Ultrasound imaging

US5601085A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• NYCOMED IMAGING AS · NO

Inventors

• Jonny Ostensen · Oslo, NO
• Morton Eriksen · Oslo, NO
• Lars Hoff · Oslo, NO
• Sigmund Frigstad · Trondheim, NO
• Nils Sponheim · Oslo, NO
• Knut Dyrstad · Oslo, NO

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 2, 1995
• Grant date: Feb 11, 1997
• Expiry date: Oct 2, 2015

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01S15/52
• WIPO field: Pharmaceuticals
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Temporal variations in backscatter from an ultrasound contrast agent located in the vascular system and induced by movement of the scatterers are used to visualise the presence of contrast agent by determining areas where correlation between successive ultrasound images is poor. This low level of correlation arising from intravascular contrast agent movement permits distinction between stationary bulk tissue and moving bulk tissue since movement of the latter solid tissue scatterers is correlated.