# US 2016/0249883 A1 · Ultrasound image processing method and ultrasound imaging apparatus thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0249883 A1 - Document ID: US20160249883A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/760,106 - Filed: 2015-01-02 - Published: 2016-09-01 - Earliest claimed: 2014-09-25 - Assignees: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hyoung-ki LEE; Dong-geon KONG; Jun-ho PARK; Ki-wan CHOI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160249883A1 ## CPC - A61B 8/485: {involving measuring strain or elastic properties} - A61B 8/14: Echotomography - A61B 8/4472: {Wireless probes} - A61B 8/4483: {characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer} - A61B 8/463: {characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display} - A61B 8/469: {for selection of a region of interest} - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - A61B 8/5223: {for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data (for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012)} - A61B 8/565: {involving data transmission via a network} - G01S 7/52042: {determining elastic properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target (diagnostic techniques involving the measurement of strain A61B8/485)} - G16H 50/30: for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment - A61B 8/488: {involving Doppler signals} - G01S 7/5206: {Two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction; B-scan display} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA ## Abstract Provided is an ultrasound imaging apparatus. The ultrasound imaging apparatus includes a data acquiring unit transmitting an ultrasound signal to a region of interest (ROI) of an object and then receiving an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the ROI of the object, and a control unit calculating a shear modulus of at least one point in the ROI and a strain of the at least one point, based on the received ultrasound echo signal, and calculating a stress applied to the at least one point by using the shear modulus and the strain. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound imaging apparatus comprising: a data acquirer configured to transmit at least one ultrasound signal to a region of interest (ROI) of an object and to receive at least one ultrasound echo signal reflected from the ROI of the object; and a controller configured to calculate a shear modulus which corresponds to at least one point in the ROI and a strain which corresponds to the at least one point, based on the received at least one ultrasound echo signal, and to calculate a stress applied to the at least one point by using the calculated shear modulus and the calculated strain. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to generate first information which represents a compression stress applied to the object, based on the calculated stress, and the ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprises a display device configured to display a user interface screen which includes the first information under a control of the controller. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to recalculate the strain based on a value which is obtainable by dividing the calculated strain by the calculated stress, and to form a strain image of the ROI by using the recalculated strain. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to divide the ROI into at least one region, to calculate an average stress which corresponds to each of the at least one region, and to recalculate the strain based on a value which is obtainable by dividing the calculated strain by the calculated average stress. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to calculate the stress by determining a value which is proportional to a product of the calculated shear modulus and the calculated strain as the stress. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit controller is further configured to acquire a shear modulus map of the ROI by using the calculated shear modulus which corresponds to the at least one point, to acquire a strain imaging map of the ROI by using the calculated strain which corresponds to the at least one point, and to calculate the stress which corresponds to the ROI based on the acquired shear modulus map and the acquired strain imaging map. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one ultrasound signal comprises a first ultrasound signal used to generate a reference image, a second ultrasound signal that is a focused ultrasonic pulse used to apply an acoustic force to the ROI, and a third ultrasound signal used to calculate a displacement of the at least one point in the ROI, which is generated by the acoustic force and a pressure applied via an ultrasound probe, and the at least one ultrasound echo signal comprises a first ultrasound echo signal which corresponds to the first ultrasound signal and a third ultrasound echo signal which corresponds to the third ultrasound signal, which are reflected from the ROI of the object. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller comprises a shear modulus calculating module configured to calculate a time-dependent displacement of the at least one point, based on the third ultrasound echo signal, and to calculate the shear modulus which corresponds to the at least one point by using the calculated time-dependent displacement. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller comprises a strain calculating module configured to acquire reference image data which relates to the ROI by using the first ultrasound echo signal, to calculate a displacement of the at least one point in the ROI based on the acquired reference image data and the third ultrasound echo signal, and to calculate the strain which corresponds to the at least one point in the ROI by differentiating the calculated displacement. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a shear modulus image of the ROI by using the shear modulus which corresponds to the at least one point and to generate a strain image of the ROI by using the strain which corresponds to the at least one point, and the ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprises a display device configured to display the generated shear modulus image and the generated strain image simultaneously on a screen. ### Claim 11 An ultrasound image processing method comprising: transmitting at least one ultrasound signal to a region of interest (ROI) of an object and then receiving at least one ultrasound echo signal reflected from the ROI of the object; calculating a shear modulus which corresponds to at least one point in the ROI, based on the at least one received ultrasound echo signal; calculating a strain which corresponds to the at least one point, based on the at least one received ultrasound echo signal; and calculating a stress applied to the at least one point by using the calculated shear modulus and the calculated strain. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 11, further comprising: generating first information which represents a compression stress applied to the object, based on the calculated stress; and displaying a user interface screen which includes the first information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 11, further comprising: recalculating the strain; based on a value which is obtainable by dividing the calculated strain by the calculated stress; and forming a strain image of the ROI by using the recalculated strain. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 13, wherein the recalculating the strain comprises dividing the ROI into at least one region, calculating an average stress of each of the at least one region, and recalculating the strain based on a value which is obtainable by dividing the calculated strain by the calculated average stress. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 11, wherein the calculating the stress applied to the at least one point by using the calculated shear modulus and the calculated strain comprises determining a value which is proportional to a product of the calculated shear modulus and the calculated strain as the stress. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 11, wherein the calculating the stress applied to the at least one point by using the calculated shear modulus and the calculated strain comprises acquiring a shear modulus map of the ROI by using the calculated shear modulus which corresponds to the at least one point, acquiring a strain imaging map of the ROI by using the calculated strain which corresponds to the at least one point, and calculating the stress which corresponds to the ROI based on the acquired shear modulus map and the acquired strain imaging map. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 11, wherein the at least one ultrasound signal comprises a first ultrasound signal used to generate a reference image, a second ultrasound signal that is a focused ultrasonic pulse used to apply an acoustic force to the ROI, and a third ultrasound signal used to calculate a displacement of the at least one point in the ROI, which is generated by the acoustic force and a pressure applied via an ultrasound probe, and the at least one ultrasound echo signal comprises a first ultrasound echo signal which corresponds to the first ultrasound signal and a third ultrasound echo signal which corresponds to the third ultrasound signal, which are reflected from the ROI of the object. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 17, wherein the calculating the shear modulus which corresponds to the at least one point comprises: calculating a time-dependent displacement of the at least one point, based on the third ultrasound echo signal; and calculating the shear modulus which corresponds to the at least one point by using the calculated time-dependent displacement. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 17, wherein the calculating the strain which corresponds to the at least one point comprises: acquiring reference image data which corresponds to the ROI by using the first ultrasound echo signal; calculating a displacement of the at least one point in the ROI based on the acquired reference image data and the third ultrasound echo signal; and calculating the strain which corresponds to the at least one point in the ROI by differentiating the calculated displacement. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The ultrasound image processing method of claim 11, further comprising: generating a shear modulus image of the ROI by using the calculated shear modulus which corresponds to the at least one point; generating a strain image of the ROI by using the calculated strain which corresponds to the at least one point; and displaying the generated shear modulus image and the generated strain image simultaneously on a screen.