Information relevant to a state of a tissue in a subject (state information) is provided with technology reducing the amount of memory and computation necessary at the time of extracting the information. An ultrasonic wave is transmitted towards a subject, a transmission wave transmitted through the subject or a reflection wave reflected on the subject is received. A reception signal is generated on the basis of the transmission wave or the reflection wave. A tissue region candidate, of a region indicating a tissue of the subject, is set on the basis of the reception signal. State information, which is information relevant to a state of the tissue in the tissue region candidate, is calculated on the basis of the reception signal and the tissue region candidate. An ultrasonic image reflecting the state information is generated on the basis of the state information and displayed.

Apparatus for calibration includes a mount and one or more acoustic targets. The mount, which is adapted to hold a medical probe, includes an acoustic imaging device that emits ultrasonic beam in a plane, while permitting an orientation of the plane of the ultrasonic beam to be adjusted. The one or more acoustic targets are arranged to continuously intersect the plane of the ultrasonic beam over a given range of orientation angles.

An ultrasonic diagnosis system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of ultrasonic output patches configured to be attachable to different body parts, a data receiving unit configured to receive data transmitted from the plurality of ultrasonic output patches, a processing unit configured to acquire an imaging result related to the body part by processing the data, and an output unit configured to output the imaging result related to the body part, in which the ultrasonic output patch includes a multichannel ultrasonic transducer array configured to output imaging ultrasonic waves toward the body part and receive the reflected ultrasonic waves, a signal processing module configured to process a signal transmitted to or received from the multichannel ultrasonic transducer array, and a communication module configured to transmit a signal processing result, which is acquired by the signal processing module, to the data receiving unit.

The invention is a device, system, and method for providing an initial assessment of potential heart valve disease and recommending and/or providing follow-up assessments for heart valve disease. The invention includes a simple ECHO device which uses ultrasonic signals to detect and determine maximum blood flow velocities, and compares the maximum blood flow velocities to set thresholds to determine if it is appropriate for the patient to be subjected to additional and more detailed assessments for heart valve disease.

A piezoelectric actuator includes: a vibrating plate including a first surface configured to close an opening provided in a substrate and also including a second surface including a plurality of piezoelectric elements; a suppressing portion configured to suppress vibration of the vibrating plate; and a plurality of walls sticking out into the opening from the first surface, in which, when an active portion of a piezoelectric element is set as a portion where a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode overlap, the walls are provided between adjacent active portions in plan view from a direction in which the first electrode, the piezoelectric layer, and the second electrode are stacked, and a distance between adjacent walls is longer than a distance between adjacent active portions in a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction.

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment is configured to implement an ultrasound beamforming method by which, among a plurality of reception signals output from a plurality of elements, reception signals from mutually-different elements are multiplied by each other, so that signals obtained as results of the multiplications are added together. The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to the embodiment includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to calculate a weight coefficient on the basis of a correlation between the multiplied reception signals. The processing circuitry is configured to apply the weight coefficient to the signals obtained as the results of the multiplications.

A system and related methods for performing nerve detection during surgical access using ultrasound testing during surgery.

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.

Retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are the leading cause of blindness in the elderly population. Since no known cures are currently present, it is crucial to diagnose the condition in its early stages so that disease progression is monitored. Systems and methods for detecting and mapping the mechanical elasticity of retinal layers in the posterior eye are disclosed herein. A system including confocal shear wave acoustic radiation force optical coherence elastography (SW-ARF-OCE) is provided, wherein an ultrasound transducer and an optical scan head are co-aligned to facilitate in-vivo study of the retina. In addition, an automatic segmentation algorithm is used to isolate tissue layers and analyze the shear wave propagation within the retinal tissue to estimate mechanical stress on the retina and detect early stages of retinal diseases based on the estimated mechanical stress.

A high frequency ultrasound array having a number of transducer elements that are formed in sheet of piezoelectric material. A frame having a coefficient of thermal expansion similar to that of the piezoelectric material surrounds the piezoelectric material and is separated from the piezoelectric material by an epoxy material. Kerf cuts that define the individual elements in the sheet of piezoelectric material extend across a full width of the sheet. In some embodiments, sub-dice kerf cuts that divide a single transducer element into two or more sub-elements also extend all the way across the width of the sheet. A lens positioned in front of the transducer elements can have a radius machined therein to focus ultrasound signals. The frame, transducer elements and lens are bent or curved with the desired radius to focus ultrasound signals.