Ultrasound diagnostic device and control method for ultrasound diagnostic device

Abstract

This invention provides an ultrasound diagnostic device and a control method for the ultrasound diagnostic device that can easily acquire ultrasound images of vascular regions suitable for the insertion of implants. [Solution] The ultrasound diagnostic device includes a position sensor (3) that acquires position information of an ultrasound probe (1), an image acquisition unit (30) that acquires multiple frames of ultrasound images by transmitting and receiving an ultrasound beam using the ultrasound probe (1), a three-dimensional image data generation unit (24) that generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data based on the position information of the ultrasound probe (1) and multiple frames of ultrasound images representing the short axis view of the blood vessel, a centerline acquisition unit (25) that acquires the centerline of the blood vessel in three-dimensional space based on the three-dimensional ultrasound image data, a meandering degree calculation unit (26) that calculates the degree of meandering of the centerline along the lateral diameter direction of the blood vessel, and a guide unit (27) that guides the ultrasound probe (1) within the range on the centerline based on the degree of meandering.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used for observing blood vessels in a subject to be punctured and a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a technique of puncturing a so-called puncture needle or the like into a blood vessel while observing the blood vessel in a subject using a so-called ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is known. In such a technique, by confirming in real time a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images taken along the running direction of the blood vessel, a blood vessel region suitable for puncture, such as being orthogonal to the running direction of the blood vessel and not meandering in the direction along the body surface of the subject, is often searched. In this case, a user of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus such as a doctor usually searches for a blood vessel region suitable for puncture by alternately taking a short-axis image of the blood vessel representing a cross-section of the blood vessel orthogonal to the running direction of the blood vessel and a long-axis image of the blood vessel representing a longitudinal section of the blood vessel along the running direction of the blood vessel.

[0003] In the technique of searching for a blood vessel region suitable for puncture by confirming an ultrasonic image, since it is necessary to repeatedly take and confirm the short-axis image and the long-axis image of the blood vessel, the user may require a great deal of labor until a blood vessel region suitable for puncture is specified. Therefore, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, it is conceivable to generate a three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the blood vessel from a plurality of frames of two-dimensional ultrasonic images of the blood vessel taken, and to confirm the generated three-dimensional ultrasonic image to specify a blood vessel region suitable for puncture.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, while the technology described in Patent Document 1 can roughly identify the location of a vascular region suitable for puncture, accurately capturing an ultrasound image of the vascular region suitable for puncture requires the user to determine the precise location of the vascular region by capturing multiple frames of ultrasound images representing both the short-axis and long-axis views of the blood vessel near the identified rough location, which can be time-consuming for the user.

[0006] This invention was made to solve the aforementioned problems of the past, and aims to provide an ultrasound diagnostic device and a control method for the ultrasound diagnostic device that can easily acquire ultrasound images of vascular regions suitable for the insertion of implants. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above objective can be achieved with the following configuration. [1] Ultrasound probe and A position sensor that acquires positional information of an ultrasonic probe, An image acquisition unit that acquires multiple frames of ultrasound images representing short-axis views of blood vessels by transmitting and receiving ultrasound beams using an ultrasound probe, A three-dimensional image data generation unit generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data of a subject based on the position information of the ultrasound probe acquired by the position sensor and multiple frames of ultrasound images acquired by the image acquisition unit. A centerline acquisition unit acquires the centerline of blood vessels in three-dimensional space based on three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by a three-dimensional image data generation unit, A meandering degree calculation unit calculates the degree of meandering along the transverse diameter direction of the blood vessel perpendicular to the plane corresponding to the short-axis image of the center line acquired by the center line acquisition unit, A guide unit that guides the ultrasonic probe within the range along the centerline based on the meandering degree calculated by the meandering degree calculation unit. An ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with the following features. [2] The meandering degree calculation unit is: The centerline is divided into multiple sections of a predetermined length, An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to [1] for calculating the degree of meandering in each of multiple sections. [3] The meandering degree calculation unit is: The average position in the horizontal direction of the center line is calculated, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus described in [2], which calculates the degree of meandering as the number of inflection points of the centerline in which the distance from the average position is greater than or equal to a predetermined position threshold in each of several intervals. [4] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to [2], wherein the meandering degree calculation unit calculates the meandering degree as the reciprocal of the interval between adjacent inflection points of the center line in multiple sections. [5] The guidance unit guides the ultrasound probe within a range on the centerline where the meandering degree calculated by the meandering degree calculation unit is less than or equal to a defined meandering degree threshold, as described in any of [1] to [4]. [6] The information desk is, By referring to the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit, the depth of blood vessels relative to the body surface of the subject is obtained along the entire centerline. An ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the degree of tortuosity is below a defined tortuosity threshold and the depth of the blood vessel is below a defined depth threshold, wherein the ultrasound probe is guided within this range. [7] The information desk is, By referring to the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit, the inner diameter of the blood vessel is obtained along the entire centerline. An ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the degree of tortuosity is below a defined tortuosity threshold and the ultrasound probe is guided to the range closest to a defined recommended inner diameter of the blood vessel. [8] In two or more of the multiple sections, the degree of meandering is below a defined meandering threshold, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to [2] or [3], wherein the guide section guides the ultrasound probe to the section having the smallest degree of meandering among two or more sections. [9] Equipped with a monitor, The guidance unit displays guidance for the ultrasound probe on the monitor. An ultrasound diagnostic device as described in any of [1] to [8].

[10] A marker is placed on the ultrasound probe, The position sensor is An optical camera that acquires an optical image of the ultrasound probe, The system includes a marker detection unit that acquires positional information of an ultrasonic probe by detecting markers in optical images acquired by an optical camera. The guidance unit is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as described in [9], which superimposes the guidance of the ultrasound probe onto an optical image acquired by an optical camera and displays it on a monitor based on the position information of the ultrasound probe acquired by the marker detection unit.

[11] An ultrasound probe and an optical camera that acquires an optical image of a specific part of the subject, It includes a relative position information conversion unit that converts position information acquired by a position sensor and an optical image acquired by an optical camera into relative position information with respect to a specific part captured in the optical image. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[10] , wherein the three-dimensional image data generation unit uses relative position information converted by the relative position information conversion unit as the position information of the ultrasound probe acquired by the position sensor.

[12] Multiple blood vessels are visible in each of the multiple frames of ultrasound images. The system includes a focus calculation unit that calculates the degree of focus for each of the multiple blood vessels based on the positions of multiple blood vessels in each of multiple frames of ultrasound images or the length of the centerline acquired by the centerline acquisition unit for each of the multiple blood vessels, The guidance unit guides the ultrasound probe based on the tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit in the blood vessel having the highest level of attention among multiple levels of attention calculated by the level of attention calculation unit. This is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[11] .

[13] Multiple blood vessels are visible in each of the multiple frames of ultrasound images. The system includes a suitability calculation unit that calculates the suitability of each of multiple blood vessels based on the depth of the blood vessels relative to the body surface of the subject or the inner diameter of the blood vessels, by referring to three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by a three-dimensional image data generation unit. Inside the case, the ultrasonic probe is guided based on the tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit in the blood vessel having the maximum appropriateness among the plurality of appropriateness calculated by the appropriateness calculation unit. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[11] . 〔14〕 Obtain the position information of the ultrasonic probe, Obtain a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images representing a short-axis image of a blood vessel obtained by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic beam using the ultrasonic probe to image the blood vessel of the subject, Generate three-dimensional ultrasonic image data of the subject based on the position information of the ultrasonic probe and the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images, Obtain the center line of the blood vessel in the three-dimensional space based on the three-dimensional ultrasonic image data, Calculate the tortuosity along the transverse diameter direction of the blood vessel perpendicular to the plane corresponding to the short-axis image of the blood vessel of the center line, Guide the ultrasonic probe within a range on the center line based on the tortuosity A control method for an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] In the present invention, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe, a position sensor that obtains the position information of the ultrasonic probe, and a plurality of frames of ultrasonic images representing a short-axis image of a blood vessel obtained by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic beam using the ultrasonic probe to image the blood vessel of the subject. An image acquisition unit that acquires, a three-dimensional image data generation unit that generates three-dimensional ultrasonic image data of the subject based on the position information of the ultrasonic probe acquired by the position sensor and the plurality of frames of ultrasonic images acquired by the image acquisition unit, and a three-dimensional ultrasonic image generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit. A center line acquisition unit that acquires the center line of the blood vessel in the three-dimensional space based on the data, a tortuosity calculation unit that calculates the tortuosity along the transverse diameter direction of the blood vessel perpendicular to the plane corresponding to the short-axis image of the blood vessel of the center line acquired by the center line acquisition unit, and a guidance unit that guides the ultrasonic probe within a range on the center line based on the tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit. Therefore, an ultrasonic image of a blood vessel region suitable for the insertion of the insert can be easily obtained.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the transmission / reception circuit in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the image generation unit in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 4] It is a diagram schematically showing an ultrasonic probe that moves on the body surface of a subject. [Figure 5] It is a diagram schematically showing an example of an ultrasonic image representing a short-axis image of a blood vessel. [Figure 6] It is a diagram schematically showing an example of an ultrasonic image representing a long-axis image of a blood vessel. [Figure 7] It is a diagram schematically showing an example of a blood vessel that meanders in the arm of a subject. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing the transverse diameter direction of a blood vessel. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of a center line of a blood vessel and an average line representing the average position of the center line in the transverse diameter direction. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of the distance of an inflection point of the center line of a blood vessel from the average line. [Figure 11] It is an example showing an example of the distance between inflection points of the center line of a blood vessel. [Figure 12] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 13] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of guiding an ultrasonic probe superimposed on an optical image. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing another example of guiding an ultrasonic probe superimposed on an optical image. [Figure 16] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. [Figure 17] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. [Figure 18]This is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device according to Embodiment 5 of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of this invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings. The following description of the constituent elements is based on a typical embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. In this specification, a numerical range represented by "~" means a range that includes the numbers written before and after "~" as the lower and upper limits, respectively. In this specification, “identical” and “same” include the range of error that is generally accepted in the art.

[0011] Embodiment 1 Figure 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an ultrasound probe 1 and a device body 2 connected to the ultrasound probe 1. The ultrasound probe 1 and the device body 2 are connected to each other by so-called wired communication or so-called wireless communication.

[0012] The ultrasonic probe 1 comprises a transducer array 11 and a transmitting / receiving circuit 12 connected thereto. A position sensor 3 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 1 to acquire its position information.

[0013] The main body of the device 2 includes an image generation unit 21 connected to the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1. A display control unit 22 and a monitor 23 are sequentially connected to the image generation unit 21. The main body of the device 2 also includes a position sensor 3 and a three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 connected to the image generation unit 21. A centerline acquisition unit 25 and a meandering degree calculation unit 26 are sequentially connected to the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24. A guide unit 27 is connected to the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 and the meandering degree calculation unit 26. The guide unit 27 is connected to the display control unit 22. Furthermore, a device control unit 28 is connected to the position sensor 3, the transmitting / receiving circuit 12, the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24, the centerline acquisition unit 25, the meandering degree calculation unit 26, and the guide unit 27. An input device 29 is connected to the device control unit 28.

[0014] The image acquisition unit 30 is composed of a transmitting / receiving circuit 12 and an image generation unit 13. In addition, the processor 31 for the main unit 2 is composed of an image generation unit 21, a display control unit 22, a three-dimensional image data generation unit 24, a centerline acquisition unit 25, a meandering degree calculation unit 26, a guidance unit 27, and a device control unit 28.

[0015] The ultrasound probe 1 is used to capture so-called ultrasound images representing cross-sectional planes within a subject by transmitting an ultrasound beam into the subject while in contact with the subject's body surface and receiving ultrasound echoes reflected from within the subject.

[0016] The transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in one or two dimensions. Each of these ultrasonic transducers transmits ultrasound according to a drive signal supplied from the transmitting / receiving circuit 12, and also receives ultrasonic echoes from the subject and outputs a signal based on the ultrasonic echoes. Each ultrasonic transducer is constructed by forming electrodes at both ends of a piezoelectric body made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), or a piezoelectric single crystal represented by PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate).

[0017] The image acquisition unit 30, which consists of a transmitting / receiving circuit 12 and an image generation unit 21, acquires an ultrasonic image by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic beam using an ultrasonic probe 1.

[0018] The transmitting / receiving circuit 12 transmits ultrasonic waves from the transducer array 11 and generates a sound line signal based on the received signal acquired by the transducer array 11, under the control of the device control unit 28. As shown in Figure 2, the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 includes a pulser 41 connected to the transducer array 11, and an amplifier 42, an AD (Analog to Digital) converter 43, and a beamformer 44 connected sequentially in series from the transducer array 11.

[0019] The pulser 41 includes, for example, multiple pulse generators, and based on a transmission delay pattern selected in accordance with a control signal from the device control unit 28, it supplies each drive signal to the multiple ultrasonic transducers of the transducer array 11, adjusting the delay amount, so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the transducers form an ultrasonic beam. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the ultrasonic transducers of the transducer array 11, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts, generating pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves from each ultrasonic transducer, and an ultrasonic beam is formed from the combined wave of these ultrasonic waves.

[0020] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected from a target, such as a part of the subject, and propagates toward the transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1. The ultrasonic echo propagating toward the transducer array 11 is received by each ultrasonic transducer that makes up the transducer array 11. At this time, each ultrasonic transducer that makes up the transducer array 11 expands and contracts upon receiving the propagating ultrasonic echo, generating a received signal which is an electrical signal, and outputs these received signals to the amplification unit 42.

[0021] The amplification unit 42 amplifies the signals input from each ultrasonic transducer constituting the transducer array 11 and transmits the amplified signals to the AD conversion unit 43. The AD conversion unit 43 converts the signals transmitted from the amplification unit 42 into digital received data. The beamformer 44 performs so-called receive focus processing by adding each received data received from the AD conversion unit 43 with a corresponding delay. Through this receive focus processing, each received data converted by the AD conversion unit 43 is phase-corrected and added together, and a sound ray signal with a focused ultrasonic echo is obtained.

[0022] As shown in Figure 3, the image generation unit 21 has a configuration in which a signal processing unit 45, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 46, and an image processing unit 47 are connected in series in sequence.

[0023] The signal processing unit 45 receives the sound line signal from the transmitting / receiving circuit 12, and after correcting for attenuation due to distance according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position using a sound velocity value set by the device control unit 28, it performs envelope detection processing to generate a B-mode image signal, which is tomographic image information of the tissue within the subject.

[0024] The DSC46 converts the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 45 into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal (raster conversion). The image processing unit 47 performs various necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, on the B-mode image signal input from the DSC 46, and then sends the B-mode image signal to the display control unit 22 and the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24. Hereafter, the B-mode image signal processed by the image processing unit 47 will be referred to as an ultrasonic image.

[0025] For example, as shown in Figure 4, while the ultrasound probe 1 is in contact with the body surface BS of the subject, multiple frames of ultrasound images can be acquired while moving it along the blood vessel A within the subject. In this case, ideally, the orientation of the ultrasound probe 1 is fixed so that the scanning plane SP of the ultrasound probe 1 is perpendicular to the direction of the blood vessel A. As a result, multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 representing a so-called short-axis view, which is a cross-section of the blood vessel A, can be acquired, for example, as shown in Figure 5.

[0026] Furthermore, by adjusting the orientation of the ultrasound probe 1 so that a scanning plane SP parallel to the direction of blood vessel A is obtained, it is possible to acquire an ultrasound image U2 representing a so-called long-axis view, which is a longitudinal section of blood vessel A, as shown in Figure 6, for example.

[0027] The position sensor 3 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 1 and is a device that acquires position information of the ultrasonic probe 1. The position information of the ultrasonic probe 1 acquired by the position sensor 3 may include not only the position coordinates of the ultrasonic probe 1 in three-dimensional space, but also the angular coordinates of the ultrasonic probe 1 in three-dimensional space. As the position sensor 3, known sensor devices such as so-called acceleration sensors, gyroscopes, magnetic sensors, and GPS (Global Positioning System) sensors can be used.

[0028] The three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data of a subject based on multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 representing the short-axis view of blood vessel A acquired by the image acquisition unit 30 while the ultrasound probe 1 is moving on the subject's body surface BS with the orientation of the ultrasound probe 1 fixed, and position information of the ultrasound probe 1 continuously acquired by the position sensor 3 while the multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 are being captured. The three-dimensional ultrasound image data includes the three-dimensional structure of blood vessel A.

[0029] The three-dimensional image data generation unit 24, when generating three-dimensional ultrasound image data, extracts a short-axis image of blood vessel A from multiple frames of ultrasound image U1 using an algorithm such as so-called binarization or so-called template matching, and uses this extraction result to identify the three-dimensional structure of blood vessel A in the three-dimensional ultrasound image data.

[0030] The centerline acquisition unit 25 acquires the centerline C of blood vessel A, for example, as schematically shown in Figure 7, based on the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24. Figure 7 illustrates blood vessel A in the arm M of a subject. The centerline acquisition unit 25 can acquire the centerline C of blood vessel A in three-dimensional space by, for example, applying a so-called thinning process to the three-dimensional structure of blood vessel A identified by the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24.

[0031] The tortuosity calculation unit 26 calculates the lateral diameter direction of vessel A perpendicular to the plane corresponding to the short-axis image of vessel A, and calculates the tortuosity along the lateral diameter direction of the center line C. By referring to three-dimensional ultrasound image data, the tortuosity calculation unit 26 can, for example, consider the body surface BS as a plane, and define the direction along the body surface BS as the lateral diameter direction D1 of vessel A in a plane corresponding to the short-axis image of vessel A and perpendicular to the body surface BS, as schematically shown in Figure 8.

[0032] By defining the direction perpendicular to the lateral diameter D1 and depth direction of vessel A as the propagation direction D2 of vessel A, the tortuosity calculation unit 26 can, for example as shown in Figure 9, divide the center line C into a plurality of sections G1, G2, G3, and G4 having lengths determined along the propagation direction D2 of vessel A, and calculate the tortuosity for each of these sections G1 to G4. The number of sections to be divided is not limited to four; depending on the length of the center line C, there may be two, three, or even five or more sections. The length of each section G1 to G4 can be set, for example, to approximately the width perpendicular to the depth direction of the ultrasound image U2 representing the long-axis view of vessel A.

[0033] The meandering degree calculation unit 26 can calculate an average line E representing the average position of the center line C in the lateral radial direction D1 of the blood vessel A for each of the multiple sections G1 to G4 by applying the so-called least squares method to, for example, multiple sections G1 to G4, with respect to the center line C, as shown in Figure 10. In this case, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 can calculate multiple inflection points J1 and J2 of the center line C and calculate the distances L1 and L2 between the multiple inflection points J1 and J2 in the lateral radial direction D1 and the average line E. For example, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 can calculate the number of inflection points J1 and J2 where the distances L1 and L2 are greater than or equal to a defined distance threshold for each of the multiple sections G1 to G4. The more inflection points J1 and J2 there are where distances L1 and L2 are greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the more tortuous sections there are in blood vessel A. Conversely, the fewer inflection points J1 and J2 there are where distances L1 and L2 are greater than or equal to the distance threshold, the fewer tortuous sections there are in blood vessel A.

[0034] Furthermore, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 can calculate, for example, the maximum value of the reciprocal of the interval K1 between inflection points J1 and J2 of the centerline C in the direction of travel D2, for each of the multiple sections G1 to G4. The larger the value of the reciprocal of the interval K1, the narrower the interval of meandering along the direction of travel D2, and therefore it can be determined that there are many places where blood vessel A is meandering. Conversely, the smaller the value of the reciprocal of the interval K1, the wider the interval of meandering along the direction of travel D2, and therefore it can be determined that there are few places where blood vessel A is meandering.

[0035] The guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1 to a range on the centerline C suitable for inserting the implant, i.e., a vascular region suitable for inserting the implant, based on the degree of tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit 26. For example, the guide unit 27 can guide the ultrasound probe 1 to a range on the centerline C where the degree of tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit 26 is less than or equal to a defined tortuosity threshold, for example, to a section among several sections G1 to G4 where the degree of tortuosity is less than or equal to the tortuosity threshold.

[0036] The guidance unit 27 can guide the ultrasound probe 1 by, for example, displaying on the monitor 23 a superimposed diagram of a human body called a schema and so-called probe marks placed on the diagram of a human body that correspond to a vascular region suitable for insertion of an implant; displaying on the monitor 23 the difference between the current position and tilt angle of the ultrasound probe 1 and the position of a vascular region suitable for insertion of an implant and the recommended tilt angle of the ultrasound probe 1 there; and displaying on the monitor 23 the direction from the current position of the ultrasound probe 1 to a vascular region suitable for insertion of an implant.

[0037] If the degree of meandering is less than or equal to the meandering threshold in two or more of the multiple sections G1 to G4 of the center line C, the guide unit 27 can guide the ultrasonic probe 1 to, for example, the section with the smallest degree of meandering.

[0038] In medical settings, it is sometimes necessary to insert an implant, such as a puncture needle or catheter, into a patient's blood vessel A to perform examinations or treatments. To non-invasively confirm the positional relationship between blood vessel A and the implant within the patient, a technique is known in which ultrasound diagnostic equipment is used to take ultrasound images U1 or U2 showing both blood vessel A and the implant. In such a technique, short-axis and long-axis images of blood vessel A are taken alternately to observe how the implant is inserted into blood vessel A. However, if blood vessel A is tortuous in the lateral diameter direction D1, when a long-axis image is taken, blood vessel A will appear as interrupted, leading to problems such as being unable to accurately grasp the state of the implant inserted into blood vessel A. Therefore, it is preferable that the location of blood vessel A into which the implant is inserted is not tortuous in the lateral diameter direction D1.

[0039] The guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1 to an area where the blood vessel A is not tortuous or has little tortuousness in the lateral diameter direction D1. Therefore, users of the ultrasound diagnostic equipment, such as physicians, can insert the implant at the guided position, allowing them to proceed with the procedure while accurately understanding the positional relationship between the implant inserted into the subject and the blood vessel A.

[0040] Furthermore, the guide unit 27 can, for example, refer to three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 to obtain the depth of blood vessel A from the subject's body surface BS over the entire center line C, and guide the ultrasound probe 1 to a defined depth threshold range where the degree of tortuosity is below the tortuosity threshold and the depth of blood vessel A is within a defined depth threshold range. Here, the guide unit 27 can measure the shortest distance along the depth direction between the subject's body surface BS and blood vessel A at each point in the direction D2 of blood vessel A's progression. If blood vessel A is in a deep position, it is difficult to insert an implant into blood vessel A. Therefore, when inserting an implant into blood vessel A, blood vessel A located within 2.0 cm, preferably within 1.5 cm, from the body surface BS is usually selected as the target for insertion. For this reason, the depth threshold can be set to, for example, 2.0 cm, preferably 1.5 cm.

[0041] Furthermore, when the inserted object is a catheter, if the inner diameter of blood vessel A is smaller than the outer diameter of the catheter, it is impossible to insert the catheter into blood vessel A. Conversely, if the inner diameter of blood vessel A is too large compared to the outer diameter of the catheter, the dilation of blood vessel A by the catheter may be insufficient, potentially reducing the therapeutic effect. Therefore, in medical settings, there is often a recommended inner diameter of blood vessel A relative to the outer diameter of the catheter. Accordingly, the guide unit 27 can, for example, refer to three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 to obtain the inner diameter of blood vessel A over the entire center line C, and guide the ultrasound probe 1 to a range where the degree of tortuosity is below the tortuosity threshold and the inner diameter of blood vessel A is closest to the specified recommended inner diameter value. The recommended inner diameter value can be set, for example, to about three times the outer diameter of the catheter to be inserted into the subject.

[0042] The display control unit 22, under the control of the device control unit 28, performs predetermined processing on the ultrasonic images U1 and U2 acquired by the image acquisition unit 30, and the guidance information from the guidance unit 27, and displays them on the monitor 23.

[0043] The monitor 23 displays ultrasound images U1, U2, etc., under the control of the display control unit 22, and has a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0044] The device control unit 28 controls each part of the device body 2, the transmitting and receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1, and the position sensor 3 based on a control program or the like that is stored in advance.

[0045] The input device 29 is for the user to perform input operations and consists of devices such as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touchpad, and touch sensor placed on top of the monitor 23.

[0046] In this embodiment, each process is executed on any computer. Furthermore, any computer may execute these processes using a processor 31 as hardware, a program as software, or a combination thereof. In this case, the processor 31 is configured to cooperate with the program to execute the various processes in this embodiment, and can function as a unit or means in this embodiment. Also, the execution order of the processes by the processor 31 is not limited to the order described and may be changed as appropriate. Any computer may be a general-purpose computer, a computer designed for a specific purpose, a workstation, or any other system capable of executing each process.

[0047] The processor 31 may be composed of one or more hardware components, and the type of hardware is not limited. For example, the processor 31 may be composed of hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or other programmable logic devices, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or other dedicated circuit for executing specific processing, a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit). Furthermore, the type of hardware may be a combination of different types of hardware. When multiple hardware components are configured to execute one or more processes of the processor 31, these multiple hardware components may reside in physically separate devices or in the same device. Also, in any embodiment, the order of each process performed by the processor 31 is not limited to the order described above and may be changed as appropriate. The hardware is composed of electrical circuits (circuitry) that combine circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

[0048] Furthermore, the program may be firmware or software such as microcode. Alternatively, the program may be, for example, a group of program modules, each function of which may be implemented by a processor 31 configured to perform its respective function. The program may be program code or multiple code segments stored on one or more non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., storage media or other storage). The program may be divided and stored on multiple non-temporary computer-readable media located in physically separate devices. Program code or code segments may represent any combination of procedures, functions, subprograms, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or instructions, data structures, or program statements. Program code or code segments may be connected to other code segments or hardware circuits by sending and receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents.

[0049] Next, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 12.

[0050] In step S1, a preliminary scanning mode is started, for example, based on user instructions via the input device 29. The user moves the ultrasound probe 1 along the blood vessel A while keeping the ultrasound probe 1 in contact with the body surface BS of the subject.

[0051] In step S2, the position sensor 3 acquires the current position information of the ultrasonic probe 1. The position information of the ultrasonic probe 1 acquired in step S2 is sent to the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24.

[0052] In step S3, the image acquisition unit 30 acquires an ultrasound image U1 representing a short-axis view of blood vessel A within the subject, for example, as shown in Figure 5. At this time, under the control of the device control unit 28, the transmission and reception of ultrasound is started from multiple transducers of the transducer array 11 according to the drive signal from the pulser 41 of the transmitting and receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasound probe 1. The ultrasound echo from within the subject is received by multiple transducers of the transducer array 11, the received signal which is an analog signal is output to the amplification unit 42 for amplification, and then converted to AD by the AD conversion unit 43 to acquire the received data.

[0053] The beamformer 44 performs reception focus processing on this received data, and the resulting sound line signal is sent to the image generation unit 21 of the main unit 2, where the image generation unit 21 generates an ultrasound image U1. At this time, the signal processing unit 45 of the image generation unit 21 performs attenuation correction according to the depth of the ultrasound reflection position and envelope detection processing on the sound line signal, and the DSC 46 converts it into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal, and the image processing unit 47 performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing. The ultrasound image U1 representing the short-axis view of blood vessel A generated in step S3 is sent to the display control unit 22 and displayed on the monitor 23, and is also sent to the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24.

[0054] In step S4, the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data of the subject based on the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 acquired in step S2 and the ultrasound image U1 representing the short-axis view of blood vessel A acquired in step S3. At this time, the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 extracts the short-axis view of blood vessel A shown in the ultrasound image U1 acquired in step S3 and identifies the three-dimensional structure of blood vessel A in the three-dimensional ultrasound image data.

[0055] In step S5, the device control unit 28 determines whether or not to terminate the preliminary scan. The device control unit 28 can determine to terminate the preliminary scan if, for example, the user determines that they have acquired a sufficient ultrasound image U1 representing the short-axis view of blood vessel A and inputs an instruction to terminate the preliminary scan via the input device 29. The device control unit 28 can determine to continue the preliminary scan if, for example, the user determines that they have not acquired a sufficient ultrasound image U1 and does not give any particular instruction via the input device 29.

[0056] If it is determined in step S5 to continue the preliminary scan, the process returns to step S2. In this way, as long as it is determined in step S5 to continue the preliminary scan, the process from step S2 to step S5 is repeated. As a result, the ultrasound probe 1 moves along the blood vessel A on the body surface BS of the subject, the position sensor 3 continuously acquires the position information of the ultrasound probe 1, and multiple consecutive frames of ultrasound images U1 are acquired. Each time the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 is acquired and an ultrasound image U1 is acquired, in step S4 data relating to the three-dimensional structure within the subject corresponding to the newly acquired ultrasound image U1 is cumulatively added to the three-dimensional ultrasound image data, and a three-dimensional ultrasound image data representing the three-dimensional structure within the subject is constructed.

[0057] If it is determined in step S5 that the preliminary scan is complete, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the centerline acquisition unit 25 acquires the centerline C of blood vessel A, for example, as schematically shown in Figure 7, based on the three-dimensional ultrasound image data acquired in step S4. The centerline acquisition unit 25 can acquire the centerline C of blood vessel A in three-dimensional space by, for example, performing a thinning process on the three-dimensional structure of blood vessel A identified by the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 in step S4.

[0058] In step S7, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 calculates the meandering degree of the center line C acquired in step S6 in the lateral radial direction D1 of the blood vessel A. The meandering degree calculation unit 26 considers the body surface BS of the subject as a plane, and can define the direction parallel to the body surface BS as the lateral radial direction D1 in any plane that is parallel to the short-axis image of the blood vessel A in the three-dimensional ultrasound image data and perpendicular to the body surface BS, for example as shown in Figure 8.

[0059] Furthermore, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 can divide the center line C into multiple sections G1 to G4, each having a length determined along the direction of progression D2 of blood vessel A, as shown in Figure 9, for example, and calculate the meandering degree in each section. The length of each section G1 to G4 can be set, for example, to approximately the width perpendicular to the depth direction of the ultrasound image U2 representing the long-axis view of blood vessel A.

[0060] The meandering degree calculation unit 26 can calculate an average line E that shows the average position of the center line C in the lateral radial direction D1 for each point of the center line C in the direction of travel D2, as shown in Figure 10, by applying the least squares method to, for example, multiple sections G1 to G4 on the center line C. The meandering degree calculation unit 26 can further calculate multiple inflection points J1 and J2 of the center line C, and calculate the distances L1 and L2 between each of the multiple inflection points J1 and J2 and the average line E. For example, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 can calculate the number of inflection points J1 and J2 where the distances L1 and L2 are greater than or equal to a defined distance threshold for each of the multiple sections G1 to G4.

[0061] Furthermore, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 can also calculate, for example, the maximum value of the reciprocal of the interval K1 between inflection points J1 and J2 along the direction of progression D2 of blood vessel A, as the meandering degree, for each of the multiple intervals G1 to G4.

[0062] In step S8, the position sensor 3 acquires the current position information of the ultrasonic probe 1 in the same manner as in step S2.

[0063] In step S9, the image acquisition unit 30 acquires either an ultrasound image U1 representing a short-axis view of blood vessel A or an ultrasound image U2 representing a long-axis view of blood vessel A, in the same manner as in step S3. The ultrasound image U1 or U2 acquired in step S8 is displayed on the monitor 23.

[0064] In step S10, the guide unit 27 guides the ultrasonic probe 1 within a range on the center line C based on the meandering degree of the center line C calculated in step S7. At this time, the guide unit 27 can, for example, guide the ultrasonic probe 1 to a section among several sections G1 to G4 on the center line C where the meandering degree is less than or equal to the meandering threshold. The guide unit 27 can, for example, display the guidance of the ultrasonic probe 1 on the monitor 23. By confirming the guidance by the guide unit 27, the user can move the ultrasonic probe 1 so that it is positioned in a section where the meandering degree is less than or equal to the meandering threshold.

[0065] In step S11, the device control unit 28 determines whether the ultrasound probe 1 has been properly positioned in a vascular region suitable for insertion of the implant. For example, by referring to the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 acquired in step S8, the device control unit 28 can determine that the ultrasound probe 1 has been properly positioned if the ultrasound probe 1 is positioned in the vascular region guided in step S10. Conversely, the device control unit 28 can determine that the ultrasound probe 1 has not been properly positioned if the ultrasound probe 1 is not positioned in the vascular region guided in step S10.

[0066] If it is determined in step S11 that the ultrasound probe 1 is not properly positioned, the process returns to step S8. In this way, as long as it is determined in step S11 that the ultrasound probe 1 is not properly positioned, the process from step S8 to step S11 is repeated. During this time, the user moves the ultrasound probe 1 toward the vascular region indicated in step S10, while referring to the guidance in step S10.

[0067] If it is determined that the ultrasound probe 1 has been properly positioned in step S11, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic device according to the flowchart in Figure 12 is completed. In this way, the user can easily obtain ultrasound images U1 and U2 of the vascular region suitable for inserting the implant. The user can then accurately and safely insert the implant into blood vessel A while confirming these ultrasound images U1 and U2.

[0068] As described above, according to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data based on the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 acquired by the position sensor 3 and multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 representing the short-axis view of the blood vessel A acquired by the image acquisition unit 30, the centerline acquisition unit 25 acquires the centerline C of the blood vessel A in three-dimensional space based on the three-dimensional ultrasound image data, the meandering degree calculation unit 26 calculates the meandering degree along the lateral diameter direction D1 of the centerline C, and the guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1 to the range on the centerline C based on the meandering degree, so that ultrasound images U1 and U2 of the blood vessel region suitable for insertion of an implant can be easily acquired.

[0069] Although it is explained that the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 is provided in the ultrasonic probe 1, the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 may also be provided in the main body of the device 2. Furthermore, although it is explained that the image generation unit 21 is provided in the main body 2 of the device, the image generation unit 21 may also be provided in the ultrasonic probe 1.

[0070] The main unit 2 of the device may be a stationary type, a portable type that is easy to carry, or a handheld type, for example, composed of a smartphone or tablet computer. Thus, the type of equipment that makes up the main unit 2 is not particularly limited.

[0071] Furthermore, the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1 acquired by the position sensor 3 can consist only of the position coordinates of the ultrasonic probe 1 in three-dimensional space. However, by including the angular coordinates of the ultrasonic probe 1 in three-dimensional space in addition to the position coordinates of the ultrasonic probe 1 in three-dimensional space, the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 can generate more accurate three-dimensional ultrasonic image data than if the position information consisted only of position coordinates.

[0072] Furthermore, when acquiring multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 used to generate three-dimensional ultrasound image data, it is ideal that the ultrasound probe 1 is applied perpendicularly to the subject's body surface BS in order to generate accurate three-dimensional ultrasound image data. For this reason, the device control unit 28, for example, can determine whether the ultrasound probe 1 is applied approximately perpendicularly to the subject's body surface BS by referring to the angular coordinates of the ultrasound probe 1 in three-dimensional space included in the position information of the ultrasound probe 1, and can alert the user via the monitor 23 if the ultrasound probe 1 is not applied approximately perpendicularly to the subject's body surface BS. Here, "approximately perpendicular" means that the ultrasound probe 1 is within a certain angular range centered on 90 degrees, such as 85 degrees to 95 degrees, relative to the body surface BS.

[0073] Although it has been explained that the guidance unit 27 displays the guidance content for the ultrasound probe 1 on the monitor 23, the guidance method is not particularly limited to this. For example, if the ultrasound diagnostic device is equipped with a speaker (not shown), the guidance unit 27 can provide voice guidance for the ultrasound probe 1 via the speaker.

[0074] Embodiment 2 Although it is explained that the position sensor 3 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 1, the position sensor 3 may be independent of the ultrasonic probe 1 as long as it can acquire the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1.

[0075] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 2, as shown in Figure 1, includes an ultrasound probe 1A equipped with a marker that can be used as an AR (Augmented Reality) marker, such as ArUco (Augmented Reality University of Cordoba), instead of the ultrasound probe 1, and a device body 2A in which a marker detection unit 51 has been added instead of the device body 2. Furthermore, instead of the position sensor 3 attached to the ultrasound probe 1A, it includes a position sensor 53 composed of an optical camera 52 positioned away from the ultrasound probe 1A and the marker detection unit 51 of the device body 2A.

[0076] In Embodiment 2, the main body 2A of the device is the same as the main body 2 of Embodiment 1, but with the addition of a marker detection unit 51 and a device control unit 28A instead of the device control unit 28. The marker detection unit 51 is connected to the optical camera 52. The marker detection unit 51 is also connected to the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 and the device control unit 28A. The image generation unit 21, display control unit 22, three-dimensional image data generation unit 24, centerline acquisition unit 25, meandering degree calculation unit 26, guidance unit 27, device control unit 28A, and marker detection unit 51 constitute the processor 31A for the main body 2A.

[0077] The optical camera 52 is connected to the main unit 2A by wired or wireless communication and acquires an optical image of the ultrasonic probe 1A under the control of the device control unit 28A. The optical camera 52 includes an image sensor such as a so-called CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a so-called CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) image sensor. The optical camera 52 can be fixed and positioned in a location where the marker of the ultrasonic probe 1A can be clearly photographed. Alternatively, the optical camera 52 can be fixed and positioned on a part of the user's body, such as the user's head. The optical image acquired by the optical camera 52 is transmitted to the marker detection unit 51.

[0078] The marker detection unit 51 acquires the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1A by detecting markers in the optical image acquired by the optical camera 52. The marker detection unit 51 can detect markers and acquire the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1A by using a known algorithm for reading shapes used as AR markers. For example, if the marker represents ArUco, the marker can be detected and the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1A can be acquired using the ArUco algorithm included in the OpenCV® library.

[0079] The three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data of the subject based on multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 representing the short-axis view of blood vessel A acquired by the image acquisition unit 30 and the position information of the ultrasound probe 1A acquired by the position sensor 53.

[0080] The centerline acquisition unit 25 acquires the centerline C of blood vessel A based on three-dimensional ultrasound image data, the tortuosity calculation unit 26 calculates the tortuosity of the centerline C, and the guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1A based on the tortuosity.

[0081] The guide unit 27 can also superimpose guidance for the ultrasound probe 1A onto the optical image acquired by the optical camera 52 and display it on the monitor 23, based on the position information of the ultrasound probe 1A acquired by the marker detection unit 51. In this case, the guide unit 27 can superimpose an arrow F on the optical image Q indicating the direction in which the ultrasound probe 1A should be moved toward a vascular region suitable for insertion of an implant, as shown in Figure 14, for example. Figure 14 illustrates how the ultrasound probe 1A, with a marker B attached and held in the user's hand H, is positioned on the arm M of the subject. Furthermore, the guide unit 27 can also highlight a vascular region R suitable for insertion of an implant in the optical image Q as guidance for the ultrasound probe 1A, as shown in Figure 15, for example.

[0082] By confirming the guidance of the ultrasound probe 1A superimposed on the optical image Q, the user can easily position the ultrasound probe 1A in a vascular region R suitable for inserting an implant.

[0083] From the above, even when the position sensor 53 is composed of an optical camera 52 and a marker detection unit 51, as in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 2, the guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1 to a range on the center line C based on the degree of tortuosity, similar to when the position sensor 3 is attached to the ultrasound probe 1 as in Embodiment 1. Therefore, ultrasound images U1 and U2 of the vascular region R suitable for insertion of an implant can be easily obtained.

[0084] Although a position sensor 53 consisting of a marker detection unit 51 and an optical camera 52 is described as an example of a position sensor independent of the ultrasonic probe 1A, the type of position sensor independent of the ultrasonic probe 1A is not particularly limited. For example, although not shown, the position sensor can also consist of a so-called distance measuring sensor independent of the ultrasonic probe 1A and an analysis unit that analyzes the signal acquired by the distance measuring sensor. The analysis section is, for example, "ZHAO, Mingmin, et al. Through-wall human pose estimation using radio signals. In: Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition. 2018. p. 7356-7365.", "VASILEIADIS, Manolis; BOUGANIS, Christos-Savvas; TZOVARAS, Dimitrios. Multi-person 3D pose estimation from 3D cloud data using 3D convolutional neural networks. Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 2019, 185: 12-23.”, “JIANG, Wenjun, et al. Towards 3D human pose construction using WiFi. In: Proceedings of the 26th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking. 2020. p. 1-14.”, or “WANG, Fei, et al. Person-in-WiFi: Fine-grained person perception using The positional information of the ultrasound probe 1A can be obtained using the method described in "WiFi. In: Proceedings of the IEEE / CVF International Conference on Computer Vision. 2019. pp. 5452-5461."

[0085] Embodiment 3 In order to acquire highly accurate three-dimensional ultrasound image data and accurately guide the ultrasound probe 1 to a vascular region R suitable for implant insertion, it is ideally desirable that the subject's posture does not change between the time the acquisition of multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 to generate three-dimensional ultrasound image data begins and the time the implant is inserted into the subject. However, the subject's posture may change for some reason. Therefore, to accommodate changes in the subject's posture, the ultrasound diagnostic device can use the relative position of the ultrasound probe 1, based on the subject's location, as positional information.

[0086] Figure 16 shows the configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 3 is the same as the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 1, but with a device body 2B instead of the device body 2, and an additional optical camera 52. This optical camera 52 is the same as the optical camera 52 in Embodiment 2. The device body 2B in Embodiment 3 is the same as the device body 2 in Embodiment 1, but with a relative position information conversion unit 54, and a device control unit 28B instead of the device control unit 28.

[0087] A relative position information conversion unit 54 is connected to the position sensor 3 and the optical camera 52. The relative position information conversion unit 54 is connected to the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 and the device control unit 28B. In addition, the image generation unit 21, display control unit 22, three-dimensional image data generation unit 24, centerline acquisition unit 25, meandering degree calculation unit 26, guidance unit 27, device control unit 28B and relative position information conversion unit 54 constitute the processor 31B for the main unit 2B.

[0088] The relative position information conversion unit 54 converts the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1 acquired by the position sensor 3 into relative position information with respect to a specific part of the body shown in the optical image Q, based on the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1 acquired by the position sensor 3 and the optical image Q acquired by the optical camera 52. The relative position information conversion unit 54 has pre-stored multiple specific parts of the human body, such as the wrist, as reference parts, and can detect one reference part and the ultrasonic probe 1 shown in the optical image Q acquired by the optical camera 52. Based on the positional relationship between the detected reference part and the ultrasonic probe 1, and the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1, it can convert the position information of the ultrasonic probe 1 into relative position information.

[0089] The relative position information conversion unit 54 can detect a specific body part and the ultrasound probe 1 from an optical image Q by, for example, a template matching method, or by using a pre-trained model in so-called machine learning that has been previously trained on a large number of optical images Q showing a specific body part and a large number of optical images Q showing the ultrasound probe 1. Furthermore, the relative position information conversion unit 54 can convert the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 into relative position information by, for example, using a pre-trained model that has learned the relationship between the positional relationship between a specific body part in the optical image Q and the ultrasound probe 1, and the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 in three-dimensional space.

[0090] The three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data of the subject using the relative position information converted by the relative position information conversion unit 54 as the position information of the ultrasound probe 1.

[0091] The centerline acquisition unit 25 acquires the centerline C of blood vessel A from the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated in this manner, and the tortuosity calculation unit 26 calculates the tortuosity of the centerline C.

[0092] The guide unit 27 identifies a suitable vascular region R for inserting the implant based on the degree of tortuosity, and guides the ultrasound probe 1 to the identified vascular region R based on the relative position information of the ultrasound probe 1.

[0093] As described above, according to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 3, the relative position information conversion unit 54 converts the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 into relative position information of the ultrasound probe 1 with respect to the position of a specific part of the human body captured in the optical image Q, and the guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1 to a vascular region R suitable for insertion of an implant based on the degree of meandering and relative position information. Therefore, even if the posture of the subject changes midway, the ultrasound probe 1 can be guided to the vascular region R with high accuracy.

[0094] Although it has been explained that the relative position information conversion unit 54, which is a feature of Embodiment 3, can be added to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1, it can also be added to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 2, which has a position sensor 53 composed of a marker detection unit 51 and an optical camera 52 instead of the position sensor 3.

[0095] Embodiment 4 In embodiments 1 to 3, a configuration is described in which only one blood vessel A is visible in the ultrasound images U1 and U2. However, depending on the observation site, multiple blood vessels A may be visible in the ultrasound images U1 and U2.

[0096] Figure 17 shows the configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 4 is equipped with a device body 2C instead of the device body 2 shown in Figure 1 of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1. The device body 2C in Embodiment 4 is equipped with a device intensity calculation unit 55 added to the device body 2 of Embodiment 1, and a device control unit 28C instead of the device control unit 28.

[0097] In the main body 2C of the device, the image generation unit 21 and the centerline acquisition unit 25 are connected to the attention intensity calculation unit 55. The attention intensity calculation unit 55 is connected to the guide unit 27 and the device control unit 28C. Furthermore, the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24, the centerline acquisition unit 25, the meandering degree calculation unit 26, the guide unit 27, the device control unit 28C, and the attention intensity calculation unit 55 constitute the processor 31C for the main body 2C.

[0098] The image acquisition unit 30 acquires multiple frames of ultrasound images U1 representing short-axis views of multiple blood vessels A.

[0099] The three-dimensional image data generation unit 24 generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data of a subject, including the three-dimensional structure of multiple blood vessels A, based on the ultrasound images U1 of multiple frames acquired by the image acquisition unit 30 and the position information of the ultrasound probe 1 acquired by the position sensor 3.

[0100] The centerline acquisition unit 25 acquires the centerlines C of each of the multiple blood vessels A based on the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24.

[0101] The attention level calculation unit 55 calculates the attention level of each of the multiple blood vessels A based on the positions of the multiple blood vessels A in each of the multiple ultrasound images U1 acquired by the image acquisition unit 30, or the length of the centerline C acquired by the centerline acquisition unit 25 for each of the multiple blood vessels A. Here, attention level is an index that represents the degree to which the user is paying attention to each of the multiple blood vessels A.

[0102] For example, the closer the position of blood vessel A in the ultrasound image U1 is to the center of the ultrasound image U1, the higher the user's attention it can be considered to be. Therefore, the attention calculation unit 55 can, for example, calculate the average position of each of the multiple blood vessels A in the ultrasound image U1 across multiple frames, and assign a higher attention level to blood vessel A whose average position is closer to the center of the ultrasound image U1.

[0103] Furthermore, since the user typically moves the ultrasound probe 1 along the blood vessel A they are interested in on the body surface BS of the subject to acquire multiple frames of ultrasound images U1, for example, the longer the centerline C of blood vessel A in the direction of progression D2 of blood vessel A, the higher the user's level of interest can be determined. Therefore, the level of interest calculation unit 55 can assign a higher level of interest to blood vessel A that has a longer centerline C in the direction of progression D2, for example.

[0104] The guide unit 27 designates the vessel A with the highest attention level among the multiple attention levels calculated for multiple vessels A by the attention level calculation unit 55 as the vessel A to be guided. The guide unit 27 further guides the ultrasound probe 1 in the designated vessel A based on the tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit 26.

[0105] From the above, according to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 4, the attention level calculation unit 55 calculates the attention level of each of the multiple blood vessels A that appear in the ultrasound image U1, and the guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1 to the blood vessel A that has the greatest attention level. Therefore, even when multiple blood vessels A appear in the ultrasound image U1, ultrasound images U1 and U2 of the blood vessel region R suitable for insertion of an implant can be obtained.

[0106] Although the configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in Embodiment 4 is described as having the attention intensity calculation unit 55 added to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1, the attention intensity calculation unit 55 can also be added to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiments 2 and 3.

[0107] Embodiment 5 In Embodiment 4, when multiple blood vessels A are visible in the ultrasound image U1, the target blood vessel A to guide is specified based on its level of interest. However, for example, the degree of suitability as a target for inserting an implant can be calculated for each of the multiple blood vessels A, and the target blood vessel A to guide is specified based on the calculated degree of suitability.

[0108] Figure 18 shows the configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 5 is equipped with a device body 2D instead of the device body 2 shown in Figure 1 of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1. The device body 2D in Embodiment 2 is equipped with an appropriateness calculation unit 56 added to the device body 2 in Embodiment 1, and a device control unit 28D instead of the device control unit 28.

[0109] In the main body 2D of the device, the appropriateness calculation unit 56 is connected to the image generation unit 21 and the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24. The appropriateness calculation unit 56 is connected to the guide unit 27 and the device control unit 28D. Furthermore, the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24, the centerline acquisition unit 25, the meandering degree calculation unit 26, the guide unit 27, the device control unit 28D, and the appropriateness calculation unit 56 constitute the processor 31D for the main body 2D of the device.

[0110] The suitability calculation unit 56 calculates the suitability of each of the multiple blood vessels A based on the depth of each blood vessel A relative to the body surface BS of the subject, or the inner diameter of each blood vessel A, by referring to three-dimensional ultrasound image data including the three-dimensional structure of the multiple blood vessels A generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit 24. Here, suitability is an index that represents the degree to which a blood vessel A is suitable for the insertion of an implant.

[0111] For example, generally, the shallower a blood vessel A is located, the easier it is to insert an implant into it, and therefore, it can be determined that the blood vessel A is more suitable for insertion. Therefore, the suitability calculation unit 56 calculates, for example, the average depth of each of the multiple blood vessels A over the entire corresponding centerline C, and assigns a higher suitability to blood vessels A with smaller calculated average depths.

[0112] Furthermore, if the inserted object is a catheter, it is impossible to insert the catheter into blood vessel A if the inner diameter of blood vessel A is smaller than the outer diameter of the catheter. Conversely, if the inner diameter of blood vessel A is too large compared to the outer diameter of the catheter, the dilation of blood vessel A by the catheter may be insufficient, potentially reducing the therapeutic effect. Therefore, the appropriateness calculation unit 56 calculates, for example, the average value of the inner diameter of each of the multiple blood vessels A over the entire corresponding center line C, and assigns a higher appropriateness to blood vessels A whose calculated average value of inner diameter is closer to a predetermined recommended inner diameter value. The recommended inner diameter value can be set, for example, to about three times the outer diameter of the catheter.

[0113] The guide unit 27 designates the vessel A with the highest appropriateness among the multiple appropriateness scores calculated for multiple vessels A by the appropriateness calculation unit 56 as the vessel A to be guided. The guide unit 27 further guides the ultrasound probe 1 in the designated vessel A based on the tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit 26.

[0114] From the above, according to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 5, the appropriateness calculation unit 56 calculates the appropriateness of each of the multiple blood vessels A that appear in the ultrasound image U1, and the guide unit 27 guides the ultrasound probe 1 to the blood vessel A that has the greatest appropriateness. Therefore, even when multiple blood vessels A appear in the ultrasound image U1, ultrasound images U1 and U2 of the blood vessel region R suitable for insertion of an implant can be obtained.

[0115] Although the configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in Embodiment 5 is described as having an appropriateness calculation unit 56 added to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1, the appropriateness calculation unit 56 can also be added to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiments 2 and 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1,1A Ultrasonic probe, 2,2A,2B,2C,2D Main unit, 3,53 Position sensor, 11 Transducer array, 12 Transmit / receive circuit, 21 Image generation unit, 22 Display control unit, 23 Monitor, 24 Three-dimensional image data generation unit, 25 Centerline acquisition unit, 26 Meandering degree calculation unit, 27 Guidance unit, 28,28A,28B,28C,28D Device control unit, 29 Input device, 30 Image acquisition unit, 31,31A,31B,31C,31D Processor, 41 Pulsar, 42 Amplifier unit, 43 AD conversion unit, 44 Beamformer, 45 Signal processing unit, 46 DSC, 47 Image processing unit, 51 Marker detection unit, 52 Optical camera, 54 Relative position information conversion unit, 55 Attention level calculation unit, 56 Appropriateness calculation unit, A Blood vessel, B Marker, BS Body surface, C center line, D1 transverse radial direction, D2 forward direction, E mean line, F arrow, G1, G2, G3, G4 section, H hand, J1, J2 inflection point, K1 interval, L1, L2 distance, M arm, Q optical image, R blood vessel region, SP scanning plane, U1, U2 ultrasound image.

Claims

1. Ultrasound probe and A position sensor that acquires position information of the ultrasonic probe, An image acquisition unit that acquires multiple frames of ultrasound images of the blood vessels of a subject by transmitting and receiving ultrasound beams using the ultrasound probe, A three-dimensional image data generation unit generates three-dimensional ultrasound image data of the subject based on the position information of the ultrasound probe acquired by the position sensor and the multiple frames of ultrasound images representing the short-axis view of the blood vessel acquired by the image acquisition unit. A centerline acquisition unit that acquires the centerline of the blood vessel in three-dimensional space based on the three-dimensional ultrasonic image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit, A meandering degree calculation unit calculates the degree of meandering of the center line acquired by the center line acquisition unit along the transverse diameter direction of the blood vessel, perpendicular to the plane corresponding to the short-axis image of the blood vessel, A guide unit that guides the ultrasonic probe within the range on the center line based on the meandering degree calculated by the meandering degree calculation unit. An ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with the following features.

2. The meandering degree calculation unit is, The aforementioned center line is divided into multiple sections having a predetermined length, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, which calculates the degree of meandering in each of the aforementioned plurality of sections.

3. The meandering degree calculation unit is, The average position of the center line in the lateral direction is calculated, The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein in each of the plurality of sections, the number of inflection points of the center line whose distance from the average position is greater than or equal to a predetermined position threshold is calculated as the degree of meandering.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the meandering degree calculation unit calculates the meandering degree as the reciprocal of the interval between adjacent inflection points of the center line in the plurality of sections.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide unit guides the ultrasound probe within a range on the center line where the meandering degree calculated by the meandering degree calculation unit is less than or equal to a predetermined meandering degree threshold.

6. The aforementioned guide section is By referring to the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit, the depth of the blood vessels relative to the body surface of the subject is obtained over the entire center line. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the degree of tortuosity is less than or equal to the predetermined tortuosity threshold and the ultrasound probe is guided within a range in which the depth of the blood vessel is less than or equal to the predetermined depth threshold.

7. The aforementioned guide section is By referring to the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit, the inner diameter of the blood vessel is obtained over the entire center line. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the degree of tortuosity is less than or equal to the predetermined tortuosity threshold and the ultrasound probe is guided to the range in which the inner diameter of the blood vessel is closest to the predetermined recommended inner diameter value.

8. In two or more of the aforementioned multiple sections, the degree of meandering is less than or equal to the predetermined threshold for meandering, The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the guide section guides the ultrasonic probe to the section having the smallest degree of meandering among the two or more sections.

9. Equipped with a monitor, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide unit displays the guidance of the ultrasound probe on the monitor.

10. A marker is placed on the ultrasonic probe. The position sensor is An optical camera that acquires an optical image of the ultrasound probe, The system includes a marker detection unit that acquires the position information of the ultrasonic probe by detecting the marker that appears in the optical image acquired by the optical camera, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the guide unit superimposes the guidance of the ultrasound probe onto the optical image acquired by the optical camera and displays it on the monitor based on the position information of the ultrasound probe acquired by the marker detection unit.

11. The ultrasound probe and the optical camera that acquires an optical image of a specific part of the subject, The system includes a relative position information conversion unit that converts the position information obtained by the position sensor and the optical image obtained by the optical camera into relative position information with respect to a specific part captured in the optical image, The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional image data generation unit uses the relative position information converted by the relative position information conversion unit as the position information of the ultrasonic probe acquired by the position sensor.

12. Multiple blood vessels are visible in each of the multiple frames of ultrasound images. The system includes a focus calculation unit that calculates the degree of attention for each of the multiple blood vessels based on the position of the multiple blood vessels in each of the multiple frames of ultrasound images or the length of the center line acquired by the center line acquisition unit for each of the multiple blood vessels, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide unit guides the ultrasound probe based on the tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit in the blood vessel having the greatest attention value among a plurality of attention values ​​calculated by the attention value calculation unit.

13. Multiple blood vessels are visible in each of the multiple frames of ultrasound images. The system includes an appropriateness calculation unit that calculates the appropriateness of each of the plurality of blood vessels based on the depth of the blood vessels relative to the body surface of the subject or the inner diameter of the blood vessels, by referring to the three-dimensional ultrasound image data generated by the three-dimensional image data generation unit. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide unit guides the ultrasound probe based on the tortuosity calculated by the tortuosity calculation unit in the blood vessel having the greatest degree of appropriateness among a plurality of degrees of appropriateness calculated by the degree of appropriateness calculation unit.

14. The position information of the ultrasound probe is acquired, By transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic beam using the aforementioned ultrasonic probe, multiple frames of ultrasonic images representing the short-axis view of the blood vessels of the subject are obtained. Based on the position information of the ultrasound probe and the ultrasound images of multiple frames, three-dimensional ultrasound image data of the subject is generated. Based on the three-dimensional ultrasound image data, the center line of the blood vessel in three-dimensional space is obtained, The degree of meandering along the transverse diameter of the blood vessel, perpendicular to the plane corresponding to the short-axis image of the blood vessel, is calculated. Based on the degree of meandering, the ultrasonic probe is guided within the range on the center line. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

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