An ultrasound imaging device includes an ultrasound transducer module disposed within a housing and a flowable acoustic damping material disposed on at least one surface located within an interior of the housing. The flowable acoustic damping material may be a Teflon™-containing gel material, in contact with at least one internal surface of the imaging device to provide acoustic damping.

An ultrasonic probe has a transduction layer in which a plurality of transducers are placed, a backing layer provided at a rear side of the transduction layer with a wiring layer therebetween, and a plurality of heat dissipation members provided in the backing layer. The plurality of heat dissipation members extend in a line form in the backing layer, and are placed with an aligned direction of extension. An area occupancy percentage of the heat dissipation member at a center region of the backing layer is larger than that at an outer side of the center region. The center region is not positioned at ends of the cross section intersecting the direction of extension of the heat dissipation member, includes a center of gravity of the cross section, and occupies an area less than or equal to a half of an area of the cross section.

An ultrasound system is disclosed comprising an ultrasound transducer array (100) comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducer cells (130), each of said cell having an independently adjustable position and/or orientation such as to conform an ultrasound transmitting surface of the cell to a region of a body and a controller (140). The controller is configured to register the respective ultrasound transducer cells by simultaneously operating at least two ultrasound transducer cells in a transmit mode in which the cells transmit distinguishable ultrasound signals and operating the remaining ultrasound transducer cells in a receive mode. The controller extracts time-of-flight information of the respective ultrasound signals between transmitter and receiver and by systematically selecting different ultrasound transducer cells as transmitters, the controller collects sufficient time-of-flight information from which the respective position and/or relative orientation of the ultrasound transducer cells within the ultrasound transducer array may be derived. A method for operating the ultrasound system in this manner as well as a computer program product is also disclosed.

An ultrasonic endocavitary imaging system for developing an image of a portion of a body cavity includes an elongate probe having a longitudinal axis, a distal end configured for insertion into the body cavity, a proximal end opposite to the distal end. The system also includes a shaft rotatably mounted in the probe, in a manner supporting rotation about the longitudinal axis, and having a proximal end protruding from the proximal end of the probe and a distal end opposite to the proximal end. The system further includes handle pivotally attached to the proximal end of the shaft and configured to rotate the shaft within the probe and an image capture assembly. The image capture assembly includes a piezo crystal array, the array coupled to the distal end of the shaft and having an axis aligned with the longitudinal axis, the array configured to cause capture of an ultrasound image of the interior of the body cavity lying in a plane through which the longitudinal axis passes, so that, when the shaft is rotated within the probe by means of the handle, the plane is correspondingly rotated about the longitudinal axis, causing generation of swept image data in the interior of the body cavity. The image capture assembly further includes a radio frequency transceiver disposed in the probe and coupled to the piezo crystal array, the transceiver configured for transmitting the image data from the piezo crystal array to a computing device of a user.

An ultrasound apparatus includes an ultrasound transducer array configured to transmit and receive ultrasound signals and an acoustic lens that includes signal-attenuating particles in a polymer matrix configured to provide signal attenuation and impedance matching for the ultrasound signals. The acoustic lens is disposed over a first surface of the ultrasound transducer array. The signal-attenuating particles include PEBAX.

An ultrasound probe of the present invention has a piezoelectric element and a backing material disposed on one direction side with respect to the piezoelectric element, the backing material containing heat conductive particles. The backing material has a heat conductivity of 2.0 W/mk or more, and the content of the heat conductive particles is less than 30 vol % based on the total volume of the backing material.

A cryosurgical system including a computer system programmed with software configured to perform the following steps: a) capturing at least one first view of a region of interest in a human body; b) capturing at least one second view of the region of interest; c) outlining the region of interest and at least one area outside the region of interest with the assistance of an operator; d) constructing a 3-dimensional model of the region of interest and the at least one area outside the region of interest utilizing the at least one first view and the at least one second view of the region of interest; and e) utilizing the 3-dimensional model of the region of interest and the at least one area outside the region of interest to determine at least one cryosurgical probe placement location.

An imaging device includes a two dimensional array of piezoelectric elements. Each piezoelectric element includes: a piezoelectric layer; a bottom electrode disposed on a bottom side of the piezoelectric layer and configured to receive a transmit signal during a transmit mode and develop an electrical charge during a receive mode; and a first top electrode disposed on a top side of the piezoelectric layer; and a first conductor, wherein the first top electrodes of a portion of the piezoelectric elements in a first column of the two dimensional array are electrically coupled to the first conductor.

An ultrasound imaging probe includes an ultrasound transducer assembly configured to obtain imaging data associated with a body of a patient; a chassis (304) fixedly secured to the ultrasound transducer assembly; a plurality of heat spreader members (430, 440) positioned around the chassis and configured to provide a thermal path for heat generated by the ultrasound transducer assembly while obtaining the imaging data, wherein the plurality of heat spreader members is movably coupled to the chassis; and a housing (510, 520) positioned around the plurality of heat spreader members, wherein the plurality of heat spreader members is configured to move relative to the chassis when the housing is positioned around the plurality of heat spreader members.

An ultrasound probe and a ultrasound system are disclosed. In some embodiments, the ultrasound system includes a bite block configured to, during a transesophageal insertion of the probe cable starting from the distal end, guard the probe cable from a bite and prevent anteflexion and retroflexion movement of the transducer until a predetermined length of the probe cable is inserted.