Ultrasound diagnostic device and control method for ultrasound diagnostic device

Abstract

Provided are: an ultrasonic diagnostic device with which it is possible to easily recognize migration of debris in a cyst; and a method for controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic device. The present invention comprises: a debris identification unit (25) which identifies debris in a cyst from a first ultrasonic image acquired by an image acquisition unit (41) and a second ultrasonic image acquired by the image acquisition unit (41) by imaging the cyst from the same direction, with respect to the cyst, as when the first ultrasonic image was captured and in a state in which an external force different from the external force which acted on the cyst when the first ultrasonic image was captured has acted on or is acting on the cyst; and a debris migratory information presentation unit (26) which presents information concerning migration of the debris identified in the cyst by the debris identification unit (25) between the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for diagnosing a cyst of a subject and a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the medical field, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using ultrasonic images has been put into practical use. Generally, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe having a built-in oscillator array and a device body connected to the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe transmits an ultrasonic beam toward the subject, receives the ultrasonic echo from the subject with the ultrasonic probe, and generates an ultrasonic image by electrically processing the received signal.

[0003] A cyst is known as a pathological condition in which secretions accumulate in a sac-like shape. When observing a cyst using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, debris, which is an echogenic composition that reflects ultrasonic waves, is often confirmed inside the cyst. When the debris has fluidity, it is found that the debris consists of mucinous secretions, and is called a so-called complicated cyst, which is usually benign and not a treatment target. On the other hand, when the debris is solid, there is a suspicion of a so-called complex cyst in which a tumor exists in the cyst.

[0004] Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that attempts to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a cyst twice, detect the movement of the cyst, and discriminate the type of the cyst. The type of the cyst is discriminated based on the difference in the temporal change of the parameter of the movement of the cyst when the acoustic radiation force by the ultrasonic beam is applied to the cyst.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] However, the ultrasound diagnostic device described in Patent Document 1 calculates the temporal changes in the parameters of cyst movement by transmitting two ultrasound beams, but it has the problem that it cannot clearly detect which part of the cyst has moved, making it difficult to easily recognize whether only the debris within the cyst has moved or whether the entire cyst, including the debris, has moved.

[0007] This invention was made to solve the problems of the conventional methods, and aims to provide an ultrasound diagnostic device and a control method for the ultrasound diagnostic device that can easily recognize the movement of debris within a cyst. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is An image acquisition unit that acquires an ultrasound image of the cyst of the subject by transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves to the subject, A monitor that displays ultrasound images, A debris identification unit identifies debris within the cyst based on a first ultrasound image acquired by an image acquisition unit and a second ultrasound image acquired by the image acquisition unit after or while an external force different from the one used to acquire the first ultrasound image has acted on the cyst, and the cyst has been imaged from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image was acquired. Between the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, a debris movement information providing unit provides information on the movement of debris identified by the debris identification unit within the cyst. It is characterized by having the following features.

[0009] In the debris identification section, it is preferable to identify cysts from the first and second ultrasound images, respectively, and then identify the debris within the identified cysts. Furthermore, it is preferable that the debris identification unit aligns the cysts identified from the first ultrasound image with the cysts identified from the second ultrasound image in relation to each other when identifying the debris.

[0010] The debris identification unit can be configured to include a confirmation unit that issues a message to the user confirming that the second ultrasound image captures the cyst from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image was taken. Alternatively, the debris identification unit may be configured to include a determination unit that determines that the same cyst has been imaged by performing image recognition on the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, respectively.

[0011] The same determination unit may detect edges from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, determine the motion vector of the edge moving between the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, and determine that the same cyst has been imaged if the motion vector falls within an acceptable range. Alternatively, the same determination unit can determine that the same cyst is being imaged using a trained determination model that takes the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image as input.

[0012] The debris movement information provision unit preferably displays the cysts in the first ultrasound image and the cysts in the second ultrasound image, which have been aligned relative to each other by the debris identification unit, on the monitor. The debris movement information provision unit can display the cyst in the first ultrasound image and the cyst in the second ultrasound image side by side on the monitor, or superimpose them on the monitor. Furthermore, the debris movement information provision unit may also be configured to include a debris movement determination unit that performs image recognition on the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, respectively, to determine whether the amount of debris movement within the cyst between the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image exceeds a threshold, and displays the determination result on a monitor.

[0013] The control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is: Obtain a first ultrasonic image that images the cyst of the subject, Display the ultrasonic image on a monitor, After an external force different from that at the time of imaging the first ultrasonic image acts on the cyst or while the external force is acting on the cyst, and image the cyst from the same direction as that at the time of imaging the first ultrasonic image with respect to the cyst, and obtain a second ultrasonic image, Specify debris in the cyst from the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image respectively, It is characterized by providing information regarding the movement of debris in the cyst between the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image.

Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, the debris specifying unit specifies debris in the cyst from the first ultrasonic image acquired by the image acquisition unit and the second ultrasonic image acquired by the image acquisition unit by imaging the cyst from the same direction as that at the time of imaging the first ultrasonic image with respect to the cyst after an external force different from that at the time of imaging the first ultrasonic image acts on the cyst or while the external force is acting on the cyst, and the debris movement information providing unit provides information regarding the movement of debris in the cyst between the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image, so that it becomes possible to easily recognize the movement of debris in the cyst.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of a transmission / reception circuit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of an image generation unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing a confirmation message issued by a confirmation unit of a debris specifying unit in Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a search area designated in the first ultrasonic image in Embodiment 1. [Figure 6]It is a diagram showing a plurality of cysts extracted from the first ultrasonic image in the modification example. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing the cysts specified from the first ultrasonic image in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing the cysts specified from the second ultrasonic image in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing the cysts of the first ultrasonic image aligned with the cysts of the second ultrasonic image. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing a state where the cysts of the first ultrasonic image and the cysts of the second ultrasonic image aligned with each other are arranged side by side and displayed on the monitor. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing a state where the contour line of the debris specified from the first ultrasonic image is superimposed on the debris specified from the second ultrasonic image. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing a state where the contour line of the debris specified from the first ultrasonic image is superimposed on the debris specified from another second ultrasonic image. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing a state where the debris specified from the first ultrasonic image is superimposed on the debris specified from the second ultrasonic image. [Figure 14] It is a flowchart showing the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the debris specifying unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing the motion vector calculated by the identity determination unit of the debris specifying unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] It is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the debris movement information providing unit in the third embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings. The following description of the constituent elements is based on a typical embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. In this specification, a numerical range represented by "~" means a range that includes the numbers written before and after "~" as the lower and upper limits, respectively. In this specification, “identical” and “same” include a margin of error that is generally accepted in the art.

[0017] Embodiment 1 Figure 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an ultrasound probe 1 and a main body 2. The ultrasound probe 1 and the main body 2 are connected to each other by a wired connection via a cable (not shown).

[0018] The ultrasonic probe 1 includes a transducer array 11 and a transmitting / receiving circuit 12 connected to the transducer array 11.

[0019] The main body of the device 2 has an image generation unit 21 connected to the transmitting and receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1. A display control unit 22 and a monitor 23 are sequentially connected to the image generation unit 21, and an image memory 24 is connected to the image generation unit 21. A debris identification unit 25 and a debris movement information provision unit 26 are sequentially connected to the image memory 24, and the debris identification unit 25 and the debris movement information provision unit 26 are connected to the display control unit 22.

[0020] The main control unit 27 is connected to the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the image memory 24, the debris identification unit 25, and the debris movement information provision unit 26, and the input device 28 is connected to the main control unit 27. In addition, the transmitting and receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1 is connected to the main control unit 27. The processor 29 is comprised of an image generation unit 21, a display control unit 22, a debris identification unit 25, a debris movement information provision unit 26, and a main unit control unit 27. Furthermore, the debris identification unit 25 has an internal inspection unit 30. Furthermore, the image acquisition unit 41 is formed by the ultrasonic probe 1 and the image generation unit 21 of the device body 2.

[0021] The transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in one or two dimensions. Each of these transducers transmits ultrasound according to a drive signal supplied from the transmit / receive circuit 12 and receives reflected waves from the subject to output an analog received signal. Each transducer is made of, for example, PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate). Piezoelectric ceramics such as lead oxide, and PVDF (Polyvinyl Difluoride: Polyvinyl Difluoride) It is constructed by forming electrodes at both ends of a piezoelectric element made of polymer piezoelectric elements such as vinylidene fluoride, or piezoelectric single crystals such as PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate: lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate solid solution).

[0022] The transmitting / receiving circuit 12 transmits ultrasonic waves from the transducer array 11 and generates a sound line signal based on the received signal acquired by the transducer array 11, under the control of the main unit control 27. As shown in Figure 2, the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 has a pulser 13 connected to the transducer array 11, and an amplifier 14, an AD (Analog Digital) converter 15, and a beamformer 16 sequentially connected in series to the transducer array 11.

[0023] The pulser 13 includes, for example, multiple pulse generators and supplies drive signals to multiple transducers of the transducer array 11, adjusting the delay amount, based on a transmission delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the main unit control 27, so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the multiple transducers form an ultrasonic beam. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the transducers of the transducer array 11, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts, generating pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves from each transducer, and an ultrasonic beam is formed from the combined wave of these ultrasonic waves.

[0024] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected by an object, such as a part of the subject, and the ultrasonic echo propagates toward the transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1. The ultrasonic echo propagating toward the transducer array 11 is received by each of the transducers that make up the transducer array 11. At this time, each transducer that makes up the transducer array 11 expands and contracts upon receiving the propagating ultrasonic echo, generating a received signal which is an electrical signal, and these received signals are output to the amplification unit 14.

[0025] The amplification unit 14 amplifies the signals input from each transducer constituting the transducer array 11 and transmits the amplified signals to the AD conversion unit 15. The AD conversion unit 15 converts the signals transmitted from the amplification unit 14 into digital received data and transmits this received data to the beamformer 16. The beamformer 16 performs so-called receive focus processing by adding each received data converted by the AD conversion unit 15 with a corresponding delay, according to the sound velocity or sound velocity distribution set based on the received delay pattern selected according to the control signal from the main unit control unit 27. Through this receive focus processing, each received data converted by the AD conversion unit 15 is added in phase and a sound ray signal with a focused ultrasonic echo is obtained.

[0026] The image generation unit 21 of the main body 2 of the device forms an image acquisition unit 41 that acquires an ultrasound image in cooperation with the ultrasound probe 1. As shown in Figure 3, it has a configuration in which a signal processing unit 31, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 32, and an image processing unit 33 are connected in series in sequence. The signal processing unit 31 applies distance-dependent attenuation correction to the sound line signal transmitted from the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1 according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position, and then performs envelope detection processing to generate an ultrasonic image signal (B-mode image signal), which is tomographic image information about the tissue within the subject T.

[0027] The DSC32 converts the ultrasonic image signal generated by the signal processing unit 31 into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal (raster conversion). The image processing unit 33 performs various necessary image processing, such as grayscale processing, on the ultrasound image signal input from the DSC 32, and then outputs a signal representing the ultrasound image to the display control unit 22 and the image memory 24. The signal representing the ultrasound image generated in this way by the image generation unit 21 will simply be called the ultrasound image.

[0028] The display control unit 22, under the control of the main unit control unit 27, performs predetermined processing on the ultrasound image sent from the image generation unit 21 and displays the ultrasound image on the monitor 23. The monitor 23 displays ultrasound images under the control of the display control unit 22 and has a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0029] The image memory 24 is a memory that stores ultrasound images generated by the image generation unit 21 under the control of the main unit control unit 27. For example, the image memory 24 can hold multiple frames of ultrasound images generated by the image generation unit 21 in response to a diagnosis of a mammary gland cyst formed in the breast of a subject.

[0030] Here, the multiple ultrasound images include at least a first ultrasound image and a second ultrasound image of the subject's breast cyst. The first ultrasound image is generated by the image generation unit 21, for example, when the subject is in a first posture and the breast cyst is photographed. On the other hand, the second ultrasound image is generated by the image generation unit 21, for example, when the subject is in a second posture different from the first posture, and a different gravitational influence (external force) is acting on the cyst than when the first ultrasound image was taken, and the cyst is photographed from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image was taken.

[0031] For example, after taking a first ultrasound image with the subject in a supine position, the subject can be changed to a lateral position (either left or right) and a second ultrasound image can be taken of the cyst in the subject's breast from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image was taken. This allows the first and second ultrasound images to be acquired and stored in the image memory 24 under conditions where the effects of gravity acting on the cyst in the subject's breast are different from each other. Furthermore, the second ultrasound image is not limited to being taken when the cyst is under different gravitational influences than when the first ultrasound image was taken; it may also be taken after the cyst has been subjected to different gravitational influences than when the first ultrasound image was taken. For example, the first ultrasound image may be taken with the subject in a supine position, then the subject may be changed to a lateral position, and then returned to a supine position to take the second ultrasound image. Alternatively, the first and second ultrasound images may be taken before and after the subject's body is rocked from side to side.

[0032] Furthermore, gravity is not the only external force acting on the breast cyst; for example, the contact pressure applied when the ultrasound probe 1 is pressed against the subject's body surface can also be used as the external force. That is, the first and second ultrasound images can be acquired by keeping the subject's posture constant and the position and angle of the ultrasound probe 1 relative to the subject's breast constant, while only changing the contact pressure of the ultrasound probe 1. By changing the contact pressure of the ultrasound probe 1, the first and second ultrasound images are acquired with different external forces applied to the breast cyst. In this case as well, the second ultrasound image can be acquired by changing the contact pressure of the ultrasound probe 1 and then returning it to the original contact pressure. The first and second ultrasound images, acquired in this manner and stored in the image memory 24, are displayed on the monitor 23 via the display control unit 22.

[0033] Image memory 24 can be flash memory, HDD (Hard Disc Drive). SSD (Solid State Drive), FD (Flexible Disc), MO (Magneto-Optical Disc), MT (Magnetic Tape), RAM (Random Access Memory) (Dumb Access Memory), CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), SD card (Secure Digital Card) :Secure digital card), USB memory (Universal Serial Bus memory:Univer Recording media such as (SAL serial bus memory) can be used.

[0034] The debris identification unit 25 identifies cysts from the first and second ultrasound images stored in the image memory 24, and further identifies debris within the identified cysts. Since the identification of debris is intended to recognize the movement of debris within the cyst, it is necessary to confirm that the first and second ultrasound images are images of the same cyst and were taken from the same direction relative to the cyst.

[0035] Therefore, the debris identification unit 25 has a confirmation unit 30 inside, and after the second ultrasound image is taken following the first ultrasound image and stored in the image memory 24, the confirmation unit 30 displays a confirmation message M, such as the one shown in Figure 4, on the monitor 23 via the display control unit 22. As a result, the user can view the first and second ultrasound images displayed on the monitor 23 and, prompted by the confirmation message M displayed on the monitor 23, confirm whether the first and second ultrasound images were taken of the same location at the same angle. At this time, the user can make the confirmation based on the positional relationship between the cyst and the surrounding tissue structure captured in the first and second ultrasound images, respectively.

[0036] When the user responds to this confirmation message M by entering "Yes," it is determined that the same cyst was photographed at the same angle, and the debris identification unit 25 performs image recognition to extract the contour of the imaged cyst from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, respectively. The extracted cyst contour is highlighted, for example, on the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image displayed on the monitor 23. Various methods can be used for highlighting, such as displaying the cyst contour in a different color, displaying the cyst contour with a thicker line, or displaying an annotation indicating that it is a cyst near the contour.

[0037] In this case, since multiple cysts may be present in the image, for example, as shown in Figure 5, the user can specify a search area R1 that contains the cyst C1 to be diagnosed within the first ultrasound image U1, and the contour of cyst C1 can be extracted by performing image recognition within the search area R1. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, if multiple cysts C11 and C12 are extracted as a result of image recognition on the entire first ultrasound image U1, the system may be configured to allow the user to select one cyst to be diagnosed from among these multiple cysts C11 and C12. Furthermore, the system can be configured to allow users to manually correct contour lines if they determine that the highlighted contour lines on monitor 23 do not accurately represent the cyst's contour.

[0038] Figures 7 and 8 show cyst C1 in the first ultrasound image U1 and cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, with their contours thus highlighted. These first ultrasound image U1 and second ultrasound image U2 were taken under conditions where different external forces were acting on the cyst in the subject's breast, such as by changing the subject's posture. Therefore, even though the same cyst is captured in both the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2, the cyst in one ultrasound image may appear deformed relative to the cyst in the other ultrasound image.

[0039] Therefore, the debris identification unit 25 aligns the cyst between the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2. Here, the alignment includes reducing, expanding, and rotating the cyst. For example, the major axis L1 of cyst C1 in the first ultrasound image U1 shown in Figure 7 is longer than the major axis L2 of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 shown in Figure 8, and is also rotated several degrees clockwise relative to the major axis L2 of cyst C2. Accordingly, for example, as shown in Figure 9, the first ultrasound image U1 is reduced and rotated several degrees counterclockwise to form a modified first ultrasound image U1A. This makes it possible to align cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1 with cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2.

[0040] Alternatively, instead of deforming the first ultrasound image U1 to match the second ultrasound image U2, the second ultrasound image U2 may be deformed so that the cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 is aligned with the cyst C1 in the first ultrasound image U1. Furthermore, as a method for aligning cyst C1 in the first ultrasound image U1 with cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 using the debris identification unit 25, known methods such as morphing techniques described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-120529 can also be used.

[0041] The debris identification unit 25 identifies the debris by performing image recognition on the inside of cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and the inside of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, which are aligned with each other in this manner. The debris consists of an ecogenic composition that reflects ultrasound. Therefore, in the B-mode image, the areas within cysts C1A and C2 where debris is present are depicted with relatively higher brightness compared to areas where debris is absent. For this reason, the debris identification unit 25 can identify the debris by extracting regions within cysts C1A and C2 that have a brightness exceeding a predetermined threshold.

[0042] To identify the cysts and debris mentioned above, image recognition is performed using a judgment model trained with machine learning techniques such as deep learning, template matching, and at least one of the following: image analysis techniques that utilize features such as Adaboost (Adaptive Boosting), SVM (Support Vector Machine), or SIFT (Scale-Invariant Feature Transform). It is possible. The judgment model is a pre-trained model that has learned about cysts and the regions within cysts (segmentation) in training ultrasound images of the breast.

[0043] The debris movement information providing unit 26 of the device body 2 provides information regarding the movement of debris identified by the debris identification unit 25 within cysts C1A and C2, between the first ultrasound image U1A and the second ultrasound image U2, which are aligned relative to each other. Specifically, the debris movement information provision unit 26 displays, for example, as shown in Figure 10, the cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and the cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, which have been identified by the debris identification unit 25, side by side on the monitor 23 via the display control unit 22.

[0044] In Figure 10, cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 are aligned with each other by the debris identification unit 25. The major axis L1A of cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A has the same length and angle with respect to the major axis L2 of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2. Here, the same angle means that the inclination of the major axes L1A and L2 with respect to an arbitrary axis is the same. The arbitrary axis may be, for example, the X-axis extending horizontally. Furthermore, debris D1 and D2, identified by the debris identification unit 25, are shown inside cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, respectively.

[0045] By displaying cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 side-by-side on the monitor 23, the user can easily recognize the movement of debris D1 from cyst C1A to debris D2 in cyst C2 by comparing the first ultrasound image U1A and the second ultrasound image U2 on the monitor 23. In Figure 10, by comparing the first ultrasound image U1A and the second ultrasound image U2 displayed side-by-side on the monitor 23, it is easily confirmed that debris D2 in the second ultrasound image U2 has moved within cyst C2 relative to debris D1 in the first ultrasound image U1A. As a result, the user can recognize that the debris D1 and D2 to be diagnosed have fluidity that allows them to move within cysts C1A and C2 in response to changes in the subject's posture, and that cysts C1A and C2 are so-called complicated cysts.

[0046] The debris movement information provision unit 26 can also highlight debris D1 and D2 so that their movement within cysts C1A and C2 can be more clearly recognized. Various methods can be used for highlighting, such as increasing the brightness of the areas where debris D1 and D2 are located, displaying the areas where debris D1 and D2 are located in a different color from the surrounding areas, or displaying the outlines of debris D1 and D2 with thicker lines or in a different color.

[0047] Furthermore, the debris movement information provision unit 26 may superimpose on the monitor 23 the debris D1 identified within cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and the debris D2 identified within cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, so that the movement of debris D1 and D2 within cysts C1A and C2 can be recognized more clearly.

[0048] In this case, to make the overlapping debris D1 and D2 easier to see, for example, as shown in Figure 11, the contour line of debris D1 extracted from the first ultrasound image U1A can be superimposed on the debris D2 of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2. By observing the overlapping debris D1 and D2, the user can easily confirm that debris D2 is moving fluidly relative to debris D1 and recognize that cysts C1A and C2 are so-called concentrated cysts.

[0049] If, as shown in Figure 12, the outline of debris D1 superimposed on debris D2 of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 does not appear to be substantially moving from debris D2, then the user can recognize that debris D1 and D2 are solid objects that do not have the fluidity to move within cysts C1A and C2 even when the subject's posture changes, and that there is a suspicion of a so-called complex cyst, where a tumor is present within cysts C1A and C2.

[0050] Alternatively, instead of displaying the outline of the debris D1 extracted from the first ultrasound image U1A, the debris movement information provision unit 26 may, as shown in Figure 13, overlay each pixel inside the debris D1 onto the debris D2 of the cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, using a different color from the second ultrasound image U2 and with a predetermined transparency (alpha value).

[0051] The main control unit 27 of the device body 2 shown in Figure 1 controls each part of the device body 2 and the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1 based on a control program or the like that is stored in advance. Although not shown in the diagram, a main unit storage unit is connected to the main unit control unit 27. The main unit storage unit stores control programs and the like. For example, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), SD card (Secure Digital card), SSD (Solid State Drive), etc., can be used as the main unit storage unit.

[0052] The input device 28 is for the user to perform input operations and consists of devices such as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touchpad, and touch sensor placed on top of the monitor 23.

[0053] The processor 29, which includes an image generation unit 21, a display control unit 22, a debris identification unit 25, a debris movement information provision unit 26, and a main unit control unit 27, is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). It consists of a central processing unit (CCU) and control programs that cause the CPU to perform various processes, but FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) (Array), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) It may be constructed using integrated circuits, GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), and other ICs (Integrated Circuits), or a combination thereof.

[0054] Furthermore, the image generation unit 21, display control unit 22, debris identification unit 25, debris movement information provision unit 26, and main unit control unit 27 of the processor 29 can also be partially or entirely integrated into a single CPU or the like.

[0055] Next, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Figure 14. First, in step S1, for example, with the subject in a supine position as the first posture, the image acquisition unit 41 takes an image of the cyst in the subject's breast and acquires a first ultrasound image U1. At this time, under the control of the main unit control unit 27, the transmission and reception of ultrasound is started from multiple transducers of the transducer array 11 according to the drive signal from the pulser 13 of the transmission / reception circuit 12. The ultrasound echo from inside the subject's pharynx is received by multiple transducers of the transducer array 11. The received signal, which is an analog signal, is output to the amplification unit 14 for amplification, and then converted to AD by the AD conversion unit 15 to acquire the received data.

[0056] The beamformer 16 performs reception focus processing on this received data. The resulting sound line signal is sent to the image generation unit 21 of the device body 2, which generates a first ultrasound image U1 representing tomographic image information of the cyst in the subject's breast. At this time, the signal processing unit 31 of the image generation unit 21 performs attenuation correction according to the depth of the ultrasound reflection position and envelope detection processing on the sound line signal. Furthermore, the DSC 32 converts it into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal. In addition, the image processing unit 33 performs various necessary image processing such as gradation processing. The first ultrasound image U1 generated by the image generation unit 21 is displayed on the monitor 23 via the display control unit 22 and stored in the image memory 24.

[0057] Next, in step S2, the subject's posture is changed, for example, when the subject assumes a second posture, either lying on their side, the image acquisition unit 41 again images the cyst in the subject's breast, and a second ultrasound image U2 is acquired. At this time, because the subject's posture has been changed, a different external force (gravity) is acting on the cyst in the subject's breast than when the first ultrasound image U1 was taken, and the second ultrasound image U2 is acquired under these conditions. Furthermore, the second ultrasound image U2 is acquired by imaging the cyst in the subject's breast from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image U1 was taken.

[0058] Furthermore, the subject's posture during the acquisition of the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 is not limited to supine and lateral recumbent positions; it is sufficient if the subject is in different positions, such as sitting and lying down, as long as two images, the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2, are acquired. Alternatively, by maintaining the subject's posture constant and keeping the position and angle of the ultrasound probe 1 relative to the subject's breast constant, only the contact pressure of the ultrasound probe 1 may be changed to apply different external forces to the breast cyst and obtain a first ultrasound image U1 and a second ultrasound image U2.

[0059] The second ultrasound image U2 is generated by the image generation unit 21 of the device body 2 in the same manner as the first ultrasound image U1, and is displayed on the monitor 23 via the display control unit 22 and stored in the image memory 24.

[0060] Once the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 are stored in the image memory 24, in step S3, the confirmation unit 30 of the debris identification unit 25 displays a confirmation message M, such as "Are the same area photographed at the same angle?", on the monitor 23 via the display control unit 22, as shown in Figure 4. This prompts the user to confirm whether the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 were taken of the same area of ​​the subject's breast at the same angle.

[0061] If, after verification, the user determines that the second ultrasound image U2 is not taken from the same location as the first ultrasound image U1, or that it is the same location but taken from a different angle, and responds to the confirmation message M by entering "No", then the acquisition of the second ultrasound image U2 in step S2 will be performed again. Alternatively, the process can be restarted from the acquisition of the first ultrasound image U1 in step S1.

[0062] When the user responds to the confirmation message M by entering "Yes", in step S4, the debris identification unit 25 identifies cysts from the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 by performing image recognition. At this time, as shown in Figure 5, the user can specify a search area R1 within the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2, and the contour of the cyst can be extracted by performing image recognition within the search area R1. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, if multiple cysts are extracted as a result of image recognition on the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2, the user may select one cyst to be diagnosed from among these multiple cysts.

[0063] The cyst C1 in the first ultrasound image U1 and the cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, identified by the debris identification unit 25, are displayed on the monitor 23 with their contour lines highlighted, for example, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0064] In step S5, the debris identification unit 25 further aligns cysts C1 and C2 between the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2. As a result, as shown in Figure 9, a first ultrasound image U1A is formed which has cyst C1A aligned with cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2. The major axis L1A of cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A has the same length and angle as the major axis L2 of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2. Alternatively, instead of forming a first ultrasound image U1A having a cyst C1A aligned with cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, the second ultrasound image U2 may be modified so that cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 is aligned with cyst C1 in the first ultrasound image U1.

[0065] In the subsequent step S6, the debris identification unit 25 identifies the debris by performing image recognition on the inside of cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and the inside of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2. Specifically, the debris identification unit 25 identifies debris D1 in the first ultrasound image U1A and debris D2 in the second ultrasound image U2.

[0066] In this way, once the debris D1 and D2 in the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 are identified, in step S7, the debris movement information providing unit 26 displays the cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A where debris D1 was identified and the cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 where debris D2 was identified, side by side on the monitor 23 via the display control unit 22, as debris movement information, as shown in Figure 10.

[0067] Since cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2 are already aligned with each other in step S5, by displaying these first ultrasound image U1A and second ultrasound image U2 side by side on the monitor 23, the user can easily and intuitively recognize the movement from debris D1 in cyst C1A to debris D2 in cyst C2 by comparing the first ultrasound image U1A and second ultrasound image U2 on the monitor 23.

[0068] Instead of displaying cyst C1A of the first ultrasound image U1A and cyst C2 of the second ultrasound image U2 side-by-side on the monitor 23, the debris movement information provision unit 26 can also superimpose the contour line of debris D1 extracted from the first ultrasound image U1A onto the debris D2 of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, as shown in Figure 11. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 13, the debris movement information provision unit 26 may superimpose each pixel inside the debris D1 onto the debris D2 of cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, colored and with a predetermined transparency.

[0069] When comparing the first ultrasound image U1A with the second ultrasound image U2, for example, as shown in Figures 10, 11, and 13, if it is observed that debris D1 in the first ultrasound image U1A moved within cyst C1A and reached debris D2 in cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, then debris D1 and D2 have the fluidity to move within cysts C1A and C2 in response to changes in the subject's posture, and cysts C1A and C2 can be recognized as so-called concentrated cysts.

[0070] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 12, if debris D1 in the first ultrasound image U1A and debris D2 in the second ultrasound image U2 are not observed to be substantially moving relative to each other, then it can be recognized that debris D1 and D2 are solid objects that do not have fluidity, and that there is a suspicion of a so-called mixed mass in which tumors are present within cysts C1A and C2.

[0071] Thus, with the ultrasound diagnostic device of Embodiment 1, the movement of debris D1 and D2 within cysts C1A and C2 can be easily recognized, enabling more accurate diagnosis.

[0072] Embodiment 2 Figure 15 shows the internal configuration of the debris identification unit 25A in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 2. The debris identification unit 25A is the same as the debris identification unit 25 used in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1, but has the same determination unit 42 instead of the confirmation unit 30. In the first embodiment of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus shown in Figure 1, a debris identification unit 25A can be used instead of the debris identification unit 25.

[0073] The same determination unit 42 automatically determines whether the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 are images of the same cyst by performing image recognition on each of them. Specifically, as shown in Figure 16, for example, the same determination unit 42 detects edges from the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2, respectively, and determines the motion vector V of the movement of a sample point P1 on the edge of the first ultrasound image U1 to a sample point P2 on the edge of the second ultrasound image U2. If this motion vector V falls within an acceptable range, it can be determined that the same cyst has been imaged.

[0074] Alternatively, the same determination unit 42 can determine whether the same cyst has been imaged using a trained determination model that takes the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 as input. The determination model is a model trained using machine learning techniques such as deep learning. Specifically, the determination model uses training ultrasound images taken of the cysts in the subject's breast with the subject's posture changed, and the presence or absence of identity of the cysts in the training ultrasound images as training data. More specifically, the determination model is a trained model that has learned multiple training data regarding the relationship between the training ultrasound images and the presence or absence of identity of the cysts in these training ultrasound images.

[0075] Because the debris identification unit 25A has such a determination unit 42, it becomes possible to determine more accurately whether the first ultrasound image U1 and the second ultrasound image U2 are imaging the same cyst, without displaying a confirmation message M as shown in Figure 4 on the monitor 23.

[0076] Embodiment 3 Figure 17 shows the internal configuration of the debris movement information provision unit 26A in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 3. The debris movement information provision unit 26A is the same as the debris movement information provision unit 26 used in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1, but has a debris movement determination unit 43 inside. In the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of Embodiment 1 shown in Figure 1, a debris movement information providing unit 26A can be used instead of the debris movement information providing unit 26.

[0077] The debris movement determination unit 43 performs image recognition on the first ultrasound image U1A and the second ultrasound image U2, which have been aligned by the debris identification unit 25. The unit calculates the amount of movement from debris D1 in cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A to debris D2 in cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, and automatically determines whether or not debris D1 and D2 have substantially moved within cysts C1A and C2 based on the calculated amount of movement of debris D1 and D2. Furthermore, the amount of movement of debris D1 and D2 can be measured using, for example, the amount of movement of the center of gravity coordinates of debris D1 and D2.

[0078] The debris movement determination unit 43 compares the calculated movement amounts of debris D1 and D2 with a predetermined threshold. If the movement amount exceeds the threshold, it determines that there has been substantial movement and displays a message indicating that there has been substantial movement on the monitor 23. On the other hand, if the calculated movement amounts of debris D1 and D2 are less than or equal to the threshold, it determines that there has been no substantial movement and displays a message indicating that there has been no substantial movement on the monitor 23. The user can immediately recognize the movement of debris D1 and D2 based on the judgment results displayed on monitor 23.

[0079] Furthermore, the determination result by the debris movement determination unit 43 can be displayed on the monitor 23 in addition to the debris movement information consisting of a side-by-side display of cyst C1A in the first ultrasound image U1A and cyst C2 in the second ultrasound image U2, or a superimposed display of debris D1 and D2, as in Embodiment 1. Alternatively, the debris movement information provision unit 26A can provide only the determination result by the debris movement determination unit 43 as debris movement information and display it on the monitor 23.

[0080] In the embodiments 1-3 described above, debris from cysts (mammary gland cysts) formed in the subject's breast was explained. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be similarly applied to debris from cysts formed in locations other than the breast, such as debris from cysts (thyroid cysts) formed in the thyroid gland.

[0081] The method of connecting the ultrasonic probe 1 and the device body 2 in the above embodiments 1-3 is not particularly limited and may be a wired connection or a wireless connection. In the embodiments 1-3 described above, the ultrasonic probe 1 has a transmitting / receiving circuit 12, but the device body 2 can also be configured to have the transmitting / receiving circuit 12. Also, although the device body 2 has an image generation unit 21, the ultrasonic probe 1 may also have an image generation unit 21. Furthermore, of the signal processing unit 31, DSC 32, and image processing unit 33 that constitute the image generation unit 21 shown in Figure 3, the ultrasonic probe 1 may have only the signal processing unit 31, and the device body 2 may have the DSC 32 and image processing unit 33. Furthermore, the device body 2 in Embodiments 1-3 can be a portable or handheld compact device body, or a stationary device body. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0082] 1 Ultrasound probe, 2 Main unit, 11 Transducer array, 12 Transmit / receive circuit, 13 Pulsar, 14 Amplifier unit, 15 AD converter unit, 16 Beamformer, 21 Image generation unit, 22 Display control unit, 23 Monitor, 24 Image memory, 25, 25A Debris identification unit, 26, 26A Debris movement information provision unit, 27 Main unit control unit, 28 Input device, 29 Processor, 30 Confirmation unit, 31 Signal processing unit, 32 DSC, 33 Image processing unit, 41 Image acquisition unit, 42 Identical determination unit, 43 Debris movement determination unit, U1 First ultrasound image, U2 Second ultrasound image, C1, C1A, C11, C12, C2 Cyst, R1 Search area, L1, L1A, L2 Major axis, D1, D2 Debris, P1, P2 Sample point, V Motion vector.

Claims

1. An image acquisition unit that acquires an ultrasound image of the cyst of the subject by transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves to the subject, A monitor that displays the ultrasound image, A debris identification unit identifies debris within the cyst based on a first ultrasound image acquired by the image acquisition unit while the subject is in a first posture, and a second ultrasound image acquired by the image acquisition unit after or while the subject is in a second posture different from the first posture, and the cyst is being imaged from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image was taken. Between the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, a debris movement information providing unit provides information regarding the movement of the debris identified by the debris identification unit within the cyst. Equipped with Ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the debris identification unit identifies the cyst from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, respectively, and identifies the debris within the identified cyst.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the debris identification unit identifies the debris while aligning the cyst identified from the first ultrasound image with the cyst identified from the second ultrasound image.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the debris identification unit includes a confirmation unit that issues a message to the user confirming that the second ultrasound image is an image of the cyst from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image was taken.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the debris identification unit includes a determination unit that determines that the same cyst has been imaged by image recognition of the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, respectively.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the same determination unit detects edges from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, determines the motion vector of the edge moving between the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, and determines that the same cyst is being imaged if the motion vector falls within an acceptable range.

7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the same determination unit determines that the same cyst has been imaged using a trained determination model that takes the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image as input.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein the debris movement information providing unit displays the cyst in the first ultrasound image and the cyst in the second ultrasound image, which have been aligned with each other by the debris identification unit, on the monitor.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the debris movement information providing unit displays the cyst in the first ultrasound image and the cyst in the second ultrasound image side by side on the monitor.

10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the debris movement information providing unit superimposes the cyst in the first ultrasound image and the cyst in the second ultrasound image onto the monitor.

11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 10, wherein the debris movement information providing unit includes a debris movement determination unit that determines whether the amount of debris movement within the cyst between the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image exceeds a threshold value by image recognition of the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, and displays the determination result on the monitor.

12. A first ultrasound image is obtained of the cyst of the subject while the subject is in a first posture, The ultrasound image is displayed on the monitor, After or while the subject assumes a second posture different from the first posture, a second ultrasound image is acquired of the cyst, which is affected by gravity different from the time the first ultrasound image was taken, and the cyst is being imaged from the same direction as when the first ultrasound image was taken. The debris within the cyst is identified from the first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image, respectively. The first ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image are used to provide information regarding the movement of the debris within the cyst. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device.

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