Method and apparatus for controlling ultrasound system display

• US 7,717,849 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2004
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Gerneral Electric Company
• Inventors: Angle, Michelle Ganiere, Miller, Steven Charles, Mathew, Prakash Parayil
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): CWERN, JONATHAN
• Application Number:
  US10/885,352
• Publication Number:
  US 20060020202A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,142 Days
• Field of Search: 600/437, 600/407, 600/410, 600/425, 382/128, 345/419
• US Class Current: 600/437
• 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: A61B 8/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/466 adapted to display 3D data 3D imaging and stereoscopic displays in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S15/8993 and G01S7/52068, respectively; 3D image rendering G06T15/00; manipulating 3D models for computer graphics G06T19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52073 Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means
• 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: G01S 7/52084 related to particular user interfaces special user input means for ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/467

Abstract

A method for operating a medical imaging system is provided. The method includes receiving an image data set of a region of interest in a first dimensional representation, reducing the dimensionality of the image data set to a second dimensional representation, selecting a feature of interest in the second dimensional representation, and generating an image of the selected feature in the first dimensional representation.

Claims

1. A method for operating an ultrasound imaging system, said method comprising:

receiving an image data set of a region of interest in a first dimensional representation that comprises at least three dimensions;

receiving a selected view perspective of the image data set determined by a viewpoint selector;

generating, with a processor, a plurality of planar slices of image data of the image data set, an axis of the planar slices being orthogonal to the selected view perspective;

reducing the dimensionality of the image data set to a second dimensional representation;

receiving a selected feature of interest selected in the second dimensional representation;

generating an image corresponding to the selected feature of interest; and

displaying the image corresponding to the selected feature in the first dimensional representation on a display system.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising generating with the processor a difference map of respective pixels of each adjacent pair of planar slices.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first-dimensional representation comprises four dimensions and further comprising generating with the processor a plurality of volume datasets of image data of the four-dimensional data set relative to the selected view perspective.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3 further comprising generating with the processor a difference map of respective pixels of each temporally adjacent pair of volume datasets.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein reducing the dimensionality of the image data set comprises generating with the processor a difference map of respective pixels of each adjacent pair of planar slices using at least one of an intensity projection map, a sum of absolute differences, a maximum intensity projection map, a minimum intensity projection map, an average intensity projection map, an integrated projection map, a first local maximum projection map, and an arbitrarily weighted projection map.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising outputting a display of the first dimensional representation and the second dimensional representation concurrently on the display system.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising outputting a display of a second dimensional representation index indicator on the display system.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein selecting a feature of interest in the second dimensional representation comprises:

outputting a display of a second dimensional representation index indicator; and

manipulating an index selector with a user input to align the index indicator with a portion of the feature of interest.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising displaying the second dimensional representation of the image data set.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising generating an image corresponding to the selected feature of interest.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein displaying an image corresponding to the selected feature in the first dimensional representation on a display system is based on the image data in at least one of the first dimensionality and the second dimensionality.

12. An ultrasound system comprising:

an ultrasound probe having at least one transducer for transmitting pulses to an object;

a processor programmed to receive image data in a first dimensionality and reduce the image data to a second dimensionality;

a viewpoint selector coupled to a user input of said ultrasound system to control a view of reduced image data; and

a display system comprising an ultrasound viewing area and a reduced dimensionality display area, wherein said processor is configured to display in the ultrasound viewing area, ultrasound images based on the image data in at least one of the first dimensionality and the second dimensionality as determined by a position of the viewpoint selector in the reduced image data view, and difference maps based on the image data in the first dimensionality.

13. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 further comprising a view perspective selector for orienting the received image data based on a selected image axis.

14. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said view perspective selector is configured to at least one of flip and rotate said received image data about said selected image axis.

15. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said view perspective selector comprises a pointing device.

16. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said processor is further configured to receive a user view command from said view perspective selector.

17. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said processor is configured to reduce the image data to the second dimensionality using at least one of an intensity projection map, a sum of absolute differences, a maximum intensity projection map, a minimum intensity projection map, an average intensity projection map, an integrated projection map, a first local maximum projection map, and an arbitrarily weighted projection map.

18. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said reduced dimensionality display area is configured to display an indication of difference between adjacent pairs of image slices of the received image data.

19. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said reduced dimensionality display area is configured to display an indication of difference between temporally adjacent pairs of image volumes of the received image data.

20. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said display system comprises an image display that is wearable by a user.

21. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said processor is programmed to receive image data over a period of time.

22. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said difference maps of received image data over a period of time comprise a linear map of the received image data indicative of an amount of image change between images over the period of time, and wherein the reduced dimensionality display area is configured to display said linear map.

23. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein said display system is configured to display data within the ultrasound viewing area and the reduced dimensionality display area concurrently.

32. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the first-dimensionality comprises three-dimensions and the second dimensionality comprises two-dimensions, and the reduced dimensionality display area includes a scout map area displaying the difference maps with at least one of a scale and an index indicator.

33. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to calculate a total difference between each pair of image slices corresponding to the difference maps.

34. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to calculate and normalize a total difference between each pair of image slices corresponding to the difference maps.

35. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to identify image data tagged via the user input and wherein the display provides an identification of the tagged image data on the ultrasound images.

36. An ultrasound system in accordance with claim 12 wherein the processor is configured to identify a multi-dimensional structure in the image data based on matching features to a structural model and wherein the display provides an identification of the multi-dimensional structure on the ultrasound images.

24. A method for processing ultrasound data, said method comprising:

receiving multidimensional ultrasound data comprising N dimensions, wherein the value of N is one of three and four;

generating, with a processor, a reduced dimension data set from the multidimensional ultrasound data with the processor, the reduced dimension data set comprising N−

1 dimensions;

receiving a selected feature of interest in the reduced dimension data set based on a user input;

generating an image corresponding to the selected feature of interest; and

displaying the image comprising the N dimensions that corresponds to the feature of interest on a display system.

25. A method in accordance with claim 24 wherein generating a reduced dimension data set from the multidimensional ultrasound data comprises creating a difference map from the received multidimensional ultrasound data.

26. A method in accordance with claim 24 further comprising configuring the data for display as a holographic image on the display system.

27. A method in accordance with claim 24 wherein the receiving comprises receiving the multidimensional ultrasound data only from a selected region of interest.

28. A method in accordance with claim 24 wherein generating a reduced dimension data set from the multidimensional ultrasound data comprises using an intensity projection map, a sum of absolute differences, a maximum intensity projection map, a minimum intensity projection map, an average intensity projection map, an integrated projection map, a first local maximum projection map, and an arbitrarily weighted projection map to generate the reduced dimension data set.

29. A method in accordance with claim 28 wherein generating a reduced dimension data set from the multidimensional ultrasound data comprises generating a reduced dimension data set that is configured for user navigation.

30. A method in accordance with claim 29 wherein generating a reduced dimension data set that is configured for user navigation comprises generating a reduced dimension data set that is configured for angle planar reformatting to provide different views.

31. A method in accordance with claim 30 wherein generating a reduced dimension data set that is configured for angle planar reformatting to provide different views comprises reformatting the reduced dimension data set dynamically.