Dual frequency plane wave ultrasound imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019069879-A1
Application number	US-201816115325-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 28, 2018
Priority date	Sep 1, 2017
Publication date	Mar 7, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A dual frequency transducer array includes one or more low frequency transducer arrays and a high frequency transducer array. Unfocused ultrasound such as plane waves are transmitted by the one or more low frequency transducer arrays in a number of different directions into an imaging region of the high frequency transducer array. High frequency echo signals produced by excited contrast agent in the imaging region are received by the high frequency transducer array to produce a contrast agent image. In another embodiment, the high frequency transducer produces unfocused ultrasound to excite the contrast agent in the imaging region and the low frequency transducer(s) receives low frequency echo signals from the excited contrast agent. A tissue image is created from echo signals received by the high or low frequency transducer. Echo data from the tissue image and the contrast agent image are combined to produce a combined tissue/contrast agent image.

First claim

I/We claim:

1 . A dual frequency ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
a high frequency transducer array configured to transmit ultrasound into an imaging region and to receive high frequency ultrasound signals from the imaging region; one or more low frequency transducer arrays configured to transmit unfocused ultrasound into the imaging region of the high frequency transducer array to insonify contrast agent in the imaging region; and signal processing circuitry for
processing high frequency echo signals from tissue created in response to high frequency ultrasound signals transmitted by the high frequency transducer array;
creating a tissue image from the high frequency echo signals received from tissue;
processing high frequency echo signals created in response to contrast agent being insonified by the unfocused ultrasound from the one or more low frequency transducer arrays;
creating a contrast agent image from the received high frequency echo signals from the contrast agent; and
creating a combined tissue/contrast agent image with data from the tissue image and the contrast agent image.

2 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more low frequency transducer arrays are configured to transmit plane waves at multiple angles and the contrast agent image is created from spatio-temporally beamformed echo signals in the radio frequency domain the plane waves at the multiple angles.

3 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more low frequency transducer arrays are configured to transmit plane waves that are interleaved with ultrasound transmitted and received by the high frequency transducer.

4 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the high frequency ultrasound transducer is configured to transmit plane waves at multiple angles into the focal region.

5 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the tissue image is created from spatio-temporally beamformed echo signals in the radio frequency domain from plane waves transmitted at the multiple angles from the high frequency ultrasound transmitter.

6 . A dual frequency transducer comprising: a high frequency central array that is configured to be used as a receiver and one or more flanking (outrigger) low frequency transducer arrays configured to transmit low frequency plane waves to insonify contrast agent in a region of interest, wherein the high frequency central array is positioned to receive echo signals from the contrast agent exited by the plane waves from the one or more low frequency transducer arrays.

7 . A dual frequency ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
a high frequency transducer array; one or more low frequency transducer arrays; signal processing circuitry for:
controlling the high frequency transducer array or the one or more low frequency transducer arrays to transmit unfocused ultrasound signals into a focal region to insonify contrast agent in the imaging region;
controlling the other of the one or more low frequency transducer arrays or the high frequency transducer array to receive echo signals from the insonified contrast agent;
producing a contrast agent image from the echo signals from the insonified contrast agent;
producing a tissue image from echo signals received from tissue in the imaging region; and
producing a combined tissue/contrast agent image from the contrast agent image and the tissue image.

8 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the tissue image is created from ultrasound transmitted and received by the high frequency transducer.

9 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the tissue image is created from ultrasound transmitted and received by the one or more low frequency transducer arrays.

10 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the unfocused ultrasound is transmitted by the one or more low frequency transducer arrays and the contrast agent image is created from high frequency ultrasound echoes received by the high frequency transducer array.

11 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the unfocused ultrasound is transmitted by the high frequency transducer array and the contrast agent image is created from low frequency ultrasound echoes received by the one or more low frequency transducer arrays.

12 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the unfocused ultrasound are planewaves.

13 . The dual frequency ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the unfocused ultrasound are spherical waves.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Sonosite Inc
• Sunnybrook Res Inst

Inventors

• Foster F Stuart
• Hirson Desmond
• Chaggares Nicholas Christopher
• Cherin Emmanuel W
• Yin Jianhua
• Yang Jing
• Demore Christine

Classifications

• G01S15/8995

  Combining images from different aspect angles, e.g. spatial compounding · CPC title

• A61B8/5246

  combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode · CPC title

• A61B8/5207

  involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image · CPC title

• A61B8/481 Primary

  involving the use of contrast agents, e.g. microbubbles introduced into the bloodstream · CPC title

• A61B8/4477

  using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes · CPC title