A method and system for detecting the presence or absence of a target or desired object within a three-dimensional (3D) image. The 3D image is processed to extract one or more 3D feature representations, each of which is then dimensionally reduced into one or more two-dimensional (2D) feature representations. An object detection process is then performed on the 2D features map(s) to generate information about at least the presence or absence of an object within the 2D feature representations, and thereby the overall 3D image.

A puncture device guide includes a body member configured to fixedly attach to an ultrasound probe, a slide member slidingly received within the body member; and a cradle member slidingly received within the slide member and longitudinally fixed relative to the body member. The cradle member is configured to receive a puncture device therein. Longitudinal movement of the slide member causes radial movement of the cradle member relative to the body member.

A system for operating an ultrasound probe that is provided with sensor operation portions for operating the ultrasound probe that acquires ultrasound echo images of a blood vessel, and a control portion that controls operations of the sensor operation portions. The control portion may switch the arrangement of the ultrasound probe using the sensor operation portions between a first arrangement for acquiring an image of a cross section in the transverse direction of the blood vessel and a second arrangement for acquiring an image of a cross section in the longitudinal direction of the blood vessel.

A system for detecting a position of a long medical device includes a model acquisition portion that acquires a blood vessel model, a correspondence detection portion 1 that detects a position of a long medical device inserted into a blood vessel and detects a correspondence between the blood vessel model and the position of the long medical device, and a display portion that displays the position of the long medical device in association with the blood vessel model on the basis of a detection result of the correspondence detection portion.

A combined ultrasonic and endoscopy system includes a cannula with a distal tip configured for insertion into an internal organ or other internal body structure. The distal tip is configured to include both an ultrasound probe head and a camera module. The ultrasonic and direct vision endoscopy images can be simultaneously displayed to a user on a display monitor. The ultrasound probe head can be rotated and steered to scan any location in the human organ cavity. The ultrasound probe can be re-usable or single use. The endoscopy system can be configured with a handheld portion that includes a re-usable handle portion and a single use portion that is configured to be disposed of following a single use. The system can also be configured using a conventional re-usable endoscope with working channels and an endoscopy processing tower system.

Systems and methods for aiding users in viewing, assessing and analyzing images, especially images of lumens and medical devices contained within the lumens. Systems and methods for interacting with images of lumens and medical devices, for example through a graphical user interface.

Methods, apparatuses, systems, and implementations for inductive heating of a foreign metallic implant are disclosed. A foreign metallic implant may be heated via AMF pulses to ensure that the surface of the foreign metallic implant heats in a uniform manner. As the surface temperature of the foreign metallic implant rises, acoustic signatures may be detected by acoustic sensors that may indicate that tissue may be heating to an undesirable level approaching a boiling point. Once these acoustic signatures are detected, the AMF pulses may be shut off for a time period to allow the surface temperature of the implant to cool before applying additional AMF pulses. In this manner, the surface temperature of a foreign metallic implant may be uniformly heated to a temperature adequate to treat bacterial biofilm buildup on the surface of the foreign metallic implant without damaging surrounding tissue. The AMF pulse treatment can be combined with an antibacterial/antimicrobial treatment regimen to reduce the time and/or antibacterial dosage amount needed to remove the biofilm from the metallic implant.

For deploying a stent at a coronary ostium, an integrated intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) ostial stent delivery apparatus can include a balloon catheter and an elongate shaft defining (1) a longitudinal inflation lumen and (2) a longitudinal IVUS lumen. A balloon can be located at and about the distal shaft portion and inflated with the inflation lumen. The shaft further defines a longitudinal guidewire lumen, extending at least through the distal shaft portion underlaying the balloon for at least a length of the balloon along the shaft. The IVUS lumen can include removable IVUS ultrasound imaging transducer with a signal conduit to external processing and display componentry. The imaging can help ensure proper stent location before placement and deployment, or for post-placement and stent deployment confirmation, without requiring removal of the stent delivery device to deploy a separate IVUS imaging probe.

Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. An ultrasound imaging system comprising a processor circuit configured to receive, from an ultrasound transducer array, a plurality of images of a patient body at different imaging planes; determine a first imaging plane based on a first image of the plurality of images by applying a first predictive network, wherein a second image of the plurality of images is based on the first imaging plane, and wherein the second image includes an imaging view of at least one of an anatomy of the patient body or a medical device within the anatomy; apply a second predictive network to the second image to generate segmentation data; and output, to a display, a displayed image including an indication of a first portion of the at least one of the anatomy or the medical device based on the segmentation data.

Provided is a puncture device includes: a needle tube; and a tube that is accommodated within the needle tube, is capable of accommodating an optical fiber, and is composed of a cylindrical optically-transparent material. The needle tube includes a tip member fixed to a distal end of the tube and having a blade surface at a tip thereof, and a base member that is disposed at a position where the base member covers a proximal end of the tube relative to the tip member and that is movable along a longitudinal axis of the needle tube. The base member advances to cause a distal end of the base member to abut on a proximal end of the tip member. The base member retracts to cause the distal end of the base member to move away from the proximal end of the tip member in a direction of the longitudinal axis.