US 12,082,970 B2
Devices, systems, and methods for evaluating acuteness of deep vein thrombosis
David Goodman, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to PHILIPS IMAGE GUIDED THERAPY CORPORATION, San Diego, CA (US)
Appl. No. 16/631,034
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
PCT Filed Jul. 19, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/069632
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 14, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/016317, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 24, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/535,600, filed on Jul. 21, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0138404 A1, May 7, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/12 (2006.01); A61B 8/14 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/0891 (2013.01) [A61B 8/12 (2013.01); A61B 8/14 (2013.01); A61B 8/463 (2013.01); A61B 8/5223 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for evaluating deep vein thrombosis (DVT) caused by a blood clot formed in a deep vein of a patient, the system comprising:
an ultrasound imaging device configured to transmit an ultrasound pulse into the deep vein where the blood clot is positioned, detect an ultrasound echo reflected from the blood clot, and output an output signal representative of the ultrasound echo; and
a processor in communication with the ultrasound imaging device, the processor operable to:
receive the output signal representative of the ultrasound echo from the ultrasound imaging device;
process the output signal to determine a strength of the ultrasound echo, and to display, on a display, a grey scale image of the ultrasound echo, wherein a brightness of the grey scale image is displayed in proportion to the strength of the ultrasound echo;
compare the strength of the ultrasound signal to a threshold;
determine an acuteness of the blood clot as acute when the strength of the ultrasound echo is below the threshold, and determine the acuteness of the blood clot as chronic when the strength of the ultrasound echo is not below the threshold; and
output, to the display, a graphical indication of the determined acuteness,
wherein the processor is configured such that the threshold is variably settable by a user of the ultrasound imaging device based on test results of the patient or a clinical history of the patient.