Provided are a photoacoustic image generation apparatus, a photoacoustic image generation method, and a photoacoustic image generation program that can perform a more appropriate reconstruction process regardless of the type of probe, without causing a reduction in the speed of an arithmetic process. It is identified whether a probe that detects photoacoustic waves and outputs a photoacoustic wave detection signal is a probe in which detection elements are arranged by a coordinate system using polar coordinates or a probe in which detection elements are arranged by a rectangular coordinate system. In a case in which the probe is identified as the probe in which the detection elements are arranged by the coordinate system using the polar coordinates, a time domain reconstruction process is selected to generate a photoacoustic image.

Provided are a photoacoustic image generation apparatus, a photoacoustic image generation method, and a photoacoustic image generation program that can perform a more appropriate reconstruction process regardless of the type of probe, without causing a reduction in the speed of an arithmetic process. It is identified whether a probe that detects photoacoustic waves and outputs a photoacoustic wave detection signal is a probe in which detection elements are arranged by a coordinate system using polar coordinates or a probe in which detection elements are arranged by a rectangular coordinate system. In a case in which the probe is identified as the probe in which the detection elements are arranged by the coordinate system using the polar coordinates, a time domain reconstruction process is selected to generate a photoacoustic image.

An ultrasound system according to some embodiments may include an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit ultrasound pulses toward tissue and generate echo signals responsive to the ultrasound pulses, a channel memory configured to store the echo signals, a beamformer configured to generated beamformed signals responsive to the echo signals, a neural network configured to receive one or more samples of the echo signals or the beamformed signals and produce a first type of ultrasound imaging data, and a processor configured to generate a second type of ultrasound imaging data, wherein the one or more processors may be further configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the first type of ultrasound imaging data and the second type of ultrasound imaging data and to cause a display communicatively coupled therewith to display the ultrasound image.

An ultrasound system according to some embodiments may include an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit ultrasound pulses toward tissue and generate echo signals responsive to the ultrasound pulses, a channel memory configured to store the echo signals, a beamformer configured to generated beamformed signals responsive to the echo signals, a neural network configured to receive one or more samples of the echo signals or the beamformed signals and produce a first type of ultrasound imaging data, and a processor configured to generate a second type of ultrasound imaging data, wherein the one or more processors may be further configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the first type of ultrasound imaging data and the second type of ultrasound imaging data and to cause a display communicatively coupled therewith to display the ultrasound image.

Systems and methods for automatically measuring and labeling follicles depicted in two-dimensional (2D) image slices of an ultrasound volume are provided. The method includes receiving an ultrasound volume of an ovary having follicles. The method includes causing a display to present, one at a time, 2D image slices extracted from the ultrasound volume. The method includes receiving a user indication identifying a follicle at a maximum size in a first 2D image slice of the ultrasound volume presented at the display. The method includes automatically segmenting the follicle in the ultrasound volume. The method includes automatically measuring the follicle in the first 2D image slice to generate a measurement presented at the display. The method includes automatically labeling the follicle in the first 2D image slice presented at the display and in any other of the parallel 2D image slices depicting the follicle that is subsequently presented at the display.

Systems and methods for automatically measuring and labeling follicles depicted in two-dimensional (2D) image slices of an ultrasound volume are provided. The method includes receiving an ultrasound volume of an ovary having follicles. The method includes causing a display to present, one at a time, 2D image slices extracted from the ultrasound volume. The method includes receiving a user indication identifying a follicle at a maximum size in a first 2D image slice of the ultrasound volume presented at the display. The method includes automatically segmenting the follicle in the ultrasound volume. The method includes automatically measuring the follicle in the first 2D image slice to generate a measurement presented at the display. The method includes automatically labeling the follicle in the first 2D image slice presented at the display and in any other of the parallel 2D image slices depicting the follicle that is subsequently presented at the display.

Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for portable medical ultrasound imaging. Preferred embodiments utilize a tablet touchscreen display operative to control imaging and display operations without the need for using traditional keyboards or controls. Certain embodiments provide ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field sub array beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. Exemplary embodiments also provide an ultrasound engine circuit board including one or more multi-chip modules, and a portable medical ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound engine circuit board with one or more multi-chip modules. Exemplary embodiments also provide methods for using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images which can be generated in real-time.

An ultrasonic imaging system including an array transducer that includes a plurality of elements each performing at least one of emission or reception of ultrasonic waves, at least some of the plurality of elements being disposed so as to face each other. The ultrasonic imaging system performs malfunction inspection including specifying one emitting element among emitting elements that emit ultrasonic waves and a group of receiving elements that are at least some of the plurality of elements and that receive transmitted waves emitted from the emitting element and transmitted through an imaging region; collecting measurement data of the transmitted waves via the group of receiving elements while switching the emitting element; calculating transfer characteristic values from the measurement data; and detecting a malfunctioning element among the plurality of elements on the basis of the transfer characteristic values.

An ultrasonic imaging system including an array transducer that includes a plurality of elements each performing at least one of emission or reception of ultrasonic waves, at least some of the plurality of elements being disposed so as to face each other. The ultrasonic imaging system performs malfunction inspection including specifying one emitting element among emitting elements that emit ultrasonic waves and a group of receiving elements that are at least some of the plurality of elements and that receive transmitted waves emitted from the emitting element and transmitted through an imaging region; collecting measurement data of the transmitted waves via the group of receiving elements while switching the emitting element; calculating transfer characteristic values from the measurement data; and detecting a malfunctioning element among the plurality of elements on the basis of the transfer characteristic values.

Method for ultrasonic characterization of a medium, comprising generating a series of incident ultrasonic waves, generating an experimental reflection matrix R.sub.ui(t) defined between the emission basis (i) as input and a reception basis (u) as output, and determining a focused reflection matrix RFoc(r.sub.in, r.sub.out, δt) of the medium between an input virtual transducer (TV.sub.in) calculated based on a focusing as input to the experimental reflection matrix and an output virtual transducer (TV.sub.out) calculated based on a focusing as output from the experimental reflection matrix, the responses of the output virtual transducer (TV.sub.out) being obtained at a time instant that is shifted by an additional delay δt relative to a time instant of the responses of the input virtual transducer (TV.sub.in).