Abstract: A system for performing ablation includes an ablation device (102) configured to ablate tissue in accordance with control parameters and configured to make measurements during the ablation process. An imaging system (104) is configured to measure an elastographic related parameter to monitor ablation progress. A parameter estimation and monitoring module (115) is configured to receive the measurements from the ablation device and/or the elastographic related parameter to provide feedback to adaptively adjust imaging parameters of the imaging device at different times during an ablation process.

Abstract: A method for aligning spatially different subvolumes of ultrasonic data of a blood vessel comprising: acquiring temporally discrete signals of a blood vessel with elements of a two dimensional array of ultrasonic transducer elements from spatially different depths of scanning opposed by each transducer element, said array being located in a first position with respect to the blood vessel during the acquiring; Doppler processing the temporally discrete signals received from each transducer element to produce spectral Doppler data of the scanning depth opposed by each transducer element; producing a first three dimensional map of the spectral Doppler data in spatial relationship to the position of the array with respect to the blood vessel; acquiring temporally discrete signals of the blood vessel with elements of the two dimensional array of ultrasonic transducer elements from spatially different depths of scanning opposed by each transducer element, said array being located in a second position with respect t

Abstract: The invention relates to a temperature distribution determination apparatus for determining a temperature distribution within an object (20), while an energy application element (2) applies energy to the object, especially while an ablation procedure for ablating a tumor within an organ is performed. A time-dependent first ultrasound signal is generated for an ultrasound measurement region within the object and a temperature distribution within the object is determined based on the generated time-dependent first ultrasound signal and based on a position of the energy application element (2) relative to the ultrasound measurement region tracked over time. This can ensure that always the correct position of the energy application element, which may be regarded as being a heat source, is considered, even if the energy application element moves, for instance, due to a movement of the object. This can lead to a more accurate determination of the temperature distribution.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for providing dynamic threat treatment for a software defined networking (SDN) environment. In one example, a software defined networking controller comprises one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determine that a security device of a network has detected a threat; apply the threat to a threat treatment model, wherein the threat treatment model is generated based on threat treatment information that includes one or more steps used to resolve previous instances of the threat or previous instances of similar threats; and generate one or more treatment processes to resolve the threat based on the threat treatment model.

Abstract: A medium of interest is interrogated according to ultrasound elastography imaging. A preliminary elasticity-spatial-map is formed. This map is calibrated against a reference elasticity-spatial-map that comprises an array (232) of different (240) elasticity values. The reference map is formed to be reflective of ultrasonic shear wave imaging of a reference medium. The reference medium is not, nor located at, the medium of interest, and may be homogeneous. Shear waves that are propagating in a medium are tracked by interrogating the medium. From tracking locations on opposite sides of an ablated-tissue border, propagation delay of a shear wave in the medium and of another shear wave are measured. The two shear waves result from respectively different pushes (128) that are separately issued. A processor decides, based on a function of the two delays, that the border crosses between the two locations.

Abstract: A non-imaging diagnostic ultrasound system for carotid artery diagnosis has a two dimensional array probe (10) with a low element count and relatively large element size which can cover an area of the carotid artery at its bifurcation. The elements are operated independently with no phasing, and detect Doppler flow spatially beneath each element. The system produces maps of carotid blood flow in two or three dimensions and can assemble an extended view of the flow by matching segments of the carotid flow as the probe is moved over the vessel. Once the carotid artery has been localized, the degree of stenosis is assessed by automated measurements of peak systolic velocity and blood flow turbulence.

Abstract: A Doppler ultrasound instrument (10) includes ultrasound pulse control and data acquisition electronics (12, 24, 26) for acquiring Doppler ultrasound data, an N-channel connector port (14) for simultaneously operatively connecting up to N ultrasound transducer patches (16) where N is an integer equal to or greater than two, and an electronic processor (30) programmed to concurrently determine up to N blood flow velocities corresponding to up to N patches operatively connected to the N channel connector port. The blood flow velocity for each patch may be determined by: determining transducer blood flow velocities for ultrasound transducers (60) of a transducer array of the patch; and determining the blood flow velocity for the patch as a highest determined transducer blood flow velocity or as an aggregation of highest determined transducer blood flow velocities.

Abstract: A method executed at least in part by a computer and comprising responding to an instruction requesting an ultrasound exam by wirelessly communicating with an ultrasound system by transmitting a query signal and receiving a response signal from the ultrasound system. Response can determine whether or not the ultrasound system is configured with at least a suitable transducer for the requested ultrasound exam. The method determines whether or not an operator identified in the response signal is trained to administer the requested ultrasound exam. A schedule signal for the requested ultrasound exam is transmitted. A displayed message indicates progress of the requested ultrasound exam.

Abstract: The present invention relates to monitoring biological tissue during a delivery of energy. A probe-driving unit repeatedly drives an integrated push-and-track transducer unit, which is external to the control device, in repeatedly providing at least one ultrasonic push pulse (302) that is suitable for displacing biological tissue at a monitoring location (M), and in providing ultrasonic track pulses (301, 303) suitable for detecting tissue displacement occurring in response to the push pulse at the monitoring location, and in detecting and delivering ultrasonic tissue-response signals (R) relating to the track pulses. An evaluation unit receives the tissue-response signals, determines in real time whether a normalized displacement quantity has reached a threshold value, and provides an output signal when the threshold value has been reached.

Abstract: A diagnostic ultrasound system for carotid artery diagnosis has a two dimensional array probe with a low element count and relatively large element size which can cover an area of the carotid artery at its bifurcation. The elements are operated independently with no phasing, and detect Doppler flow spatially beneath each element. The system produces maps of carotid blood flow in two or three dimensions and can assemble an extended view of the flow by matching segments of the carotid flow as the probe is moved over the vessel. Once the carotid artery has been localized, the degree of stenosis is assessed by automated measurements of peak systolic velocity and blood flow turbulence.

Abstract: A method includes generating a hyperthermia heat plan for tissue of interest, generating a hyperthermia adapted radiation therapy plan for the tissue of interest, controlling a heat source (126) to deliver heat to the tissue of interest according to the hyperthermia heat plan, and controlling a radiation source of a radiation therapy system (100) to deliver radiation to the tissue of interest according to the hyperthermia adapted radiation therapy plan. A system includes a radiation treatment planner (124) configured to generate a hyperthermia adapted radiation therapy plan for the tissue of interest, a radiation therapy system (100) configured to deliver radiation in accordance with the hyperthermia adapted radiation therapy plan, and a hyperthermia heat delivery system (126) configured to deliver heat in accordance with a hyperthermia plan.

Abstract: Dynamically identifying a stationary body of fluid (102) within a test volume by scanning within the volume can entail using a first part of a pulse sequence to acoustically interrogate a region within the volume to detect pre-existing movement (124) and, via a separate acoustic interrogation constituting the second part of the pulse sequence, acoustically interrogating the region to distinguish solid from fluid. The scanning is with both interrogations as a unit, so as to span the volume with the interrogations. The body is identified, dynamically based on an outcome of the interrogations. The scanning may span, for the identifying, a current field of view (116), including normal tissue, within an imaging subject. The procedure, from scanning to identifying, may be performed automatically and without need for user intervention, although the user can optionally change the field of view to further search for stationary fluid.

Abstract: The invention relates to a heat sink parameter determination apparatus for determining a parameter of a heat sink like a blood vessel within an object such as a person (3) by minimizing a deviation between a measured temperature distribution, which has preferentially been measured by ultrasound thermometry, and a modeled temperature distribution, wherein the modeled temperature distribution is modeled based on a provided heat source parameter like the location of an ablation needle (2) and the heat sink parameter to be determined by using a given thermal model. This determination of heat sink parameters, which may be geometric and/or flow parameters, considers the real temperature distribution and is thus based on real heat sink influences on the temperature distribution. This can lead to an improved determination of heat sink parameters and hence to a more accurate temperature distribution which may be determined based on the determined heat sink parameters.

Abstract: A method displays, in response to a user selection of a first viewing mode, an ultrasound image in grayscale and determines a region of interest within the displayed grayscale ultrasound image. In response to an operator instruction to switch to a second viewing mode that is different from the first viewing mode, a modified ultrasound image is generated comprising the region of interest. The method displays the modified ultrasound image including the region of interest, wherein one or more portions of the modified image are highlighted.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasound device for measuring blood flow velocity in a blood vessel of a subject without imaging functionality in the device. The measurement depends upon reflections of a collimated beam of ultrasound from a subject's body part. Received electrical signals representative of the reflected ultrasound energy is used for generating a representation of blood flow at a plurality of predetermined locations in the volume and calculating a first blood flow velocity at each of the locations. The representation of flow is used for delineating the blood flow in the blood vessel in the volume. An angle calculating unit calculates the Doppler angle between the direction of the radiated collimated beam in the delineated blood flow at each point. A velocity calculator calculates a second blood flow velocity at the plurality of points based on the calculated first velocities and the calculated angle at the point.

Abstract: A Doppler ultrasound instrument (10) includes ultrasound pulse control and data acquisition electronics (12, 24, 26) for acquiring Doppler ultrasound data, an N-channel connector port (14) for simultaneously operatively connecting up to N ultrasound transducer patches (16) where N is an integer equal to or greater than two, and an electronic processor (30) programmed to concurrently determine up to N blood flow velocities corresponding to up to N patches operatively connected to the N channel connector port. The blood flow velocity for each patch may be determined by: determining transducer blood flow velocities for ultrasound transducers (60) of a transducer array of the patch; and determining the blood flow velocity for the patch as a highest determined transducer blood flow velocity or as an aggregation of highest determined transducer blood flow velocities.

Abstract: A device may receive information that identifies a set of tasks to be executed and precedence constraints associated with the set of tasks. The device may store the set of tasks in a data structure including a directed acyclic graph, and may determine a set of paths based on the information that identifies the set of tasks and the precedence constraints associated with the set of tasks. Each path, of the set of paths, may include particular tasks of the set of tasks. The device may determine a set of path execution times, for the set of paths, based on an artificial intelligence technique. The device may determine a critical path, of the set of paths, based on the set of path execution times. The device may determine an execution priority of the set of tasks based on the critical path. The device may provide the set of tasks for execution based on the execution priority.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and associated methods including: emitting ultrasound to the subject and receiving, in response, a current ultrasound view; matching the received image to a pre-existing image, such as a three-dimensional reference image; and, for user assistance, generating, based on the matching, feedback for the guidance. The reference image may be a statistical atlas or it may be derived from patient-specific CT or MR scans. The pre-existing image may instead be a database image corresponding to a state in a state space. The feedback can be an image derived from the reference image; a graphic indication of a plane of the target view; the received view fused to an image derived from the reference image; or the received view and an image derived from the reference image, the derived image appearing concurrently and enhanced to spatially indicated where the received view registers to the reference image.

Abstract: An apparatus for deriving tissue temperature from thermal strain includes a thermal strain measuring module. The module uses ultrasound (156, 158) to measure thermal strain in a region, within a subject, that surrounds a location (166a, 166f) where a temperature sensor is disposed. Also included is a temperature measurement module configured for, via the sensor, measuring a temperature at the sensor while the sensor is inside the subject. Further included is a patient-specific thermal-strain-to-temperature-change proportionality calibration module. The calibration module is configured for calibrating (S238) a coefficient and for doing so based on a measurement of a temperature parameter at that location derived from output of the temperature measurement module and on a measurement of thermal strain at that location obtained via the strain measuring module.

Abstract: A method for ultrasound imaging generates and emits a test pattern of ultrasound transmission signals from a transducer probe. The generated test pattern is sensed and one or more defective transducer elements of the transducer probe identified. Data is recorded related to the one or more defective transducer elements and the recorded data is associated with the transducer probe. At least one ultrasound image is acquired and displayed using the transducer probe and using the associated recorded data for the transducer probe.