Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

Atl Ultrasound, Inc.

Advanced Technology Laboratories, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips Ultrasound N.v.

John Douglas Fraser

Jeffry E Powers

Michalakis Averkiou

Mareike K Klee

David N Roundhill

Brent Stephen Robinson

Clifford R Cooley

Hua Xie

John Petruzzello

Robert Randall Entrekin

Gary Allen Schwartz

Georg Schmitz

Matthew Bruce

Danny M Skyba

Ronald Dekker

Peter Dirksen

Andrew Lee Robinson

Hans-Peter Loebl

Vincent Adrianus Henneken

Bout Marcelis

Benoit Dufort

Helen Frances Routh

Tilman Ulrich Schlenker

Adriaan Leeuwestein

Shervin Ayati

Olaf Dannappel

Patrick Ren&eacute; Pesque

Sherry Powell

Loc Nguyen

Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon

Theodore James Letavic

Mckee Dunn Poland

Jozef Thomas Martinus Van Beek

Vijay Thakur Shamdasani

Klaus Reimann

William Tao Shi

Ralf Seip

Shiwei Zhou

David W Rust

Jean-Luc Robert

Roy B Peterson

Anthony M Gades

Aarnoud Laurens Roest

Timothy Fred Nordgren

Dino Francesco Cuscuna

Christopher William Fleming

Richard Davidsen

George P Gruner

Martha Wilson

Tracy C Brechbiel

James Michael Gilmore

David Chang Garner

David Garner

Patrick Rene' Pesque

Timothy R Savage

Kevin Appareti

Denise Marie Haley

David Rust

Denise Haley

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system for shear wave measurement transmits push pulses into tissue for the generation of shear waves. Characteristics of the shear waves such as their velocity of passage through the tissue are measured to assess properties such as tissue stiffness. The measurements are compensated for effects of background motion by sampling echo signals from the tissue at different times and comparing the samples to detect the presence of relative motion between the ultrasound probe and the region of interest where shear waves are detected. Sensed background motion is used to adjust measured shear wave characteristics.

Adjusting measurements of the effects of acoustic radiation force for background motion effects

An apparatus for ultrasound irradiation of a body part () includes a first ultrasound transducer (), and a second ultrasound transducer () mounted oppositely, and is configured: a) such that at least two ultrasound receiving elements, for determining a relative orientation of the first to the second transducer, are attached to the first transducer; b) for a beam, from the first transducer, causing cavitation, and/or bubble destruction of systemically circulating microbubbles, within the body part; or c) both with the attached elements and for the causing. The apparatus registers, with said first transducer, the second transducer, by using as a reference respectively the features a) and/or b). A detachable subsystem includes either a therapy or imaging transducer, to form a combination imaging and therapy system, the subsystem being configured for removable coupling to correspondingly an imaging or therapy subsystem comprising a head frame () to which is mounted an imaging or therapy transducer, the imaging or therapy subsystem for registering the imaging or therapy transducer, one to the other, by the above method.

Transducer placement and registration for image-guided sonothrombolysis

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system for shear wave measurement transmits push pulses in the form of a sheet of energy. The sheet of energy produces a shear wavefront which is a plane wave, which does not suffer from the 1/R radial dissipation of push pulse force as does a conventional push pulse generated along a single push pulse vector. The sheet of energy can be planar, curved, or in some other two or three dimensional shape. A curved sheet of energy can produce a shear wave source which focuses into a thin line, which increases the resolution and sensitivity of the measuring techniques used to detect the shear wave effect.

Ultrasonic acoustic radiation force excitation for ultrasonic material property measurement and imaging

The present invention relates to a pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell () comprising a substrate () comprising a first electrode (), a membrane () comprising a second electrode (), wherein the cell has an outer region () where the membrane () is mounted to the substrate () and an inner region () inside or surrounded by the outer region (), wherein the membrane () is collapsed to the substrate () in a first collapsed annular-shaped region () located within the inner region ().

Pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell with annular-shaped collapsed region

A magnetic connection system suitable for use with a wireless ultrasound probe which utilizes a plurality of magnets to facilitate coupling between said probe and a diagnostic or clinical device in a manner which minimizes the effects of stray magnetic fields on the device.

Magnetic diagnostic probe connector system

The present invention relates to a pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell () comprising a substrate (), and a membrane () disposed above a total membrane area (Atotal), wherein a cavity () is formed between the membrane () and the substrate (), the membrane comprising a hole () and an edge portion () surrounding the hole (). The cell () further comprises a stress layer () on the membrane (), the stress layer () having a predetermined stress value with respect to the membrane (), the stress layer () being adapted to provide a bending moment on the membrane () in a direction towards the substrate () such that the edge portion () of the membrane () is collapsed to the substrate (). The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell ().

Pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell with stress layer

A combined ultrasound imaging and therapy transducer () includes a linear array of imaging transducer elements (). First and second linear arrays of therapy transducer elements () extend longitudinally along respective first and second sides of the imaging transducer elements and are canted inwardly toward each other. The imaging and therapy transducer is used with an ultrasound imaging system to locate clots in a region of interest. After the region of interest has been perfused with a microbubble contrast agent, the therapy transducer elements are driven by an amplifier located in the transducer to dissolve the clot. The use of the imaging transducer elements and the therapy transducer elements can be interleaved so that the therapy can be conditioned on an ultrasound image showing substantial destruction of the contrast agent microbubbles, re-perfusion of microbubbles in the region of interest, or the continued presence of the clot.

Combination imaging and therapy transducer with therapy transducer amplifier

The present invention relates to a pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell () comprising a substrate (), and a membrane () disposed above a total membrane area ((A), wherein a cavity () is formed between the membrane () and the substrate (), the membrane () comprising a hole () and an edge portion () surrounding the hole (), the edge portion () of the membrane () being collapsed to the substrate (). The cell further comprises a plug () arranged in the hole () of the membrane (), the plug () being located only in a subarea (A) of the total membrane area (A). The present invention further relates to a method of manufacturing such pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell ().

Pre-collapsed capacitive micro-machined transducer cell with plug

A transducer array of micromachined ultrasonic transducer elements is connected to a microbeamformer. Driver circuits of the microbeamformer have a first output coupled to a first electrode of a respective transducer element and a second output coupled to a second electrode of the respective transducer element. The driver circuits apply first and second time varying voltage signals to the electrodes, with one voltage signal being time inverted relative to the other. The peak-to-peak voltage applied to the transducer element is 1.75 to 2.0 times the peak-to-peak voltage of either the first or the second time varying voltage signal.

Ultrasound transducer arrays

A capacitive ultrasound transducer capable of operation in collapsed mode either with a reduced bias voltage, or with no bias voltage, is provided. The transducer includes a substrate that is contoured so that a middle region of the flexible membrane is collapsed against the substrate in the absence of a bias voltage. A non-collapsible gap may exists between the substrate and peripheral regions of the flexible membrane. The contour of the substrate may be such as to strain the flexible membrane past the point of collapse, or to mechanically interfere with the flexible membrane. The substrate may include a further membrane disposed beneath the flexible membrane, the further membrane being contoured so that the flexible membrane is collapsed against it. The substrate may a support disposed beneath the further membrane to deflect a corresponding portion of the further membrane upward toward the flexible membrane. The support may be a post. The transducer may be operated in collapse mode with an improved efficiency (k) as compared to otherwise similar conventional transducers exhibiting comparably uncontoured substrates. A related medical imaging system is provided, which may include an array of such transducers disposed on a common substrate. A method of operating such a transducer is provided that includes operating the transducer in the collapse mode in the absence of a bias voltage.

Collapsed mode operable cMUT including contoured substrate

The appliance includes an appliance body () as well as a system for producing microbubbles () and a system for producing an ultrasound signal beam () in a frequency range which activates at least some of the microbubbles. The appliance includes at least one of the following: (a) an array of ultrasound transducer elements () which produce a plurality of ultrasound signal beams; (b) an amplitude modulation assembly () for modulating the amplitude of the ultrasound signal; and (c) a frequency modulation system () for changing the frequency of the ultrasound signals over a selected range, to impact a range of microbubble sizes.

Ultrasonic teeth cleaning appliance having spatial, temporal and/or frequency variations

A wireless ultrasound probe has a probe case enclosing a transducer array, an acquisition circuit, a transceiver and a battery. The probe also includes a loudspeaker which produces audible sounds as a function of the range between the wireless probe and a host system. When the probe is within a near field range of the host system, the loudspeaker is silent. But if the probe is moved to an intermediate or a far field range from the host system, the loudspeaker sounds an alert. This audible alert can be used to locate the probe by transmitting a paging signal which, upon reception by the probe, causes the probe to sound its alert. If the probe is moved to an unauthorized location where it is within range of a transmitter or receiver, the reception of a signal by the probe, the transmitter, or receiver will sound an alert signaling the unauthorized presence of the wireless probe.

Wireless ultrasound probe asset tracking

An ultrasonic diagnostic and therapy system is described for stopping the bleeding of severely damaged blood vessels or vessels severed in a limb amputation. A cuff is attached to the stump of the severed limb which contains a diagnostic transducer array and a HIFU transducer. The diagnostic transducer surveys the tissue of the severed limb, searching for a Doppler flow signal. When a Doppler flow signal is detected, the range to and coordinates of the sample volume where the flow was detected are determined, as well as the flow velocity. This information is supplied to a HIFU therapy transducer controller, which controls the HIFU transducer to transmit focused ultrasound to the sample volume of the flow locus, the center of the lumen of a blood vessel. The focused ultrasound heats and coagulates blood in the severed vessel to stem the bleeding. Heat dissipation due to the blood flow is reduced by tracking and continuously heating the same bolus of blood as it flows, or by heating a significant length of the blood vessel instead of a fixed spot in the vessel.

Method and apparatus for guidance and application of high intensity focused ultrasound for control of bleeding due to severed limbs

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Woodinville, WA, United States of America

John Douglas Fraser