Patent ID: 7758509

Claim:
A method for substantially real time ultrasound imaging of an object in one of at least three different 2D image planes, the method comprising the steps of: electronically scanning with an ultrasound transducer array a pulsed ultrasound beam along beam directions only within at least three different 2D scan planes, which scan planes intersect along a common axis and are angularly displaced from one another about the common axis, the beam directions being electronically and freely switchable within one of the 2D scan planes or between two of the 2D scan planes from pulse to pulse; using the back scattered signal from the pulses in each beam direction to form image data as a function of depth along each beam direction; and grouping the image data from the image sample beam directions of each of the scan planes together to form 2D images of the object corresponding to the scan planes, wherein the images are obtained with a high frame rate; whereby substantially real time 2D images from the image data in the at least three different 2D scan planes can be displayed.