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.

Disclosed is a blood flow measurement apparatus using Doppler ultrasound. The apparatus includes a two-dimensional transducer array in which a plurality of transducers are two-dimensionally arranged, an acoustic window detection portion configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals by driving some of the plurality of transducers, to detect Doppler signals, and to confirm a transducer corresponding to a Doppler signal having high intensity among the detected Doppler signals, a blood flow detection portion configured to detect Doppler signals with respect to a plurality of steering vectors through beam steering using a plurality of adjacent transducers including the confirmed transducer and configured to confirm a steering vector corresponding to a Doppler signal having highest intensity among the detected Doppler signals, and a Doppler processing portion configured to detect a Doppler signal by performing beam steering using the confirmed steering vector and to obtain blood flow information from the detected Doppler signal.

Disclosed is a blood flow measurement apparatus using Doppler ultrasound. The apparatus includes a two-dimensional transducer array in which a plurality of transducers are two-dimensionally arranged, an acoustic window detection portion configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals by driving some of the plurality of transducers, to detect Doppler signals, and to confirm a transducer corresponding to a Doppler signal having high intensity among the detected Doppler signals, a blood flow detection portion configured to detect Doppler signals with respect to a plurality of steering vectors through beam steering using a plurality of adjacent transducers including the confirmed transducer and configured to confirm a steering vector corresponding to a Doppler signal having highest intensity among the detected Doppler signals, and a Doppler processing portion configured to detect a Doppler signal by performing beam steering using the confirmed steering vector and to obtain blood flow information from the detected Doppler signal.

A method for determining hemodynamic parameters may be provided. The method may include obtaining image data of a subject. The method may include generating a first vascular model and a second vascular model based on the image data and coupling the first vascular model with the second vascular model using an intermediate model to form a coupled vascular model. The method may also include setting at least one of a first boundary condition of the first vascular model or a second boundary condition of the second vascular model and determining a flow field distribution of the coupled vascular model based on the at least one of the first boundary condition or the second boundary condition. The method may further include determining hemodynamic parameters based on the flow field distribution.

A method for determining hemodynamic parameters may be provided. The method may include obtaining image data of a subject. The method may include generating a first vascular model and a second vascular model based on the image data and coupling the first vascular model with the second vascular model using an intermediate model to form a coupled vascular model. The method may also include setting at least one of a first boundary condition of the first vascular model or a second boundary condition of the second vascular model and determining a flow field distribution of the coupled vascular model based on the at least one of the first boundary condition or the second boundary condition. The method may further include determining hemodynamic parameters based on the flow field distribution.

The invention provides an ultrasound imaging apparatus capable of highly accurately extracting a blood flow in a fine blood vessel in a short time. N pieces of frame data is generated by receiving ultrasound waves reflected by a subject with a plurality of transducers. A correlation matrix is generated based on a vector in which data at a corresponding position of the frame data is arranged for N frames, and a singular value and a singular vector for each of N ranks are calculated. A first filter element is calculated based on a variance between data at a corresponding position zx among a plurality of blood flow component frame data obtained by multiplying a plurality of the frame data by singular vectors at a threshold rank k or more. The second filter element is calculated based on the tissue component frame data obtained by multiplying the frame data by a singular vector at a rank 1. The frame data is weighted by the first filter element and/or the second filter element to generate a clutter reducing image.

The invention provides an ultrasound imaging apparatus capable of highly accurately extracting a blood flow in a fine blood vessel in a short time. N pieces of frame data is generated by receiving ultrasound waves reflected by a subject with a plurality of transducers. A correlation matrix is generated based on a vector in which data at a corresponding position of the frame data is arranged for N frames, and a singular value and a singular vector for each of N ranks are calculated. A first filter element is calculated based on a variance between data at a corresponding position zx among a plurality of blood flow component frame data obtained by multiplying a plurality of the frame data by singular vectors at a threshold rank k or more. The second filter element is calculated based on the tissue component frame data obtained by multiplying the frame data by a singular vector at a rank 1. The frame data is weighted by the first filter element and/or the second filter element to generate a clutter reducing image.

A clutter signal mixed in a blood flow signal is reduced in a color Doppler, and blood flow visibility is improved. A combination of parameters that maximize a difference between a blood flow and a clutter (a signal other than the blood flow) is determined by analyzing a reception signal, a clutter estimated value (a value indicating a degree of being estimated as a clutter) is set based on the combination, and a reduction coefficient map (hereinafter, simply referred to as a reduction map) that reduces a clutter signal is generated based on the estimated value. The clutter signal is reduced by multiplying the reception signal (an IQ signal after quadrature detection) by the reduction map.

A clutter signal mixed in a blood flow signal is reduced in a color Doppler, and blood flow visibility is improved. A combination of parameters that maximize a difference between a blood flow and a clutter (a signal other than the blood flow) is determined by analyzing a reception signal, a clutter estimated value (a value indicating a degree of being estimated as a clutter) is set based on the combination, and a reduction coefficient map (hereinafter, simply referred to as a reduction map) that reduces a clutter signal is generated based on the estimated value. The clutter signal is reduced by multiplying the reception signal (an IQ signal after quadrature detection) by the reduction map.

A system for delivering drugs or other molecules to the brain comprises an ultrasound imaging transducer configured to image structures such as the circle of Willis within a patient's head by way of a low attenuation acoustic window. The system includes a processor configured to register the ultrasound images to previously obtained images which also include the structures. The system includes ultrasound transducer elements operable to deliver ultrasound energy to a target region to cause the blood brain barrier to open. The system may include a drug delivery system that may be operated to deliver a drug to the patient in coordination with opening the blood brain barrier. Coordinates of the target region relative to the ultrasound imaging transducer are determined using registration information.