A clutter signal mixed in a blood flow signal is reduced in a color Doppler, and blood flow visibility is improved. A combination of parameters that maximize a difference between a blood flow and a clutter (a signal other than the blood flow) is determined by analyzing a reception signal, a clutter estimated value (a value indicating a degree of being estimated as a clutter) is set based on the combination, and a reduction coefficient map (hereinafter, simply referred to as a reduction map) that reduces a clutter signal is generated based on the estimated value. The clutter signal is reduced by multiplying the reception signal (an IQ signal after quadrature detection) by the reduction map.

Systems and methods are provided for the denoising of images in the presence of broadband noise based on the detection and/or estimation of in-band noise. According to various example embodiments, an estimate of broadband noise that lies within the imaging band is made by detecting or characterizing the out-of-band noise that lies outside of the imaging band. This estimated in-band noise may be employed for denoise the detected imaging waveform. According to other example embodiments, a reference receive circuit that is sensitive to noise within the imaging band, but is isolated from the imaging energy, may be employed to detect and/or characterize the noise within the imaging band. The estimated reference noise may be employed to denoise the detected in-band imaging waveform.

Aspects of the present disclosure provide ultrasound systems and devices that provide for reduction of reverberation artifacts in ultrasound images by automatically changing imaging settings such as PRI or transmit/receive configuration based on detected amounts of reverberation in ultrasound images. In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes a processor circuit in communication with an ultrasound probe. The processor circuit obtains a plurality of ultrasound images obtained using a plurality of different PRIs and/or pulse sequences, calculates an amount of reverberation artifacts in each of the plurality of ultrasound images, selects a pulse repetition interval and/or pulse sequence based on the amounts of reverberation artifacts in each of the plurality of ultrasound images, and controls the ultrasound transducer to obtain a reduced-reverberation ultrasound image using the selected pulse repetition interval or pulse sequence. The reduced-reverberation ultrasound image is then output to a display.

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment includes processing circuitry and a display. The processing circuitry generates, from ultrasound data, pieces of low and high frequency data corresponding to resolutions of gradual degrees, extracts pieces of negative high frequency data over a range of predetermined resolutions, from the pieces of high frequency data, restores the resolution of first addition data so as to be equal to the resolution of the ultrasound data before reduction, the first addition data being obtained by adding up the pieces of negative high frequency data while causing resolutions to match over the range of the predetermined resolutions, and generates a combined image on the basis of the restored first addition data and the ultrasound data. The display displays the combined image.

An ultrasound imaging apparatus includes an ultrasound transceiver configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object and receive an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the object, based on a beamforming parameter of the ultrasound imaging apparatus; and an image processor configured to generate scanning lines forming a frame based on the received ultrasound echo signal, generate sub-frames by sorting the scanning lines into respective groups having the scanning lines with similar properties, based on the beamforming parameter, perform image-processing of the generated sub-frames, and recombine the scanning lines from the image-processed sub-frames to generate an ultrasound medical image corresponding to the frame.

In backscatter coefficient imaging, a backscatter coefficient of one region of interest relative another region of interest is used to avoid calibration. The system effects are removed by using a frequency-dependent measure of the backscatter. The relative frequency-dependent backscatter coefficient is determined by an ultrasound scanner.

A method color Doppler imaging in accordance with some examples of the present disclosure includes transmitting with a probe of an ultrasound imaging system, ultrasound pulses towards a region of interest in a subject, receiving with the probe echoes responsive to the pulses, generating B-mode image data and Doppler signals based on the ultrasound echoes, filtering the Doppler signals, wherein the filtering includes rejecting lower intensity signals which have amplitudes below a threshold amplitude and passing higher intensity signals which have amplitudes above the threshold amplitude, generating color data based on the higher intensity signals, overlaying the color data with the B-mode image data to produce a color Doppler image, and displaying the color Doppler image in a kidney stone detection interface.

A control device of a mammography apparatus includes an acquisition unit that acquires a radiographic image as radiography information in a case in which the radiographic image of the breast is captured and a generation condition setting unit that sets generation conditions in a case in which an ultrasound image of the breast is generated, on the basis of the radiographic image acquired by the acquisition unit. The generation condition setting unit analyzes the radiographic image to detect the amount of mammary glands in the breast and sets, as the generation conditions, an amplification factor of an ultrasound image signal and a dynamic range which is a width of a grayscale value of the ultrasound image assigned to a value of the ultrasound image signal, according to the detected amount of mammary glands.

In a target image generated by multi-resolution processing, a pixel of interest and a group of reference pixels are designated. In a corresponding image belonging to a level that is one level above, pixel value patterns are compared between a corresponding region of interest and corresponding reference regions so as to calculate weights. A modified pixel-of-interest value is determined by means of multiplying the reference pixel values by the weights.

Ultrasound imaging system, devices, and methods for minimizing grating lobe artefacts in an ultrasound image are provided. For example, an ultrasound imaging system can include an array of acoustic elements and a processor in communication with the array. The processor controls the array to activate a plurality of apertures and subapertures in a scan sequence, generate an image comprising a plurality of pixels, identify at least one subaperture of the plurality of subapertures corresponding to a reduced signal value for one or more pixels of the image, and generate a grating-lobe-minimized image based on the identified subapertures. The grating-lobe-minimized image can be output to a display or combined with the original ultrasound image to include image features lost or reduced in the grating-lobe-minimized image. The grating-lobe-minimized image advantageously reduces image artefacts and clutter to simplify ultrasound image analysis and diagnosis procedures.