Patent · US Expired

Realtime ultrasonic imaging of perfusion using ultrasonic contrast agents

US6171246A · kind A · utility

47Cited by

6References

16Claims

0Family size

Inventors

Michalakis Averkiou · Nicosia, CY
Jeffry E. Powers · Lake Stevens, US
Matthew Bruce · Seattle, US
Danny Skyba · Bothell, US

Key dates

Filing date	Apr 29, 1999
Grant date	Jan 9, 2001
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Apr 29, 2019

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG01S7/52038
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Perfusion of tissue such as the myocardium by a microbubble contrast agent is imaged in realtime by a multiple pulse technique which uses low power transmit pulses which are sufficient to elicit a harmonic response from the microbubbles but are not high enough in power to cause substantial destruction to the microbubbles. In a preferred embodiment the realtime microbubble image sequence is displayed in color, overlaid with a grayscale image of the surrounding tissue in the region being imaged.

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