Patent Document ID: 9651662
Application ID: 12742255
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for interventional navigation using 3D contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging during an interventional procedure with an instrument in a desired portion of an anatomy, the method comprising the acts of: administering a contrast enhancement agent to a tracked tissue including the desired portion of the anatomy; during the interventional procedure, acquiring a reference 3D CEUS volume and tracking information for the desired portion within a useful lifetime of the contrast enhancement agent and acquiring real-time images of the tracked tissue subsequent to expiration of the useful lifetime of the contrast enhancement, wherein the acquiring of the reference 3D CEUS volume includes concurrent acquisition within the useful lifetime of the contrast enhancement agent of a pair of images of the tracked tissue including at least one 3D ultrasound contrast image acquired in 3D CEUS mode and corresponding tissue image of the tracked tissue acquired in grayscale mode, wherein the at least one 3D ultrasound contrast image shows enhancement in areas of uptake of the contrast enhancement agent, and wherein the tissue image shows reduced enhancement in the areas of uptake of the contrast enhancement agent; generating a 3D CEUS multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) for at least one of the acquired real-time images as a function of the reference 3D CEUS volume and the tracking information; and displaying the acquired real-time images showing the instrument within the desired portion and the corresponding 3D CEUS MPR for the interventional navigation.