Abstract: An irregular ultrasound sampling grid is reconstructed to a three-dimensional grid for imaging. Volume data acquired with a helix transducer includes a fractional offset of data spaced along one dimension, resulting in the irregular ultrasound sampling grid. To determine a voxel value for a grid point on a uniform grid, two adjacent planes are identified. The sample locations in the two planes are not aligned, being on the irregular ultrasound sampling grid. Hardware acceleration devices, such as a graphics processing unit, perform bilinear interpolation in each of the planes. The data of each plane is interpolated to the proper global azimuth-range coordinate corresponding with the grid point. The bilinearly interpolated values from each plane are then linearly interpolated to the grid point.

Abstract: An irregular ultrasound sampling grid is reconstructed to a three-dimensional grid for imaging. Volume data acquired with a helix transducer includes a fractional offset of data spaced along one dimension, resulting in the irregular ultrasound sampling grid. To determine a voxel value for a grid point on a uniform grid, two adjacent planes are identified. The sample locations in the two planes are not aligned, being on the irregular ultrasound sampling grid. Hardware acceleration devices, such as a graphics processing unit, perform bilinear interpolation in each of the planes. The data of each plane is interpolated to the proper global azimuth-range coordinate corresponding with the grid point. The bilinearly interpolated values from each plane are then linearly interpolated to the grid point.

Abstract: Motion artifacts are reduced for three- or four-dimensional imaging with a mechanically rocked array by determining a position of a scan within a volume as a function of velocity. A represented position within a volume of a mechanically rocked scan is determined. Differences in velocity associated with different scan plane positions are used to alter or adjust a scan position. For example, the start position for a transmit operation or the spatial location represented by previously acquired data is altered as a function of a corresponding velocity in the mechanical movement of the array. Variation in velocity results in different relative scan positions or adjustments within the volume. The velocity variation is determined in an open loop, such as from previously measured or expected velocity of the array, or from feedback from actual measured position and associated velocity of the array.

Abstract: Without using ECG input signals or processor intensive correlation, cyclical timing is determined from ultrasound data. Cyclical timing includes determining the time of end diastole, time of end systole or heart rate. The ultrasound data is reduced, such as by projecting each frame of data onto two axes. For projection, data is summed along each dimension. The location associated with the maximum variance through the sequence is identified from the projected data. The ultrasound data associated with the location is used to identify cycle timing information, such as to provide a waveform representing the cycle. Lines from different frames of data in the sequence are also used to generate an image. The image shows cycle timing information.

Abstract: Motion artifacts are reduced for three- or four-dimensional imaging with a mechanically rocked array by determining a position of a scan within a volume as a function of velocity. A represented position within a volume of a mechanically rocked scan is determined. Differences in velocity associated with different scan plane positions are used to alter or adjust a scan position. For example, the start position for a transmit operation or the spatial location represented by previously acquired data is altered as a function of a corresponding velocity in the mechanical movement of the array. Variation in velocity results in different relative scan positions or adjustments within the volume. The velocity variation is determined in an open loop, such as from previously measured or expected velocity of the array, or from feedback from actual measured position and associated velocity of the array.