US-12616451-B2 - Method and system for artifact reduction by movement detection

Abstract

Systems and methods for artifact reduction in ultrasound imaging comprising acquiring a sequence of ultrasound images using an ultrasound probe along an acquisition plane, tracking a movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane and a movement of one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images, identifying one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images using the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane and the movement of the one or more artifacts, wherein the movement of the one or more artifacts is different from the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane, and correcting the sequence of ultrasound images, by at least one of adjusting a gain of the artifacts or stitching artifact areas of the sequence of ultrasound images with non-artifact areas of the sequence of ultrasound images.

Inventors

• Heinz Winkler-Ebner
• Daniel Bauernfeind

Assignees

• GE Precision Healthcare LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20231228

Claims (19)

1. 1 . A method for artifact reduction in ultrasound imaging comprising: acquiring, by at least one processor, a sequence of ultrasound images using an ultrasound probe moved along an acquisition plane; tracking, by the at least one processor, a movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane and a movement of one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images; identifying, by the at least one processor, the one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images using the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane and the movement of the one or more artifacts, wherein the movement of the one or more artifacts is different from the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane; and providing a correction, by the at least one processor, to artifact areas in the sequence of ultrasound images based on the one or more artifacts identified in the sequence of ultrasound images.
2. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the tracking, by the at least one processor, the movement of the ultrasound probe is performed by receiving location information from the ultrasound probe or by using an algorithm for detecting panning and rotation in the sequence of ultrasound images.
3. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifying, by the at least one processor, the one or more artifacts comprises calculating pixel motion in the sequence of ultrasound images and subtracting the movement of the ultrasound probe from the pixel motion.
4. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more artifacts are shadows or reverbs, and wherein the identifying, by the at least one processor, comprises identifying the shadows by determining that the one or more artifacts follow a rotational trajectory relative to a center of the ultrasound probe and that the one or more artifacts are darker than an average of surrounding areas.
5. 5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the identifying, by the at least one processor, comprises identifying the reverbs by determining that the one or more artifacts follow a different movement pattern relative to the ultrasound probe and that the one or more artifacts are brighter than the average of the surrounding areas.
6. 6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more artifacts are shadows or reverbs, and wherein the method further comprises correcting, by the at least one processor, the shadows by increasing the gain of the shadows and correcting, by the at least one processor, the reverbs by decreasing the gain of the reverbs.
7. 7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the providing a correction, by the at least one processor, to artifact areas in the sequence of ultrasound images comprises adjusting a gain of the artifact areas of the one or more artifacts.
8. 8 . An ultrasound system for artifact reduction in ultrasound imaging comprising: an ultrasound probe configured to acquire a sequence of ultrasound images; at least one processor configured to: acquire a sequence of ultrasound images using an ultrasound probe moved along an acquisition plane; track a movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane and a movement of one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images; identify the one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images using the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane with the movement of the one or more artifacts, wherein the movement of the one or more artifacts is different from the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane; and correct artifact areas of the sequence of ultrasound images based on the one or more artifacts identified in the sequence of ultrasound images, by at least adjusting a gain of the artifact areas of the one or more artifacts.
9. 9 . The ultrasound system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to track the movement of the ultrasound probe by receiving location information from the ultrasound probe or by using an algorithm for detecting panning and rotation in the sequence of ultrasound images.
10. 10 . The ultrasound system of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the one or more artifacts by calculating pixel motion in the sequence of ultrasound images and subtracting the movement of the ultrasound probe from the pixel motion.
11. 11 . The ultrasound system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more artifacts are shadows or reverbs, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the shadows by determining that the one or more artifacts follow a rotational trajectory relative to a center of the ultrasound probe and by determining that the one or more artifacts are darker than an average of surrounding areas.
12. 12 . The ultrasound system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the reverbs by determining that the one or more artifacts follows a different movement pattern relative to the movement of the ultrasound probe and by determining that the one or more artifacts are brighter than the average of the surrounding areas.
13. 13 . The ultrasound system of claim 8 , wherein the one or more artifacts are shadows or reverbs, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to correct the shadows by increasing the gain of the shadows and correct the reverbs by decreasing the gain of the reverbs.
14. 14 . An ultrasound system for shadow and reverb reduction in ultrasound imaging comprising: an ultrasound probe configured to acquire a sequence of ultrasound images; at least one processor configured to: acquire a sequence of ultrasound images using an ultrasound probe moved along an acquisition plane; track a movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane and a movement of one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images; identify the one or more artifacts in the sequence of ultrasound images using the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane with the movement of the one or more artifacts, wherein the movement of the one or more artifacts is different from the movement of the ultrasound probe along the acquisition plane; and provide a correction of artifact areas in the sequence of ultrasound images based on the one or more artifacts identified in the sequence of ultrasound images.
15. 15 . The ultrasound system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to track the movement of the ultrasound probe by receiving location information from the ultrasound probe or by using an algorithm for detecting panning and rotation in the sequence of ultrasound images.
16. 16 . The ultrasound system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the one or more artifacts by calculating pixel motion in the sequence of ultrasound images and subtracting the movement of the ultrasound probe from the pixel motion.
17. 17 . The ultrasound system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more artifacts are shadows or reverbs, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the shadows by determining that the one or more artifacts follow a rotational trajectory relative to a center of the ultrasound probe and that the one or more artifacts are darker than an average of surrounding areas.
18. 18 . The ultrasound system of claim 14 , wherein the one or more artifacts are shadows or reverbs, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to identify the reverbs by determining that the one or more artifacts follow a different movement pattern relative to the movement of the ultrasound probe and that the one or more artifacts are brighter than an average of surrounding areas.
19. 19 . The ultrasound system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the correction of the artifact areas in the sequence of ultrasound images by adjusting a gain of the artifact areas of the one or more artifacts.

Description

FIELD Certain embodiments relate to ultrasound imaging. More specifically, certain embodiments relate to a method and system for obtaining ultrasound scans with artifact reduction by movement detection. BACKGROUND Ultrasound imaging is a medical imaging technique for imaging organs and soft tissues in a human body. Ultrasound imaging uses real time, non-invasive high frequency sound waves to produce two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D), and/or four-dimensional (4D) (i.e., real-time/continuous 3D images) images. Ultrasound imaging is a powerful tool for visualization. Ultrasound images are acquired by an ultrasound probe that may be used to scan anatomical structures to produce ultrasound images. However, current methods and ultrasound systems for acquiring ultrasound images include artifacts such as reverbs and shadows. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings. BRIEF SUMMARY A system and/or method is provided for obtaining ultrasound scans with artifact reduction by movement detection, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims. These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the present disclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the following description and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary ultrasound system that is operable to obtain ultrasound images with shadow and reverb reduction by movement detection, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 2 provides an illustration of an ultrasound image and a schematic, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 3 is an example illustration 400 of ultrasound images 410 430 including artifacts, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 4 is an example illustration of a sequence of ultrasound images including artifacts, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 5 is an example illustration of a schematic depicting movement of artifacts, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 6 provides an example illustration of corrected ultrasound images, in accordance with various embodiments. FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps 802-810 that may be utilized for obtaining ultrasound images with artifact reduction by movement detection, in accordance with various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Certain embodiments may be found in a method and system for obtaining ultrasound scans with artifact reduction by movement detection. Aspects of the present disclosure have the technical effect of providing ultrasound images with improved quality by reducing artifacts such as shadows and reverbs. Various embodiments have the technical effect of detecting artifacts such as shadows and reverbs by measuring the movement of the acquisition and the movement of the artifacts in a sequence of ultrasound images obtained along an acquisition plane. Certain embodiments have the technical effect of correcting artifacts in ultrasound images by adjusting the gain of the artifacts, employing stitching methods, and/or border smoothing. Various embodiments have the technical effect of providing increased clarity and details in ultrasound images in real-time, thereby aiding in diagnosis using ultrasound images and decreasing ultrasound scanning time for patients in many situations. The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of certain embodiments will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. To the extent that the figures illustrate diagrams of the functional blocks of various embodiments, the functional blocks are not necessarily indicative of the division between hardware circuitry. Thus, for example, one or more of the functional blocks (e.g., processors or memories) may be implemented in a single piece of hardware (e.g., a general-purpose signal processor or a block of random access memory, hard disk, or the like) or multiple pieces of hardware. Similarly, the programs may be stand-alone programs, may be incorporated as subroutines in an operating system, may be functions in an installed software package, and the like. It should be understood that the various embodiments are not limited to the arrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the embodiments may be combined, or that other embodiments may be utilized, and that structural, logical, and electrical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the various embodiments. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the a