Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080214934 | Inter-frame processing for contrast agent enhanced medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging - Contrast agent enhanced medical diagnostic imaging is improved by selecting particular frames of data. Frames of data are acquired over time. Information from the frames of data are combined, such as for a time intensity curve or maximum intensity processing. Rather than combining information from each of the frames, information from some frames is not used. Frames are selected for inclusion. In one embodiment, the selection is based on one type of data (e.g., B-mode) for combining information for another type of data (e.g., contrast agent data). | 09-04-2008 |
20080306382 | Adaptive clinical marker preservation in spatial compound ultrasound imaging - Clinical markers are adaptively identified in steered spatial compounding ultrasound imaging. Motion is detected. The use or determination of the clinical marker information adapts to the amount of motion. If sufficient motion is detected, the contribution of clinical marker information may be reduced, the weighting of the clinical marker information relative to the steered compound information is reduced, the acquisition sequence is adjusted for component frames of data, or combinations thereof. | 12-11-2008 |
20090012400 | Contrast Agent Imaging With Agent Specific Ultrasound Detection - Highly specific measurements of flow in vessels, such as the coronary artery, can be obtained by processing cubic fundamental information. By showing flow in vessels with a high degree of contrast-to-tissue specificity, ultrasound based 3D contrast agent based coronary artery angiograms may be possible. Measurement and display of the velocity of agent from the cubic fundamental signal is provided simultaneously with display of cubic fundamental energy, such as providing a display map indexed by both energy and velocity. High pulse repetition frequency (PRF) for cubic fundamental detection in conjunction with long velocity measurement intervals may increase low velocity sensitivity and measurement precision. Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler may be improved by using a cubic fundamental sensitive pulse sequence. Using cubic fundamental sensitive techniques with other motion estimation techniques, such as two-dimensional velocity estimation or speckle tracking, may operate better than using other contrast agent detection techniques because of substantially reduced clutter. | 01-08-2009 |
20090082671 | Contrast Agent Imaging With Agent Specific Ultrasound Detection - Highly specific measurements of flow in vessels, such as the coronary artery, can be obtained by processing cubic fundamental information. By showing flow in vessels with a high degree of contrast-to-tissue specificity, ultrasound based 3D contrast agent based coronary artery angiograms may be possible. Measurement and display of the velocity of agent from the cubic fundamental signal is provided simultaneously with display of cubic fundamental energy, such as providing a display map indexed by both energy and velocity. High pulse repetition frequency (PRF) for cubic fundamental detection in conjunction with long velocity measurement intervals may increase low velocity sensitivity and measurement precision. Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler may be improved by using a cubic fundamental sensitive pulse sequence. Using cubic fundamental sensitive techniques with other motion estimation techniques, such as two-dimensional velocity estimation or speckle tracking, may operate better than using other contrast agent detection techniques because of substantially reduced clutter. | 03-26-2009 |
20090082672 | Contrast Agent Imaging With Agent Specific Ultrasound Detection - Highly specific measurements of flow in vessels, such as the coronary artery, can be obtained by processing cubic fundamental information. By showing flow in vessels with a high degree of contrast-to-tissue specificity, ultrasound based 3D contrast agent based coronary artery angiograms may be possible. Measurement and display of the velocity of agent from the cubic fundamental signal is provided simultaneously with display of cubic fundamental energy, such as providing a display map indexed by both energy and velocity. High pulse repetition frequency (PRF) for cubic fundamental detection in conjunction with long velocity measurement intervals may increase low velocity sensitivity and measurement precision. Pulsed wave (PW) Doppler may be improved by using a cubic fundamental sensitive pulse sequence. Using cubic fundamental sensitive techniques with other motion estimation techniques, such as two-dimensional velocity estimation or speckle tracking, may operate better than using other contrast agent detection techniques because of substantially reduced clutter. | 03-26-2009 |
20090187103 | Contrast agent destruction effectiveness determination for medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging - The effectiveness of contrast agent destruction is determined. Locations of ineffectively destroyed contrast agents are identified. The response from undestroyed contrast agents may be distinguished from response from tissue due to saturation or from rapid perfusion. The locations may be highlighted on resulting images, indicating to the user locations not associated with perfusion. The user may make a diagnosis on perfusion rather than a lack of destruction of contrast agents. | 07-23-2009 |
20090187106 | Synchronized combining for contrast agent enhanced medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging - Contrast agent enhanced medical diagnostic imaging is provided. Frames of data from common phase periods are grouped. Motion correction is performed within each common phase group. An image representing contrast agents is formed from a combination of the frames within each common phase, motion corrected group. | 07-23-2009 |
20090204003 | TRACKING SELECTION FOR MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC ULTRASOUND IMAGING - Data is captured for different contrast agent perfusion imaging options. For example, two different maximum intensity projection (MIP) combinations of frames are formed during scanning, one with motion correction and one without. As another example, the component frames of data are stored to allow any combination after scanning. If one combination is less desirable, then another combination may be provided without requiring further injection or additional scanning. In another embodiment, the sufficiency of combination is detected and the combination of frames is selected automatically as a function of ultrasound data. | 08-13-2009 |
20090306513 | Multi-Plane/Multi-Slice Processing For 2-D Flow Imaging in Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound - A volumetric method for 2-D flow imaging is provided in medical diagnostic ultrasound. Flow data for a volume is acquired. For more rapid acquisition, broad beam transmission and reception along many scan lines distributed in the volume is used. The volumetric flow data is filtered, such as by calculating statistical information, to generate a planar/2-D flow image. The statistical information from the three-dimensional flow data is used to determine the display values for the flow imaging. | 12-10-2009 |
20100310143 | Filter Bank for Ultrasound Image Enhancement - Image enhancement is provided in ultrasound imaging. A filter bank is used to process the data. The data may be processed in parallel. Each filter outputs data representing a same location, but with a kernel path (e.g., line, curved line, area, curved surface, or volume) different than for the other filters. For example, three filters filter along respective orthogonal planes. The filters may use preselected or data independent paths. The output of the filter bank is determined from the outputs of the filters in the bank, such as by selecting the maximum value. This bank-based filtering may enhance data associated with anatomical surfaces or contours and/or may reduce speckle. The parallel operation of the filters may allow for more rapid processing and/or processing a greater amount of data as compared to using a single filter. | 12-09-2010 |
20110016977 | Scan Patterns for Electronically Positioned Apertures on an Array - A plane or volume is scanned with ultrasound. Electronic movement of apertures is used during the scanning. Scanning with the apertures is interleaved. The apertures move along the array in opposite directions, preventing or limiting large temporal discontinuity. For example, two apertures begin at similar angles on a two-dimensional array. Planar scans are performed for each aperture location. The apertures are counter rotated (i.e., one clockwise and the other counter clockwise). | 01-27-2011 |
20110230765 | Motion Synchronized Destruction for Three-Dimensional Reperfusion Mapping in Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging - Destruction for reperfusion in medical diagnostic ultrasound is synchronized to motion. Perfusion data for a volume is acquired sequentially for different segments of the volume. For a given segment, such as a planar region, motion tracking within the segment is performed. If sufficient registration or correlation exists at the completion of a sequence of scans for the current segment, then a lesser amount of movement is occurring. At this point, the transmission of contrast agent destructive acoustic energy is performed in the next segment. Tracking is repeated for the next segment to synchronize the switch to yet another segment. Other regions for tracking can be used. By controlling transmission of destruction pulses, more reliable perfusion quantities in a volume may be determined. | 09-22-2011 |
20130183234 | Compositions Useful for Target, Detection, Imaging and Treatment, and Methods of Production and Use Thereof - Compositions useful for target detection, imaging and treatment, as well as methods of production and use thereof, are disclosed herein. | 07-18-2013 |
20130294665 | Component Frame Enhancement for Spatial Compounding in Ultrasound Imaging - Steered spatial compounding is provided in ultrasound imaging. Component frames of data associated with different spatial response are processed to identify different sources of signals. Matched filtering and/or spatial variance with erosion distinguish between sources of signals, such as distinguishing between ( | 11-07-2013 |
20140018680 | Automatic Doppler Gate Positioning in Spectral Doppler Ultrasound Imaging - A Doppler gate is automatically positioned in spectral Doppler ultrasound imaging. Samples acquired for multiple PW Doppler gates are used for B-mode and/or F-mode detection over time without interleaving transmissions for the PW Doppler. The B-mode and/or F-mode information are used to track gate placement. Alternatively or additionally, characteristics spectra from different gate locations are used to select a gate location. Either tracking may be used to change the locations sampled and/or beam characteristics, such as centering the locations and beam focus on the selected gate location. | 01-16-2014 |
20150031995 | Motion Artifact Suppression for Three-Dimensional Parametric Ultrasound Imaging - Motion artifacts are suppressed for three-dimensional parametric ultrasound imaging. Motion tracking is performed so that the parameter values derived over time are based on return from the same locations. Distortion due to the scan pattern is accounted for in the results of the motion tracking, such as by re-sampling the results to deal with discontinuity in time between data from adjacent sub-volumes and/or by aligning the scan pattern based on a direction of motion. | 01-29-2015 |