SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A REAL-TIME ULTRASOUND SIGNAL WITHIN A TIME WINDOW

• US 20100081937A1
• Filed: 09/23/2009
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ultrasound Medical Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ultrasound Medical Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Hamilton, James
• Application Number:
  US12/565,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20100081937A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/449
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/349 Detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52055 in association with ancillary recording equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52087 using synchronization techniques control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal A61B8/543

Abstract

One embodiment is a method for real-time window processing and window definition that includes measuring a defining signal and an instantaneous tissue state signal, dynamically determining a time window from the defining signal, and processing instantaneous tissue state signal captured in the time window. Another embodiment is a system for processing a real-time ultrasound signal within a time window that includes a physiological signal monitor that measures a physiological signal, an ultrasound acquisition device that acquires an ultrasound signal, a window identifier that uses the physiological signal to identify boundary markers of the output of the physiological signal monitor that define a time window, and an ultrasound processor that processes the ultrasound signal within a time window and outputs a time window processed ultrasound signal. The embodiments have applications in the field of ultrasound tissue tracking and numerous other tissue monitoring fields.

Claims

1. A method for processing a real-time ultrasound signal within a time window comprising the steps of:

measuring a physiological signal and an instantaneous ultrasound imaging signal;

identifying boundary markers in the physiological signal as the physiological signal is measured, wherein the boundary markers define a time window;

processing the ultrasound imaging signal captured in the time window; and

outputting an instantaneous ultrasound imaging signal with processed time windows.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying the boundary markers includes identifying a trigger event.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the trigger event is identified by a signal edge detector.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of identifying the boundary markers further includes identifying a start boundary marker and a stop boundary marker.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining a plurality of time windows of varying types, each type having a set of boundary markers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of processing includes processing the ultrasound imaging signal according to the type of time window.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological signal is an electrocardiogram (ECG).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the instantaneous measurement of the ultrasound imaging signal is a tissue velocity measurement.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the instantaneous measurement of the ultrasound imaging signal is a strain rate measurement.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of measuring the ultrasound imaging signal includes processing acquired ultrasound data to calculate the strain rate measurement.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the strain rate measurement is at a frame rate of at least 100 Hz.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of processing of the ultrasound imaging signal includes accumulating the ultrasound imaging signal over the time window.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the time window has boundary markers positioned to capture a cardiac phase of a heart cycle.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein properties of a time window are predicted from a time window history.

15. The method of claim 14, including modifying a time window when the determined time window and a predicted time window differ more than a predetermined threshold.

16. A method for processing a real-time ultrasound signal within a time window comprising the steps of:

measuring an electrocardiogram (ECG) and identifying the ventricular systole portion of a heart cycle;

measuring the strain rate of at least a portion of the heart;

dynamically determining a time window from the ventricular systole portion;

accumulating the strain rate measurement captured in the time window; and

outputting a strain measurement.

17. A system for processing a real-time ultrasound signal within a time window comprising:

a physiological signal monitor that measures a physiological signal;

an ultrasound acquisition device that acquires an ultrasound signal;

a window identifier that uses the physiological signal to identify boundary markers of the output of the physiological signal monitor, wherein the boundary markers define a time window; and

an ultrasound processor that processes the ultrasound signal within a time window and outputs a time window processed ultrasound signal.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the physiological signal monitor is an electrocardiogram (ECG).

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the window identifier is a signal edge detector.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the window identifier is set to identify a cardiac phase of a heart cycle.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the ultrasound signal is a measurement of the strain rate of at least a portion of a heart, and the ultrasound processor is an accumulator that outputs the accumulated strain during a time window.