Ultrasound medical imaging with robotic assistance for volume imaging

• US 20080021317A1
• Filed: 07/24/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Sumanaweera, Thilaka
• Application Number:
  US11/492,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20080021317A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4218 characterised by articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data

Abstract

A robotic mechanism positions a volume scanning transducer at multiple acoustic windows on a patient. Ultrasound data is acquired from the windows and combined into a wide field-of-view. The robotic mechanism operates without user contact, such as for an automated full or partial torso scan of a patient. Alternatively, the robotic mechanism provides force to reduce strain on a sonographer.

Claims

1. An ultrasound system for medical imaging, the ultrasound system comprising:

a transducer operable to scan a three-dimensional volume;

a robotic mechanism with at least one actuator operable to move the robotic mechanism in at least one degree-of-freedom; and

a processor operable to receive ultrasound data representing first and second volumes acquired with the transducer held by the robotic mechanism at first and second acoustic windows, respectively, on a body, and the processor operable to combine the ultrasound data for a wide field-of-view representing at least the first and second volumes.

2. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the robotic mechanism comprises one or more sensors.

3. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the transducer comprises a wobbler or a two-dimensional array of elements.

4. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to extract automatically a subset of the ultrasound data associated with scanned structure of the body.

5. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to a measure automatically a quantity associated with structure of the body from the ultrasound data.

6. The ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising a second transducer connected with the robotic mechanism, wherein the robotic mechanism is operable to position the transducer and the second transducer adjacent the body in a known spatial relationship.

7. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the robotic mechanism comprises at least one link of non-rigid flexible material.

8. The ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising a position sensor connected to the transducer, the robotic mechanism or both the transducer and the robotic mechanism.

9. The ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising a force sensor connected to the transducer, the robotic mechanism or both the transducer and the robotic mechanism, the processor operable to determine a pressure applied to the body as a function of output from the force sensor.

10. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the robotic mechanism is encapsulated, at least partly, inside a fluid-filled flexible bag.

11. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the at least one actuator comprises an electromagnetic actuator, pneumatic actuator, hydraulic actuator or combinations thereof.

12. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to position the transducer at the first and second acoustic windows by control of the actuator without user contact with the robotic mechanism.

13. The ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising a geometry digitizer operable to determine a geometry of a surface of the body, the processor operable to determine the first and second acoustic windows as a function of output of the geometry of the surface.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 1 further comprising a sensor operable to sense user applied pressure to the robotic mechanism, the transducer or both the robotic mechanism and the transducer;

wherein the processor is operable to control the actuator as a function of output from the sensor.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the robotic mechanism is operable to apply and remove ultrasonic gel on the body.

16. The ultrasound system of claim 1 wherein the processor is operable to combine the ultrasound data for the wide field-of-view representing at least the first and second volumes as a function of positions of the robotic mechanism while holding the transducer at the first and second acoustic windows.

17. A method for medical imaging with a robotic mechanism, the method comprising:

positioning a transducer with a robotic mechanism at a first position on a body;

performing a first volume scan with the transducer at the first position;

positioning the transducer with the robotic mechanism at a second position on the body;

performing a second volume scan with the transducer at the second position; and

generating a wide field-of-view from ultrasound data from the first volume scan and the second volume scan.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein positioning comprises positioning at the first and second positions as a function of a body scan map.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining, with a sensor, a geometry of the body;

generating a body scan map as a function of the geometry, the body scan map including the first and second positions; and

controlling the robotic mechanism as a function of the body scan map;

wherein the positioning is performed without user applied force to the robotic mechanism.

20. In a computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for ultrasound imaging with a robotic mechanism, the storage medium comprising instructions for:

receiving spatial parameters defining a plurality of three-dimensional scan locations on or adjacent to a patient;

moving, with the robotic mechanism, a transducer between the three-dimensional scan locations; and

generating a representation of the patient from ultrasound data associated with the plurality of the three-dimensional scan locations.

21. The instructions of claim 20 further comprising:

generating the spatial parameters from output data from a sensor.

22. An ultrasound system for medical imaging, the ultrasound system comprising:

a volume scan transducer;

a robotic mechanism connectable with the volume scan transducer;

a first sensor operable to sense a first force applied by a user on the transducer, robotic mechanism or both the transducer and the robotic mechanism;

a second sensor operable to sense a second force applied to a patient; and

a processor operable to control the robotic mechanism in response to the first force such that less net reactionary force is provided on a sonographer as a function of assisting force applied by the robotic mechanism while maintaining the second force below a threshold amount.

23. The ultrasound system of claim 22 wherein the robotic mechanism comprises at least one actuator operable to generate a first portion of the second force in response to the sonographer applying the first force, at least part of the first force comprising the second force.

24. The ultrasound system of claim 22 wherein the volume scan transducer comprises a wobbler or a two-dimensional array;

wherein the robotic mechanism has at least two-degrees of freedom;

further comprising a position sensor operable to determine a position of the transducer.

25. A method for medical imaging with assistance from a robotic mechanism, the method comprising:

sensing first pressure applied towards a patient by a user;

sensing second pressure applied by a transducer on the patient; and

applying force with the robotic mechanism in response to the first pressure, the second pressure being a function of the force and the first pressure.