Cavitation-based focused ultrasound therapy monitoring device and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cavitation-based focused ultrasound therapy monitoring method. The cavitation-based focused ultrasound therapy monitoring method may comprise the steps of: acquiring first image data of a target region from an imaging transducer; acquiring, from the first image data, a plurality of rank data on the basis of a filtering technique for classifying a time-varying image according to at least one of static characteristics and dynamic characteristics; and generating second image data by using rank data, from among the plurality of rank data, that reflects at least one of a dynamic change, a focused ultrasound interference signal, and a cavitation change at a focal point caused by the acoustic pressure of focused ultrasound.

Description

Cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device and method

[0001] The present invention relates to a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device and method.

[0002] High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) is commonly used to treat biological tissues such as cancer, tumors, and lesions. Specifically, HIFU treatment involves concentrating high-intensity ultrasound waves onto a single target and using the resulting heat or cavitation to necrosis (or destruction) of the affected tissue. The intensity of the HIFU must be controlled to avoid damaging healthy tissue, and HIFU treatment can avoid surgical incisions.

[0003] In treatment using such high-intensity focused ultrasound, real-time monitoring of tissues being destroyed by cavitation is necessary to ensure the safety and precision of the treatment.

[0004] Conventional methods for monitoring tissue treatment using cavitation typically utilize B-mode ultrasound imaging. However, B-mode methods receive reflected echo pulse signals (echo pulses) of imaging ultrasound generated by cavitation and display the received pulse signals on ultrasound images. However, these methods typically have low resolution, making it difficult to identify cavitation in complex tissue structures.

[0005] In addition, interference signals in the form of lines may be generated on the ultrasound image due to interference of therapeutic ultrasound pulses for generating cavitation, and the problem of images of cavitation and tissues destroyed by cavitation being obscured by these interference signals may occur.

[0006] The technology underlying this application is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1528608.

[0007] The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and to provide a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device and method capable of providing high-resolution treatment monitoring for tissues with complex structures by selectively using a plurality of rank data classified according to at least one of static and dynamic characteristics in an image that changes over time to generate image data on whether cavitation occurs in a target area and on tissues fragmented by cavitation.

[0008] However, the technical tasks to be achieved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks may exist.

[0009] As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical task, a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a step of obtaining first image data for a target area from an imaging transducer, a step of obtaining a plurality of rank data based on a filtering technique that classifies an image changing over time from the first image data according to at least one of a static characteristic and a dynamic characteristic, and a step of generating second image data by using rank data that reflects at least one of a dynamic change in a focus due to sound pressure of focused ultrasound, a focused ultrasound interference signal, and a cavitation change among the plurality of rank data.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the second image data may be image data reflecting whether cavitation has occurred and real-time changes in cavitation.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of generating the second image data may include a step of classifying the plurality of rank data according to dynamic changes reflected in the plurality of rank data, a step of removing rank data reflecting dynamic changes other than rank data reflecting the cavitation change among the dynamic changes, and a step of restoring the rank data reflecting the cavitation change remaining after the removal as the second image data.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the dynamic change may include a tissue dynamic change, an interference change of a high-intensity focused ultrasound signal, and a cavitation change.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rank data reflecting the cavitation change may be higher-order data compared to the rank data reflecting the tissue dynamic change and the rank data reflecting the interference change of the high-intensity focused ultrasound signal.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the step of obtaining the plurality of rank data may be to separate the plurality of rank data from the first image data using an eigenvalue classification filter.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method may further include a step of removing interference signals of high-intensity focused ultrasound for the target area.

[0016] As a technical means for achieving the above-described technical task, a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device according to one embodiment of the present invention may include an image acquisition unit that acquires first image data for a target area from an imaging transducer, a rank acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of rank data based on a filtering technique that classifies an image that changes over time from the first image data according to at least one of a static characteristic and a dynamic characteristic, and an image generation unit that generates second image data by using rank data that reflects at least one of a dynamic change in a focus due to sound pressure of focused ultrasound, a focused ultrasound interference signal, and a cavitation change among the plurality of rank data.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the second image data may be image data reflecting whether cavitation has occurred and real-time changes in cavitation.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the image generation unit may classify the plurality of rank data according to dynamic changes reflected in the plurality of rank data, remove rank data reflecting dynamic changes other than rank data reflecting the cavitation change among the dynamic changes, and restore the rank data reflecting the cavitation change remaining after removal as the second image data.

[0019] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the dynamic change may include a tissue dynamic change, an interference change of a high-intensity focused ultrasound signal, and a cavitation change.

[0020] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rank data reflecting the cavitation change may be higher-order data compared to the rank data reflecting the tissue dynamic change and the rank data reflecting the interference change of the high-intensity focused ultrasound signal.

[0021] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rank obtaining unit may separate the plurality of rank data from the first image data using an eigenvalue classification filter.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the device may further include an interference removal unit that removes interference signals of high-intensity focused ultrasound for the target area.

[0023] The above-described problem-solving methods are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may be included in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

[0024] According to the above-described means for solving the problem of the prior art, the present invention is to solve the problem of the prior art, and by selectively using a plurality of rank data classified according to at least one of static and dynamic characteristics in an image that changes over time, image data on whether cavitation occurs in a target area and tissues that are destroyed by cavitation are generated, thereby providing high-resolution treatment monitoring for tissues with complex structures.

[0025] However, the effects that can be obtained from this center are not limited to the effects described above, and other effects may exist.

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a change in at least one of the signal intensity and the reflected static change and the motion change (or dynamic change) by rank data according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing image data by rank data according to whether cavitation occurs according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the size level of cavitation displayed in the second image data according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the result of removing the interference signal of high-intensity focused ultrasound of second image data according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail to facilitate easy implementation by those skilled in the art. However, the present invention can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, irrelevant parts have been omitted for clarity, and similar reference numerals have been used throughout the specification to indicate similar elements.

[0033] Throughout this specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected," but also the case where it is "electrically connected" or "indirectly connected" with another element in between.

[0034] Throughout this specification, when it is said that a member is located “on,” “above,” “upper,” “lower,” “lower” or “lower” another member, this includes not only cases where the member is in contact with the other member, but also cases where another member exists between the two members.

[0035] Throughout this specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0036] The present invention relates to a cavitation-based ultrasound treatment monitoring device and method.

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring system (1) (hereinafter referred to as 'treatment monitoring system (1)') may include an imaging transducer (10) and a treatment transducer (20), and may further include a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device (100) (hereinafter referred to as 'treatment monitoring device (100)') that generates image data using an echo signal obtained from the imaging transducer (10), and a high-intensity focused ultrasound control device (200) that controls the treatment transducer (20) to irradiate high-intensity focused ultrasound to a target area of ​​a target area.

[0039] In other words, the cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring system (1) according to one embodiment of the present invention may refer to a high-intensity focused ultrasound diagnostic treatment device that treats tissue by irradiating high-intensity focused ultrasound to a target area to destroy the tissue, and performs treatment monitoring for the target area using image data thereof.

[0040] Specifically, the treatment monitoring device (100) may generate second image data for monitoring cavitation bubbles in a region of interest (ROI) where tissue destruction (treatment) occurs and tissue destroyed (treated) by the cavitation bubbles, using first image data acquired through an imaging transducer (10).

[0041] Referring to FIG. 1, the treatment monitoring device (100) may include an image acquisition unit (110), a rank acquisition unit (120), an image generation unit (130), and an interference removal unit (140).

[0042] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the image acquisition unit (110) can acquire first image data for a target area from an imaging transducer (10). At this time, the target area may mean a treatment area of ​​a subject receiving tissue treatment using high-intensity focused ultrasound. In addition, the first image data is generated by restoring an echo pulse signal output from the imaging transducer (10) and reflected from a target area of ​​the target area (or the target area and its surrounding area), and may be generated by using various beamforming algorithms known in the art and used in ultrasound diagnosis.

[0043] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rank acquisition unit (120) may acquire a plurality of rank data based on a filtering technique that classifies at least one of static characteristics and dynamic characteristics in an image that changes over time from the first image data. In addition, the rank acquisition unit (120) may acquire a plurality of rank data based on a filtering technique according to a frequency band. Specifically, the rank acquisition unit (120) may separate the plurality of rank data from the first image data using a spatio-temporal filter to acquire the plurality of rank data. In addition, the rank acquisition unit (120) may separate the plurality of rank data from the first image data using various eigenvalue analysis methods such as SVD (Singular Vector Decomposition) and EVD (Eigen Vector Decomposition) as a filtering technique that classifies at least one of static characteristics and dynamic characteristics in an image that changes over time. To summarize again, the rank acquisition unit (120) may separate a plurality of rank data from the first image data using at least one of the analysis methods (eigenvalue analysis method, eigenvalue classification filter method, etc.) such as SVD and EVD, and acquire a plurality of rank data.

[0044] Here, the spatio-temporal filter is a filter that reflects signals for all spatial coordinates and time coordinates of two-dimensional images that have changed over time, and the rank acquisition unit (120) can obtain multiple rank data by applying the spatio-temporal filter to the first image data to distinguish multiple ranks based on the main component including the frequency band of the echo pulse signal. In addition, the eigenvalue classification filter, such as SVD and EVD, is a filter that reflects signals for all spatial coordinates and time coordinates of two-dimensional images that have changed over time, and the rank acquisition unit (120) can obtain multiple rank data by applying the eigenvalue classification filter, such as SVD and EVD, to the first image data to distinguish multiple ranks based on the main component including at least one of the static characteristics and the dynamic characteristics of the echo pulse signal.

[0045] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing signal intensity and reflected motion changes (or dynamic changes) by rank data according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Specifically, in FIG. 2, the x-axis represents the rank number of the rank data, and the y-axis represents the strength of the signal. Referring to FIG. 2, the larger the rank number of the rank data, the weaker the signal strength, and the smaller the rank number, the stronger the signal strength.

[0047] Accordingly, the rank data may include data on signals for motion changes (or dynamic changes) with different signal intensities, and since the signal intensities of the echo pulse signal reflected from the tissue, the echo pulse signal reflected from the cavitation bubble, and the interference signal generated by interference from high-intensity focused ultrasound are each different, the degree to which motion changes (or dynamic changes), such as tissue motion changes (or tissue dynamic changes), cavitation changes, and interference changes from high-intensity focused ultrasound are reflected may be different for each rank data.

[0048] Specifically, the rank data in which the echo pulse signal reflected from the tissue is mainly distributed (i.e., the rank data in which the tissue motion change (or the tissue dynamic change) is mainly reflected) may be the rank data with a low rank number (low-order data) having a relatively strong signal intensity, the rank data in which the echo pulse signal reflected from the cavitation bubble is mainly distributed (i.e., the rank data in which the cavitation change is mainly reflected) may be the rank data with a high rank number (high-order data) having a relatively weak signal intensity, and the rank data in which the interference signal by the high-intensity focused ultrasound is mainly distributed (i.e., the rank data in which the interference change of the high-intensity focused ultrasound is mainly reflected) may be an intermediate level between the rank data in which the echo pulse signal reflected from the tissue is mainly distributed and the rank data in which the echo pulse signal reflected from the cavitation bubble is mainly distributed.

[0049] In other words, the rank data may be a signal reflecting a motion change (or dynamic change) in the target area. At this time, the motion change (or dynamic change) may include a tissue motion change (or tissue dynamic change), a cavitation change, and an interference change of a high-intensity focused ultrasound signal, and the rank data may include rank data reflecting a cavitation change, rank data reflecting a tissue motion change (or tissue dynamic change), and rank data reflecting an interference change of a high-intensity focused ultrasound signal. In addition, here, the rank data reflecting a cavitation change may be higher-order data compared to the rank data reflecting a tissue motion change (or tissue dynamic change) and the rank data reflecting an interference change of a high-intensity focused ultrasound signal.

[0050] In this regard, referring to FIG. 2, when the rank acquisition unit (120) acquires the 0th rank data to the 36th rank data, the tissue motion change (or tissue dynamic change) may be reflected in the 0th rank data to the 25th rank data, the interference change of the high-intensity focused ultrasound may be reflected in the 1st rank data to the 7th rank data, and the cavitation change may be reflected in the 5th rank data to the 36th rank data. As another example, when the rank acquisition unit (120) acquires the 0th rank data to the 36th rank data, the static change may be reflected in the 0th rank data to the 2nd rank data, the interference change of the high-intensity focused ultrasound may be reflected in the 3rd rank data to the 8th rank data, and the cavitation change may be reflected in the 9th rank data to the 36th rank data.

[0051] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing image data by rank data according to whether cavitation occurs according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Specifically, (a) of FIG. 3 shows image data for each rank data acquired when a cavitation bubble occurs in the target area, and (b) of FIG. 3 shows image data for each rank data acquired when a cavitation bubble does not occur in the target area.

[0053] Referring to (a) of FIG. 3, as described above with reference to FIG. 2, only the echo pulse signal reflected from the tissue appears in the first rank data, which is low-order data, whereas the echo pulse signal reflected from the cavitation bubble begins to appear from the third rank data, and the echo pulse signal reflected from the cavitation bubble appears up to the 36th rank data, which is high-order data. As another example, the first rank data, which is low-order data, only the echo pulse signal reflected from the static characteristic tissue and the degree of micro-dynamic change in the tissue due to the focused ultrasound sound pressure appear in the third rank data, whereas the echo pulse signal reflected from the cavitation bubble begins to appear from the 9th rank data, and the echo pulse signal reflected from the cavitation bubble appears up to the 36th rank data, which is high-order data.

[0054] In addition, referring to (b) of FIG. 3, in the first rank data, which is low-order data, only the static echo pulse signal reflected from the tissue appears as in (a) of FIG. 3, and since no cavitation bubbles are generated, it can be confirmed that only some interference signals due to high-intensity focused ultrasound appear in the third rank data, the ninth rank data, and the eighteenth rank data. In addition, as described above, the echo pulse signal reflected from the tissue and the interference signal due to high-intensity focused ultrasound are hardly included in high-order data higher than about the 20th rank data, so it can be confirmed that no signal for a specific motion change (or a specific dynamic change) appears in the 27th rank data and the 36th rank data, and only noise is detected.

[0055] Accordingly, the treatment monitoring device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can restore image data for treatment monitoring that clearly displays only the occurrence of cavitation bubbles and changes in cavitation bubbles, excluding tissue motion changes (or tissue dynamic changes) and interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound, by considering only high-order data of about the 27th to 36th rank data, in which echo pulse signals reflected from tissues and interference signals by high-intensity focused ultrasound do not appear among a plurality of rank data.

[0056] This allows for the implementation of necessary functions in the image by selectively reflecting in the second image not only the rank data for cavitation but also the micro-dynamic changes due to the focused ultrasonic sound pressure and the rank data for the focused ultrasonic line signal.

[0057] In this regard, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the image generation unit (130) may generate second image data using rank data reflecting cavitation changes among a plurality of rank data. In addition, the image generation unit (130) may generate second image data using rank data reflecting at least one of dynamic changes in focus due to acoustic pressure of focused ultrasound, focused ultrasound interference signals, and cavitation changes among a plurality of rank data. In this case, the second image data may be image data reflecting whether cavitation has occurred and real-time changes in cavitation.

[0058] Specifically, the image generation unit (130) can classify the plurality of rank data according to at least one change among static changes and motion changes (or dynamic changes) reflected in the plurality of rank data. As described above, the motion changes (or dynamic changes) mainly reflected in the rank data may differ depending on the rank number, and the image generation unit (130) can classify the plurality of rank data according to the proportion of the motion changes (or dynamic changes) reflected in each of the plurality of rank data into rank data reflecting tissue motion changes (or tissue dynamic changes), rank data reflecting cavitation changes, and rank data reflecting at least one change among micro-dynamic changes due to focused ultrasound sound pressure and interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound.

[0059] For example, the image generation unit (130) may classify only rank data that does not reveal at least one of tissue movement change (or tissue dynamic change) and interference change of high-intensity focused ultrasound among the plurality of rank data as rank data reflecting cavitation change. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the image generation unit (130) may classify the plurality of rank data based on preset user settings and a pre-trained artificial intelligence model.

[0060] In addition, the image generation unit (130) can exclude rank data reflecting tissue motion changes (or tissue dynamic changes) and rank data reflecting interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound from the classified rank data, and leave only rank data reflecting cavitation changes. In other words, the image generation unit (130) can remove rank data reflecting at least one of static changes and motion changes (or dynamic changes) other than rank data reflecting cavitation changes among motion changes (or dynamic changes).

[0061] In addition, the image generation unit (130) can remove rank data reflecting tissue motion changes (or tissue dynamic changes) and rank data reflecting interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound, and restore the rank data reflecting the remaining cavitation changes as second image data. In addition, the image generation unit (130) can classify a plurality of rank data according to at least one characteristic among static characteristics and dynamic characteristics with respect to the rank data, increase rank data reflecting at least one change among static changes and dynamic changes other than rank data reflecting cavitation changes among dynamic changes, and restore the rank data reflecting the remaining cavitation changes after removal as second image data.

[0062] The image generation unit (130) generates second image data using only rank data in which cavitation changes are mainly reflected, while tissue motion changes (or tissue dynamic changes) and interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound are hardly reflected, thereby obtaining image data for treatment monitoring that clearly indicates only whether cavitation bubbles are generated and changes in cavitation bubbles, excluding data on tissue motion changes (or tissue dynamic changes) and interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound.

[0063] However, it is not limited thereto, and the image generation unit (130) may be capable of generating image data for monitoring tissue movement changes (or tissue dynamic changes) using only rank data reflecting tissue movement changes (or tissue dynamic changes) in addition to second image data using rank data reflecting cavitation changes as needed, and image data for monitoring changes in interference signals (or interference signals by frequency band) using only rank data reflecting interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound.

[0064] In other words, the image generation unit (130) may be capable of restoring image data capable of monitoring motion changes (or dynamic changes) requiring high-resolution monitoring by selectively applying the rank number of rank data to be restored as image data among multiple rank data. In this case, the motion changes (or dynamic changes) requiring high-resolution monitoring may be determined according to user settings, but are not limited thereto.

[0065] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the image generation unit (130) may classify the plurality of rank data according to at least one change among static changes and dynamic changes reflected in the plurality of rank data, remove rank data reflecting at least one change among static changes and dynamic changes other than rank data reflecting cavitation changes among dynamic changes, and restore the rank data reflecting the remaining cavitation changes after removal as second image data.

[0066] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the treatment monitoring device (100) classifies a plurality of rank data according to dynamic changes reflected in the plurality of rank data, selects a rank to be shown in a second image among dynamic changes such as changes in cavitation, changes in a focal area due to negative pressure of focused ultrasound, and interference signals of focused ultrasound, and removes rank data other than the reflected rank data to restore the second image data.

[0067] Meanwhile, the second image data may not reflect data on changes in tissue motion (or tissue dynamic changes) and interference changes of high-intensity focused ultrasound, and thus may display even cavitation bubbles that are relatively smaller than those in the prior art.

[0068] Dynamic changes may include tissue dynamic changes due to acoustic pressure at the focus of the focused ultrasound, interference changes of the high-intensity focused ultrasound signal, and cavitation changes.

[0069] FIG. 4 is a drawing showing the size level of cavitation displayed in the second image data according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] Specifically, FIG. 4 shows an example of second image data restored through an image generation unit (130) according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 (a) shows second image data when focused ultrasound of about 1 MHz is irradiated, FIG. 4 (b) shows second image data when focused ultrasound of about 2 MHz is irradiated, and FIG. 4 (c) may show second image data when focused ultrasound of about 3 MHz is irradiated.

[0071] In general, the size of cavitation bubbles (or clusters formed by cavitation bubbles) generated in a target area (focus area) varies depending on the frequency of high-intensity focused ultrasound, and the higher the frequency, the smaller the size of cavitation bubbles (or clusters formed by cavitation bubbles).

[0072] In this regard, referring to FIG. 4, it can be confirmed that the image generation unit (130) can generate image data capable of identifying cavitation bubbles not only when a cavitation bubble (or a cluster formed of cavitation bubbles) of about 8 mm is generated by focused ultrasound of about 1 MHz, when a cavitation bubble (or a cluster formed of cavitation bubbles) of about 5.7 mm is generated by focused ultrasound of about 2 MHz, but also when a cavitation bubble (or a cluster formed of cavitation bubbles) of about 1.6 mm is generated by focused ultrasound of about 3 MHz. In other words, the image generation unit (130) can be capable of high-resolution treatment monitoring of cavitation bubbles having a size of about 2 mm or less.

[0073] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the interference removal unit (140) can remove interference signals of high-intensity focused ultrasound for a target area.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the result of removing the interference signal of high-intensity focused ultrasound of second image data according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] Referring to FIG. 5, the interference removal unit (140) can perform an interference signal removal process that removes line-shaped interference signals generated by high-intensity focused ultrasound for a preset region of interest (ROI). At this time, the interference signal removal process performed by the interference removal unit (140) may be applied to various interference removal methods known in the art, but is not limited thereto.

[0076] As described above, the treatment monitoring device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention selectively uses a plurality of rank data classified according to at least one of static and dynamic characteristics in an image that changes over time to generate image data on whether cavitation occurs in a target area and on tissues that are destroyed by cavitation, thereby providing high-resolution treatment monitoring for tissues with complex structures.

[0077] Below, we will briefly review the operating flow of the present invention based on the detailed description above.

[0078] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] The cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method illustrated in FIG. 6 can be performed by the cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device (100) described above. Therefore, even if the content is omitted below, the content described for the cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device (100) can be equally applied to the description of the cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 6, in step S11, the image acquisition unit (110) can acquire first image data for the target area from the imaging transducer (10).

[0081] Next, in step S12, the rank acquisition unit (120) may acquire a plurality of rank data based on a filtering technique that classifies images that change over time from the first image data according to at least one of static characteristics and dynamic characteristics. Specifically, in step S12, the rank acquisition unit (120) may separate a plurality of rank data from the image data using an eigenvalue classification filter.

[0082] Next, in step S13, the image generation unit (130) may generate second image data using rank data that reflects at least one of dynamic changes in focus due to sound pressure of focused ultrasound, focused ultrasound interference signals, and cavitation changes among a plurality of rank data. At this time, the second image data may be image data that reflects whether cavitation has occurred and real-time changes in cavitation.

[0083] Specifically, in step S13, the image generation unit (130) may classify the plurality of rank data according to the motion change (or dynamic change) reflected in the plurality of rank data, remove rank data reflecting motion change (or dynamic change) other than rank data reflecting cavitation change among the motion change (or dynamic change), and restore the rank data reflecting the cavitation change remaining after the removal as second image data.

[0084] Here, the motion change (or dynamic change) may include tissue motion change (or tissue dynamic change), interference change of high-intensity focused ultrasound signal, and cavitation change, and the rank data reflecting the cavitation change may be higher-order data compared to the rank data reflecting the tissue motion change (or tissue dynamic change) and the rank data reflecting the interference change of the high-intensity focused ultrasound signal.

[0085] Next, in step S14, the interference removal unit (140) can remove the interference signal of the high-intensity focused ultrasound for the target area.

[0086] In the above description, steps S11 to S14 may be further divided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps, depending on the implementation example of the present invention. Furthermore, some steps may be omitted as needed, and the order of the steps may be changed.

[0087] A cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, etc., either singly or in combination. The program commands recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the present invention or may be those known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program commands such as ROMs, RAMs, and flash memories. Examples of program commands include not only machine language codes generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc. The above hardware devices may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

[0088] Additionally, the aforementioned cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method can also be implemented in the form of a computer program or application executed by a computer stored in a recording medium.

[0089] The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined manner.

[0090] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. In a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring method, A step of acquiring first image data for a target area from an imaging transducer; A step of obtaining multiple rank data based on a filtering technique that classifies at least one of static characteristics and dynamic characteristics in an image that changes over time from the first image data; and A step of generating second image data by using rank data reflecting at least one of dynamic change in focus due to sound pressure of focused ultrasound, focused ultrasound interference signal, and cavitation change among the plurality of rank data, A treatment monitoring method comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, The above second image data is, A treatment monitoring method, wherein the image data reflects whether cavitation occurs and real-time changes in cavitation.

3. In paragraph 1, The step of generating the above second image data is: A step of classifying the plurality of rank data according to dynamic changes reflected in the plurality of rank data; A step of removing rank data reflecting dynamic changes other than rank data reflecting the cavitation change among the above dynamic changes; and A step of restoring the rank data reflecting the above cavitation changes remaining after removal to the second image data; A method of monitoring treatment, comprising:

4. In paragraph 3, The above dynamic changes are, A method of therapeutic monitoring, comprising: tissue dynamic changes, interference changes of high intensity focused ultrasound signals, and cavitation changes.

5. In paragraph 4, Rank data reflecting the above cavitation changes are: A treatment monitoring method, wherein the rank data reflecting the above-mentioned organizational dynamic changes and the rank data reflecting the interference changes of the above-mentioned high-intensity focused ultrasound signal are higher-order data.

6. In paragraph 1, The step of obtaining the above multiple rank data is: A treatment monitoring method comprising separating the plurality of rank data from the first image data using a unique value classification filter.

7. In paragraph 1, A step of removing interference signals of high-intensity focused ultrasound for the above target area, A treatment monitoring method further comprising:

8. In a cavitation-based focused ultrasound treatment monitoring device, An image acquisition unit for acquiring first image data for a target area from an imaging transducer; A rank acquisition unit that acquires multiple rank data based on a filtering technique that classifies an image that changes over time from the first image data according to at least one of static characteristics and dynamic characteristics; and An image generation unit that generates second image data by using rank data reflecting at least one of dynamic change in focus due to sound pressure of focused ultrasound, focused ultrasound interference signal, and cavitation change among the plurality of rank data, A treatment monitoring device comprising:

9. In paragraph 8, The above second image data is, A treatment monitoring device, which is image data reflecting the occurrence of cavitation and real-time changes in cavitation.

10. In paragraph 8, The above image generating unit, A treatment monitoring device that classifies the plurality of rank data according to dynamic changes reflected in the plurality of rank data, removes rank data reflecting dynamic changes other than rank data reflecting the cavitation change among the dynamic changes, and restores the rank data reflecting the cavitation change remaining after the removal as the second image data.

11. In paragraph 10, The above dynamic changes are, A treatment monitoring device comprising: a tissue dynamic change, an interference change of a high intensity focused ultrasound signal, and a cavitation change.

12. In paragraph 11, Rank data reflecting the above cavitation changes are: A treatment monitoring device, wherein the rank data reflecting the above-mentioned organizational dynamic changes and the rank data reflecting the interference changes of the above-mentioned high-intensity focused ultrasound signal are higher-order data.

13. In paragraph 8, The above rank acquisition section is, A treatment monitoring device that separates the plurality of rank data from the first image data using a unique value classification filter.

14. In paragraph 8, An interference removal unit for removing interference signals of high-intensity focused ultrasound for the above target area; A treatment monitoring device further comprising:

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