Methods and systems providing guidance for operation of a biopsy needle based on ultrasonic imaging. Ultrasonic waves are emitted and detected by a ultrasonic transducer to generate image data. A biopsy needle is identified within the generated image data, and the biopsy needle may be in a pre-fire configuration. Based on the identification of the biopsy needle, the methods and systems may determine a predicted location of the biopsy needle based at least in part on biopsy needle properties. The predicted location of the biopsy needle may be the predicated location of the biopsy needle in its post-fire configuration. At least one indicator may be displayed indicating the determined predicted location.

The purpose is to provide an ultrasound imaging device capable of automatically detecting a boundary of a biological tissue in an ultrasound image. An ultrasound imaging device includes an image generation module which receives ultrasound waves transmitted from a surface of an analyte toward an inside of the analyte and reflected therein to generate an ultrasound image inside the analyte, a reference point setting module which sets a reference point of a tissue of interest of the ultrasound image, a first seed point imparting module which imparts one or more seed points to the ultrasound image with reference point, and a region demarcating module which demarcates a region to which the seed point belongs and divides an image region of the analyte included in the ultrasound image into a plurality of regions according to a type of tissue.

Provided are an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and a method of controlling an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that can more reliably confirm the presence or absence the esophageal intubation regardless of the skill of the user. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus (1) includes an ultrasound probe (15) used for observing a trachea and an esophagus of a subject, an image acquisition unit (8) that transmits an ultrasound beam toward the subject from the ultrasound probe (15) to acquire an ultrasound image, an observation target detecting unit (9) that detects the trachea and the esophagus included in the ultrasound image by performing image analysis with respect to the ultrasound image, an operation guiding unit (11) that guides a user to operate the ultrasound probe (15) such that the ultrasound probe (15) is positioned at a position suitable for observation of the observation target detecting unit (9), and an esophagus state determination unit (10) that determines whether a tracheal tube is inserted into the detected esophagus.

A system and method for automatically providing artifact warnings in Pulsed-Wave (PW) Doppler imaging is provided. The method includes acquiring, by an ultrasound system at a pulse repetition frequency (PRF), Pulsed-Wave (PW) Doppler signals from a selected gate position in a high PRF mode. The method includes determining, by a processor of the ultrasound system based on the PRF, a position of a virtual gate along a PW line in a B-mode image. The method includes presenting, at a display, the virtual gate at the determined position along the PW line in the B-mode image. The method includes analyzing, by the processor, B-mode image intensity values at the virtual gate in the B-mode image to determine whether the B-mode image intensity values exceed an intensity threshold. The method includes providing, by the at least one processor, a virtual gate warning when the B-mode image intensity values exceed the intensity threshold.

Aspects of the technology described herein relate to configuring an ultrasound system with imaging parameter values. Certain aspects relate to configuring an ultrasound system to produce sets of ultrasound images, each respective set of ultrasound images being produced with a different respective set of imaging parameter values; obtaining, from the ultrasound system, the sets of ultrasound images; determining a set of ultrasound images from among the sets of ultrasound images that has a highest quality; and based on determining the set of ultrasound images that has the highest quality, providing a prompt as to whether to configure 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.

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method are presented in which the balance between image resolution and frame rate (Res/Speed) and the balance between image resolution and penetration (Pen/Gen/Res) are automatically adjusted in response to image content. A motion detector analyzes the relative motion between successive images. If the motion content is relatively high, the imaging parameters are changed in favor of relatively greater frame rate and reduced resolution. A low motion content causes the opposite adjustment. The electronic noise between successive images is also computed with a relatively high noise content (low correlation) in the far field resulting in an adjustment to penetration as by lowering the transmit frequency. A relatively low noise content causes an adjustment in favor of increased resolution.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound image producer which produces an ultrasound image from reception data based on a predetermined set sound speed, a reception data image producer which produces a reception data image representing a luminance image of an ultrasonic echo wavefront from the reception data corresponding to a predetermined range on at least one scan line in the ultrasound image, a sound speed determination unit configured to determine an optimum sound speed based on ultrasound images respectively produced by the ultrasound image producer while changing the predetermined set sound speed, and a controller which makes an ultrasound image for diagnosis produced by the ultrasound image producer and the reception data image produced by the reception data image producer be displayed simultaneously on a display unit based on the optimum sound speed determined by the sound speed determination unit.

An apparatus includes an imaging probe and is configured for dynamically arranging presentation of visual feedback for guiding manual adjustment, via the probe, of a location, and orientation, associated with the probe. The arranging is selectively based on comparisons between fields of view of the probe and respective results of segmenting image data acquired via the probe. In an embodiment, the feedback does not include a grayscale depiction of the image data. Coordinate system transformations corresponding to respective comparisons may be computed. The selecting may be based upon and dynamically responsive to content of imaging being dynamically acquired via the probe.

A method for measuring an ultrasonic attenuation parameter guided by harmonic elastography including applying, using a vibrator included in a probe in contact with a viscoelastic medium, of a continuous low frequency vibration, the continuous low frequency vibration generating an elastic wave within the viscoelastic medium and generating, during the propagation of the elastic wave, using an ultrasonic transducer in contact with the viscoelastic medium, of a series of ultrasonic acquisitions, the series of ultrasonic acquisitions including groups of ultrasonic acquisitions, the groups of ultrasonic acquisitions being generated with a repetition rate, each group of ultrasonic acquisitions including at least one acquisition; the ultrasonic attenuation parameter being measured from the ultrasonic acquisitions realised during the application of the continuous low frequency vibration.

According to one embodiment, a medical diagnostic apparatus includes processing circuitry and display circuitry. The processing circuitry estimates a position of a structure in a subject based on data obtained by scanning with respect to the subject and analyzes tissue characterization in the subject. The display circuitry displays an analysis result of the tissue characterization obtained by the processing circuitry with respect to a plurality of positions in the subject except for the estimated structure position.