Ultrasound System and Method for Imaging and/or Measuring Displacement of Moving Tissue and Fluid

• US 20160262728A1
• Filed: 12/11/2015
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ardent Sound, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ardent Sound, Inc.
• Inventors: Barthe, Peter G., Slayton, Michael H., Jaeger, Paul
• Application Number:
  US14/966,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20160262728A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4411 Device being modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00

Abstract

A system and method for improved imaging is disclosed. An exemplary system provides a peripheral ultrasound system connected to a host computer with a plug-and-play interface such as a USB. An exemplary system utilizes a dedicated graphics processing unit such as a graphics card to analyze data obtained from a region of interest to produce an image on one or more output units for the user'"'"'s viewing. Based on the image displayed on the output units, the user can determine the velocity of the moving tissue and fluid. The system of the present invention can be used to produce a Doppler color flow map or for power Doppler imaging.

Claims

1. A system for diagnostic imaging and estimation of displacement of moving tissue and fluid comprising:

a probe that transmits and receives energy; and

a dedicated graphics processing unit comprising a memory and configured with algorithms to estimate tissue and fluid movement from energy received by the probe.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a demodulator for processing energy received by the probe.

3. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a beamforming device for focusing and conditioning the energy emitted from the probe.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein the beamforming device further comprises a conditioning circuit.

5. The system according to claim 3 further comprising a host computer connected to the beamforming device and in communication with the dedicated graphics processing unit for displaying an image and displacement of moving tissue to a user.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein the host computer is connected to the beamforming device by a plug-and-play interface.

7. The system according to claim 6 wherein the plug-and-play interface is a USB.

8. The system according to claim 1 wherein the probe comprises a single element to deliver energy to a region of interest.

9. The system according to claim 1 wherein the dedicated graphics processing unit comprises a physics processing unit.

10. The system according to claim 1 wherein the dedicated graphics processing unit is a graphics card.

11. A system for diagnostic imaging and estimation of displacement of moving tissue and fluid comprising:

a peripheral ultrasound system for obtaining data from a region of interest comprising,

a probe that transmits and receives ultrasound energy,

a demodulator processing the ultrasound energy received by the probe,

a beamforming device for focusing and conditioning the ultrasound energy before it is emitted from the probe;

a graphics processing unit for processing the data obtained at the region of interest comprising a memory, a processor, and software configured with algorithms to estimate tissue displacement; and

a host computer in operative communication with the peripheral ultrasound system and the graphics processing unit for providing data processed by the graphics processing unit to the user and enabling the user to control the system.

12. The system according to claim 11 further comprising a plug-and-play interface to connect the host computer to the peripheral ultrasound system.

13. The system according to claim 12 wherein the plug-and-play interface is a USB.

14. The system according to claim 11 wherein the graphics processing unit utilizes an algorithm to determine a directional movement of tissue.

15. The system according to claim 11 wherein the graphics processing unit utilizes an algorithm to determine velocity of tissue displacement.

16. The system according to claim 11 wherein the graphics processing unit utilizes a Doppler shift algorithm to estimate tissue displacement.

17. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system utilizes a B-flow imaging technique to estimate tissue displacement.

18. The system according to claim 11 wherein the system combines a B-flow imaging technique with a Doppler shift algorithm to estimate tissue displacement.

19. The system according to claim 11 wherein the host computer further comprises at least two output devices to relay information about the region of interest to a user.

20. The system according to claim 19 wherein the at least two output devices are monitors that display an image.

21-39. -39. (canceled)