Ultrasound systems and methods of identifying fluids in body regions using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018353156-A1
Application number	US-201815985808-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 22, 2018
Priority date	Jun 9, 2017
Publication date	Dec 13, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to systems and methods for determining if a fluid is present in a body region. The systems and methods include using ultrasound systems having operational parameters that provide ultrasound echo maps having high resolution B-line artefacts.

First claim

1 . A system for determining a presence of fluid in a body structure, the system comprising:
an ultrasound transducer including a plurality of ultrasonic elements, the ultrasound transducer configured to emit ultrasound radiation and receive returned ultrasound radiation; a computing device operably coupled to the ultrasound transducer, the computing device including memory and a processor operably coupled thereto, wherein the memory includes one or more operational programs stored thereon, and wherein the processor is configured to access and execute the one or more operational programs; wherein the one or more operational programs include machine readable and executable instructions for automatically controlling a plurality of parameters of the ultrasound transducer for causing the ultrasound transducer to emit the ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz and to receive the returned ultrasound radiation and to assemble electrical signals output from the of the plurality of ultrasonic elements to provide an ultrasound echo map having one or more B-lines that include a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 2.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the signal-to-noise ratio includes a ratio of a sum of intensities of the ultrasound echo map in a discrete B-line region laterally centered on a B-line of the one or more B-lines versus a sum of intensities of the ultrasound echo map outside of and on both sides of the B-line; and the one or more operational programs include machine readable and executable instructions for automatically determining the signal-to-noise ratio.

3 .- 5 . (canceled)

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the signal-to-noise ratio includes a sum of intensities of the ultrasound echo map in a discrete B-line region laterally centered on a B-line of the one or more B-lines versus a sum of intensities of the ultrasound echo map outside of and on both sides of the B-line.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the machine readable and executable instructions of the one or more operational programs are for automatically controlling a plurality of parameters of the ultrasound transducer for causing the ultrasound transducer to emit ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz and to provide an ultrasound echo map having one or more B-lines that include a combination of a maximized signal-to-noise ratio and a maximized sharpness ratio.

8 .- 23 . (canceled)

24 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of ultrasonic elements is operably coupled to a power supply via an individual connection thereto, and each of the ultrasonic elements is selectively controllable via the individual connection.

25 .- 32 . (canceled)

33 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device includes at least one B-line mode and the at least one B-line mode includes machine readable and executable instructions for the plurality of ultrasonic elements for causing the ultrasound transducer to emit ultrasound radiation having a focused beam form in comparison to a single plane wave, multi-angle plane wave, weakly focused overlapping beam, or spatial compounding.

34 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the machine readable and executable instructions of the one or more operational programs are for automatically controlling a plurality of parameters of the ultrasound transducer for causing one or more of:
the ultrasound transducer to emit ultrasound radiation at a frequency of about 3 MHz to about 10 MHz to provide an ultrasound echo map having one or more B-lines that include a combination of a maximized signal-to-noise ratio and a maximized sharpness ratio; a power output value of a plurality of ultrasonic elements to operate at less than about one quarter of a maximum power output of the plurality of ultrasonic elements; a number of the plurality of ultrasonic elements in the ultrasound transducer from emitting ultrasound radiation such that about 4 to about 13 of the plurality of the ultrasonic elements of the plurality of ultrasound elements emit ultrasound radiation; and the ultrasound transducer to emit ultrasound radiation having a dynamic range value that is less than about one third of a maximum dynamic range value of the ultrasound transducer.

35 . A method for determining a presence of fluid in a body region, the method comprising:
emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz into a body region from an ultrasound transducer having a plurality of ultrasonic elements; controlling one or more properties of the ultrasound radiation with a computing device operably coupled to the ultrasound transducer, the computing device having a memory and processor operably coupled to the memory, wherein the memory includes one or more operational programs having machine readable and executable instructions for controlling the ultrasound transducer; receiving returned ultrasound radiation returned from the body region with the ultrasound transducer; and generating, with the computing device, an ultrasound echo map with the returned ultrasound radiation that includes one or more B-lines having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 2.

36 . The method of claim 35 , wherein emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz into a body region from an ultrasound transducer includes emitting ultrasound radiation into a lung of a subject.

37 .- 38 . (canceled)

39 . The method of claim 35 , wherein emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz into a body region from an ultrasound transducer includes emitting ultrasound radiation to a focal point about 0 mm to about 10 mm above an interrogation site in the body region.

40 . The method of claim 35 , wherein:
emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz into a body region from an ultrasound transducer having a plurality of ultrasonic elements includes emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 10 MHz; and generating, with the computing device, an ultrasound echo map with the returned ultrasound radiation that includes one or more B-lines having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 2 includes generating, with the computing device, an ultrasound echo map with the returned ultrasound radiation that includes one or more B-lines having a signal-to-noise ratio of at least 8.

41 . The method of claim 35 , wherein emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz into a body region from an ultrasound transducer having a plurality of ultrasonic elements includes emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency between about 3 MHz to about 10 MHz.

42 . The method of claim 35 , wherein emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz into a body region from an ultrasound transducer having a plurality of ultrasonic elements includes emitting ultrasound radiation from a number of ultrasonic elements that is fewer than all of the ultrasonic elements.

43 .- 44 . (canceled)

45 . The method of claim 35 , wherein emitting ultrasound radiation at a frequency below about 15 MHz into a body region from an ultrasound transducer having a plurality of ultrasonic elements includes emitting ultrasound radiation from about 4 to about 13 of the ultrasonic elements.

46 .- 56 . (canceled)

57 . The method of claim 35 , wherein controlling one or more properties of the ultrasound radiation with a computing device operably coupled to the ultrasound transducer includes controlling the one or more properties of the ultrasound radiation via the machine reada

Assignees

• Tokitae Llc

Inventors

• Mehanian Courosh
• Wachsmann-Hogiu Sebastian
• Wilson Benjamin K
• Zheng Xinliang

Classifications

• G01S7/52047

  for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power · CPC title

• A61B8/14

  Echo-tomography · CPC title

• G01S7/5206

  Two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction; B-scan display · CPC title

• A61B8/4444 Primary

  related to the probe · CPC title

• A61B8/5269

  involving detection or reduction of artifacts · CPC title