Abstract: Systems and methods for ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) are described. According to examples, an ultrasound SWE system includes an ultrasound probe (120), an actuation assembly (130) coupled to the probe and configured to apply an external force against a subject for generating a shear wave within a target region, a controller (140) coupled to the actuation assembly to control the actuation assembly to apply the force responsive to a trigger signal, and ultrasound scanner (110) configured to generate the trigger signal, and further configured to generate an elastography image based at least in part on echo signals received from the target region.

Abstract: In an ultrasound imaging system which produces synthetically transmit focused images, the multiline signals used to form image scanlines are analyzed for speed of sound variation, and a map 60 of this variation is generated. In a preferred implementation, the phase discrepancy of the received multilines caused by speed of sound variation in the medium is estimated in the angular spectrum domain for the receive angular spectrum. Once the phase is estimated for all locations in an image, the differential phase between two points at the same lateral location, but different depth, is computed. This differential phase is proportional to the local speed of sound between the two points. A color-coded two- or three-dimensional map 60 is produced from these speed of sound estimates and presented to the user.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system according to the present disclosure may include an ultrasound transducer assembly comprising a plurality of apertures that are configured to transmit signals toward and receive signals from a region of interest (ROI) of a subject, a tracking sensor disposed within the subject and configured to move within the ROI, the sensor being responsive to signals transmitted by the apertures, and at least one processor in communication with the ultrasound transducer assembly and the tracking sensor.

Abstract: A method that includes obtaining threat model data associating at least one actor with an application. The at least one actor being capable of taking advantage of at least one potential vulnerability associated with the application. The method includes associating at least one technology with the at least one potential vulnerability based at least in part on the at least one actor, formulating a test based at least in part on the at least one technology, instructing a processor to perform the test on the application, and receiving results from the processor after performance of the test.

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 imaging system (1) comprises an ultrasound transducer array (100) comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducer tiles (101a-d), each of said tiles having an independently adjustable orientation such as to conform an ultrasound transmitting surface to a region of a body (50) including a foreign object such as a pacemaker, a stent, or an interventional tool (200). Using a known spatial arrangement of a plurality of features (201-204) of the foreign object (200), the respective ultrasound images generated by the ultrasound transducer tiles are registered in order to generate a composite image, in which the position and orientation of the foreign object in the individual images is superimposed. The position and orientation of an interventional tool may be determined for each image using object recognition algorithms or using acoustic feedback information provided by at least three ultrasound sensors (201-204) arranged in a known spatial arrangement on the interventional tool.

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: 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: A system includes an acoustic probe and an acoustic imaging machine. The acoustic probe includes a substrate with first and second principal surfaces, a device insertion port with an opening passing through the substrate from the first principal surface to the second principal surface, and an array of acoustic transducer elements supported by the substrate and disposed around the device insertion port. The acoustic imaging machine may systematically vary the size and/or position of the active acoustic aperture of the probe by providing transmit signals to selected acoustic transducer elements to cause the array to transmit an acoustic probe signal to an area of interest and may record a feedback signal of the transmit signals from an acoustic receiver provided at a distal end of an interventional device passed through the device insertion port into the area of interest to find an active acoustic aperture having optimal acoustic performance.

Abstract: Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an interface coupled to an ultrasound imaging component and configured to receive a plurality of image data frames representative of a target tissue; and a processing component in communication with the interface and configured to determine a delay profile for the ultrasound imaging component in relation to the target tissue based on the plurality of image data frames; and determine a phase aberration correction configuration for a sequence of one or more shear wave pulses based on the delay profile, the sequence of one or more shear wave pulses associated with the ultrasound imaging component and a stiffness measure of the target tissue.

Abstract: An acoustic probe connectable to an imaging system. The acoustic probe has a substrate with first and second principal surfaces, at least one device insertion port comprising an opening passing through the substrate from the first principal surface to the second principal surface, and an array of acoustic transducer elements supported by the substrate and disposed around the at least one device insertion port. The acoustic probe comprising an instrument guide disposed within the device insertion port, the instrument guide being configured to selectively allow the interventional device to move freely within the device insertion port and to selectively lock the interventional device within the device insertion port in response to a user input via a user interface connected to the acoustic probe.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method translates an aperture across an array transducer which is less that the size of the array. At each aperture location a transmit beam is focused above, or alternatively below, the array and a region of interest being scanned from the aperture location, resulting in broad insonification of the region of interest. At the lateral ends of the array the aperture is no longer translated but the focal point of the transmit beam is translated from the same aperture position, preferably with tilting of the beam direction. Multiple receive beams are processed in response to each transmit event and the overlapping receive beams and echo locations are spatially combined to produce synthetic transmit focusing over the center of the image field and noise reduction by spatial compounding at the lateral ends of the image field.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes ultrasound systems and methods configured to determine stiffness levels of anisotropic tissue. Systems can include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echoes responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward anisotropic tissue having an angular orientation with respect to a nominal axial direction of the transducer. Systems can also include a beamformer configured to control the transducer to transmit a push pulse along a steering angle for generating a shear wave in the anisotropic tissue. The steering angle can be based on the angular orientation of the tissue. The transducer can also be controlled to transmit tracking pulses. Systems can also include a processor configured to store tracking line echo data generated from echo signals received at the transducer. In response to the echo data, the processor can detect motion within the tissue caused by propagation of the shear wave and measure the velocity of the shear wave.

Abstract: The present invention generally improves image guidance during interventional procedures by imaging and tracking an interventional device using two or more imaging elements with different field of views.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes ultrasound systems and methods for smart shear wave elastography in anisotropic tissue. An example method may include identifying muscle fiber structures from a 3D ultrasound image dataset. The method may include providing a representation of at least one identified muscle fiber structure relative to a surface of a transducer. The method may include selecting at least one of the identified muscle fiber structures. The method may include determining a target measurement plane based on an orientation of the selected muscle fiber structure. The method may also include transmitting ultrasound pulses in accordance with a sequence configured to perform shear wave imaging in the target measurement plane.

Abstract: An ultrasound system produces 3D images at a high framerate of display. A volumetric region is scanned with plane wave or diverging transmit beams to insonify a large part of or even the entire volumetric region with each transmit event. To avoid the acquisition of clutter signals in the azimuth and elevation dimensions, the plane waves or diverging beams are transmitted at angles intermediate the elevation and azimuth directions. By transmitting plane waves or diverging beams at multiple different angles which are each a combination of both the elevation and azimuth directions, sidelobe clutter is reduced in the resulting compounded images.

Abstract: An ultrasound system produces high quality images at a high framerate of display. A plane or volume to be imaged is scanned by different diverging transmit beams to acquire a series of different sub-frames, the number of sub-frame acquisitions comprising a total number of transmit beams which would produce a high quality image. The echoes received in response to the transmit beams of a sub-frame are coherently combined with the echoes received in other sub-frames. Each time the echoes of a new sub-frame have been coherently combined with the echoes of all other different sub-frames, a full image is produced. After a complete series of sub-frames has been received and the echoes combined, another series of sub-frame acquisition is commenced and a new series of sub-frames acquired. As each new sub-frame is acquired, it is coherently combined with all the other different and most recently acquired sub-frames.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes imaging systems configured to identify features within image frames and improve the frames by implementing image quality adjustments. An ultrasound imaging system can include a transducer configured to acquire echo signals responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward a target. The system can also include a user interface configured to display an image and one or more processors configured to identify one or more features within the image. The processors can cause the interface to display elements associated with at least two image quality operations specific to the identified feature. A first image quality operation can include a manual adjustment of a transducer setting, and a second image quality operation can include an automatic adjustment of the identified feature derived from reference frames including the identified feature. The processors can receive a user selection of one or more elements and apply the operations to modify the image.

Abstract: Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. An ultrasound imaging system comprising a communication interface in communication with an ultrasound imaging device and configured to receive a ultrasound image of a subject's anatomy; and a processor in communication with the communication interface and configured to apply a predictive network to the ultrasound image to identify a plurality of locations of potential malignancies in the subjects anatomy; and determine a plurality of malignancy likelihoods at the plurality of locations of potential malignancies; and output, 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 subjects anatomy.

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.