Ultrasonic imaging of acoustic attenuation coefficients with confidence estimation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022087653-A1
Application number	US-202017420821-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2020
Priority date	Jan 24, 2019
Publication date	Mar 24, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

An ultrasound system produces maps of acoustic attenuation coefficients from pulse echo signals. Maps are produced using different attenuation coefficient or slope estimation methods, and a plurality of maps from different estimation methods are compounded to produce a final attenuation coefficient map. Confidence maps may also be produced for one or more attenuation coefficient maps, and the confidence map displayed or its measures used to determine weighting for the compounding process.

First claim

1 . An ultrasound imaging system which produces attenuation coefficient maps of an image field comprising:
an ultrasound probe adapted to acquire ultrasonic echo signals from an image field; a beamformer adapted to process the ultrasonic echo signals to produce coherent echo signals for an ultrasound image of the image field; an attenuation coefficient estimator, coupled to the beamformer, and adapted to estimate attenuation coefficient values for maps of attenuation coefficients of the image field,
characterized in that:
the attenuation coefficient estimator is further adapted to produce a plurality of attenuation coefficient maps by two or more of the methods of the spectral difference method, the spectral log difference method, and the maximum likelihood method;
the system comprises an attenuation coefficient map compounder, coupled to the attenuation coefficient estimator, and adapted to compound the plurality of attenuation coefficient maps produced by said two or more different attenuation coefficient estimation methods; and
the system comprises a display adapted to display attenuation coefficient maps produced by the attenuation coefficient map compounder.

2 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the coefficient maps are color-coded.

3 . (canceled)

4 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the spectral difference method is adapted to assume homogeneous scatterer distribution over the image field depth.

5 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the maximum likelihood method is adapted to handle nonuniform scatterer distribution over the image field depth.

6 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps produced by the attenuation coefficient estimator on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

7 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 6 , wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps produced by the attenuation coefficient estimator by weighted averaging.

8 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps using weights determined by confidence estimations.

9 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps using weights determined by attenuation coefficient consistency of the maps being compounded.

10 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising a confidence measure estimator, coupled to the attenuation coefficient estimator, which is adapted to produce a map of confidence estimations corresponding to an attenuation coefficient map.

11 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10 , wherein the attenuation coefficient map compounder is further adapted to compound two or more of the attenuation coefficient maps using weights determined in consideration of the map of confidence estimations.

12 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10 , wherein the display is further adapted to display the map of confidence estimations.

13 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising a memory adapted to store a map of reference values, and the attenuation coefficient estimator is adapted to operate on RF echo signal data values or I/O echo signal data, in conjunction with the map of reference values,
wherein the reference values comprise power spectrum measurements of a tissue phantom.

14 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising a memory adapted to store a map of reference values, and the attenuation coefficient estimator is adapted to operate on RF echo signal data values or I/O echo signal data, in conjunction with the map of reference values,
wherein the reference values comprise a theoretical model of power spectra, or a numerical simulation of power spectra.

15 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Huang Sheng-Wen
• Xie Hua
• Nguyen Man M
• Amador Carrascal Carolina
• Robert Jean-Luc Francois-Marie
• Shamdasani Vijay Thakur

Classifications

• A61B8/5207

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

• A61B8/463

  characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display · CPC title

• G01S7/52071

  Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging · CPC title

• A61B8/5253 Primary

  combining overlapping images, e.g. spatial compounding · CPC title

• A61B8/488

  involving Doppler signals · CPC title