Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system produces a sequence of images of the heart during a cardiac cycle. The images are analyzed to determine the motion, displacement, or change in size of segments of the myocardium. In a preferred embodiment the values determined are radial, longitudinal, or circumferential myocardial strain values. The displacement of the myocardial segments may be tracked during the cardiac cycle by speckle tracking or border detection. The motion, displacement, or change in size values for the segments are analyzed to produce a recruitment curve and anatomical display showing the relative times of recruitment of the different segments in the contractile and relaxation motion of the heart. Participation in and achievement of full recruitment may be determined by comparison against an initial recruitment threshold criterion and against a predetermine maximal recruitment milestone level.

Abstract: An imaging system comprises a catheter having a lumen, a rotatable imaging probe within the catheter lumen including a distal transducer and first and second conductors coupled to the transducer, and a coupler that couples the rotatable first and second conductors to non-rotatable third and fourth conductors, respectively. The coupler includes a rotary capacitive coupler.

Abstract: An optical measurement apparatus of the present invention includes a light source unit; an operation unit that performs an operation process on the basis of a result of the measurement performed by a measurement unit to obtain a characteristic value of a living tissue; a validity evaluator that evaluates, on the basis of an operation result of the operation process performed by the operation unit, whether the result of the measurement is valid; an output unit that outputs a result of the evaluation performed by the validity evaluator; an input unit that inputs an instruction to adopt the result of the measurement performed by the measurement unit; and a determination unit that determines, on the basis of the result of the evaluation performed by the validity evaluator and the instruction information from the input unit, whether to adopt the result of the measurement performed by the measurement unit.

Abstract: A medical imager, primarily for use in oral and dental applications. The imager has a source for providing a plurality of collimated beams of non-ionizing radiation, in particular near-infrared light, and a plurality of correlated detectors. Each detector is arranged to receive unscattered light from one or part of one of said collimated beams and scattered light from one or more other beams. The imager further comprises means for using both the unscattered and scattered light to form an image.

Abstract: A medical instrument that comprises: a first-stage optic responsive to a tissue surface of a patient; a spectral separator optically responsive to the first stage optic and having a control input; an imaging sensor optically responsive to the spectral separator and having an image data output; and a diagnostic processor having an image acquisition interface with an input responsive to the imaging sensor and a filter control interface having a control output provided to the control input of the spectral separator.

Abstract: A method for disrupting or destroying selected pathogens located within the body of an organism the method including the non-invasive administration to pre-selected locations on or in the organism of an amount of low intensity ultrasonic energy, effective to disrupt or destroy the selected pathogens but not deleteriously affect the organism, the low intensity ultrasonic energy falling within predefined ranges of frequencies, wherein the predefined range of frequencies is one or more ranges of frequencies at which the low intensity ultrasonic energy has optimal effectiveness in disrupting or destroying a particular pathogen, and the intensity of the low intensity ultrasonic energy falling within predefined ranges of intensity, wherein the predefined range of intensity of low intensity ultrasonic energy is such as to allow for disruption or destruction of the selected pathogens but not deleteriously affect tissue of the organism surrounding the selected pathogens.

Abstract: An elasticity measuring system determines tissue displacement between a pre-deformation and post-deformation image by a matching process using a cost function accepting as its arguments continuity of the tissue motion and correlation of the tissue in making the block matching. The invention allows the selection among different cost functions for different imaging situations or tissue types, to provide improved displacement calculations using a priori knowledge about the tissue and structure of tissue interfaces or information derived during the scanning process.

Abstract: Methods and systems for patient alignment for nuclear medicine imaging are provided. One method includes activating a proximity sensor system associated with imaging detectors of the diagnostic imaging system, wherein the imaging detectors are in an L-mode configuration. The method also includes initiating movement of a patient table of the diagnostic imaging system and using a sensed proximity of a patient on the moving patient table by the proximity sensor system to automatically adjust a height of the patient table on which the patient is supported to a patient table height scanning position.

Abstract: A patient treatment unit for analyzing and treating abnormality of human or animal tissues, includes a display; a pulse generator circuit that outputs a sequence of electrical pulses at a pulse frequency, the electrical pulses having a pulse width, the pulse generator controlling the pulse frequency and the pulse width of the electrical pulses; a pair of probes for contacting a body of a patient and electrically coupled to the pulse generator; and a voltage and current sensing circuit that senses a voltage or a current via the probes when contacting the body of the patient.

Abstract: An embodiment analyzes a body part of a patient, which patient is perfused with a contrast agent that is capable of circulating within the patient and of being substantially immobilized on a biological target. An embodiment of a corresponding system provides an echo signal that is indicative of a response over time to an interrogation signal of the body part, fits the echo signal with a time model function that models an evolution over time of the contrast agent in the body part, the time model function including a combination of a circulation function that models the circulation of the contrast agent and a decay function that models a decay of the echo signal from the immobilized contrast agent, and estimates at least one kinetics indicator of the contrast agent from the time model function.

Abstract: Example systems, apparatus, circuits, and so on described herein concern intervention-independent scan plane control for an MRI system. A tracking device capable of being manipulated independently of an interventional device in use to treat a patient transmits position signals describing an orientation of the tracking device to an MRI system. The MRI system determines a desired scan plan that will correspond to the orientation of the tracking device and performs a diagnostic scan on the desired scan plan.

Abstract: A real-time signal processing technique for ultrasonic imaging of tissue vibrations for localizing the source of a bruit in a 2D image with respect to the anatomy and/or for obtaining simultaneous information about vibrations and the underlying blood flow. The bruit can be quantitatively assessed using an ensemble of ultrasound echoes. Signal processing enables estimation of wall displacement and the display of time-resolved vibration spectrum. Vibrations are detected and color-coded according to their amplitude and frequency and overlaid on the B-mode and/or color-flow image in real time. Proposed vibration imaging algorithms use data acquired during conventional ultrasonic color-flow imaging and the clutter signal, normally suppressed in color-flow imaging, to detect and characterize tissue vibrations. Three vibration imaging algorithms based on parametric modeling of vibrations and other criteria distinguish between clutter, blood flow, and vibrations.

Abstract: An apparatus, system and method for performing a health correlation assessment based upon results an eye contrast sensitivity measurement test of a person. The health correlation assessment yields a predictive and probabilistic measure of the likelihood of the person appropriately assigned to a particular clinical health classification. Such an eye contrast sensitivity measurement can be used to identify people who are likely to be within a pre-Alzheimer's disease state or within Alzheimer's disease state of health and identify those who should seek further clinical and/or other types of testing to ascertain their actual health status and to determine an appropriate course of medical treatment.

Abstract: A pharyngeal ultrasound guide (PUG) to be placed inside the pharynx which allows the transmission of ultrasonic waves from a ultrasonic probe placed therein into the structures of the pharynx, throat, and major vessels; the technique of acquisition of the ultrasonic images and Doppler measurements using such a device; and the procedures which may be performed using the images.

Abstract: A wiring board electrically connected to a back side of an ultrasound transmitting/receiving section that transmits/receives ultrasound includes a rigid circuit board included in a stiff portion, and a wrapping portion extending out from the rigid circuit board (stiff portion), and a plurality of drive wirings electrically connected to the wiring board are inserted into a wiring insertion portion of a housing with the plurality of drive wirings wrapped and bundled by the wrapping portion.

Abstract: A system and method for assessing tissue health based on the viscoelastic properties of the tissue. Surface waves are induced in the tissue and their propagation characteristics are then measured. The tissue viscoelastic properties are then determined from the surface wave measurements using a surface model.

Abstract: Random sinogram variance is reduced in continuous bed motion acquisition. The randoms are modeled as a product of transverse singles efficiencies. The random sinogram is assumed to be a smooth function in the axial direction, collapsing the parameterization for estimating the transverse singles efficiencies into a single, conceptual ring. By solving the product, the mean random values are used to smooth the randoms in image reconstruction with less noise and artifacts.

Abstract: One innovative aspect is directed to heart rate data collection. In some implementations, a circuit includes a light detector for generating a first electrical signal based on received light. The circuit includes a switching circuit, having a first and a second configuration, configured to receive a first voltage signal based on the first electrical signal and to switch among the first and the second configurations. The circuit includes first and second sampling circuits for sampling a value of the first voltage signal when the switching circuit is in the first configuration and second configurations, respectively. The circuit includes an ambient light cancellation circuit for generating a current signal to counter a first component of the first electrical signal when the first switching circuit is in the first configuration.

Abstract: An ultrasound system and method provide a workflow to acquire 3D images of the fetal heart gated by a synthetic heart gating signal. An ROI is defined in an ultrasound image which delineates the fetal heart. The ultrasound system is controlled to automatically estimate the fetal heart rate from echo signals received from the ROI. When the system has acquired a stable synthetic heart rate signal, an indication thereof is given to the user and the user then commands the system to acquire 3D fetal heart images for a number of fetal heart cycles which are gated using the synthetic heart rate signal.

Abstract: Systems and methods for imaging within depth layers of a tissue include illuminating light rays at different changing wavelengths (frequencies), collimating illuminated light rays using a collimator, and splitting light rays using a beam splitter, such that some of the light rays are directed towards a reference mirror and some of the rays are directed towards the tissue. The systems and methods further include reflecting light rays from the reference mirror towards the imager, filtering out non-collimated light rays reflected off the tissue by using a telecentric optical system, and reflecting collimated light rays reflected off the tissue towards the imager, thus creating an image of an interference pattern based on collimated light rays reflected off the tissue and off the reference mirror. The method may further include creating full 2D images from the interference pattern for each depth layer of the tissue using Fast Fourier transform.