Acuson Corporation

Novodynamics, Inc.

David A Rock

Jeffrey S Hastings

Paul Schmitter

Jonathan Bernard

Clement James Goebel

David Castelnuovo

Lawrence T McNary

David E Fenstemaker

Mark Brooks

Mary Jeanne Rabold

Steven Schlosser

Eric Zachmann

Fred M Hall

Rex A Timbs

Sean McMillan

Gerard A Hranek

David Ei

Lloyd B Kreuzer

Teeth are screened for periodontal disease using digitized images manipulated and annotated on a processor. A digitized radiographic image of a tooth shows locations of a bone boundary and a cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) of the tooth. The digitized radiographic image is marked on the processor with a location on the bone boundary and with a pair of CEJ points at opposite ends of the CEJ visible in the radiograph. A ratio between (a) a distance between the bone boundary location and the adjacent CEJ point as numerator and (b) a distance between the CEJ points as denominator is calculated on the processor and compared with a threshold ratio-value for a corresponding tooth from a database accessible by the processor. A calculated ratio-value which is greater than the database threshold ratio-value is indicative of periodontal disease in the tooth. The probability of the correct diagnostic decision is determined by the relative magnitude of the calculated ratio-value and the threshold ratio-value.

Methods and systems for periodontal disease screening

A method and system are provided for facilitating interaction between image and non-image sections displayed on an image review station. With the preferred embodiments, a user can interact with image and non-image sections without changing focus between the sections, thereby allowing the user to be much more efficient in the use of the medical image review station. In one presently preferred embodiment, an image review station processor determines which operation should be performed based on a position of a displayed pointer, regardless of which section is under focus. In another presently preferred embodiment, a user interface device is dedicated to either an image or non-image section such that input from the dedicated user interface device will be applied to the corresponding section regardless of which section is in focus. In a third presently preferred embodiment, the processor determines what operation will be performed based on the type of command received by a voice recognition user interface device, regardless of which section is under focus.

Method and system for facilitating interaction between image and non-image sections displayed on an image review station such as an ultrasound image review station

The preferred embodiments described herein provide a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and method for network management. In one preferred embodiment, a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system network is presented comprising first and second medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems coupled with a processor. An error message is sent from the first medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system to the processor, and the processor automatically analyzes and responds to the error message. In another preferred embodiment, configuration information from the first and second medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems is sent to the processor. Based on the configuration information sent from the first medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system, the processor automatically selects a software application from a plurality of software applications and sends the selected software application to the first medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system.

Medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system and method for network management

The preferred embodiments include a method and system for simultaneously displaying diagnostic medical ultrasound image clips on one or more monitors without degradation in display frame rate. In one preferred embodiment, compressed ultrasound image frames are sent to a video display system for decompression. Because compressed image frames are sent, there is no degradation in frame rate caused by the bandwidth limitations of the CPU/video display system bus. Further, because the video display system decompress the compressed image frames faster than decompression software executed by a CPU, there is no degradation in frame rate caused by power limitations of the CPU. The video display system can also be used to control the frame rate, luminance, and size of individual ultrasound image clips. The preferred video display system described herein finds particular utility in ultrasound examinations performed in cardiac, radiological, obstetrical, and neo-natal ultrasound examinations.

Method and system for simultaneously displaying diagnostic medical ultrasound image clips

An ultrasound image information archiving system is provided for storing a reference copy of ultrasound image information. The system comprises a primary storage device, a secondary storage device, and control means for retrieving ultrasound image information, creating a reference copy of the ultrasound image information, and storing the reference copy in the secondary storage device. The system can be used in a method for storing a reference copy of ultrasound image information in which ultrasound image information is retrieved from a primary storage device and a reference copy of ultrasound image information is created and then stored in a secondary storage device. The system can also be used with a more general ultrasound image information archiving method.

Ultrasound image information archiving system

A system and method are provided to allow a user to control the appearance of a control region displayed along with a medical image on a medical device. In one preferred embodiment, when the user positions a pointer over a control region, the appearance of the control region ensures readability by a user. When the user positions the pointer away from the control region, the appearance of the control region changes to a less distracting form. In this way, control regions are made easy to read when a user is using the controls and are made less distracting when a user is viewing displayed medical images.

Method and system for changing the appearance of a control region of a

A system and method are provided for accessing stored ultrasound images and other digital medical images. A client application sends a request comprising information identifying a unique medical study to a server application. The information identifying a particular study can be in the form of a patient accession number and can be provided to the client application with a keyboard or an automatic information reader, such as a bar-code reader, a camera, or a voice recognition device. Upon receiving the request, the server application automatically sends the client application a digital medical image associated with the study. The client application then displays the digital medical image to the user.

Growing community of inventors

Saline, MI, United States of America

David A Rock