Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam

Stichting Voor De Technische Wetenschappen

Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Endosonics Corporation

Stichting Voor De Technische Wetenschappen of Van Vollenhovenlaan

Spectra Wave, Inc.

Antonius Franciscus Wilhelmus Van Der Steen

Gijs Van Soest

Verya Daeichin

Frits Mastik

Fokko Pieter Wieringa

Nicolaas Bom

Charles Theodoor Lancee

Dirkjan Bakker

David Eric Goertz

Martijn Egbert Frijlink

Wenguang Li

Eduardo Ignacio Cespedes

Charles Theodoor Lance&eacute;

Christoffel Leendert De Korte

Johannes Antonius Schaar

Rene Gerardus Maria Van Melick

Tianshi Wang

Charles Theodoor LANCÉE

A catheter-based imaging apparatus comprises a catheter having a proximal end and a distal end. An optical emitter is configured to emit optical excitation signals from a distal portion of the catheter. One or more ultrasound transducers are configured for: (a) transmission of acoustic excitation signals from the distal portion of the catheter; and (b) detection of ultrasound response signals from an object of interest at or near to the distal portion of the catheter at frequencies which include a lower receive frequency at least as low as 10 MHz and a higher receive frequency at least as high as 35 MHz. The one or more ultrasound transducers are thereby configured to detect response signals comprising photoacoustic response signals from the object of interest at the lower receive frequency and high resolution imaging signals from the object of interest at the higher receive frequency.

Intravascular photoacoustic imaging

A catheter-based optical imaging system for imaging a patient includes a catheter-based imaging device configured to direct optical radiation towards a vessel wall and to receive reflected radiation therefrom. A displacement mechanism is configured to vary the position of the imaging device relative to the catheter as a function of time during an imaging scan. An input is configured to receive cardiac event timing data, such as ECG data, from the patient. A trigger module is configured to initiate an imaging scan based on the cardiac event timing obtained from the cardiac event timing data. By triggering the optical imaging scans between cardiac events, artifacts in the image data can be reduced or eliminated.

Intravascular optical imaging system

A method of obtaining an image of buried structures in an object, comprising: providing a camera for imaging visual and infrared-images; providing a bounded light source; partly irradiating said object by said bounded light source; imaging a non-irradiated area of said object by said camera to image said buried structure; and combining said buried structure image with a visual image of said object. Accordingly an image can be obtained while discarding specular reflections of the object. Additionally there is disclosed a method of enhancing imaging of buried structures in an object, comprising: aligning said infrared light source with a visual light source; providing a first edge analysis of said infrared image; providing a second edge analysis of said visual image; comparing said first and second edge analysis; and discarding edges in said infrared image that are also detected in said second image.

Imaging of buried structures

A method for generating hardness information of tissue subject to a varying pressure. The method comprises receiving signals from the tissue from a sensor for measuring the deformation of the tissue in a measuring plane defined by the sensor, which sensor, during a varying pressure exerted on the tissue, is moved along the tissue in a direction transverse to the measuring plane; identifying strain of the tissue from the resulting signals; and relating the strain to elasticity and/or hardness parameters of the tissue. The method may comprise the step of displaying elasticity and/or hardness parameters of a tissue surface or tissue volume part extending practically parallel to the direction of motion of the sensor.

Three-dimensional tissue hardness imaging

Provided herein are Pulse-Inversion (PI) sequences that provide for fundamental frequency suppression in nonlinear imaging applications. In an embodiment, a weighting scheme is applied to the received echo pulses resulting from transmit pulses of alternating polarity to reduce the effect of transducer motion. In an embodiment, a three-pulse weighting scheme is applied to a PI sequence. In other embodiments, different combinations of the three-pulse weighting scheme are applied to a PI sequence.

Pulse inversion sequences for nonlinear imaging

A method to measure spatial fluid flow components and their velocity profiles in a number of locations in a cross-sectional area of a lumen or other body cavity by using ultrasound in which the cross-sectional area is interrogated by a plurality of ultrasonic beams; the estimation of the spatial flow components is obtained from a combination of estimations of axial, lateral and total flow; the estimation of one or more flow components is obtained through any combination of time-shift and decorrelation analysis of two or more beam-signals of the interrogating ultrasound transducer, and the estimation accuracy is further improved by the use of a reference decorrelation curve.

Measurement of volumetric fluid flow and its velocity profile

Growing community of inventors

Rotterdam, Netherlands

Antonius Franciscus Wilhelmus Van Der Steen