IMAGING PROCESSING SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20140343430A1
• Filed: 05/15/2013
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Original Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Inventors: Lam, Duc H., Moore, Thomas C., Waters, Kendall R.
• Granted Patent: US 9,693,754 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/445
• 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 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5246 combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5269 involving detection or reduction of artifacts for image enhancement algorithms G06T5/00

Abstract

Systems and methods for image processing based on ultrasound data. The system may include an IVUS catheter configured to collect data vectors including ultrasound data and an imaging engine configured to process the ultrasound data of the data vectors. The imaging engine may receive the data vectors and divide the data vectors into different sets. The ultrasound data of each respective set may be averaged and then an envelope of each set may be detected. The envelopes of each set may then be averaged to generate an enhanced data vector which may be used to generate an image.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire a plurality of data vectors by emitting acoustic energy and receiving a backscatter of the acoustic energy, each data vector comprising ultrasound data;

an imaging engine comprising at least one processor, the imaging engine configured to;

receive the plurality of data vectors from the ultrasound transducer;

form a first set of data vectors and a second set of data vectors from the plurality of data vectors;

generate, using the at least one processor, a first combination of data and a second combination of data based on the first set of data vectors and the second set of data vectors, respectively;

generate, using the at least one processor, a first envelope and a second envelope based on the first combination of data and the second combination of data, respectively;

generate, using the at least one processor, a combined envelope based on the first envelope and the second envelope; and

generate, using the at least one processor, an image based on the combined envelope.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising:

a catheter assembly configured to deliver the ultrasound transducer to an imaging area; and

a patient interface module including a catheter interface,

wherein the patient interface module is electrically connected to the imaging engine and is coupled to the catheter assembly and the ultrasound transducer via the catheter interface; and

wherein the patient interface module is configured to rotate the ultrasound transducer relative to the catheter assembly.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the data vectors of the first set of data vectors are radially sequential and the data vectors of the second set of data vectors are radially sequential.

4. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein the ultrasound transducer is configured acquire data vectors every 2π

/4096 radians as it is rotated relative to the catheter assembly.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the first set of data vectors includes two data vectors and the second set of data vectors includes two data vectors.

6. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the first set of data vectors includes four data vectors and the second set of data vectors includes four data vectors.

7. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the first set of data vectors and the second set of data vectors each include at least one common data vector.

8. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the first combination of data is generated by averaging the ultrasound data associated with each data vector of the first set of data vectors and the second combination of data is generated by averaging the ultrasound data associated with each data vector of the second set of data vectors.

9. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the combined envelope is generated by averaging the first envelope and the second envelope.

10. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the acoustic energy emitted by the ultrasound transducer is between 40-60 MHz.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of data vectors, each data vector comprising ultrasound data;

forming a first set of data vectors and a second set of data vectors from the plurality of data vectors;

generating a first combination of data and a second combination of data based on the first set of data vectors and the second set of data vectors, respectively;

generating a first envelope and a second envelope based on the first combination of data and the second combination of data, respectively;

generating a combined envelope based on the first envelope and the second envelope; and

generating an image based on the combined envelope.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of data vectors are acquired by an ultrasound transducer.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the data vectors of the first set of data vectors are radially sequential and the data vectors of the second set of data vectors are radially sequential.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein radially sequential data vectors are separated by 2π

/4096 radians.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first set of data vectors includes two data vectors and the second set of data vectors includes two data vectors.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first set of data vectors includes four data vectors and the second set of data vectors includes four data vectors.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first set of data vectors and the second set of data vectors each include at least one common data vector.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating the first combination of data and the second combination of data further comprises averaging the ultrasound data associated with the data vectors of the first set of data vectors and averaging the ultrasound data associated with the data vectors of the second set of data vectors, respectively.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating the combined envelope further comprises averaging the first envelope and the second envelope.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of generating the first envelope and the second envelope further comprises demodulating the first combination of data and demodulating the second combination of data.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage article having a computer-executable instructions stored thereon to cause at least one programmable processor to:

receive a plurality of data vectors wherein each data vector comprises ultrasound data;

form a first set of data vectors and a second set of data vectors from the plurality of data vectors;

generate a first combination of data and a second combination of data based on the first set of data vectors and the second set of data vectors, respectively;

generate a first envelope and a second envelope based on the first combination of data and the second combination of data, respectively;

generate a combined envelope based on the first envelope and the second envelope; and

generate an image based on the combined envelope.

22. The article of claim 21, wherein the data vectors of the first set of data vectors are radially sequential and the data vectors of the second set of data vectors are radially sequential.

23. The article of claim 22, wherein radially sequential data vectors are separated by 2π

/4096 radians.

24. The article of claim 21, wherein the first set of data vectors includes two data vectors and the second set of data vectors includes two data vectors.

25. The article of claim 21, wherein the first set of data vectors includes four data vectors and the second set of data vectors includes four data vectors.

26. The article of claim 21, wherein the first set of data vectors and the second set of data vectors each include at least one common data vector.

27. The article of claim 21, wherein the first set of data vectors and the second set of data vectors each include at least one common data vector.

28. The article of claim 21, further comprising executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to generate the first combination of data by averaging the ultrasound data associated with the data vectors of the first set of data vectors and generate the second combination of data by averaging the ultrasound data associated with the data vectors of the second set of data vectors.

29. The article of claim 21, further comprising executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to generate the first envelope by demodulating the first combination of data and generate the second envelope by demodulating the second combination data.

30. The article of claim 21, further comprising executable instructions to cause the at least one processor to generate the combined envelope by averaging the first envelope and the second envelope.