US 12,105,052 B2
Systems and methods for ultrasound imaging and focusing
Costas Arvanitis, Atlanta, GA (US); Arpit Patel, Atlanta, GA (US); Scott Joseph Schoen, Atlanta, GA (US); and Zhigen Zhao, Atlanta, GA (US)
Assigned to Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA (US)
Appl. No. 17/291,504
Filed by Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA (US)
PCT Filed Nov. 7, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/060217
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 5, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/097298, PCT Pub. Date May 14, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/758,145, filed on Nov. 9, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0011270 A1, Jan. 13, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 29/06 (2006.01); G01N 29/22 (2006.01); G01N 29/34 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 29/0654 (2013.01) [G01N 29/221 (2013.01); G01N 29/348 (2013.01); G01N 2291/02475 (2013.01); G01N 2291/02483 (2013.01); G01N 2291/102 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of imaging using ultrasound waves and microbubbles comprising:
introducing microbubbles into a vessel;
providing ultrasound waves through an outer surface of the vessel and to at least a portion of the microbubbles;
receiving a first set of signals corresponding to a first excitation of at least a portion of the microbubbles;
receiving a second set of signals corresponding to a second excitation of at least a portion of the microbubbles;
isolating a first set of amplitude peaks via a first morphological reconstruction of the first set of signals;
isolating a second set of amplitude peaks via a second morphological reconstruction of the second set of signals;
identifying a first plurality of peak locations based on the first morphological reconstruction;
identifying a second plurality of peak locations based on the second morphological reconstruction;
connecting each peak location of the first plurality of peak locations and the second plurality of peak locations via a Euclidian minimum spanning tree;
selecting a first target location from the first plurality of peak locations and the second plurality of peak locations;
calculating a first vessel center location using a local linear regression for a first set of locations located at a predetermined distance from the first target location;
selecting a second target location from the first plurality of peak locations and the second plurality of peak locations;
calculating a second vessel center location using the local linear regression for a second set of locations at the predetermined distance from the second target location; and
calculating a center of the vessel based at least in part on the first vessel center location and the second vessel center location.