Abstract: A method and a method for determining flow speed based on photoacoustic imaging or sensing. The method includes receiving multiple photoacoustic signals from a sample in response to transmission of multiple laser pulses of different wavelengths to the sample, and processing the photoacoustic signals based on a flow model that relates photoacoustic signals with flow speed to determine a flow speed of a liquid flow in the sample.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes ultrasound systems and methods configured to determine the elasticity of a target tissue. Systems can include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echoes responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward the tissue, which may include a region of increased stiffness. Systems can also include a beamformer configured to control the transducer to transmit a push pulse into the tissue, thereby generating a shear wave in the region of increased stiffness. The beamformer can be configured to control the transducer to emit tracking pulses adjacent to the push pulse. Systems can further include a processor configured to determine a displacement amplitude of the shear wave and based on the amplitude, generate a qualitative tissue elasticity map of the tissue. The processor can combine the qualitative map with a quantitative map of the same tissue, and based on the combination, determine a boundary of the region of increased stiffness.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system and method includes acquiring low-resolution volume data with an ultrasound probe during the process of acquiring high-resolution slice data of a plane with the ultrasound probe. The ultrasound imaging system and method includes displaying an ultrasound image on a display device based on the high-resolution slice data, generating a low-resolution volume based on the low-resolution volume data, and implementing, with a processor, a neural network to calculate guidance information based on the low-resolution volume. The ultrasound imaging system and method includes automatically performing an action with the processor based on the guidance information.

Abstract: A device and method for a trackable suction tool in surgical use. A trackable suction tool involves a tubular handle with a main tube and an entrance tube extending from the main tube, a flattened section of the main tube with a suction-regulating orifice, a tip coupled with the main tube distal end and a tracking mechanism coupled with a handle proximal end. A method of tracking position of a trackable suction device involves attaching a tip to a handle in one of a plurality of fixed positions, attaching a tracking mechanism to the handle in one of a plurality of fixed positions, calibrating the position of the tip with a positional tracking system using the tracking mechanism, positioning the tracking markers in view of the positional tracking system, and tracking a position of the distal end of the tip of the suction device.

Abstract: A method and device are for generating and displaying a map of a brain operating field, brain tissue areas associated with a stimulated brain function being marked in the map. In the method, during a measurement cycle a stimulation of a brain function is effected and a stimulation image of the brain operating field with the stimulated brain function is recorded, a reference image without the stimulated brain function is recorded, the stimulation image and the reference image are used to generate the map, and the map is displayed on a display. A plurality of cycles are performed. A new map is generated after each cycle following the first cycle. In order to generate the new map, the stimulation and reference images of one or more preceding cycles are used besides the images recorded in the cycle just carried out. At least the new map is displayed after each cycle.

Abstract: An insert includes: a puncture needle main body which has an opening at a tip and is formed in a hollow shape and of which at least a tip portion is inserted into a subject; an optical fiber that is provided in a hollow portion of the puncture needle main body along a length direction of the puncture needle main body; and a photoacoustic wave generation unit that is provided at a light emission end of the optical fiber which is disposed on a tip side of the puncture needle main body, absorbs light emitted from the light emission end, and generates photoacoustic waves. A through-hole is formed in a wall portion forming the hollow portion and the photoacoustic wave generation unit is fixed to the through-hole.

Abstract: The present invention provides a magnetic monitoring system for imaging, monitoring, scanning or mapping for brain or heart activity of subjects including children and adults, the system comprising of a magnetoencephalographic or magnetocardiographic system incorporating SQUID sensors for measuring brain activity or heart activity, the system including a plurality of Dewar helmets of variable sizes and shapes; and a plurality of monitoring interfaces; wherein the sensor system helmet is moveable by horizontal Dewar rotation. The sensor system includes configurations where the size and shape of helmets in the system may be different to accommodate different sized subjects for monitoring simultaneously.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices are provided for assisting or performing guided interventional procedures using. The system uses pre-procedure scans of a patient's anatomy to identify targets and critical structures. A measurement device containing position indicating elements or fiducials is placed in a pre-existing or physician created conduit or lumen whose geometry is known from a scan. During a procedure, the pre-procedure scans may be registered to the patient using the position indicating elements or fiducials and the geometry of the conduit. This registration may be used in an intervention to guide instruments that can obtain diagnostic information or provide therapy to the identified targets. During the procedure, the position indicating elements may be used to dynamically compensate for motion to further improve accuracy.

Abstract: Methods, systems and devices for estimating the position and orientation of an invasive surgical devices, for example, a catheter guidewire or endoscope, surgical catheter, or self-guided electrophysiology catheter, relative to a reference frame, are described. An example system comprises one or more permanent magnets mounted on the surgical device, a plurality of magnetometer sensors at fixed location providing a reference frame that are configured to perform magnetic field measurements of the direct current superposition field of the permanent magnets, and computational means for receiving the input signals and calculating the position and orientation of the permanent magnets mounted on the surgical device.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a surgical robot system may include an end-effector element configured for controlled movement and positioning and tracking of surgical instruments and objects relative to an image of a patient's anatomical structure. In some embodiments the end-effector and instruments may be tracked by surgical robot system and displayed to a user. In some embodiments, tracking of a target anatomical structure and objects, both in a navigation space and an image space, may be provided by a dynamic reference base located at a position away from the target anatomical structure.

Abstract: An ultrasound system including an ultrasound machine and an ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe includes an ultrasound transducer, ultrasound circuitry, a six degree of freedom (6-DOF) sensor, and a probe housing. The probe housing encases the ultrasound transducer and the 6-DOF sensor. By embedding motion-sensing technology directly within the housing of the ultrasound transducer, the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe can be tracked in an automated manner in relation to an indicator mark on the ultrasound screen. This allows assisting technologies to mitigate human error that arises from misalignment of the transducer indicator.

Abstract: An intraluminal ultrasound imaging device includes a flexible elongate member configured to be inserted into a body lumen of a patient, the flexible elongate member comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion. The device also includes an ultrasound scanner assembly disposed at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member. The ultrasound scanner assembly includes a flexible substrate; a transducer region positioned on the flexible substrate; and a control region positioned on the flexible substrate, wherein the transducer region and the control region are radially arranged relative to one another. Associated devices, systems, and methods are also described.

Abstract: Various cranial surgery OSS registration device embodiments of the present disclosure encompass a cranial surgery facial mask (128), a mask optical shape sensor (126b) having a mask registration shape extending internally within the cranial surgery facial mask (128) and/or externally traversing the cranial surgery facial mask (128), a cranial surgery tool (101), and a tool optical shape sensor (126d) having a tool registration shape extending internally within the cranial surgery tool (101) and/or externally traversing the cranial surgery tool (101). The mask registration shape of the mask optical shape sensor (126b) and the tool registration shape of the tool optical shape sensor (126d) interactively define a spatial registration of the cranial surgery facial mask (128) and the cranial surgery facial mask (128) and the cranial surgery tool (101) to a cranial image.

Abstract: A system useful for performing ultrasound elastography of organs such as the liver allows efficient and robust data acquisition. The system may be applied to perform real-time, noninvasive ultrasound imaging of the liver in humans. Steady-state, shear wave absolute elastography is used to measure the Young's modulus of the liver tissue. This method involves the use of an external exciter or vibrator to shake the tissue and generate a shear wave. Accurate placement of an ultrasound transducer facilitates measurement of the tissue motion due to the shear wave. The stiffness of tissues in the region being imaged may be computed from the measured tissue motions. The following innovations address both vibrator and transducer placement, as well as some specific methods to ensure adequate wave propagation, in order to obtain accurate and consistent measurements.

Abstract: Provided herein are methods for in-vivo assessment of intraventricular flow shear stress, risk of hemolysis, also the location and extent of blood flow stasis regions and inside a cardiac chamber or blood vessel. Also provided herein are systems for performing such methods. Also provided herein are methods for assessing hemolysis and/or thrombosis risk in patients implanted with an LVAD. LVAD positioning and/or speed may be adjusted based on the results obtained by using methods described herein, and the risk for hemolysis and/or thrombosis can be minimized.

Abstract: System and method for shear wave elasticity imaging perform a) acquiring B-mode ultrasound images of a target region; b) selecting a region of interest; c) transmitting a shear wave excitation pulse; d) measuring displacements of tracking focal points or depth ranges at different depths positions along each of laterally staggered tracking lines within the selected region of interest; e) determining a curve representing displacement of tissue as a function of time at different spatial locations within the region of interest; f) determining for spatial locations candidate time(s) of arrival of the shear wave at the spatial location as a function of the curve; g) finding linear functional relation between the time of arrival and the spatial coordinate in the lateral direction using Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm; and h) determining the inverse of velocity of the shear wave in a spatial location as the angular coefficient of the linear function.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and computer-readable media for navigating to and interacting with a region of interest during a respiratory cycle of a patient. An exemplary system includes a percutaneous tool, a plurality of patient sensors disposed on the patient, a tracking module configured to determine location and motion data of the plurality of patient sensors and a tool coupled to the percutaneous tool, a display device, and a computing device configured to receive a plurality of images of the patient's body, receive the location and motion data determined by the tracking module, generate a model of the interior of the patient, determine likely movement of the interior of the patient, the percutaneous tool, and the region of interest throughout the respiratory cycle, and cause the display device to display a graphical user interface including a window for depicting movement throughout the respiratory cycle.

Abstract: Markers for use in bodily tissue take a variety of forms, and may include a plurality of ultrasound reflective elements, for example hollow shells filled with air, and a hydrogel that binds the ultrasound reflective elements. The hydrogel may be natural or artificial and may be cross-linked. An ultrasound system advantageously injects variance in a drive signal, that varies a frequency or phase of an ultrasound interrogation signal from a nominal frequency or nominal phase. The amount of variation is preferable one to six orders of magnitude less than the nominal frequency or phase. The ultrasound system can present or detect a twinkling artifact at least in a Doppler mode of operation, resulting from interaction of the varying interrogation signal with the ultrasound reflective elements.

Abstract: A bending neck for an articulating ultrasound probe has a variable configuration whereby different sections of the bending neck can be bent into different curvatures. In one implementation a rigid member is extended into the bending neck, setting the deflection point for a section of the bending neck at the end of the rigid member. In another implementation the links of the bending neck have different lengths, causing different sections to have different radii of maximum curvature. In another implementation the bending neck is encased in a sheath which exhibits regions of different durometer, thickness, or spacing of points of attachment to the bending neck.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an image data acquisition unit and a template data acquisition unit. The image data acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of image data generated by performing a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations on a subject while changing an ultrasonic wave transmission and reception mode. The template data acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of template data corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations, respectively. The similarity information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a similarity between an image value sequence of the plurality of pieces of image data at a target position and a template data sequence of the plurality of pieces of template data at the target position.