Abstract: The present invention is to provide an integrated ultrasound therapy transducer. It includes a piezoelectric transducer to generate therapy ultrasound, a support to support the piezoelectric transducer, a power amplifying module to drive the piezoelectric transducer. Wherein both the power amplifying module and the piezoelectric transducer are installed within the enclosure of the therapy transducer. The advantages of the integrated ultrasound therapy transducer assembly of the present invention include minimizing ultrasound therapy equipment and to decrease its volume and weight; reducing the electromagnetic interference and radiation greatly; and realizing the consistent performances of the ultrasound therapy equipments in mass productions and making the ultrasound therapy equipments have interchangeability.

Abstract: A device for detecting and counting coughing events is provided. In one embodiment a sensor for sensing and transducing low frequency and high frequency mechanical vibrations, sends signals to a coincidence detector that determines if high and low signals coincide. In another embodiment, ultrasonic energy is introduced to the trachea and if Doppler shift in frequency is detected, association is made to a coughing event. In another embodiment a change in the impedance of the neck is considered associated with coughing event if correlated over time with a specific mechanical frequency sensed.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging device, which can extract nonlinear components efficiently and improve the ultrasound penetration, is provided. The receiver has a given reception band, and the lower limit frequency of the reception band is the first frequency. The frequency band of the ultrasound wave transmitted by the transmitting means is set as the first frequency or higher and at least 3 times of the first frequency. When the ultrasound wave in such band is transmitted, the low-frequency harmonic component of the nonlinear component may have higher frequency than the first frequency and therefore can be received by the receiver. Also, as most of the high-frequency harmonic components can be generated in the reception band, most of the high-frequency harmonic components can be received.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for marking and visualizing an implant by use of an x-ray phase-contrast tomography examination. Further, an implant is also disclosed. In at least one embodiment, implants are used with specific characteristics which are as unambiguous as possible with regard to the phase shift generated by the implants in a phase-contrast tomography examination. In at least one embodiment, these specific characteristics can include the typical self-generated specific phase shift, typical differences in the specific phase-shift values, or typical spatial structures of materials with well-defined phase-shift values.

Abstract: An electronic polarimetric imaging system for a colposcopy device designed for in vivo observation of a cervix, wherein the colposcopy device includes a light source for illuminating the observable cervix and at least visual elements for monitoring an image of the cervix, the illumination optical path towards the cervix and the image optical path coming back from the cervix being separated from one another over at least one portion of the paths thereof. The system includes a polarimetric adapter housing which is removable into the separated portion of the illumination and image optical paths, the polarimetric adapter housing including a polarisation state generator (PSG) on the illumination optical path and a polarisation analyser (PSA) on the image optical path, wherein the polarisation state generator (PSG) and the polarisation analyser (PSA) are controllable. Several levels of polarimetric characterisation are possible. An adaptor housing is also disclosed.

Abstract: An MRI-compatible patch for identifying a location includes a flexible base layer, a flexible substrate and at least one of MRI-visible fiducial element. The flexible base layer is mountable on and substantially conformable to a patient's body surface. The base layer has opposed upper and lower primary surfaces. The flexible substrate is releasably attached to the upper primary surface of the base layer and substantially conformable to the patient's body surface. The at least one MRI-visible fiducial element is defined by or secured to the flexible substrate. The patch may include a plurality of the MRI-visible fiducial elements arranged in a defined pattern.

Abstract: A device and method for gas measurements in body cavities are provided. These may be any body cavity containing a free gas, where there is an interest in detecting and/or measuring the concentration of said free gas by non-invasive or minimally invasive method. According to an exemplary embodiment measurement of free oxygen in cranium cavities is performed by scattering media absorption spectroscopy, and in particular variations of such oxygen. This is particularly useful for diagnostic purposes based on the measurements, for instance for detecting sinusitis or the like.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging system for evaluating and displaying a deformation of a body organ. A sequence of image data sets comprising at least a first image data set and a second image data set of echographic data is acquired. A motion vector field is calculated between image points of the second image data set and image points of the first image data set. A reference point is chosen within or outside the first and second image data sets. A first scanline is defined, which comprises said reference point. A motion vector of an image point is projected onto the defined first scanline, which provides a projected tissue velocity along the first scanline. The projected tissue velocity is used for evaluating a ID component of a deformation of the body organ at the image point along the direction of the first scanline.

Abstract: An optical device for assessing optical depth in a sample illuminated by polarized radiation from a source include two radiation guides having their end portions arranged for capturing reflected radiation from the sample. A detector measures two polarizations of the reflected radiation, and two intensities of the reflected radiation in the two radiation guides, respectively. A processor is configured to calculate two pectral functions, which are indicative of single scattering events in the sample. The processor is further configured to calculate a measure of the correlation between the two spectral functions so as to assess whether the single scattering events originate from substantially the same optical depth within the sample. Thus, the causal relation between the two spectral functions can be used for assessing whether the single scattering events giving rise to the two spectral functions come from substantially the same optical depth within the sample.

Abstract: A system and method for feature detection in ultrasound images is disclosed. The method estimates speckle distributions in windows on opposing sides of a pixel of an ultrasound image. The divergence is calculated for the pixel between the estimated speckle distributions in the windows. These steps are performed for each pixel in the ultrasound image, and a feature map is generated based on the divergence calculated between the estimated speckle distributions for each pixel.

Abstract: The electrodes for a CMUT are split to provide separate transmit and receive bias and alternating current electrodes. The transmit electrodes of different elements are interconnected, such as rows sharing bias and columns sharing transmit alternating signals. The bias is used to select an aperture in elevation, and only a sufficient number of transmit beamformer channels to use the selected aperture are needed. On receive, the full multi-dimensional array may be used with integrated beamformer electronics.

Abstract: A head support assembly includes a base configured to be removably secured to an MRI scanner gantry, a head support frame attached to the base, and a longitudinally extending head coil apparatus adjustably secured to the head support frame. The head support frame includes a pair of elongated arms that extend outwardly in adjacent, spaced-apart, substantially co-planar relationship to form an area for receiving the head of a patient. Each arm includes a respective free end, and a head engagement rod is adjustably associated with each respective arm free end. The head engagement rods are configured to engage a patients head within the head support frame. One or more additional head engagement rods may extend outwardly from the head support frame between the pair of arms.

Abstract: Ultrasound stimulation devices and related techniques are disclosed. An ultrasound transducer for generating ultrasound energy is carried by a transducer housing that seals the transducer and may also include a positioning element for positioning the transducer proximate an application area to which generated ultrasound energy is to be applied. The transducer housing may also carry such components as a battery, a wireless receiver, and a controller. The same housing or a separate sensor housing may include an ultrasound sensor that provides feedback to the ultrasound transducer or its controller, illustratively through a wireless transmitter.

Abstract: Mask projection views are obtained prior to the arrival of a contrast agent during a dynamic contrast enhanced MRA study. After the arrival of the contrast agent, a set of undersampled contrast enhanced projection views are obtained for each of a plurality of time frames. Corresponding mask projection views are subtracted from the contrast enhanced projection views to provide sparse contrast enhanced projection view sets. A phase contrast scan of a region of interest is performed prior to or after the arrival of the contrast agent. The phase contrast image is used as a composite image in a HYPR reconstruction of the sparse projection view sets to produce first pass contrast enhanced images. Iterative HYPR reconstructions can also be performed to remove venous information from the reconstructed images.