System and method for concurrent visualization and quantification of blood flow using ultrasound vector flow imaging

Abstract

A system for visualization and quantification of ultrasound imaging data may include a display unit, and a processor communicatively coupled to the display unit and to an ultrasound imaging apparatus for generating an image from ultrasound data representative of a bodily structure and fluid flowing within the bodily structure. The processor may be configured to generate vector field data corresponding to the fluid flow, wherein the vector field data comprises axial and lateral velocity components of the fluid, extract spatiotemporal information from the vector field data at one or more user-selected points within the image, and cause the display unit to concurrently display the spatiotemporal information at the one or more user-selected points with the image including a graphical representation of the vector field data overlaid on the image, wherein the spatiotemporal information includes at least one of a magnitude and an angle of the fluid flow.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for displaying ultrasound imaging data, the method comprising:
 extracting spatiotemporal information from vector field data at one or more user-selected points within an image generated from ultrasound data;   concurrently displaying the spatiotemporal information with the image generate from ultrasound data, including a graphical representation of the vector field data, wherein the displaying the spatiotemporal information includes displaying a visual representation of a direction and magnitude of the fluid flow at the one or more user-selected points, wherein the visual representation of the direction of the fluid flow comprises a graph of a velocity vector plotting an axial component of the angle of the fluid flow versus a lateral component of the angle of the fluid flow at the one or more user-selected points, wherein the graph comprises a first axis representing the axial component, a second axis representing the lateral component.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displaying the spatiotemporal information includes displaying a graph of the at least one of the magnitude and the angle of the fluid flow at the one or more user-selected points as a function of time. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the visual representation is configured to dynamically update to reflect temporal changes in the direction of the fluid flow. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein an origin of the velocity vector is located at a position along the first axis and the second axis representing a zero value for the axial component and the lateral component, respectively. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the displaying the spatiotemporal information includes displaying information for the magnitude and the angle of the fluid flow, and wherein the displayed information and for the magnitude and the angle of the fluid flow are synchronously updated in real-time responsive to the signals received from a region of interest (ROI) in a subject. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the graphical representation of the vector field data is a pathlet-based graphical representation of the vector field. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the graphical representation of the vector field data includes a vector map comprising a flow mask layer delineating a sub-region corresponding to the vector field data, and further comprising a vector visualization layer illustrating at least partial trajectories of velocity vectors in the sub-region. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising estimating elevational velocity components of the fluid to obtain three dimensional (3D) vector field data for a volumetric region of interest (ROI). 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the concurrently displaying the spatiotemporal information at the one or more user-selected points with the image includes displaying 3D image of the volumetric ROI overlaid with the 3D vector field data. 
     
     
         10 . A system for visualization and quantification of ultrasound imaging data, the system comprising:
 a display unit;   a processor communicatively coupled to the display unit and to an ultrasound imaging apparatus for generating an image from ultrasound data representative of a bodily structure and fluid flowing within the bodily structure, wherein the processor is configured to:
 extract spatiotemporal information from vector field data at one or more user-selected points within an image generated from ultrasound data; 
 concurrently display the spatiotemporal information with the image generate from ultrasound data, including a graphical representation of the vector field data, wherein the displaying the spatiotemporal information includes displaying a visual representation of a direction and magnitude of the fluid flow at the one or more user-selected points, wherein the visual representation of the direction of the fluid flow comprises a graph of a velocity vector plotting an axial component of the angle of the fluid flow versus a lateral component of the angle of the fluid flow at the one or more user-selected points, wherein the graph comprises a first axis representing the axial component, a second axis representing the lateral component. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the ultrasound imaging apparatus is provided by an ultrasound diagnostic system including the display and the processor, and wherein the ultrasound diagnostic system is configured to generate and update the image in real-time while ultrasonically imaging the bodily structure. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to generate a pathlet-based graphical representation of the vector field data. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the graphical representation of the vector field data comprises a vector map including a flow mask layer defining a sub-region corresponding to the vector field data and a vector visualization layer illustrating at least partial trajectories of velocity vectors in the sub-region. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to define the flow mask based on image segmentation, available vector field data, user input, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the processor is configured to dynamically update the flow mask in subsequent image frames based on temporal variations of the available vector field data in corresponding vector flow frames. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the display unit to display, as the spatiotemporal information, a graph of the at least one of the magnitude and the angle of the fluid flow at the one or more user-selected points as a function of time. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the visual representation is configured to dynamically update to reflect temporal changes in the direction of the fluid flow. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein an origin of the velocity vector is located at a position along the first axis and the second axis representing a zero value for the axial component and the lateral component, respectively. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the vector flow data further comprises elevational velocity components of the fluid, and wherein the processor is configured to generate a three dimensional (3D) image of the ultrasound data overlaid with a graphical representation of a 3D velocity vector field.