The present invention relates to: a method for providing information for choosing a breast cancer treatment method by using a breast cancer ultrasonic image and gene information; a system for choosing a breast cancer treatment method by using a breast cancer ultrasonic image; and a method for providing information required for predicting the prognosis of a breast cancer patient.

An ultrasonic diagnosis system includes a reaction force detection sensor that detects a reaction force acting on an ultrasonic probe when the ultrasonic probe is pressed against a body surface of a subject. Then, the ultrasonic diagnosis system estimates the push-in amount of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the subject by using the reaction force detection sensor during the ultrasonic diagnosis to output a display or a warning of the estimated push-in amount of the ultrasonic probe to the output device.

Provided herein are methods and systems for making patient-specific therapy recommendations of a lipid-lowering therapy for patients with known or suspected cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis.

A method of training includes providing a medical device having a tangible proximal portion including a magnetic element, and using a virtual tracking system to simulate a distal portion of the medical device. The virtual tracking system can include a tracking component and a display. The tracking component can be configured to detect a magnetic field of the magnetic element and to generate magnetic field strength data. The tracking component can include a processor that iteratively computes position data of the distal portion of the medical device according to the magnetic field strength data to simulate insertion of the distal portion of the medical device into a body of a patient. The display can be configured to depict an image of the position data of the distal portion of the medical device.

Systems and methods for time-varying two-dimensional (2D) color maps for visualizing images or sequences of images are disclosed. The 2D color map may include brightness values of a hue corresponding to different intensities that changes over time. In some 2D color maps, the hue used for the intensity scale may change over time while the brightness of a pixel may not. In some 2D color maps, both the hue and the brightness may change relative to intensity over time.

Disclosed is a medical imaging system, including a processor circuit configured for communication with an x-ray imaging device movable relative to a patient and an intravascular catheter or guidewire sized and shaped for positioning within a blood vessel of the patient, wherein the processor circuit is configured to receive a first angiographic image of a first length of the vessel and a second angiographic image of a second length of the vessel, wherein the first image is obtained at a first position and the second angiographic image is obtained at a second position. The processor is further configured to generate a roadmap image of a combined length of the blood vessel by combining the first image and the second image, and to receive intravascular data associated with the blood vessel, and to co-register the intravascular data to corresponding locations in the roadmap image; and output the roadmap image and a graphical representation of the intravascular data at the corresponding locations in the roadmap image.

An ultrasound transducer assembly that includes a piezoelectric layer configured to resonate and generate ultrasound signals around a predetermined ultrasound frequency in which the piezoelectric layer has a width to thickness ratio of at least about 0.6. A conductive matching layer is connected to the top surface of the piezoelectric layer to condition the ultrasound transducer for broad frequency bandwidth operation. A conductive backing layer is connected to the bottom surface of the piezoelectric layer. The ultrasound transducer assembly further includes a rigid body over which the conductive backing layer is positioned, the rigid body assembled for encompassing a central longitudinal axis of a catheter body. A signal and ground electrode may form a metallic layer over the top of or below each of the piezoelectric layers. Electrical waveguides may be connected to corresponding signal and ground electrodes of the transducers.

Medical devices and methods for making and using medical devices are disclosed. An example medical device may include an intravascular imaging catheter. The intravascular imaging catheter may include an elongate sheath having a distal tip region. The distal tip region includes a first port, a second port, and a guidewire lumen extending between the first port and the second port. A core wire may be disposed within the elongate sheath along the distal tip region. An imaging core disposed within the elongate sheath.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus (1) includes a first vascular wall detection unit (10) that detects a vascular wall in a minor axis direction by analyzing a B-mode image including a minor axis image of a blood vessel, a first blood vessel diameter calculation unit (11) that calculates a first blood vessel diameter from the vascular wall in the minor axis direction, a second vascular wall detection unit (12) that detects a vascular wall in a major axis direction by analyzing the B-mode image including a major axis image of the blood vessel, a second blood vessel diameter calculation unit (13) that calculates a second blood vessel diameter from the vascular wall in the major axis direction, a blood flow velocity calculation unit (15) that calculates a blood flow velocity based on Doppler data in a Doppler gate set on the B-mode image, and a blood flow rate measurement unit (16) that measures a blood flow rate based on the vascular wall in the major axis direction or the minor axis direction and the blood flow velocity, in which in a case where the second blood vessel diameter is within a determined range with respect to the first blood vessel diameter, the blood flow rate is automatically measured.

A system for operating an ultrasound probe that is provided with sensor operation portions for operating the ultrasound probe that acquires ultrasound echo images of a blood vessel, and a control portion that controls operations of the sensor operation portions. The control portion may switch the arrangement of the ultrasound probe using the sensor operation portions between a first arrangement for acquiring an image of a cross section in the transverse direction of the blood vessel and a second arrangement for acquiring an image of a cross section in the longitudinal direction of the blood vessel.