An ultrasound system is disclosed comprising an ultrasound transducer array (100) comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducer cells (130), each of said cell having an independently adjustable position and/or orientation such as to conform an ultrasound transmitting surface of the cell to a region of a body and a controller (140). The controller is configured to register the respective ultrasound transducer cells by simultaneously operating at least two ultrasound transducer cells in a transmit mode in which the cells transmit distinguishable ultrasound signals and operating the remaining ultrasound transducer cells in a receive mode. The controller extracts time-of-flight information of the respective ultrasound signals between transmitter and receiver and by systematically selecting different ultrasound transducer cells as transmitters, the controller collects sufficient time-of-flight information from which the respective position and/or relative orientation of the ultrasound transducer cells within the ultrasound transducer array may be derived. A method for operating the ultrasound system in this manner as well as a computer program product is also disclosed.

A portable ultrasound probe is described having a mechanical transducer, rotating mirror, and mirror motor. The transducer can be used for diagnostic imaging and procedural guidance imaging. The probe has a light weight design for easy one-handed use, and can use external processors to provide proper image display with accompanying software.

A medical device and its method of use includes a catheter, at least two electromagnetic sensing coils located within the distal tip of the catheter, and a multi-element planar ultrasound transducer array located within the distal tip of the catheter and configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic energy. The device also includes an imaging system coupled to the ultrasound transducer and is used for creating an image of tissue in a first target plane that extends orthogonally from the catheter body. The medical device also includes a backscatter evaluation system for use in receiving and evaluating the acoustic spectral characteristics of tissues within a second target area within the first target plane.

In an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus and an operation method of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus of the invention, a control circuit performs polarization processing on a plurality of ultrasound transducers in a non-diagnosis period, during which transmission of ultrasound waves and reception of reflected waves for performing ultrasound diagnosis are not performed, in a case where the cumulative driving time of the plurality of ultrasound transducers for performing the ultrasound diagnosis becomes equal to or longer than a specified time. A transmission circuit generates a first transmission signal having a driving voltage for performing ultrasound diagnosis using a pulse generation circuit in the case of performing the ultrasound diagnosis, and generates a second transmission signal having a polarization voltage for performing polarization processing using the same pulse generation circuit as in the case of generating the first transmission signal in the case of performing the polarization processing.

A system for acquiring ultrasound images of internal organs of a human body comprises a scanner and at least one inertial measurement unit (IMU) associated therewith, and electronic components for wired or wireless communication with remote terminals, said system being secured against malicious attacks or interference with the help of hardware, software, or a combination of both.

A fusion imaging system co-registers and fuses real time ultrasound images with reference images such as those produced by MRI or CT imaging. In an illustrated implementation, previously acquired CT or MRI or ultrasound images are loaded into the system. An ultrasound system is operated in conjunction with a tracking system so that the ultrasound probe and images can be spatially tracked. A computerized image processor registers the probe position with a reference image of the anatomy being scanned by the probe and determines whether the probe appears to be inside the skin line of the subject. If that is the case it is due to probe compression of the subject, and the reference image is modified to locate the skin line in the reference image in front of the ultrasound probe. The modified reference images can then be readily co-registered and fused with the ultrasound images produced by the probe.

According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to acquire a current position information of an ultrasonic probe in three-dimensional space. The processing circuitry is further configured to switch from a body mark indicating one body part to a body mark indicating the other body part, when a body mark indicating one body part of a pair of left and right body parts is displayed, and when the ultrasonic probe is positioned at a position farther than a predetermined distance from a midpoint of the pair of left and right body parts toward the other body part.

A device is for estimating the central blood pressure of a subject. The device comprises a sensor patch comprising an array of sensors configured to measure an indication of the blood pressure of a peripheral blood vessel and perform ultrasound imaging of the peripheral blood vessel. The device also comprises a processor configured to obtain a peripheral pressure signal comprising a pressure waveform from the indication of the blood pressure from the sensor patch and derive an image of the peripheral blood vessel from the signals received from the sensor patch. A vessel diameter is determined from the image of the peripheral blood vessel over time comprising a vessel diameter waveform and an estimate of the central blood pressure of the subject is derived from the pressure waveform and/or the vessel diameter waveform.

Aspects of the technology described herein relate to built-in self-testing (BIST) of circuitry (e.g., a pulser or receive circuitry) and/or transducers in an ultrasound device. A BIST circuit may include a transconductance amplifier coupled between a pulser and receive circuitry, a capacitor network coupled between a pulser and receive circuitry, and/or a current source couplable to the input terminal of receive circuitry to which a transducer is also couplable. The collapse voltages of transducers may be characterized using BIST circuitry, and a bias voltage may be applied to the membranes of the transducers based at least in part on their collapse voltages. The capacitances of transducers may also be measured using BIST circuitry and a notification may be generated based on the sets of measurements.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus (20) for facilitating medical imaging of a subject, comprising: a medical imaging device receiver configured to receive an ultrasound medical imaging device, a sound wave manipulation module comprising a soundwave deflection surface (113) arranged to direct transmission of sound waves between the ultrasound medical imaging device and the subject, and at least one auxiliary equipment receiver configured to receive an auxiliary equipment and to provide a pathway for insertion of the auxiliary equipment, wherein the pathway extends from the soundwave deflection surface to a base plane of the apparatus when rested on the subject, and an image of the subject is formed by the ultrasound medical imaging device for guiding insertion of the auxiliary equipment towards a target portion of the subject, and wherein the position of the pathway is calibrated for the ultrasonic medical imaging device being used (132). In particular, the auxiliary equipment is a needle, catheter or endoscope.