Patent ID: 9687210
Date: 2017-06-27
CPC Classifications: A61B,G01S

Claim:
1. A 3D ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system for high frame rate 3D cardiac display comprising: an ultrasound probe having an array transducer adapted to sub-sample a volumetric region and acquire received scanlines which are separated in both azimuth and elevation directions; a beamformer coupled to the ultrasound probe which produces image data values along the scanlines; a beamformer controller, coupled to the beamformer, adapted to scan the heart with a repetitive sequence of spatially different scanline patterns during different cardiac phases in which the full volumetric region is sub-sampled by each pattern, wherein the different scanline patterns each include different locations of transmit and receive beams within an array of possible positions for transmit and receive beams during scanning, and wherein positions of the transmit and receive beams in the scanline patterns used during successive heartbeats for each comparable cardiac phase is changed such that over a period of N heartbeats the same cardiac phase of each heartbeat is scanned with N different scanline patterns such that each position in the array of possible positions is sampled; a 3D image processor, responsive to the image data values from different cardiac phases, and adapted to fill spatial locations between received scanlines with interpolated or interleaved data values, wherein the 3D image processor comprises a comparator adapted to compare data values from different cardiac phases to determine whether to fill the spatial locations between received scanlines with interpolated data values from the same cardiac phase or interleaved data values from another cardiac phase, wherein the comparator is further adapted to compare an interpolated data value of a 3D dataset acquired during one cardiac phase with a spatially corresponding received data value of a 3D dataset acquired during a different cardiac phase, wherein a determination by the comparator that the compared interpolated and received data values are different causes the 3D image processor to produce a 3D image dataset of interpolated data values, and wherein a determination by the comparator that the compared interpolated and received data values are equal causes the 3D image processor to produce a 3D image dataset of interleaved data values from a plurality of different cardiac phases; and a display, coupled to the 3D image processor, adapted to display a 3D image of interpolated data values, interleaved data values, or both, wherein the 3D image processor causes the display to display a new 3D cardiac image at a frame rate of the scanline patterns.