Ultrasound in Research
Tools and technologies for medical research
Who are we?
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Company founded in 2000
Primary goal to build a commercial/clinical ultrasound
scanner leveraging PC technology
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Use the x86 platform to rapidly develop and deliver new
technologies and provide and provide an openarchitecture tool for research
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Develop all: electronics, software, mechanical design
Ultrasonix Medical Corporation
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Traditional Research
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Access limited to “bitmap” images
Frame grabbers used to capture analog signals for video
images
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Lots of equipment required: digitizers, oscilloscopes, etc.
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Analog channel for capturing radio-frequency (RF) signal
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Older scanners were
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Expensive
Large
Difficult to work with
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Modern Research
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Digitized data at high sampling rates
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Images in multiple raw formats
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8/16 bit grey-scale
Doppler data (velocity/direction/power)
Strain data
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RF data stream accessed programmatically
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Advantages
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Greater access
Simpler
Better quality
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Open Architecture
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ASIC vs Programmable
Less expensive long-term
Locked to algorithms
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Cannot reprogram
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Faster to end-of-life
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Quicker to market – no high up
front costs
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Adaptive to new technologies
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Programmable in real-time
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Upgrades to older devices
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Open Architecture
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Processing / signal chain
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+
Ultrasonix Medical Corporation
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Open Architecture
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Software Programmability
Conventional
Programmable
Sequencing
Transmission
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Elastography
• Real-time imaging mode
for looking at relative
stiffness
• One of the largest
growing research areas in
ultrasound
• Future of technology
– Absolute stiffness
– Biopsy reduction
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Virtual Biopsy
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Uses known frequency vibrations to measure tissue stiffness
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Special transducers for enabling vibrations
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Spatial Tracking
Needle Guidance
Using EM sensing to guide user
Taking out the Guesswork
- Less chance to redo insertion
- Less risk for infection
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Fusion Systems
Combination of ultrasound registered
to MR/CT/PET
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Vascular Measurements
Makes use of sequencing and transmit control
to enhance the way blood flow measurements
are made
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Other Applications
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Beamforming / signal processing algorithms
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Transducer prototyping
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Ablation or HIFU guidance
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Contrast agents
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Photoacoustics
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Open Platform
Composition
• Internal parameter control
• Access to data
– Post Scan
– Real-time
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Control of transmit
Control of beam sequencing
Transducer neutral
Software toolkits
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