EP0770352A1
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging with contrast agents
Assignee: Advanced Technology Laboratories Inc
•
Filing: 1996-10-09
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2016-10-09
Abstract
Abstract Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents. Ultrasonic apparatus is provided for coherent imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents, and for detecting harmonic contrast agents. The inventive apparatus includes a dual display for simultaneously viewing a real time image which displays the location of the contrast agent and a triggered contrast image. Methods of contrast agent detection and imaging include the measurement of perfusion rate characteristics, multizone contrast imaging, multifrequency contrast imaging, tissue perfusion display, high PRF contrast image artifact elimination, and alternate polarity acquisition of nonlinear contrast effects.
Inventors
- 👤 Jeffry Earl Powers
- 👤 Matthew Bruce
- 👤 Michalakis Averkiou
- 👤 Juin-Jet Hwang
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 02:21
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B8/00; A61B8/54; A61B8/543; A61B8/06; A61B8/13; A61B8/46; A61B8/461; A61B8/463; A61B8/48; A61B8/481; A61K; A61K49/00; A61K49/22; A61K49/222; A61K49/223; G; G01; G01S; G01S15/00; G01S15/88; G01S15/89; G01S15/8906; G01S15/8959; G01S15/8963; G01S7/00; G01S7/52; G01S7/52017; G01S7/52023; G01S7/52036; G01S7/52038; G01S7/52039; G01S7/52041; A61B8/08; A61B8/488
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 39
Claim 1
Independent Claim
78 words
An ultrasonic diagnostic system for the coherent detection of ultrasonic contrast agents comprising: an ultrasonic transducer probe for transmitting ultrasonic pulses into a body infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent and receiving ultrasonic echo signals following a pulse transmission; a beamformer for forming coherent echo signals; means for differentiating coherent echo signals received from two pulse transmissions; means for detecting differentiated coherent echo signals; and a display for displaying detected differentiated signals emanating from said ultrasonic contrast agent.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
16 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 1, wherein said means for detecting comprises an amplitude detector.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 2, further comprising an event discriminator for discriminating detected signals which emanated from a contrast agent.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 3, wherein said event discriminator comprises means for comparing detected signals against a threshold level.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 1, further comprising a B mode processor for producing B mode image signals, wherein said display displays a B mode image combined with the display of detected differentiated signals emanating from said ultrasonic contrast agent.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
100 words
An ultrasonic diagnostic system for the detection of a harmonic ultrasonic contrast agent comprising: an ultrasonic transducer probe for transmitting ultrasonic pulses at a first frequency into a body infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent and receiving harmonic ultrasonic echo signals following a pulse transmission; a receiver for receiving harmonic signals emanating from said ultrasonic contrast agent; a programmable filter which filters said received harmonic signals with a passband excluding said first frequency and including a harmonic of said first frequency; and a contrast signal detector for detecting said received harmonic signals; and a display for displaying received harmonic signals.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 6, wherein said programmable filter comprises a programmable digital filter.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 7, wherein the programmable characteristics of said digital filter include the weighting of received signals and the decimation rate of the filtered signals produced by said filter.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
15 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 6, wherein said programmable filter comprises an FIR filter.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
37 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 6, further comprising a B mode processor for producing B mode image signals, wherein said programmable digital filter alternately provides signals for said B mode processor and said contrast signal detector.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
60 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 10, wherein said programmable digital filter provides filtered signals for said B mode processor which include signals of said B mode passband and excludes said harmonic of said first frequency, and provides filtered signals for said contrast signal detector which includes said harmonic of said first frequency and excludes signals of said first frequency.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 6, further comprising means for rendering three dimensional images of said received harmonic signals.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
63 words
A method for ultrasonically detecting the perfusion rate of tissue by ultrasonic contrast agents comprising the steps of: introducing an ultrasonic contrast agent of microbubbles into the bloodstream; transmitting an ultrasonic pulse which destroys microbubbles in said tissue; and following the destruction of said microbubbles by a time interval, ultrasonically measuring the degree of microbubble reperfusion of said tissue during said time interval.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of Claim 13, further comprising the steps of repeating said transmitting and measuring steps with a different time interval.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of Claim 13, further comprising the steps of repeating said transmitting and measuring steps with the same time interval.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method of Claim 13, wherein said step of ultrasonically measuring comprises the step of acquiring echo signals following transmission of a second ultrasonic pulse into said tissue.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of Claim 16, wherein said step of ultrasonically measuring further comprises the step of creating an ultrasonic image with said acquired echo signals.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of Claim 17, wherein said step of transmitting comprises transmitting a relatively low frequency, high amplitude ultrasonic pulse into said tissue, and wherein said step of ultrasonically measuring comprises the step of transmitting a second ultrasonic pulse of relatively high frequency and low amplitude into said tissue.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for ultrasonically imaging a region of the body which has been infused with a microbubble ultrasonic contrast agent comprising the steps of: transmitting a first pulse into the body which is focused at a first depth within the body to cause a response from microbubbles located at said first depth; receiving echoes following the transmission of said first pulse; transmitting a second pulse into the body which is focused at a second depth within the body to cause a response from microbubbles located at said second depth; receiving echoes following the transmission of said second pulse; and producing an ultrasonic image from echoes received following said first and second pulses.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of Claim 19, wherein said first and second pulses are transmitted along substantially the same beam direction.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
14 words
The method of Claim 20, wherein said microbubble response comprises the destruction of microbubbles.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of Claim 20, wherein said steps of receiving echoes comprise receiving echoes from said first and second depths.
Claim 23
Independent Claim
88 words
A method of ultrasonically imaging tissue whose perfusion has been enhanced with an ultrasonic contrast agent in the presence of a blood pool containing contrast agent comprising the steps of: insonifying said perfused tissue and blood pool; receiving echoes returned from ultrasonic contrast agent in said perfused tissue and blood pool; processing said received echoes for display by displaying greater intensity echoes with a lesser brightness or color intensity than echoes of lesser intensity, whereby said perfused tissue is highlighted in the display relative to said blood pool.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
76 words
A method of ultrasonically detecting destruction events of microbubbles of a microbubble contrast agent present in the body comprising the steps of: transmitting an ultrasonic wave which is destructive of microbubbles, said wave exhibiting a range of frequencies including a frequency which is destructive of microbubbles of a given size; and receiving ultrasonic signals following said ultrasonic wave transmission, whereby said wave is destructive of microbubbles of a given range of sizes including said given size.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
105 words
A method of ultrasonically detecting a microbubble contrast agent present in the body by high PRF pulses comprising the steps of: transmitting a first ultrasonic pulse into the body which causes a first response from said microbubbles; receiving a desired microbubble response to said first ultrasonic pulse; transmitting a second ultrasonic pulse into the body which causes a second response from said microbubbles; receiving a desired microbubble response to said second ultrasonic pulse and an undesired echo response to said first ultrasonic pulse; processing said received microbubble responses by incoherent detection, whereby said desired and undesired responses exhibit opposite polarities; and eliminating said undesired response.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of Claim 25, wherein said first microbubble response is microbubble destruction and said second microbubble response is an absence of microbubble destruction.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method of Claim 26, wherein said undesired echo response to said first ultrasonic pulse emanates from tissue located deeper in the body than microbubbles which cause said first response.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method of Claim 25, wherein said processing step includes the step of differentiating the received microbubble responses to said first and second pulses.
Claim 29
Independent Claim
74 words
A method of ultrasonically detecting the harmonic response of an ultrasonic harmonic contrast agent comprising the steps of: transmitting a first ultrasonic pulse to said harmonic contrast agent to cause a first harmonic response; transmitting a second ultrasonic pulse of a different polarity than said first ultrasonic pulse to said harmonic contrast agent to cause a second harmonic response; detecting said first and second harmonic responses; and combining said first and second harmonic responses.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of Claim 29, wherein said step of combining comprises differentiating said first and second harmonic responses.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
32 words
The method of Claim 29, wherein said transmitted pulses exhibit a pulse energy which is within a range which causes microbubbles of said harmonic contrast agent to oscillate without substantial microbubble destruction.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
115 words
An ultrasonic diagnostic system for the detection and display of ultrasonic contrast agents within the body comprising: an ultrasonic transducer probe for transmitting ultrasonic pulses into a body infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent and receiving ultrasonic echo signals following a pulse transmission, including means for transmitting high and low energy ultrasonic pulses; a trigger circuit responsive to a physiological function for triggering high energy ultrasonic pulse transmission; a contrast signal processor for processing echoes received in response to high energy pulse transmission; a B mode signal processor for processing echoes received in response to low energy pulse transmission; and a display for displaying simultaneous real time B mode images and triggered contrast agent images.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
28 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 32, wherein said means for transmitting comprises means for selectively generating low frequency, high amplitude pulses or high frequency, low amplitude pulses.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
17 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 32, wherein said trigger circuit is responsive to a heartbeat waveform.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
129 words
An ultrasonic diagnostic system for the detection and display of ultrasonic contrast agents within the body comprising: an ultrasonic transducer probe for transmitting ultrasonic pulses into a body infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent and receiving ultrasonic echo signals following a pulse transmission, including means for transmitting high and low energy ultrasonic pulses; a trigger circuit for periodically triggering high energy ultrasonic pulse transmission; a contrast signal processor for processing echoes received in response to high energy pulse transmission; a Doppler processor for processing Doppler echoes received by said transducer probe; a B mode signal processor for processing echoes received in response to low energy pulse transmission; and a display for displaying real time B mode images containing color Doppler image information and periodically containing contrast agent image information.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
26 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 35, wherein said trigger circuit comprises means for triggering high energy ultrasonic pulse transmission in response to a heartbeat signal.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
16 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 35, wherein said real time images comprise colorflow Doppler images.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
20 words
The ultrasonic diagnostic system of Claim 35, wherein the periodicity of said trigger circuit is selected by the system user.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
86 words
The method of Claim 19, further comprising the steps of: transmitting a third pulse following said first pulse which is focused at said first depth; transmitting a fourth pulse following said second pulse which is focused at said second depth; receiving echoes following the transmission of said third and fourth pulses; and wherein said producing step comprises producing a ultrasonic image from the combination of echoes received following said first and third pulses, and from the combination of echoes received following said second and fourth pulses.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
EP0072330A2
Cited
DE3839649A1
Cited
WO1991015999A1
Cited
US5135000A
Cited
WO1993012720A1
Cited
US5474073A
Cited
US5456257A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.