Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound System Research Articles

Medical diagnostic ultrasound transducer system and method for harmonic imaging

A transducer system and method for harmonic imaging is provided. At least one transducer element is provided. The transducer element comprises two stacked piezoelectric layers. Information from each of the layers is independently processed during one of a transmit event, a receive event, and both transmit and receive events. Information from the transducer element is provided to a filter. The filter isolates harmonic information for imaging. By providing a multi-layer transducer element with independent processing for each layer, a wide bandwidth transducer for harmonic imaging is provided. The null associated with most transducers at the second harmonic of a fundamental frequency is removed or lessened.

Two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array having transducer elements in a non-rectangular or hexagonal grid for medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging and ultrasound imaging system using same

Two-dimensional transducer arrays used for one-, two- and three-dimensional medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging. The transducer arrays have transducer elements that are arranged in a non-rectangular, and preferably hexagonal grid. In a preferred embodiment, the transducer array has hexagonally shaped transducer elements. The transducer arrays may be fabricated as single or multiple layer structures. Sparse transducer arrays may be fabricated in a hexagonal grid by connecting selected transducer elements to the imaging system. Also, the transducer array may comprise random, vernier and spiral arrays fabricated in a hexagonal grid.

System architecture and method for operating a medical diagnostic ultrasound system

An apparatus and method for processing ultrasound data is provided. The apparatus includes an interface operatively connected to a memory, a programmable single instruction multiple data processor (or two symmetric processors), a source of acoustic data (such as a data bus) and a system bus. The memory stores data from the processor, ultrasound data from the source, and data from the system bus. The processor has direct access to the memory. Alternatively, the system bus has direct access to the memory. The interface device translates logically addressed ultrasound data to physically addressed ultrasound data for storage in a memory. The translation is the same for data from both the processor and the source for at least a portion of a range of addresses. The memory stores both ultrasound data and various of: beamformer control data, instruction data for the processor display text plane information, control plane data and a table of memory addresses. One peripheral connects to the ultrasound apparatus. An interface adapter, powered from the ultrasound apparatus, translates information transferred between the peripheral and the ultrasound apparatus. The adapter connects non-standard peripherals to various standard interlaces on the ultrasound apparatus.

Medical diagnostic ultrasound-aided drug delivery system and method

A method and system is provided for delivering drugs carried by microspheres. A medical diagnostic ultrasound system destroys microspheres in a specific localized area or at a specific time. A region of interest that is a subset of an imaged area is identified for destroying drug-carrying microspheres. The transmit beamformer is configured to transmit acoustic energy for destroying microspheres within that area while minimizing the destruction of microspheres outside of the region of interest. A multidimensional transducer array may provide focusing in three-dimensions for accurately destroying microspheres in the specific region while minimizing the destruction of microspheres outside that region. A trigger responsive to a heart or breathing cycle may control when microspheres are destroyed, providing delivery of drugs at the most opportune time in the cycle.

Medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method

The preferred embodiments described herein provide a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and method in which a non-real-time operating system is used to transfer image data. In one preferred embodiment, a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system includes a central processing unit (“CPU”) located outside of the received signal path to transfer image data. The non-real-time operating system can be used, for example, to transfer image data from a hard disk to system memory for display, to transfer image data from system memory to the hard disk for storage, or to scroll image data to view a loop of image data.

Medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method for improved flow or movement detection with multiple clutter filters

A method and system for flow or movement detection is provided. More than one clutter filter is used. Each clutter filter's magnitude versus frequency response is optimized differently. Estimates of the flow or movement are generated from the data output by each of the clutter filters. Using selection or combination of the resulting estimates, the best attributes of each filter are used for imaging.

Medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method for post processing

Medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method for post processing

Medical diagnostic ultrasound system and method for post processing

Ultrasound data is generated by a receive beamformer. Ultrasound image processing is applied to the ultrasound data for presentation of an image. Various ones of the ultrasound image processing steps may be reversed. For example, persistence processing may be reversed in order to obtain ultrasound data associated with data prior to persistence processing. This recovered data may be used to generate an image or for application of a different amount of persistence. Other processes that may be reversed to recover ultrasound data include focal and depth gain compensation, dynamic range compression, intensity or color mapping, and various filtering, such as persistence or spatial filtering.

Laparoscopic ultrasonography is accurate for staging large pancreatic tumours

Abstract Background The accuracy of laparoscopic ultrasonography in staging pancreatic and periampullary tumours in a referral unit was determined and its use for the subgroup of tumours of stage T3 or greater was assessed. Methods From a larger series of staging laparoscopies 22 patients with pancreatic lesions and five with periampullary tumours who were being considered for resection were staged with laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasonography. Only patients with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans indicating potentially or equivocally resectable disease were included. The laparoscopist was blinded to the results of CT and MRI. Laparoscopy and laparoscopic ultrasonography were undertaken according to a standard protocol using a B & K Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound System 3535 with a colour flow Doppler module. Ascitic fluid was sent for cytology and metastatic disease was biopsied. Results were recorded on a pro forma which included an assessment of resectability. In the case of large tumours this included an assessment of the potential for a positive resection margin or the need for portal vein resection to obtain tumour clearance. The decision to pursue resection was made by the consultant surgeon, based on all the information available including that from laparoscopic ultrasonography. No patient was denied a surgical exploration on the basis of local irresectability determined only by laparoscopic ultrasonography. The predictions regarding resectability were compared with findings at open surgery and with histology. Results Assessment of irresectability by laparoscopic ultrasonography resulted in nine true positives, 16 true negatives, no false positives and one false negative. For pancreatic adenocarcinoma there were eight true positives, 13 true negatives and one false negative. Among the pancreatic group ten of 13 tumours correctly predicted as resectable were stage T3 or greater (Union Internacional Contra la Cancrum, 1997). Of those predicted to be irresectable, all eight were T3 or greater. Among this latter group three were predicted to be irresectable on the basis of local factors alone, two on the basis of metastatic disease alone and three on the basis of both local factors and metastases. Overall, for detection of irresectable disease laparoscopic ultrasonography had a positive predictive value of 100 per cent, a negative predictive value of 94 per cent and an accuracy of 96 per cent. Accuracy was 95 per cent for both the pancreatic tumour subgroup and the T3 pancreatic subgroup. Conclusion Laparoscopic ultrasonography was accurate for predicting irresectability in this group of referred patients. The technique was also accurate for the subgroup with T3 or greater pancreatic tumours.

Medical ultrasonic diagnostic system with upgradeable transducer probes and other features

A remotely upgradeable medical diagnostic ultrasound system is described which is upgradeable with a new transducer probe by means of air shipment of the upgrade hardware and remote transmission of upgrade data which controls operation of the probe. The ultrasound system includes a data communicator such as a network link or modem for receiving upgrade data from a remote location. A process for upgrading the system is provided whereby a communications link is established over a common carrier communications medium between the ultrasound system and a remote terminal, which transmits upgrade program data to the ultrasound system. The program data portion of an upgrade is provided via the communications link while the hardware portion of the upgrade is shipped by air freight to the user. In this way, an ultrasound upgrade can be provided to a user from a remote location in a matter of hours.