Abstract: A method for detecting abnormal tissue in a region of healthy tissue, comprising: a) making a first measurement of ultrasound backscattered from the region; b) heating the region, at least after the first measurement; c) making one or more additional measurements of ultrasound backscattered from the region after some or all of the heating; and d) analyzing the measurements to detect the abnormal tissue by finding one or both of differences in changes in temperature and differences in thermal expansion, caused by the heating, between the abnormal tissue and the healthy tissue.

Abstract: Certain aspects and examples are directed to systems and methods for assessing risk of chromosomal disorders. Certain embodiments are directed to systems and methods that use nuchal translucency values from both twins to provide a fetus specific risk of a chromosomal disorder in at least one fetus of the twins fetuses.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for estimating the Bone Mineral Density (BMD) using image data collected in emergency situation, i.e. without following specific protocols. In particular, the invention discloses a method for assessing the risk of bone fractures using as one indicator a BMD of one or more bones. The BMD is calculated using a universal constant which provides a value of BMD having a certain error in respect to its true value. However this error does not substantially affect the assessment of the risk of fracture of one or more bones.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprises: an ultrasound probe that has a transducer array transmitting an ultrasonic beam toward a subject and receiving an ultrasonic echo by the subject to output reception signals; a diagnostic apparatus body that is connected to the ultrasound probe by wireless communication and generates an ultrasound image on the basis of the reception signal output from the transducer array; at least one power receiving terminal that is arranged at the ultrasound probe and electrically connected to respective parts in the ultrasound probe; and a power supply unit that is capable of being attached to an operator's body and is detachably connected to the power receiving terminal so as to perform power supply to the respective parts in the ultrasound probe.

Abstract: A method for characterizing body tissue, comprising: a) transmitting ultrasound into tissue of a body, heating the body tissue by less than 3 degrees Celsius; b) measuring temperature of the tissue, at one or more locations at one or more times during the ultrasound transmission, following the ultrasound transmission, or both; and c) using the temperature measurement to determine at least one property of the body tissue, based on differences in absorption of ultrasound, differences in cooling rate of the tissue following the ultrasound transmission, or both.

Abstract: The prostate gland or other region of interest is stimulated with either a light source or an ultrasound source, resulting in photoacoustic or ultrasound acoustic waves which are focused by an acoustic lens and captured by a specific 1- or 2D sensor array and subsequently displayed as a C-scan on a computer screen. The amplitude of the waves generated by the stimulation is proportional to the optical absorption of the tissue element at that spatial location. Variability in tissue absorption results in C-scan image contrast.

Abstract: An ultrasonic monitoring device includes a substrate, a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements, a computer readable memory medium, a microprocessor, and a power source. The ultrasonic transducer elements are coupled to the substrate. Each ultrasonic transducer element is separately configured to transmit a signal to a target area of a mammal and to receive an echo return signal from the target area. The computer readable memory medium includes program instructions. The microprocessor is coupled to the ultrasonic transducer elements and to the computer readable memory medium for executing the program instructions to determine a physiological parameter of the mammal based on a combined analysis of the echo return signals received by the ultrasonic transducer elements. The power source is coupled to at least one of the ultrasonic transducer elements, the computer readable memory medium, or the microprocessor for supplying electrical energy.

Abstract: A method for detecting abnormal tissue in a region of healthy tissue, comprising: a) making a first measurement of ultrasound backscattered from the region; b) heating the region, at least after the first measurement; c) making one or more additional measurements of ultrasound backscattered from the region after some or all of the heating; and d) analyzing the measurements to detect the abnormal tissue by finding differences in changes, caused by the heating, of one or more characteristics of ultrasound backscattering, between the abnormal tissue and the healthy tissue.

Abstract: The ultrasound examination apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is an ultrasound examination apparatus for observing an inside of a body of a living subject and includes: a transmitting probe that transmits ultrasonic waves to an inside of an examination target which is a part of the living subject; a receiving probe that detects microscopic displacement on a surface of the examination target without contact with the examination target, to detect reflected ultrasonic waves which are the to ultrasonic waves reflected from the inside of the examination target; and a signal processing unit that generates an image of the inside of the examination target, based on the reflected ultrasonic waves during a scanning operation in which the transmitting probe is kept fixed with respect to the examination target and the receiving probe is moved with respect to the examination target.

Abstract: The velocity of fluids containing particles that scatter ultrasound can be measured by determining the Doppler shift of the ultrasound scattered by the particles in the fluid. Measuring fluid flow in cylindrical vessels such as blood vessels is an important use of Doppler ultrasound. This invention teaches using various configurations of cylindrical diffraction-grating transducers and cylindrical non-diffraction-grating transducers that suppress the Doppler shift from non-axial components of fluid velocity while being sensitive to the Doppler shift produced by axial velocity components. These configurations thus provide accurate measurement of the net flow down the vessel, even when the fluid flow is curved or not parallel to the vessel wall.

Abstract: A surgery assistance system including a rigid endoscope having a position-orientation detection marker, 3-dimensional (3D) shape measurement device for obtaining data corresponding to a 3D surface of a patient and data corresponding to a 3D surface of the position-orientation detection marker, and computation unit for aligning pre-stored tomographical data of the patient and the data corresponding to the 3D surface of the patient, computing an optical axis of the rigid endoscope on the basis of the data corresponding to the 3D surface of the position-orientation detection marker and a pre-obtained 3D relative position relationship between an actual optical axis of the rigid endoscope and the position-orientation detection marker, for computing a tissue wall in the patient from the 3D tomographical data, and for computing an intersection of the tissue wall and the computed optical axis of the rigid endoscope.

Abstract: There is described an MRI system in which the detection of the NMR signal is performed by a resonant input at a median field range above 100 gauss and where the main field is cycled to a low field of below 50% of the resonant frequency after the excitation of the NMR signal for a period sufficient to develop differences in magnetisation (T1). The advantage of this system is that images can be generated at much lower field intensities than prior art systems and is able to detect abnormalities in tissue such as cancerous tissues in a patient.

Abstract: Embodiments include a fiducial deployment system. A fiducial may include dimples to enhance echogenicity and/or to provide for engagement with a delivery cannula or stylet. The needle system may be configured to deliver a plurality of fiducials to a target location in serial fashion, one at a time, when the fiducials are coaxially disposed around a central deployment member that may be embodied as a delivery cannula or stylet. In certain embodiments, echogenic placement of fiducials may present certain advantages. An elongate structure may be included that is configured to distally advance fiducials along the deployment member.

Abstract: Described herein is the use of ultrasound pulses at different frequencies to track the dispersion properties of intracranial tissues which may have been altered due to traumatic or other neurological brain injury. Dispersive ultrasound does not provide imaging, but it can provide data of significant diagnostic value by using decision support systems that can be trained as a medical diagnostic system for traumatic brain injuries applications to detect specific patterns of dispersion that are associated with specific intracranial injuries.

Abstract: An indicator element of a percutaneous needle guide for a medical scanning device includes a pointer for pointing to a percutaneous needle entry site on an epidermis of a body, when the guide is attached to the device and the device is positioned over the epidermis for scanning. A user may orient and insert a needle into the entry site according to the direction of the pointer, by just viewing the pointer, without the needle being constrained by the pointer. The guide may include an adjustment mechanism for moving the indicator element with respect to the device, when the guide is attached to the device; the adjustment mechanism moves the indicator element, without changing an orientation of the pointer, in a direction approximately parallel to a plane that is approximately tangent with an apex of the device transducer surface and approximately perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the device.

Abstract: An ablation catheter comprises: an elongated catheter body extending along a longitudinal axis; at least one ablation element disposed in a distal portion which is adjacent the distal end of the catheter body to ablate a targeted tissue region outside the catheter body; a single pulse-echo ultrasonic transducer disposed in the distal portion and arranged to emit and receive an acoustic beam along a centroid in a beam direction, at a transducer angle of about 30-60 degrees relative to a distal direction of the longitudinal axis at a location of intersection between the longitudinal axis and the beam direction of the centroid of the acoustic beam; and a mechanism to manipulate the distal portion in movement including rotation of at least the distal portion around the longitudinal axis. The single ultrasonic transducer emits and receives acoustic pulses to provide lesion information in the targeted tissue region being ablated.

Abstract: Methods and systems for ultrasound imaging are presented. The method includes configuring a plurality of apertures in a transducer array of an ultrasound imaging device, where the apertures include one or more transducer elements. Further, one or more reference pulses are delivered to a plurality of target regions to detect corresponding initial positions. Additionally, a pushing pulse is delivered to at least two of the plurality of target regions through at least two of the plurality of apertures. The plurality of apertures is focused at specific target regions in the plurality of target regions using a compound delay profile. Subsequently, one or more tracking pulses are delivered to the plurality of target regions for detecting corresponding displacements of at least the specific target regions. Further, ultrasound imaging methods that deliver a plurality of short pushing pulse segments and/or tracking pulses to corresponding target regions in an interleaving manner are described.

Abstract: Contact pressure from a transducer is controlled in medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging. Rather than measuring pressure directly using a pressure sensor on the transducer, the compression of tissue within the patient may be measured using ultrasound scanning. The desired amount of compression in the region of interest for diagnosis may be obtained. For example in breast imaging, the desired compression for imaging a portion of the breast is compared to compression measured from ultrasound data. Once the desired tissue compression is achieved, the pressure applied by the transducer is maintained while the diagnosis scan occurs. For example, a robotic arm locks or otherwise maintains the pressure during scanning.

Abstract: Systems and methods which generate a sequence of images using turbo spin echo magnetic resonance imaging which are retrospectively correlated with periodic motion occurring within a subject being imaged are described. In one embodiment, k-space measurements (or the measurements from which images are formed) are captured during, and correlated with, different phases in a cardiac cycle of the subject. With this sequence, the images that are produced are able to show, and/or compensate for, motion correlated with the cardiac cycle of the subject.

Abstract: An ultrasound system includes an ultrasound data acquisition unit and a processing unit. The ultrasound data acquisition unit transmits and receives ultrasound signals to and from a target object based on a plurality of steering angles to output a plurality of ultrasound data for obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images corresponding to the steering angles. The processing unit forms the ultrasound images based on the ultrasound data, decomposes each of the ultrasound images into a low pass image having a low frequency component and a high pass image having a high frequency component, performs a blending process of removing a seam artifact upon the low and high pass images for each of the ultrasound images, forms a plurality of restoration images by composing the blended low and high pass images, and forms an ultrasound spatial compound image based on the restoration images.