Elevation beamwidth control for contrast imaging

• US 20050203408A1
• Filed: 03/04/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: George A. Brock-Fisher
• Original Assignee: George A. Brock-Fisher
• Inventors: Brock-Fisher, George A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,625,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/458
• 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 8/481 involving the use of contrast agent, e.g. microbubbles introduced into the bloodstream analysis of echo signal exploiting properties of a contrast enhancer in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52039
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/543 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52041 detecting modification of a contrast enhancer, e.g. detecting the destruction of a contrast agent by an acoustic wave, e.g. loss of correlation diagnostic techniques involving the use of contrast agents A61B8/481
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52046 Techniques for image enhancement involving transmitter or receiver image enhancement by image data processing G06T5/00

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to contrast imaging. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to apparatus and methods for contrast imaging in which the elevation beamwidth is controlled to reduce image artifacts, which result from contrast agent being carried into the image region by motion or respiration and not by reperfusion.

Claims

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19. An ultrasound transducer for imaging contrast agent within a body of a patient, comprising:

a plurality of adjacent transducer elements for;

1) transmission of a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) signal in order to destroy the contrast agent in a desired region of interest (ROI) in said patient, wherein said HIFU signal is steered towards the ROI with a desired beamwidth;

2) transmitting a low intensity ultrasound (LIU) signal at a portion of the ROI in order to image said contrast agent;

3) receiving echo signals reflected from the portion of the ROI exposed to said LIU signal from a desired direction with a desired beamwidth that is narrower than the beamwidth of the HIFU signal, wherein the plurality of the adjacent transducer elements are a two-dimensional array of matrix elements and the contrast agent imaged by said LIU signal is substantially only contrast agent reperfused into the portion of the ROI.

21. The ultrasound transducer of claim 19, wherein each matrix element of the two-dimensional array is individually controllable for transmission of both HIFU and LIU signals to, and reception of echoed LIU signals from the patient.

20. An ultrasound transducer for imaging contrast agent within a body of a patient, comprising:

a plurality of adjacent transducer elements for;

1) transmitting high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) signals into a region of interest (ROI) within the patient in order to destroy contrast agent present in the ROI;

2) transmitting low intensity ultrasound (LIU) signals into said ROI;

3) receiving low intensity signals which are echoed from the ROI in order to image the contrast agent then present in the ROI, wherein said HIFU signals are transmitted with a wider beamwidth than the LIU signals, and wherein the contrast agent imaged by the LIU signals comprises substantially only reperfused contrast agent.

22. The ultrasound transducer of claim 20, wherein beamwidths of the transmitted HIFU and LIU signals, and the received echoed LIU signals, respectively, are controlled by changing an effective aperture of the transducer.

23. The ultrasound transducer of claim 20, wherein beamwidths of the transmitted HIFU and LIU signals, and the received echoed LIU signals, respectively, are controlled by energizing a portion of the plurality of the adjacent transducer elements.

24. The ultrasound transducer of claim 23, wherein the energized portion of the plurality of the adjacent transducer elements is in a center of said plurality.

25. The ultrasound transducer of claim 20, wherein a face of the ultrasound transducer is curved.

26. The ultrasound transducer of claim 20, further comprising a lens adjacent a face of the ultrasound transducer, wherein a beamwidth of the HIFU and LIU signals is controlled by selectively using one of:

central elements of the plurality of the transducer elements; and

spaced apart elements of the plurality of the transducer elements.

27. A method for imaging a contrast agent within a body of a patient, comprising:

transmitting high intensity ultrasound (HIFU) into a region of interest (ROI) within the patient in order signals to destroy the contrast agent in the ROI;

waiting a predetermined time period after transmitting the HIFU signals;

transmitting low intensity ultrasound (LIU) signals into the ROI; and

receiving LIU signals echoed from the ROI in order to image only reperfused contrast agent in the ROI, wherein the receiving is from a narrower portion of the ROI exposed to the transmitting of the HIFU signals.