Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for obtaining ultrasonic backcatter measurement from tissue

US4881549A · kind A · utility

23Cited by
7References
60Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJul 14, 1988
Grant dateNov 21, 1989
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 14, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
  • CPC primaryA61B8/08
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Optimal measurement of ultrasonic random backscatter from the myocardium is obtained by band limiting and whitening the received signal, squaring, summing and scaling same. The whitening is carried out for all spectrally altering factors to which the ultrasonic signal has been subjected. This includes whitening for the power law frequency response characterstics of the myocardium itself. Scaling includes a factor accounting for the energy of the effective transmitted ultrasonic signal and a factor providing appropriate units of measurement. The optimal measurement may be time averaged over one or more heartbeats for use in the diagnosis of ischemia or other cardiac conditions. It may be subjected to discrete Fourier transform analysis, to obtain its amplitude modulation and phase characteristics for similar purposes.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.