Method for imaging intracavitary blood flow patterns
First Claim
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1. A method for in vivo imaging of flow pattern of blood in a ventricle of a heart of a subject, the method comprising:
- a) administering particles configured to mix with blood flowing in the ventricle of the heart of the subject to produce a differentiatable acoustic signature;
b) acquiring, using ultrasonic energy reflected back to a transducer array of an ultrasound imaging system located externally from the subject, images of the ventricle of the heart at a substantially high frame rate selected to track the particles flowing in the ventricle of the heart in successive ones of the ultrasound image frames; and
c) producing images of the ventricle of the heart indicating at least one of delays of redirected outflow from the ventricle of the heart and delays closing a valve of the heart associated with the ventricle based on the tracking of the particles.
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Abstract
Heart diseases are detected by producing a series of ultrasound images that depict the blood flow pattern in the left ventricle at successive phases of the cardiac cycle. The blood flow pattern images are produced by injecting a diluted contrast agent and tracking the contrast agent particles as they flow through the left ventricle by acquiring ultrasound images at a high frame rate.
16 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for in vivo imaging of flow pattern of blood in a ventricle of a heart of a subject, the method comprising:
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a) administering particles configured to mix with blood flowing in the ventricle of the heart of the subject to produce a differentiatable acoustic signature; b) acquiring, using ultrasonic energy reflected back to a transducer array of an ultrasound imaging system located externally from the subject, images of the ventricle of the heart at a substantially high frame rate selected to track the particles flowing in the ventricle of the heart in successive ones of the ultrasound image frames; and c) producing images of the ventricle of the heart indicating at least one of delays of redirected outflow from the ventricle of the heart and delays closing a valve of the heart associated with the ventricle based on the tracking of the particles. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for diagnosing heart disease, the method comprising:
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a) acquiring a series of ultrasound images using an ultrasound transducer array located externally from the subject of a left ventricle of a heart at a substantially high frame rate during a succession of cardiac phases of a cardiac cycle; b) producing a series of flow pattern images from the acquired ultrasound images depicting the flow of particles in blood flowing in the left ventricle at successive cardiac phases and indicating at least one of delays of at least one of flow from the left ventricle and valve operation associated with the left ventricle; and c) examining the series of flow pattern images during each cardiac phase to detect flow characteristics indicative of a disease. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification