Ultrasound imaging system and method for generating an enhanced image

An ultrasound imaging system comprising:

• a display device;
• an ultrasound probe;
• and
• a processor in electronic communication with both the display device and the ultrasound probe, wherein the processor is configured to:
• control the ultrasound probe to transmit first ultrasound energy with a first transmit pattern;
• receive first ultrasound data based on the first ultrasound energy;
• generate a first image based on the first ultrasound data;
• enter a shadow-reduction mode in response to a user input after generating the first image and perform the following steps while in the shadow-reduction mode:
• control the ultrasound probe to transmit second ultrasound energy with a second transmit pattern that is configured to have a greater penetration than the first transmit pattern;
• receive second ultrasound data based on the second ultrasound energy;
• generate a mask identifying a shadow region;
• generate an enhanced image including a non-shadow region and an enhanced shadow region, wherein the second ultrasound data is used to generate the enhanced shadow region in the enhanced image based on the shadow region in the mask;
• and
• display the enhanced image on the display device.