Ultrasound image analysis device, ultrasound diagnostic device, and method for controlling an ultrasound image analysis device

Abstract

To provide an ultrasonic image analysis device, an ultrasonic diagnostic device, and a control method of an ultrasonic image analysis device capable of estimating a risk of cancer in a mammary gland region on the basis of an ultrasonic image.SOLUTION: A mammary gland region is detected from an ultrasonic image of the breast of a subject by a mammary gland region detection unit 36. A GTC region including the lactiferous vessel and the lobule in the mammary gland region, and a peripheral interstitial tissue is extracted from the ultrasonic image by a GTC (gland tissue composition) region extraction unit 37. A ratio of the GTC region to the mammary gland region is calculated by a GTC region ratio calculation unit 38, and displayed on a monitor 33.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasound image analyzing device that analyzes ultrasound images of a subject's breast. The present invention also relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus equipped with the ultrasonic image analysis apparatus, and a method for controlling the ultrasonic image analysis apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In the medical field, ultrasound diagnostic devices that use ultrasound images have been put to practical use for some time. Generally, an ultrasound diagnostic device includes an ultrasound probe with a built-in transducer array and a device main body connected to the ultrasound probe. An ultrasound beam is transmitted from the ultrasound probe to a subject, and ultrasound echoes from the subject are received by the ultrasound probe. The received signals are then electrically processed to generate an ultrasound image.

[0003] The composition of breast fat and glandular tissue varies from person to person, but the anatomical structure of the breast is common: in the glandular tissue, the main duct branches into extralobular ducts, which then connect to numerous lobules. The lobules are surrounded by stroma, which, together with the stroma, make up the glandular tissue. There are two types of stroma surrounding the lobules: the surrounding stroma and the edematous stroma. The surrounding stroma is present along the structure from the lobule to the duct and contains a large amount of collagen fibers. On the other hand, the edematous stroma fills the spaces between the surrounding stroma and is rich in matrix, with a mixture of collagen fibers and fat, but contains less collagen fibers than the surrounding stroma.

[0004] In recent years, the concept of individual patient risk management has become widespread, and it is known that the proportion of glandular areas in the breast, especially dense glands, is a cancer risk factor. The proportion of glandular areas in the breast can be measured using a mammography device. Furthermore, Non-Patent Document 1 reports that even if the mammary gland area is roughly the same, a high proportion of GTC (Glandular Tissue Component) areas, which include the milk ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma within the mammary gland area, makes cancer more likely to develop. In other words, in addition to the proportion of mammary gland area within the breast, the proportion of GTC areas within the mammary gland area can be a risk factor. This means that patients who do not experience lobular involution are at higher risk.

[0005] However, mammography devices cannot distinguish between surrounding stroma and edematous stroma, and the entire mammary gland tissue appears white, making it impossible to measure the proportion of GTC areas in the mammary gland area. Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic device that extracts mammary gland regions by detecting boundaries in the depth direction of an ultrasonic image, and detects lesions present in the mammary gland regions. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-18694 [Non-Patent Document 1] Su Hyun Lee et al. “Glandular Tissue Component and Breast Cancer Risk in Mammographically Dense Breasts at Screening Breast US”, Radiology, Volume 301, October 1, 2021 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the ultrasound diagnostic device in Patent Document 1 aims to detect lesions within the mammary gland region and is not concerned with dividing the mammary gland region into smaller tissues, which poses a problem in that it cannot estimate the risk of cancer in the mammary gland region.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve these conventional problems, and aims to provide an ultrasound image analysis device that can estimate the risk of cancer in the mammary gland region based on ultrasound images. Another object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus equipped with such an ultrasonic image analysis apparatus, and a method for controlling the ultrasonic image analysis apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic image analysis device according to the present invention comprises: a mammary gland region detection unit that detects a mammary gland region from an ultrasound image of the subject's breast; a glandular tissue composition region extraction unit that extracts a glandular tissue composition region including ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma within the glandular region detected by the glandular region detection unit; a glandular tissue composition area ratio calculation unit that calculates the ratio of the glandular tissue composition area to the mammary gland area; Equipped with The mammary gland region detection unit detects the breast of the subject. Probe positions placed in each of the multiple regions into which Detecting mammary gland regions from each of a plurality of ultrasound images taken in The glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts a glandular tissue composition region from each of the mammary gland regions of the plurality of ultrasound images; The glandular tissue region proportion calculation unit is characterized by calculating the proportion of the glandular tissue region to the mammary gland region in each of the plurality of ultrasound images.

[0010] The mammary gland region detection unit can detect the mammary gland region by performing image recognition on the ultrasound image. In this case, the device includes a breast region detection unit that detects the breast region located between the skin and the pectoralis major muscle from the ultrasound image, and the mammary gland region detection unit may recognize an anterior boundary line and a posterior boundary line within the breast region detected by the breast region detection unit, and detect the region between the anterior boundary line and the posterior boundary line as the mammary gland region. Alternatively, the mammary gland region detection unit can detect the mammary gland region from the ultrasound image using deep learning.

[0011] The glandular tissue region extraction unit can extract the glandular tissue region by binarizing the mammary gland region of the ultrasound image using a brightness threshold. The glandular tissue composition region extraction unit can also extract a glandular tissue composition region from the mammary gland region of an ultrasound image using deep learning. The glandular tissue region proportion calculation unit can calculate the proportion of the glandular tissue region to the mammary gland region based on the number of pixels occupied by the mammary gland region and the number of pixels occupied by the glandular tissue region in the ultrasound image.

[0012] gland The tissue composition region ratio calculation unit can also calculate the average value of the ratio of the glandular tissue composition region to the mammary gland region in a plurality of ultrasound images. The ultrasound image may be a three-dimensional ultrasound image, and the glandular tissue composition area ratio calculation unit may be configured to calculate the ratio of the glandular tissue composition area to the mammary gland area based on the volume of the mammary gland area detected by the mammary gland area detection unit and the volume of the glandular tissue composition area extracted by the glandular tissue composition area extraction unit.

[0013] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a monitor that displays an ultrasound image of the subject's breast; The above-mentioned ultrasound image analysis device Equipped with The mammary gland region detection unit detects a mammary gland region from the ultrasound image, The glandular tissue region ratio calculation unit is characterized by displaying the calculated ratio of the glandular tissue region to the mammary gland region on a monitor.

[0014] Furthermore, a mammary gland area ratio calculation unit may be provided that calculates the ratio of the mammary gland area to the breast area and displays the calculated ratio on the monitor. In this case, the glandular tissue composition area extraction unit may extract the glandular tissue composition area within the mammary gland area only when the ratio of the mammary gland area detected by the mammary gland area ratio calculation unit is greater than a set value.

[0015] It is preferable that the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts the glandular tissue composition region by binarizing the mammary gland region of the ultrasound image using a brightness threshold, and displays the binarized image of the mammary gland region on a monitor. The brightness threshold may be a constant value. The glandular tissue region extraction unit can also be configured to detect edges of glandular tissue regions in the ultrasound image and automatically set a brightness threshold based on changes in brightness values ​​at the detected edges. Alternatively, a histogram creation unit may be provided that creates a histogram of the brightness of the mammary gland region in the ultrasound image and displays it on a monitor, and the brightness threshold may be set by the user based on the histogram, the binarized image, and the ultrasound image displayed on the monitor.

[0016] Probe locations in multiple regions The imaging device may further include a breast schematic diagram generating unit that generates a schematic diagram of the breast on which the values ​​are plotted and displays the diagram on the monitor. For users Probe locations in multiple regions The imaging guide unit may be provided to guide the imaging of an ultrasound image in the imaging apparatus.

[0017] The glandular tissue region proportion calculation unit preferably stores the calculated proportion of the glandular tissue region in a tag attached to the ultrasound image. The glandular tissue composition area ratio calculation unit can also display on the monitor the past glandular tissue composition area ratio calculated based on past ultrasound images of the subject, along with the latest glandular tissue composition area ratio calculated based on the latest ultrasound image of the subject. It is preferable to include an ultrasonic probe and an image generating unit that generates an ultrasonic image of the subject's breast by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic beams to and from the subject using the ultrasonic probe.

[0018] A method for controlling an ultrasound image analysis device according to the present invention includes: Subject's breasts Probe positions placed in each of the multiple regions into which Detecting mammary gland regions from each of a plurality of ultrasound images taken in Extracting glandular tissue composition regions including ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma from each of the mammary gland regions of the multiple ultrasound images; The method is characterized in that the ratio of the glandular tissue composition area to the mammary gland area in each of the multiple ultrasound images is calculated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, the mammary gland region detection unit detects the mammary gland region from an ultrasound image of the subject's breast, the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts the glandular tissue composition region including the milk ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma within the mammary gland region, and the glandular tissue composition region proportion calculation unit calculates the proportion of the glandular tissue composition region to the mammary gland region, thereby making it possible to estimate the risk of cancer in the mammary gland region. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a transmission / reception circuit according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of an image generating unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an ultrasound image of a mammary gland region of a subject. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an ultrasound image of a mammary gland region in which a GTC region is photographed. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a binarized image in which a mammary gland region has been binarized using a brightness threshold value. [Figure 7] 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 11]10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the structure of a schematic diagram of a breast generated in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a breast with probe marks. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 shows a schematic diagram of a breast and an imaging guide displayed on a monitor in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 shows another schematic diagram of a breast and an imaging guide displayed on the monitor in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 19] 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description of the components will be given based on a representative embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. In this specification, a numerical range expressed using "to" means a range that includes the numerical values ​​before and after "to" as the lower and upper limits. In this specification, the terms "same" and "identical" include a margin of error generally accepted in the technical field.

[0022] [Embodiment 1] 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasound diagnostic device 1 includes an ultrasound probe 2 and a device main body 3. The ultrasound probe 2 and the device main body 3 are wired to each other via a cable (not shown).

[0023] The ultrasonic probe 2 has a transducer array 21 and a transmission / reception circuit 22 connected to the transducer array 21 .

[0024] The device main body 3 has an image generation unit 31 connected to the transmission / reception circuit 22 of the ultrasound probe 2, and a display control unit 32 and a monitor 33 are sequentially connected to the image generation unit 31, and an image memory 34 is connected to the image generation unit 31. In addition, a breast region detection unit 35, a mammary gland region detection unit 36, a GTC (Glandular Tissue Component) region extraction unit 37, and a GTC region proportion calculation unit 38 are sequentially connected to the image memory 34, and the GTC region extraction unit 37 and the GTC region proportion calculation unit 38 are connected to the display control unit 32. In addition, the mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​is connected to the GTC region extraction unit 37. Furthermore, an inspection result memory 39 is connected to the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 .

[0025] A main body control unit 40 is connected to the image generation unit 31, the display control unit 32, the image memory 34, the breast region detection unit 35, the mammary gland region detection unit 36, the GTC region extraction unit 37, the GTC region proportion calculation unit 38, and the examination result memory 39, and an input device 41 is connected to the main body control unit 40. In addition, the transmission / reception circuit 22 of the ultrasound probe 2 is connected to the main body control unit 40. The image generation unit 31, the display control unit 32, the breast region detection unit 35, the mammary gland region detection unit 36, the GTC region extraction unit 37, the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38, and the main body control unit 40 constitute a processor 42. The breast region detection unit 35, mammary gland region detection unit 36, GTC region extraction unit 37, GTC region ratio calculation unit 38, and main body control unit 40 in the processor 42 constitute an ultrasound image analysis device 4.

[0026] The transducer array 21 of the ultrasonic probe 2 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. Each of these transducers transmits ultrasonic waves in accordance with a drive signal supplied from the transmission / reception circuit 22, and receives reflected waves from the subject and outputs an analog reception signal. Each transducer is configured by forming electrodes on both ends of a piezoelectric element made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic typified by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element typified by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), or a piezoelectric single crystal typified by PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate).

[0027] The transmission / reception circuit 22, under the control of the main body control unit 40, transmits ultrasonic waves from the transducer array 21 and generates sound ray signals based on reception signals acquired by the transducer array 21. As shown in Fig. 2, the transmission / reception circuit 22 has a pulser 23 connected to the transducer array 21, an amplifier 24, an AD (Analog-to-Digital) converter 15, and a beamformer 26, which are connected in series to the transducer array 21.

[0028] The pulser 23 includes, for example, a plurality of pulse generators, and adjusts the delay amount of each drive signal and supplies it to the plurality of transducers of the transducer array 21 so that the ultrasound waves transmitted from the plurality of transducers form an ultrasound beam based on a transmission delay pattern selected in response to a control signal from the main body control unit 40. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducers of the transducer array 21, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts, and each transducer generates a pulsed or continuous wave ultrasound wave, and an ultrasound beam is formed from the composite wave of these ultrasound waves.

[0029] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected by an object such as a part of the subject, and an ultrasonic echo propagates toward the transducer array 21 of the ultrasonic probe 2. The ultrasonic echo propagating toward the transducer array 21 in this manner is received by each transducer constituting the transducer array 21. At this time, each transducer constituting the transducer array 21 expands and contracts upon receiving the propagating ultrasonic echo, generating a received signal which is an electrical signal, and outputs this received signal to the amplifier 24.

[0030] The amplifier 24 amplifies signals input from each transducer constituting the transducer array 21 and transmits the amplified signals to the AD converter 25. The AD converter 25 converts the signals transmitted from the amplifier 24 into digital reception data and transmits the reception data to the beamformer 26. The beamformer 26 performs so-called reception focusing processing by adding each reception data converted by the AD converter 25 with a respective delay in accordance with the speed of sound or the distribution of sound speeds set based on the reception delay pattern selected in response to a control signal from the main body control unit 40. This reception focusing processing causes the reception data converted by the AD converter 25 to be phased and added, and a sound ray signal with a narrowed focus of the ultrasonic echo is acquired.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3, the image generating section 31 of the device main body 3 has a configuration in which a signal processing section 51, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 52, and an image processing section 53 are connected in series. The signal processing unit 51 performs correction for attenuation due to distance on the sound ray signals sent from the transmission / reception circuit 22 of the ultrasonic probe 2 in accordance with the depth of the reflection position of the ultrasonic waves, and then performs envelope detection processing to generate an ultrasonic image signal (B-mode image signal) which is tomographic image information on the tissue within the subject.

[0032] The DSC 52 converts (raster converts) the ultrasound image signal generated by the signal processing unit 51 into an image signal that conforms to the scanning method of a normal television signal. The image processing unit 53 performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing on the ultrasound image signal input from the DSC 52, and then outputs a signal representing the ultrasound image to the display control unit 32 and the image memory 34. The signal representing the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 31 in this manner will be simply referred to as an ultrasound image.

[0033] Under the control of the main body control unit 40 , the display control unit 32 performs predetermined processing on the ultrasound image sent from the image generation unit 31 and displays the ultrasound image on the monitor 33 . The monitor 33 displays an ultrasound image under the control of the display control unit 32, and includes a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0034] The image memory 34 is a memory that stores ultrasound images generated by the image generation unit 31 under the control of the main body control unit 40. For example, the image memory 34 can hold multiple frames of ultrasound images generated by the image generation unit 31 in response to a diagnosis of the mammary gland region of the breast of the subject.

[0035] As the image memory 34, recording media such as flash memory, HDD (Hard Disc Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), FD (Flexible Disc), MO disk (Magneto-Optical disc), MT (Magnetic Tape), RAM (Random Access Memory), CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), SD card (Secure Digital card), USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory), etc. can be used.

[0036] Breast region detection unit 35 detects the subject's breast region from the ultrasound image generated by image generation unit 31. FIG. 4 shows an example of an ultrasound image of the subject's breast. This ultrasound image is a cross-sectional image captured by bringing the tip of ultrasound probe 2 into contact with the subject's breast, and the subject's skin S is captured at the top of the ultrasound image, which represents the superficial part, and the pectoralis major muscle T is captured at the bottom of the ultrasound image, which represents the deeper part. Breast region detection unit 35 recognizes the skin S and pectoralis major muscle T from the ultrasound image, and can detect the deep region between the skin S and pectoralis major muscle T as breast region BR.

[0037] The mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​detects the mammary gland region of the subject from the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 31. As shown in Fig. 4, the mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​recognizes an anterior boundary line L1 located on the shallower side and a posterior boundary line L2 located on the deeper side within the breast region BR detected by the breast region detection unit 35, and can detect the deep region between the anterior boundary line L1 and the posterior boundary line L2 as the mammary gland region M.

[0038] In order to detect the breast region BR and the mammary gland region M described above, image recognition can be performed using at least one of template matching, image analysis techniques using features such as Adaboost (Adaptive Boosting), SVM (Support Vector Machine) or SIFT (Scale-Invariant Feature Transform), and a judgment model trained using machine learning techniques such as deep learning. The judgment model is a trained model that has trained the breast region BR and the mammary gland region M (segmentation) within the breast region BR in a training ultrasound image of the breast.

[0039] The GTC region extraction unit 37 extracts a GTC region from the subject's mammary gland region M detected by the mammary gland region detection unit 36. The GTC region consists of ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma within the mammary gland region M, with edematous stroma filling in the spaces between the surrounding stroma. Because the edematous stroma is rich in matrix and contains adipocytes, when the mammary gland region M is observed using an ultrasound image, the edematous stroma appears with a high echo level and high brightness. In contrast, the ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma that make up the GTC region have a relatively low echo level and are lower in brightness than the edematous stroma.

[0040] Therefore, the GTC region extraction unit 37 can extract the GTC region by, for example, binarizing the mammary gland region M of the ultrasound image using a brightness threshold value Th, thereby distinguishing between the GTC region and the edematous stroma within the mammary gland region M. For example, in the ultrasound image shown in Figure 5, when a mammary gland region M contains a mixture of a GTC region R1 and an edematous region R2 filled with edematous stroma, binarizing the mammary gland region M using an appropriate brightness threshold Th results in a binarized image such as that shown in Figure 6.

[0041] In the binarized image of Figure 6, pixels having a brightness value less than the brightness threshold Th are displayed in black (hatched area in Figure 6) to form a black portion P1, and pixels having a brightness value equal to or greater than the brightness threshold Th are displayed in white to form a white portion P2. The black portion P1 corresponds to the GTC region R1, and the white portion P2 corresponds to the edematous region R2. In other words, by binarizing the mammary gland region M, the GTC region R1 can be extracted as the black portion P1. The binarized image created by the GTC region extraction unit 37 is displayed on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32.

[0042] It should be noted that a predetermined constant value can be used as the brightness threshold value Th. Alternatively, the GTC region extraction unit 37 may perform edge detection on the GTC region R1 in the ultrasound image by image analysis, and automatically calculate the brightness threshold value Th based on the change in brightness value at the detected edge portion, i.e., the change in brightness value of multiple pixels from the inside to the outside of the GTC region R1. In this way, it is possible to automatically set the brightness threshold value Th appropriate for the ultrasound image to be subjected to image analysis, and to obtain a binary image suited to the ultrasound image.

[0043] Furthermore, the GTC region extraction unit 37 can also extract the GTC region R1 using a determination model trained using machine learning techniques such as deep learning. In this case, a trained model that has trained the GTC region R1 (segmentation) within the mammary gland region M in a training ultrasound image of the breast is used as the determination model.

[0044] The GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 calculates the ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M and displays it on the monitor 33. Specifically, the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 inputs the mammary gland region M detected by the mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​and the GTC region R1 extracted by the GTC region extraction unit 37, and calculates the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M. Furthermore, the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 stores the calculated GTC area ratio in the inspection result memory 39 as the inspection result.

[0045] The GTC region ratio cannot be measured by a mammography device, but can be calculated by the ultrasound diagnostic device according to this embodiment 1, for example, based on the number of pixels occupied by the mammary gland region M and the number of pixels occupied by the GTC region R1 in the ultrasound image. Specifically, the GTC region ratio is expressed as the ratio of the sum of the number of pixels occupied by all GTC regions R1 present in the mammary gland region M to the total number of pixels occupied by the mammary gland region M. The GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 may display the calculated GTC area ratio on the monitor 33 as a numerical value, or may display it on the monitor 33 as a pie chart, bar graph, or the like.

[0046] The inspection result memory 39 is a memory that stores the GTC area ratio calculated by the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 as an inspection result under the control of the main body control unit 40. As with the image memory 34, the inspection result memory 39 can be a recording medium such as a flash memory, HDD, SSD, FD, MO disk, MT, RAM, CD, DVD, SD card, or USB memory. The inspection result memory 39 may be either a memory integrated with the image memory 34 or a memory separate from the image memory 34.

[0047] Furthermore, the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 31 can be represented as image data in the so-called DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) format, for example, with patient identification information attached, and can have a tag for storing additional information, and the GTC region ratio calculated by the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 can be stored in the tag attached to the ultrasound image.

[0048] The main body control unit 40 controls each part of the device main body 3 and the transmission / reception circuit 22 of the ultrasonic probe 2 based on a control program stored in advance. Although not shown, a main body side storage unit is connected to the main body control unit 40. The main body side storage unit stores control programs, etc. The main body side storage unit may be, for example, a flash memory, RAM, an SD card, or an SSD.

[0049] The input device 41 is used by the user to perform input operations, and is configured by devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, and a touch sensor placed over the monitor 33, for example.

[0050] The processor 42 having the image generation unit 31, display control unit 32, breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 and main body control unit 40 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various processes, but may also be composed using an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or other ICs (Integrated Circuits), or may be composed of a combination of these.

[0051] In addition, the image generation unit 31, display control unit 32, breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 and main body control unit 40 of the processor 42 can also be partially or entirely integrated into a single CPU or the like. The ultrasound image analysis device 4, which consists of the breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, and main body control unit 40 in the processor 42, may be configured independently from the image generation unit 31 and display control unit 32 using FPGA, DSP, ASIC, GPU, or other ICs.

[0052] Next, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step S1, the subject's breast is imaged using the ultrasound probe 2 to obtain an ultrasound image. At this time, under the control of the main body control unit 40, transmission and reception of ultrasound waves is started from the multiple transducers of the transducer array 21 in accordance with a drive signal from the pulser 23 of the transmission and reception circuit 22 of the ultrasound probe 2, and ultrasound echoes from within the subject's breast are received by the multiple transducers of the transducer array 21. The received signals, which are analog signals, are output to the amplifier 24 and amplified, and then AD converted by the AD converter 25 to obtain received data.

[0053] The beam former 26 performs reception focus processing on this reception data, and the sound ray signals generated thereby are sent to the image generation unit 31 of the device main body 3, which then generates an ultrasound image showing tomographic image information of the subject's breast. At this time, the signal processing unit 51 of the image generation unit 31 performs attenuation correction and envelope detection processing on the sound ray signals according to the depth of the ultrasonic wave reflection position, and the DSC 52 converts them into image signals that comply with the scanning method of ordinary television signals, and the image processing unit 53 performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing.

[0054] In the following step S2, the ultrasound image generated by the image generating unit 31 is displayed on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32, and is also stored in the image memory . When an ultrasound image is acquired, the transmission intensity of the ultrasound and the depth range of the ultrasound image displayed on the monitor 33 are adjusted under the control of the main body control unit 40 so that the entire breast of the subject, i.e., the depth portion between the subject's skin S and the pectoralis major muscle T shown in Figure 4, for example, fits within the screen.

[0055] Once the ultrasound image is stored in the image memory 34 in this manner, in step S3 the ultrasound image is input to the ultrasound image analyzer 4, and the breast region BR of the subject is detected from the ultrasound image by the breast region detection unit 35. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, the deep region from the subject's skin S, which is visible in the superficial part of the ultrasound image, to the pectoralis major muscle T, which is visible in the deeper part, is detected as the breast region BR. Furthermore, the ultrasound image is input to the mammary gland area detection unit 36 ​​via the breast area detection unit 35, and the mammary gland area detection unit 36 ​​recognizes a front boundary line L1 and a rear boundary line L2 within the breast area BR detected by the breast area detection unit 35, and detects the deep area between the front boundary line L1 and the rear boundary line L2 as the mammary gland area M.

[0056] Next, in step S4, the GTC region extraction unit 37 of the ultrasound image analyzer 4 extracts a GTC region R1 from the mammary gland region M detected by the mammary gland region detection unit 36. At this time, the GTC region extraction unit 37 binarizes the mammary gland region M of the ultrasound image shown in Fig. 5 using a predetermined constant brightness threshold Th, to obtain a binarized image as shown in Fig. 6. In the binarized image in Fig. 6, the black portion P1 corresponds to the extracted GTC region R1, and the white portion P2 corresponds to the edematous region R2 filled with edematous stroma. The binarized image created by the GTC region extraction unit 37 is displayed on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32.

[0057] In the following step S5, the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 of the ultrasound image analysis device 4 calculates the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M, and displays it on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32. At this time, the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 can calculate the GTC region ratio using the ratio of the number of pixels occupied by all of the GTC regions R1 present in the mammary gland region M to the total number of pixels occupied by the mammary gland region M in the ultrasound image. The calculated GTC region ratio is displayed on the monitor 33 as a numerical value, a pie chart, a bar graph, etc., and is also saved as an examination result in the examination result memory 39. The calculated GTC region ratio can also be stored in a DICOM format tag associated with the ultrasound image, or can be directly transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device 1 to an external diagnostic report system or the like via a network.

[0058] In this way, the proportion of the GTC region that cannot be measured by a mammography device is displayed on the monitor 33. By checking the GTC region proportion displayed on the monitor 33, it is possible to estimate the cancer risk in the breast region of the subject.

[0059] Furthermore, by utilizing a so-called PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System: medical image management system), it is possible to acquire DICOM from a previous examination of the same subject, obtain the past GTC area ratio stored in the DICOM, and have the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 display the past GTC area ratio on the monitor 33 together with the latest GTC area ratio calculated based on the latest ultrasound image of the subject.

[0060] If the GTC area ratio has not been calculated in a previous examination, the past GTC area ratio can be calculated by the breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, and GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 based on the previous ultrasound images obtained in the previous examination, and the calculated past GTC area ratio can be displayed on the monitor 33 together with the latest GTC area ratio. In the first embodiment described above, the ultrasound images generated by the image generation unit 31 are two-dimensional ultrasound images, but the image generation unit 31 may also be configured to generate three-dimensional ultrasound images of the subject's breast. After acquiring a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images in a plurality of different cross-sectional planes by scanning the ultrasound probe 2 in a plane, a three-dimensional ultrasound image may be generated based on these two-dimensional ultrasound images, or a three-dimensional probe may be used instead of the ultrasound probe 2, and the three-dimensional ultrasound image may be generated while the three-dimensional probe is kept stationary.

[0061] A mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​detects a mammary gland region M from the 3D ultrasound image, and a GTC region extraction unit 37 extracts a GTC region R1 from the mammary gland region M of the 3D ultrasound image. A GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 can calculate the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M, based on the volume of the mammary gland region M detected by the mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​and the volume of the GTC region R1 extracted by the GTC region extraction unit 37. The calculated GTC region ratio is displayed on the monitor 33 and also stored in the examination result memory 39. In this way, by calculating the GTC region proportion based on a three-dimensional ultrasound image, the accuracy of cancer risk estimation in the subject's mammary gland region M is improved, making it possible to perform a more reliable diagnosis.

[0062] In the above-described first embodiment, a configuration including an ultrasound probe 2 and a device main body 3 has been described as an example of an ultrasound diagnostic device 1. However, examples of ultrasound diagnostic devices including an ultrasound image analyzer 4 are not limited to this, and the ultrasound image analyzer 4 can also be applied to an automated breast ultrasound device, such as that described in U.S. Patent Publication US2015 / 0094587A, which includes a transducer assembly and a main body that move automatically while the breast is fixed. Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the ultrasound image analyzer 4 is disposed inside the ultrasound diagnostic device 1. However, this is not limiting, and the ultrasound image analyzer 4 can also be used separately from the ultrasound diagnostic device 1. For example, the ultrasound image analyzer 4 can be disposed inside a server (not shown) connected to a general-purpose ultrasound imaging device via a network, and ultrasound images of the subject's breast captured by the general-purpose ultrasound imaging device can be transmitted to the server, and the GTC region percentage can be calculated by the ultrasound image analyzer 4. Furthermore, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2008-161283 and 2019-69319, the ultrasound image analyzer 4 can be built into a mammography device equipped with an ultrasound measurement function, and the GTC region percentage can be calculated inside the mammography device.

[0063] [Embodiment 2] 8 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device 1A according to embodiment 2. The ultrasound diagnostic device 1A has an ultrasound probe 2 connected to an apparatus main body 3A. The apparatus main body 3A is similar to the apparatus main body 3 of embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that it newly adds a mammary gland region ratio calculation unit 61 and uses a main body control unit 40A instead of the main body control unit 40. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1A of the second embodiment is configured to calculate and display on the monitor 33 not only the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M, but also the ratio of the mammary gland region M to the breast region BR.

[0064] The mammary gland area ratio calculation unit 61 is connected to the breast area detection unit 35 and the mammary gland area detection unit 36, and the mammary gland area ratio calculation unit 61 is also connected to the display control unit 32, the GTC area extraction unit 37, and the examination result memory 39. A main body control unit 40A is connected to the image generation unit 31, display control unit 32, image memory 34, breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, examination result memory 39 and mammary gland area ratio calculation unit 61, and an input device 41 is connected to the main body control unit 40A.

[0065] The image generation unit 31, the display control unit 32, the breast area detection unit 35, the mammary gland area detection unit 36, the GTC area extraction unit 37, the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, the main body control unit 40A and the mammary gland area ratio calculation unit 61 constitute a processor 42A. The mammary gland region ratio calculation unit 61 receives the detection result of the breast region BR by the breast region detection unit 35 and the detection result of the mammary gland region M by the mammary gland region detection unit 36, and calculates the ratio of the mammary gland region M to the breast region BR.

[0066] The operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Steps S1 to S5 are the same as steps S1 to S5 in the flowchart in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 7. That is, in step S1, an ultrasound image is acquired by imaging the breast of the subject, in step S2, the ultrasound image is displayed on the monitor 33, in step S3, the breast region detection unit 35 detects a breast region BR from the ultrasound image and the mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​detects a mammary gland region M, in step S4, the GTC region extraction unit 37 extracts a GTC region R1 from the mammary gland region M, and in step S5, the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 calculates the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M and displays it on the monitor 33.

[0067] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, in the subsequent step S6, the ratio of the mammary gland area M to the breast area BR is calculated by the mammary gland area ratio calculation unit 61 based on the breast area BR detected by the breast area detection unit 35 and the mammary gland area M detected by the mammary gland area detection unit 36, and is displayed on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32, and is also stored in the examination result memory 39 as the examination result.

[0068] The ratio of the mammary gland area M to the breast area BR is known to be a cancer risk factor and can be measured using a mammography device. However, according to the ultrasound diagnostic device 1A of embodiment 2, the ratio can be calculated by the mammary gland area ratio calculation unit 61 based on the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 31 without using a mammography device. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the cancer risk in the subject's mammary gland region M with high accuracy based on both the GTC region ratio calculated by the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 and the ratio of the mammary gland region M to the breast region BR calculated by the mammary gland region ratio calculation unit 61.

[0069] When the mammary glands shrink and breast volume decreases, the fatty areas increase on the shallower side of the anterior boundary line L1 and deeper side of the posterior boundary line L2 shown in Figure 4, and fatty areas also occur between the lobes in the mammary glands, which can reduce the ratio of the mammary gland region M to the breast region BR. If the ratio of the mammary gland region M to the breast region BR is low, the cancer risk is also low, so the GTC region extraction unit 37 may be configured to extract the GTC region R1 within the mammary gland region M only when the ratio of the mammary gland region M detected by the mammary gland region ratio calculation unit 61 is greater than a set value.

[0070] That is, when the proportion of the mammary gland region M detected by the mammary gland region proportion calculation unit 61 is greater than a set value, the GTC region extraction unit 37 extracts the GTC region R1 from the mammary gland region M, and the GTC region proportion calculation unit 38 calculates the GTC region proportion and displays it on the monitor 33. On the other hand, when the proportion of the mammary gland region M detected by the mammary gland region proportion calculation unit 61 is equal to or less than the set value, the GTC region extraction unit 37 does not extract the GTC region R1, and therefore the GTC region proportion calculation unit 38 does not calculate the GTC region proportion either.

[0071] [Embodiment 3] 10 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1B according to embodiment 3. In ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1B, an apparatus main body 3B is connected to an ultrasound probe 2. In apparatus main body 3B, a histogram creation unit 62 is newly added to apparatus main body 3 of ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1, and a main body control unit 40B is used instead of main body control unit 40; the other configurations are the same as those of apparatus main body 3 according to embodiment 1. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1B of the third embodiment is configured so that the user inputs a brightness threshold value Th used when the GTC region extraction unit 37 creates a binarized image.

[0072] The mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​is connected to the histogram creation unit 62 , which is in turn connected to the display control unit 32 . A main body control unit 40B is connected to the image generation unit 31, display control unit 32, image memory 34, breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, examination result memory 39 and histogram creation unit 62, and an input device 41 is connected to the main body control unit 40B.

[0073] The image generation unit 31, the display control unit 32, the breast region detection unit 35, the mammary gland region detection unit 36, the GTC region extraction unit 37, the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38, the main body control unit 40B, and the histogram creation unit 62 constitute a processor 42B. The histogram creating unit 62 creates a histogram of the brightness of the mammary gland region M detected from the ultrasound image by the mammary gland region detecting unit 36, and displays the created histogram on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32.

[0074] The operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1B according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Steps S1 to S3 are the same as steps S1 to S3 in the flowchart in the first embodiment shown in Fig. 7. That is, in step S1, an ultrasound image is acquired by imaging the breast of the subject, in step S2 the ultrasound image is displayed on the monitor 33, and in step S3 the breast region detection unit 35 detects a breast region BR from the ultrasound image and the mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​detects a mammary gland region M.

[0075] In the third embodiment, in the subsequent step S7, the histogram creating unit 62 creates a histogram of the brightness of the mammary gland region M in the ultrasound image, and displays it on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32. Furthermore, in step S8, the GTC region extraction unit 37 binarizes the mammary gland region M using the initial value of the brightness threshold value Th, and the binarized image as shown in FIG. In this way, the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 62, the binarized image created by the GTC region extraction unit 37, and the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 31 are displayed on the monitor 33.

[0076] Next, in step S9, the user visually compares the binary image displayed on the monitor 33 with the ultrasound image to determine whether the binary image is good or not. Specifically, it is determined whether the binary image created by the GTC region extraction unit 37 matches the ultrasound image created by the image generation unit 31.

[0077] For example, if the user determines that the size and shape of the black portion P1 in the binarized image shown in Fig. 6 properly represents the GTC region R1 appearing in the mammary gland region M of the ultrasound image shown in Fig. 5, the binarized image is determined to be good. On the other hand, if the user determines that the size and shape of the black portion P1 in the binarized image are far from the GTC region R1 in the mammary gland region M of the ultrasound image, the binarized image is determined to be bad.

[0078] If it is determined in step S9 that the binarized image is not good, the process proceeds to step S10, where the user inputs a new brightness threshold value Th via the input device 41 based on the histogram, binarized image, and ultrasound image displayed on the monitor 33. Thereafter, the process returns to step S8, where the GTC region extraction unit 37 creates a binarized image using the new brightness threshold value Th input in step S10, and displays the image on the monitor 33. Furthermore, in step S9, the user again determines whether the binarized image is satisfactory.

[0079] In this manner, steps S8 to S10 are repeated until it is determined in step S9 that the binarized image is good. Then, if it is determined in step S9 that the binarized image is good, the process proceeds to step S4, and steps S4 and S5 are executed sequentially. Steps S4 and S5 are the same as steps S4 and S5 in the flowchart in embodiment 1 shown in Fig. 7. That is, in step S4, the GTC region extraction unit 37 extracts the GTC region R1 from the mammary gland region M using the binarized image, and in step S5, the GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 calculates the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M and displays it on the monitor 33.

[0080] As in the above-described third embodiment, the brightness histogram of the mammary gland region M created by the histogram creation unit 62 is displayed on the monitor 33, and the user can input a new brightness threshold value Th based on the histogram displayed on the monitor 33, the binary image, and the ultrasound image, thereby enabling the GTC region extraction unit 37 to more accurately extract the GTC region R1 from the mammary gland region M, and making it possible to estimate the cancer risk in the mammary gland region M of the subject with high accuracy.

[0081] [Embodiment 4] 12 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device 1C according to embodiment 4. The ultrasound diagnostic device 1C has an ultrasound probe 2 connected to an apparatus main body 3C. The apparatus main body 3C is similar to the apparatus main body 3 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 1 according to embodiment 1 shown in FIG. 1 in that it newly adds a breast schematic diagram generating unit 63 and uses a main body control unit 40C instead of the main body control unit 40. The ultrasonic diagnostic device 1C of the fourth embodiment is configured to capture ultrasonic images at a plurality of predetermined locations on the breast, and calculate the GTC region ratio based on these ultrasonic images.

[0082] The breast schematic diagram generating unit 63 is connected to the display control unit 32. A main body control unit 40C is connected to the image generation unit 31, display control unit 32, image memory 34, breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, examination result memory 39 and breast schematic diagram generation unit 63, and an input device 41 is connected to the main body control unit 40C. The image generation unit 31, the display control unit 32, the breast area detection unit 35, the mammary gland area detection unit 36, the GTC area extraction unit 37, the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, the main body control unit 40C, and the breast schematic diagram generation unit 63 constitute a processor 42C.

[0083] In a single ultrasound image taken by placing the ultrasound probe 2 on one location on the subject's breast, only a local cross-sectional surface of the breast can be seen. Therefore, in the ultrasound diagnostic device 1C of embodiment 4, ultrasound images are taken at multiple predetermined locations on the breast using the ultrasound probe 2.

[0084] For this reason, the breast schematic diagram generating unit 63 generates, for example, a breast schematic diagram (also called a schema or body mark) 71 as shown in Fig. 13. The breast schematic diagram 71 shown in Fig. 13 is a schematic representation of the left breast as seen from the front, and has a circular breast region BR and a substantially triangular axillary region 73 that represents the axilla and extends diagonally upward from the breast region BR. The breast region BR is divided into four regions: an inner upper region A, an inner lower region B, an outer upper region C, and an outer lower region D of the breast, and the axillary region 73 is connected to the upper left diagonal part of the outer upper region C. It should be noted that by flipping the breast schematic diagram 71 shown in FIG. 13 from side to side, a breast schematic diagram that schematically represents the right breast can be obtained.

[0085] The breast schematic diagram generation unit 63 uses the breast area BR divided into four regions, namely, the inner upper region A, the inner lower region B, the outer upper region C, and the outer lower region D, to generate a breast schematic diagram 71 in which a plurality of predetermined locations for placing the ultrasound probe 2 to capture ultrasound images are plotted with probe marks 74, as shown in Figure 14, and displays it on the monitor 33. In the schematic diagram 71 of the breast in Fig. 14, probe marks 74 are plotted in all four regions obtained by dividing the breast region BR. The probe marks 74 are represented by line segments having a predetermined length, and can not only indicate the positions of multiple locations to which the ultrasonic probe 2 is to be applied, but also indicate the direction of the ultrasonic probe 2 to be applied to each location depending on the direction of the line segments.

[0086] In the ultrasound diagnostic device 1C according to the fourth embodiment, the breast region detection unit 35 detects breast regions BR from a plurality of ultrasound images captured at a plurality of locations defined by a schematic diagram 71 of the breast, the mammary gland region detection unit 36 ​​detects mammary gland regions M from the breast regions BR in the plurality of ultrasound images, and the GTC region extraction unit 37 extracts GTC regions R1 from the mammary gland regions M in the plurality of ultrasound images. The GTC region ratio calculation unit 38 then calculates the ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland regions M in the plurality of ultrasound images and displays them on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32.

[0087] The operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1C according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step S11, the breast schematic diagram generating unit 63 generates a breast schematic diagram 71 as shown in Fig. 14, and displays it on the monitor 33 via the display control unit 32. In the breast schematic diagram 71 shown in Fig. 14, probe marks 74 are plotted in all four regions obtained by dividing the breast region BR.

[0088] In step S12, the user checks the schematic diagram 71 of the breast displayed on the monitor 33 and captures an ultrasound image in accordance with the probe mark 74 plotted in one of the four regions. That is, the ultrasound probe 2 is placed against the subject's breast in accordance with the position and orientation indicated by the probe mark 74. In this state, transmission and reception of ultrasound waves is started from the multiple transducers of the transducer array 21, and ultrasound echoes from within the subject's breast are received by the multiple transducers of the transducer array 21.

[0089] Steps S1 to S5 following step S12 are the same as steps S1 to S5 in the flowchart in embodiment 1 shown in Figure 7. In step S1, an ultrasound image is acquired, in step S2, the ultrasound image is displayed on monitor 33, in step S3, a mammary gland region M is detected from the ultrasound image, in step S4, a GTC region R1 is extracted from mammary gland region M, and in step S5, the GTC region ratio of GTC region R1 to mammary gland region M is calculated and displayed on monitor 33.

[0090] Thereafter, in step S13, it is determined whether or not imaging of ultrasound images at the predetermined multiple locations has been completed. Here, imaging according to only the first probe mark 74 of the four probe marks 74 plotted on the breast schematic diagram 71 has been completed, and imaging according to the remaining three probe marks 74 has not been performed. Therefore, it is determined that imaging at the multiple locations has not yet been completed, and the process returns from step S13 to step S12.

[0091] In step S12, imaging is performed according to the second probe mark 74, and in the subsequent steps S1 to S5, the GTC region ratio is calculated based on the ultrasound image acquired according to the second probe mark 74 and displayed on the monitor 33, and then in step S13, it is determined whether imaging at multiple locations has ended. Similarly, step S12, steps S1 to S5, and step S13 are repeated until ultrasonic images of all four probe marks 74 plotted on the schematic diagram 71 of the breast are captured.

[0092] Then, in step S13, when it is determined that the ultrasonic images of all four probe marks 74 have been captured, the series of processes is completed. As a result, the GTC region proportions in the tomographic planes at the four locations corresponding to the four probe marks 74 on the schematic diagram 71 of the breast are calculated and displayed on the monitor 33.

[0093] By calculating the GTC region ratio based on multiple ultrasound images taken at multiple locations, the accuracy of cancer risk estimation in the subject's mammary gland region M is improved, making it possible to perform a more reliable diagnosis. In addition, the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 may display on the monitor 33 each of the multiple GTC area ratios calculated at a specified number of locations, or may calculate an average value of the multiple GTC area ratios at a plurality of locations and display this average value on the monitor 33 instead of the multiple GTC area ratios or together with the multiple GTC area ratios.

[0094] 14, probe marks 74 are plotted in all four regions into which the breast region BR is divided, but the probe marks 74 may be plotted in two or more of the four regions, rather than in all four regions. Furthermore, the number of regions into which the breast region BR is divided is not limited to four, and the breast region BR may be divided into, for example, two regions or eight regions.

[0095] Furthermore, instead of plotting probe marks 74 in the divided regions of the breast region BR, as shown in FIG. 13, it is also possible to configure the system so that only regions such as the inner upper region A, the inner lower region B, the outer upper region C, and the outer lower region D are designated on the schematic diagram 71 of the breast, and the user can take an ultrasound image at any position within the designated region. The number of divisions of the areas in the breast schematic diagram 71, the number of plotted probe marks 74, etc. may be automatically set by the breast schematic diagram generating unit 63 under the control of the main body control unit 40C, or may be manually set by the user via the input device 41.

[0096] [Embodiment 5] 16 shows the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1D according to embodiment 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1D has an apparatus main body 3D connected to an ultrasonic probe 2. The apparatus main body 3D is similar to the apparatus main body 3C of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1C according to embodiment 4 shown in FIG. 12 except that an imaging guide unit 64 is newly added and the main body control unit 40C is replaced with the main body control unit 40D. An ultrasound diagnostic device 1D according to the fifth embodiment is configured to guide the capturing of ultrasound images at a plurality of predetermined locations on the breast.

[0097] The photographing guide unit 64 is connected to the display control unit 32 . A main body control unit 40D is connected to the image generation unit 31, display control unit 32, image memory 34, breast area detection unit 35, mammary gland area detection unit 36, GTC area extraction unit 37, GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, examination result memory 39, breast schematic diagram generation unit 63 and shooting guide unit 64, and an input device 41 is connected to the main body control unit 40D. The processor 42D is composed of the image generation unit 31, the display control unit 32, the breast area detection unit 35, the mammary gland area detection unit 36, the GTC area extraction unit 37, the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38, the main body control unit 40D, the breast schematic diagram generation unit 63 and the shooting guide unit 64.

[0098] The imaging guide unit 64 guides the imaging of ultrasound images at a plurality of locations indicated by probe marks 74 on the schematic diagram 71 of the breast. In embodiment 5, the order of photographing at a plurality of predetermined locations is set in advance, for example, by a user, and the breast schematic diagram generating unit 63 displays on the monitor 33 a breast schematic diagram 71 on which only a probe mark 74 indicating the location where the next photographing will be performed is plotted among the plurality of predetermined locations.

[0099] As shown in Figure 17, the imaging guide unit 64 creates a guide 75A consisting of text such as "Place the probe here and take an image so that the pectoralis major muscle is visible" corresponding to one probe mark 74A plotted on the schematic diagram 71 of the breast, and displays it on the monitor 33. Then, when the imaging according to the probe mark 74A is completed, as shown in Figure 18, the breast schematic diagram generation unit 63 displays on the monitor 33 a schematic diagram 71 of the breast with the probe mark 74B of the location where the next imaging will be performed plotted, and the imaging guide unit 64 creates a guide 75B consisting of text, for example, ``Please photograph this next,'' corresponding to the probe mark 74B and displays it on the monitor 33.

[0100] In this way, the imaging guide unit 64 provides guidance for capturing an ultrasound image corresponding to the probe mark 74 on the schematic diagram 71 of the breast displayed on the monitor 33 . 17 and 18, guides 75A and 75B can be displayed superimposed on part of breast schematic diagram 71, as long as they are in a position that does not overlap probe marks 74A and 74B plotted on breast schematic diagram 71. Alternatively, guides 75A and 75B may be displayed in a position away from breast schematic diagram 71.

[0101] The operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1D according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. First, in step S11, as shown in FIG. 17, the breast schematic diagram generation unit 63 displays on the monitor 33 a schematic diagram 71 of the breast on which one probe mark 74A indicating the location where the first imaging will be performed out of the multiple determined locations is plotted, and further, in step S14, the imaging guide unit 64 displays on the monitor 33 a guide 75A corresponding to the probe mark 74A.

[0102] The subsequent steps S12 and S1 to S5 are the same as steps S12 and S1 to S5 of the flowchart in embodiment 4 shown in Figure 15, and an ultrasound image is taken according to the probe mark 74A of the breast schematic diagram 71, and the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M is calculated and displayed on the monitor 33. In step S5, the GTC area ratio calculation unit 38 may display on the monitor 33 each of the multiple GTC area ratios calculated at the specified multiple locations, or may calculate an average value of the multiple GTC area ratios at the multiple locations and display this average value on the monitor 33 instead of the multiple GTC area ratios or together with the multiple GTC area ratios. Then, in step S13, it is determined whether or not the capturing of ultrasound images at the predetermined multiple locations has been completed, as in embodiment 4. Here, since only the first capturing of ultrasound images has been completed according to probe mark 74A, the process returns from step S13 to step S11.

[0103] In step S11, as shown in FIG. 18, for example, the breast schematic diagram generation unit 63 displays on the monitor 33 a schematic diagram 71 of the breast on which a probe mark 74B indicating the location where the second photograph will be taken among the multiple determined locations is plotted, and in the subsequent step S14, the photographing guide unit 64 displays on the monitor 33 a guide 75B corresponding to the probe mark 74B.

[0104] In the subsequent step S12 and steps S1 to S5, the second location is photographed according to the probe mark 74B, the GTC region ratio of the GTC region R1 to the mammary gland region M is calculated and displayed on the monitor 33, and further, in step S13, it is determined whether photography at multiple locations has been completed. In this manner, steps S11, S14, S12, S1 to S5, and S13 are repeated until photography of all of the predetermined plurality of locations is completed.

[0105] Then, in step S13, when it is determined that photography of all the predetermined plurality of locations has been completed, the series of processes is completed. In this way, the breast schematic diagram generating unit 63 displays on the monitor 33 a schematic diagram 71 of the breast on which a probe mark 74 indicating the location of the next imaging is plotted, and the imaging guide unit 64 displays on the monitor 33 a guide 75B corresponding to the probe mark 74 indicating the location of the next imaging, thereby enabling even a user who is not skilled in taking ultrasound images of the breast to accurately and quickly perform imaging and display the GTC area ratio on the monitor 33.

[0106] In the fifth embodiment, the device main body 3D may have a speaker (not shown), and the photography guide unit 64 may provide guidance for photography at a plurality of predetermined locations by voice via the speaker.

[0107] The method of connecting the ultrasonic probe 2 and the device main body 3 in the above first to fifth embodiments is not particularly limited, and may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. In the above-described first to fifth embodiments, the ultrasonic probe 2 has the transmitting / receiving circuit 22, but the device main body 3 may also be configured to have the transmitting / receiving circuit 22. Furthermore, the device main body 3 has the image generating unit 31, but the ultrasonic probe 2 may also have the image generating unit 31. Furthermore, of the signal processing unit 51, DSC 52, and image processing unit 53 that make up the image generating unit 31 shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasonic probe 2 may have only the signal processing unit 51, and the device main body 3 may have the DSC 52 and image processing unit 53. Furthermore, as the device main body 3 in the first to fifth embodiments, a compact device main body of a portable or handheld type can be used, or a stationary device main body can also be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1, 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D Ultrasound diagnostic device, 2 Ultrasound probe, 3, 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D Device main body, 4 Ultrasound image analyzer, 21 Transducer array, 22 Transmitting / receiving circuit, 23 Pulser, 24 Amplifier, 25 AD converter, 26 Beamformer, 31 Image generator, 32 Display controller, 33 Monitor, 34 Image memory, 35 Breast region detector, 36 Mammary gland region detector, 37 GTC region extractor, 38 GTC region ratio calculator, 39 Examination result memory, 40, 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D Main body controller, 41 Input device, 42, 42A, 42B, 42C, 42D Processor, 51 Signal processor, 52 DSC, 53 Image processor, 61 Mammary gland region ratio calculator, 62 Histogram generator, 63 Breast schematic diagram generation section, 64 Photography guide section, 71 Breast schematic diagram, 73 Axillary region, 74,74A,74B probe mark, 75A,75B guide, S skin, BR breast region, M mammary gland region, L1 anterior border, L2 posterior border, T pectoralis major muscle, R1 GTC region, R2 edematous region, P1 black area, P2 white part.

Claims

1. a mammary gland region detection unit that detects a mammary gland region from an ultrasound image of the subject's breast; a glandular tissue composition region extraction unit that extracts a glandular tissue composition region including milk ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma within the mammary gland region detected by the mammary gland region detection unit; a glandular tissue region ratio calculation unit that calculates the ratio of the glandular tissue region to the mammary gland region; The monitor and Display control unit and Equipped with the mammary gland region detection unit detects mammary gland regions from the plurality of ultrasound images captured at probe positions disposed in each of a plurality of regions obtained by dividing the breast of the subject; the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts the glandular tissue composition region from each of the mammary gland regions of the plurality of ultrasound images; the glandular tissue region ratio calculation unit calculates a ratio of the glandular tissue region to the mammary gland region in each of the plurality of ultrasound images; The display control unit is an ultrasound diagnostic device that displays on the monitor the proportions of the glandular tissue composition regions calculated by the glandular tissue composition region proportion calculation unit for the mammary gland region of the plurality of ultrasound images.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the mammary gland region detection unit detects the mammary gland region by performing image recognition on the ultrasound image.

3. a breast region detection unit that detects a breast region located between the skin and the pectoralis major muscle from the ultrasound image; 3. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 2, wherein the mammary gland region detection unit recognizes an anterior boundary line and a posterior boundary line within the breast region detected by the breast region detection unit, and detects the region between the anterior boundary line and the posterior boundary line as the mammary gland region.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the mammary gland region detection unit detects the mammary gland region from the ultrasound image using deep learning.

5. 5. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts the glandular tissue composition region by binarizing the mammary gland region of the ultrasound image using a brightness threshold.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts the glandular tissue composition region from the mammary gland region of the ultrasound image using deep learning.

7. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the glandular tissue composition region ratio calculation unit calculates the ratio of the glandular tissue composition region to the mammary gland region based on the number of pixels occupied by the mammary gland region and the number of pixels occupied by the glandular tissue composition region in the ultrasound image.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the glandular tissue region ratio calculation unit calculates an average value of the ratios of the glandular tissue region to the mammary gland region in the plurality of ultrasound images.

9. the ultrasound image is a three-dimensional ultrasound image; The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the glandular tissue composition region ratio calculation unit calculates the ratio of the glandular tissue composition region to the mammary gland region based on the volume of the mammary gland region detected by the mammary gland region detection unit and the volume of the glandular tissue composition region extracted by the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit.

10. 10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mammary gland area ratio calculation unit that calculates the ratio of the mammary gland area to the breast area and displays the calculated ratio on the monitor.

11. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 10, wherein the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts the glandular tissue composition region within the mammary gland region only when the proportion of the mammary gland region detected by the mammary gland region proportion calculation unit is greater than a set value.

12. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit extracts the glandular tissue composition region by binarizing the mammary gland region of the ultrasound image using a brightness threshold, and displays the binarized image of the mammary gland region on the monitor.

13. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the brightness threshold value is a constant value.

14. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the glandular tissue composition region extraction unit detects edges of the glandular tissue composition region in the ultrasound image and automatically sets the brightness threshold value based on changes in brightness values ​​at the detected edges.

15. a histogram creation unit that creates a histogram of brightness of the mammary gland region in the ultrasound image and displays it on the monitor; 13. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the brightness threshold is set by a user based on the histogram, the binarized image, and the ultrasonic image displayed on the monitor.

16. 16. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1, further comprising a breast schematic diagram generator that generates a breast schematic diagram on which the positions of the probes arranged in the plurality of regions are plotted and displays the breast schematic diagram on the monitor.

17. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising an imaging guide unit that guides a user in capturing the ultrasonic images at probe positions arranged in the plurality of regions.

18. 18. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein the glandular tissue region proportion calculation unit stores the calculated proportion of the glandular tissue region in a tag attached to the ultrasound image.

19. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the glandular tissue composition region proportion calculation unit displays on the monitor the past proportions of the glandular tissue composition region calculated based on the past ultrasound images of the subject, in addition to the latest proportion of the glandular tissue composition region calculated based on the latest ultrasound image of the subject.

20. 20. The ultrasound diagnostic device according to claim 1, further comprising: an ultrasound probe; and an image generation unit that generates the ultrasound image of the subject's breast by transmitting and receiving an ultrasound beam to and from the subject using the ultrasound probe.

21. Detecting mammary gland regions from a plurality of ultrasound images taken at probe positions disposed in each of a plurality of regions obtained by dividing the breast of the subject; extracting glandular tissue composition regions including ducts, lobules, and surrounding stroma from the mammary gland regions of the plurality of ultrasound images; calculating a ratio of the glandular tissue composition region to the mammary gland region of each of the plurality of ultrasound images; and displaying on a monitor the calculated proportions of the glandular tissue composition regions with respect to the mammary gland regions of the plurality of ultrasound images. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

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