Image guidance plays a central role in minimally invasive fetal surgery such as photocoagulation of inter-twin placental anastomosing vessels to treat twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS). Fetoscopic guidance provides insufficient sensitivity for imaging the vasculature that lies beneath the fetal placental surface due to strong light scattering in biological tissues. Incomplete photocoagul...

We have developed a miniature integrated optical coherence tomography (OCT) ultrasound (US) probing system for intravascular imaging applications. In the OCT probe, the light coming out of a single mode fiber is focused by a gradient-index lens and then reflected by a right-angle prism from the side of the probe into the sample. It was combined with a 35 MHz PMN-PT side-viewing ultrasound trans...

conclusions lidocaine-meperidine-diltiazem gel provides significantly better pain control than lidocaine-diltiazem gel and lidocaine gel alone during transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy and probe insertion. this mixture gel is safe, easy to administer and well accepted by patients. results the mean of visual analog pain scale was 4.5 in group a, 3.5 in group b, and 2.0 in group c duri...

Ultrasound probe localization with respect to the patient's body is essential for freehand three-dimensional ultrasound and image-guided intervention. However, current methods for probe localization generally involve bulky and expensive equipment. In this paper, a highly cost-effective and miniature-mobile system is described for 6-DoF probe localization that is robust to rigid patient motion. ...

Laparoscopic surgery is performed through small incisions that limit free sight and possibility to palpate organs. Although endoscopes provide an overview of organs inside the body, information beyond the surface of the organs is missing. Ultrasound can provide real-time essential information of inside organs, which is valuable for increased safety and accuracy in guidance of procedures. We hav...

Cutaneous ultrasound imaging has recently gained ground in dermatology as it has in other specialties (urology, rheumatology, and anesthesiology, for example). Already available to dermatologists in some centers, this tool provides images that can complement the clinical visit, whether for diagnosis or following a patient’s response to a course of treatment. When ultrasound waves emitted by a t...

Ultrasound image guidance is widely used in minimally invasive procedures, including fetal surgery. In this context, maintaining visibility of medical devices is a significant challenge. Needles and catheters can readily deviate from the ultrasound imaging plane as they are inserted. When the medical device tips are not visible, they can damage critical structures, with potentially profound con...

Ultrasound probes are usually in a direct contact with the skin when used for detecting pathologic abnormalities. The probe could be a vector of bacterial transmission, but there have been few studies on this topic.We have made such studies, briefly reviewing 1)the conditions governing a possible bacterial transmission by probe, 2) the deterioration of an ultrasound probe by alcohol disinfectio...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Carotid artery plaque ulceration is associated with an increased risk of cerebral embolism. However, because of the rather poor diagnostic quality of conventional 2-D ultrasound and angiography compared with the evaluation of pathological specimens, little information exists on the natural course of carotid plaque ulceration. Recently, the introduction of 3-D ultrasound h...

BACKGROUND Three-dimensional ultrasound (3D-US) is used in planning and treatment during external beam radiotherapy. The accuracy of the technique depends not only on the achievable image quality in clinical routine, but also on technical limitations of achievable precision during calibration. Refraction of ultrasound waves is a known source for geometric distortion, but such an effect was not ...