Ultrasonic Elasticity Imaging Feedback Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses face challenges in accurately reflecting the elasticity of biological tissues due to insufficient or excessive pressure and relaxation, leading to low correlation coefficients and noise in echo signals, which results in inaccurate elastic image representation.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that includes a physical quantity calculator, an elastic image data generator, a physical quantity average unit, a comparator, and a notification unit to calculate and display the average of physical quantities and correlation coefficients, allowing operators to determine if the pressure and relaxation are within suitable intensity levels, thereby ensuring accurate elasticity representation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the degrees of pressure and relaxation are increased to improve tissue deformation for elasticity measurement, then the elasticity signal becomes stronger, but lateral shift occurs causing correlation coefficient to decrease and measurement accuracy to deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system calculates correlation coefficients between echo signals and uses this feedback to evaluate measurement quality. When the correlation coefficient falls below a threshold due to excessive pressure causing lateral shift, the system identifies this as an invalid measurement and prompts re-measurement, preventing inaccurate elasticity data from being recorded.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the evaluation criteria based on real-time correlation coefficient calculations. Rather than using fixed pressure levels, the system continuously monitors the correlation between pre-compression and post-compression echo signals and adapts the measurement process accordingly, stopping or resetting when degradation is detected.
2Reliability
If the degrees of pressure and relaxation are decreased to avoid lateral shift and maintain correlation coefficient, then measurement reliability is maintained, but tissue deformation becomes insufficient and elasticity signal strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides real-time feedback through the correlation coefficient calculation, allowing operators to adjust pressure levels to achieve optimal deformation. The feedback mechanism helps identify the optimal pressure range where sufficient deformation occurs without exceeding the threshold that causes lateral shift.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the evaluation parameter from fixed pressure levels to dynamic correlation coefficient thresholds. By monitoring how the correlation coefficient responds to different pressure levels, the system enables parameter optimization to find the sweet spot between sufficient deformation and maintaining signal correlation.
3Ease of operation
If pressure is applied in a direction not coinciding with the ultrasonic sound ray direction to match anatomical structures, then tissue alignment improves, but lateral shift occurs reducing correlation coefficient and measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses correlation coefficient feedback to evaluate whether the pressure direction is appropriate. When lateral shift occurs due to misaligned pressure application, the correlation coefficient decreases, providing immediate feedback to the operator to adjust the pressure direction to be more aligned with the ultrasonic sound rays.
4Area of stationary object
If correlation arithmetic operation is performed on echo signals with insufficient intensity to improve coverage of deep tissue regions, then measurement coverage is expanded, but correlation coefficient becomes low reducing calculation reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies the same correlation coefficient threshold evaluation to all regions including deep tissue areas. This feedback mechanism ensures that even in low-signal regions, only measurements with sufficient correlation quality are accepted, maintaining reliability standards across the entire measurement field.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus enables operators to evaluate the accuracy of elastic image representation by displaying stable results of comparison and multiplication of calculated values, providing a broader standpoint for determining if the elasticity of biological tissues is accurately reflected.
Implementation Method 1
ultrasound is transmitted and received to and from the biological tissue
Implementation Method 2
acquire echo signals
Implementation Method 3
A correlation arithmetic operation is performed between the correlation windows to calculate the physical quantity. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-126079, for example, a correlation arithmetic operation is performed between correlation windows to thereby calculate a shift in waveform between both echo signals.
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a physical quantity calculator for setting correlation windows to two echo signals obtained by transmission/reception of ultrasound to and from a biological tissue and different in time on the same sound rays and performing a correlation arithmetic operation between the correlation windows to thereby calculate physical quantities related to elasticity of respective regions in the biological tissue, an elastic image data generator for generating elastic image data of the biological tissue with respect to an elastic image forming region of a transmission/reception surface of the ultrasound, based on the physical quantities, a physical quantity average unit for calculating an average of the physical quantities in the elastic image forming region for every frame, a comparator for comparing a value calculated by the physical quantity average unit and a preset average value of the physical quantities, and a notification unit for notifying a result of comparison by the comparator.