Ultrasonic blood flow imaging method and apparatus

Claim 2

In a ultrasonic blood flow imaging method for two-dimensionally displaying the velocity distribution of blood flow within a body under examination, the improved method characterized in that the velocity distribution is displayed as a color picture wherein the velocity direction is represented by one color when positive and by another different color when negative, and the magnitude of the blood velocity is represented by varying the brightness of the color concerned.

Claim 3

An ultrasonic blood flow imaging method according to Claim 1, wherein the color selected depending on whether the blood velocity is positive or negative is mixed with still another color in accordance with the velocity deviation of the blood flow proportionally to the magnitude of a deviation signal,whereby the velocity deviation in the direction of the blood flow concerned is represented by a change in color.

Claim 4

An ultrasonic blood flow imaging method according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the form of the stationary portions in the vicinity of the blood flow is displayed in white as superposed on the color picture of the velocity distribution.

Claim 5

An ultrasonic blood flow imaging apparatus comprising an ultrasonic transmitter/receiver (10) for outputting a tomographic image signal (A) produced by sending an ultrasonic beam into a specific region of a body under examination and electrically detecting the reflected echo from said region, and an average velocity signal (B) and/or a velocity deviation signal (C) corresponding to the velocity of movement of blood flow member within said region as determined by the pulse-doppler method; three frame memories (14, 16, 18),one for storing each of said signals; a color processor (26) for producing a color video signal from the data stored in said frame memories (14, 16, 18); and a color display (34) for displaying a tomographic image of said region using said color video signal; whereby said color display(34)displays said tomographic image in white, displays the directions of the velocity of the blood flow in one color when positive and in another different color when negative, displays the magnitude of the velocity by varying the brightness of the color concerned, and displays the tomographic image, velocity and deviation as superposed one on the others by mixing still another color with the color selected depending on whether the velocity is positive or negative.

Claim 6

An ultrasonic blood flow imaging apparatus comprising an ultrasonic transmitter/receiver (10) for outputting a tomographic image signal (A) produced by sending an ultrasonic beam into a specific region of a body under examination and electrically detecting the reflected echo from said region, and an average velocity signal (B) and/or a velocity deviation signal (C) corresponding to the velocity of movement of blood flow member within said region as determined by the pulse-doppler method; three frame memories (14, 16, 18),one for storing each of said signals; a color processor (26) for producing a color video signal from the data stored in said frame memories (14, 16, 18); and a color display (34) for displaying a tomographic image of said region using said color video signal; whereby said color display(34)displays said tomographic image in white, displays the directions of the velocity of the blood flow in one color when positive and in another different color when negative, displays the magnitude of the velocity by varying the brightness of the color concerned, and displays the tomographic image, velocity and deviation as superposed one on the others by mixing still another color with the color selected depending on whether the velocity is positive or negative.