Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having both functions of a color flow imaging function of displaying with color a blood flow distribution within the subject on a tomographic image of the subject and a pulse Doppler function of evaluating and displaying with great accuracy a blood flow velocity of a point to be observed which is designated within a tomographic plane. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus implements the pulse Doppler function through few operations as compared with the conventional one. A direction of the blood flow is evaluated on the basis of a blood flow distribution of the peripheral pixels of the point of interest to be observed, determined through the color flow imaging function.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method for predicting visual acuity to the subject due to change in spherocylindrical refractive error of the subject's eye utilizing measurements of uncorrected visual acuity, corrected visual acuity and spherical cylindrical refractive error. A defocus equivalent is calculated and predictions of uncorrected visual acuity is made through the use of a defocused acuity graph.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer and the method for the manufacture thereof which is designed to reduce the generation of elevational sidelobes. At least one kerf is formed in each end region of a body of piezoelectric material. The kerfs define therebetween a center region formed solely of piezoelectric material. The kerfs are filled with a second material.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic harmonic contrast agents. The harmonic echo effect is detected through alternate polarity acquisition of harmonic contrast agent effects, which provides the benefits of suppressing the harmonic components of the transmitted signal while eliminating clutter.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an ultrasound transducer for sequentially emitting ultrasound beams and receiving respective echoes of the ultrasound beams to produce a scanning plane; a mechanism for displacing the ultrasound transducer to move the scanning plane in a three-dimensional region; a three-dimensional image data generator for sequentially obtaining echo data of the respective ultrasound beams from the echo of the respective ultrasound beams upon receipt of the echo by the ultrasound transducer, and for sequentially generating, based on the echo data of the respective ultrasound beams, brightness value data for each ultrasound beam corresponding to a brightness value for one ?1! pixel in an ultrasound image for the three-dimensional region; a memory, having addresses corresponding to respective pixels in the ultrasound image, for sequentially storing the brightness value data for the respective ultrasound beams generated by the three-dimensional image data generator at the corresponding add

Abstract: The position of a bone in a body part e.g. a heel 15 is sensed by placing the foot 13 on a surface 12 and sensing pressure points between the underface 14 of the foot and the surface 12. The surface 12 is part of a xerographic device. The distances between pressure points are compared with stored data to obtain for example a measurement of bone condition using ultrasound transducers 19. The body part could be a hand (FIG. 1).

Abstract: An underfluid ultrasound imaging catheter system includes a catheter having a distal end inserted into an underfluid structure, an ultrasonic transducer array mounted proximate the distal end of the catheter wherein the array has a row of individual transducer crystals, a lens mounted on the array for defocusing ultrasound beams in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the array so as to provide a volumetric field of view within which the underfluid features are imaged. Alternatively, the single row of transducer crystals is replaced by multiple rows of transducer crystals so as to provide a volumetric field of view. This imaging catheter system helps an operator see 3-dimensional images of an underfluid environment, such as the 3-dimensional images of fluid-filled cavities of heart, blood vessel, urinary bladder, etc. Features in such wide volumetric field of view can be imaged, measured, or intervened by an underfluid therapeutic device with an aid of the real-time image.

Abstract: There is provided an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus in which a region containing an organ of an object being examined is diagnosed by means of ultrasonic beams, the organ being in motion, the apparatus comprising: an element for scanning the region by the ultrasonic beams to obtain ultrasonic echo signals having Doppler shift; an element for calculating movement velocities every sampling volume on the basis of the ultrasonic echo signals; and an element for displaying in color the movement velocities.

Abstract: The invention relates to a new ultrasound contrast agent of the type which relies on microbubbles for echogenicity. The new contrast agent comprises microbubbles with an internal atmosphere enhanced with a perfluorobutane gas which is effective for visually detecting myocardial uptake upon echocardiogram following peripheral intravenous injection of said agent into a host. The contrast agent of this invention is unique in that it makes possible the non-invasive visual detection of myocardial uptake. In addition, the contrast agent of this invention makes feasible safe and consistent, non-invasive methods for visually assessing, qualitatively or quantitatively, not only myocardial perfusion, but renal and hepatic perfusion, and for detecting severity of coronary arterial stenosis.

Abstract: A method and system for providing Doppler data that is corrected for misalignment between the flow direction within a vessel and the beam orientation of the ultrasound probe. A conventional ultrasonic Doppler color mapping system is adapted to include a system to measure and record the free space position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe, as well as a system to generate and record the experiment time. A set of 2D image planes is acquired, each plane labelled with time, position, and orientation data. A structural representation according to the acquired data is used to determine the flow direction for the imaged vessel structure. Based on this identified flow direction, and the orientation and position information for each acquired 2D slice, the 2D Doppler signals are appropriately transformed into corrected velocity values. These corrected velocity values may then be used to construct a 3D flow field as a function of time.

Abstract: An ultrasound apparatus for imaging tissues from interior of a cavity in the body of a patient is disclosed. The apparatus includes a probe for entering the body to the cavity. The probe has a distal end for entering the body and a proximal end to extend outside the body. At the distal end of the probe is a transducer associated with a rotatable mechanism for transmitting sequential ultrasonic pulses as the rotatable mechanism rotates, forming an angular pattern of transmitted pulses. Ultrasonic energy reflected and scattered from the patient's body tissues is received by an transducer so that each pulse generates a received signal (RF-line). The apparatus has a mechanism for identifying the angular separation between the RF-lines by analyzing the RF-lines caused by reflection and scattering by the body tissues alone. In this way, any distortion caused by the difference between the transmitted angular pattern and the intended angular pattern, if present, can be determined and corrected.

Abstract: A method is described for increasing the temporal resolution of MR fluoroscopy procedures. A central portion of the image requiring a higher temporal resolution is updated more frequently using less-than-complete newly acquired NMR data. A running average of the signals produced by peripheral structures is used to form the periphery of the image and to remove artifact-producing data from the less-than-complete NMR data.

Abstract: The invention related to positioning and marking a patient at a diagnostic apparatus, for example before and after a fluoroscopic examination in a computer tomograph comprising at least four line lasers being movably supported for travelling along a respective axis, two line lasers being arranged above a patient placed on a movable table projecting a sagittal line and a transverse line on the body of the patient and two further line lines arranges sidewards of the table each projecting a line along the body axis sidewards on the body, further comprising numerically controlled drive means for moving the line lasers to adjust the projected lines in a transverse direction and comprising a positioning control device, controlling the drive means and a manually operated input device for supplying the coordinates, the location and extension of the radiation zone as determined by the computer tomograph for being supplies to the control device, and projecting orthogonal coordinate axes on the patient for marking the p

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises an ultrasonic transducer and a transmitter/receiver circuit for scanning a plane section of a human body under examination with ultrasonic beams repeatedly and with a given frame period to thereby obtain receiving signals, an ultrasonic image producing circuit responsive to the receiving signals for producing ultrasonic images successively and with the frame period, an image memory unit for storing ultrasonic images corresponding to multiple frames along with time information, a setting section for setting a period of interest, a CPU for reading a sequence of ultrasonic images corresponding to the set period of interest from the image memory unit selectively and with the frame period, an overlaid image producing circuit for producing an overlaid image containing an ROI marker and outputting it repeatedly and with the frame period, a frame combining circuit for combining each of the ultrasonic images and the overlaid image which are supplied synchronously with each

Abstract: Stenotic regions in the vasculature of chronic hemodialysis patients are detected and monitored by blood velocity measuring.

Abstract: A mechanical scan type ultrasound scanner head for ultrasound examination systems, which is capable of detecting the position or distance of movement of an ultrasound transducer in mechanical scanning operations, and which includes: an ultrasound scanner head assembly movable along a subject to be scanned; an ultrasound transducer element mounted on the ultrasound scanner head assembly to transmit and receive ultrasound signals at predetermined intervals in travel distance along the subject; a rotary tracking member mounted on the scanner head assembly in the proximity of the ultrasound transducer element and rotatable at a rate commensurate with the distance of movement of the ultrasound transducer element; and a position measuring means connected to the rotary tracking member to measure the distance of travel of the ultrasound transducer element from an initial position of a scanning operation by way of a rotational angle of the rotary tracking member.

Abstract: A method and device for ultrasonically imaging a body that includes a movable ultrasonic transducer capable of imaging a scanline wherein the scanline is fixed in orientation and spatial position relative to the movable transducer. The device contains a means for sensing transducer position information wherein the sensing means is in communication with an ultrasound console. A computing means computes the spatial position and the orientation of each scanline as the transducer is moved. The scanlines are then presented as a complete image. Alternatively, an electromagnetic transmitter and receiving sensor determine the spatial orientation and position of each scanline in free space. The method of generating a two dimensional ultrasonic image is also disclosed.

Abstract: Automatic measurement is made of the angle DA enclosed by the direction of ultrasonic echographic excitation and the axis of a vessel in an echographic image on the basis of prior designation of an initial point P.sub.i in the vessel. A first isotropic tracing of rays starting from the initial point P.sub.i is used to produce a histogram of the grey levels of the points of the rays. An algorithm is then applied to the histogram in order to classify the grey levels of selected points. A second tracing of rays is made which is restricted to the walls of the vessel and results in a local mark with triangular sectors from which the slope (a) of a regression line is determined and the calculation of the Doppler angle DA is made as DA=Arc tg(a).

Abstract: A process for analyzing for a variety of physical medical disorders, which comprises:a) clinical testing by a common analysis, patients free of such disorders and those patients that possess such one or more disorders, which analysis distinquishes any such disorder thereby obtaining the characterization of a collection of such disorders as numerical data;b) scaling the matrix of said numerical data in a computer;c) configuring in a computer, an artificial neural network prescribed by the number of variables and the number of disorders, which artificial neural network is electronic data that possesses an input layer, one or more hidden layers and an output layer;d) fitting the artificial neural network electronic data in a computer to the numerical data according to adjustable parameters of the artificial neural network, including one or more ofi) the number of neurons in a hidden layer;ii) the number of hidden layers;iii) the type of transfer functions in the layers; andiv) the weights connecting the neurons;

Abstract: A self-propelled wheelchair type artificial heart driving apparatus for giving freedom of movement to those patients who require an auxiliary artificial heart. Various safety devices are provided to avoid danger due to erroneous running of the wheelchair at the time when the patients board on or alight from the wheelchair and after alighting therefrom. For the purpose of enlarging a sphere of movement of the patients and preventing possible dangers, a motor-operated tube taking-up mechanism is provided and the wheelchair is permitted to run only when the tubes are in the orderly housed condition. A pressure compensating solenoid valve is provided in parallel to a pressure adjusting solenoid valve and a tank is dispensed with so as to make reduction in size of the artificial heart driving apparatus.