Vector doppler medical devices for blood velocity studies

• US 5,409,010 A
• Filed: 05/19/1992
• Issued: 04/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of The University of Washington (University of Washington)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of The University of Washington (University of Washington)
• Inventors: Overbeck, John, Beach, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): JAWORSKI, FRANCIS J
• Application Number:
  US07/885,803
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 128/660.05, 128/661.08-661.10, 128/662.04, 73/861.25
• US Class Current: 600/455
• 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: G01P 5/244 involving pulsed waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/582 using transmission of interrupted pulse-modulated waves and based upon the Doppler effect resulting from movement of targets
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8927 using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8984 Measuring the velocity vector
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52071 Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging

Abstract

An ultrasonic pulse-echo medical device for determining the angular heading and magnitude of the velocity of blood flowing through a blood vessel by transmitting a pulsed ultrasonic beam from a single transmitting transducer and receiving echoes from sample volumes along such beam by a plurality of ultrasound receiving transducers. Independent motions in the same sample volume, such as those of a moving vessel wall and the motion of blood flowing through the blood vessel, can be separately analyzed and displayed.

Claims

1. A method for determining the velocity of blood flowing through a sample volume within a blood vessel in a body, which comprises directing toward the sample volume and toward a wall of the blood vessel a pulsed ultrasound transmitting transducer, directing toward the sample volume and the wall of the blood vessel two ultrasound receiving transducers located adjacent to the transmitting transducer, respectively, along arms of an angle having its apex at the sample volume, transmitting ultrasound pulses in a beam into the sample volume from the ultrasound transmitting transducer, receiving by the ultrasound receiving transducers ultrasonic echoes of such beam from blood flowing through the blood vessel, receiving by the ultrasound receiving transducers ultrasonic echoes of such beam from the wall of the blood vessel in motion, and displaying representations of the flow of blood through such sample volume and movement of the wall of the blood vessel in accordance with such ultrasonic echoes, in which the representation of the echoes from the wall of the blood vessel are separated from the representation of the echoes from the blood flowing through the blood vessel by backprojection.

2. The method defined in claim 1, including displaying the representation of the motion of the blood vessel wall separate from the representation of the motions of the blood flowing through the blood vessel.

3. In ultrasonic pulse-echo apparatus for determining the velocity of blood flowing through a sample volume within a blood vessel in a body including one transmitting ultrasonic transducer directed toward the sample volume and toward a wall of the blood vessel, means for generating pulsed ultrasound waves connected to the transmitting ultrasound transducer for projecting a pulsed ultrasound sound beam therefrom, two receiving ultrasonic transducers directed toward the sample volume and toward the wall of the blood vessel for receiving .echoes of the pulsed ultrasound beam, means for processing signals produced by such ultrasonic echoes received by the receiving transducers and display means activated by the processing means for displaying representations of blood flowing through such sample volume and movement of the blood vessel wall, the improvement comprising means for separately identifying echoes from blood flowing in the blood vessel through the sample volume and echoes from the blood vessel wall in motion by backprojection, and means for displaying a representation of blood flowing through the blood vessel separate from a representation of the movement of the blood vessel wall.