US 11,751,852 B2
Regional contrast enhancement based on complementary information to reflectivity information
Glen W. McLaughlin, San Carlos, CA (US); and David J. Napolitano, Pleasanton, CA (US)
Assigned to Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., Shenzhen (CN)
Filed by Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., Shenzhen (CN)
Filed on Jul. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/862,124.
Application 17/862,124 is a continuation of application No. 16/792,762, filed on Feb. 17, 2020, granted, now 11,452,504.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/827,984, filed on Apr. 2, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0401076 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 8/08 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/5207 (2013.01) [A61B 8/5246 (2013.01); A61B 8/5269 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for performing ultrasound imaging comprising:
collecting ultrasound information of a subject region in response to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward the subject region, the ultrasound information including reflectivity information and sound speed information including propagation speeds of the ultrasound pulses interacting with the subject region;
forming one or more B-mode ultrasound images of at least a portion of the subject region from the reflectivity information;
calculating, from the sound speed information, a mean propagation speed of the ultrasound pulses interacting with the subject region;
generating, from the sound speed information, a sound speed map of the propagation speeds of the ultrasound pulses interacting with at least a portion of the subject region; and
automatically and selectively adjusting at least one of a gain, a contrast, or brightness level of different portions of the one or more B-mode ultrasound images in relation to each portion's variation from at least one of the mean propagation speed according to the sound speed map or one of more absolute values of propagation speed from the sound speed information to produce one or more contrast-enhanced B-mode ultrasound images.