System and methods for at-home ultrasound imaging

Abstract

Various methods and systems are provided for a guided at-home ultrasound imaging session. In one example, a system for ultrasonically scanning a tissue sample includes a hand-held ultrasound probe including a transducer array of transducer elements, a probe position tracking device including one or more position sensors coupled to the ultrasound probe, and a controller. The controller is configured to, during an imaging session, determine a position of the ultrasound probe relative to a target position based on position data collected by the probe position tracking device, and responsive to an indication that the ultrasound probe is at the target position, acquire image data with the transducer array.

1 . A system for ultrasonically scanning a tissue sample, comprising:
 a hand-held ultrasound probe including a transducer array of transducer elements;   a probe position tracking device including one or more position sensors coupled to the ultrasound probe; and   a controller configured to:
 during an imaging session, determine a position of the ultrasound probe relative to a target position based on position data collected by the probe position tracking device; and 
 responsive to an indication that the ultrasound probe is at the target position, acquire image data with the transducer array. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the probe is aligned to acquire the image data in a specified target plane when the probe is at the target position, the target plane identified during a prior imaging session. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to receive target position data specifying the target position from a remote device, the target position data identified during the prior imaging session. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to store target position data specifying the target position in memory during the prior imaging session and obtain the target position data to determine the target position during the imaging session. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein to determine the position of the ultrasound probe relative to the target position based on the position data, the controller is configured to determine the position of the ultrasound probe relative to the target position based on the position data and further based on a position of one or more reference markers. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to, responsive to determining that the ultrasound probe is not at the target position, output feedback to guide a user to position the ultrasound probe at the target position. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the controller is coupled to a display device, and wherein the feedback output by the controller is configured to be displayed on the display device via a user interface. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to send the image data to a remote computing device. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the imaging session is performed as part of a medical procedure, and wherein the controller is further configured to perform image recognition on the image data to automatically identify a stage of the medical procedure. 
     
     
         10 . A method for an ultrasound imaging device including a hand-held ultrasound probe, comprising:
 obtaining a target probe position that is relative to a target scan plane and one or more reference markers, the target scan plane specified by a first operator during a first imaging session;   determining a current probe position of the ultrasound probe relative to the target probe position based on position data obtained from a tracking device of the ultrasound probe; and   responsive to the current probe position being within a threshold range of the target probe position, obtaining image data with the ultrasound probe.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising when the current probe position is outside the threshold range of the target probe position, outputting feedback to guide a second operator to move the ultrasound probe to the target probe position, and wherein obtaining image data with the ultrasound probe comprises obtaining image data with the ultrasound probe during a second imaging session, the first imaging session occurring prior to the second imaging session. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein obtaining image data with the ultrasound probe responsive to the current probe position being within the threshold range of the target probe position comprises:
 determining that the current probe position is within the threshold range of the target probe position;   responsive to the determining, outputting a notification to inform the second operator that the current probe position is within the threshold range of the target probe position; and   obtaining the image data responsive to a user input received from the second operator.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein obtaining image data with the ultrasound probe responsive to the current probe position being within the threshold range of the target probe position comprises:
 determining that the current probe position is within the threshold range of the target probe position; and   responsive to the determining, automatically obtaining the image data.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein obtaining image data with the ultrasound probe comprises obtaining volumetric image data with the ultrasound probe. 
     
     
         15 . A method for an ultrasound imaging device including a hand-held ultrasound probe, comprising, during a first imaging session:
 receiving an indication of a first target anatomy to be imaged;   obtaining a first target probe position corresponding to a position of the ultrasound probe at which the first target anatomy is imageable in a first target scan plane;   determining a current probe position of the ultrasound probe;   responsive to the current probe position being outside a threshold range of the first target probe position, outputting instructions to guide a user to adjust the current position of the ultrasound probe; and   responsive to the current probe position being within the threshold range of the first target probe position, acquiring volumetric image data of the first target anatomy at the first target scan plane.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising:
 after acquiring volumetric image data of the first target anatomy at the first target scan plane, receiving an indication of a second target anatomy to be imaged;   obtaining a second target probe position corresponding to a position of the ultrasound probe at which the second target anatomy is imageable in a second target scan plane;   determining the current probe position of the ultrasound probe;   responsive to the current probe position being outside a threshold range of the second target probe position, outputting instructions to guide a user to adjust the current position of the ultrasound probe; and   responsive to the current probe position being within the threshold range of the second target probe position, acquiring volumetric image data of the second target anatomy at the second target scan plane.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the first target anatomy comprises a first ovary of a patient and the second target anatomy comprises a second ovary of the patient. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising, during a reference imaging session that occurs prior to the first imaging session, identifying the first target probe position based on user input received from a second user and storing the first target probe position in memory of the ultrasound imaging device. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein determining the current probe position comprises determining the current probe position based on output from a position tracking device of the ultrasound probe, and wherein the current probe position and target probe position are each relative to a position of a reference marker. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein outputting instructions to guide the user to adjust the current position of the ultrasound probe comprises outputting an augmented reality user interface for display on a display device, the augmented reality user interface comprising one or more real-time visible light images of the user overlaid with an augmented reality object corresponding to the target probe position.