3D ultrasound-based instrument for non-invasive measurement of amniotic fluid volume

1. A method to determine amniotic fluid volume, the method comprising:

positioning an ultrasound transceiver to probe at least a portion of a uterus of a patient, the transceiver configured to obtain a plurality of scanlines;

enhancing the images of the amniotic fluid regions in the scanline plurality with a plurality of algorithms;

registering the plurality of scanlines;

associating the registered scan lines into a composite array, and

determining the amniotic fluid volume of the amniotic fluid regions within the composite array.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transceiver positioning and re-positioning acquires the first plurality of scanlines confined within a conically shaped field emanating from the transceiver.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of algorithms includes algorithms for image enhancement, segmentation, and polishing.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein segmentation further includes an intensity clustering step, a spatial gradients step, a hysteresis threshold step, a Region-of-Interest selection step, and a matching edges filter step.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the intensity clustering step is performed in a first parallel operation, and the spatial gradients, hysteresis threshold, Region-of-Interest selection, and matching edges filter steps are performed in a second parallel operation, and further wherein the results from the first parallel operation are combined with the results from the second parallel operation.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein image enhancement further includes applying a heat filter and a shock filter to the digital images.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the heat filter is applied to the digital images followed by application of the shock filter to the digital images.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amniotic fluid volume is adjusted for underestimation or overestimation.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the amniotic fluid volume is adjusted for underestimation by probing with adjustable ultrasound frequencies to penetrate deep tissues and to repositioning the transceiver to establish that deep tissues are exposed with probing ultrasound of sufficient strength to provide a reflecting ultrasound echo receivable by the transceiver, such that at least a portion of the plurality of scanlines penetrate to detect deep tissue and regions of the fetal head.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein amniotic fluid volume is adjusted for overestimation by automatically determining fetal head volume contribution to amniotic fluid volume and deducting it from the amniotic fluid volume.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the steps to adjust for overestimated amniotic fluid volumes include a 2 D clustering step, a matching edges step, an all edges step, a gestational age factor step, a head diameter step, an head edge detection step, and a Hough transform step.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the Hough transform step includes a polar Hough Transform step, a Find Maximum Hough value step, and a fill circle region step.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the polar Hough Transform step includes a first Hough transform to look for lines of a specified shape, and a second Hough transform to look for fetal head structures.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein positioning further includes lateral and transverse.

15. A method to determine amniotic fluid volume, the method comprising:

positioning an ultrasound transceiver to probe a first portion of a uterus of a patient, the transceiver configured to obtain a first plurality of scanlines;

re-positioning the ultrasound transceiver to probe at least one other portion of the uterus to obtain a second plurality of scanlines;

enhancing the images of the amniotic fluid regions in the scanlines with a plurality of algorithms;

registering the scan lines of the first plurality and the second plurality;

associating the registered scanlines into a composite array, and

determining the amniotic fluid volume of the amniotic fluid regions within the composite array.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein transceiver positioning and re-positioning acquires the first and second plurality of scanlines confined within conically shaped fields emanating from the transceiver.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of algorithms includes algorithms for image enhancement, segmentation, and polishing.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein segmentation further includes an intensity clustering step, a spatial gradients step, a hysteresis threshold step, a Region-of-Interest selection step, and a matching edges filter step.

19. A method to determine amniotic fluid volume, the method comprising:

positioning an ultrasound transceiver to probe a first portion of a uterus of a patient, the transceiver configured to obtain a first plurality of scanlines;

re-positioning the ultrasound transceiver to probe a second through sixth portion of the uterus to obtain a second through sixth plurality of scanlines;

enhancing the images of the amniotic fluid regions in the scanlines with a plurality of algorithms;

registering the scan lines of the first through sixth plurality;

associating the registered scanlines into a composite array, and

determining the amniotic fluid volume of the amniotic fluid regions within the composite array.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein transceiver positioning and re-positioning acquires the first through the sixth plurality of scanlines confined within conically shaped fields emanating from the transceiver.