System for accurately obtaining a contour and/or quantitative information from an echo image with reduced manual operation

A method for obtaining an approximated three-dimensional contour and/or quantitative information from at least two echo images intersecting each other, the method including the steps of:

• specifying two points that lie on an intersecting line made by said at least two echo images and on said contour;
• specifying, on each echo image, two contour point providing a maximum length in a direction perpendicular to said intersecting line;
• extracting a contour of said organ in each echo image;
• setting a plurality of equally-spaced border approximation planes perpendicular to said intersecting line;
• and
• approximating a border of said organ based on intersecting points made by each border approximation plane intersecting said intersecting line and said extracted contours.

A system for analyzing an echo image containing a contour of an organ with reduced manual operation, the system comprising:

• means for obtaining said echo image;
• means for setting a search region including a connecting line segment connecting each pair of adjacent ones of known points on said contour;
• means for setting a search line segment that originates from a point bisecting said connecting line segment of said search region and reaches an end of said search region;
• means for searching each search line segment for a contour point constituting said contour;
• and
• means for forming said contour by connecting said contour points on said search line segments.

A system for obtaining an approximated three-dimensional contour and/or quantitative information from at least two echo images intersecting each other, the system including:

• means for specifying two points that lie on an intersecting line made by said at least two echo images and on said contour;
• means for specifying, on each echo image, two contour point providing a maximum length in a direction perpendicular to said intersecting line;
• means for extracting a contour of said organ in each echo image;
• means for setting a plurality of equally-spaced border approximation planes perpendicular to said intersecting line;
• and
• means for approximating a border of said organ based on intersecting points made by each border approximation plane intersecting said intersecting line and said extracted contours.