Method and apparatus for automatic control of spectral doppler imaging

• US 6,663,566 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2002
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kulakowski, Richard, Pan, Lihong
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US09/683,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20030158484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 600/453-456, 738/612.5
• US Class Current: 600/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8981 Discriminating between fixed and moving objects or between objects moving at different speeds, e.g. wall clutter filter
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52046 Techniques for image enhancement involving transmitter or receiver image enhancement by image data processing G06T5/00

Abstract

An ultrasound system is disclosed that includes a method and apparatus to automatically adjust certain parameters that affect visualization of a Doppler spectral image. The ultrasound system acquires spectral lines of Doppler data generated by the ultrasound system. A data processor within the ultrasound system determines the presence of aliasing and estimates noise levels from the spectral lines of Doppler data. The data processor then automatically adjusts system parameters such as pulse repetition frequency (PRF), baseline shift, and spectrum orientation in response to aliasing and noise levels. The data processor of the ultrasound system also determines positive and negative signal boundaries for each spectral line of Doppler data and a display architecture processes the signal boundary data to display a spectral trace corresponding to the edges of the spectral lines.

Claims

1. In an ultrasound system for generating a Doppler spectral image, a method to automatically establish a parameter used in connection with display of a Doppler spectral image, said method comprising:

acquiring a plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data;

determining a signal-free subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data;

estimating at least one noise level from said signal-free subset of Doppler data; and

automatically adjusting a parameter of a Doppler spectral image, including at least one of a baseline shift and spectrum orientation, based on said at least one noise level.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the presence of aliasing from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and automatically adjusting a pulse repetition frequency, in response to a determination of the presence of aliasing.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating positive and negative frequency bins for said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and re-arranging said positive and negative frequency bins.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating frequency bins for said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data and calculating an intensity level for a frequency bin by averaging a subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising calculating an intensity level for a spectral line by averaging a subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating frequency bins for said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler and determining a frequency bin having a minimum intensity level.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a spectral line of maximum intensity level from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating frequency bins for said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and determining a frequency bin having a minimum intensity level, and determining if Doppler data associated with a frequency bin having a minimum intensity level contains signal information as opposed to only noise information.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a most positive signal boundary and a most negative signal boundary from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data and said at least one noise level.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining positive and negative signal boundaries for each spectral line of said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and generating and displaying a spectral trace along said signal boundaries.

11. In an ultrasound system for generating a Doppler spectral image, apparatus to automatically establish a parameter used in connection with display of a Doppler spectral image, said apparatus comprising a data processing module acquiring a plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and determining a signal-free subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and estimating at least one noise level from said signal-free subset of Doppler data, and automatically adjusting a parameter of a Doppler spectral image, including at least one of a pulse repetition frequency, a baseline shift and spectrum orientation, based on said at least one noise level.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said data processing module determines the presence of aliasing from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and automatically adjusts at least one of said pulse repetition frequency, said baseline shift, and said spectrum orientation in response to a determination of the presence of aliasing.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a Doppler processing module generating positive and negative frequency bins of said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and wherein said data processing module re-arranges said positive and negative frequency bins.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a Doppler processing module generating frequency bins of said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and wherein said data processing module calculates an intensity level for a frequency bin by averaging a subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said data processing module calculates an intensity level for a spectral line by averaging a subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a Doppler processing module generating frequency bins of said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and wherein said data processing module determines a frequency bin having a minimum intensity level.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said data processing module determines a spectral line of maximum intensity level from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a Doppler processing module generating frequency bins of said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and wherein said data processing module determines a frequency bin having a minimum intensity level, and determines if Doppler data associated with a frequency bin having a minimum intensity level contains signal information as opposed to only noise information.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said data processing module determines a most positive signal boundary and a most negative signal boundary from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data and said at least one noise level.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said data processing module determines positive and negative signal boundaries for each spectral line of said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and further comprising a display architecture for generating a spectral trace along said signal boundaries and displaying said spectral trace.

21. A medical diagnostic ultrasound system comprising:

a transducer transmitting and receiving ultrasound signals within a scan plane of a subject;

a beamformer deriving data samples representative of said ultrasound signals for a sample gate within said scan plane;

a Doppler processing module generating a set of raw frequency bins of Doppler data from said data samples;

a scan conversion module scan converting said set of raw frequency bins of Doppler data;

a data processing module analyzing a plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data and automatically adjusting Doppler mode parameters, including at least one of a pulse repetition frequency, a baseline shift and spectrum orientation, to control a Doppler spectral image; and

a display architecture displaying said Doppler spectral image corresponding to said sample gate within said scan plane.

22. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data is said set of raw frequency bins of Doppler data.

23. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data is scan converted image data derived from said set of raw frequency bins of Doppler data.

24. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said sample gate is positioned over a location in said scan plane by an operator of said ultrasound system to define a region of interest over which data is collected and processed for generation of said Doppler spectral image.

25. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said data processing module calculates an intensity level for a frequency bin by averaging a subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

26. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said data processing module calculates an intensity level for a spectral line by averaging a subset of Doppler data from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

27. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said data processing module determines the presence of aliasing from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

28. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said data processing module estimates at least one noise level from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data.

29. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said data processing module determines a most positive signal boundary and a most negative signal boundary from said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data and at least one noise level.

30. The ultrasound system of claim 21 wherein said data processing module determines positive and negative signal boundaries for each spectral line of said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data from at least one noise level and said plurality of spectral lines of Doppler data, and wherein said display architecture generates a spectral trace along said signal boundaries and displays said spectral trace.