Method and apparatus for obtaining elasticity information about region of interest by using shear wave

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10426439-B2
Application number	US-201414293425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2014
Priority date	Dec 17, 2013
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A probe irradiates an ultrasound wave to an object to induce a shear wave and first elasticity information is obtained according to a first calculating scheme. An internal region of interest of the object is set based on shear modulus values included in the first elasticity information. Second elasticity information is obtained based on the shear wave induced to the internal region of interest, according to a second calculating scheme. Accurate elasticity information is acquired by using the first and second elasticity information to obtain third elasticity information from which an elastography image is generated for display to a user.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
obtaining, by at least one processor, first elasticity information by transmitting a plane ultrasound wave to a tissue disposed in an area of an object on which a first shear wave is induced;
setting, by the at least one processor, an internal region of interest (ROI) within the area of the object to a region of the tissue within the area of the object having the first elasticity information greater than a predetermined threshold value;
obtaining, by the at least one processor, second elasticity information by transmitting an ultrasound wave that forms a focal point at a portion of the ROI on which a second shear wave is induced;
combining, by the at least one processor, the first elasticity information and the second elasticity information;
obtaining, by the at least one processor, third elasticity information of the ROI based on the combination of the first elasticity information and the second elasticity information; and
generating, by the at least one processor, an elastography image with respect to the ROI, based on the third elasticity information.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining of first elasticity information comprises:
receiving an echo signal of the plane ultrasound wave which is transmitted to the object;
performing beamforming of the echo signal, and calculating a displacement of the first shear wave induced to the object by using the beamformed signal; and
determining a velocity of the first shear wave induced to the object by using the calculated displacement.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plane ultrasound wave comprises an ultrasound wave that does not form a focal point in a region corresponding to the object.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the determining comprises determining the velocity of the first shear wave induced to the object by using a wave equation, including the displacement, or by using a change amount of the displacement based on time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining of second elasticity information comprises:
receiving an echo signal of the ultrasound wave which is transmitted to the ROI;
performing beamforming of the echo signal to form at least one or more scan lines, and calculating a displacement of the second shear wave induced to the ROI by using the beamformed signal; and
determining a velocity of the second shear wave induced to the ROI by using the calculated displacement.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the determining comprises determining the velocity of the second shear wave induced to the ROI by using a wave equation, including the displacement, or by using a change amount of the displacement based on time.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining of third elasticity information comprises obtaining the third elasticity information by using a velocity of the first shear wave and a standard deviation of the velocity in the ROI among a plurality of elasticity values included in the first elasticity information and a velocity of the second shear wave and a standard deviation of the velocity in the ROI among a plurality of elasticity values included in the second elasticity information.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising calculating confidence scores of elasticity values included in the first elasticity information and confidence scores of elasticity values included in the second elasticity information.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which stores a program, that when executed, implements the method of claim 1 .

10. An apparatus comprising:
at least one memory configured to store instructions; and
at least one processor configured to execute the stored instructions:
to obtain first elasticity information by transmitting a plane ultrasound wave to a tissue disposed in an area of an object on which a first shear wave is induced,
to set an internal region of interest (ROI) within the area of the object, based on the first elasticity information, by setting the internal ROI to a region of the tissue within the area of the object having the first elasticity information greater than a predetermined threshold value,
to obtain second elasticity information by transmitting an ultrasound wave that forms a focal point at a portion of the ROI on which a second shear wave is induced,
to combine the first elasticity information and the second elasticity information;
to obtain third elasticity information of the ROI based on the combination of the first elasticity information and the second elasticity information, and
to generate an elastography image with respect to the ROI, based on the third elasticity information.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform beamforming for an echo signal of the plane ultrasound wave which is transmitted to the object, calculate a displacement of the first shear wave induced to the object by using the beamformed signal, and determine a velocity of the first shear wave induced to the object by using the calculated displacement.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the plane ultrasound wave comprises an ultrasound wave that does not form a focal point in a region corresponding to the object.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform beamforming for a received echo signal of the ultrasound wave which is transmitted to the ROI, to form at least one or more scan lines, calculate a displacement of the second shear wave induced to the ROI by using the beamformed signal, and determine a velocity of the second shear wave induced to the ROI by using the calculated displacement.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to obtain the third elasticity information by using a velocity of the first shear wave and a standard deviation of the velocity in the ROI among a plurality of elasticity values included in the first elasticity information and a velocity of the second shear wave and a standard deviation of the velocity in the ROI among a plurality of elasticity values included in the second elasticity information.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to calculate confidence scores of elasticity values included in the first elasticity information and confidence scores of elasticity values included in the second elasticity information.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kong Dong-Geon
• Park Jun-Ho
• Park Ji-Young
• Lee Hyoung-Ki
• Choi Ki-Wan

Classifications

• G16H50/30

  for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment · CPC title

• G01S7/52071

  Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/52042

  determining elastic properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target (diagnostic techniques involving the measurement of strain A61B8/485) · CPC title

• G01S7/52022

  using a sequence of pulses, at least one pulse manipulating the transmissivity or reflexivity of the medium · CPC title

• G01S7/52095

  using multiline receive beamforming · CPC title