ULTRASOUND SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USE WITH A HEAT-AFFECTED REGION

• US 20170100091A1
• Filed: 10/08/2015
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Eigil, Samset, Pasternak, Margot, Haugen, Geir Ultveit
• Application Number:
  US14/878,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20170100091A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00684 using lookup tables
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00791 Temperature
• 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 8/085 for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• 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 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• 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: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A method and system of ultrasound imaging includes acquiring ultrasound channel data for a region-of-interest, determining an estimated size of a heat-affected region, identifying a first subset of the ultrasound channel data, and identifying a second subset of the ultrasound channel data. The method and system includes generating a pilot trace based on the first subset of ultrasound channel data and comparing the second subset of the ultrasound channel data to the pilot trace to determine delay errors for the second subset of the ultrasound channel data. The method and system includes determining that the heat-affected region has experienced a temperature-induced tissue change based on the delay errors and the estimated size of the heat affected region, and presenting information indicating that the heat-affected region has experienced the temperature-induced tissue change.

Claims

1. A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:

acquiring ultrasound channel data for a region-of-interest;

determining an estimated size of a heat-affected region in response to an application of a thermal source within the region-of-interest;

identifying a first subset of the ultrasound channel data;

identifying a second subset of the ultrasound channel data that is different than the first subset;

generating a pilot trace based on the first subset of the ultrasound channel data;

comparing the second subset of the ultrasound channel data to the pilot trace to determine delay errors for the second subset of ultrasound channel data;

determining that the heat-affected region has experienced a temperature-induced tissue change based on the delay errors and the estimated size of the heat-affected region; and

presenting information indicating that the heat-affected region has experienced the temperature-induced tissue change after determining that the heat-affected region has experienced the temperature-induced tissue change.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the heat-affected region has experienced the temperature-induced tissue change comprises determining an estimated temperature of the heat-affected region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the information comprises presenting the estimated temperature.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein presenting the estimated temperature comprises displaying a color overlay on a B-mode ultrasound image, where the color overlay includes a color to represent the estimated temperature.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining that the estimated temperature exceeds a threshold, and wherein presenting the estimated temperature comprises providing a warning that the estimated temperature exceeds the threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the information indicating that the heat-affected region has experienced the temperature-induced tissue change to monitor a progress of an ablation procedure.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a position of the heat-affected region based on the delay errors and the estimated size of the heat-affected region.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated size of the heat-affected region comprises implementing a heuristic approach.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein implementing the heuristic approach comprises accessing a look-up table to determine the estimated size of the heat-affected region in response to an application of the thermal source for a known amount of time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the estimated size of the heat-affected region comprises implementing a bio-heat equation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the bio-heat equation comprises a Pennes bio-heat equation.

12. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a probe;

a display device; and

a processor in electronic communication with the probe and the display device, wherein the processor is configured to;

control the probe to acquire ultrasound channel data for a region-of-interest;

determine an estimated size of a heat-affected region in response to an application of a thermal source within the region-of-interest;

identify a first subset of the ultrasound channel data;

identify a second subset of the ultrasound channel data that is different than the first subset;

generate a pilot trace based on the first subset of the ultrasound channel data;

compare the second subset of the ultrasound channel data with the pilot trace to determine delay errors for the second subset of the ultrasound channel data;

determine that the heat-affected region has experienced a temperature-induced tissue change based on the delay errors and the estimated size of the heat-affected region; and

present information indicating that the heat-affected region has experienced the temperature-induced tissue change.

13. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the heat-affected region has experienced the permanent temperature-induced tissue change by calculating an estimated temperature of the heat-affected region.

14. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to present the information by displaying the estimated temperature on the display device.

15. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured to present the estimated temperature by displaying a color overlay on a B-mode image on the display device, where the color overlay includes a color representing the estimated temperature.

16. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine the estimated size of the heat-affected region by implementing a heuristic approach.

17. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to determine the estimated size of the heat-affected region by implementing a bio-heat equation.

18. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to receive information from an ablation system indicating a wattage and a duration of an ablation procedure, and wherein the processor is configured to use the wattage and the duration of the ablation procedure to determine the estimated size of the heat-affected region.

19. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a position of the heat-affected region based on the delay errors and the estimated size of the heat-affected region.

20. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to present information on the display device indicating the position of the heat-affected region.