Microbubble destruction for medical ultrasound imaging
By identifying locations of contrast agent response, an intensity-based metric of contrast agent signal is used to control a duration of microbubble destruction with a medical ultrasound scanner. Feedback from motion of the transducer may be used to indicate when a user perceives enough destruction. A combination of both an intensity-based metric and transducer motion may be used to control the duration of bursting.
1 . A system for control of contrast agent destruction, the system comprising:
a transducer;
a transmit beamformer configured to cause the transducer to transmit first pulses for destruction of contrast agents and to transmit second pulses for imaging contrast agents with minimal destruction; and
a receive beamformer configured to form contrast agent signals responsive to the second pulses;
a controller configured to segment first locations having contrast agent from second locations without contrast agent and configured to determine an end of a length of time of the destruction by the first pulses, the end determined from both a change in motion of the transducer and an intensity of the contrast agent signals from the first locations and excluding the second locations, the change in the motion being identified as the motion proceeding from moving the transducer to a cessation of movement of the transducer, the controller configured to trigger ending of the first pulses with the transducer positioned for imaging at the cessation of the movement; and
an image processor configured to generate an image responsive to the contrast agent signals after completion of the destruction, the image generated from the second pulses as part of continued imaging where the second pulses are interleaved with the first pulses during the destruction for imaging during destruction and the continued imaging occurs without ending the transmission of the second pulses after the completion of the destruction.
2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine the length as having the end when the motion of the transducer ceases.
3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the controller is configured to determine the end of the length when both the motion of the transducer has ceased and an intensity from the contrast agents is below a threshold.
4 . The system of claim 3 wherein the controller is further configured to identify the first locations in a field of view having the contrast agents, wherein the intensity from the contrast agents is for the first locations and not for second locations in a same region as the first locations having contrast agents.
5 . The system of claim 4 wherein the controller is further configured to determine the intensity from the first locations and excluding the second locations.
6 . The system of claim 4 wherein the controller is further configured to segment the first locations from the other locations, the segmentation used to determine the intensity.
7 . A system for control of contrast agent destruction, the system comprising:
a transducer;
a transmit beamformer configured to cause the transducer to transmit first pulses for destruction of contrast agents and to transmit second pulses for imaging contrast agents with minimal destruction; and
a receive beamformer configured to form contrast agent signals responsive to the second pulses for each sample location in a region of interest;
a controller configured to segment, in the region of interest, first locations with contrast agent signals from second locations with tissue and without contrast agent signals, the controller configured to segment the first locations from the second locations prior to beginning the destruction, and configured to then determine an end of a length of time of the destruction by the first pulses, the end determined from a sequence of first detection of transducer motion below a threshold and then an intensity of the contrast agent signals being below a threshold, the intensity determined from the segmented first locations in the region of interest without including the second locations in the region of interest in the intensity; and
an image processor configured to generate an image responsive to the contrast agent signals after completion of the destruction.