Abstract: A data processing method performed by a computer for supporting a medical brain mapping procedure, comprising the steps of receiving a microscope image of a patient's cortex and superimposing stimulation response marks onto the microscope image, wherein a stimulation response mark indicates the patient's response to an electrical stimulation of the cortex by a stimulation probe at a position associated with the stimulation response mark.

Abstract: A system for visualizing and guiding a surgical device having a first imaging device of a first type and has a first image output. The first imaging device is positioned to image an area being subject to surgery. A second imaging device of a second type has a second image output. The second imaging device is positioned to image an area being subject to surgery. A computer is coupled to receive the first and second image outputs and a computer software program, resident in the computer receives and displays information received from the surgical device and/or for guiding the operation of the surgical device and for generating a graphic user interface including selectable menu and submenu items. The surgical device is coupled to the computer.

Abstract: A method and a magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) system are provided. The MRT system includes a controller configured to store a transmit vector that is established on a local-coil-specific basis. The transmit vector, for a specific local coil, indicates with which amplitudes and phases, transmit elements of the local coil may be controlled by a transmit device. The controller is configured to initiate a patient-specific calibration measurement on a patient to generate patient-specific calibration data representing a field distribution. The controller is also configured to determine deviations in the patient-specific calibration data from the stored transmit vector established on a local-coil-specific basis. The patient-specific calibration data is generated in the patient-specific calibration measurement on the patient and represents a field distribution. An imaging MRT measurement is not allowed if deviations exceed a threshold value, but is otherwise performed and is monitored by a monitoring device.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a head-mounted magnetic resonance imaging device. The head-mounted magnetic resonance imaging device includes a head-mounted imaging unit, a controlling computer, and a signal processing computer. The signal processing computer includes a controlling module, a data processing module, an image reconstructing module, an image storing module, and an image comparing module. The image reconstructing module forms cross-sectional scanned images of an user's brain memory showing microstructure. The image comparing module is configured to analyze and comparing the cross-sectional scanned images of the user's brain memory showing microstructure collected at different times so that the controlling computer provided user suggestions corresponding to different judgement results of the image comparing module. The system may comprise a dementia monitoring system that provides users with advisory dementia warnings so users may be advised to seek further medical advice.

Abstract: The invention relates to an interventional system comprising an interventional device (11) for being inserted into a living being (7) and comprising an optical shape sensing fiber, wherein the optical shape sensing fiber is used for determining respiratory motion by monitoring a movement of a part of the interventional device, which moves in accordance with the respiratory motion. Thus, respiratory motion can be determined, without necessarily requiring a physician to handle with further devices like a respiratory belt, i.e. the same interventional device can be used for performing an interventional procedure and for determining the respiratory motion. The interventional procedure can therefore be less cumbersome for a physician. Moreover, since the determination of the respiratory motion is based on optical shape sensing, which is a very accurate position determination technique, the respiratory motion can be determined very accurately.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for fully automated image optimization based on automated organ recognition. In medical imaging systems, during medical imaging based on a particular imaging technique, an anatomical feature in an area being imaged may be automatically identifying, and based on the identifying of the anatomical feature, one or more imaging parameters or settings for optimizing imaging quality for the identified anatomical feature may be automatically determined. Imaging functions may then be configured based on the determined one or more imaging parameters or settings, and, based on processing of medical imaging dataset acquired based on that configuration, one or more medical images for rendering. A deep learning and/or neural network based model may be used in identifying the anatomical feature and selecting the one or more imaging parameters or settings.

Abstract: An ultrasonic probe comprising a housing, a first ultrasonic transducer array, a second ultrasonic transducer array, a first light source, and a second light source. The first ultrasonic transducer array is coupled to the housing and configured to emit a first planar ultrasonic beam in a first direction within a first plane. The second ultrasonic transducer array is coupled to the housing and configured to emit a second planar ultrasonic beam in the first direction within a second plane, which is substantially perpendicular to the first plane. The first light source is coupled to the housing and configured to project a first light line substantially within the first plane. The second light source is coupled to the housing and configured to project a second light line within a third plane, which is substantially perpendicular to the first plane and intersects the second plane at an oblique angle. The first light line intersects and is substantially perpendicular to the second light line.

Abstract: Navigation assistance systems and methods for use with a surgical instrument to assist in navigation of a surgical instrument during an operation. The system may include sensors that may observe the patient to generate positioning data regarding the relative position of the surgical instrument and the patient. The system may retrieve imaging data regarding the patient and correlate the imaging data to the positioning data. In turn, the position of the surgical instrument relative to the imaging data may be provided and used to generate navigation date (e.g., position, orientation, trajectory, or the like) regarding the surgical instrument.

Abstract: Vector Doppler Imaging (VDI) improves on conventional Color Doppler Imaging (CDI) by giving speed and direction of blood flow at each pixel of a display generated by a computing system. Multiple angles of Plane wave transmissions (PWT) via an ultrasound transducer conveniently give projected Doppler measurements over a wide field of view, providing enough angular diversity to identify velocity vectors in a short time window while capturing transitory flow dynamics. A fast, aliasing-resistant velocity vector estimator for PWT is presented, and VDI imaging of a carotid artery with a 5 MHz linear array is shown using a novel synthetic particle flow visualization method.

Abstract: A method, and associated system, includes receiving inputs from a medical instrument having at least one elongated actuation element used to manipulate a position of the instrument. The method also includes determining a force on a tip of the medical instruments by applying the inputs to a lumped model of the instrument, the lumped model comprising a mass of a motor user to operate the at least one elongated actuation member and a mass of at least a portion of a catheter body of the medical instrument.

Abstract: A passive cavitation mapping method is provided that includes capturing a channel signal from at least one ultrasound transducer in an array of ultrasound transducers, isolating a cavitation signal in the channel signal, time-gating the channel signal about the cavitation signal, computing a time-delay between neighboring the cavitation signals in adjacent the channel signals, computing a modified parabolic fit to the square of the arrival times, where the modified parabolic fit includes a coordinate transformation using an x location of a leading edge of wavefronts of the cavitation signal and a maximum arrival time of the cavitation signal, extracting a location of a cavitation signal source at point (x, z) in the coordinate transformation, computing a cavitation magnitude for each non-eliminated cavitation signal, creating a passive cavitation map by convolving the cavitation magnitude and the source location with an uncertainty function, and using the cavitation map for therapeutic ultrasound applications

Abstract: The present disclosure provides an ultrasonic diagnostic system formed of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a wireless communication terminal and applicable to a wireless communication terminal with various resolution levels, including the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which converts frame data obtained by collecting an echo signal at an ultrasonic probe into scan data corresponding to a resolution level of a display screen of the wireless communication terminal and the wireless communication terminal which receives the scan data from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and scan-converts the scan data into an ultrasonic image adequate for the resolution level of the display screen thereof.

Abstract: Disclosed is the automated rapid advancement of a guide wire through a guide catheter using x-ray markers. The procedure involves providing a guide wire with a marker at or adjacent its tip, providing a guide catheter with a marker at or adjacent its distal terminus, rapidly advancing the guide wire through the guide catheter from its proximal end to its distal end under the control of an automated apparatus, and terminating the automated rapid advancement when the guide wire tip marker becomes adjacent to the guide catheter distal end marker. Fluoroscopic images may be taken of the of the guide wire as it rapidly advances through the guide catheter and image processing software used to determine when to terminate the rapid advancement. This software may use either the position or the velocity of the guide wire to make this determination.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (300) includes one or more transducing elements (304). The ultrasound imaging system further includes a system controller (330) configured to control the one or more transducing elements to receive for a predetermined time duration without first transmitting and produce a noise only signal. The system controller is further configured to control the one or more transducing elements to transmit a set of pulses which causes the one or more transducing elements to transmit a pressures wave and receive echo waves generated in response to the transmitted pressures wave and produce an echo plus noise signal indicative thereof. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a noise processor (320) that compensates the echo plus noise signal with the noise only signal, creating a denoised signal, which is displayed.

Abstract: An interventional medical device is provided that incorporates a forward-directed ultrasound or optical coherence tomography imaging system that is replaceable depending on how close the device is to the target site for a given medical procedure, the device and system integrated into a single minimally invasive device comprising a first probe housing, needle guide assembly and sheath, a sleeve lock for closing a normally open needle channel of a needle guide of the first distal assembly and a second probe and cable housing assembly locked to the first distal probe housing, needle guide assembly and sheath by a locking tab. The probe and cable housing assembly may comprise a linear phased ultrasound array and an accelerometer for orienting an image produced by the device with the gravitational field of the earth. The medical device can be in the form of an image guided catheter or probe, used in a body orifice, externally on skin tissue or subcutaneously.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance (MR)-radiotherapy (RT) hybrid system for treating a patient is disclosed. The MR-RT hybrid system includes a radiation source for supplying a radiation beam to treat the patient and an MR imaging (MRI) apparatus for generating a divergent gradient field shaped to match a divergent geometry of the radiation beam of the radiation source.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for determining the progressive potential of a disease is disclosed. The forward to backward propagating second harmonic generation signal derived from a second harmonic generation instrument is used to assess the collagen microstructure of imaged body tissue by way of numerical values that are in turn used to determine the progressive or metastatic potential of the disease. The disease may, for example, be a cancer such as breast cancer, lung fibrosis, colorectal adenocarcinoma, or the like. The apparatus may include in vivo instruments or laboratory diagnostic instruments with methods disclosed herein.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a method including obtaining ultrasonic images of one or more vessel to be catheterized with an ultrasonic imaging device 212 and identifying the center(s) of the vessel(s) with the ultrasonic images. One of the vessels is punctured with a needle 220 based on the identifying of the center of the vessel. A guide wire 230 is inserted into the vessel and maneuvered with guide wire ultrasonic feedback control. The guide wire ultrasonic feedback control includes obtaining ultrasonic images of the vessel and the guide wire 230 in the vessel, and displaying the ultrasonic images of the vessel and the guide wire 230 in the vessel to a user. A catheter sheath 240 is inserted over the guide wire 230 and maneuvered with sheath ultrasonic feedback control. The guide wire 230 is removed and a catheter 250 is inserted into the catheter sheath 240 and maneuvered with catheter ultrasonic feedback control.

Abstract: Provided are an ultrasound apparatus and method of operating the same. The method comprises automatically obtaining an elasticity image by using a preset number of consistent and consecutive images and providing the obtained elasticity image.

Abstract: Multi-modal imaging capsule for image-guided proton beam therapy, consisting of a biocompatible polymer layer, 18O-enriched water, and a contrast agent. The biocompatible capsule may be inserted near or inside a tumor under the guidance of X-ray, magnetic resonance, or ultrasonography imaging. Upon proton beam irradiation, the capsule emits positrons, allowing the tumor to be imaged and tracked by a PET detector.