US6685646B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Measurement of volumetric fluid flow and its velocity profile
Assignee: Philips Image Guided Therapy Corp
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Filing: 2000-12-26
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Granted: 2004-02-03
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Expires: 2020-12-26
Abstract
Abstract A method to measure spatial fluid flow components and their velocity profiles in a number of locations in a cross-sectional area of a lumen or other body cavity by using ultrasound in which the cross-sectional area is interrogated by a plurality of ultrasonic beams; the estimation of the spatial flow components is obtained from a combination of estimations of axial, lateral and total flow; the estimation of one or more flow components is obtained through any combination of time-shift and decorrelation analysis of two or more beam-signals of the interrogating ultrasound transducer; and the estimation accuracy is further improved by the use of a reference decorrelation curve obtained from experiments or beam-theory or both.
Inventors
- 👤 Eduardo Ignacio Cespedes
- 👤 Charles Theodoor Lanceé
- 👤 Antonius Franciscus Wilhemus Van Der Steen
- 👤 Wenguang Li
- 👤 Nicolaas Bom
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 18:59
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B8/00; A61B8/06; A61B8/12
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
83 words
A method to measure spatial fluid flow components and their velocity profiles in a number of locations in a cross-sectional area of a lumen or other body cavity by using ultrasound comprising the steps of: a) interrogating the cross-sectional area with a plurality of ultrasonic beams; and b) estimating the spatial flow components including at least an elevational flow component through time-shift and decorrelation analysis of two or more beam signals of the plurality of ultrasonic beams by using a reference decorrelation curve.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
83 words
A method to measure spatial fluid flow components and their velocity profiles in a number of locations in a cross-sectional area of a lumen or other body cavity by using ultrasound comprising the steps of: a) interrogating the cross-sectional area with a plurality of ultrasonic beams; and b) estimating the spatial flow components including at least an elevational flow component through time-shift and decorrelation analysis of two or more beam signals of the plurality of ultrasonic beams by using a reference decorrelation curve.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method of claim 1 herein the reference decorrelation curve is obtained from one of either; experiments or theory.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of simultaneous and in place estimation of a flow area.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
43 words
The method of claim 3 , comprising the step of combining a component of flow velocity normal to a cross-section of an area of flow in a number of spatial locations in the flow area to derive a momentary value of volume flow.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method of claim 3 , comprising the steps of combining an average over a number of spatial locations of the component of flow velocity normal to a cross-section of an area of flow and the flow area to derive a momentary value of volume flow.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 5 , wherein a calculation of the average component of flow velocity normal to a cross-section of a total area of flow is from a partial section of a total area of flow.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
45 words
The method of claim 3 , further comprising the steps of combining the component of flow velocity normal to a cross-section in a number of discrete spatial locations and the corresponding areas of the discrete spatial locations to derive a momentary value of volume flow.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of combining the normal velocity and corresponding discrete areas is an integration operation.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of compensating for an axial decorrelation component of a scattering medium.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of compensating for non-motion-related decorrelation components.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
27 words
The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of compensating for the velocity measurements for relative motion of a transducer with respect to relatively static tissues.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the decorrelation analysis further includes squaring differences of echo signal calculations.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 1 wherein an average decorrelation is derived from squared sums of echo signals.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 1 wherein a velocity measurement is converted into an audible sound.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method claim 1 wherein an interrogating transducer is an intraluminal ultrasound transducer where the beam is scanned in a plane by one of the following: (a) rotating a transducer; (b) rotating a mirror which redirects the beam of a static transducer; (c) electronically generating the beam through a multi-element transducer without transducer motion; and (d) a combination of (a) and (c).
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of ultrasound beams are scanned through adjacent spatial locations in a sequential step-wise way.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
99 words
A method for measuring a velocity of blood in a lumen or other body cavity using ultrasound through echo signal decorrelation and time-shift analysis comprising the steps of: interrogating a cross sectional area of the lumen or other body cavity with a plurality of ultrasonic beams; measuring decorrelation of the blood from two or more echo signals received from the ultrasonic beams over a known time interval; converting the measured decorrelation to a displacement by comparing the measured decorrelation to a characteristic decorrelation; and calculating the velocity of the blood from the displacement value and a known time interval.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
99 words
A method for measuring a velocity of blood in a lumen or other body cavity using ultrasound through echo signal decorrelation and time-shift analysis comprising the steps of: interrogating a cross sectional area of the lumen or other body cavity with a plurality of ultrasonic beams; measuring decorrelation of the blood from two or more echo signals received from the ultrasonic beams over a known time interval; converting the measured decorrelation to a displacement by comparing the measured decorrelation to a characteristic decorrelation; and calculating the velocity of the blood from the displacement value and a known time interval.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
13 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the characteristic decorrelation is a decorrelation curve.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 17 wherein the characteristic decorrelation is a set of discrete values.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-02-02 | 2007-08-04 | 2008-02-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-02-02 | 2011-08-04 | 2012-02-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-02-02 | 2015-08-04 | 2016-02-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |