Pulse interleaving in doppler ultrasound imaging

• US 7,238,158 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2004
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PhysioSonics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Allez Physionix Ltd.
• Inventors: Abend, Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, RUTH S
• Application Number:
  US10/764,658
• Publication Number:
  US 20050004461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 600437-472
• US Class Current: 600/454
• 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 7/5206 Two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction; B-scan display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52061 Plan position indication (PPI display); C-scan display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52065 Compound scan display, e.g. panoramic imaging
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44

Abstract

Ultrasonic acoustic imaging finds many uses, particularly in the field of non-invasive medical testing. Detection of Doppler shifted acoustic frequencies permits observation of flow of a particle-containing liquid, for example, blood flow. In order to see slower moving blood by Doppler ultrasound investigation, as the blood moves from major blood vessels into arterioles and capillaries, it is necessary to lower the pulse repetition frequency. The herein disclosed invention is an interleaving technique that lowers the effective pulse repetition frequency at each probe position without exacting these system penalties.

Claims

1. A method for determining flow of a particle-containing fluid at a plurality of determined locations in a subject body comprising:

a) transmitting a series of pulses of ultrasonic acoustic energy into the body from a probe, the probe consisting essentially of an array of transmitter and detector elements;

b) assigning the elements to a plurality of element groups comprising at least a first group and a second group;

c) sequentially transmitting at least a first pulse from the first group of transmitter elements and a second pulse from the second group of transmitter elements until all groups of elements have transmitted pulses into a respective portion of the studied region of the subject body adjacent to each group of transmitter elements;

d) repeating Step c) until a full dwell of pulses has been transmitted from each group of transmitter elements into each respective portion of the subject body and collecting Doppler shift data from reflections from each respective portion of the subject body;

e) repeating Step d) until sufficient Doppler shift data has been collected from detector elements adjacent to each portion of the subject body to permit calculations of fluid flow at a desired signal to noise ratio.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising computing and storing or displaying an indication of the flow of the fluid.