A fractionated photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) system and methods for the in vivo detection of target objects in biofluidic systems (e.g., blood, lymph, urine, or cerebrospinal fluid) of a living organism is described. The fractionated system includes a fractionated laser system, a fractionated optical system, a fractionated acoustic system, and combinations thereof. The fractionated laser system includes at least one laser or laser array for pulsing a target object within the circulatory vessel with fractionated focused laser beams. The fractionated optical system separates one or several laser beams into multiple beams in a spatial configuration on the skin above the circulatory vessel of the living organism. The fractionated acoustic system includes multiple focused ultrasound transducers for receiving photoacoustic signals emitted by the target object in response to the fractionated laser beams. The target objects have intrinsic photoacoustic contrast or may be labeled with photoswitchable or spaser-based probes. Fractioned beams may be used also for diagnostics with other spectroscopic methods (e.g., fluorescence, Raman or scattering) and energy sources both coherent and conventional such as lamp and LED in the broad spectral range from 10 Å to 1 cm (e.g., X-ray, UV, visible, NIR or microwaves) in continuous wave and pulse modes.

Performing retrospective dynamic transmit focusing beamforming for ultrasound signals by a) transmitting plural transmit beams, each transmit beam centered at a different position along array, having width or aperture encompassing plural laterally spaced line positions, each transmit beam width or aperture overlapping width or aperture of adjacent transmit beam or more laterally spaced transmit beams; b) receiving echo signals; c) processing echo signals to produce plural receive lines of echo signals at laterally spaced line positions within width or aperture of transmit beam; d) repeating steps b), (c) for additional transmit beams of plural transmitted transmit beams; e) equalizing phase shift variance among receive lines at common line position resulting from transmit beams of different transmit beam positions concurrently with steps c), d); f) combining echo signals of receive lines from different transmit beams spatially related to common line position to produce image data; g) produces an image using image data.

The invention relates to a method for determining the position of a surgical tool relative to a target volume inside an animal body according to a pre-plan comprising the steps of i) obtaining a plurality of two-dimensional images of said target volume using imaging means, each 2D-image being represented by an image data slice I(x,y,z); ii) reconstructing from said plurality of image data slices I(x,y,z) a three-dimensional image of said target volume using transformation means, said 3D-image being represented by a volumetric image data array V(x,y,z); iii) displaying said three-dimensional image of said target volume to an user using displaying means.

An intravascular sensor device can be used to guide treatment of a diseased blood vessel in the body of a patient. In some examples, the intravascular sensor device includes a pressure sensor and an ultrasound transducer. The intravascular sensor device is used to measure a pressure within the diseased blood vessel and acquire an ultrasound image of the diseased blood vessel. The pressure may be measured during hyperemic blood flow that is caused by a pharmacologic vasodilator drug. The measured pressure can be used to calculate a fractional flow reserve value. The ultrasound image can be used to determine a physical dimension of the blood vessel, such as cross-sectional area. The fractional flow reserve value and physical dimensions of the blood vessel can be used to optimize patient treatment.

Various methods and systems are provided for ultrasound imaging. In one embodiment, a method comprises acquiring, with an ultrasound transducer of a scanning apparatus during an ultrasound scan of a patient, an ultrasound image, detecting, with an artificial intelligence model, a region of interest within the ultrasound image including a possible tumor, acquiring, with the ultrasound transducer, an elastic image of tissue within the region of interest, and displaying, with a display device, the elastic image. In this way, shear wave elastography may be automatically targeted to a region of interest, thereby reducing the processing load for the analysis and enabling a higher elasticity imaging frame rate for three-dimensional ultrasound imaging.

Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate obtaining two dimensional (2D) ultrasound images, using two or more ultrasound imaging modes or modalities, to generate 2D multi-parametric ultrasound (mpUS) images and/or to generate a three-dimensional (3D) mpUS image. The different ultrasound imaging modes acquire images in a common frame of reference during a single procedure to facilitate their registration. The mpUS images (i.e., 2D or 3D) may be used for enhanced and/or automated detection of one or more suspicious regions. After identifying one or more suspicious regions, the mpUS images may be utilized with a real-time image to guide biopsy or therapy the region(s). All these processes may be performed in a single medical procedure.

An ultrasound catheter and an ultrasound catheter system that can acquire an image of an observation target with high accuracy when inserted into a large inner lumen. An ultrasound catheter includes: an outer sheath having an accommodation lumen; an inner sheath that can move along an axis; a drive shaft that can rotate in the inner sheath and the outer sheath; and a transducer that is disposed in the accommodation lumen and fixed to a distal end of the drive shaft. The outer sheath includes a first bent portion bent and shaped in advance at a predetermined angle on a proximal side of a most distal end of the accommodation lumen, and a first tubular portion and a second tubular portion positioned on a distal side of the first bent portion and on the proximal side of the most distal end of the accommodation lumen.

A system includes an ultrasound probe comprising an ultrasound transducer, a first motor configured to rotate the ultrasound transducer around a horizontal axis to scan a plane, and a second motor configured to rotate the ultrasound transducer around a vertical axis to move to a different plane. The system further includes a controller unit configured to select a number of scan planes for an interlacing scan to scan a volume of an area of interest in a patient's body using the ultrasound probe; select an interlacing factor for the interlacing scan; divide the scan planes into groups of scan planes based on the interlacing factor; and perform the interlacing scan by controlling the first motor and the second motor, wherein the first motor moves in a first direction for at least some of the scan planes and in a second direction for other ones of the scan planes.

Methods and systems are provided for dynamically selecting ultrasound transmits. In one example, a method includes dynamically updating a number of transmit lines and/or a pattern of transmit lines for acquiring an ultrasound image based on a prior ultrasound image and a task to be performed with the ultrasound image, and acquiring the ultrasound image with an ultrasound probe controlled to operate with the updated number of transmit lines and/or the updated pattern of transmit lines.

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for controlling the sampling of tissue using a guidewire. In an illustrative embodiment, an apparatus includes a handle, a flexible dual lumen catheter couplable to the handle, and a guidewire guide disposed at a distal end of the flexible dual lumen catheter.