Various systems and methods for generating images are provided. In some embodiments, the techniques can include acquiring a medical image and an associated motion characterization. The motion characterization can then be used to generate a plurality of gated image data sets, sorted by phase in the motion cycle. A new amplitude-based motion characterization curve is derived from the association of phases with amplitude-based characteristics in the phase gated images. This newly derived amplitude-based motion characterization curve can then be used to re-sort data according to amplitude-based gating techniques known in the field or with data driven optimization techniques.

The invention relates to an apparatus and a system for visualizing an image object relating to an instrument (3), particularly a medical instrument, in an extracorporeal image. The image object may comprise a representation of the instrument (3) or an intracorporeal image (40) acquired using the instrument (3). The system comprises an extracorporeal image acquisition device (1) for acquiring extracorporeal images with respect to an extracorporeal image frame and a tracking arrangement (2) for tracking the instrument (3) independent of the extracorporeal images with respect to a tracking frame. Further, the invention relates to a method carried out in the system.

An information selection device includes a pulsation input unit capable of inputting a pulsation cycle of a heart of a subject, a respiration input unit capable of inputting a respiration cycle of the subject, an information input unit capable of inputting inner wall surface information on the heart at different times, and a control unit that selects, as selection information, the inner wall surface information input at a timing at which a predetermined pulsation phase range included in the pulsation cycle and a predetermined respiration phase range included in the respiration cycle overlap each other, out of a plurality of the input inner wall surface information.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for medical imaging. The method may include obtaining a plurality of channels of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals of a heart of a subject; identifying, from the plurality of channels of ECG signals, a target channel of ECG signal, wherein an amplitude of a characteristic wave of the target channel of ECG signal is the maximum amplitude among amplitudes of corresponding characteristic waves of the plurality of channels of ECG signals; and causing, based on the target channel of ECG signal, an imaging device to perform a scan operation on the heart of the subject.

Disclosed is an ultrasound image processing apparatus (5) comprising an image processor arrangement (50) adapted to receive a plurality of ultrasound images (150), each ultrasound image imaging an invasive medical device (15) relative to an anatomical feature of interest (151) during a particular phase of a cardiac cycle, said anatomical feature of interest having a different shape at different phases of the cardiac cycle, the plurality of ultrasound images covering at least two cardiac cycles during which the invasive medical device is displaced relative to the anatomical feature of interest; compile a plurality of groups of the ultrasound images, wherein the ultrasound images in each group belong to the same phase of said cardiac cycles; and for each group: determine the displacement of the invasive medical device relative to the anatomical feature of interest between at least two ultrasound images in said group; and generate an augmented ultrasound image from one of the ultrasound images of the at least two ultrasound images by removing a shadow region (17) on the anatomical feature of interest caused by the invasive medical device from said ultrasound image based on the determined displacement of the invasive medical device. Also disclosed are an ultrasound imaging system comprising such an ultrasound image processing apparatus, a method to be implemented by such an ultrasound image processing apparatus and a computer program product facilitating the implementation of such a method.

A method of synthesizing medical images includes acquiring image data of an object; generating first medical image frames of the object based on the image data; selecting, from among the first medical image frames, second medical image frames corresponding to points of time that have the same electrocardiogram (ECG) signal information of the object; generating a panoramic image by synthesizing the second medical image frames; and displaying the panoramic image on a display.

A monitoring system comprises an ultrasonic imaging, an electrocardiograph monitoring module, a data processing module, and an output module. The ultrasonic imaging module is used for obtaining an echocardiogram of heart; the data processing module serves to receive the echocardiogram and obtaining, according to the echocardiogram, mechanical motion identifiers of atriums and ventricles; the data processing module outputs in real-time the mechanical motion identifiers for atriums and ventricles, together with electrocardiogram information, to the output module in a comparative manner.

A method of processing cardiac ultrasound data for determining information about a mechanical wave in the heart. The method comprises receiving data representative of a time series of three-dimensional data frames, generated from ultrasound signals from a human or animal heart, each frame comprising a set of voxels, each voxel value representing an acceleration component of a respective location in the heart at a common time. The method also comprises identifying, for each voxel, a frame of the series in which the voxel value is at a maximum. A three-dimensional time-propagation data set is generated by assigning each voxel a value representative of the time of the respective frame in the time series for which the corresponding voxel is at a maximum. The method then comprises generating data representative of a three-dimensional velocity vector field by calculating time derivatives from the three-dimensional time-propagation data set.

Systems and methods for performing ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound information of a subject region in response to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward the subject region can be collected. One or more ultrasound images of at least a portion of the subject region can be formed using the ultrasound information. The ultrasound information can be stored in a memory. In turn, the ultrasound information can be accessed from the memory. Subsequently, the ultrasound information accessed from the memory can be reprocessed to retrospectively generate one or more additional ultrasound images of at least a portion of the subject region.

The invention relates to an apparatus, a system and a method for visualizing measurement signals of a periodically moving anatomy. A processor receives temporal measurement signals comprising temporal information on the movement of a distal portion of an interventional device within the anatomy, and temporal information of the periodically moving anatomy. It is ascertained whether the temporal information on the movement of the distal portion of the interventional device within the anatomy are aperiodic or periodic. Based on whether the signals are ascertained aperiodic or periodic, the processor outputs to a display the temporal information of the periodically moving anatomy as received in real-time or as gated according to a predetermined phase of a measured or ascertained period.