Three-dimensional tissue/flow ultrasound imaging system

• US 6,280,387 B1
• Filed: 05/06/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Systems, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Robinson, Craig, Czenszak, Stephen P., Sutcliffe, Patrick, Deforge, Christian, Liu, Dong-Chyuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Imam, Ali M.
• Application Number:
  US09/306,643
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 600/440, 600/441, 600/443, 600/447, 600/454, 600/456, 736/25, 736/26, 128/916
• US Class Current: 600/454
• 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: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52026 Extracting wanted echo signals Doppler systems G01S15/50; Doppler short range imaging systems G01S15/8979
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52071 Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/916 Ultrasound 3-D imaging

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system produces three-dimensional tissue/flow images by first computing a plurality of separate two-dimensional tissue images and two-dimensional flow images. Separate tissue and flow volumes are created by applying the tissue and flow images to a three-dimensional construction algorithm. Each of the separate tissue and flow volumes is analyzed using a three-dimensional rendering algorithm to produce a rendered tissue and flow image. The separately rendered tissue and flow images are combined to produce the combined tissue/flow image. In addition, the present invention provides visual cues that allow a user to create more even scans. The invention also includes a method for correcting for probe movement. The invention also produces an image that is calculated from the partial volume data as it is being created to give a user feedback on the quality of the image they are producing. Finally, the invention compensates for variations in the cardiac cycle when selecting data to be used in creating a flow volume.

Claims

1. A method of producing three-dimensional tissue and flow ultrasound images, comprising:

storing data for a number of two-dimensional tissue images;

analyzing the data for the number of two-dimensional tissue images to produce data for a three-dimensional tissue image;

storing data for a number of two-dimensional flow images;

analyzing data for the number of two-dimensional flow images to produce data for a three-dimensional flow image;

producing a rendered tissue image of the three-dimensional tissue data and a rendered flow image of the three-dimensional flow data; and

combining the rendered tissue image and the rendered flow image to create a rendered tissue and flow image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data for the three-dimensional tissue image is combined with the data for the three-dimensional flow image in an amount that is selectable.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

smoothing a boundary of the data for the three-dimensional flow image as the data is combined with the data for the three-dimensional tissue image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the boundary of the three-dimensional flow image is smoothed by searching for pixel data that are adjacent to pixel data having zero values and replacing the zero value data with an average of the pixel data at a corresponding location in the three-dimensional tissue image and the three-dimensional flow image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data for the number of two-dimensional tissue and flow images is analyzed with a volumetric rendering algorithm.

6. A method of producing three-dimensional flow data for use in the method of producing three-dimensional tissue and flow ultrasound images of claim 1, comprising:

generating a number of two-dimensional flow images;

analyzing flow data in the number of two-dimensional flow images that are taken in substantially the same position to determine which image has the greatest flow data,

selecting the image having the greatest flow data for use in creating the three-dimensional flow data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

aligning the two-dimensional tissue and flow image before rendering.

8. An ultrasound system, comprising:

a transducer for directing ultrasound energy into a patient and receiving echo signals from the patient;

a tissue/flow processor for receiving the echo signals and determining a magnitude and Doppler shift of the received echo signals;

a memory in which the data required to create a number of two-dimensional tissue images and a number of two-dimensional flow images is stored;

a processor that analyzes the data for the number of two-dimensional tissue and flow images and creates three-dimensional tissue and flow data, and a rendered tissue image from the three-dimensional tissue data and a rendered flow image from the three-dimensional flow data;

a control that receives a proportion constant from a user having a value that is selectable between 0 and 1; and

wherein the rendered tissue image is combined with the rendered flow image in a ratio determined by the proportion constant received from the user.

9. The ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein the processor smoothes the data of a boundary of the three-dimensional flow image and the data for the three-dimensional tissue image.