General Electric Company

Klaus Pintoffl

Christian Fritz Perrey

Walter Duda

Lucienne Van Der Veen

Simon Scharinger

Walter Duda, Jr

Francesca Patruno

Daniel John Buckton

Nitin Singhal

Kajoli Banerjee Krishnan

Karl-Heinz Lumpi

Jos Stas

A method and ultrasound imaging system includes displaying a plurality of steps of a workflow on a touchscreen, graphically indicating one of the plurality of steps in the workflow, displaying a text instruction describing the one of the steps in the workflow on the touchscreen at the same time as displaying the plurality of steps, and displaying an ultrasound image on the main display at the same time as displaying the plurality of steps and the text description on the touchscreen. The method and system includes implementing the step described in the text instruction on the ultrasound image displayed on a main display.

Ultrasound imaging system and method

An ultrasound device performs a two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound scan to acquire a plurality of 2D images based on 2D ultrasound scan parameters. The ultrasound system stops the 2D ultrasound scan in response to an instruction received by a processor of the ultrasound system. The ultrasound device performs a thin slice volume ultrasound scan in response to the instruction to acquire a thin slice volume. The thin slice volume includes a last acquired 2D image of the 2D ultrasound scan and one or more 2D images adjacent to the last acquired 2D image. The ultrasound system identifies at least one representative plane from the thin slice volume. The ultrasound system displays the identified at least one representative plane at a display system.

Method and system for acquisition, enhanced visualization, and selection of a representative plane of a thin slice ultrasound image volume

A method and system for analyzing cardiac periodicity includes a processor, a display device, and a probe. The method and system includes acquiring ultrasound data from cardiac tissue with the probe, generating an m-mode image from the ultrasound data with the processor, displaying the m-mode image on the display device, selecting a portion of the m-mode image exhibiting periodic motion, analyzing the portion of the m-mode image with the processor to determine a cardiac periodicity, and displaying a graphical representation of the cardiac periodicity on the display device.

Ultrasound system and method for analyzing cardiac periodicity

An ultrasound probe acquires ultrasound images at different directions, such as by performing beam steering. A processor analyzes the ultrasound images to detect acoustic shadow artifacts. The processor marks the acoustic shadow artifacts detected in one or more regions of one or more of the analyzed ultrasound images. The processor constructs a compound image based on unmarked regions of the analyzed ultrasound images. The processor presents the constructed compound image at a display system. The processor applies an image recognition technique to identify whether a region of an ultrasound image includes a dark area. The processor compares image data of the region corresponding with a same location in each of the ultrasound images and detects the acoustic shadow artifacts in the region having the identified dark area if at least one of the analyzed ultrasound images does not include the dark area at the region corresponding with the same location.

Method and system for enhanced ultrasound image visualization by detecting and replacing acoustic shadow artifacts

A method for automatically monitoring fetal head descent in a birth canal is presented. The method includes segmenting each image in one or more images into a plurality of neighborhood components, determining a cost function corresponding to each neighborhood component in the plurality of neighborhood components in each of the one or more images, identifying at least two structures of interest in each image in the one or more images based on the cost function, wherein the at least two structures of interest include a pubic ramus and a fetal head, measuring an angle of progression based on the at least two structures of interest, and determining the fetal head descent in the birth canal based on the angle of progression.

System and method for automated monitoring of fetal head descent during labor

Various embodiments include a system and method that provide fetal visualization. The method can include acquiring, by an ultrasound system, ultrasound data for a region of interest. The method may include computing, by a processor of the ultrasound system, a fetal measurement based on the acquired ultrasound data. The method can include generating, by the processor, a graphical model based on one or more of the fetal measurement and the acquired ultrasound data. The method may include displaying, at a display system, the computed fetal measurement and the generated graphical model.

Method and system for fetal visualization by computing and displaying an ultrasound measurement and graphical model

A processor receives a selection of an image display mode via a user input device. The image display mode defines a number of medical images for display. The processor configures a surface of a touch panel user input device to define a plurality of fields. Each of the plurality of fields corresponds with a different one of the medical images. The processor receives an input, via the touch panel user input device, which selects one of the plurality of fields of the surface of the touch panel user input device and commands the processor to manipulate a medical image corresponding with the selected one of the plurality of fields. The processor manipulates at least the medical image corresponding with the selected one of the plurality of fields at one or more display devices based at least in part on the input.

Method and system for enhanced visualization and navigation of three dimensional and four dimensional medical images

A processor identifies a curved structure in three-dimensional medical image data. The processor selects a plane in the three-dimensional medical image data based at least in part on the identified curved structure. The processor defines a curved image slice in the selected plane based at least in part on the identified curved structure. The curved image slice may be defined by drawing a pair of curved lines on opposite sides of the identified curved structure in the selected plane. The distance between the pair of curved lines may define a thickness of the curved image slice. The processor generates a rendered image of the defined curved image slice. The rendered image may be generally perpendicular to the selected plane. The rendered image and/or the selected plane having the pair of curved lines superimposed on opposite sides of the identified curved structure may be presented at a display system.

Method and system for enhanced visualization of a curved structure by automatically displaying a rendered view of a curved image slice

A processor identifies a first set of characteristic models of a structure in cross-plane images acquired at a first acquisition period. The processor identifies a second set of characteristic models of the structure in cross-plane images acquired at a second subsequent acquisition period. The processor determines an amount of rotation of the structure based at least in part on a difference in shape of the first set of characteristic models and the second set of characteristic models. The system and method may include determining a labor progress based at least in part on the determined amount of rotation of the structure. The structure may be a fetal head. The cross-plane images acquired at the first acquisition period may be acquired simultaneously by a single ultrasound device. The cross-plane images acquired at the second subsequent acquisition period may be acquired simultaneously by a single ultrasound device.

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Oberosterreich, Austria

Klaus Pintoffl