In spectral Doppler imaging, a high PRF is used independent of the velocity scale. The adjustment is then of the velocity scale. By optimizing the velocity scale independent of the high PRF in an on-going or automated basis, user activation may be avoided and/or interruption to reconfigure for an altered PRF may be avoided. The acquired data may be stored, allowing for past data to be processed again when a new velocity scale or other setting is selected. The resulting spectral Doppler image may continue to display spectra over time without a gap or without premature loss of spectra due to reconfiguring.

An ultrasound system includes a transducer array configured to generate analog ultrasound signals. The system includes one or more analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) in communication with the transducer array. The ADCs is configured to convert the analog ultrasound signals to digital ultrasound signals. The system includes a processor circuit in communication with the ADCs. The processor circuit includes digital in-phase/quadrature (I/Q) mixers configured to generate digital continuous wave (CW) Doppler signals based on the digital ultrasound signals. The processor circuit is configured to process the digital CW Doppler signals, generate a graphical representation of a distribution of blood flow velocities over a plurality of cardiac cycles, and output the graphical representation to a display in communication with the processor circuit.

An ultrasound imaging system may automatically find and track a coronary artery in a 3D volume. The artery location may be considered fixed within each of the overlapping spans of time data used for spectral processing in some examples. Data from along the artery within the 3D volume may be coherently integrated, and average beam-to-flow angle may be compensated for automatically. Optionally, a live, 3D rendered graphic or color flow image of the 3D volume may be displayed while the spectrogram is displayed. Optionally, audio output reflecting the spectral data may be provided to a speaker.

A Doppler gate is automatically positioned in spectral Doppler ultrasound imaging. Samples acquired for multiple PW Doppler gates are used for B-mode and/or F-mode detection over time without interleaving transmissions for the PW Doppler. The B-mode and/or F-mode information are used to track gate placement. Alternatively or additionally, characteristics spectra from different gate locations are used to select a gate location. Either tracking may be used to change the locations sampled and/or beam characteristics, such as centering the locations and beam focus on the selected gate location.

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.

For spectral Doppler imaging, the search range for tracing the spectral envelope is set dynamically. The limit for searching for the envelope is established by spectrum-by-spectrum placement between bands. This search may be aided by plotting the spectra from 0 to 2. The limit varies over time to better separate bands so that subsequent tracing avoids aliasing.

According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is configured to execute an imaging mode of alternately executing a continuous wave Doppler mode of acquiring time-series Doppler data by performing continuous wave transmission/reception with respect to an object and a B mode of acquiring tomogram data represented by luminance by transmitting and receiving a pulse wave to and from the object, the apparatus includes a data acquisition unit configured to acquire continuous wave Doppler data and the tomogram data by alternately executing the continuous wave Doppler mode and the B mode while switching the modes, and a display unit configured to simultaneously display Doppler spectrum information generated based on the continuous wave Doppler data and a tomogram generated based on the tomogram data.

In spectral Doppler imaging, a high PRF is used independent of the velocity scale. The adjustment is then of the velocity scale. By optimizing the velocity scale independent of the high PRF in an on-going or automated basis, user activation may be avoided and/or interruption to reconfigure for an altered PRF may be avoided. The acquired data may be stored, allowing for past data to be processed again when a new velocity scale or other setting is selected. The resulting spectral Doppler image may continue to display spectra over time without a gap or without premature loss of spectra due to reconfiguring.

A method for positioning one or both of a gate and a color box on an ultrasound image generated during scanning of an anatomical feature using an ultrasound scanner comprises deploying an artificial intelligence (AI) model to execute on a computing device communicably connected to the ultrasound scanner, wherein the AI model is trained so that when the AI model is deployed, the computing device generates a prediction of at least one of an optimal position, size, or angle for the gate and/or an optimal location/size of the color box on the ultrasound image generated during ultrasound scanning of the anatomical feature, thereafter enabling the acquisition of corresponding Doppler mode signals.