Landmarks for ultrasound imaging
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An ultrasound imaging apparatus, comprising:
- an ultrasound probe configured to transmit ultrasound signals and to receive ultrasound echo signals;
an ultrasound system configured to process the ultrasound echo signals to yield a two-dimensional ultrasound image representing an image plane within a subject;
a display connected to the ultrasound system and the display displays the ultrasound image;
a position-sensing system configured to monitor a position and orientation of the ultrasound probe in a coordinate system to yield probe position and orientation information;
a processor configured to;
process the probe position and orientation information to determine;
a display location in the ultrasound image corresponding to a perpendicular projection of a predetermined location onto the image plane and a distance between the predetermined location and the image plane within a slab of a thickness defined by a positive slab surface and a negative slab surface which are a positive and negative distance from the image plane respectively; and
superimpose on the ultrasound image a display location marking indicia at the display location, and the indicia having one or more appearance characteristics determined at least in part by the distance between the predetermined location and the image plane within the slab, and the one or more appearance characteristics include a hue which is a continuous function of three colors within the slab.
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Abstract
An ultrasound imaging system has a 3D location system and a data store for recording locations within a patient. Navigation to target locations is facilitated by providing graphical elements superposed on a 2-dimensional image. The size and/or color of the graphical elements are controlled in real time based on distance of the target location(s) from a current image plane. This provides intuitive visual feedback and can be achieved with low computational requirements.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. An ultrasound imaging apparatus, comprising:
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an ultrasound probe configured to transmit ultrasound signals and to receive ultrasound echo signals; an ultrasound system configured to process the ultrasound echo signals to yield a two-dimensional ultrasound image representing an image plane within a subject; a display connected to the ultrasound system and the display displays the ultrasound image; a position-sensing system configured to monitor a position and orientation of the ultrasound probe in a coordinate system to yield probe position and orientation information; a processor configured to; process the probe position and orientation information to determine;
a display location in the ultrasound image corresponding to a perpendicular projection of a predetermined location onto the image plane and a distance between the predetermined location and the image plane within a slab of a thickness defined by a positive slab surface and a negative slab surface which are a positive and negative distance from the image plane respectively; andsuperimpose on the ultrasound image a display location marking indicia at the display location, and the indicia having one or more appearance characteristics determined at least in part by the distance between the predetermined location and the image plane within the slab, and the one or more appearance characteristics include a hue which is a continuous function of three colors within the slab. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An apparatus for providing information regarding a relationship between a location of a selected point within a body of a patient and a location and orientation of an ultrasound probe, the apparatus comprising a processor,
wherein: -
the processor is configured to receive first information indicating the location and orientation of the ultrasound probe; the processor is configured to determine, based on the first information, second information indicating the location and orientation of a 2D region within the body of the patient scanned by the ultrasound probe; the processor is configured to receive third information indicating the location of the selected point selected from a plurality of recorded points; the processor is configured to determine, based the second and third information, fourth information indicating whether or not the selected point lies within the 2D region; the processor is configured to set location and appearance of indicia on a display based on the fourth information, wherein the appearance of the indicia includes a hue which is a continuous function of three colors; the processor is configured to determine, based on the second information and the third information, fifth information indicating a distance between the selected point and a point within the 2D region which is closest to the selected point; and the processor is configured to control an appearance of the indicia based at least in part on the fifth information, wherein the continuous function of three colors is defined for a slab which includes a positive and negative distance from the location and the orientation of the 2D region. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for providing information regarding a relationship between a location of a selected point within a body of a patient and a location and orientation of an ultrasound probe, the method comprising employing a processor to:
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receive first information indicating the location and orientation of the ultrasound probe; determine, based on the first information, second information indicating the location and orientation of a 2D region within the body of the patient scanned by the ultrasound probe; receive third information indicating the location of the selected point selected from a plurality of recorded points; determine, based the second and third information, fourth information indicating whether or not the selected point lies within the 2D region; set location and appearance of indicia on a display based on the fourth information, wherein the appearance of the indicia includes a hue which is a continuous function of three colors; determine, based on the second information and the third information, fifth information indicating a distance between the selected point and a point within the 2D region which is closest to the selected point; and control an appearance of the indicia based at least in part on the fifth information, wherein the continuous function of three colors is defined for a slab which includes a positive and negative distance from the location and the orientation of the 2D region.
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Specification