An ultrasound device (10) comprises a probe (12) including a tube (14) sized for in vivo insertion into a patient and an ultrasound transducer (18) disposed at a distal end (16) of the tube. A camera (20) is mounted at the distal end of the tube in a spatial relationship to the ultrasound transducer. At least one electronic processor (28) is programmed to: control the ultrasound transducer and the camera to acquire ultrasound images (19) and camera images (21) respectively while the ultrasound transducer is disposed in vivo; construct keyframes (36) during in vivo movement of the ultrasound transducer, each keyframe representing an in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer and including at least ultrasound image features (38) extracted from at least one of the ultrasound images acquired at the in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer and camera image features (40) extracted from at least one of the camera images acquired at the in vivo position of the ultrasound transducer; generate a navigation map (45) of the in vivo movement of the ultrasound transducer comprising the keyframes; and output navigational guidance (49) based on comparison of current ultrasound and camera images acquired by the ultrasound transducer and camera with the navigation map.

Technology for guiding a user to collect clinically usable ultrasound images is described. In some embodiments, an ultrasound device may automatically change the elevational steering angle of its ultrasound beam (e.g., using beamforming) in order to collect ultrasound data from different imaging planes within the subject. A processing device in operative communication with the ultrasound device may select one of the collected ultrasound images based on its quality (e.g., select the ultrasound image having the highest quality), and then continue to collect ultrasound images using the elevational steering angle at which the selected ultrasound image was collected.

This method, for determining the local intensity (I.sub.0) of an acoustic field propagating in a target region of a soft solid, at a position located within said target region, includes at least the following steps: determining (102) a value of an ultrasound attenuation coefficient (α) of the soft body in the target region; determining (104) a value of the shear modulus (μ) of the soft body in the target region; determining (106) a value of the speed of sound (c) in the target region of the soft body; and building (110), with the values determined in steps a), b) and c), a viscoelastic model (M) of a steady-state displacement induced by an acoustic field having a time invariant shape or a viscoelastic model of a difference between two steady-state displacements induced by an acoustic field having a time invariant shape. Moreover, this method also includes the following steps: applying (112) to the target region the acoustic field emitted by an ultrasound source, for a duration such that the acoustic field induces a steady-state localized deformation (Formula (I)) of the soft body in the target region; measuring (114) at least one steady state displacement induced by the acoustic field at a given position in the target region; and computing (116) the amplitude of the intensity of the acoustic field at said given position by inverting the viscoelastic model (M) at said given position, for the displacement(s) measured at step f).

A downloadable navigator for a mobile ultrasound unit having an ultrasound probe, implemented on a portable computing device. The navigator includes a trained orientation neural network to receive a non-canonical image of a body part from the mobile ultrasound unit and to generate a transformation associated with the non-canonical image, the transformation transforming from a position and rotation associated with a canonical image to a position and rotation associated with the non-canonical image; and a result converter to convert the transformation into orientation instructions for a user of the probe and to provide and display the orientation instructions to the user to change the position and rotation of the probe.

A puncture assistance system provides information on a collapse state of a blood vessel to be punctured, caused by pressing action of an ultrasonic probe, when ultrasonic images of the blood vessel are acquired. A puncture assistance system 10 includes: vascular diameter detecting means 18 for detecting a vascular diameter during acquisition of the ultrasonic images from an ultrasonic diagnostic device 11; puncture assistance information generating means 12 for generating puncture assistance information for determination of whether or not puncture is allowed to be performed based on a collapse state of a blood vessel B caused by pressing action of an ultrasonic probe 15 against skin S by comparing a current vascular diameter detected by the vascular diameter detecting means 18 with a standard vascular diameter stored in advance; and a monitor 19 that presents the puncture assistance information.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an ultrasound imaging apparatus comprising: an ultrasonic probe for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a target object and receiving ultrasonic waves reflected from the object; a beamforming unit for beamforming the received ultrasonic wave and outputting a beamforming signal; a sampling unit for adjusting the number of sampling times of the beamforming signal according to the amount of motion of the object; and an image processing unit for matching and synthesizing the sampled signals.

Performing retrospective dynamic transmit focusing beamforming for ultrasound signals by a) transmitting plural transmit beams, each transmit beam centered at a different position along array, having width or aperture encompassing plural laterally spaced line positions, each transmit beam width or aperture overlapping width or aperture of adjacent transmit beam or more laterally spaced transmit beams; b) receiving echo signals; c) processing echo signals to produce plural receive lines of echo signals at laterally spaced line positions within width or aperture of transmit beam; d) repeating steps b), (c) for additional transmit beams of plural transmitted transmit beams; e) equalizing phase shift variance among receive lines at common line position resulting from transmit beams of different transmit beam positions concurrently with steps c), d); f) combining echo signals of receive lines from different transmit beams spatially related to common line position to produce image data; g) produces an image using image data.

An apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first obtaining unit configured to obtain an ultrasound image generated by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to and from an object, a display control unit configured to control a display unit to display the ultrasound image, a second obtaining unit configured to obtain a photoacoustic signal generated by receiving photoacoustic waves generated from light irradiated to the object, and a saving control unit configured to obtain information representing a save instruction given when the ultrasound image is being displayed, and configured to save in a storage unit the ultrasound image corresponding to a time point of the save instruction and information derived from the photoacoustic signal based on the information representing the save instruction.

Systems and methods are disclosed that facilitate obtaining two dimensional (2D) ultrasound images, using two or more ultrasound imaging modes or modalities, to generate 2D multi-parametric ultrasound (mpUS) images and/or to generate a three-dimensional (3D) mpUS image. The different ultrasound imaging modes acquire images in a common frame of reference during a single procedure to facilitate their registration. The mpUS images (i.e., 2D or 3D) may be used for enhanced and/or automated detection of one or more suspicious regions. After identifying one or more suspicious regions, the mpUS images may be utilized with a real-time image to guide biopsy or therapy the region(s). All these processes may be performed in a single medical procedure.

The present embodiments relate generally to ultrasound imaging methods and apparatus that allow for multiple modes of imaging using a single ultrasound transducer having a plurality of transducer elements. In an embodiment, there is provided an ultrasound imaging machine that is: operable in a first imaging mode in which the plurality of transducer elements are activated; and operable in a second imaging mode different from the first imaging mode, and in the second imaging mode, a subset of the plurality of transducer elements are activated so that ultrasound signals are steered from the subset of the plurality of transducer elements, where any remaining transducer elements of the plurality of transducer elements not part of the subset are inactive when operating in the second imaging mode.