Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-10
2001-09-25
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
C600S453000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293913
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus for diagnosing motion fluid such as blood flow in vivo by utilizing a Doppler effect of ultrasonic waves.
Conventionally, it is known that a Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus uses an ultrasonic pulse Doppler technique and an ultrasonic pulse reflection technique, thereby acquiring a tomographic Image (a monochrome mode image) and blood flow information by a single ultrasonic probe and displaying at least the blood flow information in real time.
In this Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus, in recent years, a frequency that meets conditions for setting a maximum blood flow velocity or gravity blood flow velocity and the like on a Doppler frequency spectrum based on the acquired blood flow information is traced in real time or after freeze operation. Then, characteristics velocities such as average flow velocity value, maximum flow velocity, minimum flow velocity is obtained from a time change curve of a blood flow velocity obtained from this trace processing result. There is proposed a method for calculating and diagnosing various physical quantities (hereinafter, referred to as “index (index value)” such as PSV (Peak Systolic Velocity) or EDV (End Diagnostic Velocity) using this velocity. In this case, in a course up to performing diagnosis from the acquired blood flow information, frequency trading is automatically performed, thereby making it possible to significantly reduce the operation quantity and operation time of an operator in comparison with a case when that tracing is manually performed.
However, in the above mentioned conventional Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus, in the case where index is measured and diagnosed by employing the trace results of the frequency that meets the setting conditions on the Doppler spectrum, the following problem will occur.
That is, in the case of the conventional apparatus, although frequency tracing itself is automatically performed, an operation for selecting a spectrum targeted for diagnosis by reproducing a freeze memory or an operation for determining a heart beat targeted for measurement by specifying a time range (ROI: region of interest) of the spectrum targeted for mesurement must still be manually performed. Among them, in particular, specifying ROI requires very strict position specifying work, and thus, operation Is prone to be difficult. In addition to this, In the case of tracing after freezing, an operation for instructing the start of tracing is required, or in the case of real-time tracing, when the tracing result is set to non-display, an operation for specifying the start of display is required. Therefore, in view of the operation quantity and operation time of the entire diagnosis, an operation portion to be performed manually is still considerably large.
On the other hand, in the case where blood flow information is traced in real time, index calculation is performed in real time based on the trace processing result. However, there is a problem that it is very difficult for the operator to monitor the calculated index in real time. Moreover, it is impossible to calculate the time change of the index calculated in real time and reflect it on an freeze operation or the like.
SUMMARY Of THE INVENTION
The present invention has been achieved in view of such conventional problem. It is a first object of the present invention to simplify manual operation during measurement using Doppler spectrum and reduce the operation quantity and diagnosis time required for measurement.
In addition, it is a second object of the present invention to comprehensively and simply perform an operation for selecting a Doppler spectrum targeted for diagnosis or an operation for specifying an ROI on the spectrum and reduce the operation quantity and diagnosis time required for diagnosis.
Further, it is a third object of the present invention to perform an operation for replacing the specified ROI and reduce the operation quantity and diagnosis time required for diagnosis by operating the data targeted for diagnosis according to the ROI.
Furthermore, it is another object of the present invention to calculate an index in real time in the case where frequency tracing is performed in real time, and at the same time, calculate the time change In real time and easily perform monitoring, provide the monitoring results as operational information and measurement values, and display all of these processing results on the screen and easily check them.
To achieve the aforementioned object, and in particular, reduce the operation quantity and operation time effectively, the present invention is directed to an arrangement comprising means for comparing a time position between a position of a characteristic point (time position such as PSV and EDV) reflecting a heart beat on a Doppler spectrum and a ROI position; means for identifying a heart beat on the Doppler spectrum which is the closest to the POI position based on the comparison results; and means for displaying the heart beat thus identified and the ROI position on the screen.
In this arrangement, it is possible to apply an art proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-033024 (an art designed by one of the Inventors), i.e., means for automatically detecting a velocity value measured by employing the trace results of frequency that meets predetermined conditions on the Doppler spectrum, respectively at a plurality of positions (times) that meets predetermined conditions, thereby identifying a heart beat.
With these means, in a course up to performing diagnosis from the acquired blood flow information, an operation for specifying a ROI position in advance, thereby reproducing an image memory and selecting a spectrum targeted for diagnosis is compatible with an operation for determining a heart beat targeted for measurement, thus making it possible to reduce the operation quantity and operation time.
Together with this, in order to achieve the foregoing object, the present invention is directed to an arrangement comprising means for calculating a time change of an index value (index) calculated in real time; means for monitoring the time change of the index value thus calculated; and means for displaying the above index value and the related time change and monitor results in real time.
In the above arrangement, there can be further provided means for monitoring operation on an operating panel; and means for generating a command signal at another circuit according to the operation on the operating panel.
With these means, in the case of real-time tracing, it is possible to calculate the time change of the index value calculated in real time and provide the calculation result as operational information and measurement value.
The Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention has been completed based on the above technical idea.
That is, the Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention is featured by comprising transmitting and receiving means for transmitting ultrasonic beams between a diagnosis site including a motion fluid in the object's body and receiving the ultrasonic echoes; display image generating means for measuring the spectrum every moment of Doppler signals in the ultrasonic Doppler effect due to the motion of the motion fluid based on the ultrasonic echoes received by the transmitting and receiving means, thereby generating the Doppler spectrum display image; selecting means for selecting a Doppler spectrum targeted for measurement from the display image generated by this display image generating means; heart beat recognizing means for automatically recognizing a heart beat range in the Doppler spectrum selected by this selecting means; and measurement means for measuring an Index value for Doppler diagnosis every heart beat range recognized by this heart beat recognizing means.
The heart beat recognizing means can be means for automatically recognizing a heart beat range based on information on a charact
Sasaki Takuya
Tsujino Hiroyuki
Imam Ali M.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Lateef Marvin M.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
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