Acquisition control for elasticity ultrasound imaging

• US 20150272547A1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Freiburger, Paul D., Ivancevich, Nikolas M., Fan, Liexiang
• Application Number:
  US14/231,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20150272547A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/52 Devices using data or image processing specially adapted for diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves image processing per se G06T
• 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 8/5276 due to motion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: G01H 17/00 Measuring mechanical vibrations or ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves, not provided for in the preceding groups see provisionally also G01H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8945 using transducers mounted for linear mechanical movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52022 using a sequence of pulses, at least one pulse manipulating the transmissivity or reflexivity of the medium
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52042 determining elastic properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target diagnostic techniques involving the measurement of strain A61B8/485
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52046 Techniques for image enhancement involving transmitter or receiver image enhancement by image data processing G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection

Abstract

Acquisition settings for elasticity imaging are controlled based on detected motion. Rather than rely solely on user settings, one or more acquisition parameters are automatically set based on the detected motion. For example, the settings provide for a more rapid frame rate with less resolution in elasticity imaging for times associated with greater motion and for less rapid frame rate with greater resolution for times associated with lesser motion.

Claims

1. A method for acquisition control for elasticity ultrasound imaging, the method comprising:

detecting motion of an ultrasound transducer, a patient being scanned by the ultrasound transducer, or both;

calculating, with a processor, a value of an acquisition parameter, the value calculated to provide a frame rate based on an amount of the detected motion; and

performing elasticity ultrasound imaging using the value of the acquisition parameter, the elasticity ultrasound imaging being performed at the frame rate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the motion comprises detecting motion from correlation of data from the elasticity ultrasound imaging.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein detecting the motion comprises detecting from a global motion vector between a reference frame acquired before generation of a longitudinal or shear wave in the patient and a last tracking frame acquired after generation of the longitudinal or shear wave.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the motion comprises detecting the motion as part of motion compensation of the elasticity ultrasound imaging.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the motion comprises detecting a profile of an amount of displacement over time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the value comprises selecting a frame rate based on the motion and calculating the value for the selected frame rate.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the value comprises calculating a number of pushing pulses for a region, a greater number providing a lower frame rate than a lesser number.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the value comprises calculating a number of tracking scans responsive to each pushing pulse, a greater number providing a lower frame rate than a lesser number.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the value comprises calculating the value and additional values, the value and the additional values comprising at least three from the group of:

a number of pushing pulses, a number of tracking scans responsive to each pushing pulse, a number of reference scans, a pulse repetition interval of the tracking scans, a pulse repetition interval of the reference scans, a duration of each pushing pulse, and a cool down time.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the motion comprises detecting the motion with the amount above a threshold, and wherein calculating comprises altering the value to provide a greater frame rate than without the altering.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein detecting the motion comprises detecting the motion with the amount below a threshold, and wherein calculating comprises altering the value to provide a lesser frame rate than without the altering.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the elasticity ultrasound imaging comprises performing repetitively and wherein detecting the motion and calculating the value are performed automatically and repetitively with the elasticity ultrasound imaging.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein performing the elasticity ultrasound imaging comprises performing shear wave imaging or performing acoustic radiation force imaging.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein calculating the value comprises calculating the value to provide a resolution based on the amount of the detected motion.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising switching from a first type of elasticity imaging to a second type of elasticity imaging based on the amount of the motion.

16. In a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for acquisition control for elasticity ultrasound imaging, the storage medium comprising instructions for:

determining transducer, tissue, or transducer and tissue motion in response to activation of the elasticity ultrasound imaging;

calculating a frame rate for the elasticity ultrasound imaging;

calculating values for acquisition parameters based on the frame rate; and

performing subsequent elasticity ultrasound imaging with the values.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein the determining and both calculatings are performed automatically without user input of the values.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16 wherein determining the motion comprises determining a magnitude of the motion, and wherein calculating the frame rate comprises calculating a greater frame rate for greater magnitude and a lesser frame rate for lesser magnitude.

19. A system for acquisition control for elasticity ultrasound imaging, the system comprising:

a transmit beamformer and a receive beamformer configured to generate pushing pulses and track displacements responsive to the pushing pulses, the transmit and receive beamformers configured as a function of settings of acquisition parameters;

a processor configured to estimate motion different than the displacements responsive to the pushing pulses, and to alter one or more of the settings as a function of a resolution based on the motion different than the displacements responsive to the pushing pulses; and

a display operable to display an image, the image being a function of the displacements, at least some of the displacements responsive to the altered one or more settings.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the processor is configured to provide a lower resolution in the image with the settings based on a greater amount of the motion.