Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound scanhead coupled to an image processor that causes ultrasound images to be generated on the viewing screen of a display. The image processor includes a beamformer generating transmit and receive beams, a signal processor and a conventional scan converter. The signal processor receives signals from the beamformer to generate image data corresponding to an image, analyzes the image data and, based on the analysis, determines the number of transmit focal positions that should be used as well as the optimum location for each focal position. The signal processor then couples data to the beamformer to set the location of the focal position(s).

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method are described which perform spatial compounding of tissue motion or flow information. The resultant images not only reduce speckle artifacts, but also reduce dropout caused by the angular dependence of Doppler information. Compound images may be formed using both B mode and Doppler information acquired in a time interleaved manner, either one or both of which may be spatially compounded. The techniques of the present invention may be employed to reduce multiline artifacts and to produce real time compound images at high frame rates of display.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces spatially compounded images by combining component frames acquired from different look directions. Different regions of the spatially compounded images are formed by different numbers of overlapping component frames. Seam artifacts at the boundaries of the regions are reduced by processing the component frames to maintain a common signal and noise characteristic, varying the transmit pulse amplitude or the receiver gain, spatially aligning component frames at the boundaries, or weighting scan lines less heavily at the seam boundaries.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces spatially compounded images by combining component frames acquired from different look directions. The component frames are acquired in estimate space, converted to sampled data in a common coordinate system and compounded. Conversion to the common coordinate system is performed by modulating the sampling to the desired coordinate system or by resampling of the image data. The estimate data of the spatially compounded image is then scan converted to a display data format for display of the spatially compounded image.

Abstract: An adaptive ultrasonic spatial compounding method is described in which the number of component ultrasonic images which are to be spatially compounded is varied in response to the type of scanning procedure. In a survey mode, when the transducer is rapidly scanning a patient and there is a low degree of correlation from frame to frame, the number of component ultrasonic images which are compounded is reduced. In a study mode, when the transducer is held relatively stationary to study a particular region of the body and the frame-to-frame spatial correspondence is relatively high, the number of component images is increased.

Abstract: A technique for continuously determining and displaying the peak velocities of spectral Doppler information is disclosed. A Doppler noise threshold level is determined from operating characteristics of the ultrasound system, probe, or both. Received spectral Doppler data for a spectral line is compared to this threshold to identify a valid peak velocity value. Spectral lines are examined in advance of their display to detect excursions due to artifacts such as valve clicks. Peak velocity values are interpolated and displayed in place of artifact peak values. Individual heart cycles over which quantified measures of cardiovascular performance are computed and displayed are selected by the R-wave intervals of an ECG trace. The interval of the concurrent spectral Doppler display corresponding to the heart cycle interval over which the quantified measures are computed or pertain is automatically highlighted for the user.