Ultrasound imaging apparatus

摘要

An ultrasound imaging apparatus including a processing unit configured to produce an ultrasound image of the target region by applying position/orientation data representative of the position and/or orientation of an ultrasound transducer on the first side of a surface during each collection cycle to echo data representative of reflected ultrasound energy received by the ultrasound transducer during each collection cycle so as to coherently focus the echo data at a plurality of points distributed within the target region. The ultrasound imaging apparatus includes: an ultrasound transducer configured to perform, in each of a plurality of positions and/or orientations on a first side of a surface, a respective collection cycle in which the ultrasound transducer emits ultrasound energy into and receives reflected ultrasound energy from a target region on a second side of the surface that is opposite to the first side; a processing unit configured to acquire echo data representative of reflected ultrasound energy received by the ultrasound transducer during each collection cycle and position/orientation data representative of the position and/or orientation of the ultrasound transducer on the first side of the surface during each collection cycle; wherein the processing unit is configured to produce an ultrasound image of the target region by applying the position/orientation data to the echo data so as to coherently focus the echo data at a plurality of points distributed within the target region.