Method and apparatus for recognizing moving anatomical structures using ultrasound

摘要

A method of recognizing at least one moving anatomical structure using ultrasound data that operates by receiving ultrasound data (100). The ultrasound data comprises Doppler shift information which provides information descriptive of the velocity of at least one anatomical structure. The ultrasound data is first divided into a series of time frames (102). A classification is then assigned to each of the time frames using the Doppler shift information (104). The at least one anatomical structure is then recognized by using the classification of each time frame (106). This is possible, because different anatomical structures produce different patterns in the Doppler shift information.

主权项

1. A method of recognizing at least one moving fetal anatomical structure using ultrasound data, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor of a fetal monitor, the ultrasound data, wherein the ultrasound data comprises Doppler shift information descriptive of the velocity of the at least one moving fetal anatomical structure, dividing, by the processor, the ultrasound data into a series of time frames, determining a feature vector for each of the time frames, wherein each feature vector represents a component of the at least one moving fetal anatomical structure, assigning, by the processor, each of the time frames a classification using the Doppler shift information, the classification being assigned using a pattern recognition module of the processor that determines the classification based on the respective feature vector of the time frame being assigned, the classification being indicative of a movement state of each of the at least one moving fetal anatomical structure, and recognizing, by the pattern recognition module of the processor, the at least one moving fetal anatomical structure using patterns derived from the classification of each time frame.