System and method for comparing ultrasound images corresponding to two user-selected data points

• US 20040066957A1
• Filed: 10/03/2002
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Miller, Edward A., Garg, Rohit, Skyba, Danny M., Dolimier, Damien
• Granted Patent: US 7,593,554 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• 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: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/028 Multiple view windows (top-side-front-sagittal-orthogonal)
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing

Abstract

A system and method are provided for simplifying off-line quantification of ultrasound images by displaying a graphical user interface showing a real-time ultrasound image for enabling a user to freeze the real-time ultrasound image to display an image sequence capable of being modified and played back by the user. The graphical user interface displays graphs or curves providing data related to the ultrasound images. Each data point on the curves represents one ultrasound image of the ultrasound images. When the user selects a particular data point on a curve of a graph, the corresponding ultrasound image is displayed by the graphical user interface. The user can then select another data point on the same curve or another curve to display another corresponding ultrasound image. The two ultrasound image framescan then be compared. The system and method of the present invention further provide the ability for a user to select a region of interest within one of the displayed images to display parameters associated with the selected region of interest for the two ultrasound images.

Claims

1. A method for accessing an image using at least one graph comprising the steps of:

displaying the at least one graph having at least one curve plotted thereon, each data point of the at least one curve corresponding to an image;

receiving an input indicating selection by a user of a data point; and

displaying an image corresponding to the selected data point.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving another input indicating selection by the user of a subsequent data point; and

displaying another image corresponding to the subsequently-selected data point.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:

receiving an input from the user indicating selection of a region of interest for the two displayed images; and

displaying two sets of parameters for the selected region of interest, each set of parameters corresponding to one of the displayed images.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of displaying a window including delta values for the two sets of parameters.

5. A method for displaying parameters associated with a region of interest common to two images frames, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an input indicating selection by a user of the region of interest common to the two images;

displaying a first set of parameters associated with the selected region of interest for one of the two images; and

displaying a second set of parameters associated with the selected region of interest for the other of the two images.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the step of accessing the two images using at least one graph prior to the receiving step, wherein the step of accessing comprises the steps of:

displaying the at least one graph having at least one curve plotted thereon, each data point of the at least one curve corresponding to an image;

receiving an input indicating selection by a user of a data point;

displaying an image corresponding to the selected data point, wherein the displayed image is one of the two images;

receiving another input indicating selection by the user of a subsequent data point; and

displaying another image corresponding to the subsequently-selected data point, wherein the displayed image is the other of the two images.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of displaying a window including delta values for the two sets of parameters.

8. An imaging system for accessing an image using at least one graph comprising:

a display displaying the at least one graph having at least one curve plotted thereon, each data point of the at least one curve corresponding to an image;

means for receiving an input indicating selection by a user of a data point and for displaying an image corresponding to the selected data point on the display.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the means for receiving further receives another input indicating selection by the user of a subsequent data point and displays another image corresponding to the subsequently-selected data point on the display.

10. The system according to claim 8, further comprising:

means for receiving an input from the user indicating selection of a region of interest for the two displayed images; and

means for displaying two sets of parameters for the selected region of interest, each set of parameters corresponding to one of the displayed images.

11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising means for displaying a window including delta values for the two sets of parameters on the display.

12. An imaging system for displaying parameters associated with a region of interest common to two images, the system comprising:

means for receiving an input indicating selection by a user of the region of interest common to the two images; and

a display for displaying a first set of parameters associated with the selected region of interest for one of the two images and a second set of parameters associated with the selected region of interest for the other of the two images.

13. The system according to claim 12, further comprising means for accessing the two images using at least one graph, wherein the means for accessing comprises:

means for displaying the at least one graph having at least one curve plotted thereon on the display, each data point of the at least one curve corresponding to an image;

means for receiving an input indicating selection by a user of a data point and displaying an image corresponding to the selected data point on the display, wherein the displayed image is one of the two images; and

means for receiving another input indicating selection by the user of a subsequent data point and displaying another image corresponding to the subsequently-selected data point on the display, wherein the displayed image is the other of the two images.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising means for displaying a window including delta values for the two sets of parameters on the display.

15. A computer-readable medium storing a series of programmable instructions for performing a method for accessing an image using at least one graph comprising the steps of:

displaying the at least one graph having at least one curve plotted thereon, each data point of the at least one curve corresponding to an image;

receiving an input indicating selection by a user of a data point; and

displaying an image corresponding to the selected data point.

16. The computer-readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving another input indicating selection by the user of a subsequent data point; and

displaying another image corresponding to the subsequently-selected data point.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

receiving an input from the user indicating selection of a region of interest for the two displayed images;

displaying two sets of parameters for the selected region of interest, each set of parameters corresponding to one of the displayed images; and

displaying a window including delta values for the two sets of parameters.

18. A computer-readable medium storing a series of programmable instructions for performing a method for displaying parameters associated with a region of interest common to two images, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an input indicating selection by a user of the region of interest common to the two images;

displaying a first set of parameters associated with the selected region of interest for one of the two images; and

displaying a second set of parameters associated with the selected region of interest for the other of the two images.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises the step of accessing the two images using at least one graph prior to the receiving step, wherein the step of accessing comprises the steps of:

displaying the at least one graph having at least one curve plotted thereon, each data point of the at least one curve corresponding to an image;

receiving an input indicating selection by a user of a data point;

displaying an image corresponding to the selected data point, wherein the displayed image is one of the two images;

receiving another input indicating selection by the user of a subsequent data point; and

displaying another image corresponding to the subsequently-selected data point, wherein the displayed image is the other of the two images.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, further comprising the step of displaying a window including delta values for the two sets of parameters.