DETECTING A STENOSIS IN A BLOOD VESSEL
First Claim
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1. A method of detecting a flow disturbance in a vessel through which a fluid is flowing, the method comprising the steps of:
- obtaining Doppler ultrasound measurements of fluid flow through the vessel;
extracting a flow envelope from the Doppler ultrasound measurements;
parameterizing the flow envelope to generate a first set of parameters; and
performing classification to determine whether a flow disturbance exists in the vessel based on the first set of parameters.
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Abstract
Doppler ultrasound may be used to detect stenosis in a blood vessel using a variety of approaches. In one approach, the flow envelope is extracted from the Doppler ultrasound measurements, and the extracted flow envelope is parameterized. Classification is then done based on those parameters (and optionally other parameters), to determine whether a stenosis exists. A second approach uses Doppler data that is acquired in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of blood flow, and detects artifacts that are consistent with turbulences that usually appear downstream from stenoses.
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method of detecting a flow disturbance in a vessel through which a fluid is flowing, the method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining Doppler ultrasound measurements of fluid flow through the vessel; extracting a flow envelope from the Doppler ultrasound measurements; parameterizing the flow envelope to generate a first set of parameters; and performing classification to determine whether a flow disturbance exists in the vessel based on the first set of parameters. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of detecting a stenosis in a coronary blood vessel, the method comprising the steps of:
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obtaining Doppler ultrasound measurements of blood flowing through the vessel; extracting a flow envelope from the Doppler ultrasound measurements; parameterizing the flow envelope to generate a first set of parameters, wherein the first set of parameters includes at least (a) a parameter for the largest difference in maximum power between adjacent intercostal spaces, (b) a parameter for Mean Power for all velocities in a period, and (c) a parameter for peak velocity time interval; and performing classification to determine whether a stenosis exists in the vessel based on the first set of parameters. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of detecting a stenosis in a vessel through which a fluid is flowing, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a beam of ultrasound energy; aiming the beam at a point in the vessel at an angle of less than 20°
with respect to a plane that (a) is perpendicular to the direction of flow in the vessel and (b) passes through the point;using Doppler processing to detect, within the vessel, velocity components of fluid motion that are perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow; repeating the aiming step and the using Doppler processing step at a plurality of points in the vessel; identifying a location in the vessel at which the detected velocity components have high power at high velocities; and determining that there is a high likelihood that a stenosis is present at a position that is upstream from the identified location. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of detecting a stenosis in a vessel through which a fluid is flowing, the method comprising the steps of:
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generating a beam of ultrasound energy; aiming the beam at a point in the vessel at an angle of less than 20°
with respect to a plane that (a) is perpendicular to the direction of flow in the vessel and (b) passes through the point;using Doppler processing to detect, within the vessel, velocity components of fluid motion that are perpendicular to the direction of fluid flow; displaying an indication of a power level for the detected velocity components; and in instances where a high power level for high velocity components is present, correlating the presence of the high power level for high velocity components with the presence of a stenosis in the vessel. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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Specification