Patent Application
20180271372
In radiation therapy procedures, along with other therapies and procedures, the ability to manage motion and reduce margins around a tumor or other structure may lead to improved control of diseases, reduced damage to surrounding tissue, and better patient outcomes. In radiation therapy treatment of cancer, specifically, it is important to deliver a radiation dose to the target tumor while avoiding healthy tissue. However, delivery of the radiation dose to the tumor may be complicated by tumor motion due to respiration. Typical methods for motion management include forced shallow breathing, abdominal compression, breath-holds, respiratory gating, and methods of tumor tracking, including implantation of fiducial markers. However, many of these methods may be associated with quality assurance challenges and may not be well tolerated in sick patients. Image-guided radiation therapy (IgRT) procedures can significantly improve the accuracy of radiotherapy treatments by confirming the radiation therapy beam placement at the time of delivery. IgRT systems utilizing magnetic resonance (MR) imaging can provide excellent soft tissue image quality, but a drawback is the relatively low image update rate. Conversely, a strength of ultrasound imaging is the ability to provide real-time volumetric images.
A multi-modality system combining MR and real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging thus has the potential to provide clinicians with the soft-tissue image quality of MR images at the real-time frame rates of ultrasound. However, existing ultrasound probes capable of real-time three-dimensional (3D) imaging are not MR compatible. Furthermore, some ultrasound probes used for IgRT require robotic manipulation to hold the probe in place, which may interfere with treatments.
Certain embodiments commensurate in scope with the originally claimed subject matter are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter, but rather these embodiments are intended only to provide a brief summary of possible embodiments. Indeed, the disclosure may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.
In one embodiment, an ultrasound probe configured for use in a multi-modality imaging system, includes a body including one or more electrical components of the ultrasound probe, an outermost housing enclosing the ultrasound probe, and an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield surrounding the body and disposed between the body and the housing, wherein the first EMI shielding is configured to reduce interference between the ultrasound probe and one or more different imaging systems of the multi-modality imaging system. The ultrasound probe further includes a transducer disposed on a patient-facing surface of the ultrasound probe and a cable coupled to the body and configured to communicatively couple the ultrasound probe to an ultrasound imaging system of the multi-modality imaging system, wherein the ultrasound probe comprises substantially non-ferromagnetic material.
In another embodiment, a multi-modality imaging system includes an ultrasound imaging system, a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system, wherein the MR imaging system is positioned within a shielded MR room having an MR room shield, an MR-compatible ultrasound probe coupled to the ultrasound imaging system and configured to acquire ultrasound images while the MR-compatible ultrasound probe is positioned within the shielded MR room, wherein all or part of the ultrasound imaging system is positioned outside of the shielded MR room, and a shielded ultrasound probe cable coupled to the MR-compatible ultrasound probe at a first end and coupled to the ultrasound system at a second end.
In another embodiment, a method includes positioning one or more electrical components of an ultrasound probe within a body, surrounding the body with a first electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield, wherein the first EMI shield is configured to reduce interference between the ultrasound probe and one or more different imaging systems, enclosing the body and the first EMI shield within a housing, wherein the first EMI shield is disposed between the body and the housing, and wherein the first EMI shield contacts the housing, disposing a transducer on a patient-facing surface of the ultrasound probe, wherein the transducer includes non-ferromagnetic materials, and coupling a cable to the body, wherein the cable is configured to communicatively couple the ultrasound probe to an ultrasound imaging system.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, all features of an actual implementation may not be described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.
When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Furthermore, any numerical examples in the following discussion are intended to be non-limiting, and thus additional numerical values, ranges, and percentages are within the scope of the disclosed embodiments.
As used herein, the term “virtual real-time MR image(s)” refers to the display of previously acquired MR images that correspond to a current respiratory state of a patient (as further explained below). Thus, displaying these MR images provides “real-time” MR imaging of the patient even though the current image modality being employed is ultrasound. By displaying the correct previously acquired MR images or set of MR images that accurately represents the positions of the anatomical structures within the imaging field-of-view, a system and process is described that enables real-time viewing of corresponding MR images when another imaging modality, such as ultrasound, is employed.
Combining MR and real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging has the potential to provide clinicians with the soft-tissue image quality of MR images at the real-time frame rates of ultrasound. Existing ultrasound probes capable of real-time three-dimensional (3D) imaging are typically not MR compatible. In particular, MR-compatible ultrasound probes typically only provide two-dimensional (2D) images. Real-time three-dimensional ultrasound imaging can be achieved in two ways: 1) Using a traditional (magnetic) motor to oscillate a one-dimensional (1D) transducer array which sweeps a planar image slice perpendicular to the image slice, forming a three-dimensional image. However, traditional (magnetic) motors contain ferromagnetic materials which are not compatible with MR machines. 2) A 2D matrix array transducer can be used to electronically steer the ultrasound beam over a volume. However, the additional electronics inside the probe handle that are required to operate a matrix array transducer poses a great challenge in the MR environment due to the need for a uniform magnetic field and sensitivity of both imaging systems to small electrical signals. Conversely, the present approach provides real-time three- and/or four-dimensional imaging using an MR compatible, hands-free electronic 4D ultrasound probe.
The present disclosure provides hands-free, real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging with MR compatibility for simultaneous MR and ultrasound imaging. Disclosed herein is an ultrasound probe for combined real-time three-dimensional ultrasound imaging with simultaneous magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. While the present disclosure is discussed in terms of radiation therapy, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe and the combination of simultaneous MR and ultrasound imaging may also be applied to other image-guided procedures such as proton therapy, biopsies, brachytherapy, surgery, and drug delivery. MR-compatibility, as discussed with reference to the disclosed ultrasound probe, refers an ultrasound probe that does not produce significant MR or ultrasound image artifacts during simultaneous operation. The MR-compatible ultrasound probe may contain a 2D matrix array and integrated beamforming electronics which are specially designed to minimize ferromagnetic content for MR compatibility. A low-profile, hands-free design of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe may allow the probe to be strapped to a patient so that ultrasound image acquisition may be achieved without needing a sonographer. A long probe cable (e.g., 6 m, 7m, 8m, 9m, 10m, and so forth) may connect the ultrasound probe in the MR room to a standard ultrasound system in a separate control room. The MR-compatible ultrasound probe and cable may be enclosed in an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield which is continuous with a shield of the MR room to minimize ultrasound and MR system interference. Simultaneous ultrasound and MR imaging allows clinicians to combine the real-time capabilities of ultrasound with the soft-tissue image quality of MR for improved image guided radiation therapy (IgRT) at greatly reduced costs compared to combined MR-LINAC systems.
With the preceding comments in mind,
The combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10 may further include a controller 20 communicatively coupled to the other elements of the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10, including the MR imaging system 12, the ultrasound imaging system 14, and the therapy system 18. The controller 20 may include a memory 22 and a processor 24. In some embodiments, the memory 22 may include one or more tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media that store instructions executable by the processor 24 and/or data to be processed by the processor 24. For example, the memory 22 may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), rewritable non-volatile memory such as flash memory, hard drives, optical discs, and/or the like. Additionally, the processor 24 may include one or more general purpose microprocessors, one or more application specific processors (ASICs), one or more field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or any combination thereof. Further, the memory 22 may store instructions executable by the processor 24 to perform the methods described herein for the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10. Additionally, the memory 22 may store images obtained via the MR imaging system 12 and the ultrasound imaging system 14 and/or algorithms utilized by the processor 24 to help guide the therapy system 18 based on image inputs from the MR imaging system 12 and the ultrasound imaging system 14, as discussed in greater detail below. Further, the controller 20 may include a display 26 that may be used to display the images obtained by the MR imaging system 12 and the ultrasound imaging system 14.
The ultrasound probe cable 44, as well as the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, may be enclosed in a shield 50 to provide full electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding to minimize or prevent interference between the MR imaging system 12 and the ultrasound imaging system 14. Double shielding, of the MR compatible ultrasound probe 16 and the ultrasound probe cable 44, may allow for substantially reduced interference between MR image acquisition during simultaneous operation of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, as well as substantially artifact-free operation of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 within the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16. The shield 50 may be an extension of the shield of the shielded wall 46 of the MR room 40. As the ultrasound probe cable 44 is passed through the shielded wall 46 of the MR room 40, the shield 50 may be electrically connected to the MR room shield 46, and may thus be grounded by the MR room shield 46. The ultrasound probe cable 44 and the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be physically and electrically shielded by the shield 50, which will be discussed in greater detail with reference to
Such an arrangement of the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10 may allow for use of a stock ultrasound system, without a need of modification of the ultrasound system or a specialized ultrasound system. Thus, the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10 may provide non-invasive motion management for therapies, as discussed in greater detail below, by combining real-time volumetric imaging capabilities of the ultrasound imaging system 14 and the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 with the increased soft tissue contrast and spatial resolution of the MR imaging system 12, while keeping costs for such increases relatively low. Additionally, the shielding of the ultrasound probe cable 44 and the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 via the shield 50 may provide MR-compatibility and minimize or prevent interference between the MR imaging system 12 and the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 and the ultrasound imaging system 14.
To connect the ultrasound imaging system 14 positioned outside of the MR room 40 to the PEN panel 82 and the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 within the MR room 40, a PEN-system cable 86 may couple to the PEN panel 82 through the shielded wall 46 of the MR room 40. The PEN-system cable 86 may couple to the PEN panel 82 via another multi-pin connector 84 on one end of PEN-system cable 86. The other end of the PEN-system cable 86 may couple to the ultrasound imaging system 14 via any suitable connection. In some embodiments, the PEN panel 82, the electronic board installed into the PEN panel 82, and/or one or both or the multi-pin connectors 84 may include passive and/or active electronic circuits such as filters, amplifiers, and digital communication repeaters, which may improve image quality and communication between the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 and the ultrasound imaging system 14, such as via tuning, amplifying, and filtering. The use of the PEN panel 82 and multi-pin connectors 84 as the connection 78 at the penetration location 48 through the shielded wall 46 of the MR room may provide approximately full shielding through the shielded wall 46 to minimize or prevent interference between the imaging systems. Further, the PEN panel 82 may include filters, amplifiers, and/or digital communication repeaters that may improve communication and image quality from the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 to the ultrasound imaging system 14.
The connection 78 may include the conductive insert 98 that may be positioned within the walls of the waveguide 96. The conductive insert 98 may be made from any suitable conductive material, such as aluminum. A gasket 100 may be disposed around the conductive insert 98 within the waveguide 96 to form an electrical connection between the conductive insert 98 and the waveguide 96. The gasket 100 may be an EMI gasket to provide EMI shielding of the ultrasound probe cable 80 as it passes through the shielded wall 46. The shielded probe cable 80 may pass through and couple to the conductive insert 98 via a gasket 102 to form an electrical connection between the shield of the shielded ultrasound probe cable 80 and the conductive insert 98 into the waveguide 96. The gasket 102 may be an EMI gasket to provide EMI shielding of the ultrasound probe cable 80 as it passes through the shielded wall 46. Thus, the long shielded ultrasound probe cable 80 may pass through an opening in the conductive insert 98 and may be physically and electrically coupled to the conductive insert 98 via the gasket 102. The conductive insert 98 may be inserted into the waveguide 96 at the penetration location 48 in the shielded wall 46. The gasket 100 may physically and electrically couple the conductive insert 98 to the shielded wall 46 of the MR room 40. Therefore, the long shielded ultrasound probe cable 80 may be electrically connected to and grounded by the MR room shield 46 via the electrical connections between the shield of the shielded ultrasound probe cable 80, the gasket 102, the conductive insert 98, and the gasket 100. The waveguide 96 and the conductive insert 98 may provide a shielded, low impedance, low inductance path for the shielded ultrasound probe cable 80 from MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 in the MR room 40 to the ultrasound imaging system 14 in the ultrasound room 42.
Utilization of the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10 for providing and using virtual real-time MR images for motion management to guide radiation therapy, or other therapy, may consist of two stages: (1) a pre-treatment image acquisition stage; and (2) a treatment stage. The steps of the pre-treatment stage may occur at any time prior to the treatment state and may occur at a different location. For example, the pre-treatment stage may be conducted in the MR room 40 and the treatment stage may be performed in a radiation therapy room, other therapy room, or any suitable room for the treatment or procedure being performed.
Next, at step 116, respiratory states at each time point of the ultrasound images corresponding to the respiratory motion of the patient are determined using positional or shape changes in the ultrasound images of the one or more endogenous fiducial markers identified at step 114. The respiratory states represent the possible respiratory states the patient may experience during the treatment procedure, for both the pre-treatment and treatment stages. For example, the respiratory states may include inhalation, exhalation, short-breath holds, irregular breaths, or any sub-state of a respiratory state. Next, at step 118, each determined respiratory state or sub-state is then associated with one or more of the acquired ultrasound and MR images. That is, the MR images corresponding to the ultrasound images at each time point may be resorted according to the determined respiratory states. A table or index of the determined respiratory states with their corresponding MR images may be created. Once the MR image index is created, these virtual real-time MR images may be used in the treatment stage, step 120 (e.g., method 120) to manage motion of the tumor or treatment target to help better guide the treatment to the treatment target.
The respiratory state matching steps 124, 128, and 130 may be represented by a single mathematical transfer function or separate mathematical transformation functions. For example, the mathematical transformation functions may represent a mapping of one respiratory state to another, one positional state of a deformable anatomical structure to another positional state, or a combination of both. A person of ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the mathematical transformation function may be any suitable geometric operation utilized with the observed anatomical markers in the ultrasound and MR images.
Next, at step 132, the MR images indicative of the patient's current respiratory state are displayed, allowing high resolution and contrast visualization of the tumor or treatment target motion to help guide the radiation or other therapy procedure. The MR images may be displayed to provide an accurate, real-time representation of the position of the tumor or treatment target and the surrounding anatomical details to guide the therapy procedure. However, a signal, such as a red dot, may be displayed if no MR image is available that corresponds to the current respiratory state of the patient.
Next, at step 134, when the tumor or target in the MR images indicative of the patient's current respiratory state is within the treatment line of the therapy system, the treatment may be triggered. For example, when the MR tumor or treatment target is within the LINAC beam, the LINAC beam is triggered to delivery guided radiation therapy to the tumor target. Therefore, the method 120 in combination with the pre-treatment method 110 may provide MR image guidance during the therapy procedure may be realized without a combined MR-treatment system (e.g., MR-LINAC system), which can minimize costs while providing a multi-modality imaging system which combines the real-time volumetric imaging capabilities of a 4D ultrasound probe with the soft tissue contrast and spatial resolution of MR imaging for non-invasive motion management of therapy procedures.
The pre-treatment method 110 for acquiring and providing the virtual real-time MR images and the treatment method 120 may be performed using the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10 and coupled therapy system 18. The processed and algorithms used in the methods 110 and 120, for example to identify fiducial markers, determine respiratory states, create the MR index or table, match ultrasound images and corresponding MR images, and trigger the treatment based on the real-time virtual MR images may be stored in the memory 22 and executed by the processor 24 of the controller 20 of the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10. In some embodiments, all or part of these processes may be performed and/or controlled by the controller 20 of the combined MR and ultrasound imaging system 10.
In order to perform the pre-treatment and treatment methods 110 and 120 to help manage motion and guide therapy procedures, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be adapted to have particular form factors, such as a low-profile design and MR compatibility, as discussed in reference to
To provide shielding and MR-compatibility of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 to minimize interference between the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, the MR imaging system 12, and the therapy system 18, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be enclosed in an EMI shield 144. In some embodiments, the EMI shield 144 may be made from aluminum, and may also act as a heat spreader. The EMI shield 144 may be shaped such that it matches the shape of the housing 148 (e.g. plastic housing) of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 to help maintain a low-profile of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 and to increase heat transfer from the EMI shield 144 to the housing 148. Heat generated from the electrical components of the probe body may be spread over a larger area by the EMI shield 144, which also functions as a heat spreader. The EMI shield/heat spreader is in thermal contact with the outer housing 148 so that the heat is eventually dissipated to the ambient. The entirety of the electrical components of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 are enclosed in the full EMI shield 144 to prevent unwanted interference between the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 and the MR imaging system 12. As previously discussed, the EMI shield 144 may be fully enclosed as an extension of the MR room shield 46. Additionally, to increase MR-compatibility of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, components of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be changed or chosen to have very low or no ferromagnetic material content for MR-compatibility, as discussed in greater detail with reference to
In operation, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be fixed to the patient to help avoiding having a technician or sonographer holding the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 in place in the limited space between the patient and an inside wall of the MR imaging system 12 and during therapy procedures (e.g., radiation therapy procedures). To help enable the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 to be low-profile and hands-free, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may include a fastener 150, such as a hook and loop fastener or other suitable fastener, disposed on a non-transducer surface 152 of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe opposite the patient-facing surface 142. The fastener 150 may provide an attachment location for a strap to be secure, which may help the MR-compatible ultrasound probe remain stationary, as discussed in greater detail with reference to
As previously mentioned, to provide and/or increase MR-compatibility and compatibility with the therapy system 18 of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, components of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be changed or chosen to have very low or no ferromagnetic material content. Ferromagnetic materials may cause artifacts in the MR images.
Additionally, materials for a flex interconnect 172 and an electronics board 174 of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be changed to non-ferromagnetic passive components and connectors. Further, non-ferromagnetic connectors and a direct solder coax may be used for one or more system channel boards 176. Additionally, any mechanical fasteners used within the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, such as screws 178 used to fasten a heat sink 180 to the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, may be non-ferromagnetic screws, e.g., brass screws. Other components of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be changed to help increase the MR-compatibility of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16.
To illustrate the increase in MR image quality that may be provided by reducing ferromagnetic materials content from the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 to increase MR-compatibility,
Along the same lines,
Further, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be fixed to the patient 200 so that hands-free images of the tumor or treatment target may be obtained without needing a sonographer. The illustrated embodiment shows the low-profile, hands-free design of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16. To acquire images, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be positioned against the patient 200 with the patient-facing surface 142 having the covered transducer 140 facing toward the patient 200. As such, the fastener 150 disposed on the non-transducer surface 152 is positioned away from the patient 200. The fastener 150 may serve as a connection location for a strap 202, or other device, which allows the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 to remain stationary against the patient 200 so that volumetric images are acquired without needing a sonographer. In some embodiments, the fastener 150 may further allow for rotation of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 about a central axis 204 extending from through the patient-facing surface 142 and the non-transducer surface 152. Such rotation may allow the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 to be oriented in a position to accurately image the tumor or treatment target while the strap 202 remains in place around the patient 200.
Rotation of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 about the central axis 204 may be by manual rotation, for example. In some embodiments, the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may include a non-magnetic motor communicatively coupled to the controller 20, a control system of the ultrasound imaging system 14, or any other suitable controller. The motor may be disposed within the body 198 of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16, the fastener 150, or any other suitable position to control the orientation of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 about the central axis 204. As such, in some embodiments, rotation of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe 16 may be electronically steerable about the central axis 204.
Technical effects of the present disclosure include providing a low-profile, hands-free, MR-compatible real-time three-dimensional (e4D) ultrasound imaging probe for real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging with MR compatibility for simultaneous MR and ultrasound imaging. The MR-compatible ultrasound probe allows for acquisition of simultaneous volumetric ultrasound and MR images. The MR-compatible ultrasound probe may allow for use of a multi-modality imaging system which combines the real-time volumetric imaging capabilities of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe with the soft tissue contrast and spatial resolution of MR imaging for non-invasive motion management of radiation or other therapy. The low-profile, hands-free design of the MR-compatible ultrasound probe allows for volumetric ultrasound imaging without requiring a sonographer. This may free resources, and also allow for the use of ultrasound in radiation environments without the use of a sonographer. The MR-compatible ultrasound probe may contain components which are specially designed or changed to minimize ferromagnetic content to increase MR-compatibility. The MR-compatible ultrasound probe, shielded ultrasound probe cable, and connector have full EMI shielding that effectively isolates the ultrasound and MIR imaging systems so that there is negligible electrical interference between the ultrasound and MR imaging systems.
Use of a long shielded ultrasound probe cable may allow the MR-compatible ultrasound probe to be connected to a standard ultrasound system in a separate control room. Unlike conventional ultrasound probes, the image quality may not substantially degraded by the long cable due to the presence of transmitters and a low-noise amplifier integrated in the MR-compatible ultrasound probe handle electronics, impedance matching of the cable, or a combination thereof. Additional electronics such as filters, amplifiers, digital communication circuits may reside in the connectors and/or electronics boards between the MR-compatible ultrasound probe and the ultrasound system. The MR-compatible ultrasound probe may be fitted to standard MR suites, which may provide a low-cost alternative to the combined imaging and therapy systems. An alternative embodiment provides a split ultrasound system having an MR-compatible front end, and a power supply, backend, and user interface in a separate control room which allows the ultrasound probe cable to remain at a shorter length. This configuration is useful for MR-compatible ultrasound probes that do not have electronics such as transmitters and low noise amplifiers integrated in the probe handle.
This written description uses examples as part of the disclosure, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
This application is claims priority to U.S. Patent Provisional Application No. 62/477,294, entitled “MAGNETIC RESONANCE COMPATIBLE ULTRASOUND PROBE”, filed Mar. 27, 2017, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
This invention was made with Government support under contract number R01CA190298 awarded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI)/National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Government has certain rights in the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62477294 | Mar 2017 | US |
