Component Frame Enhancement for Spatial Compounding in Ultrasound Imaging
AssigneeSiemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
InventorsBimba Rao, Ismayil M. Guracar, Kutay F. Ustuner
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Abstract
Steered spatial compounding is provided in ultrasound imaging. Component frames of data associated with different spatial response are processed to identify different sources of signals. Matched filtering and/or spatial variance with erosion distinguish between sources of signals, such as distinguishing between (1) anatomical structure and (2) soft tissue and/or noise. The locations in the patient are segmented by the source of signals and different compounding is applied for the different sources.
Claims20
A method for spatial compounding in ultrasound imaging, the method comprising:
- acquiring steered component frames of data, the steered component frames of data representing an overlap region of a patient and being responsive to different imaging angles;
- filtering, with matched filters, each of the steered component frames of data along different directions, the filtering providing multiple filtered component frames of data for each steered component frame of data;
- combining the multiple filtered component frames of data for each of the steered component frames, the combining providing a combined component frame of data for each of the steered component frames of data;
- segmenting the combined component frames;
- compounding the combined component frames of data together as a function of the segmenting;
- and
- generating an image of the overlap region from a result of the compounding.
In a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for spatial compounding in ultrasound imaging, the storage medium comprising instructions for:
- identifying first information in component frames of data having different spatial response, the first information identified with matched filtering;
- identifying second information in the component frames of data as a function of variance;
- segmenting locations in an overlap region represented by the component frames of data into at anatomic structures and at least another type, the segmenting being a function of the first and second information;
- combining the component frames of data for each of the locations, the combining being different for the locations associated with anatomic structures than for the locations associated with the at least other type;
- and
- generating a spatially compound image as a function of the combining.
A system for steered spatial compounding in ultrasound imaging, the system comprising:
- a beamformer operable to acquire a sequence of steered frames of data responsive to different steering angles from a substantially same transducer position and representing an overlap region;
- a processor configured to detect spatial variance in the steered frames, segment locations of the overlap region as a function of the spatial variance into locations for first and second types of signal, erode the locations for the first type of signals, and generate a compound image from the steered frames of data as a function of the locations for the first and second types of signal after the erosion;
- and
- a display operable to display the compound image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.