Abstract: A dispensing unit that sucks and discharges a blood specimen via a nozzle. A liquid level-measuring unit that measures the liquid level height. A serum volume-estimating unit that estimates the volume of the serum separated in the blood specimen, on the basis of the total blood volume, said total blood volume corresponding to the volume of the blood specimen and having been derived from the liquid level height, and a hematocrit value. A residual volume-estimating unit that calculates the volume of the serum remaining after suction, on the basis of the serum volume estimated by the serum volume-estimating unit and the volume of the serum that is going to be sucked by the dispensing unit. A controller that controls the suction procedure of the dispensing unit so that the estimated residual volume is not less than the desired volume of the serum to be left in the blood collection tube.

Abstract: A first ultrasound pulse is applied to biological tissue to create shear waves in the biological tissue, a focused ultrasound pulse is transmitted into the biological tissue, one or more ultrasound signals is received from the biological tissue, and shear waves are detected in the biological tissue based on the received one or more ultrasound signals. At least one propagation property associated with the detected shear waves is determined, and the determined at least one propagation property is displayed. A strain image is obtained by either acoustic radiation forces or mechanical compression, e.g., by an ultrasound probe. The strain image is then converted to a new shear wave velocity image by using a previously-obtained shear wave velocity image.

Abstract: A portable ultrasonic diagnostic device having a tilt function and turning function for a display panel, wherein a display housing provided with the display panel is supported on a main housing by a biaxial hinge mechanism in order to prevent damage or the like to each of the parts of the device. The biaxial hinge mechanism includes a tilt function for tilting the display housing about a horizontal tilt rotational shaft, and a turning function for turning the display housing about a vertical turning shaft. Provided to the tilt rotational shaft is a mechanism for restricting tilt rotation in the direction for closing the display housing in places other than a predetermined position in the direction of rotation of the turning shaft of the display housing, and releasing the restriction of the tilt rotation only at the predetermined position.

Abstract: In tomographic image data, a reference region-setting unit (30) sets a body reference region for the body of a fetus and sets a cardiac reference region for the heart of the fetus. A body shift analysis unit (50) analyzes the movement of the fetus' body in the tomographic image data using the body reference region and obtains body shift information. A cardiac motion analysis unit (60) analyzes the movement of the fetus' heart in the tomographic image data using the cardiac reference region and obtains cardiac motion information. Once body shift information and cardiac motion information are obtained in this manner, a pulse information-processing unit (70) obtains fetal pulse information on the basis of the cardiac motion information from which the body shift information has been subtracted. The pulse information obtained by the pulse information-processing unit (70) is displayed on the display unit (80).

Abstract: In order to provide technology for limiting the deterioration of hardware in a portable diagnostic ultrasound apparatus without increasing user workload, internal processing of the portable diagnostic ultrasound apparatus is controlled according to the opening or closing of the cover case in which the monitor is disposed. In particular, when the cover case is closed, not only is output of ultrasonic waves stopped but processing that is being executed inside the apparatus is appropriately terminated and the power is turned off. When so doing, processing that is being executed is interrupted and cancelled and processing that is waiting to be executed is cancelled. The cancelled information is stored in a storage device.

Abstract: In ultrasound images, there are many stationary echoes in the region superficial to the deep region comprising the heart. In the present invention, a HPF processing unit (20) filters frame data by applying a high pass filter, the characteristics of which have been set according to the depth in the frame, on the frame data at said depth. The high pass filter can be achieved, for example, with a digital filter and the characteristics of the high pass filter are adjusted by the filter-setting unit (22) setting the filter coefficient of said digital filter. That is to say, the filter coefficient in the HPF processing unit (20) is controlled by the filter-setting unit (22) so that the deeper the region, the higher the offset level is set.

Abstract: In order to reduce the variation of transmitting and receiving sensitivity among a plurality of CMUT cells, an ultrasound diagnostic device comprises: a plurality of CMUT cells each having a vibrating membrane that vibrates when ultrasound is transmitted to or received from a subject; an upper electrode and a lower electrode disposed facing each other on mutually opposite sides of each of the CMUT cells to apply a bias voltage to each of the CMUT cells by a bias power supply; and transmitting and receiving correction units for each correcting the voltage supplied from the bias power supply by using a function using at least one parameter of the thickness and resonance frequency of the vibrating membrane of each of the CMUT cells.

Abstract: To provide a fluid flow rate detection device which can be evaluated as adequate from a medical point of view. The velocity of a fluid flowing through a luminal organ in vivo is to be obtained. V?(r, ?)=w·V??+(1?w) V+? is calculated to obtain a calculated value V?(r, ?) of the flow rate regarding a component of the fluid in the direction perpendicular to the ultrasonic beam direction. Here, the weight w is a value proportional to the distance d from the wall on one side of the organ at least when the distance is smaller than a predetermined distance from the wall on the one side, and the weight is a value proportional to the distance d? from the wall on the other side of the organ at least when the distance is smaller than a predetermined distance from the wall on the one other side.

Abstract: The present invention comprises: capturing a medical image of a subject by an image-capturing unit; generating compressed image data by compressing on the basis of a plurality of pixels of uncompressed image data, where the uncompressed image data is image data of the captured medical image of the subject, by an image data compression unit; setting a search range of the compressed image data and also setting a search range of the uncompressed image data, by a search range setting unit; and setting a region of interest for the medical image on the basis of the search range of the uncompressed image data and the search range of the compressed image data, by a region-of-interest setting unit.

Abstract: In the diagnostic ultrasound apparatus, moving average processing is successively performed on a frame series with frame sets obtained from three kinds of frames, A, B, and C, as units, thereby successively generating compound frames. Each compound frame has a central sub-region and multiple peripheral sub-regions. In order to match the gain between the multiple sub-regions when generating each compound frame, a special compounding condition is applied to individual peripheral sub-regions. Specifically, processing that redundantly substitutes the same data value for multiple elements in the compounding computation equation is performed. Using such a spatial compounding, differences in gain between multiple sub-regions can be eliminated or reduced.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasonic diagnostic device that improves the frame rate (or volume rate), is resistant to movement, and is capable of constructing ultrasonic images at a high frame rate or a high volume rate. The ultrasonic diagnostic device comprises: a plurality of transducers arranged on an ultrasonic probe, that oscillate at the same time, and irradiate an ultrasonic beam on a subject; and an ultrasonic image generation unit that generates a first ultrasonic data as a result of the plurality of transducers oscillating at the same time and irradiating a first ultrasonic beam on the subject, generates a second ultrasonic data as a result of the plurality of transducers oscillating at the same time and irradiating a second ultrasonic beam on the subject, and generates an acoustic image on the basis of the first ultrasonic data and the second ultrasonic data.

Abstract: A mobile ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising: a battery; an adapter connection detection unit that detects the connection status of an AC adapter that supplies power to each constituent element of the device; and a processing determination unit (determination unit) that determines the processing for each constituent element on the basis of the connection status of the AC adapter. Each constituent element (a processing unit and constituent elements other than the processing unit) are processed on the basis of the processing determined by the processing determination unit (determination unit), and, as a result, the device can be safely used even if there is a possibility that power cannot be supplied from the battery.

Abstract: Some embodiments include acquisition of color Doppler data, detection of one or more transitions of the color Doppler data, each of the one or more transitions being between a first area representing flow velocity in a first direction and a second area representing flow velocity not in the first direction, and application of a first set of aliasing corrections to the color Doppler data to generate second color Doppler data. For each of the one or more transitions, a first energy function is calculated based on the one or more pairs of color Doppler values in the second color Doppler data, and a first total energy function associated with the first set of aliasing corrections is determined based on the calculated first energy functions. Next, a second total energy function associated with a second set of aliasing corrections is determined based on calculated second energy functions.

Abstract: In the present invention, a plurality of functions are allocated to respective rotary encoders (RE1 to RE5) from among numerous functions involved in ultrasonic diagnosis, and each of the rotary encoders selectively targets for operation each of the allocated plurality of functions. Names for the plurality of functions allocated to each of the rotary encoders are displayed as a bundle within respectively corresponding function menus (FM1 to FM5). Within each of the function menus, the name of the function that is currently being targeted for operation is given a special display mode. For example, the function menu (FM1) displays BbH and AIP, which are the names for two functions allocated to the rotary encoder (RE1), the lower AIP being displayed at a lower brightness than the higher BbH, to explicitly show that the current target for operation is BbH.

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: 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: In ultrasonic imaging, a physically consistent value of blood flow velocity is measured in the vicinity of body tissues. The ultrasound imaging apparatus comprises a shape extraction part for recognizing shape data of biological tissues by using echo signals reflected from a test subject irradiated with ultrasonic waves, a flow velocity distribution acquisition part for detecting blood flow velocities in the vicinity of the tissues from the echo signals, and a velocity determination part for extracting velocity information desired by a tester (objective velocity information). The velocity determination part sets a model of the objective blood flow, and determines a velocity of actually measured velocity distribution consistent with velocity distribution estimated from the model.

Abstract: Blood flow information is used to reduce noise manifest in blood vessel ultrasound B-mode images. A blood flow signal is obtained by a flow detector. After wall filtering, only the flow signal power in the blood vessel lumen remains, while signal power from stationary tissue region is suppressed. The flow signal component is used to calculate a flow component parameter that is used to generate a gain control signal ? that reduces noise in a B-mode image.

Abstract: A trace guide (TG) that has been set within a manual trace reference cross-section (58) is illustrated with a dashed line. The trace guide (TG) is obtained from three-dimensional contour information based on already-completed manual tracing of a first sheet. Therefore, the user draws a trace line (TL) corresponding to the contour of target tissue on a second sheet of the manual trace reference cross-section (58) while referring to the trace guide (TG) and also checking a tomographic image of the target tissue within the manual trace reference cross-section (58). The user may: draw the trace line (TL) in full; use apart of the trace guide (TG) without alteration as the trace line (TL) and correct the remaining part to serve as the trace line (TL); or use the trace guide (TG) without alteration as the trace line (TL).

Abstract: Provided is a medicinal agent for medical applications, which can act on the function of a target cell specifically. The medicinal agent for medical applications comprises: a cell-incorporated substance that can be incorporated into a target cell specifically; and an acting substance that can act on the function of the target cell and is bound to the cell-incorporated substance.