Morphing diagnostic ultrasound images for perfusion assessment
AssigneeAcuson Corporation
InventorsThilaka S. Sumanaweera, Robert W. Steins
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasound image is morphed for perfusion assessment. Various images within a sequence of images or movie clip are mapped to one frame of reference using local warping. Nonlinear local image transformations or other warping based on local estimates of motion are used to interpolate different images to the common reference. The elastic stretching and compression of local image data results in a sequence of images where the same spatial location in each image represents the substantially same spatial location of the imaged tissue. The organ, tissue or region of interest is stationary throughout the sequence of images.
Claims22
A method for morphing an ultrasound image for perfusion assessment, the method comprising:
- (a) estimating motion at each of a plurality of local locations between first and second ultrasound images where the first and second ultrasound images represent a same region substantially without transducer movement;
- (b) warping the second ultrasound image as a function of the estimated motions;
- and
- (c) determining a change as a function of time for a same location in the first and second images after (b).
A system for morphing an ultrasound image for perfusion assessment, the system comprising:
- a memory for storing first and second ultrasound images representing a same region substantially without transducer movement;
- and
- a processor operable to estimating motion at each of a plurality of local locations between the first and second ultrasound images, warp the second ultrasound image as a function of the estimated motions, and determine a change of intensity as a function of time for a same location in the first and second images after warping.
A method of morphing an ultrasound image for perfusion assessment, the method comprising:
- (a) estimating motion at each of a plurality of locations within each of a sequence of images, the motions for each image estimated relative to a same reference image, the reference image and the images of the sequence of images corresponding to a substantially same region and a substantially stationary transducer position;
- (b) warping each of the images of the sequence of images as a function of the motions estimated for the respective image;
- and
- (c) separately displaying each of the images of the sequence of images after (b).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.