Abstract: Disclosed are methods of using planar or defocused acoustic waves for providing non-invasive sonodynamic therapy. The method includes acoustically coupling an array of piezoelectric transducers to a patient. A controller is configured to generate an electrical drive signal at a frequency selected from a range of frequencies, modulate the drive signal, and drive the transducer with the modulated drive signal at the frequency to produce modulated acoustic waves to produce an average acoustic intensity sufficient to activate a sonosensitizer in a treatment region without damaging healthy cells in the treatment region.

Abstract: An object information acquiring apparatus is used. This apparatus comprises: a light source configured to emit pulsed light of a plurality of wavelengths; a wavelength controller configured to switch the wavelength; a probe configured to receive an acoustic wave generated and propagated in an object subjected to the pulsed light emitted onto the object; a scan controller configured to move the probe within a predetermined scanning range; and an information processor configured to acquire information about the object by using a plurality of electric signals corresponding to the wavelengths of the pulsed light output from the probe at each reception position in the scanning area. The wavelength controller switches the wavelength of the pulsed light before the probe scans the entire scanning area while receiving at each reception position an acoustic wave corresponding to at least one of the wavelengths of the pulsed light.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging method and system. The method comprises: for each of a plurality of steer angles, including a reference steer angle, transmitting acoustic energy to a target region at the particular steer angle, receiving acoustic reflections, and converting the acoustic reflections to an image, with the image being associated with the particular steer angle; computing motion information based on the image associated with the reference steer angle; and generating a compounded ultrasound image based on the image associated with each of the plurality of steer angles and based on the motion information.

Abstract: When operating a brain stimulation device, it is critical to understand and control the network effects associated with the area being targeted for stimulation. The combined system and methods provided herein provides the operator with a real-time view of the brain network potentially affected by the stimulation. The system and method are capable of increasing the accuracy of diagnostic information. Additionally, disclosed herein are a system and method for combining navigated brain stimulation data and anatomical data with brain connectivity data for an individual.

Abstract: A system operable to allowing viewing of a physical subject with information regarding at least an item separate from the subject overlaid thereon. The system includes a viewscreen. The system is further able to determine the position of the item relative to the subject.

Abstract: Changes in tissue stiffness have long been associated with disease. Systems and methods for determining the stiffness of tissues using ultrasonography may include a device for inducing a propagating shear wave in tissue and tracking the speed of propagation, which is directly related to tissue stiffness and density. The speed of a propagating shear wave may be detected by imaging a tissue at a high frame rate and detecting the propagating wave as a perturbance in successive image frames relative to a baseline image of the tissue in an undisturbed state. In some embodiments, sufficiently high frame rates may be achieved by using a ping-based ultrasound imaging technique in which unfocused omni-directional pings are transmitted (in an imaging plane or in a hemisphere) into a region of interest. Receiving echoes of the omnidirectional pings with multiple receive apertures allows for substantially improved lateral resolution.

Abstract: A method of providing and processing an ultrasound capable endoscope assembly that uses an endoscope having a proximal and a distal end, and that has been used previously. The endoscope is cleansed to a level appropriate for re-use within a human body. The method also uses an unused ultrasound assembly, sealed in antiseptic packaging, and which includes a multiple signal pathway connector; an ultrasound transducer head including an ultrasound transducer; and a set of signal pathways, extending from the ultrasound transducer to the multiconductor electrical connector. In the method, the ultrasound assembly is to the endoscope, so that the set of signal pathways extends along the elongate body of the endoscope and the ultrasound transducer head is attached at the distal end. After use, the ultrasound assembly is detached from the endoscope and permanently disposed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method is for calculating an examination parameter for a computed tomography examination of an area of interest of a patient. The method includes receiving a topogram of the area of interest of the patient; determining fat distribution information by applying a trained machine learning algorithm onto the topogram; and calculating the examination parameter for the computed tomography examination of the area of interest of the patient based on the fat distribution information.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for determining blood pressure based on morphological features of pulses are described. A system may include a wearable device that uses one or more light emitting components configured to emit light, one or more photodetectors configured to receive light, and a controller that couples the one or more light emitting components to the one or more photodetectors. The wearable device may transmit lights associated with multiple wavelengths, and acquire photoplethysmogram (PPG) data that includes one or more PPG waveforms associated with the respective wavelengths. The system may determine respective sets of morphological features associated with each of the PPG waveforms based on systolic and diastolic peaks corresponding to the heartbeat of the user. The system may determine one or more blood pressure metrics for the user based at least in part on a comparison of the respective sets of morphological features.

Abstract: A system for determining characteristics of a specific region within an inhomogeneous dielectric specimen by guiding propagation of electric fields through the inhomogeneous dielectric specimen is provided herein. Various embodiments include at least one source of electromagnetic energy for generating electromagnetic waveforms, the electromagnetic waveforms comprising electric fields propagating along a prescribed path that defines a series of spatial regions through which the electric fields propagate. In some embodiments the prescribed path includes electric field modulating elements that determine a rate of electric field propagation along the prescribed path. Some embodiments include a plurality of conductors for guiding the electric field propagation through an inhomogeneous dielectric specimen in the prescribed path, the electric fields spanning between two or more of the plurality of conductors as the electric fields propagate along the prescribed path.

Abstract: A surgical apparatus includes a surgical device and a surgical controller. The surgical device is configured to be manipulated by a user to perform a soft tissue cutting procedure on a patient. The surgical controller is programmed to create a virtual object representing an anatomy of the patient based upon data acquired during a pre-operative scan and associate the virtual object with the anatomy of the patient. The surgical controller is also programmed to identify a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the virtual object which correspond to a plurality of soft tissue attachment points on the anatomy of the patient. The surgical controller is also programmed to determine the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient and provide real-time visualization on the virtual object of the location of the surgical device in relation to the anatomy of the patient.

Abstract: A medical system comprises a probe comprising a coil and a terminal distal end. The medical system further comprises a guide instrument comprising a terminal distal end, a sensor, and a lumen sized to receive the probe. The probe is configured to be inserted through the lumen to reach a worksite. At the worksite, the terminal distal end of the probe is configured to reach at least the terminal distal end of the guide instrument. The medical system further comprises processing hardware configured to receive a first signal from the coil and to receive a second signal from the sensor.

Abstract: A diagnostic ultrasound system has a 2D array transducer which is operated with 1×N patches, patches which are only a single element wide. The “N” length of the patches extends in the elevation direction of a scanned 2D image plane, with the single element width extending in the lateral (azimuth) direction. Focusing is done along each patch in the elevation direction by a microbeamformer, and focusing in the lateral (azimuth) direction is done by the system beamformer. The minimal width of each patch in the azimuth direction enables the production of images highly resolved in the azimuthal plane of a 2D image, including the reception of highly resolved multilines for high frame rate imaging.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are described including a processor (20) configured to receive first and second sets of extraluminal images of a lumen, the second set being acquired while an endoluminal device is being moved through the lumen. The processor designates at least one of the first set of images as a roadmap image, and designates, within the lumen in the roadmap image, a roadmap pathway (42). A plurality of features (44, 46, 48, 50) that are visible within at least some of the second set of extraluminal images are identified, and an arrangement of three or more of the features within the image are compared to a shape of at least a portion of the roadmap pathway. Based upon the comparing, the identified features are mapped to locations along the roadmap pathway within the roadmap image. Other applications are also described.

Abstract: In a method for synchronous magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and radiation therapy using a combined system having a radiation apparatus and an MR imaging apparatus, wherein the system is designed to record MR signals of a subject during irradiation of the subject, a three-dimensional MR volume data set of the subject is acquired that contains a target volume for the irradiation, the location of a central beam of the radiation therapy apparatus relative to the subject, is continuously determined, and a second MR image data set is determined, which is positioned essentially perpendicular to the central beam. If the location of the central beam changes, a correspondingly changed second MR image data set is determined perpendicular to the central beam.

Abstract: An image registration system (111) for registering a live stream of ultrasound images (112) of a beamforming ultrasound probe (113) with an X-ray image (114) is described. The image registration (111) system identifies, from the X-ray image (114), the position of a medical device (116) represented in the X-ray image (114); and determines, based on ultrasound signals transmitted between the beamforming ultrasound probe (113) and an ultrasound transducer (115) disposed on the medical device (116), a location of the ultrasound transducer (115) respective the beamforming ultrasound probe (113). Each ultrasound image from the live stream (112) is registered with the X-ray (114) image based on the identified position of the medical device (116).

Abstract: Various embodiments of a physical instrument are described herein. The physical instrument includes a main tubular body with a first terminal portion and a second terminal portion. The physical instrument further comprises a code platform proximate to the first terminal portion of the main tubular body. The code platform includes a plurality of different codes. The physical instrument also includes at least one of: (i) a flat tip at the second terminal portion and (ii) a passage internal to the main tubular body and extending from the first terminal portion to the second terminal portion.

Abstract: High intensity focused ultrasound systems for treating tissue are disclosed herein. A system of treating tissue in a patient in accordance with an embodiment of the present technology can include, for example, an ultrasound source having a focal region and configured to deliver high intensity focused ultrasound energy to a target site in tissue of the patient. The system can further include a controller operably coupled to the ultrasound source. The controller comprises a pulsing protocol for delivering the high intensity focused ultrasound energy with the ultrasound source to the target site. The controller is configured to cause the ultrasound source to pulse high intensity focused ultrasound waves to lyse cells in a volume of the tissue of the subject while preserving an extracellular matrix in the volume of the tissue exposed to the high intensity focused ultrasound waves.

Abstract: System and method of ultrasound imaging methodology are provided. The system and method can include directing an array to transmit sets of cascaded titled ultrasound waves towards a tissue sample, decoding reflected signals through summing, subtracting, and delay operations. The reflected signals can be reconstructed to provide a final decoded output.

Abstract: A method includes, in a medical procedure carried out during a time interval including at least first and second time periods, receiving, for the first time period, a first electrical signal indicative of at least a first position and a first orientation of a hand-held device directing energy to one or more volumetric portions of an organ. A second electrical signal indicative of at least a second position and a second orientation of the hand-held device is received for the second time period. Based on the first and second electrical signals, a cumulative energy applied to at least one of the one or more volumetric portions is estimated. The estimated cumulative energy, of at least one of the one or more volumetric portions, is overlaid on an anatomical image of the organ.