Abstract: An ultrasound imaging diagnosis apparatus and a method for supporting safe and exact puncturing into a target region in a patient's body are provided. In the apparatus, a regions setting unit sets a target tumor region for puncturing, blood vessel and organ regions that are located near the tumor region based on 3-D volume data. To avoid insertions into blood vessel and organ regions, a needle position detecting unit detects the tip position and inserting direction of the needle before and during insertion. An expected inserting position calculating unit calculates an expected inserting position and an insertion error region to the tumor region based on the tip position data, inserting direction data and needle characteristic data. A puncturing navigation data generating unit generates puncturing navigation data by composing tumor region data, organ region and blood vessel regions data, and data relating to the expected inserting position and insertion error region.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic probe includes piezoelectric elements, a flexible printed circuit, and one of an air gap layer and a resin layer. The piezoelectric elements transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The flexible printed circuit located on a rear surface side of the piezoelectric elements and electrically connected to the piezoelectric elements. The air gap layer locates on a rear surface side of the flexible printed circuit and has air gaps. The resin layer is obtained by filling the air gap layer with a resin and locates on the rear surface side of the flexible printed circuit.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic scanner is provided which includes a transmitting and receiving unit that transmits two kinds of ultrasonic waves with inverted phases to each of a plurality of scanning lines and receives first and second echo signals corresponding to the two kinds of ultrasonic waves from one scanning line to another, a first adder that obtains a third echo signal by adding up the first and second echo signals for each scanning line, a first signal generating unit that generates a first processed signal from the first echo signal and a second processed signal from the third echo signal, a second adder that generates a third processed signal from the first and second processed signals, an image processor that generates an ultrasonic image from the third processed signal, and an display monitor that displays the ultrasonic image.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging diagnosis apparatus and a method for supporting safe and exact puncturing into a target region in a patient's body are provided. In the apparatus, a regions setting unit sets a target tumor region for puncturing, blood vessel and organ regions that are located near the tumor region based on 3-D volume data. To avoid insertions into blood vessel and organ regions, a needle position detecting unit detects the tip position and inserting direction of the needle before and during insertion. An expected inserting position calculating unit calculates an expected inserting position and an insertion error region to the tumor region based on the tip position data, inserting direction data and needle characteristic data. A puncturing navigation data generating unit generates puncturing navigation data by composing tumor region data, organ region and blood vessel regions data, and data relating to the expected inserting position and insertion error region.

Abstract: There is provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including a judgment unit which judges a folded back phenomenon of velocity based on signal information of a Doppler spectrum among signals received in a circulatory organ diagnostic region, a decision unit which decides whether the signals received are blood flow signals or tissue signals, and a change/adjustment unit which changes or adjusts at least one of a velocity range, a baseline position, a transmission/reception condition, a gain allocation, setting of a Wall Filter, a scrolling speed, and a range gate size.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic probe includes piezoelectric elements, a flexible printed circuit, and one of an air gap layer and a resin layer. The piezoelectric elements transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. The flexible printed circuit located on a rear surface side of the piezoelectric elements and electrically connected to the piezoelectric elements. The air gap layer locates on a rear surface side of the flexible printed circuit and has air gaps. The resin layer is obtained by filling the air gap layer with a resin and locates on the rear surface side of the flexible printed circuit.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment includes a memory, a display, an input interface unit and a control unit. The memory stores a plurality of body marks that are classified for each region of a subject. The display displays the plurality of body marks stored in the memory. The input interface unit instructs selection of any one of the plurality of body marks displayed on the display.

Abstract: A peripheral region is detected by using original image data acquired by ultrasound scan. Blend processing is executed in the peripheral region such that a rate of a smoothed image increases and a rate of an original image decreases as a distance from a blood flow region increases.

Abstract: As an ROI for display and an ROI for valve observation as well as a projecting direction are input, a volume-rendering processing unit creates a first image in the ROI for display through volume rendering processing, and the ray-tracing processing unit creates a second image in the ROI for valve observation through ray tracing processing. An image compositing unit then creates a composite image by compositing the first image and the second image, and the composite image created by the image compositing unit (13) is displayed on a monitor.

Abstract: An ultrasonic Doppler diagnostic apparatus sends ultrasonic waves to a specimen, receives a reflection signal of the ultrasonic waves from the specimen to detect a Doppler signal, obtains blood flow information indicating a peak flow velocity of coronary blood flow, and displays the flow velocity information before and after the administration of a drug to the specimen on a display unit. Then, at least velocity ranges of the flow velocity information before and after the administration of the drug to the specimen are adjusted, and during an ultrasonic scan of the specimen, data on a plurality of acquired images having different velocity ranges are adjusted to the same velocity range. A system control unit displays the data on the plurality of images adjusted to the same velocity range on the display unit.

Abstract: Provided is a medical diagnostic imaging system in which user information can be easily and efficiently moved (transferred) among a plurality of ultrasonic imaging diagnostic apparatuses. The medical diagnostic imaging system includes: a plurality of ultrasonic imaging diagnostic apparatuses each including a recording unit for recording user information registered by a user, the user information including work flow data for guiding at least an operation procedure of the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic apparatus, and execution means for executing this user information; and user information transfer means configured to be able to communicate with the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic apparatuses, for transferring the user information recorded on the recording means of a predetermined one of the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic apparatuses to the recording means of a different one of the ultrasonic imaging diagnostic apparatuses by way of a communication.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus uses the pixel value of each of the pixels found in a predetermined range relative to a reference position of image data as input matrix and computes an output value corresponding to the input at its image processing section. Thereafter, the sorting filter of the image processing section sorts the elements of each row of the input matrix on a column by column basis. Then, it extracts a partial matrix having the row including the reference position and surrounding rows from the matrix obtained as a result of the sorting and having a number of rows smaller than number of rows of the input matrix and a number of columns same as the number of columns of the input matrix. Furthermore, it computationally determines the median of the elements of the partial matrix and outputs the median as the output value.

Abstract: A measurement data processing device measures a size of a diagnostic region from a tomographic image as two-dimensional information. An ROI width determining device determines a size of a region of interest based on the size (lateral width and longitudinal width) of the diagnostic region. An oscillation angle determining device determines a range of an angle for oscillating ultrasonic transducers based on the size. An oscillation rate determining device determines a rate for oscillating the ultrasonic transducers based on information indicating the oscillation angle and image quality. In order to acquire a three-dimensional image of the diagnostic region, the probe oscillation control device controls the oscillation of the ultrasonic transducers based on the information. A three-dimensional image processing device extracts a three-dimensional image of in the determined region of interest from the acquired three-dimensional image. A display device displays the extracted three-dimensional image.

Abstract: As an ROI for display and an ROI for valve observation as well as a projecting direction are input, a volume-rendering processing unit creates a first image in the ROI for display through volume rendering processing, and the ray-tracing processing unit creates a second image in the ROI for valve observation through ray tracing processing. An image compositing unit then creates a composite image by compositing the first image and the second image, and the composite image created by the image compositing unit (13) is displayed on a monitor.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic system for reducing black holes and highlighting of turbulent mosaic patterns without degradation in spatial resolution in an ultrasonic color Doppler method. The system includes a unit configured to extract image data in a specified range with reference to a specified pixel of the image data to generate kernel data, a pixel-value arranging unit configured to modulate the values of the pixels in the kernel data, a pixel-value selecting unit configured to select a pixel value of a modulated pixel value in a specified array rank, a characteristic determination unit configured to determine the characteristic of the image from the pixel value of the first image data, and a second image-data generating unit configured to generate second image data based on the value of a specified pixel in the first image data, and the selected pixel value in the specified array rank, or the demodulated pixel value.

Abstract: A peripheral region is detected by using original image data acquired by ultrasound scan. Blend processing is executed in the peripheral region such that a rate of a smoothed image increases and a rate of an original image decreases as a distance from a blood flow region increases.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging diagnosis apparatus and a method for supporting safe and exact puncturing operation into a target region in a living body of a patient are provided. In the ultrasound imaging diagnosis apparatus, a regions setting unit sets a target tumor region for puncturing and blood vessel regions and organ region that are located near the tumor region based on the volume data acquired by 3-D scans on the object. To avoid insertions into the blood vessel regions and organ region, a puncturing needle position detecting unit detects the tip position and the inserting direction of the puncturing needle at just before and during insertion into the object. An expected inserting position calculating unit calculates an expected inserting position and an insertion error region to the tumor region based on the tip position data, inserting direction data and characteristic data of the puncturing needle.

Abstract: A display controller causes a display to display a 3-dimensional B-mode image and a 3-dimensional colored Doppler image in a superimposed state. A marker generator generates three planar markers that are orthogonal to each other, and the display controller causes the display to display the three planar markers so as to be superimposed on the 3-dimensional B-mode image and so on. An image generator generates 3-dimensional B-mode image data of a region other than a region existing on a viewpoint side of regions sectioned by the three planar markers. Further, the image generator generates 3-dimensional colored Doppler image data for the region on the viewpoint side. For the region existing on the viewpoint side, only a 3-dimensional colored Doppler image is displayed on the display. An intersection of the three planar markers is set as a sample marker, and Doppler data of the intersection is acquired.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus uses the pixel value of each of the pixels found in a predetermined range relative to a reference position of image data as input matrix and computes an output value corresponding to the input at its image processing section. Thereafter, the sorting filter of the image processing section sorts the elements of each row of the input matrix on a column by column basis. Then, it extracts a partial matrix having the row including the reference position and surrounding rows from the matrix obtained as a result of the sorting and having a number of rows smaller than number of rows of the input matrix and a number of columns same as the number of columns of the input matrix. Furthermore, it computationally determines the median of the elements of the partial matrix and outputs the median as the output value.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes a probe, a controller, a processor, and an output unit. The probe is configured to perform an interleaving scan in Doppler groups of ultrasound beam directions so as to acquire first and second Doppler-mode image frames. The controller is coupled to the probe and configured to control the first probe to treat a last group of the ultrasound beam directions for the first Doppler-mode image frame and an initial group of the ultrasound beam directions for the second Doppler-mode image frame as one Doppler group of the ultrasound beam directions. The processor is coupled to the probe and configured to detect a Doppler-mode signal based on the interleaving scan so as to prepare the first and second Doppler-mode image frames. The output unit is coupled to the processor and configured to output the prepared first and second Doppler-mode image frames.