# US 11,298,111 B2 · Method for generating an enhanced image of a volume of tissue > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,298,111 B2 - Document ID: US11298111B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/368,986 - Filed: 2019-03-29 - Published: 2020-01-16 - Granted: 2022-04-12 - Earliest claimed: 2014-08-05 - Assignees: Delphinus Medical Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Delphinus Medical Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Nebojsa Duric; Peter Littrup; Cuiping Li - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11298111B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - A61B 8/0825: {for diagnosis of the breast, e.g. mammography} - A61B 8/085: {for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules} - A61B 8/14: Echotomography - A61B 8/15: Transmission-tomography - A61B 8/406: {using means for diagnosing suspended breasts} - A61B 8/4461: {Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe} - A61B 8/4477: {using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes} - A61B 8/4494: {characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements} - A61B 8/483: {involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data} - A61B 8/5246: {combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode} - A61B 8/5253: {combining overlapping images, e.g. spatial compounding} - G06T 5/94: based on local image properties, e.g. for local contrast enhancement - G06T 2207/10136: 3D ultrasound image - G06T 2207/30068: Mammography; Breast - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A method and system for generating an enhanced image of a volume of tissue, comprising: emitting acoustic waveforms toward the volume of tissue; detecting acoustic signals derived from acoustic waveforms interacting with the volume of tissue; generating a reflection rendering of a region of the volume of tissue; generating at least one of a sound speed map and an attenuation map of the region of the volume of tissue; generating a transfer map derived from a set of sound speed parameter values of the sound speed map and/or a set of acoustic attenuation parameter values of the acoustic attenuation map, the set of sound speed parameter values and the set of acoustic attenuation parameters associated with the set of elements of the region of the volume of tissue; and rendering an enhanced image of the volume of tissue, derived from processing of the reflection rendering with the transfer map. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of generating an enhanced image of a volume of tissue, the method comprising: receiving ultrasound tomography data from a transducer comprising an array of ultrasound transmitters and an array of ultrasound receivers, wherein the transducer is configured to surround the volume of tissue; generating from the ultrasound tomography data at least a reflection rendering and a transmission rendering, wherein the reflection rendering and the transmission rendering each comprise the volume of tissue; generating a transfer map from the transmission rendering; and rendering a target region within the volume of tissue darker in the enhanced image by transforming the reflection rendering using the transfer map, wherein the enhanced image is a second reflection rendering. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the reflection rendering comprises generating a set of reflection slices associated with coronal slices through a volume of breast tissue. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein generating the transmission rendering comprises generating a set of sound transmission slices associated with a set of coronal slices through a volume of breast tissue. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein generating the reflection rendering comprises generating a set of reflection slices associated with coronal slices through the volume of breast tissue and wherein the method further comprises aligning at least one slice from the set of reflection slices with at least one slice from the set of sound transmission slices. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the transmission rendering comprises a sound speed rendering or an attenuation rendering. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises conditioning the sound speed rendering, prior to performing element-wise division between elements of the reflection rendering and elements of the transfer map. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein generating the transfer map comprises generating, from the set of acoustic signals, a combined map derived from the sound speed rendering and the attenuation rendering. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein generating the combined map comprises performing element-wise averaging of values derived from the sound speed rendering and corresponding values derived from the attenuation rendering. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein generating the transfer map comprises renormalizing at least one of: increasing pixel intensity values of the sound speed rendering and scaling pixel intensity values of the sound speed rendering. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein rendering the enhanced image of the volume of tissue comprises providing indication of the target region, associated with a cancerous mass, as darker than a non-target region, associated with fat tissue. ### Claim 11 A system for generating an enhanced image of a volume of tissue, the system comprising: an ultrasound transducer configured to surround the volume of tissue; a computer processor in communication with the ultrasound transducer, the computer comprising instructions that when executed cause the processor to: receive ultrasound tomography data from the ultrasound transducer; generate from the ultrasound tomography data at least a reflection rendering, a sound speed rendering, and an attenuation rendering, wherein each rendering comprises the volume of tissue; generate a transfer map by combination of the speed rendering and the attenuation rendering; and render a target region within the volume of tissue darker in the enhanced image by transforming the reflection rendering using the transfer map, wherein the enhanced image is a second reflection rendering. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the ultrasound transducer is configured to translate along an axis to irradiate a set of coronal slices of the volume of tissue. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the ultrasound tomography data comprises a set of sound transmission slices associated with the set of coronal slices through the volume of tissue. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the ultrasound tomography data comprises a set of sound reflection slices associated with the set of coronal slices through the volume of tissue. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the ultrasound tomography data comprises a set of sound reflection slices associated with the set of coronal slices through the volume of tissue and wherein at least one slice from the set of reflection slices and at least one slice from the set of sound transmission slices correspond to a coronal slice of the volume of tissue. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the transfer map comprises an element-wise average of values derived from the sound speed rendering and corresponding values derived from the attenuation rendering. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein the transfer map comprises a renormalization of at least one of: increasing pixel intensity values of the sound speed rendering and scaling pixel intensity values of the sound speed rendering. ### Claim 18 (depends on 11) The system of claim 11, wherein a target region is associated with a cancerous mass and is rendered as darker than a non-target region, associated with fat tissue.