Guidance of invasive medical devices by wide view three dimensional ultrasonic imaging

• US 20060182320A1
• Filed: 03/04/2004
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• 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: Scampini, Steven, Savord, Bernard, Salgo, Ivan, Peszynski, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/105 Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3782 transmitter or receiver in catheter or minimal invasive instrument
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• 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 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52073 Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52074 Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52095 using multiline receive beamforming

Abstract

A three dimensional ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is operated to guide or observe the operation of an invasive medical device (30) in three dimensions. The invasive medical device (30) is shown in a detailed ultrasonic image and the balance of the volumetric region (120) in which the device is located is shown in a wide field of view. The detailed and wide fields of view may be displayed separately or overlapping in spatial alignment on an image display (18). The wide field of view may be shown in two or three dimensions. A quantified display may be shown together with the wide and detailed anatomical displays. The detailed view may also be shown in an enlarged or zoomed format.

Claims

1. A method of ultrasonically displaying an invasive medical device and the volumetric region of a body in which it is located comprising:

scanning the volumetric region with beams transmitted by an ultrasonic array transducer;

receiving echo signals from the volumetric region and from an invasive medical device located in the region;

processing echo signals to produce a wide field of view of the volumetric region;

processing echo signals to produce a detailed view of the portion of the volumetric region in which the invasive medical device is located; and

displaying both the wide field of view of the volumetric region and the detailed view of the portion of the volumetric region in which the invasive medical device is located on an image display.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the echo signals to produce a wide field of view comprises processing the echo signals to produce a wide field of view two dimensional image;

and

wherein processing the echo signals to produce a detailed view comprises producing a volume rendering of a portion of the volumetric region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying further comprises displaying the wide field of view two dimensional image and the volume rendering in different areas of an image display.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising designating the spatial location of the volume rendering in the two dimensional image.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying further comprises displaying the wide field of view two dimensional image and the volume rendering in spatial alignment in a common area of an image display.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the echo signals to produce a wide field of view comprises volume rendering the echo signals to produce a wide field of view three dimensional image;

and

wherein processing the echo signals to produce a detailed view comprises producing a volume rendering of a portion of the volumetric region.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying further comprises displaying the wide field of view three dimensional image and the volume rendering of the portion of the volumetric region in different areas of an image display.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising designating the spatial location of the volume rendering of the portion of the volumetric region in the wide field of view three dimensional image.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying further comprises displaying the wide field of view three dimensional image and the volume rendering of the portion of the volumetric region in spatial alignment in a common area of an image display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying further comprises displaying the volume rendering of the portion of the volumetric region in a separate enlarged or zoomed view.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying further comprises displaying the detailed view of the portion of the volumetric region in an enlarged or zoomed view.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing echo signals to produce a time-based display;

and

wherein displaying further comprises displaying the time-based display on an image display.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein processing echo signals to produce a time-based display further comprises processing echo signals to produce a spectral Doppler display, an M-mode display, or a color M-mode display.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein scanning further comprises transmitting a relatively low beam density over a volumetric region, with a relatively high beam density being transmitted in a portion of the volumetric region in which an invasive medical device is located.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein processing echo signals to produce a wide field of view further comprises processing echo signals received from a low beam density region of the volumetric region;

and

wherein processing echo signals to produce a detailed view further comprises processing echo signals received from a high beam density region of the volumetric region.

16. An ultrasonic surgical guidance imaging system which acts to guide the placement or observe the operation of an invasive medical device Comprising:

an ultrasonic probe including an array transducer which steers ultrasonic beams over a volumetric surgical region which includes an invasive medical device;

a transmit beamformer coupled to the array transducer which acts to control the spatial beam density of the beams transmitted by the array transducer in the volumetric region;

a receive beamformer coupled to the array transducer and responsive to echo signals from array elements for the production of received scanlines in the vicinity of the invasive medical device and in the volumetric region at locations removed from the invasive medical device location;

an image processor responsive to the received scanlines for producing a wide field of view of the volumetric surgical region and a detailed view of the invasive medical device; and

a display coupled to the image processor which displays both the wide field of view of the volumetric surgical region and the detailed view of the invasive medical device.

17. The ultrasonic surgical guidance imaging system of claim 16, wherein the display is operated to display both the wide field of view of the volumetric surgical region and the detailed view of the invasive medical device in spatial registration.

18. The ultrasonic surgical guidance imaging system of claim 16, wherein the transmit beamformer acts to control the spatial beam density of the beams transmitted by the array transducer to be different in the vicinity of the invasive medical device than in the volumetric region at locations removed from the invasive medical device location.

19. The ultrasonic surgical guidance imaging system of claim 16, wherein the receive beamformer comprises a multiline receive beamformer.

20. The ultrasonic surgical guidance imaging system of claim 19, wherein the multiline receive beamformer is operated for the production of a different number of received multilines for each transmit beam in the vicinity of the invasive medical device than that produced in the volumetric region at locations removed from the invasive medical device location.