Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.

Wilko Wilkening

John C Lazenby

Helmut Ermert

Christopher S Chapman

Martin Krueger

A method of imaging blood with the use of contrast agents. A sequence or ensemble of imaging pulses is transmitted into a patient. Echo signals received in response to each of the imaging pulses are received and analyzed to determine if the echoes are produced by tissue or by the contrast agent. Echoes produced by the contrast agent are detected by an echo signal that changes in amplitude or a centroid frequency that changes with each imaging pulse. Once the location of the contrast agent has been determined, an image is created whereby the contrast agent is highlighted for view by a physician or sonographer.

Method of imaging scatterers based on acoustically stimulated changes of their acoustic properties

In a diagnostic ultrasound imaging system, a sequence of more than two signals is transmitted into the interrogation of the patient's body. In one embodiment of the invention, the pulses are grouped as pairs that have an inverted phase, that is, one is time-domain negative of the other. In an alternative of this embodiment, the pulses need not be paired, but rather are generated with alternating phase characteristics. The return signals are then filtered to isolate (or suppress) return signal components corresponding to portions of the interrogation region with non-linear (or linear) response characteristics. In a second embodiment of the invention, three or more pulses are generated so that have non-equidistant relative phase distribution. By combining the return signals, linear return signal components are suppressed.

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Bochum, Germany

Wilko Wilkening