Aspects of the present disclosure describe medical device placement, including devices, systems and methods for placing catheters, such as epidural catheters, or other medical devices, such as needles, using a guide on a sterile ultrasound sheath.

A system and method for improved medical device navigation is disclosed. An example system can include a processor configured to determine an emplacement of a 2D medical image in a 3D virtual space, determine an emplacement of a virtual medical device in the 3D space, determine an intersection based on the emplacement of the 2D medical image and the emplacement of the virtual medical device, and/or determine a dynamic point-of-projection location for the virtual medical device based at least in part on the determined intersection. The processor can cause a display to display a rendering of the 2D medical image and a projection of the virtual medical device onto the 2D medical image from a perspective of the dynamic point-of-projection location. The display can be communicatively coupled to an imaging medical device. The viewing area can be parallel to a 2D region associated with the 2D medical image.

A roll-detecting sensor assembly includes a coil extending along and disposed about an axis. The coil comprises one or more portions, with each portion defining a winding angle. At least one of the portions defines a winding angle that is substantially nonzero relative to a line perpendicular to the axis, whereby the projected area of the coil in an applied magnetic field changes as the coil rotates about the axis. As a result, the coil is configured to produce a signal responsive to the magnetic field indicative of the roll of the sensor about the axis. In an embodiment, at least one of the portions defines a winding angle that is at least 2 degrees. In an embodiment, at least one of the portions defines a winding angle that is about 45 degrees.

A system for tracking an instrument with ultrasound includes a probe (122) for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic energy and a transducer (130) associated with the probe and configured to move with the probe during use. A medical instrument (102) includes a sensor (120) configured to respond to the ultrasonic energy received from the probe. A control module (124) is stored in memory and configured to interpret the ultrasonic energy received from the probe and the sensor to determine a three dimensional location of the medical instrument and to inject a signal to the probe from the transducer to highlight a position of the sensor in an image.

Medical imaging systems and methods are provided herein that provide for navigation and procedure planning without segmentation. A method comprises receiving, by a medical imaging system having at least: one processing device, three-dimensional image data of a patient anatomy. The method also comprises filtering the three-dimensional data to display a portion of the three-dimensional image data that is associated with the patient anatomy and receiving, at the processing device, input from an operator input device. The input comprises navigational directions for virtual movement within a space defined by the three-dimensional image data. The method also includes tracking the virtual movement and generating a first model of the patient anatomy based on the tracked virtual movement.

An ultrasonic endoscope includes: an ultrasonic transducer having an ultrasonic vibrator; a distal end portion body disposed continuously with a proximal end side of the ultrasonic transducer; an erecting base housing portion that is disposed in the distal end portion body and has an opening which opens toward one side in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the distal end portion body; a treatment tool lead-out port that communicates with the inside of the erecting base housing portion; an erecting base that is disposed in the inside of the erecting base housing portion and changes a lead out direction of a treatment tool led out from the treatment tool lead-out port; and a cleaning communication hole that is formed in a wall surface on a side opposite to a side where the opening of the erecting base housing portion is disposed and communicates with an outside.

There are provided a medical image processing device, an endoscope system, a medical image processing method, and a program which detect an optimal lesion region according to an in-vivo position of a captured image. Images at a plurality of in-vivo positions of a subject are acquired from medical equipment that sequentially captures and displays in real time the images; positional information indicating the in-vivo position of the acquired image is acquired; from among a plurality of region-of-interest detection units that detect a region of interest from an input image and correspond to the plurality of in-vivo positions, respectively, a region-of-interest detection unit corresponding to the position indicated by the positional information is selected; and the selected region-of-interest detection unit detects a region of interest from the acquired image.

Insertion devices, systems, and methods for inserting a needle into a target tissue in an individual in need thereof are disclosed herein. Also disclosed herein are needle cartridges comprising a needle, a plate, and a needle holder. Also disclosed herein are methods of introducing a catheter into a target tissue in an individual in need thereof.

An ultrasound-based scanning apparatus and system using a dual-array probe and slot for guidance and insertion of a needle to assist with needle injection procedures.

A method and apparatus for identifying blood vessels in ultrasound images and displaying blood vessels in ultrasound images are described. In some embodiments, the method is implemented by a computing device and includes receiving an ultrasound image that includes one or more blood vessels, and determining, with a neural network implemented at least partially in hardware of the computing device, diameters of the one or more blood vessels in the ultrasound image. The method includes receiving a user selection of an instrument size, and indicating, in the ultrasound image, at least one blood vessel of the one or more blood vessels based on the instrument size and the diameters of the one or more blood vessels.