Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.

Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Levin F Nock

Lee Weng

Arun Palligaranai Tirumalai

John R Klepper

Ashutosh Chilkoti

John C Lazenby

Gregg E Trahey

Barry Friemel

Laurence S McCabe

Kathryn R Nightingale

Ming Li

Steven J Stern

Barry H Friemel

Patrick L Sutcliffe

Methods and systems for a user to create a custom menu for medical imaging are provided. To maximize the ease of use and increase user efficiency, the user interface is tailored to a particular user or for a certain application. The user selects from various imaging parameters in a preprogrammed user interface displayed on a monitor or other display device. The selection is by collecting the desired items or by discarding undesired items. After selection, the desired items are displayed in a customized display state. This customized display state can be labeled and stored for later use. An assignable key is also provided. Imaging functions, such as a type of B-mode or Doppler imaging, are assigned to the key. Different or new functions may be later assigned to the key as the most used imaging functions change. Any customization may be different for different users of the same system, such as by saving the customization related to a log-on procedure.

Medical imaging programmable custom user interface system and method

A method and system for both enhancing drug uptake by application of therapeutic transmissions of acoustic energy and imaging a region for applied therapy with a same transducer and ultrasound system. An ultrasonic image of a field of view is generated while localized delivery of a drug is enhanced with ultrasound energy. Using the same transducer and ultrasound system reduces costs and increases system availability for a broader range of medical practitioners. For example, a single linear array of transducer elements is used for application of both imaging and therapeutic ultrasound. As another example, a transmitter is provided that transmits therapeutic transmissions having substantially equal positive and negative peaks at the face of the transducer and also is operable to transmit imaging acoustic energy. As yet another example, therapeutic pulses of acoustic energy are transmitted to have greater power for heating than imaging, but a mechanical index or pressure comparable to imaging transmissions. For example, a mechanical index of about 1.9 or lower is provided, such that cavitation of blood or other non-contrast agent is avoided.

Ultrasound drug delivery enhancement and imaging systems and methods

A method of generating data compatible with forming a three-dimensional ultrasonic image includes selecting different frame rates for generating patterns of image information and frames of non-imaging information, such as motion information. The frame rates may be independently determined, based upon the desired characteristics of the two types of frames. Typically, image frames and motion frames are formed concurrently, with the formation of each motion frame overlapping the formation of more than one image frame, i.e., motion frames have a lower frame rate than image frames. After a sufficient number of image and motion frames have been generated, the image frames and the motion data are spatially coordinated to provide a three-dimensional flow image of a region of interest. In one approach, the spatial coordination of motion frames is implemented by incorporating the motion frames in a non-parallel relationship with the image frames. In a more accurate approach, the motion information is incorporated on a value-by-value basis into the image frames.

Flexible beam sequencing for 3-dimensional ultrasound imaging

An ultrasonic imaging system and method is described in which the actual dimensions of images of tissue acquired with a moving transducer (22) are displayed. Since an image is distorted based upon the direction a transducer probe moves relative to the acoustic scanning direction of the transducer (22), the probe motion direction and the acoustic scanning direction are initially determined. If the probe is moving in the same direction as the scanning direction, the acoustic beam scanning speed of the moving probe relative to the tissue is determined by summing the acoustic beam scanning speed without probe motion with the probe speed. If the probe is moving in the opposite direction as the scanning direction, the acoustic beam scanning speed of the moving probe relative to the tissue is determined by taking the difference between the acoustic beam scanning speed without probe motion and the probe speed. The actual width of the image as represented in each pixel of a frame (32) acquired while the probe is moving is derived based upon a ratio of the acoustic beam scanning speed of the moving probe relative to the tissue to the acoustic beam scanning speed without probe motion. Finally, the actual dimensions of the image are displayed based upon the derived width of the image as represented in each pixel of the frame (32).

System and method for correcting the geometry of ultrasonic images

An image registration based method and a corresponding apparatus are provided for creating composite, panoramic images, in which consecutive ultrasonic image frames are correlated in order to derive transducer motion information. The individual images can be divided into several smaller sub-image regions and a fast and robust image motion detection algorithm is used to measure the sub-image motion and then to determine an initial estimation of the local motion vectors. The initial estimation is combined with two measurement parameters by use of a fuzzy logic technique to derive a final estimation of the local motion vectors. The final local motion vectors are then used to estimate global image motion. Compound images are then diplayed based on the derived global image motion. The speed of motion of the transducer is also estimated and a 'speedometer' is displayed to help the user move the transducer within efficient speed ranges. Image frames may also be selectively 'zoomed' in on and displayed in an undistorted manner. Distance scales are generated for both the normally curved panoramic image and also the undistorted frame images. A frame guide is also displayed to help the user guide the transducer to area of greatest interest. Color-coded velocity or power information may also be superimposed on the panoramic image, and spectral Doppler data may also be displayed at selected points in the panoramic image. A memory map is preferably also displayed to indicate to the user how much image memory is remaining during a scan.

Method and apparatus for generating and displaying panoramic ultrasound

A method for creating ultrasound images determines if an ultrasound transducer is moving by more than a predetermined amount by obtaining two conventionally focused images D.sub.K-1 and D.sub.K. Each image is divided into a series of sections. An image processor searches the previous frame D.sub.K-1 for data points found in the current frame D.sub.K. Movement vectors are defined for each section that describe how the data points of a section move from the previous frame D.sub.K-1 to the current frame D.sub.K. The movement vectors are then applied to sections of a previously displayed adaptively focused frame I.sub.K-1 in order to create a translated adaptively focused frame I.sub.K-1'. A new adaptively focused frame is created by averaging the current adaptively focused frame A.sub.K with the translated frame I.sub.K-1'.

Method and apparatus for creating adaptively focused ultrasound images

An ultrasonic imaging system is provided that effectively corrects for inhomogeneities in the imaged media. The ultrasonic imaging system comprises a transducer array having a plurality of transducer elements each being separately operable to provide an ultrasonic pulse in response to a driving signal and to provide a corresponding echo signal in response to a received echo based on the ultrasonic pulse. A transmitter is coupled to the transducer array and provides the driving signal to each respective one of the transducer elements. The driving signals define a steered beam of the transducer array. A receiver is coupled to the transducer array and receives the echo signal from each respective one of the transducer elements. The receiver includes a beamformer section that produces a single matched and summed signal from the echo signals of the plurality of transducer elements. The beamformer section comprises a plurality of processing modules coupled in a cascading arrangement with separate processing stages.

Beamformer for phase aberration correction

A vibratory energy (ultrasonic) imaging system of the type including a transducer array having a plurality of transducer elements for generating pulses of vibratory energy which are directed towards reflectors and which receive reflections of said vibratory energy and develop echo signals in response thereto. The array comprises a two-dimensional array of transducer elements arranged in a plurality of rows extending in a lateral dimension of the array and a plurality of columns extending in an elevation dimension of the array, at least one of a first type of said columns having elements of a first height in the elevation dimension and at least one of a second type of column having elements of a second height in the elevation dimension which is greater than the first height. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first height is an integral fraction of the second height.

2D array for phase aberration correction

An ultrasound imaging system of the type including a 2D transducer array which has first and second types of transducer elements. Each element of the first type occupies an area of the array which is an integral fraction of the area occupied by each element of the second type. A connection arrangement comprising a plurality of multiplexer/summation circuits is provided for electrically connecting the array elements to the remainder of the ultrasound imaging system. Each multiplexer/summation circuit has a plurality of signal inputs individually connected to a respective plurality of the elements of the first type for selectively combining a given number of the elements of the first type together, the given number being an inverse of the integral fraction. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the 2D array is generally rectangular in shape and has elements arranged into rows along its lateral dimension and columns along its elevational dimension, with a first lateral portion of the array including at least one column of elements of the first type and a second lateral portion of the array including columns of elements of the second type. The multiplexer/summation circuit has signal inputs connected individually to each of the elements of a column of the elements of the first type, for selecting the given number of elements to be combined.

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Bellevue, WA, United States of America

Levin F Nock