Methods and systems for automated center positioning for radial velocity mapping in vector contrast imaging

A system for generating a radial velocity map for a target region, comprising:

• a series of contrast images of the target region visualized using contrast-enhanced ultrasound;
• a processor configured to:
• (i) generate a grid representing some or all of the target region and comprising a plurality of points each representing a possible radial center in the target region;
• (ii) generate a radial flux magnitude map for the grid comprising a radial contrast flux for each of the plurality of points, comprising the following steps which are repeated until a radial contrast flux is calculated for each of the plurality of points:
• (a) selecting one of plurality of points as a radial center;
• (b) calculating, for each of the series of contrast images, a radial velocity field for a first region around the selected point;
• and (c) determining, for a single accumulated image generated from some or all of the series of contrast images, a radial contrast flux for the first region;
• and (iii) select, using the generated radial flux magnitude map, a radial center for the series of contrast images, wherein the radial center comprises a point of the plurality of points with a maximum radial contrast flux relative to the remainder of the plurality of points;
• and
• a user interface configured to provide the selected radial center.