Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
2001-10-17
2004-03-09
Jaworski, Francis J. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
active
06702747
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed generally to acoustic imaging and, more particularly, to an acoustically generated image formed by selected signal components.
The present invention provides a process and an apparatus for enhancing the imaging of subtle structures, such as tumor tissue within a soft tissue matrix. Specifically, the process and apparatus provides a transmissive ultrasonic holography imaging system having an acoustical opaque small element variably placed so as to block the contribution to the image by sound energy transmitted through the object but not scattered by the object being imaged. The present invention further provides a process and apparatus for a transmissive ultrasonic holography imaging system comprising an acoustical opaque planar element having an opening so as to pass unscattered ultrasonic energy (i.e., sound) but to block the contribution to the image by ultrasonic energy that is transmitted through the object and scattered by the object. The present invention further provides an alternate process and apparatus which provides for an acoustical planar element variably placed so as to block all or substantially all of the ultrasonic energy transmitted through the object except that scattered from a selected volume within the object being imaged and at selected forward scattering angles. It is recognized that the nature of the scattering angle relates to the nature of the object being imaged. Thus, in this invention the imaging with selected components refers to imaging with only a selected portion of the ultrasound transmitted through or forward scattered (diffracted) from a structure within an object. The process and apparatus provides for being able to image with only ultrasound scattered at large scattering angles, medium forward scattering angles or low or zero forward scattering angle. Since different characteristics of an object (e.g. lesions in the human breast) forward scatters ultrasonic energy at various angles, by being able to image with ultrasound scattered only selective angles greater and more detailed information can be determined of subtle structures within the object.
The process and apparatus further provides that these two separate image contributions are used and analyzed separately or combined for improved diagnosis of subtle structures. One of the results of utilizing the inventive process provides for improved imaging visualization of subtle objects by providing a means of imaging only with sound scatter from subtle objects because only ultrasound that interferes with the object is transmitted to a holographic detector and reconstructed within the detector. More specifically, the invention provides a process to separately using only specific portions of the transmitted sound wave to make separate images of the object and utilize a combination of such images to provide greater detailed information about subtle structures within the object.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Holography involves combining or interfering an object wave or energy with a reference wave or energy to form an interference pattern referred to as the hologram. A fundamental requirement for the forming of the hologram and the practice of holography is that the initial source of the object wave and reference wave or energy are coherent with respect to the other wave. That is to say, that all parts of both the object wave and the reference wave are of the same frequency and of a defined orientation (a fixed spatial position and angle between the direction of propagation of the two sources). When performing holography the object wave is modified by interference with structure within the object of interest. As this object wave interacts with all points of the object in the path of the wave, the three-dimensional features of the object impart identifying phase and amplitude changes on the object wave. Since the reference wave is an unperturbed (pure) coherent wave, its interference with the object wave results in an interference pattern which identifies the 3-D positioning and characteristics (ultrasonic absorption, diffraction, reflection, and refraction) of the scattering points of the object.
A second process, (the reconstruction of the hologram) is then performed when a coherent viewing source (usually light from a laser) is transmitted through or reflected from the hologram. The hologram pattern diffracts light from this coherent viewing or reconstructing source in a manner to faithfully represent the 3-D nature of the object, as seen by the ultrasonic object wave.
To reiterate, to perform holography, coherent wave sources are required. This requirement currently limits practical applications of the practice of holography to the light domain (e.g., a laser light) or the domain of acoustics (sometimes referred to as ultrasound due to the practical application at ultrasonic frequencies) as these two sources are currently the only available coherent energy sources. Thus, further references to holography or imaging system will refer to the through-transmission holographic imaging process that uses acoustical energies usually in the ultrasonic frequency range and more specifically from 1 to 10 MHz.
In the practice of ultrasound holography, one key process is the generation of the ultrasound, such as a large area coherent ultrasound transducer. A second key process is the projection of the object wave information from a specific volume within the object into the hologram detection plane by means of the ultrasonic lens projection system. A third key process is the detection and reconstruction of the ultrasonic hologram into visual or useful format.
Although other configurations can be utilized, a common requirement of the source transducers for both the object and reference waves is to produce a large area plane wave having constant amplitude across the wave front and having a constant frequency for a sufficient number of cycles to establish coherence. Such transducers will produce this desired wave if the amplitude of the ultrasound output decreases in a Gaussian distribution profile as the edge of the large area transducer is approached. This decreasing of amplitude as the edge is approached, reduces or eliminates the “edge effect” from the transducer edge, which would otherwise cause varying amplitude across the wave front as a function distance from the transducer.
In the process of through-transmission ultrasonic holographic imaging, the pulse from the object transducer progresses through the object, then through a focusing lens system and at the appropriate time, the pulse of ultrasound is generated from the reference transducer such that the object wave and reference wave arrive at the detector at the same time to create a interference pattern (i.e., the hologram). For broad applications, the transducers need to be able to operate at a spectrum or bandwidth of discrete frequencies. Multiple frequencies allow comparisons and integration of holograms taken at selected frequencies to provide an improved image of the subtle changes within the object.
A hologram can also be formed by directing the object wave through the object at different angles to the central axis of the lens system. This is provided by either positioning or rotating the object transducer around the central axis of the lens system by using multiple transducers positioned such that the path of transmission of the sound is at an angle with respect to the central axis of the lens system.
With a through-transmission imaging system, it is important to determine the amount of resolution in the “z” dimension that is desirable and achievable. Since the holographic process operates without limits of mechanical or electronic devices to detect and form the image, but rather reconstructs images from wave interactions, the resolution achievable can approach the theoretical limit of ½ the wavelength of the ultrasound used. However, the amount of information displayed for the user in this situation may be too great. It may be desirable to limit the “z” direction ima
Advanced Imaging Technologies, II LLC
Jaworski Francis J.
Patel Maulin
SEED IP Law Group PLLC
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