The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 17, 2002
Filed:
Jun. 05, 2000
Eiichi Shiki, Otawara, JP;
Yoshitaka Mine, Tochigi-Ken, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Kawasaki, JP;
Abstract
A diagnostic ultrasound apparatus is provided for obtaining an image of an object into which an ultrasound contrast agent is injected. The apparatus has a transducer for transmitting and receiving an ultrasound wave to and from the object and transmitting means ( ) transmitting an ultrasound pulse into the object by driving the transducer under a first transmitting condition exerting a given destruction capability on the ultrasound contrast agent and a second transmitting condition having a destruction capability lower than that of the first condition. First image producing ( ) receive an ultrasound echo of the ultrasound pulse transmitted under the first transmitting condition and produce a first color-displayed image based on phase displacement information about the ultrasound echo. Additionally, second image producing means ( ) receive an ultrasound echo of the transmitted ultrasound pulse and produce a second image based on amplitude information about the ultrasound echo. The first and second images are displayed by display means ( ). According to this diagnostic ultrasound apparatus, for imaging a CFM image based on a flash echo phenomenon caused in an object in which a contrast agent injected, one interval during which the phenomenon will be caused and the other interval during which it will not be caused can be determined appropriately and images can be displayed effectively over those intervals.