Methods and apparatus for ultrasound image quantification

• US 6,322,511 B1
• Filed: 01/06/2000
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acuson Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Acuson Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Guracar, Ismayil M., Maslak, Samuel H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAULIN M
• Application Number:
  US09/478,689
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 600/447, 600/443, 600/458, 600/455, 600/459, 600/476
• US Class Current: 600/453
• 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: G01S 15/895 characterised by the transmitted frequency spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8988 Colour Doppler imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52023 Details of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52025 for pulse systems G01S7/52034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52038 involving non-linear properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52063 Sector scan display
• 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: G01S 7/52073 Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52074 Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information

Abstract

A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations. Finally, a histogram data structure is provided to aid calculation of the various quantities.

Claims

1. A method of deriving a quantity in an ultrasound system comprising the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of ultrasound signal values selected from the group of;

Doppler energy and Doppler variance, each value associated with a respective spatial location in a region of interest;

providing a histogram including multiple bins corresponding to bin ultrasound signal values;

incrementing a count in at least one of said multiple bins based on one of said acquired ultrasound signal values; and

deriving said quantity from the histogram.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said incrementing step comprises the steps of:

matching said ultrasound signal values to said bin ultrasound signal values; and

incrementing said count in at least one of said multiple bins by one.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said deriving step comprises the step of deriving an average ultrasound signal value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said deriving step comprises the step of converting said bin ultrasound signal values to a linear scale.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said converting step comprises the step of reversing log computations associated with said bin ultrasound signal values.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said reversing step comprises referencing a lookup table and reassigning said bin ultrasound signal values based on said look-up table.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said deriving step comprises the step of deriving a log weighted average ultrasound signal value.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying said quantity.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of displaying said histogram and said counts.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a histogram comprises providing a two dimensional histogram including said multiple bins corresponding to said bin ultrasound signal values and second multiple bins corresponding to another signal type bin value or time.

11. The method of claim 10 comprising the further step of incrementing said count in one of said second multiple bins.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of providing a histogram comprising providing a three dimensional histogram including said multiple bins corresponding to said bin ultrasound signal values, second multiple bins corresponding to another signal type bin value or time, and third multiple bins corresponding to a second another signal type bin value or time.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

comparing said quantity with another quantity; and

altering processing of said ultrasound system based on said comparison.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

comparing said quantity with another quantity; and

providing a control signal based on said comparison.

15. An ultrasound apparatus for deriving a quantity comprising:

a buffer for storing ultrasound signal values corresponding to each of multiple spatial locations in a region of interest said data selected from the group of;

Doppler energy data and Doppler variance data; and

a microprocessor for applying a histogram data structure derived from said ultrasound signal values; and

a means to derive quantity data from said histogram data structure.

16. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 15 further comprising a display device including a display associated with said quantity data.

17. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 15 wherein said histogram data structure includes multiple bins corresponding to bin ultrasound signal values.

18. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 15 wherein said histogram data structure comprises a two-dimensional histogram data structure.

19. A method of displaying ultrasound signals comprising the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of ultrasound signal values selected from the group of;

Doppler energy and Doppler variance, each value associated with a respective spatial location in a region of interest;

providing a histogram including multiple bins corresponding to bin ultrasound signal values;

incrementing at least one count in said multiple bins based on one of said ultrasound signal values; and

displaying the histogram.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said incrementing step comprises the steps of:

matching said ultrasound signal values to said bin ultrasound signal values; and

incrementing said count in at least one of said multiple bins by one.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of converting said bin ultrasound signal values to a linear scale.

22. The method of claim 21, said converting step including the step of reversing a log computation.

23. The method of claim 22, said reversing step including referencing a look-up table and reassigning said bin ultrasound values based on the look-up table.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein said displaying step includes the step of displaying a waveform derived from said histogram.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of providing said histogram comprises providing a two dimensional histogram including said multiple bins corresponding to said bin ultrasound signal values and second multiple bins corresponding to another ultrasound signal type bin value or time.

26. The method of claim 25 comprising the further step of incrementing said count in one of said second multiple bins.

27. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of providing said histogram comprises providing a three dimensional histogram including said multiple bins corresponding to bin ultrasound signal values, second multiple bins corresponding to another ultrasound signal type bin value or time, and third multiple bins corresponding to a second another ultrasound signal type bin value or time.

28. An ultrasound apparatus for displaying data comprising:

a buffer for storing ultrasound signal values corresponding to each of multiple spatial locations in a region of interest selected from the group of;

Doppler energy data and Doppler variance data; and

a microprocessor for providing a histogram data structure derived from said ultrasound signal values; and

a display device including a display associated with said histogram data structure.

29. A method of deriving a quantity based on a threshold in an ultrasound system comprising the steps of:

acquiring a plurality of ultrasonic signal values for each of multiple spatial locations in a region of interest;

providing a histogram including multiple bins corresponding to bin ultrasound values;

incrementing a count in at least one of said multiple bins based on the acquired ultrasonic signal values;

applying said threshold to said histogram; and

deriving said quantity from said histogram after the applying step.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said incrementing step includes the steps of:

matching the ultrasonic signal values to said bin ultrasound values; and

incrementing said count in said at least one of said multiple bins by one.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said deriving step comprises the step of deriving an average ultrasound signal value.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said deriving step comprises the step of converting said bin ultrasound values to a linear scale.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said linearizing step comprises the step of reversing a log computation.

34. The method of claim 33, said reversing step including referencing a look-up table and reassigning said bin ultrasound values based on said look-up table.

35. The method of claim 29 further comprising the step of displaying said calculation.

36. The method of claim 29 further comprising displaying said histogram.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein said applying said threshold comprises the steps of:

determining said threshold from a bin ultrasound cut-off value; and

setting said counts associated with said bin ultrasound values less than said ultrasound value cut-off value to zero.

38. The method of claim 29 further comprising the steps of:

acquiring second ultrasonic signal values for said multiple spatial locations in said region of interest at a same time as said ultrasonic signal values are acquired;

providing a second dimension to said histogram including second multiple bins corresponding to bin second ultrasound values; and

incrementing said count in at least one of said second multiple bins based on said acquired second ultrasonic signal values.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said acquiring said second ultrasonic signal values comprises acquiring Doppler energy values and said acquiring said plurality of ultrasonic signal values comprises acquiring B-mode intensity values.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein the step of acquiring said plurality of ultrasonic signal values for each of said multiple spatial locations in said region of interest comprises acquiring said ultrasonic signal values for each of said multiple spatial locations in a volume region of interest.

41. An ultrasound apparatus for deriving a quantity after application of a threshold comprising:

a buffer for storing ultrasound signal values corresponding to each of multiple spatial locations in a region of interest; and

a microprocessor for providing a histogram data structure derived from said ultrasound signal values;

threshold data applied by said microprocessor to said histogram data structure; and

quantity data derived from said histogram data structure after application of said threshold data.

42. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 41 further comprising a display device including a display associated with said quantity data.

43. A method of using data in an ultrasound system over time to derive a quantity comprising the steps of:

acquiring a first ultrasonic signal value for each of multiple spatial locations in a region of interest at a first time;

providing a histogram including first multiple bins corresponding to bin ultrasound values;

incrementing at least one count in one of said first multiple bins based on each one of said acquired first ultrasonic signal values;

acquiring a second ultrasonic signal value for each of said multiple spatial locations in said region of interest at a second time, said second ultrasonic signal value derived from the same type of ultrasound parameter as said first ultrasonic signal value;

providing a second dimension to said histogram including second multiple bins corresponding to bin time values;

incrementing said count in one of said second multiple bins based on one of said second ultrasonic signal values; and

deriving said quantity from said histogram.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein said incrementing said count in one of said first multiple bins based on one of said first ultrasonic signal values comprises the step of matching said first ultrasonic signal values to said bin ultrasound values.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein said incrementing said count in one of said second multiple bins based on one of said second ultrasonic signal values comprises the step of matching said second ultrasonic signal values to said bin ultrasound values.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein said providing said second dimension comprises the step of providing at least a second histogram.

47. The method of claim 43 further comprising the step of displaying the histogram.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein said displaying step comprises the step of displaying a waveform derived from said count associated with at least one dimension of said histogram.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein said displaying step further comprises displaying the waveform associated with multiple second bins and displaying another waveform associated with at least a second of said multiple second bins.

50. The method of claim 43, wherein said deriving step comprises the step of deriving an average ultrasonic signal value for each of said multiple second bins.

51. The method of claim 43 further comprising the steps of:

acquiring at least a third ultrasonic signal value for each of said multiple spatial locations in said region of interest at said first time, said third ultrasonic signal value derived from a different type of ultrasonic parameter than said first and second ultrasonic signal values;

acquiring at least a fourth ultrasonic signal value for each of said multiple spatial locations in said region of interest at said second time, said fourth ultrasonic signal value derived from a second same type of ultrasonic parameter as said third ultrasonic signal;

providing a third dimension to said histogram including third multiple bins corresponding to bin second ultrasound values; and

incrementing said count in said third multiple bins based on one of said third or fourth ultrasonic signal values.

52. The method of claim 51, wherein said acquiring at least said third ultrasonic signal value comprises acquiring a Doppler energy value and said acquiring said first ultrasonic signal value comprises acquiring a B-mode intensity value.

53. The method of claim 43 wherein each of the steps of acquiring said first ultrasonic signal value for each of said multiple spatial locations in said region of interest at said first time and acquiring said second ultrasonic signal value for each of said multiple spatial locations in said region of interest at said second time comprise acquiring values for each of said multiple spatial locations in a volume region of interest.

54. The method of claim 50 further comprising the step of displaying said average ultrasonic signal value for each of said multiple second bins as a waveform.

55. An ultrasound apparatus for deriving a quantity comprising:

a buffer for storing ultrasound signal values corresponding to each of multiple spatial locations in a region of interest and multiple times; and

a microprocessor for providing a two-dimensional histogram data structure derived from said ultrasound signal values as a function of time; and

a means for deriving quantity data from said two-dimensional histogram data structure.

56. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 55 further comprising a display device including a display of said quantity as a function of time.