Doppler Ultrasound Scanning With Plane-Wave C-Mode for Microvascular Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ultrasound imaging devices are limited to velocity scales below 10 cm/s in microvascular imaging, leading to aliasing artifacts, poor compatibility with high-velocity flows, and inadequate detection of both high- and low-velocity blood flows, which impedes accurate assessment of microvascular flow.
Innovation Solution
The ultrasound imaging device employs sequential B-mode and C-mode scanning with non-focused ultrasound waves, allowing for the measurement and display of both velocity magnitude and direction in microvascular imaging by alternately scanning B-mode and C-mode images, and increasing the velocity scale through the use of plane waves during C-mode scanning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a lower velocity scale is used in Doppler flow imaging, then microvascular flow detection is enabled, but aliasing artifacts increase and accurate detection of blood flow direction and velocity becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ultrasound scanning process into two distinct modes: plane wave scanning for C-mode images (enabling high velocity scale) and traditional focused beam scanning for B-mode images. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both high velocity scale for accurate flow measurement and microvascular imaging capability without aliasing artifacts.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental scanning parameter from traditional focused beam to plane wave transmission during C-mode scanning. This parameter change enables the system to operate at higher velocity scales while maintaining the ability to detect microvascular flow, thereby resolving the aliasing problem while preserving measurement precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a lower velocity scale is used, then microvascular imaging is possible, but compatibility with high-velocity flow is poor and high-velocity flow obscures fine branch blood flow detection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic scanning system that can switch between plane wave scanning and traditional scanning modes based on the imaging requirements. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to both high-velocity and low-velocity flow scenarios, providing versatile velocity scale range while maintaining measurement precision for different flow types.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the scanning process into C-mode (plane wave) and B-mode (focused beam) components, the system can independently optimize each mode for its specific purpose. The C-mode handles high-velocity flow detection while the B-mode provides anatomical context, enabling simultaneous detection of both high- and low-velocity flows without mutual interference.
3Reliability
If conventional Doppler microvascular imaging mode is used, then aliasing is avoided by displaying only single-energy information, but velocity and direction data cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of ultrasound wave transmission from focused beam to plane wave during C-mode scanning. This parameter change enables the system to detect both velocity magnitude and direction information while maintaining reliability by using plane wave scanning that avoids aliasing artifacts in the velocity scale range above 10 cm/s.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal scanning system that can perform multiple functions: C-mode plane wave scanning for velocity and direction detection, B-mode focused beam scanning for anatomical imaging, and their combination for comprehensive multimodal imaging. This multi-functionality allows simultaneous acquisition of both single-energy information and velocity/direction data without information loss.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the velocity scale, enabling accurate detection and display of blood flow direction and velocity, particularly in microvascular imaging, by reducing the sampling period and covering larger scanning regions with non-focused ultrasound waves, thus providing richer hemodynamic information.
Implementation Method 1
controlling an ultrasound probe to perform B-mode scanning on target tissue and C-mode scanning on a region of interest (ROI) within the target tissue
Implementation Method 2
processing echoes of the non-focused ultrasound waves transmitted during the C-mode scanning to obtain a hemodynamic parameter of the blood vessel within the ROI
Implementation Method 3
The velocity scale for conventional flow imaging typically ranges from 5 cm/s to 100 cm/s, whereas microvascular imaging uses a range generally set below 5 cm/s
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are an ultrasound imaging device and a Doppler ultrasound imaging method thereof, including: performing ultrasound scanning by alternately scanning between a complete B-mode ultrasound image and a complete C-mode ultrasound image during multimodal ultrasound imaging. In this way, when scanning the C-mode ultrasound image, although multiple samplings of a region of interest are still acquired, B-mode ultrasound image scanning is not interleaved between samplings. This reduces the sampling period, thereby increasing the velocity scale. During C-mode scanning, non-focused ultrasound waves are transmitted, which cover a larger scanning area in a single transmission. This further reduces the sampling period and enhances the velocity scale.