Ultrasonic diagnostic micro-vascular imaging
US6676606B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 11, 2002 |
| Grant date | Jan 13, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 11, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S15/8981
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus are described for ultrasonically imaging tiny blood vessels with the aid of a contrast agent. The locations of microbubbles of the contrast agent are detected in a series of images as the microbubbles move through the blood vessels. These images are temporally processed to identify the moving microbubbles, and persistence processed to depict images which show the tracks followed by the microbubbles through the blood vessels. A maximum intensity persistence can be used to show the steady buildup of microbubble tracks through the vasculature, or a slow decay employed so that the tracks will fade to black over time.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.