Patent MX-PA01009116-A (MX)
Title: Ultrasound pulsatility imaging.
Inventor: MICHAELI DAVID
IPC: A61B5/0402
Filed: 2000-03-09
Abstract: A method for observing three-dimensional pulsatile activity in a preselected volume of tissue in a subject is provided, wherein the volume of tissue has a length, width, and depth. The method includes the steps of: placing an array of ultrasound probes in association with the surface of the subject; selecting a generally linear subset of the array arranged in association with a selected slice of the preselected volume of tissue, said linear subset forming a subarray of said array of probes, wherein the selected slice has a length and a width, and at least a predetermined depth; activating and focusing at least a selected contiguous portion of the selected subset of the array of probes, the selected contiguous portion of the selected subset of the array having a predetermined curvature, so that each probe is operative: to emit ultrasound waves in a preselected frequency waveband and at a preselected range of output intensities, to receive reflected ultrasound energy from the tissue in the preselected frequency waveband, and to convert the received reflected ultrasound energy into output signals corresponding thereto. The method further includes the steps of focusing the ultrasound energy of the probes constituting the selected contiguous portion of the subarray of probes in a selected portion of the selected slice of tissue along a selected line, wherein the selected line is contained within the selected slice and intersects the linear subset of probes; receiving, via the probes constituting the selected contiguous portion of the subarray of probes, the reflected ultrasound energy from the tissue and converting it into output signals corresponding to the reflected ultrasound energy; processing the output signals from the probes constituting the selected contiguous portion of the subarray of probes so as to determine pulsatile activity in the selected portion of the selected tissue slice; providing output data corresponding to the pulsatile activity in the selected portion of the selected tissue slice; varying the focus of the ultrasound energy along the line within the volume slice and repeating said step of receiving and converting and said steps of processing and of providing for each of a sequence of selected portions of the selected tissue slice along the full extent of the selected line there within; selecting a sequence of contiguous portions of the selected subset of the array and repeating for each of the selected sequence said step of activating and focusing, said step of receiving and converting, and said step of processing, further repeating for each selected portion of tissue said step of providing output data, and further repeating for each of the selected sequence said step of varying the focus; thereby to select additional lines within the selected slice and to determine pulsatile activity and to provide output data corresponding thereto along a multiplicity of selected lines along the full extent of the selected slice; selecting a sequence of subsets of the array of ultrasound probes and repeating thereon said step of selecting a sequence of contiguous portions of the selected subset of the array, thereby to select additional slices within the preselected volume, so as to determine pulsatile activity and to provide output data corresponding thereto along a multiplicity of slices of tissue within the preselected volume along the full extent thereof; and performing tomographic analysis of the output data corresponding to pulsatile activity in the plurality of selected portions of tissue, so as to obtain a three dimensional image of pulsatile activity in the preselected volume of tissue.