Ultrasound imaging method and apparatus with dynamic non-linear filtering

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for enhancing the clarity of and the diagnostic information in real-time B-mode and M-mode ultrasound displays including a beamformer for acquiring ultrasound receive signals for each ultrasound scan line of a two-dimensional image and processing the receive signals for each ultrasound scan line into detected and filtered video signals for storage in scan line acquisition memory with programmable dynamically variable non-linear filters for processing the video signals with continuously and automatically varying filter responses over a range of low and high pass responses followed by scan converting and display of the non-linearly processed video signals. The non-linear filters may process video signals in range along each ultrasound scan line or azimuthally along multiple ultrasound scan lines of a two-dimensional B-mode image. The non-linear filters also can be two-dimensionally programmable for processing video signals both in range along each ultrasound scan line and azimuthally along multiple ultrasound scan lines over regions of a two-dimensional B-mode image. The non-linear filter may be responsive to a local signal measurement and to spatial positions in a B-mode image for control of filter parameters. The non-linear filter can also be programmable to accommodate variable system characteristics for particular imaging applications.