A rotational intravascular ultrasound probe for insertion into a vasculature and a method of manufacturing the same. The rotational intravascular ultrasound probe comprises an elongate catheter having a flexible body and an elongate transducer shaft disposed within the flexible body. The transducer shaft comprises a proximal end portion, a distal end portion, a drive shaft extending from the proximal end portion to the distal end portion, an ultrasonic transducer disposed near the distal end portion for obtaining a circumferential image through rotation, and a transducer housing molded to the drive shaft and the ultrasonic transducer.

A probe is provided for dual imaging of a tissue site that includes a light source configured to generate light that is transmitted along a light path to generate optoacoustic return signals and ultrasound return signals when the light reacts with the tissue site, and a transducer assembly including a first transducer on the distal end, and a second transducer on the distal end. The first transducer is configured to receive the optoacoustic return signals and having an acoustic lens provided over the first transducer, and the second transducer is configured to receive the ultrasound return signals.

The present invention provides for a new system and method for diagnosing skin cancer that provides for a more effective analysis of changes in skin tissue due to the duality of acquiring visual data and transforming such visual into an audio signal. The conversion of complicated patterns of visual information of a skin lesion by a computer aided classification analysis into diagnostic sounds results in a much higher resolution rate and increased precision of diagnosis.

An optoacoustic probe for optoacoustic imaging of a volume is provided that includes a housing extending from a distal end operable to contact the volume to a proximal end. The optoacoustic probe includes a light source configured to generate light that is transmitted along a light pathway to generate return signals when the light reacts with the volume, and a transducer assembly including a transducer configured to receive the optoacoustic return signals and an acoustic lens provided over the transducer. The optoacoustic probe also includes a steering assembly coupled within the housing and configured to steer the light pathway to generate the light along the light pathway at different scanning areas of the volume based on the return signals.

Optical whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator-based acoustic sensors, imaging systems that make use of the acoustic sensors, and methods of detecting ultrasound waves using the acoustic sensors are disclosed.

Photoacoustic and/or acousto-optical techniques may be used to transabdominally perform fetal oximetry and/or trans-abdominal fetal pulse oximetry. In some cases, a composite acoustic signal that has emanated from an abdomen of a pregnant mammal may be received by a processor from, for example, an ultrasonic detector and/or microphone positioned on, or near, a pregnant mammal's abdomen and the composite acoustic signal may result from an optical signal incident on the pregnant mammal's abdomen and a fetus contained therein. A portion of the composite acoustic signal that was incident on the fetus may be isolated from the composite acoustic signal and then analyzed to determine a fetal hemoglobin oxygen saturation level and/or a fetal tissue oxygen saturation level.

A computer-implemented method for training and using a neural network to predict a coherence function includes: training a neural network by mapping a plurality of different sets of training input samples to respective coherence function truths to generate a trained neural network; receiving an operational input sample; inputting the operational input sample into the trained neural network; obtaining, from the trained neural network, a coherence function mapped to the operational input sample in response to the inputting the operational input sample into the trained neural network; and executing a computer-based instruction based on obtaining the coherence function. The coherence function may be used to differentiate solid masses from fluid-filled masses.

A transparent ultrasound transducer device for multi-mode optical imaging on a target is provided. The device includes a transparent piezoelectric transducer, one or more wires, and an optical lens. The transparent piezoelectric transducer of a first acoustic impedance is configured to receive acoustic waves from the target. The transparent piezoelectric transducer has a first surface and a second surface. The first surface and the second surface are coated with transparent electrically conductive coatings. The optical lens is contacted with and optically coupled to the first surface of the transparent piezoelectric transducer. The optical lens is made of a material with a second acoustic impedance, and the first and second acoustic impedances are substantially similar to minimize an acoustic impedance mismatch such that sensitivity of the device is improved.

A system utilizing thermoacoustic imaging to estimate tissue temperature within a region of interest that includes an object of interest and a reference which are separated by at least one boundary located at least at two boundary locations. The system uses a thermoacoustic imaging system that includes an adjustable radio frequency (RF) applicator configured to emit RF energy pulses into the tissue region of interest and heat tissue therein and an acoustic receiver configured to receive multi-polar acoustic signals generated in response to heating of tissue in the region of interest; and one or more processors that are able to: process received multi-polar acoustic generated in the region of interest in response to the RF energy pulses to determine a peak-to-peak amplitude thereof; and calculate a temperature at the at least two boundary locations using the peak-to-peak amplitudes of the multi-polar acoustic signals and a distance between the boundary locations.

A control device acquires a plurality of images including an ultrasound image and a photoacoustic image taken in an examination, selects a first image and a second image to be displayed superimposed on the first image, based on information relating to the examination, and generates an object for outputting at least information for displaying the second image superimposed on the first image to an external device.