Automatic optimization for ultrasound medical imaging
First Claim
1. In a method for automatic optimization in color Doppler velocity imaging, an improvement comprising:
- (a) applying multidimensional phase unwrapping to a set of velocity data representing a multidimensional region;
(b) setting a velocity scale, baseline, a parameter for auto-Doppler tracking, a persistence parameter, a spatial filter parameter, a threshold, a clutter filter parameter, an imaging frequency, or combinations thereof as a function of results of (a); and
(c) imaging as a function of the setting.
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Abstract
Methods and systems are provided for automatic optimization for ultrasound medical imaging. In one approach, velocity values are unwrapped to avoid aliasing artifacts. Multi-dimensional phase unwrapping is applied to the velocity data. The unwrapped velocity information is used to optimize one or both of the velocity scale (e.g., pulse repetition frequency) and the imaging frequency. For optimizing the scale setting, the distribution of unwrapped velocities from a systolic time period of the heart cycle are used to identify the pulse repetition frequency. For optimizing the imaging frequency, a correlation as a function of depth shows the penetration depth for a given imaging frequency. In a dependent or independent approach, one or more thresholds for velocity or energy in flow imaging are adaptively selected as a function of an amount of clutter. Velocity or other energy information in addition to the clutter information may be used for selecting the thresholds. In yet another dependent or independent approach, displacement of an imaging plane or other change is detected and used to trigger an automatic update of an imaging parameter for a same or different mode.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. In a method for automatic optimization in color Doppler velocity imaging, an improvement comprising:
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(a) applying multidimensional phase unwrapping to a set of velocity data representing a multidimensional region; (b) setting a velocity scale, baseline, a parameter for auto-Doppler tracking, a persistence parameter, a spatial filter parameter, a threshold, a clutter filter parameter, an imaging frequency, or combinations thereof as a function of results of (a); and (c) imaging as a function of the setting. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In a method for automatic optimization in color Doppler velocity imaging, an improvement comprising:
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(a) applying multidimensional phase unwrapping to a set of velocity data representing a multidimensional region wherein (a) comprises; (a1) determining a multidimensional closed path with the gradient of the phase integrating to zero; (a2) determining a phase for a plurality of locations along the multidimensional path; and (b) adapting imaging as a function of the phase. - View Dependent Claims (12)
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13. In a method for automatic optimization in color Doppler velocity imaging, an improvement comprising:
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(a) applying multidimensional phase unwrapping to a set of velocity data representing a multidimensional region; (b) setting the velocity scale as a function of the results of (a); (c) performing (b) as a function of the results and a user aliasing selection; and (d) imaging as a function of the setting.
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14. A method for automatic optimization of a threshold for color Doppler imaging, the method comprising:
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(a) determining a clutter level as a function of energy input to and energy output from a clutter filter; (b) selecting a threshold as a function of the clutter level; and (c) imaging as a function of the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28)
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27. A method for automatic optimization in velocity imaging, the method comprising:
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(a) determining a correlation as a function of depth between two sets of velocity data; (b) altering an imaging frequency as a function of the correlation; and (c) imaging as a function of the altered imaging frequency. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30)
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31. A method for automatic optimization of an ultrasound imaging parameter, the method comprising:
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(a) detecting a displacement associated with an imaging region; (b) automatically updating an imaging parameter selected from the group of;
a flow imaging parameter, a velocity scale, a velocity threshold, an energy threshold, an imaging frequency, a beamforming parameter, a persistence value, spatial filter value and combinations thereof in response to (a); and(c) imaging as a function of the updated imaging parameter. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification