Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the field of hydrogel technology, and specifically relates to a small molecule melphalan hydrogel and a preparation method thereof. The small molecule melphalan hydrogel is made of melphalan drug or melphalan hydrochloride as raw materials, and it is formed at room temperature or physiological condition by means of making the melphalan drug in a hydrophilic solvent. The hydrophilic solvent includes any one of physiological saline, pure water, and phosphate buffered saline solution. The small molecule melphalan hydrogel provided by the present disclosure is an injectable hydrogel of 100% pure melphalan drug, the gel only contains small molecule melphalan drug, which solves the problems of containing a large amount of carrier materials and having a low drug loading rate in the field of hydrogel.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for determining a relation between a surface motion of a body (BD) and an object motion of an object (OB) within the body (BD). The apparatus comprises a first sensing unit configured to acquire a first position signal indicative of a position of a first element placed at the location on the surface of the body with the surface motion; a second sensing unit configured to acquire a second position signal indicative of a position of a second element attached to an interventional device and placed on or in the object, wherein the first position signal and the second position signal are acquired during a given duration synchronously; and a third unit for calculating the relation between the surface motion and the object motion based on the first position signal and the second position signal. The invention also relates to a corresponding method for determining the motion relation.

Abstract: The present invention proposes an apparatus and method for estimating a level of thermal ablation. The apparatus (110) comprises a data interface (111) configured to receive the three-dimensional ultrasound echo data of the tissue region; and a data processor (113) configured to measure in-plane strain and out-of-plane motion regarding the tissue region on basis of the received ultrasound echo data. The data processor (113) is further configured to estimate the level of tissue ablation for the tissue region on basis of the in-plane strain, the out-of-plane motion, and a predetermined model, and the predetermined model at least reflecting a first causal relationship between the in-plane strain and the level of tissue ablation and a second causal relationship between the out-of-plane motion and the level of tissue ablation.

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: The invention relates to a temperature distribution measuring apparatus for measuring a temperature distribution within an object caused by heating the object. A temperature distribution measuring unit (13, 71) measures the temperature distribution in a measurement region within the object, while the object is heated, and a temperature measurement control unit (22) controls the temperature distribution measuring unit such that the measurement region is modified depending on the measured temperature distribution, in order to measure different temperature distributions in different measurement regions.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus or needle visualization enhancement in ultrasound (US) imaging includes a Radon transform (RT) unit configured to perform RT on a sequence of frames to detect line features in the frames, where a frame includes US radio-frequency (RF) data obtained during monitoring the insertion of a needle into a subject or an US image reconstructed from the RF data. Further, a false needle feature removing unit is configured to remove line features which remain substantially stationary among the frames as false needles while locating a line feature which extends among the frames as the needle; and an overlaying unit is configured to overlay the location of the line feature as the needle on an US image of a frame to produce an enhanced image to be displayed.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for determining a relation between a surface motion of a body (BD) and an object motion of an object (OB) within the body (BD). The apparatus comprises a first sensing unit configured to acquire a first position signal indicative of a position of a first element placed at the location on the surface of the body with the surface motion; a second sensing unit configured to acquire a second position signal indicative of a position of a second element attached to an interventional device and placed on or in the object, wherein the first position signal and the second position signal are acquired during a given duration synchronously; and a third unit for calculating the relation between the surface motion and the object motion based on the first position signal and the second position signal. The invention also relates to a corresponding method for determining the motion relation.

Abstract: The invention relates to a temperature distribution determining apparatus (21) for determining a temperature distribution within an object, to which energy is applied, by using an energy application element (2). A first temperature distribution is measured in a first region within a first temperature range and a model describing a model temperature distribution in the first region and in a second region depending on modifiable model parameters is provided. A second temperature distribution is estimated in the second region within a second temperature range, while the energy is applied to the object, by modifying the model parameters such that a deviation of the model temperature distribution from the first temperature distribution in the first region is minimized.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose a device, method and system for assisting in the determination of one or more ablation regions for covering a target region to be ablated. The device comprises a processor configured to receive vascular structure information of vessels inside the target region and derive a parametric map for the target region based on the received vascular structure information, each value in the parametric map indicating a metric of a corresponding voxel of the target region to be inside the one or more ablation regions. The parametric map serves to assist in the determination of the one or more ablation regions.

Abstract: A target biopsy system employing an ultrasound probe (20), a target biopsy needle (30) and a ultrasound guide controller (44). In operation, the ultrasound probe (20) projects an ultrasound plane intersecting an anatomical region (e.g. a liver). The target biopsy needle (30) include two or more ultrasound receivers (31) for sensing the ultrasound plane as the target biopsy needle (30) is inserted into the anatomical region. In response to the ultrasound receiver(s) (31) sensing the ultrasound plane, the ultrasound guide controller (44) predicts a biopsy trajectory of the target biopsy needle (30) within the anatomical region relative to the ultrasound plane. The prediction indicates the biopsy trajectory is either within the ultrasound plane (i.e., an in-plane biopsy trajectory) or outside of the ultrasound plane (i.e., an out-of-plane biopsy trajectory).

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 temperature monitoring apparatus (40) is disclosed for monitoring a temperature within a tissue (10), in particular during a thermal ablation process. The monitoring apparatus comprises a temperature application unit (42) configured to introduce heating power into the tissue for heating the tissue. The monitoring apparatus further comprises an ultrasound unit (44) for emitting and receiving ultrasound waves and for determining a temperature in the measurement region (22, 24) of the tissue on the basis of ultrasound shear wave detection. The monitoring apparatus further comprises a temperature estimation unit (46) including a heat transfer model (48) for estimating a temperature in a region of interest (26) within the tissue, wherein the heat transfer model is based on medical images of the tissue.

Abstract: The invention relates to a temperature distribution measuring apparatus for measuring a temperature distribution within an object caused by heating the object. A temperature distribution measuring unit (13, 71) measures the temperature distribution in a measurement region within the object, while the object is heated, and a temperature measurement control unit (22) controls the temperature distribution measuring unit such that the measurement region is modified depending on the measured temperature distribution, in order to measure different temperature distributions in different measurement regions.

Abstract: The invention relates to a temperature distribution determining apparatus (21) for determining a temperature distribution within an object, to which energy is applied, by using an energy application element (2). A first temperature distribution is measured in a first region within a first temperature range and a model describing a model temperature distribution in the first region and in a second region depending on modifiable model parameters is provided. A second temperature distribution is estimated in the second region within a second temperature range, while the energy is applied to the object, by modifying the model parameters such that a deviation of the model temperature distribution from the first temperature distribution in the first region is minimized.

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: The present invention provides a contactless remote control system enabling an operator to operate one or more medical devices in a contactless way, said remote control system comprising a display device for displaying a Graphic User Interface GUI regarding the one or more medical devices; a tracking device for tracking the motion information of the operator; a control device for (1) interpreting the motion information of the operator into operation information relating to the movement trajectory of a cursor in the GUI or the confirmation of the selection of an item in the GUI where the cursor locates, and for (2) operating the GUI in accordance with the operation information so as to generate control commands for the one or more medical devices; and an output device for outputting the control commands to the one or more medical devices.