An ultrasonic imaging system is provided which produces signals representative of tissue motion through amplitude detection of echo signals from which stationary clutter has been removed. Tissue motion may be distinguished from noise and flow signals on the basis of the dynamic range of the detected signals. The tissue motion signals may be displayed in combination with B mode signals to augment images of moving tissue, or in a two dimensional image in combination with B mode and Doppler image information. A sequence of gated tissue motion images of the heart may be displayed with each image of a different phase of the heart cycle displayed in a different color. The sequence may be played in a real time sequence, or the images accumulated in a common static image which overlay and hence mask one another, thereby revealing subtle differences in motion from one phase of the heart cycle to another.
展开▼
