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Systems and methods for imaging biological tissue structures

  • US 10,028,662 B2
  • Filed: 05/14/2015
  • Issued: 07/24/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A thermoacoustic imaging system for use in combination with an existing ultrasound imaging system for imaging features of tissue, the existing ultrasound imaging system including a transmit-receive transducer array comprising a plurality of transmit-receive array elements housed within a first ultrasound probe, wherein the transmit-receive transducer array receives and detects echoes from an ultrasound beam delivered into the tissue by the transmit-receive transducer array, and converts the echoes to ultrasound output signals, the thermoacoustic imaging system comprising:

  • a source of electromagnetic energy;

    a receive-only transducer array comprising a plurality of receive-only array elements housed within a second ultrasound probe, wherein the second ultrasound probe, in a form of a sleeve, surrounds and is joined mechanically to the first ultrasound probe such that the plurality of receive-only array elements are configured to surround and are in physical alignment and in proximity to the plurality of transmit-receive array elements,wherein the plurality of receive-only array elements are registered with the plurality of transmit-receive transducer array, andwherein the receive-only transducer array receives and detects thermoacoustically-generated acoustic signals in response to electromagnetic energy delivered into the tissue by the source of electromagnetic energy, and converts the thermoacoustically-generated acoustic signals to thermoacoustic output signals; and

    an imaging assembly connectable to the existing ultrasound imaging system and configured to;

    process the thermoacoustic output signals to generate at least one thermoacoustic image; and

    when connected to the existing ultrasound imaging system, the imaging assembly is configured to;

    receive the ultrasound output signals; and

    process the ultrasound output signals and thermoacoustic output signals to generate at least one composite image.

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