Method and apparatus for composition and display of three-dimensional image from two-dimensional ultrasound scan data

US6059727A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN · US

Inventors

• J. Brian Fowlkes · Ann Arbor, US
• Paul Carson · Ann Arbor, US
• Aaron Moskalik · Ann Arbor, US
• Jian Feng Chen · Issaquah, US
• Jonathan M. Rubin · Ann Arbor, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 13, 1998
• Grant date: May 9, 2000
• Expiry date: Apr 13, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S128/916
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A 3D image data set representing a volume of material such as human tissue is created using speckle decorrelation techniques to process successive 2D data slices from a moving, standard 1D or 1.5D ultrasound transducer. This permits the use of standard ultrasound machinery, without the use of additional slice-position hardware, to create 3D images without having to modify the machinery or its operation. Similar techniques can be used for special data processing within the imaging system as well to expedite the image acquisition process. Optionally, the image quality of 2D images can be enhanced through the use of multiple 3D data sets derived using the method.