Abstract: Systems and methods for ablating tissue include an ablation device having an energy source and a sensor. The energy source provides a beam of energy directable to target tissue, and the sensor senses energy reflected back from the target tissue. The sensor collects various information from the target tissue in order to facilitate adjustment of ablation operating parameters, such as changing power or position of the energy beam. Gap distance between the energy source and target tissue, energy beam incident angle, tissue motion, tissue type, lesion depth, etc. are examples of some of the information that may be collected during the ablation process and used to help control ablation of the tissue.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an apparatus for detecting obstructions in biological vessels includes a cylindrical hollow stent with an expandable body portion having an outer surface configured to engage the inner surface of the lumen of the vessel to urge the vessel against collapse, and an imaging system operatively coupled with stent. The imaging system includes a first power source, a light generating element, a light sensor generating a first signal representative of light received by the sensor element from the light generating elements, and a processor unit receiving the first signal and processing the first signal in accordance with image processing logic stored in a memory of the processor unit to generate an image signal representative of as image of associated target material such as plaque obstructing the flow. The imaging system and stent may be formed on opposite sides of a flexible organic substrate.

Abstract: The number of signal lines connecting an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body is reduced or wireless communication is realized by reducing a volume of data of reception signals outputted from plural ultrasonic transducers. The ultrasonic probe includes: plural ultrasonic transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves according to drive signals and receiving ultrasonic echoes to output reception signals; signal processing units for performing orthogonal detection processing or orthogonal sampling processing on the reception signals to generate two signals representing a complex baseband signal; sampling units for sampling the two signals to generate parallel sample data; a serializing unit for converting the parallel sample data into serial sample data; and a transmitting unit for transmitting the serial sample data.

Abstract: A detection device (1) includes a light receiving unit (13a) which receives fluorescence; a light receiving intensity calculation unit (32) which calculates light receiving intensity of fluorescence which is received by the light receiving unit (13a) while changing a relative position (L) between the light receiving unit (13a) and a test subject (100); and a specifying unit (33) which specifies an optimal position of the relative position (L) where the light receiving intensity which is calculated by the light receiving intensity calculation unit (32) becomes a maximum, and in which fluorescence is detected using the optimal position which is specified by the specifying unit (33).

Abstract: The present disclosure provides various methods and systems for performing magnetic resonance studies. In accordance with many embodiments, image or other information of interest is derived from super radiant pulses.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging method comprises: providing a probe that includes one or more transducer elements for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves; generating a sequence of spatially distinct transmit beams which differ in one or more of origin and angle; determining a transmit beam spacing substantially based upon a combination of actual and desired transmit beam characteristics, thereby achieving a faster echo acquisition rate compared to a transmit beam spacing based upon round-trip transmit-receive beam sampling requirements; storing coherent receive echo data, from two or more transmit beams of the spatially distinct transmit beams; combining coherent receive echo data from at least two or more transmit beams to achieve a substantially spatially invariant synthesized transmit focus at each echo location; and combining coherent receive echo data from each transmit firing to achieve dynamic receive focusing at each echo location.

Abstract: A phased-network ultrasound transducer for medical use, includes a single support (2) and a group of transducer elements (3) distributed randomly on the surface of the support (2), the transducer elements (3) being fixed. The group includes at least two sub-groups of transducer elements (3), each of the sub-groups having a different geometric point of convergence such as to focus an ultrasound energy in a different coverage volume (4, 5) such that the arrangement of the coverage volumes covers a target volume to be treated. In addition, the transducer includes control elements for controlling the transducer elements (3) independently of one another.

Abstract: A therapeutic apparatus comprising a high intensity focused ultrasound system for treating a target region. The therapeutic apparatus further comprises a display for displaying treatment planning data. The therapeutic apparatus further comprises a memory containing machine executable instructions. The memory further contains a geometric model of the high intensity focused ultrasound system. Execution of the instructions causes a processor to receive the treatment planning data. Execution of the instructions causes the processor to render the geometric representation of the target region from the treatment planning data on the display. Execution of the instructions further causes the processor to calculate an achievable target region using the geometric model. Execution of the instructions further causes the processor to render the achievable target region on the display.

Abstract: The present invention is a Miniature Vein Enhancer that includes a Miniature Projection Head, The Miniature Projection Head may be operated in one of three modes, AFM, DBM, and RTM. The Miniature Projection Head of the present invention projects an image of the veins of a patient, which aids the practitioner in pinpointing a vein for an intravenous drip, blood test, and the like. The Miniature projection head may have a cavity for a power source or it may have a power source located in a body portion of the Miniature Vein Enhancer. The Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to one of several improved needle protectors, or the Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to a body similar to a flashlight for hand held use. The Miniature Vein Enhancer of the present invention may also be attached to a magnifying glass, a flat panel display, and the like.

Abstract: A system and method for ultrasound imaging includes acquiring volumetric data of a volume of interest with an ultrasound imaging system. The system and method includes acquiring planar data with the ultrasound imaging system during the process of acquiring the volumetric data, the planar data including data of a plane through the volume of interest. The system and method includes displaying a reference image based on the planar data during the process of acquiring the volumetric data. The system and method also includes displaying an image based on the volumetric data.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes a memory, a specifying unit, and a display controller. The memory stores a corresponding color table representing correspondence relationships between T1 values of which value ranges with respect to each tissue are known and colors to be assigned to pixels with the T1 values. The specifying unit analyzes a T1-valued image and specifies colors to be assigned to each pixel on the basis of T1 values converted from pixel values of each pixel and the corresponding color table. The display controller displays on a display the image color-coded with the specified colors.

Abstract: A normal vector on a regression plane in a reference time phase in a three-dimensional space is defined with regard to a moving tissue typified by a myocardial wall. Orthogonal projection vectors on the regression plane at each vertex (Pij(t)) in each time phase are calculated by using the normal vector on the regression plane, and the angle defined by the orthogonal projection vectors is calculated, thereby acquiring a local rotational angle at each vertex (Pij(t)) in each time phase relative to the reference time phase.

Abstract: The present invention is a Miniature Vein Enhancer that includes a Miniature Projection Head. The Miniature Projection Head may be operated in one of three modes, AFM, DEM, and RTM. The Miniature Projection Head of the present invention projects an image of the veins of a patient, which aids the practitioner in pinpointing a vein for an intravenous drip, blood test, and the like. The Miniature projection head may have a cavity for a power source or it may have a power source located in a body portion of the Miniature Vein Enhancer. The Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to one of several improved needle protectors, or the Miniature Vein Enhancer may be attached to a body similar to a flashlight for hand held use. The Miniature Vein Enhancer of the present invention may also be attached to a magnifying glass, a flat panel display, and the like.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a collecting unit, a specifying unit, an acquiring unit and a calculating unit. The collecting unit collects a plurality of fluid images that are images of a fluid traveling though a subject. The specifying unit specifies a distance traveled by the fluid by using a difference image between a reference image that is one of the fluid images and each fluid image. The acquiring unit acquires an elapsed time corresponding to the traveled distance from pulse sequence information that is used to collect the fluid images. The calculating unit calculates a flow velocity of the fluid by dividing the traveled distance by the elapsed time.

Abstract: There are provided embodiments for changing initial values of a mid-point algorithm to calculate a constant delay value throughout depths based on a sample volume and performing a receive-focusing based on the constant delay value. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system comprises: an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to calculate a constant delay value throughout depths based on a sample volume by using a mid-point algorithm, transmit ultrasound signals to a living body, receive ultrasound echo signals from the living body and form digital signals based on the ultrasound echo signals, the ultrasound data acquisition unit being further configured to apply the constant delay value to the digital signals to acquire ultrasound data corresponding to a high pulse rate frequency Doppler image of the sample volume.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system and method in which a transducer assembly in a probe housing in which sub-array beamforming and multiplexing operations are performed in the probe housing. The probe housing can be connected to a processor housing in which a second beamforming operation can be performed to generate images for display. The processor housing can be a handheld ultrasound display device for portable use.

Abstract: An imaging guidewire can include one or more optical fibers communicating light along the guidewire. At or near its distal end, one or more blazed or other Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) can direct light to a photoacoustic transducer material that provides ultrasonic imaging energy. Returned ultrasound can be sensed by an FBG sensor. A responsive signal can be optically communicated to the proximal end of the guidewire, and processed such as to develop a 2D or 3D image. In an example, the guidewire outer diameter can be small enough such that an intravascular catheter can be passed over the guidewire. To minimize the size of the guidewire, an ultrasound-to-acoustic transducer that is relatively insensitive to the polarization of the optical sensing signal can be used. The ultrasound-to-optical transducer can be manufactured so that it is relatively insensitive to the polarization of the optical sensing signal.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system obtains an MR image of an object. The system detects an ECG signal and performs a pulse sequence of RF gradient magnetic fields toward the object. Imaging defined by the pulse sequence is longer in temporal length than one heartbeat. The system further acquires an MR signal from the object in response to performance of the pulse sequence and produces the MR image based on the acquired MR signal. Also possible are: a plurality of divided MT pulses instead of the conventional single MT pulse, an SE-system pulse sequence having a shorter echo train spacing, and the generation of sounds by applying gradient pulses incorporated in an imaging pulse sequence so as to automatically instruct a patient to perform an intermittent breath hold.

Abstract: A laser based vascular illumination system utilizing a FPGA for detecting vascular positions, processing an image of such vasculature positions, and projecting the image thereof onto the body of a patient.

Abstract: The GAMMA/RF compact, hybrid and integrated system for PET-SPECT/MR simultaneous imaging of the invention comprises a GAMMA/RF device that integrates an RF coil, of the type used in conventional MR systems, with GAMMA radiation detector modules of the type used in PET or SPECT systems, so that combined PET or SPECT and MR images are obtained.