The invention provides an ultrasound system including an ultrasound transducer array and a processor. The ultrasound transducer array comprises a plurality of transducer elements adapted to conform with a subjects body. Further, at least two ultrasound transducer elements of the plurality of transducer elements are adapted to acquire a plurality of ultrasound signals from a region of interest at different orientations relative to said region of interest. The processor is adapted to receive ultrasound signals acquired by the ultrasound transducer array. The processor is further adapted to partition the plurality of ultrasound signals according to a signal depth and, for each ultrasound signal partition, calculate a Doppler power. For each ultrasound signal, the processor identifies a depth of a fetal heartbeat based on the Doppler power of each ultrasound signal partition and identifies a fetal heart region based on the identified fetal heartbeat and a location of the at least two ultrasound transducers.

The invention provides a method for performing an assessment of a placenta. The method includes obtaining a 3D ultrasound image of a uterus (210) and segmenting the placenta (220). A 3D rendering (200) of the uterus is then generated, wherein the generating includes: identifying a position of the placenta within the uterus with respect to an anatomical structure such as the cervix (250); obtaining anatomical reference data relating to a potential risk associated with the position of the placenta within the uterus; and comparing the position of the placenta and the anatomical reference data. A 3D rendering of the uterus is generated that comprises a 3D rendering of the placenta, marked with an indicator that is altered based on the comparison of the position of the placenta and the anatomical reference data. The appearance of the indicator may vary according to e.g. risk type/severity.

A plurality of ultrasound frames of a fetus are acquired using an ultrasound scanner, which may be oriented arbitrarily with respect to the fetus during the acquisition. The ultrasound frames are processed against an artificial intelligence model to predict a different cut line on each of the ultrasound frames. Each cut line is predicted to be exterior to an image of the fetus appearing on the ultrasound frame. The different cut lines on the plurality of ultrasound frames are then used to identify ultrasound data in the image frames to generate a 3D representation of the fetus.

A hand-held ultrasound system includes integrated electronics within an ergonomic housing. The electronics includes control circuitry, beamforming and circuitry transducer drive circuitry. The electronics communicate with a host computer using an industry standard high speed serial bus. The ultrasonic imaging system is operable on a standard, commercially available, user computing device without specific hardware modifications, and is adapted to interface with an external application without modification to the ultrasonic imaging system to allow a user to gather ultrasonic data on a standard user computing device such as a PC, and employ the data so gathered via an independent external application without requiring a custom system, expensive hardware modifications, or system rebuilds. An integrated interface program allows such ultrasonic data to be invoked by a variety of such external applications having access to the integrated interface program via a standard, predetermined platform such as visual basic or c++.

Provided are an ultrasound imaging apparatus and a method of generating an ultrasound image. The method includes: transmitting ultrasound signals to an object; receiving ultrasound echo signals from the object; generating ultrasound image data based on the received ultrasound echo signals; identifying a fetus's skull from the ultrasound image data; identifying, based on the identified fetus's skull, a caput succedaneum region corresponding to caput succedaneum occurring in the fetus; and displaying information about the caput succedaneum region.

The three-dimensional ultrasound imaging method comprise emitting an ultrasonic wave to a fetal head; receiving an ultrasonic echo to acquire an ultrasonic echo signal; acquiring three-dimensional volume data of the fetal head according to the ultrasonic echo signal; detecting a median sagittal section from the three-dimensional volume data according to features of the median sagittal section of the fetal head; determining a facing orientation of the fetal head in the median sagittal section; displaying the median sagittal section as an image suitable for observation according to the facing orientation of the fetal head.

An ultrasonic detection method and ultrasonic imaging system for a fetal heart. Since after three-dimensional volume data is obtained, at least one point within a fetal heart in the three-dimensional volume data is identified, the spatial position where a fetal heart cross-section is located in the three-dimensional volume data is identified according to the point, and the fetal heart cross-section is then extracted from the three-dimensional volume data according to the identified spatial position, the fetal heart cross-section can be quickly acquired from the three-dimensional volume data. The present invention is simple and easy to use, and is convenient for a doctor to make a diagnosis.

Aspects of the technology described herein related to monitoring fetal heartbeat and uterine contraction signals. An ultrasound system may be configured to sweep a volume to collect ultrasound data, detect a fetal heartbeat and/or uterine contraction signal in the ultrasound data, and automatically steer an ultrasound beam to monitor the fetal heartbeat and/or uterine contraction signal. The ultrasound system may be further configured to determine a location where the fetal heartbeat and/or uterine contraction signal is detectable or detectable at a highest quality. The ultrasound system may include a wearable ultrasound device, such as an ultrasound patch coupled to a subject. The wearable ultrasound device may have a two-dimensional array of ultrasonic transducers capable of steering ultrasound beams in three dimensions.

A transducer array for ultrasound applications includes a plurality of transducer elements that are provided with self-aligned connections to a flexible cable. The array is easy to manufacture and suited for wearable, wireless, and other small ultrasound devices. A simple and efficient method of producing a robust transducer array involves at least partially separating the transducer elements after their connection to their respective conductors.

There is disclosed a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having stored therein an information processing program for causing a computer to execute a process. The process includes: specifying a first region, a second region and a third region from a nondestructive inspection image, the first region corresponding to a recess-free shape, the second region corresponding to a detection target included in the recess-free shape, the third region corresponding to a reference object included in the recess-free shape; specifying a first straight line that divides the first region into two and that passes through the third region; obtaining two intersections of the first straight line and an outer circumference of the recess-free shape; specifying a second straight line that passes through a center point of the two intersections and that is orthogonal to the first straight line; and outputting information indicative of a position of the detection target in the nondestructive inspection image, using a coordinate system using the first straight line and the second straight line as axes.