阅读说明：本技术 一种超声弹性检测设备及剪切波弹性成像方法、装置 (ultrasonic elasticity detection equipment and shear wave elasticity imaging method and device ) 是由 徐志安 李双双 董腾驹 于 2018-08-29 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种超声弹性检测设备及剪切波弹性成像方法,通过控制超声探头(101)向目标组织(108)的感兴趣区域发射超声波并持续第一时长(T1),以对行经感兴趣区域的第一剪切波进行检测,接收超声波的回波从而得到第一采集样本(步骤11)；并根据第一采集样本得到第二时长(T2)(步骤13)；然后,控制超声探头(101)向目标组织(108)的感兴趣区域发射超声波并持续第二时长(T2),以对行经感兴趣区域的第二剪切波进行检测,接收超声波的回波从而得到第二采集样本(步骤15)；并基于第一采集样本和第二采集样本中的多个数据计算感兴趣区域的弹性参数(步骤18)。采用对样本采集过程的多个采集样本时间进行自动优化的方法,可以提高超声弹性检测的采集效率,进一步提高剪切波弹性成像结果的有效性。(An ultrasonic elastography detection device and a shear wave elastography method are provided, wherein an ultrasonic probe (101) is controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves to a region of interest of target tissue (108) for a first duration (T1) so as to detect a first shear wave traveling through the region of interest, and an echo of the ultrasonic waves is received so as to obtain a first acquisition sample (step 11); and obtaining a second time duration (T2) based on the first collected sample (step 13); then, controlling the ultrasonic probe (101) to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue (108) for a second duration (T2) to detect a second shear wave traveling through the region of interest, and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves to obtain a second acquisition sample (step 15); and calculating elasticity parameters for the region of interest based on the plurality of data in the first acquired sample and the second acquired sample (step 18). By adopting the method for automatically optimizing a plurality of sample acquisition times in the sample acquisition process, the acquisition efficiency of ultrasonic elastography can be improved, and the effectiveness of a shear wave elastography result is further improved.)

1. A method of shear wave elastography, comprising:

Detecting the first collected sample, specifically comprising: controlling an ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to an interested region of a target tissue for a first duration so as to detect a first shear wave passing through the interested region and receive an echo of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a first acquisition sample;

Obtaining a second time length according to the first collected sample;

Detecting a second collected sample, specifically comprising: controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a second duration so as to detect second shear waves passing through the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a second acquisition sample;

An elasticity parameter of the region of interest is calculated based on the plurality of data in the first acquired sample and the second acquired sample.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the second time period based on the first collected sample comprises:

Calculating a velocity of the first shear wave from the first acquired sample;

Calculating the time of arrival of the shear wave at the bottom of the region of interest according to the depth of the region of interest and the speed of the first shear wave;

The second duration is determined according to the time.

3. the method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the second time period based on the first collected sample comprises:

Generating a shear wave propagation path diagram according to the first acquisition sample;

And obtaining the time length of the shear wave reaching the bottom of the region of interest according to the shear wave propagation path diagram, and determining the second time length according to the time length.

4. the method of claim 1, wherein the first collected sample is a plurality of samples and the second time period is based on the plurality of first collected samples.

5. the method of claim 1, wherein there are a plurality of second collected samples.

6. An ultrasonic elasticity test apparatus, characterized by comprising:

A transducer for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a region of interest of a target tissue and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

the transmitting and receiving controller is used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a first time length so as to detect the first shear waves passing through the region of interest, receiving the echo of the ultrasonic waves to obtain a first acquisition sample, and controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a second time length when the second time length is obtained so as to detect the second shear waves passing through the region of interest, and receiving the echo of the ultrasonic waves to obtain a second acquisition sample;

and the data processor is used for obtaining a second time length according to the first acquisition sample and calculating the elasticity parameter of the interested area based on a plurality of data in the first acquisition sample and the second acquisition sample.

7. The sono-elastic testing device of claim 6, wherein said data processor deriving a second duration from a first acquired sample comprises:

Calculating a velocity of the first shear wave from the first acquired sample;

Calculating the time of arrival of the shear wave at the bottom of the region of interest according to the depth of the region of interest and the speed of the first shear wave;

The second duration is determined according to the time.

8. The sono-elastic testing device of claim 6, wherein said data processor deriving a second duration from a first acquired sample comprises:

generating a shear wave propagation path diagram according to the first acquisition sample;

and obtaining the time length of the shear wave reaching the bottom of the region of interest according to the shear wave propagation path diagram, and determining the second time length according to the time length.

9. The sono-elastic testing device of claim 6, wherein the first acquisition sample is plural and the second duration is based on the plural first acquisition samples.

10. the ultrasonic elastic testing device of claim 6, wherein the second acquired sample is plural.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by comprising a program executable by a processor to implement the method of any one of claims 1-5.

12. A shear wave elastography device, comprising:

The first acquisition sample detection unit is used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a first duration so as to detect first shear waves passing through the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a first acquisition sample;

The second time length obtaining unit is used for obtaining a second time length according to the first collected sample;

The second acquisition sample detection unit is used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a second time length so as to detect second shear waves passing through the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a second acquisition sample;

An elasticity parameter calculation unit for calculating an elasticity parameter of the region of interest based on the plurality of data in the first and second acquired samples.

13. the apparatus of claim 12, comprising: the second duration obtaining unit is used for calculating the speed of the first shear wave according to the first collected sample, calculating the time of the shear wave reaching the bottom of the interested area according to the depth of the interested area and the speed of the first shear wave, and determining the second duration according to the time.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, comprising: the second duration obtaining unit is used for generating a shear wave propagation path diagram according to the first collected sample, obtaining the duration of the shear wave reaching the bottom of the region of interest according to the shear wave propagation path diagram, and determining the second duration according to the duration.

15. the apparatus of claim 12, comprising: the first collected samples are multiple, and the second time length is obtained according to the multiple first collected samples.

16. the apparatus of claim 12, comprising: the second collected sample is plural.

Technical Field

The invention relates to ultrasonic equipment, in particular to ultrasonic elasticity detection equipment and a shear wave elasticity imaging method.

Background

shear wave elastography is an emerging tissue imaging technique, which can determine some mechanical properties of biological tissues, such as elasticity of tissues, by performing shear wave elastography, and furthermore, can assist in determining whether target tissues are associated with some pathological symptoms through obtained elasticity information, such as assisted detection of tissue cancer lesions, benign and malignant discrimination, prognosis recovery evaluation, fibrosis degree of some tissue organs (such as liver), and the like.

The basic principle of shear wave elastography is to generate shear waves in a target tissue while continuously transmitting ultrasound waves to a region of interest of the target tissue for a certain period of time, the ultrasound waves forming a scan slice in the region of interest, receive ultrasound echoes of the scan slice, and then, by specifically processing the received ultrasound echo signals, various characteristic parameters of the shear waves propagating inside the target tissue, for example, the propagation velocity of the shear waves, can be determined. Since there is a determined relationship between the characteristic parameter of the shear wave propagating inside the target tissue and the elasticity of the target tissue, analysis, diagnosis, or treatment of the target tissue may be assisted based on the determined characteristic parameter of the shear wave (e.g., the propagation velocity of the shear wave).

Depending on the way in which shear waves are generated, a number of different shear wave elastography methods can be used, such as elastography or elastometry based on the generation of shear waves by acoustic radiation forces, transient elastography based on the generation of shear waves by external vibrations. However, in any shear wave elastography technique, if only the shear wave characteristic parameters obtained by a single sample acquisition are relied on, the elasticity condition of the target tissue, such as the liver fibrosis degree, may not be truly reflected. Therefore, the doctor may want to perform the test several times, obtain a plurality of collected samples of the same collected section, and count the shear wave characteristic parameters calculated from the plurality of collected samples to reflect the elasticity of the target tissue.

In practical operation, if a plurality of collected samples of the same collection section are to be obtained, the posture of the doctor holding the probe is required to be kept stable, i.e. the ultrasonic emission position and angle are required to be kept unchanged. However, doctors are often influenced by factors such as respiration, and it is difficult to keep the posture of the hand-held probe stable, so that it is difficult to obtain a plurality of collected samples of the same section. While the shear wave characteristic parameters (e.g., the propagation velocity of the shear wave) of different sections may be different due to different tissue characteristics, and are not statistically significant.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an ultrasonic elasticity detection device and a shear wave elasticity imaging method, so that a doctor can obtain a plurality of collected samples of the same section more easily.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shear wave elastography method, including:

detecting the first collected sample, specifically comprising: controlling an ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to an interested region of a target tissue for a first duration so as to detect a first shear wave passing through the interested region and receive an echo of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a first acquisition sample;

Obtaining a second time length according to the first collected sample;

Detecting a second collected sample, specifically comprising: controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a second duration so as to detect second shear waves passing through the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a second acquisition sample;

an elasticity parameter of the region of interest is calculated based on the plurality of data in the first acquired sample and the second acquired sample.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic elasticity test apparatus comprising:

A transducer for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a region of interest of a target tissue and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

The transmitting and receiving controller is used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a first time length so as to detect the first shear waves passing through the region of interest, receiving the echo of the ultrasonic waves to obtain a first acquisition sample, and controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit the ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a second time length when the second time length is obtained so as to detect the second shear waves passing through the region of interest, and receiving the echo of the ultrasonic waves to obtain a second acquisition sample;

and the data processor is used for obtaining a second time length according to the first acquisition sample and calculating the elasticity parameter of the interested area based on a plurality of data in the first acquisition sample and the second acquisition sample.

according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable storage medium comprising a program executable by a processor to implement the method as described above.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a shear wave elastography imaging device comprising:

The first acquisition sample detection unit is used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a first duration so as to detect first shear waves passing through the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a first acquisition sample;

The second time length obtaining unit is used for obtaining a second time length according to the first collected sample;

The second acquisition sample detection unit is used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest of the target tissue for a second time length so as to detect second shear waves passing through the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves so as to obtain a second acquisition sample;

an elasticity parameter calculation unit for calculating an elasticity parameter of the region of interest based on the plurality of data in the first and second acquired samples.

according to the ultrasonic elastography detection equipment and the shear wave elastography method, a plurality of sample collection times in the sample collection process are automatically optimized, the collection efficiency of ultrasonic elastography detection is improved, and therefore the effectiveness of a shear wave elastography result is improved.

drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic elasticity testing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the propagation path of a shear wave in a body;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process for automatically optimizing the overall sample acquisition time;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a process for performing elasticity testing on a biological tissue according to an embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of obtaining the second time duration T2 according to the propagation path diagram of the shear wave in the biological tissue in one embodiment.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. Wherein like elements in different embodiments are numbered with like associated elements. In the following description, numerous details are set forth in order to provide a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some of the features may be omitted or replaced with other elements, materials, methods in different instances. In some instances, certain operations related to the present application have not been shown or described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the core of the present application from excessive description, and it is not necessary for those skilled in the art to describe these operations in detail, so that they may be fully understood from the description in the specification and the general knowledge in the art.

Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification may be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. Also, the various steps or actions in the method descriptions may be transposed or transposed in order, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are for the purpose of describing certain embodiments only and are not intended to imply a required sequence unless otherwise indicated where such sequence must be followed.

the numbering of the components as such, e.g., "first", "second", etc., is used herein only to distinguish the objects as described, and does not have any sequential or technical meaning. The term "connected" and "coupled" when used in this application, unless otherwise indicated, includes both direct and indirect connections (couplings).

Referring to fig. 1, the ultrasound elasticity test apparatus 100 is shown in fig. 1 and includes an ultrasound probe 101, a transmission and reception controller 102, a data processor 105, a display device 106, and a memory 107. In a specific embodiment, the ultrasound elasticity testing apparatus 100 further comprises a transmitting and receiving circuit 103 and an echo signal processor 104, the transmitting and receiving controller 102 is in signal connection with the ultrasound probe 101 through the transmitting and receiving circuit 103, the ultrasound probe 101 is in signal connection with the echo signal processor 104 through the transmitting and receiving circuit 103, an output end of the echo signal processor 104 is connected with the data processor 105, and an output end of the data processor 105 is connected with the display device 106. The memory 107 is connected to the data processor 105.

the ultrasound probe 101 comprises a plurality of transducers, also referred to as array elements, for performing interconversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasound waves, thereby performing transmission of ultrasound waves to the biological tissue (e.g. biological tissue in a human or animal body) 108 under examination and reception of ultrasound echoes reflected back from the tissue. The multiple transducers can be arranged in a row to form a linear array or in a two-dimensional matrix to form an area array, and the multiple transducers can also form a convex array. The transducer may transmit ultrasonic waves in response to an excitation electrical signal or convert received ultrasonic waves into an electrical signal. Each transducer is thus operable to transmit ultrasound waves into biological tissue in the region of interest and is also operable to receive ultrasound echoes returned through the tissue. In the ultrasonic detection, which transducers are used for transmitting ultrasonic waves and which transducers are used for receiving ultrasonic waves can be controlled through a transmitting sequence and a receiving sequence, or the transducers are controlled to be time-divided for transmitting the ultrasonic waves or receiving ultrasonic echoes. All transducers participating in the transmission of the ultrasonic waves can be excited simultaneously by the electrical signal, so that the ultrasonic waves are transmitted simultaneously; or the transducers participating in the transmission of the ultrasound waves may be excited by several electrical signals with certain time intervals so as to continuously transmit the ultrasound waves with certain time intervals.

the transmit receive controller 102 is configured to generate a transmit sequence and output the transmit sequence to the ultrasound probe, the transmit sequence being configured to control a portion or all of the plurality of array elements to transmit ultrasound waves to biological tissue of the region of interest, the transmit sequence further providing transmit parameters (e.g., amplitude, frequency, number of wave-shots, wave-shot angle, wave pattern and/or focus position of the ultrasound waves). The wave mode of the transmitted ultrasonic wave, the transmitting direction and the focusing position can be controlled by adjusting the transmitting parameters according to different purposes, and the wave mode of the ultrasonic wave can be pulse ultrasonic wave, plane wave and the like.

the transmitting and receiving circuit 103 is connected between the ultrasonic probe and the transmitting and receiving controller 102 and the echo signal processor 104, and is configured to transmit the transmitting sequence of the transmitting and receiving controller 102 to the ultrasonic probe 101 and transmit the ultrasonic echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe 101 to the echo signal processor 104.

the echo signal processor 104 is configured to process the ultrasonic echo signal, for example, filter, amplify, and beam-synthesize the ultrasonic echo signal, so as to obtain ultrasonic echo data. In a specific embodiment, the echo signal processor 104 may output the ultrasound echo data to the data processor 105, or may store the ultrasound echo data in the memory 107, and when an operation needs to be performed based on the ultrasound echo data, the data processor 105 reads the ultrasound echo data from the memory 107.

The memory 107 is used to store data and programs, which may include system programs for the ultrasound device, various application programs, or algorithms for performing various specific functions.

The data processor 105 is used for acquiring the ultrasonic echo data and obtaining the required parameters or images by adopting a relevant algorithm.

The data processor 105 may generate an ultrasound image from the ultrasound echo data or generate a shear wave elasticity image from the elasticity modulus data obtained from the ultrasound echo data.

in order to generate shear waves in the tissue, in one embodiment, the ultrasound probe 101 further comprises a vibrator, which may be disposed within the housing of the probe or outside the housing. The vibrator vibrates according to a predetermined frequency, and the tissues on the traction surface vibrate along with the vibrator, so that the adhesion between the tissues is utilized, and the shear wave which is transmitted to the deep part of the tissues is generated. In another embodiment, the ultrasound probe 101 uses adhesions between tissues to generate shear waves that propagate within the tissues by emitting ultrasound waves to push the tissues into motion.

However, in any way of generating the shear wave, when the shear wave is detected, the ultrasonic probe is required to continuously transmit the ultrasonic wave for a certain period of time and receive the echo of the ultrasonic wave, and the period of time is referred to as an ultrasonic detection time herein.

In the development process of the invention, the inventor finds that due to the influence of individual differences of patients, the shear wave propagation speeds of patients with different fibrosis degrees are different, the depths of sampling frames are different, and the like, in order to ensure that the whole propagation path of the shear wave can be acquired for different individuals, the ultrasonic detection time is usually set to be longer. As shown in FIG. 2, which is a schematic diagram of the propagation path of a shear wave in a body, shear waves w1 and w2 propagate from a depth h1 to h2 at velocities v1 and v2, respectively, shear wave w1 needs to be t1, shear wave w2 needs to be t2, and when v1 > v2, t1 < t 2. However, in order to ensure that the whole propagation path of the shear wave of different individuals is acquired, the ultrasonic detection time is generally set to be T1, and T1 > T1, and T1 > T2. When n acquisition samples of the same acquisition section are required to be obtained, the ultrasonic probe is required to generate a shear wave in a certain section selected by a user, and then emit ultrasonic waves for a time period of T1 to detect the shear wave, and the process is referred to as sample detection. After the first collected sample is detected, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to generate a second shear wave in the same section selected by the user, then ultrasonic waves with the time length of T1 are transmitted to detect the second shear wave, a second collected sample is obtained, and the like, n collected samples are obtained, wherein the time length of the whole process is n (Tx + T1). Due to the long time of the whole test, the doctor can hardly keep the operation posture unchanged in the process. Thus, the inventor has realized that if the ultrasonic detection time is set according to the time length required by each individual, the time length of the whole process can be reduced, and the shorter the time, the easier it is for the doctor to keep the operation posture constant, so that the position and angle of the ultrasonic wave emitted by the ultrasonic probe can be kept constant, i.e. the acquired n acquired samples are guaranteed to be the data of the same acquisition section.

Based on the above idea, the concept of the present invention is shown in fig. 3: firstly, generating a shear wave in the tissue, detecting the shear wave by using a default ultrasonic wave transmitting time length T1 (namely a first time length), receiving an echo of the ultrasonic wave to obtain a first acquisition sample, obtaining a second time length T2 according to the first acquisition sample, and detecting n-1 subsequently generated shear waves by using a second time length T2, so that the time length used in the whole detection process is nTx + T1+ (n-1) T2, and when T2 is less than T1, T1+ (n-1) T2 is less than nT1, thereby reducing the measurement time length of the whole process.

For convenience of description, the shear wave detected by using the first time T1 is referred to as a first shear wave, the shear wave detected by using the second time period T2 is referred to as a second shear wave, and the first shear wave and the second shear wave are transmitted in the same time and in the same transmission mode and transmission parameters during the detection process of the same object.

There are various schemes for obtaining the second duration T2 according to the first collected sample, which are separately described below.

In one embodiment, the elastic detection process of biological tissue is described by generating shear waves by vibration, please refer to FIG. 4.

Step 10, generating a first shear wave. The ultrasonic probe 101 is provided with a vibrator which can generate low-frequency vibration and can generate a first shear wave propagating inwards in the living body when the vibrator contacts the surface of the living body, and the shear wave will travel through the region of interest.

Step 11, transmitting the ultrasonic wave of the first time length T1 and receiving the echo. The ultrasound probe 101 is brought into stable contact with the surface of the biological body 108 and transmits ultrasound waves to the region of interest according to the set transmission parameters (e.g., set amplitude, frequency, transmission angle, etc.) for a first time period T1, so as to detect a first shear wave traveling through the region of interest. The echoes of the ultrasonic waves are continuously received during the transmission of the ultrasonic waves. For convenience of explanation, the echo of the received ultrasound waves lasting the first duration T1 will be referred to herein as the first acquired sample.

Step 12, calculating the propagation velocity of the first shear wave from the first collected sample. The echo signal processor 104 processes the ultrasonic echo signal of the first collected sample, the data processor 105 performs correlation calculation on the processed data to obtain the displacement of the first shear wave in the tissue, and the displacement is subjected to time derivation to obtain the propagation velocity of the first shear wave.

And step 13, determining a second time length according to the propagation speed of the first shear wave. In the case where the depth of the region of interest and the propagation velocity of the first shear wave are known, the time for the first shear wave to reach the bottom of the region of interest can be calculated, for example, by dividing the depth of the region of interest by the propagation velocity of the first shear wave, the time for the shear wave to reach the bottom of the region of interest can be calculated. The second duration T2 is determined from this time, for example, the second duration T2 may be equal to or slightly greater than the time for the shear wave to reach the bottom of the region of interest, typically T2< T1.

A second shear wave is generated, step 14. The second shear wave may be generated in the same manner as in step 10.

Step 15, transmitting ultrasonic waves for a second time period T2 and receiving the echoes. The ultrasound waves are transmitted to the region of interest using the same location and the same transmit parameters as in step 11 for a second duration T2 to detect a second shear wave traveling through the region of interest. Also, echoes of the ultrasonic waves are continuously received during the transmission of the ultrasonic waves. For convenience of explanation, the echo of the received ultrasound waves lasting the second duration T2 will be referred to herein as a second acquired sample.

and step 16, calculating the propagation velocity of the second shear wave according to the second collected sample.

And step 17, judging whether the collected sample is enough. And executing step 18 when the obtained collected samples are judged to be sufficient, otherwise, turning to executing step 14, and executing steps 14-16 to obtain more collected samples.

and step 18, calculating the elasticity parameters of the region of interest according to the propagation velocities obtained by the plurality of collected samples. The elasticity parameter is used to evaluate the degree of elasticity of the tissue, and may be the propagation velocity of the shear wave or the young's modulus. When the elasticity parameter is a propagation velocity of the shear wave, the propagation velocities obtained from the plurality of collected samples may be averaged, and the average value is taken as the propagation velocity of the shear wave traveling through the region of interest, where the greater the propagation velocity, the greater the elasticity of the region of interest is represented.

when the elastic parameter is the elastic modulus, the following relationship exists between the propagation velocity of the shear wave and the elastic modulus of the tissue:

Wherein, the formula (1) is also called Young's modulus, wherein E represents the elastic modulus of the region of interest of the detected biological tissue, ρ represents the density of the region of interest of the detected biological tissue, and C_sRepresenting the propagation velocity of a shear wave transmitted to a region of interest of the biological tissue being examined.

after calculating the average value of the propagation velocity of the shear wave traveling through the region of interest, the young's modulus can be calculated by substituting the average value into equation (1). In another embodiment, the young's modulus may be calculated according to the propagation velocity obtained from each collected sample, and then the young's moduli may be averaged.

in this embodiment, when the position and posture of the doctor holding the ultrasound probe are not changed, the ultrasound scanning section formed in step 15 is the same as the ultrasound scanning section formed in step 11. Because T2 is less than or equal to T1, the present embodiment reduces the measurement time compared with the scheme of totally adopting the first time length T1 to emit ultrasonic waves, thereby enabling the doctor to finish the detection in a shorter time, reducing the probability of changing the position and posture of the probe by the doctor, and finally being beneficial to the improvement of the accuracy of the detection result.

In some cases, the detection ultrasonic wave is emitted at the same time as the shear wave, and since the time for emitting the shear wave is shorter than the time for emitting the detection ultrasonic wave, the time required for obtaining a sample is T1, and the second time period T2 obtained through the above steps 10 to 13 is still less than or equal to T1, so that the measurement time of the doctor can be reduced as well.

In one embodiment, the second duration T2 may be determined in a different manner than in the previous embodiments.

in the present embodiment, the ultrasound elastography detection apparatus 100 transmits an ultrasonic wave of a first time length T1 and receives an echo, wherein the region of interest biological tissue through which the first shear wave travels is shown by a rectangular frame region within a left sector image in fig. 5, and a right image display region in fig. 5 shows a propagation path diagram of the corresponding first shear wave in the biological tissue. The echo signal processor 104 processes the ultrasonic echo signal of the first collected sample, and the data processor 105 performs correlation calculation on the processed data to obtain a propagation path diagram of the first shear wave in the biological tissue, as shown by a white dotted line segment in the right image in fig. 5. By calculating the time interval between the start and end points of the first shear wave, the time at which the first shear wave reaches the bottom of the region of interest can be found, given the known propagation path of the first shear wave. The ultrasonic elasticity detection device 100 determines the second time length T2 according to the first shear wave time parameter calculated as described above, and uses the second time length T2 for the elasticity detection process of the biological tissue, so that the doctor can complete the detection in a shorter time.

In the above embodiment, the ultrasound probe 101 generates the shear waves by using the low-frequency vibration signal, and in other embodiments, the ultrasound probe 101 may also transmit the shear waves to the region of interest of the detected biological tissue 108 by using other methods in the prior art (for example, a method of sound radiation).

In the above embodiment, the first collected sample for determining the second time period is not limited to the detection data obtained by transmitting and receiving the shear wave signal once and the corresponding ultrasonic wave signal, but may be a calculation result of the detection data obtained by transmitting and receiving the shear wave signal multiple times and the corresponding ultrasonic wave signal; similarly, the second collected sample is not limited to the detection data obtained by transmitting and receiving the primary shear wave signal and the corresponding ultrasonic wave signal, but may also be a calculation result of the detection data obtained by transmitting and receiving the multiple shear wave signals and the corresponding ultrasonic wave signals. I.e. there may be a plurality of first collected samples or a plurality of second collected samples. That is, calculating the elasticity parameter of the region of interest from the plurality of data of the first acquired sample and the second acquired sample can be calculated in a combination of a plurality of data sources. For example, a second time length is obtained by first acquiring sample data once, second acquired sample data once is obtained according to the second time length data, and the elastic parameter is obtained by calculating the data of the acquired samples twice; or obtaining a second time length by acquiring the first acquisition sample data for multiple times, obtaining second acquisition sample data for one time according to the second time length data, and obtaining the elastic parameter by calculating multiple times of data of the acquisition samples; or obtaining a second time length by first acquiring sample data once, obtaining second acquired sample data for multiple times according to the second time length data, and obtaining an elastic parameter by calculating multiple times of data of the acquired samples; or obtaining the second time length by acquiring the first acquisition sample data for multiple times, obtaining the second acquisition sample data for multiple times according to the second time length data, and obtaining the elastic parameter by calculating the data of the acquisition samples for multiple times. The multiple collected samples are selected from the group consisting of a first collected sample and a second collected sample.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the above embodiments may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by computer programs. When all or part of the functions of the above embodiments are implemented by a computer program, the program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium may include: a read only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a hard disk, etc., and the program is executed by a computer to realize the above functions. For example, the program may be stored in a memory of the device, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the functions described above may be implemented. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by a computer program, the program may be stored in a storage medium such as a server, another computer, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a flash disk, or a removable hard disk, and may be downloaded or copied to a memory of a local device, or may be version-updated in a system of the local device, and when the program in the memory is executed by a processor, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments may be implemented.

reference is made herein to various exemplary embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope hereof. For example, the various operational steps, as well as the components used to perform the operational steps, may be implemented in differing ways depending upon the particular application or consideration of any number of cost functions associated with operation of the system (e.g., one or more steps may be deleted, modified or incorporated into other steps).

additionally, as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the principles herein may be reflected in a computer program product on a computer readable storage medium, which is pre-loaded with computer readable program code. Any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu Ray disks, etc.), flash memory, and/or the like. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including means for implementing the function specified. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified.

While the principles herein have been illustrated in various embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, elements, materials, and components particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements may be employed without departing from the principles and scope of the present disclosure. The above modifications and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this document.

The foregoing detailed description has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be considered in an illustrative and not a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope thereof. Also, advantages, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to various embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any element(s) to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or element of any or all the claims. As used herein, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, system, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the term "coupled," and any other variation thereof, as used herein, refers to a physical connection, an electrical connection, a magnetic connection, an optical connection, a communicative connection, a functional connection, and/or any other connection.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined only by the following claims.