Abstract: A method and a device for analysis and display of blood flow information in the human or animal body are described. The method includes the following steps: a) providing a digital input data set including a time series of two or three dimensional velocity vector fields, wherein each velocity vector field represents the velocity of the blood flow within a blood vessel, especially of a heart chamber or part thereof, of a certain human or animal body within a certain time frame within one heart cycle, b) calculating a gradient vector field for each time frames from the time series of velocity vector fields; c) summing the gradients over the gradient vector field or a part thereof for each time frame to a summed gradient; and d) displaying and/or analyzing the summed gradients with reference to their space directions within the blood vessel.

Abstract: There is described a method and a system including a viewing application running on a user's device configured to create a user interface including a drawable region on the user's device, a server environment including a coordinator engine to receive requests for review sessions from the viewing application, and a review helper process, allocated to each review session by the coordinator engine. The helper process retrieves medical study data from a data storage and transfers a stream of drawing commands to the viewing application. At least part of the drawing commands are cached on the user's device, so that the helper will not transfer the cached drawing commands again, and/or will transfer a drawing command relating only to a difference between one frame and the next.

Abstract: An intravaginal imaging device, method and system are disclosed. The imaging device is housed within an elongated housing having a proximal end and a distal end. The distal end includes a sealing endcap window, an objective disposed behind the window having first lens group and a second lens group configured to focus on a target, an image detector disposed behind the objective configured to detect an image from the objective, and a LED light source disposed behind the window configured to illuminate the target. A connecting portion in communication with the image detector is disposed at the proximal end. The connecting portion is configured to convey an image from the image detector to an external device. The intravaginal imaging device is configured to be used in conjunction with a speculum where the intravaginal imaging device is inserted within jaws of the speculum and positioned within the spacers of the speculum.

Abstract: A process for creating a surface model of a surface of a cavity wall (2), especially a heart chamber including the steps of: (a) accessing at least one three dimensional image data record of the cavity; (b) creating a preliminary deformable surface model of the interior surface or the exterior surface of the cavity wall for each three dimensional image data record; (c) dividing the surface of the preliminary surface model into surface segments; (d) defining volume segments each including one surface segment and extending radially inwards and/or outwards from their associated surface segment; (e) statistical analysis of the grey levels of the voxels present in the volume segments for analyzing the volume proportion of the cavity wall, in the respective volume segment; and (f) deforming the surface segments on the basis of the volume proportion thus creating a corrected surface model.

Abstract: The invention relates to the adaptation of a 3D-surface model to boundaries of an anatomical structure, especially the right ventricle. A first viewing plane is defined corresponding to a default view, especially a four chamber view. A long axis is defined. Then a second, third and optionally a fourth viewing plane are represented intersecting the axis in predefined distances from the starting point and end point thereof. On the viewing planes different markers are represented, controlled and, if required, the position thereof is adapted, especially the position of the intersection points of the axis with the second and third viewing planes, as well as the position of a characteristic line, which together with the end point of the axis spans a characteristic plane of the structure. The 3D-surface model is adapted to the structure by way of the long axis and the position of the characteristic plane.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for recording medical images, in particular ultrasound images, of a moving object, in particular of a heart, said method comprising the following steps: generating a movement signal that dynamically represents the state of movement of the moving object, identifying the phase position and the frequency of the moving object on the basis of the movement signal, reconstructing the images on the basis of the phase position and of the frequency and/or carrying out at least one scan of the moving object, with the recording times being adjusted according to the phase position and the frequency of the moving object.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for automatical segmentation of medical images of a non-planar surface of an object, in particular of a heart valve, including detecting a surface boundary which delimits the non-planar surface of the object, creating a model surface, which is spanned between the surface boundary, correcting the model surface by means of distance information containing information about the distance between the model surface and the non-planar surface of the object, until a corrected model surface is generated, and depicting the corrected model surface, where the correction of the model surface is preferably carried out by means of three- or four-dimensional image data sets, by orienting the three-dimensional volume-rendering of the object essentially perpendicular to the model surface, so that the information about the distance between the model surface and the non-planar surface of the object can be evaluated, until the corrected model surface has been produced.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and to a method for adaptive three-dimensional derivation of a proximal isokinetic shell of a proximal flow convergence zone that forms in an observation area in a moving fluid, wherein the magnitude of the velocity of the fluid at each point of the proximal isokinetic shell is identical and equal to a velocity reference value, the method including: a) preparing locally distributed velocity measurements in a surrounding area of the observation area, the measurements representing at least one directional component of the local velocity of the fluid in a respective measurement direction, b) preparing an approximation surface as an initial proximal isokinetic shell) in such a way that the entire flow, at least substantially, in the flow convergence zone penetrates the approximation surface, c) establishing a plurality of approximation points on the approximation surface, d) determining the respective velocity measurements at the respective approximation points, e) calculating a

Abstract: A method and device for transforming a Doppler velocity dataset into a velocity vector field, the including: (a) providing a 2D or 3D Doppler velocity dataset, acquired by means of 2D or 3D ultrasonography from an object; b) calculating a velocity vector field by assuming the velocity at each point of the dataset to be the sum of the provided Doppler velocity and an additional vector field derived from an irrotational flow velocity, and by assuming the velocity vector field to be mathematically continuous, therefore solving an elliptical equation of the Poisson type.

Abstract: A device and to a method for navigation in a multi-dimensional image data set of an object, obtained by a medical imaging method, including depicting a randomly selectable first visual plane through the image data set as the first sectional image, in which a user can navigate and designate a point by means of an input device, and depicting, in addition to the first sectional image, a further, second sectional image, including another point, designated by the user in the first sectional image, in a second visual plane which intersects the image data set at that angle that corresponds to the perspective obtained during the recording of the image data set at the designated point.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and a device for visualizing surface-like structures in volumetric data sets, including defining local coordinate systems at sample points of the volumetric data set, transforming external parameters from a global coordinate system into the local coordinate systems, calculating the gradient vector components (Gai, Gbi, Gci) within the local coordinate systems of the sample points, and using the gradient vector components (Gai, Gbi, Gci) for calculating a surface normal at a given position of the volumetric data set, where the surface normal is important for conventional illumination models such as the Blinn-Phong shading model, preferably, the present invention is also calculating the external parameters from the global coordinate system at the given position by using the transformed external parameters of the local coordinate systems of the sample points, where the shading or illumination at the given position is then done by using a conventional illumination model,

Abstract: The invention relates to the adaptation of a 3D-surface model to boundaries of an anatomical structure, especially the right ventricle. A first viewing plane is defined corresponding to a default view, especially a four chamber view. A long axis is defined. Then a second, third and optionally a fourth viewing plane are represented intersecting the axis in predefined distances from the starting point and end point thereof. On the viewing planes different markers are represented, controlled and, if required, the position thereof is adapted, especially the position of the intersection points of the axis with the second and third viewing planes, as well as the position of a characteristic line, which together with the end point of the axis spans a characteristic plane of the structure. The 3D-surface model is adapted to the structure by way of the long axis and the position of the characteristic plane.

Abstract: A method of filtering an image dataset and an apparatus, a data carrier, and a computer program product, the method having the following steps: providing an N-dimensional input image dataset; applying a filtering algorithm to the input image dataset, wherein the filtering algorithm is essentially unvarying over the dataset, to thereby obtain a filtered image dataset; providing a spatially varying weighting function between the input and the filtered image datasets; computing a weighted sum of the input image dataset and the filtered image dataset, thereby using the spatially varying weighting function, in order to obtain an output image dataset.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and system for graphic representation of dynamic information from a dynamic 2D or 3D object. In particular, the invention relates to a novel method of interpolating dynamic information having values of different signs. The method of the present invention is particularly useful for the graphic representation of dynamic information, in particular flow data which has been acquired with a color-Doppler-method. The method of the invention can be used for representing the flow of liquids, such as blood and is therefore useful for human and animal diagnostics.

Abstract: A process for creating a surface model of a surface of a cavity wall (2), especially a heart chamber including the steps of: (a) accessing at least one three dimensional image data record of the cavity; (b) creating a preliminary deformable surface model of the interior surface or the exterior surface of the cavity wall for each three dimensional image data record; (c) dividing the surface of the preliminary surface model into surface segments; (d) defining volume segments each including one surface segment and extending radially inwards and/or outwards from their associated surface segment; (e) statistical analysis of the grey levels of the voxels present in the volume segments for analyzing the volume proportion of the cavity wall in the respective volume segment; and (f) deforming the surface segments on the basis of the volume proportion thus creating a corrected surface model.

Abstract: The invention relates to method and an apparatus for depth cueing, i.e. improving the sense of depth in two-dimensional images of three-dimensional volume data, said 2D images being generated using volume rendering. The invention is characterized in that a second depth color chart generated from the original color chart by permuting at least two color channels is used in the depth dimension. Alternatively, all three color channels can be permuted.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and method for generating a motion-corrected 3D image of a cyclically moving object by means of an ultrasound probe, comprising the steps of providing at least one 3D reference image of the object, the 3D reference image showing the object substantially at one particular phase in its cyclic movement; acquiring a set of sub-images of the object by sweeping the ultrasound probe over the moving object; registering at least two, preferably all, of the sub-images with the 3D reference image, thereby generating at least two motion-corrected sub-images; and reconstructing a motion-corrected 3D image from the motion-corrected sub-images. The invention is also directed to a corresponding device, computer program, and digital storage medium.

Abstract: A method and device for transforming a Doppler velocity dataset into a velocity vector field, the including: (a) providing a 2D or 3D Doppler velocity dataset, acquired by means of 2D or 3D ultrasonography from an object; b) calculating a velocity vector field by assuming the velocity at each point of the dataset to be the sum of the provided Doppler velocity and an additional vector field derived from an irrotational flow velocity, and by assuming the velocity vector field to be mathematically continuous, therefore solving an elliptical equation of the Poisson type.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device and to a method for reducing in particular position-related gray value variations of image data sets of an object (18), in particular of a heart, which are recorded in various first layers (SA1, SA2, . . . , SAn) as respective first pictures (SP1, SP2, . . . , SPn) and in at least one second layer (LA1) intersecting with at least one first layer (SA1, SA2, . . . , SAn) as a respective second picture (LP1), comprising the following steps: registering the respective first pictures (SP1, SP2, . . . , SPn) of the first layers (SA1, SA2, . . . , SAn) relative to each other and with the at least one second picture (LP1) of the at least one second layer (LA1) in order to associate the first pictures (SP1, SP2, . . . , SPn) and the at least one second picture (LP1) of the object (18) with each other, and adjusting respective gray values of the object (18) in the at least one second picture to the respective gray values of the object (18) in the first pictures (SP1, SP2, .

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and device for navigating on a vision plane (1) in a multidimensional image data set (8), wherein the intersection angle and degree of freedom (3, 6, 7) of the vision plane (1) displacement correspond to the degree of freedom of a sample (2) displacement, in particular an ultrasound transducer (2) during an interactive image producing examination. Said invention also relates to a method and device for carrying out measurements in dynamic image data, wherein said method consists in stopping, for a predefined time interval, a sequence reproduction when a frame (Fp) is interesting, thereby enabling a user to carry out measurements.