ULTRASOUND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMAGING AND/OR MEASURING DISPLACEMENT OF MOVING TISSUE AND FLUID

• US 20080086054A1
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Guided Therapy Systems Llc
• Original Assignee: Ardent Sound, Inc.
• Inventors: Jaeger, Paul, Slayton, Michael H., Barthe, Peter G., Kouklev, Vadim
• Granted Patent: US 9,241,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/438
• 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 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4411 Device being modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00

Abstract

A system and method for improved imaging is disclosed. An exemplary system provides a peripheral ultrasound system connected to a host computer with a plug-and-play interface such as a USB. An exemplary system utilizes a dedicated graphics processing unit such as a graphics card to analyze data obtained from a region of interest to produce an image on one or more output units for the user'"'"'s viewing. Based on the image displayed on the output units, the user can determine the velocity of the moving tissue and fluid. The system of the present invention can be used to produce a Doppler color flow map or for power Doppler imaging.

Claims

1. A system for diagnostic imaging and estimation of displacement of moving tissue and fluid comprising:

a probe that transmits and receives energy; and

a dedicated graphics processing unit comprising a memory and configured with algorithms to estimate tissue and fluid movement from energy received by the probe.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a demodulator for processing energy received by the probe.

3. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a beamforming device for focusing and conditioning the energy emitted from the probe.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the beamforming device further comprises a conditioning circuit.

5. The system according to claim 3 further comprising a host computer connected to the beamforming device and in communication with the dedicated graphics processing unit for displaying an image and displacement of moving tissue to a user.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the host computer is connected to the beamforming device by a plug-and-play interface.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the plug-and-play interface is a USB.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the probe comprises a single element to deliver energy to a region of interest.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the dedicated graphics processing unit comprises a physics processing unit.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the dedicated graphics processing unit is a graphics card.

11. A system for diagnostic imaging and estimation of displacement of moving tissue and fluid comprising:

a peripheral ultrasound system for obtaining data from a region of interest comprising,

a probe that transmits and receives ultrasound energy,

a demodulator processing the ultrasound energy received by the probe,

a beamforming device for focusing and conditioning the ultrasound energy before it is emitted from the probe;

a graphics processing unit for processing the data obtained at the region of interest comprising a memory, a processor, and software configured with algorithms to estimate tissue displacement; and

a host computer in operative communication with the peripheral ultrasound system and the graphics processing unit for providing data processed by the graphics processing unit to the user and enabling the user to control the system.

12. The system according to claim 11 further comprising a plug-and-play interface to connect the host computer to the peripheral ultrasound system.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the plug-and-play interface is a USB.

14. The system according to claim 11 wherein the graphics processing unit utilizes an algorithm to determine a directional movement of tissue.

15. The system according to claim 11 wherein the graphics processing unit utilizes an algorithm to determine velocity of tissue displacement.

16. The system according to claim 11 wherein the graphics processing unit utilizes a Doppler shift algorithm to estimate tissue displacement.

17. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system utilizes a B-flow imaging technique to estimate tissue displacement.

18. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system combines a B-flow imaging technique with a Doppler shift algorithm to estimate tissue displacement.

19. The system according to claim 11 wherein the host computer further comprises at least two output devices to relay information about the region of interest to a user.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein the at least two output devices are monitors that display an image.

21. The system according to claim 11 wherein the host computer displays an image.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein the image is a color flow map.

23. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system utilizes a power Doppler ultrasound technique to produce an image.

24. The system according to claim 11 wherein the graphics processing unit comprises a physics processing unit.

25. An ultrasonic system for diagnostic imaging and estimation of displacement of moving live tissue including fluid within a region of interest comprising:

a peripheral ultrasound system comprising;

a probe with a single element transmitting ultrasound energy, a demodulator processing received ultrasound energy collected from the region of interest;

a host computer connected to the peripheral ultrasound system with a plug-and-play interface; and

a dedicated graphics card in communication with the host computer comprising,

a video memory,

a processor, and

wherein the dedicated graphics card is configured solely to estimate tissue and fluid movement and direction.

26. The ultrasonic system according to claim 25 wherein the plug-and-play interface is a USB.

27. The ultrasonic system according to claim 25 wherein the host computer further comprises at least two monitors to display an image.

28. The ultrasonic system according to claim 25 wherein the dedicated graphics card utilizes an algorithm to estimate the displacement of moving live tissue including fluid.

29. The ultrasonic system according to claim 28 wherein the algorithm is a Doppler shift algorithm.

30. The ultrasonic system according to claim 28 wherein the ultrasonic system uses a B-flow imaging technique.

31. The ultrasonic system according to claim 28 wherein the ultrasonic system combines a B-flow imaging technique with a Doppler shift algorithm to estimate tissue and fluid displacement.

32. A graphics processing unit configured for operation with a system for diagnostic imaging and estimation of displacement of moving tissue comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor; and

software executed by the graphics processing unit that estimates tissue and fluid movement and direction.

33. The graphics processing unit according to claim 32 wherein the processor utilizes an algorithm to produce a diagnostic image and estimate the displacement of moving tissue.

34. The graphics processing unit according to claim 33 wherein the algorithm is a Doppler shift algorithm.

35. The graphics processing unit according to claim 34 wherein graphics processing unit processes data to produce an image which is the result of combining B-Flow imaging and Doppler imaging.

36. A method of obtaining a diagnostic image and estimating the displacement of moving tissue and fluid comprising:

providing an ultrasound system comprising;

a beamforming system comprising a demodulator and a conditioning circuit,

a transducer probe connected to the beamforming system,

a host computer connected to the beamforming system by a plug-and-play interface,

a dedicated graphics processing unit in communication with the host computer;

contacting the transducer probe to the region of interest;

transmitting ultrasound energy from the probe to the region of interest;

receiving reflected ultrasound energy from the region of interest at the transducer probe;

delivering the ultrasound energy received by the transducer probe to the demodulator for demodulation into data readable by the host computer;

delivering the data to the host computer;

processing the data on the dedicated graphics processing unit; and

delivering the processed data to the host computer.

37. The method according to claim 36 wherein the step of processing data on the dedicated graphics processing unit produces a color flow map.

38. The method according to claim 36 wherein a power Doppler ultrasound technique is utilized.

39. The method according to claim 36 wherein the step of processing the data on the dedicated graphics processing unit is accomplished by an algorithm.