Acuson Corporation

Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Siemens Corporation

John I Jackson

John W Allison

Ismayil M Guracar

Laurence S McCabe

Samuel H Maslak

Paul E Chandler

Arvind Jain

Constantine Simopoulos

John Alexander Hossack

Randall L Schlesinger

Dorin Comaniciu

Shaohua Kevin Zhou

Matthew N O'Donnell

Thilaka S Sumanaweera

James W Arenson

Edward A Gardner

Anming He Cai

Jin-hyeong Park

Jay Sterling Plugge

Lewis J Thomas

Michael G Curley

Janice L Marshall

Feng Guo

Thomas G Cooper

Kutay F Ustuner

Liexiang Fan

Linyong Pang

John W Eaton

Rickard C Loftman

Joan Carol Main

Jeffrey T Rahn

David E Gustafson

Lei Sui

Joanne Otsuki

Cynthia L Kerby

Kutay F &Uuml;st&uuml;ner

Michael Brendel

David R DeWitt

Douglas B Dull

Jodi L Schwartz

Gustavo Henrique Monteiro De Barros Carneiro

Lex J Garbini

A difference between a detected motion and a reference motion is automatically displayed. The reference motion is a modeled motion of an organ, a base line motion of an organ or another portion of an organ. A deviation in motion amplitude, angle or both angle and amplitude from a reference set may more easily identify abnormal or normal motion of the organ.

Tissue motion comparison display

Automated image interpretation is provided with transducer position and/or orientation sensing. The current position of a transducer is used to determine the anatomy being imaged. Other reference information, such as (1) the previous position of the transducer and the known anatomy being imaged at that time or (2) a reference device at a known location, is used in the determination. The anatomy is determined based on position sensing or determined based on position sensing and other anatomy features, such as image analysis.

Automated image interpretation with transducer position or orientation sensing for medical ultrasound

A method for measuring ventricular dimensions from M-mode echocardiograms, includes providing a digitized M-mode echocardiogram image, running a plurality of local classifiers, where each local classifier trained to detect a landmark on either an end-diastole (ED) line or an end-systole (ES) line in the image, recording all possible landmarks detected by the classifiers, where a search range in an N-dimensional parameter space defined by the landmarks for each dimension is reduced to a union of subsets, where each dimension of the parameter space corresponds a landmark, for each combination of possible landmarks, checking if an order of the landmarks is consistent with a known ordering of the landmarks, and if the order is consistent, running a global detector on each consistent combination of landmarks to find a landmark combination with a highest detection probability as a confirmed landmark detection, where the landmarks are used for measuring ventricular dimensions.

System and method for quasi-real-time ventricular measurements from M-mode echocardiogram

A method and system for segmentation of mitral valve inflow (MI) patterns in Doppler echocardiogram images is disclosed. Trained root detectors are used to detect left root candidates, right root candidates, and peak candidates in an input Doppler echocardiogram image. Two global structure detectors, a single triangle detector for non-overlapping E-waves and A-waves and a double triangle detector for overlapping E-waves and A-waves, are used to detect single triangle candidates and double triangle candidates based on the left root, right root, and peak candidates. A shape profile is used to determine a shape probability for each of the single triangle candidates and each of the double triangle candidates. The best single triangle candidate and the best double triangle candidate are selected based on shape probability and detection probability. One of the best single triangle candidate and the best double triangle candidate is selected as the final segmentation result based on a shape probability comparison.

Method and system for automatic detection and measurement of mitral valve inflow patterns in doppler echocardiography

A method and system for detection of deformable structures in medical images is disclosed. Deformable structures can represent blood flow patterns in images such as Doppler echocardiograms. A probabilistic, hierarchical, and discriminant framework is used to detect such deformable structures. This framework integrates evidence from different primitive levels via a progressive detector hierarchy, including a series of discriminant classifiers. A target deformable structure is parameterized by a multi-dimensional parameter, and primitives or partial parameterizations of the parameter are determined. An input image is received, and a series of primitives are sequentially detected using the progressive detector hierarchy, in which each detector or classifier detects a corresponding primitive. The final detector detects configuration candidates for the deformable structure.

Method and system for detection of deformable structures in medical images

Disclosed are a system and method of selecting one or more operational parameters of an ultrasonic imaging system. In particular, methods and means are disclosed for automatically or semi-automatically determining a best operating frequency, or for determining whether a system should operate in a fundamental imaging mode or a harmonic imaging mode.

Ultrasonic imaging system

A physical 3D volume object is manipulated to navigate through a volume image. The orientation of the volume object, such as a cube or other shaped device, is sensed. As the volume object is rotated, the viewing direction associated with three dimensional rendering rotates. The volume object may represent a viewer's eye or the object for determining the viewing direction from the volume object orientation. The volume object may be untethered and/or generally flat, allowing ease of use. The volume object may be associated with a shape of an organ or tissue to provide further frame of reference.

Medical diagnostic imaging three dimensional navigation device and methods

Automated analysis of ultrasound data is provided to extract event times, such as valve opening and closing times. Different types of ultrasound data, such as B-mode, M-mode, tissue velocity or flow velocity, are processed by a processor to identify automatically the event times. The event times are used for the processing of ultrasound data or to assist diagnosis. The event times may be used to estimate other event times in different heart cycles, such as with interpolation or extrapolation.

Automated identification of cardiac events with medical ultrasound

The embodiments described herein relate to stepping through the stages of a protocol using an input device and a protocol controller for a medical diagnostic imaging system. The protocol controller may be operative to transition from one stage to a next stage in the protocol in response to no more than a single input from the input device. Thus, a single input from the input device may indicate to the protocol controller to transition to each of the stages of the protocol. In one embodiment, the same single input, such as a stage transition input, is received to transition to each stage of the at least two sequential stages. In another embodiment, different single input, such as different keys on a keyboard, may be used to transition to different stages of the at least two sequential stages. Other embodiments are provided, and each of the embodiments described herein can be used alone or in combination with one another.

Ultrasound system with protocol-driven user interface

Velocity data is automatically anti-aliased. Since a tissue velocity varies a small amount over small distances, more accurate velocity or strain rate estimates are calculated automatically with an anti-aliasing algorithm. Since the velocity information derived from phase information, like Doppler, contains uncertainties of a multiple of a specific velocity (e.g., a constant multiple of 2&#x3c0; error), a specific velocity is at least one of multiple possible velocities. The possible velocities are calculated and the specific velocity selected. Additional velocities may then be extrapolated for different regions or subsequent frames of data for a same region.

Automatic velocity anti-aliased ultrasound methods and systems

Accurate tissue motion systems and methods are provided. Motion of the ultrasound transducer is accounted for in estimates at tissue motion. Correcting for transducer motion better isolates localized tissue contractions or expansions, such as motion of the myocardial muscle or fibers. Accurate motion estimation is also provided by determining an angle of motion from the ultrasound data. The angle of motion is used to adjust velocity estimates, providing two-dimensional velocity vectors (i.e. motion estimates comprising motion in at least two dimensions). Movement of tissue is determined by correlating speckle or a feature represented by two different sets of ultrasound data obtained at different times. Additional aspects include tracking the location of a tissue of interest. A characteristic of strain, such as the strain rate or strain, is calculated for the tracked tissue of interest. Ultrasound data associated with different positions relative to the transducer are selected as a function of the tracking and used to determine the characteristic of strain. Motion estimates corrected for transducer motion may also be used to determine a strain or strain rate. In yet another aspect, motion estimates are generated with data from an intra-cardiac transducer array. The characteristic of strain is determined from the motion estimates. Other aspects discussed above may be used with an intra-cardiac transducer array, providing accurate motion analysis based on imaging from within the heart.

Tissue motion analysis medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method

Two or more temporal indicators are used for interleaving frames from a plurality of physiological cycles. For example, frames of one cycle are separated from the frames of another cycle based on an ECG signal. Data representing an imaged region for each of the frames is then used for temporally aligning the frames. For example, average velocity waveforms calculated from the frames of each of the cycles are fitted together. The temporal position of each of the frames within a base physiological cycle is determined based on the fitting. The interleaved frames provide a higher effective frame rate with improved temporal resolution which is based on the accurate interleaving of the data from the plurality of physiological cycles. Course alignment is provided using one event or temporal indicator. A more refined temporal alignment is provided in response to a second temporal indicator.

Temporal resolution method and systems for ultrasound imaging

A method and system for contrast agent imaging with a catheter transducer is provided. The catheter transducer may comprise an intra-vascular, intra-cardiac or other transducer for insertion into or through a small space. The catheter transducer is inserted within the heart or other portion of a patient. Contrast agents, such as micro-spheres, are injected into the patient. Using the catheter transducer, ultrasonic acoustic energy is transmitted, and reflected energy is received. The reflected energy is responsive to the contrast agents. An image processor generates an image of the tissue and contrast agents as a function of the reflected energy. The image provides an indication of perfusion. Alternatively, the ultrasound system calculates perfusion. By generating intra-vascular images or data, interference from other tissues is avoided. Therefore, the perfusion information obtained may have higher resolution. Images with better resolution better assist doctors in medical diagnosis.

Diagnostic medical ultrasound image and system for contrast agent imaging

A catheter and method for determining a position of the catheter within the cardiovascular system is provided. Local bending and twisting is measured at multiple locations along the catheter. By integrating the measurements, the position and orientation of the catheter is determined. Based on the catheter position information, the location and orientation of an ultrasound transducer array connected with the catheter is known. The imaging array position and orientation information may be used to assist a physician in determining the tissue structure or fluid being scanned and/or assist in the accurate generation of three-dimensional representations.

Medical diagnostic ultrasound catheter and method for position determination

A method and system for indicating the position and orientation of a scan plane relative to a patient is provided. The image as presented on a display is oriented in accordance with the orientation of a transducer. The orientation may provide for displaying an image where the transducer is not in a transducer up or transducer down position, but is rotated away from vertical of the display. Alternatively or additionally, a two or three-dimensional graphical generic representation is provided with a scan plane indicated as a polygon or image rendering within a generic representation to show relative positioning of the scan plane with respect to the patient.

Medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method for scanning plane orientation

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Menlo Park, CA, United States of America

John I Jackson