Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for imaging contrast agents within a patient's body. The method generally comprises, receiving echoed signals from the body, processing the received data to correct for motion effects, processing the received data to suppress tissue response, and imaging the contrast agents.

Abstract: A three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound probe to direct ultrasound waves to and to receive reflected ultrasound waves from a target volume of a subject under examination. The ultrasound probe is swept over the target volume along a linear scanning path and the reflected ultrasound waves are conveyed to a computer wherein successive two-dimensional images of the target volume are digitized. The digitized two-dimensional images can be used to generate a three-dimensional image with virtually no delay. A user interface allows a user to manipulate the displayed image. Specifically, the entire displayed image may be rotated about an arbitrary axis, a surface of the displayed image may be translated to provide different cross-sectional views of the image and a selected surface of the displayed image may be rotated about an arbitrary axis. All of these manipulations can be achieved via a single graphical input device such as a mouse connected to the computer.

Abstract: A system and method for converting 2-D ultrasound data into a 2-D display image. The system and method input a 2-D ultrasound data set, transform the 2-D ultrasound data set into a mathematical 3-D data set, and transform the mathematical 3-D data set into an altered 2-D data set. Another preferred embodiment of the invention involves generating a mathematical surface, such that the height of the mathematical surface is based on a first component of an ultrasound signal in a 2-D ultrasound data set; mapping the mathematical surface to points on a 2-D plane; assigning a color value to each point based on a second component of the ultrasound signal; and displaying the mapped mathematical surface with the assigned color values on a 2-D display device.

Abstract: Ultrasonic imaging apparatus and method are described for reducing the flash artifact in ultrasonic harmonic images. Harmonic signals are separated by pulse inversion separation which uses multiple transmit pulses which may be subject to motion artifacts. The motion artifacts are detected and subtracted from the harmonic signals to produce harmonic images with reduced flash artifacts. The motion artifacts may also be reduced by notch filtering. In another embodiment the amount of motion in the image is detected and the flash artifact is reduced in accordance with the detected motion. The amount of artifact signal which is removed is variable in accordance with anticipated image motion or clinical application.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic system and a method for the same update a pulse repetition frequency(PRF) by sensing an aliasing of a sampled data. A sample data generator generates sample data by transmitting an ultrasound signal into a human body and sampling a reflected signal of the ultrasound signal. A frequency distribution data generator generates a frequency distribution data by processing the sample data. A blood flow velocity detector determines a blood flow velocity on the basis of the frequency distribution data. An aliasing detector detects whether or not an aliasing occurs in the frequency distribution data.

Abstract: The end diastole and end systole images from an acquired cardiac loop are shown side by side on an image display for automatic border tracing. The border tracings can be used to calculate ejection fraction in real time. The cardiac loops may be first acquired then processed for automatic border definition, or the acquired images can be processed in real time to indicate their suitability for automatic border detection as they are acquired.

Abstract: An ECG gated ultrasonic imaging compounding system and method for synthesizing a cineloop of a compound ultrasonic image such as a cardiac cycle is presented. In real-time operation, a series of image frames may be recorded at a frame rate over a cardiac cycle and stored in a cineloop memory. A second series of image frames are recorded over a second cardiac cycle. The image frames of the second cardiac cycle are frame-by-frame aligned in time and space with the corresponding image frames from the cineloop memory. The aligned frames are then combined to form a series of synthesized image frames which then replace the original image frames in the cineloop memory. Subsequent series of image frames are also combined with the synthesized image frames in the cineloop memory to form new synthesized image frames which then replace the old synthesized image frames in the image array, and so forth. The series of image frames may be triggered to begin at a cardiac event such as the R-event.

Abstract: A pulse wave detection device capable of accurately detecting pulse waves without influence of noise caused by hand movement or the like has a main sensor disposed on a radial artery and having an emitter for emitting an ultrasonic signal toward the radial artery and a receiver for receiving a reflected ultrasonic signal, and an auxiliary sensor disposed on an ulnar artery and having an emitter for emitting an ultrasonic signal toward the ulnar artery and a receiver for receiving a reflected ultrasonic artery. If the amplitude of an ultrasonic signal received by the main sensor is not between two threshold values, it is determined that detection of pulse waves from the radial artery is difficult. Then detection of pulse waves from the ulnar artery is performed by using the auxiliary sensor. After the lapse of a predetermined period of time from the start of detection using the ulnar artery, the main sensor is again selected to be used.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer is formed by a plurality of cMUT cells, each comprising a charged diaphragm plate capacitively opposing an oppositely charged base plate. The diaphragm plate is distended toward the base plate by a bias charge. The base plate includes a central portion elevated toward the center of the diaphragm plate to cause the charge of the cell to be of maximum density at the moving center of the diaphragm plate. For harmonic operation the drive pulses applied to the cells are predistorted in consideration of the nonlinear operation of the device to reduce contamination of the transmit signal at the harmonic band. The cMUT cells can be fabricated by conventional semiconductor processes and hence integrated with ancillary transducer circuitry such as a bias charge regulator. The cMUT cells can also be fabricated by micro-stereolithography whereby the cells can be formed using a variety of polymers and other materials.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for correcting refraction delay errors on curved probes for all ranges using cordic rotation. The angle &phgr; from the normal of an element to the focus is determined as a function of the angle of cordic rotation. Then a delay error correction is indexed using this angle &phgr;. The angular correction method is efficient in that it uses the inherent property of cordic rotation to calculate the only range-dependent variable required for the correction. Thus the additional hardware required to calculate the corrections is minimal, as the remaining correction variables are vector and range independent.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method are described for performing nonlinear echo signal imaging with sum or difference frequency signal components. The sum or difference frequency components are produced by nonlinear effects of tissue or contrast agents and are advantageously separated from the fundamental transmit components of the echo signals by pulse inversion processing. The transmit frequency components are located at frequencies chosen so that the sum or difference frequency components to be used for imaging fall in the central, most sensitive, region of the transducer passband. The beam profiles of the sum or difference frequency components exhibit improved signal to clutter ratios and lateral resolution characteristics as compared to the transmit beam characteristics.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer connector for connecting a transducer to a terminal on an ultrasound unit, the ultrasound transducer connector including a shell; a LIF connector supported by the shell; and a cable electrically connected to the LIF connector that electrically connects the LIF connector to the transducer.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method are described for performing nonlinear echo signal imaging with harmonic and intermodulation product (sum or difference frequency) components. Both the harmonic and the intermodulation products are produced by nonlinear effects of tissue or contrast agents and both are advantageously separated from the fundamental transmit components of the echo signals by pulse inversion processing. The use of both nonlinear components can improve the signal to noise ratio of the ultrasonic images, and the two types of components can be blended or used in different regions of an image to offset the effects of depth dependent attenuation.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device includes a console portion and a display portion. The console portion includes a control panel, which includes a plurality of input keys. A user may input commands on the control panel by actuating one or more keys on the control panel. The console portion comprises control circuitry, which controls the operations of the ultrasound diagnostic device. The control circuitry receives input signals from the control panel. The input signals correspond to commands entered by the user on the control panel. The control circuitry processes the electrical signals and performs operations on an ultrasound image being displayed on a display monitor. The ultrasound images being displayed on the display may be modified by the control circuitry in response to one or more keys of the control panel being actuated by the user. A transducer assembly connected to the console portion is used by the user to acquire ultrasound image information from a subject.

Abstract: The preferred embodiments described herein provide a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and method in which at least two image components of an image are separately stored in the ultrasound system. Because the image components are separately stored, a composite image can be constructed from selected image components. Unlike conventional ultrasound systems that use a frame grabber to perform a what-you-see-is-what-you-get technique of image capture, this preferred embodiment provides selective construction of a composite image, thereby facilitating image presentation, image review, and post-processing functions.

Abstract: There is disclosed a method for non-invasively determining dimensions of a lesion within soft tissue, comprising: (a) ultrasonically imaging soft tissue in an apparatus having an acoustic transducer, an acoustic focussing system, a holographic imaging detector, and a means for visualizing the holographic image; (b) obtaining a holographic planar image of a lesion in a first plane having a thickness z and having a dimension across a wide area of the lesion of x and a length across the lesion of y wherein y is at an approximately 90 degree angle to x; (c) determining if the image of the lesion is contained in different planar images; (d) measuring the x and y dimensions of the lesion in the plane having the largest sum of x plus y dimensions; and (e) determining the 3-dimensional size with a means for z-axis measurement.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided which produces scanlines with synthesized transmit foci at a high frame rate of display. Beams are transmitted and received which have different beam steering and focal characteristics. At least one of the received beams is weighted and the steering and focal characteristics of the weighted received beams are interpolated to form scanlines for display which exhibit the focal properties of both beams.

Abstract: A system for medical ultrasound in which the ultrasound probe is positioned by a robot arm under the shared control of the ultrasound operator and the computer is proposed. The system comprises a robot arm design suitable for diagnostic ultrasound, a passive or active hand-controller, and a computer system to co-ordinate the motion and forces of the robot and hand-controller as a function of operator input, sensed parameters and ultrasound images.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system provides for high density scanning (transmit/receive) of color flow signals. The ultrasound scan sequence of each transmitted and received color flow ultrasound beam is laterally spaced through the imaging field to calculate flow velocities. The color flow beams are transmitted and received only once at each position along the horizontal scanning axis of the imaging field. The scanning technique of the present invention enables a large number of color flow lines to be acquired while keeping a high frame rate. The color line density is comparable to that of a B-mode image. A method of high-speed calculation or a high-speed autocorrelation is also provided to process the greater number of signals generated by the present scanning technique. A time-sharing scanning technique between color flow and B-mode images is also provided to synchronize blood flow and tissue (B-mode) images together.

Abstract: A method and system, employed in combination with a three-dimensional ultrasonographic imaging system, for assisting and placing at least one medical instrument into a prostate during a percutaneous prostrate therapeutic procedure. A process means for determining the spatial relationship between three-dimensional ultrasonographic images of the prostate generated via the transrectal transducer and a reference means. In addition, the method and system assists in guiding and placement of the medical instrument into a target location in the prostate.