Device and method for mapping and tracking blood flow and determining parameters of blood flow

A method for tracking blood flow in a blood vessel of interest, comprising the step of:

• providing an array of ultrasound transducer elements, wherein the element spacing in the array is greater than, equal to or less than a half wavelength of the ultrasound energy produced by the elements, wherein at least one element transmits ultrasound energy and a portion of the elements receive ultrasound energy;
• transmitting ultrasound energy produced by the at least one element of the array into a volume of subject's body having the blood vessel of interest;
• receiving echoes of the ultrasound energy from the volume of the subject's body having the blood vessel of interest at the portion of the elements;
• modulating a direction of the transmitted and received ultrasound energy based on the echoes received;
• automatically identifying and locking on to a selected point or points in the volume based on information obtained from the echoes of ultrasound energy;
• and
• periodically repeating the transmitting, receiving, identifying and locking on to steps.

A method for monitoring a parameter of blood flow in a blood vessel of interest, comprising:

• attaching a low-profile two-dimensional ultrasound probe to a portion of the body near a general volume location of the blood vessel of interest;
• insonating a three dimensional volume including the blood vessel of interest with ultrasound energy;
• collecting Doppler ultrasound data from the three dimensional volume including the blood vessel of interest;
• identifying a point in the three-dimensional volume at which the parameter is desired to be measured based on the Doppler data;
• Doppler processing the ultrasound data and determining a radial velocity of blood flowing at the point in three-dimensional space at which the parameter is desired to be measured;
• continuing to collect Doppler data from the point in the three dimensional volume;
• and
• automatically tracking and maintaining focus on the point in the three-dimensional volume at which the parameter is desired to be measured based on the collected Doppler data.

A method for tracking blood flow in a blood vessel of interest, comprising the steps of:

• providing an array of ultrasound transducer elements, wherein the element spacing in the array is greater than, equal to or less than a half wavelength of the ultrasound energy produced by the elements, wherein at least one element transmits ultrasound energy and a portion of the elements receive ultrasound energy;
• transmitting ultrasound energy produced by the at least one element of the array into a volume of a subject's body having the blood vessel of interest;
• receiving echoes of the ultrasound energy from the volume of the subject's body having the blood vessel of interest at the portion of the elements;
• determining a sum beam, an azimuth difference beam and an elevation difference beam based on the ultrasound energy echoes;
• and
• automatically identifying and locking on to a selected point or points in the volume based on information obtained from the echoes of ultrasound energy.

A method for tracking blood flow in a blood vessel of interest, comprising the steps of:

• providing an array of ultrasound transducer elements, wherein the element spacing in the array is greater than, equal to or less than a half wavelength of the ultrasound energy produced by the elements, wherein at least one element transmits ultrasound energy and a portion of the elements receive ultrasound energy;
• transmitting ultrasound energy produced by the at least one element of the array into a volume of a subject's body having the blood vessel of interest;
• receiving echoes of the ultrasound energy from the volume of the subject's body having the blood vessel of interest at the portion of the elements;
• Doppler processing the ultrasound energy echoes and determining a radial velocity of blood flowing in the blood vessel of interest at the selected point or points;
• and
• automatically identifying and locking on to a selected point or points in the volume based on information obtained from the echoes of ultrasound energy.

A device for monitoring blood flow in a blood vessel of interest, comprising:

• a
• n array of ultrasound transducer elements forming an octagon, wherein the element spacing in the array is greater than, equal to or less than a half wavelength of the ultrasound energy produced by the elements, wherein at least one element transmits ultrasound energy and a portion of the elements receive ultrasound energy echoes;
• and
• a processor electrically connected to the array programmed to Doppler process the ultrasound energy echoes and automatically identify and lock on to a selected point or points based on information obtained from ultrasound energy echoes.