System and method for contrast enhanced ultrasound quantification imaging

1. A method for contrast enhanced ultrasound quantification imaging, comprising:

obtaining, for each location in a region of interest, a time-dependent ultrasound signal with respect to the region of interest for a time period including a series of time points from a first time point to a last time point;

determining, for each location, a processed time-dependent ultrasound signal based at least on the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal and a threshold, by:

for the first time point, assigning an intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the first time point to an intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the first time point; and

for each time point of the series of time points after the first time point:

determining whether an increment between the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at a current time point and the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at a previous time point exceeds the threshold, wherein the previous time point is a time point immediately before the current time point,

in response to determining that the increment exceeds the threshold, assigning the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point to the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point, and

in response to determining that the increment does not exceed the threshold when the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point is greater than the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the previous time point, assigning the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the previous time point to the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point; and

generating a sequence of images of the region of interest based at least on the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal of each location, wherein the generated sequence of images displays signal variations of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal in one or more vascular structures in the region of interest to render the one or more vascular structures.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generated sequence of images display a wash-in process of agent-carrying blood perfusing through a cross section of the one or more vascular structures in the region of interest.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the sequence of images of the region of interest based at least on the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal of each location comprises:

obtaining the first time point and the last time point; and

generating the sequence of images between the first time point and the last time point.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a time period between the current time point and the previous time point constitutes a time frame.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium configured with instructions executable by one or more processors to cause the one or more processors to perform contrast enhanced ultrasound quantification imaging operations comprising:

obtaining, for each location in a region of interest, a time-dependent ultrasound signal with respect to the region of interest for a time period including a series of time points from a first time point to a last time point;

determining, for each location, a processed time-dependent ultrasound signal based at least on the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal and a threshold, by:

for the first time point, assigning an intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the first time point to an intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the first time point; and

for each time point of the series of time points after the first time point:

determining whether an increment between the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at a current time point and the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at a previous time point exceeds the threshold, wherein the previous time point is a time point immediately before the current time point,

in response to determining that the increment exceeds the threshold, assigning the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point to the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point, and

in response to determining that the increment does not exceed the threshold when the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point is greater than the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the previous time point, assigning the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the previous time point to the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point; and

generating a sequence of images of the region of interest based at least on the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal of each location, wherein the generated sequence of images displays signal variations of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal in one or more vascular structures in the region of interest to render the one or more vascular structures.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the generated sequence of images display a wash-in process of agent-carrying blood perfusing through the one or more vascular structures in the region of interest.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal is a monotonically increasing signal.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein generating the sequence of images of the region of interest based at least on the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal of each location comprises:

obtaining the first time point and the last time point; and

generating the sequence of images between the first time point and the last time point.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining an updated starting time point or an updated ending time point; and

correspondingly updating the generated sequence of images based at least on the updated starting time point or the updated ending time point.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining a user-controllable display speed; and

displaying the generated sequence of images based at least on the obtained user-controllable display speed.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein, before generating the sequence of images, the operations further comprise:

comparing a predetermined time-dependent ultrasound signal and the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal; and

determining, based at least on the comparison, one or more locations showing abnormality, wherein:

the generated sequence of images comprise one or more labels indicating the one or more locations showing abnormality.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 5 , wherein a time period between the current time point and the previous time point constitutes a time frame.

13. A device, comprising a memory and a processor, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform contrast enhanced ultrasound quantification imaging operations comprising:

obtaining, for each location in a region of interest, a time-dependent ultrasound signal with respect to the region of interest for a time period including a series of time points from a first time point to a last time point;

determining, for each location, a processed time-dependent ultrasound signal based at least on the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal and a threshold, by:

for the first time point, assigning an intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the first time point to an intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the first time point; and

for each time point of the series of time points after the first time point:

determining whether an increment between the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at a current time point and the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at a previous time point exceeds the threshold, wherein the previous time point is a time point immediately before the current time point,

in response to determining that the increment exceeds the threshold, assigning the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point to the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point, and

in response to determining that the increment does not exceed the threshold when the intensity of the obtained time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point is greater than the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the previous time point, assigning the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the previous time point to the intensity of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal at the current time point; and

generating a sequence of images of the region of interest based at least on the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal of each location, wherein the generated sequence of images displays signal variations of the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal in one or more vascular structures in the region of interest to render the one or more vascular structures.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the generated sequence of images display a wash-in process of agent-carrying blood perfusing through the one or more vascular structures in the region of interest.

15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal is a monotonically increasing signal.

16. The device of claim 13 , wherein generating the sequence of images of the region of interest based at least on the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal of each location comprises:

obtaining the first time point and the last time point; and

generating the sequence of images between the first time point and the last time point.

17. The device of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining an updated first time point or an updated last time point; and

correspondingly updating the generated sequence of images based at least on the updated first time point or the updated last time point.

18. The device of claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:

obtaining a user-controllable display speed; and

displaying the generated sequence of images based at least on the obtained user-controllable display speed.

19. The device of claim 13 , wherein, before generating the sequence of images, the operations further comprise:

comparing a predetermined time-dependent ultrasound signal and the processed time-dependent ultrasound signal; and

determining, based at least on the comparison, one or more locations showing abnormality, wherein:

the generated sequence of images comprise one or more labels indicating the one or more locations showing abnormality.

20. The device of claim 13 , wherein a time period between the current time point and the previous time point constitutes a time frame.