Method and apparatus for automatic vessel tracking in ultrasound systems
First Claim
1. A method of tracking a vessel in an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
- transmitting a series of Doppler ultrasound pulses into a tissue sample;
receiving echo signals from a number of depths in the tissue sample;
analyzing the echo signals to determine the average velocity of the tissue at each of the number of depths;
determining with a processor a first depth of the number of depths in the tissue sample having the highest average velocity;
determining with a processor a second depth of the number of depths in the tissue sample having a minimum amplitude signal; and
positioning a range gate as a function of the first and second depths.
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Abstract
A method for automatically placing a range gate over a moving blood vessel during ultrasound imaging. Doppler data received from a number of depths in the tissue is analyzed in order to calculate the average velocity of the tissue at each depth. A search is performed in the average velocities to select a maximum velocity. The maximum velocity is associated with a blood vessel and a range gate is placed at a depth corresponding to the maximum velocity. In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the average velocity is calculated by performing a first lag autocorrelation of the echo data received from each depth in response to a series of Doppler pulses.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method of tracking a vessel in an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
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transmitting a series of Doppler ultrasound pulses into a tissue sample;
receiving echo signals from a number of depths in the tissue sample;
analyzing the echo signals to determine the average velocity of the tissue at each of the number of depths;
determining with a processor a first depth of the number of depths in the tissue sample having the highest average velocity;
determining with a processor a second depth of the number of depths in the tissue sample having a minimum amplitude signal; and
positioning a range gate as a function of the first and second depths. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
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an ultrasound transducer that transmits a series of ultrasound pulses into a tissue sample, and receives echo signals from the tissue sample in response to the series of ultrasound pulses;
a beamformer that focuses the received echo signals;
a B-mode processor that analyzes the focused echo signals to produce a B-mode image;
a Doppler mode processor that analyzes the echo signals to produce a Doppler image; and
a first processor that receives the echo signals and calculates an average velocity at a number of depths, the first processor determining a first depth of tissue having the highest average velocity;
determining a second depth in the tissue sample having a minimum B-mode signal and instructing a processor in the ultrasound system to position a range gate as a function of the second depth and the first depth.- View Dependent Claims (7)
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8. A method of tracking a vessel in an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
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transmitting a series of Doppler ultrasound pulses into a tissue sample;
receiving echo signals along a number of receive beam lines and at a number of adjacent depths for each receive beam line in response to the series of Doppler ultrasound pluses transmitted;
analyzing the echo signals on each of the number of beam lines to determine the average velocity of the tissue at each of the number of adjacent depths; and
positioning a range gate along the beam line at a depth having the highest average velocity. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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Specification