Ultrasonic imaging apparatus

Abstract

An ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic probe ( 2 ) for receiving and transmitting ultrasonic waves from/to an object ( 1 ), ultrasound image structuring means ( 6 ) for generating an ultrasound image from a reflected echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe, elastic image structuring means ( 7 ) for obtaining a physical quantity of the elasticity of a region of the object corresponding to the ultrasound image from the reflected echo signal and generating a color elastic image, display means ( 9 ) for overlaying the ultrasound image to the color elastic image, or arranging the ultrasound image and the color elastic image and displaying the resultant image on a screen, and input means ( 17 ) for variably setting a corresponding relationship between a hue of the color elastic image and the level of the physical quantity displayed on the screen. The level of the elasticity, such as the strain of each region in the tissue or an elastic modulus, is displayed with colors in accordance with the interest of the examiner, thus improving the convenience of use.

1 . An ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:
 an ultrasonic probe that receives and sends ultrasonic waves from/to an object;   ultrasound image structuring means that generates an ultrasound image on the basis of a reflected echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe;   elastic image structuring means that obtains a strain or an elastic modulus of the object of a region corresponding to the ultrasound image on the basis of the reflected echo signal and generates a color elastic image;   display means that overlays the ultrasound image to the color elastic image, or arranges the ultrasound image and the color elastic image and displays the resultant image on a screen; and   setting means that assigns colors from a maximum value of the strain or the elastic modulus on the basis of an average of the strain or the elastic modulus.   
     
     
         2 . An ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the average of the strain or the elastic modulus is calculated by calculation of (a total amount of strain or elastic modulus)/(a number of pixels). 
     
     
         3 . An ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein, the total amount of strain or the elastic modulus is calculated by distributing the strain or the elastic modulus and adding the distributed strain or the elastic modulus. 
     
     
         4 . An ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:
 an ultrasonic probe that receives and sends ultrasonic waves from/to an object;   ultrasound image structuring means that generates an ultrasound image on the basis of a reflected echo signal received by the ultrasonic probe;   elastic image structuring means that obtains a strain or an elastic modulus of the object of a region corresponding to the ultrasound image on the basis of the reflected echo signal and generates a color elastic image;   display means that overlays the ultrasound image to the color elastic image, or arranges the ultrasound image and the color elastic image and displays the resultant image on a screen; and   setting means that assigns hue information so as to display a hard part of the region with a color and a soft part of the region with another color on the basis of an average of the strain or the elastic modulus.   
     
     
         5 . An ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the setting means assigns the hue information so as to display the hard part of the region with blue and the soft part of the region with red. 
     
     
         6 . An ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the setting means assigns the hue information so as to display a boundary portion between the color of the hard part and the color of the soft part with green.