A method and system for generating an enhanced image of a volume of tissue, comprising: emitting acoustic waveforms toward the volume of tissue; detecting acoustic signals derived from acoustic waveforms interacting with the volume of tissue; generating a reflection rendering of a region of the volume of tissue; generating at least one of a sound speed map and an attenuation map of the region of the volume of tissue; generating a transfer map derived from a set of sound speed parameter values of the sound speed map and/or a set of acoustic attenuation parameter values of the acoustic attenuation map, the set of sound speed parameter values and the set of acoustic attenuation parameters associated with the set of elements of the region of the volume of tissue; and rendering an enhanced image of the volume of tissue, derived from processing of the reflection rendering with the transfer map.

A tissue positioning system for contouring a patient tissue volume includes an axially displaceable interface having a surface configured to engage a breast or other tissue volume. A low pressure source applies a partial low pressure to the surface of the displaceable interface to secure the tissue volume to the surface, and the axially displaceable interface is biased to pull and contour the tissue volume when the tissue volume is secured to the surface. The axially displaceable interface is typically mounted on a telescoping support and the biasing is provided by the same low pressure used to secure the tissue volume.

A breast screening equipment includes: a support table to support a subject in a prone position; and an examination mechanism having a cylinder which has an opening at an upper end so that a breast to be examiner is inserted and be protruded from an upper surface of the support table, wherein the examination mechanism conducts an ultrasound examination of the inserted breast in the cylinder. The cylinder includes a hollow portion which is located inside of a wall constituting the cylinder and is extended above the upper surface of the support table. The examination mechanism includes a ring-shaped ultrasound transmission reception mechanism being movable inside of the hollow portion vertically.

A compression assembly is coupled to the gantry of an ultrasound breast imaging system. The compression assembly includes a pair of compression paddles mounted on a positioning track, Each compression paddle houses a transducer and has a compression material surface for patient contact. A motor moves the compression paddles along the positioning track to immobilize the breast for ultrasound imaging.

A method for postural independent location of targets in diagnostic images acquired by multimodal acquisitions, compensating for deformation of soft tissues due to changing posture, includes generating a transition of a digital image of the inside of a target region from a first to a second position by correlating the position of markers placed on the external surface of the target region in a digital image of the inside of the target region and in a digital representation of the external surface of the target region acquired by optically scanning the external surface; and at a later time registering the diagnostic image of the inside of the target region, transitioned into the second position, with a diagnostic image of the same target region acquired with the target region in the second position by matching a second representation of the external surface of the target region in the second position without markers with the diagnostic image of the inside of the target region transitioned into the second position.

A method and system for analyzing stiffness in a volume of tissue, the method including: emitting acoustic waveforms toward the volume of tissue with an array of ultrasound transmitters; detecting, with an array of ultrasound receivers, a set of acoustic signals derived from acoustic waveforms transmitted through the volume of tissue; generating, from the set of acoustic signals, a sound speed map and an acoustic attenuation map of a region of the volume of tissue, generating a stiffness map derived from combination of a set of sound speed parameter values of the sound speed map and a corresponding set of acoustic attenuation parameter values of the acoustic attenuation map, the stiffness map representing the distribution of the stiffness parameter across the region; and at a display in communication with the computer processor, rendering a stiffness image of the volume of tissue, based upon the stiffness map.

According to the present invention, a clear transmitted wave image of a boundary of tissues is generated in a short time. An ultrasonic imaging device of the present invention includes a transducer array in which a plurality of transducers transmitting and receiving an ultrasound wave are arrayed; a transmission unit which delivers an electric signal to at least one of the plurality of transducers, such that the delivered electric signal is converted into an ultrasound wave, and transmits the ultrasound wave to a target; a reception unit which receives a received signal that is an electric signal output by each of the plurality of transducers having received a reflected wave and a transmitted wave of the ultrasound wave of the target; and an image generation unit which individually generates a reflected wave image of a cross section of the target using a received signal of the reflected wave and a transmitted wave image of the cross section of the target using a received signal of the transmitted wave. The image generation unit includes a reflected wave image boundary detection unit detecting a boundary of the target in the reflected wave image and generating the transmitted wave image such that a boundary in the transmitted wave image corresponding to the boundary detected by the reflected wave image boundary detection unit is emphasized.

The invention is to provide an ultrasonic image with a clear tissue structure while reducing speckle noise of the ultrasonic image. An ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the transducer to the subject, and an echo generated in the subject is received. The first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are generated using a reception signal. The second ultrasonic image is an image smoother than the first ultrasonic image. The image processing unit calculates filter coefficients using pixel values of corresponding pixels of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image, and generates an output image by processing one of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image using the filter coefficients.

Embodiments of devices, apparatuses, and methods for a portable 3D ultrasound image-guided system, which may provide high quality volumetric images of breast tissue in treatment planning and patient positioning during radiation therapy treatment courses.

A compression assembly is coupled to the gantry of an ultrasound breast imaging system. The compression assembly includes a pair of compression paddles mounted on a positioning track. Each compression paddle houses a transducer and has a compression material surface for patient contact. A motor moves the compression paddles along the positioning track to immobilize the breast for ultrasound imaging.