Doppler ultrasound method and apparatus for monitoring blood flow
First Claim
1. A visual display device for providing information in connection with Doppler ultrasound monitoring of blood flow, comprising:
- a display controller structured to control a first graphical display and a second graphical display, the first graphical display to indicate as a function of time a plurality of locations along an ultrasound beam axis at which blood flow is detected by varying intensity as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound signal amplitude at each of the locations, the second graphical display to indicate velocities of monitored blood flow at a selected location included in the first graphical display.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A pulse Doppler ultrasound system and associated methods are described for monitoring blood flow. A graphical information display includes simultaneously displayed depth-mode and spectrogram displays. The depth-mode display indicates the various positions along the ultrasound beam axis at which blood flow is detected. These positions are indicated as one or more colored regions, with the color indicating direction of blood flow and varying in intensity as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound signal amplitude or detected blood flow velocity. The depth-mode display also includes a pointer whose position may be selected by a user. The spectrogram displayed corresponds to the location identified by the pointer. Embolus detection and characterization are also provided.
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Citations
66 Claims
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1. A visual display device for providing information in connection with Doppler ultrasound monitoring of blood flow, comprising:
a display controller structured to control a first graphical display and a second graphical display, the first graphical display to indicate as a function of time a plurality of locations along an ultrasound beam axis at which blood flow is detected by varying intensity as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound signal amplitude at each of the locations, the second graphical display to indicate velocities of monitored blood flow at a selected location included in the first graphical display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A graphical display for providing information in connection with Doppler ultrasound monitoring of blood flow, comprising:
a display controller to provide a blood locator display to depict as a function of time a plurality of locations along an ultrasound beam is at which blood flow is detected by varying intensity as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound amplitude at each of the locations, and to further provide a spectrogram to depict detected blood flow velocities as a function of time at a selected one of the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A graphical display for a Doppler ultrasound system to provide information in connection with Doppler ultrasound monitoring of blood flow, comprising:
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a display controller;
a blood locator display coupled to the display controller and having a color region to depict as a function of time a plurality of locations along an ultrasound beam axis at which blood flow is detected, the color of the color region having its intensity vary as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound amplitude; and
a spectrogram coupled to the display controller to depict detected blood flow velocities as a function of time at a selected one of the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A Doppler ultrasound system for processing ultrasound signals along an ultrasound beam axis and for displaying information to a user concerning blood flow, comprising:
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an ultrasound transducer operable to detect ultrasound signals and responsively produce corresponding electrical signals;
signal processing circuitry coupled with the transducer and operable to receive the electrical signals and determine blood flow characteristics corresponding with the detected ultrasound signals;
a display coupled with the signal processing circuitry and operable to provide aiming graphical information indicating as a function of time a plurality of locations along the beam axis at which blood flow is detected by varying intensity as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound am amplitude at each of the locations, and to further provide spectral graphical information indicating blood flow velocities at a selected one of the locations indicated by the aiming graphical information. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. In a Doppler ultrasound system for processing ultrasound signals along an ultrasound beam axis, a method of providing information to a user concerning blood flow, comprising:
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displaying first graphical information depicting as a function of time blood flow at a plurality of locations along the beam axis by varying intensity as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound amplitude at each of the locations; and
displaying second graphical information depicting blood flow velocities at a selected one of the locations displayed by the first graphical information. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. In a Doppler ultrasound system for processing ultrasound signals along an ultrasound beam axis, a method of detecting and characterizing emboli in blood flow, comprising:
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determining a first plurality of locations along the beam axis in which blood flows and determining a second plurality of locations along the beam axis in which blood does not flow;
determining the direction in which the blood flows at each of the first locations; and
if a first ultrasound signal having an intensity greater than a threshold intensity is received, then;
determining if the first ultrasound signal corresponds with the first locations;
determining if the first ultrasound signal corresponds with the second locations;
determining if the first ultrasound signal corresponds with the determined direction and velocity of the blood flow;
if the first ultrasound signal does not correspond with the determined direction or velocity of the blood flow, then identifying the first ultrasound signal as a non-embolic signal;
if the first ultrasound signal corresponds with the determined direction or velocity of the blood flow, and if the first ultrasound signal corresponds solely with the first locations, then identifying the first ultrasound signal as an embolic signal of a first type; and
if the first ultrasound signal corresponds with the determined direction and velocity of the blood flow, and if the first ultrasound signal corresponds both with the first and second locations, then identifying the first ultrasound signal as an embolic signal of a second type. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. In a Doppler ultrasound system for processing ultrasound signals along an ultrasound beam axis, a method of locating a selected one of a plurality of blood vessels, comprising:
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determining a plurality of locations along the beam axis in which blood flows;
displaying first graphical information depicting the locations at which blood flow is detected;
determining the velocity with which blood flows in each of the locations;
selecting a first one of the locations;
displaying second graphical information depicting blood flow velocities at the first location;
detecting a temporal variation in the first graphical information;
detecting a temporal variation in the second graphical information; and
determining whether the detected temporal variations in the first and second graphical information corresponds with the selected blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A computer readable medium whose contents configure a computer system to provide information to a user concerning blood flow detected by processing Doppler ultrasound signals along an ultrasound beam axis, comprising:
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displaying first graphical information depicting as a function of time blood flow at a plurality of locations along the beam axis by varying intensity as a function of detected Doppler ultrasound amplitude at each of the locations; and
displaying second graphical information depicting blood flow velocities at a selected one of the plurality of locations. - View Dependent Claims (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66)
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Specification