Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-04
2001-09-18
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
C128S916000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06290648
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for scanning the three-dimensional region of an object to be examined with ultrasonic pulses to perform various diagnoses using the resultant information.
Various apparatuses are available as medical applications of ultrasonic waves. The most frequently used is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which obtains tomographic images of soft tissues of living bodies by using the ultrasonic pulse reflection method. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus displays a tomographic image of a tissue by a noninvasive examination method. Compared with other diagnostic apparatuses such as an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, an X-ray computer tomographic apparatus (X-ray CT), a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus (MRI), and a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus (e.g., a gamma camera and SPECT), an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has the advantages that it can display images in real time, is small and inexpensive, has high safety with no exposure to x-rays, and is capable of blood flow imaging by using the ultrasonic Doppler method.
For these reasons, ultrasonic diagnoses are extensively performed in examinations of hearts, abdomens, mammary glands, and urinary organs, and in obstetrics and gynecology. In particular, heart beats and the motions of an unborn child can be displayed in real time with a simple operation of bringing an ultrasonic probe into contact with the body surface, and the safety is high. Therefore, examinations can be repetitively performed and can also be readily performed even on the bedside.
It is also possible to display the velocity distribution of a blood flow which moves closer to or away from a vibrator by using the ultrasonic Doppler method and display the power value distribution of a blood flow echo signal by using the power Doppler method. In particular, the power Doppler method can detect the perfusion of a blood vessel system with high sensitivity and hence is used to diagnose peripheral blood flow abnormality of a kidney and hepatoma.
In the field of these ultrasonic diagnoses, as in X-ray CT and MRI, needs for three-dimensional images are increasing. Three-dimensional images have information in the direction of depth in addition to planar information obtained from two-dimensional tomographic images. Accordingly, three-dimensional images are expected to allow an operator to more clearly observe the shape of a tissue, circulation of the blood, and the like.
Three-dimensional information is acquired as follows. That is, a position sensor attached to a probe is used to obtain position information and corresponding image information at the same time. After that, a three-dimensional image is reconstructed on the basis of the position information. Many methods have been proposed so far, and it has become possible to reconstruct and display three-dimensional images within very short time periods with the aid of increased operating speeds of recent CPUs.
Although the operating speeds of CPUs have increased, however, it is currently still impossible to reconstruct and display a three-dimensional image in real time, or in almost real time, from three-dimensional echo data input by three-dimensional scan. In practice, therefore, it is necessary to employ a method which reconstructs and displays a three-dimensional image after three-dimensional data is input and scan is stopped. Accordingly, in ordinary diagnoses, conventional two-dimensional tomographic images are observed in real time in most cases.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to effectively use three-dimensional position information of a scanning plane in various forms while displaying tomographic images by attaching importance to the advantage of real-time observation.
In the present invention, a mark representing a point of interest or a region of interest is designated on an image of a certain scanning plane. When this scanning plane is changed to another, the mark is displayed on an image of the changed scanning plane if the point of interest is contained in this changed scanning plane. If the point of interest is not contained in the changed scanning plane, no mark is displayed on the image of this changed scanning plane. Therefore, an operator can recognize the three-dimensional positional relationship between images of different scanning planes to a certain degree.
In the present invention, an image in the same slice of an image that is being displayed in real time is generated from volume data previously acquired before scanning, and this image is displayed simultaneously with the image that is being displayed in real time. Hence, when past data of the same patient is held as the volume data, the transition of a lesion can be easily recognized. Also, a lesion can be readily found when data of a healthy person is held as the volume data. Furthermore, when data collected from the same patient immediately before diagnosis is held as the volume data, scan of the same slice can be readily reproduced. That is, various effects can be achieved in accordance with applications.
In the present invention, a partial image in the same position as an image that is being displayed in real time is cut out from volume data previously acquired before scanning. This partial image is displayed as it is synthesized on the image that is being displayed in real time. Accordingly, when data of a different patient who has become ill is held as the volume data, this data can be used in educational simulation of ultrasonic diagnoses for healthy persons.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5706816 (1998-01-01), Mochizuki et al.
patent: 5860924 (1999-01-01), Quistgaard
patent: 5876342 (1999-03-01), Chen et al.
patent: 6123669 (2000-09-01), Kanda
R. W. Prager, et al., “Rapid Calibration for 3-D Freehand Ultrasound”, Ultrasound in Med. & Biol., vol. 24, No. 6, 1998, pp. 855-869.
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
Lateef Marvin M.
Oblon & Spivak, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt P.C.
Patel Maulin
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