Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus having a continuous wave Doppler mode. A line switching section is provided between an array transducer and a unit which has a CW transmission section and a CW reception section, for changing a transmitting and receiving aperture pattern. When a first transmitting and receiving aperture pattern is set on the array transducer, a first aperture functions as a transmitting aperture and a second aperture functions as a receiving aperture. When a second transmitting and receiving aperture pattern is set on the array transducer, the second aperture functions as a transmitting aperture and a first aperture functions as a receiving aperture. The patterns are switched whenever predetermined amount of time has elapsed after a prescribed event such as a pattern change, resumption of continuous wave reception, and so on. As such, localized heat generation or deterioration on the array transducer can be prevented.

Abstract: An X-ray CT scanner performs CT imaging twice on a single imaging site such that respiratory phases relative to rotation of a measuring unit (X-ray generator and X-ray detector) are inverted with respect to each other. For determining a start time of the second CT imaging, a respiration cycle and the like are calculated according to projection data acquired by the first CT imaging. Further, sinograms 70a and 70b are generated, on each of which sets of projection data acquired from each CT imaging are arranged in the order of rotational angles. Subsequently, a corrected sinogram is generated in which sets of data fluctuated portions b and f attributable to respiration in the first sinogram 70a are replaced with data of the corresponding portions in the second sinogram 70b. Finally, a tomographic image is generated on the basis of the corrected sinogram.

Abstract: An ultrasonic beam (40) for echo tracking is formed for a healthy portion (52a) of a bone (50) containing healthy portions (52a, 52b) and a fractured portion (54). Echo tracking processing is executed over the state where a load F is not applied to the bone (50) and the state where the load F is applied to the bone (50) so as to calculate a distortion amount of the bone (50) accompanying the load F via the ultrasonic beam (40) formed for the healthy portion (52a). The state of union of the fractured portion (54) is evaluated in accordance with the distortion amount obtained via the healthy portion (52a).

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which can measure a time difference of motion between a plurality of sites of a cardiac muscle for the heart of a fetus is provided. On a tomographic image of the heart, a user sets a plurality of observation points. Each observation point is tracked, and a plurality of displacement waveforms representing a temporal displacement of the plurality of observation points are generated. A time difference between a plurality of representative points is calculated between the plurality of displacement waveforms. Such a time difference is displayed as a numerical value or as a graph. The representative point is a peak point, a zero-cross point, an inflection point, or the like. The plurality of observation points are set along conduction pathways in the heart for the electric signal.

Abstract: A novel nucleoside triphosphate derivative, a nucleic acid probe, and a multilabeled nucleic acid probe that can detect a target nucleic acid conveniently and with high sensitivity, as well as a method for producing the multilabeled nucleic acid probe, and a method for detecting a target nucleic acid using the multilabeled nucleic acid probe or the nucleic acid probe. A target nucleic acid can be detected conveniently and with high sensitivity by using a transglutaminase (TGase), and by using a multilabeled nucleic acid probe in which a plurality of labeling portions have been introduced in advance by covalent binding, or by introducing a plurality of labeling portions by covalent binding into a nucleic acid probe that has been hybridized with the target nucleic acid.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus which performs ultrasonic diagnosis with respect of a fetal heart. An area change measurement section calculates an area of a specific heart chamber (left ventricle) in the fetal heart in frame units. Further, the area change measurement section generates a graph representing the area which is calculated in frame units. The maximum value and the minimum value are specified in the graph to thereby specify end-diastole and end-systole. Based on this information, a heart rate and a cardiac cycle with regard to the fetal heart are calculated. Further, an ejection fraction is also calculated from an end-diastolic area and an end-systolic area.

Abstract: A mounting unit (16) is aligned by using a mounting unit frame (58) touching the thigh and a knee-contacting portion (62) touching the knee, with the knee being bent. The mounting unit is also equipped with a probe support frame (60) used for moving an ultrasonic probe along the knee cap. The probe support frame moves rotationally about the mechanical center of the knee joint, thereby allowing the ultrasonic probe (78) to move along the knee cap while facing toward the mechanical center of the knee joint and to perform scanning of an ultrasonic beam.

Abstract: CT imaging is performed twice (S1101), which is set as the normal number of rotations, and a sinogram is corrected (S1102) based on the sinogram obtained by performing CT imaging twice. Since the cycles of data variation caused by respiration are controlled so as not to overlap one another, usually the data variations caused by respiration are eliminated by performing CT imaging twice. However, depending on irregularity in the respiration cycle of the subject, data variation components sometimes overlap at the same angle in spite of the fact that the cycles of data variation caused by respiration are controlled so as not to overlap one another. Therefore, when data variation components remain overlapped at the same angle, CT imaging is performed one additional time (S1104) and the sinogram is corrected (S1102) using the sinogram obtained by performing the additional CT imaging.

Abstract: Provided is a bone inspecting system for placing the lower legs (L) of an examinee (P) on a proximal support block (26) and a distal support block (28) mounted on a turning base (24). The proximal support block supports the heads of fibula, and the distal support block supports the lateral malleolus or medial malleolus of a tibial distal end of the examinee. The turning base is supported turnably on a turning axis positioned near the knees of the examinee, with respect to a main base (22), and is moved up and down by an elevating mechanism (30) disposed near the ankles. The turning base (24) is turned by the elevating mechanism while bearing the lower legs thereon, thereby positioning the lower legs horizontally.

Abstract: An acoustic matching device has a water bag (64) that contains water and a water bag support frame (66) that sandwiches and supports the water bag on the left and right sides of the knee and curves along the knee cap. The water bag becomes a plate shape curved along the shape of the water bag support frame, which touches the knee cap and fits the unevenness of the knee. When an ultrasonic probe is moved along the knee cap, the acoustic matching between the knee cap and the ultrasonic probe is obtained.

Abstract: A surface point tracked by an echo tracking processor unit for each ultrasonic beam is a tracking point. A strain measurement unit measures an amount of strain of a bone based on the surface points. A delay time measurement unit measures a time for the amount of strain of the bone to reach a return reference value, corresponding to a state before a load is applied, after the load is first applied to the bone and then removed.

Abstract: A free-moving piece (jellyfish sign) having a high probability of separation in the near future in an unstable plaque is clearly displayed. Ultrasonic tomographic images (25) of a cross section including an axis of the carotid artery are successively obtained. Using a threshold value which sets a surface (48) of the unstable plaque as a boundary between brightness and darkness, the plurality of ultrasonic tomographic images (25) are binarized. A difference is calculated between corresponding pixels of two binarized ultrasonic tomographic images so that a free-moving piece (52) is extracted and displayed overlapped over the ultrasonic tomographic image (25).

Abstract: An ultrasonic volume data processing device which forms a three-dimensional image of a target tissue in a living body is provided. A range in which a rendering process is applied is limited by a three-dimensional region of interest (3D-ROI). The three-dimensional region of interest has a clipping plane as a rendering start surface. A shape of the clipping plane can be deformed into a convex shape or a concave shape by a user operation, and the clipping plane may be freely inclined in two-dimensional directions. With this configuration, for example, the clipping plane can be suitably positioned in a gap between a face of a fetus and a placenta. When the curved clipping plane is used, a striped pattern noise tends to be formed in the three-dimensional image. In order to resolve or reduce the striped pattern noise, a special voxel calculation is applied to a final voxel of each ray in the voxel calculation for each ray.

Abstract: Medical diagnostic instruments and systems are provided that include (i) a proximal handle configured and dimensioned to permit an operator to manually grasp the instrument; (ii) an ultrasound probe including a longitudinal shaft extending distally from the handle and terminating in a distal end, and an ultrasound transducer mounted with respect to the longitudinal shaft proximate the distal end thereof, the ultrasound transducer including an array of ultrasonic energy generation elements; and (iii) a tactile feeler probe mounted with respect to the ultrasound probe, the tactile feeler probe including a longitudinal shaft mounted with respect to the longitudinal shaft of the ultrasound probe and extending distally beyond the distal end thereof, and a feeler probe tip (e.g., a ball tip) defined at a distal end of the longitudinal shaft of the tactile feeler probe. Advantageous methods for use of the disclosed instruments and systems are also provided, e.g.

Abstract: A finite impulse response filter is implemented as a sum of individual component, running-sum filters. The sum of all of the component filters required for a desired filter response is calculated in an accumulator and only the component filters' update terms, which are the difference between a new and an old discarded sample, is calculated for each component filter. A desired impulse response is decomposed into a sum of rectangular impulse responses of equal height, each of which implemented as a running sum requiring a subtraction and an addition. Using circuits running at a multiple of the sampling clock, multiple running sums may be implemented on the same hardware. A whole filter of arbitrary impulse response shapes and lengths may be implemented using memory and two arithmetic units. Two or more such filters may be cascaded to obtain a better approximation of the desired frequency characteristic. The invention saves significant chip resources and manufacturing costs.

Abstract: A 2D array transducer (10) is separated into a plurality of sub-arrays. Four representative sub-arrays SA1 to SA4 are shown in an enlarged manner. In addition, the 2D array transducer (10) is segmented into a plurality of transducer regions. Four regions of (I)-(IV) segmented by dot-and-chain lines represent four transducer regions. A grouping process is executed for each sub-array to group the plurality of transducer elements belonging to the sub-array into a plurality of element groups. In this process, for each transducer region, a common grouping pattern is set for the plurality of sub-arrays belonging to the transducer region. For example, because sub-arrays SA1 and SA2 belong to the same transducer region (IV), a common grouping pattern is set for the sub-arrays SA1 and SA2.

Abstract: A 2D array transducer 10 is separated into a plurality of sub-arrays. Four representative sub-arrays from SA1 to SA4 are shown in an enlarged manner. In addition, the 2D array transducer (10) is segmented into a plurality of transducer regions. Four regions of (I)-(IV) segmented by dot-and-chain lines represent four transducer regions. For each sub-array, a delay process corresponding to the sub-array is executed based on a delay pattern defining an amount of delay for each of the plurality of transducer elements belonging to the sub-array. In this process, for each transducer region, a common delay pattern is set for the plurality of sub-arrays belonging to the transducer region. For example, because sub-arrays SA1 and SA2 belong to the same transducer region (IV), a common delay pattern is set for the sub-arrays SA1 and SA2.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of transducer units which are two-dimensionally arranged to transmit/receive an ultrasonic wave to/from hard tissue; a transceiver unit which receives an echo signal for each transducer unit from the plurality of transducer units; a surface point specifying unit which specifies a surface point corresponding to a surface of the hard tissue for each echo signal; and a form data generator unit which generates form data of hard tissue surface on the basis of a plurality of surface points obtained two-dimensionally from the echo signals of the plurality of transducer units.

Abstract: A pre-memory 14 stores a plurality of sets of tomographic image data in a time-series order. A virtual period setting unit 22 calculates a virtual period relating to an object based on the tomographic image data stored in the pre-memory 14. A base image searching unit 24 searches for base images from the tomographic image data using the virtual period. A division basis setting unit 26 sets division bases according to the base images within an image string constituted of tomographic image data. A reconfiguration processing unit 20 uses the respective base images as boundaries for the division to divide the tomographic image data stored in the pre-memory 14 into a plurality of image groups. Then, data blocks of tomographic images which correspond to one another on a periodic basis are sequentially extracted from the respective image groups, and are stored in a post-memory 28.

Abstract: An echo tracking processor unit detects a bone surface section based on an echo signal and tracks a position of the bone surface section. An interpolation line generator unit generates an interpolation line connecting tracking points which represent the tracked bone surface section. A translational displacement corrector unit removes a translational displacement component between an interpolation line corresponding to a time phase of a no-load state stored in a memory and an interpolation line corresponding to a time phase in a loaded state output from the interpolation line generator unit. A strain calculator unit calculates an amount of strain of bone for each time phase and outputs to a characteristic curve generator unit. The characteristic curve generator unit generates a characteristic curve related to the strain of bone based on a load value output from a load measurement device and the amount of strain of bone output from the strain calculator unit.