Apparatus and method for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11504094-B2
Application number	US-201816634837-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 27, 2018
Priority date	Jul 28, 2017
Publication date	Nov 22, 2022
Grant date	Nov 22, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) including use of a fluid dynamics model for the analysis of dynamic contrast-enhanced ultrasound (DCEUS).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, comprising:
injection means for injecting a contrast agent within a region of interest,
an ultrasound system for propagating ultrasound waves within said region of interest and detecting ultrasound waves backscattered within said region of interest,
imaging means for producing a temporal succession of images according to said backscattered ultrasound waves, each image being representative of a spatial configuration of said contrast agent within said region of interest,

the apparatus further comprises transport calculating means arranged to determine a spatial transport of the contrast agent from successive images, wherein the transport calculating means comprises numerical resolution means for numerical resolution of the following transport equation:
I t +{right arrow over (V)}.{right arrow over (∇)}I= 0

where I is a grey level intensity on said images, I t is a partial temporal derivative of I between successive images, {right arrow over (∇)} is a spatial gradient operator, {right arrow over (∇)}I is the spatial gradient of I, and {right arrow over (V)} corresponds to said spatial transport between those successive images.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising resetting means arranged to compensate relative movements between said ultrasound system and said region of interest.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 , in which said resetting means is arranged to compensate relative movements between said ultrasound system and said region of interest using a gradient driven descent algorithm maximizing an inter-correlation coefficient between successive images.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a spatial low-pass filter arranged to filter said images.

5. A method for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, comprising:
propagating ultrasound waves within a region of interest and detecting ultrasound waves backscattered within said region of interest,
producing a temporal succession of images according to said backscattered ultrasound waves, each image being representative of a spatial configuration of said contrast agent within said region of interest, and
determining a spatial transport of the contrast agent from successive images, whereby determining said spatial transport comprises numerical solving of the following transport equation:
I t +{right arrow over (V)}.{right arrow over (∇)}I= 0

where I is a grey level intensity on said images, I t is a partial temporal derivative of I between successive images, {right arrow over (∇)} is a spatial gradient operator, {right arrow over (∇)}I is the spatial gradient of I, and {right arrow over (V)} corresponds to said spatial transport between those images.

6. The method according to claim 5 , comprising compensating relative movements between said ultrasound system and said region of interest using a resetting means.

7. The method according to claim 6 , in which compensating said relative movements comprises maximizing an inter-correlation coefficient between successive images using a gradient driven descent algorithm.

8. The method according to claim 5 , comprising filtering said images using a spatial low-pass filter.

9. An image processing tool, configured to implement a method according to claim 5 .

10. A device for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, comprising an image processing tool according to claim 9 .

Assignees

• Inst Nat Sante Rech Med
• Univ Tours
• Centre Nat Rech Scient
• Univ Bordeaux
• Inst Polytechnique De Bordeaux Ipb

Inventors

• Denis De Senneville Baudouin
• Perrotin Franck
• Escoffre Jean-Michel
• Bouakaz Ayache

Classifications

• A61B8/5276

  due to motion · CPC title

• G06T2207/10016

  Video; Image sequence · CPC title

• G06T7/0016 Primary

  involving temporal comparison · CPC title

• G06T2207/10132

  Ultrasound image · CPC title

• G06T2207/30104

  Vascular flow; Blood flow; Perfusion · CPC title