Described herein are systems, devices, and methods for aiding a user to scroll through or otherwise manipulate a stack of medical and tissue images. A system as described herein may comprise: a foot controller, configured to detect one or more of vertical and horizontal motion of a user’s foot to control image navigation, review, positioning, and viewing, functions; a computer; and a user interface.

A system and method for automatically setting an elevational tilt angle of a mechanically wobbling ultrasound probe is provided. The method includes acquiring, by a mechanically wobbling ultrasound probe of an ultrasound system, an ultrasound volume of a region of interest. The method includes analyzing, by at least one processor of the ultrasound system, the ultrasound volume to identify an ultrasound image slice depicting an anatomical object of interest. The ultrasound image slice corresponds with an elevational tilt angle. The method includes setting, by the at least one processor, the mechanically wobbling ultrasound probe to the elevational tilt angle corresponding with the ultrasound image slice depicting the anatomical object of interest. The method includes acquiring, by the mechanically wobbling ultrasound probe, a two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound image at the elevational tilt angle. The method includes causing, by the at least one processor, a display system to present the 2D ultrasound image.

An ultrasonic imaging system produces more diagnostic cardiac images of the left ventricle by plotting the longitudinal medial axis of the chamber between the apex and mitral valve plane as a curved line evenly spaced between the opposite walls of the myocardium. Transverse image planes are positioned orthogonal to the curved medial axis with control points positioned in the short axis view on lines evenly spaced around and emanating from the medial axis. If the short axis view is of an oval shaped chamber the transverse image is stretched to give the heart a more rounded appearance resulting in better positioning of editing control points.

The present disclosure describes ultrasound systems and methods configured to determine the elasticity of a target tissue. Systems can include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echoes responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward the tissue, which may include a region of increased stiffness. Systems can also include a beamformer configured to control the transducer to transmit a push pulse into the tissue, thereby generating a shear wave in the region of increased stiffness. The beamformer can be configured to control the transducer to emit tracking pulses adjacent to the push pulse. Systems can further include a processor configured to determine a displacement amplitude of the shear wave and based on the amplitude, generate a qualitative tissue elasticity map of the tissue. The processor can combine the qualitative map with a quantitative map of the same tissue, and based on the combination, determine a boundary of the region of increased stiffness.

Certain embodiments include an apparatus, system, or method for time-gain compensation control of an ultrasound system. A computer-implemented method can include providing a tactile gain control comprising a near, middle, and far gain control. The middle gain control can be configured for two-dimensional range adjustment of depth and gain. The computer-implemented method can also include adjust at least one of the near, middle, or far gain control. In addition, the computer-implemented method can include displaying an ultrasound image based on at least one of the adjusted near, middle, or far gain control.

An ultrasound device (10) includes a probe (12) including a tube (14) sized for insertion into a patient and an ultrasound transducer (18) disposed at a distal end (16) of the tube. A camera (20) is mounted at the distal end of the tube in a fixed spatial relationship to the ultrasound transducer. At least one electronic processor (28) is programmed to: control the ultrasound transducer and the camera to acquire ultrasound images (19) and camera images (21) respectively while the ultrasound transducer is disposed in vivo inside the patient; and construct a keyframe (36) representative of an in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer including at least ultrasound image features (38) extracted from at least one of the ultrasound images acquired at the in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer and camera image features (40) extracted from one of the camera images acquired at the in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer.

A needle guide for use with a handheld probe having a connector protruding from a probe surface. The needle guide can include an upper portion including an upper surface, a lower portion defining a cavity to receive the connector of the handheld probe, and a needle channel. The needle channel can extend from a proximal portion of the upper surface to a distal end of the upper surface. The needle channel can have a fixed size. The needle guide can include a guide surface extending into the upper portion and the lower portion of the needle guide at a proximal end of the needle guide. The guide surface can include a concave shape with a conical surface that funnels into a proximal end of the needle channel.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes: a display unit that displays an acoustic wave image; an operation unit for a user to perform an input operation; a measurement item designation receiving unit that receives designation of a measurement item relevant to a measurement target; a detection measurement algorithm setting unit that sets a detection measurement algorithm based on the measurement item; a position designation receiving unit that receives designation of a position of a measurement target on the acoustic wave image; a measurement unit that detects the measurement target from the acoustic wave image based on the position of the measurement target and the detection measurement algorithm, measures the measurement target, calculates a measurement candidate, and displays the measurement candidate on the display unit; and a measurement candidate designation receiving unit that receives designation of the measurement candidate in a case where a plurality of measurement candidates are displayed.

Aspects of the present application provide methods and apparatus for directing operation of an ultrasound device. Some aspects provide various instructions to a user of the ultrasound device, automatically detect when the user has completed a step based on ultrasound images collected by the ultrasound device, and automatically transitioning to providing an instruction for a following step. The instructions may relate to positioning of the ultrasound device and application of an ultrasound coupling medium, in some embodiments.

A method color Doppler imaging in accordance with some examples of the present disclosure includes transmitting with a probe of an ultrasound imaging system, ultrasound pulses towards a region of interest in a subject, receiving with the probe echoes responsive to the pulses, generating B-mode image data and Doppler signals based on the ultrasound echoes, filtering the Doppler signals, wherein the filtering includes rejecting lower intensity signals which have amplitudes below a threshold amplitude and passing higher intensity signals which have amplitudes above the threshold amplitude, generating color data based on the higher intensity signals, overlaying the color data with the B-mode image data to produce a color Doppler image, and displaying the color Doppler image in a kidney stone detection interface.