Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Bracco Suisse Sa

William Tao Shi

Jeffry E Powers

Ralf Seip

Shriram Sethuraman

Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon

Hua Xie

Faik Can Meral

Jochen Kruecker

Sheng-Wen Huang

Ameet Kumar Jain

Ajay Anand

Luis Felipe Gutierrez

Shiying Wang

Thanasis Loupas

Charles Tremblay-Darveau

Paul Sheeran

Vijay Thakur Shamdasani

Jean-Luc Francois-Marie Robert

Michalakis Averkiou

Christopher Stephen Hall

Man Nguyen

Jean-luc Robert

Claudia Errico

Pingkun Yan

Thomas Gauthier

Yannick Bohren

Emmanuel Jean-Marie Gaud

Theodore J Browning

Jean-Marc Paul Robert Hyvelin

Terrence James Sweeney

Shyam Bharat

Feng Yan

James Robertson Jago

Balasundar Iyyavu Raju

John Douglas Fraser

Jun Seob Shin

Marcel Arditi

Jingping Xu

Jean-Luc Robert

Seungsoo Kim

Kongkuo Lu

Carolina Amador Carrascal

Ladislav Jankovic

Evgeniy Leyvi

Jonathan Thomas Sutton

Sibo Li

Scott William Dianis

Chien Ting Chin

Balasundara I Raju

Helle Ullerup

Juliana Pauline Kelly

Jonathon Thomas Sutton

Sonia Souza

Sarah Rhoades Baxter

Francois Tranquart

Ebeline Bihel

Yao Wang

Maarten Johan Frido Rincker

Davy Maria Willibrordus Schaeken

Jeffry Earl Powers

Jean-Marc Paul Hyvelin

François Tranquart

Edward J Browning

Marcel Bohmer

Christopher Hall

Systems and methods for multi-level vascular imaging for construction and display of vasculature from large to small vessels and micro-vessels using a combination of varying resolution contrast enhanced ultrasound flow imaging modalities are disclosed. While one or more resolution flow imaging modes may be employed for imaging large to small vessels of a vascular tree within a large region of interest, a high resolution mode, such as super resolution imaging, constructed for delineation of the microvascular morphology and directional microcirculation is provided within one or more small ROIs placed in selected locations within the larger ROI.

Systems and methods for vascular imaging

Systems and methods for time-varying two-dimensional (2D) color maps for visualizing images or sequences of images are disclosed. The 2D color map may include brightness values of a hue corresponding to different intensities that changes over time. In some 2D color maps, the hue used for the intensity scale may change over time while the brightness of a pixel may not. In some 2D color maps, both the hue and the brightness may change relative to intensity over time.

Systems and methods for color mappings of contrast images

User feedback on acquisition of ultrasound data may be provided to a user. The feedback may indicate a quality of the acquisition and/or the reliability of the measurements calculated from the ultrasound data, for example, the volume flow measurements calculated from Doppler data. Various quality factors such as a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), motion, Doppler angle, vessel size, vessel depth, and/or variance in velocity values may be determined to provide an indication of quality of the acquisition. The quality factors may be provided individually or in combination. In some examples, one or more quantitative values of the quality factors may be provided. In some examples, one or more qualitative indications of the quality of the acquisition may be provided.

Apparatuses, systems and methods for providing acquisition feedback

The present disclosure describes ultrasound systems configured to perform microbubble-based contrast imaging with enhanced sensitivity. The systems can enhance echo signals derived from microbubbles while suppressing echo signals derived from tissue by detecting phase shifts exhibited by microbubbles in resonance. To detect the phase shifts, and thereby distinguish between microbubble-based signals and tissue-based signals, the systems can transmit a series of ultrasound pulses into a target region in accordance with a predefined sequence. The sequence can include an initiation pulse configured to stimulate microbubbles into nonlinear oscillation, a detection pulse configured to detect the nonlinear oscillation, and a summation pulse formed by transmitting an initiation pulse and detection pulse with a small time delay therebetween. A signal processor included in the system can determine phase shifts exhibited by the signals generated in response to the series of pulses and mask non-microbubble-based signals based on the magnitude of the detected phase shifts.

Microbubble-based contrast imaging using phase shift systems and methods

Various embodiments of the present disclosure include a thermal ablation probabilistic controller () employing an ablation probability model () trained to render a pixel ablation probability for each pixel of an ablation scan image illustrative of a static anatomical ablation. In operation, the thermal ablation probabilistic controller () spatially aligns a temporal sequence of ablation scan datasets representative of a dynamic anatomical ablation, and applies the ablation probability model () to the spatial alignment of the temporal sequence of ablation scan datasets to render the pixel ablation probability for each pixel of the ablation scan image illustrative of the static anatomical ablation.

Temporal mapping of thermal ablation areas

An ultrasound system produces maps of acoustic attenuation coefficients from B mode image signals. A plurality of maps located in different parallel and elevationally separated planes (A, B, C, D, E) are produced, then compounded in the elevation direction. Confidence maps may also be produced for one or more attenuation coefficient maps, and the confidence map displayed or its measures used to determine weighting for the compounding process. The compounding of elevationally separate planes improves attenuation coefficient estimation in the presence of blood vessels affecting the estimates in one or more of the planes.

Ultrasonic imaging of acoustic attenuation coefficients with elevation compounding

A therapeutic ultrasound method configured to adaptively transmit ultrasound pulses toward microbubbles in a treatment region to remove an occlusion is described. In some examples, the system may include a treatment pulse unit configured to transmit an ultrasound pulse to a treatment region of a subject, the treatment region including a plurality of microbubbles. An echo detection unit may be configured to receive one or more echoes responsive to the ultrasound pulse. In some examples, the method may also include a data processor configured to identify, using data associated with the echoes, at least one echo signature indicative of a dynamic state of the microbubbles in response to the ultrasound pulse. A controller may be configured to adjust one or more parameters of an additional ultrasound pulse transmitted to the treatment region via the treatment pulse unit based on the at least one echo signature.

Adaptive pulsing for sonothrombolysis treatment

A system for performing ablation includes an ablation device () configured to ablate tissue in accordance with control parameters and configured to make measurements during the ablation process. An imaging system () is configured to measure an elastographic related parameter to monitor ablation progress. A parameter estimation and monitoring module () is configured to receive the measurements from the ablation device and/or the elastographic related parameter to provide feedback to adaptively adjust imaging parameters of the imaging device at different times during an ablation process.

System and method for adaptive ablation and therapy based on elastography monitoring

The present disclosure describes ultrasound systems and methods configured to determine the elasticity of a target tissue. Systems can include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echoes responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward the tissue, which may include a region of increased stiffness. Systems can also include a beamformer configured to control the transducer to transmit a push pulse into the tissue, thereby generating a shear wave in the region of increased stiffness. The beamformer can be configured to control the transducer to emit tracking pulses adjacent to the push pulse. Systems can further include a processor configured to determine a displacement amplitude of the shear wave and based on the amplitude, generate a qualitative tissue elasticity map of the tissue. The processor can combine the qualitative map with a quantitative map of the same tissue, and based on the combination, determine a boundary of the region of increased stiffness.

Shear wave amplitude reconstruction for tissue elasticity monitoring and display

In an ultrasound imaging system which produces synthetically transmit focused images, the multiline signals used to form image scanlines are analyzed for speed of sound variation, and a mapof this variation is generated. In a preferred implementation, the phase discrepancy of the received multilines caused by speed of sound variation in the medium is estimated in the angular spectrum domain for the receive angular spectrum. Once the phase is estimated for all locations in an image, the differential phase between two points at the same lateral location, but different depth, is computed. This differential phase is proportional to the local speed of sound between the two points. A color-coded two- or three-dimensional mapis produced from these speed of sound estimates and presented to the user.

Synthetic transmit focusing ultrasound system with speed of sound mapping

A system for boundary identification includes a memory () to store shear wave displacements through a medium as a displacement field including a spatial component and a temporal component. A directional filter () filters the displacement field to provide a directional displacement field. A signal processing device () is coupled to the memory to execute a boundary estimator () to estimate a tissue boundary in a displayed image based upon a history of the directional displacement field accumulated over time.

Using reflected shear waves for monitoring lesion growth in thermal ablations

A therapeutic ultrasound system transmits a staggered or interleaved pattern of therapy beams for use in sonothrombolysis and other Vascular Acoustic Resonators (VAR) mediated therapy. The inventive technique minimizes VAR, e.g. microbubble, destruction due to adjacent beams, ensures uniform sonication of the targeted region by filling in the spaces between the beams in subsequent passes, and further provides a means for bubble replenishment to maximize the clot lysis from ultrasound. The technique is also applicable to diagnostic ultrasound, VAR mediated drug delivery and blood brain barrier opening.

Interleaved beam pattern for sonothhrombolysis and other vascular acoustic resonator mediated therapies

The present disclosure describes a therapeutic ultrasound system configured to adaptively transmit ultrasound pulses toward microbubbles in a treatment region to remove an occlusion. In some examples, the system may include a treatment pulse unit configured to transmit an ultrasound pulse to a treatment region of a subject, the treatment region including a plurality of microbubbles. An echo detection unit may be configured to receive one or more echoes responsive to the ultra sound pulse. In some examples, the system may also include a data processor configured to identify, using data associated with the echoes, at least one echo signature indicative of a dynamic state of the microbubbles in response to the ultrasound pulse. A controller may be configured to adjust one or more parameters of an additional ultrasound pulse transmitted to the treatment region via the treatment pulse unit based on the at least one echo signature.

An apparatus for patient-specific adjusting of ultrasound output pressure includes a controller () configured for adjusting, based on an estimate of thickness of a temporal bone () in a head of a medical treatment recipient, a pressure setting. It may also be based on treatment depth (). Ultrasound at the adjusted pressure setting is applied. A user interface may be provided for user entry of the estimate, the user interface being further configured for user indication of the treatment depth. Both the entered estimate and the indicated treatment depth may be used in calculating ultrasound attenuation (). The user indication can be interactive by virtue of designating, on a display, a location of a treatment target. The calculated attenuation may be a value, in decibels, that is in a range from 0.9&#xd7;(2.70&#xd7;0.1+16.60&#xd7;T+0.87&#xd7;(D&#x2212;T&#x2212;0.1)+3.02) to 1.1&#xd7;(2.70&#xd7;0.1+16.60&#xd7;T+0.87&#xd7;(D&#x2212;T&#x2212;0.1)+3.02), where T is the estimate in centimeters and D is the treatment depth in centimeters.

Setting of sonothromobolysis ultrasound output power

Growing community of inventors

Wakefield, MA, United States of America

William Tao Shi