Piezo Micro-Markers for Ultrasound Medical Diagnostics

• US 20070276232A1
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Towe, Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 8,282,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/481 involving the use of contrast agent, e.g. microbubbles introduced into the bloodstream analysis of echo signal exploiting properties of a contrast enhancer in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52039

Abstract

An imaging system is disclosed that uses piezoelectric markers. The piezoelectric fields in combination with ultrasound reflections can be used to construct an image of an otherwise difficult to detect feature within a subject'"'"'s body. In one embodiment, the invention includes a piezoelectric marker, including at least one piece of piezoelectric material, an ultrasound transducer connected to an ultrasound pulser and a receiver, a computer sequencing control connected to the receiver and the ultrasound pulser, a display connected to the computer sequencing control and electrodes connected to the computer sequencing control via amplification circuitry.

Claims

1. An imaging system comprising:

a piezoelectric marker, including at least one piece of piezoelectric material;

an ultrasound transducer connected to an ultrasound pulser and a receiver;

a computer sequencing control connected to the receiver and the ultrasound pulser;

a display connected to the computer sequencing control; and

electrodes connected to the computer sequencing control via amplification circuitry.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric marker is constructed from at least one piece of PVDF.

3. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric marker is constructed from at least one piece of PZT.

4. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric marker is constructed from at least one piece of PVDF-TRFE.

5. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric marker is constructed from multiple pieces of piezoelectric material arranged such that adjacent pieces have alternating polarities.

6. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric material used in the construction of the piezoelectric marker is coated with a layer of material having an acoustic impedance that is less than the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric marker.

7. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the computer sequencing control, the ultrasound pulser, the receiver and the display are implemented using a conventional ultrasound diagnostic machine.

8. A method of imaging an object, comprising:

illuminating the object with ultrasound; and

forming an image using information collected from reflect ultrasound and information collected concerning electric fields.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information collected concerning electric fields is delayed relative to the information collected from reflected ultrasound when forming an image.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

the object is illuminated using pulses of ultrasound; and

the delay is equal to twice the time between the generation of the most recent ultrasound pulse and the time at which the electric field is observed.

11. An imaging system, comprising:

a piezoelectric marker;

means for generating an ultrasound pulse;

means for constructing an image from ultrasound reflections;

means for detecting electric fields generated by the piezoelectric marker;

means for incorporating information concerning the location of the piezoelectric marker into the image constructed using ultrasound reflections.