Portable three dimensional diagnostic ultrasound imaging methods and systems

• US 20040158154A1
• Filed: 02/06/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Hanafy, Amin M., Proulx, Timothy, Cai, Anming H.
• Application Number:
  US10/360,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20040158154A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/446
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52053 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for three dimensional imaging with a portable diagnostic ultrasound system. Real time or four dimensional imaging with a handheld system may also be provided. A transducer array steerable in an elevation dimension is used on the portable diagnostic ultrasound system. For more rapid or simpler scanning of a volume, the transducer array is a physically steerable wobbler transducer or a transducer with a varying thickness in the elevation dimension for electronically steerable frequency dependent elevation scanning. Using a transducer array other than a fully sampled two-dimensional array may be more cost effective and may require fewer electronics within the handheld system (i.e. allow more effective miniaturization) while still providing handheld three-dimensional imaging.

Claims

1. In a handheld diagnostic ultrasound system for three dimensional imaging, the improvement comprising:

a transducer array steerable in an elevation dimension.

2. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the transducer array comprises a wobbler transducer.

3. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the transducer array comprises fewer than three elevationally spaced rows of elements.

4. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the transducer array comprises a plurality of azimuthally spaced elements each with varying ceramic thickness along the elevation dimension.

5. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 4 wherein each of the elements has a width in the elevation dimension extending from a first end to a second end and a thickness in a range dimension wherein the thickness of each element is at a minimum at the first end and the thickness is greater than the minimum at the second end.

6. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 5 further comprising a second row of azimuthally spaced elements adjacent the plurality of azimuthally spaced elements, each element of the second row having a width in the elevation dimension extending from a third end to a fourth end and a thickness in a range dimension wherein the thickness is at a minimum at the third end and the thickness is greater than the minimum at the fourth end, the elements of the second row positioned adjacent the plurality of elements such that either the third end is adjacent the first end or the fourth end is adjacent the second end.

7. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising:

a first housing supporting the transducer array, the housing adapted to be handheld;

one or more ultrasound processors operable to detect signals from the transducer array in at least two elevationally spaced scan planes and generate data of a representation of a three dimensional volume from the detected signals, the one or more ultrasound processors within the first housing.

8. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 7 wherein the first housing is less than 8 inches in any dimension.

9. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising:

at least two filters with different frequency responses connected with the transducer array; and

a receive beamformer connected with the at least two filters and operable to beamform two different elevationally spaced scan lines in response to the different frequency responses.

10. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 9 further comprising:

a transmitter connected with the transducer array and operable to generate a wideband transmit waveform including center frequencies of the different frequency responses.

11. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the system comprises a handheld ultrasound image processing device wherein an elevation position of a scan line is known relative to other elevation positions based on the steerable transducer array.

22. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 6 wherein the third end is adjacent the first end.

23. The handheld diagnostic ultrasound system of claim 6 wherein the fourth end is adjacent the second end.

24. The system of claim 4 wherein each of the elements has a width in the elevation dimension extending from a first end to a second end and a thickness in a range dimension wherein the thickness of each element is one of a minimum and maximum at a point about midway between the first end and the second end;

and

further comprising front and back acoustic ports that are mismatched in impedance with respect to the ceramic layer, the front acoustic port having an acoustic impedance of about 6 MRayl or less and the back acoustic port having an acoustic impedance of about 2 MRayl or less.

12. A method for three dimensional imaging with a portable diagnostic ultrasound system, the method comprising:

(a) steering ultrasound energy in elevation with a transducer array; and

(b) generating a representation of a three dimensional volume in response to the steering with a handheld ultrasound imaging device.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein (a) comprises steering as a function of frequency.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein (a) comprises steering with a wobbler transducer array.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein (a) comprises steering with the transducer array physically supported by the handheld ultrasound imaging device.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprises:

(c) repeating (b) at least three times a second.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein (a) comprises steering in elevation with a known spacing from a transducer array in a handheld housing.

18. A portable ultrasound system for three dimensional imaging, the system comprising:

a transducer array having a plurality of azimuthally spaced elements, each of the elements having a non-uniform thickness ceramic along an elevation dimension;

a first housing connected with the transducer array, the first housing sized to be one of handheld and carried on a user;

a processor within the first housing, the processor operable to generate a representation of a three dimensional volume from information received from the transducer array; and

a display connected with the processor, the display operable to display the representation.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising:

at least two filters with different frequency responses connected with the transducer array;

a receive beamformer connected with the at least two filters and operable to beamform two different elevationally spaced scan lines in response to the different frequency responses; and

a transmitter connected with the transducer array and operable to generate a wideband transmit waveform including center frequencies of the different frequency responses.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the at least two filters, the receive beamformer, the transmitter and the display are within the first housing, the first housing being less than eight inches in any dimension.

25. The system of claim 18 wherein the transducer array comprises one of:

an air backing, a single matching layer, a matching layer with a thickness tuned to be frequency dependent in correspondence with the non-uniform thickness ceramic, an impedance mismatched matching layer of 6 MRayl or less with respect to the ceramic, an impedance mismatched backing of 2 MRayl or less with respect to the ceramic and combinations thereof.

21. A method for three dimensional imaging with a portable diagnostic ultrasound system, the method comprising:

(a) scanning in a plurality of elevationally spaced planes as a function of frequency; and

(b) generating a representation of a three dimensional volume as a function of the scanning of elevationally spaced planes with a handheld ultrasound imaging device.