M-mode ultrasound imaging of arbitrary paths
Systems and methods of M-mode ultrasound imaging allows for M-mode imaging along user-defined paths. In various embodiments, the user-defined path can be a non-linear path or a curved path. In some embodiments, a system for M-mode ultrasound imaging can comprise a multi-aperture probe with at least a first transmitting aperture and a second receiving aperture. The receiving aperture can be separate from the transmitting aperture. In some embodiments, the transmitting aperture can be configured to transmit an unfocused, spherical, ultrasound ping signal into a region of interest. The user-defined path can define a structure of interest within the region of interest.
1. A method of defining and displaying an m-mode path for display in an ultrasound imaging system, the method comprising:
transmitting a first unfocused ultrasound signal from a single transmitting transducer element into a region of interest including a structure of interest;
receiving first echoes of the first unfocused ultrasound signal with a first group of receiving transducer elements;
receiving second echoes of the first unfocused ultrasound signal with a second group of receiving transducer elements;
retrieving position data describing an acoustic position of the single transmitting transducer element, each element of the first group of receiving transducer elements, and each element of the second group of receiving transducer elements;
forming three-dimensional volumetric data from the first received echoes, the second received echoes, and the position data;
displaying a volumetric image representing the three-dimensional volumetric data;
selecting a first plane through the three-dimensional volumetric data and intersecting the structure of interest, and simultaneously displaying the selected first plane;
defining an arbitrary M-mode path through the structure of interest within the selected first plane; and
simultaneously displaying a graph of a magnitude of pixels along the selected M-mode path over time.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the arbitrary M-mode path is non-linear.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the arbitrary M-mode path has at least one curved segment.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the arbitrary M-mode path has at least two linear segments that intersect at an angle other than 180 degrees.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the arbitrary M-mode path has at least one linear segment and at least one curved segment.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the arbitrary M-mode path has at least two dis-continuous segments.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising rotating the three-dimensional volumetric image prior to selecting the first plane.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting a second plane through the three dimensional volume and displaying the selected second plane.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein defining a path through the structure of interest is performed substantially concurrently with transmitting first unfocused ultrasound signal, receiving first echoes, and receiving second echoes.