Systems, methods and electrodes for 4-dimensional ultrasound pulse-echo imaging of the neck and upper airway

A system for imaging tissue, the system comprising:

• first and second ultrasound transducer arrays configured to secure to first and second surface locations, respectively, the first and second ultrasound transducer arrays being positioned in relation to tissue at different surface locations such that ultrasound beams from the first and second ultrasound transducer arrays propagate into the tissue from different directions;
• and
• a processor circuit operatively coupled to the first and second ultrasound transducer arrays, the processor circuit configured to operate the first and second ultrasound transducer arrays for pulse-echo imaging of the tissue, to generate respective first and second volumetric ultrasound image data sets in real-time corresponding to different respective portions of the tissue that are limited by acoustic shadowing relative to the respective ultrasound transducer arrays, and to provide an integrated volumetric image of the tissue from the first and second surface locations by combining the first and second volumetric ultrasound image data sets to include portions of the tissue not observable from a single one of the ultrasound transducer arrays.