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EP-4613207-B1 - ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS

EP4613207B1EP 4613207 B1EP4613207 B1EP 4613207B1EP-4613207-B1

Inventors

  • EBATA, Tetsurou

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250225

Claims (12)

  1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising: an ultrasound probe (1, 1A); a position/posture detection unit (51) that detects a position and a posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A); a three-dimensional ultrasound image acquisition unit (31) that acquires a three-dimensional ultrasound image of an inside of a subject by transmitting and receiving an ultrasound beam by using the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) with reference to the position and the posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A), which are detected by the position/posture detection unit (51); an arbitrary cross section image generation unit (26, 57) that cuts out a two-dimensional arbitrary cross section image from the three-dimensional ultrasound image acquired by the three-dimensional ultrasound image acquisition unit (31), to generate the arbitrary cross section image; a cross section determination unit (27, 58) that compares an image pattern of a predetermined recommended cross section for a part of the subject with an image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image generated by the arbitrary cross section image generation unit (26, 57), to determine whether or not the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section; and a scanning guide unit (28) that guides a user to perform scanning with the ultrasound probe toward a target position and a target posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) for capturing a two-dimensional ultrasound image representing the recommended cross section with reference to the position and the posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A), which are detected by the position/posture detection unit (51), in a case in which the cross section determination unit (27, 58) determines that the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section.
  2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cross section determination unit (27, 58) calculates a matching degree between the image pattern of the recommended cross section and the image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image generated by the arbitrary cross section image generation unit (26, 57), and determines that the arbitrary cross section image of which the matching degree exceeds a predetermined threshold value represents the recommended cross section.
  3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: an image memory (53) that stores the arbitrary cross section image determined to represent the recommended cross section by the cross section determination unit (27, 58).
  4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising: an image quality determination unit (52) that determines whether or not a quality of the arbitrary cross section image determined to represent the recommended cross section by the cross section determination unit (27, 58) is superior, wherein the image memory (53) stores the arbitrary cross section image for which the image quality determination unit (52) determines that the quality is superior.
  5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a scanning prompt unit (55) that prompts the user to perform the scanning with the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) in a case in which the cross section determination unit (27, 58) does not determine that the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section even after a predetermined time has elapsed since a start of the scanning with the ultrasound probe.
  6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising: a monitor (23), wherein the scanning guide unit (28) displays, on the monitor (23), a schema image in which the target position and the target posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) and a current position and a current posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) are superimposed.
  7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cross section determination unit (27, 58) stores a plurality of different recommended cross sections, and the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus further comprises: a monitor (23); and a cross section specification information display unit (56) that displays, on the monitor (23), cross section specification information for specifying the recommended cross section determined to be represented by the arbitrary cross section image by the cross section determination unit (27, 58) among the plurality of different recommended cross sections.
  8. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cross section determination unit (27, 58) stores a plurality of different recommended cross sections, and sets the recommended cross section that has been imaged among the plurality of different recommended cross sections, as a target not to be determined.
  9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cross section determination unit (27, 58) stores a plurality of different recommended cross sections and a target position and a target posture angle for imaging each of the plurality of different recommended cross sections, and the scanning guide unit (28) guides the user to perform the scanning with the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) toward the target position and the target posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A), which correspond to the recommended cross section that has not yet been imaged, in a case in which the cross section determination unit (27, 58) determines that the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section that has been imaged among the plurality of different recommended cross sections.
  10. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cross section determination unit (27) stores a plurality of different recommended cross sections, an indicator cross section different from the plurality of different recommended cross sections, and a correspondence relationship between target positions and target posture angles of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) for imaging the plurality of different recommended cross sections and a position and a posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) for imaging the indicator cross section, and calculates a matching degree between image patterns of the plurality of different recommended cross sections and the image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image generated by the arbitrary cross section image generation unit (26) and a matching degree between an image pattern of the indicator cross section and the image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image generated by the arbitrary cross section image generation unit (26), and the scanning guide unit (28) guides, in a case in which the matching degree between the image pattern of the indicator cross section and the image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the user to perform the scanning with the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) toward a position and a posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) for capturing a two-dimensional ultrasound image representing the indicator cross section, and then guides the user to perform the scanning with the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) toward the target position and the target posture angle corresponding to any one of the plurality of different recommended cross sections based on the correspondence relationship.
  11. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the arbitrary cross section image generation unit (57) cuts out a plurality of first arbitrary cross section images from the three-dimensional ultrasound image acquired by the three-dimensional ultrasound image generation unit (25), at a predetermined first positional interval and a predetermined first angular interval, to generate the plurality of first arbitrary cross section images, the cross section determination unit (58) calculates a first matching degree between the image pattern of the recommended cross section and image patterns of the plurality of first arbitrary cross section images, and determines whether or not the first matching degree is greater than a predetermined first threshold value and equal to or less than a predetermined second threshold value, the arbitrary cross section image generation unit (57) cuts out a plurality of second arbitrary cross section images from a partial region of the three-dimensional ultrasound image including the first arbitrary cross section image corresponding to the first matching degree, at a second positional interval smaller than the first positional interval and a second angular interval smaller than the first angular interval, to generate the plurality of second arbitrary cross section images in a case in which the cross section determination unit (58) determines that the first matching degree is greater than the first threshold value and equal to or less than the second threshold value, the cross section determination unit (58) compares the image pattern of the recommended cross section with image patterns of the plurality of second arbitrary cross section images, to determine whether or not any one of the plurality of second arbitrary cross section images represents the recommended cross section, and the scanning guide unit (28) guides the user to perform the scanning with the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) toward the target position and the target posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) for capturing the two-dimensional ultrasound image representing the recommended cross section in a case in which the cross section determination unit determines that any one of the plurality of second arbitrary cross section images represents the recommended cross section.
  12. A method of controlling an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, the method comprising: detecting a position and a posture angle of an ultrasound probe (1, 1A); generating a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images of an inside of a subject by transmitting and receiving an ultrasound beam by using the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) with reference to the position and the posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A), which are detected; generating a three-dimensional ultrasound image of the inside of the subject based on the position and the posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A), which are detected, and the plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound images; cutting out a two-dimensional arbitrary cross section image from the three-dimensional ultrasound image, to generate the arbitrary cross section image; comparing an image pattern of a predetermined recommended cross section for a part of the subject with an image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image, to determine whether or not the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section; and guiding a user to perform scanning with the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) toward a target position and a target posture angle of the ultrasound probe (1, 1A) for capturing a two-dimensional ultrasound image representing the recommended cross section in a case in which it is determined that the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that guides a user to perform scanning with an ultrasound probe, and a method of controlling an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus. 2. Description of the Related Art In the related art, an ultrasound image representing a tomogram of a subject is captured by using a so-called ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, thereby examining an inside of the subject. In this case, a user of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus usually moves an ultrasound probe to a position on the subject at which a target part can be imaged while checking the captured ultrasound image, but it may be difficult for the user who has a low skill level of an examination using the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus to determine which part of the subject is imaged even in a case in which the ultrasound image is checked. Therefore, for example, as disclosed in JP2014-061291A, a technology has been developed in which a medical image obtained by a modality other than an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, such as a computed tomography (CT) image or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) image, which is stored in advance and corresponds to a tomogram in a subject represented by an ultrasound image during imaging, is displayed as a reference image, so that a user can easily understand which part is currently being imaged. Further relevant prior art is disclosed in the patent publications JP 2018 051346 A and JP 2012 055765 A. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Since a shape, a size, a disposition position, and the like of an organ are different for each subject, a position and an angle of an appropriate cross section that clearly shows the organ to be examined may also be different for each subject. Therefore, for example, even in a case in which the technology of JP2014-061291Ais used, in particular, in a case in which a user who has a low skill level of the examination using the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus performs the examination, it takes a long time to visualize an appropriate cross section of the organ in the ultrasound image, or it is difficult to visualize an appropriate cross section of the organ in the first place. The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that enables a user to easily visualize an appropriate cross section of an organ as an examination target regardless of a skill level, and a method of controlling an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus. With the following configuration, the above-described object can be achieved. [1] An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising: an ultrasound probe; a position/posture detection unit that detects a position and a posture angle of the ultrasound probe; a three-dimensional ultrasound image acquisition unit that acquires a three-dimensional ultrasound image of an inside of a subject by transmitting and receiving an ultrasound beam by using the ultrasound probe with reference to the position and the posture angle of the ultrasound probe, which are detected by the position/posture detection unit; an arbitrary cross section image generation unit that cuts out a two-dimensional arbitrary cross section image from the three-dimensional ultrasound image acquired by the three-dimensional ultrasound image acquisition unit, to generate the arbitrary cross section image; a cross section determination unit that compares an image pattern of a predetermined recommended cross section for a part of the subject with an image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image generated by the arbitrary cross section image generation unit, to determine whether or not the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section; and a scanning guide unit that guides a user to perform scanning with the ultrasound probe toward a target position and a target posture angle of the ultrasound probe for capturing a two-dimensional ultrasound image representing the recommended cross section with reference to the position and the posture angle of the ultrasound probe, which are detected by the position/posture detection unit, in a case in which the cross section determination unit determines that the arbitrary cross section image represents the recommended cross section.[2] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to [1], in which the cross section determination unit calculates a matching degree between the image pattern of the recommended cross section and the image pattern of the arbitrary cross section image generated by the arbitrary cross section image generation unit, and determines that the arbitrary cross section image of which the matching degree exceeds a predetermined threshold value represents the recommended cross section.[3] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to [1] or [2], further comprising: an image memory that stores the arbitrary cross section image