# US 12,599,369 B2 · Ultrasound methods and systems for measuring physiological properties > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,599,369 B2 - Document ID: US12599369B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/593,440 - Filed: 2024-03-01 - Published: 2025-09-04 - Granted: 2026-04-14 - Earliest claimed: 2024-03-01 - Assignees: Fujifilm Sonosite, Inc. - Applicants: FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. - Inventors: Yong Zhou; Jean Tsou - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12599369B2 ## CPC - A61B 8/488: {involving Doppler signals} - A61B 8/5223: {for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data (for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012)} - A61B 8/04: Measuring blood pressure - A61B 8/06: Measuring blood flow - A61B 8/0891: {for diagnosis of blood vessels} - A61B 8/486: {involving arbitrary m-mode} - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract Ultrasound methods and systems for measuring physiological properties are disclosed. The ultrasound methods and systems measure one or more characteristics of a vessel, such as vessel-wall displacement over time or blood-flow velocity over time, based on a pulse wave propagating through the vessel. In aspects, the characteristics are measured at two locations of the same vessel with a known distance between the two locations. A time shift between the measured characteristics at the two locations is calculated and used, along with the known distance, to determine one or more physiological properties, such as pulse-wave velocity or blood pressure. These physiological properties can be measured without the assistance of ECG data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound system comprising: an ultrasound scanner configured to generate ultrasound data based on reflections of ultrasound signals transmitted by the ultrasound scanner at an anatomy, the ultrasound scanner configured to acquire the ultrasound data at two locations of a same vessel that are separated by a distance, the ultrasound data acquired at the two locations within a time interval; one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: determine a vessel-diameter-change speed over time and a blood-flow-velocity change over time of the vessel at each of the two locations using the ultrasound data; determine, based on a correlation between the vessel-diameter-change speed and the blood-flow-velocity change of the vessel at the two locations, a phase delay of a pulse wave propagating through the vessel between the two locations; and determine a physiological property associated with the vessel based on the vessel-diameter-change speed, the blood-flow-velocity change, the phase delay, and the distance. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the physiological property is a pulse-wave velocity of the pulse wave. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to determine, based on the pulse-wave velocity, blood viscosity and vessel-wall stiffness associated with the vessel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to predict, using a machine-learned model stored on the one or more computer-readable storage media, blood pressure based on the physiological property associated with the vessel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to determine, based on the physiological property, one or more additional physiological properties associated with the vessel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The ultrasound system of claim 5, wherein the one or more additional physiological properties include at least one of blood pressure, blood volume per second, vessel-wall stiffness, or blood viscosity. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the vessel-diameter-change speed and the blood-flow-velocity change are measured without using electrocardiogram (ECG) data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound scanner is configured to acquire the ultrasound data at the two locations using dual M-mode or dual-PW Doppler. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, further comprising determining the distance that separates the two locations based on transducer elements used to generate the ultrasound signals at each of the two locations. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound scanner is configured to acquire the ultrasound data at the two locations using two or more modes including two or more of an M-mode, a PW Doppler, a color Doppler, and a B-mode. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound scanner is a single scanner configured to transmit the ultrasound signals at the two locations simultaneously. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound scanner is a single scanner and transmission of the ultrasound signals is interleaved between the two locations. ### Claim 13 A method comprising: acquiring ultrasound data at two locations of a same vessel that are separated by a distance, the ultrasound data acquired at the two locations within a time interval; determining a vessel-diameter-change speed over time and a blood-flow-velocity change over time of the vessel at each of the two locations using the ultrasound data; determining, based on a correlation between the vessel-diameter-change speed and the blood-flow-velocity change of the vessel at the two locations, a phase delay of a pulse wave propagating through the vessel between the two locations; and determining a physiological property associated with the vessel based on the vessel-diameter-change speed, the blood-flow-velocity change, the phase delay, and the distance. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein determining the physiological property includes calculating a pulse-wave velocity of the pulse wave propagating through the vessel. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, further comprising determining, based on the physiological property, one or more additional physiological properties associated with the vessel. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein determining the one or more additional physiological properties includes determining at least one of blood pressure, blood volume per second, vessel-wall stiffness, or blood viscosity. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein acquiring the ultrasound data at the two locations includes using dual M-mode ultrasound by applying a first M-line at a first location of the two locations and a second M-line at a second location of the two locations. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein acquiring the ultrasound data at the two locations includes using dual-PW Doppler by applying a first PW line at a first location of the two locations and a second PW line at a second location of the two locations. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein acquiring the ultrasound data at the two locations includes using two or more of an M-mode, a PW Doppler, a color Doppler, and a B-mode. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein acquiring the ultrasound data includes using a single scanner configured to transmit ultrasound signals at the two locations simultaneously.