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:
Oct. 08, 2002
Filed:
Jan. 19, 2001
Bjorn Angelsen, N-7051 Trondheim, NO;
Other;
Abstract
A method for detection of ultrasound contrast agent in soft tissue according to the present invention includes utilizing an ultrasound transmit beam former and transducer array assembly for transmitting directive, focussed ultrasound pressure pulses with steerable transmit amplitude, transmit aperture, transmit focus, and transmit direction, and with temporal frequency components within a limited band B centered at a frequency f , towards a region of soft tissue that contains ultrasound contrast agent bubbles. The transmit pulse parameters are arranged, preferably using multiple transmit pulses, so that the incident pressure pulse that is utilized for imaging of the contrast agent for a particular depth, has minimal variation over the actual image range. The non-linearly distorted, back-scattered ultrasound signal is received from both the tissue and the ultrasound contrast agent bubbles with the same ultrasound transducer assembly and the received array element signals are passed through a receiver beamformer that has a steerable spatially directive receiver sensitivity.