Yukov tissue characterization method and apparatus

• US 10,383,597 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2017
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yukov Scientific LLC
• Original Assignee: Igor Yukov
• Inventors: Yukov, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): Desanto, Matthew F
• Application Number:
  US15/732,780
• Publication Number:
  US 20180185006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4416 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities, e.g. combination of ultrasound and X-ray acquisitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/469 for selection of a region of interest
• 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: A61B 8/5246 combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5269 involving detection or reduction of artifacts for image enhancement algorithms G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

An apparatus for improving the quality of the existing ultrasound diagnostic examination by non-invasively determining a type of tissue matter within a living entity consisting of application of two different ultrasound diagnostic methods simultaneously, in a sequence or alternate through the same transducer is disclosed. The apparatus uses a B-scan tissue image visualization as a guiding image to apply a tissue characterization method to determine an attenuation data for tissue matter and includes the steps of applying arbitrary waveform generator to produce a B-scan image of the tissue matter to be analyzed, selecting a region of interest on said image, detecting reflected signals from said region of interest, analyzing the reflected signals to determine attenuation data for the tissue matter. The same advanced combined diagnostic examination can be achieved by using any existing on the market ultrasound diagnostic apparatus with a B-scan transducer by using interface adapter-switch consisting of switching of some piezo-elements of said B-scan transducer to the tissue characterization method for the period of application of said tissue characterization apparatus to determine a type of the tissue matter being under examination within a living entity.

Claims

1. A tissue characterization method which applies B-scan visualization and two-frequency attenuation for characterization of a tissue in a patient comprising the following steps:

(a) providing a B-scan apparatus wherein said B-scan apparatus has a B-scan transducer, said B-scan transducer comprised of a plurality of piezo-elements, a scanning system and a pulse generator,

(b) providing a two-frequency attenuation apparatus, said two frequency attenuation apparatus has a row of A-mode transducers inside said B-scan transducer and connected to a separate linear scanning system and waveform generator and which is configured to function through a subset of said plurality of piezo-elements of said B-scan transducer, said two frequency apparatus configured to generate sinusoidal ultrasound excitation pulses for said A-mode transducers, said sinusoidal excitation pulses comprising pulses of two different frequencies,

(c) placing the B-scan transducer on the patient'"'"'s body,

(d) displaying on the monitor a B-scan image of the patient'"'"'s tissue,

(e) selecting a spot of interest on said B-scan image displayed on the screen of said monitor,

(f) using a foot pedal to activate connection of said subset of said plurality of piezo-elements by means of switches in order to work as a single A-mode transducer for tissue characterization,

(g) sliding said B-scan transducer on said patient'"'"'s body to bring said A-mode transducers to said selected spot of interest, and scanning said selected spot of interest with said A-mode transducers,

(h) displaying on the screen of said monitor next to display of said B-scan images the A-mode images on chosen said two different frequencies from said selected spot of interest,

(i) analyzing the A-mode images either visually or with an analyzer, amplitudes, shapes, widths and registered times of reflected signals on said chosen two different frequencies from said selected spot of interest to obtain data for a differential attenuation coefficient, thereby permitting differentiation between types of tissue within an organ through analysis of reflected signals from boundaries of tissue layers,

(j) displaying said obtained data for said differential attenuation coefficient on the B-scan image as an overlay color image or as numerical data thereby permitting determination of the type of tissue matter from said selected spot of interest.