Periodic displacement occurs in body tissue due to heartbeat. A peak level D of the movement distance of the body tissue is detected (Step 21), and a heartbeat cycle T is calculated from a frequency spectrum (Steps 22 and 23). By dividing twice the peak level D by the heartbeat cycle T, the moving velocity of the body tissue in a unit heartbeat cycle is calculated (Step 24). By dividing the moving velocity by a frame rate r, an average movement distance of the body tissue between frames is calculated (Step 25). In a case where the average movement distance is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, a time interval between the frames used for the calculation of the movement distance is extended (being Step 26 NO, Step 27).

An ultrasound imaging system computes real time physiological parameters from measurements of anatomical features in ultrasound image data using a neural network to identify the location of the anatomical features. In one embodiment, cardiac parameters are computed from endocardial wall tracings in M-mode ultrasound image data that are identified by the neural network.

An ultrasound image processing apparatus includes an image processor arrangement that receives a plurality of ultrasound images. Each ultrasound image shows an invasive medical device relative to an anatomical feature during a cardiac cycle. At different phases of the cardiac cycle, the anatomical feature has a different shape. The ultrasound processing apparatus compiles groups of the ultrasound images with ultrasound images in each group belonging to the same phase of the cardiac cycle. The ultrasound image processing apparatus generates an augmented ultrasound image from one of the ultrasound images by removing a shadow region on the anatomical feature of interest caused by the invasive medical device based on a displacement of the invasive medical device.

An image processing apparatus (10) is disclosed that comprises a processor arrangement (16) adapted to receive image data corresponding to a region of interest (1) of a patients cardiovascular system, said image data comprising a temporal sequence (15) of intravascular ultrasound images acquired (150) at different phases of at least one cardiac cycle of said patient, said intravascular ultrasound images imaging overlapping volumes of the patient's cardiovascular system; implement a spatial reordering process of said temporal sequence of intravascular ultrasound images by evaluating the image data to select at least one spatial reference (6, Vref) associated with said temporal sequence of intravascular ultrasound images; estimating a distance to the at least one spatial reference for each of the intravascular ultrasound images of said temporal sequence; and reordering said temporal sequence of intravascular ultrasound images into a spatial sequence of intravascular ultrasound images based on the estimated distances; and generate an output comprising said spatial sequence of intravascular ultrasound images. Also disclosed are a method and computer program product to configure an image processing apparatus accordingly.

An ultrasonic imaging method combining physiological signals includes: obtaining an ultrasonic image of an examination object acquired by an ultrasonic imaging system at a first time; obtaining a physiological signal of the examination object acquired by a first monitoring device at a second time, where the first time and the second time at least partially overlap; aligning the ultrasonic image and the physiological signal with time; and displaying the aligned ultrasonic image and physiological signal on a same display interface.

In one embodiment, a photoacoustic imaging system receives user input to specify one or more imaging wavelengths, and a target number of image frames to be taken of a target tissue region. The specified imaging wavelengths are set to capture at least two different photoabsorbing molecules in the target tissue. The photoacoustic imaging system takes image frames at the specified wavelengths, while the system also receives ECG and respiration data of the subject. Image frames are discarded based on the respiration data, and the other image frames are sorted into a plurality of slots corresponding to different points of the cardiac cycle from the ECG data. The system creates a composite image from the one or more wavelengths to show the target tissue of interest through the different points of the cardiac cycle.

An ultrasonic blood flow parameter displaying method, comprises: acquiring, by means of a probe, an ultrasonic signal from an object to be scanned; acquiring, according to the ultrasonic signal, a plurality of velocities and directions of blood flow within the object to be scanned; extracting the plurality of velocities and directions of blood flow; quantifying the dispersion of the plurality of velocities and directions of the blood flow extracted; and displaying the quantization result of the dispersion. The present invention provides a method for quantifying and evaluating the direction of the motion of blood flow, and provides a better perspective of observation for a user.

A method for ultrasound image processing having steps of receiving sequences of ultrasound images imaging an anatomical feature of interest during two cardiac cycles one in the absence of, and the other in the presence of, an invasive medical device in said ultrasound images, each ultrasound image corresponding to a different phase of said cardiac cycle. The invasive medical device may at least partially obscure the anatomical feature of interest for each ultrasound image of the further sequence. The location of the invasive medical device is tracked and isolated in the ultrasound image, and the isolated invasive medical device is inserted into an ultrasound image of the first sequence of a corresponding phase of the cardiac cycle in the tracked location. The method also controls a display device to display the first sequence of ultrasound images including the inserted invasive medical device.

Method for identifying medical image records includes receiving a plurality of medical image records; receiving a protocol, the protocol including a plurality of measurements having an order; identifying a first medical image record of the plurality of medical image records, wherein a first measurement of the plurality of measurements can be performed on the first medical image record; displaying the first medical image record; receiving the first measurement; identifying a second medical image record of the plurality of medical image records, wherein a second measurement of the plurality of measurements can be performed on the second medical image record; displaying the second medical image record; and receiving the second measurement.

A system includes a sheet flexible material having a contact surface adapted to be placed on an outer surface of a patient's body. A plurality of sensing apparatuses have respective sensing surfaces distributed across the contact surface of the sheet. One or more of the sensing apparatuses include a multimodal sensing apparatus. Each multimodal sensing apparatus includes a monolithic substrate carrying a transducer, circuitry and an electrophysiological sensor. The transducer is coupled to the circuitry and configured to at least sense acoustic energy from a transducer location of the sheet. The electrophysiological sensor is also coupled to the circuitry, and the sensor is configured to at least sense electrophysiological signals from a sensor location of the sheet, in which the sensor location has a known spatial position relative to the transducer location.