32 results about "Strain imaging" patented technology

A system and method for improved ultrasound strain imaging includes using data from a tracking system to enhance the quality of ultrasound strain image and to reduce the dependency of image quality of the user's expertise. The tracking information is synchronized with the RF frames and interpolated to find the transformation corresponding to each frame. The RF frames with their transformations are incorporated into calculation of ultrasound strain images. The tracking system may be an optical tracker, electromagnetic tracker, accelerometer, or a structured light system. The structured light system may also be used for probe calibration, by calibrating the surface of the probe pre-operatively. In addition, a relative Young's Modulus may be calculated using tracking information that is independent from the distribution of input force.

A series of ultrasound strain images of a breast lesion are acquired along with corresponding B-mode images using a real-time ultrasound strain imaging system and a free-hand technique. A visual assessment of the lesion is made by the sonographer after image acquisition. A conspicuity metric is calculated from the strain images based on the weighted sum of lesion contrast values in each strain image. The weighting of each lesion contrast value is based on observed characteristics of malignant lesions in a series of strain images. Diagnosis is made based on the visual assessment and the conspicuity metric

An elasticity measuring system determines tissue displacement between a pre-deformation and post-deformation image by a matching process using a cost function accepting as its arguments continuity of the tissue motion and correlation of the tissue in making the block matching. The invention allows the selection among different cost functions for different imaging situations or tissue types, to provide improved displacement calculations using a priori knowledge about the tissue and structure of tissue interfaces or information derived during the scanning process.

A device for ultrasonic strain imaging computes displacement of tissue between a pre-deformation and post-deformation data set along columns to provide for independent calculations that may be parallelized for multiprocessor systems.

The present invention provides a method and a device to image and characterize human tumors, and to classify the tumors as either malignant or benign. The method includes using a multi-compression technique upon the tissue or organ combined with a 3D ultrasound strain imaging of the compressed tissue or organ for acquiring raw data and analyzing the raw data using a computer processing unit equipped with a nonlinear biomechanical tissue model for tumor classification. A device is provided having a compression stage for delivering multi-compression with continuous force measurements, and a 3D ultrasound transducer strain imaging probe, wherein the imaging probe and the compression stage are in communication with a computer processing unit.

An elastographic imaging system providing for axial, lateral and elevational strain measurements employs a series of one-dimensional axial measurements to deduce a coarse axial, lateral and/or elevational displacement that is used to guide one or more two or three-dimensional cross-correlations of smaller kernels providing improved image resolution.

Thermal strain imaging can be used to identify vascular plaques. Methods include heating and imaging with ultrasound to identify vulnerable plaques, which typically consist of a large lipid-rich core, in peripheral arteries of a patient. Lipid-bearing tissue has a negative temperature dependence of sound speed, whereas water-based tissue has a positive one, allowing thermal strain imaging to differentiate the two different types of tissues with high contrast to characterize plaque composition. Apparatus and methods of the present teachings allow noninvasive and reliable plaque identification.

The invention discloses a respiration separation type strain imaging method based on ultrasonic images of a living body, and belongs to the field of medical image processing. The method comprises thesteps of acquiring a digital ultrasonic image sequence, obtaining the respiration and heartbeat frequency of a living body through two-dimensional cross-correlation calculation and spectrum analysis,then performing alternate extremum retrieval in a cross-correlation curve to divide the image sequence into an expiration state and an inspiration state, performing primary image screening, then respectively extracting an image sequence with the most matched motion state and a motion compensation amount corresponding to the image sequence, and calculating a spatial displacement and a spatial strain image sequence of a tissue according to the image sequence; and finally, combining the displacement image sequences and the strain image sequences of the two states respectively. The invention aimsto overcome the defects that physiological motions such as respiration and heartbeat of a living body influence speckle tracking precision to cause large artifacts and errors in a space strain image in the prior art, and the invention can obtain an accurate tissue internal displacement and strain distribution image.

The invention provides an automatic pneumothorax detection system based on ultrasonic strain imaging. The automatic pneumothorax detection system comprises an image input module, an automatic pneumothorax detection module, a data transmission module and a display terminal module. The image input module comprises an ultrasonic probe, and the output end of the image input module is in one-way electric connection with the input end of the automatic pneumothorax detection module; the output end of the automatic pneumothorax detection module is in one-way electric connection with the input end of the data transmission module; the output end of the data transmission module is in one-way electric connection with the input end of the display terminal module. The automatic pneumothorax detection system based on ultrasonic strain imaging comprises a rapid pneumothorax ultrasonic detection algorithm based on strain calculation, can be integrated into handheld ultrasonic equipment, greatly enhances portability and flexibility, reduces the requirements of pneumothorax ultrasonic diagnosis on experience and skills of doctors, can be applied to more scenes, such as emergency treatment, ICU, first-aid sites, battlefields and the like.

A process for non-destructive testing includes applying a photo-curable dye to a surface of an article, selectively curing an array of dots of the photo-curable dye on the surface, removing the photo-curable dye that has not been selectively cured, mechanically testing the article, and direct strain imaging the article during the mechanical testing based on the array of dots.

The invention discloses a multi-thread strain imaging method and device based on a living body ultrasonic image, and belongs to the field of medical image processing. The method comprises the following steps: collecting a living body B ultrasonic image sequence, analyzing the correlation characteristics of the image, judging the respiratory rate, and dividing the image into different respiratory cycles and synchronous phase periods during the cycles; a calculation thread is established for each phase period, after displacement correction and image registration, the threads calculate strain in parallel, and noise reduction is carried out according to correlation between the threads; and finally, fusing multi-thread strain results to obtain accurate and high-time-density strain output. According to the method, the problems of artifacts and errors generated by physiological movement in strain imaging in the prior art can be solved, the strain distribution of multiple movement phase periods can be obtained, and the living body strain distribution image which is accurate, high in robustness and high in time density is obtained after denoising and fusion are further combined with the spatial correlation of the strain distribution.

The invention provides a heart tissue mechanical parameter measuring method and system, and the method comprises the steps: inserting an ultrasonic imaging catheter connected with a probe into a heart along a blood vessel, and carrying out the real-time B-mode imaging; the position of the probe is adjusted, and a to-be-imaged area in the heart is obtained; setting an acquisition period and imaging parameters of preset multi-modal imaging acquisition based on the heartbeat period, and performing multi-modal imaging acquisition on the to-be-imaged area; the collected ultrasonic signals are processed, and two-dimensional mechanical parameters related to the heart tissue are obtained; and calculating the mechanical parameters of the heart tissue of the to-be-imaged area in combination with a time sequence acquired by multi-modal imaging. According to the scheme, on the basis of a special ultrasonic imaging sequence, ultrasonic strain imaging and shear wave elasticity imaging can be conducted on the heart tissue, and the mechanical parameters of the heart tissue are obtained according to the collected ultrasonic signals.

The invention discloses a method and device for estimating in-vivo heat source distribution based on ultrasonic imaging, and belongs to the field of medical image processing. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a digital ultrasonic image sequence in a living body, performing multi-thread division, image registration and thermal strain imaging, denoising a thermal strain image based on spatial correlation, fitting a heat source position in the thermal strain image based on a curved surface function, and correcting thermal strain distribution and compensating an initial strain value of each thread according to the heat source position. And then, estimating the heat source distribution by the thermal strain image sequence through a finite difference time domain method. And real-time prediction of thermal strain and temperature field distribution in the tissue is realized for different thermal therapy processes adopting the same heating scheme. According to the method, the spatial distribution of the heat source in the tissue can be effectively estimated without intrusive monitoring equipment, the thermal strain and temperature distribution can be predicted according to the spatial distribution, and an important dose-effect evaluation means can be provided for clinical thermal therapy.

The invention provides a multi-mode ultrasonic elastography method and system, and the method comprises the steps: transmitting an ultrasonic signal according to a preset sequence in an acquisition period, and alternately carrying out the signal acquisition for ultrasonic strain imaging and the signal acquisition for shear wave elastography on the tissue of a to-be-observed region according to the preset sequence, so as to obtain signal data; processing the signal data to obtain first tissue information data about tissue displacement and strain and second tissue information data about tissue elasticity modulus; and based on the first tissue information data and the second tissue information data, in combination with a time sequence of ultrasonic original signal acquisition, acquiring tissue displacement, strain and tissue elasticity modulus information of the to-be-observed area in one acquisition period. According to the scheme, ultrasonic strain imaging and shear wave elasticity imaging can be simultaneously carried out on the tissue through one-time sequence acquisition, and related information such as strain and elasticity of the tissue at any moment or in a stress state is measured.

The invention discloses a multi-thread fusion living body ultrasonic thermal strain imaging method and device, and belongs to the field of medical image processing. According to the method, after an ultrasonic image sequence is collected, images are divided into a plurality of threads according to correlation, and image registration and thermal strain imaging are carried out. Furthermore, a biological heat conduction equation solved by a time domain finite difference method is used as a prediction model, and a self-adaptive Kalman filter is used for filtering the thermal strain sequence. And finally, fusing the thermal strain of each thread according to a scalar weighted linear minimum variance information fusion criterion. According to the method, the defects that in existing living body thermal strain imaging, an imaging result depends on a single motion phase, physiological motion is difficult to accurately compensate, so that thermal strain contour distortion and a poor signal-to-noise ratio are caused, and conventional spatial filtering is at the cost of sacrificing spatial resolution are overcome, and a living body thermal strain imaging result which is accurate, high in robustness and high in temporal-spatial resolution can be obtained.

Methods and systems for utilizing myocardial strain imaging in an inverse framework to identify mechanical properties of the heart and to determine structural and functional milestones for the development and progression to heart failure.