Abstract: An imaging system for imaging a viscoelastic medium is disclosed. The imaging system comprises a variable refractive lens (4) and a transducer system (5) for generating acoustic radiation. The imaging system is operated to alternate between first and second operating modes. While the variable refractive lens is operated to alternate between a first configuration and a second configuration, the transducer is operated to alternate between generating acoustic radiation for displacing the viscoelastic medium and acoustic radiation for imaging the displacement of the viscoelastic medium. In embodiments the variable refractive lens is a fluid focus lens. Moreover, in embodiments, the imaging system is integrated with a catheter-based interaction modality, such as a tissue ablation modality.

Abstract: The invention relates to a therapeutic system comprising: a MR imaging unit arranged to acquire MR signals from a body (10) of a patient positioned in an examination volume, a thermal treatment unit (19, 20) for the deposition of thermal energy within tissue of the body (10). It is an object of the invention to enable continuous temperature monitoring based on MR thermometry even in a situation in which the focus of the thermal treatment is moved.

Abstract: An ablation control device (110) configured for halting, in real time, ablation of body tissue at a current ablation point to achieve a predetermined lesion size upon halting includes a control section (120) configured for registering, with a characteristic curve, one or more values and halting the ablation based on the registering. The value or values are obtained from monitoring (115), for the current ablation point, displacement caused by force applied to the body tissue. In one embodiment, halting is performed upon detecting, by the monitoring and after a peak value of the monitored displacement has occurred, an endpoint value of the monitored displacement. In another embodiment, the end-point value is determined prior to the detecting, and the determining is performed by the registering.

Abstract: Ultrasound data are collected from a thermal source and a mass of tissue before initiating therapy to measure two parameters of the bio-heat transfer equation (BHTE). The parameters are the thermal diffusivity (K) of the tissue and the magnitude of the thermal source (Q). Once the parameters have been obtained, the BHTE can be calibrated to the specific mass of tissue and the specific thermal source. The calibrated BHTE can be used to generate a temperature dependence curve calibrated to the thermal source and tissue, and spatio-temporal temperature maps, to facilitate pre-therapy planning. During therapy, ultrasound data are collected to determine if Q changes during therapy, and if so, the BHTE is recalibrated using the new Q value, increasing an accuracy of the temperature estimations.

Abstract: An ultrasound ablation system can include an imaging device (50) for capturing first imaging of a region of interest, a processor (75) for receiving a selection of a planned target volume using the first imaging, and an ultrasound transducer (170) for performing first ultrasound ablation on the planned target volume. The processor can select ultrasound ablation shapes from a library of ultrasound ablation shapes. The ultrasound transducer can apply energy to the planned target volume based at least in part on the selected ultrasound ablation shapes. The imaging device can capture second imaging of the region of interest after application of the first ultrasound ablation. The processor can select other ultrasound ablation shapes from the library of ultrasound ablation shapes based at least in part on the second imaging.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for tracking and guiding high intensity focused ultrasound beams (HIFU). More particularly, the disclosed systems and methods involve use of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging to detect the focal position of an HIFU capable transducer relative to a target area. The focal position may then be 5 compared to a desired treatment location and the orientation and focus of the transducer may be adjusted accordingly so as to reconfigure and/or refocus the HIFU beam relative to the desired treatment location. The desired treatment location may be dynamically determined using bleed detection and localization (BD&L) techniques. Thus, the desired treatment location may be determined using 3D Doppler ultrasound based techniques, wherein changes in quantitative 10 parameters extracted from the Doppler spectra, e.g., Resistance Index (RI), are used to detect and localize a bleeding site for treatment.

Abstract: The invention relates to an examination apparatus and a method for the determination of optical coefficients, particularly of the optical absorption coefficient (?a) in an object (1) like the body of a patient. The apparatus comprises an ultrasonic scanner (20) for recording first and second pulse echoes before and after the object (1) has been illuminated with a heating light beam (11) from a (e.g. laser) light source (10). An evaluation unit (30) determines a map of temperature increase (?T(r)) caused by the heating light beam (11) inside the object (1) based on apparent displacements showing up between the second and first pulse echoes. Furthermore, the evaluation of locally adjacent temperature increases inside the object (1) allows to determine a map of the effective scattering coefficient (?eff(r)), from which the distribution of light intensity (I(r)) inside the object (1) can be calculated.

Abstract: Ultrasound data are collected from a thermal source and a mass of tissue before initiating therapy to measure two parameters of the bio-heat transfer equation (BHTE). The parameters are the thermal diffusivity (K) of the tissue and the magnitude of the thermal source (Q). Once the parameters have been obtained, the BHTE can be calibrated to the specific mass of tissue and the specific thermal source. The calibrated BHTE can be used to generate a temperature dependence curve calibrated to the thermal source and tissue, and spatio-temporal temperature maps, to facilitate pre-therapy planning. During therapy, ultrasound data are collected to determine if Q changes during therapy, and if so, the BHTE is recalibrated using the new Q value, increasing an accuracy of the temperature estimations.

Abstract: An apparatus (15) for interfacing between an operator (26) and computer generated virtual object comprising a force sensor (19) that provides a force signal as a function of the amount of force applied to a representative physical body (22), a position sensor (18) that provides a position signal representative of the location of the position sensor when the force is applied, an article (16) for coupling the force sensor and the position sensor to an extremity of an operator, and a processor system (20) communicating with the force sensor and the position sensor and adapted to deform a virtual object (24) as a function of the force signal and the position signal.