Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system has an improved dynamic range control which enables a user to reduce image haze with substantially no effect on bright tissue in the image and without increasing speckle variance. A dynamic range processor processes an input image to produce an approximation image which is a spatially low pass filtered version of the input image. The dynamic range of the approximation image is compressed, and image detail, unaffected by the compression, is added back to produce a dynamically compressed image for display.

Abstract: A method is provided for determining one or more tissue boundaries within ultrasound image data of anatomical region. The method is based on generating two separate images from the same input ultrasound data, acquired in a single acquisition event. One image is generated with contrast enhancement, so that boundaries surrounding a fluid-containing region are especially well visible and, the second image is generated without this enhancement, or with a different enhancement so that boundaries surrounding tissue regions are especially well visible. An image segmentation procedure is then applied which uses a combination of both images as input and uses both to determine the boundaries within the imaged regions.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system produces more diagnostic cardiac images of the left ventricle by plotting the longitudinal medial axis of the chamber between the apex and mitral valve plane as a curved line evenly spaced between the opposite walls of the myocardium. Transverse image planes are positioned orthogonal to the curved medial axis with control points positioned in the short axis view on lines evenly spaced around and emanating from the medial axis. If the short axis view is of an oval shaped chamber the transverse image is stretched to give the heart a more rounded appearance resulting in better positioning of editing control points.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system includes a processor circuit in communication with an ultrasound probe. The processor circuit receives, from the ultrasound probe, ultrasound data representative of an ultrasound beam imaging an anatomical structure. The processor circuit determines, based on the ultrasound data, a measured boundary of the anatomical structure. The measured boundary includes multiple locations. The processor circuit determines correction vectors corresponding to the locations of the measured boundary. A magnitude of a respective correction vector is based on a depth of a corresponding location relative to the ultrasound probe and/or an orientation of the measured boundary at the corresponding location relative to the ultrasound beam. The processor circuit applies the correction vectors to the locations of the measured boundary to determine a corrected boundary. The processor circuit outputs, to a display, an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system may acquire ultrasound data from a heart. The ultrasound data may be analyzed to on-invasively provide a value for cardiac pressure, such as left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP). In some examples, the ultrasound data may be acquired from B-mode images, Doppler images, and/or strain measurements. In some examples, the ultrasound data may be acquired across an entire cardiac cycle of the heart. In some examples, the ultrasound data may include strain measurements and/or volume measurements of the left atrium. In some examples, the ultrasound data may be analyzed by a correlation algorithm, such as a partial least squares model and/or a neural network.

Abstract: A method for using an interactive visual guidance tool for an imaging acquisition and display configured for user navigation with respect to a blockage of a field of view detects, and spatially defines, the blockage. It also integrates, with the image for joint visualization, an indicium that visually represents the definition. The indicium is moved dynamically according to movement, relative to the blockage, of the field of view. The indicium can be shaped like a line segment, or two indicia can be joined in a “V” shape to frame a region of non-blockage. The defining may be based on determining whether ultrasound beams in respective directions are blocked.

Abstract: A 3D ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces 3D display images at a 3D frame rate of display which is equal to the acquisition rate of a 3D image dataset. The volumetric region being imaged is sparsely sub-sampled by separated scanning beams. Spatial locations between the beams are filled in with interpolated values or interleaved with acquired data values from other 3D scanning intervals depending upon the existence of motion in the image field. A plurality of different beam scanning patterns are used, different ones of which have different spatial locations where beams are located and beams are omitted. In a preferred embodiment the determination of motion and the consequent decision to use interpolated or interleaved data for display is determined on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system has a user control by which a user positions the user's selection of a heart chamber border in relation to two myocardial boundaries identified by a deformable heart model. The user's border is positioned by a single degree of freedom control which positions the border as a function of a single user-determined value. This overcomes the vagaries of machine-drawn borders and their mixed acceptance by clinicians, who can now create repeatably-drawn borders and exchange the control value for use by others to obtain the same results.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for calculating an end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship. The method includes obtaining a cardiac input representing a region of interest, wherein the region of interest comprises a left ventricle and a left atrium of a subject. An end of diastasis volume of the left ventricle is then determined based on the cardiac input, wherein diastasis is a stage of diastole during a heart cycle before atrial contraction. Further, an end of diastasis pressure in the left atrium is determined based on the cardiac input and a linearized ventricular pressure-volume relationship is generated based on the end of diastasis volume of the left ventricle and the end of diastasis pressure in the left atrium. An end-diastolic pressure-volume relationship is then determined based on an end-diastolic volume of the left ventricle and the linearized ventricular pressure-volume relationship.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system has an improved dynamic range control which enables a user to reduce image haze with substantially no effect on bright tissue in the image and without increasing speckle variance. A dynamic range processor processes an input image to produce an approximation image which is a spatially low pass filtered version of the input image. The dynamic range of the approximation image is compressed, and image detail, unaffected by the compression, is added back to produce a dynamically compressed image for display.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method enable the automatic acquisition of standard view planes of the heart in real time, such as the AP4, AP3, and AP2 views. A 3D image of the heart is acquired and the processed in conjunction with a geometrical heart model. The heart model is fitted to the heart in its acquired pose to segment the desired image planes from the 3D image data. During successive image acquisition intervals the image planes are tracked through successive image data as a multi-plane system to update a display of the multiple images. The successive image acquisitions can be volume image acquisitions or multi-plane acquisitions of just the tracked image planes during each acquisition interval.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system has a user control by which a user positions the user's selection of a heart chamber border in relation to two myocardial boundaries identified by a deformable heart model. The user's border is positioned by a single degree of freedom control which positions the border as a function of a single user-determined value. This overcomes the vagaries of machine-drawn borders and their mixed acceptance by clinicians, who can now create repeatably-drawn borders and exchange the control value for use by others to obtain the same results.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is gated to acquire images at different phases of a physiological cycle such as the heartbeat. At each successive heart cycle a trigger actuates the acquisition of a continuous sequence of images, starting at a particular phase of the heart cycle and ending when the next heart cycle begins. Multiple triggers are used, each starting at a different phase of the heart cycle and each acquiring images at uniform temporal spacing. After the first trigger is used a sequence of images has been captured which are temporally evenly spaced over the heart cycle, and as successive triggers are used uniform temporal spacing is maintained as the heart cycle is filled in with additional images for replay of an image loop of phase re-ordered images at a high frame rate of display.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system has a user control by which a user positions the user's selection of a heart chamber border in relation to two myocardial boundaries identified by a deformable heart model. The user's border is positioned by a single degree of freedom control which positions the border as a function of a single user-determined value. This overcomes the vagaries of machine-drawn borders and their mixed acceptance by clinicians, who can now create repeatably-drawn borders and exchange the control value for use by others to obtain the same results.

Abstract: A method for using an interactive visual guidance tool for an imaging acquisition and display system and configured for user navigation with respect to a blockage of a field of view detects, and spatially defines, the blockage. It also integrates, with the image for joint visualization, an indicium that visually represents the definition. The indicium is moved dynamically according to movement, relative to the blockage, of the field of view. The indicium can be shaped like a line segment, or two indicia can be joined in a “V” shape to frame a region of non-blockage. The defining may be based on determining whether ultrasound beams in respective directions are blocked. Included, for deriving the image, in some embodiments are imaging channels for receiving image data for which a metric of coherence, i.e., similarity among channel data, is computed. The determination for a direction is based on the metric for locations in that direction.

Abstract: A 3D ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces 3D display images at a 3D frame rate of display which is equal to the acquisition rate of a 3D image dataset. The volumetric region being imaged is sparsely sub-sampled by separated scanning beams. Spatial locations between the beams are filled in with interpolated values or interleaved with acquired data values from other 3D scanning intervals depending upon the existence of motion in the image field. A plurality of different beam scanning patterns are used, different ones of which have different spatial locations where beams are located and beams are omitted. In a preferred embodiment the determination of motion and the consequent decision to use interpolated or interleaved data for display is determined on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

Abstract: An interactive visual guidance tool for an imaging acquisition and display system and configured for user navigation with respect to a blockage of a field of view (216) detects, and spatially defines, the blockage. It also integrates, with the image for joint visualization, an indicium (244) that visually represents the definition. The indicium is moved dynamically according to movement, relative to the blockage, of the field of view. The indicium can be shaped like a line segment, or two indicia (244, 248) can be joined in a “V” shape to frame a region of non-blockage. The defining maybe based on determining whether ultrasound beams in respective directions are blocked. Included, for deriving the image, in some embodiments are imaging channels for receiving image data for which a metric of coherence, i.e., similarity among channel data, is computed. The determination for a direction is based on the metric for locations in that direction.

Abstract: A 3D ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces 3D display images at a 3D frame rate of display which is equal to the acquisition rate of a 3D image dataset. The volumetric region being imaged is sparsely sub-sampled by separated scanning beams. Spatial locations between the beams are filled in with interpolated values or interleaved with acquired data values from other 3D scanning intervals depending upon the existence of motion in the image field. A plurality of different beam scanning patterns are used, different ones of which have different spatial locations where beams are located and beams are omitted. In a preferred embodiment the determination of motion and the consequent decision to use interpolated or interleaved data for display is determined on a pixel-by pixel basis.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method enable the automatic acquisition of standard view planes of the heart in real time, such as the AP4, AP3, and AP2 views. A 3D image of the heart is acquired and the processed in conjunction with a geometrical heart model. The heart model is fitted to the heart in its acquired pose to segment the desired image planes from the 3D image data. During successive image acquisition intervals the image planes are tracked through successive image data as a multi-plane system to update a display of the multiple images. The successive image acquisitions can be volume image acquisitions or multi-plane acquisitions of just the tracked image planes during each acquisition interval.

Abstract: A compressor device for a turbocharger. The compressor device includes a compressor housing and a separate snorkel member which are provided separately and then connected together. The compressor housing has two air passages separated by a partition wall, while the snorkel member similarly has two separate air ducts separated in part by a partition wall. The two components have mating fittings to connect them together.