Ultrasound imaging equipment and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9538989-B2
Application number	US-201214342970-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 1, 2012
Priority date	Oct 20, 2011
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

In ultrasonic imaging, a physically consistent value of blood flow velocity is measured in the vicinity of body tissues. The ultrasound imaging apparatus comprises a shape extraction part for recognizing shape data of biological tissues by using echo signals reflected from a test subject irradiated with ultrasonic waves, a flow velocity distribution acquisition part for detecting blood flow velocities in the vicinity of the tissues from the echo signals, and a velocity determination part for extracting velocity information desired by a tester (objective velocity information). The velocity determination part sets a model of the objective blood flow, and determines a velocity of actually measured velocity distribution consistent with velocity distribution estimated from the model.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasound imaging apparatus, comprising:
an ultrasound probe configured to transmit ultrasonic waves to a test subject and receiving echo signals reflected by the test subject; and
a computer storing executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform:
processing the echo signals received by the ultrasound probe, wherein the echo signals are frequency modulated signals depending on a velocity of a fluid contained in the test subject;
acquiring a Doppler waveform which is a velocity distribution of the fluid from the frequency modulated signals; and
determining a velocity information from the Doppler waveform;
setting a jet model of the velocity information; and
determining the velocity information so that the jet model and the velocity distribution are consistent with each other.

2. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform:
estimating a spatial distribution of a velocity of the fluid as the jet model,
determining the estimated spatial distribution of the velocity so that it is consistent with the velocity distribution, and
calculating the velocity information from the determined spatial distribution of the velocity.

3. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the velocity information includes velocity information on a valve regurgitation flow of a heart, and
wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform jet modeling.

4. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform the jet modeling by a convolution operation of a model of a jet-developed region and a model of a jet-undeveloped region.

5. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform using any one of: a Goertler's equation, a Schlichting's equation, or a Tollmien's equation as the jet model of jet-developed region.

6. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform using any one of: an exponential function, a step function, an error function, a delta function, or a function consisting of a combination of the exponential function, the step function, the error function, and the delta function as the jet model of a jet-undeveloped region.

7. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform:
acquiring a cardiac cycle information of the test subject, and
obtaining the velocity distribution for every cardiac cycle on a basis of the cardiac cycle information.

8. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 7 ,
wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform adding the obtained velocity distribution for every cardiac cycle, and
determining the velocity information by using the added velocity distribution.

9. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform calculating a pressure gradient of an inside and outside of a valve using the velocity information on the valve regurgitation flow.

10. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform calculating an absolute pressure from the pressure gradient and a standard pressure set beforehand or externally inputted.

11. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform calculating a time differential value (dP/dt) and/or a time constant τ an exponential function used at the time of approximating a relaxed state of the left ventricle, from an absolute pressure of a left ventricle.

12. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform calculating an accuracy of the velocity information and/or diagnostic information calculated from the velocity information.

13. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform calculating the accuracy by using a difference of a local maximum and a local minimum of the velocity distribution.

14. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform:
calculating a volume of a left ventricle from a left ventricle shape,
creating a pressure-volume relation diagram by using the left ventricle volume and the absolute pressure of the left ventricle, and
making a screen display the created diagram.

15. The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the computer stores further executable functions that cause the ultrasound imaging apparatus to perform:
creating the pressure-volume relation diagrams for a plurality of kinds of different conditions,
creating, using the plurality of pressure-volume relation diagrams, inclination E max of a pressure-volume relation curve at an end systolic phase and an end diastolic pressure-volume relation curve, and
making the screen display the inclination E max of the pressure-volume relation curve at the end systolic phase and the end diastolic pressure-volume relation curve.

Assignees

• Tanaka Tomohiko
• Hashiba Kunio
• Hitachi Ltd

Inventors

• Tanaka Tomohiko
• Hashiba Kunio

Classifications

• A61B8/5207

  involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image · CPC title

• A61B8/065

  to determine blood output from the heart · CPC title

• A61B8/04

  Measuring blood pressure · CPC title

• A61B8/463

  characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display · CPC title

• A61B8/06

  Measuring blood flow · CPC title