Filter to reduce speckle artifact in ultrasound imaging
First Claim
1. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
- a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements for transmitting ultrasound beams along first, second and third paths of propagation through an object in a transmission mode;
vector acquiring means for acquiring first, second and third vectors of image data, said image data of said first through third vectors being derived from the reflection by said object and the reception by said ultrasound transducer elements in a reception mode of portions of said ultrasound beams transmitted along said first through third paths of propagation respectively, each of said first through third vectors including at least first, second and third values acquired at first, second and third ranges respectively;
median filtering means for substituting the middle value amongst said second values of said first and third vectors and said first through third values of said second vector for said second value of said second vector; and
means for displaying image data which includes said middle value.
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Abstract
A method for reducing speckle artifact in an ultrasound image using a two-dimensional median filter having a diamond-shaped five-point kernel. The entire pixel image data is passed through the filter in a manner such that the center point of the kernel is effectively stepped down each range vector in sequence. The magnitudes of the pixel data at each of the five points in the kernel are compared and the value which has the middle magnitude is adopted as a new pixel value, which is substituted for the old pixel value at the center point. After a new filtered vector has been formed from the new pixel values produced at successive center points by stepping down one acoustic vector, the kernel is shifted by one vector and stepped down range again. This process continues through the entire set of vectors until a new set of filtered vectors is formed. This filter will remove speckle holes on the order of one pixel in size while preserving good edge definition.
112 Citations
16 Claims
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1. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
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a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements for transmitting ultrasound beams along first, second and third paths of propagation through an object in a transmission mode; vector acquiring means for acquiring first, second and third vectors of image data, said image data of said first through third vectors being derived from the reflection by said object and the reception by said ultrasound transducer elements in a reception mode of portions of said ultrasound beams transmitted along said first through third paths of propagation respectively, each of said first through third vectors including at least first, second and third values acquired at first, second and third ranges respectively; median filtering means for substituting the middle value amongst said second values of said first and third vectors and said first through third values of said second vector for said second value of said second vector; and means for displaying image data which includes said middle value. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for reducing speckle artifact in an ultrasound image, comprising the steps of:
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transmitting ultrasound beams along first, second and third paths of propagation through an object by activation of a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements in a transmission mode; acquiring first, second and third vectors of image data, said image data of said first through third vectors being derived from the reflection by said object and the reception by said ultrasound transducer elements in a reception mode of portions of said ultrasound beams transmitted along said first through third paths of propagation respectively, each of said first through third vectors including at least first, second and third values acquired at first, second and third ranges respectively; selecting said second values of said first and third vectors and said first through third values of said second vector; determining the middle value amongst said second values of said first and third vectors and said first through third values of said second vector; substituting said middle value for said second value of said second vector; and displaying image data which includes said middle value. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification