Abstract: The following relates generally to ensuring patient safety while operating a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine. Many MRI systems operate using: fiber optic cables to carry signals, electrically conductive cables to carry other signals, and radio frequency (RF) coils to create an electromagnetic field. Typically, the electrically conductive cables and RF coils do not interact in a way that causes harm to a patient. However, certain shapes and/or lengths of cables exhibit the phenomenon of “resonance” that increases their propensity to concentrate RF currents induced by the RF coils. This may increase the temperature of the cable or other component in the MRI system leading to patient harm. The methods disclosed herein provide a solution to this by sensing a shape of the fiber optic cable and determining if the fiber optic cable will exhibit resonance. If it is determined that resonance may potentially occur, an alarm may be generated or a radio frequency amplifier may be interlocked.

Abstract: A method and system for determining a location of a treatment element relative to an anatomical feature and for estimating contact between the treatment element and the anatomical feature in the context of a navigation system. The system may include a medical device including at least one treatment element and at least one navigation electrode and a navigation system in communication with the one or more navigation electrodes, the navigation system including a processing unit. The processing unit may be programmed to determine a plurality of points that define a surface geometry of the at least one treatment element, calculate a distance between each of the points and a closest point on the anatomical feature, and estimate the likelihood of contact between the points.

Abstract: A C-arm, or a mobile intensifier device, is one example of a medical imaging device that is based on X-ray technology. Because a C-arm device can display high-resolution X-ray images in real time, a physician can monitor progress at any time during an operation, and thus can take appropriate actions based on the displayed images. Monitoring the images, however, is often challenging during certain procedures, for instance during procedures in which attention must be paid to the patient's anatomy as well as a medical imaging device display. In an example, a surgical instrument assembly includes a processor, a surgical instrument configured to operate on an anatomical structure, and a display coupled to the processor and attached to the surgical instrument. The display can be configured to display visual information comprising X-ray images generated by a medical imaging device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasonic probe in which a supporting member is provided with a buffer unit to mitigate an outside impact. The ultrasonic probe includes a transducer rotatably provided, a shaft having the transducer mounted thereto, and a supporting member rotatably supporting the shaft, wherein the supporting member is provided with a buffer unit to mitigate an outside impact.

Abstract: Devices for therapeutic nasal neuromodulation and associated systems and methods are disclosed herein. A system for therapeutic neuromodulation in a nasal region configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology can include, for example, a shaft and a therapeutic element at a distal portion of the shaft. The shaft can locate the distal portion intraluminally at a target site inferior to a patient's sphenopalatine foramen. The therapeutic element can include an energy delivery element configured to therapeutically modulate postganglionic parasympathetic nerves at microforamina of a palatine bone of the human patient for the treatment of rhinitis or other indications. In other embodiments, the therapeutic element can be configured to therapeutically modulate nerves that innervate the frontal, ethmoidal, sphenoidal, and maxillary sinuses for the treatment of chronic sinusitis.

Abstract: A received light signal of the measurement light which is reflected from the subject and is then incident on a distance image sensor is acquired from the distance image sensor and a distance image is generated on the basis of the acquired received light signal. The position of a leading end of a medical instrument inserted into the subject is acquired. A leading end position image indicating the position of the leading end of the medical instrument in the subject is acquired. A projection image which is projected to the subject and corresponds to a surface shape of a corresponding part of the subject corresponding to the position of the leading end is generated from the leading end position image, on the basis of the shape of the subject detected from the distance image and the position of the leading end. The projection image is projected to the corresponding part.

Abstract: Trackable apparatuses and methods involving at least one arrangement of at least one trackable feature configured for disposition in relation to at least one substrate, each arrangement of the at least one arrangement having a distinct pattern of trackable features configured to facilitate determining at least one of: an identity of at least one object and at least one subject, a disposition of at least one object and at least one subject, a disposition between at least one object and at least one subject, and a disposition among at least one object and at least one subject, and each arrangement of the at least one arrangement configured to optimize tracking by a navigation tracking system, whereby at least one spatial relationship among the at least one object and the at least one subject is optimizable. The navigation tracking system is optionally multi-modal.

Abstract: A diagnostic imaging catheter is disclosed which includes a drive shaft, of which a distal portion is provided with a signal transmitting and receiving unit, and which can be rotated; a sheath including a lumen into which the drive shaft is inserted such that the drive shaft can be moved forward and backward; a communicating hole which is provided in a distal portion of the sheath, and through which the inside and the outside of the sheath communicate with each other; and a valve body capable of opening and closing the communicating hole. The valve body is configured to be capable of switching between a closed state in which the communicating hole is covered and blocked with the valve body and an open state which the valve body enters by being moved to the outside of the sheath from the closed state, and in which the communicating hole is open.

Abstract: The present document relates to a method for generating a contrast enhancement map of a portion of a patient. The method comprises acquiring a magnetic resonance, MR, quantification sequence of the portion, wherein the MR quantification sequence comprises quantification information of a longitudinal R1 relaxation rate, R1, and proton density, PD, of the portion, generating an R1 map of the portion based on the MR quantification sequence, wherein a value of R1 for each voxel of the R1 map is determined, generating a PD map of the portion based on the MR quantification sequence, wherein a value of PD for each voxel of the PD map is determined, estimating a R1? map of the portion, based on the PD map and a predetermined relationship of R1 and PD of the portion, wherein an estimated value of R1 for each voxel of the R1? map is calculated, generating a delta R1 map based on the R1 map and the R1? map.

Abstract: A method for non-invasively resolving electrophysiological activity in sub-cortical structures located deep in the brain by comparing amplitude-insensitive M/EEG field patterns arising from activity in subcortical and cortical sources under physiologically relevant sparse constraints is disclosed. The method includes a sparse inverse solution for M/EEG subcortical source modeling. Specifically, the method employs a subspace-pursuit algorithm rooted in compressive sampling theory, performs a hierarchical search for sparse subcortical and cortical sources underlying the measurement, and estimates millisecond-scale currents in these sources to explain the data. The method can be used to recover thalamic and brainstem contributions to non-invasive M/EEG data, and to enable non-invasive study of fast timescale dynamical and network phenomena involving widespread regions across the human brain.

Abstract: A method and system for determining a target location for a medical device having complex geometry relative to an anatomical feature, and for navigating and positioning the medical device at the target location. The system may include a medical device including a treatment element having a centroid, one or more navigation electrodes, and a longitudinal axis and a navigation system in communication with the one or more navigation electrodes, the navigation system including a processing unit. The processing unit may be programmed to define a plane that approximates a surface of the anatomical feature, define a centroid of the anatomical feature, define a vector that is normal to the plane and extends away from the centroid of the anatomical feature, and determine a target location for the treatment element of the medical device based on the vector to assist the user in placing the device for treatment.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring and monitoring intracavitary tissue temperature. The system may include a catheter shaft with a circuit board disposed therein, the circuit board having an array of sensors disposed thereon. The catheter shaft may have an opening and an expandable structure surrounding the opening to provide a field of view of the intracavitary tissue for the array of sensors through the opening. The system may include a software-based programming system run on a computer such that a clinician may review information indicative of temperature of the intracavitary tissue, and be alerted if the temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Ultrasound signal processing circuitry and related apparatus and methods are described. Groups of signal samples corresponding to respective acquisitions performed by an ultrasound transducer array may be processed by being transformed to the Fourier domain and via the application of one or more weighting functions. The transformed groups of signals may be combined with one another in the Fourier domain to obtain a Fourier-compounded set of signals that may be used for image formation.