Abstract: In a method and system for providing visual information about a tumour location in human or animal body, an electromagnetic tumour sensor is provided in the tumour and tracked to determine its location in space, which is mapped to a tumour model. A surgical tool sensor is provided on a surgical tool, and tracked to determine its location in space, which is mapped to a surgical tool model. The body is scanned to obtain information about an anatomical structure. A reference sensor is provided on the body, and tracked to determine its location in space, which is mapped to the anatomical structure. A virtual image is displayed showing the tumour model, located with the at least one tumour sensor, in spatial relationship to the surgical tool model, located with the at least one surgical tool sensor, and the anatomical structure, located with the at least one reference sensor.

Abstract: The present application describes a Personal Hand-Held Monitor (PHHM) of the type described in WO 2013/002165, WO 2014/125431, and International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2015/079888, with improved aspects to find indicators of health, and other improvements that facilitate its construction and calibration.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods utilizing tactile transducers to create mechanical waves that travel through an individual's body to the kidneys to dislodge kidney stones. Embodiments include a structural member with at least one tactile transducer, an amplifier, and a controller. The tactile transducer(s) produce mechanical waves, and the structural member enables projection of the mechanical waves produced by the tactile transducer(s) toward at least one kidney to dislodge kidney stones. The amplifier is electronically coupled to the at least one tactile transducer, and the controller is electronically coupled to the amplifier and configured to determine the mechanical waves produced by the at least one tactile transducer.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe and control circuitry. The ultrasonic probe includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers two-dimensionally arranged along a first arrangement direction and a second arrangement direction. The control circuitry transmits first line delay data and second line delay data to the ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic probe further comprises setting circuitry configured to set a delay amount for each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, by using the transmitted first line delay data and second line delay data.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including a probe configured to induce displacement in tissue of an object by irradiating a first focused beam of a first frequency to the object; and a processor configured to obtain a first ultrasound image of the object in which displacement has been induced; to determine whether the induced displacement is appropriate based on the obtained first ultrasound image; when the induced displacement is not appropriate, to control the probe to irradiate a second focused beam of a second frequency different from the first frequency to the object, so as to induce displacement in the tissue of the object; and to process a second ultrasound image of the object in which displacement has been induced by the second focused beam.

Abstract: An ultrasonic observation device is disclosed that has an input device having a touch pad connected, and that displays on a display an ultrasound image generated based on an ultrasonic signal received from an ultrasound transducer that transmits an ultrasonic wave to an object to be observed and receives a reflected ultrasonic wave reflected by the object, the touch pad detecting a contact object that is brought in contact by an operator. The ultrasonic observation device includes a display controller that displays a rotation indicator that indicates a rotation direction when the ultrasound image is rotated about a predetermined rotation reference as a center, such that the rotation indicator is superimposed on the ultrasound image displayed on the display, according to a contact position of the contact object on the touch pad.

Abstract: An ultrasound probe including a probe body having a mounting area and a flexible lip around said mounting area for sealing a space between the mounting area and a subject contacted by the ultrasound probe; and a number of ultrasound transducer elements mounted in the mounting area. The probe body further includes an inlet to said space and an outlet from said space for facilitating a fluid flow through said space when sealed. Also included are an ultrasound system including such an ultrasound probe and a method of subjecting a subject to ultrasound waves generated with such an ultrasound probe.

Abstract: Methods of treating the skin and in particular removing pigment from a tattoo are provided. In preferred embodiments, a piezoelectric transducer is placed at a plurality of locations above the skin and focused acoustic waves at 7 MHz or more are transmitted into the skin. The focal point of the focused acoustic waves is between 0.1 mm and 5 mm below the surface of the skin. The design of the piezoelectric transducer along with the frequency of operation are carefully chosen to create points of treatment with a desired size and shape. The correct amount of energy is supplied to the points of treatment to produce a lesion of a desired size and shape. The lesions are spaced and located to effect the treatment of the skin.

Abstract: Method and systems provide a tool to quantify sensory maps of the brain. Cortical surfaces are conformally mapped to a topological disk where local geometry structures are well preserved. Retinotopy data are smoothed on the disk domain to generate a curve that best fits the retinotopy data and eliminates noisy outliers. A Beltrami coefficient map is obtained, which provides an intrinsic conformality measure that is sensitive to local changes on the surface of interest. The Beltrami coefficient map represents a function where the input domain is locations in the visual field and the output is a complex distortion measure at these locations. This function is also invertible. Given the boundaries and the Beltrami map of a flattened cortical region, a corresponding visual field can be reconstructed. The Beltrami coefficient map allows visualization and comparison of retinotopic map properties across subjects in the common visual field space.

Abstract: A method for controlling a scanner comprises: sensing an outer surface of a body of a subject to collect body surface data, using machine learning to predict a surface of an internal organ of the subject based on the body surface data, and controlling the scanner based on the predicted surface of the internal organ.

Abstract: An overlay system can include a substantially planar overlay base including a top side. The base can define a handle receptacle, for instance at a first end of the base. The handle receptacle can include a handle capture section optionally having a tapered profile. A centrally located elongated guide can extend longitudinally along the top side of the base to guide translational movement of the ultrasound probe holder along a longitudinal axis of the base. A handle can be configured to be attached and detached, by a user, with the handle receptacle of the base. The handle can define a channel optionally having a wedge profile. The wedge profile of the handle can correspond to the tapered profile of the handle receptacle. Engagement of the channel to the capture section of the handle receptacle can attach the handle to the base.

Abstract: A template matching is performed on two fluoroscopic images by using a template image prepared in advance and a position corresponding to a high matching score is listed as a candidate for the position of a marker 29. From two lists of the candidates of the position of the marker 29, the lengths of common vertical lines for all combinations are calculated. Then, the position of the marker 29 is detected based on the matching score and the common vertical line. Then, based on the detected position of the marker 29, an amount of a proton beam to be irradiated to a target is controlled. Therefore, a tracking target can be accurately detected even when the conditions for X-ray fluoroscopy is severe, e.g., a thick object.

Abstract: A method for monitoring fetal health. The method of the present disclosure comprises transmitting (100) an ultrasound signal from an at least one transducer element in an array towards a maternal abdomen. An at least one ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to an at least one depth of the maternal abdomen is then received (102) by the at least one transducer element. The at least one Doppler signal is determined after the echo is received by the at least one transducer element is then processed (104) in an at least one channel. A multidimensional map is then generated (106) from the processed Doppler signal. A feedback (114) to reposition the at least one transducer element is then provided when the fetal heart is determined to lie outside an ultrasound beam volume.

Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor includes a vibration plate, a first electrode, a piezoelectric body, and a second electrode. The first electrode is laminated on the vibration plate, that has a length along a surface of the vibration plate in a first direction, and that has a width Wbe along the surface of the vibration plate in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction. The width Wbe is not more than the length. The piezoelectric body is laminated on the first electrode and has a width Wpz in the second direction. The second electrode is laminated on the piezoelectric body. A ratio Wbe/Wpz between the width Wbe of the first electrode and the width Wpz of the piezoelectric body is not less than 0.1 and not more than 0.8.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer includes: a plurality of piezoelectric devices, each of the plurality of piezoelectric devices being configured to emit an ultrasonic wave according to an electrical signal input thereto, and convert an incident ultrasonic wave from an outside into an electrical signal; and an outer surface in which a material of a scanning surface transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave is constituted of a self-repairing material.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging device includes an ultrasonic generating unit and an ultrasonic imaging processing unit. The ultrasonic generating unit repeatedly turns on N of M ultrasonic array elements of the ultrasonic probe multiple times as a group of array elements for linear scanning, and each scan is to emit an ultrasonic signal by each group of array elements and receive an echo signal of the ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic imaging processing unit extracts a central echo signal from the echo signal in each scan to form a channel signal, and according to the arrival time of the echo signals, each central echo signal in the channel signal is delayed and summed to generate a modified channel signal. The modified channel signal is subjected to image synthesis process to obtain an ultrasonic image.

Abstract: This disclosure relates generally to bio-signal detection, and more particularly to method and system for non-contact bio-signal detection using ultrasound signals. In an embodiment, the method includes acquiring an in-phase I(t) baseband signal and a quadrature Q(t) baseband signal associated with an ultrasound signal directed from the sensor assembly towards the target. Magnitude and phase signals are calculated from the in-phase and quadrature baseband signals, and are filtered by passing through a band pass filter associated with a predefined frequency range to obtain filtered magnitude and phase signals. Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) of the filtered magnitude and phase signals is performed to identify frequency of dominant peaks of spectrum of the magnitude and phase signals in the ultrasound signal. Value of the bio-signal associated with the target is determined based on weighted values of the frequency of the dominant peaks of the magnitude and phase signals.

Abstract: A housing apparatus for a medical imaging apparatus has at least one housing shell, a substructure support, on which the at least one housing shell can be fastened, and a user interface having a carrier frame and a communication circuit. The carrier frame is arranged on the substructure support so as to be movable in at least one direction.

Abstract: Improved ultrasound imaging devices and methods of operating the devices that minimize grating lobe artifacts in an ultrasound image are provided. For example, an ultrasound imaging system analyzes the ultrasound data at different frequency bands and generates a grating-lobe-minimized image based on minimum signals identified for each pixel among the plurality of frequency ranges. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound transducer array configured to obtain ultrasound data, and a processor in communication with the ultrasound transducer array. The processor is configured to receive the ultrasound data, generate an ultrasound image based on a first frequency range of the ultrasound data, generate a grating-lobe-minimized ultrasound image based on a plurality of second frequency ranges of the ultrasound data, combine the ultrasound image and the grating-lobe-minimized ultrasound image to generate a combined ultrasound image, and output the combined ultrasound image to a display.

Abstract: A method includes receiving first electrical signals from a first single-element transducer (1121) and second electrical signals from a second single-element transducer (1122). The transducers are disposed on a shaft (110), which has a longitudinal axis (200), of an ultrasound imaging probe (102) with transducing sides disposed transverse to and facing away from the longitudinal axis. The transducers are angularly offset from each other on the shaft by a non-zero angle. The transducers are operated at first and second different cutoff frequencies. The shaft concurrently translates and rotates while the transducers receive the first and second ultrasound signals. The method further includes delay and sum beamforming, with first and second beamformers (1201, 1202), the first and second electrical signals, respectively via different processing chains (7121, 7122), employing an adaptive synthetic aperture technique, producing first and second images.