Ultrasonic diagnostic system, ultrasonic diagnostic device, ultrasonic diagnostic method, and program

Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnostic device (100) connected to an ultrasonic probe (50) that transmits an ultrasonic wave to a subject and generates a probe signal on the basis of a reflected wave from the subject, the ultrasonic diagnostic device (100) comprising: an ultrasonic image generation unit (120) that generates an ultrasonic image on the basis of the probe signal received from the ultrasonic probe (50); a storage unit (190) that stores a plurality of trained models (194) used for diagnostic processing of the subject; a diagnostic processing unit (130) that executes the diagnostic processing using one of the plurality of trained models (194) on the basis of the ultrasonic image; a communication unit (110) that transmits the ultrasonic image to another ultrasonic diagnostic device (200); and a determination unit (140) that determines which of the ultrasonic diagnostic device (100) and the other ultrasonic diagnostic device (200) is to execute the diagnostic processing, in accordance with the degree of confidentiality of a diagnostic result obtained by the diagnostic processing.

Description

Ultrasonic diagnostic system, ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, ultrasonic diagnostic method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic system, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic diagnostic method, and a program.

[0002] Conventionally, a system for automating the diagnosis of patients using AI (Artificial Intelligence) has been known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a medical information processing system has been proposed that estimates the disease or symptoms of a diagnostic subject by inputting the medical examination data of the diagnostic subject into a learned model of AI (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-33182

[0004] However, in the case where a conventional medical information processing system executes a plurality of diagnostic processes in parallel using a plurality of diagnostic apparatuses, it may not be able to appropriately allocate the plurality of diagnostic processes.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of the objectives is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic system, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasonic diagnostic method, and a program that can appropriately allocate a plurality of diagnostic processes.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an ultrasound diagnostic system comprising: an ultrasound probe that transmits ultrasound to a subject and generates a probe signal based on the reflected wave from the subject; a first ultrasound diagnostic device connected to the ultrasound probe; and a second ultrasound diagnostic device capable of communicating with the first ultrasound diagnostic device via a network, wherein the first ultrasound diagnostic device includes: an ultrasound image generation unit that generates an ultrasound image based on the probe signal received from the ultrasound probe; a first storage unit that stores a plurality of trained models used for the diagnostic processing of the subject; and a first diagnostic device that executes the diagnostic processing using one of the plurality of trained models based on the ultrasound image. The ultrasound diagnostic system comprises a processing unit and a first communication unit that transmits the ultrasound image to the second ultrasound diagnostic device, the second ultrasound diagnostic device comprising a second communication unit that receives the ultrasound image from the first ultrasound diagnostic device, a second storage unit that stores a plurality of trained models used for the diagnostic processing of the subject, and a second diagnostic processing unit that executes the diagnostic processing using one of the plurality of trained models based on the ultrasound image, and the first ultrasound diagnostic device further comprising a determination unit that determines whether to execute the diagnostic processing in the first ultrasound diagnostic device or the second ultrasound diagnostic device according to the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic processing.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an ultrasound diagnostic system, an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, an ultrasound diagnostic method, and a program that can appropriately distribute multiple diagnostic processes.

[0008] This figure shows an example of an ultrasound diagnostic system 10. This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. This figure shows an example of the flow of the diagnostic process by the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. This figure shows an example of the flow of the diagnostic process by the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. This figure shows a first example of a judgment table 192. This is a flowchart showing an example of the first judgment process performed by the judgment unit 140. This figure shows a second example of a judgment table 192. This is a flowchart showing an example of the second judgment process performed by the judgment unit 140. This figure shows a third example of a judgment table 192. This is a flowchart showing an example of the third judgment process performed by the judgment unit 140.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the ultrasound diagnostic system, ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, ultrasound diagnostic method, and program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] [Ultrasound Diagnostic System] Figure 1 shows an example of an ultrasound diagnostic system 10. The ultrasound diagnostic system 10 comprises an ultrasound probe 50, a first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, and a second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. The ultrasound probe 50 is connected to the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via wired or wireless communication. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is connected to the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc.

[0011] The ultrasound probe 50 is a device used for ultrasound (echo) examinations. The ultrasound probe 50 is, for example, a one-dimensional array linear probe in which a plurality of ultrasound transducers are arranged along a predetermined direction. The ultrasound probe 50 performs an ultrasound scan on a scan area within the biological body P, which is the subject, according to control from the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. During the ultrasound scan, the ultrasound probe 50 transmits ultrasound to the biological body P and generates a probe signal based on the reflected waves from the subject. The ultrasound probe 50 transmits the generated probe signal to the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100.

[0012] The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is, for example, a portable computer such as a smartphone or tablet, but it may also be a notebook computer or a desktop computer. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is a computer located at the edge of the network. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is used, for example, by a doctor in a hospital. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 generates an ultrasound image (echo image) based on the probe signal received from the ultrasound probe 50. The ultrasound image may be a still image or a video. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 also performs diagnostic processing using AI (Artificial Intelligence) based on the ultrasound image. The diagnostic processing is for diagnosing the state of the living body P and the presence or absence of disease.

[0013] The second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is a server computer with higher specifications than the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. The second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 performs AI-based diagnostic processing in response to requests from the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. In the example shown in Figure 1, for the sake of simplicity, one first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is shown connected to the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, but multiple first ultrasound diagnostic devices 100 may be connected to the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200.

[0014] [First Ultrasound Diagnostic Apparatus] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the first ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100. The first ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 includes, for example, a first communication unit 110, an ultrasound image generation unit 120, a first diagnostic processing unit 130, a determination unit 140, a decision unit 150, a download unit 160, an input unit 170, a display unit 180, and a first storage unit 190.

[0015] The first communication unit 110 includes a communication module for communicating with the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 via a network NW. The first communication unit 110 also includes a communication interface for wired communication with the ultrasound probe 50. The first communication unit 110 may also include a communication module for wireless communication with the ultrasound probe 50.

[0016] The ultrasound image generation unit 120, the first diagnostic processing unit 130, the determination unit 140, the decision unit 150, and the download unit 160 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted in a drive device.

[0017] The input unit 170 and the display unit 180 are implemented, for example, by a touch panel display. However, the configuration of the input unit 170 and the display unit 180 is not limited to this. For example, the input unit 170 may include a keyboard and a mouse, and the display unit 180 may be a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, a liquid crystal display, or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

[0018] The first storage unit 190 can be an HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The first storage unit 190 may also be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 can access via a network NW. The first storage unit 190 stores information such as the judgment table 192 and the first trained models 194-1 to the Nth trained models 194-N. N is a natural number greater than or equal to 2. Each of the first trained models 194-1 to the Nth trained models 194-N is a model generated by machine learning using training data in advance, and is information used when the diagnostic process is executed.

[0019] [Second Ultrasound Diagnostic Device] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. The second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 includes, for example, a second communication unit 210, a second diagnostic processing unit 230, and a second storage unit 290.

[0020] The second communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via a network NW. The second communication unit 210 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0021] The second diagnostic processing unit 230 is implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted in a drive device.

[0022] The second storage unit 290 is an HDD, flash memory, RAM, etc. The second storage unit 290 may also be a NAS device accessible by the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 via a network NW. The second storage unit 290 stores information such as the first trained model 294-1 to the Nth trained model 294-N. The first trained model 294-1 to the Nth trained model 294-N stored in the second storage unit 290 are the same models as the first trained model 194-1 to the Nth trained model 194-N stored in the first storage unit 190.

[0023] The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 each have the function of performing diagnostic processing based on ultrasound images (echo images). The diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic processing include both less confidential information such as pulse rate and blood flow rate, and highly confidential information such as cancer diagnosis results. In particular, information concerning a person's life or death is highly confidential information that patients do not want others to know. Since the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is a server-side computer, its processing speed is faster than that of the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, which is an edge-side computer. However, when performing diagnostic processing with the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, it is necessary to exchange information via a network NW including the internet, which means there is a possibility of information leakage. For this reason, if the diagnostic results include highly confidential information, it is not desirable to perform the diagnostic processing on the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. Therefore, the ultrasound diagnostic system of this embodiment appropriately determines whether to perform the diagnostic processing with the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. The following describes the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device and the diagnostic process using the second ultrasound diagnostic device, followed by a description of the determination process for determining whether to perform the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200.

[0024] [Diagnostic Processing by the First Ultrasound Diagnostic Device] Figure 4 shows an example of the flow of diagnostic processing by the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. The example shown in Figure 4 shows the flow of processing when the determination unit 140 determines that diagnostic processing should be performed with the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100.

[0025] First, the ultrasound probe 50 transmits ultrasound waves to the biological body P, which is the subject, and generates a probe signal based on the reflected waves from the biological body P. Then, the ultrasound probe 50 transmits the probe signal to the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100.

[0026] The ultrasound image generation unit 120 of the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 generates an ultrasound image (echo image) based on the probe signal received from the ultrasound probe 50. For example, the ultrasound image generation unit 120 generates a two-dimensional ultrasound image composed of pixels by performing a coordinate transformation according to the ultrasound scanning pattern of the ultrasound probe 50. The ultrasound image generation unit 120 outputs the generated ultrasound image to the determination unit 140.

[0027] Meanwhile, the decision unit 150 determines which diagnostic process to execute. For example, a physician examining the living organism P may input the content of the diagnostic process using the input unit 170, and the decision unit 150 may determine which diagnostic process to execute based on the content input by the physician. For example, the display unit 180 may display multiple diagnostic process options, and the physician may select the diagnostic process to execute using the input unit 170. The decision unit 150 outputs a diagnostic ID corresponding to the determined diagnostic process to the judgment unit 140. The diagnostic ID is identification information for identifying the diagnostic process.

[0028] Next, the determination unit 140 determines whether to execute the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, depending on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process. For example, the determination unit 140 may determine whether to execute the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 based on the determination table 192 stored in the first storage unit 190. The contents of the determination table 192 and the contents of the specific determination process performed by the determination unit 140 will be described later. If the determination unit 140 determines that the diagnostic process should be executed using the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, it outputs the ultrasound image (echo image) generated by the ultrasound image generation unit 120 and the diagnostic ID for identifying the diagnostic process determined by the decision unit 150 to the first diagnostic processing unit 130.

[0029] Next, the first diagnostic processing unit 130 performs a diagnostic process based on the ultrasound image (echo image) using one of the first trained models 194-1 to the Nth trained model 194-N. For example, the first diagnostic processing unit 130 reads a trained model corresponding to the diagnostic ID output from the determination unit 150 from the first storage unit 190, and inputs the ultrasound image to the read trained model to obtain a diagnostic result. To give a specific example, if the ultrasound image is an image of the heart of living organism P, and the diagnostic ID output from the determination unit 150 indicates a diagnostic process for valvular heart disease, the first diagnostic processing unit 130 reads a trained model corresponding to the diagnostic process for valvular heart disease from the first storage unit 190, and inputs the ultrasound image to the read trained model to obtain a diagnostic result of whether or not living organism P has developed valvular heart disease. After that, the first diagnostic processing unit 130 outputs the diagnostic result to the display unit 180.

[0030] The display unit 180 displays the diagnostic results output from the first diagnostic processing unit 130. By checking the diagnostic results displayed on the display unit 180, the physician can understand the state of the organism P or the disease that the organism P is suffering from.

[0031] According to the processing flow shown in Figure 4, information will not leak to the outside via the network, thus protecting highly confidential information. However, since the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 on the edge side takes longer to perform diagnostic processing than the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 on the server side, it is not desirable to perform all diagnostic processing on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. For this reason, in cases where the confidentiality of the diagnostic results is low or where the diagnostic processing takes a long time, it may be preferable to perform the diagnostic processing on the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200.

[0032] [Diagnostic Processing by the Second Ultrasound Diagnostic Device] Figure 5 shows an example of the flow of diagnostic processing by the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. The example shown in Figure 5 shows the flow of processing when the determination unit 140 determines that diagnostic processing should be performed with the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. Note that the operation of the ultrasound probe 50, ultrasound image generation unit 120, and determination unit 150 is the same as in Figure 4, so the explanation is omitted.

[0033] The determination unit 140 determines whether to perform the diagnostic processing on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, depending on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic processing. As described above, the determination unit 140 may determine whether to perform the diagnostic processing on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 based on the determination table 192 stored in the first storage unit 190. If the determination unit 140 determines to perform the diagnostic processing on the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, it outputs the ultrasound image (echo image) generated by the ultrasound image generation unit 120 and the diagnostic ID for identifying the diagnostic processing determined by the decision unit 150 to the first communication unit 110.

[0034] The first communication unit 110 transmits the ultrasound image (echo image) and diagnostic ID to the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 via the network NW. When transmitting information via the network NW, there is a possibility that the information may be leaked to the outside. For this reason, the determination unit 140 may encrypt the information to be transmitted (ultrasound image and diagnostic ID) in a predetermined manner between the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, and the first communication unit 110 may transmit the encrypted information. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent information leakage.

[0035] Next, the second communication unit 210 of the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 receives the ultrasound image (echo image) and diagnostic ID from the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via the network NW. Subsequently, the second communication unit 210 outputs the ultrasound image (echo image) and diagnostic ID to the second diagnostic processing unit 230.

[0036] Next, the second diagnostic processing unit 230 performs diagnostic processing using one of the first trained models 294-1 to the Nth trained model 294-N based on the ultrasound image (echo image). For example, the second diagnostic processing unit 230 reads the trained model corresponding to the diagnostic ID output from the second communication unit 210 from the second storage unit 290, and obtains a diagnostic result by inputting the ultrasound image to the read trained model. After that, the second diagnostic processing unit 230 outputs the diagnostic result to the second communication unit 210.

[0037] The second communication unit 210 transmits the diagnostic results to the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via the network NW. When transmitting information via the network NW, there is a possibility that the information may be leaked to the outside. For this reason, the second diagnostic processing unit 230 may encrypt the information to be transmitted (diagnostic results) in a predetermined manner between the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, and the second communication unit 210 may transmit the encrypted information. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent information leakage.

[0038] Next, the first communication unit 110 of the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 receives the diagnostic results from the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 via the network NW. After that, the first communication unit 110 outputs the diagnostic results to the display unit 180.

[0039] The display unit 180 displays the diagnostic results output from the first communication unit 110. By checking the diagnostic results displayed on the display unit 180, the doctor can understand the state of the living organism P or the disease that living organism P is suffering from.

[0040] The cases in which the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 performs the diagnostic process (Figure 4) and the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 performs the diagnostic process (Figure 5) have been described above. As previously mentioned, the determination unit 140 determines whether to perform the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, depending on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process. Three examples (first determination process to third determination process) of the determination process performed by the determination unit 140 will be described below.

[0041] [First Decision Process] Figure 6 shows a first example of the decision table 192. The first storage unit 190 stores a decision table 192 in which information indicating either the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is associated for each of the multiple diagnostic processes corresponding to the first learned model 194-1 to the Nth learned model 194-N. As shown in Figure 6, the decision table 192 is a table in which a diagnosis ID, a diagnostic process, a diagnostic target, and diagnostic device information are associated. The diagnosis ID is identification information for identifying a diagnostic process. The diagnostic process is information indicating the content of the diagnostic process. The diagnostic target is information indicating the diagnostic target (organ, etc.) of the living organism P. The diagnostic device information is information for identifying the ultrasound diagnostic device on which the diagnostic process should be performed.

[0042] The judgment table 192 is a pre-configured table based on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic process. For example, if the first diagnostic process is related to heart rate, the diagnostic results of the first diagnostic process are considered less confidential information, so it is recommended to perform the first diagnostic process on the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. Similarly, if the second diagnostic process is related to cancer, the diagnostic results of the second diagnostic process are considered highly confidential information, so it is recommended to perform the second diagnostic process on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. In this way, the judgment table 192 is configured according to the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic process.

[0043] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the first determination process performed by the determination unit 140. First, the determination unit 140 acquires an ultrasound image (echo image) from the ultrasound image generation unit 120 (S101). Next, the determination unit 140 acquires a diagnosis ID from the determination unit 150 (S102). As mentioned above, the diagnosis ID acquired here is identification information for identifying the diagnosis process to be executed.

[0044] Next, the determination unit 140 acquires the diagnostic device information associated with the diagnostic ID acquired in S102 from the determination table 192 (S103). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the diagnostic ID acquired in S102 is "D001", the determination unit 140 acquires the information indicating the second ultrasonic diagnostic device 200 as the diagnostic device information. On the other hand, when the diagnostic ID acquired in S102 is "D002", the determination unit 140 acquires the information indicating the first ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 as the diagnostic device information.

[0045] Next, the determination unit 140 determines whether the diagnostic device information acquired in S103 indicates the first ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 (S104). When the diagnostic device information acquired in S103 indicates the first ultrasonic diagnostic device 100, the determination unit 140 determines to cause the first ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 to execute the diagnostic process (S105). In this case, as shown in FIG. 4, the first diagnostic processing unit 130 performs the diagnostic process determined by the determination unit 150, and the diagnostic result is displayed on the display unit 180.

[0046] On the other hand, when the diagnostic device information acquired in S103 indicates the second ultrasonic diagnostic device 200, the determination unit 140 determines to cause the second ultrasonic diagnostic device 200 to execute the diagnostic process (S106). In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the second diagnostic processing unit 230 performs the diagnostic process determined by the determination unit 150, and the diagnostic result is displayed on the display unit 180.

[0047] As described above, according to the first determination process, the determination unit 140 determines which of the first ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 and the second ultrasonic diagnostic device 200 executes the diagnostic process based on the determination table 192. Thereby, the determination unit 140 can appropriately determine which of the first ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 and the second ultrasonic diagnostic device 200 executes the diagnostic process according to the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic result obtained by the diagnostic process.

[0048] For example, when a plurality of diagnostic processes are performed based on one ultrasonic image, the determination unit 140 distributes the plurality of diagnostic processes to the first ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 and the second ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 200 according to the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic processes. For example, when the ultrasonic image is an echocardiogram of the heart, and diagnostic processes for heart rate, blood flow volume, valvular disease, and cardiomyopathy are performed based on this echocardiogram of the heart, the determination unit 140 distributes the diagnostic processes with low confidentiality such as heart rate and blood flow volume to the second ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 200, and distributes the diagnostic processes with high confidentiality such as valvular disease and cardiomyopathy to the first ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. Thereby, the determination unit 140 can appropriately distribute the plurality of diagnostic processes.

[0049] [Second determination process] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second example of the determination table 192. The first storage unit 190 stores a determination table 192 in which information (edge priority) indicating the priority of executing the diagnostic process by the first ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100 is associated with each of the plurality of diagnostic processes corresponding to the first learned model 194-1 to the Nth learned model 194-N. As shown in FIG. 8, the determination table 192 is a table in which a diagnostic ID, a diagnostic process, a diagnostic target, and an edge priority are associated. The diagnostic ID is identification information for identifying the diagnostic process. The diagnostic process is information indicating the content of the diagnostic process. The diagnostic target is information indicating the diagnostic target (such as an organ) of the living body P. The edge priority is information indicating the priority of executing the diagnostic process by the first ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, which is a computer on the edge side. The smaller the value of the edge priority, the higher the priority of executing the diagnostic process by the first ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. For example, the value of the edge priority may be an integer from 1 to 9, and the closer the value of the edge priority is to "1", the higher the priority.

[0050] The judgment table 192 is a pre-configured table based on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic process. For example, a low edge priority is set for diagnostic processes with low confidentiality that do not pose a problem even if seen by others (such as heart rate), while a high edge priority is set for diagnostic processes with high confidentiality that do not want others to see (such as cancer diagnosis). In this way, the judgment table 192 is configured according to the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic process.

[0051] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a second determination process performed by the determination unit 140. First, the determination unit 140 acquires an ultrasound image (echo image) from the ultrasound image generation unit 120 (S201). Next, the determination unit 140 acquires a diagnosis ID from the determination unit 150 (S202). As mentioned above, the diagnosis ID acquired here is identification information for identifying the diagnosis process to be executed.

[0052] Next, the determination unit 140 obtains the edge priority associated with the diagnostic ID obtained in S202 from the determination table 192 (S203). For example, as shown in Figure 8, if the diagnostic ID obtained in S202 is "D001", the determination unit 140 will obtain "9" as the edge priority value. On the other hand, if the diagnostic ID obtained in S202 is "D002", the determination unit 140 will obtain "2" as the edge priority value.

[0053] Next, the determination unit 140 determines whether the edge priority obtained in S203 is less than the first threshold (S204). The first threshold may be a preset value and may be changeable by input from the input unit 170. If the edge priority obtained in S203 is less than the first threshold, the determination unit 140 determines to have the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 perform the diagnostic process (S205). In this case, as shown in Figure 4, the first diagnostic processing unit 130 performs the diagnostic process determined by the decision unit 150, and the diagnostic result is displayed on the display unit 180.

[0054] On the other hand, the determination unit 140 determines that if the edge priority obtained in S203 is equal to or greater than the first threshold, it will cause the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 to perform the diagnostic process (S206). In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the second diagnostic processing unit 230 performs the diagnostic process determined by the decision unit 150, and the diagnostic result is displayed on the display unit 180.

[0055] As explained above, according to the second determination process, the determination unit 140 determines, based on the determination table 192, whether to perform the diagnostic process on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. This allows the determination unit 140 to appropriately determine whether to perform the diagnostic process on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, depending on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process. Furthermore, by making the first threshold changeable in response to input from the input unit 170, the distribution of the diagnostic process to the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 can be easily adjusted.

[0056] [Third Judgment Process] Figure 10 shows a third example of the judgment table 192. The first storage unit 190 stores a judgment table 192 in which, for each of the multiple diagnostic processes corresponding to the first trained model 194-1 to the Nth trained model 194-N, information indicating the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic result and information indicating the processing time required for the diagnostic process are associated. As shown in Figure 10, the judgment table 192 is a table in which a diagnostic ID, a diagnostic process, a diagnostic target, confidentiality, and processing time are associated. The diagnostic ID is identification information for identifying a diagnostic process. The diagnostic process is information indicating the content of the diagnostic process. The diagnostic target is information indicating the diagnostic target (organ, etc.) of the living organism P. Confidentiality is information indicating the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic result. For example, confidentiality may be information indicating three levels (high, medium, low). Processing time is information indicating the time required to execute the diagnostic process with the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100.

[0057] The judgment table 192 is a table pre-configured according to the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic process. For example, for diagnostic processes with low confidentiality that do not pose a problem even if seen by others (such as heart rate), "Low" is set in the confidentiality column, while for diagnostic processes with high confidentiality that do not want others to see (such as cancer diagnosis), "High" is set in the confidentiality column. "Medium" is an intermediate level between "High" and "Low". In this way, the judgment table 192 is configured according to the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic process.

[0058] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a third determination process performed by the determination unit 140. First, the determination unit 140 acquires an ultrasound image (echo image) from the ultrasound image generation unit 120 (S301). Next, the determination unit 140 acquires a diagnosis ID from the determination unit 150 (S302). As mentioned above, the diagnosis ID acquired here is identification information for identifying the diagnosis process to be executed.

[0059] Next, the determination unit 140 obtains the confidentiality level and processing time associated with the diagnostic ID obtained in S302 from the determination table 192 (S303). For example, as shown in Figure 10, if the diagnostic ID obtained in S302 is "D001", the determination unit 140 obtains "High" as the confidentiality level and 500 seconds as the processing time. On the other hand, if the diagnostic ID obtained in S302 is "D002", the determination unit 140 obtains "Low" as the confidentiality level and 90 seconds as the processing time.

[0060] Next, the determination unit 140 calculates a determination score indicating the degree to which it recommends having the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 perform the diagnostic process, based on information indicating the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results and the processing time required for the diagnostic process (S304). As mentioned above, it is preferable to perform highly confidential diagnostic processes on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, and diagnostic processes with long processing times on the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, which has a faster processing speed. For this reason, the determination unit 140 calculates a determination score such that the higher the confidentiality, the higher the determination score, and the shorter the processing time, the higher the determination score.

[0061] Next, the determination unit 140 determines whether the judgment score calculated in S304 is greater than the second threshold (S305). The second threshold may be a preset value and may be changeable by input from the input unit 170. If the judgment score calculated in S304 is greater than the second threshold, the determination unit 140 determines to have the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 perform the diagnostic process (S306). In this case, as shown in Figure 4, the first diagnostic processing unit 130 performs the diagnostic process determined by the decision unit 150, and the diagnostic result is displayed on the display unit 180.

[0062] On the other hand, the determination unit 140 determines that if the determination score calculated in S304 is below the second threshold, it will have the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 perform the diagnostic process (S307). In this case, as shown in Figure 5, the second diagnostic processing unit 230 performs the diagnostic process determined by the decision unit 150, and the diagnostic result is displayed on the display unit 180.

[0063] As explained above, according to the third determination process, the determination unit 140 calculates a determination score based on the determination table 192 and determines whether to perform the diagnostic process on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 based on the calculated determination score. This allows the determination unit 140 to appropriately determine whether to perform the diagnostic process on the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, depending on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process. Furthermore, by making the second threshold changeable in response to input from the input unit 170, the distribution of the diagnostic process to the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 can be easily adjusted.

[0064] The determination unit 140 is configured to execute one of the first to third determination processes, but is not limited to these processes. For example, the determination unit 140 may determine that only one diagnostic process specified by the user (such as a doctor) using the input unit 170 should be executed on the edge-side first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, and that the other diagnostic processes should be executed on the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. To give a specific example, when performing three diagnostic processes (heart rate, blood flow rate, and valvular heart disease) based on an ultrasound image of the heart, if the user (such as a doctor) specifies the highly confidential valvular heart disease diagnostic process using the input unit 170, the determination unit 140 may determine that only the valvular heart disease diagnostic process should be executed on the edge-side first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, and that the heart rate and blood flow diagnostic processes should be executed on the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. This allows the ultrasound diagnostic system 10 of this embodiment to appropriately distribute multiple diagnostic processes.

[0065] [Download Process] The second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is a high-spec server, and the second memory unit 290 has a large capacity. Therefore, the second memory unit 290 stores all the trained models necessary for multiple diagnostic processes. On the other hand, if the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is a portable computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, the capacity of the first memory unit 190 may be small. In such cases, it may not be possible to store all the trained models in the first memory unit 190.

[0066] Therefore, if the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100's download unit 160 does not have a pre-trained model stored in the first storage unit 190 for use in diagnostic processing, it may download a pre-trained model from the second ultrasound diagnostic device. Also, once the diagnostic processing by the first diagnostic processing unit 130 is completed, the pre-trained model used may be deleted from the first storage unit 190. This allows the first diagnostic processing unit 130 to perform various diagnostic processes even if the capacity of the first storage unit 190 is small.

[0067] Furthermore, if downloading the trained model takes a long time, the download unit 160 may allow the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 to perform diagnostic processing without performing the download. For example, if the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is connected to the same local network (e.g., the hospital network) as the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, the download will be completed in a short time. On the other hand, if the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is connected to an external network (e.g., a network different from the hospital network), the download will take a long time. Therefore, if the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is connected to the same local network (e.g., the hospital network) as the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, the download unit 160 may download the trained model from the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. Alternatively, if the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 is connected to an external network (e.g., a network different from the hospital network), the download unit 160 may allow the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 to perform diagnostic processing by transmitting ultrasound images to the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. Furthermore, the download unit 160 may cause the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 to perform the diagnostic processing only when the confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained through the diagnostic processing is low. This prevents the acquisition of diagnostic results from taking a long time.

[0068] Furthermore, the download unit 160 may, if the size of the trained model is less than a predetermined threshold, download the trained model from the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, and if the size of the trained model is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold, transmit the ultrasound image to the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, thereby causing the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 to perform diagnostic processing. In this case as well, the download unit 160 may only cause the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 to perform diagnostic processing if the confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic processing is low. This prevents the acquisition of diagnostic results from taking a long time.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the decision unit 150 determines the diagnostic processing to be performed based on input from a physician using the input unit 170, but it is not limited to this. For example, the decision unit 150 may automatically determine the diagnostic processing to be performed based on ultrasound images. Specifically, the decision unit 150 may identify the organ to be diagnosed based on ultrasound images and determine the content of the diagnostic processing based on the identified organ. In this case, the first storage unit 190 may store a trained model for organ identification, and the decision unit 150 may identify the organ to be diagnosed by inputting ultrasound images into the trained model for organ identification. For example, if the decision unit 150 identifies the organ to be diagnosed as the heart, it may automatically determine the diagnostic processing to be performed as the diagnostic processing to be performed, including pulse rate, blood flow rate, and diagnostic processing for diseases such as valvular heart disease, ischemic heart disease, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, and pericarditis. This eliminates the need for physicians to manually input the diagnostic processing to be performed, thereby reducing the workload on physicians.

[0070] As described above, the ultrasound diagnostic system 10 comprises an ultrasound probe 50, a first ultrasound diagnostic device 100, and a second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. The ultrasound probe 50 transmits ultrasound to a subject (living body P) and generates a probe signal based on the reflected wave from the subject. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is connected to the ultrasound probe 50. The second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 can communicate with the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via a network NW. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 comprises an ultrasound image generation unit 120, a first storage unit 190, a first diagnostic processing unit 130, and a first communication unit 110. The ultrasound image generation unit 120 generates an ultrasound image based on the probe signal received from the ultrasound probe 50. The first storage unit 190 stores a plurality of trained models 194-1 to 194-N used for the diagnostic processing of the subject. The first diagnostic processing unit 130 performs diagnostic processing using one of a plurality of trained models 194-1 to 194-N based on the ultrasound image. The first communication unit 110 transmits the ultrasound image to the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200. The second ultrasound diagnostic device 200 includes a second communication unit 210, a second storage unit 290, and a second diagnostic processing unit 230. The second communication unit 210 receives the ultrasound image from the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100. The second storage unit 290 stores a plurality of trained models 294-1 to 294-N used for the diagnostic processing of the subject. The second diagnostic processing unit 230 performs diagnostic processing using one of the plurality of trained models 294-1 to 294-N based on the ultrasound image. The first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 further includes a determination unit 140 that determines whether to perform the diagnostic processing in the first ultrasound diagnostic device 100 or the second ultrasound diagnostic device 200, depending on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic processing. This enables the ultrasound diagnostic system 10 of this embodiment to appropriately distribute multiple diagnostic processes.

[0071] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0072] 50 Ultrasound probe 100 First ultrasound diagnostic device 110 First communication unit 120 Ultrasound image generation unit 130 First diagnostic processing unit 140 Judgment unit 150 Determination unit 160 Download unit 170 Input unit 180 Display unit 190 First storage unit 200 Second ultrasound diagnostic device 210 Second communication unit 230 Second diagnostic processing unit 290 Second storage unit

Claims

An ultrasonic probe that transmits ultrasound to a subject and generates a probe signal based on the reflected wave from the subject, A first ultrasound diagnostic device connected to the aforementioned ultrasound probe, A second ultrasound diagnostic device capable of communicating with the first ultrasound diagnostic device via a network, An ultrasound diagnostic system comprising, The first ultrasound diagnostic device is An ultrasonic image generation unit generates an ultrasonic image based on the probe signal received from the ultrasonic probe, A first storage unit that stores multiple trained models used for the diagnostic processing of the subject, A first diagnostic processing unit that performs the diagnostic process using one of the plurality of trained models based on the ultrasound image, The system includes a first communication unit that transmits the ultrasound image to the second ultrasound diagnostic device, The second ultrasound diagnostic device is A second communication unit that receives the ultrasound image from the first ultrasound diagnostic device, A second storage unit that stores multiple trained models used for the diagnostic processing of the subject, The system includes a second diagnostic processing unit that performs the diagnostic process using one of the plurality of trained models based on the ultrasound image, The first ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further includes a determination unit that determines whether to perform the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic apparatus or the second ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, depending on the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process. Ultrasound diagnostic system. 　 The first storage unit stores a determination table in which information indicating either the first ultrasound diagnostic device or the second ultrasound diagnostic device is associated for each of the multiple diagnostic processes corresponding to the multiple trained models. The determination unit determines, based on the determination table, whether to perform the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device or the second ultrasound diagnostic device. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1. 　 The first storage unit stores a determination table associated with each of the multiple diagnostic processes corresponding to the multiple trained models, which contains information indicating the priority for executing the diagnostic process on the first ultrasound diagnostic device. The determination unit determines, based on the determination table, whether to perform the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device or the second ultrasound diagnostic device. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1. 　 The first storage unit stores a determination table for each of the multiple diagnostic processes corresponding to the multiple trained models, which associates information indicating the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results with information indicating the processing time required for the diagnostic process. The determination unit determines, based on the determination table, whether to perform the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device or the second ultrasound diagnostic device. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1. 　 The determination unit, Based on information indicating the degree of confidentiality of the diagnostic results and the processing time required for the diagnostic process, a judgment score is calculated indicating the degree to which it is recommended to have the first ultrasound diagnostic device perform the diagnostic process. Based on the judgment score, it is determined whether to perform the diagnostic process using the first ultrasound diagnostic device or the second ultrasound diagnostic device. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 4. 　 The first ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further comprises a determination unit that determines the diagnostic process to be performed, The first diagnostic processing unit or the second diagnostic processing unit executes the diagnostic process determined by the determination unit. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1. 　 The determination unit identifies the organ to be diagnosed based on the ultrasound image and determines the content of the diagnostic process based on the identified organ. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 6. 　 The first ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further includes a download unit that downloads the learned model used for the diagnostic process from the second ultrasound diagnostic apparatus if the learned model is not stored in the first storage unit. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1. 　 The aforementioned download section is If the second ultrasound diagnostic device is connected to the same local network as the first ultrasound diagnostic device, the trained model is downloaded from the second ultrasound diagnostic device. If the second ultrasound diagnostic device is connected to an external network different from the local network, the ultrasound image is transmitted to the second ultrasound diagnostic device to cause the second ultrasound diagnostic device to perform the diagnostic process. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 8. 　 The aforementioned download section is If the size of the trained model is less than a predetermined threshold, the trained model is downloaded from the second ultrasound diagnostic device. If the size of the trained model is greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold, the ultrasound image is transmitted to the second ultrasound diagnostic device, causing the second ultrasound diagnostic device to perform the diagnostic process. The ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 8. 　 An ultrasound diagnostic device connected to an ultrasound probe that transmits ultrasound waves to a subject and generates a probe signal based on the reflected waves from the subject, An ultrasonic image generation unit generates an ultrasonic image based on the probe signal received from the ultrasonic probe, A storage unit that stores multiple trained models used for the diagnostic processing of the subject, A diagnostic processing unit that performs the diagnostic process using one of the plurality of trained models based on the ultrasound image, A communication unit that transmits the aforementioned ultrasound image to another ultrasound diagnostic device, A determination unit determines whether to perform the diagnostic process using the ultrasound diagnostic device or the other ultrasound diagnostic device, depending on the degree of confidentiality required for the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process. An ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with the following features. 　 An ultrasound diagnostic device connected to an ultrasound probe that transmits ultrasound waves to a subject and generates a probe signal based on the reflected waves from the subject, Based on the probe signal received from the ultrasound probe, an ultrasound image is generated. Multiple trained models used for the diagnostic processing of the subject are stored, Based on the ultrasound image, the diagnostic process is performed using one of the multiple trained models. The ultrasound image is transmitted to another ultrasound diagnostic device. Depending on the degree of confidentiality required for the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process, it is determined whether to perform the diagnostic process using the ultrasound diagnostic device or the other ultrasound diagnostic device. Ultrasound diagnostic methods. 　 An ultrasound diagnostic device connected to an ultrasound probe that transmits ultrasound waves to a subject and generates a probe signal based on the reflected waves from the subject, Based on the probe signal received from the aforementioned ultrasound probe, an ultrasound image is generated. The system stores multiple trained models used for the diagnostic processing of the subject, Based on the ultrasound image, the diagnostic process is performed using one of the multiple trained models. The ultrasound image is transmitted to another ultrasound diagnostic device. Depending on the degree of confidentiality required for the diagnostic results obtained by the diagnostic process, the system will determine whether to perform the diagnostic process using the ultrasound diagnostic device or the other ultrasound diagnostic device. program.

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