Method and system for enhanced visualization and selection of a representative ultrasound image by automatically detecting B lines and scoring images of an ultrasound scan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10667793-B2
Application number	US-201514869560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 29, 2015
Priority date	Sep 29, 2015
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

An ultrasound device performs an ultrasound scan to acquire a video clip having a plurality of images in a selected zone of a set of lungs. The ultrasound device detects B lines in each of the images of the video clip. The ultrasound device assigns a score to each of the images of the video clip based at least in part on the detected number of B lines. The ultrasound device highlights the detected B lines in each of the images of the video clip. The ultrasound device identifies a representative image from the highlighted images of the video clip in the selected zone. The identification of the representative image is based at least in part on the assigned score of each of the images. The ultrasound device displays the identified representative image.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
performing, by an ultrasound probe of an ultrasound system, an ultrasound scan to acquire a video clip having a plurality of images in a selected zone of a set of lungs;
detecting, by a processor of the ultrasound system, B lines in each of the plurality of images of the video clip;
assigning a score, by the processor, to each of the plurality of images of the video clip based at least in part on the detected number of B lines;
highlighting, by the processor, the detected B lines in each of the plurality of images of the video clip;
identifying, by the processor, a representative image from the plurality of highlighted images of the video clip in the selected zone, the identification of the representative image based at least in part on the assigned score of each of the plurality of images; and
displaying, by a display system of the ultrasound system, the identified representative image.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising:
receiving an operator instruction, by the processor, accepting the identified representative image; and
storing the accepted representative image in an archive.

3. The method according to claim 1 , comprising automatically storing, by the processor, the identified representative image in an archive.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein acquisition and beamforming of the ultrasound scan is optimized to highlight the B lines by setting focus delays and an aperture to a depth close to that of a pleura.

5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising detecting, by the processor, a pleura in each of the plurality of images of the video clip.

6. The method according to claim 5 , comprising detecting, by the processor, at least one rib in each of the plurality of images of the video clip.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the detection of the pleura is based at least in part on the detection of the at least one rib.

8. The method according to claim 1 , comprising receiving a selection, by the processor, of a layout of the set of lungs, wherein the layout comprises a plurality of zones, and wherein the selected zone is one of the plurality of zones of the layout.

9. The method according to claim 8 , comprising performing the method of claim 1 for each of the plurality of zones of the layout, wherein each of the plurality of zones of the layout is associated with the accepted representative image to form a current examination representative image data set.

10. The method according to claim 9 , comprising displaying, by the display system, the layout comprising a representation of the assigned score of the accepted representative image in each of the plurality of zones in the layout.

11. The method according to claim 9 , comprising:
retrieving, by the processor, a prior related examination representative image data set from an archive, and
displaying, by the display system, the current examination representative image data set and the retrieved prior related examination representative image data set.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the highlighting in each of the plurality of images of the video clip is one or more of:
a superimposed marker corresponding with each of the detected B lines, and
colorized pixels of the detected B lines.

13. A system, comprising:
an ultrasound device comprising:
an ultrasound probe operable to perform an ultrasound scan to acquire a video clip having a plurality of images in a selected zone of a set of lungs;
a processor operable to:
detect B lines in each of the plurality of images of the video clip,
assign a score to each of the plurality of images of the video clip based at least in part on the detected number of B lines,
highlight the detected B lines in each of the plurality of images of the video clip, and
identify a representative image from the plurality of highlighted images of the video clip in the selected zone, the identification of the representative image based at least in part on the assigned score of each of the plurality of images; and

a display system operable to display the identified representative image.

14. The system according to claim 13 , comprising an archive, wherein the processor is operable to:
receive an operator instruction accepting the identified representative image, and
store the accepted representative image in the archive.

15. The system according to claim 14 , comprising a user input device operable to provide the operator instruction to the processor.

16. The system according to claim 13 , comprising an archive, wherein the processor is operable to automatically store the identified representative image in the archive.

17. The system according to claim 13 , wherein acquisition and beamforming of the ultrasound scan is optimized to highlight the B lines by setting focus delays and an aperture to a depth close to that of a pleura.

18. The system according to claim 13 , wherein the highlighting in each of the plurality of images of the video clip is one or more of:
a superimposed marker corresponding with each of the detected B lines, and
colorized pixels of the detected B lines.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon, a computer program having at least one code section, the at least one code section being executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform steps comprising:
detecting B lines in each of a plurality of images of a video clip acquired by an ultrasound scan of a selected zone of a set of lungs;
assigning a score to each of the plurality of images of the video clip based at least in part on the detected number of B lines;
highlighting the detected B lines in each of the plurality of images of the video clip; and
identifying a representative image from the plurality of highlighted images of the video clip in the selected zone of the set of lungs, the identification of the representative image based at least in part on the assigned score of each of the plurality of images.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 19 , comprising the step of optimizing acquisition and beamforming of the ultrasound scan to highlight the B lines by setting focus delays and an aperture to a depth close to that of a pleura.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Halmann Menachem
• Sokulin Alexander
• Lysyansky Peter
• Vanuk Lilach
• Owen Cynthia

Classifications

• A61B8/461

  Displaying means of special interest · CPC title

• G06T2207/10132

  Ultrasound image · CPC title

• G06T2207/30061

  Lung · CPC title

• G06T7/0016

  involving temporal comparison · CPC title

• A61B8/0875

  for diagnosis of bone · CPC title