U.S. patent application number 15/258099 was filed with the patent office on 2018-02-15 for methods and systems for ultrasound imaging.
The applicant listed for this patent is General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Suvadip MUKHERJEE, Rakesh MULLICK, Christian Fritz PERREY, Nitin SINGHAL.
Application Number | 20180042577 15/258099 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 61160584 |
Filed Date | 2018-02-15 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180042577 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PERREY; Christian Fritz ; et
al. |
February 15, 2018 |
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR ULTRASOUND IMAGING
Abstract
A system (e.g., an ultrasound imaging system) is provided. The
system includes an ultrasound probe configured to acquire three
dimensional (3D) ultrasound data of a volumetric region of interest
(ROI). The system further includes a display, a memory configured
to store programmed instructions, and a controller circuit. The
controller circuit includes one or more processors. The controller
circuit is configured to execute the programmed instructions stored
in the memory. When executing the programmed instructions, the
controller circuit performs a plurality of operations. The
operations includes collecting the 3D ultrasound data from an
ultrasound probe and identifying a select set of the 3D ultrasound
data corresponding to an object of interest within the volumetric
ROI. The operations further include segmenting the object of
interest from the select set of the 3D ultrasound data, generating
a visualization plane of the object of interest, and displaying the
visualization plane on the display.
Inventors: |
PERREY; Christian Fritz;
(Zipf, AT) ; MUKHERJEE; Suvadip; (Bangalore,
IN) ; SINGHAL; Nitin; (Bangalore, IN) ;
MULLICK; Rakesh; (Bangalore, IN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
General Electric Company |
Schenectady |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
61160584 |
Appl. No.: |
15/258099 |
Filed: |
September 7, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 8/483 20130101;
A61B 8/4427 20130101; A61B 8/085 20130101; A61B 8/466 20130101;
A61B 8/5207 20130101; A61B 8/565 20130101; A61B 8/469 20130101;
G01S 7/52068 20130101; G01S 15/8993 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61B 8/08 20060101
A61B008/08; A61B 8/00 20060101 A61B008/00; G01S 15/89 20060101
G01S015/89 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 12, 2016 |
IN |
201641027738 |
Claims
1. A method, the method comprising: acquiring three dimensional
(3D) ultrasound data of a volumetric region of interest (ROI) from
an ultrasound probe; identifying a select set of the 3D ultrasound
data corresponding to an object of interest within the volumetric
ROI; segmenting the object of interest from the select set of the
3D ultrasound data; generating a visualization plane of the object
of interest; and displaying the visualization plane on a
display.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization plane is
projected along three orthogonal two dimensional (2D) planes.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of the 2D planes correspond
to a mid-coronal plane, a mid-sagittal plane, or a mid-axial
plane.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization plane is
displayed as a plurality of two dimensional (2D) slices, and
further comprising arranging the 2D slices as a polyline.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving a user input
indicative of adjusting an orientation of at least one of the 2D
slices, and adjusting the visualization plane based on the
orientation of the at least one of the 2D slices.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a plurality
of plate-like structures within the 3D ultrasound data of the
volumetric ROI.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising applying a dynamic
hysteresis threshold to each of the plurality of plate-like
structures by adjusting voxel intensities of the plurality of
plate-like structures.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein the dynamic hysteresis threshold
applied to a first plate-like structure is based on a histogram of
the first plate-like structure.
9. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of plate-like
structures are detected based on a Hessian response algorithm.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the select set of the 3D
ultrasound data is identified utilizing a machine learning
algorithm.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the visualization plane is a
hypersurface of the object of interest.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user
input indicative of a rotation of the visualization plane about a
rotational axis.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: adjusting the
visualization plane of the object of interest based on the rotation
to form an adjusted visualization plane; and displaying the
adjusted visualization plane on the display.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein the object of interest is an
endometrium cavity
15. An ultrasound imaging system comprising: an ultrasound probe
configured to acquire three dimensional (3D) ultrasound data of a
volumetric region of interest (ROI); a display; a memory configured
to store programmed instructions; and a controller circuit having
one or more processors, the controller circuit is configured to
execute the programmed instructions stored in the memory, wherein
the controller circuit when executing the programmed instructions
perform the following operations: collect the 3D ultrasound data
from an ultrasound probe; identify a select set of the 3D
ultrasound data corresponding to an object of interest within the
volumetric ROI; segment the object of interest from the select set
of the 3D ultrasound data; generate a visualization plane of the
object of interest; and display the visualization plane on the
display.
16. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 15, wherein the
controller circuit when executing the programmed instructions
further detects a plurality of plate-like structures within the 3D
ultrasound data of the volumetric ROI.
17. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 16, wherein the
controller circuit when executing the programmed instructions
further applies a dynamic hysteresis threshold to each of the
plurality of plate-like structures by adjusting voxel intensities
of the plurality of plate-like structures.
18. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 15, wherein the
controller circuit when executing the programmed instructions
further receives a user input indicative of a rotation of the
visualization plane about an axis.
19. A tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium
comprising one or more computer software modules configured to
direct one or more processors to: acquire three dimensional (3D)
ultrasound data of a volumetric region of interest (ROI) from an
ultrasound probe; identify a select set of the 3D ultrasound data
corresponding to an object of interest within the volumetric ROI;
segment the object of interest from the select set of the 3D
ultrasound data; generate a visualization plane of the object of
interest; and display the visualization plane on a display.
20. The tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium of
claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are further directed
to: detect a plurality of plate-like structures within the 3D
ultrasound data of the volumetric ROI; and apply a dynamic
hysteresis threshold to each of the plurality of plate-like
structures by adjusting voxel intensities of the plurality of
plate-like structures.
Description
FIELD
[0001] Embodiments described herein generally relate to generating
a visualization plane of an object of interest from an ultrasound
volume for a diagnostic medical imaging system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Diagnostic medical imaging systems typically include a scan
portion and a control portion having a display. For example,
ultrasound imaging systems usually include ultrasound scanning
devices, such as ultrasound probes having transducers that are
connected to an ultrasound system to control the acquisition of
ultrasound data by performing various ultrasound scans (e.g.,
imaging a volume or body).
[0003] The ultrasound systems are controllable to operate in
different modes of operation to perform different scans, for
example, to view anatomical structures within the patient such as
an endometrium cavity to diagnose malformations of the uterus
(e.g., septate, bicornuate uterus, unicornuate uterus).
Conventional ultrasound imaging systems require the user or
technician having high ultrasound expertise to manually align three
dimensional (3D) ultrasound data along three orthogonal two
dimensional (2D) planes. A mid-coronal plane is defined and
visualized based on the 2D planes, which is utilized to determine a
shape of the endometrium cavity. Due to the extensive manual
interaction to identify the 2D mid-coronal plane, the diagnosis is
susceptible to operator variability. Additionally, the
visualization along the mid-coronal plane is static, and may not
accurately represent the uterus. Various embodiments disclosed
herein may address one or more of the challenges set forth
above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In an embodiment, a method (e.g., for generating a
visualization plane of an object of interest from an ultrasound
volume) is provided. The method includes acquiring three
dimensional (3D) ultrasound data of a volumetric region of interest
(ROI) from an ultrasound probe, and identifying a select set of the
3D ultrasound data corresponding to an object of interest within
the volumetric ROI. The method further includes segmenting the
object of interest from the select set of the 3D ultrasound data,
generating a visualization plane of the object of interest, and
displaying the visualization plane on a display.
[0005] In another embodiment a system (e.g., an ultrasound imaging
system) is provided. The system includes an ultrasound probe
configured to acquire three dimensional (3D) ultrasound data of a
volumetric region of interest (ROI). The system further includes a
display, a memory configured to store programmed instructions, and
a controller circuit. The controller circuit includes one or more
processors. The controller circuit is configured to execute the
programmed instructions stored in the memory. When executing the
programmed instructions, the controller circuit performs a
plurality of operations. The operations includes collecting the 3D
ultrasound data from an ultrasound probe and identifying a select
set of the 3D ultrasound data corresponding to an object of
interest within the volumetric ROI. The operations further include
segmenting the object of interest from the select set of the 3D
ultrasound data, generating a visualization plane of the object of
interest, and displaying the visualization plane on the
display.
[0006] In another embodiment, a tangible and non-transitory
computer readable medium having one or more computer software
modules is provided. The software modules are configured to direct
one or more processors to acquire three dimensional (3D) ultrasound
data of a volumetric region of interest (ROI) from an ultrasound
probe, identify a select set of the 3D ultrasound data
corresponding to an object of interest within the volumetric ROI,
segment the object of interest from the select set of the 3D
ultrasound data, generate a visualization plane of the object of
interest, and display the visualization plane on a display.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an
ultrasound imaging system, in accordance with an embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 2 illustrate a flowchart of a method for generating a
visualization plane, in accordance with an embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 3 illustrates a detected plate-like structure of 3D
ultrasound data, in accordance with an embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates an adjusted detected plate-like
structure, in accordance with an embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 5 illustrates a segmentation of an object of interest,
in accordance with an embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 6A-B illustrates a visualization plane with respect to
the segmentation of the object of interest shown in FIG. 5, in
accordance with an embodiment.
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates a visualization plane, in accordance with
an embodiment.
[0014] FIGS. 8-9 illustrate different rotations of the
visualization plane shown in FIG. 7, in accordance with an
embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 10 illustrates a 3D capable miniaturized ultrasound
system having a probe that may be configured to acquire 3D
ultrasonic data or multi-plane ultrasonic data.
[0016] FIG. 11 illustrates a hand carried or pocket-sized
ultrasound imaging system wherein the display and user interface
form a single unit.
[0017] FIG. 12 illustrates an ultrasound imaging system provided on
a movable base.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The following detailed description of certain embodiments
will be better understood when read in conjunction with the
appended drawings. To the extent that the figures illustrate
diagrams of the functional modules of various embodiments, the
functional blocks are not necessarily indicative of the division
between hardware circuitry. Thus, for example, one or more of the
functional blocks (e.g., processors or memories) may be implemented
in a single piece of hardware (e.g., a general purpose signal
processor or a block of random access memory, hard disk, or the
like). Similarly, the programs may be stand-alone programs, may be
incorporated as subroutines in an operating system, may be
functions in an installed software package, and the like. It should
be understood that the various embodiments are not limited to the
arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.
[0019] As used herein, an element or step recited in the singular
and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not
excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion
is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment"
of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as
excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also
incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly
stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising" or "having" an
element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may
include additional elements not having that property.
[0020] Various embodiments provide systems and methods for an
automated workflow to localize, segment, and visualize a plane of
an object of interest based on an ultrasound volume. For example,
the object of interest may represent an anatomical structure, such
as a cavity (e.g., an endometrium cavity), organ, blood vessel,
and/or the like within 3D ultrasound data of a volumetric region of
interest. The localization of the object of interest may be based
on a learning based object detection framework to identify a
structure of the object of interest within a two dimensional (2D)
slice of the 3D ultrasound data. The identified structure of the
object of interest is utilized to initialize a 3D segmentation
procedure using deformable models, which can be visualized as a 3D
visualization of the object of interest. Based on the 3D
visualization, malformations (e.g., uterine malformations) of the
object of interest can be identified based on an overall shape of
the object of interest represented as the 3D visualization.
Additionally or alternatively, a visualization plane of the object
of interest can be calculated using a least square surface fitting
technique. For example, the visualization plane may correspond to a
mid-coronal surface of the uterine cavity. The visualization plane
may be visualized using a texture mapping algorithm, which
highlights the morphology and structure of the object of interest
at different axes.
[0021] A technical effect of at least one embodiment described
herein reduces operator dependency by performing automated
alignments and reduces procedure times. A technical effect of at
least one embodiment described herein enhances the diagnostic
accuracy. A technical effect of at least one embodiment described
herein enables the user to visualize a visualization plane, such as
a mid-coronal plane, from multiple views. A technical effect of at
least one embodiment described herein allows a user to visualize
and identify structural deformations in 3D, which may not be
accurately represented in a 2D projection used in conventional
diagnostic medical imaging systems.
[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a diagnostic medical
imaging system, specifically, an ultrasound imaging system 100. The
ultrasound imaging system 100 includes an ultrasound probe 126
having a transmitter 122 and probe/SAP electronics 110. Optionally,
the ultrasound probe 126 may be an intra-cavity ultrasound probe
configured to acquire ultrasound data or information within an
object of interest, such as a cavity (e.g., vaginal cavity, uterine
cavity, ear canal, rectal cavity, endometrium cavity, and/or the
like) proximate to and/or containing a region of interest (e.g.,
organ, blood vessel, uterus, and/or the like) of the patient for
generating one or more ultrasound images.
[0023] The ultrasound probe 126 is communicatively coupled to the
controller circuit 136 via the transmitter 122. The transmitter 122
transmits a signal to a transmit beamformer 121 based on
acquisition settings received by the user. The signal transmitted
by the transmitter 122 in turn drives the transducer elements 124
within the transducer array 112. The transducer elements 124 emit
pulsed ultrasonic signals into a patient (e.g., a body). The
transducer array 112 may have a variety of array geometries and
configurations for the transducer elements 124 which may be
provided as part of, for example, different types of ultrasound
probes 126. Further, the array 112 of transducer elements 124 may
be provided as part of, for example, different types of ultrasound
probes. Optionally, the ultrasound probe 126 may include one or
more tactile buttons (not shown).
[0024] The acquisition settings may define an amplitude, pulse
width, frequency, and/or the like of the ultrasonic pulses emitted
by the transducer elements 124. The acquisition settings may be
adjusted by the user by selecting a gain setting, power, time gain
compensation (TGC), resolution, and/or the like from the user
interface 142.
[0025] The transducer elements 124, for example piezoelectric
crystals, emit pulsed ultrasonic signals into a body (e.g.,
patient) or volume corresponding to the acquisition settings along
one or more scan planes. The ultrasonic signals may include, for
example, one or more reference pulses, one or more pushing pulses
(e.g., shear-waves), and/or one or more pulsed wave Doppler pulses.
At least a portion of the pulsed ultrasonic signals back-scatter
from the region of interest (ROI) to produce echoes. The echoes are
delayed in time and/or frequency according to a depth or movement,
and are received by the transducer elements 124 within the
transducer array 112. The ultrasonic signals may be used for
imaging, for generating and/or tracking shear-waves, for measuring
changes in position or velocity within the ROI, differences in
compression displacement of the tissue (e.g., strain), and/or for
therapy, among other uses.
[0026] The probe/SAP electronics 110 may be used to control the
switching of the transducer elements 124. The probe/SAP electronics
110 may also be used to group the transducer elements 124 into one
or more sub-apertures.
[0027] The transducer elements 124 convert the received echo
signals into electrical signals which may be received by a receiver
128. The receiver 128 may include one or more amplifiers, an analog
to digital converter (ADC), and/or the like. The receiver 128 may
be configured to amplify the received echo signals after proper
gain compensation and convert these received analog signals from
each transducer element 124 to digitized signals sampled uniformly
in time. The digitized signals representing the received echoes are
stored on memory 140, temporarily. The digitized signals correspond
to the backscattered waves receives by each transducer element 124
at various times. After digitization, the signals still may
preserve the amplitude, frequency, phase information of the
backscatter waves.
[0028] Optionally, the controller circuit 136 may retrieve the
digitized signals stored in the memory 140 to prepare for the
beamformer processor 130. For example, the controller circuit 136
may convert the digitized signals to baseband signals or
compressing the digitized signals.
[0029] The beamformer processor 130 may include one or more
processors. Optionally, the beamformer processor 130 may include a
central controller circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessors, or
any other electronic component capable of processing inputted data
according to specific logical instructions. Additionally or
alternatively, the beamformer processor 130 may execute
instructions stored on a tangible and non-transitory computer
readable medium (e.g., the memory 140) for beamforming calculations
using any suitable beamforming method such as adaptive beamforming,
synthetic transmit focus, aberration correction, synthetic
aperture, clutter reduction and/or adaptive noise control, and/or
the like.
[0030] The beamformer processor 130 may further perform filtering
and decimation, such that only the digitized signals corresponding
to relevant signal bandwidth is used, prior to beamforming of the
digitized data. For example, the beamformer processor 130 may form
packets of the digitized data based on scanning parameters
corresponding to focal zones, expanding aperture, imaging mode
(B-mode, color flow), and/or the like. The scanning parameters may
define channels and time slots of the digitized data that may be
beamformed, with the remaining channels or time slots of digitized
data that may not be communicated for processing (e.g.,
discarded).
[0031] The beamformer processor 130 performs beamforming on the
digitized signals and outputs a radio frequency (RF) signal. The RF
signal is then provided to an RF processor 132 that processes the
RF signal. The RF processor 132 may generate different ultrasound
image data types, e.g. B-mode, for multiple scan planes or
different scanning patterns. The RF processor 132 gathers the
information (e.g. I/Q, B-mode) related to multiple data slices and
stores the data information, which may include time stamp and
orientation/rotation information, in the memory 140.
[0032] Alternatively, the RF processor 132 may include a complex
demodulator (not shown) that demodulates the RF signal to form IQ
data pairs representative of the echo signals. The RF or IQ signal
data may then be provided directly to the memory 140 for storage
(e.g., temporary storage). Optionally, the output of the beamformer
processor 130 may be passed directly to the controller circuit
136.
[0033] The controller circuit 136 may be configured to process the
acquired ultrasound data (e.g., RF signal data or IQ data pairs)
and identify select sets and/or a portion of the ultrasound data
within the ROI that corresponding to an anatomy of interest. The
controller circuit 136 may include one or more processors.
Optionally, the controller circuit 136 may include a central
controller circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessors, a graphics
controller circuit (GPU), or any other electronic component capable
of processing inputted data according to specific logical
instructions. Having the controller circuit 136 that includes a GPU
may be advantageous for computation-intensive operations, such as
volume-rendering. Additionally or alternatively, the controller
circuit 136 may execute instructions stored on a tangible and
non-transitory computer readable medium (e.g., the memory 140) to
perform one or more operations as described herein.
[0034] The controller circuit 136 may be configured to acquire 3D
ultrasound data of the volumetric ROI from the ultrasound probe
126. The controller circuit 136 may be configured to identify a
select set of the 3D ultrasound data corresponding to the object of
interest within the volumetric ROI. The controller circuit 136 may
be configured to segment the object of interest from the select set
of the 3D ultrasound data, generating a visualization plane of the
object of interest, and display the visualization plane on the
display 138.
[0035] The memory 140 may be used for storing ultrasound data such
as vector data, processed frames of acquired ultrasound data that
are not scheduled to be displayed immediately or to store
post-processed images, firmware or software corresponding to, for
example, a graphical user interface, one or more default image
display settings, programmed instructions (e.g., for the controller
circuit 136, the beamformer processor 130, the RF processor 132),
and/or the like. The memory 140 may be a tangible and
non-transitory computer readable medium such as flash memory, RAM,
ROM, EEPROM, and/or the like.
[0036] In operation, the ultrasound data may include and/or
correspond to three dimensional (3D) ultrasound data. The memory
140 may store the 3D ultrasound data, where the 3D ultrasound data
or select sets of the 3D ultrasound data are accessed by the
controller circuit 136 to generate visualizations of the object of
interest. For example, the 3D ultrasound data may be mapped into
the corresponding memory 140, as well as one or more visualization
planes based on the 3D ultrasound data. The processing of the 3D
ultrasound data may be based in part on user inputs, for example,
user selections received at the user interface 142.
[0037] The controller circuit 136 is operably coupled to a display
138 and a user interface 142. The display 138 may include one or
more liquid crystal displays (e.g., light emitting diode (LED)
backlight), organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, plasma
displays, CRT displays, and/or the like. The display 138 may
display patient information, ultrasound images and/or videos,
components of a display interface, one or more 2D, 3D, or 4D
ultrasound image data sets from ultrasound data stored in the
memory 140, measurements, diagnosis, treatment information, and/or
the like received by the display 138 from the controller circuit
136.
[0038] The user interface 142 controls operations of the controller
circuit 136 and is configured to receive inputs from the user. The
user interface 142 may include a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, one
or more physical buttons, and/or the like. Optionally, the display
138 may be a touch screen display, which includes at least a
portion of the user interface 142.
[0039] For example, a portion of the user interface 142 may
correspond to a graphical user interface (GUI) generated by the
controller circuit 136, which is shown on the display. The GUI may
include one or more interface components that may be selected,
manipulated, and/or activated by the user operating the user
interface 142 (e.g., touch screen, keyboard, mouse). The interface
components may be presented in varying shapes and colors, such as a
graphical or selectable icon, a slide bar, a cursor, and/or the
like. Optionally, one or more interface components may include text
or symbols, such as a drop-down menu, a toolbar, a menu bar, a
title bar, a window (e.g., a pop-up window) and/or the like.
Additionally or alternatively, one or more interface components may
indicate areas within the GUI for entering or editing information
(e.g., patient information, user information, diagnostic
information), such as a text box, a text field, and/or the
like.
[0040] In various embodiments, the interface components may perform
various functions when selected, such as measurement functions,
editing functions, database access/search functions, diagnostic
functions, controlling acquisition settings, and/or system settings
for the ultrasound imaging system 100 and performed by the
controller circuit 136.
[0041] In connection with FIG. 2, the user may select an interface
component corresponding to a select scan, which generates a
visualization plane of an object of interest using the user
interface 142. When the interface component is selected, the
controller circuit 136 may perform one or more of the operations
described in connection with method 200. For example, the select
scan may correspond to a uterine examination to detect anomalies.
During the selected scan, the controller circuit may automatically
extract the object of interest, such as an endometrium cavity, from
3D ultrasound data of a volumetric ROI and visualize the object of
interest three dimensionally and/or rendered along a visualization
plane (e.g., mid-coronal) of the object of interest.
[0042] FIG. 2 a flowchart of a method 200 for generating a
visualization plane, in accordance with an embodiment. The method
200, for example, may employ structures or aspects of various
embodiments (e.g., systems and/or methods) discussed herein. In
various embodiments, certain steps (or operations) may be omitted
or added, certain steps may be combined, certain steps may be
performed simultaneously, certain steps may be performed
concurrently, certain steps may be split into multiple steps,
certain steps may be performed in a different order, or certain
steps or series of steps may be re-performed in an iterative
fashion. In various embodiments, portions, aspects, and/or
variations of the method 200 may be used as one or more algorithms
to direct hardware to perform one or more operations described
herein. It may be noted, other methods may be used, in accordance
with embodiments herein.
[0043] Beginning at 202, the controller circuit 136 acquires 3D
ultrasound data of a volumetric region of interest (ROI) from an
ultrasound probe 126. For example, during acquisition the
ultrasound probe 126 may be positioned and/or traverse at one or
more select positons on and/or within the patient corresponding to
a volumetric ROI. Optionally, the controller circuit 136 may
automatically adjust the acquisition settings of the ultrasound
probe 126 based on the volumetric ROI. For example, the
predetermined scan (e.g., uterine scan) may be done transvaginally
within the patient 402, which positions the ultrasound probe 126
within the object of interest, such as a cavity. The controller
circuit 136 may adjust the acquisition settings, such as the
amplitude, pulse width, frequency and/or the like of the ultrasound
pulses emitted by the transducer elements 124 of the ultrasound
probe 126 based on being positioned within the object of
interest.
[0044] Additionally or alternatively, the controller circuit 136
may automatically instruct the ultrasound probe 126 to begin
transmitting ultrasonic pulses based on a received input from the
user interface 142 and/or activation of a tactile button on the
ultrasound probe 126.
[0045] At least a portion of the ultrasound pulses are
backscattered by the tissue of the volumetric ROI, and are received
by the receiver 128. The receiver 128 converts the received echo
signals into digitized signals. The digitized signals, as described
herein, are beamformed by the beamformer processor 130 and formed
into IQ data pairs representative of the echo signals by the RF
processor 132, and are received as 3D ultrasound data by the
controller circuit 136. The 3D ultrasound data may be processed by
the controller circuit 136. For example, the controller circuit 136
may process the IQ data pairs to generate B-mode data, for example,
sets of vector data values forming a frame of the 3D ultrasound
data stored in the memory 140. Additionally or alternatively, as
the 3D ultrasound data is being acquired the display 138 may
display a real-time 3D ultrasound image and/or an ultrasound image
based on the 3D ultrasound data while simultaneously and/or
concurrently acquiring 3D ultrasound data.
[0046] At 204, the controller circuit 136 detects one or more
plate-like structures within the 3D ultrasound data of the
volumetric ROI using a plate-like function. A plate-like structure
may correspond to an interconnection of voxels of the 3D ultrasound
data that form a portion of the object of interest along a 3D
plane. The multiscale, eigenvalue decomposition is performed over a
Hessian matrix and the resulting ordered eigenvalues (e.g.,
.lamda..sub.1, .lamda..sub.2, .lamda..sub.3), are examined by the
controller circuit 136. The controller circuit 136 may detect a
plurality of plate-like structures within the 3D ultrasound data by
executing a Hessian response algorithm stored in the memory 104
based on Equation 1. By utilizing Equation 1, the controller
circuit 136 measures a plate-like (represented as the variable
P.sub..sigma.) of a plurality of voxels using eigenvalues of the
Hessian matrix of the 3D ultrasound data. For example, the
controller circuit 136 may identify a plate-like structure formed
by relative positions of a plurality of voxels within the 3D
ultrasound data. The variables a and c correspond to user defined
and/or predetermined parameters based on the object of interest
and/or volumetric ROI. The number of voxels included within the
plate-like calculation is based on a scale, represented as .sigma..
The scale may correspond to a thickness of the voxels selected by
the controller circuit 136 to determine the plate-like structures
within the 3D ultrasound data. The scale may be a predetermined
value stored in the memory 104, user selection, and/or the like
based on a size of the object of interest. Additionally or
alternatively, the controller circuit 136 may calculate the
plate-like structures within the 3D ultrasound data at different
scales.
P .sigma. ( x ) = ( 1 - e - .lamda. j 2 2 c 2 ) ( 1 - e - .lamda. 3
( .lamda. 3 - .lamda. 2 ) 2 a 2 ) Equation ( 1 ) ##EQU00001##
[0047] At 206, the controller circuit 136 applies dynamic
hysteresis thresholds to the detected plate-like structures within
the 3D ultrasound data. The controller circuit 136 is configured to
calculate a dynamic hysteresis threshold for each of the detected
plate-like structures. The dynamic hysteresis threshold is
configured by the controller circuit 136 to differentiate voxels
that correspond to anatomical structures of interest (e.g., the
object of interest) within the detected plate-like structures. The
dynamic hysteresis threshold corresponds to a dynamic value
calculated by the controller circuit 136 based on corresponding
histograms calculated from each of the detected plate-like
structures. For example, the controller circuit 136 calculates a
first and second hysteresis threshold for detected plate-like
structures based on the histogram of the detected plate-like
structures. The histograms may be derived by the controller circuit
136 from the voxel intensities along the detected plate-like
structure. It may be noted that the histograms and the dynamic
hysteresis threshold may be different for at least two of the
detected plate-like structures of the 3D ultrasound data. For
example, the first and second hysteresis threshold may be
different.
[0048] In connection with FIGS. 3-4, the controller circuit 136
applies the dynamic hysteresis threshold to the voxels of a
detected plate-like structure 302 to generate an adjusted detected
plate-like structure 400 having binary voxel intensities.
[0049] FIG. 3 illustrates the detected plate-like structure 302 of
the 3D ultrasound data 300, in accordance with an embodiment. The
detected plate-like structure 302 includes voxels have varying
levels of intensity representing anatomical structures within the
3D ultrasound data 300 of the volumetric ROI such as the object of
interest, background anatomical structure, and/or the like. The
controller circuit 136 is configured to apply the dynamic
hysteresis thresholds calculated from the detected plate-like
structure 302 to the voxels of the detected plate-like structure
302. For example, the controller circuit 136 partitions the
detected plate-like structure 302 into three separate regions.
Region 1 is configured to contain all voxels with intensity values
below a first hysteresis threshold. Region 1 represents the
foreground region containing the anatomical structures of interest
(e.g., the object of interest). Region 2 is configured to contain
all voxels with intensity values between the first hysteresis
threshold and a second hysteresis threshold. Region 3 is configured
to contain all voxels with intensity values above the second
hysteresis threshold. Region 2 represents an intermediate region
and region 3 represents background anatomical structures. Each
voxel in region 2 is analyzed by the controller circuit 136 based
on adjacent and/or neighboring voxels. For example, if a select
voxel belonging to region 2 has a neighbor in region 1, then the
controller circuit 136 is configured to re-assign the select voxel
to region 1. The controller circuit 136 may repeat the process for
each voxel within region 2. The remaining voxels in region 2 may be
assigned to region 3. Each voxel belonging to region 1 is then
assigned by the controller circuit 136 to a high binary intensity
and each voxel belonging to region 3 is assigned a low binary
intensity.
[0050] The adjusted voxels of the detect plate-like structure 302
by the controller circuit 136 generates an adjusted detected
plate-like structure 400 shown in FIG. 4.
[0051] FIG. 4 illustrates the adjusted detected plate-like
structure 400. The adjusted detected plate-like structure 400 is
formed by voxels having binary intensities (e.g., high, low) based
on the detected plate-like structure 302 and the dynamic hysteresis
threshold. For example, the high intensity voxels may correspond to
portions of the detected plate-like structure 302 of an anatomical
structure of interest (e.g., the object of interest) corresponding
to region 1, and the low intensity voxels may correspond to
portions of the detected plate-like structure 302 not of an
anatomical structure of interest corresponding to region 3.
[0052] At 208, the controller circuit 136 identifies a select set
of 3D ultrasound data corresponding to an object of interest within
the volumetric ROI. The controller circuit 136 may identify the
select set of 3D ultrasound data by identifying the voxels of the
detected plate-like structures that correspond to the object of
interest.
[0053] For example, the controller circuit 136 may detect the
locations of the high intensity voxels within the adjusted detected
plate-like structure 400. Based on the continuity, shapes,
contours, relative positions, and/or the like of the high intensity
voxels, the controller circuit 136 may identify one or more
anatomical structures of interest 402-405. The controller circuit
136 may utilize a machine learning algorithm stored in the memory
104 to identify the object of interest (e.g., endometrium cavity)
based on characteristics of the anatomical structure of interest
402-405 identified within the adjusted detected plate-like
structure 400. For example, the controller circuit 136 may compare
a vertical position, orientation, convex area, angular
displacement, and/or the like of the anatomical structures of
interests 402-405 to identify which corresponds to the object of
interest. The machine learning algorithm may be defined using
classifiers (e.g., random forest classifier), probabilities (e.g.,
Bayesian generative learning), and/or the like based on priori
information. For example, the priori information may include a
plurality of clinical examples (e.g., over 150) of the object of
interest within the 3D ultrasound data stored in the memory
140.
[0054] In various embodiments, the controller circuit 136 may
calculate probabilities of the anatomical structures of interests
402-405 being the object of interest utilizing the machine learning
algorithm. The controller circuit 136 may select one of the
anatomical structures of interest 402-405 that has the highest
probability relative to the remaining probabilities of the
anatomical structures of interest 402-405. For example, the
controller circuit 136 may select the anatomical structure of
interest 402 as the object of interest since the probability
corresponding to the anatomical structures of interest 402 was
higher relative to the probabilities of the remaining anatomical
structures in the background 403-405. The controller circuit 136
may include the voxels of the structure of interest 402 to a select
set of the 3D ultrasound data from the volumetric ROI.
[0055] Additionally or alternatively, the controller circuit 136
may select one or more candidate anatomical structures of interest
that have a probability over a predetermined threshold. For
example, the controller circuit 136 may instruct the display 138 to
display the candidate anatomical structures of interest, and
receive a user input from the user interface 142 indicative of a
selection of one of the candidate anatomical structure of interest
as the object of interest.
[0056] Returning to FIG. 2, at 210 the controller circuit 136
segments the object of interest from the select set of the 3D
ultrasound data from the volumetric ROI. For example, the
controller circuit 136 may execute an active contour model (e.g.,
geometric deformable model, snake, and/or the like) to define a
boundary of the select set of the 3D ultrasound data with respect
to the volumetric ROI. The controller circuit 136, in connection
with FIG. 5, partitions the select set of the 3D ultrasound data to
form an object of interest 502.
[0057] FIG. 5 illustrates a segmentation 500 of the object of
interest 502. For example, the object of interest 502 is formed by
the select set of the 3D ultrasound data and may be displayed on
the display 138. Optionally, the controller circuit 136 may adjust
a position and/or angle of the object of interest 502. For example,
the controller circuit 136 may adjust a position by rotating the
object of interest 502 about one or more axes of rotation 504, 506,
508 based on a user input received by the user interface 142.
Additionally or alternatively, the controller circuit 136 may
execute a texture mapping (e.g., diffuse mapping) algorithm to add
additional details to a surface area, topology, and/or the like of
the object of interest 502.
[0058] At 212, the controller circuit 136 may generate a
visualization plane 604 of the object of interest 502. The
visualization plane 604 (FIGS. 6A-B) can extend along axes 510, 512
(FIG. 5) of the object of interest 502. The visualization plane 604
may correspond to a hypersurface of the object of interest 502. For
example, the object of interest 502 is utilized by the controller
circuit 136 as a 3D manifold utilized to define the hypersurface
representing the visualization plane 604. In connection with FIGS.
6A-B, the controller circuit 136 may generate the visualization
plane 604 based on a surface fitting of the visualization plane 604
to the object of interest 502.
[0059] FIG. 6A-B illustrates the visualization plane 604 with
respect to the segmentation of the object of interest 502, in
accordance with an embodiment. The controller circuit 136 may
calculate a polynomial (e.g., Legendre polynomial) representative
of the object of interest 502, which is extrapolated by the
controller circuit 136 outside the surface area 606. For example,
in connection with FIG. 6A, the controller circuit 136 calculates a
polynomial based on surface area 606 of the object of interest. In
connection with FIG. 6B, the controller circuit 136 may generate
the visualization plane 604 at different positions within the
object of interest 502. For example, the object of interest 502 may
be an endometrium cavity. The controller circuit 136 may calculate
a polynomial (e.g., Legendre polynomial) along the visualization
plane 604 interposed within the object of interest 502 to configure
the visualization plane 604 to represent a mid-coronal plane of the
object of interest 502.
[0060] At 214, the controller circuit 136 determines whether an
error of the visualization plane 604 is below an error threshold.
For example, the controller circuit 136 may execute a least square
regularizer (e.g., least square energy minimization) to adjust the
polynomial calculated at 212. The controller circuit 136 may
determine an error between the visualization plane 604 and the
object of interest 502.
[0061] If the error is not below the error threshold, then at 216
the controller circuit 136 may adjust the visualization plane 604.
For example, the controller circuit 136 may continually adjust the
polynomial defining the visualization plane 604 at 212, 214, and
216 to adjust the visualization plane 604 with respect to the
object of interest 502 until the error is below the error
threshold.
[0062] If the error is below the error threshold, then at 218 the
controller circuit 136 may display the visualization plane 604 on
the display 138. In connection with FIG. 7, the controller circuit
136 may instruct the display 138 to display the visualization plane
604. Optionally, the controller circuit 136 may adjust a rotational
position of the visualization plane 604. In connection with FIGS.
8-9, the controller circuit 136 may adjust a rotational position
and/or view of the visualization plane 604 by adjusting the
visualization plane 604 with respect to one or more axes 702, 704,
706 based on a user input received by the user interface 142. The
axes 702, 704, 706 may represent three orthogonal planes
corresponding to a mid-coronal plane, a mid-sagittal plane, and a
mid-axial plane.
[0063] Additionally or alternatively, the controller circuit 136
may display the visualization plane 604 as a plurality of two
dimensional (2D) slices. For example, the controller circuit 136
may receive a user input from the user interface 142 to adjust the
visualization plane 604. Based on the user input, the controller
circuit 136 may automatically partition the visualization plane 604
into a plurality of 2D slices. Optionally, the controller circuit
136 may be configured to arrange the plurality of 2D slices as a
polyline representative of the visualization plane 604. The
controller circuit 136 may receive one or more user inputs
indicative of an adjustment to a position and/or orientation of at
least one of the 2D slices. Based on the change in position and/or
orientation, the controller circuit 136 may be configured to adjust
the visualization plane 604.
[0064] FIG. 8 illustrates a different rotation 800 of the of the
visualization plane 604 relative to the visualization plane 604
shown in FIG. 7. For example, the controller circuit 136 may
receive a user input indicative of rotating the visualization plane
604 about the axis of rotation 702.
[0065] FIG. 9 illustrates a different rotation 900 of the of the
visualization plane 604 relative to the visualization plane 604
shown in FIGS. 7-8. For example, the controller circuit 136 may
receive a user input indicative of rotating the visualization plane
604 about the axis of rotation 706.
[0066] Additionally or alternatively, the visualization plane 604
may include multiple surfaces fit on the object of interest 502.
Each surface is projected along three orthogonal 2D planes. Each of
the 2D planes may represent one of the orthogonal planes
corresponding to the axes 702, 704, and 706. Optionally, the 2D
planes may represent a mid-coronal plane, a mid-sagittal plane,
and/or a mid-axial plane.
[0067] The ultrasound imaging system 100 of FIG. 1 may be embodied
in a small-sized system, such as laptop computer or pocket-sized
system as well as in a larger console-type system. FIGS. 10 and 11
illustrate small-sized systems, while FIG. 12 illustrates a larger
system.
[0068] FIG. 10 illustrates a 3D-capable miniaturized ultrasound
system 1130 having a probe 1132 that may be configured to acquire
3D ultrasonic data or multi-plane ultrasonic data. For example, the
probe 1132 may have a 2D array of elements as discussed previously
with respect to the probe. A user interface 1134 (that may also
include an integrated display 1136) is provided to receive commands
from an operator. As used herein, "miniaturized" means that the
ultrasound system 1130 is a handheld or hand-carried device or is
configured to be carried in a person's hand, pocket,
briefcase-sized case, or backpack. For example, the ultrasound
system 1130 may be a hand-carried device having a size of a typical
laptop computer. The ultrasound system 1130 is easily portable by
the operator. The integrated display 1136 (e.g., an internal
display) is configured to display, for example, one or more medical
images.
[0069] The ultrasonic data may be sent to an external device 1138
via a wired or wireless network 1140 (or direct connection, for
example, via a serial or parallel cable or USB port). In some
embodiments, the external device 1138 may be a computer or a
workstation having a display. Alternatively, the external device
1138 may be a separate external display or a printer capable of
receiving image data from the hand carried ultrasound system 1130
and of displaying or printing images that may have greater
resolution than the integrated display 1136.
[0070] FIG. 11 illustrates a hand carried or pocket-sized
ultrasound imaging system 1200 wherein the display 1252 and user
interface 1254 form a single unit. By way of example, the
pocket-sized ultrasound imaging system 1200 may be a pocket-sized
or hand-sized ultrasound system approximately 2 inches wide,
approximately 4 inches in length, and approximately 0.5 inches in
depth and weighs less than 3 ounces. The pocket-sized ultrasound
imaging system 1200 generally includes the display 1252, user
interface 1254, which may or may not include a keyboard-type
interface and an input/output (I/O) port for connection to a
scanning device, for example, an ultrasound probe 1256. The display
1252 may be, for example, a 320.times.320 pixel color LCD display
(on which a medical image 1290 may be displayed). A typewriter-like
keyboard 1280 of buttons 1282 may optionally be included in the
user interface 1254.
[0071] Multi-function controls 1284 may each be assigned functions
in accordance with the mode of system operation (e.g., displaying
different views). Therefore, each of the multi-function controls
1284 may be configured to provide a plurality of different actions.
One or more interface components, such as label display areas 1286
associated with the multi-function controls 1284 may be included as
necessary on the display 1252. The system 1200 may also have
additional keys and/or controls 1288 for special purpose functions,
which may include, but are not limited to "freeze," "depth
control," "gain control," "color-mode," "print," and "store."
[0072] One or more of the label display areas 1286 may include
labels 1292 to indicate the view being displayed or allow a user to
select a different view of the imaged object to display. The
selection of different views also may be provided through the
associated multi-function control 1284. The display 1252 may also
have one or more interface components corresponding to a textual
display area 1294 for displaying information relating to the
displayed image view (e.g., a label associated with the displayed
image).
[0073] It may be noted that the various embodiments may be
implemented in connection with miniaturized or small-sized
ultrasound systems having different dimensions, weights, and power
consumption. For example, the pocket-sized ultrasound imaging
system 1200 and the miniaturized ultrasound system 1130 may provide
the same scanning and processing functionality as the system
100.
[0074] FIG. 12 illustrates an ultrasound imaging system 1300
provided on a movable base 1302. The portable ultrasound imaging
system 1300 may also be referred to as a cart-based system. A
display 1304 and user interface 1306 are provided and it should be
understood that the display 1304 may be separate or separable from
the user interface 1306. The user interface 1306 may optionally be
a touchscreen, allowing the operator to select options by touching
displayed graphics, icons, and the like.
[0075] The user interface 1306 also includes control buttons 1308
that may be used to control the portable ultrasound imaging system
1300 as desired or needed, and/or as typically provided. The user
interface 1306 provides multiple interface options that the user
may physically manipulate to interact with ultrasound data and
other data that may be displayed, as well as to input information
and set and change scanning parameters and viewing angles, and/or
the like. For example, a keyboard 1310, trackball 1312 and/or
multi-function controls 1314 may be provided.
[0076] It may be noted that the various embodiments may be
implemented in hardware, software or a combination thereof. The
various embodiments and/or components, for example, the modules, or
components and controllers therein, also may be implemented as part
of one or more computers or processors. The computer or processor
may include a computing device, an input device, a display unit and
an interface, for example, for accessing the Internet. The computer
or processor may include a microprocessor. The microprocessor may
be connected to a communication bus. The computer or processor may
also include a memory. The memory may include Random Access Memory
(RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM). The computer or processor further
may include a storage device, which may be a hard disk drive or a
removable storage drive such as a solid-state drive, optical disk
drive, and the like. The storage device may also be other similar
means for loading computer programs or other instructions into the
computer or processor.
[0077] As used herein, the term "computer," "subsystem" or "module"
may include any processor-based or microprocessor-based system
including systems using microcontrollers, reduced instruction set
computers (RISC), ASICs, logic circuits, and any other circuit or
processor capable of executing the functions described herein. The
above examples are exemplary only, and are thus not intended to
limit in any way the definition and/or meaning of the term
"computer".
[0078] The computer or processor executes a set of instructions
that are stored in one or more storage elements, in order to
process input data. The storage elements may also store data or
other information as desired or needed. The storage element may be
in the form of an information source or a physical memory element
within a processing machine.
[0079] The set of instructions may include various commands that
instruct the computer or processor as a processing machine to
perform specific operations such as the methods and processes of
the various embodiments. The set of instructions may be in the form
of a software program. The software may be in various forms such as
system software or application software and which may be embodied
as a tangible and non-transitory computer readable medium. Further,
the software may be in the form of a collection of separate
programs or modules, a program module within a larger program or a
portion of a program module. The software also may include modular
programming in the form of object-oriented programming The
processing of input data by the processing machine may be in
response to operator commands, or in response to results of
previous processing, or in response to a request made by another
processing machine.
[0080] As used herein, a structure, limitation, or element that is
"configured to" perform a task or operation is particularly
structurally formed, constructed, or adapted in a manner
corresponding to the task or operation. For purposes of clarity and
the avoidance of doubt, an object that is merely capable of being
modified to perform the task or operation is not "configured to"
perform the task or operation as used herein. Instead, the use of
"configured to" as used herein denotes structural adaptations or
characteristics, and denotes structural requirements of any
structure, limitation, or element that is described as being
"configured to" perform the task or operation. For example, a
controller circuit, processor, or computer that is "configured to"
perform a task or operation may be understood as being particularly
structured to perform the task or operation (e.g., having one or
more programs or instructions stored thereon or used in conjunction
therewith tailored or intended to perform the task or operation,
and/or having an arrangement of processing circuitry tailored or
intended to perform the task or operation). For the purposes of
clarity and the avoidance of doubt, a general purpose computer
(which may become "configured to" perform the task or operation if
appropriately programmed) is not "configured to" perform a task or
operation unless or until specifically programmed or structurally
modified to perform the task or operation.
[0081] As used herein, the terms "software" and "firmware" are
interchangeable, and include any computer program stored in memory
for execution by a computer, including RAM memory, ROM memory,
EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, and non-volatile RAM (NVRAM) memory.
The above memory types are exemplary only, and are thus not
limiting as to the types of memory usable for storage of a computer
program.
[0082] It is to be understood that the above description is
intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the
above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in
combination with each other. In addition, many modifications may be
made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings
of the various embodiments without departing from their scope.
While the dimensions and types of materials described herein are
intended to define the parameters of the various embodiments, they
are by no means limiting and are merely exemplary. Many other
embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon
reviewing the above description. The scope of the various
embodiments should, therefore, be determined with reference to the
appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which
such claims are entitled. In the appended claims, the terms
"including" and "in which" are used as the plain-English
equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein."
Moreover, in the following claims, the terms "first," "second," and
"third," etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to
impose numerical requirements on their objects. Further, the
limitations of the following claims are not written in
means-plus-function format and are not intended to be interpreted
based on 35 U.S.C. .sctn.112(f) unless and until such claim
limitations expressly use the phrase "means for" followed by a
statement of function void of further structure.
[0083] This written description uses examples to disclose the
various embodiments, including the best mode, and also to enable
any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments,
including making and using any devices or systems and performing
any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the various
embodiments is defined by the claims, and may include other
examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other
examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if the
examples have structural elements that do not differ from the
literal language of the claims, or the examples include equivalent
structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal
language of the claims.
* * * * *