A system and method for monitoring ultrasound probe health is provided. The method includes acquiring test data from a plurality of elements of an ultrasound probe by, for each of the plurality of elements, transmitting an ultrasonic signal from one of the elements and receiving a signal on two or more of the elements based on the transmitted ultrasonic signal. The method includes automatically analyzing the test data from the elements to determine a health report for the ultrasound probe. The health report includes a health status for each of a plurality of components of the ultrasound probe. At least one of the components is not part of a transducer array. The method includes automatically displaying the health report on a display device. The health report includes information for at least one of the components.

Calibration or quality assurance devices and methods that ensure proper ultrasound exposure. An apparatus for calibrating an ultrasound transducer is provided. The apparatus includes a hydrophone assembly having a layer containing a solid material and a hydrophone element embedded in the solid material of the layer. A method of calibrating a therapeutic ultrasound system including an ultrasound transducer and system electronics is also provided. The method may include connecting the ultrasound transducer to an electronics module, separately connecting the system electronics to the electronics module, driving the ultrasound transducer at a given frequency to emit an ultrasound beam, sensing the ultrasound beam with a hydrophone element, and measuring a signal that is output from the hydrophone element.

Various approaches for operating an ultrasound transducer having multiple transducer elements include acquiring one or more measurements of anatomical regions through which ultrasound waves emitted from the transducer elements travel; for each of the anatomical regions, determining values of characteristics based at least in part on the measurement(s); computationally predicting aberrations of the ultrasound waves traveling through the anatomical regions by using the first values as input to a predictor that has been computationally trained to predict ultrasound aberrations based on values of the characteristics; and driving the transducer elements to compensate for the predicted aberrations.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for predicting a disease state of a subject using ultrasound imaging and ancillary information to the ultrasound imaging. At least two quantitative measurements of a subject, including at least one measurement taken using ultrasound imaging, as part of quantified information can be identified. One of the quantitative measurements can be compared to a first predetermined standard, included as part of ancillary information to the quantified information, in order to identify a first initial value. Further, another of the quantitative measurements can be compared to a second predetermined standard, included as part of the ancillary information, in order to identify a second initial value. Subsequently, the quantitative information can be correlated with the ancillary information using the first initial value and the second initial value to determine a final value that is predictive of a disease state of the subject.

One or more devices, systems, methods, and storage mediums for imaging and for minimally invasive medical devices, such as, but not limited to, for intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), spectrally encoded endoscopy (SEE), and/or Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), are provided herein. One or more embodiments may involve imaging reconstruction using a real-time signal of a rotary position from a near distal end encoder. One or more devices, systems, methods and storage mediums may include, in one or more embodiments, a rotary encoder or sensor to detect an angular position of a rotary shaft or a drive cable, for example, to reduce imaging Non-Uniform Rotational Distortion. Examples of such applications include imaging, evaluating and diagnosing biological objects, such as, but not limited to, for Gastro-intestinal, cardio and/or ophthalmic applications, and being obtained via one or more optical instruments.

An ultrasound apparatus includes a plurality of channels, each including a transmission channel for generating and outputting a transmission signal based on a synchronization signal, a temperature detector for outputting a temperature information signal of the transmission channel, a transducer element for converting the transmission signal output from the transmission channel into an ultrasound signal and outputting the ultrasound signal, a reception channel for receiving a reception signal that returns after the ultrasound signal is transmitted to and reflected from an object, and acquiring ultrasound image data based on the received reception signal, and a switching circuit for connecting the temperature detector to the reception channel such that the reception channel receives the temperature information signal of the transmission channel. The reception channel generates a control signal for closing or opening the switching circuit, and the switching circuit is closed or opened on the generated control signal.

A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium stores therein an examination assisting program that causes a computer to execute a process including: performing a site detecting process that uses an object detection technique on each of a plurality of ultrasound examination images taken of an examined subject by performing a scan on the examined subject; and displaying a site detection map in which a detection result of each of a plurality of sites included in the examined subject is kept in correspondence with the scan, on a basis of detection results from the site detecting process.

A test device of an embodiment includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to detect a waveform of a reflected wave that is obtained by reflection of an ultrasonic wave, which has been transmitted from an ultrasonic probe and has passed through an acoustic coupling material in close contact with an acoustic radiation surface of the ultrasonic probe, the reflected wave having passed through the acoustic coupling material before the detection of the waveform, and test a performance of the ultrasonic probe on the basis of the detected waveform.

Systems and methods for ablating tissue include an ablation device having an energy source and a sensor. The energy source provides a beam of energy directable to target tissue, and the sensor senses energy reflected back from the target tissue. The sensor collects various information from the target tissue in order to facilitate adjustment of ablation operating parameters, such as changing power or position of the energy beam. Gap distance between the energy source and target tissue, energy beam incident angle, tissue motion, tissue type, lesion depth, etc. are examples of some of the information that may be collected during the ablation process and used to help control ablation of the tissue.

An ultrasound control unit (10) is for coupling with an ultrasound transducer unit (12). The control unit is adapted to control a drive configuration or setting of the transducers of the transducer unit, each drive setting having a known power consumption level associated with it. The control unit includes a control module (20) adapted to adjust the drive setting from a first setting to a second setting, the second having a lower associated power consumption that the first. The second setting is tested by an analysis module (16), the analysis module adapted to determine a measure of reliability of ultrasound data acquired by the transducer unit, for the purpose of deriving at least one physiological parameter, when configured in the second setting. The second setting is only used if its determined reliability passes a pre-defined reliability condition.