B-Flow Extends A vantages of B-mode

Using GE’s proprietary Digitally Encoded Ultrasound (DEU) technology available on the LOGIQ 700 System, B-Flow provides direct visualization of blood echoes extending the wideband resolution, high frame rates and wide dynamic range of B-mode to simultaneous imaging of blood flow and tissue. The result is exceptional spatial, temporal and contrast resolution in blood-flow and vessel wall display, which may improve diagnostic confidence in the evaluation of complex heamodynamics, permit earlier detection of peripheral vascular disease, and potentially providing more clinical information than other imaging modalities.

How B-Flow Works

B-Flow harnesses the DEU’s ability to enhance weak signals and to suppress unwanted echoes. As illustrated in Figure, the DEU beamformer consists of a transmit encoder and a receive decoder in addition to the array focussing electronics. B-Flow uses a GE-patented technique called Coded Excitation to send coded pulse sequences into the body. It then decodes the returning signals to enhance sensitivity to weak signals, and to suppress non-moving tissue signals.

The rest of the data processing is essentially the same as in conventional B-mode. To form a two-dimensional B-Flow image, the B-mode processor accumulates the decoded and processed signals from the transducer array, re-formats them into a pixel display - a process known as scan conversion - and produces an intensity mapping of the resultant data, using B-mode’s finely graded gray scale.

Benefits over Colourflow and B-mode

• B-Flow offers a number of advantages over conventional imaging techiques.

• Compared to conventional colour techniques, B-Flow delivers superior spatial resolution and frame rate, allowing far better appreciation of haemodynamics.

• B-Flow is much less dependent on the user or scanning angle. There is no need to manipulate complex colour control parameters such as packet size, wall filters, and colour write-priority threshold - in fact, the vessel-wall overwriting problem is completely eliminated as B-Flow is not an overlay technique.

• Although Doppler processing can clearly provide valuable diagnostic information in terms of detecting blood flow, it’s susceptible to such limitations as aliasing, signal dropout at orthogonal detection angles, and wall-filter limitations. As a B-mode imaging technique, B-Flow provides direct visualization of blood echoes without these limitations.

Summary

• B-Flow is a new digital imaging technique that provides real-time visualization of vascular haemodynamics by directly visualizing blood reflectors and presenting this information in a grayscale display.

• B-Flow uses GE-patented Digitally Encoded Ultrasound techniques to boost blood echoes, and to preferentially suppress non-moving tissue signals.