Super-resolution contrast imaging method and ultrasound imaging system

Abstract

The application discloses an ultrasonic imaging system and an ultrasonic imaging method, and relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, in particular to an ultrasonic imaging system and an ultrasonic imaging method for super-resolution contrast imaging.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasound imaging technology, and more specifically to a super-resolution contrast imaging method and an ultrasound imaging system. Background Technology

[0002] Contrast-enhanced ultrasound, as a new technology that can dynamically observe the blood perfusion of lesions and their tissues in real time, plays an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of malignant diseases such as liver cancer, thyroid cancer, and breast cancer, and has become an essential examination method for clinical evaluation of blood circulation and perfusion.

[0003] Blockage, obstruction, and lesions in the microcirculation are precursors to many diseases, and observing changes in microvessels is beneficial for early diagnosis. Microcirculation refers to the blood circulation between arterioles and venules in a vascular network; it is both the peripheral part of the circulatory system and an important component of organs. Normally, the blood flow in the microcirculation adapts to the metabolic level of human tissues and organs, maintaining normal life activities and metabolism. When the metabolism and function of tissues and organs become abnormal, the microcirculation will change to some extent. Therefore, the microcirculation is closely related to the occurrence and development of diseases and has important physiological, pathological, pharmacological, and clinical significance, playing a crucial role in the early diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. However, due to the diffraction limit of ultrasound in the far field, the ability of routine clinical ultrasound contrast imaging to display the details of microvascular structures is limited.

[0004] Super-Resolution Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound (SR-CEUS) is a novel imaging method with ultra-high spatial resolution. By borrowing the principles of fluorescence microscopy positioning techniques from optical super-resolution imaging, it constructs vascular images at the micrometer scale by locating and tracking the movement of microbubbles. SR-CEUS has solved the challenge of microvascular visualization, becoming a powerful tool for observing microblood flow. It is currently widely used in preclinical research in areas such as tumors, microvascular perfusion in various tissues and organs, and plaque angiogenesis.

[0005] Current super-resolution contrast imaging technology only supports mapping and displaying microbubble tracking information of contrast agent microbubbles after imaging processing. When users are comparing progress, evaluating efficacy, or making clinical diagnoses, they cannot selectively observe slow or fast blood flow within the lesion area, or selectively observe blood flow towards and away from the probe within the lesion area. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The summary section introduces a series of simplified concepts, which will be further explained in detail in the detailed description section. The summary section of this invention is not intended to limit the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor is it intended to determine the scope of protection of the claimed technical solution.

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention provides a super-resolution contrast imaging method, the method comprising:

[0008] The ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles and the echo signal of the ultrasound waves is received.

[0009] Super-resolution signal processing is performed on the echo signal to obtain the microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles;

[0010] A first super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the microbubble tracking information;

[0011] The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation;

[0012] Identify the first microbubble tracking information that is outside the target range from the microbubble tracking information;

[0013] Differential processing is performed on the first region in the first super-resolution imaging image that corresponds to the first microbubble tracking information to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image;

[0014] Display the second super-resolution imaging image.

[0015] In one embodiment, the differentiation process includes hiding the first region, or the differentiation process includes displaying the first region in grayscale.

[0016] In one embodiment, the microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

[0017] In one embodiment, the microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information;

[0018] Setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive or negative motion based on the received user operation;

[0019] When the target range is set to the positive motion, the first microbubble tracking information includes the negative motion information;

[0020] When the target range is set to the negative motion, the first microbubble tracking information includes the positive motion information.

[0021] In one embodiment, setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation further includes: setting the density range of the microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of the microbubble velocity information based on the received user operation.

[0022] The first microbubble tracking information also includes microbubble density information outside the density range, and / or, the first microbubble tracking information also includes microbubble velocity information outside the velocity range.

[0023] Another aspect of this invention provides a super-resolution contrast imaging method, the method comprising:

[0024] The first super-resolution contrast image generated based on the microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles is displayed in the display interface;

[0025] The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation;

[0026] Extract the target region corresponding to the target range from the first super-resolution imaging image to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image;

[0027] Display the second super-resolution imaging image.

[0028] In one embodiment, extracting the target region corresponding to the target range from the first super-resolution contrast image to obtain the second super-resolution contrast image includes:

[0029] Alternatively, the regions in the first super-resolution imaging image that extend beyond the target range can be hidden, or the regions in the first super-resolution imaging image that extend beyond the target range can be displayed as grayscale images to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image.

[0030] In one embodiment, the microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

[0031] In one embodiment, the microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information;

[0032] Setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive or negative motion based on the received user operation;

[0033] When the target range is set to the positive motion, the target region is the region corresponding to the positive motion information;

[0034] When the target range is set to the negative motion, the target region is the region corresponding to the negative motion information.

[0035] In one embodiment, setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation further includes: setting the density range of the microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of the microbubble velocity information based on the received user operation.

[0036] When the target range is set as the positive motion information, the target region is the region corresponding to the density range and / or the velocity range within the region corresponding to the positive motion information;

[0037] When the target range is set to the negative motion information, the target region is the region corresponding to the negative motion information that corresponds to the density range and / or the velocity range.

[0038] Another aspect of this invention provides a super-resolution contrast imaging method, the method comprising:

[0039] The ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles and the echo signal of the ultrasound waves is received.

[0040] Super-resolution signal processing is performed on the echo signal to obtain the microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles;

[0041] The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation;

[0042] Extract the second microbubble tracking information that is within the target range from the microbubble tracking information;

[0043] Generate super-resolution imaging images based on the second microbubble tracking information;

[0044] Display the super-resolution imaging image.

[0045] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0046] Delete the first microbubble tracking information that is outside the target range from the microbubble tracking information.

[0047] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0048] Extract the first microbubble tracking information that is outside the target range from the microbubble tracking information;

[0049] The generation of super-resolution imaging images based on the second microbubble tracking information includes:

[0050] The color region in the super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the second microbubble tracking information, and the grayscale region in the super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the first microbubble tracking information.

[0051] In one embodiment, the microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

[0052] In one embodiment, the microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information;

[0053] Setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive or negative motion based on the received user operation;

[0054] When the target range is set to the positive motion, the second microbubble tracking information includes the positive motion information;

[0055] When the target range is set to the negative motion, the second microbubble tracking information includes the negative motion information.

[0056] In one embodiment, setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation further includes: setting the density range of the microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of the microbubble velocity information based on the received user operation.

[0057] When the target range is set to the positive motion, the target region is the region corresponding to the density range and / or the velocity range within the region corresponding to the positive motion information;

[0058] When the target range is set to the negative motion, the target region is the region corresponding to the density range and / or the velocity range within the region corresponding to the negative motion information.

[0059] In one embodiment, setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes:

[0060] Display color bars, which are used to characterize the mapping relationship between the colors of the first super-resolution imaging image and the microbubble tracking information;

[0061] The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the user's adjustment operation of the color gradient bar.

[0062] In one embodiment, a baseline is provided in the middle of the color gradation bar, and the color gradation bar is divided into a first part of the color gradation bar located on one side of the baseline and a second part of the color gradation bar located on the other side of the baseline. The first part of the color gradation bar is used to represent positive motion information, and the second part of the color gradation bar is used to represent negative motion information.

[0063] The first part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the positive direction and the color. The second part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the negative direction and the color.

[0064] In one embodiment, setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes:

[0065] Provide an input field, and receive the target range from user input based on the input field; or,

[0066] Based on user operation, the target gear is selected from at least two gears, and the range corresponding to the target gear is set as the target range.

[0067] Another aspect of this invention provides a super-resolution contrast imaging method, the method comprising:

[0068] Display a first super-resolution imaging image, the first super-resolution imaging image being used to present microbubble tracking information within a first display range;

[0069] Displays interactive controls for adjusting the image display area;

[0070] Receive user operation on the interactive control, the operation being used to determine a second display range that is different from the first display range;

[0071] Based on the second display range, a second super-resolution imaging image is generated, which is used to present microbubble tracking information within the second display range;

[0072] Display the second super-resolution imaging image.

[0073] In one embodiment, the second display range is greater than or less than the first display range.

[0074] In one embodiment, the microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

[0075] In one embodiment, the interactive control includes a color level bar, which is used to characterize the mapping relationship between the colors of the first super-resolution imaging image and the microbubble tracking information;

[0076] The receiving of user operations on the interactive control includes receiving user adjustments to the color gradient bar.

[0077] In one embodiment, a baseline is provided in the middle of the color gradation bar, and the color gradation bar is divided into a first part of the color gradation bar located on one side of the baseline and a second part of the color gradation bar located on the other side of the baseline. The first part of the color gradation bar is used to represent positive motion information, and the second part of the color gradation bar is used to represent negative motion information.

[0078] The first part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the positive direction and the color. The second part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the negative direction and the color.

[0079] In one embodiment, the interactive control includes an input box, and receiving user operations on the interactive control includes: receiving the target range input by the user based on the input box;

[0080] Alternatively, the interactive control includes at least two gear positions, and receiving user operations on the interactive control includes: selecting the target gear position from the at least two gear positions based on the user operation, and setting the range corresponding to the target gear position as the target range.

[0081] Another aspect of the present invention provides an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

[0082] Ultrasonic probe;

[0083] A transmitting circuit is used to excite the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles;

[0084] A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo signal of the ultrasonic wave;

[0085] A processor is configured to execute the super-resolution contrast imaging method described above to generate super-resolution contrast images;

[0086] A display for showing the super-resolution imaging image.

[0087] The super-resolution contrast imaging method and ultrasound imaging system of this invention can display only the super-resolution contrast imaging image corresponding to the target range set by the user, avoiding interference caused by microbubble tracking information outside the target range. Attached Figure Description

[0088] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the more detailed description of the embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are provided to further illustrate the embodiments of the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same parts or steps.

[0089] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0090] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a super-resolution contrast imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0091] Figure 3 A color gradient bar is shown according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0092] Figure 4 A color gradient bar is shown according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0093] Figure 5 A comparison diagram of a first super-resolution contrast image and a second super-resolution contrast image according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0094] Figure 6 A schematic flowchart of a super-resolution contrast imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0095] Figure 7 A schematic flowchart of a super-resolution contrast imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0096] Figure 8 A schematic flowchart of a super-resolution contrast imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0097] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are merely a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present invention described herein, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0098] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the invention.

[0099] It should be understood that the invention can be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0100] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. When used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms “comprising” and / or “including,” when used in this specification, identify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups. When used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

[0101] To fully understand this invention, a detailed structure will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution proposed by this invention. Optional embodiments of the invention are described in detail below; however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the invention may have other embodiments.

[0102] Below, first refer to Figure 1 An ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. Figure 1 A schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0103] like Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasound imaging system 100 includes an ultrasound probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116, and a display 118. Further, the ultrasound imaging system may also include a transmit / receive selection switch 120 and a beamforming module 122. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 can be connected to the ultrasound probe 110 via the transmit / receive selection switch 120.

[0104] The ultrasonic probe 110 includes multiple transducer elements arranged in a two-dimensional array, or the multiple transducer elements can form a convex array. The transducer elements are used to emit ultrasonic waves according to the excitation electrical signal, or to convert the received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each transducer element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasonic waves, thereby realizing the emission of ultrasonic waves to the tissue of the target area of ​​the object being measured, and can also be used to receive ultrasonic wave echoes reflected back by the tissue.

[0105] During ultrasound imaging, the transducer elements used to emit and receive ultrasound waves can be controlled via transmission and reception sequences. Alternatively, the transducer elements can be time-slotted to emit or receive echoes. Transducer elements involved in ultrasound emission can be simultaneously excited by electrical signals, thus emitting ultrasound waves concurrently; alternatively, transducer elements involved in ultrasound beam emission can be excited by several electrical signals at specific time intervals, thus continuously emitting ultrasound waves at specific time intervals.

[0106] During ultrasound imaging, the transmitting circuit 112 generates a transmission sequence under the control of the processor 116. This transmission sequence controls some or all of the multiple transducer elements to transmit ultrasound waves towards the target tissue. The transmission sequence parameters include the number and position of the transducer elements and the ultrasound beam transmission parameters, such as amplitude, frequency, number of transmissions, transmission interval, transmission angle, and waveform. In some cases, the transmitting circuit 112 also applies a phase delay to the transmitted beam, allowing different transducer elements to transmit ultrasound waves at different times. The transmission sequence parameters may differ for different imaging modes. After the ultrasound echo signal is received by the receiving circuit 114 and processed by subsequent modules and corresponding algorithms, ultrasound images for different imaging modes can be generated.

[0107] The receiving circuit 114 may include one or more amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters, etc. The amplifiers amplify the received ultrasonic echo signal after appropriate gain compensation, and the analog-to-digital converter samples the analog echo signal at predetermined time intervals, converting it into a digital signal. The digitized echo signal still retains amplitude, frequency, and phase information. The receiving circuit 114 sends the ultrasonic echo signal to the beamforming module 122 for processing.

[0108] The beamforming module 122 performs focusing delay, weighting, and channel summation on the ultrasonic echo signal before sending it to the processor 116. The processor 116 performs signal detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, and logarithmic compression on the ultrasonic echo signal to form an ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic image obtained by the processor 116 can be displayed on the display 118 or stored in the memory 124.

[0109] Optionally, the processor 116 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, and can use one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more general-purpose integrated circuits, one or more microprocessors, one or more programmable logic devices, or any combination of the foregoing circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices. Furthermore, the processor 116 can control other components in the ultrasound imaging system 100 to perform the corresponding steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this specification.

[0110] The display 118 is connected to the processor 116. The display 118 can be a touch screen, an LCD screen, etc.; or, the display 118 can be an independent display such as an LCD screen or a television, separate from the ultrasound imaging system 100; or, the display 118 can be the screen of an electronic device such as a smartphone or tablet, etc. The number of displays 118 can be one or more.

[0111] The display 118 can display the ultrasound images obtained by the processor 116. Furthermore, while displaying the ultrasound images, the display 118 can also provide a graphical user interface for human-machine interaction. One or more controlled objects can be set on the graphical interface, allowing the user to input operation commands using a human-machine interaction device to control these controlled objects and perform corresponding control operations. For example, icons can be displayed on the graphical interface, and the human-machine interaction device can be used to operate these icons to perform specific functions, such as drawing a region of interest bounding box on the ultrasound image.

[0112] Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include other human-machine interface devices besides the display 118, which are connected to the processor 116. For example, the processor 116 may be connected to the human-machine interface device via an external input / output port, which may be a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, or a combination of both. The external input / output port may also be based on USB, bus protocols such as CAN, and / or wired network protocols.

[0113] The human-computer interaction device may include an input device for detecting user input information. This input information may be, for example, control commands for the timing of ultrasound transmission / reception, operational input commands for drawing points, lines, or boxes on an ultrasound image, or other types of commands. The input device may include one or a combination of several of the following: a keyboard, mouse, scroll wheel, trackball, mobile input device (e.g., a mobile device with a touchscreen, a mobile phone, etc.), a multi-function knob, etc. The human-computer interaction device may also include an output device such as a printer.

[0114] The ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include a memory 124 for storing instructions executed by the processor, storing received ultrasound echoes, storing ultrasound images, etc. The memory may be a flash memory card, solid-state memory, hard disk, etc. It may be volatile and / or non-volatile memory, removable memory and / or non-removable memory, etc.

[0115] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the ultrasound imaging system 100 shown are merely illustrative and may include more or fewer components. This invention is not limited thereto.

[0116] Below, we will refer to Figure 2 A super-resolution contrast imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention is described. Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a super-resolution contrast imaging method 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0117] like Figure 2 As shown, a super-resolution contrast imaging method 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0118] In step S210, the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles and to receive the echo signal of the ultrasound waves.

[0119] In step S220, super-resolution signal processing is performed on the echo signal to obtain microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles;

[0120] In step S230, a first super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the microbubble tracking information;

[0121] In step S240, the target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation;

[0122] In step S250, the first microbubble tracking information that is outside the target range is determined from the microbubble tracking information;

[0123] In step S260, the first region in the first super-resolution imaging image corresponding to the first microbubble tracking information is subjected to differential processing to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image.

[0124] In step S270, the second super-resolution imaging image is displayed.

[0125] Specifically, before performing ultrasound imaging on the target tissue, a contrast agent is first injected into the target tissue. The contrast agent is a solution containing contrast agent microbubbles, which are highly echogenic, meaning they have a strong ability to reflect ultrasound waves. The echogenicity of the medium within the contrast agent microbubbles differs significantly from that of human tissue; therefore, the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles can produce super-resolution contrast images with high contrast due to this high echogenicity difference.

[0126] After the contrast agent is infused into the target tissue, the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound waves towards the target tissue and receive the echo signals. The echo signals include tissue signals and microbubble signals. The tissue signal, generated by tissue reflection, is the linear component of the composite signal and reflects the tissue structure characteristics. The microbubble signal, obtained by reflection from contrast agent microbubbles, is the nonlinear component of the ultrasound echo signal and reflects information about the contrast agent microbubbles. Signal processing of the echo signals includes extracting the microbubble signals generated by the contrast agent microbubbles, thus separating the microbubble signals from the tissue signals.

[0127] For example, the methods for extracting microbubble signals can be categorized as follows: The first category is based on the nonlinear scattering characteristics of contrast agent microbubbles, such as pulse reversal (PI), contrast pulse sequence (CPS), and superharmonic generation. The second category is based on the inter-frame differences caused by the dissolution or rupture of contrast agent microbubbles, such as differential imaging (DI). The third category is based on the flow characteristics of contrast agent microbubbles, such as using singular value decomposition (SVD) spatiotemporal filtering to extract microbubble signals.

[0128] To ensure positioning accuracy, the spatial distribution of contrast agent microbubbles in each frame of data must be sufficiently sparse. Therefore, after extracting the microbubble signals, they can be separated to reduce spatial overlap. Specifically, bandpass filters of different frequencies can be used to process the microbubble signals, thereby distinguishing spatially overlapping microbubbles in the frequency domain; alternatively, the microbubble data can be divided into multiple subsets based on microbubble velocity to reduce microbubble concentration.

[0129] Next, super-resolution data processing is performed based on the microbubble signals to obtain microbubble tracking information for the contrast agent microbubbles. First, the position of each contrast agent microbubble is determined based on the microbubble signal in each frame. Since each contrast agent microbubble covers multiple sampling points, the centroid position of each microbubble can be used as its location. Specifically, the centroid method can be used, obtaining the precise centroid position of each contrast agent microbubble through deconvolution of the point spread function. By locating and tracking the centroid positions of contrast agent microbubbles flowing within the microvessels based on microbubble signals at different times, and after accumulating and superimposing these signals over a period of time, the microbubble tracking information can be obtained.

[0130] The microbubble tracking information may include at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information, reflecting the density, velocity, and orientation of the contrast agent microbubbles, respectively. Microbubble density information can be obtained by accumulating the microbubble positions from multiple frames of data, and microbubble velocity and orientation information can be obtained by tracking the displacement of the same contrast agent microbubble at different times.

[0131] After obtaining the microbubble tracking information, a first super-resolution contrast image is generated based on the microbubble tracking information. The first super-resolution contrast image can break through the original ultrasound diffraction limit and achieve super-resolution imaging that can distinguish micron-level microvessels and their blood flow information, thereby realizing super-resolution contrast imaging of microvessels.

[0132] For example, the first super-resolution imaging image may include at least one of a super-resolution density image, a super-resolution velocity image, and a super-resolution orientation image. The super-resolution density image can be obtained by image encoding based on microbubble density information, and it can display the spatial distribution of contrast agent microbubbles. Since contrast agent microbubbles are contained within microvessels, their density reflects the morphological structure of the microvessels. The super-resolution density image can reflect different microbubble densities using different gray levels, or it can reflect microbubble density by color encoding the microbubble density information. The super-resolution velocity image can be used to study microcirculatory hemodynamics and monitor flow velocity abnormalities caused by thrombosis or vascular stenosis. The microbubble orientation information may include specific microbubble motion angles, or it may include only two directions: positive and negative motion information, where moving towards the ultrasound probe indicates positive motion and moving away from the ultrasound probe indicates negative motion. The super-resolution velocity image can use color encoding to represent microbubble orientation information, for example, red for positive motion and blue for negative motion, or arrows can be used to represent microbubble orientation information. Super-resolution directional images are helpful in identifying vascular branches, such as where directional changes usually correspond to vascular bifurcation or confluence points; super-resolution directional images can also locate irregular blood flow, which helps in detecting tumor angiogenesis.

[0133] Furthermore, the first super-resolution imaging image may also include a super-resolution density orientation image generated based on microbubble density information and microbubble orientation information, and / or a super-resolution velocity orientation image generated based on microbubble velocity information and microbubble orientation information. The super-resolution density orientation image can be considered a bidirectional super-resolution density image, capable of simultaneously displaying the density and orientation of contrast agent microbubbles. The super-resolution velocity orientation image can be considered a bidirectional super-resolution velocity image, capable of simultaneously displaying the velocity and orientation of contrast agent microbubbles.

[0134] In step S240, the target range of microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation. This target range is smaller than the measurement range of super-resolution contrast imaging and also smaller than the coverage range of the microbubble tracking information. Taking super-resolution velocity image as an example, the coverage range of microbubble velocity information is [0, 80] (mm / s), meaning the minimum velocity of the detected contrast agent microbubbles is 0 and the maximum velocity is 80 mm / s. The measurement range of super-resolution contrast imaging is larger than this range, for example, [0, 100] (mm / s), meaning it can detect contrast agent microbubbles with velocities less than 100 mm / s. The target range is the range that the user wants to observe. For example, if the user wants to observe the slow blood flow distribution with a flow velocity range of [0, 10] (mm / s), the target range can be set to [0, 10] (mm / s) based on the operation controls provided on the display interface.

[0135] Similarly, for super-resolution directional images, users can also set the target directional range. For example, if the microbubble directional range in the first super-resolution imaging image is [-180°, 180°], users can select [-90°, 90°], [0°, 180°], or other directional ranges for display as needed. For super-resolution directional images with only two directions, users can also choose to display only positive motion information or only negative motion information.

[0136] For example, a user can simultaneously set a target range for at least two of the microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information. Specifically, based on the received user operation, the target range is first set to positive or negative motion. When the target range is set to positive motion, the tracking information of the first microbubble outside the target range includes negative motion information, and the tracking information of the second microbubble within the target range includes positive motion information. When the target range is set to negative motion, the tracking information of the first microbubble outside the target range includes positive motion information, and the tracking information of the second microbubble within the target range includes negative motion information.

[0137] Next, based on the received user operation, the density range of the microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of the microbubble velocity information are set. At this time, the first microbubble tracking information within the target range also includes microbubble density information outside the density range, and / or, the first microbubble tracking information also includes microbubble velocity information outside the velocity range.

[0138] For example, if the user sets the target range corresponding to the microbubble direction information to positive motion and the target range corresponding to the microbubble velocity information to [0, 10] (mm / s), then the first microbubble tracking information includes negative motion information and the portion of the positive motion information with a motion velocity greater than 10 mm / s.

[0139] For example, a color bar is displayed simultaneously with the first super-resolution contrast image. The color bar is used to characterize the mapping relationship between the colors of the first super-resolution contrast image and the microbubble tracking information. The user can adjust the color bar, and the ultrasound imaging system can set the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the user's adjustment of the color bar.

[0140] For example, refer to Figure 3 This diagram displays color bars used to characterize the mapping relationship between color and microbubble orientation information in the first super-resolution contrast image. A baseline is positioned in the center of the color bars, which are divided into a first section located on one side of the baseline and a second section located on the other side. The first section represents positive motion information, and the second section represents negative motion information. It should be noted that the baseline represents a reference position and does not necessarily need to be shown in the color bars. Figure 3 In the diagram, the first section of the color bars is above the baseline, which represents positive motion information and is displayed in red. The second section of the color bars is below the baseline, which represents negative motion information and is displayed in blue.

[0141] Figure 3 The color gradient bars can also be used to represent microbubble velocity information or microbubble density information. Taking microbubble velocity information as an example, the first part of the color gradient bars represents the correspondence between the magnitude of positive motion velocity and the intensity of red, and the second part of the color gradient bars represents the correspondence between the magnitude of negative motion velocity and the intensity of blue. Taking microbubble density information as an example, the first part of the color gradient bars represents the correspondence between the density of positively moving contrast agent microbubbles and the intensity of red, with a higher density resulting in a lighter red; the second part of the color gradient bars represents the correspondence between the density of negatively moving contrast agent microbubbles and the intensity of blue, with a higher density resulting in a lighter blue.

[0142] Users can, for example Figure 3 The color level bar shown illustrates the target range. For example, users can adjust both ends of the color level bar to set the target range; for instance, users can drag the ends of the color level bar directly using a trackball, mouse, or touchscreen. Alternatively, users can select the target range within the color level bar or adjust the color level bar in other ways to set the target range. Setting the target range using the color level bar more intuitively demonstrates the correspondence between the target range and image colors. Furthermore, users can adjust the target range in real time using the color level bar, during which the super-resolution imaging image changes synchronously with the user's adjustments.

[0143] See Figure 4 The illustration shows a color gradient bar according to another embodiment of the present invention. This color gradient bar is used to represent the correspondence between microbubble velocity information, microbubble density information, microbubble orientation information, and color. Figure 4The color gradient bars are divided into a first section and a second section above the central baseline. The first section represents positive motion information, and the second section represents negative motion information. The vertical axis of the color gradient bars represents the magnitude of the microbubble velocity. For positively moving microbubbles, the color changes from green to yellow and then to red as the velocity increases; for negatively moving microbubbles, the color changes from blue to purple as the absolute value of the velocity increases. The horizontal axis of the color gradient bars represents the magnitude of the microbubble density; the greater the microbubble density, the brighter the color. In the first super-resolution contrast image, if a region appears bright red, it indicates that the contrast agent microbubbles in that region are moving forward at high speed and have a high density; if a region appears dark blue, it indicates that the contrast agent microbubbles in that region are moving backward at low speed and have a low density.

[0144] In addition to setting the target range based on the color gradient bar, an input box can be provided in the display interface to receive the target range input by the user. The user can directly input the upper and lower limits of the target range. Alternatively, at least two speed settings can be provided, each corresponding to a range of microbubble tracking information. Based on the user's operation, the target speed setting can be selected from the at least two speed settings, and the range corresponding to the target speed setting can be set as the target range. For example, low-speed, medium-speed, and high-speed speed settings can be set to divide the microbubble speed into three ranges from low to high. If the user selects the low-speed speed setting, the target range will be set to the range corresponding to the low-speed speed setting.

[0145] Next, the first microbubble tracking information outside the target range is determined, and the first region corresponding to the first microbubble tracking information in the first super-resolution imaging image is differentiated to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image.

[0146] Specifically, if the target range is a density range, a first region where the microbubble density is outside the target range is identified in the first super-resolution imaging image, and this first region is subjected to differential processing. If the target range is a velocity range, a first region where the microbubble velocity is outside the target range is identified in the first super-resolution imaging image, and this first region is subjected to differential processing. If the target range is a directional range, a first region where the microbubble orientation is outside the target range is identified in the first super-resolution imaging image, and this first region is subjected to differential processing.

[0147] Differentiation processing may include hiding the first region, i.e., not displaying the microbubble tracking information in the first region. If the super-resolution contrast image is overlaid on a B-image or other ultrasound image, hiding the first region will directly display the ultrasound image below as the background image in the first region. If the super-resolution contrast image is displayed alone, hiding the first region may allow the first region to display the background color. Figure 5As shown, the velocity range in the first super-resolution angiography image is [0, 80] (mm / s), so the complete vascular structure is displayed in the first super-resolution angiography image; after setting the target range of microbubble velocity to [0, 10] (mm / s), only a portion of the vascular structure with blood flow velocity within this velocity range is displayed in the second super-resolution angiography image.

[0148] Alternatively, the differentiation process includes displaying the first region in grayscale. Specifically, the first super-resolution contrast image is entirely a color image. By displaying the first region corresponding to the first microbubble tracking information outside the target range as a grayscale image, and the second region corresponding to the second microbubble tracking information within the target range as a color image, a second super-resolution contrast image can be obtained. In one example, if the user-set target range is positive motion, then the first microbubble tracking information is negative motion information. In this case, the region corresponding to the contrast agent microbubbles with negative motion information in the first super-resolution contrast image is displayed as a grayscale image; if the user-set target range is negative motion, then the first microbubble tracking information is positive motion information. In this case, the region corresponding to the contrast agent microbubbles with positive motion information in the first super-resolution contrast image is displayed as a grayscale image.

[0149] By differentiating the first region corresponding to the first microbubble tracking information, the area corresponding to the target range can be highlighted, visual interference can be reduced, and the pathological detection rate can be improved. For example, when only the low-speed motion area is displayed, the interference caused by high-speed blood flow can be reduced, making it easier to observe abnormal low-speed blood flow separately and more accurately determine whether there are problems such as tumor neovascularization or myocardial ischemia that may cause low-speed blood flow.

[0150] The super-resolution contrast imaging method 200 of this invention performs differential processing on the first region in the first super-resolution contrast image that corresponds to the first microbubble tracking information outside the target range, which can highlight the region in the super-resolution contrast image that corresponds to the target range and avoid the region outside the target range from interfering with the user.

[0151] Below, we will refer to Figure 6 A super-resolution contrast imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention is described. For example... Figure 6 As shown, the super-resolution contrast imaging method 600 of this invention includes the following steps:

[0152] In step S610, a first super-resolution contrast image generated based on the microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles is displayed in the display interface;

[0153] In step S620, the target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation;

[0154] In step S630, the target region corresponding to the target range is extracted from the first super-resolution imaging image to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image;

[0155] In step S640, the second super-resolution imaging image is displayed.

[0156] According to the super-resolution contrast imaging method 600 of this invention, after setting a target range for microbubble tracking information, a target region corresponding to the target range is extracted from a first super-resolution contrast imaging image to obtain a second super-resolution contrast imaging image. The microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information. For example, if the target range for the microbubble velocity information set by the user is [0, 10] (mm / s), then a region with a velocity between 0 and 10 mm / s is extracted from the first super-resolution contrast imaging image to obtain the second super-resolution contrast imaging image.

[0157] For example, extracting a target region corresponding to the target range from a first super-resolution contrast image to obtain a second super-resolution contrast image includes: hiding regions in the first super-resolution contrast image that exceed the target range, or displaying regions in the first super-resolution contrast image that exceed the target range as grayscale images to obtain the second super-resolution contrast image. Both methods can highlight the region corresponding to the target range in the second super-resolution contrast image for targeted viewing by the user.

[0158] For example, the microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information. Setting the target range of microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive motion or negative motion based on the received user operation; when the target range is set to positive motion, the target area is the area corresponding to the positive motion information, and only the positive motion blood flow information is displayed in the second ultrasound image; when the target range is set to negative motion, the target area is the area corresponding to the negative motion information, and only the negative motion blood flow information is reflected in the second ultrasound image.

[0159] Furthermore, the density range of microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of microbubble velocity information can be set based on the received user operation. When the target range is set to positive motion information, the target area is the area in the region corresponding to the positive motion information that corresponds to the density range and / or velocity range set by the user; when the target range is set to the negative motion information, the target area is the area in the region corresponding to the negative motion information that corresponds to the density range and / or velocity range set by the user.

[0160] The target range can be received based on the color gradient bar, the target range can be received based on the input box, or the target range can be selected from at least two levels based on user operation, and the range corresponding to the target level can be set as the target range. Specific methods for users to set the target range can be found above and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0161] The super-resolution contrast imaging method 600 of this invention extracts the target region corresponding to the target range from a first super-resolution contrast imaging image to obtain a second super-resolution contrast imaging image. This method highlights the region corresponding to the target range in the super-resolution contrast imaging image, avoiding interference from areas outside the target range. Further details of the super-resolution contrast imaging method 600 can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0162] Below, we will refer to Figure 7 A super-resolution contrast imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention is described. For example... Figure 7 As shown, the super-resolution contrast imaging method 700 of this invention includes the following steps:

[0163] In step S710, the ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles and to receive the echo signal of the ultrasound waves.

[0164] In step S720, super-resolution signal processing is performed on the echo signal to obtain microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles;

[0165] In step S730, the target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation;

[0166] In step S740, second microbubble tracking information within the target range is extracted from the microbubble tracking information;

[0167] In step S750, a super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the second microbubble tracking information;

[0168] In step S760, the super-resolution imaging image is displayed.

[0169] The process involves super-resolution signal processing of the echo signal to obtain microbubble tracking information for the contrast agent microbubbles. Specifically, this includes extracting the microbubble signals generated by the contrast agent microbubbles from the echo signal to separate the microbubble signals from the tissue signals. Next, the microbubble signals are separated to reduce spatial overlap. Then, the position of each contrast agent microbubble is determined based on the microbubble signals in each frame. The positions of the contrast agent microbubbles are located and tracked based on the microbubble signals at different times, and these positions are accumulated and superimposed over a period of time to obtain microbubble tracking information. This microbubble tracking information may include at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

[0170] After obtaining the microbubble tracking information, the user-defined target range is acquired, and second microbubble tracking information within the target range is extracted from the microbubble tracking information. The user can set the target range before or after obtaining the microbubble tracking information. The user-defined target range is smaller than the coverage area of ​​the microbubble tracking information. For example, the velocity range in the first super-resolution contrast imaging image is [0, 80] (mm / s), and the user-defined target range is [0, 10] (mm / s). Furthermore, the target range is also smaller than the measurement range of the super-resolution contrast imaging.

[0171] For example, the target range can be received based on the color gradient bar, or the target range can be received based on the input box, or the target level can be selected from at least two levels based on the user operation, and the range corresponding to the target level can be set as the target range.

[0172] In one embodiment, the microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information; setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive motion or negative motion based on the received user operation; when the target range is set to positive motion, the second microbubble tracking information includes positive motion information but does not include negative motion information; when the target range is set to negative motion, the second microbubble tracking information includes negative motion information but does not include positive motion information.

[0173] Furthermore, the density range of microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of microbubble velocity information can be set based on the received user operation. When the target range is set to positive motion, the second microbubble tracking information is the microbubble tracking information corresponding to the density range and / or velocity range in the positive motion information; when the target range is set to negative motion, the second microbubble tracking information is the microbubble tracking information corresponding to the density range and / or velocity range in the negative motion information.

[0174] For example, if the user sets the direction range to positive motion and the speed range to [0, 10] (mm / s), then positive motion information is extracted from the microbubble direction information, and microbubble speed information within the range of 0-10 mm / s is extracted from the microbubble speed information to obtain the second microbubble tracking information.

[0175] Next, a super-resolution contrast image is generated based on the second microbubble tracking information. Specifically, the first microbubble tracking information outside the target range can be deleted, and the second super-resolution contrast image is generated only based on the second microbubble tracking information. Alternatively, the color region in the super-resolution contrast image can be generated based on the second microbubble tracking information, and the grayscale region in the super-resolution contrast image can be generated based on the first microbubble tracking information.

[0176] For example, if the target range includes at least two of the microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information, the intersection of these three information within the target range can be used to generate a super-resolution contrast image. Taking microbubble velocity information and microbubble orientation information as examples, if both the microbubble velocity information and microbubble orientation information of a certain contrast agent are within the target range, then a super-resolution contrast image is generated based on the microbubble velocity information and microbubble orientation information of that contrast agent microbubble. If the microbubble orientation information of a certain contrast agent microbubble is within the target range but the microbubble velocity information is outside the target range, then the microbubble orientation information of that contrast agent microbubble is deleted.

[0177] In summary, the super-resolution contrast imaging method 200 of this invention can display only the super-resolution contrast image corresponding to the target range set by the user, avoiding interference from microbubble tracking information outside the target range.

[0178] Below, we will refer to Figure 8 A super-resolution contrast imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention is described. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the super-resolution contrast imaging method 800 of this invention includes the following steps:

[0179] In step S810, a first super-resolution imaging image is displayed, which is used to present microbubble tracking information within a first display range;

[0180] In step S820, interactive controls for adjusting the image display range are displayed;

[0181] In step S830, the user's operation on the interactive control is received, the operation being used to determine a second display range that is different from the first display range;

[0182] In step S840, a second super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the second display range. The second super-resolution imaging image is used to present microbubble tracking information within the second display range.

[0183] In step S850, the second super-resolution contrast image is displayed.

[0184] Unlike the previous embodiments, in the super-resolution contrast imaging method 800 of this invention, the second display range can be larger or smaller than the first display range. Users can expand or shrink the display range at any time as needed when viewing the super-resolution contrast imaging image.

[0185] For example, the microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information. One or more types of microbubble tracking information can be displayed in the same super-resolution imaging image, and the user can set the corresponding display range for each type of microbubble tracking information.

[0186] In one embodiment, the interactive control includes a color level bar, which represents the mapping relationship between the colors of the first super-resolution imaging image and microbubble tracking information; receiving user operations on the interactive control includes receiving user adjustments to the color level bar.

[0187] Furthermore, a baseline is set in the middle of the color gradation bar. The color gradation bar is divided into a first part located on one side of the baseline and a second part located on the other side of the baseline. The first part of the color gradation bar is used to represent positive motion information, and the second part of the color gradation bar is used to represent negative motion information. The first part of the color gradation bar is also used to represent the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density direction information of positively moving contrast agent microbubbles and color. The second part of the color gradation bar is also used to represent the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble direction density information of negatively moving contrast agent microbubbles and color.

[0188] Alternatively, the interactive control may also include an input field, and receiving user input on the interactive control may include receiving a target range based on the user's input field. Alternatively, the interactive control may include at least two settings, and receiving user input on the interactive control may include selecting a target setting from the at least two settings based on the user's input, and setting the range corresponding to the target setting as the target range.

[0189] The super-resolution contrast imaging method 800 of this invention adjusts the display range of the super-resolution contrast image based on the user's operation of the interactive control, and can display microbubble tracking information in a targeted manner according to the user's needs.

[0190] This invention also provides an ultrasound imaging system for implementing the super-resolution contrast imaging method described in any embodiment. Now refer back to... Figure 1This ultrasound imaging system can achieve the following: Figure 1 The ultrasound imaging system 100 shown may include an ultrasound probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116, and a display 118.

[0191] The transmitting circuit 112 is used to excite the ultrasound probe to emit divergent ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles; the receiving circuit 114 is used to control the ultrasound probe to receive the ultrasound echo signal; the processor 116 is used to execute the super-resolution contrast imaging method described above; and the display 118 is used to output the display interface. Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may also include a transmit / receive selection switch 120 and a beamforming module 122. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 can be connected to the ultrasound probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120. The relevant descriptions of each component can be found in the relevant descriptions above, and will not be repeated here.

[0192] The above only describes the main functions of each component of the ultrasound imaging system; for more details, please refer to the relevant description of the super-resolution contrast imaging method. The ultrasound imaging system of this embodiment is used to implement the super-resolution contrast imaging method of this embodiment, and therefore also possesses similar advantages.

[0193] Although exemplary embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as claimed in the appended claims.

[0194] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this invention.

[0195] In the several embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed.

[0196] Numerous specific details are set forth in the specification provided herein. However, it will be understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0197] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to streamline the invention and aid in understanding one or more of the various aspects of the invention, features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. However, this approach should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the corresponding claims, its inventive point lies in solving the corresponding technical problem with fewer features than all of those in a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into that detailed description, wherein each claim itself is a separate embodiment of the invention.

[0198] Those skilled in the art will understand that, apart from the mutual exclusion of features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or apparatus so disclosed can be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that serves the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0199] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that although some embodiments described herein include certain features but not others included in other embodiments, combinations of features from different embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0200] The various component embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, or as software modules running on one or more processors, or a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will understand that microprocessors or digital signal processors (DSPs) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some modules according to embodiments of the present invention. The present invention can also be implemented as an apparatus program (e.g., a computer program and computer program product) for performing some or all of the methods described herein. Such programs implementing the present invention can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can be in the form of one or more signals. Such signals can be downloaded from an Internet website, provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0201] It should be noted that the above embodiments are illustrative of the invention and not restrictive, and that those skilled in the art can devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses should not be construed as limiting the claims. The invention can be implemented by means of hardware comprising several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

[0202] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention or an explanation of that embodiment. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A super-resolution contrast imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: The ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles and the echo signal of the ultrasound waves is received. Super-resolution signal processing is performed on the echo signal to obtain the microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles; A first super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the microbubble tracking information; The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation; Identify the first microbubble tracking information that is outside the target range from the microbubble tracking information; Differential processing is performed on the first region in the first super-resolution imaging image that corresponds to the first microbubble tracking information to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image; Display the second super-resolution imaging image.

2. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The differentiation process includes hiding the first region, or the differentiation process includes displaying the first region in grayscale.

3. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

4. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information; Setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive or negative motion based on the received user operation; When the target range is set to the positive motion, the first microbubble tracking information includes the negative motion information; When the target range is set to the negative motion, the first microbubble tracking information includes the positive motion information.

5. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation further includes: setting the density range of the microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of the microbubble velocity information based on the received user operation. The first microbubble tracking information also includes microbubble density information outside the density range, and / or, the first microbubble tracking information also includes microbubble velocity information outside the velocity range.

6. A super-resolution contrast imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: The first super-resolution contrast image generated based on the microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles is displayed in the display interface; The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation; Extract the target region corresponding to the target range from the first super-resolution imaging image to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image; Display the second super-resolution imaging image.

7. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Extracting the target region corresponding to the target range from the first super-resolution contrast image to obtain the second super-resolution contrast image includes: Alternatively, the regions in the first super-resolution imaging image that extend beyond the target range can be hidden, or the regions in the first super-resolution imaging image that extend beyond the target range can be displayed as grayscale images to obtain the second super-resolution imaging image.

8. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

9. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information; Setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive or negative motion based on the received user operation; When the target range is set to the positive motion, the target region is the region corresponding to the positive motion information; When the target range is set to the negative motion, the target region is the region corresponding to the negative motion information.

10. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The step of setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation further includes: setting the density range of the microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of the microbubble velocity information based on the received user operation. When the target range is set as the positive motion information, the target region is the region corresponding to the density range and / or the velocity range within the region corresponding to the positive motion information; When the target range is set to the negative motion information, the target region is the region corresponding to the negative motion information that corresponds to the density range and / or the velocity range.

11. A super-resolution contrast imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: The ultrasound probe is controlled to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles and the echo signal of the ultrasound waves is received. Super-resolution signal processing is performed on the echo signal to obtain the microbubble tracking information of the contrast agent microbubbles; The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the received user operation; Extract the second microbubble tracking information that is within the target range from the microbubble tracking information; Generate super-resolution imaging images based on the second microbubble tracking information; Display the super-resolution imaging image.

12. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Delete the first microbubble tracking information that is outside the target range from the microbubble tracking information.

13. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Extract the first microbubble tracking information that is outside the target range from the microbubble tracking information; The generation of super-resolution imaging images based on the second microbubble tracking information includes: The color region in the super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the second microbubble tracking information, and the grayscale region in the super-resolution imaging image is generated based on the first microbubble tracking information.

14. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

15. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The microbubble orientation information includes positive motion information or negative motion information; Setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: setting the target range to positive or negative motion based on the received user operation; When the target range is set to the positive motion, the second microbubble tracking information includes the positive motion information; When the target range is set to the negative motion, the second microbubble tracking information includes the negative motion information.

16. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The step of setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation further includes: setting the density range of the microbubble density information and / or the velocity range of the microbubble velocity information based on the received user operation. When the target range is set to the forward motion, the second microbubble tracking information is the microbubble tracking information in the forward motion information that corresponds to the density range and / or the velocity range; When the target range is set to the negative motion, the second microbubble tracking information is the second microbubble tracking information in the negative motion information that corresponds to the density range and / or the velocity range.

17. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to any one of claims 1-16, characterized in that, The step of setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: Display color bars, which are used to characterize the mapping relationship between the colors of the first super-resolution imaging image and the microbubble tracking information; The target range of the microbubble tracking information is set based on the user's adjustment operation of the color gradient bar.

18. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 17, characterized in that, A baseline is provided in the middle of the color gradation bar. The color gradation bar is divided into a first part of the color gradation bar located on one side of the baseline and a second part of the color gradation bar located on the other side of the baseline. The first part of the color gradation bar is used to represent positive motion information, and the second part of the color gradation bar is used to represent negative motion information. The first part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the positive direction and the color. The second part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the negative direction and the color.

19. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to any one of claims 1-16, characterized in that, The step of setting the target range of the microbubble tracking information based on the received user operation includes: Provide an input field, and receive the target range from user input based on the input field; or, Based on user operation, the target gear is selected from at least two gears, and the range corresponding to the target gear is set as the target range.

20. A super-resolution contrast imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: Display a first super-resolution imaging image, the first super-resolution imaging image being used to present microbubble tracking information within a first display range; Displays interactive controls for adjusting the image display area; Receive user operation on the interactive control, the operation being used to determine a second display range that is different from the first display range; Based on the second display range, a second super-resolution imaging image is generated, which is used to present microbubble tracking information within the second display range; Display the second super-resolution imaging image.

21. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The second display range is either larger than or smaller than the first display range.

22. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The microbubble tracking information includes at least one of the following: microbubble density information, microbubble velocity information, and microbubble orientation information.

23. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The interactive control includes a color level bar, which is used to represent the mapping relationship between the color of the first super-resolution imaging image and the microbubble tracking information; The receiving of user operations on the interactive control includes receiving user adjustments to the color gradient bar.

24. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 23, characterized in that, A baseline is provided in the middle of the color gradation bar. The color gradation bar is divided into a first part of the color gradation bar located on one side of the baseline and a second part of the color gradation bar located on the other side of the baseline. The first part of the color gradation bar is used to represent positive motion information, and the second part of the color gradation bar is used to represent negative motion information. The first part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the positive direction and the color. The second part of the color scale bar is also used to characterize the correspondence between the microbubble velocity information and / or microbubble density information of the contrast agent microbubbles moving in the negative direction and the color.

25. The super-resolution contrast imaging method according to claim 20, characterized in that, The interactive control includes an input box, and receiving user operations on the interactive control includes: receiving the target range input by the user based on the input box; Alternatively, the interactive control includes at least two gear positions, and receiving user operations on the interactive control includes: selecting the target gear position from the at least two gear positions based on the user operation, and setting the range corresponding to the target gear position as the target range.

26. An ultrasound imaging system, characterized in that, include: Ultrasonic probe; A transmitting circuit is used to excite the ultrasound probe to emit ultrasound waves toward the target tissue containing contrast agent microbubbles; A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo signal of the ultrasonic wave; A processor for executing the super-resolution contrast imaging method according to any one of claims 1-25 to generate a super-resolution contrast image; A display for showing the super-resolution imaging image.

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