An imaging steering apparatus includes sensors and an imaging processor configured for: acquiring, via multiple ones of the sensors and from a current position (322), and current orientation (324), an image of an object of interest; based on a model, segmenting the acquired image; and determining, based on a result of the segmenting, a target position (318), and target orientation (320), with the target position and/or target orientation differing correspondingly from the current position and/or current orientation. An electronic steering parameter effective toward improving the current field of view may be computed, and a user may be provided instructional feedback (144) in navigating an imaging probe toward the improving. A robot can be configured for, automatically and without need for user intervention, imparting force (142) to the probe to move it responsive to the determination.

A device (1) for performing ultrasonic examinations and pressure measurements comprises an ultrasonic transducer (60), a pressure sensor (50), a housing (10) to accommodate the ultrasonic transducer (60) and the pressure sensor (50), a support plate (40) arranged in the housing (10) and a flexible membrane (21) arranged on the end face of the housing. A sealed chamber (47) for receiving a liquid medium is formed between the membrane (21) and the support plate (40), and the ultrasonic transducer (60) and the pressure sensor (50) are arranged on the support plate (40) in such a way that a first transmission surface of the ultrasonic transducer (60) and a second transmission surface of the pressure sensor (50) are directed towards the chamber (47).

An ultrasound device (10) includes a probe (12) including a tube (14) sized for insertion into a patient and an ultrasound transducer (18) disposed at a distal end (16) of the tube. A camera (20) is mounted at the distal end of the tube in a fixed spatial relationship to the ultrasound transducer. At least one electronic processor (28) is programmed to: control the ultrasound transducer and the camera to acquire ultrasound images (19) and camera images (21) respectively while the ultrasound transducer is disposed in vivo inside the patient; and construct a keyframe (36) representative of an in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer including at least ultrasound image features (38) extracted from at least one of the ultrasound images acquired at the in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer and camera image features (40) extracted from one of the camera images acquired at the in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer.

An ultrasonic diagnosis system includes a reaction force detection sensor that detects a reaction force acting on an ultrasonic probe when the ultrasonic probe is pressed against a body surface of a subject. Then, the ultrasonic diagnosis system estimates the push-in amount of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the subject by using the reaction force detection sensor during the ultrasonic diagnosis to output a display or a warning of the estimated push-in amount of the ultrasonic probe to the output device.

An ultrasound device (10) is disclosed comprising a transducer arrangement (110) and an acoustically transmissive window (150) over said arrangement, said window comprising an elastomer layer (153) having conductive particles dispersed in the elastomer, the elastomer layer having a pressure-sensitive conductivity, the ultrasound device further comprising an electrode arrangement (160) coupled to said elastomer layer and adapted to measure said pressure-sensitive conductivity. An ultrasound system and arrangement including such an ultrasound device are also disclosed.

An apparatus for correcting a posture of an ultrasound scanner for artificial intelligence-type ultrasound self-diagnosis, includes an ultrasound scanner including an ultrasound probe configured to acquire and transmit an ultrasound image of a patient; a mapper configured to acquire a body map of the patient in which a plurality of virtual interested organs is arranged on a body image; a scanner navigator configured to calculate current position coordinates of the ultrasound scanner on the body map and the ultrasound image; augmented reality glasses configured to display the ultrasound image and a virtual object image; and a processor configured to determine whether the patient has a disease and a risk degree of the disease based on an artificial neural network result of an implemented deep learning neural network trained on ultrasound training images provided with the ultrasound image.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 includes an image acquisition unit 3 that generates an ultrasound image, an image recognition unit 9 that performs image recognition for the ultrasound image to calculate recognition scores, an index value calculation unit 10 that calculates index values of a plurality of parts on the basis of the recognition scores calculated for a predetermined number of ultrasound images, an order decision unit 11 that decides a determination order in which part determination is performed for the plurality of parts on the basis of the index values, and a part determination unit 12 that determines an imaging part of a subject on the basis of the recognition scores calculated according to the determination order.

Apparatus and methods for deactivating bronchial nerves extending along the secondary bronchial branches of a mammalian subject to treat asthma and related conditions. An ultrasonic transducer (11) is inserted into the bronchus as, for example, by advancing the distal end of a catheter (10) bearing the transducer into the secondary bronchial section to be treated. The ultrasonic transducer emits circumferential ultrasound so as to heat tissues throughout circular impact volume (13) as, for example, at least about 1 cm.sup.3 encompassing the bronchus to a temperature sufficient to inactivate nerve conduction but insufficient to cause rapid ablation or necrosis of the tissues. The treatment can be performed without locating or focusing on individual bronchial nerves. The apparatus and methods utilized for lung tumor ablation.

An ultrasound probe positioning system (100) comprises a positioning unit (102) for holding an ultrasound probe unit (104) and for moving the ultrasound probe unit and positioning it at a target position and a positioning control unit (106) configured to provide target positioning data indicative of a target position that establishes a mechanical contact of the ultrasound probe unit with an external object (110) and to control the mechanical positioning unit in moving and positioning the ultrasound probe at the target position. The positioning unit comprises a force actuation unit (108) configured to adapt a pressing force amount of a mechanical pressing force exerted on the object in response to a variation of a counterforce amount so as to maintain a predetermined net pressing force amount exerted by the mechanical pressing force against the counterforce.

Aspects of the technology described herein relate to configuring an ultrasound system with imaging parameter values. In particular, certain aspects relate to configuring an ultrasound system to produce a plurality of sets of ultrasound images, each respective set of the plurality of sets of ultrasound images being produced with a different respective set of a plurality of sets of imaging parameter values; obtaining, from the ultrasound system, the plurality of sets of ultrasound images; determining a set of ultrasound images from among the plurality of sets of ultrasound images that has a highest quality; and based on determining the set of ultrasound images from among the plurality of sets of ultrasound images that has the highest quality, automatically configuring the ultrasound system to produce ultrasound images using a set of imaging parameter values with which the set of ultrasound images that has the highest quality was produced.