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US 12,727,859 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for performing spectral doppler imaging
AssigneeFujifilm Sonosite, Inc.
InventorsZoran Banjanin, Andrew Lundberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasound imaging system performs spectral Doppler processing in a manner that considers a physiological cycle of a subject. In one embodiment, gaps in a spectral Doppler signal are filled taking by a processor that analyzes changes in the spectral Doppler signal caused by a physiological cycle. Spectral Doppler data are scaled to fit with the data occurring before and after a gap. The firing order of an interleaved imaging mode can also be adjusted so that spectral Doppler imaging is not interrupted during pre-defined or user defined portions of a physiological cycle.
Claims18
An ultrasound imaging system for performing a spectral Doppler imaging, comprising:
- a transducer configured to deliver ultrasound signals into a region of interest of a subject
- and to detect corresponding echo signals from the region of interest of the subject and to generate a spectral Doppler signal based on the corresponding echo signals for the spectral Doppler imaging;
- a display device coupled to the transducer;
- a processor coupled to the display device and configured to analyze the spectral Doppler signal for a predetermined threshold value that is one of a predetermined frequency value, a predetermined velocity value, or a predetermined power value, and to cause the display device to begin displaying a new waveform of the spectral Doppler signal when the spectral Doppler signal has the one of the predetermined frequency value, the predetermined velocity value, or the predetermined power value, wherein the new waveform is aligned in time and combined with a previously triggered waveform of the spectral Doppler signal to enhance a signal to noise ratio of the spectral Doppler signal, and wherein the one of the predetermined frequency value, the predetermined velocity value, or the predetermined power value in the spectral Doppler signal defines the same starting time point for the new waveform and the previously triggered waveform to be displayed on the display device, wherein the ultrasound signals delivered are signals for the spectral Doppler imaging interleaved with signals for an other imaging mode, wherein the processor is further configured to:
- receive the spectral Doppler signal;
- copy the received spectral Doppler signal comprising a first gap and a second gap caused by the other imaging mode;
- determine first mean frequencies of the received spectral Doppler signal from before the first gap, after the first gap, or before and after the first gap, determine second mean frequencies of the received spectral Doppler signal from before the second gap, after the second gap, or before and after the second gap;
- determine, using the first mean frequencies, a first portion of a physiological cycle of the subject where the first gap in the received spectral Doppler signal is located, the physiological cycle comprising the first portion and a second portion of the physiological cycle of the subject coupled to the first portion, wherein the second portion of the physiological cycle of the subject where the second gap in the received spectral Doppler signal is located is determined using the second mean frequencies;
- and adjust one or more signal characteristics of the copied spectral Doppler signal based on the first portion of the physiological cycle of the subject to fill in the first gap, wherein the one or more signal characteristics of the copied spectral Doppler signal is adjusted based on the second portion of the physiological cycle of the subject to fill in the second gap.
6 more elements
A computer-implemented method to perform a spectral Doppler imaging, comprising:
- delivering, using a transducer, ultrasound signals into a region of interest of a subject;
- detecting, using the transducer, corresponding echo signals from the region of interest of the subject and generating a spectral Doppler signal based on the corresponding echo signals for the spectral Doppler imaging;
- analyzing, using a processor, the spectral Doppler signal for a predetermined threshold value that is one of a predetermined frequency value, a predetermined velocity value, or a predetermined power value;
- and
- beginning to display, using a display device coupled to the processor, a new waveform of the spectral Doppler signal when the spectral Doppler signal matches the one of the predetermined frequency value, the predetermined velocity value, or the predetermined power value, wherein the new waveform is aligned in time and combined with a previously triggered waveform of the spectral Doppler signal to enhance a signal to noise ratio of the spectral Doppler signal, and wherein the one of the predetermined frequency value, the predetermined velocity value, or the predetermined power value in the spectral Doppler signal defines the same starting time point for the new waveform and the previously triggered waveform to be displayed on the display device, wherein the ultrasound signals delivered are signals for the spectral Doppler imaging interleaved with signals for an other imaging mode, the method further comprising:
- receiving, using the processor, the spectral Doppler signal;
- copying, using the processor, the received spectral Doppler signal comprising a first gap and a second gap caused by the other imaging mode;
- determining, using the processor, first mean frequencies of the received spectral Doppler signal from before the first gap, after the first gap, or before and after the first gap, determining, using the processor, second mean frequencies of the received spectral Doppler signal from before the second gap, after the second gap, or before and after the second gap;
- determining, by the processor, a first portion of a physiological cycle of the subject where the first gap in the received spectral Doppler signal is located using the first mean frequencies, the physiological cycle comprising the first portion and a second portion of the physiological cycle of the subject coupled to the first portion, wherein the second portion of the physiological cycle of the subject where the second gap in the received spectral Doppler signal is located is determined using the second mean frequencies;
- and adjusting, using the processor, one or more signal characteristics of the copied spectral Doppler signal based on the first portion of the physiological cycle of the subject to fill in the first gap, wherein the one or more signal characteristics of the copied spectral Doppler signal is adjusted based on the second portion of the physiological cycle of the subject to fill in the second gap.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.