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US 10,206,661 B2Granted
Ultrasound with augmented visualization
AssigneeEmpire Technology Development LLC
InventorRichard J. Mammone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Embodiments provided herein generally relate to improved ultrasound visualization. In some embodiments, interoperative ultrasound displays may be enhanced for more accurate identification of cancerous and non-cancerous tissues.
Claims22
An imaging system that improves identification of cancerous tissue, comprising:
- a data store that maintains statistical information regarding a distribution of mean attenuation coefficients of ultrasound signals for a plurality of tissues, wherein the plurality of tissues are in a cancerous state or a non-cancerous state;
- a computing device in communication with the data store, the computing device operative to:
- obtain a mean attenuation coefficient representing attenuation of an ultrasound signal incident upon a region of interest of a tissue;
- determine a first probability that the tissue is cancerous, wherein the first probability is determined based at least upon the obtained mean attenuation coefficient and corresponding statistical mean attenuation coefficient information for the tissue in the cancerous state maintained in the data store;
- determine a second probability that the tissue is non-cancerous, wherein the second probability is determined at least based upon the obtained mean attenuation coefficient and the corresponding statistical mean attenuation coefficient information for the tissue in the non-cancerous state maintained in the data store;
- generate a likelihood value (Lv) that the tissue is cancerous based upon the first and second probabilities, wherein the Lv includes a likelihood ratio (Lc), and wherein the Lc is a ratio of the first and second probabilities;
- and
- update the Lv in response to receiving an updated ultrasound signal during resection of the tissue;
- and
- a display component in communication with the computing device, wherein the display component is configured to:
- display the Lv in real-time as an overlay to an echogram, wherein the Lv facilitates discernment between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue;
- mark via intensity or color map, in the echogram having the Lv displayed thereon as the overlay, the non-cancerous tissue and the cancerous tissue, if any;
- and
- update the overlay in real time based on the updated Lv to include an updated intensity or an updated color map, wherein updating the overlay to include the updated intensity or the updated color map results in a real-time identification of margins during resection.
11 more elements
A computer-implemented method that improves identification of cancerous tissue, the method comprising:
- maintaining a data store of statistical information regarding a distribution of mean attention coefficients of ultrasound signals for a plurality of tissues, wherein the plurality of tissues are in a cancerous state or a non-cancerous state;
- obtaining, by a computing device, a mean attenuation coefficient representing attenuation of an ultrasound signal incident upon a region of interest of a tissue;
- determining a first probability that the tissue is cancerous, wherein the first probability is determined based at least upon the obtained mean attenuation coefficient and corresponding statistical mean attenuation coefficient information for the tissue in the cancerous state maintained in the data store;
- determining a second probability that the tissue is non-cancerous, wherein the second probability is determined at least based upon the obtained mean attenuation coefficient and the corresponding statistical mean attenuation coefficient information for the tissue in the non-cancerous state maintained in the data store;
- determining, by the computing device, a likelihood value (Lv) that the tissue is cancerous based upon the first and second probabilities, wherein the Lv includes a likelihood ratio (Lc), and wherein the Lc is a ratio of the first and second probabilities;
- updating the Lv in response to receiving an updated ultrasound signal during resection of the tissue;
- displaying the Lv in real-time as an overlay to an echogram, wherein the Lv facilitates discernment between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue;
- marking via intensity or color map, in the echogram having the Lv displayed thereon as the overlay, the non-cancerous tissue and the cancerous tissue, if any;
- and
- updating the overlay in real time based on the updated Lv to include an updated intensity or an updated color map, wherein updating the overlay to include the updated intensity or the updated color map results in a real-time identification of margins during resection.
7 more elements
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software instructions that are readable by a computing system, wherein the software instructions are executable on the computing system in order to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:
- maintaining a data store of statistical information regarding a distribution of mean attention coefficients of ultrasound signals for a plurality of tissues, wherein the plurality of tissues are in a cancerous state or a non-cancerous state;
- obtaining a mean attenuation coefficient representing attenuation of an ultrasound signal incident upon a region of interest of a tissue;
- determining a first probability that the tissue is cancerous, wherein the first probability is determined based at least upon the obtained mean attenuation coefficient and corresponding statistical mean attenuation coefficient information for the tissue in the cancerous state maintained in the data store;
- determining a second probability that the tissue is non-cancerous, wherein the second probability is determined at least based upon the obtained mean attenuation coefficient and the corresponding statistical mean attenuation coefficient information for the tissue in the non-cancerous state maintained in the data store;
- generating a likelihood value (Lv) that the tissue is cancerous based upon the first and second probabilities, wherein the Lv includes a likelihood ratio (Lc), and wherein the Lc is a ratio of the first and second probabilities;
- updating the Lv in response to receiving an updated ultrasound signal during resection of the tissue;
- displaying the Lv in real-time as an overlay to an echogram, wherein the Lv facilitates discernment between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue;
- marking via intensity or color map, in the echogram having the Lv displayed thereon as the overlay, the non-cancerous tissue and the cancerous tissue, if any;
- and
- updating the overlay in real time based on the updated Lv to include an updated intensity or an updated color map, wherein updating the overlay to include the updated intensity or the updated color map results in a real-time identification of margins during resection.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.