With a detector in which detection elements are placed in a spherical shape, a uniform resolution area is narrow. An acoustic-wave acquisition apparatus is equipped with a detector including a plurality of detection elements that receive acoustic waves from a subject, the receiving surfaces of at least some of the detection elements being at different angles. The apparatus includes a scanning unit configured to move at least one of the subject and the detector to change the relative position of the subject and a highest-resolution area determined depending on the placement of the detection elements.

A method and system for imaging a volume of tissue and defining a tissue boundary comprising: receiving a baseline dataset representative of a first set of signals interacting with a medium; receiving a reconstruction dataset representative of a second set of signals interacting with the medium and the volume of tissue present in the medium; determining a set of direct emitter-receiver pairs, each defining a direct trajectory that does not pass through the volume of tissue; from the set of direct emitter-receiver pairs, determining a set of tangential emitter-receiver pairs, each defining a bounding vector comprising a tangent point along the tissue boundary; determining a set of interior pixels, of the reconstruction dataset, characterized by a set of pixel locations within the tissue boundary; and reconstructing pixels of the set of interior pixels, thereby transforming the baseline and the reconstruction datasets into an image rendering of the volume of tissue.

An all-in-one mammography and breast ultrasonography apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes: a scanning table on which breasts are placed, the scanning table having a first axis aligned with a scanning direction of breasts and a second axis orthogonal to the first axis; an X-ray imaging device including an X-ray source arranged above the scanning table to generate

X-rays for mammography and an X-ray flat panel detector arranged on the scanning table to detect the X-rays generated from the X-ray source; first and second ultrasound probes arranged on the scanning table so as to be adjacent to both ends of the X-ray flat panel detector to perform breast ultrasonography, the first and second ultrasound probes elongated along the second axis; and an orbital motion device installed on the scanning table to reciprocate the X-ray flat panel detector and the first and second ultrasound probes together along the first axis.

A device, system, and method for volumetric ultrasound imaging is described. The device and system include an array of transducer elements grouped in triangular planar facets and substantially configured in the shape of a hemisphere to form a cup-shaped volumetric imaging region within the cavity of the hemisphere, A plurality of data-acquisition assemblies are connected to the transducers, which are configured to collect ultrasound signals received from the transducers and transmit image data to a network of processors that are configured to construct a volumetric image of an object within the imaging region based on the image data received from the data-acquisition assemblies.

Provided are an ultrasonic scanning control device and method, and an ultrasonic imaging system. According to an embodiment, the method includes: controlling a scanning assembly to apply an initial pressure to a tissue to be scanned of an subject; obtaining first ultrasonic images at different initial pressures; determining a pressure range on the basis of the first ultrasonic images obtained at the different initial pressures; determining, within the pressure range, a pressure applied by the scanning assembly to the tissue to be scanned during ultrasonic diagnostic scanning; and performing ultrasonic diagnostic scanning on the tissue at the determined pressure within the pressure range.

In an ultrasonic CT device for breast examination, unevenness of an ultrasonic image due to a distribution of inclination angles of a breast is reduced. The distribution of the inclination angles of a surface of a subject in a contour of the subject is obtained from a tomographic image, and a signal level of a reception signal or a pixel value of the tomographic image is corrected using the distribution of the inclination angles.

A device, system, and method for volumetric ultrasound imaging is described. The device and system include an array of transducer elements grouped in triangular planar facets and substantially configured in the shape of a hemisphere to form a cup-shaped volumetric imaging region within the cavity of the hemisphere, A plurality of data-acquisition assemblies are connected to the transducers, which are configured to collect ultrasound signals received from the transducers and transmit image data to a network of processors that are configured to construct a volumetric image of an object within the imaging region based on the image data received from the data-acquisition assemblies.

The present invention provides improved methods and systems for generating enhanced images of a volume of tissue. In an aspect, the method comprises receiving from a transducer, a plurality of acoustic signals derived from acoustic waveforms transmitted through the volume of tissue; generating from the acoustic signals, a first reflection rendering that characterizes sound reflection, the first reflection rendering comprising a first distribution of reflection values across a region of the volume of tissue; generating from the acoustic signals, a sound speed rendering that characterizes sound speed, the sound speed rendering comprising a distribution of sound speed values across the region; generating from the sound speed rendering, a second reflection rendering that characterizes sound reflection, the second reflection rendering comprising a second distribution of reflection values across the region; and rendering one or more combined images, based on the first reflection rendering and the second reflection rendering.

Synthetic-aperture ultrasound tomography systems and methods using scanning arrays and algorithms configured to simultaneously acquire ultrasound transmission and reflection data, and process the data for improved ultrasound tomography imaging, wherein the tomography imaging comprises total-variation regularization, or a modified total variation regularization, particularly with edge-guided or spatially variant regularization.

A sonographic imaging device involves an at least one movable panel, coupled to an upper surface, wherein movement of the panel will alter the overall size of the opening, a tub positioned beneath the opening and defining a volume such that a body part of a human subject can freely protrude through the opening into the volume defined by the tub, at least one robotic arm having a terminal end, wherein the terminal end is position-able to multiple locations within the volume defined by the tub, and at least one high frequency ultrasound transducer located near the terminal end. A related method of acquiring sonographic images of tissue of a human subject is also described.