Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a delay device having an analog delay line adaptable to a plurality of frequencies with a less number of taps. The analog delay line has a maximum delay amount equivalent to a wavelength from over a ? wavelength of a predetermined maximum wavelength of an input signal to under a 1 wavelength thereof. Tap intervals up to a delay point equivalent to ½ of a predetermined minimum wavelength of the input signal are different from tap intervals placed ahead of those. The maximum wavelength is a wavelength of a signal having a frequency of 2 MHz, for example, and the minimum wavelength is a wavelength of a signal having a frequency of 5 MHz, for example.

Abstract: An X-ray diagnostic system is provided, which uses X-rays to image the lower limb of an object under conditions suitable for a flow of an X-ray contrast agent injected into the object. In the system, a C-shaped arm supports both an X-ray tube and an X-ray detector so that an object-laid tabletop is located between both the tube and the detector. For instance, one of the tabletop and the C-shaped arm is relatively moved with respect to the other so that the object is imaged along a body-axis direction thereof. The apparatus is able to perform a fluoroscopic scan to obtain a body-axis directional fluoroscopic image of the agent-injected object and to set imaging parameters, region by region in the body-axis direction, necessary for an imaging scan using the fluoroscopic image. The imaging parameters are used for the imaging scan of the agent-injected object.

Abstract: A position of an imaging plane relative to a catheter or other probe is aligned with tissue of interest. Ultrasound tissue images may be registered to the catheter position with minimal rotational ambiguity. The spatial position of an ablation catheter or other device with respect to the imaging plane is more accurately determined, allowing a physician to identify specific anatomy in the relative location of a catheter or catheters. Another alternative or additional approach to determining the position of an imaging plane is to determine the relative position of two or more catheters. A catheter associated with imaging is then moved or bent in a direction having a known spatial relationship with the imaging plane. The position of the catheter is relative to each is then determined again to determine the angle or position of the imaging plane.

Abstract: Computation-saving techniques and stability-adding techniques provide for fast, accurate reconstructions of a time series of images involving large-scale 3D problems, such as real-time image recovery in an optical tomography imaging system. A system equation for a target medium (116) such as tissue is solved using a Normalized Difference Method (NDM) (250). Because of the inherent stability of the NDM solutions, a weight matrix (W) of the system equation can be provided for a given point in a time series (220), then reused without recalculation at subsequent points. Further savings are achieved by decomposing W using singular value decomposition or direct matrix decomposition, transforming it to reduce its dimensions, and/or scaling it to achieve a more stable numerical solution. Values of measured energy (112) emerging from the target medium are back-substituted into the system equation for the different points to obtain the target medium properties.

Abstract: An optical fiber scanner is used for multiphoton excitation imaging, optical coherence tomography, or for confocal imaging in which transverse scans are carried out at a plurality of successively different depths within tissue. The optical fiber scanner is implemented as a scanning endoscope using a cantilevered optical fiber that is driven into resonance or near resonance by an actuator. The actuator is energized with drive signals that cause the optical fiber to scan in a desired pattern at successively different depths as the depth of the focal point is changed. Various techniques can be employed for depth focus tracking at a rate that is much slower than the transverse scanning carried out by the vibrating optical fiber. The optical fiber scanner can be used for confocal imaging, multiphoton fluorescence imaging, nonlinear harmonic generation imaging, or in an OCT system that includes a phase or frequency modulator and delay line.

Abstract: A compact and mobile gantry for 3-dimensional Application Specific Emission and/or Transmission Tomography (ASETT) imaging of the breast in single photon or coincidence emission modes, and single photon, or coincidence, or x-ray transmission modes. While the ASETT gantry was designed, built and evaluated for imaging metabolically active lesions in the pendant breast, it can also be used to image other organs and objects. This system overcomes physical constraints associated with imaging a pendulous breast in prone patients, while simultaneously satisfying sampling criteria for sufficient data collection in the pendulous breast reference frame. When combined with an offset cone-beam tomographic x-ray transmission imaging system, this dual modality ASETT system could provide simultaneous and coregistered structural and functional information about large or dense breasts, breasts with indeterminate x-ray mammography, and could also be used to accurately 3-dimensionally guide biopsy or surgical resection.

Abstract: A method for non-invasive mapping (imaging) of the electrical impedance of an object. The present invention provides a method, current density impedance imaging (CDII) which produces an impedance image of object by measuring current density distributions and directly calculating the local impedance values.

Abstract: Water-fat separated magnetic resonance (MR) images with balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) are produced. The acquired SSFP signals are isolated into multiple echo components in which the phase arrangements between the water and fat signals are controlled by appropriately selecting the TR and TE values of the SSFP imaging sequence. From the isolated echo components, the effects of the field inhomogeneities are corrected and water and fat images are separated.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) is acquired using a contrast enhancement method in which a series of NMR images are rapidly acquired during a time resolved phase of the examination in which the contrast bolus makes a first pass through the arteries and veins. Arterial and venous voxels are automatically identified in the images using either of two disclosed methods. The signals from identified arterial voxels are used to produce an arterial contrast enhancement reference curve that is used to segment arterial voxels by a correlation process. Venous voxels are segmented in the same manner using a calculated venous contrast enhancement reference curve.

Abstract: A shockwave generating system comprising a first shockwave source device that is formed with an aperture through which a second shockwave source device is adapted to transmit shockwaves. The second shockwave source device may be disposed at least partially in the aperture.

Abstract: Real-time imaging of a moving object such as the heart uses fast imaging with steady precession (FISP) traversing spirals in k-space. After flipping nuclear spins in the object within a slice to be imaged, signals are read out from the nuclear spins while applying read-out magnetic field gradients whereby read-out signals traverse spirals in k-space. Thereafter, the zero moment and first moment of the read-out gradients are driven to zero quickly so that fast imaging with steady state precession is realized without banding artifacts. Motion compensated rewinders are applied after the read-out magnetic field gradients which can be integral with the read-out gradients or comprise separate compensation lobes.

Abstract: A device has a source for emitting near infrared radiation into cerebral tissue, a sensor for detecting radiation exiting from the tissue, and an evaluation unit which detects the exiting radiation as an input signal having pulsatile and non-pulsatile components and is programmed to determine the concentration of an injected indicator in the tissue from the non-pulsatile signal component, iteratively determine an inflow function characterizing cerebral blood flow by varying a mean transit time until reaching a stop criterion, determine indicator concentration relative to cerebral blood volume from the inflow function and the pulsatile signal component, calculate cerebral blood volume by dividing indicator concentration in the tissue by indicator concentration relative to cerebral blood volume, calculate cerebral blood flow by dividing the cerebral blood volume by the mean transit time when the stop criterion has been reached, and scale the inflow function using values determined from the pulsatile signal comp

Abstract: Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computerized Tomotography (CT), or other diagnostic modalities may employ a three-step procedure during initial (“scout”) cranial pre-scans that corrects for patient positioning (i.e., roll, yaw and pitch) to reduce inter- and intra-patient variation, thereby enhancing the diagnostic and comparative value of subsequent detail scans even across different diagnostic platforms. In MRI, for instance, locating the saggital sinus (SS) and optimizing a line to bisect the brain through this SS may be automated to correct for roll and yaw. By then identifying the contour of the corpus callosum in a lateral saggital scout scan, the Talairach anterior commissure (AC)—posterior commissure (PC) reference line may be found for correcting pitch. Prescription of detailed scans are improved, especially when the three-step correction is repeated periodically identifying the need to repeat a detailed scan or to adjust the coordinates of a subsequent scan.

Abstract: The invention comprises a system and method for creating medical images of a subject patient using a plurality of imaging devices, such as tomographic imaging scanners. The system comprises a plurality of imaging devices, each having a bore through which a patient is translated during scanning. The bores of each device are substantially aligned axially with respect to each other. An open area is formed between the imaging devices along the path of the patient, through which a caregiver can attain line-of-sight visual contact with or other access to the patient. During a scanning operation, the scanned portion of a patient is transported through the bore of the first device, past the opening between the devices and into the bore of the second device.