Abstract: A method of evaluating tissue stiffness of a target area includes positioning an ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus adjacent a surface of an area of tissue where the target area is located and applying a dynamic range of force to the tissue. A plurality of ultrasound beams can be directed at the tissue and a plurality of ultrasound echoes can be acquired from the strained tissue in the target area to calculate an amount of developed strain within the target area.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device and a method for monitoring the bladder volume of a subject. A device for monitoring the bladder volume of a subject comprises a sensor to be attached to a region on the exterior surface of the abdomen of the subject, the region corresponding to the bladder of the subject, the sensor being configured to obtain a sensor signal indicating the bladder volume of the subject; a controlling unit configured to generate a control action signal if it determines, based on the sensor signal, that the change of the bladder volume of the subject exceeds a predetermined amount; an ultrasound probe to be attached to the subject and configured to emit, in response to the control signal, an ultrasonic signal toward the bladder of the subject and receive echo signals from the bladder of the subject; a deriving unit configured to derive the bladder volume of the subject from the received echo signals.

Abstract: Existing gas pocket detection approaches are based on visual observations of B-mode ultrasound images showing comparisons between normal soft tissue and gas pockets, which are time-consuming and dependent on operator experience. The present invention proposes an ultrasound system and a method of detecting a gas pocket. The ultrasound system comprises: an ultrasound probe (110) for transmitting an ultrasound signal toward the ROI and acquiring an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the ROI along a plurality of scanning lines; an obtaining unit (130) for obtaining a second harmonic component of the ultrasound echo signal for each depth of a plurality of depths along each scanning line of the plurality of scanning lines; and a deriving unit (140) for deriving a change in a center frequency of the second harmonic component along with the depth.

Abstract: An embodiment of this invention provides an ultrasound device and a method of assessing a bone of a subject. The ultrasound device assesses a bone of a subject in at least two modes comprising a first mode and a second mode. The ultrasound device comprises: a selecting unit configured to select a mode from the at least two modes; a first ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to the bone; a second ultrasound probe configured to receive the ultrasound signal from the bone; an assessing unit configured to derive a first parameter indicating one or more characteristics of the bone based on the selected mode and the ultrasound signal received by the second ultrasound probe; and a coupler for coupling the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe, the coupler being configured to be switched to a first configuration in the first mode and to a second configuration in the second mode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a monitoring system, which comprises a novel needle, and an optical signal generating device, wherein at least one optical signal output of the optical signal generating device is coupled to the optical core of the needle, and it further comprises an ultrasound (US) transducer,and a processor adapted to direct the US transducer to transmit an US signal into a region of a subject in which the needle is moving and receive an US signal reflected in the region in response to the transmitted US signal in a US measurement sub-cycle of a measurement cycle, and to direct the optical signal providing device to transmit an optical signal having a unique wavelength from the dome of the needle into an area of the region and direct the US transducer to receive a photo-acoustic (PA) signal induced in the area in response to the optical signal in each of at least one PA measurement sub-cycle of the measurement cycle, and reconstruct an US image from the US signal received in the US measurement

Abstract: A method of evaluating tissue stiffness of a target area includes positioning an ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus adjacent a surface of an area of tissue where the target area is located and applying a dynamic range of force to the tissue. A plurality of ultrasound beams can be directed at the tissue and a plurality of ultrasound echoes can be acquired from the strained tissue in the target area to calculate an amount of developed strain within the target area.

Abstract: A method and system classify respiratory phases in a single channel acoustic signal as inspiratory and expiratory using explicit labeling with label verification. In the method and system, a subject explicitly indicates through a user input the start of a respiratory cycle (i.e. start of inspiration). The phase indication is applied to provisionally label several consecutive phases of a single channel acoustic signal as inspiratory and expiratory. A provisional phase rule set is then generated based on characteristic differences between the inspiratory and expiratory phases. The phase indication, provisional labeling and provisional rule set generation steps are then repeated. The two generated provisional rule sets are then compared for a match to verify the accuracy of the subject's phase indications and the ability to automatically recover phase in the event of signal loss.

Abstract: A heath monitoring method and system estimate a patient's respiratory rate and heart rate using different frequency components of a shared acoustic signal. Use of a common acoustic signal to estimate the patient's respiratory rate and heart rate permit more economical and simplified heath monitoring.

Abstract: A respiratory signal detection and time domain signal processing method and system classifies respiratory phases and determines respiratory time data useful in respiratory health determinations. The method and system analyze respiratory signals collected at multiple detection points at least one of which ensures that respiratory phases can be properly classified. Moreover, the method and system employ a time domain signal processing approach that facilitates determination of respiratory time data while realizing savings in computing power relative to frequency domain processing approaches.

Abstract: The method of estimating systolic and mean pulmonary artery pressures of a patient, comprising the steps of (a) producing an electric signal xs(t) representative of heart sounds of the patient; (b) extracting second heart sound S2(t) from the signal produced in step (a); (c) extracting pulmonary and aortic components P2(t) and A2(t) from S2(t); (d) extracting a signal representative of mean cardiac interval; (e) correlating the pulmonary and aortic components P2(t) and A2(t) to obtain a cross correlation function; (f) measuring a splitting interval of the cross correlation function obtained in step (e); (g) producing a normalized splitting interval; and (h) estimating the systolic and mean pulmonary artery pressures by means of predetermined regressive functions. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for estimating systolic and mean pulmonary artery pressures of a patient.