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EP-4736776-A1 - ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS SUPPORT APPARATUS AND ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS SUPPORT PROGRAM

EP4736776A1EP 4736776 A1EP4736776 A1EP 4736776A1EP-4736776-A1

Abstract

Provided is a technique that enables a user to easily understand a region in a target tissue of a subject that has been scanned with an ultrasound beam and a region that has not been scanned with the ultrasound beam. A three-dimensional model forming unit acquires a three-dimensional model of a target tissue in which each position is represented by coordinates in a model coordinate system. A probe position and posture detection unit acquires a position and a posture of an ultrasound probe. A position and posture information conversion unit converts position and posture information indicating the position and the posture of the ultrasound probe into converted position and posture information in the model coordinate system. A scanned region specifying unit specifies a model scanning plane in the model coordinate system based on the converted position and posture information in a case in which the target tissue is scanned with an ultrasound beam, and specifies a region of the three-dimensional model through which the model scanning plane passes as a scanned region. A display controller displays the scanned region and an unscanned region in the three-dimensional model in different display modes.

Inventors

  • SATO, YUKO
  • WAKI, KOJI

Assignees

  • FUJIFILM Corporation

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251029

Claims (7)

  1. An ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus comprising: a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire a three-dimensional model of a target tissue formed based on medical volume data acquired by a medical apparatus other than an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, each position of the three-dimensional model being represented by a coordinate in a model coordinate system; acquire position and posture information indicating a position and a posture of an ultrasound probe that scans an ultrasound scanning plane including the target tissue with an ultrasonic wave; convert the position and posture information into converted position and posture information in the model coordinate system; specify a model scanning plane that is a virtual ultrasound scanning plane in the model coordinate system based on the converted position and posture information in a case in which the target tissue is scanned with an ultrasound beam, and specify a region of the three-dimensional model through which the model scanning plane passes as a scanned region; and display the three-dimensional model on a display unit, and display the scanned region and an unscanned region, which is a region that has not been scanned with the ultrasound beam, in the three-dimensional model in different display modes.
  2. The ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information indicating a position of a portion of interest in the target tissue is added to the three-dimensional model, and the processor is configured to display the information indicating the position of the portion of interest on the display unit.
  3. The ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the processor is configured to: evaluate a received signal obtained by scanning an ultrasound scanning plane corresponding to the model scanning plane that defines the scanned region with the ultrasound beam; and display the scanned region in a manner in which an evaluation result of the received signal is known.
  4. The ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor is configured to display, on a cross section as the scanned region defined by the model scanning plane, an ultrasound tomographic image formed based on a received signal obtained by scanning an ultrasound scanning plane corresponding to the model scanning plane with the ultrasound beam.
  5. The ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the processor is configured to: display, on the display unit, a medical tomographic image reconstructed by cutting out the medical volume data at a cross section based on the converted position and posture information, and an ultrasound tomographic image formed based on a received signal acquired at a current position and posture of the ultrasound probe; and display a guide image indicating a range of the ultrasound scanning plane in a superimposed manner on the medical tomographic image.
  6. The ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processor is configured to detect a position and a posture of the ultrasound probe relative to a position and a posture of the target tissue based on a captured image obtained by imaging detection marks attached to the ultrasound probe and the target tissue with a camera.
  7. An ultrasound diagnosis support program causing a computer to: acquire a three-dimensional model of a target tissue formed based on medical volume data acquired by a medical apparatus other than an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, each position of the three-dimensional model being represented by a coordinate in a model coordinate system; acquire position and posture information indicating a position and a posture of an ultrasound probe that scans an ultrasound scanning plane including the target tissue with an ultrasonic wave; convert the position and posture information into converted position and posture information in the model coordinate system; specify an ultrasound scanning plane in the model coordinate system based on the converted position and posture information in a case in which the target tissue is scanned with an ultrasound beam, and specify a region of the three-dimensional model through which the ultrasound scanning plane passes as a scanned region; and display the three-dimensional model on a display unit, and display the scanned region and an unscanned region, which is a region that has not been scanned with the ultrasound beam, in the three-dimensional model in different display modes.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present specification discloses improvements to an ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus and an ultrasound diagnosis support program. 2. Description of the Related Art In the related art, there is known an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that forms an ultrasound tomographic image showing the inside of a subject based on reflected waves from the subject in a case in which ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the subject. Specifically, an ultrasound beam is emitted from an ultrasound probe to scan an ultrasound scanning plane, and an ultrasound tomographic image showing a cross section of the subject on the ultrasound scanning plane is formed based on the reflected waves of the ultrasound beam from the subject. In the related art, various technologies related to ultrasound diagnostic apparatuses have been proposed. For example, JP2021-53379A discloses an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus having a position sensor that detects a position of an ultrasound probe, in which the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus estimates an object region based on a plurality of ultrasound images obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves to and from an object within a subject and position information of the ultrasound probe detected by the position sensor, and further specifies an area of the object region where ultrasound images have not yet been captured based on the plurality of ultrasound images and the position information. Furthermore, JP2021-29675A discloses an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus having a camera, in which the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus estimates a position and a posture of a subject from a first exterior image obtained by imaging the subject with the camera, determines a position and a posture of an ultrasound probe from a second exterior image obtained by imaging an AR marker attached to the ultrasound probe with the camera, and specifies an examination site based on the position and the posture of the subject and the position and the posture of the ultrasound probe. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a case in which a target tissue of a subject is scanned with an ultrasound beam, an operator such as a doctor, or a user or an administrator of the ultrasound image (collectively referred to as "user" in the present specification) may want to understand which portion of the target tissue has been scanned with the ultrasound beam, that is, which portion of the target tissue has already acquired a corresponding received signal. Although it is merely an example, before performing a treatment such as removing a tumor on a target tissue, an operator may check an ultrasound tomographic image showing the tumor inside the target tissue to check a position or a state of the tumor. In this case, it is necessary to form an ultrasound tomographic image that appropriately shows the tumor by scanning an ultrasound scanning plane that includes the tumor with an ultrasound beam. In particular, in a case in which a plurality of tumors are scattered in the target tissue, it is preferable to appropriately form a plurality of ultrasound tomographic images showing each tumor. In such a case, it is desirable for the user to be able to understand whether the ultrasound scanning plane including the tumor has been appropriately scanned with the ultrasound beam such that an appropriate ultrasound tomographic image can be formed. An object of an ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus disclosed in the present specification is to enable a user to easily understand a region in a target tissue of a subject that has been scanned with an ultrasound beam and a region that has not been scanned with the ultrasound beam. An ultrasound diagnosis support apparatus disclosed in the present specification comprises a processor, in which the processor is configured to: acquire a three-dimensional model of a target tissue formed based on medical volume data acquired by a medical apparatus other than an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, each position of the three-dimensional model being represented by a coordinate in a model coordinate system; acquire position and posture information indicating a position and a posture of an ultrasound probe that scans an ultrasound scanning plane including the target tissue with an ultrasonic wave; convert the position and posture information into converted position and posture information in the model coordinate system; specify a model scanning plane that is a virtual ultrasound scanning plane in the model coordinate system based on the converted position and posture information in a case in which the target tissue is scanned with an ultrasound beam, and specify a region of the three-dimensional model through which the model scanning plane passes as a scanned region; and display the three-dimensional model on a display unit, and display the scanned region and an unscanned region, which is a region that has not been scanned with the ultrasound beam, in the thre