Patent · US Expired

Tissue motion analysis medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method

US6527717B1 · kind B1 · utility

43Cited by
8References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 30, 2000
Grant dateMar 4, 2003
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 3, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S128/916
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Accurate tissue motion systems and methods are provided. Motion of the ultrasound transducer is accounted for in estimates at tissue motion. Correcting for transducer motion better isolates localized tissue contractions or expansions, such as motion of the myocardial muscle or fibers. Accurate motion estimation is also provided by determining an angle of motion from the ultrasound data. The angle of motion is used to adjust velocity estimates, providing two-dimensional velocity vectors (i.e. motion estimates comprising motion in at least two dimensions). Movement of tissue is determined by correlating speckle or a feature represented by two different sets of ultrasound data obtained at different times. Additional aspects include tracking the location of a tissue of interest. A characteristic of strain, such as the strain rate or strain, is calculated for the tracked tissue of interest. Ultrasound data associated with different positions relative to the transducer are selected as a function of the tracking and used to determine the characteristic of strain. Motion estimates corrected for transducer motion may also be used to determine a strain or strain rate. In yet another aspect, …

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