Surgery – Diagnostic testing – Detecting nuclear – electromagnetic – or ultrasonic radiation
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-31
2001-09-25
Lateef, Marvin M. (Department: 3737)
Surgery
Diagnostic testing
Detecting nuclear, electromagnetic, or ultrasonic radiation
C600S466000, C600S443000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06293914
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to ultrasound systems, and in particular to an ultrasound system for measuring fluid volume flow.
Volume flow measurements may be important for various medical diagnosis. Volume flow indicates blockage in blood vessels and the performance of diseased or transplanted organs. For example, changes in the blood flow out of a kidney over time may be determined. Other examples of clinical application of volume flow measurements include: blood flow through shunts, blood flow to or from transplanted or diseased organs, umbilical cord and uterine artery flow, flow through various arteries and vessels, the blood flow in the brachial artery before and after artificially induced ischemia, flow through mitral aortic tricuspid and pulmonic valves, and others.
Ultrasound systems have been used to estimate volume flow. For example, a mean velocity estimate for a small sample volume inside a vessel is obtained from spectral Doppler information. An angle of flow is estimated from a user input angle. The user also manually outlines the vessel's cross section to obtain an estimate of area. The mean velocity, area and the appropriate trigonometric function of the Doppler angle are multiplied to obtain a flow estimate. However, the various manual tracings and estimations are laborious and prone to inaccuracies due to human error. Furthermore, obtaining the mean velocity from one sample volume may not accurately represent the true mean velocity across the entire vessel.
In another ultrasound technique for measuring volume flow, a high spatial resolution image is used to measure the flow profile across a vessel. The individual estimates of flow from each volume cell within a vessel are summed together to obtain the total volume flow. However, due to non-ideal ultrasound beam profiles, the information from one volume cell may duplicate, in part, another volume cell. Furthermore, this technique assumes that flow is parallel to the vessel or requires user estimation of the flow angle.
In yet another ultrasound technique to obtain volume flow, the velocity profile across a vessel is assumed to correspond to a particular function, such as a parabolic or plug profile. A single velocity estimate is obtained at the center of the vessel and used to estimate volume flow. The area of the vessel is calculated either manually or assumed to be circular. However, the area measurement is prone to human or estimation errors, and the actual flow profiles of fluids within a vessel may not match the parabolic or plug functions. Furthermore, as discussed above, the flow angle is manually entered, making the volume flow calculation laborious and error prone.
In yet another ultrasound technique for measuring volume flow, a cross section of a vessel located within a sample volume is insonified using a C-scan. See Hottinger U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,236. Therefore, ultrasound information is obtained from a plane parallel to the face of the transducer. In order to obtain the C-scan information, a fixed one or two-element transducer or a two-dimensional array transducer is used. The first moment of the C-scan information is calculated, eliminating the need to measure the area of the vessel. Measuring data in a plane parallel to the face of the transducer also eliminates the need to measure the flow direction. However, this technique does not accurately estimate volume flow in vessels that run parallel to the face of the transducer. Additionally, specialized transducers are required.
SUMMARY
The present systems and methods may avoid many of the problems of the prior art. The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims. By way of introduction, the preferred embodiment described below includes a system and method for measuring the volume flow of fluid in an enclosed structure with an ultrasound system. Velocities along two different scan lines in a first scan plane are obtained to determine an angle of flow within the enclosed structure. A Doppler spectrum parameter is measured from a transmission in a second scan plane substantially perpendicular to the first scan plane. Volume flow is calculated from the flow angle and the parameter. Some examples of the various aspects of this invention are summarized below.
According to a first embodiment, a first area of the enclosed structure is uniformly insonified. A first parameter of a Doppler spectrum responsive to the insonification is measured. An angle associated with a direction of flow in the enclosed structure is obtained. Volume flow is determined as a function of the first parameter and the angle.
According to a second embodiment, a first parameter of a first Doppler spectrum is measured. First and second velocities associated with a first area and first and second scan lines at first and second angles, respectively, are also measured. A flow angle associated with flow in the enclosed structure is determined as a function of the first and second velocities and first and second angles. Volume flow is determined as a function of the first parameter and the flow angle.
According to a third embodiment, axial or azimuthal uniform insonification of a longitudinal section of the enclosed structure is used to determine volume flow. Scatterer calibration and normalization values associated with a cross-section of the enclosed structure are determined. The enclosed structure associated with a longitudinal cross-section is uniformly insonified either axially or azimuthally with a linear transducer. Volume flow is determined as a function of the scatter calibration and normalization values and the uniform insonification information.
Other embodiments are possible. Further aspects and advantages of the invention are discussed below in conjunction with the preferred embodiments.
REFERENCES:
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Fei, Ding-Yu, et al. “Angle Independent Doppler Color Imaging: Determination of Accuracy and a Method of Display”Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (1994), vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 147-155, published in US.
Hottinger, CF and JD Meindl. “Blood Flow Measurement Using The Attenuation-Compensated Volume Flowmeter”Ultrasonic Imaging(1979) vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1-15, published in US.
Phillips, PJ et al. “Feasibility Study for a Two-Dimensional Diagnostic Ultrasound Velocity Mapping System”Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology(1995) vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 217-229, published in US.
Tsujino, H. et al. “Quantitative Measurement of Volume Flow Rate (Cardiac Output) by the Multibeam Doppler Method”Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, (Sep.-Oct. 1995), vol. 8, No. 5, pp. 621-630, published in US.
Phillips Patrick J.
Sumanaweera Thilaka S.
Acuson Corporation
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Lateef Marvin M.
Patel Maulin
Summerfield Craig A.
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