Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

University of Michigan

University of Pittsburgh

Jingping Xu

Balasundar Iyyavu Raju

Shougang Wang

Shiwei Zhou

Anthony M Gades

Mckee Dunn Poland

Jonathan M Rubin

Kang Kim

Sheng-Wen Huang

William Tao Shi

Christopher Stephen Hall

Emil George Radulescu

Seungsoo Kim

Kongkuo Lu

Ying Wu

Yinhui Deng

Xiaomin Li

Raghavendra Srinivasa Naidu

Jiangang Chen

Balasudar Iyyavu Raju

The present disclosure describes ultrasound imaging systems and methods configured to identify lung abnormalities by determining a uniformity characteristic of a region of interest within ultrasound image frames. Systems can include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echoes responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward a pulmonary target region. A processor coupled with the transducer may be configured to generate an image frame from the acquired echoes and determine a uniformity characteristic of the region of interest below a pleural line in the image frame. The processor may also be configured to determine a presence or absence of a lung abnormality, e.g., lung consolidation, within the region of interest based on a value of the uniformity characteristic. If a lung abnormality has been determined to be present, the processor can generate an indicator of the same, which may be displayed on a user interface in communication with the processor.

Ultrasound system for detecting lung consolidation

Systems, devices, and methods for automated, fast lung pulse detection are provided. In an embodiment, a system for detecting pneumothorax (PTX) includes an ultrasound probe in communication with a processor. The processor is configured to generate, using the ultrasound imaging data received from the ultrasound probe, an M-mode image including a pleural line of the lung. Using the M-mode image, the processor generates a difference image comprising a plurality of difference lines generated by subtracting adjacent samples of the M-mode image. The processor analyzes the difference image to determine whether the difference image includes a periodic signal corresponding to the heartbeat of the patient and outputs a graphical representation of detecting the lung pulse based on determining that the difference image includes the periodic signal corresponding to the heartbeat.

Ultrasound device, systems, and methods for lung pulse detection by plueral line movement

Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an interface coupled to an ultrasound imaging component and configured to receive a plurality of image data frames representative of a subject's body including at least a portion of a lung; a processing component in communication with the interface and configured to determine a metric for each image data frame of the plurality of image data frames based on a threshold comparison; and determine a dynamic air bronchogram (AB) condition of the subject's body based on a variation across the metrics of the plurality of image data frames. In one embodiment, the processing component is configured to determine differential data frames based on differences across consecutive image data frames of the plurality of image data frames; and determine a dynamic AB condition of the subject's body based on the differential data frames.

Ultrasound determination of dynamic air bronchogram and associated devices, systems, and methods

The present disclosure describes an ultrasound imaging system configured to identify and display B-lines that may appear during ultrasound scanning of a chest region of a subject. In some examples, the system may include an ultrasound probe and at least two processors configured to generate a plurality of image frames from ultrasound echoes received at the probe. The processors may be further configured to identify a pleural line in each of the plurality of image frames, define a region of interest below each pleural line, identify one or more candidate B-lines within the region of interest, identify one or more B-lines by evaluating one or more parameters of each candidate B-line, and select a target image frame from the plurality of image frames by identifying an image frame that maximizes at least a number or an intensity of B-lines.

Detection, presentation and reporting of B-lines in lung ultrasound

The present disclosure describes an ultrasound imaging system configured to identify a target placement of an ultrasound probe for viewing a lung pleural line. In some examples, the system may include an ultrasound probe configured to receive ultrasound echoes from a subject to image a region of the subject and a data processor in communication with the ultrasound probe. The data processor may be configured to identify one or more candidate pleural lines and one or more A-lines corresponding to the candidate pleural lines, compute an A-line intensity of at least one of the A-lines, and apply the computed A-line intensity to indicate a target placement of the ultrasound probe for imaging the region for pleural line identification. The system may also include a user interface in communication with the data processor. The user interface may be configured to alert the user of the target placement of the ultrasound probe.

Target probe placement for lung ultrasound

A method of evaluating tissue stiffness of a target area includes positioning an ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus adjacent a surface of an area of tissue where the target area is located and applying a dynamic range of force to the tissue. A plurality of ultrasound beams can be directed at the tissue and a plurality of ultrasound echoes can be acquired from the strained tissue in the target area to calculate an amount of developed strain within the target area.

Methods and apparatuses for measuring tissue stiffness changes using ultrasound elasticity imaging

The embodiments disclose an ultrasound system comprising: a probe configured to obtain ultrasound data relating to a scanning region including at least part of a pleural interface of a lung; and a data analyzer, configured to automatically detect information for determining lung sliding and/or lung point using one or more cross correlation maps derived from the data. The embodiments also disclose a method thereof.

Device and method for automatic pneumothorax detection

The present invention proposes an ultrasound system and a method of detecting lung sliding on the basis of a temporal sequence of ultrasound data frames of a first region of interest. The first region of interest includes a pleural interface of a lung. A sub-region identifier () is configured to identify, for each of the ultrasound data frames, a sub-region of a scanned region of the ultrasound data frame, the sub-region comprising at least part of the pleural interface; a lung sliding detector () is configured to derive a parametric map for the sub-region on the basis of at least two ultrasound data frames of the temporal sequence, parametric values of the parametric map indicating a degree of tissue motion over the at least two ultrasound frames; wherein the lung sliding detector is further configured to extract data of the sub-regions from the at least two ultrasound data frames, and to derive the parametric map on the basis of the extracted data.

Ultrasound system and method for detecting lung sliding

Extracorporeal motion () relative to a medical subject being imaged is detected, through the imaging or from motion detectors on the imaging probe, and either backed out of the medical images so that it can be determined whether lung sliding exists or measured to determine whether lung sliding detection is to be suspended due to excessive extracorporeal motion. Image sub-regions () corresponding to respective ones of the images are selected for image-to-image comparison such that the selected sub-regions contain only body tissue that is, with respect to imaging depth in the acquiring of the images, shallower than an anatomical landmark within the images. Based on a result of the comparing, lung sliding detection that entails examining image data deeper than the landmark may be initialized. A motion sensor may detect the extracorporeal motion and, based on its output: pair-wise co-register () images to an extent of backing out the effect of the extracorporeal motion and/or determine whether to suspend deciding as to whether lung sliding is, during the respiration, occurring in the subject.

Distinguishing lung sliding from external motion

The invention relates to an ultrasound system () for sequentially performing a predetermined procedure for each of at least one region of interest. The ultrasound system () comprises an ultrasound probe () configured to transmit a first ultrasound signal (SG) towards a region of interest and receive echo signals from the region of interest. The ultrasound system () also comprises a motion sensor () configured to detect a motion of the ultrasound probe () and generate a motion signal (MS) for indicating the motion of the ultrasound probe (). The ultrasound system () also comprises a processor () configured to perform a predetermined procedure for a region of interest on the basis of the echo signals received from the region of interest if the motion signal (MS) indicates that the ultrasound probe () is stationary. The invention also relates to a corresponding ultrasound method.

Ultrasound system and method for detecting pneumothorax

An ultrasound imaging apparatus () may include at least one controller () which may be configured to: acquire ultrasound data of an anatomical region-of-interest (ROI), the ultrasound data including at least two frames acquired at different times over an interval of time as a push force is applied to induce movement in the anatomical ROI; determine a correlation between at least two of the acquired frames and form corresponding correlation coefficients; generate a correlation coefficient (CC) map based upon the determined correlation information between the at least two frames; and distinguish fluid from tissue within the CC map based upon a comparison of the correlation coefficients with at least one threshold value.

Automated blood pool identification system and method of operation thereof

Ultrasound-based acoustic streaming for deciding whether material is fluid is dependent upon any one or more of a variety of criteria. Examples are displacement, speed, temporal or spatial flow variance, progressive decorrelation, slope or straightness of accumulated signal to background comparisons over time, and relative displacement to adjacent soft tissue. Echogenicity-based area identification is combinable with the above movement characteristic detection in the deciding. Fluid pool identification is performable from the area-limited acoustic streaming testing and ultrasound attenuation readings. Candidates from among the areas are screenable based on specific shapes or bodily organs detected. Natural flow can be excluded from streaming detection by identification of blood vessels. Processing for each FAST ultrasound view, or for the entire procedure, is performable automatically, without need for user intervention or with user intervention to identify suspected areas.

Acoustic streaming for fluid pool detection and identification

The present invention proposes an apparatus and method for characterizing a tissue in a first region of a subject. The apparatus comprises a receiving unit () for receiving ultrasound data of the tissue in the first region and ultrasound data of a predetermined target reference tissue of said subject; a deriving unit () for deriving a subject-specific model of the target reference tissue on the basis of the ultrasound data of the target reference tissue; and a characterizing unit () for determining a match between tissue in the first region and the target reference tissue on the basis of the subject-specific model and ultrasound data of the tissue in the first region. Unlike conventional tissue characterization based on a large cohort of patient data, the proposed subject-specific model is personalized for the specific subject without any generalization, resulting in higher sensitivity and/or accuracy. Preferably, the subject-specific model of the target reference tissue is derived on the basis of both the ultrasound data of the target reference tissue and the ultrasound data of a background reference tissue of a different type than the target reference tissue.

Apparatus and method for characterizing a tissue of a subject

The embodiments disclose an ultrasound system comprising: a probe configured to obtain ultrasound data relating to scanning region including at least part of a pleural interface of a lung; and a data analyzer, configured to automatically detect information for determining lung sliding and/or lung point using one or more cross correlation maps derived from the data. The embodiments also disclose a method thereof.

An embodiment of this invention provides an ultrasound device that assesses a bone of a subject in at least two modes comprising a first mode and a second mode. The ultrasound device comprises: a selecting unit configured to select a mode from the at least two modes; a first ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to the bone; a second ultrasound probe configured to receive the ultrasound signal from the bone; an assessing unit configured to derive a first parameter of the bone based on the selected mode and the ultrasound signal received by the second ultrasound probe; and a coupler being configured to be switched to a first configuration in the first mode and to a second configuration in the second mode. The ultrasound probes are oriented in substantially a same direction in the first configuration, and in substantially an opposite direction in the second configuration.

Growing community of inventors

Shanghai, China

Jingping Xu