Ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus, ultrasonic image processing apparatus, ultrasonic image processing method, and ultrasonic image processing program

An ultrasonic image processing apparatus comprising:

• a storage unit configured to store first B-mode data and first color Doppler mode data associated with an interior of the womb of a pregnant woman;
• a specifying unit configured to specify a specific region including at least one of an amniotic fluid region and a fetus region based on one of a signal intensity distribution and a luminance distribution of the first B-mode data;
• a second generating unit configured to generate second color Doppler mode data by deleting a specific data from the first color Doppler mode data, the specific color Doppler mode data corresponding to the specific region;
• and
• a display unit configured to display a color Doppler mode image and a first B-mode image while superimposing the color Doppler mode image and the first B-mode image, the color Doppler mode image corresponding to the second color Doppler mode data, the first B-mode image corresponding to the first B-mode data.

An ultrasonic image processing method comprising:

• specifying a specific region including at least one of an amniotic fluid region and a fetus region based on one of a signal intensity distribution and a luminance distribution of first B-mode data associated with an interior of the womb of a pregnant woman;
• generating output color Doppler mode data by deleting a specific data from original color Doppler mode data associated with the interior of the womb, the specific color Doppler mode data corresponding to the specific region;
• and
• displaying a color Doppler mode image and a first B-mode image while superimposing the color Doppler mode image and the first B-mode image, the color Doppler mode image corresponding to the output color Doppler mode data, the first B-mode image corresponding to the first B-mode data.

An ultrasonic image processing method comprising:

• setting a plurality of local regions at a plurality of positions on a B-mode image generated by B-mode scanning;
• calculating a variance value of luminance values in each of the local regions;
• comparing the calculated variance value with a preset threshold and specifying a local region having a variance value larger than the threshold from the local regions;
• and
• deleting a pixel region of the specified local region from the B-mode image.

An ultrasonic image processing method comprising:

• specifying a pixel region having a luminance value smaller than an average luminance value of a B-mode image generated by B-mode scanning from the B-mode image;
• calculating a size of the specified pixel region;
• and
• comparing the calculated size with a preset threshold and deleting the pixel region from the B-mode image when the calculated size is larger than the threshold.

An ultrasonic image processing method comprising:

• setting, in accordance with an instruction from a user, a start point on an amniotic fluid region of a B-mode image generated by B-mode scanning;
• searching neighboring pixels from the set start point and integrating pixels smaller than a threshold, the threshold having a value between a minimum luminance value that a placental region is configured to take and a maximum luminance value that the amniotic fluid region is configured to take;
• and
• deleting a pixel region including the integrated pixels from the B-mode image.

An ultrasonic image processing method comprising:

• setting, in accordance with an instruction from a user, a start point on a fetus region of a B-mode image generated by B-mode scanning;
• searching neighboring pixels from the set start point and specifying a pixel having a luminance value larger than a minimum luminance value that the fetus region is configured to take;
• and
• deleting a pixel region including the specified pixel from the B-mode image.

An ultrasonic image processing program for causing a computer to implement:

• a function of specifying a specific region including at least one of an amniotic fluid region and a fetus region based on one of a signal intensity distribution and a luminance distribution of B-mode data associated with an interior of the womb of a subject;
• a function of generating output color Doppler mode data by deleting a specific data from original color Doppler mode data associated with the interior of the womb, the specific color Doppler mode data corresponding to the specific region;
• and
• displaying a color Doppler mode image and a first B-mode image while superimposing the color Doppler mode image and the first B-mode image, the color Doppler mode image corresponding to the output color Doppler mode data, the first B-mode image corresponding to the first B-mode data.

An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus which executes B-mode scanning and color Doppler mode scanning on a scanning region associated with an interior of the womb of a pregnant woman via an ultrasonic probe, the apparatus comprising:

• a first generating unit configured to generate first color Doppler mode data associated with the scanning region based on an output from the ultrasonic probe at the time of the color Doppler mode scanning and generate B-mode data associated with the scanning region based on an output from the ultrasonic probe at the time of the B-mode scanning;
• a specifying unit configured to specify a fetus region by using the first color Doppler mode data;
• a generating unit configured to generate second color Doppler mode data by deleting a fetus data from the first color Doppler mode data, the fetus data corresponding to the fetus region;
• and
• a displaying unit configured to display a color Doppler mode image and a B-mode image while superimposing the color Doppler mode image and the B-mode image, the color Doppler mode image corresponding to the second color Doppler mode data, the B-mode image corresponding to the B-mode data.

An ultrasonic image processing apparatus comprising:

• a storage unit configured to store B-mode data and first color Doppler mode data associated with an interior of the womb of a pregnant woman;
• a specifying unit configured to specify a fetus region by using the first color Doppler mode data;
• a generating unit configured to generate second color Doppler mode data by deleting a fetus data from the first color Doppler mode data, the fetus data corresponding to the fetus region;
• and
• a displaying unit configured to display a color Doppler mode image and a B-mode image while superimposing the color Doppler mode image and the B-mode image, the color Doppler mode image corresponding to the second color Doppler mode data, the B-mode image corresponding to the B-mode data.

An ultrasonic image processing program for causing a computer to implement:

• a function of specifying a fetus region by using first color Doppler mode data associated with an interior of the womb of a pregnant woman;
• a function of generating output color Doppler mode data by deleting a fetus data from original color Doppler mode data, the fetus data corresponding to the fetus region;
• and
• a displaying unit configured to display a color Doppler mode image and a B-mode image while superimposing the color Doppler mode image and the B-mode image, the color Doppler mode image corresponding to the output color Doppler mode data, the B-mode image corresponding to the B-mode data.