Subject information acquisition apparatus, subject information acquisition method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10772607-B2
Application number	US-201515119363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2015
Priority date	Feb 19, 2014
Publication date	Sep 15, 2020
Grant date	Sep 15, 2020

Abstract

A subject information acquisition apparatus includes a converter configured to receive reflected waves from a contrast medium within a target area inside a subject, and a pressure information acquisition unit configured to acquire pressure information within the target area. In this case, the converter receives reflected waves from a contrast medium in each of a first period and a second period in which a pressure within the target area is different from the first period. The pressure information acquisition unit acquires pressure information in the second period within the target area based on a receive signal based on reflected waves in the first period, a receive signal based on a reflected wave in the second period, and pressure information on a region different from the target area, the pressure information being acquired in the first period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A subject information acquisition apparatus comprising:
a converter configured to receive acoustic waves from a subject into which contrast medium has been introduced, and to output receiving signals including at least a first receiving signal and a second receiving signal, the first receiving signal based on an acoustic wave during a left ventricular systole and the second receiving signal based on an acoustic wave during the left ventricular end-dilation;
a pressure information acquisition unit configured to acquire pressure information on endocardial pressure inside a left ventricle of the subject;
a memory configured to hold a table describing a relationship among information regarding a frequency of an acoustic wave acquired from a subject into which the contrast medium has been introduced, information regarding a presence concentration of the contrast medium, and pressure information on surroundings of the contrast medium,
wherein the pressure information acquisition unit acquires information regarding the presence concentration of the contrast medium within the left ventricle, by using the table, based on the first receiving signal and pressure information obtained, by a blood pressure measurement unit, from an upper arm of the subject during the left ventricular systole, and
wherein the pressure information acquisition unit determines the pressure information on the endocardial pressure inside the left ventricle of the subject, by using the relationship, during the left ventricular end-dilation based on the acquired information regarding the presence concentration of the contrast medium within the left ventricle and the second receiving signal based on the acoustic wave during the left ventricular end-dilation.

2. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein information on blood pressure of the upper arm measured by a pressure measurement device is input, as the pressure information obtained from the upper arm of the subject, to the pressure information acquisition unit.

3. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein timings of the left ventricular systole and the left ventricular end-dilation are input to the pressure information acquisition unit based on information regarding heartbeats of the subject acquired by a heartbeat information acquisition unit.

4. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 3 , the apparatus further comprising an image processing unit configured to update display of the pressure information on the endocardial pressure inside the left ventricle of the subject in synchronism with a heartbeat acquired from the heartbeat information acquisition unit.

5. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure information acquisition unit determines the pressure information on the endocardial pressure inside the left ventricle of the subject during the left ventricular end-dilation for each heartbeat of a plurality of heartbeats acquired by a heartbeat information acquisition unit and averages a plurality of the pressure information.

6. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 , the apparatus further comprising an image processing unit configured to display the pressure information on the endocardial pressure inside the left ventricle of the subject on a display unit.

7. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 6 , the apparatus further comprising a distribution generation unit configured to generate an acoustic characteristic distribution of the left ventricle by using the receiving signals output from the converter,
wherein the image processing unit displays the acoustic characteristic distribution and the pressure information on one screen of the display unit.

8. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the image processing unit updates display of the acoustic characteristic distribution and the pressure information in synchronization with each other.

9. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the contrast medium contains bubbles each having a shell internally containing gas.

10. The subject information acquisition apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the converter is further configured to transmit an acoustic wave to the subject.

11. A subject information acquisition method for acquiring pressure information on inside of a left ventricle of a subject, the method comprising:
transmitting acoustic waves to the subject into which contrast medium has been introduced;
receiving acoustic waves from the subject into which the contrast medium has been introduced, and outputting receiving signals including at least a first receiving signal and a second receiving signal, the first receiving signal based on an acoustic wave during a left ventricular systole and the second receiving signal based on an acoustic wave during the left ventricular end-dilation;
acquiring the receiving signals based on the acoustic waves from a left ventricle of the subject into which the contrast medium has been introduced, during each of the left ventricular systole and the left ventricular end-dilation, the left ventricular end-dilation having a different pressure inside the left ventricle from that of the left ventricular systole;
acquiring pressure information obtained from an upper arm of the subject during the left ventricular systole;
acquiring information regarding a presence concentration of the contrast medium within the left ventricle based on the first receiving signal and pressure information obtained, by a blood pressure measurement unit, from the upper arm during the left ventricular systole; and
determining pressure information on the endocardial pressure inside the left ventricle of the subject during the left ventricular end-dilation based on the second receiving signal and the information regarding the presence concentration of the contrast medium within the left ventricle.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing thereon a program for causing a computer to execute operations in the subject information acquisition method according to claim 11 .

13. The method according to claim 11 ,
wherein the information regarding the presence concentration of the contrast medium within the left ventricle is acquired according to a relationship among information regarding a frequency of an acoustic wave acquired from a subject into which contrast medium has been introduced, information regarding a presence concentration of the contrast medium within the left ventricle, and pressure information on surroundings of the contrast medium.

14. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
displaying, in a display unit, one or more of (a) the pressure information on the endocardial pressure inside the left ventricle, (b) information regarding the presence concentration of the contrast medium within the left ventricle, and (c) a B-mode image of the left ventricle.

15. A subject information acquisition apparatus comprising:
a converter configured to receive acoustic waves from a subject into which contrast medium has been introduced, and to output receiving signals including at least a first receiving signal and a second receiving signal, the first receiving signal based on an acoustic wave during a left ventricular systole and the second receiving signal based on an acoustic wave during the left ventricular dilation; and
a pressure information acquisition unit configured to acquire pressure information on endocardial pressur

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Manjo Takahiro
• Taki Hirofumi
• Sato Toru
• Akao Masaharu
• Nagae Kenichi

Classifications

• A61B5/02108

  from analysis of pulse wave characteristics · CPC title

• G01S15/8915

  using a transducer array · CPC title

• A61B5/022

  by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers · CPC title

• G01S7/52039

  exploiting the non-linear response of a contrast enhancer, e.g. a contrast agent (diagnostic techniques involving the use of contrast agents A61B8/481) · CPC title

• A61B8/04

  Measuring blood pressure · CPC title