Method for ultrasound perfusion imaging
First Claim
1. A method of obtaining an ultrasound perfusion image of tissues perfused with blood containing microbubbles, the method comprising:
- transmitting a plane wave of microbubble-destroying ultrasound into the tissues, the plane wave of microbubble-destroying ultrasound encompassing a first area of the tissues, the microbubble-destroying ultrasound having an intensity that is sufficient to destroy microbubbles in the tissues that are insonified by the microbubble-destroying ultrasound;
repetitively transmitting a plurality of beams of imaging ultrasound into the tissues, wherein each beam of imaging ultrasound insonifies a second area of tissue within the first area, and wherein each second area is smaller than the first area, the imaging ultrasound having an intensity that is substantially insufficient to destroy microbubbles in the tissues that are insonified by the imaging ultrasound;
receiving reflections from each of the transmitted imaging ultrasound beams in respective receive beams, wherein each of the receive beams is received from a third area of tissue within the first area, and wherein each third area is smaller than the first area; and
processing the received reflections over a sufficient period to allow re-perfusion of the tissues to provide an ultrasound perfusion image.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ultrasound imaging system transmits a broad beam of ultrasound into tissues that are perfused with blood containing microbubbles. The ultrasound has an intensity that is sufficient to destroy the microbubbles in the tissues. A plurality of ultrasound imaging beams are then transmitted into the tissues over a sufficient period to allow the tissues to re-perfuse, and reflections from the transmitted imaging beams are processed to provide a perfusion image. The transmitted microbubble-destroying ultrasound may be in the form of a single beam or a plurality of beams that insonify a substantially larger area than the area insonified by the transmitted imaging beams. As a result, the microbubbles are all destroyed at substantially the same time, and the imaging ultrasound is transmitted only into regions of the tissues from which ultrasound reflections will be received.
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Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method of obtaining an ultrasound perfusion image of tissues perfused with blood containing microbubbles, the method comprising:
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transmitting a plane wave of microbubble-destroying ultrasound into the tissues, the plane wave of microbubble-destroying ultrasound encompassing a first area of the tissues, the microbubble-destroying ultrasound having an intensity that is sufficient to destroy microbubbles in the tissues that are insonified by the microbubble-destroying ultrasound; repetitively transmitting a plurality of beams of imaging ultrasound into the tissues, wherein each beam of imaging ultrasound insonifies a second area of tissue within the first area, and wherein each second area is smaller than the first area, the imaging ultrasound having an intensity that is substantially insufficient to destroy microbubbles in the tissues that are insonified by the imaging ultrasound; receiving reflections from each of the transmitted imaging ultrasound beams in respective receive beams, wherein each of the receive beams is received from a third area of tissue within the first area, and wherein each third area is smaller than the first area; and processing the received reflections over a sufficient period to allow re-perfusion of the tissues to provide an ultrasound perfusion image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of obtaining an ultrasound perfusion image of tissues perfused with blood containing microbubbles, the method comprising:
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using ultrasound to simultaneously destroy substantially all of the microbubbles in the tissues over a first area; and repetitively using ultrasound transmitted to and received from a plurality of second areas within the first area, wherein each of the second areas is smaller than the first area, and wherein the sum of the second areas substantially encompasses the first area to obtain an indication of the quantity of microbubbles in the tissues that are intact over a re-perfusion time, each of the second areas being smaller than the first area, wherein the act of using ultrasound to simultaneously destroy substantially all of the microbubbles in the tissues over a first area comprises using a plane-wave beam of ultrasound to simultaneously destroy substantially all of the microbubbles in the tissues over the first area. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification