Ultrasound object point tracking

1 . An ultrasound device for imaging an anatomical region in a person, comprising:

an ultrasound probe;

a medical instrument having an ultrasound transducer mounted on said medical instrument; and

a hardware processor configured to render a Region Of Interest (ROI) relative to a distal end of the medical instrument on an ultrasound image displayed on a display device, and selectively perform a dynamic ROI refinement as the medical instrument is moved through the anatomical region to increase a location precision of the distal end of the medical instrument in the ultrasound image, the dynamic ROI refinement being generated in accordance with physical characteristics of the medical instrument and a recorded path of movement of the medical instrument through the anatomical region determined by the hardware processor based on acoustic pulses transmitted between the ultrasound probe and the ultrasound transducer;

wherein the dynamic ROI refinement comprises advancing a position of the ROI on the ultrasound image based on the path of movement of the medical instrument in the anatomical region in the person so that the ROI on the ultrasound image remains centered around the distal end of the medical instrument as the medical instrument is moved through the anatomical region in the person.

2 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic ROI refinement comprises shrinking the ROI so that a size of the ROI is smaller than before the dynamic ROI refinement is performed.

3 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 wherein performing the dynamic ROI refinement comprises shrinking the ROI, and wherein the processor is configured to perform the dynamic ROI refinement by constraining a maximum amount of shrinking of the ROI to a distance between the ultrasound transducer and the distal end of the medical instrument.

4 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 wherein an angle of advance of the ROI is determined from a regressed slope of the medical instrument and the recorded path of movement of the medical instrument through the anatomical region.

5 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 , wherein the refinement is maintained when the medical instrument motion ceases for less than a threshold amount of time.

6 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic ROI refinement is selectively performed responsive to a direction of movement of the medical instrument.

7 . The ultrasound device of claim 6 , wherein the direction of movement is determined relative to a slope of the direction of movement of the medical instrument.

8 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 , wherein the medical instrument comprises a needle, and wherein the dynamic ROI refinement is only performed responsive to a movement of the medical instrument in a same direction in which the needle is pointing over a predetermined threshold amount of time.

9 . The ultrasound device of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined threshold amount of time accounts for one or more pauses of the medical instrument in the anatomical region.

10 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 , wherein the medical instrument comprises a needle, and wherein the dynamic ROI refinement is prevented from being performed responsive to a movement of the medical instrument in a different direction on the displayed image than a direction in which the needle is pointing.

11 . The ultrasound device of claim 1 , wherein the medical instrument comprises a needle, and wherein the dynamic ROI refinement is automatically deactivated responsive to a change in a movement of the medical instrument to a different direction on the displayed image than a direction in which the needle is pointing.

12 . An ultrasound system for imaging an anatomical region in a person, comprising:

an ultrasound probe;

a medical instrument having an ultrasound transducer mounted on said medical instrument;

a display configured to display a position of the medical instrument by rendering a Region Of Interest (ROI) relative to a distal end of the medical instrument on an ultrasound image; and

a hardware processor configured to track the medical instrument in the anatomical region based on acoustic pulses transmitted between the ultrasound probe and the ultrasound transducer, and selectively perform a dynamic ROI refinement as the medical instrument is moved through the anatomical region to increase a location precision of the distal end of the medical instrument in the ultrasound image, the dynamic ROI refinement being generated in accordance with physical characteristics of the medical instrument and a recorded path of movement of the medical instrument through the anatomical region determined by the hardware processor based on the acoustic pulses transmitted between the ultrasound probe and the ultrasound transducer;

wherein the dynamic ROI refinement comprises advancing a position of the ROI on the ultrasound image based on the path of movement of the medical instrument in the anatomical region in the person so that the ROI on the ultrasound image remains centered around the distal end of the medical instrument as the medical instrument is moved through the anatomical region in the person.

13 . The ultrasound system of claim 12 , wherein the dynamic ROI refinement comprises shrinking the ROI so that a size of the ROI is smaller than before the dynamic ROI refinement is performed.

14 . A method of tracking a medical instrument in an anatomical region in a person using an ultrasound transducer mounted on the medical instrument, the method comprising:

rendering a Region Of Interest (ROI) relative to the distal end on an ultrasound image to be displayed on a display device for displaying a position of the medical instrument;

selectively performing a dynamic ROI refinement as the medical instrument is moved through the anatomical region to increase a location precision of the distal end of the medical instrument in the ultrasound image, the dynamic ROI refinement being generated in accordance with physical characteristics of the medical instrument and a recorded path of movement of the medical instrument through the anatomical region, wherein the dynamic ROI refinement comprises advancing a position of the ROI on the ultrasound image based on the path of movement of the medical instrument in the anatomical region in the person so that the ROI on the ultrasound image remains centered around the distal end of the medical instrument as the medical instrument is moved through the anatomical region in the person; and

displaying the ROI and the ultrasound image on the display device.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the dynamic ROI refinement comprises shrinking the ROI so that a size of the ROI is smaller than before the dynamic ROI refinement is performed.

16 . The method of claim 14 wherein performing the dynamic ROI refinement comprises shrinking the ROI, and wherein the processor is configured to perform the dynamic ROI refinement by constraining a maximum amount of shrinking of the ROI to a distance between the ultrasound transducer and the distal end of the medical instrument.

17 . A computer-readable storage medium comprising program code for use by or in connection with a computer or any instruction execution system, the program code being configured for executing a method as claimed in claim 14 .