Multiple Beam Spectral Doppler in Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging

• US 20120215110A1
• Filed: 02/23/2011
• Published: 08/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Wilkening, Wilko, Datta, Saurabh, Freiburger, Paul, Lee, Chi-Yin
• Granted Patent: US 9,398,898 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/453
• 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 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/486 involving arbitrary m-mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5246 combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52066 Time-position or time-motion displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52088 involving retrospective scan line rearrangements medical diagnostic ultrasound devices involving retrospective matching to a physiological signal A61B8/5284
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5209 using multibeam transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52092 using frequency diversity
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52093 using coded signals G01S15/8959 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52095 using multiline receive beamforming

Abstract

Spatially distinct Spectral Doppler information is acquired. Spatially distinct transmit beams are formed at a same time or in parallel. One or more receive beams are formed in response to each transmit beam, providing samples for a plurality of laterally spaced locations. A spectrum is determined for each of a plurality of spatial locations. In another approach, samples are acquired for different regions at different times. The scanning for each region is interleaved based on the anatomic operation. Since spectral estimation relies on a time-continuous series of transmission and reception, the scanning for a region occurs over a sufficient period for spectral estimation before the scanning for a different region occurs. By using anatomic operation, sufficient time is provided for spectral estimation. Due to anatomic operation, different regions are associated with flow at different times.

Claims

1. A method for spatially distinct spectral Doppler information, the method comprising:

transmitting simultaneously and repetitively, from a transducer array, first and second beams along spatially distinct first and second transmit scan lines, respectively;

receiving, repetitively in response to the transmitting, signals from first and second laterally distinct receive locations, the first and second receive locations being within the first and second beams, respectively;

estimating first and second spectra for the first and second receive locations, respectively, from the signals; and

displaying an image, the image being a function of at least the first spectrum.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the first beam spaced from the second beam along at least a majority of a depth of the first beam, the first beam spaced from the second beam by having a region in which a plurality of receive lines are not formed in response to the first and second beams.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the first and second beams from different apertures of the transducer array and applying separate delay patterns to the different apertures.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the first beam as a primary beam and the second beam as a grating lobe of the first beam, the grating lobe at a different angle from the transducer than the primary beam.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting comprises transmitting the first and second beams with different center frequencies, coding, or center frequencies and coding.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving comprises forming a plurality of receive beams in response to each of the first and second transmit beams, and obtaining the signals for additional receive locations corresponding to the receive beams, respectively, such that the signals for the first, second, and additional receive locations are obtained substantially simultaneously.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the estimating comprises estimating additional spectra for the additional locations;

further comprising;

identifying an orientation of a flow region from the first, second, and additional spectra.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising correcting velocity as a function of the orientation.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein estimating comprises estimating additional spectra for the additional locations;

further comprising;

identifying a location for a range gate as a function of the additional spectra.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting, receiving, and estimating for the first and second receive locations are performed for a first region;

and

further comprising repeating the transmitting, receiving, and estimating for third and fourth locations in a second region different than the first region.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the transmitting for the first region is temporally interleaved with the transmitting for the second region, the temporally interleaving being a function of a physiological cycle such that the estimating is performed for the first region without the transmitting to the second region and then the estimating is performed for the second region without transmitting to the first region.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein estimating comprises applying a Fourier transform to the signals representing each of the first and second receive locations, the spectrum for each of the first and second receive locations comprising energy as a function of frequency.

13. In a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for acquiring spatially distinct spectral Doppler information, the storage medium comprising instructions for:

transmitting beams to spaced-apart regions;

receiving signals for a plurality of laterally spaced locations in response to each of the beams;

performing spectral analysis of the signals separately for each of the laterally spaced locations;

interleaving the transmitting to the spaced apart regions such that the receiving and performing occurs in a time-continuous manner; and

controlling the interleaving as a function of anatomic operation at the spaced apart regions.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein transmitting for each of the space apart regions comprises transmitting a plurality of the beams simultaneously to laterally spaced locations, wherein receiving comprises receiving along a plurality of scan lines in response to each of the simultaneous beams, and wherein performing spectral analysis comprises performing spectral analysis separately for the laterally spaced locations on respective scan lines.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein controlling comprises controlling the interleaving as a function of a physiological cycle where the transmitting is performed for a first portion of the physiological cycle at a first one of the spaced apart regions and performed for a second portion of the physiological cycle at a second one of the spaced apart regions, the first and second portions comprising the physiological cycle.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein controlling comprises performing the transmitting, receiving and spectral analysis for a first one of the spaced apart regions for a first period and for a second one of the spaced apart regions for a second, different period, the first spaced apart region associated with greater flow than the second spaced apart region during the first period, and the second spaced apart region associated with greater flow than the first spaced apart region during the second period.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein controlling comprises automatically adjusting the transmitting and interleaving as a function of a user input parameter to be measured with the spectral analysis.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein controlling comprises automatically adjusting the transmitting and interleaving as a function of an output of the spectral analysis.

19. A system for acquiring spatially distinct Spectral Doppler information, the system comprising:

a transmit beamformer operable to transmit split transmit beams at a substantially same time;

a receive beamformer operable to form a plurality of laterally spaced receive beams in response to each of the transmit beams, each of the receive beams sampled at a plurality of depths; and

a processor operable to estimate a spectrum for each of the depths of each of the receive beams.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the processor is operable to determine an orientation, area, or volume of flow from the spectra for the depths and receive beams.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein the processor is operable to control interleaving of transmissions to different regions as a function of anatomic operation.