Method and apparatus for generating an ultrasound scatterer representation

Abstract

Realistic ultrasound imaging simulation requires modeling of scatterers corresponding to different imaging speckle appearances. A scatterer generator acquires a plurality of ultrasound signal samples,each corresponding to a different ultrasound capture and reconstructs a scatterer representation from the ultrasound signal samples and associated Point Spread Functions. Point Spread Functions (PSFs) may be estimated from multiple image acquisitions at the same reference position resulting from beam-steering. Reconstructed scatterers may then directly be used in ultrasound simulation or an additional step of modeling the scatterers may be applied. Statistical distribution parametrization or texture synthesis may be used to model the scatterers. Different scatterer models may be used for different homogeneous regions. The reconstructed scatterers and / or the scatterer models may be registered into a library of scatterers by the scatterer generator.

Description

technical field [0001] The methods and apparatus described herein relate generally to ultrasound image simulation, and more particularly to virtual reality ultrasound image modeling for ultrasound practice training simulation purposes, eg, in the medical field. [0002] Cross References to Related Applications [0003] This application claims U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. US 62 / 197,102, filed July 27, 2015 in the names of Orcun Goksel, Oliver Mattausch, entitled "Method and apparatus for generating an ultrasound scatterer representation" and filed March 2016 Priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. US62 / 309,298 filed on the 16th in the names of Orcun Goksel, Oliver Mattausch, entitled "Method and apparatus forgenerating an ultrasound scatterer representation," which applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. Background technique [0004] Medical Imaging Simulator [0005] The application of ultr...

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Problems solved by technology

However, in contrast, the in vivo images presented in this work lack realism, potentially due to the following problems: (i) the parameterization of scatterer distribution in human tissue is suboptimal, and (ii) incompatible with their successful Anatomical models are not realistically generated compared to simulation images (where geometry is known exactly)

[0019] We observe that, given an arbitrary tissue, the distribution of such scatterers that will generate a realistic image is not known a priori, and there is currently no principled way to extract this scatterer for a given target tissue to be simulated body pattern

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