Contrast agent destruction effectiveness determination for medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging

• US 20090187103A1
• Filed: 01/23/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Guracar, Ismayil M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,668,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/439
• 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 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• 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: G01S 15/108 using more than one pulse per sonar period

Abstract

The effectiveness of contrast agent destruction is determined. Locations of ineffectively destroyed contrast agents are identified. The response from undestroyed contrast agents may be distinguished from response from tissue due to saturation or from rapid perfusion. The locations may be highlighted on resulting images, indicating to the user locations not associated with perfusion. The user may make a diagnosis on perfusion rather than a lack of destruction of contrast agents.

Claims

1. A method for indicating effectiveness of contrast agent destruction, the method comprising:

destroying, with acoustic energy, contrast agents within a region;

detecting locations within the region of incomplete destruction of the contrast agents; and

indicating the locations within the region.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein destroying comprises transmitting a first plurality of acoustic beams with a higher power along each of a plurality of scan lines, wherein acoustic echoes are substantially not received in response to the transmitting;

further comprising transmitting second acoustic beams with a lower power along the scan lines and receiving echoes responsive to the acoustic beams,

wherein indicating comprises highlighting the locations in a color different than other colors in an image responsive to the received echoes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting locations comprises distinguishing between contrast agent response associated with rapid perfusion and contrast agent response associated with the incomplete destruction.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein distinguishing comprises line interleaving of transmissions for the destroying with transmissions for detecting contrast agents.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting locations comprises distinguishing between thermal noise, saturation of tissue signals, or both and contrast agent response associated with the incomplete destruction.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein distinguishing comprises identifying the locations as associated with the B-mode tissue response being less than a threshold level and not being associated with the B-mode tissue response exceeding the threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting comprises acquiring a baseline perfusion frame of data after the destroying, and identifying the locations from, data of the frame of data exceeding a noise level by a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

controlling additional destruction pulses as a function of the locations, in response to detection of the locations, or both.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

forming a motion compensated maximum intensity projection image of contrast agent response after the destroying;

wherein indicating comprises indicating in the motion compensated maximum intensity projection image.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein further comprising calculating a time for a contrast agent response to reach a threshold from the destroying for the region without including the locations.

11. In a computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for determining effectiveness of contrast agent destruction, the storage medium comprising instructions for:

acquiring a baseline frame of data of contrast agent response after transmission of destruction pulses; and

distinguishing, as a function of the baseline frame of data, between thermal noise, non-linear response of tissue signals, or both and contrast agent response associated with the incomplete destruction of contrast agents.

12. The computer readable media of claim 11 wherein the instructions further comprise generating an image representing perfusion of the region, the image having a relatively adjusted contribution of the thermal noise, non-linear response of tissue signals, or both and contrast agent response associated with the incomplete destruction of contrast agents.

13. The computer readable media of claim 12 wherein generating comprises generating the image with locations of incomplete destruction of contrast agents highlighted.

14. The computer readable media of claim 11 wherein distinguishing comprises identifying first locations represented by the data of the frame of data, the first locations corresponding to a signal-to-noise ratio exceeding a first threshold, and identifying second locations as a subset of the first locations, the second locations corresponding to a B-mode intensity below a second threshold.

15. A system for determining effectiveness of contrast agent destruction, the system comprising:

a transmit beamformer operable to transmit first pulses for destruction of contrast agents and operable to transmit second pulses for imaging contrast agents with minimal destruction; and

a receive beamformer operable to form contrast agent signals responsive to the second pulses;

wherein timing for the first and second pulses is operable to distinguish between contrast agent response associated with rapid perfusion and contrast agent response associated with incomplete destruction.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

a controller operable to control the transmit beamformer as a function of the timing;

an image processor operable to generate a frame of data representing a maximum intensity over a period for each location of a scan region; and

a display operable to display an image as a function of the frame of data, the image color modulating locations of the scan region associated with the incomplete destruction and not with the rapid perfusion.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the timing comprises line interleaving the first and second pulses.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein line interleaving comprises transmitting multiple first pulses along a first scan line and then transmitting the second pulses along the first scan line, and then transmitting multiple first pulses along a second scan line and then transmitting the second pulses along the second scan line.

19. The system of claim 18 further comprising an image processor operable to form a baseline frame of data from the contrast agent signals responsive to the line interleaving, wherein subsequent frames of data are formed as a function of transmission of second pulses without interleaved first pulses.

20. The system of claim 15 further comprising an image processor operable to distinguish contrast agent response for incomplete destruction from tissue leakage or saturation.