interest, and also facilitates the user to compare the difference between the hardness reflected in the strain elastic measurement results and the hardness reflected in the quantitative elastic results of the second region of interest.

[0147] Alternatively, the ultrasound imaging device can display ultrasound images, as well as first shear wave elasticity results and quantitative elasticity results, so that the user can compare the hardness difference between the first region of interest and the second region of interest. Alternatively, in addition to displaying ultrasound images, first shear wave elasticity results, and quantitative elasticity results, it can also display a comparison result between the first shear wave elasticity results and the quantitative elasticity results, allowing the user to directly determine the hardness difference between the first region of interest and the second region of interest through this comparison result.

[0148] The comparison result can be the difference or ratio between the first shear wave elasticity result and the quantitative elasticity result, so that the user can know the difference in tissue elasticity or tissue stiffness between the first region of interest and the second region of interest through the comparison result.

[0149] In another embodiment of this invention, the ultrasound imaging device can mark the first region of interest on the ultrasound image using a first marking pattern according to the location of the first region of interest, and mark the second region of interest on the ultrasound image using a second marking pattern according to the location of the second region of interest, wherein the first marking pattern is different from the second marking pattern.

[0150] The first or second marking style can be any closed shape, such as a rectangle, or a circle, ellipse, or a lesion boundary outline drawn by the user based on the two-dimensional image to indicate the region of interest. Different marking styles can be displayed with different border colors, different line shapes (such as solid and dashed lines), or lines of different thicknesses, etc. Therefore, users can distinguish the first and second regions of interest in the ultrasound image by using graphics with different marking styles.

[0151] In another embodiment of this example, when calculating the quantitative elastic result of the second region of interest, the stress result can be determined based on the first strain elastic result and the first shear wave elastic result, and the quantitative elastic result corresponding to the second strain elastic result can be determined based on the stress result.

[0152] For example, as mentioned earlier, the formula OutStrain*OutE = Instrain(i)*InE(i) is used, where the product of the first strain elastic result OutStrain and the first shear wave elastic result OutE is the stress on the external region of the lesion. Then, the quantitative elastic result of the second region of interest, InE(i), is equal to OutStrain*OutE / Instrain(i).

[0153] In this embodiment, the acoustic radiation force pulse emitted toward the second region of interest will also generate a second shear wave propagating in the second region of interest. Therefore, the shear wave elasticity result of the second region of interest can be calculated based on the second shear wave. That is, the ultrasonic imaging device emits a third ultrasonic wave toward the second region of interest to track the second shear wave propagating in the second region of interest and receives the echo of the third ultrasonic wave to obtain the third ultrasonic echo signal. The second shear wave elasticity result of the second region of interest is obtained based on the third ultrasonic echo signal.

[0154] After obtaining the second shear wave elastic result for the second region of interest, the ultrasound imaging device can also compare and display the second shear wave elastic result with the quantitative elastic result described above, so that the user can compare the difference between the result obtained by the conventional shear wave elastic measurement method and the quantitative elastic result obtained by the quantitative calculation described above.

[0155] Alternatively, the final elastic result can be determined based on the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result. For example, a weighted sum of the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result can be calculated, with the respective weights preset by the user. This weighted sum can be used as the final elastic result of the second region of interest, and the final elastic result can be displayed at the position corresponding to the second shear wave elastic result.

[0156] The following will be based on the foregoing Figure 1The specific structural components of the ultrasound imaging device and the functions of each component are shown. The description further details the components of the ultrasound imaging device and the functions and operations performed by each component.

[0157] In this embodiment, the ultrasound imaging device includes:

[0158] Ultrasonic probe;

[0159] A transmitting circuit is used to excite the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue of the subject.

[0160] A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasound probe to receive the echo of the ultrasound waves returned by the target tissue and obtain an ultrasound echo signal;

[0161] The processor is configured to process the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image of the target tissue, and perform the aforementioned operations based on the ultrasound image. Figure 2 or Figure 7 The ultrasonic elastography method performed by the ultrasonic imaging device in the illustrated embodiments and several preferred embodiments thereof.

[0162] The functions of each component of the ultrasound imaging device and the operations they perform in this embodiment are the same as those described above. Figure 2 or Figure 7 The ultrasound imaging devices in the illustrated embodiments and their preferred embodiments perform similar operations, which will not be described again here.

[0163] In this embodiment, the ultrasound imaging device can acquire the first shear wave elasticity result and the first strain elasticity result of the outer region of the lesion in the target tissue of the subject, and the second strain elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion in the target tissue. Based on the first shear wave elasticity result, the first strain elasticity result, and the second strain elasticity result, the quantitative elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion is determined. Since the shear wave elasticity result and strain elasticity result of the outer region of the lesion, as well as the strain elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion, are all accurate, the quantitative elasticity result of the inner region of the lesion calculated based on the above results is more accurate than the result obtained by directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the inner region of the lesion, and can more accurately present the morphology and boundary of the lesion.

[0164] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0165] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus 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 system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units through some interfaces, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0166] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0167] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0168] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic elastography method, characterized in that, include: Acquire ultrasound images of the target tissue, and determine the internal region and external region of the lesion in the target tissue based on the ultrasound images; A first acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted toward the external region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the external region of the lesion and generate a first shear wave that propagates in the external region of the lesion. First ultrasound waves at different times are emitted to the external region of the lesion to detect changes in the displacement or strain of the tissue corresponding to the external region of the lesion and to track the first shear wave propagating in the external region of the lesion, and to receive the echoes of the first ultrasound waves at different times to obtain a first ultrasound echo signal. Based on the first ultrasound echo signal, a first strain elastic result of the outer region of the lesion is obtained; and based on the first ultrasound echo signal, a first shear wave elastic result of the outer region of the lesion is obtained. A second acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted into the internal region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the corresponding tissue within the internal region of the lesion; A second ultrasound wave is emitted at different times into the internal region of the lesion to detect the change in displacement or strain of the tissue corresponding to the internal region of the lesion, and the echoes of the second ultrasound waves at different times are received to obtain the second ultrasound echo signal. Based on the second ultrasound echo signal, a second strain elastic result of the internal region of the lesion is obtained; Based on the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result, the quantitative elastic result of the internal region of the lesion is determined; The ultrasound images and the quantitative elasticity results are displayed.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acoustic radiation force generated by the first acoustic radiation force pulse on the first target position of the outer region of the lesion is the same as the acoustic radiation force generated by the second acoustic radiation force pulse on the second target position of the inner region of the lesion, or the difference between the two is within a preset range. Wherein, the first target position is the position corresponding to the first strain elastic result, and the second target position is the position corresponding to the second strain elastic result.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The parameters of the first acoustic radiation force pulse are the same as those of the second acoustic radiation force pulse, and the depth of the first target position in the outer region of the lesion is the same as the depth of the second target position in the inner region of the lesion.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The emission of a first acoustic radiation force pulse toward the external region of the lesion includes: The first acoustic radiation force pulse with a parameter value of the first target value is emitted towards the external region of the lesion; The emission of a second acoustic radiation force pulse toward the internal region of the lesion includes: A second acoustic radiation force pulse with a parameter value equal to the second target value is emitted toward the internal region of the lesion; The second target value is determined based on the depth of the first target location in the outer region of the lesion, the depth of the second target location in the inner region of the lesion, and the first target value.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The parameters of the first acoustic radiation force pulse and / or the parameters of the second acoustic radiation force pulse include at least one of pulse length, pulse waveform, emission frequency, emission aperture, and focusing intensity.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The emission of a second acoustic radiation force pulse toward the internal region of the lesion includes: The second acoustic radiation force pulse is emitted toward one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion to induce displacement or strain in the tissue corresponding to the one or more target locations; The emission of second ultrasound waves at different times into the internal region of the lesion includes: A second ultrasound wave at different times is emitted to one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion to detect changes in the displacement or strain of the tissue corresponding to the one or more target locations, and the echoes of the second ultrasound waves at the one or more target locations at different times are received to obtain the second ultrasound echo signal; The step of obtaining the second strain elastic result of the internal region of the lesion based on the second ultrasound echo signal includes: Based on the second ultrasonic echo signal at the one or more target locations, the second strain elastic result at the one or more target locations is obtained.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The determination of the quantitative elastic result of the internal region of the lesion based on the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result includes: Based on the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result at one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion, the quantitative elastic result at one or more target locations within the internal region of the lesion is determined.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After obtaining the quantitative elasticity results at multiple target locations within the internal region of the lesion, the method further includes: The quantitative elasticity results of the multiple target locations within the internal region of the lesion are statistically analyzed and the statistical results are displayed. The statistical results include one or more of the following: median, mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation.

9. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The display of the ultrasound image and the quantitative elastography result includes: The ultrasound image is displayed, and the quantitative elasticity results of multiple target locations in the internal region of the lesion are mapped to a quantitative elasticity image of the target display effect, and the quantitative elasticity image of the target display effect is displayed; the target display effect includes any one or more display effects of grayscale, pseudocolor, and color.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The target tissue includes liver tissue, the external region of the lesion includes the diffuse lesion area outside the lesion in the liver tissue or the non-lesion area outside the lesion, and the internal region of the lesion includes the focal lesion area inside the lesion in the liver tissue.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first shear wave elastic result includes the propagation velocity of the first shear wave, the first Young's modulus, or the first shear modulus, and the quantitative elastic result includes the propagation velocity of the second shear wave, the second Young's modulus, or the second shear modulus.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the first shear wave elastic result of the external region of the lesion based on the first ultrasound echo signal includes: Based on the first ultrasound echo signal at a first reference position in the external region of the lesion, the duration of the first shear wave propagating from the wave source position to the first reference position is determined; Based on the distance between the source location of the first shear wave and the first reference location and the duration, the propagation speed of the first shear wave in the external region of the lesion is determined. Alternatively, obtaining the first shear wave elastic result of the external region of the lesion based on the first ultrasound echo signal includes: Based on the first ultrasound echo signal at a first reference position in the outer region of the lesion and the first ultrasound echo signal at a second reference position in the outer region of the lesion, the time interval between the propagation of the first shear wave to the first reference position and to the propagation to the second reference position is determined. The propagation speed of the first shear wave in the outer region of the lesion is determined based on the distance between the first reference position and the second reference position and the duration of the interval.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: Display the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result; or, Display the elastic results of the first shear wave; or, The results show the first shear wave elasticity result and the comparison between the first shear wave elasticity result and the quantitative elasticity result.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, Determining the external region of the lesion in the target tissue based on the ultrasound image includes: The location of a first region of interest in the ultrasound image is determined, and the first region of interest is taken as the external region of the lesion. The first region of interest is marked on the ultrasound image with a first marking pattern according to the location of the first region of interest, wherein the first region of interest includes a diffuse lesion area or a non-lesion area.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Determining the internal region of the lesion in the target tissue based on the ultrasound image includes: The location of a second region of interest in the ultrasound image is determined, and the second region of interest is taken as the internal region of the lesion. The second region of interest is marked on the ultrasound image with a second marking pattern different from the first marking pattern according to the location of the second region of interest. The second region of interest includes a focal lesion area, and the depth of the diffuse lesion area or non-lesion area relative to the body surface is less than the depth of the focal lesion area relative to the body surface.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The determination of the quantitative elastic result of the internal region of the lesion based on the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result includes: The first stress result is determined based on the first strain elastic result and the first shear wave elastic result; The quantitative elastic result is determined based on the first stress result and the second strain elastic result.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The first ultrasonic wave includes multiple sets of ultrasonic waves. The first strain elastic result is obtained by processing the first ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to one of the ultrasonic waves. The first shear wave elastic result is obtained by processing the first ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to another set of ultrasonic waves. or, The first ultrasonic wave includes a set of ultrasonic waves, the first strain elastic result is obtained by processing the first ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the set of ultrasonic waves, and the first shear wave elastic result is obtained by processing the first ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the set of ultrasonic waves.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second shear wave is generated that propagates within the internal region of the lesion; A third ultrasound wave is emitted into the internal region of the lesion to track the second shear wave propagating in the internal region of the lesion, and the echo of the third ultrasound wave is received to obtain a third ultrasound echo signal. Based on the third ultrasound echo signal, the second shear wave elastic result of the internal region of the lesion is obtained; The comparison shows the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result, or the final elastic result is determined based on the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result.

19. An ultrasonic elastography method, characterized in that, include: Acquire an ultrasound image of the target tissue, the ultrasound image including a first region of interest and a second region of interest of the target tissue; This causes displacement or strain in the tissues corresponding to the first and second regions of interest. First ultrasonic waves are emitted at different times to the first region of interest and the second region of interest to detect changes in displacement or strain of the tissues corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest, and the echoes of the first ultrasonic waves at different times are received to obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal. Based on the first ultrasonic echo signal, the first strain elastic result of the first region of interest and the second strain elastic result of the second region of interest are obtained. A first shear wave is generated that propagates in the first region of interest; A second ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the first region of interest to track the first shear wave propagating in the first region of interest, and the echo of the second ultrasonic wave is received to obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal. Based on the second ultrasonic echo signal, the first shear wave elastic result of the first region of interest is obtained; Based on the first strain elastic result, the second strain elastic result, and the first shear wave elastic result, the quantitative elastic result of the second region of interest is determined. The ultrasound images and the quantitative elasticity results are displayed.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The target organizations include one or more. The organizations corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest are different regions of the same target organization, or the organizations corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest are different target organizations.

21. The method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The depth of the tissue region corresponding to the first region of interest relative to the body surface is less than the depth of the tissue region corresponding to the second region of interest relative to the body surface; or, the hardness of the tissue region corresponding to the first region of interest is less than the hardness of the tissue region corresponding to the second region of interest.

22. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The driving force that causes displacement or strain in the tissues corresponding to the first region of interest and the second region of interest is the same.

23. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The display of the ultrasound image and the quantitative elastography result includes: The ultrasound image is displayed, the quantitative elasticity result of the second region of interest is mapped to a quantitative elasticity image of the target display effect, and the quantitative elasticity image of the target display effect is displayed; the target display effect includes any one or more display effects of grayscale, pseudocolor, and color.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that, The target tissue includes liver tissue, the first region of interest includes the diffuse lesion area outside the lesion in the liver tissue or the non-lesion area outside the lesion, and the second region of interest includes the focal lesion area inside the lesion in the liver tissue.

25. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: Display the first strain elastic result, the first shear wave elastic result, and the second strain elastic result; or, Display the elastic results of the first shear wave; or, The results show the first shear wave elasticity result and the comparison between the first shear wave elasticity result and the quantitative elasticity result.

26. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first region of interest is marked on the ultrasound image using a first marking pattern according to its location; The second region of interest is marked on the ultrasound image using a second marking pattern according to its location; The first tag style is different from the second tag style.

27. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that, The step of determining the quantitative elastic results of the second region of interest based on the first strain elastic result, the second strain elastic result, and the first shear wave elastic result includes: The first stress result is determined based on the first strain elastic result and the first shear wave elastic result; The quantitative elastic result is determined based on the first stress result and the second strain elastic result.

28. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second shear wave is generated that propagates in the second region of interest; A third ultrasonic wave is emitted toward the second region of interest to track the second shear wave propagating in the second region of interest, and the echo of the third ultrasonic wave is received to obtain a third ultrasonic echo signal. Based on the third ultrasonic echo signal, the second shear wave elastic result of the second region of interest is obtained; The comparison shows the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result, or the final elastic result is determined based on the second shear wave elastic result and the quantitative elastic result.

29. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that, include: Ultrasonic probe; A transmitting circuit is used to excite the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue of the subject. A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasound probe to receive the echo of the ultrasound waves returned by the target tissue and obtain an ultrasound echo signal; A processor is configured to process the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image of the target tissue, and to perform the ultrasound elastography method according to any one of claims 1 to 28 based on the ultrasound image.

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