Intravascular ultrasound system for co-registered imaging

• US 9,808,222 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Original Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Inventors: Moore, Thomas C., Waters, Kendall R., Reynolds, J. Steve, Lam, Duc H., Masters, Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): LAURITZEN, AMANDA L
• Application Number:
  US12/902,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,583 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0891 for diagnosis of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/102 using transmission of pulses having some particular characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8952 using discrete, multiple frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52071 Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52074 Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/30 Determination of transform parameters for the alignment of images, i.e. image registration

Abstract

An intravascular ultrasound imaging system with a catheter having an elongated body having a distal end and an imaging core arranged to be inserted into the elongated body. The imaging core is arranged to transmit ultrasonic energy pulses and to receive reflected ultrasonic energy pulses. The system further includes an imaging engine coupled to the imaging core and arranged to provide the imaging core with energy pulses to cause the imaging core to transmit the ultrasonic energy pulses. The energy pulses are arranged in repeated sequences and the energy pulses of each sequence have varying characteristics. The reflected pulses may be processed to provide a composite image of images resulting from each different characteristic.

Claims

1. An intravascular ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

a catheter having an elongated body having a distal end, the catheter having an imaging core configured to be inserted into the elongated body, the imaging core being configured to transmit ultrasonic energy pulses and to receive reflected ultrasonic energy pulses; and

an imaging engine coupled to the imaging core and configured to provide the imaging core with energy pulses, the energy pulses being ultrasonic, to cause the imaging core to transmit the ultrasonic energy pulses, each energy pulse having a predefined energy pulse characteristic within a plurality of predefined energy pulse characteristics, the energy pulses being transmitted such that the associated predefined energy pulse characteristics are arranged in a repeating sequence, wherein

the imaging engine is further configured to process the reflected ultrasonic energy pulses into separate image frames, the separate image frames being acquired from the sequence of predefined energy pulse characteristics of the reflected ultrasonic energy pulses, each image frame corresponding to a predefined energy pulse characteristic, the imaging engine being further configured to identify prominent features of each separate image frame, the imaging engine being configured to provide display signals for simultaneously displaying the separate image frames as a composite image, the imaging engine is further configured to form the composite image by co-registering the separate image frames, such that features more prominent in a first image of the separate image frames are mapped to a second image of the separate image frames, and features more prominent in the second image are mapped to the first image, thereby including at least a portion of the prominent features of each of the separate image frames in the composite image.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to provide the imaging core with repeated sequence of energy pulses such that each sequence of energy pulses includes at least two pulses.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to provide the imaging core with repeated sequence of energy pulses, such that the energy pulses in each sequence having a different pulse energy.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to provide the imaging core with repeated sequence of energy pulses, such that the energy pulses in each sequence having a different frequency.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to provide the imaging core with repeated sequence of energy pulses, such that the energy pulses in each sequence having a different bandwidth.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to provide the imaging core with repeated sequence of energy pulses such that each sequence of energy pulses includes three pulses.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to provide the imaging core with repeated sequence of energy pulses such that

a first one of the three pulses has a first energy,

a second one of the three pulses has a second energy, a third one of the three pulses has a third energy, wherein,

the first energy is greater than the second energy, and the first energy is greater than the third energy.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the imaging engine includes a processor configured to process the reflected ultrasonic energy pulses in image frames and a detector that detects the varying characteristic in the reflected ultrasonic energy pulses, and wherein the imaging engine processes the frames according to the detected varying characteristic.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to process only reflected ultrasonic energy pulses having a common detected characteristic.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the imaging engine is further configured to provide a composite image based upon the varying characteristics of the sequences of reflected ultrasonic energy pulses.

11. A method comprising:

providing a catheter having an elongated body having a distal end and an imaging core configured to be inserted into the elongated body, the imaging core being configured to transmit ultrasonic energy pulses and to receive reflected ultrasonic energy pulses, an imaging engine coupled to the imaging core; and

providing the imaging core with energy pulses from an imaging engine coupled to the imaging core, the energy pulses being ultrasonic, to cause the imaging core to transmit the ultrasonic energy pulses, each energy pulse having a predefined energy pulse characteristic within a plurality of predefined energy pulse characteristics, the energy pulses being transmitted such that the associated predefined energy pulse characteristics are arranged in a repeating sequence, wherein

the imaging engine processes the reflected ultrasonic energy pulses in separate image frames, the separate image frames being acquired concurrently from the reflected ultrasonic energy pulses, each image frame corresponding to a predefined energy pulse characteristic, and wherein the imaging engine provides display signals for simultaneously displaying the separate image frames as a composite image, the imaging engine identifies prominent features of each separate image frame and forms the composite image by co-registering the separate image frames, such that features more prominent in a first image of the separate image frames are mapped to a second image of the separate image frames, and features more prominent in the second image are mapped to the first image, thereby including at least a portion of the prominent features of each of the separate image frames in the composite image.