Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Shenzhen Mindray Bio-medical Electronics Co., Ltd.

Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.

Sonosite, Inc.

Fujifilm Sonosite, Inc.

Zuhua Mao

Patrick Von Behren

Hui Jiang

Liexiang Fan

Clinton T Siedenburg

Andrew Lundberg

Arun Palligaranai Tirumalai

Ramachandra Pailoor

Maodong Sang

Mitchell S Kaplan

John R Klepper

David E Gustafson

Lin-Xin Yao

Hong Wang

Robert E Stone

Tai-Kyong Song

Peng Jiang

Tinglan Ji

Andrew K Lundberg

Method and device for performing ultrasonic imaging on a region of interest are disclosed. The method comprises: emitting a first ultrasonic pulse and receiving a first ultrasonic echo signal; emitting a second ultrasonic pulse and receiving a second ultrasonic echo signal; emitting a third ultrasonic pulse and receiving a third ultrasonic echo signal; extracting echo signal components from the first ultrasonic echo signal, the second ultrasonic echo signal and the third ultrasonic echo signal; and producing an ultrasonic image of the region of interest according to the echo signal component; wherein, amplitude weighting of the third ultrasonic pulse is equal to the sum of amplitude weightings of the first ultrasonic pulse and the second ultrasonic pulse in magnitude. The method processes and modulates the plurality of ultrasonic echo signals, so as to separate nonlinear components and linear components in the ultrasonic echo signals.

Ultrasonic imaging system and method for extracting a nonlinear signal component

The present invention is directed to a system and method which makes a phased array look like a curved array for purposes of performing spatial compounding calculations. In one embodiment, the phased array is treated as though it were a curved array by creating both a virtual apex and a virtual radius of curvature. Based on this transformation, standard spatial-compounding resampling tables can be used just as they are with curved arrays. In one embodiment, after the data is compounded to form the target image, certain data is removed prior to the actual display. This removed data represents data generated by virtual rays the prior to the physical skin line of the phased array.

System and method for spatial compounding using phased arrays

Systems and methods are described for tracking motion in a medical imaging system. The methods use landmark sets including hard landmarks and soft landmarks. The systems can include means for generating a landmark set, means for constructing a landmark set spatial relationship, means for computing a context similarity measurement, means for cost function construction, and means for cost function minimization and motion estimation. The invention provides advantages because, among other reasons, the use of a cost function of two or more variables, where the cost function is defined over members of the landmark set collection, and the cost function subject to at least two constraints and the landmark set stability in terms of context similarity measurements and spatial relationship provide effective and robust motion tracking.

Methods and systems for motion tracking

Contrast agent imaging uses spread spectrum coding. The contrast-to-tissue ratio and signal-to-noise ratio for contrast agent imaging is improved by transmitting a waveform with pulses at two or more frequencies. In one embodiment, signals received at an intermodulation frequency responsive to the two transmitted frequencies are isolated and used for imaging. As a result of the differences in responses of contrast agent and tissue to the frequency transitions between pulses, information from contrast agent with minimal influence from tissue is identified. In another embodiment, two waveforms with pulses at two or more frequencies are sequentially transmitted.

Spread spectrum coding for ultrasound contrast agent imaging

An ultrasound system includes a transmit/receive switch ( ), at least one frequency band selection circuit ( ), and a selection unit ( ). The selection unit ( ) is used to determine if the data being received are from tissue or contrast agent regions. Depending on which type of region the data are from, different signal processing techniques are applied to the data. For example for tissue regions, a harmonic filter can be applied to the signal. If the signals are from contrast agent flow regions, both the harmonic filter and a fundamental filter can be used.

Adaptive signal processing scheme for contrast agent imaging

A method of dynamically measuring parameters within a series of images using image processing is disclosed. A sequence of ultrasound images is generated by means of an ultrasound system. A user determines at least one region of interest within a first image. Then, at least one parameter for each region of interest is evaluated, e.g. the number of pixels exceeding a pre-defined intensity are counted. A new region of interest within a sequential image is searched within a search area around the predefined region of interest which best matches the region of interest. This is done for all images of a sequence whereby the new region of interest which best matches the region of interest of the previous image is used as a region of interest for the following image.

Dynamic measurement of parameters within a sequence of images

A BcD mode ultrasound imaging system including a Doppler processor which is configured to receive a Doppler signal having components that are corrupted by residue from color mode interleaving. The Doppler processor is configured to analyze the residue effect and compensate for the residue by filtering the received Doppler signal.

Removing beam interleave effect on doppler spectrum in ultrasound imaging

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Issaquah, WA, United States of America

Zuhua Mao