METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SEGMENTING B-MODE INTENSITY DATA USING DOPPLER SHIFT DATA IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL ULTRASOUND IMAGING

摘要

A system for three-dimensional imaging of an object volume (52) containing moving ultrasound scatters and tissue, comprising: an ultrasound transducer array (56) for transmitting ultrasound beams (62) and detecting ultrasound echoes reflected from said object volume at a multiplicity of sample volumes (Oi, j, k); means (78) for acquiring Doppler data derived at least in part from ultrasound echoes reflected by the moving ultrasound scatters, each Doppler datum corresponding to a respective one of said multiplicity of sample volumes; means (72) for acquiring intensity data derived at least in part from ultrasound echoes reflected by the tissue, each intensity datum corresponding to a respective one of said multiplicity of sample volumes; memory means (70) for storing pixel data for each of said multiplicity of sample volumes, each pixel datum comprising a respective Doppler datum and a respective intensity datum corresponding to a respective sample volume; means (82) for determining a reference set of the pixel data stored in said memory means, said reference pixel data set consisting only of pixel data having a Doppler datum lying in a predetermined range; means (80) for retrieving a source set of the pixel data from said memory means, the pixels included in said source pixel data set being a function of the pixels included in said reference pixel data set; means (not shown) for projecting the intensity data in said source pixel data set onto a first image plane, thereby forming a projected intensity data set representing a first projected image; a display monitor (12); and means (22) for displaying said first projected image on said display monitor. 1823 כ" ג בתמוז התש" ס - July 26, 2000 1824 כ" ג בתמוז התש" ס - July 26, 2000