Reference image display method for ultrasonography and ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus

An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus comprising:

• a display, and
• an ultrasonic diagnostic system including a processor and memory, where the ultrasonic diagnostic system operates to:
• generate an ultrasonic image of a scan-plane, from reflection echo signals output from an ultrasonic probe;
• store volume image data pre-obtained by a diagnostic imaging apparatus, in the memory;
• detect a three-dimensional position of a scan-plane coordinate by a position sensor, in accordance with a scan-plane coordinate system, wherein the scan-plane coordinate system is associated in advance with a volume image data coordinate system;
• extract reference image data corresponding to the ultrasonic image of the scan-plane from the volume image data, in accordance with an association of the scan-plane coordinate system and the volume image data coordinate system, and use the reference image data to reconstruct a reference image;
• display the ultrasonic image and the reference image on the display, respectively;
• freeze and maintain the freeze of the reference image responsive to a freeze instruction, to maintain a frozen reference image while change of the ultrasonic image is conducted responsive to movement of the ultrasonic probe;
• display the frozen reference image and a changing ultrasonic image corresponding to movement of the ultrasonic probe on the display, while the frozen reference image and the changing ultrasonic image are compared with each other;
• respond to an adjustment instruction when the frozen reference image and the changing ultrasonic image are found to display a same cross section, by determining a coordinate difference between the scan-plane coordinate system and the volume image data coordinate system, and correcting a magnification and association relationship between the scan-plane coordinate system of the ultrasonic image and the volume image data coordinate system in accordance with the adjustment instruction, based on the scan-plane coordinate of the ultrasonic probe at the adjustment instruction and the scan-plane coordinate of the ultrasonic probe at the freeze instruction.

An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus comprising:

• a display, and
• an ultrasonic diagnostic system including a processor and a memory, where the ultrasonic diagnostic system operates to:
• generate an ultrasonic image of a scan-plane, from reflection echo signals output from an ultrasonic probe;
• store volume image data pre-obtained by a diagnostic imaging apparatus, in the memory;
• detect a three-dimensional position of a scan-plane coordinate by a position sensor, in accordance with a scan-plane coordinate system which is associated in advance with a volume image data coordinate system;
• extract reference image data corresponding to the ultrasonic image of the scan-plane from the volume image data, in accordance with an association of the scan-plane coordinate system and the volume image data coordinate system, and use the reference image data to reconstruct a reference image;
• display the ultrasonic image and the reference image simultaneously on the display, respectively;
• and
• where in the scan-plane coordinate system has lost association with the volume image data coordinate system, the ultrasonic diagnostic system operates differently to:
• freeze and maintain the freeze of the reference image responsive to a freeze instruction, to maintain a frozen reference image while change of the ultrasonic image is conducted responsive to movement of the ultrasonic probe;
• display the frozen reference image and a changing ultrasonic image corresponding to movement of the ultrasonic probe on the display, while the frozen reference image and the changing ultrasonic image are compared with each other;
• respond to an adjustment instruction to reestablish the scan-plane coordinate system association with the volume image data coordinate system, when the frozen reference image and the changing ultrasonic image are found to display a same cross section, by determining a coordinate difference between the scan-plane coordinate system and the volume image data coordinate system, and correcting an association relationship between the scan-plane coordinate system of the ultrasonic image and the volume image data coordinate system in accordance with the adjustment instruction, based on the scan-plane coordinate of the ultrasonic probe at the adjustment instruction and the scan-plane coordinate of the ultrasonic probe at the freeze instruction.