A method of generating a 3D ultrasound image includes acquiring a 3D volumetric data set corresponding to a 3D imaging volume of an ultrasound probe in a 3D detection volume; acquiring a position of the ultrasound probe with respect to the 3D detection volume; acquiring a position of an interventional medical device with respect to the 3D detection volume; determining a position of the interventional medical device relative to the 3D imaging volume of the ultrasound probe; determining an interventional medical device-aligned plane that intersects with a longitudinal axis of the interventional medical device; extracting a texture slice from the 3D imaging volume for a corresponding interventional medical device-aligned plane positional and rotational orientation; mapping the texture slice onto the interventional medical device-aligned plane; and rendering the interventional medical device-aligned plane as a 3D ultrasound image and displaying the rendered 3D ultrasound image on a display screen.

An ultrasonic endoscope includes a distal end rigid portion that is located at a distal end of an insertion section; a treatment tool lead-out portion that is disposed on a proximal end side of an ultrasonic transducer and that includes an erecting base housing portion that has an opening whose opening direction is toward one side in a first direction, an opening forming surface in which the opening is formed, and a treatment-tool erecting base that is disposed in an inside of the erecting base housing portion and that changes a lead-out direction of a treatment tool; and an observation window that is disposed in an observation means forming surface located on the proximal end side of the opening forming surface. The position of the observation window in the first direction is located on one side in the first direction relative to a one-side opening position of the opening.

A device and system for and methods of using an ultrasound probe housing containing ultrasound probes configured to produce images inside the body of a patient for procedures requiring needle or probe insertion. The ultrasound probe housing can be configured with a guide channel cut-out or aperture between the ambient side and body side of a patient. A needle guide assembly may be pivotally connect internal to the guide channel cut-out or aperture of the ultrasound probe housing at a pivot point such that during use the needle enters the patient through the needle guide assembly within the ultrasonic probe housing so that the needle can be visualized by the ultrasonic probes in real time. The ultrasound probe housing may also provide an adhesion or suction quality to the body side of the device to facilitate aspects of the invention.

A craniofacial implant includes a craniofacial implant body and a passive pressure sensor. The craniofacial implant body permits measurement of the passive pressure sensor via externally applied stimuli passing through the craniofacial implant body.

A device combining positioning and injection systems for injection within a body cavity, comprises: a tubular housing surrounding an accommodating space and having an opening hole fluidly connected to the accommodating space; a curved channel fluidly connected to the accommodating space and the opening hole; an injection needle disposed inside the accommodating space and the curved channel; the injection needle having a piercing portion penetrating through the opening hole and configured to extend outward from or retract inward into the opening hole; a plurality of ultrasonic transducers installed at the tubular housing and at two opposite sides of the opening hole; wherein at least one of the ultrasonic transducers being used to transmit a detection signal, and at least one of the ultrasonic transducers being used to receive the detection signal; a monitoring unit connected to the ultrasonic transducers via a transmission unit for information transmission therebetween.

A hand-held ultrasound system includes integrated electronics within an ergonomic housing. The electronics includes control circuitry, beamforming and circuitry transducer drive circuitry. The electronics communicate with a host computer using an industry standard high speed serial bus. The ultrasonic imaging system is operable on a standard, commercially available, user computing device without specific hardware modifications, and is adapted to interface with an external application without modification to the ultrasonic imaging system to allow a user to gather ultrasonic data on a standard user computing device such as a PC, and employ the data so gathered via an independent external application without requiring a custom system, expensive hardware modifications, or system rebuilds. An integrated interface program allows such ultrasonic data to be invoked by a variety of such external applications having access to the integrated interface program via a standard, predetermined platform such as visual basic or c++.

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, defining a tracked pathway based on the tracked virtual movement, and generating a model of the patient anatomy based on the tracked pathway. The model of the patient anatomy is a line model including one or more lines based on the tracked pathway.

A surgical instrument navigation system is provided that visually simulates a virtual volumetric scene of a body cavity of a patient from a point of view of a surgical instrument residing in the cavity of the patient. The surgical instrument navigation system includes: a surgical instrument; an imaging device which is operable to capture scan data representative of an internal region of interest within a given patient; a tracking subsystem that employs electro-magnetic sensing to capture in real-time position data indicative of the position of the surgical instrument; a data processor which is operable to render a volumetric, perspective image of the internal region of interest from a point of view of the surgical instrument; and a display which is operable to display the volumetric perspective image of the patient.

A catheter including one or more echogenic members facilitate guiding the catheter to a selected locations within a patient using ultrasound imaging. The echogenic members may include expandable members, such as balloons, be positioned near a distal end of the catheter. The echogenic members include an echogenic material, such as a coating or a fluid, that is configured to enhance the diffuse sound scattering of the echogenic member. An expanded echogenic member is detectable using ultrasound imaging.