Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system includes an image processor and a velocity processor configured to process beamformed ultrasound data representing structure flowing through a tubular object and generate, respectively, an image indicative of the tubular object and vector flow imaging data indicative of the structure flowing through the tubular object. The system further includes a segmentation processor configured to segment the tubular object from the image based on a combination of both the vector flow imaging data and the image, wherein a resulting segmentation extends from wall-to-wall of the tubular object. The system further includes a display configured to display the image with the segmentation and the vector flow imaging data superimposed thereover, with the vector flow imaging data extending from wall-to-wall within the tubular object.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system includes a transducer array with a plurality of transducer elements configured to repeatedly emit in a predetermined pattern, a first beamformer configured to beamform echo signals received by the transducer array to produce a low resolution line of data for each emission, and a first communication interface configured to wirelessly transmit the low resolution lines of data for each emission in series. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a second communication interface configured to for each emission in series wirelessly receive the transmitted low resolution lines of data, a second beamformer configured to beamform the received low resolution lines of data to produce high resolution ultrasound data, and a velocity processor configured to estimate vector velocity components from the high resolution ultrasound data in a lateral direction and an axial using an autocorrelation algorithm.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (100) includes a transducer array (102) with plurality of transducer elements (200) configured to transmit an ultrasound signal and receive echoes. Transmit circuitry (104) is configured to excite the transducer elements to transmit the ultrasound signal along a propagation direction. Receive circuitry (106) is configured to receive an echo signal produced in response to the ultrasound signal traversing flowing structure in the field of view. A beamformer (112) is configured to beamform the echo signal and produce a single directional signal at a depth. The directional signal is transverse to the propagation direction of the ultrasound signal. A velocity processor (114) is configured to transform the directional signal to produce a corresponding quadrature signal, estimate a depth velocity component and a transverse velocity component at the depth based on the directional signal and the quadrature signal, and generate a signal indicative of the estimate.

Abstract: A method for determining pressure gradients with ultrasound data includes acquiring ultrasound data of a vessel and generating a velocity vector profile for flow in the vessel with the ultrasound data. The method further includes computing an acceleration with the velocity vector profile. The acceleration includes at least a temporal acceleration, and computing the temporal acceleration includes reducing noise from the velocity vector profile and determining the temporal acceleration from the noise-reduced velocity data. The method further includes determining the pressure gradients with the computed acceleration. The method further includes displaying an ultrasound image of the vessel with indicia indicative of the pressure gradients superimposed thereover.

Abstract: An ultrasound system includes a 2-D transducer array and a velocity processor. The 2-D transducer array includes a first 1-D array of one or more rows of transducing elements configured to produce first ultrasound data. The 2-D transducer array further includes a second 1-D array of one or more columns of transducing elements configured to produce second ultrasound data. The first and second 1-D arrays are configured for row-column addressing. The velocity processor processes the first and the second ultrasound data, producing 3-D vector flow data. The 3-D vector flow data includes an axial component, a first lateral component transverse to the axial component, and a second lateral component transverse to the axial component and the first lateral component.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (100) includes a transducer array (102) that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto and a spectral velocity estimator (110) that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and flows at angles less than 90 degrees with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (100) includes a transducer array (102) that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto and a spectral velocity estimator (110) that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and flows at angles less than 90 degrees with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer probe (104) includes a transducer array (108) of elements (110) that emit an ultrasound signal and receive analog echo signals produced in response thereto and a beamformer (112), housed by the probe, that converts the analog echo signals to digital signals, applies delays to the digital signals, and sums the delayed digital signals, produces a value of a bit stream, wherein the beamformer apodizes the signals.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (300) includes a transducer array (302) with a two-dimensional array of transducer elements configured to transmit an ultrasound signal and receive echoes, transmit circuitry (304) configured to control the transducer array to transmit the ultrasound signal so as to traverse a field of view, and receive circuitry (306) configured to receive a two dimensional set of echoes produced in response to the ultrasound signal traversing structure in the field of view, wherein the structure includes flowing structure. A beamformer (312) configured to beamform the echoes, and a velocity processor (314) configured to separately determine a depth velocity component, a transverse velocity component and an elevation velocity component, wherein the velocity components are determined based on the same transmitted ultrasound signal and the same received set of two dimensional echoes.

Abstract: An ultrasound system includes a 2-D transducer array and a velocity processor. The 2-D transducer array includes a first 1-D array of one or more rows of transducing elements configured to produce first ultrasound data. The 2-D transducer array further includes a second 1-D array of one or more columns of transducing elements configured to produce second ultrasound data. The first and second 1-D arrays are configured for row-column addressing. The velocity processor processes the first and the second ultrasound data, producing 3-D vector flow data. The 3-D vector flow data includes an axial component, a first lateral component transverse to the axial component, and a second lateral component transverse to the axial component and the first lateral component.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer probe (104) includes a transducer array (108) of elements (110) that emit an ultrasound signal and receive analog echo signals produced in response thereto and a beamformer (112), housed by the probe, that converts the analog echo signals to digital signals, applies delays to the digital signals, and sums the delayed digital signals, produces a value of a bit stream, wherein the beamformer apodizes the signals.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (100) includes a transducer array (102) that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto and a spectral velocity estimator (110) that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and flows at angles less than 90 degrees with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (300) includes a transducer array (302) with a two-dimensional array of transducer elements configured to transmit an ultrasound signal and receive echoes, transmit circuitry (304) configured to control the transducer array to transmit the ultrasound signal so as to traverse a field of view, and receive circuitry (306) configured to receive a two dimensional set of echoes produced in response to the ultrasound signal traversing structure in the field of view, wherein the structure includes flowing structure. A beamformer (312) configured to beamform the echoes, and a velocity processor (314) configured to separately determine a depth velocity component, a transverse velocity component and an elevation velocity component, wherein the velocity components are determined based on the same transmitted ultrasound signal and the same received set of two dimensional echoes.

Abstract: A method includes generating an ultrasound image based on the harmonic components in the received echoes using multi-stage beamforming and data generated therefrom. An ultrasound imaging system (100, 200) includes a transducer array (108) including a plurality of transducer elements configured to emit ultrasound signals and receive echoes generated in response to the emitted ultrasound signals. The ultrasound imaging system further includes transmit circuitry (110) that generates a set of pulses that actuate a set of the plurality of transducer elements to emit ultrasound signals. The ultrasound imaging system further includes receive circuitry (112), including a first beamformer (122) configured to process the received echoes, generating intermediate scan lines. Memory (126) stores the generated intermediate scan lines.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing compounded ultrasound images by beamforming a first and a second low-resolution image using data from a first ultrasound emission, beamforming a third and a fourth low-resolution image using data from a second ultrasound emission, summing said first and said third low-resolution image creating a first high-resolution image and said second and said fourth low-resolution image creating a second high-resolution image, wherein the method further comprises computing a first envelope image for said first high-resolution image and a second envelope image for said second high-resolution image, and processing said first envelope image and said second envelope image creating in a first compounded high-resolution image.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for flow estimation using synthetic aperture imaging. The method uses a Synthetic Transmit Aperture, but unlike previous approaches a new frame is created after every pulse emission. In receive mode parallel beam forming is implemented. The beam formed RF data is added to the previously created RF lines obtained by the same transmit sequence. The apparatus comprises a pulser (1) to generate a pulsed voltage signal, that is fed to the emit beam former (2). The emit beam former (2) is connected to the emitting transducer array (3). The ultrasound is reflected by the object (4) and received by the elements of the transducer array (5). All of these signals are then combined in the beam processor (6) to focus all of the beams in the image in both transmit and receive mode and the simultaneously focused signals are used for updating the image in the processor (7).

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for estimating the velocity vector of a remotely sensed object or group of objects using either ultrasound or electromagnetic radiation. The movement of the object is determined by emitting and receiving a pulsed field with spatial oscillations in both the axial and transverse directions. Using a number of pulsed emissions and the transverse spatial oscillations the received signal is influenced by transverse motion and a new autocorrelation estimator is used for determining the velocity vector.

Abstract: The two-dimensional velocity vector using a pulsed ultrasound field can be determined with the invention. The method uses a focused ultrasound field along the velocity direction for probing the moving medium under investigation. Several pulses are emitted and the focused received fields along the velocity direction are cross-correlated. The time shift between received signals is found from the peak in the cross-correlation function and the velocity is thereby determined.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for recursive ultrasound imaging using a Synthetic Transmit Aperture and by which a new frame is created at every pulse emission. In receive, parallel beam forming is implemented. The beam formed RF data is added to the previously created RF lines. To keep the level of the signal, the RF data obtained previously, when emitting with the same element, is subtracted from the RF lines. Up to 5000 frames/sec can be achieved for a tissue depth of 15 cm with a speed of sound of c=1540 m/s. The high frame rate makes continuous imaging data possible, which can significantly enhance flow imaging. A point spread function 2° wide at −6 dB and grating lobes of ≦−50 dB is obtained with a 64 elements phased array with a central frequency f0=3 MHz using a sparse transmit aperture using only 10 elements (Nxmt=10) during pulse emission. The corresponding images have the quality of a dynamically focused image in transmit and receive.