Automated Three and Four-Dimensional Ultrasound Quantification and Surveillance of Free Fluid in Body Cavities and Intravascular Volume

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention provides a method to measure fluid within a body cavity where data is received with an interface 210, the data being received from an ultrasound transducer. A three-dimensional sonographic image is generated with an image generator 220 connected to the interface 210, the three-dimensional sonographic image being generated from the data received from the ultrasound transducer. The body cavity is identified in the three-dimensional sonographic image with an image processor 230 connected to the image generator 220; and, an area of fluid in the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image is identified with the image processor 230. The volume of the area of fluid is calculated using the three-dimensional sonographic image and a stacked crescents process, a spherical fill process, a convex hull process, and/or a triangulation process.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method to measure fluid within a body cavity, said method including:
 receiving data with an interface from an ultrasound transducer;   generating a three-dimensional sonographic image with an image generator connected to said interface, the three-dimensional sonographic image being generated from the data received from the ultrasound transducer;   identifying the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image with an image processor connected to said image generator;   identifying an area of fluid in the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image with said image processor; and   calculating a volume of the area of fluid, the volume of the area of fluid being calculated using the three-dimensional sonographic image and at least one volume calculation process.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the volume calculation process includes a stacked crescents process, a spherical fill process, a convex hull process, and/or a triangulation process. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the volume calculation process includes:
 dividing the area of fluid in the three-dimensional sonographic image into stacked segments;   identifying crescents in the three-dimensional sonographic image, wherein each crescent is a non-overlapping area of two partially overlapping segments;   calculating an area of each crescent; and   summing the areas of the crescents.   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the volume calculation process includes a computation of minimum convex sets that contains all of the points in the area of fluid in the three-dimensional sonographic image. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the volume calculation process includes a calculation of a minimum number of virtual triangles that make up a Euclidian space of points within the area of fluid in the three-dimensional sonographic image. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising repeating said receiving of data from the ultrasound transducer, said generating of the three-dimensional sonographic image with the data received from the ultrasound transducer, said identifying of the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image, said identifying of the area of fluid in the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image, and said calculating of the volume of the area of fluid using the three-dimensional sonographic image with a stacked crescents process, a convex hull process, or a triangulation process to generate sequential three-dimensional data sets. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6 , further comprising comparing the sequential three-dimensional data sets to derive changes in volume. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 7 , further comprising dividing the changes in volume over elapsed time to estimate a rate of change in fluid. 
     
     
         9 . A system to measure fluid within a body cavity, said system including:
 an interface configured to receive data from an ultrasound transducer;   an image generator connected to said interface, said image generator configured to generate a three-dimensional sonographic image from the data received from the ultrasound transducer; and   an image processor connected to said image generator, said image processor configured to identify the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image, identify an area of fluid in the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image, and calculate a volume of the area of fluid using the three-dimensional sonographic image and at least one of a stacked crescents process, a spherical fill process, a convex hull process, and a triangulation process.   
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein said image processor is configured to:
 divide the area of fluid in the three-dimensional sonographic image into stacked segments;   identify crescents in the three-dimensional sonographic image, wherein each crescent is a non-overlapping area of two partially overlapping segments;   calculate an area of each crescent; and   sum the areas of the crescents.   
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein said image processor is configured to compute minimum convex sets that contain all of the points in the area of fluid in the three-dimensional sonographic image. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein said image processor is configured to calculate a minimum number of virtual triangles that make up a Euclidian space of points within the area of fluid in the three-dimensional sonographic image. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein
 said image generator is further configured to generate series of three-dimensional sonographic images; and   said image processor is further configured to generate sequential three-dimensional data sets.   
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 13 , wherein said image processor is further configured to compare the sequential three-dimensional data sets to derive changes in volume. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 14 , wherein said image processor is further configured to divide the changes in volume over elapsed time to estimate a rate of change in fluid. 
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon which when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for measuring fluid within a body cavity, said method comprising:
 receiving data from an ultrasound transducer;   generating a three-dimensional sonographic image from the data received from the ultrasound transducer;   identifying the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image;   identifying an area of fluid in the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image; and   calculating a volume of the area of fluid using the three-dimensional sonographic image with a stacked crescents process, a convex hull process, and/or a triangulation process.   
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to  claim 16 , wherein said method further comprising repeating said receiving of data from the ultrasound transducer, said generating of the three-dimensional sonographic image with the data received from the ultrasound transducer, said identifying of the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image, said identifying of the area of fluid in the body cavity in the three-dimensional sonographic image, and said calculating of the volume of the area of fluid using the three-dimensional sonographic image and the spherical fill process to generate sequential three-dimensional data sets. 
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to  claim 17 , wherein said method further comprising comparing the sequential three-dimensional data sets to derive changes in volume. 
     
     
         19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to  claim 18 , wherein said method further comprising dividing the changes in volume over elapsed time to estimate a rate of change in fluid.