Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-31
2001-04-10
Jaworski, Francis J. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
C600S447000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06213947
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates to medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging systems and methods, and in particular to such systems and methods that utilize coded transmit pulses to enhance imaging characteristics. Certain embodiments of this invention are particularly useful in motion processing imaging modes such as 2D or 3D color flow imaging, spectral Doppler imaging, tissue motion imaging, strain imaging, and pulse inversion harmonic Doppler imaging. Harmonic imaging embodiments can be used in contrast agent imaging modes as well as in tissue harmonic imaging modes. Other embodiments are particularly useful for B-mode processing.
Frequency modulated (FM) transmit pulses are known in the art for increasing average power of a signal without increasing the instantaneous peak power. This technique has been recently suggested in the medical ultrasound field for use with B-mode imaging (M. O'Donnell, Coded Excitation System for Improving the Penetration of Real-Time Phased Array Imaging Systems, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, Vol. 39, No. 3, pg. 341-351, May 1992), as well as in conjunction with contrast imaging (Y. Takeuchi, Coded Excitation for Harmonic Imaging, Ultrasonics, PH-3, 1996).
SUMMARY
The present inventor has developed improved methods for using nonlinear phase and frequency modulated coded transmission pulses in ultrasonic imaging, including in ultrasonic imaging of motion of the imaged tissue or blood, and with or without the use of contrast agents.
Certain of the embodiments described below launch first and second coded ultrasonic transmit beams into a body, timed such that the second transmit beam is launched before the first transmit beam has left the body. The first and second transmit beams of this embodiment are encoded with unique respective codes that are designed to minimize interference between echo signals from the respective transmit beams. In one form of this embodiment, the first and second transmit beams are included in a single transmit event. In other forms, the first and second transmit beams are included in separate transmit events.
In one mode, first and second ultrasonic beams are launched into a body along first and second spatially distinct transmit beam directions and used with B-mode or motion detection processing. Frame rates are improved. Multiple spectral Doppler images from independent gates are generated.
In another mode, first and second ultrasonic beams are launched into a body to focus at substantially the same point such that the two beams sample motion at different times. Unconventionally high velocity parameters are estimated and other motion parameters, including velocity parameters, may be estimated with improved accuracy.
In yet another mode, first and second ultrasonic beams are launched into a body to focus preferentially at the same point, where each beam originates from a subaperture and the receive signals are used with motion detection processing. Improved direction sensitivity to motion is obtained. The improved sensitivity may be used to estimate the vector components of velocities or used to improve the automatic placement of the direction cursor within a spectral Doppler gate.
In yet another mode, two or more coded ultrasonic beams are launched into the body with alternating polarities in a pulse inversion harmonic Doppler mode to improve the SNR while imaging contrast agents.
The following detailed description clarifies the manner in which these embodiments improve B-mode and motion detection imaging, while in many cases reducing interference problems associated with receive signals from separate transmit beams.
The invention is defined by the following claims, and this section should be taken only as a general introduction, not as a definition of the invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 35535 (1997-06-01), Brumley et al.
patent: 4403311 (1983-09-01), Tournois
patent: 4403314 (1983-09-01), Tournois
patent: 4413520 (1983-11-01), Murakami et al.
patent: 4417584 (1983-11-01), Cathignol et al.
patent: 4456982 (1984-06-01), Tournois
patent: 4458342 (1984-07-01), Tournois
patent: 4815043 (1989-03-01), Shirasaka
patent: 4855961 (1989-08-01), Jaffe et al.
patent: 5014712 (1991-05-01), O'Donnell
patent: 5022400 (1991-06-01), Walters
patent: 5142649 (1992-08-01), O'Donnell
patent: 5224482 (1993-07-01), Nikoonahad et al.
patent: 5329930 (1994-07-01), Thomas, III et al.
patent: 5454372 (1995-10-01), Banjnin et al.
patent: 5522393 (1996-06-01), Phillips
patent: 5608690 (1997-03-01), Hossack et al.
patent: 5675554 (1997-10-01), Cole et al.
patent: 5851187 (1998-12-01), Thomas, III et al.
patent: 5938611 (1999-08-01), Muzilla et al.
patent: 5961463 (1999-10-01), Rhyne et al.
patent: 5964706 (1999-10-01), Ma et al.
patent: 6048315 (2000-04-01), Chiao et al.
“Complementary Series,” Marcel J.E. Golay,IRE Transactions on Information Theory,vol. IT 7, Jan. 1961, No. 1, pp. 82-87.
“Golay's Complementary Series”,IRE Transactions on Information Theory,vol. IT-7, Oct., 1961, No. 4, pp. 273-276.
“Properties of Swept FM Waveforms in Medical Ultrasound Imaging,” C.R. Cole, Acuson Corporation, Mountain View, California.
“Acoustical Imaging Via Coherent Reception of Spatially Coloured Transmissions,” P. Tournois, 1980 IEEE, 1980 Ultrasonics Symposium, pp. 747-750.
“Multibeam Imaging Using Spatially Variant Insonification,” Jules S. Jaffe and Phillipe M. Cassereau,J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 83(4), Apr. 1988, pp. 1458-1464.
“Coded Excitation System for Improving the Penetration of Real-Time Phased-Array Imaging Systems,” Matthew O'Donnell,IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control,vol. 39, No. 3, May 1992, pp. 341-351.
“Filter-Based Coded-Excitation System for High-Speed Ultrasonic Imaging,” Jian Shen and Emad S. Ebbini,IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging,vol. 17, No. 6, Dec. 1998, pp. 923-934.
“Coded Excitation for Harmonic Imaging,” Y. Takeuchi, Ultrasonics, PH-3, 1996.
“Chirped Excitation for <-100dB Time Sidelobe Echo Sounding,” Y, Takeuchi.
“Simultaneous MultiFrequency Ultrasonography The Principle and Technology,” Miwa et al., 1981 Ultrasonics Symposium, pp. 655-659.
“Echography Using Correlation Techniques: Choice of Coding Signal,” Benkhelifa et al., 1994 IEEE, pp. 579-587.
“Real-Time Two-Dimensional Doppler Flow Mapping Using Auto-Correlation,” C. Kasai et al., pp. 447-460.
“Radar Signals, an Introduction to Theory and Application,” C. Cook et al., Chapter 3.
Acuson Corporation
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Jaworski Francis J.
LandOfFree
Medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system using coded... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system using coded..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system using coded... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2445917