A transducer device may include an active layer having a proximal surface and a backing layer having a distal side and a proximal side, the distal side being adjacent to the proximal surface. The proximal side may include (1) at least one first reflective surface approximately parallel to the proximal surface and positioned a first distance from the proximal surface, and (2) at least one second reflective surface approximately parallel to the proximal surface and positioned a second distance from the proximal surface, the second distance being different than the first distance.

An ultrasound interface element (10) is for establishing interface with an incident tissue surface (32) for the purpose of transfer of ultrasound waves. An ultrasound-transmissive active layer (14) is provided comprising one or more responsive material elements (16) deformable in response to an electromagnetic stimulus. The one or more elements are controlled to deform in a manner such as to progressively establish with the tissue surface (32) an outwardly expanding interface, starting from an initial point or line of contact and spreading outwards to a wider area.

A system and method from improving the image quality achievable with an ultrasound transducer by using a composite aperture for receiving ultrasound echoes. By using two receive cycles per vector, twice as many transducers may be used for receiving ultrasound imaging data than there are physical channels available in the ultrasound probe. An ultrasound probe utilizing a composite aperture can achieve high image quality from a system have reduced power, size, cost and complexity.

For three-dimensional segmentation from two-dimensional intracardiac echocardiography imaging, the three-dimension segmentation is output by a machine-learnt multi-task generator. The machine-learnt multi-task generator is trained from 3D information, such as a sparse ICE volume assembled from the 2D ICE images. The machine-learnt multi-task generator is trained to output both the 3D segmentation and a complete volume. The 3D segmentation may be used to project to 2D as an input with an ICE image to another network trained to output a 2D segmentation for the ICE image. Display of the 3D segmentation and/or 2D segmentation may guide ablation of tissue in the patient.

Power supplies for electronic devices (e.g. medical imaging devices) are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a switched mode power supply is minimized in size and weight while maintaining efficiency and an artifact-free image using power supply design techniques tailored to increasing the power conversion frequency to be above the desired receive band of an ultrasound imaging system. In another embodiment, a switched mode power supply is minimized in size and weight while maintaining efficiency and an artifact-free image using power supply design techniques tailored to increasing the power conversion frequency to be just below the desired receive band of an ultrasound imaging system causing the third harmonic and possibly the second harmonic to fall just above the desired receive band.

Medical devices that include a medical tool, a handle and a flexible cable bundle passing through the handle. The handles and cable routing therethrough are adapted to reduce noise within the cable.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes an ultrasound probe, and processing circuitry. The ultrasound probe performs transmission of ultrasonic pulses of different polarities to different transmission positions of a subject for multiple times. The processing circuitry performs, for each of the different polarities, reception beam-forming processing with respect to plural reception signals acquired by transmission of plural ultrasonic pulses of an identical polarity. The processing circuitry extracts a non-linear signal by adding up reception signals of the different polarities at an identical reception position, the signals subjected to reception beam forming.

An ultrasound device includes an ultrasound body having a shaft and an ultrasound sensor assembly disposed at a distal end portion of the shaft. The ultrasound sensor assembly is configured to enable ultrasound imaging. A clip is configured for positioning about a portion of a surgical tool. The clip is configured to releasably engage the ultrasound body to thereby releasably couple the surgical tool with the ultrasound body. A surgical system includes the ultrasound device and the surgical tool.

A method of evaluating tissue stiffness of a target area includes positioning an ultrasound elasticity imaging apparatus adjacent a surface of an area of tissue where the target area is located and applying a dynamic range of force to the tissue. A plurality of ultrasound beams can be directed at the tissue and a plurality of ultrasound echoes can be acquired from the strained tissue in the target area to calculate an amount of developed strain within the target area.

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods to detect a moving anatomic feature during a treatment sequence based on a computed and/or a measured shortest distance between the anatomic feature and at least a portion of an imaging system.