Ultrasound imaging system having automatic image presentation

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system includes an interventional medical device having a first tracking element that generates tip location data based on an EM locator field. An ultrasound probe has an ultrasound transducer mechanism and a second tracking element. The ultrasound transducer mechanism has an active ultrasound transducer array that generates two-dimensional ultrasound slice data at any of a plurality of discrete imaging locations within a three-dimensional imaging volume. The second tracking element generates probe location data based on the EM locator field. A processor circuit is configured to execute program instructions to generate an ultrasound image for display, and is configured to generate a positioning signal based on the tip location data and the probe location data to dynamically position the active ultrasound transducer array so that the two-dimensional ultrasound slice data includes the distal tip of the interventional medical device.

1 - 23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . A method of operating an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
 acquiring a position of a first tracking element associated with an interventional medical device;   acquiring a position of a second tracking element associated with an ultrasound probe;   determining an ultrasound imaging plane position of the ultrasound probe based on the position of the second tracking element;   determining an offset distance between the position of first tracking element of the interventional medical device and the ultrasound plane position; and   driving an ultrasound transducer mechanism to position an active ultrasound transducer array of the ultrasound probe at a determined point of convergence as defined by the offset distance.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , the first tracking element being associated with a distal tip of the interventional medical device, the method comprising:
 determining whether the distal tip of the interventional medical device is presently located outside a three-dimensional imaging volume defined by the ultrasound probe; and   generating a visual prompt to prompt the user to move a head portion of the ultrasound probe in a particular direction to a general location such that the distal tip of the interventional medical device resides in the three-dimensional imaging volume of the ultrasound probe.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the ultrasound transducer mechanism includes:
 a motion unit arranged to perform linear movement and configured to effect rotational-to-linear translation conversion;   a one-dimensional ultrasound transducer array as the active ultrasound transducer array, the one-dimensional ultrasound transducer array being connected to the motion unit for movement in unison with the motion unit; and   the motion unit including a stepper motor having a rotatable shaft rotated by a rotational amount corresponding to the offset distance, the rotatable shaft being drivably coupled to the carriage, wherein the carriage converts a rotation of the rotatable shaft of the stepper motor to a translation of the one-dimensional ultrasound transducer array to position the one-dimensional ultrasound transducer array at the determined point of convergence.   
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the transducer mechanism includes a two-dimensional ultrasound transducer array having a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows of ultrasound transducer elements arranged in a matrix pattern, wherein one row of the plurality of rows of discrete ultrasound transducer elements is selected as the active ultrasound transducer array based on the offset distance to position the active ultrasound transducer array at the point of convergence. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the interventional medical device is one of a catheter, a lesion crossing catheter, a guide wire, a sheath, an angioplasty balloon, a stent delivery catheter, and a needle. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising:
 scanning the active ultrasound transducer array over at least a portion of the three-dimensional imaging volume; and   repeatedly actuating the active ultrasound transducer array during the scanning to generate a plurality of sequential two-dimensional ultrasound data slices which are combined to form three-dimensional ultrasound volumetric data from which a three-dimensional ultrasound image is generated.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising:
 operating the active ultrasound transducer array to generate multiple sets of ultrasound image data corresponding to a particular location; and   summing the multiple sets of ultrasound image data to generate composite ultrasound image data.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising:
 attaching a third tracking element to a patient;   energizing the third tracking element with an EM field to generate six-axis patient location data; and   adjusting a position of the active ultrasound transducer array of the ultrasound transducer mechanism of the ultrasound probe in response to any motion of the patient.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , comprising:
 defining a desired image plane in the three-dimensional ultrasound volumetric data; and   generating at least one synthetic scan plane corresponding to the desired image plane.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the desired image plane is one of a coronal scan plane and an axial scan plane. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 29 , comprising:
 determining a region of interest in the three-dimensional ultrasound volumetric data defining the three-dimensional imaging volume; and   reducing the scan range of the active ultrasound transducer array of the ultrasound transducer mechanism for acquisition of subsequent three-dimensional ultrasound volumetric data at the region of interest from that of the scan range of the previous scan.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 29 , comprising:
 generating a first two-dimensional ultrasound image slice from a series of two-dimensional ultrasound image slices in the three-dimensional ultrasound volumetric data, the first two-dimensional ultrasound image slice including a particular region of interest, the first two-dimensional ultrasound image slice lying in a first imaging plane different from that of the imaging plane of the series of two-dimensional ultrasound image slices; and   providing at least one slice selection slider configured to provide a sequential parallel variation from the first two-dimensional ultrasound image slice to manually select a second two-dimensional ultrasound image slice parallel to the first two-dimensional ultrasound image, wherein the second two-dimensional ultrasound image slice lies on either side of the first two-dimensional ultrasound image slice.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the particular region of interest includes the distal tip of the interventional medical device. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the at least one slice selection slider includes a sagittal slice selection slider and the first imaging plane is a sagittal plane. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the at least one slice selection slider includes a coronal slice selection slider and the first imaging plane is a coronal plane. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 24 , comprising adjusting an orientation of the ultrasound image that is displayed on a display screen such that a vertical top of acquired ultrasound image data is always rendered as “up” on the display screen relative to the position of the patient, and regardless of the actual orientation of the ultrasound probe relative to the patient. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the ultrasound image is a two-dimensional ultrasound image. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the ultrasound image is a three-dimensional ultrasound image. 
     
     
         42 . A method of operating an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
 acquiring a position of a first tracking element associated with an interventional medical device;   acquiring a position of a second tracking element associated with an ultrasound probe;   determining an ultrasound imaging plane position of the ultrasound probe based on the position of the second tracking element;   determining an offset distance between the position of the first tracking element of the interventional medical device and the ultrasound plane position; and   using the offset distance to dynamically control at least one ultrasound imaging setting of the ultrasound imaging system in near real time.   
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the at least one ultrasound imaging setting includes ultrasound focus, such that a lateral resolution is optimized at a depth that contains the interventional medical device. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the at least one ultrasound imaging setting includes a depth setting, such that a depth of imaging is automatically adjusted to match a depth of the interventional medical device. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the at least one ultrasound imaging setting includes zoom, wherein an imaging window can be “zoomed” such that a larger view of an area of interest is automatically displayed to the user.