Automatically establishing measurement location controls for doppler ultrasound
Inventors
Ayinde, Babajide • Cook, Matthew • Wong, Eric • Clements, Alexandra • Willis, Dave • Moustakidis, Pavlos • Sachpekidis, Vasileios • Pagoulatos, Niko
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-12213840-B2
Publication Date
2025-02-04
Expiration Date
Abstract
A facility for automatically establishing measurement location controls for Doppler ultrasound studies is described. The facility receives a first ultrasound image, and user input selecting an anatomical structure appearing in it. The facility performs localization to determine the location of the selected anatomical structure in the initial image, and determines a first placement of measurement location controls relative to the structure. On the ultrasound machine, the facility invokes one or more first Doppler ultrasound modes using the first placement. The facility receives a second ultrasound image produced by the ultrasound machine using the one or more first modes; determines a flow location and direction based on the second ultrasound image; and determines a second placement relative to the flow location. The facility invokes one or more second Doppler ultrasound modes using the second placement, and receives results from the invocation of the one or more second Doppler ultrasound modes.
Core Innovation
The disclosed subject matter relates to a facility for automatically establishing Doppler ultrasound measurement location controls. An ultrasound transducer provides a sequence of ultrasound images, and the computing device directly receives the ultrasound data from a person. The computing device receives a first ultrasound image and user input selecting an anatomical structure appearing in the first ultrasound image.
The computing device performs localization based on segmentation or key point detection of the first ultrasound image. In one aspect, localization applies a convolutional neural network to aliasing patterns in the first ultrasound image associated with blood flow to obtain a probability map signifying a spatial location and the direction of the blood flow, and the location of the selected anatomical structure is determined based on the probability map. In another aspect, localization uses aliasing patterns in the first ultrasound image associated with aberrant blood flow to determine the location of the selected anatomical structure.
After determining the location of the selected anatomical structure, the computing device automatically performs a first placement of measurement location controls relative to the determined location. The transducer implements one or more first Doppler ultrasound modes using the first measurement location control placement, and one or more second ultrasound images are received. The computing device determines a flow location and flow direction based on the one or more second ultrasound images, then automatically performs a second placement of measurement location controls relative to the determined flow location and causes one or more second Doppler ultrasound modes to be implemented. Results are received in response to causing the ultrasound transducer to implement the one or more second Doppler ultrasound modes.
Claims Coverage
The partial content includes two independent claims (clm-00001 and clm-00008). Both cover automatic Doppler measurement location controls with localization of a user-selected anatomical structure and a subsequent flow-specific placement for Doppler acquisition, with inventive features centered on aliasing-pattern-based localization and Doppler control placement at two stages, followed by receipt of results from the second Doppler modes.
Aliasing-pattern-based localization of a selected anatomical structure for Doppler control placement
A computing device receives a first ultrasound image and user input selecting an anatomical structure, performs localization based on segmentation or key point detection, applies a convolutional neural network to aliasing patterns associated with blood flow to obtain a probability map signifying a spatial location of the aliasing patterns and the direction of the blood flow, and determines a location of the selected anatomical structure in the first ultrasound image based on the probability map.
Two-stage automatic placement of Doppler measurement location controls
The computing device automatically performs a first placement of measurement location controls relative to the determined location of the selected anatomical structure, causes the ultrasound transducer to implement one or more first Doppler ultrasound modes using the determined first measurement location control placement, receives one or more second ultrasound images using the one or more first Doppler ultrasound modes, determines a flow location and flow direction based on the one or more second ultrasound images, and automatically performs a second placement of measurement location controls relative to the determined flow location for implementing one or more second Doppler ultrasound modes.
Flow location and direction determination from second Doppler ultrasound images
The computing device determines a flow location and flow direction based on the one or more second ultrasound images received from the ultrasound transducer using the one or more first Doppler ultrasound modes.
Localization based on aliasing patterns associated with aberrant blood flow
A computing device performs localization based on aliasing patterns in the first ultrasound image that are associated with aberrant blood flow through the person to determine the location of the selected anatomical structure in the first ultrasound image.
Across both independent claims, the core coverage is an ultrasound system that localizes a user-selected anatomical structure using aliasing patterns, with a convolutional neural network in one aspect, automatically places measurement location controls in a first stage for implementing first Doppler modes, determines flow location and flow direction from second ultrasound images, then automatically places measurement location controls in a second stage for implementing second Doppler modes, with results received based on the second Doppler implementation.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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