# US 12,178,654 B2 · Ultrasonic imaging of acoustic attenuation coefficients with elevation compounding > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,178,654 B2 - Document ID: US12178654B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/630,401 - Filed: 2020-07-29 - Published: 2022-09-08 - Granted: 2024-12-31 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-30 - Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Inventors: Sheng-Wen Huang; Hua Xie; Man Nguyen; Jean-luc Francois-Marie Robert; William Tao Shi; Carolina Amador Carrascal; Vijay Thakur Shamdasani - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12178654B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - A61B 8/08: Clinical applications (A61B8/02, A61B8/04, A61B8/06 take precedence) - A61B 8/085: {for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules} - A61B 8/5223: {for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data (for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012)} - A61B 8/523: {for generating planar views from image data in a user selectable plane not corresponding to the acquisition plane} - A61B 8/5253: {combining overlapping images, e.g. spatial compounding} - A61B 8/5269: {involving detection or reduction of artifacts} - G01S 7/52036: {using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation} - G01S 7/52095: {using multiline receive beamforming} - G01S 15/8925: {the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays} - G01S 7/52063: {Sector scan display} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract An ultrasound system produces maps of acoustic attenuation coefficients from B mode image signals. A plurality of maps located in different parallel and elevationally separated planes (A, B, C, D, E) are produced, then compounded in the elevation direction. Confidence maps may also be produced for one or more attenuation coefficient maps, and the confidence map displayed or its measures used to determine weighting for the compounding process. The compounding of elevationally separate planes improves attenuation coefficient estimation in the presence of blood vessels affecting the estimates in one or more of the planes. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound imaging system which produces attenuation coefficient maps of an image field comprising: an ultrasound probe with a 1.75D or 2D transducer array adapted to acquire ultrasonic echo signals from the image field in the azimuth and elevation dimensions; a beamformer adapted to process the ultrasonic echo signals to produce coherent echo signals for an ultrasound image of the image field; an attenuation coefficient estimator, coupled to the beamformer, and adapted to estimate attenuation coefficient values for maps of attenuation coefficients, wherein the attenuation coefficient estimator is further adapted to produce a plurality of attenuation coefficient maps in different planes in the elevation dimension; a confidence factor estimator, responsive to attenuation coefficient map data, which is adapted to produce a map of confidence factors pertaining to corresponding values of the attenuation coefficient map; an attenuation coefficient map compounder, coupled to the attenuation coefficient estimator, and adapted to compound the plurality of attenuation coefficient maps in the elevation direction; and a display adapted to display attenuation coefficient maps produced by the attenuation coefficient map compounder. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps produced by the attenuation coefficient estimator on a pixel-by-pixel basis in the elevation direction. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps using weights determined by confidence factor estimations. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a memory adapted to store a map of reference values, wherein the reference values comprise attenuation coefficient measurements of a tissue phantom, a theoretical model of attenuation coefficients, or a numerical simulation of attenuation coefficients. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a B mode processor, coupled to receive the coherent echo signals and adapted to produce B mode image signals for the attenuation coefficient estimator. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 5, wherein the attenuation coefficient estimator is further adapted to estimate attenuation coefficient values by the spectral difference method, the spectral log difference method, or the maximum likelihood method. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 5, wherein the B mode processor is further adapted to produce echo signals for a guidance image, wherein a compounded attenuation coefficient map produced by the attenuation coefficient map compounder is in anatomical registration with a region of interest of the guidance image. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps produced by the attenuation coefficient estimator by weighted averaging. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 8, wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps using weights determined by attenuation coefficient consistency of the maps being compounded. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the transducer array is a 2D array adapted to simultaneously acquire ultrasonic echo signals for a plurality of elevationally different attenuation coefficient maps by multi-line acquisition. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10, wherein the beamformer is further adapted to produce coherent echo signals for two orthogonal ultrasound images. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 11, wherein the transducer array is further adapted to alternately acquire echo signal data for ultrasound images and echo signal data for attenuation coefficient mapping in a time-interleaved manner. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 11, wherein the attenuation coefficient estimator is further adapted to estimate attenuation coefficient values for maps of attenuation coefficients in either the azimuth or the elevation dimensions. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 13, wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound a plurality of attenuation coefficient maps in the elevation direction of two orthogonally oriented ultrasound images. ### Claim 15 A method for automatically producing an attenuation coefficient map in an ultrasound image field, comprising the steps of: acquiring ultrasound echo signals from the ultrasound image field in the azimuth and elevation dimensions; producing coherent echo signals from the ultrasound echo signals; estimating attenuation coefficient values corresponding to the coherent echo signals; automatically creating a plurality of attenuation coefficient maps for attenuation coefficient values in a plurality of different planes in the elevation dimension; estimating confidence factor, responsive to attenuation coefficient map data, to produce a map of confidence factors pertaining to corresponding values of the attenuation coefficient map; compounding the plurality of attenuation coefficient maps to obtain a compounded attenuation coefficient map; and displaying the compounded attenuation coefficient map. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: creating a B mode ultrasound guidance image from the coherent echo signals; and displaying the B mode ultrasound image and compounded attenuation coefficient map in anatomical registration with a region of interest of the guidance image. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of: automatically creating a plurality of attenuation coefficient maps for attenuation coefficient values in a plurality of different planes in the azimuth dimension; compounding the plurality of attenuation coefficient maps, for attenuation coefficient values in the plurality of different planes in the azimuth dimension, to obtain a second compounded attenuation coefficient map in a different plane than of the compounded attenuation coefficient map; and displaying at least one of the compounded attenuation coefficient map and the second compounded attenuation coefficient map. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that in response to execution on a processor connected to the computer-readable medium, implement the method of claim 15.