Nycomed Imaging As

Ge Healthcare As

Jonny Ostensen

Sigmund Frigstad

Lars Hoff

Nils Sponheim

Henrik Rasmussen

Knut Dyrstad

Ragnar Bendiksen

Morton Eriksen

The invention relates to a triggered ultrasound imaging method for imaging of the myocardium, minimizing the risk of eliciting cardiac arrhythmia. Particularly, the invention is directed to a method of assessing cardiac perfusion. Destruction pulses are triggered such that they fall within the refractory period of the heart, while imaging pulses are triggered at any given time of the ECG cycle, preferably during end-systole.

Ultrasound triggering method to reduce cardiac arrhythmia

Temporal variations in backscatter from an ultrasound contrast agent located in the vascular system and induced by movement of the scatterers are used to visualise the presence of contrast agent by determining areas where correlation between successive ultrasound images is poor. This low level of correlation arising from intravascular contrast agent movement permits distinction between stationary bulk tissue and moving bulk tissue since movement of the latter solid tissue scatterers is correlated.

Ultrasound imaging

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Oslo, Norway

Jonny Ostensen