Abstract: Non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) systems and methods are disclosed that measure a blood pressure, and in some examples a beat-to-beat blood pressure, of a patient without restricting blood flow. The NIBP systems determine an efficacy of administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the patient based on the measured blood pressure and are able to optionally output the CPR efficacy or generate user prompts based on the CPR efficacy. Further, the disclosed NIBP systems can generate user instructions to administer further treatment to the patient based on the CPR efficacy.

Abstract: An analysis method and an electronic apparatus for breast image are provided. The method includes the following steps. One or more breast ultrasound images are obtained. The breast ultrasound images are used for forming a three-dimensional (3D) breast model. A volume of interest (VOI) in the breast ultrasound image is obtained by applying a detection model on the 3D breast model. The VOI is compared with a tissue segmentation result. The VOI is determined as a false positive according to a compared result between the VOI and the tissue segmentation result. The compared result includes that the VOI is located at a glandular tissue based on the tissue segmentation result. In response to the VOI being located in the glandular tissue of the tissue segmentation result, the VOI is compared with the lactiferous duct in the 3D breast model.

Abstract: Changes in tissue stiffness have long been associated with disease. Systems and methods for determining the stiffness of tissues using ultrasonography may include a device for inducing a propagating shear wave in tissue and tracking the speed of propagation, which is directly related to tissue stiffness and density. The speed of a propagating shear wave may be detected by imaging a tissue at a high frame rate and detecting the propagating wave as a perturbance in successive image frames relative to a baseline image of the tissue in an undisturbed state. In some embodiments, sufficiently high frame rates may be achieved by using a ping-based ultrasound imaging technique in which unfocused omni-directional pings are transmitted (in an imaging plane or in a hemisphere) into a region of interest. Receiving echoes of the omnidirectional pings with multiple receive apertures allows for substantially improved lateral resolution.

Abstract: Shear wave elasticity imaging methods and ultrasound imaging devices are provided. The method may include: generating a shear wave in a target area of an object being examined; transmitting a first ultrasonic wave to the target area and receiving first echo data; determining an elasticity parameter of the target area according to the first echo data; obtaining a motion parameter of the target area; and displaying the elasticity parameter and the motion parameter.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and a method for calculating a pulse wave velocity based on a plurality of intravascular ultrasonic pulses directed along a vessel. For each ultrasonic pulse, a plurality of echoes is received from a plurality of distances along the vessel. A first ultrasound Doppler signal is received from a first distance from the pulse origin and a second ultrasound Doppler signal from a second distance from the pulse origin. A first and second flow velocity metric is obtained based on the first and second ultrasound Doppler signal, respectively. The pulse wave velocity is calculated based on the time delay, which is based on the first flow velocity metric and the second flow velocity metric.

Abstract: This document presents a system and method for analyzing migraine related sensor and diary data to permit the prediction of migraine headaches for individuals. A mobile device is adapted to collect and transmit to a server data content from sensors associated with the mobile device and self-reported data content indicative of contemporaneous environmental conditions and individual physical conditions when the individual is suffering from a migraine headache. The server uses the data content to develop predictive metrics indicative of a correlation between the migraine events and the sensor data. The predictive metrics will provide an alert to a designated individual if it is likely the individual will experience a migraine within a future time period.

Abstract: An elastography device includes a probe with a single ultrasound transducer; or a plurality of ultrasound transducers, and a low frequency vibrator arranged to induce a displacement of said single ultrasound transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers towards a tissue. The device is configured to emit a sequence of ultrasound pulses and to acquire echo signals received in response to track how elastic waves, induced by the displacement, travel in the tissue. The device is configured to generate, for one or more of the ultrasound pulses emitted a temporal offset upon emission, and/or a temporal offset upon reception, so that a difference thereof varies as a function of 2·d/vus, where d is the displacement of the single transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers, and where vus is the speed of ultrasound in said tissue.

Abstract: An acoustic imaging system responsive to an acoustic wave emitted from an object is disclosed. The system detects a deflection angle of an electromagnetic probe beam as it passes through a coupling element. The coupling element also couples the acoustic wave emitted from the object to an acoustic detector. The probe beam deflection angle is related to an angle of propagation of the acoustic wave through the coupling element. A filtering unit is configured to remove components of the signal from the acoustic detector that are outside of a range of angles, thereby improving the angular resolution of the acoustic detector. The acoustic wave may be generated by an acoustic source, such as an ultrasound transmitter, or an electromagnetic source such as a laser.

Abstract: A system and method for accumulating ultrasound attenuation data for the detection of disease or other conditions. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system generates a number of imaging pulses during an imaging mode. Echo signals received from the imaging pulses are tested against one or more quality metrics. Attenuation data from the echo signals that pass the quality metrics are accumulated and are used to compute a tissue characteristic. In one embodiment the tissue characteristic is a CAP measurement that is related to an amount of fat in a liver.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry causes the ultrasonic probe to perform a first scan and second scan in a same scan sequence, wherein the first scan is for calculating a first index value based on a displacement of tissue by a shear wave that propagates through a living body, the second scan for calculating a second index value indicating an attenuation of a reflected wave signal of an ultrasonic wave applied into the living body. The processing circuitry generates a first image based on the first index value, and generates a second image based on the second index value. The processing circuitry causes a display to simultaneously display the first image and the second image.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer may include: a plurality of capacitive ultrasound transducer elements; and a base having a largest dimension sized and shaped to be disposed with an external ear canal, wherein the plurality of capacitive ultrasound transducers is mounted on the base. Each capacitive ultrasound transducer element and the ultrasound transducer are specifically constructed to achieve select desired performance characteristics. The ultrasound transducer may have an angular beam spread through a gaseous medium of greater than 15 degrees and an attenuation loss through the gaseous medium of greater than 10 dB measured at a distance 12.5 mm to 25 mm along a primary transmission axis of the ultrasound transducer. The ultrasound transducer may be particularly useful for characterizing fluid behind an ear drum to diagnose otitis media.

Abstract: A display frame data array is transferred from an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus to a diagnosis assisting server. The display frame data array is analyzed in the diagnosis assisting server, and a diagnosis assisting data array is generated. The diagnosis assisting data array is transferred from the diagnosis assisting server to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus. A display processing unit combines the display frame data array and the diagnosis assisting data array while synchronizing the data arrays.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an image memory that stores ultrasound images of a plurality of frames a display unit that displays an ultrasound image of the selected frame selected by a user from the plurality of frames, a measurement unit that performs measurement for a measurement target part from the ultrasound image, a determination unit that determines whether the measurement has succeeded or failed, and a display switching unit that displays a measurement result in the selected frame on the display unit in a case in which measurement for the selected frame has succeeded and displays an ultrasound image of at least one peripheral frame different from the selected frame among the plurality of frames and a measurement result in the peripheral frame on the display unit in a case in which the measurement for the selected frame has failed.

Abstract: A method for measuring an ultrasonic attenuation parameter guided by harmonic elastography including applying, using a vibrator included in a probe in contact with a viscoelastic medium, of a continuous low frequency vibration, the continuous low frequency vibration generating an elastic wave within the viscoelastic medium and generating, during the propagation of the elastic wave, using an ultrasonic transducer in contact with the viscoelastic medium, a series of ultrasonic acquisitions, the series of ultrasonic acquisitions including groups of ultrasonic acquisitions, the groups of ultrasonic acquisitions being generated with a repetition rate, each group of ultrasonic acquisitions including at least one acquisition; the ultrasonic attenuation parameter being measured from the ultrasonic acquisitions realised during the application of the continuous low frequency vibration.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes image processing circuitry. The image processing circuitry acquires, based on a result of ultrasound scanning performed on a subject, blood flow information including a value that indicates a blood flow at each position within the subject and tissue property information including a value that indicates tissue properties at each position within the subject. The image processing circuitry generates a first image in which a difference in value in the blood flow information is represented by at least a difference in hue and a second image in which a difference in value in the tissue property information is represented by a difference other than the difference in hue. The image processing circuitry generates a combined image by combining the first image and the second image.

Abstract: Detecting abnormalities in vital signs of subjects of videos is provided. Aspects of the present disclosure include methods, apparatuses, and systems to detect and measure vital sign information of one or more human subjects of a video and detect abnormalities in the vital sign information. In some examples, such abnormalities can be used to indicate video data is likely altered or fraudulent. In this regard, imaging photophlethysmography (IPPG) and advanced signal processing techniques, including adaptive color beamforming, can be used to extract the vital signs of the video subjects.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and a method for calculating a pulse wave velocity based on a plurality of intravascular ultrasonic pulses directed along a vessel. For each ultrasonic pulse, a plurality of echoes is received from a plurality of distances along the vessel. A first ultrasound Doppler signal is received from a first distance from the pulse origin and a second ultrasound Doppler signal from a second distance from the pulse origin. A first and second flow velocity metric is obtained based on the first and second ultrasound Doppler signal, respectively. The pulse wave velocity is calculated based on the time delay, which is based on the first flow velocity metric and the second flow velocity metric.

Abstract: Various approaches for regulating microbubbles in a treatment procedure for a target include generating a tissue-sensitivity map including multiple regions, at least one of the regions being outside the target region, the tissue-sensitivity map assigning, to each of the regions, a sensitivity level indicative of tissue sensitivity to the interaction between the microbubbles and an acoustic beam; select one or more interaction regions based at least in part on the tissue-sensitivity map; and activating the ultrasound transducer so as to generate the acoustic beam for interacting with the microbubbles in the selection interaction region(s) in the tissue-sensitivity map, thereby indirectly changing a characteristic of the microbubbles at the target region.

Abstract: A method for quantifying viscoelasticity of a medium includes: obtaining a position-time graph of vibration propagation after the medium is subjected to a vibration excitation, determining an angle with maximum signal energy in the position-time graph by using angle projection, where the angle with the maximum signal energy corresponds to a slope of the position-time graph and the slope of the position-time graph is the propagation velocity of the vibration in the medium. Since the propagation velocity of the vibration in the medium is related to the viscoelasticity of the medium, a viscoelasticity parameter of the medium can be quantitatively calculated after the slope of the position-time graph is obtained. The method does not need to select a feature point from the position-time graph to calculate the slope of the position-time graph, and can efficiently and accurately quantifies viscoelasticity of the medium.

Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for ultrasound imaging. In one embodiment, a method comprises acquiring, with an ultrasound transducer of a scanning apparatus during an ultrasound scan of a patient, an ultrasound image, detecting, with an artificial intelligence model, a region of interest within the ultrasound image including a possible tumor, acquiring, with the ultrasound transducer, an elastic image of tissue within the region of interest, and displaying, with a display device, the elastic image. In this way, shear wave elastography may be automatically targeted to a region of interest, thereby reducing the processing load for the analysis and enabling a higher elasticity imaging frame rate for three-dimensional ultrasound imaging.

Abstract: A communication system includes a central cloud server to establish a primary communication path between a radio access network (RAN) node and one or more user equipment (UEs) via a first set of edge devices of a plurality of edge devices, where each edge device is configured as a mesh node of a mesh network. The central cloud server determines a plurality of secondary communication paths between the RAN node and the one or more UEs via different sets of edge devices. The central cloud server ranks each of the plurality of secondary communication paths in terms of one or more signal quality parameters and controls switching from the primary communication path to one or more secondary communication paths configured as backup communication paths within a threshold time to maintain a continuity in service to the one or more UEs for uplink and downlink communication.

Abstract: An electrical field mapping system with an improved measurement and recording method which enables students to produce an electric field map of equipotential lines and electric field vectors. Measurements of an electric potential point and an electric field vector may be made by a three-probe sensor with pointer and displayed on voltmeters. An angular scale below the pointer may assist to measure the direction of the electric field. An X-Y transfer mechanism transfers the location of the three-probe sensor, from the space around electrodes, to a marker at a corresponding location in the recording area. Recordings of the field data are made by markers with different impressions and may include an electric field vector, equipotential line segment, and electric potential point.

Abstract: A shear wave elastography method for imaging an observation field in an anisotropic medium, including an initial ultrasonic acquisition step during which initial physical parameters are acquired in at least one region of interest; a spatial characterization step during which a set of spatial characteristics of the anisotropic medium is determined on the basis of the initial physical parameter; an excitation substep during which an shear wave is generated inside the anisotropic medium on the basis of the set of spatial characteristics; and an observation substep during which the propagation of the shear wave is observed simultaneously at a multitude of points in the observation field.

Abstract: Ultrasound scanners that are initialized and placed to the side in a sterile bag for use in a sterile environment may suffer overheating and cut out early, because the bag represents a poor cooling environment. The rate of increase in temperature of a scanner is monitored and a determination is made as to whether the scanner is in a regular environment or a poor cooling environment. If the scanner is in a poor cooling environment, the scanner is switched from a regular state of operation to a poor cooling state of operation. In the poor cooling state of operation, the scanner settings consume less power and generate less heat on the whole than the regular scanner settings. The scanner reverts to higher power settings as and when needed to perform the desired scan. The user interface on an associated display device also changes in response to the scanner entering the poor cooling state of operation.

Abstract: Aspects of the technology described herein relate to techniques for guiding an operator to use an ultrasound device. Thereby, operators with little or no experience operating ultrasound devices may capture medically relevant ultrasound images and/or interpret the contents of the obtained ultrasound images. For example, some of the techniques disclosed herein may be used to identify a particular anatomical view of a subject to image with an ultrasound device, guide an operator of the ultrasound device to capture an ultrasound image of the subject that contains the particular anatomical view, and/or analyze the captured ultrasound image to identify medical information about the subject.

Abstract: The present document describes a flow measuring apparatus for measuring a flow through a section of an inhalation apparatus, comprising at least one set of Pitot tubes first a second Pitot tube and streamlinings extending longitudinally parallel to the Pitot tubes and the set of Pitot tubes is configured for traversing entirely a lumen which define the section of the inhalation apparatus and are respectively fluidly connected to a differential pressure sensor for measuring a difference between a stagnation pressure and a static pressure within the flow measuring apparatus.

Abstract: An insert having a photoacoustic wave generation portion, an acoustic wave detection unit that detects photoacoustic waves and reflected acoustic waves, a photoacoustic image generation unit that generates a photoacoustic image on the basis of the photoacoustic waves, an image output unit that outputs information on the basis of the photoacoustic waves detected by the acoustic wave detection unit, a tip position detection unit that detects that a tip portion of the insert is disposed at a predetermined detection position with respect to the acoustic wave detection unit, and a control unit that displays information on the basis of intensity of a detection signal of the photoacoustic waves generated from the photoacoustic wave generation portion on image display as an insert inspection mode in a case where it is detected that the tip portion of the insert is disposed at the predetermined detection position are included.

Abstract: Methods for processing data acquired using ultrasound elastography, in which shear waves are generated in a subject using continuous vibration of the ultrasound transducer, are described. The described methods can effectively separate shear wave signals from signals corresponding to residual motion artifacts associated with vibration of the ultrasound transducer. The systems and methods described here also provide for real-time visualization of shear waves propagating in the subject.

Abstract: Systems and methods for locating, assessing, diagnosing, treating and monitoring of musculoskeletal disorders, soft tissue injuries, pain and other areas of dysfunctional tissue in patients, are provided. In the systems and methods, such assessments and treatments are performed using a combination of electrical stimulation and imaging tools.

Abstract: Provided are a method and ultrasound diagnosis apparatus for measuring and displaying an elasticity of an object. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes: a processor configured to obtain elasticity data of a measurement target region of an object, calculate elasticity values of a plurality of regions included in the measurement target region based on the elasticity data by using different calculating methods, and combine the calculated elasticity values of the plurality of regions to calculate a final elasticity value; and a display configured to display the final elasticity value.

Abstract: A medical ultrasound (US) imaging system includes a US probe and a processor. The US probe includes an array of transducers arranged in a reflection geometry, the probe configured to emit US waves and to receive reflected ultrasound waves that are reflected from a body portion of a patient. The processor is configured to generate an image of the body portion of the patient by applying an inverse model to the emitted and reflected US waves.

Abstract: An aspect of the present disclosure calculates a phase variance value indicating a degree of variance of a phase in a surrounding of each position in a biological tissue, based on phase values of excitation wave at respective positions in the biological tissue that acts in response to excitation caused by propagation of the excitation wave in the tissue, and generates an analysis map, based on a time series of at least part of the phase variance values at the respective positions. Since the phase variance value indicates the degree of variance of the phase in the surrounding, a position having a large degree of variance of the phase in the surrounding may be specified as a rotation center of rotating excitation wave.

Abstract: Wearable medical devices are provided. An exemplary wearable medical device includes a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) comprising a dielectric layer having a top surface and conductive features on the top surface of the dielectric layer. Further, the exemplary wearable medical device includes a top housing mounted directly to the top surface of the PCBA. Also, the wearable medical device includes a power source located between the top housing and the PCBA. The top housing and the dielectric layer of the PCBA encapsulates the conductive features and power source and define an outer surface of the wearable medical device.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods using ultrasound to predict if a patient's cardiac stroke volume will increase with a fluid bolus. Ultrasound measures are taken before administering a fluid bolus, including measurement of the left ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral (LVOT VTI), and venous measurements of the internal jugular vein. Data collected from such ultrasound scan is then used to predict the patient's cardiac volume response in the event that a fluid bolus is administered to that patient.

Abstract: Provided is an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus including a probe configured to induce displacement in tissue of an object by irradiating a first focused beam of a first frequency to the object; and a processor configured to obtain a first ultrasound image of the object in which displacement has been induced; to determine whether the induced displacement is appropriate based on the obtained first ultrasound image; when the induced displacement is not appropriate, to control the probe to irradiate a second focused beam of a second frequency different from the first frequency to the object, so as to induce displacement in the tissue of the object; and to process a second ultrasound image of the object in which displacement has been induced by the second focused beam.

Abstract: The embodiments disclose an ultrasound system comprising: a probe configured to obtain ultrasound data relating to a scanning region including at least part of a pleural interface of a lung; and a data analyzer, configured to automatically detect information for determining lung sliding and/or lung point using one or more cross correlation maps derived from the data. The embodiments also disclose a method thereof.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe, a reference image holding unit that holds an ultrasound image acquired by fixing a position of the ultrasound probe as a reference image, a movement vector calculation unit that calculates a movement vector between two ultrasound images, a movement vector integration unit that integrates the movement vector from a time when the reference image is held to a current time, a deformed image generation unit that generates a deformed image in which the current ultrasound image is moved and changed to a time when the reference image is held based on an integration result, a tomographic plane determination unit that compares the deformed image with the reference image to determine whether tomographic planes of the current ultrasound image and the reference image are the same as each other, and a determination result notification unit that notifies a user of a determination result.

Abstract: The present invention generally relates to mental performance monitoring of brain activity that implements computing using blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies. Specifically, this invention relates to creating a blockchain from data obtained from a mental performance monitoring device that measures in real-time the mental activity and applying artificial intelligence machine-learning for pattern recognition of ‘best performance’ envelope to raise work efficiency, certify cognitive biometric status, detect cerebral microemboli, perform motor, sensory, facial, object and color processing tasks.

Abstract: System and method for shear wave elasticity imaging perform a) acquiring B-mode ultrasound images of a target region; b) selecting a region of interest; c) transmitting a shear wave excitation pulse; d) measuring displacements of tracking focal points or depth ranges at different depths positions along each of laterally staggered tracking lines within the selected region of interest; e) determining a curve representing displacement of tissue as a function of time at different spatial locations within the region of interest; f) determining for spatial locations candidate time(s) of arrival of the shear wave at the spatial location as a function of the curve; g) finding linear functional relation between the time of arrival and the spatial coordinate in the lateral direction using Random Sample Consensus (RANSAC) algorithm; and h) determining the inverse of velocity of the shear wave in a spatial location as the angular coefficient of the linear function.

Abstract: For clutter reduction in ultrasound elasticity imaging, the contribution of clutter to different frequency components (e.g., the transmit fundamental and the propagation generated second harmonic) is different. As a result, a difference in displacements determined at the different frequency bands is used to reduce clutter contribution to displacements used for elasticity imaging.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces an image of shear wave velocities by transmitting push pulses to generate shear waves. A plurality of tracking lines are transmitted and echoes received by a focusing beamformer adjacent to the location of the push pulses. The tracking lines are sampled in a time-interleaved manner. The echo data acquired along each tracking line is processed to determine the time of peak tissue displacement caused by the shear waves at points along the tracking line, and the times of peaks at adjacent tracking lines compared to compute a local shear wave velocity. The resultant map of shear wave velocity values is color-coded and displayed over an anatomical image of the region of interest.

Abstract: A method for measuring a viscoelastic parameter of an organ, includes emitting ultrasonic shots by an ultrasonic transducer; receiving by the transducer and recording the reflected ultrasonic signals; determining a viscoelastic parameter of the organ based on the recorded ultrasonic signals. The ultrasonic shots are formed by K groups of shots, separated temporally, K being greater than or equal to 1. Each K group is formed by the repetition, with a rate of PRF2, of MK blocks of ultrasonic shots, MK being greater than or equal to 1; each MK block is composed of N ultrasonic shots, N being greater than or equal to 1, PRF1 being the rate of emission of the N shots when N is chosen greater than 1; the N ultrasonic shots are distributed over P frequencies, P being between 1 and N, at least two ultrasonic shots belonging to two different blocks having different frequencies.

Abstract: For shear wave imaging with ultrasound, the apparent pulse repetition frequency is increased by combining displacements from different lateral locations. Different combinations based on different shear wave velocities and corresponding time shifts and/or attenuations and corresponding scalings are tested to find a smooth displacement profile for the combination. Once the smooth displacement profile is found, the corresponding shear wave velocity is estimated or determined.

Abstract: A hybrid elastography method includes application of a continuous low frequency vibration and generation, using an ultrasonic transducer in contact with the viscoelastic medium, of a first series of ultrasonic acquisitions, the first series of ultrasonic acquisitions including groups of ultrasonic acquisitions, the groups of ultrasonic acquisitions being generated with a first repetition rate, each group of ultrasonic acquisitions including at least one acquisition, the continuous vibration generating an elastic wave within the viscoelastic medium; application of a low frequency pulse and generation, using the ultrasonic transducer, of a second series of ultrasonic acquisitions, the ultrasonic acquisitions composing the second series being generated with a second repetition rate, the low frequency pulse generating a transient shear wave propagating within the viscoelastic medium; the continuous vibration applied by the first vibrator being stopped before the application of the low frequency pulse.

Abstract: A system for calibration-free cuff-less evaluation of blood pressure is proposed. The system includes an ultrasound-based arterial compliance probes and a controller unit connected to the said probe. The ultrasound transducers measure the change in arterial dimensions, pulse wave velocity, and other character traits of an arterial segment over continuous cardiac cycle, which is then used to evaluate blood pressure parameters without any calibration procedure using dedicated mathematical models.

Abstract: An ultrasound image evaluation apparatus includes: an image obtaining section that obtains a first ultrasound image generated based on ultrasounds, and a second ultrasound image generated before the first ultrasound image; an evaluation section that evaluates a distribution of motions at a part in the first ultrasound image, and a corresponding part of tissue in the second ultrasound image; and an output control section that performs control of outputting an evaluation result of the evaluation section.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging apparatus according to an embodiment comprises an ultrasonic probe to acquire an ultrasonic signal of a target object, a display, and a controller to acquire viscoelasticity data of the target object based on the acquired ultrasonic signal, determine at least one parameter for displaying the acquired viscoelasticity data, determine a parameter space for displaying the at least one parameter, and control the display to display the determined parameter in the determined parameter space.

Abstract: Disclosed are a method and a device for elasticity detection. The method comprises: controlling an excitation device (2) to periodically excite N shear waves in a tissue at a preset time interval and controlling an ultrasonic transducer (3) to transmit ultrasonic waves (101) to the tissue, where the excitation device and the ultrasonic transducer are maintained in contact with a surface of the tissue; receiving, by the ultrasonic transducer (3), an ultrasonic echo signal (102) corresponding to each of the shear waves; acquiring a propagation characteristic parameter (103) of each of the shear waves according to the ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to each of the shear waves; calculating an elasticity parameter of the tissue (104) according to propagation characteristic parameters of the N shear waves and a tissue density of the tissue.

Abstract: Computer vision systems and methods for real-time localization of a needle in an ultrasound video are provided. The method includes a step of receiving at a processor a plurality of frames from the ultrasound video. The method also includes the step of identifying by the processor one of the plurality of frames as a background image and a frame adjacent to the background image as a current image. The method further includes the step of performing by the processor a bitwise complement operation on the background image to generate a complement image. Moreover, the method includes the step of performing by the processor a pointwise logical AND operation on the complement image and the current image to identify the location of the needle.

Abstract: A transducer array (10) is disclosed comprising a plurality of CMUT cells (100, 100, 100?), each CMUT cell comprising a first electrode (110) supported by a substrate (101) and a second electrode (120) supported by a membrane suspended over a cavity (105) between the first electrode and the second electrode, the plurality of CMUT cells comprising a first group of CMUT cells (100) each having a membrane comprising a first layer stack (130); and a second group of CMUT cells (100?) each having membrane comprising a second layer stack (130?), the second layer stack including a layer (135) of a material having a higher density than any of the layers in the first layer stack. Also disclosed is a device comprising such a transducer array, an ultrasound imaging system including such a transducer array and a method of operating such an ultrasound imaging system.