DEVICES AND METHODS FOR ULTRASOUND MONITORING
Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for portable medical ultrasound imaging. Preferred embodiments utilize a hand portable, battery powered system having a display and a user interface operative to control imaging and display operations. A keyboard control panel can be used alone or in combination with touchscreen controls to actuate a graphical user interface. The system includes a transducer assembly to image, measure and monitor a condition of a patient
1 . A portable medical ultrasound imaging device comprising:
a transducer probe housing a transducer array;
a transducer position control device to adjust a position of the transducer array to correspond to movements of the transducer probe including at least one of a rotation, rocking or tilting movement;
a portable housing, the housing having a computer in the housing, the computer including at least one processor and at least one memory, a display that displays an ultrasound image, the display positioned on the housing; and
an ultrasound beamformer processing circuit that receives image data from the transducer array, the ultrasound beamformer processing circuit being communicably connected to the computer.
2 . The device of claim 1 wherein the memory is a core memory and a graphics processor is connected to the core memory in the housing.
3 . The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer array comprises a biplane transducer array.
4 . The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer position control device comprises a plurality of linear actuators.
5 . The device of claim 1 further comprising a backplane on which the transducer position control device is mounted.
6 . The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer position control device includes at least three contact points to control a central axis beam control direction of the transducer array.
7 . The device of claim 1 wherein the display comprises a touchscreen.
8 . The device of claim 7 wherein the computer acts in response to an input from the touchscreen display.
9 . The device of claim 8 wherein the computer receives the input from the touchscreen display to control an operation of the transducer position control device.
10 . The device of claim 9 wherein the input corresponds to a press gesture against the touchscreen display.
11 . The device of claim 10 wherein the computer receives a second input from the touchscreen display to manually adjust a tilt angle.
12 . The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer array comprises a plurality of transducer arrays, each operated by a probe beamformer processing circuit in the portable housing that comprises a tablet.
13 . The device of claim 1 wherein the computer is programmed to control the transducer position control device.
14 . The device of claim 13 wherein the computer performs at least one measurement on the ultrasound image based at least in part on a first location of a first cursor on the display.
15 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the computer receives an input from a keyboard control panel or virtual control panel.
16 . The device of claim 1 wherein the display shows a first image of an organ and a second of the organ simultaneously, and wherein the transducer position control device simultaneously actuates a change in both the first image and the second image.
17 . The device of claim 1 wherein the transducer position control device comprises a MEMS actuator.
18 . A method for ultrasound monitoring of a patient comprising:
operating an ultrasound device wherein a computer controls an image processing operation including actuation of a transducer to generate images of a region of interest in a heart of a patient, the transducer being coupled to the patient to monitor a region of the heart of the patient during a monitoring period; and
actuating a transducer position control device in a transducer housing in which the transducer is mounted to adjust a direction of a beam transmission axis of the transducer in a tilting, rocking or rotation movement relative to the heart.
19 . The method of claim 18 wherein the transducer comprises a biplane probe that generates two images of the heart.
20 . The method of claim 19 wherein at least one image comprises a parasternal view of the heart.
21 . The method of claim 19 wherein a first image includes at least two chambers of the heart or at least four chambers of the heart.
22 . The method of claim 18 wherein the ultrasound device further comprises a tablet having a touchscreen display, a tilt control device being operable in response to a touch gesture on the touchscreen display.
23 . The method of claim 22 further comprising automatically controlling a tilt and rotation by adjusting a tilt angle and a rotation of the transducer during an ultrasound imaging procedure.
24 . The method of claim 21 further comprising coupling the transducer to the patient with a coupling element.