Ultrasound diagnostic device and control method for ultrasound diagnostic device

Abstract

To provide a control method of an ultrasonic diagnostic device enabling a user to diagnose easily and accurately, and to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic device.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic diagnostic device includes a monitor (23), a detection object detection part (24) for detecting a detection object imaged on an ultrasonogram, a region-of-interest setting part (25) for setting a region of interest including the detection object detected by the detection object detection part (24) on the ultrasonogram, and a region-of-interest suggestion line display part (26) for displaying, on the monitor (23), a region-of-interest suggestion line comprising only a part of a contour line of the region of interest set by the region-of-interest setting part (25).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that sets a region of interest in an ultrasonic image and a control method for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, ultrasonic images representing tomographic layers inside a subject are acquired using so-called ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses, and examinations of the subject are performed by users such as doctors based on the acquired ultrasonic images. To enable users to smoothly perform such examinations of the subject, technologies for automatically detecting or measuring target objects such as organs of the subject captured in ultrasonic images are known. In this case, in order to limit the range for performing processing such as automatic detection or measurement and smoothly carry out the processing, a so-called region of interest is sometimes set in the ultrasonic image. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses setting a rectangular region of interest in an ultrasonic image to limit the range for detecting a detection target. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 039028 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when a user such as a doctor makes a diagnosis by checking a detection target captured in an ultrasonic image, a region of interest including the detection target in the ultrasonic image is sometimes displayed on a monitor so that the detection target can be easily checked. The region of interest is usually often displayed as a closed rectangular border.

[0005] Furthermore, when the target of detection is stool or cysts located in the rectum, it is known that in order to make an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to check not only the target of detection but also whether so-called posterior acoustic shadows exist in areas deeper than the target of detection, or whether so-called posterior echoes are enhanced. Therefore, when the region of interest is displayed with a closed rectangular frame, it can be difficult for the user to see areas located deeper than the target of detection in the ultrasound image, making it difficult to easily make an accurate diagnosis.

[0006] This invention was made to solve the problems of the past, and aims to provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a control method for the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that allow users to perform diagnoses easily and accurately. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above objective can be achieved with the following configuration. [1] Monitor and, A detection unit that detects the target object captured in the ultrasound image, A region of interest setting unit sets a region of interest on the ultrasound image that includes the detection target detected by the detection target detection unit, The region of interest indication line display unit displays on the monitor a region of interest indication line consisting of only a portion of the contour line of the region of interest set by the region of interest setting unit. An ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with the following features. [2] The region of interest indication line is the line obtained by removing the portion of the contour line of the region of interest that is located deeper than the object to be detected. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as described in [1]. [3] The region of interest has a quadrilateral shape, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus described in [1], in which the region of interest indication line consists of four parts positioned at the four vertices of a rectangle. [4] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to [3], wherein the quadrilateral has rounded corners at the positions of each of its four vertices. [5] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to [1], wherein the region of interest indication line consists of the portion of the contour line of the region of interest that is located shallower than the object to be detected. [6] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein the region of interest has two sides that are along the sound line in the ultrasound image and are opposite to each other. [7] The ultrasound diagnostic device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the object to be detected is stool. [8] The detection target is the B line in lung ultrasound, an ultrasound diagnostic device as described in any of [1] to [5]. [9] The target of detection is a cyst, and the ultrasound diagnostic device is one of the devices described in [1] to [5].

[10] Equipped with an input device that accepts user input operations, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of [1] to [9], wherein the region of interest setting unit sets a region of interest having at least one of a shape and size determined based on user input operations via an input device.

[11] Ultrasound probe and, An image acquisition unit that acquires ultrasound images using an ultrasound probe, and An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of [1] to

[10] , comprising:

[12] Detect the target object captured in the ultrasound image, The region of interest, including the detected object, is set on the ultrasound image. The monitor displays an indication of the region of interest, consisting of only a portion of the contour line of the region of interest. A method for controlling an ultrasound diagnostic device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a monitor, a detection target detection unit that detects a detection target captured in the ultrasound image, a region of interest setting unit that sets a region of interest including the detection target detected by the detection target detection unit on the ultrasound image, and a region of interest suggestion line display unit that displays a region of interest suggestion line consisting of only a part of the contour line of the region of interest set by the region of interest setting unit on the monitor, so that the user can easily and accurately perform a diagnosis. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1]Block diagram illustrating the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Block diagram illustrating the configuration of a transmission / reception circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] Block diagram illustrating the configuration of an image generation unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Diagram illustrating the outline of a detection target. [Figure 5] Diagram illustrating an image region including a detection target. [Figure 6] Diagram illustrating an example of a region of interest set for a stool that appears in an ultrasound image. [Figure 7] Diagram illustrating a first example of a region-of-interest suggestion line according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] Diagram illustrating an example of a region-of-interest suggestion line set for a B-line according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] Flowchart illustrating the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] Diagram illustrating a second example of a region-of-interest suggestion line according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] Diagram illustrating a third example of a region-of-interest suggestion line according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] Diagram illustrating a fourth example of a region-of-interest suggestion line according to an embodiment of the present invention. Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description of the structural requirements is based on representative embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to such embodiments. In the present specification, a numerical range expressed using "~" means a range including the numerical values described before and after "~" as the lower limit and the upper limit. In the present specification, the terms "identical" and "same" include a generally acceptable error range in the technical field.

[0011] Embodiment Figure 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasound diagnostic device comprises an ultrasound probe 1 and a device body 2 connected to the ultrasound probe 1.

[0012] The ultrasonic probe 1 has a transducer array 11. A transmitting and receiving circuit 12 is connected to the transducer array 11.

[0013] The main unit 2 of the device has an image generation unit 21 connected to the transmitting and receiving circuit 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1. The display control unit 22 and the monitor 23 are sequentially connected to the image generation unit 21. The detection target detection unit 24, the region of interest setting unit 25, and the region of interest suggestion line display unit 26 are also sequentially connected to the image generation unit 21. The region of interest suggestion line display unit 26 is connected to the display control unit 22. The main unit control unit 27 is connected to the transmitting and receiving circuit 12, the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the detection target detection unit 24, the region of interest setting unit 25, and the region of interest suggestion line display unit 26. The input device 28 is connected to the main unit control unit 27.

[0014] Furthermore, the image acquisition unit 31 is composed of the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 and the image generation unit 21. In addition, the processor 32 for the main body of the device 2 is composed of the image generation unit 21, the display control unit 22, the detection target detection unit 24, the region of interest setting unit 25, the region of interest suggestion line display unit 26, and the main body control unit 27.

[0015] The transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in one or two dimensions. Each of these ultrasonic transducers transmits ultrasound according to a drive signal supplied from the transmitting / receiving circuit 12, and also receives ultrasonic echoes from the subject and outputs a signal based on the ultrasonic echoes. Each ultrasonic transducer is constructed by forming electrodes at both ends of a piezoelectric body made of, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by PVDF (Poly Vinylidene Di Fluoride), or a piezoelectric single crystal represented by PMN-PT (Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate).

[0016] 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 includes a pulser 41 connected to the transducer array 11, and an amplifier 42, an AD (Analog to Digital) converter 43, and a beamformer 44 connected sequentially in series from the transducer array 11.

[0017] The pulser 41 includes, for example, multiple pulse generators, and based on a transmission delay pattern selected according to a control signal from the main unit control 27, it supplies each drive signal to the multiple ultrasonic transducers of the transducer array 11, adjusting the delay amount, so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the transducers form an ultrasonic beam. In this way, when a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of the ultrasonic transducers of the transducer array 11, the piezoelectric material expands and contracts, generating pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves from each ultrasonic transducer, and an ultrasonic beam is formed from the combined wave of these ultrasonic waves.

[0018] The transmitted ultrasonic beam is reflected from a target, such as a part of the subject, and propagates toward the transducer array 11 of the ultrasonic probe 1. The ultrasonic echo propagating toward the transducer array 11 is received by each ultrasonic transducer that makes up the transducer array 11. At this time, each ultrasonic transducer that makes up the transducer array 11 expands and contracts upon receiving the propagating ultrasonic echo, generating a received signal which is an electrical signal, and outputs these received signals to the amplification unit 42.

[0019] The amplification unit 42 amplifies the signals input from each ultrasonic transducer constituting the transducer array 11 and transmits the amplified signals to the AD conversion unit 43. The AD conversion unit 43 converts the signals transmitted from the amplification unit 42 into digital received data. The beamformer 44 performs so-called receive focus processing by adding each received data received from the AD conversion unit 43 with a corresponding delay. Through this receive focus processing, each received data converted by the AD conversion unit 43 is phase-corrected and added together, and a sound ray signal with a focused ultrasonic echo is obtained.

[0020] As shown in Figure 3, the image generation unit 21 has a configuration in which a signal processing unit 45, a DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 46, and an image processing unit 47 are connected in series in sequence.

[0021] The signal processing unit 45 receives the sound line signal from the transmitting / receiving circuit 12, corrects for attenuation due to distance according to the depth of the ultrasonic reflection position using the sound velocity value set by the main unit control unit 27, and then performs envelope detection processing to generate a B-mode image signal, which is tomographic image information of the tissue within the subject.

[0022] The DSC46 converts the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 45 into an image signal that follows the scanning method of a normal television signal (raster conversion). The image processing unit 47 performs various necessary image processing, such as gradation processing, on the B-mode image signal input from the DSC 46, and then sends the B-mode image signal to the display control unit 22 and the detection target detection unit 24. Hereafter, the B-mode image signal processed by the image processing unit 47 will be referred to as an ultrasonic image.

[0023] The display control unit 22, under the control of the main unit control unit 27, performs predetermined processing on the ultrasound image etc. generated by the image generation unit 21 and displays it on the monitor 23. The monitor 23 displays various information under the control of the display control unit 22. The monitor 23 may include, for example, a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL display (Organic Electroluminescence Display).

[0024] The detection target detection unit 24 detects the detection target captured in the ultrasound image by analyzing the ultrasound image generated by the image generation unit 21. The detection target detection unit 24 stores, for example, multiple template images for each of multiple detection targets, and can detect the detection target by searching within the ultrasound image using a so-called template matching method with these multiple template images. In addition, the detection target detection unit 24 can also have a machine learning model that has learned from a large number of ultrasound images in which each of multiple detection targets is captured, and can use this machine learning model to detect the detection target captured in the ultrasound image.

[0025] The detection target detection unit 24 can output the contour line C of the detection target A in the ultrasound image U as a detection result, for example, as shown in Figure 4.

[0026] Instead of outputting the contour line C of the target A as the detection result, the detection target detection unit 24 can also output a rectangular image region B containing the target A as the detection result, as shown in Figure 5, for example. In this case, in order to accurately determine the position of the target A in the depth direction, it is preferable that the length of the image region B in the depth direction is at least 1 and less than 2 times the length of the target A in the depth direction.

[0027] The region of interest setting unit 25 sets a region of interest R on the ultrasound image U, which includes the detection target A detected by the detection target detection unit 24, for example, as shown in Figure 6.

[0028] When the detection target detection unit 24 outputs the contour line C of the detection target A, the region of interest setting unit 25 can set a region of interest R by, for example, setting a rectangular region that includes and circumscribes the contour line C, and then, while keeping the position of the centroid of the rectangular region fixed, enlarging the rectangular region by a magnification of 1x or more and less than 2x, for example, 1.2x.

[0029] Furthermore, the region of interest setting unit 25 can set the image region B, which includes the detection target A2, as the region of interest R when the detection target detection unit 24 outputs an image region B that includes the detection target A2 instead of the contour line C of the detection target A.

[0030] The region of interest indication line display unit 26 displays a region of interest indication line L on the monitor 23, which consists of only a portion of the contour line Q of the region of interest R set by the region of interest setting unit 25, as shown in Figure 7, for example. Here, the contour line Q of the region of interest R refers to a closed frame line along the contour of the region of interest R. In the example in Figure 7, the contour line Q of the region of interest R is a rectangular frame line along the contour of the rectangular region of interest R.

[0031] The region of interest indication line display unit 26 can, for example, as shown in Figure 7, display a line L as a region of interest indication line, which is the contour line Q of the region of interest Q excluding the portion located deeper than the detection target A.

[0032] Incidentally, depending on the type of detection target A, it may be necessary to check for so-called posterior echoes in order to make a diagnosis regarding detection target A. For example, when diagnosing stool present in the rectum of a subject, it is known that it is necessary to check for posterior echoes of the stool to determine whether or not so-called posterior acoustic shadows exist in a region deeper than the stool. A posterior acoustic shadow refers to a low-intensity region located deeper than detection target A in the ultrasound image U, due to the inability of ultrasound waves propagating from the surface of the subject's body to pass through detection target A such as stool. Posterior acoustic shadows often occur in ultrasound images U of hard stool and are frequently checked to determine the characteristics of the stool, i.e., its hardness.

[0033] In the embodiment of the present invention, the region of interest suggestion line L displayed on the monitor 23 by the region of interest suggestion line display unit 26 is composed of a line consisting of only a part of the contour line Q of the region of interest R, for example, the part of the contour line Q that is located deeper than the detection target A has been removed. As a result, users such as doctors can clearly confirm the posterior echo of the detection target A, such as a posterior acoustic shadow, and easily and accurately make a diagnosis regarding the detection target A.

[0034] In addition to stool, other examples of detection targets A that require confirmation of posterior echo include cysts. Generally, it is known that posterior echo enhancement may occur in ultrasound images U in which cysts are captured. Posterior echo enhancement refers to a high-intensity region located deeper than detection target A, such as a cyst, where ultrasound attenuation is less pronounced, in the ultrasound image U. Thus, even when the posterior echo of detection target A is enhanced, the region of interest suggestion line L is composed of only a portion of the contour line Q of the region of interest R, allowing the user to clearly confirm the posterior echo enhancement and easily and accurately diagnose detection target A.

[0035] Furthermore, in an ultrasound image U in which a so-called B-line is captured in a lung ultrasound, if the region of interest R of the B-line is displayed by, for example, a closed frame surrounding the location of the B-line, it may be difficult for the user to confirm the continuity of the B-line. Also, if the region of interest R of the B-line is displayed by a closed frame surrounding the entire B-line, the display range of the frame becomes wide, which may make it difficult for the user to view the ultrasound image U. As shown in Figure 8, even when the detected target A is a B-line, the region of interest indication line display unit 26 makes the region of interest indication line L consist of only a part of the contour line Q of the region of interest R, so that the user can clearly confirm the B-line and easily and accurately make a diagnosis regarding the lung ultrasound.

[0036] The main unit control unit 27 controls each part of the main unit 2 and the ultrasonic probe 1 according to a pre-recorded program or the like. The input device 28 receives input operations from the inspector and sends the input information to the main unit control unit 27. The input device 28 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touchpad, and touch panel, or other devices for the inspector to perform input operations.

[0037] The processor 32, which includes an image generation unit 21, a display control unit 22, a detection target detection unit 24, a region of interest setting unit 25, a region of interest suggestion line display unit 26, and a main unit control unit 27, is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a control program for causing the CPU to perform various processes. However, it may also be composed of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or other ICs (Integrated Circuits), or a combination thereof.

[0038] Furthermore, the image generation unit 21, display control unit 22, detection target detection unit 24, region of interest setting unit 25, region of interest suggestion line display unit 26, and main unit control unit 27 of the processor 32 can also be partially or entirely integrated into a single CPU or the like.

[0039] Next, an example of the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic device according to the embodiment will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 9.

[0040] First, in step S1, the image acquisition unit 31 acquires an ultrasound image U. At this time, the transducer array 11 of the ultrasound probe 1 transmits an ultrasound beam into the subject and an ultrasound echo is received from within the subject, generating a received signal. The transmitting / receiving circuit 12 of the image acquisition unit 31 performs a so-called received focus process on the received signal under the control of the main unit control 27 to generate an acoustic ray signal. The acoustic ray signal generated by the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 is sent to the image generation unit 21. The image generation unit 21 generates an ultrasound image U using the acoustic ray signal sent from the transmitting / receiving circuit 12.

[0041] Next, in step S2, the detection target detection unit 24 detects the detection target A that appears in the ultrasound image U by analyzing the ultrasound image U acquired in step S1. At this time, the detection target detection unit 24 can detect the detection target A by template matching, or it can detect the detection target by a machine learning model that has been trained on a large number of ultrasound images U in which the detection target appears.

[0042] In step S3, the region of interest setting unit 25 sets a region of interest R on the ultrasound image U, which includes the detection target A detected in step S2, as shown in Figure 6, for example. At this time, the region of interest setting unit 25 can set the length of the region of interest R in the depth direction to be at least 1 and less than 2 times the length of the detection target A in the depth direction, so that the user can clearly understand the position of the detection target A in the depth direction.

[0043] Finally, in step S4, the region of interest indication line display unit 26 displays a region of interest indication line K on the monitor 23, which consists of only a portion of the contour line Q of the region of interest R set in step S3, as shown in Figure 7, for example. This allows users such as physicians to clearly confirm images extending into the depths of the ultrasound image U, which are useful in diagnosing a subject, such as posterior acoustic shadows, posterior echo enhancement, and B-lines, without being obstructed by the region of interest indication line L, and to easily and accurately diagnose the subject.

[0044] Once the process in step S4 is completed, the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic device according to the flowchart in Figure 9 is complete.

[0045] As described above, according to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the detection target detection unit 24 detects the detection target A captured in the ultrasound image U, the region of interest setting unit 25 sets the region of interest R including the detection target A on the ultrasound image U, and the region of interest suggestion line display unit 26 displays the region of interest suggestion line L, which consists of only a part of the contour line Q of the region of interest R, on the monitor 23. Therefore, even when images useful for diagnosing a subject, such as posterior acoustic shadows, posterior echo enhancement, and B lines, occur, the user can clearly confirm these images and easily and accurately diagnose the subject.

[0046] Although it is explained that the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 is provided in the ultrasonic probe 1, the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 may also be provided in the main body of the device 2. Furthermore, although it is explained that the image generation unit 21 is provided in the main body 2 of the device, the image generation unit 21 may also be provided in the ultrasonic probe 1.

[0047] Furthermore, the main unit 2 of the device may be a so-called stationary type, a portable type that is easy to carry, or a so-called handheld type, which may consist of a smartphone or tablet computer, for example. Thus, the type of equipment that makes up the main unit 2 is not particularly limited.

[0048] Furthermore, the main unit 2 of the device may also include an image memory (not shown) for storing the ultrasound images U generated by the image generation unit 21 for each examination. In this case, for example, based on user instructions via the input device 28, the processing of steps S2 to S4 in the flowchart of Figure 9 can be performed on ultrasound images U acquired in past examinations and stored in the image memory.

[0049] Furthermore, the main unit 2 of the device may also include an image input unit (not shown) for inputting an ultrasound image U from an external device (not shown). In this case, for example, based on user instructions via the input device 28, the ultrasound image U input from the external device via the image input unit can be processed according to steps S2 to S4 in the flowchart of Figure 9.

[0050] Furthermore, it has been explained that the region of interest indication line display unit 26 can display the line obtained by excluding the portion of the contour line Q of the region of interest R that is located deeper than the detection target A on the monitor 23 as the region of interest indication line L, but the form of the region of interest indication line L is not particularly limited to this.

[0051] For example, as shown in Figure 10, the region of interest suggestion line L can also consist of the portion of the contour line Q of the region of interest R that is located shallower than the detection target A.

[0052] Furthermore, if the region of interest R has a quadrilateral shape, the region of interest suggestion line L can also consist of four parts positioned at the four vertices of the quadrilateral, as shown in Figure 11, for example. Although Figure 11 shows that the region of interest R is rectangular, even if the shape of the region of interest R is a quadrilateral other than a rectangle, such as a trapezoid, the region of interest suggestion line L can still consist of four parts positioned at the four vertices of the quadrilateral.

[0053] Here, the quadrilateral may be a quadrilateral with right-angled corners at the positions of its four vertices, or a so-called rounded quadrilateral with rounded corners due to a certain curvature. For example, when multiple detection targets A are set, such as an empty rectum and feces, a quadrilateral with right-angled corners can be set as the region of interest R for the empty rectum, and a rounded quadrilateral can be set as the region of interest R for the feces. In this case, for example, a region of interest suggestion line L consisting of four right-angled corners can be set for the empty rectum, and a region of interest suggestion line L consisting of four rounded corners can be set for the feces. This allows the user to check the shape of the region of interest suggestion line L and understand the type of detection target A for which the region of interest R has been set.

[0054] Furthermore, although it has been explained that the region of interest R set by the region of interest setting unit 25 is rectangular, it is not limited to a rectangle and can have any shape such as a circle or polygon.

[0055] For example, as shown in Figure 12, the region of interest R can have two sides E1 and E2 that are along the sound ray lines of the ultrasound image U and are opposite to each other. Since images such as the posterior acoustic shadow, enhanced posterior echo, and B-line are usually formed along the sound ray lines, having two sides E1 and E2 that extend along the sound ray lines of the region of interest R prevents the region of interest suggestion line L from overlapping with images such as the posterior acoustic shadow, enhanced posterior echo, and B-line, allowing the user to see these images more clearly.

[0056] Furthermore, the shape and size of the region of interest R can also be determined, for example, based on user input via the input device 28. In this case, the region of interest setting unit 25 can set a region of interest R having at least one of the shape and size determined based on user input via the input device 28 on the ultrasound image U.

[0057] Furthermore, while it has been explained that the detection target detection unit 24 detects the detection target A by analyzing the ultrasound image U generated by the image generation unit 21, the detection target detection unit 24 can also detect the detection target A by analyzing the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 45, for example. In this case, the region of interest setting unit 25 can set a region of interest R for the B-mode image signal generated by the signal processing unit 45.

[0058] When the B-mode image signal with the region of interest R set in this manner undergoes processing by the DSC 46 and the image processing unit 47, the region of interest R set in the B-mode image signal is converted into a shape along the sound line as shown in Figure 12. Even when the region of interest R is set in this manner, the region of interest indication line display unit 26 displays a region of interest indication line L consisting of only a part of the contour line Q of the region of interest R on the monitor 23. Therefore, even when images useful for diagnosing a subject, such as rear acoustic shadows, rear echo enhancement, and B lines, occur, the user can clearly confirm these images and easily and accurately diagnose the subject. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0059] 1 Ultrasonic probe, 2 Main unit, 11 Transducer array, 12 Transmit / receive circuit, 21 Image generation unit, 22 Display control unit, 23 Monitor, 24 Detection target detection unit, 25 Region of interest setting unit, 26 Region of interest indication line display unit, 27 Main unit control unit, 28 Input device, 31 Image acquisition unit, 32 Processor, 41 Pulsar, 42 Amplifier unit, 43 AD conversion unit, 44 Beamformer, 45 Signal processing unit, 46 DSC, 47 Image processing unit, A Detection target, B Image region, C, Q Contour lines, E1, E2 Sides, L Region of interest indication lines, R Region of interest, U Ultrasonic image.

Claims

1. Monitor and, A detection unit that detects the target object captured in the ultrasound image, A region of interest setting unit sets a region of interest on the ultrasound image that includes the detection target detected by the detection target detection unit, The system includes a region of interest suggestion line display unit that displays on the monitor a region of interest suggestion line consisting only of a portion of the contour line of the region of interest set by the region of interest setting unit, When multiple detection targets of different types are detected by the detection target detection unit, the region of interest setting unit sets a rectangular region of interest for each detection target, having corners of a shape corresponding to the type, and the region of interest suggestion line display unit displays a region of interest suggestion line, consisting of portions along the corners, on the monitor for each detection target.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the line indicating the region of interest is the line obtained by excluding the portion of the contour line of the region of interest that is located deeper than the object to be detected.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region of interest indication line consists of four parts positioned at the four vertices of the rectangle.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the quadrilateral has rounded corners at the positions of each of the four vertices.

5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the region of interest suggestion line comprises a portion of the contour line of the region of interest that is located shallower than the object to be detected.

6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the region of interest has two sides that are along the sound line in the ultrasound image and are opposite to each other.

7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the object to be detected is stool.

8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the detection target is the B-line in lung ultrasound.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the object to be detected is a cyst.

10. Equipped with an input device that accepts user input operations, The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the region of interest setting unit sets the region of interest having at least one of a shape and size determined based on the user's input operation via the input device.

11. Ultrasound probe and An image acquisition unit that acquires the ultrasound image using the ultrasound probe. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

12. The target object is detected in the ultrasound image, A region of interest including the detected object is set on the ultrasound image. A line indicating the region of interest, consisting of only a portion of the contour line of the region of interest, is displayed on the monitor. A control method for an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, in which, when multiple detection targets of different types are detected, a rectangular region of interest having corners of a shape corresponding to the type is set for each detection target, and a region of interest indication line consisting of the portion along the corners is displayed on the monitor for each detection target.

Images