Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.V.

Nxp B.v.

Philips Electronics North America Corporation

U.S. Philips Corporation

North American Philips Corporation

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.v.

John Petruzzello

Theodore James Letavic

Ajay Anand

Rajendra Singh Sisodia

Shiwei Zhou

Pallavi Vajinepalli

Celine Firtion

Lalit Gupta

Benoit Dufort

Ramon Quido Erkamp

John Douglas Fraser

Shriram Sethuraman

Nagaraju Bussa

Krishnamoorthy Palanisamy

James M Gaines

Ganesan Ramachandran

Vikram Basawaraj Patil Okaly

Mark Simpson

Shankar Mosur Venkatesan

Helen Frances Routh

Shervin Ayati

Sushanth Govinahallisathyanarayana

Balasundar Iyyavu Raju

Kevin W Haberern

Yinan Chen

Piotr M Mensz

Weijia Lu

Jianyi Zhong

J Van Zwol

Thomas M Marshall

Ronald R Drenten

Sushanth Govinahalli Sathyanarayana

Helen Routh

John Fraser

A method for aligning spatially different subvolumes of ultrasonic data of a blood vessel comprising: acquiring temporally discrete signals of a blood vessel with elements of a two dimensional array of ultrasonic transducer elements from spatially different depths of scanning opposed by each transducer element, said array being located in a first position with respect to the blood vessel during the acquiring; Doppler processing the temporally discrete signals received from each transducer element to produce spectral Doppler data of the scanning depth opposed by each transducer element; producing a first three dimensional map of the spectral Doppler data in spatial relationship to the position of the array with respect to the blood vessel; acquiring temporally discrete signals of the blood vessel with elements of the two dimensional array of ultrasonic transducer elements from spatially different depths of scanning opposed by each transducer element, said array being located in a second position with respect to the blood vessel during the acquiring; Doppler processing the temporally discrete signals received from each transducer element to produce spectral Doppler data of the scanning depth opposed by each transducer element; producing a second three dimensional map of the spectral Doppler data in spatial relationship to the position of the array with respect to the blood vessel; aligning the first three dimensional map with the second three dimensional map on the basis of one or more regions of matching spectral Doppler data of the two map; and producing a combined three dimension map of the blood flow of the vessel from the aligned first and second three dimensional maps.

Method for aligning spatially different subvolumes of ultrasonic data of a blood vessel

A non-imaging diagnostic ultrasound system for carotid artery diagnosis has a two dimensional array probe () with a low element count and relatively large element size which can cover an area of the carotid artery at its bifurcation. The elements are operated independently with no phasing, and detect Doppler flow spatially beneath each element. The system produces maps of carotid blood flow in two or three dimensions and can assemble an extended view of the flow by matching segments of the carotid flow as the probe is moved over the vessel. Once the carotid artery has been localized, the degree of stenosis is assessed by automated measurements of peak systolic velocity and blood flow turbulence.

System for automated screening of carotid stenosis

A diagnostic ultrasound system for carotid artery diagnosis has a two dimensional array probe with a low element count and relatively large element size which can cover an area of the carotid artery at its bifurcation. The elements are operated independently with no phasing, and detect Doppler flow spatially beneath each element. The system produces maps of carotid blood flow in two or three dimensions and can assemble an extended view of the flow by matching segments of the carotid flow as the probe is moved over the vessel. Once the carotid artery has been localized, the degree of stenosis is assessed by automated measurements of peak systolic velocity and blood flow turbulence.

Doppler ultrasound system for diagnosing carotid stenosis

Dynamically identifying a stationary body of fluid () within a test volume by scanning within the volume can entail using a first part of a pulse sequence to acoustically interrogate a region within the volume to detect pre-existing movement () and, via a separate acoustic interrogation constituting the second part of the pulse sequence, acoustically interrogating the region to distinguish solid from fluid. The scanning is with both interrogations as a unit, so as to span the volume with the interrogations. The body is identified, dynamically based on an outcome of the interrogations. The scanning may span, for the identifying, a current field of view (), including normal tissue, within an imaging subject. The procedure, from scanning to identifying, may be performed automatically and without need for user intervention, although the user can optionally change the field of view to further search for stationary fluid.

Scanning to identify and delimit stationary fluid pools

Disclosed is an ultrasound device for measuring blood flow velocity in a blood vessel of a subject without imaging functionality in the device. The measurement depends upon reflections of a collimated beam of ultrasound from a subject's body part. Received electrical signals representative of the reflected ultrasound energy is used for generating a representation of blood flow at a plurality of predetermined locations in the volume and calculating a first blood flow velocity at each of the locations. The representation of flow is used for delineating the blood flow in the blood vessel in the volume. An angle calculating unit calculates the Doppler angle between the direction of the radiated collimated beam in the delineated blood flow at each point. A velocity calculator calculates a second blood flow velocity at the plurality of points based on the calculated first velocities and the calculated angle at the point.

Method and apparatus for automated ultrasonic doppler angle and flow velocity estimation

A device is configured for interrogating a blood vessel to derive flow characteristics (S) and for, responsive to the deriving and based on the derived characteristics, anatomically identifying the vessel. A spatial map of the vessels may be generated based on the interrogating, and specifically the Doppler power computed from data acquired in the interrogating. Subsequent interrogating (S) may occur, based on the map and on a user-selected set of vessels and/or vessel categories, to derive clinical Doppler indices. The device can be designed to automatically set a sample volume () for the subsequent interrogating, and to operate automatically from the user selection to display of the indices. The display may further include an image () of the vessels summoned by the set, annotated by their individual anatomical names, and optionally a diagnosis relating to blood flow. The displayed image may be enlarged to zoom in on the user's onscreen selection. The device may feature a two-dimensional ultrasound non-phased array of transducer elements.

Automatic blood vessel identification by name

An occlusion and/or reopening of an artery of a body caused by a changing pressure applied on the artery is detected. The systolic blood pressure of an artery of a body is also measured. A Doppler Ultrasound transducer attached to the exterior of the body outputs a blood flow signal indicative of a change of the blood flow in the artery caused by the changing pressure. At least one variable of a first variable indicative of the magnitude of the blood flow and a second variable indicative of the periodicity of the blood flow is derived from the blood flow signal. The occlusion and/or reopening of the artery is detected on the basis of the at least one variable. In this way, the occlusion/reopening of the artery can be detected automatically. Since the need to manually detect the occlusion and reopening of the artery by listening with a stethoscope or a Doppler probe is eliminated, the detecting result is more predictable and repeatable, and therefore also more accurate.

Method and device for detecting occlusion/reopening of an artery and system for measuring systolic blood pressure

A device images time-wise in parallel using transducer elements of a group. The elements are of a current group and imaging is time-wise sequential by group. The groups may be spatially disposed with respect to each other so as to mutually intermesh element-wise. The imaging may include volumetric imaging. The device may be configured for not collectively using any of the elements to focus, nor to steer, a beam used in the imaging. The device may further be operable to transition between spacing states at least one of which is characterized by a respective minimum, nonzero, degree of intra-group, element-to-element non-adjacency, or may be fixed at a selected spacing state. The transitioning may be automatic, in response to input indicative of blood vessel size and/or depth.

Excitation schemes for low-cost transducer arrays

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for tracking and guiding high intensity focused ultrasound beams (HIFU). More particularly, the disclosed systems and methods involve use of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging to detect the focal position of an HIFU capable transducer relative to a target area. The focal position may then be 5 compared to a desired treatment location and the orientation and focus of the transducer may be adjusted accordingly so as to reconfigure and/or refocus the HIFU beam relative to the desired treatment location. The desired treatment location may be dynamically determined using bleed detection and localization (BD&L) techniques. Thus, the desired treatment location may be determined using 3D Doppler ultrasound based techniques, wherein changes in quantitative 10 parameters extracted from the Doppler spectra, e.g., Resistance Index (RI), are used to detect and localize a bleeding site for treatment.

Systems and methods for tracking and guiding high intensity focused ultrasound beams

An automatic, stand-alone, hand-held ultrasound blood-vessel examination device includes a reduced number of transducer elements and presents a simplified user interface, without the need for displaying an image of any of the vessels. The probe, in one embodiment, acquires and examines a volume of interest, searches for a target vessel, tests the vessel for normality of blood flow, and reports the diagnosis, all automatically and without need for user intervention. In another embodiment, the probe finds a body vessel in a volume, and extracts a clinical Doppler parameter, all automatically and without need for user intervention.

Automated doppler velocimetry using a low-cost transducer

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

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

An ultrasonic diagnostic and therapy system is described for stopping the bleeding of severely damaged bloodvessels 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.

A vertically oriented self terminating semiconductor device such as a discrete trench MOS device () that includes a cylindrical drift region () that extend downward from a surface region to a substrate () and a dielectric region () that exponentially tapers outward from the cylindrical drift region as the drift region approaches the substrate. A field plate electrode () is disposed on the dielectric region. Alternatively, the gate electrode () may be disposed on the dielectric region, optionally with an underlying field plate electrode ().

Semiconductor device structure with a tapered field plate and cylindrical drift region geometry

The present invention provides a vertical tapered dielectric high-voltage device () in which the device drift region is depicted by action of MOS field plates () formed in vertical trenches. The high-voltage device comprises: a substrate (); a silicon mesa () formed on the substrate and having a stripe geometry, wherein the silicon mesa provides a drift region having a constant doping profile; a recessed gate () and source (SN) formed on the silicon mesa; a trench () adjacent each side of the silicon mesa; and a metal-dielectric field plate structure () formed in each trench; wherein each metal-dielectric field plate structure comprises a dielectric () and a metal field plate () formed over the dielectric, and wherein a thickness of the dielectric increases linearly through a depth of the trench to provide a constant longitudinal electric field.

Growing community of inventors

Carmel, NY, United States of America

John Petruzzello