Ultrasound strain imaging via pixel frame and window correlation

摘要

Embodiments for providing a strain image in an ultrasound system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a processing unit sets windows on a pre-compression frame and a post-compression frame, and performs a correlation operation between the first and second frames within the windows to compute displacements for a third frame, wherein the processing unit selects at least one of previously set windows at an (N−i)th row by referring to current windows positioned at a Nth row in an axial direction, computes an initial displacement based on displacements corresponding to the selected at least one of windows, and determines a range for moving the current window on the second frame in the axial direction based on the computed initial displacement.

主权项

1. An ultrasound system, comprising;
an ultrasound data acquisition unit, including a transmit signal former, an ultrasound probe, a beam former and an ultrasound data former, configured to acquire first ultrasound data for a first frame wherein compression is not applied to a target object and second ultrasound data for a second frame wherein compression is applied to the target object; and a computer configured to set windows on the respective first and second frames, move the windows in axial and lateral directions and perform a correlation operation between the first and second frames within the windows to compute displacements of windows on a third frame to determine pixel values of the third frame, the computer being further configured to form a strain image based on the computed displacements, wherein the third frame corresponds to the strain images, wherein the computer is configured to select at least one of previously set windows at an (N−i)th row on the third frame by referring to current windows positioned at a Nth row in an axial direction on the third frame, compute an initial displacement based on displacements corresponding to the selected at least one of windows wherein the initial displacement includes a median value of displacements, and determine a range for moving the current window on the second frame in the axial direction based on the computed initial displacement, wherein N is an integer greater than 1 and i is an integer greater than 0 but less than N, and wherein the initial, displacement is a displacement for moving the window on the second frame without causing a decorrelation error.