Liver capsule depth and angle detection

Abstract

The ultrasound system has a memory for storing instructions and a processor for executing instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the ultrasound system to acquire an ultrasound image from the transducer array of the ultrasound probe, to detect the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, and to generate feedback based on the depth and angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Detecting the liver capsule is useful in the diagnosis of liver diseases. In the case of a normal liver, the liver capsule appears as a linear structure with a uniform thickness in ultrasonic images. In a diseased liver, the liver capsule appears in ultrasonic images with a non-uniform / wavy and sometimes broken contour.

Background Art

[0002] In ultrasonic images, the liver capsule also introduces undesirable acoustic effects associated with reverberation and aberration. Reverberation is caused by ultrasonic signals that propagate through the tissue between the liver capsule and the transducer surface and then bounce back and forth within the liver capsule. Aberration is caused by the speed of sound changing in different media. The speed of sound in the liver capsule and abdominal layer, which is a mixture of fat and muscle tissue, is different from that of the liver.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] These artifacts lead to image quality degradation and inaccurate estimation of specific acoustic parameters used in liver disease evaluation. For example, in attenuation images, the liver capsule causes an estimation error of the attenuation coefficient within the region affected by reverberation, typically up to twice the depth of the liver capsule. It is important to minimize the impact of these incorrect regions on the quantitative measurements used in diagnosis. The region of interest should be placed below the depth of the liver capsule (preferably twice the depth of the liver capsule in the case of attenuation imaging), but currently, there is no mechanism for determining the depth of the liver capsule.

[0004] Separately, elastography requires the transmission of long acoustic push pulses that generate shear waves propagating through the tissue. These waves are then tracked to calculate their velocity (m / s) and subsequently converted to tissue stiffness in terms of shear or young modulus (kPa). The layering patterns of the liver capsule and abdominal tissues potentially alter how shear waves are generated and therefore affect the tracked velocity of these shear waves. One guideline for shear wave elastography recommends three parallel lines in the liver capsule that are parallel to the transducer surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an ultrasound system includes a memory for storing instructions and a processor for executing instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the ultrasound system to acquire an ultrasound image from a transducer array of an ultrasound probe, to detect the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, and to generate feedback based on the depth and angle.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the ultrasound probe includes a transducer array, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor for executing instructions. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the ultrasound probe to acquire an ultrasound image from the transducer array, to detect the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, and to generate feedback based on the depth and angle.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an ultrasound probe comprises a transducer array, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor for executing instructions. A method for operating the ultrasound probe includes acquiring an ultrasound image from the transducer array when instructions are executed by the processor.

[0008] Based on ultrasound images, the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule are detected, and feedback is generated based on the depth and angle.

[0009] The exemplary embodiments are best understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be emphasized that various features are not necessarily depicted to scale. In fact, dimensions can be arbitrarily increased or decreased for the sake of clarity in the discussion. Where applicable and practical, similar reference numbers refer to similar elements. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A system for detecting liver capsule depth and angle according to a typical embodiment is illustrated. [Figure 2] An ultrasonic probe for detecting liver capsule depth and angle, according to a typical embodiment, is shown. [Figure 3] This shows attenuation imaging artifacts caused by liver capsule depth and abdominal depth in liver capsule depth and angle detection using a typical embodiment. [Figure 4] This shows the positioning of the liver capsule and field of view (FOV) box in liver capsule depth and angle detection according to a typical embodiment. [Figure 5] The diagram illustrates the progress of an algorithm with one option for user feedback for liver capsule depth and angle detection, according to a typical embodiment. [Figure 6] The diagram illustrates the progress of an algorithm with one option for user feedback for liver capsule depth and angle detection, according to a typical embodiment. [Figure 7] A dedicated button in a user interface for detecting liver capsule depth and angle, according to a typical embodiment, is illustrated. [Figure 8] A typical embodiment of the proposed annotations in a user interface for detecting liver capsule depth and angle is illustrated. [Figure 9]A typical embodiment of a method for detecting liver capsule depth and angle is illustrated. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following detailed description includes representative embodiments that disclose specific details for illustrative purposes only, not limitation, to provide a complete understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, other embodiments consistent with this disclosure that deviate from the specific details disclosed herein are limited to the appended claims. Descriptions of known systems, apparatus, materials, methods of operation, and methods of manufacture may be omitted to avoid obscuring the description of the representative embodiments. Nevertheless, systems, apparatus, materials, and methods within the scope of those skilled in the art are within the scope of this teaching and may be used in accordance with the representative embodiments. It should be understood that the terms used herein are intended solely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit them. The definitions and explanations of terms herein are in addition to the technical and scientific meanings of terms that are generally understood and accepted in the art of this teaching.

[0012] In this specification, terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used to describe various components or constituent elements, but it should be understood that these components or constituent elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component or constituent element from another. Accordingly, the first element or constituent element described below may be referred to as the second element or constituent element without departing from the teaching of the concept of the present invention.

[0013] Where used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms of the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include both singular and plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, where used herein, the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising” and / or similar terms identify the presence of the described features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Where used herein, the terms “and / or” include any and all combinations of one or more of the related enumerated items.

[0014] Unless otherwise specified, when a component or component is said to be “connected,” “joined,” or “adjacent” to another component or component, it should be understood that the component or component may be directly connected or joined to the other component or component, or that there may be an intermediary component or component. In other words, these terms and similar terms include cases where one or more intermediate components or components may be used to connect two components or components. However, when a component or component is said to be “directly connected” to another component or component, this includes only cases where the two components or components are connected to each other without any intermediate or intermediary components or components.

[0015] Therefore, this disclosure is intended to elicit one or more of the advantages described below specifically, through its various aspects, embodiments, and / or one or more of its particular features or sub-components.

[0016] As described herein, feedback may be generated based on detecting the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer relative to the liver capsule. Depth detection may be used to ensure proper placement of the region of interest by the ultrasound technician. Angle detection may be used to prompt the ultrasound technician to improve the parallelism between the liver capsule and the transducer array, as long as the transducer array is ideally parallel to the liver capsule for elastography imaging. Designing a layered estimation model to improve the accuracy of sound velocity estimation can benefit from detecting the liver capsule when depth and angle are thus fed back in real time. Liver B-mode image quality may also be improved using corrected sound velocity from more accurate sound velocity estimation that takes liver capsule segmentation into account.

[0017] Figure 1 shows a system 100 for detecting liver capsule depth and angle according to a typical embodiment.

[0018] The system 100 of FIG. 1 is a system for detecting liver capsule depth and angle, and includes components that can be provided together or distributed. The system 100 includes an ultrasonic probe 110, an ultrasonic base 120, and a display 180. The ultrasonic probe 110 includes a transducer array 113 and a processing circuit 115. The transducer array 113 includes individual transducer elements including a first transducer element 1131, a second transducer element 1132, and a sixth transducer element 113x. The ultrasonic base includes a first interface 121, a second interface 122, a user interface 123, and a controller 150. The controller 150 includes a memory 151 for storing instructions and a processor 152 for executing the instructions. The instructions stored in the memory 151 may include parameters and / or commands for operations implemented by or at least using the ultrasonic probe 110. In some embodiments, multiple different elements of the system 100 of FIG. 1 can include a controller such as the controller 150. For example, the processing circuit 115 of the ultrasonic probe 110 may include a controller separate from the controller 150. The display 180 includes a graphical user interface 181. One or more of the interfaces of the ultrasonic base 120 and the display 180 may include other types of receiver circuits that connect to ports, disk drives, wireless antennas, or other electronic elements. One or more of the interfaces may also include a user interface such as buttons, keys, a mouse, a microphone, a speaker, or other elements that can be used for the user to interact, such as to input commands and receive outputs.

[0019] In FIG. 1, the ultrasonic probe 110 can be connected wirelessly or wired to the ultrasonic base 120 via the first interface 121. For example, the ultrasonic probe 110 may be connected to the ultrasonic base 120 by a cable. The display 180 can be connected wirelessly or wired to the ultrasonic base via the second interface 122.

[0020] The ultrasonic probe 110 includes a transducer array 113, which converts electrical energy into sound waves that bounce back from body tissues, receives echoes of the sound waves, and converts the echoes into electrical energy. The transducer array 113 can include dozens, hundreds, or thousands of individual transducer elements. The ultrasonic probe 110 can transmit a beam to generate an image and can detect an echo. The processing circuit 115 can control the transmission of the beam from the transducer array 113 and can be used to process the ultrasonic image captured by the transducer array 113 of the ultrasonic probe 110. For example, the processing circuit 115 can include one or more beamformers used to form the beam transmitted from the transducer array 113, and can include a transmission controller and / or a sensor used to control, sense, and record the direction of the beam with respect to the ultrasonic probe 110.

[0021] The ultrasonic base 120 may be an ultrasonic cart or may otherwise include an ultrasonic cart. In addition to the controller 150, the ultrasonic base 120 can include buttons or other interactive media as a user interface 123. The user interface 123 can include a plurality of user interfaces such as buttons, and the buttons can correspond to different functions of the ultrasonic base 120. The ultrasonic examiner may be familiar with which button to press to control the different functions of the ultrasonic base 120 and the ultrasonic probe 110. The user interface 123 may also or alternatively be a light and / or annunciator for liver capsule detection and indicating the correct angle, or may include it, but such a user interface may also or alternatively be provided on the ultrasonic probe 110.

[0022] The controller memory described herein may include one or more memories, such as main memory and / or static memory, which may contain instructions executed by the processor and may communicate with other elements of the controller via one or more buses. Memory is a tangible storage medium for storing data and / or executable software instructions, and is non-transient while the software instructions are stored. As used herein, the term “non-transient” should be interpreted as a characteristic of a state that persists over a period of time, rather than as a permanent characteristic of the state. The term “non-transient” particularly negates freating characteristics such as the characteristics of a carrier or signal, or other formations that exist only temporarily at any time and in any place. Memory used to store instructions for a controller, together with the data used in such methods and processes, may be used to implement some or all aspects of the methods and processes described herein. Memory used to store instructions may be implemented, for example, by any number, types, and combinations of random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). In embodiments where the memory stores various types of instructions and information, the processor may cause the processing circuit 115 in the ultrasonic base and / or the controller in the controller 150 to perform various steps and methods using the instructions and information provided herein. Furthermore, updates to the methods and processes described herein may be stored in such memory.

[0023] Various types of ROM and RAM may include any number, types, and combinations of computer-readable storage media, such as disk drives, flash memory, electrically field-programmable gate array read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable and field-programmable gate array read-only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, tapes, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, Blu-ray discs, Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives, or any other forms of storage media known in the art. Computer-readable storage media are defined as any media that constitutes patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C §101, and exclude any media that does not constitute patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C §101. Examples of such media include non-temporary media such as computer memory devices that store information in a format readable by a computer or data processing system. More specific examples of non-temporary media include computer disks and non-volatile memory.

[0024] The controller 150 and other controllers described herein represent one or more processing units. In embodiments in which a controller comprises memory for storing instructions and a processor for executing instructions, the controller is configured to execute software instructions stored in such memory in order to perform functions as described in various embodiments herein. The processor 152 and other processors and processing circuits described herein may be implemented by field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), system-on-a-chip (SOCs), central processing units, computer processors, microprocessors, graphics processing units (GPUs), microcontrollers, state machines, programmable logic units, or combinations thereof, using hardware, software, firmware, hardwired logic circuits, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, any processing unit or processor in this specification may include multiple processors, parallel processors, or both. Multiple processors may be contained in a single unit or multiple devices, or may be combined. As used herein, the term “processor” encompasses electronic components capable of executing program or machine-executable instructions. References to devices comprising a “processor” should be interpreted as including two or more processors or processing cores, as in a multicore processor.

[0025] In system 100, display 180 can be used as a user interface to display the liver capsule within the ultrasound image on display 180 and to mark the liver capsule within the ultrasound image displayed on the display. Display 180 can be used, for example, to mark the liver capsule boundary and, otherwise, to display the angle between the transducer array 113 and the liver capsule. The display can also be used to warn the user when a large angle exists between the transducer array 113 and the liver capsule. Guidelines for liver elastography imaging require parallelism between the transducer array 113 and the liver capsule. The region of interest used as a target by the ultrasound technician may include a trapezoid. In some ultrasound systems, the guidelines attempt to require the ultrasound technician to achieve three parallel lines indicating parallelism between the transducer array 113, the liver capsule, and the nearest horizontal edge of the region of interest. Large angles can potentially affect quantification in shear wave elastography, and therefore display 180 can be used to help minimize concerns regarding the reliability of shear wave elastography quantification.

[0026] The display 180 may be localized to the ultrasonic base 120 or remotely connected to the ultrasonic base 120. The display 180 may be connected to the ultrasonic base 120 via a local wired interface such as an Ethernet® cable or via a local wireless interface such as a Wi-Fi connection. The display 180 may interface with other user input devices on which a user can input commands, including a mouse, keyboard, thumbwheel, etc. The display 180 may be a monitor such as a computer monitor, a display on a mobile device, an augmented reality display, a television, an electronic whiteboard, or another screen configured to display electronic images. The display 180 may also include one or more input interfaces, such as those described above, which can be connected to other elements or components, as well as an interactive touchscreen configured to prompt the user and collect touch input from the user. The graphical user interface 181 may display any of the visual user interfaces described in relation to embodiments herein.

[0027] The controller 150 may implement methods as shown and described in Figure 9. The controller 150 may directly perform some of the operations described herein and indirectly implement others. For example, the control unit 150 may indirectly control operations such as generating and transmitting content to be displayed on the display unit 180. The controller 150 may directly control other operations, such as logical operations, performed by the processor 152, which executes instructions from the memory 151, based on inputs received from electronic elements and / or the user via the interface. Thus, the process implemented by the controller 150 when the processor 152 executes instructions from the memory 151 may include steps that are not performed directly by the controller 150.

[0028] As an example of an operation performed by or using the controller 150, the system 100 includes a memory 151 for storing instructions and a processor 152 for executing instructions. When executed by the processor 152, the instructions cause the system 100 to acquire an ultrasound image from the transducer array 113 of the ultrasound probe 110, to detect the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array 113 and the angle of the transducer array 113 relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, and to generate feedback based on the depth and angle. The feedback may be output by the ultrasound probe 110 via tactile feedback, etc., by an ultrasound base 120 such as audible or visual feedback, and / or by a display 180 on a graphical user interface 181. The graphical user interface 181 may be part of the display 180 or it may be separate. For example, in some systems, a touchscreen may be provided separately from the display 180 for the user to adjust settings. In other systems, the graphical user interface 181 is shown on the display 180.

[0029] Figure 2 illustrates an ultrasonic probe for detecting liver capsule depth and angle according to a typical embodiment.

[0030] The ultrasonic probe 210 includes a transducer array 213, a lens 214, a user interface 223, and a controller 250. The controller 250 includes a memory 251 for storing instructions and a processor 252 for executing instructions.

[0031] The transducer array 213 may correspond to the transducer array 113 and may comprise an array of individually controllable transducer elements. The transducer array 213 converts electrical energy into sound waves reflected from body tissue, receives the echoes of the sound waves, and converts the echoes back into electrical energy. The transducer array 213 may contain tens, hundreds, or thousands of individual transducer elements. The ultrasound probe 210 can transmit a beam to generate an image and can detect echoes.

[0032] The lens 214 may be used to focus the beam transmitted by the ultrasonic probe 210.

[0033] The user interface 223 may comprise one or more user interfaces, including a screen, a speaker, one or more buttons, or other types of user interfaces. The screen used as the user interface 223 may mark the boundaries and angles of the liver capsule and be used to warn the user of large angles between the transducer array 213 and the liver capsule. Since large angles can affect shear wave elastography quantification, the display 180 may be used to help minimize concerns regarding the reliability of shear wave elastography quantification. The user interface 223 may also be, or include, a light and / or annanciator for liver capsule detection and indicating the correct angle. Although not shown in Figure 2, the ultrasound probe 210 may be provided on the display 180 even in systems where the ultrasound probe 210 does not have an ultrasound base such as the ultrasound base 120 in Figure 1. Either the user interface 223 or a display such as the display 180 may be configured to display a light and / or annanciator for liver capsule detection and indicating the correct angle.

[0034] The controller 250 can process ultrasound images captured by the transducer array 213 of the ultrasound probe 210. Alternatively, ultrasound images captured by the transducer array 213 may be processed from the ultrasound probe 210, for example, by using an application on a separate mobile device that receives ultrasound images from the ultrasound probe 210. The controller 250 may implement methods such as those shown and described in Figure 9. The controller 250 may directly perform some of the operations described herein and indirectly implement others.

[0035] As an example of an operation performed by or using the controller 250, the ultrasound probe 210 includes a memory 251 for storing instructions and a processor 252 for executing instructions. When executed by the processor 252, the instructions cause the ultrasound probe 210 to acquire an ultrasound image from the transducer array 213 of the ultrasound probe 210, to detect the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array 213 and the angle of the transducer array 213 relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, and to generate feedback based on the depth and angle. The feedback may be output by the ultrasound probe 210 via a speaker when the user interface 223 is equipped with a screen and / or audible feedback, haptic feedback or visual feedback, etc. For example, the ultrasound base 120 of the system 100 or the ultrasound probe 210 may be configured to output feedback for display on a display such as the display 180.

[0036] Although not shown in Figure 2, the ultrasound probe 210 can transmit image data to a smartphone or tablet, and the image data may include identified liver capsules according to the teachings herein. In some embodiments, warnings for adjusting the position of the ultrasound probe 210 may be provided via the smartphone or tablet.

[0037] Figure 3 shows attenuation imaging artifacts caused by liver capsule depth and abdominal depth in liver capsule depth and angle detection in a typical embodiment.

[0038] In attenuated images, the liver capsule causes estimation errors in the attenuation coefficient in areas affected by reverberation, typically within areas less than twice the depth of the liver capsule. Attenuation introduces artifacts in the areas indicated by arrows on the user interface 381, as shown in Figure 3. For example, the areas indicated by arrows may be shown in red, reflecting artifacts due to reverberation in the liver capsule and abdominal region. Reverberation originates from signals bouncing back and forth between the transducer surface and the liver capsule, which introduces artifacts in attenuated imaging modes.

[0039] Minimizing the impact of these erroneous regions on quantitative measurements used for diagnosis is important, and one important reason why the ultrasound technician may be guided to adjust the targeting of the beam from the ultrasound probe 110 or ultrasound probe 210 to the imaging depth and / or the region of interest to be quantified, and / or to align the transducer array parallel to the liver capsule. Guidance may be provided via a screen on the display 180, via a screen on the ultrasound probe 210, via tactile feedback from the ultrasound probe 110 or ultrasound probe 210, or via audible feedback from a speaker. The ultrasound technician may be guided to ensure that the region of interest for quantification is not placed in an area where artifacts occur. The ultrasound technician may be able to adjust the imaging depth and region of interest (ROI) using controls on the ultrasound base 140, such as user interface 123, or on a user interface on the ultrasound probe 110. The user interface used to adjust the imaging depth and ROI may include a touchscreen, knobs, and / or buttons.

[0040] Figure 4 shows the positioning of the liver capsule and field of view (FOV) box in liver capsule depth and angle detection according to a typical embodiment.

[0041] Elastography requires the transmission of long acoustic push pulses that generate shear waves propagating within the tissue. These waves are then tracked to calculate their velocity (m / s) and subsequently converted to tissue stiffness with respect to shear or young modulus (kPa). The layering patterns of the liver capsule and abdominal tissues potentially alter how shear waves are generated and therefore affect the tracked velocity of these shear waves. One guideline for shear wave elastography recommends three parallel lines in the liver capsule that are parallel to the transducer surface. Three parallel lines are shown in Figure 4.

[0042] Figure 5 illustrates the progress of an algorithm with one option of user feedback for liver capsule depth and angle detection, according to a typical embodiment.

[0043] The progression in Figure 5 reflects, for example, the steps of the algorithm performed by controller 150 in Figure 1 or controller 250 in Figure 2.

[0044] In S510, image data is acquired by an ultrasound probe, such as ultrasound probe 110 or ultrasound probe 210. The image data is buffered in the device buffer of the ultrasound probe and can then be retrieved from the device buffer.

[0045] In S520, the image data is media-filtered to remove speckle variations in the liver capsule and parenchyma. The medial filtering in S520 is a form of spatial filtering to remove the speckle appearance and smooth the liver capsule and parenchyma. For example, the ultrasound base 120 of system 100 or ultrasound probe 210 may be configured to filter the image data of the ultrasound image to remove speckle variations.

[0046] In S530, the first derivative of the median-filtered image data is calculated and then applied to identify changes in signal intensity. Changes in signal intensity reflect the slope of the signal. In other words, large changes in signal intensity can be identified from the first derivative calculated in S530. The first derivative can identify jumps in signal intensity, along with possible liver boundary points. For example, the ultrasound base 120 of system 100 or ultrasound probe 210 may be configured to generate a first derivative of filtered image data to identify changes in signal intensity with respect to depth.

[0047] In S540, thresholding is performed by applying a threshold to the first derivative to identify possible liver capsule boundaries. Thresholding in S540 may be based on the assumption that the brightness of the liver capsule and liver parenchyma are significantly different. For example, thresholding in S540 may be performed based on the assumption of a 5-decibel (5 dB) difference in brightness between the liver capsule and liver parenchyma. A 5-decibel threshold is robust for identifying liver capsule boundaries, but in other embodiments, the threshold may be adjusted in cases such as when the contrast between the liver capsule and parenchyma is not clear. The ability to adjust the threshold may be provided with a button 799, which is shown and described in relation thereto in Figure 7 below. In some embodiments, commands executed by the system 100 or the ultrasound base 120 of the ultrasound probe 210 may be configured to cause the system 100 or the ultrasound probe to adjust the threshold used to detect the liver capsule based on user input.

[0048] In S550, for each image line, the point representing the liver capsule is identified as the last point exceeding a threshold in the search window. This search window may be established based on the distribution of points exceeding the threshold in S540. The first fitting in S550 can find the liver boundary point and remove outliers, for example, based on the mean squared error (MSE). For example, the ultrasound base 120 of system 100 or ultrasound probe 210 may be configured to remove possible capsule boundary point outliers. Possible capsule boundary point outliers can be removed after the first linear fitting Yfit = a¹×x + b, where x and y are the lateral and depth of the point, respectively. The criterion for outlier determination may be the squared error (y - yfit)².

[0049] In S560, a second linear fitting is calculated. The second linear fitting may be performed to draw the liver capsule using the formula Y = a² × X + b². The angle of the liver capsule can be determined by the inclination a², and the displayed depth can be the average of Y. The result of the second linear fitting may include identification of the liver capsule, which allows for feedback that can be provided to the ultrasound examiner. The relevant surface of the liver capsule drawn in S560 is the upper surface between the underlying liver tissue and the upper muscle and fat, but in the method of Figure 5, the lateral and bottom surfaces of the liver capsule may also be identified and drawn.

[0050] The ultrasound image may be displayed on the user interface 581 after the second linear fitting, and may show the angle 582 and depth 583 of the liver capsule calculated in S560. The feedback provided on the user interface 581 may be used by the ultrasound examiner to prompt adjustment of the ultrasound probe position. In addition, the liver capsule identified in Figure 5 may be shown in a b-mode ultrasound image by superimposition or the like.

[0051] While embodiments of this specification are primarily described in the context of real-time feedback, in some embodiments an ultrasound session may be completed, and most or all ultrasound images from the ultrasound session may be processed later to identify ultrasound images with acceptable depth and angle. For example, ultrasound images from an ultrasound session may be quantified after the ultrasound session, and the liver capsule may be depicted in an image with a region of interest at an appropriate depth. Other ultrasound images from the ultrasound session may be discarded.

[0052] Figure 6 illustrates the progress of an algorithm with one option of user feedback for liver capsule depth and angle detection, according to a typical embodiment.

[0053] Figure 6 shows another example of progression similar to that in Figure 5. In the exemplary progression in Figure 6, the contrast between the fat / muscle layer and the parenchyma is not very clear. Nevertheless, Figure 6 demonstrates the robustness of the algorithm as long as the liver capsule is detected along with the liver capsule angle 682 and depth 683.

[0054] The progression in Figure 6 reflects, for example, the steps of the algorithm performed by controller 150 in Figure 1 or controller 250 in Figure 2.

[0055] In S610, image data is acquired by an ultrasound probe, such as ultrasound probe 110 or ultrasound probe 210. In S620, the image data is media-filtered to remove speckle variations in the liver capsule and parenchyma. In S630, the first derivative of the median-filtered image data is calculated and then applied to identify changes in signal intensity. In S640, thresholding is performed by applying a threshold to the first derivative to identify possible liver capsule boundaries. In S650, for each image line, the point representing the liver capsule is identified as the last point in the search window that exceeds the threshold. In S660, a second linear fitting is calculated. Details of the steps in Figure 6 are similar to or identical to the details of the steps in Figure 6 and will not be repeated. However, although the contrast between the fat / muscle layer and parenchyma is less clear in Figure 6 than in Figure 5, the angle 682 and depth 683 of the liver capsule are still obtained as shown on the user interface 681.

[0056] The ultrasound image may be displayed on the user interface 681 after the second linear fitting, and may show the liver capsule angle 682 and depth 683 calculated in S660. The feedback provided on the user interface 681 may be used by the ultrasound technician to prompt adjustment of the ultrasound probe position.

[0057] Figure 7 shows a dedicated button 799 in a user interface for detecting liver capsule depth and angle, according to a typical embodiment.

[0058] Button 799 can be added to the current user interface on the ultrasound base 120, display 180, or ultrasound probe 210 to turn on / off the liver capsule angle and depth detection features described herein. Button 799 can be added to any ultrasound imaging mode in which liver capsule artifacts (reverberation and aberrations) may affect quantitative measurements used for liver evaluation.

[0059] In other embodiments, a knob switch may be used instead of button 799 to allow the ultrasound operator to select the liver capsule angle and depth detection. In some embodiments, multiple user interface mechanisms may be provided to enable the selection of the liver capsule angle and depth detection.

[0060] Figure 8 illustrates a proposed annotation in a user interface for liver capsule depth and angle detection according to a typical embodiment.

[0061] In the user interface 881, annotations are added for liver capsule depth 883 and angle 882. Feedback to the user may also be displayed on the user interface 881. Examples of feedback include a warning 884 to the ultrasound operator when the liver capsule angle is greater than a certain threshold, such as degrees, and a suggestion 885 to reposition the region of interest to a deeper location to avoid artifacts caused by the liver capsule.

[0062] Figure 9 illustrates a method for detecting liver capsule depth and angle according to a typical embodiment.

[0063] The method in Figure 9 includes an algorithm for detecting the depth and angle of the liver capsule via image data and can be performed using the ultrasound-based method in Figure 1 or the ultrasound probe 210 in Figure 2. The method in Figure 9 begins at S910 by acquiring an ultrasound image. The ultrasound image may be acquired using the ultrasound probe 110 in Figure 1 or the ultrasound probe 210 in Figure 2. The image data may first be buffered and then removed from the device buffer for processing.

[0064] In S913, a determination is made as to whether the user interface has been activated. The user interface may be a dedicated soft button such as button 799 in Figure 7, or a dedicated hard button, or another type of user interface that can be used to select a logical function in the controller 150 of the ultrasonic base 120 in Figure 1 or the controller 250 of the ultrasonic probe 110 in Figure 2.

[0065] If the user interface is not running (S913 = No), the process returns to S910. If the user interface is running (S913 = Yes), the image data is filtered in S916. The filtering in S916 may be performed to remove speckle variation and may include filtering by a median filter.

[0066] In S919, the method shown in Figure 9 includes generating a first derivative of the filtered image data. The first derivative of the filtered image data may be generated to identify the change in signal intensity with respect to depth.

[0067] In S922, a threshold is applied to the first derivative of the filtered image data. The threshold may be applied to identify possible liver capsule boundaries.

[0068] In S925, the last point exceeding the threshold is identified for each image line. The last point exceeding the threshold may be identified for each image line, or it may be identified from the candidates in the search window. The last point is identified as representing the liver capsule.

[0069] In S928, outliers are removed. The removed outliers are those of possible coating boundary points identified in S925. For example, outliers may be identified for removal based on the mean squared error (MSE).

[0070] In S931, liver capsule data is generated using linear fitting.

[0071] In S934, the depth of the liver capsule and the transducer angle are detected. Detection in S934 is useful for diagnosing liver disease, insofar as the thickness of the fat in the liver capsule may be useful for monitoring metabolic and / or cardiovascular diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. For example, the measured thickness of the liver capsule can be compared to a threshold to determine whether the thickness measurement indicates a relatively increased likelihood of the presence of disease. The likelihood index of the disease may be displayed in real time on the user interface 881 in Figure 8, or later when the clinician is reviewing ultrasound readings taken at one time or at different times.

[0072] In some embodiments, longitudinal measurements of liver capsule thickness can be tracked based on the method of Figure 9 being performed over time. Longitudinal measurements may be used to monitor changes in the patient's lifestyle and the effectiveness of treatment due to obesity or metabolic disorders, etc. Indicators of changes in the patient's lifestyle and / or the effectiveness of treatment may be displayed in real time on the user interface 881 of Figure 8, etc., or later when the clinician is reviewing ultrasound readings taken at one time or at different times.

[0073] In S937, it is determined whether the angle is greater than a threshold, and if it is greater than the threshold (S937 = Yes), a warning is generated in S940. The warning in S940 is used to improve and optimize the parallelism between the transducer array and the liver capsule, insofar as the liver capsule introduces undesirable acoustic effects in the ultrasound image, including reverberation and aberrations. Reverberation is based on ultrasound signals bouncing within the liver capsule, and aberrations are due to different sound velocities in different media. Artifacts lead to image quality degradation and inaccurate estimation of certain acoustic parameters used in liver disease assessment, and therefore, the warning in S940 is used to improve, or even optimize, the parallelism.

[0074] If the angle is not greater than the threshold (S937 = No), feedback is generated in S950. The feedback may be tactile, visual, and / or audible, and may include a warning if a warning was generated in S940. Otherwise, the feedback generated in S950 may include angle and / or depth readings, as described herein. Although not shown in Figure 9, if a warning is generated in S940, the method in Figure 9 may return to S910 while and / or after showing the warning from S940 as feedback generated in S950.

[0075] In S960, the feedback and liver capsule are displayed along with a warning from S937, if applicable. For example, the feedback and liver capsule may be displayed on display 180 in Figure 1. The liver capsule and feedback may be displayed on an ultrasound image on a display such as display 180 in Figure 1. For example, the location of the feedback and liver capsule may be superimposed on the ultrasound image.

[0076] In the S970, the liver capsule is marked on the display. Identifying and marking the liver capsule on the image in the S970 helps guide the ultrasound technician to position the ultrasound probe and place calipers for quantification, improving the user's workflow and diagnostic accuracy. The liver capsule display in the S970 may include a quantifiable assessment of liver capsule thickness, which can be used to monitor obesity, metabolism, diabetes risk, and heart disease. The assessment of liver capsule thickness and the quantifiable relationship with one or more diseases and conditions may be displayed in real time on the user interface 881 in Figure 8, or later when the clinician is reviewing ultrasound readings taken at one time or at different times.

[0077] In addition, the liver capsule identified in Figure 6 can be shown in b-mode ultrasound images by superimposing or other means. The numbers on the side of the b-mode ultrasound image may indicate the pixel depth, which can be automatically converted to the actual depth of the liver capsule in the b-mode ultrasound image.

[0078] The steps of the method shown in Figure 9 do not specifically require raw ultrasound data. The method in Figure 9 can work with digital images and communications in medical (DICOM) data, which facilitates deployment in live scanning mode, review mode, or offline mode. The steps described herein can be used in different imaging modes, including elastography, attenuation imaging, and sound velocity imaging.

[0079] Furthermore, the method in Figure 9 allows the ultrasound technician to evaluate the current view and adjust it as needed based on the warnings generated in S937 and / or the feedback generated in S950. The ability to improve parallelism enables more accurate quantitative assessment of liver biomarkers, including more accurate elastography and more accurate estimation of sound velocity.

[0080] While the teachings herein may assume the use of frequencies regularly used for quantitative modes, high-frequency imaging may be used, in particular, for broadband transducers to improve liver capsule detection while maintaining the regular frequencies for quantitative modes. High-frequency imaging can provide improved spatial resolution at the expense of penetration. High frequencies can be achieved using the same transmission events as quantitative modes passing through a bandpass filter.

[0081] In one embodiment, a dedicated hardware implementation, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), programmable logic array, and other hardware components, is configured to implement one or more of the methods described herein. One or more embodiments described herein may implement functionality using two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices having relevant control and data signals that can communicate with and through the modules. Accordingly, this disclosure encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations. Nothing in this application should be construed as being implemented or implementable using software only and not being hardware such as tangible, non-transient processors and / or memory.

[0082] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, the methods described herein may be implemented using a hardware computer system that executes a software program. Furthermore, in exemplary, non-limiting embodiments, implementations may include distributed processing, component / object distributed processing, and parallel processing. Virtual computer system processing may implement one or more of the methods or functions described herein, and the processors described herein may be used to support a virtual processing environment.

[0083] Therefore, liver capsule depth and angle detection allows for the generation of feedback based on detecting the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer relative to the liver capsule. This feedback can be used to prompt the ultrasound technician to improve the parallelism between the liver capsule and the transducer array. Designing a layered estimation model to improve the accuracy of sound velocity estimation can benefit from detecting the liver capsule when depth and angle are thus fed back in real time. Liver B-mode image quality can also be improved using corrected sound velocity from more accurate sound velocity estimation that takes liver capsule segmentation into account.

[0084] While liver capsule depth and angle detection has been described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the words used are descriptive and illustrative, not limiting. Changes can be made within the scope of the appended claims, as now described and modified, without departing from the scope and intent of liver capsule depth and angle detection in that embodiment. Although liver capsule depth and angle detection has been described with reference to specific means, materials, and embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the disclosed details, but rather to encompass all functionally equivalent structures, methods, and uses, as found within the appended claims.

[0085] The descriptions of embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a complete description of all elements and features of the disclosure described herein. Many other embodiments may be apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the disclosure so as to be structural and logical substitutions and modifications without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, the descriptions are merely illustrative and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions in the figures are exaggerated, while other proportions are minimized. Therefore, the disclosure and drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0086] One or more embodiments of this disclosure may be referred to individually and / or collectively by the term “invention” in this specification, merely for convenience and without the intention of voluntarily limiting the scope of this application to any particular invention or inventive concept. Furthermore, while certain similarities have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that any subsequent configuration designed to achieve the same or similar objectives may be substituted for the specific similarities shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of the various embodiments. Combinations of the embodiments described above, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art by examining the description.

[0087] This abstract of the disclosure is provided in accordance with 37 CFR §1.72(b) and is submitted under the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Furthermore, in the preceding detailed description, various features may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment for the purpose of simplifying the disclosure. The disclosure should not be construed as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly enumerated in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, the subject matter of the invention may cover fewer features than all of any of the disclosed embodiments. Accordingly, the following claims are incorporated into the detailed description, and each claim stands independently as defining the subject matter that is claimed separately.

[0088] The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement the concepts described herein. Accordingly, the subject matter disclosed above should be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to encompass all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments that fall within the true spirit and scope of this disclosure. Therefore, to the maximum extent permitted by law, the scope of this disclosure should be determined by the broadest and most acceptable interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and not limited or restricted by the foregoing detailed description.

Claims

1. It is an ultrasonic system, Memory for storing instructions, A processor that executes the instruction, and when executed by the processor, the instruction is transmitted to the ultrasonic system. The steps include acquiring an ultrasound image from the transducer array of an ultrasound probe, A step of detecting the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, A step of generating feedback based on the depth and angle. The processor and An ultrasonic system having

2. The ultrasonic probe including the transducer array, A display configured to show feedback generated based on the depth and angle, The ultrasonic system according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. The steps include displaying the liver capsule in the ultrasound image on the display, The steps include marking the liver capsule in the ultrasound image displayed on the aforementioned display, and The ultrasonic system according to claim 2, further enabling the following:

4. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. The steps include filtering the image data of the ultrasound image to remove speckle variation, The steps include generating a first derivative of the filtered image data to identify the change in signal intensity with respect to depth, The steps include: applying a threshold to the first derivative of the filtered image data to identify possible liver capsule boundaries; For each image line, the last point in the search window that exceeds the threshold is identified as representing the liver capsule. A step to remove outliers at potential coating boundary points, A step of depicting the liver capsule using linear fitting and The ultrasonic system according to claim 1, further enabling the execution of the following:

5. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. A step to determine whether the user interface has been launched, Based on the determination that the user interface has been activated, the steps include detecting the depth and angle, and The ultrasonic system according to claim 2, further enabling the following:

6. When executed by the aforementioned processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. A step of comparing the angle with a threshold, wherein the feedback includes the depth, the angle, and a warning when the angle is greater than the threshold. The ultrasonic system according to claim 2, further enabling the following:

7. The ultrasound system according to claim 2, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instruction causes the ultrasound system to further perform the step of adjusting a threshold used to detect the liver capsule based on user input.

8. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. The steps include measuring the thickness of the liver capsule, A step of comparing the measured thickness of the liver capsule with a threshold. The ultrasonic system according to claim 2, further enabling the following:

9. The ultrasonic system according to claim 1, wherein the memory and the processor are implemented on an ultrasonic base.

10. An ultrasound probe, The transducer array and, Memory for storing instructions, A processor that executes the aforementioned instruction, and when executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic probe. The steps include acquiring an ultrasound image from the transducer array, A step of detecting the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, A step of generating feedback based on the depth and angle. The processor and An ultrasonic probe having the following features.

11. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic probe. Steps to output the aforementioned feedback for display onto a display. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 10, which further enables the following.

12. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic probe. The steps include receiving input from the user interface, The steps include marking the liver capsule in the ultrasound image for display on the aforementioned display, and The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, which further enables the following.

13. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic probe. The steps include filtering the image data of the ultrasound image to remove speckle variation, The steps include generating a first derivative of the filtered image data to identify the change in signal intensity with respect to depth, The steps include: applying a threshold to the first derivative of the filtered image data to identify possible liver capsule boundaries; For each image line, the last point in the search window that exceeds the threshold is identified as representing the liver capsule. A step to remove outliers at potential coating boundary points, A step of depicting the liver capsule using linear fitting and An ultrasonic probe according to claim 10, which causes to perform the following:

14. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. A step to determine whether the user interface has been launched, Based on the determination that the user interface has been activated, the steps include detecting the depth and angle, and The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, which further enables the following.

15. When executed by the aforementioned processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. A step of comparing the angle with a threshold, wherein the feedback includes the depth, the angle, and a warning when the angle is greater than the threshold. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, which further enables the following.

16. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. A step of adjusting the threshold used to detect the liver capsule based on user input. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, which further enables the following.

17. When executed by the processor, the instruction is directed to the ultrasonic system. The steps include measuring the thickness of the liver capsule, A step of comparing the measured thickness of the liver capsule with a threshold. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 11, which further enables the following.

18. A method for operating an ultrasonic probe comprising a transducer array, a memory for storing instructions, and a processor for executing the instructions, wherein the method is: When the aforementioned instruction is executed by the processor, the steps include acquiring an ultrasound image from the transducer array, A step of detecting the depth of the liver capsule relative to the transducer array and the angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule based on the ultrasound image, A step of generating feedback based on the depth and angle. A method having.

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