Method for processing 3D image data and 3D ultrasonic imaging method and system

A method for 3D ultrasonic imaging of an ultrasonic imaging system, comprising:

• transmitting, by an ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic imaging system, ultrasound waves to a head of a target body;
• receiving, by the ultrasonic probe, ultrasonic echoes to obtain ultrasonic echo signals;
• obtaining, by a processor of the ultrasonic imaging system, 3D volume data of the head of the target body based on the ultrasonic echo signals;
• obtaining, by the ultrasonic imaging system, an image characteristic corresponding to a specified transverse section at an anatomical position of a fetal head from a transverse section template image, the transverse section template image being previously generated for a sample body, the image characteristic comprising at least one of a shape characteristic, a textural characteristic, and a spatial relationship characteristic, the shape characteristic being obtained from the transverse section template image using one of a Hough transformation and a boundary direction histogram, the textural characteristic being obtained from the transverse section template image using at least one of an energy spectrum function, a grayscale co-occurrence matrix, and a random field model, and the spatial relationship characteristic being obtained from the transverse section template image based on a mutual spatial position or relative direction relationship between a plurality of targets segmented from the transverse section template image, wherein the specified transverse section includes at least one of a cerebellum section, a thalamus section and a lateral ventricle section;
• detecting, by a processor of the ultrasonic imaging system, a location of a cavum septi pellucidi in the 3D volume data of the head of the target body;
• extracting, by the processor of the ultrasonic imaging system, a candidate transverse section image set comprising candidate transverse section images that pass through the location of the cavum septi pellucidi from the obtained 3D volume data;
• automatically identifying, by the processor of the ultrasonic imaging system, a target transverse section image from the candidate traverse section image set that comprises the image characteristic corresponding to the specified transverse section at the anatomical position from the candidate transverse section images of the candidate transverse section image set that pass through the location of the cavum septi pellucidi;
• and
• displaying the target transverse section image.

A 3D ultrasonic imaging system, comprising:

• a probe which transmits ultrasound to and receives ultrasound echoes from a head of a target body to obtain ultrasound echo signals;
• a processor which:
• obtains 3D volume data based on the ultrasound echo signals;
• obtains an image characteristic corresponding to a specified transverse section at an anatomical position of a fetal head from a transverse section template image, the transverse section template image being previously generated for a sample body, the image characteristic comprising at least one of a shape characteristic, a textural characteristic, and a spatial relationship characteristic, the shape characteristic being obtained from the transverse section template image using one of a Hough transformation and a boundary direction histogram, the textural characteristic being obtained from the transverse section template image using at least one of an energy spectrum function, a grayscale co-occurrence matrix, and a random field model, and the spatial relationship characteristic being obtained from the transverse section template image based on a mutual spatial position or relative direction relationship between a plurality of targets segmented from the transverse section template image, wherein the specified transverse section includes at least one of a cerebellum section, a thalamus section and a lateral ventricle section;
• detects a location of a cavum septi pellucidi in the 3D volume data of the head of the target body;
• extracts a candidate transverse section images set comprising candidate traverse section images that pass through the location of the cavum septi pellucidi from the obtained 3D volume data;
• and
• automatically identifies a target transverse section image from the candidate transverse section image set that comprises the image characteristic corresponding to the specified transverse section at the anatomical position from the candidate transverse section images of the candidate transverse section image set that pass through the location of the cavum septi pellucidi;
• and
• a display which displays the target transverse section image.