Abstract: The present disclosure describes medical imaging systems and methods configured to generate medical images based on undersampled imaging data. The images may be generated by applying a neural network trained with samples of known fully sampled data and undersampled data derived from the known fully sampled data to a acquired sparsely sampled data. The training of the neural network may involve training adversarial generative network including a generator and a discriminator. The generator is trained with sets of known undersampled data until the generator is capable of generating estimated image data, which the classifier is incapable of differentiation as either real or fake, and the trained generator may then be applied to unknown undersampled data.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes imaging systems configured to generate adaptive scanning protocols based on anatomical features and conditions identified during a prenatal scan of an object. Systems may include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echo signals responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward a target region. Processors coupled with the transducer can generate an image frame from the echoes and provide the image frame to a first neural network. The first neural network may be configured to identify an anatomical feature in the image frame. An indication of the anatomical feature may be provided a second neural network. The second neural network may then determine an anatomical measurement to be obtained based, in part, on the feature identified. The processors may be further configured to cause an indicator of the anatomical measurement to be obtained to be displayed on a user interface.

Abstract: Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. An ultrasound imaging system comprising a processor circuit in communication with an ultrasound probe comprising a transducer array, wherein the processor circuit is configured to receive, from the ultrasound probe, a first image of a patients anatomy; detect, from the first image, a first anatomical landmark at a first location along a scanning trajectory of the patients anatomy; determine, based on the first anatomical landmark, a steering configuration for steering the ultrasound probe towards a second anatomical landmark at a second location along the scanning trajectory; and output, to a display in communication with the processor circuit, an instruction based on the steering configuration to steer the ultrasound probe towards the second anatomical landmark at the second location.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer array includes an array of elongate support members that are displaceable and/or deformable relative to each other in the elongation direction of the elongate support members, each elongate support member having a patient facing surface carrying an ultrasound transducer tile; and multiple sensors, each adapted to detect the relative displacement and/or deformation of one of the elongate support members. The ultrasound transducer array may be included in an ultrasound system.

Abstract: Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. An ultrasound imaging system includes a communication interface in communication with an ultrasound imaging device. The communication interface receives an ultrasound image of a subject's anatomy. The system includes a processor in communication with the communication interface. The processor applies a predictive network to the ultrasound image to identify a plurality of locations of potential malignancies in the subjects anatomy and determines a plurality of malignancy likelihoods at the plurality of locations of potential malignancies. The processor outputs, to a display in communication with the processor, the plurality of locations of potential malignancies and the plurality of malignancy likelihoods for the plurality of locations of potential malignancies to guide a biopsy determination for the subject's anatomy.

Abstract: An ultrasound system produces maps of acoustic attenuation coefficients from B mode image signals. A plurality of maps located in different parallel and elevationally separated planes (A, B, C, D, E) are produced, then compounded in the elevation direction. Confidence maps may also be produced for one or more attenuation coefficient maps, and the confidence map displayed or its measures used to determine weighting for the compounding process. The compounding of elevationally separate planes improves attenuation coefficient estimation in the presence of blood vessels affecting the estimates in one or more of the planes.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method produce attenuation coefficient maps of a region of interest in an ultrasound image. In order to detect the presence of elevation aperture blockage, the system estimates attenuation coefficients by two different methods. The estimates produced by the two different methods are combined to produce a metric, which is evaluated as a function of depth. If the metric satisfies one or more criteria of measurement bias, elevation aperture blockage is identified and an alert of the blockage is produced for the user.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes medical imaging systems and methods configured to generate medical images based on undersampled imaging data. The images may be generated by applying a neural network trained with samples of known fully sampled data and undersampled data derived from the known fully sampled data to a acquired sparsely sampled data. The training of the neural network may involve training adversarial generative network including a generator and a discriminator. The generator is trained with sets of known undersampled data until the generator is capable of generating estimated image data, which the classifier is incapable of differentiation as either real or fake, and the trained generator may then be applied to unknown undersampled data.

Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for performing ultrasound imaging are provided to advantageously determine the viscosity of an anatomy. According to one embodiment, a system for determining a viscosity of an anatomy includes an ultrasound transducer, a vibration source, and a processing system in communication with the ultrasound transducer and the vibration source. The processing system is configured to activate the vibration source to induce in the anatomy a first shear wave at a first frequency and a second shear wave at a second frequency, activate the ultrasound transducer to obtain ultrasound data representative of the anatomy that exhibits the first shear wave and the second shear wave, determine a first wave speed of the first shear wave and a second wave speed of the second shear wave, and determine the viscosity of the anatomy by comparing the first wave speed and the second wave speed.

Abstract: A method and an ultrasound system configured for identifying recommended post-exam disinfection and cleaning steps and providing an alert of the recommended disinfection and cleaning steps to a user of the ultrasound system. The system obtains clinical informatics, examination details, user selected ultrasound exam settings, and ultrasound images and annotations. The system determines a recommended disinfection classification based on the clinical informatics, examination details, user selected ultrasound exam settings, and ultrasound images and annotations. The, the system provides an alert to a user to conduct a post exam disinfection procedure; the alert including the recommended disinfection classification.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes ultrasound imaging systems and methods configured to identify and remove image artefacts from ultrasound image frames by applying a neural network to the frames. Systems may include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echo signals responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward a target region. One or more processors communicatively coupled with the ultrasound transducer may be configured to generate an image frame from the ultrasound echoes and apply a neural network to the image frame. The neural network determines whether an artefact is present in the image frame, and identifies the type of artefact detected. The processors can also generate an indicator conveying the presence of the artefact, which can be displayed on a user interface. The processors can further generate an instruction for adjusting the ultrasound transducer based on the presence and type of artefact present within the image frame.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and systems for generating an ultrasound image. In a method, the generation of an ultrasound image comprises: obtaining channel data, the channel data defining a set of imaged points; for each imaged point: isolating the channel data; performing a spectral estimation on the isolated channel data; and selectively attenuating the spectral estimation channel data, thereby generating filtered channel data; and summing the filtered channel data, thereby forming a filtered ultrasound image. In some examples, the method comprises aperture extrapolation. The aperture extrapolation improves the lateral resolution of the ultrasound image. In other examples, the method comprises transmit extrapolation. The transmit extrapolation improves the contrast of the image. In addition, the transmit extrapolation improves the frame rate and reduces the motion artifacts in the ultrasound image. In further examples, the aperture and transmit extrapolations may be combined.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes ultrasound imaging systems and methods configured to generate ultrasound images based on undersampled ultrasound data. The ultrasound images may be generated by applying a neural network trained with samples of known fully sampled data and undersampled data derived from the known fully sampled data to a acquired sparsely sampled data. The training of the neural network may involve training adversarial generative network including a generator and a discriminator. The generator is trained with sets of known undersampled data until the generator is capable of generating estimated image data, which the classifier is incapable of differentiation as either real or fake, and the trained generator may then be applied to unknown undersampled data.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes imaging systems configured to generate adaptive scanning protocols based on anatomical features and conditions identified during a prenatal scan of an object. Systems may include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echo signals responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward a target region. Processors coupled with the transducer can generate an image frame from the echoes and provide the image frame to a first neural network. The first neural network may be configured to identify an anatomical feature in the image frame. An indication of the anatomical feature may be provided a second neural network. The second neural network may then determine an anatomical measurement to be obtained based, in part, on the feature identified. The processors may be further configured to cause an indicator of the anatomical measurement to be obtained to be displayed on a user interface.

Abstract: A diagnostic ultrasound system has a 2D array transducer which is operated with 1×N patches, patches which are only a single element wide. The “N” length of the patches extends in the elevation direction of a scanned 2D image plane, with the single element width extending in the lateral (azimuth) direction. Focusing is done along each patch in the elevation direction by a microbeamformer, and focusing in the lateral (azimuth) direction is done by the system beamformer. The minimal width of each patch in the azimuth direction enables the production of images highly resolved in the azimuthal plane of a 2D image, including the reception of highly resolved multilines for high frame rate imaging.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes imaging systems configured to generate adaptive scanning protocols based on anatomical features and conditions identified during a prenatal scan of an object. Systems may include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echo signals responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward a target region. Processors coupled with the transducer can generate an image frame from the echoes and provide the image frame to a first neural network. The first neural network may be configured to identify an anatomical feature in the image frame. An indication of the anatomical feature may be provided a second neural network. The second neural network may then determine an anatomical measurement to be obtained based, in part, on the feature identified. The processors may be further configured to cause an indicator of the anatomical measurement to be obtained to be displayed on a user interface.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing data for visualization and data for quantification are disclosed herein. The data for visualization may be used to generate images to provide to a user on a display. The data for quantification may be used to calculate various physiologically relevant parameters, such as hepato-renal index (HRI) values. In some examples, the quantification data may not be used to generate images. In some examples, a user may select regions of interest (ROIs) in the images generated from the visualization data and the corresponding quantification data for the ROIs may be used to calculate one or more parameters. The visualization data and quantification data may be generated from different imaging modes or same imaging modes with different data processing in some examples.

Abstract: A location device is provided for determining the location of an acoustic sensor. A location process makes use of a plurality of transmit beams (wherein a beam is defined as a transmission from all transducers of an ultrasound array), with a frequency analysis to identify if there is a signal reflected from the acoustic sensor. A location is obtained from the plurality of frequency analyses.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improving spectral-shift methods for calculating acoustic attenuation coefficients are disclosed. Systems, methods, and apparatuses for transmitting ultrasound pulse sequences for improved signal-to-noise outside the main passband of ultrasound transducers are disclosed. Systems, methods, and apparatuses for using the echoes from the transmitted pulse sequences to calculate the attenuation coefficient are disclosed.

Abstract: An ultrasound probe in which there is local amplification, time gain compensation and digitization of each transducer element output. Inverting arrangements surround the time gain compensation and digitization units, and a synchronous inversion function enables deterministic distortion to be cancelled.