A method of displaying electrophysiology information includes obtaining a three-dimensional medical image of an anatomical region, registering a localization system to the model; localizing an electrophysiology catheter within the anatomical region; displaying a representation of the localization of the electrophysiology catheter on the model; and displaying image slices of the model. The image slices are selected based upon the localization of the electrophysiology catheter. For example, the image slices can pass through a user-selected localization element carried by the electrophysiology catheter. Rigid and/or non-rigid transforms can be used to register the localization system to the model. Electrophysiology data collected by the catheter can be displayed on the model and/or the image slices thereof. The three-dimensional medical image and/or the electrophysiology data can also be time-varying. In embodiments, scalar maps can also be displayed on the model.

A processor identifies a curved structure in three-dimensional medical image data. The processor selects a plane in the three-dimensional medical image data based at least in part on the identified curved structure. The processor defines a curved image slice in the selected plane based at least in part on the identified curved structure. The curved image slice may be defined by drawing a pair of curved lines on opposite sides of the identified curved structure in the selected plane. The distance between the pair of curved lines may define a thickness of the curved image slice. The processor generates a rendered image of the defined curved image slice. The rendered image may be generally perpendicular to the selected plane. The rendered image and/or the selected plane having the pair of curved lines superimposed on opposite sides of the identified curved structure may be presented at a display system.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes a rendering controller, a detector, and a voxel data generator. The rendering controller divides three-dimensional data constituted by voxel data into a plurality of slice regions, rearranges the slice regions based on a sight line direction in which the voxel data is observed, and performs volume rendering on the voxel data in which the slice regions have been rearranged so as to generate image data. The detector detects image quality information indicating image quality of image data that is generated by the rendering controller. The voxel data generator rearranges the voxel data constituting the three-dimensional data based on the image quality information detected by the detector based on the sight line direction.

The apparatus is adapted to detect a tool based on a 3D image obtained by a 3D ultrasound imaging system. The apparatus comprises an image processing unit, which includes a tool detection module configured to perform a tool detection procedure. The tool detection procedure involves identifying a shadow of the tool in the 3D image and calculating the position of a “tool plane section” of the 3D image in which the entire length of the tool is represented.

Systems and methods for network-based ultrasound imaging are provided, which can include a number of features. In some embodiments, an ultrasound imaging system images an object with three-dimensional unfocused pings and obtains digital sample sets from a plurality of receiver elements. A sub-set of the digital sample sets can be electronically transferred to a remote server, where the sub-set can be beamformed to produce a series of two-dimensional image frames. A video stream made up of the series of two-dimensional images frames can then be transferred from the remote server to a display device.

A method for determining the size of a bicuspid annulus of bicuspid, including acquiring an image of the heart including the left ventricle and the aorta; generating a first plane, which includes a line that passes through two base points in the bicuspid of the image of the heart; and generating multiple second planes, which are obtained per each rotation, while rotating the first plane multiple times by a predetermined angle about the line that passes through the two base points; measuring the cross-sectional area of each of at least one of the left ventricle and the aorta, which are formed on the first plane and the multiple second planes; selecting a plane for measuring the size of a bicuspid annulus among the first plane and the multiple second planes based on the measured cross-sectional area; and measuring the size of the bicuspid annulus based on the selected plane.

Systems and methods are provided for projection profile enabled computer aided detection (CAD). Volumetric ultrasound dataset may be generated, based on echo ultrasound signals, and based on the volumetric ultrasound dataset, a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound volume may generated. Selective structure detection may be applied to the three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound volume. The selective structure detection may include generating based on a projection of the three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound volume in a particular spatial direction, a two-dimensional (2D) image; applying two-dimensional (2D) structure detection to the two-dimensional (2D) image, to identify structure candidates associated with a particular type of structures; selecting for each identified structure candidate, a corresponding local volume within the three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound volume; applying three-dimensional (3D) structure detection to each selected local volume; and identifying based on applying the three-dimensional (3D) structure detection, one or more structure candidates that match the particular type of structures.

An image processing apparatus of an embodiment includes a combined image generator and a controller. The combined image generator projects, on three-dimensional data indicating three-dimensional heart function information obtained from a first volume data group obtained by imaging the heart of a subject, a three-dimensional shape of blood vessels nourishing a cardiac muscle included in second volume data obtained by imaging the heart, thereby producing three-dimensional combined data, and produces combined image data in which the three-dimensional combined data is developed on a surface. The controller causes a display unit to display the combined image data.

A method of operating a medical-imaging system is described; the medical-imaging system has an ultrasound-transducer interface configured to operatively interface with an ultrasound transducer including transducer elements; the medical-imaging system also has a spatial sensor configured to provide spatial information indicating spatial movement of the ultrasound transducer; the method includes receiving ultrasound information being associated with a scan-line set having a limited number of selectable scan lines of the ultrasound transducer. Also disclosed is a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

An ultrasonic image processing device includes an image acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of internal tomographic images of a target object in a plane including a first direction, along a second direction intersecting the first direction, an image dividing unit that divides each of the internal tomographic images into a plurality of separate images with a normal line to the first direction, and acquires the separate images, and an image combining unit that extracts separate images corresponding to coordinates on a continuous line which is continued in a plane including the first direction and the second direction, from the plurality of separate images, and arranges and combines the separate images in order of coordinates along the continuous line so as to generate a combined tomographic image.