Abstract: The invention provides a method of stabilising an ultrasound image, the method comprising generating a composite image of a current image and at least one previous image. The composite image has a region of interest which is stabilised based on at least obtained stabilisation information. Use of a current image and at least one previous image allows a composite image of a larger size to be produced.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system acquires frames of echo data at a high acquisition frame rate using a single mode of acquisition. The echo data is used by three image processors to produce an anatomical image, a mechanical function image, and a hemodynamic image from the same echo data. A display displays an anatomical image, a mechanical function image, and a hemodynamic image simultaneously.

Abstract: The invention provides an ultrasound data processing method for pre-processing signal data in advance of generating ultrasound images. The method seeks to reduce noise through application of coherent persistence to a series of raw ultrasound signal representations representative of the same path or section through a body but at different successive times. A motion compensation procedure including amplitude peak registration and phase alignment is applied to raw echo signal data in advance of application of persistence in order to cohere the signals and thereby limit the introduction of motion induced artifacts.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging apparatus (16) is disclosed for providing two-dimensional ultrasound images of a patient. The ultrasound imaging apparatus comprises an input interface (18) for receiving three-dimensional ultrasound data of a volume of the patient from an ultrasound acquisition unit as a continuous data stream and a motion detection unit (22) for determining a motion of an object in the three-dimensional ultrasound data and a direction of the motion in the three-dimensional ultrasound data. An image processing unit (20) determines a spatial rotation angle (46) of an image plane (32, 34) within the volume on the basis of the determined direction of the motion and determines two-dimensional ultrasound image data on the basis of the three-dimensional ultrasound data in the image plane within the volume. The two-dimensional image data is provided via an output interface to a display unit (26).

Abstract: The invention provides an ultrasound data processing method for pre-processing signal data in advance of generating ultrasound images. The method seeks to reduce noise through application of coherent persistence to a series of raw ultrasound signal representations representative of the same path or section through a body but at different successive times. A motion compensation procedure including amplitude peak registration and phase alignment is applied to raw echo signal data in advance of application of persistence in order to cohere the signals and thereby limit the introduction of motion induced artifacts.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system acquires frames of echo data at a high acquisition frame rate using a single mode of acquisition. The echo data is used by three image processors to produce an anatomical image, a mechanical function image, and a hemodynamic image from the same echo data. A display displays an anatomical image, a mechanical function image, and a hemodynamic image simultaneously.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of stabilising an ultrasound image, the method comprising generating a composite image of a current image and at least one previous image. The composite image has a region of interest which is stabilised based on at least obtained stabilisation information. Use of a current image and at least one previous image allows a composite image of a larger size to be produced.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging apparatus (16) is disclosed for providing two-dimensional ultrasound images of a patient. The ultrasound imaging apparatus comprises an input interface (18) for receiving three-dimensional ultrasound data of a volume of the patient from an ultrasound acquisition unit as a continuous data stream and a motion detection unit (22) for determining a motion of an object in the three-dimensional ultrasound data and a direction of the motion in the three-dimensional ultrasound data. An image processing unit (20) determines a spatial rotation angle (46) of an image plane (32, 34) within the volume on the basis of the determined direction of the motion and determines two-dimensional ultrasound image data on the basis of the three-dimensional ultrasound data in the image plane within the volume. The two-dimensional image data is provided via an output interface to a display unit (26).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a an image reconstruction apparatus (10) comprising: a receiving unit (60) for receiving a 3D image sequence (56) of 3D medical images over time resulting from a scan of a body part of a subject (12); a selection unit (64) for selecting a local point of interest (76) within at least one of the 3D medical images of the 3D image sequence (56); a slice generator (66) for generating three 2D view planes (74) of the at least one of the 3D medical images, wherein said three 2D view planes (74) are arranged perpendicularly to each other and intersect in the selected point of interest (76); and a tracking unit (68) for determining a trajectory of the point of interest (76) within the 3D image sequence (56) over time; wherein the slice generator (66) is configured to generate from the 3D image sequence (56) 2D image sequences (72) in the 2D view planes (74) by automatically adapting the intersection of the 2D view planes (74) over time along the trajectory of the point of interest (76)

Abstract: A system for visualizing a myocardium represented by a cardiac image comprises a resampling means and a visualizing means. The resampling means resamples the intensity levels at sampling points on a plurality of curved surfaces, each curved surface enclosing at least part of a heart cavity and zero or more of the plurality of curved surfaces and being enclosed by the remaining curved surfaces of the plurality of curved surfaces, the plurality of curved surfaces together covering a hollow region in the cardiac image, the hollow region comprising the outer cavity walls of a group of at least one heart cavity. The visualizing means is arranged for visualizing at least part of at least one of the plurality of curved surfaces, using resampled intensity levels obtained from the resampling means. The group of at least one heart cavity may be the left atrium alone. It may also be the complete heart.

Abstract: A system for visualizing a myocardium represented by a cardiac image comprises a resampling means and a visualizing means. The resampling means re-samples the intensity levels at sampling points on a plurality of curved surfaces, each curved surface enclosing at least part of a heart cavity and zero or more of the plurality of curved surfaces and being enclosed by the remaining curved surfaces of the plurality of curved surfaces, the plurality of curved surfaces together covering a hollow region in the cardiac image, the hollow region comprising the outer cavity walls of a group of at least one heart cavity. The visualizing means is arranged for visualizing at least part of at least one of the plurality of curved surfaces, using resampled intensity levels obtained from the resampling means. The group of at least one heart cavity may be the left atrium alone. It may also be the complete heart.