JP3277030B2 - Ultrasound diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus,
In particular, the present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of performing puncture while monitoring the inside of a subject with an ultrasonic image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an intra-cavity ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which inserts an ultrasonic probe into a body cavity of a subject, draws a body cavity wall and an organ in the vicinity thereof, and provides a diagnosis, a three-dimensional image of the inside of the subject is imaged. Has been proposed. However, this type of conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus cannot perform puncturing, which is indispensable for in-vivo diagnosis, while displaying a three-dimensional image. For this reason, first, an ultrasonic probe must be inserted into the subject to collect three-dimensional image data to display a three-dimensional image, and then the ultrasonic probe must be inserted again into the subject to perform puncturing. Therefore, the burden on both the operator and the subject increases.

[0003]

As described above, in a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for displaying a three-dimensional image, an ultrasonic probe is inserted into a subject to collect three-dimensional image data, and the three-dimensional image is formed. After the display, a two-stage probe insertion operation of inserting the ultrasonic probe again into the subject and performing puncture is required, and there is a problem that both the operator and the subject are burdensome. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of displaying and puncturing a three-dimensional image by a single ultrasonic probe insertion operation.

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is provided on a side surface of an ultrasonic probe, and an image signal of a tomographic image in a plane passing through a center axis of the probe is provided. A first ultrasonic transducer for obtaining
A rotating member provided on the first ultrasonic probe and having a puncture passage for guiding the puncture needle such that an insertion trajectory of the puncture needle inserted into the subject is located on the tomographic image; A rotation driving mechanism for rotating the first ultrasonic transducer and the rotating member about a central axis of the first ultrasonic probe, and a rotation driving mechanism for rotating the rotating member in the subject from an image signal obtained by the first ultrasonic transducer. It is characterized by comprising image forming means for forming an image three-dimensionally, and display means for displaying an image formed by the image forming means.

Another ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is provided on a side surface of an ultrasonic probe, and obtains an image signal of a first tomographic image in a plane passing through a central axis of the probe. A transducer provided on the ultrasound probe for guiding the first puncture needle so that the insertion trajectory of the first puncture needle inserted into the subject is located on the first tomographic image; A rotating member having a first puncturing passage, and a second ultrasonic transducer provided at a tip portion of the ultrasonic probe and obtaining an image signal of a second tomographic image in a plane passing through a central axis of the probe. The second puncture needle is provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe, and guides the second puncture needle so that an insertion trajectory of the second puncture needle inserted into the subject is formed on the second tomographic image. A guide member having a second puncture passage for; A first ultrasonic transducer and a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the rotating member about a central axis of the ultrasonic probe; and an image in the subject from image signals obtained from the first and second ultrasonic transducers. It is characterized by comprising image forming means configured in three dimensions and display means for displaying an image formed by the image forming means.

Further, another ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is provided on a side surface of an ultrasonic probe, and obtains an image signal of a first tomographic image in a plane passing through a central axis of the probe. A transducer, a second ultrasonic transducer provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe, for obtaining an image signal of a second tomographic image in a plane passing through a central axis in front of the probe, and a side surface of the ultrasonic probe. A guide member provided with a puncture passage for guiding the puncture needle so that an insertion trajectory of the puncture needle inserted into the subject is located on the second tomographic image; A rotational drive mechanism for rotating the ultrasonic transducer and the guide member about a central axis of the ultrasonic probe, and the subject from image signals obtained from the first and second ultrasonic transducers. An image construction means for constructing an image in three dimensions, characterized by comprising a display means for displaying an image composed by the image configuration means.

Still another ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is provided on a side surface of an ultrasonic probe along a circumferential direction, and an image of a first tomographic image in a plane orthogonal to a central axis of the probe. A first ultrasonic transducer for obtaining a signal;
A second ultrasonic transducer that is provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe and obtains an image signal of a second tomographic image passing through the center axis of the probe; and a second ultrasonic transducer that is provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe and is provided inside the subject. A guide member having a puncture passage for guiding the puncture needle so that an insertion trajectory of the puncture needle to be inserted is formed on the second tomographic image; and the first ultrasonic transducer being connected to the ultrasonic probe. A moving mechanism for moving in a direction along a central axis of the object, image forming means for three-dimensionally forming an image in the subject from image signals obtained from the first and second ultrasonic transducers,
Display means for displaying an image constituted by the image construction means.

Further, the image reconstruction means in the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of tomographic images are formed while detecting the position of the first ultrasonic transducer. In this case, it is desirable to reconstruct a plurality of tomographic images as a perspective image so as to overlap each other, and to delete the overlapping portion so that an area located far from the viewpoint is not displayed by the display means. Further, it is desirable that a plurality of tomographic images reconstructed as a perspective image, their perspective angles, and the intervals between the tomographic images can be arbitrarily changed. Further, in the image forming means, it is desirable to display on the display means a tomographic image before reconstruction into a perspective image of an arbitrary tomographic image selected from a plurality of tomographic images reconstructed as a perspective image.

[0009]

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus configured as described above, a plurality of tomographic images in the subject are constructed and displayed three-dimensionally, and the insertion locus of the puncture needle is formed on the tomographic image. By providing the puncture passage set to, it is possible to display a three-dimensional image and perform puncture with one ultrasonic probe insertion operation.

That is, an ultrasonic probe is inserted into a subject, and a plurality of tomographic images are obtained from the subject while rotating or moving the ultrasonic transducer.
When displayed as a two-dimensional image, the puncture target can appear in the tomographic image obtained at any of the transducer positions, so that the puncture path can be punctured while the puncture target has the obtained tomographic image. By inserting the needle, puncturing can be performed.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, an ultrasonic probe 1 is a body cavity probe such as a transrectal probe as described later, and is connected to an ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 2. The ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2 is a circuit that supplies a driving pulse to the ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic probe 1 and receives and processes a reflected wave signal received by the ultrasonic transducer. It is converted into a digital signal by the / D converter 3 and becomes image data. The image data is first input to the two-dimensional image forming unit 4, where the two-dimensional image in an arbitrary plane in the subject is
That is, a tomographic image (B-mode image) on a cross section along the array direction of the ultrasonic transducers is formed.

The two-dimensional image data obtained by the two-dimensional image forming unit 4 is stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 under the control of the system control unit 11. Image data output from the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 is input to the three-dimensional image forming unit 6,
Under the control of the system control unit 11, three-dimensional image data is configured.

Two-dimensional image forming unit 4, two-dimensional image storage unit 5
The image data output from the three-dimensional image forming unit 6 is input to the adder 8 together with the image data output from the image data forming unit 7 under the control of the system control unit 11 and added. The output signal of the adder 8 is D /
After being converted into an analog signal by the A-converter 9, the analog signal is input to a display unit 10 including a TV monitor.

The system control unit 11 includes the ultrasonic probe 1
Position information from console and console 12
Receiving the control information from the ultrasonic transmitting / receiving unit 2, the two-dimensional image forming unit 4, the two-dimensional image storing unit 5, the three-dimensional image forming unit 6, the image data forming unit 7, the two-dimensional image selecting unit 13, and the three-dimensional This is a circuit for controlling the image control unit 14.

The two-dimensional image selection unit 13 includes a console 12
Is controlled by the system control unit 11 based on the operation of the operator from the system, and becomes a component of a two-dimensional image stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 5, that is, a three-dimensional image configured by the three-dimensional image configuration unit 6. Multiple tomographic images are selected,
A plurality of adjacent tomographic images may be selected, or a plurality of alternate tomographic images or a plurality of tomographic images may be selected.

The three-dimensional image control unit 14 controls the operation of forming a three-dimensional image in the three-dimensional image forming unit 6, and specifically, based on an operation by an operator from the console 12 as described later. A plurality of tomographic images are reconstructed as oblique images based on the oblique angle, the display direction, and the display interval information of the tomographic images provided from the system control unit 11, and the three-dimensional image forming unit 6 configures these as three-dimensional images. Control. At this time, it is assumed that a deletion process is performed on an area where the tomographic images overlap each other and located farther from the perspective viewpoint, so that the display is not performed. The three-dimensional image control unit 14 selects all or a part of the plurality of tomographic images stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 under the control of the system control unit 11 and selects the three-dimensional image forming unit 6. It also controls the transfer to.

The display unit 10 basically displays the three-dimensional image formed by the three-dimensional image forming unit 6. However,
The operator refers to the three-dimensional image while appropriately changing the display method, and displays an arbitrary tomographic image from the plurality of tomographic images stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 constituting the three-dimensional image on the console 12. The normal tomographic image before being reconstructed as a perspective image as a three-dimensional image is displayed by switching to the three-dimensional image or simultaneously displayed in parallel with the three-dimensional image on the same screen. You.

FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the ultrasonic probe 1. The ultrasonic probe is formed in a cylindrical shape as a whole, and is roughly divided into a body cavity insertion section A, an operation section B, and a cable section C. The body cavity insertion portion A has a cylindrical rotating exterior 21, which is supported by bearings 22. Inside the rotating exterior 21,
A linear ultrasonic transducer 23 having a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators arranged in the axial direction of the probe 1 is provided. The transducer cable 24 connected to the ultrasonic transducer 23 is drawn out as a cable section C via the operation section B, and is connected to the ultrasonic transmission / reception section 2 in FIG. The rotating sheath 21 and the ultrasonic transducer 23 are fixed to a rotating shaft 25.

The insertion section A in the body cavity is provided with a puncture passage 26 which obliquely penetrates the rotating exterior 12. At the time of puncturing, a puncture needle (not shown) is inserted into the subject through the puncture passage 26. Here, the puncture passage 26 is set such that the locus of insertion of the puncture needle into the subject is located on a tomographic image obtained by the ultrasonic transducer 24. Further, a position mark 27 for indicating the position of the probe in the circumferential direction, particularly the insertion direction of the puncture passage 26, is provided on the outer periphery of the fixed portion of the body cavity insertion portion A below the rotating exterior 21.

The operation section B is provided with a motor 28 and an encoder 29 connected to the rotating shaft 25. The motor 28 is controlled by a transducer position control signal supplied from the system control unit 11 of FIG. The encoder 29 is for detecting the rotation angle of the motor 28, and its output is provided as transducer position information indicating the rotation angle (rotation position) of the linear ultrasonic transducer 23 to the system control unit 11 through the cable unit C. Supplied.

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2 in FIG. In FIG. 3, a pulse generator 3 is used for transmission.
From 1 is output a rate pulse that determines the repetition period of the ultrasonic pulse. The rate pulse is input to an N-channel transmission delay circuit 32, where a delay time for electron focusing of the transmission beam is given, and then supplied to an N-channel drive circuit 33. The drive circuit 33 generates a transmission pulse for driving the ultrasonic transducer 23 to generate an ultrasonic wave. The timing of the drive pulse is determined by the output of the transmission delay circuit 32.

The drive pulse output from the drive circuit 33 is transmitted from the M ultrasonic transducers 23 by the electronic switch 34 to the N ultrasonic transducers used for transmission (basically, N adjacent transducers). To be selectively supplied. As a result, the N ultrasonic transducers are driven, and ultrasonic pulses are emitted from the ultrasonic probe 1 toward the inside of the subject (not shown) in the form of beams.

An ultrasonic pulse emitted from the ultrasonic probe 1 into the subject is reflected inside the subject, and the reflected wave is received by the ultrasonic probe 1. At the time of receiving the reflected wave, the same ultrasonic transducer as at the time of transmission is selected by the electronic switch 34, and only the reflected wave received by the selected ultrasonic transducer is extracted from the electronic switch 34 as a reflected wave signal. Electronic switch 34
Is sent to an N-channel reception delay circuit 36, and is given a delay time similar to that of the transmission delay circuit 32, and then sent to an adder 37 to be added and synthesized. The output signal of the adder 37 is logarithmically compressed and amplified by a logarithmic amplifier 38 and further detected by an envelope detector 39.

The pulse generation timing of the pulse generator 31, the delay time of the transmission delay circuit 32, the ON / OFF of the electronic switch 34, and the delay time of the reception delay circuit 36 in FIG. 3 are determined by the system control unit 11 in FIG. Controlled.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. First,
The ultrasonic probe 1 is inserted into the body cavity of the subject, for example, into the rectum, and three-dimensional scanning is performed while the ultrasonic transducer 23 is rotated by the motor 28. That is, when the ultrasonic transducer 23 is rotated and fixed at a certain position in the rotation direction, and transmits and receives the ultrasonic wave via the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit 2, the image data as the tomographic image information on the cross section at the position is obtained. Since it is obtained from the A / D converter 3, if the same transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are repeated at each position in the rotation direction, image data in a three-dimensional space can be obtained.

The image data obtained from the ultrasonic probe 1 through the ultrasonic transmission / reception unit 2 and the A / D converter 3 by the three-dimensional scanning is first input to the two-dimensional image forming unit 4 and the two-dimensional image data Are transmitted to the three-dimensional image forming unit 6 via the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 to form three-dimensional image data.

The two-dimensional image forming unit 4
The dimensional image data is immediately added to the adder 8 and D /
The information is sent to the display unit 10 via the A-converter 9 and is displayed in a time-series manner as needed, and under the control of the system control unit 11, the position information of the transducer from the encoder 29 in the ultrasonic probe 1 is displayed. The information is stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 in association with each other. The operator selectively selects two-dimensional image data at an arbitrary position from the two-dimensional image data stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 from the console 12 via the system control unit 11 by the two-dimensional image selection unit 13. And display it on the display unit 10.

In the three-dimensional image forming unit 6, based on the angle from the viewpoint input by the operator via the console 12, the display direction, and the transducer position information from the encoder, the three-dimensional image forming unit 6
By reconstructing the two-dimensional image data stored in the three-dimensional image storage unit 5 as a perspective image, three-dimensional image data is configured. The three-dimensional image data thus configured is sent to the display unit 10 via the adder 8 and the D / A converter 9, and is displayed as a three-dimensional image. In this case, the display method of the three-dimensional image can be variously changed by the three-dimensional image control unit 14.

Next, another configuration example of the ultrasonic probe 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6. FIG. In the following example, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and differences from FIG. 2 will be described.

In the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 4, a convex ultrasonic transducer 41 is provided as a second ultrasonic transducer in addition to a linear ultrasonic transducer 23 as a first ultrasonic transducer. Convex type ultrasonic transducer 41
Is formed by arranging a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators on a circumference, and is provided at a tip portion which is a non-rotating portion separated from the rotating outer casing 21 of the ultrasonic probe. As described above, the linear ultrasonic transducer 23 is rotatable about the center axis of the ultrasonic probe, whereas the convex ultrasonic transducer 41 is not rotated.

In the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 4, a non-rotating puncture guide 42 is provided on the outer side of the rotary armature 21 on the side of the probe, and a puncture passage 43 is formed in the puncture guide 42 in parallel with the probe axial direction. Have been. The puncture passage 43 is set such that the insertion trajectory of the puncture needle inserted therein is located on the tomographic image obtained by the ultrasonic transducer 41, similarly to the puncture passage 26.

In the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 5, a rotating sheath 21 extends to the tip of the probe, and a convex ultrasonic transducer 51 rotated by a motor 28 together with the rotating sheath 21 is provided at the tip. In this case, the output of the encoder 29 is supplied to the system control unit 11 of FIG. 1 through the cable unit C as transducer position information indicating the rotation angle (rotation position) of the linear ultrasonic transducer 23 and the convex ultrasonic transducer 51. Is done.

The ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 5 does not have the puncture passage 26 shown in FIGS.
Puncture guide 5 rotatable with rotating exterior 21 on the side surface of
A puncture passage 53 is formed in the puncture guide 52 in parallel with the axial direction of the probe. The puncture passage 53 is also set such that the trajectory of the puncture needle inserted therein is located on the tomographic image obtained by the ultrasonic transducer 51, similarly to the puncture passage 43 of FIG.

In the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 6, a ring type ultrasonic transducer 61 is used in place of the linear type ultrasonic transducer 23 in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5. This ring type ultrasonic transducer 61
Is constituted by arranging a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators over the entire circumference along the circumferential direction of the ultrasonic probe.
8 supported by a gear 63 meshing with a ball screw 62 rotated by the motor 8, guided by a moving rail 64 by the rotation of the motor 28, and moved (translated) in the axial direction of the probe.
It is possible.

The moving area of the ring-type ultrasonic transducer 61 is determined by stoppers 65 provided at the upper and lower ends of the moving rail 64, and the moving position is determined by the motor 2
8 is detected by the encoder 29 that detects the rotation angle of the rotation angle of the rotation angle of the zoom lens. The output of the encoder 29 is transmitted through the cable section C as transducer position information indicating the position of the ring-type ultrasonic transducer 61 in the probe direction as shown in FIG.
Is supplied to the system control unit 11 of.

In the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 6, a bellows 66 is provided on the outer periphery of the insertion portion A in the body cavity so as to expand and contract with the movement of the ring-type ultrasonic transducer 61 and expose only the surface of the transducer 61. The bellows 66 covers the internal structure of the probe.

On the other hand, a non-moving convex ultrasonic transducer 67 is provided at the tip of the probe. A non-movable puncture guide 68 is provided outside the bellows 66 on the side surface of the probe, and a puncture passage 69 is formed in the puncture guide 68 in parallel with the axial direction of the probe.
The puncture passage 69 is set such that the insertion trajectory of the puncture needle inserted therein is located on a tomographic image obtained by the ultrasonic transducer 67.

The ring-type ultrasonic transducer 61 in FIG. 6 may be replaced with a convex-type ultrasonic transducer provided only on a part of the ultrasonic probe in the circumferential direction.

Next, the display unit 10 of FIG.
Will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 18. FIGS. 7 to 9 show display examples of images obtained by the linear ultrasonic transducer 23 rotating about the central axis of the probe when the ultrasonic probe shown in FIGS. 2, 4 or 5 is used. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the center axis of the ultrasonic probe 1 (the rotation axis of the linear ultrasonic transducer 23)
The tomographic images 71 on a plurality of planes parallel to the image are projected on a perspective plane forming an arbitrary angle (hereinafter, referred to as a perspective angle) to be reconstructed as a perspective image. The region located far from the image is displayed as a three-dimensional image 70 by deleting and displaying the region so as not to be displayed. Further, a mark 72 is displayed at a position on the tomographic image corresponding to the position mark 27 provided on the fixed portion of the ultrasonic probe 1.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a state in which the three-dimensional image 70 of FIG. 7 is displayed with variously changed display methods. This display method changing function is obtained by the three-dimensional image control unit 14 in FIG. . In FIG. 8, (a) is a three-dimensional image before change, and (b) is a three-dimensional image obtained by rotating the three-dimensional image of (a) by a certain angle with respect to an insertion axis in the body cavity (the center axis of the ultrasonic probe 1). (C) is a three-dimensional image in which the oblique angle is changed. The display interval (angle) of the tomographic image 71 can be changed by controlling the rotation of the motor 28 in the ultrasonic probe 1 from the console 12 via the system controller 11.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a plurality of three-dimensional images obtained by the linear ultrasonic transducer 23 and stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 4 as constituent elements of the three-dimensional image formed by the three-dimensional image forming unit 6 of FIG. Console 1 from the tomographic image of
2 shows an example of a method of displaying an arbitrary tomographic image selected by the operator in the two-dimensional image selecting unit 13 through (2), (a) displaying a three-dimensional image, and (b) being selected. The display of the tomographic image 71 is shown. In displaying the three-dimensional image of (a) and the tomographic image of (b), both images may be switched in time and displayed, or may be displayed simultaneously on the same screen of the display unit 10 in parallel. You may.

In this case, in the tomographic image display of (b), the tomographic position of the selected tomographic image 71 is determined by the ultrasonic probe 1.
The selected tomographic position display 73 is displayed as a marker so as to be clarified in relation to the position mark 27. When the tomographic image 71 is displayed in real time, as shown in FIG. 9B, it is desirable to further display the insertion trajectory display 74 of the puncture needle inserted through the puncture passage as a marker. The image data for performing the selected tomographic position display 73 and the puncture needle insertion locus display 74 is generated by the image data forming unit 7 based on the control from the system control unit 11 in FIG.

FIGS. 10 to 15 are diagrams showing display examples of images obtained by the convex ultrasonic transducer 23 rotating around the central axis of the probe when the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 5 is used. is there.

As shown in FIG. 10, tomographic images 81 on a plurality of planes parallel to the central axis of the ultrasonic probe 1 (the rotation axis of the convex ultrasonic transducer 51) are projected onto a perspective plane forming an arbitrary perspective angle. Then, the image is reconstructed as a perspective image, and a region located far from the perspective of the perspective in the overlapping portion of each tomographic image 81 is processed and displayed so as not to be displayed. Further, a mark 82 is displayed at a position on the tomographic image corresponding to the position mark 27.

FIG. 11 is a view showing the manner in which the three-dimensional image 80 of FIG. 10 is displayed by variously changing the display method. This display method changing function is performed by the three-dimensional image control unit 1 shown in FIG.
4 obtained. In FIG. 11, (a) is a three-dimensional image before change, and (b) is a three-dimensional image obtained by rotating the three-dimensional image of (a) by a certain angle with respect to an insertion axis in the body cavity (the center axis of the ultrasonic probe 1). (C) is a three-dimensional image in which the oblique angle is changed. The display interval (angle) of the tomographic image 81 can be changed by controlling the rotation of the motor 28 in the ultrasonic probe 1 from the console 12 via the system control unit 11.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a three-dimensional image formed by the three-dimensional image forming unit 6 shown in FIG.
From the plurality of tomographic images stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 4, the operator selects a two-dimensional image
3 shows an example of a method of displaying an arbitrary tomographic image selected in (3), where (a) shows display of a three-dimensional image and (b) shows display of a selected tomographic image 81. In displaying the three-dimensional image of (a) and the tomographic image of (b), both images may be switched in time and displayed, or may be displayed simultaneously on the same screen of the display unit 10 in parallel. You may.

In this case, in the tomographic image display of (b), the tomographic position of the selected tomographic image 81 is determined by the ultrasonic probe 1.
The selected tomographic position display 83 is displayed as a marker so as to be clarified in relation to the position mark 27. When the tomographic image 81 is displayed in real time, FIG.
As shown in the figure, it is desirable to further display a marker on the insertion trajectory display 84 of the puncture needle inserted through the puncture passage. The image data for displaying the selected tomographic position display 83 and the puncture needle insertion locus display 84 is generated by the image data forming unit 7 under the control of the system control unit 11 in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a display example in which the image of FIG. 10 is turned upside down, FIG. 14 is a display example in which the image of FIG. 11 is turned upside down,
FIG. 15 is a display example in which the image of FIG. 12 is inverted upside down.
FIGS. 16 to 18 show movement (translation) in the direction of the center axis of the probe when the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 6 is used.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of an image obtained by a ring-shaped ultrasonic transducer 61.

As shown in FIG. 16, tomographic images 81 on a plurality of planes orthogonal to the central axis of the ultrasonic probe 1 (the rotation axis of the ring-type ultrasonic transducer 61) are projected onto a perspective plane forming an arbitrary perspective angle. Then, the image is reconstructed as a perspective image, and a region located far from the viewpoint of the perspective in the overlapping portion of each tomographic image 81 is deleted and displayed so as not to be displayed, so that the entire image is displayed as a three-dimensional image 90. .

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the manner in which the three-dimensional image 90 of FIG. 16 is displayed by variously changing the display method. This display method changing function is performed by the three-dimensional image control unit 1 shown in FIG.
4 obtained. In FIG. 17, (a) is a three-dimensional image before change, (c) is a three-dimensional image image in which the display interval of each tomographic image (tomographic image) is changed, (c) is a three-dimensional image in which the oblique angle is changed, d) is obtained by rotating the three-dimensional image of (a) with respect to the insertion axis in the body cavity (the center axis of the ultrasonic probe 1).
It is a two-dimensional image.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a plurality of three-dimensional images obtained by the ring-type ultrasonic transducer 61 and stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 4, which are constituent elements of the three-dimensional image formed by the three-dimensional image forming unit 6 in FIG. (A) shows a display of a three-dimensional image, and (b) shows a display of a selected tomographic image 91 from the tomographic image of (a). Is shown. Again,
When displaying the three-dimensional image of (a) and the tomographic image of (b), both images may be switched in time and displayed, or they may be displayed simultaneously on the same screen of the display unit 10 in parallel. Good.

In addition, the image display method in this embodiment can be variously changed depending on the configuration of the ultrasonic probe used. For example, a rotatable linear ultrasonic transducer 23 or a translatable ring ultrasonic transducer 61 as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG.
And an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic transducer having a non-rotating or non-moving convex ultrasonic transducer 41 or 67, a three-dimensional image obtained by the former ultrasonic transducer 23 or 61 and the three-dimensional image In addition to a tomographic image (two-dimensional real-time image) selected from a plurality of tomographic images as constituent elements of the above, a tomographic image (two-dimensional real-time image) obtained by the latter ultrasonic transducer 41 or 51 is switched or paralleled. It is also possible to simultaneously display them.

Further, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the ultrasonic probe having two rotatable ultrasonic transducers 23 and 41 shown in FIG. 5, a three-dimensional image obtained by the two transducers 23 and 41 is switched or It is also possible to simultaneously display in parallel.

Further, the reconstruction processing of a three-dimensional image in the present invention can be easily realized by using an image processing technique. For example, regarding the reconstruction processing of the tomographic image into the oblique image, the reduction processing is performed on the tomographic image data stored in the two-dimensional image storage unit 5 in the oblique direction (vertical direction in the embodiment), and the coordinate position is oblique. This can be realized by performing coordinate conversion that shifts according to the angle. Further, a process of deleting a region located far from a perspective view in a portion where a plurality of tomographic images overlap with each other can be easily realized by ordinary image processing technology.

[0056]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of tomographic images in a subject are three-dimensionally constructed and displayed, and the trajectory of the puncture needle is formed on the tomographic images. Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of displaying a three-dimensional image with a single ultrasonic probe insertion operation and performing puncture while monitoring the puncture passage with this three-dimensional image Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration example of an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view showing another configuration example of the ultrasonic probe in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing another configuration example of the ultrasonic probe in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view showing another configuration example of the ultrasonic probe in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a view showing a display example of a three-dimensional image obtained by a linear ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG. 2, 4 or 5;

8 is a diagram showing a state in which the display method of the three-dimensional image of FIG. 7 is changed and displayed.

9 is a diagram showing a method of displaying a two-dimensional image selected from a plurality of two-dimensional images constituting the three-dimensional image of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a view showing another display example of a three-dimensional image by the convex ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic probe of FIG. 5;

11 is a diagram showing a state in which the display method of the three-dimensional image of FIG. 10 is changed and displayed.

12 is a diagram showing a method of displaying a two-dimensional image selected from a plurality of two-dimensional images constituting the three-dimensional image of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example in which the image of FIG. 10 is inverted upside down;

14 is a diagram showing a display example in which the image of FIG. 11 is inverted upside down;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a display example in which the image of FIG. 12 is inverted upside down;

16 is a diagram showing a display example of an image obtained by a ring-type ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic probe shown in FIG.

17 is a diagram showing a state in which the display method of the three-dimensional image of FIG. 16 is changed and displayed.

18 is a diagram showing a method of displaying a two-dimensional image selected from a plurality of two-dimensional images constituting the three-dimensional image of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasonic probe 2 ... Ultrasonic transmission / reception part 3 ... A / D converter 4 ... Two-dimensional image construction part 5 ... Two-dimensional image storage part 6 ... Three-dimensional image construction part 7 ... Image data construction part 8 ... Adder 9 ... D / A converter 10 ... Display unit 11 ... System control unit 12 ... Console 13 ... 2D image selection unit 14 ... 3D image control unit 21 ... Rotating exterior 23 ... Linear ultrasonic transducer 25 ... Rotating shaft 26 ... Puncture Passage 27 ... Position mark 28 ... Motor 29 ... Encoder 41 ... Convex type ultrasonic transducer 42 ... Puncture guide 43 ... Puncture path 51 ... Convex type ultrasonic transducer 52 ... Puncture guide 53 ... Puncture path 61 ... Ring type ultrasonic transducer 62 ... Ball screw 63 ... Gear 64 ... Movement rail 67 ... Convex type ultrasonic transducer 68 puncture guide 69 puncture passage 70 three-dimensional image 71 tomographic image 72 probe position corresponding display 73 selected tomographic position display 74 puncture locus display 80 ... three-dimensional image 81 ... tomographic image 82 probe position corresponding display 83 ... Selected tomographic position display 84 ... Puncture locus display 90 ... 3D image 91 ... Tomographic image

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takefumi Sato 1385-1, Shimoishigami, Otawara-shi, Tochigi In the Nasu Plant of Toshiba Corporation (72) Inventor Shin Hirama 1385-1, Shimoishigami, Otawara-shi, Tochigi Toshiba, Inc. Inside the Nasu Plant (72) Inventor Yoshitaka Mine 1385-1, Shimoishigami, Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture Inside the Toshiba Nasu Plant (72) Inventor Akihiro Sano 1385-1, Shimoishigami, Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan Inside the Toshiba Nasu Plant ( 72) Inventor Takanobu Uchibori 1385-1 Shimoishigami, Otawara City, Tochigi Prefecture Toshiba Medical Engineering Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-55-116342 (JP, A) JP-A-57-9439 (JP, A) JP-A-57-81332 (JP, A) JP-A-2-102643 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A61B 8/00

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for acquiring an image of an inside of a subject by an ultrasonic probe and providing the image for diagnosis, wherein the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe, and a tomographic image in a plane passing through a central axis of the probe is provided. A first ultrasonic transducer for obtaining an image signal; and a guide provided on the ultrasonic probe for guiding the puncture needle so that an insertion trajectory of the puncture needle inserted into the subject is positioned on the tomographic image. A rotation member having a puncturing passage, a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the first ultrasonic transducer and the rotation member about a central axis of the first ultrasonic probe, and a rotation member obtained from the first ultrasonic transducer. Image forming means for three-dimensionally forming an image of the inside of the subject from the obtained image signal, and display means for displaying an image formed by the image forming means. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to symptoms. 2. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for acquiring an image in a subject by an ultrasonic probe and providing the image for diagnosis, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus being provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe and having a first surface in a plane passing through a central axis of the probe. A first ultrasonic transducer that obtains an image signal of a tomographic image; and an insertion trajectory of a first puncture needle that is provided on the ultrasonic probe and that is inserted into the subject is located on the first tomographic image. Member having a first puncture passage for guiding the first puncture needle as described above, and a second tomographic image in a plane provided at the distal end of the ultrasonic probe and passing through the central axis of the probe Second to obtain the image signal of
And a second ultrasonic transducer provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe, the second puncture needle being inserted into the subject so that an insertion trajectory of the second puncture needle is formed on the second tomographic image. A guide member having a second puncture passage for guiding a puncture needle; a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the first ultrasonic transducer and the rotating member about a central axis of the ultrasonic probe; And an image forming means for three-dimensionally forming an image of the inside of the subject from an image signal obtained from the second ultrasonic transducer; and a display means for displaying the image formed by the image forming means. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for acquiring an image of an inside of a subject by an ultrasonic probe and providing the image for diagnosis, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus being provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe and having a first surface in a plane passing through a center axis of the probe. A first ultrasonic transducer that obtains an image signal of a tomographic image; and a second ultrasonic transducer that is provided at the tip of the ultrasonic probe and obtains an image signal of a second tomographic image in a plane passing through a central axis in front of the probe. An ultrasonic transducer, and a puncture provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe for guiding the puncture needle so that an insertion trajectory of the puncture needle inserted into the subject is positioned on the second tomographic image. A guide member having a passage; a rotation drive mechanism for rotating the first and second ultrasonic transducers and the guide member about a center axis of the ultrasonic probe; and a first and second ultrasonic traverse. Ultrasound, comprising: image forming means for three-dimensionally forming an image of the inside of the subject from an image signal obtained from a transducer; and display means for displaying an image formed by the image forming means. Diagnostic device. 4. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for acquiring an image of an inside of a subject by an ultrasonic probe and providing the image for diagnosis, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus being provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe along a circumferential direction, and orthogonal to a central axis of the probe. A first ultrasonic transducer for obtaining an image signal of a first tomographic image in a plane to be formed, a first ultrasonic transducer provided at a tip of the ultrasonic probe, and obtaining an image signal of a second tomographic image passing through a central axis of the probe. And a second ultrasonic transducer, which is provided on a side surface of the ultrasonic probe and guides the puncture needle so that an insertion trajectory of the puncture needle inserted into the subject is formed on the second tomographic image. A guide member having a puncture passage for moving the first ultrasonic transducer in a direction along a center axis of the ultrasonic probe; and a first and second ultrasonic transducer. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: image forming means for three-dimensionally forming an image of the inside of a subject from an obtained image signal; and display means for displaying an image formed by the image forming means. . 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image forming means forms a plurality of tomographic images while detecting a position of said first ultrasonic transducer. apparatus. 6. The image composing means reconstructs a plurality of tomographic images as a perspective image so as to overlap each other, and performs deletion processing so that an area of an overlapping portion located far from a viewpoint is not displayed by the display means. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said image composing means is capable of arbitrarily changing a plurality of tomographic images reconstructed as said oblique images, their oblique angles and intervals between the tomographic images. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment. 8. The image forming means causes the display means to display a tomographic image before reconstruction into a perspective image of an arbitrary tomographic image selected from the plurality of tomographic images reconstructed as the perspective image. 8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6, wherein: