Automatic blood vessel identification by name

• US 10,231,694 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Vajinepalli, Pallavi, Sisodia, Rajendra Singh, Gupta, Lalit, Ramachandran, Ganesan, Firtion, Celine, Petruzzello, John, Anand, Ajay
• Primary Examiner(s): Brutus, Joel F
• Application Number:
  US14/364,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20140343431A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• Field of Search: 600454
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/02 Measuring pulse or heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0866 involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/466 adapted to display 3D data 3D imaging and stereoscopic displays in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S15/8993 and G01S7/52068, respectively; 3D image rendering G06T15/00; manipulating 3D models for computer graphics G06T19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/468 allowing annotation or message recording
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/041 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52073 Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A device is configured for interrogating a blood vessel to derive flow characteristics (S628) and for, responsive to the deriving and based on the derived characteristics, anatomically identifying the vessel. A spatial map of the vessels may be generated based on the interrogating, and specifically the Doppler power computed from data acquired in the interrogating. Subsequent interrogating (S668) may occur, based on the map and on a user-selected set of vessels and/or vessel categories, to derive clinical Doppler indices. The device can be designed to automatically set a sample volume (509) for the subsequent interrogating, and to operate automatically from the user selection to display of the indices. The display may further include an image (524) of the vessels summoned by the set, annotated by their individual anatomical names, and optionally a diagnosis relating to blood flow. The displayed image may be enlarged to zoom in on the user'"'"'s onscreen selection. The device may feature a two-dimensional ultrasound non-phased array of transducer elements.

Claims

1. A system configured to anatomically identify a blood vessel, the system comprising:

a non-phased array of ultrasound transducers having an inter-element spacing of more than an ultrasound wavelength (λ

) apart from one another; and

one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

generate, via concurrent operation of two or more ultrasound transducers of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers, a spatial map of one or more blood vessels, the one or more blood vessels including a first blood vessel;

determine, based on the spatial map, pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel;

identify, based on the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel, a blood vessel type of the first blood vessel, wherein identification comprises determining whether the first blood vessel is a vein or an artery;

assign, based on the blood vessel type and a location of the first blood vessel, a name to the first blood vessel, wherein, responsive to the blood vessel type being a first named artery, assigning the name comprises classifying the first named artery with a k-nearest neighbor classifier;

obtain a user input via a user interface; and

cause the first blood vessel and the name assigned to the first blood vessel to be presented on the user interface based on a determination that the first blood vessel corresponds to the user input.

2. The system claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

determine periodic pulsatile motion in both a positive-flow channel and a negative-flow channel of the first named artery; and

classify the first named artery based on determining the periodic pulsatile motion in both the positive-flow channel and the negative-flow channel of the first named artery.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the inter-element spacing of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers is more than two ultrasound wavelength (λ

).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the inter-element spacing of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers is at least 10 mm.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel comprises:

generating a maximum frequency envelope for a spectrogram based on an output of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers;

determining a number of significant peaks in the maximum frequency envelope;

determining a time span of the spectrogram; and

determining a ratio of the time span to the number of significant peaks, and

wherein identifying the blood vessel type comprises identifying the first blood vessel type as an artery when the ratio is within a predetermined range of pulsatility metric and identifying the first blood vessel type as a vein when the ratio is not within the predetermined range of pulsatility metric.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to:

determine a cardiac cycle length;

compare the cardiac cycle length to a predetermined threshold; and

classify, based on the comparing, the artery.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers is configured to not collectively use of ultrasound transducers to focus or steer a beam during use of the ultrasound transducers to interrogate the first blood vessel to determine the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured by machine readable instructions to:

determine, based on the spatial map, one or more Doppler parameters for the first blood vessel;

determine a normality of blood flow in the first blood vessel by comparing the one or more Doppler parameters with a range of expected Doppler indices as a function of gestational age;

determine, based on the normality of blood flow, a diagnosis for the first blood vessel; and

display the one or more Doppler parameters and the diagnosis for the first blood vessel on the user interface.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the pulsatile flow characteristics comprise periodic pulsatile flow that occurs in both positive-flow and negative-flow channels.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user input relates to one or both of a blood vessel'"'"'s type or a blood vessel'"'"'s name, and wherein displaying the first blood vessel and the name assigned to the first blood vessel comprises displaying the first blood vessel and the name assigned to the first blood vessel on the user interface when the user input corresponds to one or both of a type of the first blood vessel or the name assigned to the first blood vessel.

11. A method for anatomically identifying a blood vessel with a system, the system including (i) a non-phased array of ultrasound transducers having an inter-element spacing of more than an ultrasound wavelength (λ

) apart from one another and (ii) one or more processors, the method comprising;

generating, via concurrent operation of two or more ultrasound transducers of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers, a spatial map of one or more blood vessels, the one or more blood vessels including a first blood vessel;

determining, with the one or more processors and based on the spatial map, pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel;

identifying, with the one or more processors and based on the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel, a blood vessel type of the first blood vessel, wherein the identification comprises determining whether the first blood vessel is a vein or an artery;

assigning, with the one or more processors and based on the blood vessel type and a location of the first blood vessel, a name to the first blood vessel, wherein, responsive to the blood vessel type being a first named artery, assigning the name comprises classifying the first named artery with a k-nearest neighbor classifier;

obtaining, with the one or more processors, a user input via a user interface; and

causing, with the one or more processors, the first blood vessel and the name of the first blood vessel to be displayed on the user interface based on a determination that the first blood vessel corresponds to the user input.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, with the one or more processors, periodic pulsatile motion in both a positive-flow channel and a negative-flow channel of the first named artery; and

classifying, with the one or more processors, the first named artery based on determining the periodic pulsatile motion in both the positive-flow channel and the negative-flow channel of the first named artery.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the inter-element spacing of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers is more than two ultrasound wavelength (λ

).

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the inter-element spacing of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers is at least 10 mm.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel comprises:

generating a maximum frequency envelope for a spectrogram based on an output of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers;

determining a number of significant peaks in the maximum frequency envelope;

determining a time span of the spectrogram; and

determining a ratio of the time span to the number of significant peaks, and

wherein identifying the blood vessel type comprises identifying the first blood vessel type as an artery when the ratio is within a predetermined range of pulsatility metric and identifying the first blood vessel type as a vein when the ratio is not within the predetermined range of pulsatility metric.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

determining, with the one or more processors, a cardiac cycle length;

comparing, with the one or more processors, the cardiac cycle length to a predetermined threshold; and

classifying, based on the comparing, the artery.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers is configured to not collectively use of ultrasound transducers to focus or steer a beam during use of the ultrasound transducers to interrogate the first blood vessel to determine the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, with the one or more processors and based on the spatial map, one or more Doppler parameters for the first blood vessel;

determining, with the one or more processors, a normality of blood flow in the first blood vessel by comparing the one or more Doppler parameters with a range of expected Doppler indices as a function of gestational age;

determining, based on the normality of blood flow, a diagnosis for the first blood vessel; and

causing, with the one or more processors, the one or more Doppler parameters and the diagnosis for the first blood vessel to be displayed on the user interface.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the user input relates to one or both of a blood vessel'"'"'s type or a blood vessel'"'"'s name, and wherein the method further comprises causing, with the one or more processors, the first blood vessel and the first blood vessel'"'"'s name to be displayed on the user interface when the user input corresponds to one or both of a type of the first blood vessel or the name assigned to the first blood vessel.

20. A system configured to anatomically identify a blood vessel, the system comprising:

a non-phased array of ultrasound transducers having an inter-element spacing of more than a ultrasound wavelength (λ

) apart from one another; and

one or more processors configured by machine-readable instructions to;

generate, via the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers, a spatial map of one or more blood vessels, the one or more blood vessels including a first blood vessel;

determine, based on the spatial map, pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel;

identify, based on the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel, a blood vessel type of the first blood vessel, wherein identification comprises determining whether the first blood vessel is a vein or an artery;

assign, based on the blood vessel type and a location of the first blood vessel, a name to the first blood vessel;

obtain a user input via a user interface; and

cause the first blood vessel and the name assigned to the first blood vessel 532 to be displayed on the user interface based on a determination that the first blood vessel corresponds to the user input.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers comprise a plurality of rows of ultrasound transducers and a plurality of columns of ultrasound transducers,

wherein the one or more processors are configured by machine-readable instructions to:

obtain Doppler shift information via concurrent operation of the non-phased array of ultrasound transducers; and

construct, based on the Doppler shift information, a multi-layer matrix having a plurality of layers to generate the spatial map such that the multi-layer matrix comprises matrix entries corresponding to regions of a subject, wherein each matrix entry of the matrix entries indicate whether flow was detected in the Doppler shift information for the respective corresponding region, wherein the spatial map comprises the multi-layer matrix, and wherein each layer of the plurality of layers corresponds to the plurality of rows of ultrasound transducers and the plurality of columns of ultrasound transducers; and

determine, based on the multi-layer matrix, the pulsatile flow characteristics of the first blood vessel.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the pulsatile flow characteristics comprises a maximum frequency envelope, a number of significant peaks, or periodic pulsatile flow occurs in both positive-flow and negative-flow channels.