G.e. Vingmed Ultrasound As

General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Ge Precision Healthcare LLC

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology, LLC

Andreas Heimdal

Hans Garmann Torp

Bjorn Olstad

Steinar Bjaerum

Stian Langeland

Eigil Samset

Stein Inge Rabben

Federico Veronesi

Lars Hofsoy Breivik

Kjell Kristofferson

Kjetil Viggen

Svein Brekke

Various methods and systems are provided for display of live images. In one example, a method for motion compensation in the live images includes acquiring a first set of imaging data from a visible sector of an imaging system, the visible sector including a region of interest displayed to a user, and acquiring a second set of imaging data at an area offset from the visible sector, during the acquiring of the first set of imaging data. The second set of imaging data is used to compensate for gross motion of the region of interest resulting in displacement of at least a portion of the region of interest outside of the visible sector.

Methods and systems for live image acquisition

Methods and systems are provided for fusing tissue characterization information into ultrasound images. In one example, a method includes obtaining first image data of an anatomical region of interest (ROI) of a patient, the first image data including tissue characterization information and acquired with a first imaging modality; obtaining second image data of the anatomical ROI of the patient, the second image data acquired with a second imaging modality; registering the first image data and the second image data; adjusting the second image data based on the tissue characterization information and the registration, wherein the adjusting includes filtering, adjusting colorization, adjusting brightness, and/or adjusting material appearance properties of one or more aspects of the second image data; generating a fused image from the adjusted second image data; and outputting the fused image for display and/or storage.

System and methods for image fusion

Various methods and systems are provided for conveying information about cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization (e.g., processing) of touchable components of a medical device using visually detectable indicators (VDIs). Information regarding processing of an ultrasound device may be conveyed by configuring the ultrasound device to include a first component with a first visual indicator to indicate a first processing level and a second component with a second visual indicator to indicate a second processing level. Implementing visual indicators to convey information about processing may reduce time, cost, and other resources used to process medical devices compared to conventional processing methods wherein the entire medical device may be processed to one processing level.

Methods and systems for visually detectable processing indicators

Methods and systems are provided for calculating flow transparency values that improve the visualization of turbulent blood flow with an ultrasound imaging system. In one embodiment, a method comprises calculating transparency values for a plurality of voxels based on a variance value and a velocity value of each voxel and a time corresponding to acquisition of each voxel, and rendering an image with the calculated transparency values applied to the plurality of voxels. In this way, the visualization of turbulent blood flow can be tailored to the dynamics of the blood flow, thereby enabling an improved diagnostic accuracy.

Methods and systems for visualization of flow jets

A system and method for compensating for motion with displaying ultrasound motion tracking information are provided. The method includes obtaining ultrasound image data of an imaged object and determining motion tracking information based on the ultrasound image data. The method further includes compensating for motion of the imaged object based on the determined motion tracking information and generating motion compensated ultrasound image data in combination with motion tracking indicators based on the motion compensation.

System and method for compensating for motion when displaying ultrasound motion tracking information

A method for combined 4D presentation of quantitative measurements and morphology of an object uses an apparatus that includes a computer or processor, memory, and a display. The method includes identifying a region of interest in volumetric image data. Then, the following steps are iterated to produce a 4D volume rendering. The iterated steps include tracking a wall of the object in the region of interest of the image data to produce a displacement field, applying the displacement field to display data to create enhanced rendering data, volume rendering the enhanced rendering data to produce an enhanced volume rendering, and displaying the enhanced volume rendering.

Methods and apparatus for combined 4D presentation of quantitative regional measurements and morphology

An ultrasound system and method for calculation and display of tissue deformation parameters are disclosed. The tissue deformation parameter strain is also determined by an accumulation of strain rate estimates for consecutive frames over an interval. The interval may be a triggered interval generated by, for example, an R-wave in an ECG trace. The strain calculation may be improved by moving the sample volume from which the strain rate is accumulated from frame-to-frame according to the relative displacement of the tissue within the original sample volume. The relative displacement of the tissue is determined by the instantaneous tissue velocity of the sample volume.

Method and apparatus for providing real-time calculation and display of tissue deformation in ultrasound imaging

A medical imaging system includes image acquisition circuitry, a memory, and a processor coupled to the image acquisition circuitry and memory. The processor executes a physiologic marker program out of the memory. The marker program obtains physiologic marker definitions for events shown in a first dataset image, determines physiologic markers associated with the marker definitions, and superimposes the physiologic markers on a second dataset image that does not necessarily show the event.

Methods and systems for physiologic structure and event marking

System and method for automatically measuring the delay of tissue motion and deformation. For example, asynchrony may be measured between the left and right ventricles and within the left ventricle. A measurement feature may be defined by default or obtained using a user input. A reference time and a search interval are identified. The search interval may be based on the reference time, or input or modified by a user. A time delay of the measurement feature within the search interval is calculated for each sample. At least one color is assigned to the samples corresponding to the calculated time delay.

Method and apparatus for automatically measuring delay of tissue motion and deformation

An ultrasound system and method for calculation and display of tissue deformation parameters are disclosed. The tissue deformation parameter strain is determined by an accumulation of strain rate estimates for consecutive frames over an interval. The interval may be a triggered interval generated by, for example, an R-wave in an ECG trace. Three quantitative tissue deformation parameters, such as tissue velocity, tissue velocity integrals, strain rate and/or strain, may be presented as functions of time and/or spatial position for applications such as stress echo. For example, strain rate or strain values for three different stress levels may be plotted together with respect to time over a cardiac cycle. Parameters which are derived from strain rate or strain velocity, such as peak systolic wall thickening percentage, may be plotted with respect to various stress levels.

An ultrasound system and method for calculation and display of tissue deformation parameters are disclosed. A method to estimate a strain rate in any direction, not necessarily along the ultrasound beam, based on tissue velocity data from a small region of interest around a sample volume is disclosed. Quantitative tissue deformation parameters, such as tissue velocity, tissue velocity integrals, strain rate and/or strain, may be presented as functions of time and/or spatial position for applications such as stress echo. For example, strain rate or strain values for three different stress levels may be plotted together with respect to time over a cardiac cycle.

Methods and apparatus are provided in a diagnostic ultrasound system for generating and displaying strain rate spectrums corresponding to the deformation of a tissue structure within a subject, designated by a sample gate, in response to Doppler signals generated by the ultrasound system. Various combinations of several processing techniques are employed including spectral estimation processing such as discrete Fourier transform (DFT) processing, circular convolution, signal scaling/normalization, and complex autocorrelation.

Method and apparatus for spectral strain rate visualization

A method and apparatus is provided for generating and displaying filtered strain rate signals corresponding to tissue structure within a subject in response to complex Doppler signals generated by an ultrasound system. Various combinations of several processing techniques are employed including filtering out high strain rate signals due to reverberation and other sources of noise, complex autocorrelation, velocity signal estimation, real strain rate signal estimation, complex strain correlation signal estimation, complex signal averaging, and real signal averaging. Color strain rate imaging is provided using the techniques such that the color images have reduced noise and improved image quality.

Method and apparatus for high strain rate rejection filtering

An ultrasound system and method for calculation and display of tissue deformation parameters are disclosed. Tissue velocity may be estimated by filtering a received ultrasound signal at three center frequencies related to the second harmonic of the ultrasound signal, estimating a reference tissue velocity from the two signals filtered at the outside center frequencies and using the reference tissue velocity to choose a tissue velocity from tissue velocities estimated using the middle center frequency. Estimation of strain rate in any direction, not necessarily along the ultrasound beam, is disclosed. Quantitative tissue deformation parameters may be presented as functions of time and/or spatial position for applications such as stress echo. For example, strain rate or strain values for three different stress levels may be plotted together with respect to time over a cardiac cycle. Parameters derived from strain rate or strain velocity may be plotted with respect to various stress levels.

An ultrasound system and method for calculation and display of tissue deformation parameters, such as tissue Doppler and strain rate imaging, are disclosed. An ultrasound acquisition technique that allows a high frame rate in tissue velocity imaging or strain rate imaging is employed. With this acquisition technique the same ultrasound pulses are used for the tissue image and the Doppler based image. The number of beams used in Doppler subframes are increased to allow tissue visualization based only on Doppler subframes. A sliding window technique is used for processing.

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Oslo, Norway

Andreas Heimdal