Pulse inversion doppler ultrasonic diagnostic imaging

Patent 6095980 Issued on August 1, 2000. Estimated Expiration Date:

September 17, 2018. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Assignee

Sunnybrook Health Science Centre

Application

No. 156097 filed on 09/17/1998

US Classes:

600/453, Doppler effect (e.g., fetal HR monitoring)600/458Contrast enhancement

Examiners

Primary: Jaworski, Francis J.

Foreign Patent References

WO 98/20361 WO. 05/13/1998

International Class

A61B 008/00

Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging method and apparatus are presented which separates broadband linear and nonlinear echo signal components while simultaneously distinguishing the effects of motion. The inventive method maps ultrasonic echo signals in the r.f. (time) domain to Doppler shift frequencies in the Doppler domain in a way that depends upon the linearity of the echoes. The inventive method does this by analyzing the phase shifts between successive echoes. Apparatus is described in which a Doppler echo ensemble is acquired by a transmit sequence of cyclically phase-varying waveforms. When the echoes of the ensemble are combined during Doppler processing, the resulting Doppler spectrum is divided into separate regions, with odd harmonics (e.g., linear signal components) residing in one region and even harmonics (e.g., second harmonic signal components) residing in another region. In a preferred embodiment a Doppler wall filter is used to delineate a particular type of signal information for processing, such as tissue motion, harmonic contrast agent, or tissue harmonic imaging information.

Other References

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