Abstract: The invention relates to a method for measuring a mean visco-elasticity value for a soft material. Said method using a single probe carrying at least one transducer comprises the steps of: a) inducing, in a constraint zone, at least one burst of mechanical vibrations in order to generate internal shear waves in the tissue propagating from said constraint zone into the tissue, b1) measuring, with said transducer, the transient tissue displacements in at least one first measurement zone in the tissue, said first measurement zone being located away from said constraint zone, c) estimating a mean visco-elasticity of the region of the tissue situated between the constraint zone and the first measurement zone from said measured transient tissue displacements of the tissue in the first measurement zone.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for imaging a visco-elastic medium. The method comprises an excitation step during which an internal mechanical stress is generated in excitation zone and an imaging step of acquiring signals during the movements generated by the mechanical stress in the visco-elastic medium in response to the internal mechanical stress in an imaging zone that includes the excitation zone. According to the invention, the method further comprises a step of calculating a quantitative index associated with the rheological properties of the visco-elastic medium at at least one point of the imaging zone situated at a given depth outside the excitation zone.

Abstract: A method for determining the presence or absence of malignant features in medical images, wherein a plurality of base comparison or training images of various types of lesions taken of actual patient is examined by one or more image reading experts to create a first database array. Low-level features of each of the lesions in the same plurality of base comparisons or training images arc determined using one or more image processing algorithms to obtain a second database array set. The first and second database array set are combined to create a training database array set which is input to a learning system that discovers/learns a classifier that maps from a subset of the low-level features to the expert's evaluation in the first database array set. The classifier is used to determine the presence of a particular mid-level feature in an image of lesion in a patient based solely on the image.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging probe for imaging a medium (10), comprising two types of transducers, characterized in that the first type of transducer(s) (1) is dedicated to ultrasonic imaging of the medium (10), and the second type of transducer(s) (2) is dedicated to generating a stress producing at least one transient modification of the imaged medium (10), both types of transducer(s) (1, 2) being able to operate at least in a so-called coupled mode where the first type of transducer(s) (1) operates in a synchronized way with the second type of transducer(s) (2) so as to image the time course of the transient modification of the medium (10).

Abstract: The invention relates to a highly automated puncture system for inserting a cannula or a needle into a blood vessel of a person or an animal. The puncture system has an acquisition module that allows for determining at least a location of a blood vessel underneath of the surface of a skin and is further enabled to determine an optimal puncture location that is potentially suitable for inserting a cannula into the blood vessel. Further, the puncture system has tissue analysis means to analyse the skin surface in the proximity of the puncture location to check whether the skin is suitable for punctuation. This prevents puncturing the skin at locations where scars, wound and the like can be found.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for generating mechanical waves within a viscoelastic medium (11) comprising a step of generating an acoustic radiation force (15) within the viscoelastic medium (11) by application of acoustic waves focussed on an interface (13) delimiting two zones (11, 14) having distinct acoustic properties.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an apparatus for use in medical imaging and a medical imaging method. The apparatus comprises nuclear medicine imaging means including detector means for detecting radiation as emitted upon decay of a radiopharmaceutical injected into a living object's body as well as means for generating a nuclear medicine image of said living object based on the detected radiation. The apparatus further comprises ultrasonography imaging means for also generating an ultrasonography image of the same living object.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system for forming an echographic image of a medium, which system includes a set [REC] of transducer elements [EL] which are operative in a transmission mode and in a reception mode for ultrasound waves, construction means [REB] for constructing echographic signals on the basis of signals [S[1] . . . S[N]] received on the transducer elements [EL], display means [DIS] which are coupled to the construction means [REB] in order to display an image of the medium formed by means of the echographic signals. The construction means [REB] are such that in so-called exclusion zones, in which a coherent reflector is detected and which are determined by determination means [DET], the reception delays [D] are estimated in a manner [INT] other than that [CORR] used for the other zones. The calculation [CAL] of echographic signals is then carried out on the basis of the estimated delays [D[Z],Di[Z}}.

Abstract: A system and method for imaging a target medium uses both acoustic energy, e.g., ultrasound energy, and electromagnetic energy, e.g., microwave energy. The acoustic and electromagnetic energies are transmitted into the target medium using a transducer array of acoustic and electromagnetic transducers, which may also be used to receive echoes of the transmitted acoustic and electromagnetic energies from the target medium.

Abstract: The invention concerns a medical imaging system comprising means (4) of segmenting a region of interest around an object of interest within a volume of 3D data (3DV). The system according to the invention comprises means (5) of calculating a sub-regions map (CSR) within the segmented region (RS) and correction means (6) intended to exclude sub-regions of the segmented region by means of said sub-regions map (CSR). The correction can be made automatically or manually by means of control means (7) enabling a user to select the sub-regions to be excluded. Display means (3) make it possible to display a 2D representation (2DR) of the volume of 3D data (3DV) and the segmented region (RS, RS?) at various stages of the processing.

Abstract: The invention concerns a medical imaging system comprising means (2) of acquiring at least one volume of 3D data (3DV), means (3) of detecting at least one object of interest in said volume of data, display means (4) able to supply a 2D representation (2DR) of said volume of data and signaling means (5) intended to signal a location of said object of interest by means of a signal (SIG) superimposed on said 2D representation.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system for forming an echographic image of a medium, which system includes a set [REC] of transducer elements [EL] which are operative in a transmission mode and in a reception mode for ultra-sound waves, construction means [REB] for constructing echographic signals on the basis of signals [S[1] . . . S[N]] received on said transducer elements [EL], display means [DIS] which are coupled to said construction means [REB] in order to display an image of the medium formed by means of the echographic signals. Said construction means [REB] are such that in so-called exclusion zones, in which a coherent reflector is detected and which are determined by determination means [DET], the reception delays [D] are estimated in a manner [INT] other than that [CORR] used for the other zones. The calculation [CAL] of echographic s is then carried out on the basis of said estimated delays [D[Z],Di[Z]].

Abstract: The invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging apparatus using a method for combining CMB images of the same object including a step of seeking representative contours CNT of an interface on the images to be combined IM[I], IM[J], said step being intended to define interest areas IA[I], IA[J] in the vicinity of said representative contours, a step ANA of analyzing the interest areas IA[I], IA[J], said analysis step ANA being intended to allocate weights W[I], W[J] to the points on said interest areas IA[I], A[J] and to the points corresponding to said interest areas IA[I], IA[J] on the various images, a step CC of constructing a combination image IMC, a point on the combination image IMC corresponding to a point on at least one interest area IA being obtained from a weighting of the corresponding points on the images to be combined IM[I], IM[J] according to the weights W[I], W[J] allocated in said analysis step ANA.

Abstract: A method and system for adapting a focused beam of focused ultrasound imaging signals from an ultrasound probe (14) for compensating for the presence of an aberration (X) in a medium (OBJ) transmits a focused ultrasound imaging signal (FOC) into a region of a medium using a plurality of focused beams from a plurality of probe array elements (P). The return focused ultrasound imaging signals are received and a focused decomposition of time-reversal operator process determines the presence of an aberration in the region and correlates the aberration to selected probe array elements. The method and system adapt selected characteristics associated with the transmission of the ultrasound imaging signals and reception of the return focused ultrasound imaging signals from the selected probe array elements for compensating for the presence of the aberration in the region.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of analyzing a medium in order to label the zones of said medium as a function of the contents of said zones, which medium is exposed to ultrasound signals. The method includes a step for receiving echographic ultrasound signals by means of a set of elements, thus defining a set of received signals, a step for correlating at least one pair of signals which are received by two elements from among the set of elements and originate from at least one zone of said medium, a step for analyzing the maximum correlation value as a function of the distance between the two elements whereby the correlated signals are received, said analysis step enabling the detection of the presence of a coherent reflector in said zone of said medium, and a step for labeling the zone in conformity with the result of the analysis step.

Abstract: An ultrasound process and apparatus for determining the location of an ultrasonic homogeneity discontinuity called parietal surface situated in a tissue from a radio-frequency signal (y(z)) function of digital depths along an excitation line (Z) crossing the parietal surface. The process and apparatus includes filtering the radio-frequency signal in order to provide a tissue signal (e(z)) representative of tissue scatterers, apart from a radio-frequency excitation signal. Also, filtering the tissue signal (e(z)) in order to provide a variance amplitude signal (S(z)) as a function of the digital depths on the excitation line wherefrom the corresponding parietal surface digital depth is determined. This process is used to estimate an artery radius from the digital depths of the arterial walls on the excitation line.

Abstract: A method of detecting elasticity variations in a soft tissue which is subjected to an external compression in a predetermined axial direction includes the steps of: estimating a field of axial displacements in the tissue, determining an elasticity modulus estimator, including an operation for minimizing a distance between an image of a distribution of elementary elasticity moduli, by a Finite Element Model, and the axial displacement field, and regularizing the solution of the estimator by means of a diagonal matrix (R) whose coefficients &agr;ii are functions of the axial displacements (di) and are applied to the respective values of the elementary elasticity moduli (ei) in order to ensure that these elementary elasticity modulus values remain within an uniform interval which is centered around a mean value of each elementary modulus.

Abstract: This invention includes a method of determining the viscosity and the pressure gradient in a blood vessel, including the acquisition of n.gtoreq.2 blood speed values, corresponding to the same number of n radii of the blood vessel, determined along a diameter situated in a given axial position, formation of a blood speed vector by means of said n blood speed values, and evaluation of said viscosity and pressure gradient on the basis of a transformation of said blood speed value, including formation of a linear relation which directly links a flow rate vector (y) to the speed derivative vector (h), factorized by the viscosity (.mu.), and to the pressure gradient vector (.sigma.), and simultaneous evaluation of the two values to be determined for the viscosity (.mu.) and the pressure gradient (.sigma.) on the basis of said direct equation. The velocities are advantageously determined by correlation of ultrasonic signals supplied by an echography apparatus.

Abstract: Compounds of the formula I ##STR1## in which R.sub.1 is arylamino, N-aryl-N-(lower alkoxy-lower alkyl)-amino, N-aryl-N-aryl-lower alkyl-amino or heterocyclyl bonded via a ring carbon atom, X is a carbonyl or methylene group, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 independently of one another are hydrogen or lower alkyl or, together with the carbon atom with which they are bonded, are a cycloalkylidene radical, R.sub.4 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkanoyl or lower alkoxycarbonyl, R.sub.5 is hydroxyl, lower alkanoyloxy or lower alkoxycarbonyloxy, R.sub.6 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, lower alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkyl-lower alkyl, aryl-lower alkyl or heteroaryl-lower alkyl having 5 to 7 ring atoms in the heteroaryl ring and R.sub.7 is hydrogen or lower alkyl, or R.sub.6 and R.sub.7, together with the carbon atom with which they are bonded, are a cydoalkylidene radical and R.sub.

Abstract: .delta.-Amino-.gamma.-hydroxy-.omega.-aryl-alkanoic acid amides of formula I ##STR1## and the salts thereof, have renin-inhibiting properties and can be used as antihypertensive medicinal active ingredients.