Patrick G Rafter

6425869, Jul 30, 2002

Jul 18, 2000

09/618350

Patrick G Rafter - Windham NH
Jodi Lisa Tuck Perry - Methuen MA
Jie Chen - North Andover MA

Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. - Eindhoven

A61B 814

600458

A system and method for ultrasonic harmonic imaging of both tissue and tissue perfused with a contrast agent are disclosed. The ultrasonic harmonic imaging system comprises a wideband phased-array transducer, a transmitter for transmitting waves into the tissue, a receiver for receiving ultrasonic responses from the tissue, a control system electrically coupled to the transmitter and the receiver for controlling operation of the transmitter and receiver, a video processor, and a monitor. In a preferred embodiment, the transducer insonifies tissue at a fundamental frequency of less than approximately 1. 5 MHz. A method for detecting an ultrasonic harmonic response of a contrast agent may be performed by introducing at least one contrast agent into the target object, destroying the contrast agent with an ultrasonic pressure wave and measuring the harmonic response from the destroyed contrast agent. A method for detecting an ultrasonic harmonic tissue response may be performed by insonifying the tissue at a low frequency for increased uniformity in depth and using transmit apodization of a wideband phased-array transducer to improve harmonic generation in the near-field.

6436045, Aug 20, 2002

Apr 27, 2000

09/559446

Patrick G Rafter - Windham NH
Mckee D Poland - Andover MA

Koninklijke Phillips Electronics N.V. - Eindhoven

A61B 800

600447, 600459

An ultrasound system with a transducer that transmits ultrasound signals based on a plurality of parameters in response to a control device that, upon activation in a first imaging mode, adjusts at least one of the parameters to cause the transducer to output a modified waveform based on the first imaging mode, for example, to output a signal adapted to disrupt contrast agent while in a lower power imaging mode or to output a signal adapted for continuous low power viewing when in a triggered mode. Subsequently, the control device readjusts the parameters so as to cause the transducer to output a waveform adapted to the first imaging mode.

6438405, Aug 20, 2002

Apr 28, 2000

09/560490

Matthew Mooney - Westford MA
Bernard J Savord - Andover MA
Patrick G Rafter - Windham NH

Koninklijke Philips Electronics, N.V. - Eindhoven

A61B 505

600427, 600407, 600411, 600439

An imaging system in which a patient monitoring device, that monitors physiological parameters of a patient and outputs a signal indicating values for the parameters, is in communication with a patient imaging system. The patient imaging system includes an imaging probe that directs energy into and receives energy from a patient; and a signal analyzer, in communication with the patient monitoring device, that analyzes the signal from the patient monitoring device and outputs a signal indicating irregularities in parameters monitored. A control unit monitors the signal from the signal analyzer and, when a predetermined signal is output, issues an alarm to the operator of the patient imaging system. The control unit can also be programed to reduce the output power of the imaging probe and/or alert a central monitoring facility in response to the output of the signal analyzer.

6497665, Dec 24, 2002

Jul 14, 2000

09/616510

Thomas J Hunt - Pelham NH
Patrick G Rafter - Windham NH

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. - Eindhoven

A61B 800

600458

A system and method for fundamental real-time imaging of the non-linear response of tissue perfused with a contrast agent are disclosed. An image with increased sensitivity to non-linear responses can be achieved by detecting the ultrasound response at the fundamental frequency from tissue perfused with a contrast agent and excited by multiple excitation levels. The responses detected from the multiple excitation levels may be gain corrected in an amount corresponding to the difference in magnitude of the excitation levels, then mathematically combined. The mathematical manipulation serves to remove linear responses to the fumdamental excitation from the detected image. An ultrasonic contrast agent and tissue imaging system can be implemented with a transducer, first and second transmitters, a receiver, a control system, a processing system and a display. The transmitters generate electrical signals that are translated by the transducer into first and second pressure waves respectively, the respective pressure waves being of different power magnitudes. A control system electrically coupled to the transmitters, the transducer, and a receiver, coordinates pressure wave transmissions and the reception of ultrasonic responses.

6503203, Jan 7, 2003

Jan 16, 2001

09/681129

Patrick G. Rafter - Windham NH
Heinrich Beckermann - Herrenberg, DE

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. - Eindhoven

A61B 814

600458

An ultrasound system that has transmit and receive circuitry that, pursuant to a plurality of image settings, transmits ultrasound signals into a patient, receives echoes from a patient and outputs a signal representative of the echo. Control circuitry is provided that sequentially adjusts the image settings so as to cause the transmit and receive circuitry to have a sequence of imaging configurations during an ultrasound imaging study. A memory may be provided that stores a plurality of state diagrams, each defining a sequence of imaging configurations for a particular imaging study, which are accessible by the control circuitry, wherein the control circuitry accesses a selected state diagram to conduct an imaging study. Such a system is particularly useful for imaging studies that utilize contrast agents.

6532819, Mar 18, 2003

Feb 29, 2000

09/515346

Jie Chen - North Andover MA, 01845
Rajesh Panda - Nashua NH, 03060
Patrick G Rafter - Windham NH, 03087
Turuvekere R Gururaja - Discovery Bay, HK

G01N 2900

73606

The present disclosure relates to an imaging system for harmonic imaging of an object in a medium. The system comprises a transducer formed of a single crystal of a piezoelectric material, a transmitter for transmitting waves into the medium, a receiver for receiving echoed waves from the medium, and a control system electrically connected to the transmitter and the receiver which is used control the operation of the transmitter and interpret signals received by the receiver. In a preferred embodiment, the single crystal of piezoelectric material comprises a PMN-PT material or a PZN-PT material. Through use of this material, -6 dB bandwidths of at least approximately 95% are obtainable.

6537222, Mar 25, 2003

Aug 26, 1997

08/920057

David W. Clark - Windham NH
Patrick G. Rafter - Woburn MA

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. - Eindhoven

A61B 800

600458

Quadrature demodulation apparatus and method for detecting a contrast agent in an ultrasonic echographic system, including an in phase/quadrature demodulator for determining the resolved complex real and imaginary in phase and quadrature components of return signals and a contrast agent detector determining the complex difference between first and second return signals. The detector is implemented as a magnitude of difference detector determining the magnitude of the complex difference of pairs of first and second return signals wherein the real and imaginary components of the return signals, including magnitude and phase information, are used to determine the magnitude of the complex difference between first and second return signals. The detector is also implemented as an asymmetrical weighting detector resolving the complex difference between first and second return signals into components in phase with and orthogonal to the second signal and weighting the magnitudes of in phase and orthogonal components of the complex difference and indicating a contrast agent present when the combination of differently weighted component exceeds the corresponding threshold value. The detector is also implemented as an extrapolation detector for receiving three successive return signals along each line wherein the second return signal and a third return signal are used to extrapolate what the first return signal would have been without the contrast agent component and to generate a decision threshold that is compared to the complex difference between the actual first return signal and the extrapolated first return signal.

6638228, Oct 28, 2003

Apr 26, 2002

10/134164

Jodi L. T. Perry - Methuen MA
Patrick G. Rafter - Windham NH
Mckee Dunn Poland - Andover MA

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. - Eindhoven

A61B 880

600443

Systems and methods for enhanced color-flow imaging of contrast-agent perfused blood vessels and other tissues within a patients body are disclosed. The method generally comprises, introducing one or more contrast agents into the body, power-modulating transmit pulses into the body, receiving echoes from the body, processing the received echoes to reduce tissue-generated echoes and echoes from stationary contrast agent, using a color-flow processor to generate a color-encoded display responsive to contrast-agent motion. The method may be implemented by a system with a an excitation-signal source, a transducer, an ultrasound-processing system having multiple image processors including a color-flow processor, as well as, a clutter filter, and an arbiter, and a display-processing system.