Other

Volumetrics Medical Imaging, Inc.

John T Oxaal

Robert S Smith

Olaf T Von Ramm

Donald Kent McAlister

Richard L Holloway

David W Smith

Paul John Hilts

Ronald E Hileman

John J Stefanski

David M Blaker

John A Schachte

Norman J Bennett

Olaf T Van Ramm

Steve Moore

A volumetric ultrasound system is used to determine the velocity of tissue using 3D echo data. In particular, the velocity of tissue in a 3D volume is determined by steering ultrasound beams to the tissue in the 3D volume and forming 3D echo data from receive ultrasound beams formed from reflections of the steered ultrasound beams from the tissue in the 3D volume. The velocity of the tissue associated with the 3D echo data can be determined using velocity determination techniques. The velocity of the tissue can be displayed in real-time. For example, in one embodiment, a sub-volume of the 3D volume can be scanned and the determined velocity of the tissue displayed in about 50 milliseconds (ms).

Methods and systems for determining velocity of tissue using three dimensional ultrasound data

An apparatus and method for injecting a drug into a precisely selected location in a patient's body which is a combination scanner and drug injector. The scanner is a planar array of ultrasonic transducers which transmits a focused ultrasonic beam over the entire region of interest. The injector is preferably a hypodermic syringe mounted with the array on a base. The syringe is mounted to slide between one position where the injector conduit is retracted from the patient and another position where the adjustably positioned exit end of the conduit is in the desired location for injection of the drug. As the operator holds the scanner-injector against the patient's body with injector conduit retracted, he views on a monitor screen a virtual image of the conduit which is the image of the conduit after the conduit is injected into the body. The operator electronically adjusts the length of the virtual image and adjusts the position of the scanner-injector so that the exit tip of the virtual image is located at the desired location of the image of the region on the screen. Then the conduit is inserted into the body up to a length where the exit tip of the injector is at the desired location. Then the drug is injected into the patient. In another application of the apparatus and methods of the invention, a vacuum source is attached to the injector conduit and the device is used to aspirate fluids. instead of a drug In another embodiment, a portion of the ukltrasonic beam is focused on the region of interest before and during insertion of the conduit and drug to facilitate entry of the drug into the region of interest.

Ultrasound image assisted administering of medication

A high speed method for presenting display of images obtained from a volumetric scanner in which multiple slices of object space are displayed simultaneously in real time thereby enabling a viewer to study relationships between various parts of the object. The slices are selectable by the viewer manipulating an icon on the display screen. Accordingly C-scans or B scans may be selected as well as I scans in which the scan plane has a selected orientation. Multiple I scans may be selected and viewed in perspective so that the viewer has an impression of a three dimensional display. Color and spectral doppler is incorporated with the scans to provide additional information of dynamic properties.

High speed volumetric ultrasound imaging system

Growing community of inventors

Bahama, NC, United States of America

John T Oxaal