An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a quadrature detection section configured to perform quadrature detection on reception radio-frequency data generated by a reception circuit to generate complex data, a frequency analyzer configured to perform a first frequency analysis using the complex data of a set number of sample points starting from a first start point and a second frequency analysis using at least one group of the complex data of the set number of sample points starting from a second start point that is different from the first start point, and to acquire a spectral signal corresponding to each pixel of a Doppler waveform image based on results of the first frequency analysis and the second frequency analysis, and a Doppler waveform image generator configured to generate the Doppler waveform image using the spectral signal.

To reduce speckle is spectral Doppler imaging, any oversampling relative to the velocity scale is used to create different data sets for the location at a given time. The different data sets have at least partially independent noise. Spectra are estimated from the different data sets and the resulting spectra combined into a spectrum with less speckle. To improve signal-to-noise ratio, the samples acquired for a given velocity scale are band-limited into different narrower bands. The portion of the spectrum estimated for each narrow band has a higher signal-to-noise ratio than a spectrum estimated for the entire band. The parts of the spectrum estimated for the different narrow bands are stitched together to provide a spectrum for the entire band with greater signal-to-noise ratio. In another approach, the user may input a narrow band relative to the velocity scale so that the corresponding part of the spectrum is provided with greater signal-to-noise ratio. Similar approaches may be used for color or flow imaging.

A system and method for synchronizing caliper measurements in a multi-frame 2D image and an anatomical M-mode image is provided. The method may include selecting a frame of a multi-frame 2D image of a region of interest. The method may include positioning a first caliper measurement on the selected frame. The method may include generating an anatomical M-mode image based on a direction of the first caliper measurement. The method may include automatically overlaying a second caliper measurement on the anatomical M-mode image, the second caliper measurement corresponding with the first caliper measurement on the selected frame. The method may include presenting the selected frame having the first caliper measurement simultaneously with the anatomical motion mode image having the second caliper measurement at a display system.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture to combine frames of overlapping scanning systems are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a time delay controller to determine a first time value and a second time value, the first time value different from the second time value; a capture synchronizer to, in response to the first time value corresponding to a first time, capture a first frame from a first scanning system and, in response to the second time value corresponding to a second time, capture a second frame from a second scanning system; and a capture combiner to combine the first frame and the second frame into a third frame, the third frame including data from the first frame and data from the second frame.

A method of full-field or ping-based Doppler ultrasound imaging allows for detection of Doppler signals indicating moving reflectors at any point in an imaging field without the need to predefine range gates. In various embodiments, such whole-field Doppler imaging methods may include transmitting a Doppler ping from a transmit aperture, receiving echoes of the Doppler ping with one or more separate receive apertures, detecting Doppler signals and determining the speed of moving reflectors. In some embodiments, the system also provides the ability to determine the direction of motion by solving a set of simultaneous equations based on echo data received by multiple receive apertures.

The invention provides a system and a method for calculating a pulse wave velocity based on a plurality of intravascular ultrasonic pulses directed along a vessel. For each ultrasonic pulse, a plurality of echoes is received from a plurality of distances along the vessel. A first ultrasound Doppler signal is received from a first distance from the pulse origin and a second ultrasound Doppler signal from a second distance from the pulse origin. A first and second flow velocity metric is obtained based on the first and second ultrasound Doppler signal, respectively. The pulse wave velocity is calculated based on the time delay, which is based on the first flow velocity metric and the second flow velocity metric.

Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for portable medical ultrasound imaging. Preferred embodiments utilize a hand portable, battery powered system having a display and a user interface operative to control imaging and display operations. A keyboard control panel can be used alone or in combination with touchscreen controls to actuate a graphical user interface. Exemplary embodiments also provide an ultrasound engine circuit board including one or more multi-chip modules, and a portable medical ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound engine circuit board.

According to one embodiment, there is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which comprises data processing circuitry, a display, input interface circuitry and system control circuitry. The data processing circuitry generates at least B-mode data and Doppler spectral data. The display displays images based on the B-mode data and the Doppler spectral data that have been generated by the data processing circuitry. The input interface circuitry inputs one of an instruction to transit to a mode of the Doppler spectral data and an operation to a range gate. The system control circuitry changes a display form of the Doppler spectral data displayed on the display based on the Doppler spectral data generated in a predetermined time after the input in response to the input to the input interface circuitry.

An ultrasound system with a matrix array (500) probe (10) operable in the biplane mode is used to assess stenosis of a blood vessel by simultaneously displaying two color Doppler biplane images (60a, 60b) of the vessel, one a longitudinal cross-sectional view (60a) and the other a transverse cross-sectional view (60b). The two image planes intersect along a Doppler beam line (68) used for PW Doppler. A sample volume graphic (SV) is positioned over the blood vessel at the peak velocity location in one image, then positioned over the blood vessel at the peak velocity location in the other image. As the sample volume location is moved in one image, the plane and/or sample volume location of the other image is adjusted correspondingly. Spectral Doppler data (62) is then acquired and displayed from the sample volume location.

A method of full-field or ping-based Doppler ultrasound imaging allows for detection of Doppler signals indicating moving reflectors at any point in an imaging field without the need to predefine range gates. In various embodiments, such whole-field Doppler imaging methods may include transmitting a Doppler ping from a transmit aperture, receiving echoes of the Doppler ping with one or more separate receive apertures, detecting Doppler signals and determining the speed of moving reflectors. In some embodiments, the system also provides the ability to determine the direction of motion by solving a set of simultaneous equations based on echo data received by multiple receive apertures.