Volume rendering quality adaptations for ultrasound imaging

• US 7,601,121 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2004
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Pagoulatos, Nikolaos, Lindh, Thomas B., Gauss, Roderick C., McDermott, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): CWERN, JONATHAN
• Application Number:
  US10/889,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,919 Days
• Field of Search: 600/443, 382/128, 345/418, 345/428
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems

Abstract

Rendering quality parameter values are automatically set or adjusted as a function of acquisition ultrasound parameter values. The rendering quality is automatically selected based on the acquisition quality, such as providing for a higher quality or quality rendering for slower acquisitions. More than two rendering states are provided for a respective, more than two different quality settings.

Claims

1. A method for adapting rendering quality for ultrasound imaging of a volume, the method comprising:

(a) setting at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value;

(b) scanning the volume as a function of the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value, data resulting from the scanning having an acquisition quality;

(c) setting with a processor at least one rendering quality parameter value of a rendering algorithm, wherein the setting with the processor of the at least one rendering quality parameter values is operable to determine a trade off between rendering algorithm speed and the rendering quality, wherein the setting with the processor of the at least one rendering quality parameter value is a function of the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value, wherein the rendering quality is different from the acquisition quality, and wherein the setting with the processor matches rendering performance to the acquisition quality;

(d) rendering an ultrasound image from data acquired by the scan of (b), the rendering being a function of the at least one rendering quality parameter value; and

(e) controlling (a) with a single quality control user input labeled for different quality levels, the single control user input operable to select the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value from a range of settings;

wherein (c) is performed free of user input other than the single control user input of (e).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) comprises setting the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value as a value for one of:

an azimuthal beam spacing, an elevational beam spacing, a frame spacing, a depth, an imaging frequency, parallel beam processing and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) comprises setting the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value in response to user input.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein (e) comprises controlling with the single control user input, the labeling of the single control user input indicating a range of image qualities, the selected at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value and set at least one rendering quality parameter value corresponding to an indicated image quality of the range of image qualities.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) comprises setting at least four ultrasound acquisition parameter values as values for four of:

an azimuthal beam spacing, an elevational beam spacing, a frame spacing, a depth, a 2D field-of-view, a 3D field-of-view, and/or an imaging frequency;

wherein (b) comprises scanning as a function of the values.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) comprises setting the at least one rendering quality parameter as a value for one of:

in-plane sampling density, viewing direction sampling density, flag for the in-plane adaptive sampling, adaptive sampling threshold, an interpolation density and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein (c) comprises setting values for in-plane sampling density and viewing direction sampling density as a function of the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) comprises setting an acquisition speed and wherein (c) comprises substantially matching a rendering speed to the acquisition speed.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) comprises automatically setting the at least one rendering quality parameter value as a function of the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein (b) and (d) are repetitively performed in a streaming state of operation, a sequence of ultrasound images being generated in the streaming state;

further comprising;

(e) switching to a frozen state of operation, a frozen ultrasound image statically displayed in the frozen state;

(f) altering the at least one rendering quality parameter value, the alteration increasing a quality of the frozen image relative to the ultrasound images of the sequence.

11. A system for adapting rendering quality for ultrasound imaging of a volume, the system comprising:

one or both of a beamformer system and a controller operable to scan or to cause the scan of the volume as a function of at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value as a value selected for one of;

an azimuthal beam spacing, an elevational beam spacing, a frame spacing, a 2D field-of-view, a 3D field-of-view, an imaging frequency, parallel beam processing and combinations thereof; and

a three-dimensional rendering processor operable to render an ultrasound image representing the volume from data acquired by the beamformer as a function of the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value, the rendering being a function of at least one rendering quality parameter value, the at least one rendering quality parameter value being set as a function of the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value, the at least one rendering quality parameter value set as a value for one of;

in-plane sampling density, viewing direction sampling density, an interpolation density and combinations thereof such that a resolution of the rendered ultrasound image is set as a function of the acquisition parameter value.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the beamformer system is operable to scan as a function of at least four ultrasound acquisition parameter values as values for at least four of:

an azimuthal beam spacing, an elevational beam spacing, a frame spacing, and an imaging frequency;

wherein the three-dimensional rendering processor is operable to set values for in-plane sampling density and viewing direction sampling density as a function of the at least four ultrasound acquisition parameter values.

13. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

a user input connected with the beamformer system and the three-dimensional rendering processor, the user input operable for indicating a range of image qualities, the selected at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value and the set least one rendering quality parameter value corresponding to an indicated image quality of the range of available qualities.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the three-dimensional rendering processor is operable to automatically substantially match a rendering speed to an acquisition speed, the rendering speed responsive to the at least one rendering quality parameter value and the acquisition speed responsive to the at least one ultrasound acquisition parameter value.