Abstract: A method and system are described for generating a signal indicative of an intravascular image received at least partly via a light transducer and invoking circuitry for passing the generated signal out of a subject's body.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is navigation and simulation systems and methods for minimally invasive therapy in which the navigation system imports a planning method using patient specific pre-operative images. The navigation system uses intraoperative imaging during the medical procedure to update the preoperative images and provides images of tracked surgical tools along the surgical path prepared from the preoperative images.

Abstract: A field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit including a quadrature internal conditioning circuit is provided. The circuit having a buffer circuit; and a reconstruction engine circuit, wherein the reconstruction engine circuit includes: a circuit to measure a phase of a signal; and a flavor interpolation circuit; wherein: the circuit to measure the phase of a signal includes digitization points forming two complex numbers for each cycle of the center frequency of the signal. A system for collecting tissue images including a patient interface module (PIM); a pulse transmitter circuit; an analog to digital converter circuit; and an FPGA circuit as above; and a catheter having a sensing head is also provided. A method for using the above system to provide an image reconstruction is also provided.

Abstract: An ultrasound probe structure dedicated for guiding the puncture needle. It has a passage in the center of the structure and the diameter of the passage is equal to the outer diameter of puncture needle. The bony and non-bony tissues can be distinguished according to the strength of the echoes so that the puncture needle can be guided to avoid hitting the bony tissue before or during insertion.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes a setting unit, a transmitter, a signal processing unit, and an image generating unit. The setting unit sets a plurality of ROIs within a scanning region. The transmitter transmits an ultrasonic wave for displacement generation on a plurality of transmission conditions corresponding to the respective ROIs from an ultrasonic probe and transmits an ultrasonic wave for observation that observes a displacement generated by each transmission of the ultrasonic wave for displacement generation, from the ultrasonic probe a plurality of times. The signal processing unit analyzes a plurality of pieces of reflected wave data, acquires a plurality of pieces of displacement information, and calculates distribution information on the respective transmission conditions. The image generating unit generates a plurality of pieces of image data based on the pieces of distribution information and composite image data by composing the pieces of image data.

Abstract: A plenoptic otoscope captures images used in making a medical diagnosis. For example, the plenoptic data can be processed to produce enhanced imagery of the ear interior, and this enhanced imagery can be used in making a medical diagnosis.

Abstract: Disclosed are embodiments of devices and methods for imaging the inside of a body part, such as a blood vessel. In particular embodiments, a catheter has a chamber within which is a transducer. A wire guide channel extends throughout the length of the catheter. The transducer is rotatable around the wire guide channel.

Abstract: An ultrasound probe includes: an ultrasound input/output unit to output a transmission ultrasound to a test object by a pulse signal; and a signal input/output unit to output a reception signal when the ultrasound input/output unit receives a reflected ultrasound from the test object, wherein the ultrasound probe is set so that a difference between maximum and minimum values of a group delay in a transmission/reception frequency band at ?20 dB of the ultrasonic probe is equal to or less than 0.15 radian, the group delay being obtained from a phase difference for each frequency between the input pulse signal and the reception signal obtained from the reflected ultrasound of the transmission ultrasound output by the pulse signal, or so that a standard deviation of the group delay in the transmission/reception frequency band at ?20 dB of the ultrasonic probe is equal to or less than 0.025.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a verification system for confirming the position of a conduit inserted within a patient may include an elongate control element dimensioned for insertion within the conduit. The control element has a proximal end and a distal end, and a verification element coupled to a distal region. The verification element may be configured to detect the presence of a reference marker associated with the conduit and communicate a signal indicative of the position of the reference marker relative to the verification element. The control element may also be configured to maneuver the verification element along a length of the conduit.

Abstract: The invention provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that scans an object to be examined into which contrast medium bubbles are injected with ultrasonic waves to acquire an ultrasonic image of the object.

Abstract: A photobiomedical measurement apparatus includes a measurement point determination module to determine a specified position in a brain surface image as a measurement point by designating the specified position in the brain surface image with an input device, an estimated point determination module to determine a specific position in a scalp surface image as an estimated point(s) based on the measurement point (m) and displaying an image of the estimated point (s); and a position-guiding module that displays, on the scalp surface image pathway images (L1, L2), which represent the shortest pathways along the scalp surface between the estimated point (s) and reference points on the scalp surface image corresponding to reference points of the subject.

Abstract: An ultrasonic intracranial sonothrombolysis pressure amplitude is pre-quantified by using an ultrasound-scanner control unit (110) having an increasing and/or decreasing mode and designed for: with respect to a current mode, interrogating a blockage site iteratively so as to progressively and respectively increase or decrease a pressure amplitude of ultrasound being emitted to the site at which bubbles (144) for oscillating that is caused by the emitted ultrasound are present; iteration to iteration, deriving, from echoes of the emitted ultrasound, a magnitude of an energy of a signal; and automatically identifying, for the quantifying, an iteration that, in comparison with a just-previous iteration, fails to increase the magnitude. The interrogating may span a region that contains or goes through: the obstruction; another part of the blood vessel; and bubble circulation within a neighboring vessel and a neighboring capillary (136).

Abstract: A system for ultrasonic imaging utilizing multiple sets of transmit pulses differing in amplitude, frequency, phase, and/or pulse width. One embodiment has phase differences between the k transmit signal as 360 k degrees providing for constructive interference of the kth order harmonic pulse, while an amplitude modulation of each transmit profile is constant between sets. These sets of pulses are transmitted into media of interest and received echoes from these pulses are combined to form an averaged signal. The averaged pulses represent the net common mode signal received from each of the transmit sets. This combined signal set is used to reconstruct an ultrasound image based on broad beam reconstruction methodology.

Abstract: A high frequency ultrasound analog beamformer comprises a linear array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices formed on a single crystal piezoelectric substrate, such as a PMN-PT single crystal piezoelectric substrate. Each SAW device comprises ultrasound input and output electrode structures separated by a variable delay structure. The beamformer further comprises a delay controller operably connected to each variable delay structure to control the delay of each SAW device to dynamically focus signals received at each input electrode.

Abstract: Procedures and systems facilitate non-invasive, focused delivery of therapeutic energy to a target within or on a patient using, in various embodiments, a closed-loop approach such that feedback regarding anatomical movement and/or morphology changes is tracked and the uncertainty inherent in the measurements is addressed.

Abstract: Provided is a biometric device which may include a light source unit configured to irradiate an organism with inspection light, a light-collection unit arranged facing a region on a surface of the organism and configured to spatially-integrally collect output light emitted from the region in accordance with the inspection light, and a light-reception unit configured to receive the collected output light.

Abstract: A cancer screening method includes changing a compression state of selected tissue; and obtaining a signal indicative of a response of an optical property of the selected tissue in response to the change in the compression state.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for imaging a tool inside a portion of a subject's body that undergoes motion. A plurality of image frames of the portion are acquired. An image frame in which the tool is enhanced is generated by (a) identifying radiopaque markers in the image frames, (b) identifying edge lines in a vicinity of the markers within the image frames, the edge lines corresponding to contours of the tool, (c) in response to the identifying of the edge lines, selecting a subset of the image frames that are based upon the acquired image frames, based upon a level of similarity between the edge lines in the selected image frames to one another, (d) aligning the contours in a plurality of the selected image frames, and (e) averaging the plurality of aligned frames to generate an averaged image frame. Other applications are also described.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to medical devices, and more specifically, to systems and methods for providing a fiducial marker. In one embodiment, a device includes, but is not limited to, one or more markers; and one or more connectors configured to link the one or more markers, wherein at least a portion of the device is detectable via medical imaging.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for cutting or ablating corneal tissue of an eye provide for detection of electromagnetic radiation exiting the eye. A detector is provided and coupled to a computer controlling the cutting or ablating laser radiation so that a two- or three-dimensional image of radiation exiting the eye can be generated.