Ultrasound imaging device and quantitative evaluation method for myocardial biomechanical properties

Abstract

Disclosed are an ultrasound imaging device and a quantitative evaluation method for myocardial biomechanical properties. By means of processing cardiac ultrasonic echo data, at least one of an intercept of a dispersion curve of a mechanical wave, a slope of the dispersion curve, an elastic modulus, a viscous modulus, an anisotropy parameter, a coupling parameter between a second evaluation parameter and a preload, and a coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and an afterload can be obtained. These parameters can evaluate myocardial biomechanical properties of the heart from different dimensions, thereby facilitating a doctor to quantitatively evaluate the myocardium.

Description

Ultrasound imaging device and method for quantitatively evaluating myocardial biomechanical properties TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the medical field, and particularly relates to an ultrasound imaging device and a method for quantitatively evaluating myocardial biomechanical properties. BACKGROUND

[0002] According to statistics of the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of harm to human health. Cardiovascular diseases originate from pathological changes (such as ischemia or fibrosis) of local tissues, accompanied by destruction of the microstructure of the tissues (deposition of myocardial interstitial fibrous collagen), and eventually lead to changes in the mechanical properties of myocardial tissues. Myocardial tissue biomechanical properties, as an inherent characteristic of biological tissues, can be quantitatively evaluated to achieve more sensitive disease screening. Safe and reliable long-term monitoring of myocardial tissue biomechanical property parameters will help prevent and early diagnose cardiovascular diseases. However, traditional echocardiography can only provide geometric characteristics and blood flow parameters of myocardial tissues, and cannot effectively evaluate myocardial tissue biomechanical properties, nor can it provide intuitive quantitative results and indicators to reflect the inherent characteristics of myocardial tissues. The existing technology usually involves subjective qualitative evaluation of doctors according to echocardiography, which is inefficient and cannot be quantified, and the evaluation method is single.

[0003] Therefore, the existing evaluation method of myocardial tissue biomechanical properties needs to be improved and enhanced.

[0004] SUMMARY

[0005] The present application mainly provides an ultrasound imaging device and a method for quantitatively evaluating myocardial biomechanical properties, which aims to facilitate doctors to quantitatively evaluate myocardial tissues.

[0006] An embodiment provides a method for quantitatively evaluating myocardial biomechanical properties, comprising:

[0007] obtaining ultrasound echo data of a heart; the ultrasound echo data is obtained by emitting an ultrasound wave for detecting a mechanical wave spontaneously generated by the heart to the heart, and receiving a return wave of the ultrasound wave;

[0008] processing the ultrasound echo data to obtain a motion parameter for reflecting propagation of the mechanical wave on myocardium of the heart;

[0009] processing the motion parameters to obtain first evaluation parameters for evaluating the biomechanical properties of the myocardium of the heart; the first evaluation parameters include at least one of an intercept of a dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, a slope of the dispersion curve, an elastic modulus, a viscous modulus, an anisotropy parameter, a coupling parameter of a second evaluation parameter with a preload, and a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter with an afterload; the intercept of the dispersion curve is used to reflect an elasticity degree of the myocardium; the slope of the dispersion curve is used to reflect a viscosity degree of the myocardium; the second evaluation parameter includes at least one of a propagation speed of the mechanical wave, the intercept of the dispersion curve, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, and the anisotropy parameter;

[0010] outputting the first evaluation parameters.

[0011] An embodiment provides a quantitative evaluation method of myocardial biomechanical properties, including:

[0012] obtaining ultrasonic echo data of a heart; the ultrasonic echo data is obtained by emitting ultrasonic waves for detecting mechanical waves propagating in a myocardium of the heart to the heart, and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

[0013] processing the ultrasonic echo data to obtain motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the mechanical waves in the myocardium of the heart;

[0014] processing the motion parameters to obtain first evaluation parameters for evaluating the biomechanical properties of the myocardium of the heart; the first evaluation parameters include at least one of an intercept of a dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, an anisotropy parameter, a coupling parameter of a second evaluation parameter with a preload, and a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter with an afterload; the intercept of the dispersion curve is used to reflect an elasticity degree of the myocardium; the second evaluation parameter includes at least one of a propagation speed of the mechanical wave, the intercept of the dispersion curve, a slope of the dispersion curve, an elastic modulus, a viscous modulus, and the anisotropy parameter;

[0015] outputting the first evaluation parameters.

[0016] An embodiment provides a quantitative evaluation method of tissue biomechanical properties, including:

[0017] obtaining ultrasonic echo data of a target tissue; the ultrasonic echo data is obtained by emitting ultrasonic waves for detecting mechanical waves propagating in the target tissue to the target tissue, and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

[0018] processing the ultrasound echo data to obtain a second evaluation parameter for evaluating the biomechanical property of the target tissue; the second evaluation parameter comprises at least one of a propagation speed of the mechanical wave, an intercept of a dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, a slope of the dispersion curve, an elastic modulus, a viscous modulus, an anisotropy parameter;

[0019] obtaining a target parameter related to the patient;

[0020] generating a coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter according to the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter;

[0021] displaying the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter.

[0022] An embodiment provides an ultrasound imaging device, comprising

[0023] an ultrasound probe;

[0024] a transmitting circuit configured to excite the ultrasound probe to transmit an ultrasound wave;

[0025] a receiving circuit configured to control the ultrasound probe to receive an echo of the ultrasound wave;

[0026] a processor configured to execute a program to implement the method as described above.

[0027] An embodiment provides a computer readable storage medium, the medium storing a program, the program being executable by a processor to implement the method as described above.

[0028] According to the ultrasound imaging device and the method for quantitatively evaluating the biomechanical property of the myocardium of the above-mentioned embodiments, at least one of the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, the anisotropy parameter, the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the preload, and the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the afterload can be obtained by processing the ultrasound echo data of the heart, which can evaluate the biomechanical property of the myocardium of the heart from different dimensions, thereby facilitating the doctor to quantitatively evaluate the myocardium. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] Fig. 1 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the method for quantitatively evaluating the biomechanical property of the tissue provided by the present application;

[0030] Fig. 2 is a structural block diagram of an embodiment of the ultrasound imaging device provided by the present application;

[0031] Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a specific embodiment of the method for quantitatively evaluating the biomechanical property of the tissue provided by the present application;

[0032] Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a fitting straight line of frequency and phase velocity;

[0033] Fig. 5 is a diagram for obtaining elastic modulus and viscous modulus;

[0034] Fig. 6 is a diagram of the direction of myocardial point vibration and the direction of mechanical wave propagation in two heart sections;

[0035] Fig. 7 is a diagram of the direction of mechanical wave propagation in the same myocardial segment in long axis and short axis sections of the heart;

[0036] Fig. 8 is a diagram of an embodiment of a coupling parameter map;

[0037] Fig. 9 is a diagram of another embodiment of a coupling vector map;

[0038] Fig. 10 is a diagram of an embodiment of an evaluation report;

[0039] Fig. 11 is a diagram of a user changing a second evaluation parameter of a coupling vector map to update the coupling vector map. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings. Like elements in different embodiments are denoted by like reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to enable a better understanding of the application. However, one skilled in the art can readily recognize that some features in different embodiments can be omitted, or replaced by other elements, materials, methods, etc. In some cases, some operations related to the application are not shown or described in the specification, in order to avoid the core of the application being overwhelmed by too many descriptions, and it is not necessary to describe these operations in detail for one skilled in the art to fully understand them based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0041] In addition, the features, operations or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various embodiments. Meanwhile, the steps or actions in the method description can also be adjusted or changed in sequence as one skilled in the art can easily see. Therefore, the order in the specification and the drawings is only for clear description of one embodiment, and does not mean the necessary order, unless otherwise stated that a certain order must be followed.

[0042] The serial numbers of components in this document, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the described objects, and do not have any sequence or technical meaning. The "connection" and "coupling" in this application, unless otherwise specified, include direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0043] The present application detects mechanical waves propagating in the tissue by ultrasound, and then processes the ultrasound echo data to obtain motion parameters of the mechanical waves propagating in the myocardium. The motion parameters are processed to obtain one or more evaluation parameters, which can be one or more of the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical waves, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, the anisotropy parameter, the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the preload, and the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the afterload. These evaluation parameters can evaluate the biomechanical properties of the myocardium of the heart from different angles, thereby facilitating the doctor to quantitatively evaluate the myocardium. The following embodiments are described in detail.

[0044] The present application provides a quantitative evaluation method of the biomechanical properties of the tissue, as shown in FIG. 1, which comprises the following steps:

[0045] Step 1, obtaining ultrasound echo data of the target tissue. The ultrasound echo data is obtained by emitting ultrasound waves for detecting mechanical waves propagating in the target tissue to the target tissue, and receiving the echoes of the ultrasound waves.

[0046] Step 2, processing the ultrasound echo data to obtain a first evaluation parameter for evaluating the biomechanical properties of the target tissue. The first evaluation parameter can include one or more of the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical waves, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, the anisotropy parameter, and the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter (also referred to as the joint parameter). For example, the first evaluation parameter includes at least one of the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical waves, the anisotropy parameter, and the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter. The first evaluation parameter can also include at least one of the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, and the viscous modulus. The coupling parameter is generated by the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter, and can be used to reflect the second evaluation parameter excluding the influence of the target parameter. The coupling parameter can be a vector generated by the two parameters, for example. The type of the target parameter is not limited, for example, a parameter related to the target tissue but not directly evaluating the biomechanical properties of the tissue. Taking the heart as an example, the target parameter can be the preload, the afterload, etc. That is, the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter can include the coupling vector of the second evaluation parameter and the preload and / or the coupling vector of the second evaluation parameter and the afterload.

[0047] Step 3, outputting the first evaluation parameter. The first evaluation parameter can evaluate the biomechanical properties of the target tissue from different dimensions, thereby facilitating the doctor to quantitatively evaluate the target tissue.

[0048] The above quantitative evaluation method can be implemented by an ultrasound imaging device or other devices, and the ultrasound echo data can be processed into the first evaluation parameter. The subsequent embodiments are described by taking the ultrasound imaging device as an example.

[0049] The ultrasound imaging device provided by an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 2, can include an ultrasound probe 30, a transmit / receive control circuit 40 (i.e., a transmit circuit 410 and a receive circuit 420), a beamforming module 50, an IQ demodulation module 60, a processor 20, a human-computer interaction device 70, and a memory 80.

[0050] The ultrasound probe 30 includes a transducer (not shown in the figure) composed of a plurality of array elements arranged in an array, which can be arranged in a one-dimensional array to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a planar array, or arranged in a convex array. The array elements are used to emit ultrasound waves according to excitation electrical signals, or to convert received ultrasound waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each array element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasound waves, so as to realize the emission of ultrasound waves to the object 10 to be imaged, and can also be used to receive the echoes of the ultrasound waves reflected by the tissue. When performing ultrasound detection, the transmit circuit 410 and the receive circuit 420 can be used to control which array elements are used to emit ultrasound waves, which array elements are used to receive ultrasound waves, or control the array elements to be used for emitting ultrasound waves or receiving echoes of ultrasound waves in time slots. The array elements participating in the emission of ultrasound waves can be excited by electrical signals at the same time, so as to emit ultrasound waves at the same time; or the array elements participating in the emission of ultrasound waves can also be excited by a plurality of electrical signals with a certain time interval, so as to continuously emit ultrasound waves with a certain time interval.

[0051] The transmit circuit 410 is used to excite the ultrasound probe 30 to emit ultrasound waves, for example, to generate a transmit sequence according to the control of the processor 20, the transmit sequence being used to control part or all of the plurality of array elements to emit ultrasound waves to the object to be imaged, and the transmit sequence parameters including the array element positions for emission, the number of array elements, and the ultrasound beam emission parameters (such as amplitude, frequency, emission times, emission interval, emission angle, wave type, focus position, etc.). In some cases, the transmit circuit 410 is also used to perform phase delay on the emitted beams, so that different emission array elements emit ultrasound waves at different times, so that each emission ultrasound beam can be focused in a predetermined region of interest. Different working modes, such as B image mode, C image mode, and D image mode (Doppler mode), can have different transmit sequence parameters. After the echo signals are received by the receive circuit 420 and processed by subsequent modules and corresponding algorithms, B images reflecting the anatomical structure of the tissue, C images reflecting blood flow information, and D images reflecting Doppler spectrum images can be generated.

[0052] The receiving circuit 420 is configured to control the ultrasound probe 30 to receive the ultrasound echo signal (echo of the ultrasound wave) and process the ultrasound echo signal. The receiving circuit 420 can include one or more amplifiers, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), etc. The amplifiers are configured to amplify the received echo signal after appropriate gain compensation, and sample the analog echo signal at a predetermined time interval to convert the analog echo signal into a digitized echo signal, which still retains the amplitude information, frequency information, and phase information. The data output by the receiving circuit 420 can be output to the beamforming module 50 for processing, or to the memory 80 for storage.

[0053] The beamforming module 50 is connected to the receiving circuit 420 and configured to perform beamforming processing such as delay and weighted summation on the echo signal. Because the distances from the ultrasound receiving points in the measured tissue to the receiving elements are different, the channel data of the same receiving point output by different receiving elements have a delay difference, and thus need to be delayed, phase-aligned, and weighted and summed to obtain the ultrasound image data after beamforming. The ultrasound image data output by the beamforming module 50 is also referred to as radio frequency (RF) data. The beamforming module 50 outputs the RF data to the IQ demodulation module 60. In some embodiments, the beamforming module 50 can also output the RF data to the memory 80 for caching or saving, or directly output the RF data to the processor 20 for image processing.

[0054] The beamforming module 50 can perform the above functions in the form of hardware, firmware, or software. The beamforming module 50 can be integrated in the processor 20 or separately arranged, and the present application does not make any limitation.

[0055] The IQ demodulation module 60 removes the signal carrier by IQ demodulation, extracts the tissue structure information contained in the signal, and filters to remove noise. The signal obtained at this time is referred to as baseband signal (IQ data pair). The IQ demodulation module 60 outputs the IQ data pair to the processor 20 for image processing. In some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 also outputs the IQ data pair to the memory 80 for caching or saving, so that the processor 20 reads the data from the memory 80 for subsequent image processing.

[0056] The IQ demodulation module 60 can also perform the above functions in the form of hardware, firmware, or software, and in some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 can also be integrated in a chip with the beamforming module 50.

[0057] The processor 20 is configured as a central controller circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessors, a graphic controller circuit (GPU), or any other electronic component capable of processing input data according to specific logical instructions, which can perform control over peripheral electronic components or read and / or save data from the memory 80 according to input or predetermined instructions, and can also process input data by executing programs in the memory 80, such as performing one or more processing operations on collected ultrasound data according to one or more working modes, including but not limited to adjusting or limiting the form of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound probe 30, generating various image frames for subsequent display on the display of the human-computer interaction device 70, or adjusting or limiting the content and form displayed on the display, or adjusting one or more image display settings (such as ultrasound images, interface components, positioning of regions of interest) displayed on the display.

[0058] When the echo signals are received, the collected ultrasound data can be processed by the processor 20 in real time during scanning, or temporarily stored on the memory 80 and processed in quasi-real time in online or offline operation.

[0059] In this embodiment, the processor 20 controls the operation of the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420, such as controlling the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420 to work alternately or simultaneously. The processor 20 can also determine the appropriate working mode according to the user's selection or the program's setting, form a transmission sequence corresponding to the current working mode, and send the transmission sequence to the transmitting circuit 410, so that the transmitting circuit 410 controls the ultrasound probe 30 to emit ultrasound waves using the appropriate transmission sequence.

[0060] The processor 20 is also configured to process the ultrasound data to generate a gray-scale image of the signal intensity variation in the scanning range, which reflects the internal anatomical structure of the tissue, referred to as a B image. The processor 20 can output the B image to the display of the human-computer interaction device 70 for display.

[0061] The human-computer interaction device 70 is configured to perform human-computer interaction, such as outputting visual information and receiving user input. It can receive user input using a keyboard, operation buttons, a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, etc., or a touch screen integrated with the display; and it can output visual information using a display.

[0062] The memory 80 is configured to store data, such as storing various types of data described above.

[0063] The specific way in which the ultrasound imaging device quantitatively evaluates the biomechanical properties of the tissue can be as shown in FIG. 3, including the following steps:

[0064] Step 1, the processor 20 acquires the ultrasound echo data of the target tissue. The ultrasound echo data is acquired by emitting ultrasound waves to the target tissue for detecting the mechanical wave propagating in the target tissue, and receiving the echo of the ultrasound waves. The processor 20 can acquire the ultrasound echo data from an external device, or can acquire the ultrasound echo data by scanning the target tissue. In the latter case, the processor 20 controls the ultrasound probe 30 to emit ultrasound waves to the target tissue for detecting the mechanical wave propagating in the target tissue through the transmitting circuit 410. The mechanical wave can be generated spontaneously by the target tissue, such as the mechanical wave propagating along the myocardial wall generated by the spontaneous closure of the valve of the heart (such as the aortic valve, the mitral valve, etc.), the mechanical wave propagating along the myocardial wall generated by the atrial contraction, the peristaltic wave generated by the uterine peristalsis, etc. Of course, the mechanical wave can also be generated by external intervention, such as generating a mechanical wave (such as a shear wave) by mechanically exciting (such as vibration) or acoustic radiation force. Regardless of the way the mechanical wave is generated, the mechanical wave will propagate in the target tissue, and the characteristics of the mechanical wave propagation can be used to evaluate the biomechanical properties of the target tissue. The processor 20 controls the ultrasound probe 30 to receive the echo of the ultrasound waves through the receiving circuit 420 to obtain the ultrasound echo data.

[0065] The target tissue can be any tissue, such as the heart, the uterus, the liver, the kidney, etc. The present embodiment is described by taking the heart as an example. That is, in the present embodiment, the processor 20 acquires the ultrasound echo data of the heart. The ultrasound echo data is acquired by emitting ultrasound waves to the heart for detecting the mechanical wave generated spontaneously by the heart, and receiving the echo of the ultrasound waves; or the ultrasound echo data is acquired by emitting ultrasound waves to the heart for detecting the mechanical wave generated by external intervention, and receiving the echo of the ultrasound waves. The mechanical wave propagates in the myocardium of the heart.

[0066] In the present embodiment, the mechanical wave is generated spontaneously by the heart, which can be a transverse wave or a longitudinal wave. Detecting the mechanical wave generated spontaneously by the heart does not require external intervention or stimulation of the heart, and is safe and reliable. Moreover, the heart is located relatively deep, and the vibration amplitude caused by the mechanical wave generated spontaneously by the heart is larger than that caused by the mechanical wave generated by external intervention, and is easier to detect.

[0067] The above-mentioned ultrasound waves can be divergent waves or focused waves, and the scanning frame rate can be greater than or equal to 1 kHz, so that the propagation of the mechanical wave can be detected.

[0068] The above-mentioned step 2 can specifically include steps 21 and 22, which are described in detail below.

[0069] Step 21, the processor 20 processes the ultrasound echo data to obtain a motion parameter for reflecting the propagation of the mechanical wave in the target tissue. The motion parameter can be the propagation speed (group velocity) of the mechanical wave, or the phase velocity (i.e. the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies) of multiple frequency components.

[0070] Specifically, the processor 20 can utilize autocorrelation or clutter filtering wave imaging technique to extract motion data (e.g. displacement, velocity, acceleration, etc.) of the target tissue (e.g. myocardium of the heart) from the ultrasound echo data, so as to obtain motion data of multiple sampling points (e.g. multiple sampling points on the myocardium) of the target tissue, such as displacement, velocity and / or acceleration data of each sampling point at different time instants. The processor 20 then processes the motion data of the multiple sampling points of the target tissue to obtain the motion parameters of the mechanical wave. For example, the displacement data of each sampling point caused by the mechanical wave can be used to obtain the displacement waveform, and thus the wave peak or wave trough of the displacement waveform of each sampling point. The positions of the sampling points are known, and thus the distance of the propagation path of the mechanical wave formed by the sampling points can be obtained. The time difference between the wave peak / wave trough of the displacement of the sampling points at both ends of the propagation path is the time for the mechanical wave to propagate from one end of the propagation path to the other end, and thus the distance of the propagation path divided by the time difference is the propagation speed of the mechanical wave. Of course, the propagation speed of the mechanical wave can also be calculated using the velocity or acceleration data, or other methods can be used to process the motion data of the sampling points to obtain the propagation speed of the mechanical wave, which will not be described herein.

[0071] The processor 20 can perform frequency domain analysis on the motion data of each sampling point to obtain multiple frequency components of the mechanical wave and the phase angle of each frequency component of each sampling point. For example, for the motion data of each sampling point, the processor 20 can perform frequency domain analysis on the motion data of the sampling point to obtain multiple frequency components of the mechanical wave and the complex amplitude of each frequency component by Fourier transform, and to obtain the amplitude and the phase angle by real and imaginary part operations of the complex number, respectively.

[0072] The processor 20 obtains the phase velocity of each frequency component according to the positions of the sampling points, the frequency components and the phase angle of each frequency component of each sampling point, that is, the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies. The propagation speed of the mechanical wave obtained above is equivalent to the group velocity, and the phase velocity of the frequency component is the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at the frequency. Therefore, the specific way to obtain the phase velocity of each frequency component can be similar to the group velocity. For each frequency component, the processor 20 can linearly fit the time instant corresponding to the phase angle of the frequency component and the positions of the sampling points, respectively, to obtain the phase velocity of each frequency component.

[0073] In some embodiments, the elasticity of the myocardial tissue can be different in diastole and systole, and thus the mechanical waves in the two heart phases can be detected respectively to obtain the motion parameters of the mechanical waves propagating in the myocardium in the two heart phases. For example, the processor 20 acquires an electrocardiogram (ECG) or a phonocardiogram (PCG) signal of the heart in the same time period as the ultrasound echo data, i.e., the ECG or PCG signal is acquired synchronously with the ultrasound wave transmission, so as to obtain an ECG or PCG signal synchronous with the ultrasound echo data. The processor 20 identifies the diastole and systole from the ECG or PCG signal. The two heart phases generally correspond to two time periods in a heart cycle, and thus the ultrasound echo data in the two time periods can be processed respectively to obtain the motion parameters of the two mechanical waves propagating in the two time periods. Specifically, the processor 20 processes the ultrasound echo data according to the diastole and systole to obtain the motion parameters of the mechanical wave propagating in the myocardium in diastole and the motion parameters of the mechanical wave propagating in the myocardium in systole, e.g., the processor 20 processes the echo data in diastole in the ultrasound echo data to obtain the motion parameters of the mechanical wave propagating in the myocardium in diastole, and processes the echo data in systole in the ultrasound echo data to obtain the motion parameters of the mechanical wave propagating in the myocardium in systole. The time lengths corresponding to the diastole and systole can be set in advance.

[0074] For the case that the mechanical wave is generated by external intervention, the myocardium can generate multiple mechanical waves in a heart cycle or at least in diastole and systole by continuous mechanical excitation, and thus the motion parameters of the mechanical waves in the two heart phases can be obtained by processing the obtained ultrasound echo data. For the case that the mechanical wave is generated spontaneously by the heart, the mechanical wave generated by the closure of the mitral valve is in diastole, and the mechanical wave generated by the atrial contraction is also in diastole, and the two mechanical waves are in different heart phases and can be distinguished from the ECG or PCG signal, and thus one of the two mechanical waves can be detected to obtain the corresponding motion parameters. The mechanical wave generated by the closure of the aortic valve is in systole, and thus this mechanical wave can be detected to obtain the corresponding motion parameters. It can be seen that, whether the mechanical wave is generated by external excitation or spontaneously by the heart, there will be a corresponding mechanical wave passing through the myocardium in the two heart phases, and thus the processor 20 can obtain the motion parameters of the mechanical waves in the two heart phases by processing the ultrasound echo data, and the specific manner of obtaining the motion parameters is described in detail in the foregoing content, which is not repeated here.

[0075] Step 22, the processor 20 processes the motion parameters to obtain first evaluation parameters for evaluating the biomechanical characteristics of the target tissue. If the motion parameters of the mechanical wave propagating on the myocardium in the diastolic phase and the systolic phase are obtained in the previous step, the processor 20 processes the motion parameters of the mechanical wave propagating on the myocardium in the diastolic phase to obtain the first evaluation parameters in the diastolic phase, and processes the motion parameters of the mechanical wave propagating on the myocardium in the systolic phase to obtain the first evaluation parameters in the systolic phase. The first evaluation parameters can include one or more of the following: the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, the anisotropy parameter, and the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameters and the target parameters. The following will be described in detail how to process the motion parameters to obtain these first evaluation parameters.

[0076] The first evaluation parameters can include the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, and / or the slope of the dispersion curve. The processor 20 can perform linear fitting on the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies (the phase velocity of different frequency components of the mechanical wave) to obtain a fitting straight line f reflecting the corresponding relationship between the frequency and the propagation speed, as shown in FIG. 4. The frequency of the mechanical wave and the phase velocity corresponding to the frequency constitute the scatter plot shown in FIG. 4. Linear fitting is performed on the data points (horizontal coordinate frequency, vertical coordinate phase velocity) in the scatter plot to obtain the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, that is, the curve of the phase velocity with the frequency. The characteristics and laws of the dispersion curve can be simplified by a straight line, that is, the data points are fitted into a straight line f.

[0077] Further, the processor 20 takes the intercept of the fitting straight line f as the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, as shown in FIG. 4. The phase velocity of the point where the fitting straight line f intersects with the phase velocity coordinate axis is the intercept. The intercept of the dispersion curve is used to reflect the elasticity of the target tissue. Generally, the larger the intercept, the greater the hardness of the tissue. In this embodiment, the elasticity of the myocardium is reflected.

[0078] The processor 20 takes the slope of the fitting straight line f as the slope of the dispersion curve. The slope of the dispersion curve is used to reflect the viscosity of the target tissue. Generally, the larger the slope, the greater the viscosity. In this embodiment, the viscosity of the myocardium is reflected.

[0079] It can be seen that the viscoelastic characteristics of the myocardial tissue can be characterized and quantified by the intercept and the slope of the dispersion curve.

[0080] The first evaluation parameter can include the elastic modulus and / or the viscous modulus. The processor 20 can perform a linear fitting on the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies to obtain a dispersion curve f' of the mechanical wave, as shown by the curve in the right graph of FIG. 5. Then the processor 20 matches the dispersion curve f' of the mechanical wave with the dispersion curves in the preset curve library, and matches to a target dispersion curve in the preset curve library that is closest to the dispersion curve f' of the mechanical wave. The preset curve library has a plurality of dispersion curves, and each dispersion curve corresponds to an elastic modulus and / or a viscous modulus. The processor 20 takes the elastic modulus and / or the viscous modulus corresponding to the target dispersion curve as the elastic modulus and / or the viscous modulus for evaluating the biomechanical properties of the target tissue. Specifically, the theoretical curve library can be created based on a theoretical mathematical model (such as a Lamb wave model, a Voigt model, etc.) according to the biomechanical properties (elastic modulus and / or viscous modulus) and geometric characteristics (such as myocardial tissue thickness) of the myocardial tissue under different physiological or pathological conditions. A series of theoretical reference curves (dispersion curves) are calculated by arranging and combining a plurality of (for example, all existing) real and effective elastic modulus, viscous modulus and myocardial tissue thickness reference values, to form a theoretical dispersion curve set (such as the curve set shown in the lower left corner of FIG. 5) of shear wave speed distribution with frequency. Thus, after the processor 20 performs the method shown in FIG. 3, the dispersion curve f' of the mechanical wave is fitted (as shown by the scatter curve in the right side block of FIG. 5), which is compared and fitted with the theoretical curve library, all theoretical reference curves are traversed, and a best theoretical reference curve is found according to strategies including but not limited to root mean square error criterion, Pearson correlation coefficient criterion, etc. The theoretical reference curve is the one closest to the dispersion curve f' of the mechanical wave, and the elastic and viscous modulus values corresponding to the theoretical reference curve are the quantitative parameter reference values of the biomechanical properties of the myocardial tissue of the patient being tested, which directly represent the viscoelasticity of the myocardial tissue.

[0081] The first evaluation parameter can also include an anisotropy parameter. The anisotropy parameter can be used to describe the directionality of the biomechanical properties of the target tissue. Take myocardial tissue as an example. The anisotropy parameter can be used to describe the directionality of the biomechanical properties of the myocardial tissue. Because the myocardial fibers run in different directions in different myocardial walls, the myocardial tissue exhibits anisotropy in the macroscopic view. Generally, a mechanical wave (such as a shear wave) propagates fastest along the direction parallel to the muscle fibers and slowest along the direction perpendicular to the muscle fibers, so that the observation of the mechanical wave in the two different directions can obtain different results of the biomechanical properties of the myocardial tissue. In order to better evaluate this property of the target tissue (such as the myocardial tissue), the anisotropy parameter of the present embodiment can use a fractional anisotropy (FA), which is a quantitative parameter that can describe the difference between the fiber directions of different target tissues, and represents the difference between the propagation speeds of the mechanical wave along different directions of the target tissue, that is, the difference in the directionality of the macroscopic stiffness of the target tissue, and is used to more comprehensively evaluate the biomechanical properties of the target tissue.

[0082] Two specific ways of obtaining the anisotropy parameter are described below.

[0083] In the first way, at least two different cross-sectional ultrasound echo data are obtained in step 1. Specifically, in step 1, the processor 20 obtains at least the ultrasound echo data of a first cross section of the target tissue and the ultrasound echo data of a second cross section of the target tissue, and of course can also obtain the ultrasound echo data of other cross sections of the target tissue. These cross sections, such as the first cross section and the second cross section, pass through the same segment of the target tissue, which is referred to as a specific tissue segment for ease of description. Take the myocardium as an example. The processor 20 obtains at least the ultrasound echo data of a first cross section of the heart and the ultrasound echo data of a second cross section of the heart. The first cross section and the second cross section pass through the same segment of the myocardial tissue (the specific tissue segment). The processor 20 can control the probe to perform two-dimensional ultrasound scanning on the first cross section to obtain the ultrasound echo data of the first cross section (see the aforementioned step 1 for details), and control the probe to perform two-dimensional ultrasound scanning on the second cross section to obtain the ultrasound echo data of the second cross section; or the processor 20 can control the probe to perform three-dimensional ultrasound scanning on the heart to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the heart, and obtain the ultrasound echo data of the first cross section and the second cross section from the three-dimensional volume data.

[0084] The polarization direction (vibration direction) of the particles on the specific tissue segment on the first and second sections are different. As shown in Fig. 6, assuming that the first section is a parasternal long axis section, the vibration direction of the particles on the specific tissue segment on this section is perpendicular to the propagation direction of the mechanical wave, i.e. the mechanical wave is a transverse wave (the component of the motion of the myocardial particles is perpendicular to the interventricular septum and propagates along a direction parallel to the interventricular septum). Assuming that the second section is an apical four-chamber section, the vibration direction of the particles on the specific tissue segment on this section is parallel to the propagation direction of the mechanical wave, i.e. the mechanical wave is a longitudinal wave (the component of the motion of the myocardial particles is parallel to the interventricular septum and propagates along a direction parallel to the interventricular septum). Considering that the section is related to the position of the probe and the direction of the motion of the particles in the ultrasound image is more accurate when it is parallel to the propagation direction of the ultrasound wave, the vibration direction of the particles on the specific tissue segment on the first section is substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the ultrasound wave, and the vibration direction of the particles on the specific tissue segment on the second section is also substantially parallel to the propagation direction of the ultrasound wave.

[0085] Thus, in step 21, the processor 20 processes the ultrasound echo data of the first section to obtain a first motion parameter reflecting the propagation of the transverse wave on the specific tissue segment (e.g. the same segment of myocardial tissue) on the first section, and processes the ultrasound echo data of the second section to obtain a second motion parameter reflecting the propagation of the longitudinal wave on the specific tissue segment (e.g. the same segment of myocardial tissue) on the second section. The first motion parameter and the second motion parameter are the same kind of motion parameter, e.g. both are propagation velocity.

[0086] Further in this step 22, the processor 20 calculates the anisotropy parameter FA according to the first motion parameter and the second motion parameter. For example, the processor 20 calculates the anisotropy parameter FA according to the following formula:

[0087] wherein vi is the first motion parameter, v2 is the second motion parameter, is the average of vi and v2.

[0088] In the second mode, at least two different sections of ultrasound echo data are acquired in step 1. Specifically, in step 1, the processor 20 acquires ultrasound echo data of a third section and ultrasound echo data of a fourth section of the target tissue, and of course, ultrasound echo data of other sections of the target tissue can also be acquired. The third section and the fourth section pass through the same segment of the target tissue, and for the sake of description, the same segment of the target tissue passed through by these sections is referred to as a specific tissue segment. The third section and the fourth section are not parallel, and have a certain angle, such as being orthogonal. In this way, by detecting the motion parameters of the same segment of the tissue on two sections with different angles, such as orthogonal sections, the anisotropy parameter of the segment of the tissue can be obtained. Taking the myocardium as an example, the processor 20 acquires ultrasound echo data of a third section and ultrasound echo data of a fourth section of the heart. The third section and the fourth section pass through the same segment of the myocardial tissue and are orthogonal. The third section can be a short-axis section of the heart, such as a parasternal short-axis section (PSAX) as shown in the left image of FIG. 7, and the fourth section can be a long-axis section of the heart, such as a parasternal long-axis section (PLAX) as shown in the right image of FIG. 7. The processor 20 can control the probe to perform two-dimensional ultrasound scanning on the third section to obtain ultrasound echo data of the third section (see the aforementioned step 1), and control the probe to perform two-dimensional ultrasound scanning on the fourth section to obtain ultrasound echo data of the fourth section; or control the probe to perform three-dimensional ultrasound scanning on the heart to obtain three-dimensional volume data of the heart, and obtain ultrasound echo data of the third section and the fourth section from the three-dimensional volume data. The former mode requires two sections that can respectively observe two types of mechanical waves caused by the same myocardial point in different polarization directions, while the present mode requires at least one short-axis section and at least one long-axis section.

[0089] Thus, in step 21, the processor 20 processes the ultrasound echo data of the third section to obtain a third motion parameter for reflecting the propagation of mechanical waves on the specific tissue segment (such as the same segment of the myocardial tissue) of the third section, and processes the ultrasound echo data of the fourth section to obtain a fourth motion parameter for reflecting the propagation of mechanical waves on the specific tissue segment (such as the same segment of the myocardial tissue) of the fourth section. Since the third section and the fourth section are orthogonal, the direction of the mechanical waves propagating on the specific tissue segment of the third section (indicated by the arrow in the left image of FIG. 7) is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the mechanical waves propagating on the specific tissue segment of the fourth section (indicated by the arrow in the right image of FIG. 7). The third motion parameter and the fourth motion parameter are the same type of motion parameter, such as both being propagation velocity.

[0090] Further, in this step 22, the processor 20 calculates the anisotropy parameter FA according to the third motion parameter and the fourth motion parameter. The anisotropy parameter FA can be calculated by the aforementioned formula:

[0091] wherein, v PSAXfor the third motion parameter, v PLAX for the fourth motion parameter, for v PSAX and v PLAX is the average value.

[0092] The first evaluation parameter can also include a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and a target parameter. The coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter can be used to reflect the second evaluation parameter excluding the influence of the target parameter. The second evaluation parameter can include at least one of the propagation speed of the mechanical wave, the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, and the anisotropy parameter. That is, each second evaluation parameter can generate a coupling parameter together with a target parameter. As known from the foregoing steps, the processor 20 processes the ultrasonic echo data to obtain the second evaluation parameter for evaluating the biomechanical properties of the target tissue, and the specific process has been mentioned in the foregoing content. The processor 20 also obtains the target parameter related to the patient, and obtains the target parameter related to the factor that is intended to be excluded from the influence on the second evaluation parameter, and then generates the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter according to the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter. The obtained second evaluation parameter can include the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole and the end of diastole, and the target parameter can also include the target parameter at the end of systole and the end of diastole, and then coupling these parameters can obtain the corresponding coupling parameter, as shown in FIG. 8, a coordinate system is established with the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter, the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole and the target parameter at the end of diastole determine a coordinate point, for example, the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole and the target parameter at the end of diastole are the coordinates of the coordinate point; the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole and the target parameter at the end of systole determine another coordinate point, for example, the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole and the target parameter at the end of systole are the coordinates of the coordinate point; the line segment connecting the two coordinate points can be the coupling parameter, and in some embodiments, the coupling parameter is a coupling vector (the coupling vector can also be referred to as a joint vector), that is, the vector connecting the two coordinate points. The processor 20 can calculate the length of the line segment formed by the two coordinate points, or can calculate the included angle between the line segment and the coordinate axis, and usually calculates the included angle between the line segment and the coordinate axis of the second evaluation parameter.

[0093] The following will be described in detail taking the heart as an example.

[0094] The target parameter can include the preload, and the preload can include the intracavity volume of the heart ventricle. That is, the first evaluation parameter can include the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the preload, and the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the preload is used to reflect the second evaluation parameter excluding the influence of the preload.

[0095] Processor 20 acquires the preload at end-systole and end-diastole of the heart, for example, by measuring the preload at end-systole and end-diastole using an ultrasound imaging device. When both the second evaluation parameter and the motion parameter are the propagation velocity of mechanical waves, the propagation velocity of mechanical waves at end-systole and end-diastole can be obtained in step 21 (see the foregoing for details), thus eliminating the need for step 22, or in other words, step 22 uses the obtained propagation velocity of mechanical waves as the second evaluation parameter. When the second evaluation parameter is not the propagation velocity of mechanical waves, the motion parameters (such as propagation velocity) of mechanical waves at end-systole and end-diastole can be obtained in step 21 (see the foregoing for details). Then, in step 22, processor 20 processes the motion parameters of the mechanical waves at end-systole to obtain the second evaluation parameters for end-systole; and processes the motion parameters of the mechanical waves at end-diastole to obtain the second evaluation parameters for end-diastole. The detailed method for obtaining the second evaluation parameters based on the motion parameters has been described in the foregoing and will not be repeated here. Processor 20 couples the end-systolic preload, the end-systolic second assessment parameter, the end-diastolic preload, and the end-diastolic second assessment parameter to obtain the coupling parameter between the second assessment parameter and the preload, as shown in Figure 9 (Figure 9 shows the coupling vector). Processor 20 establishes a coordinate system with the second assessment parameter as one axis and the preload as the other axis. The end-systolic second assessment parameter and the end-systolic preload determine the first coordinate point; for example, the end-systolic second assessment parameter and the end-systolic preload are used as the coordinates of the first coordinate point. The end-diastolic second assessment parameter and the end-diastolic preload determine the second coordinate point; for example, the end-diastolic second assessment parameter and the end-diastolic preload are used as the coordinates of the second coordinate point. The first line segment (e.g., a vector) connecting these two coordinate points is the coupling parameter (e.g., the coupling vector). For example, the shallower arrow pointing from the end of systole to the end of diastole in the diagram represents the coupling vector. In some embodiments, the processor 20 can calculate the length of the first line segment formed by connecting the two coordinate points, and it can also calculate the angle between the first line segment and the coordinate axis. Typically, it calculates the angle between the first line segment and the coordinate axis containing the second evaluation parameter. That is, the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the preload includes the length of the first line segment and / or the angle between the first line segment and the coordinate axis. Taking the coupling parameter as a coupling vector as an example, the coupling vector between the second evaluation parameter and the preload includes the coupling vector between the second evaluation parameter and the preload. The modulus of |A 前 | and / or angle θ 前The modulus of the coupling vector is the modulus of the vector, the calculation formula of which is known and will not be described herein. The angle of the coupling vector can be the included angle between the coupling vector and any coordinate axis, and the included angle between the coupling vector and the horizontal coordinate (the coordinate axis of the second evaluation parameter) is taken as an example for illustration in the figure.

[0096] The target parameter can also include afterload, and the afterload can include blood pressure. That is, the first evaluation parameter can include a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the afterload, and the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the afterload is used to reflect the second evaluation parameter excluding the influence of the afterload.

[0097] The processor 20 obtains the afterload at the end of systole and the afterload at the end of diastole, such as the systolic pressure and diastolic pressure detected by a blood pressure measuring instrument. For example, the processor 20 communicates with the blood pressure measuring instrument to obtain the systolic pressure and diastolic pressure measured by the blood pressure measuring instrument, or the values of the systolic pressure and diastolic pressure detected by the blood pressure measuring instrument are input into the ultrasonic imaging device by a medical worker after the medical worker sees the values. When the second evaluation parameter and the motion parameter are both the propagation speed of the mechanical wave, the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at the end of systole and the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at the end of diastole can be obtained in step 21 (see the foregoing description for details), so that step 22 is not needed, or step 22 is to take the obtained propagation speed of the mechanical wave as the second evaluation parameter. When the second evaluation parameter is not the propagation speed of the mechanical wave, the motion parameter (such as the propagation speed) of the mechanical wave at the end of systole and the motion parameter (such as the propagation speed) of the mechanical wave at the end of diastole can be obtained in step 21 (see the foregoing description for details), and then in this step 22, the processor 20 processes the motion parameter of the mechanical wave at the end of systole to obtain the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole of the heart, and processes the motion parameter of the mechanical wave at the end of diastole to obtain the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole of the heart. The detailed way of obtaining the second evaluation parameter according to the motion parameter has been described in the foregoing description, and will not be described herein. The processor 20 couples the afterload at the end of systole, the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole, the afterload at the end of diastole, and the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole to obtain a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the afterload, and the coupling parameter can be as shown in FIG. 9 (the coupling vector is shown in FIG. 9). The processor 20 establishes a coordinate system with the second evaluation parameter as one coordinate axis and the afterload as the other coordinate axis, the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole and the afterload at the end of systole determine a third coordinate point, for example, the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole and the afterload at the end of systole are taken as the coordinates of the third coordinate point; the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole and the afterload at the end of diastole determine a fourth coordinate point, for example, the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole and the afterload at the end of diastole are taken as the coordinates of the fourth coordinate point; and the second line segment (for example, the vector) connecting the two coordinate points is the coupling parameter (for example, the coupling vector ), such as the deeper arrow in the figure pointing from the end of systole to the end of diastole. In some embodiments, the processor 20 can calculate the length of the second line segment formed by the two coordinate points, and can also calculate the angle between the second line segment and the coordinate axis, usually the angle between the second line segment and the coordinate axis of the second evaluation parameter, that is, the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the afterload includes the length of the second line segment and / or the angle between the second line segment and the coordinate axis. Taking the coupling parameter as the coupling vector as an example, the coupling vector between the second evaluation parameter and the afterload includes the coupling vector between the second evaluation parameter and the afterload The modulus of the coupling vector is the modulus of the vector, and its calculation formula is known and will not be repeated here. 后 and / or the angle θ 后 The modulus of the coupling vector is the modulus of the vector, and its calculation formula is known and will not be repeated here.

[0098] As can be seen from FIG. 9, the line segment or coupling vector in the figure can reflect the difference between the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole and the end of systole, and the length and angle of the line segment or the modulus and angle of the vector can be used as new dimensionless quantitative parameters to guide the myocardial tissue state after excluding the influence of preload and afterload, and reflect the inherent nature biomechanical characteristics of the myocardial tissue.

[0099] As described above, the second evaluation parameter includes one or more of the propagation speed of the mechanical wave, the intercept of the dispersion curve, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus and the anisotropy parameter, and accordingly, the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the preload has one or more, and the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the afterload has one or more. That is, the values of one second evaluation parameter and one target parameter at the end of diastole and the end of systole can generate one coupling parameter.

[0100] Step 3, output the first evaluation parameter, for example, the processor 20 displays the first evaluation parameter on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device 70. As described above, in some embodiments, the motion parameter can include the propagation speed. In this step, the processor 20 outputs the first evaluation parameter while also outputting the propagation speed, for example, simultaneously displaying the first evaluation parameter and the propagation speed of the mechanical wave on the display interface.

[0101] The first evaluation parameter is a biomechanical property quantitative parameter. Displaying these calculated quantitative parameters for describing the mechanical properties of the myocardial tissue to the user can assist the user in scientific research or clinical diagnosis. There are various ways to display the first evaluation parameter, two of which are described below.

[0102] The first display mode includes but is not limited to directly displaying the numerical value of the first evaluation parameter, and can also provide the statistical analysis result of the first evaluation parameter. Specifically, the processor 20 can display the first evaluation parameter on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device; or can perform statistics on the first evaluation parameters obtained at different times to obtain statistical data of the first evaluation parameter; and then display the statistical data of the first evaluation parameter on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device. The first evaluation parameters obtained at different times can be the first evaluation parameters obtained in multiple mechanical wave propagation cycles, and each mechanical wave propagation cycle can obtain one first evaluation parameter. For the myocardium spontaneously generating mechanical waves, the mechanical wave propagation cycle can be a cardiac cycle. The statistical data of the first evaluation parameter can be as shown in Table 1, and can include one or more of the mean value Mean, the standard deviation Std, the variance, the maximum value, and the minimum value of the first evaluation parameter, etc. If the first evaluation parameter at the end of diastole and the first evaluation parameter at the end of systole are obtained in the foregoing steps, the first evaluation parameter at the end of diastole and the first evaluation parameter at the end of systole can also be displayed. The propagation speed of the mechanical wave can also be used as an evaluation parameter, that is, the processor 20 can also perform statistics on the propagation speeds of the mechanical waves obtained at different times to obtain statistical data of the propagation speeds of the mechanical waves, and then display the statistical data of the propagation speeds of the mechanical waves on the display interface, such as displaying one or more of the mean value Mean, the standard deviation Std, the variance, the maximum value, and the minimum value of the propagation speed of the mechanical wave. If the propagation speed at the end of diastole and the propagation speed at the end of systole are obtained in the foregoing steps, the propagation speed at the end of diastole and the propagation speed at the end of systole can also be displayed.

[0103] Table 1:

[0104] The statistical data shown in Table 1 is suitable for the first evaluation parameter except the coupling parameter. As known from the foregoing, the second evaluation parameter can cover the propagation speed of the mechanical wave and the first evaluation parameter except the coupling parameter, and therefore, it can also be said that the processor 20 performs statistics on the second evaluation parameters obtained at different times to obtain statistical data of the second evaluation parameter; and then displays the statistical data of the second evaluation parameter on the display interface.

[0105] For the coupling parameter, the length of the corresponding line segment (such as the modulus of the vector) and the angle with the coordinate axis are mainly displayed. The coupling parameters of the same second evaluation parameter and different target parameters can be displayed together. In this embodiment, for the same second evaluation parameter, the line segment length (modulus or amplitude of the vector) and the angle with the coordinate axis (angle of the vector) of the coupling parameter formed with the preload and the coupling parameter formed with the afterload can be displayed together, as shown in Table 2.

[0106] Table 2:

[0107] In some embodiments, the processor 20 can further display a reference range of the first evaluation parameter on the display interface. The reference range is pre-set and represents a normal range of the first evaluation parameter. If the first evaluation parameter of the patient is within the corresponding reference range, it indicates that the biomechanical characteristics reflected by the first evaluation parameter of the patient is normal, otherwise it indicates abnormality. Thus, a reliable and quantitative basis is provided for the doctor to judge the elasticity and other characteristics of the patient's tissue. The processor 20 can further display the historical first evaluation parameter of the patient on the display interface, that is, display the past first evaluation parameter, which can be displayed based on the user's instruction. In this way, the user can judge the change of the patient's condition by comparing the historical and current first evaluation parameters. Of course, the processor 20 can also determine whether the first evaluation parameter exceeds the reference range, and if so, display the corresponding prompt information on the display interface.

[0108] Taking the first evaluation parameter including the coupling parameter as an example, the processor 20 can further display a length reference range and / or an angle reference range corresponding to the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter on the display interface. The length reference range and the angle reference range are pre-set and represent the normal range of the length of the line segment corresponding to the coupling parameter and the normal range of the angle between the line segment and the coordinate axis. If the length of the line segment corresponding to the coupling parameter of the patient is within the length reference range and the angle is within the angle reference range, it indicates that the biomechanical characteristics reflected by the second evaluation parameter of the patient is normal, otherwise it indicates abnormality. Thus, a reliable and quantitative basis is provided for the doctor to judge the elasticity and other characteristics of the patient's tissue. The length reference range and the angle reference range can be obtained by collecting the ultrasonic echo data of a plurality of healthy patients, processing the data through the above steps to obtain the corresponding coupling parameters, and then performing statistical processing. The coupling parameter is usually different under normal and disease conditions of the heart, and this difference reflects the problem of the myocardium itself, and it can be judged whether it is caused by preload and afterload or other individual differences. The length of the line segment and the angle of the coupling parameter of a healthy person are usually small, while the length of the line segment and the angle of a long-term patient are usually large. The length change and / or angle change of the line segment may be different for different disease types, and the length change and / or angle change of the line segment may also be different for different disease degrees. By comparing the coupling parameter of the healthy person, the doctor can know whether the myocardium of the patient is abnormal, which is very convenient and accurate, so the coupling vector has potential clinical value of considering sensitivity and specificity. The processor 20 can further display the historical coupling parameter of the patient on the display interface, that is, display the past coupling parameter, which can be displayed based on the user's instruction. In this way, the user can judge whether the second evaluation parameter corresponding to the coupling parameter is improved, worsened or unchanged by comparing the historical and current coupling parameters. Of course, the processor 20 can also determine whether the length corresponding to the coupling parameter exceeds the length reference range, whether the angle corresponding to the coupling parameter exceeds the angle reference range, and if at least one of them exceeds, display the corresponding prompt information on the display interface.

[0109] The processor 20 can also obtain patient information, which can include one or more of patient name, patient ID, height, weight, age, gender, date of birth, attending physician, body surface area, and body mass index (BMI), as shown in FIG. 10. The processor 20 can generate an assessment report based on the patient information and the statistical data of the first assessment parameter and display the assessment report on the display interface of the human-machine interaction device, as shown in FIG. 10. The assessment report in the figure includes the patient information and the statistical data of the first assessment parameter. In addition to the mean value of the first assessment parameter, the statistical data of the first assessment parameter also includes the first assessment parameter obtained at different times, that is, the first assessment parameter obtained at multiple different propagation periods. These first assessment parameters can be presented in the form of a list as in the figure, or in the form of a curve. The display interface also displays a variety of types of statistical data for the user to select, as shown by the drop-down box in the middle of the right side of the figure. The types of statistical data can include one or more of mean value, median value, variance, and standard deviation. The processor 20 can receive the type of statistical data selected by the user through the human-machine interaction device, so as to display the statistical data of the first assessment parameter corresponding to the type of statistical data on the display interface. The figure shows the mean value of the first assessment parameter. If the user selects the standard deviation, the mean values of the multiple sets of first assessment parameters on the interface are changed to standard deviations. In the case of limited screen space, it is convenient for the user to view multiple types of statistical data. Similarly, considering that the propagation speed of the mechanical wave and the first assessment parameter other than the coupling parameter are more suitable for the statistical mode shown in Table 1 and FIG. 10, in an embodiment, when the processor 20 displays the statistical data of the second assessment parameter on the display interface, it also simultaneously displays the second assessment parameter obtained at different times, and the specific mode is the same as that of the first assessment parameter in this paragraph, which will not be repeated here.

[0110] The second display mode focuses on the display of coupling vectors. As shown in FIG. 11, the processor 20 can display a coupling parameter graph A on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device, which can include: coupling parameters of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameters; wherein the abscissa or ordinate of the coupling parameter graph A is the second evaluation parameter, and the ordinate or abscissa of the coupling parameter graph A is the target parameter. For the same second evaluation parameter, the coupling parameters formed by the second evaluation parameter and multiple target parameters can be displayed in the same coupling parameter graph A. Specifically, for the same second evaluation parameter, the coupling parameter formed by the second evaluation parameter and the preload and the coupling parameter formed by the second evaluation parameter and the afterload can be displayed in the same coupling parameter graph A, as shown in FIG. 11. Since the coupling parameter is taken as an example to illustrate the coupling vector in this embodiment, the coupling parameter graph A or the coupling vector graph on the left of FIG. 11 includes: the coupling vector (indicated by a light-colored arrow) of the second evaluation parameter of the dispersion curve slope and the preload and the coupling vector (indicated by a dark-colored arrow) of the second evaluation parameter of the dispersion curve slope and the afterload; the coupling parameter graph A or the coupling vector graph on the right includes: the coupling vector (indicated by a light-colored arrow) of the second evaluation parameter of the anisotropy fraction and the preload and the coupling vector (indicated by a dark-colored arrow) of the second evaluation parameter of the anisotropy fraction and the afterload. The abscissa or ordinate of the coupling parameter graph A is the second evaluation parameter, one ordinate or abscissa of the coupling parameter graph A is the preload, and the other ordinate or abscissa is the afterload. In this way, the user can see the second evaluation parameter excluding the influence of one or more target parameters in the coupling parameter graph A of one second evaluation parameter, which facilitates more accurate evaluation of the biomechanical characteristics of the target tissue. As known from the foregoing, the length or amplitude (module) of the coupling vector and the size of the angle with the coordinate axis are different between healthy people and patients. The doctor can quickly make a qualitative judgment on the vector length and angle from the graph, and make a quantitative judgment in combination with the coordinate axis, which is very convenient. Of course, in other embodiments, the coupling parameter of the same second evaluation parameter and the preload and the coupling parameter of the same second evaluation parameter and the afterload can also be displayed in different coupling parameter graphs, respectively. In order to facilitate the user to compare, the processor 20 can also mark the length reference range and / or the angle reference range in the coupling parameter graph A, for example, taking one coordinate point of the coupling parameter as the starting point to mark the length reference range and / or the angle reference range, as shown by the dashed line in the figure. If the length of the line segment of the coupling parameter exceeds the dashed line and the angle with the abscissa is greater than the angle of the dashed line, it means that the length and the angle are both out of the normal range. Through the coupling parameter graph A, the user can quickly and accurately judge the biomechanical characteristics reflected by the second evaluation parameter.

[0111] The processor 20 can also display the length and the included angle of the line segment corresponding to the coupling parameter on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of displaying the modulus and the angle of the coupling vector. In this embodiment, the modulus, the angle and the coupling vector diagram A of the coupling vector are displayed simultaneously, and the three can be displayed together. In FIG. 11, the content of Table 2 is displayed below the coupling vector diagram A. In this way, the user can see the coupling vector from the coupling vector diagram A to quickly make a qualitative judgment, and can also know the modulus and the angle of the coupling vector from the table below to make a quantitative evaluation, which is very convenient.

[0112] Considering that there are many types of second evaluation parameters, and many coupling parameters are formed by different types of second evaluation parameters and target parameters, if all the coupling parameter diagrams are displayed, the user will not be convenient to view and will also be limited by the area of the display interface. Therefore, in an embodiment, the display interface can display one coupling parameter diagram, and the user can switch the type of the second evaluation parameter to make the coupling parameter diagram display the corresponding coupling parameter, which is more convenient. As shown in FIG. 11, the current display interface displays the diagram of the coupling vector formed by the dispersion curve slope and the target parameter. In FIG. 11, the second evaluation parameter identifier below the horizontal coordinate of the coupling parameter diagram can be selected. After the second evaluation parameter identifier is selected, the processor 20 displays multiple second evaluation parameters on the display interface for the user to select (as shown in the drop-down menu), and the user can select the required second evaluation parameter. The processor 20 receives an instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter through the human-computer interaction device, and in response to the instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, acquires the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and the target parameter (which has been obtained in the foregoing step); and updates the displayed coupling parameter diagram A according to the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and the target parameter. That is, the coupling parameter diagram of the current interface changes from the left diagram to the right diagram in FIG. 11. If the display interface also displays the length and the included angle of the line segment corresponding to the coupling parameter, the processor 20 updates the length and / or the included angle of the line segment displayed on the display interface according to the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and the target parameter. The user can see different types of coupling parameters by switching the second evaluation parameter, and also saves display space, which is high in human-computer interaction efficiency. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the target parameter has two types of pre-load and post-load, and the two types of target parameters form two types of coupling parameters (vectors) with the same second evaluation parameter, which are displayed in the same coupling parameter (vector) diagram.

[0113] The foregoing introduces two display modes of the first evaluation parameter. In some embodiments, the processor 20 can display the first evaluation parameter by using one of the two display modes. In other embodiments, for the first evaluation parameter of the non-coupling parameter, the processor 20 can use the first display mode; and for the first evaluation parameter of the coupling parameter, the processor 20 can use the second display mode. Of course, other ways can also be used to display the first evaluation parameter, which will not be described here.

[0114] In summary, the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present application provides rich quantitative evaluation indexes of tissue biomechanical properties, which is expected to fill the gap of evaluation means of biomechanical properties in the field of ultrasonic cardiovascular, and especially, the combination index (coupling vector) of the evaluation indexes and the front / back load can help users to eliminate the influence of the front / back load on the evaluation indexes.

[0115] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the above embodiments can be realized by hardware or by a computer program. When all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are realized by a computer program, the program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium, which can include a read-only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, etc. The above functions are realized by executing the program by a computer. For example, the program is stored in the memory of the device, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, the above all or part of the functions can be realized. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are realized by a computer program, the program can also be stored in a server, another computer, a disk, an optical disk, a flash disk or a mobile hard disk, etc. storage medium, saved in the memory of the local device by downloading or copying, or the system of the local device is updated, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments can be realized.

[0116] Various exemplary embodiments are described herein. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope hereof. For example, various operational steps and components for carrying out the operational steps can be implemented in different sequences and / or omitted, combined, or combined as desired (e.g., one or more steps can be deleted, modified, or combined with other steps).

[0117] Additionally, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the principles described herein can be reflected in a computer program product having a computer-readable medium pre-loaded with computer-readable program code. Any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disk; floppy disk, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-ROM; DVD; Blu Ray disc, etc.), flash memory, and / or the like. These computer program instructions can be loaded onto a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified. These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including an implementation to

[0118] While the principles described herein have been illustrated in various embodiments, many modifications, adaptations, and variations can be made to the structures, arrangements, proportions, elements, materials, and components described and illustrated without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of the disclosure.

[0119] The foregoing detailed description has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the description is to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present disclosure. Likewise, that individual elements

[0120] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications can be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the present application. The scope of the present application should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for quantitative assessment of myocardial biomechanical properties, characterized in that, The method comprises: acquiring ultrasonic echo data of a heart; the ultrasonic echo data is obtained by emitting ultrasonic waves for detecting mechanical waves spontaneously generated by the heart to the heart, and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves; processing the ultrasonic echo data to obtain motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the mechanical waves on myocardium of the heart; processing the motion parameters to obtain first evaluation parameters for evaluating biomechanical characteristics of the myocardium of the heart; the first evaluation parameters comprise at least one of an intercept of a dispersion curve of the mechanical waves, a slope of the dispersion curve, an elastic modulus, a viscous modulus, an anisotropy parameter, a coupling parameter between a second evaluation parameter and a preload, and a coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and an afterload; the intercept of the dispersion curve is used to reflect an elasticity degree of the myocardium; the slope of the dispersion curve is used to reflect a viscosity degree of the myocardium; the second evaluation parameter comprises at least one of a propagation speed of the mechanical waves, the intercept of the dispersion curve, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, and the anisotropy parameter; outputting the first evaluation parameters.

2. A method for quantitative assessment of myocardial biomechanical properties, characterized in that, The method comprises: acquiring ultrasonic echo data of a heart; the ultrasonic echo data is obtained by emitting ultrasonic waves for detecting mechanical waves propagating in myocardium of the heart to the heart, and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves; processing the ultrasonic echo data to obtain motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the mechanical waves on myocardium of the heart; processing the motion parameters to obtain first evaluation parameters for evaluating biomechanical characteristics of the myocardium of the heart; the first evaluation parameters comprise at least one of an intercept of a dispersion curve of the mechanical waves, an anisotropy parameter, a coupling parameter between a second evaluation parameter and a preload, and a coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and an afterload; the intercept of the dispersion curve is used to reflect an elasticity degree of the myocardium; the second evaluation parameter comprises at least one of a propagation speed of the mechanical waves, the intercept of the dispersion curve, the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, the viscous modulus, and the anisotropy parameter; outputting the first evaluation parameters.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the preload is used to reflect the second evaluation parameter excluding an influence of the preload; the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the afterload is used to reflect the second evaluation parameter excluding an influence of the afterload.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first evaluation parameters further comprise at least one of the slope of the dispersion curve, the elastic modulus, and the viscous modulus.

5. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The motion parameters comprise a propagation speed; the first evaluation parameters are outputted together with the propagation speed.

6. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first evaluation parameters comprise the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the preload, and / or the coupling parameter between the second evaluation parameter and the afterload; the processing of the motion parameters to obtain the first evaluation parameters for evaluating the biomechanical characteristics of the myocardium of the heart comprises: acquiring a preload at an end-systole of the heart and a preload at an end-diastole of the heart; processing the motion parameters to obtain a second evaluation parameter of the end-systolic stage and a second evaluation parameter of the end-diastolic stage; coupling the end-systolic preload, the second evaluation parameter of the end-systolic stage, the end-diastolic preload and the second evaluation parameter of the end-diastolic stage to obtain a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the preload; and / or, obtaining the end-systolic and end-diastolic afterloads; processing the motion parameters to obtain a second evaluation parameter of the end-systolic stage and a second evaluation parameter of the end-diastolic stage; coupling the end-systolic afterload, the second evaluation parameter of the end-systolic stage, the end-diastolic afterload and the second evaluation parameter of the end-diastolic stage to obtain a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the afterload.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the first evaluation parameter comprises the anisotropy parameter; the obtaining the ultrasound echo data of the heart comprises: obtaining ultrasound echo data of a first section and ultrasound echo data of a second section of the heart; the first section and the second section pass through the same section of myocardial tissue; processing the ultrasound echo data to obtain motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the mechanical waves on the myocardium of the heart comprises: processing the ultrasound echo data of the first section to obtain first motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the transverse waves on the same section of myocardial tissue of the first section; processing the ultrasound echo data of the second section to obtain second motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the longitudinal waves on the same section of myocardial tissue of the second section; the processing the motion parameters to obtain a first evaluation parameter for evaluating the biomechanical characteristics of the myocardium of the heart comprises: calculating the anisotropy parameter according to the first motion parameters and the second motion parameters.

8. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, the first evaluation parameter comprises the anisotropy parameter; the obtaining the ultrasound echo data of the heart comprises: obtaining ultrasound echo data of a third section and ultrasound echo data of a fourth section of the heart; the third section and the fourth section are orthogonal, and the third section and the fourth section pass through the same section of myocardial tissue; processing the ultrasound echo data to obtain motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the mechanical waves on the myocardium of the heart comprises: processing the ultrasound echo data of the third section to obtain third motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the mechanical waves on the same section of myocardial tissue of the third section; processing the ultrasound echo data of the fourth section to obtain fourth motion parameters for reflecting propagation of the mechanical waves on the same section of myocardial tissue of the fourth section; the direction of the mechanical waves propagating on the same section of myocardial tissue of the third section is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the mechanical waves propagating on the same section of myocardial tissue of the fourth section; the processing the motion parameters to obtain a first evaluation parameter for evaluating the biomechanical characteristics of the myocardium of the heart comprises: calculating the anisotropy parameter according to the third motion parameters and the fourth motion parameters.

9. The method of claim 1 or 4, wherein, The first evaluation parameter comprises an intercept of a dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, and / or a slope of the dispersion curve; the motion parameter comprises a propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies; and the processing of the motion parameter to obtain the first evaluation parameter for evaluating the myocardial biomechanical characteristic of the heart comprises: linear fitting of the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies to obtain a fitting straight line reflecting a corresponding relationship between frequency and propagation speed; taking an intercept of the fitting straight line as the intercept of the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, and / or taking a slope of the fitting straight line as the slope of the dispersion curve.

10. The method of claim 1 or 4, wherein, The first evaluation parameter comprises the elastic modulus and / or the viscous modulus; the motion parameter comprises a propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies; and the processing of the motion parameter to obtain the first evaluation parameter for evaluating the myocardial biomechanical characteristic of the heart comprises: linear fitting of the propagation speed of the mechanical wave at different frequencies to obtain a dispersion curve of the mechanical wave; matching the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave with dispersion curves in a preset curve library to match to a target dispersion curve in the preset curve library that is closest to the dispersion curve of the mechanical wave; the preset curve library has a plurality of dispersion curves, and each dispersion curve corresponds to an elastic modulus and / or a viscous modulus; taking the elastic modulus and / or the viscous modulus corresponding to the target dispersion curve as the elastic modulus and / or the viscous modulus for evaluating the myocardial biomechanical characteristic of the heart.

11. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The outputting of the first evaluation parameter comprises: displaying the first evaluation parameter on a display interface; or statistically processing the first evaluation parameters obtained at different time instants to obtain statistical data of the first evaluation parameter; and displaying the statistical data of the first evaluation parameter on a display interface; or statistically processing the first evaluation parameters obtained at different time instants to obtain statistical data of the first evaluation parameter; obtaining patient information; generating an evaluation report according to the patient information and the statistical data of the first evaluation parameter; and displaying the evaluation report on a display interface.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein, The outputting of the first evaluation parameter comprises: displaying a coupling parameter graph on a display interface; and the second evaluation parameter is a horizontal or vertical coordinate of the coupling parameter graph, and a preload and / or an afterload is a vertical or horizontal coordinate of the coupling parameter graph; wherein the coupling parameter graph comprises a first line segment formed by a connection between a first coordinate point and a second coordinate point, the first coordinate point is determined by a preload at end-systole and the second evaluation parameter at end-systole, and the second coordinate point is determined by a preload at end-diastole and the second evaluation parameter at end-diastole; and / or the coupling parameter graph comprises a second line segment formed by a connection between a third coordinate point and a fourth coordinate point, the third coordinate point is determined by an afterload at end-systole and the second evaluation parameter at end-systole, and the fourth coordinate point is determined by an afterload at end-diastole and the second evaluation parameter at end-diastole.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving an instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, in response to the instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, obtaining a coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload and / or obtaining a coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload; updating the coupling parameter diagram displayed on the display interface according to the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload and / or the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload.

14. The method of claim 6 or 12, wherein, the coupling of the preload at the end of systole, the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole, the preload at the end of diastole, and the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole to obtain the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and preload comprises: calculating the length of a first line segment formed by a first coordinate point and a second coordinate point, and / or calculating a first included angle between the first line segment and a coordinate axis; the first coordinate point is determined by the preload at the end of systole and the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole, and the second coordinate point is determined by the preload at the end of diastole and the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole; the coupling of the afterload at the end of systole, the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole, the afterload at the end of diastole, and the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole to obtain the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and afterload comprises: calculating the length of a second line segment formed by a third coordinate point and a fourth coordinate point, and / or calculating a second included angle between the second line segment and a coordinate axis; the third coordinate point is determined by the afterload at the end of systole and the second evaluation parameter at the end of systole, and the fourth coordinate point is determined by the afterload at the end of diastole and the second evaluation parameter at the end of diastole; the outputting of the first evaluation parameter comprises: displaying the length of the first line segment and / or the first included angle on the display interface; and / or, displaying the length of the second line segment and / or the second included angle on the display interface. The method further comprises:

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, receiving an instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, in response to the instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, obtaining a coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload and / or obtaining a coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload; updating the length of the first line segment and / or the first included angle displayed on the display interface according to the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload; and / or, updating the length of the second line segment and / or the second included angle displayed on the display interface according to the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload. The first evaluation parameter comprises: the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and preload, and / or the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and afterload; the coupling parameter is a coupling vector; the outputting of the first evaluation parameter comprises:

16. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, displaying a coupling vector diagram on the display interface, the coupling vector diagram comprising: the coupling vector of the second evaluation parameter and preload, and / or the coupling vector of the second evaluation parameter and afterload; wherein the abscissa of the coupling vector diagram is the second evaluation parameter, and the ordinate of the coupling vector diagram is the preload and / or the afterload. ​ 17. The method of claim 16, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving an instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, in response to the instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, obtaining a coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload and / or obtaining a coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload; updating the coupling vector diagram displayed on the display interface according to the coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload and / or the coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The coupling vector diagram is displayed with second evaluation parameter identifiers below the horizontal coordinate of the coupling vector diagram; the method further comprises: after the second evaluation parameter identifier is selected, displaying a plurality of second evaluation parameters for user selection.

19. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The first evaluation parameter comprises a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and preload and / or a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and afterload; the coupling parameter is a coupling vector; the preload comprises a volume of a chamber of a ventricle of the heart; the afterload comprises blood pressure; and the outputting the first evaluation parameter comprises: displaying a modulus and an angle of the coupling vector of the second evaluation parameter and preload on the display interface; and / or displaying a modulus and / or an angle of the coupling vector of the second evaluation parameter and afterload on the display interface.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, The method further comprises: receiving an instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, in response to the instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, obtaining a coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload and / or obtaining a coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload; updating a modulus and an angle of the coupling vector displayed on the display interface according to the coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and preload and / or a modulus and / or an angle of the coupling vector displayed on the display interface according to the coupling vector of the selected second evaluation parameter and afterload.

21. A method for quantitative assessment of tissue biomechanical properties, characterized by, It comprises: obtaining ultrasound echo data of a target tissue; The ultrasound echo data is obtained by emitting ultrasound waves for detecting mechanical waves propagating in the target tissue to the target tissue and receiving echoes of the ultrasound waves; processing the ultrasound echo data to obtain a second evaluation parameter for evaluating biomechanical properties of the target tissue; the second evaluation parameter comprises at least one of a propagation speed of the mechanical wave, an intercept of a dispersion curve of the mechanical wave, a slope of the dispersion curve, an elastic modulus, a viscous modulus, and an anisotropy parameter; obtaining a target parameter related to a patient; generating a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter according to the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter; displaying the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein, The coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter is used to reflect the second evaluation parameter excluding the influence of the target parameter.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein, The second evaluation parameter comprises a second evaluation parameter at end-systole and a second evaluation parameter at end-diastole, and the target parameter comprises a target parameter at end-systole and a target parameter at end-diastole; the generating the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter according to the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter comprises: The end-systolic target parameter, the end-systolic second evaluation parameter, the end-diastolic target parameter, and the end-diastolic second evaluation parameter are coupled to obtain a coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, The display of the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter comprises: The coupling parameter graph is displayed on the display interface; the abscissa or the ordinate of the coupling parameter graph is the second evaluation parameter, and the ordinate or the abscissa of the coupling parameter graph is the target parameter; and the coupling parameter graph comprises a line segment formed by a line connecting two coordinate points, one of the coordinate points being determined by the end-systolic target parameter and the end-systolic second evaluation parameter, and the other coordinate point being determined by the end-diastolic target parameter and the end-diastolic second evaluation parameter. The method further comprises:

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, receiving an instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, and in response to the instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, obtaining a coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and the target parameter; updating the displayed coupling parameter graph according to the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and the target parameter.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein The coupling of the end-systolic target parameter, the end-systolic second evaluation parameter, the end-diastolic target parameter, and the end-diastolic second evaluation parameter to obtain the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter comprises: calculating the length of the line segment formed by the line connecting the two coordinate points, and / or calculating the included angle of the line segment and the coordinate axis; wherein one of the coordinate points is determined by the end-systolic target parameter and the end-systolic second evaluation parameter, and the other coordinate point is determined by the end-diastolic target parameter and the end-diastolic second evaluation parameter; The display of the coupling parameter of the second evaluation parameter and the target parameter comprises: The length of the line segment and / or the included angle is displayed on the display interface. The method further comprises:

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, receiving an instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, and in response to the instruction for selecting a second evaluation parameter, obtaining a coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and the target parameter; updating the length of the line segment and / or the included angle displayed on the display interface according to the coupling parameter of the selected second evaluation parameter and the target parameter. The method further comprises:

28. The method of claim 21, wherein, statistics of the second evaluation parameters obtained at different time points are obtained to obtain statistical data of the second evaluation parameters; The statistical data of the second evaluation parameters are displayed. The method further comprises:

29. The method of claim 28, wherein, When the statistical data of the second evaluation parameters are displayed, the second evaluation parameters obtained at the different time points are also displayed. The method further comprises:

30. An ultrasound imaging device, characterized by an ultrasonic probe; a transmitting circuit configured to excite the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves; a receiving circuit configured to control the ultrasonic probe to receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves; a processor configured to execute a program to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-29. The medium has a program stored thereon, and the program can be executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-29.

31. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that, ​

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