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Method and apparatus for ultrasound image reconstruction

  • US 6,228,028 B1
  • Filed: 11/07/1997
  • Issued: 05/08/2001
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/07/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for constructing a three- or four-dimensional image describing an object, comprising:

  • (a) passing ultrasonic energy through at least a portion of an object and thereby generating image information describing the object, the image information corresponding to a plurality of ultrasonic regions having a predetermined geometric configuration;

    (b) determining an ordering for a plurality of image elements of a three- or four-dimensional output volume, wherein each of said image elements has a predetermined size;

    (c) determining the image information in at least one of the plurality of ultrasonic regions that is within a predetermined proximity of or within a first image element of the three- or four-dimensional output volume to define a first subset of image information corresponding to the first image element, wherein the output volume includes a plurality of image elements;

    (d) assigning, based on one or more of the items in the first subset of image information, a gray scale value to the first image element; and

    (e) repeating, in accordance with the ordering of step (b), steps (c) and (d) for each of the other image elements in the output volume to construct the three- or four-dimensional image of the object.

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