ULTRASOUND WAVEGUIDE

• US 20090318812A1
• Filed: 11/13/2007
• Published: 12/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Der Vaart, Nijs Cornelis, Suijver, Jan Frederik
• Application Number:
  US12/515,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20090318812A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22012 in direct contact with, or very close to, the obstruction or concrement for removing obstructions in blood vessels by laser A61B18/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00902 transparent or translucent
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00911 for fields applied by a magnetic resonance imaging system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22015 with details of the transmission member
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22018 segmented along its length
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/24 for conducting sound through solid bodies, e.g. wires

Abstract

In a medical therapy or diagnostic system, magnetic resonance (MR) techniques are used in order to determine the position of the focal point of an ultrasound wave with respect to a patient'"'"'s body. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasound waveguide which could be used within a magnetic resonance environment. To better address these concerns, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide an ultrasound waveguide comprising an electrically conducting section and an electrically isolating section. A reduction of the length of an electrically isolating section possibly decreases the electromagnetic coupling of the high frequency electromagnetic field in the MR environment to the electrically conducting section.

Claims

1. Ultrasound waveguide comprising

at least one electrically conducting section (1, 1′

, 2) with a first acoustical impedance Z₁ and at least one electrically isolating section (3, 3′

) with a second acoustical impedance Z₂.

2. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein

$0.9\le$

4 

Z 1 

Z 2 ( Z 1 + Z 2 ) 2 ≤

1.

3. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrically conducting sections (1, 1′

, 2) and electrically isolating sections (3, 3′

) are arranged alternately.

4. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrically conducting sections (1, 1′

, 2) and electrically isolating sections (3, 3′

) are arranged periodically.

5. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein the length of said conducting section (1, 1′

, 2) is equal to an integer multiple of the ultrasound wavelength for which the waveguide is made for plus a quarter of a wavelength.

6. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein said electrically conducting section (1, 1′

, 2) has a length of 20 cm or less.

7. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein said electrically isolating section (3, 3′

) has a length in a range from 0.05 mm to 10 mm.

8. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein said electrically conducting section (1, 1′

, 2) comprises aluminum and the electrically isolating section (3, 3′

) comprises fused silica.

9. Ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1, wherein said electrically conducting section (1, 1′

, 2) and said electrically isolating section (3, 3′

) are press fitted against each other.

10. Medical instrument comprising an ultrasound waveguide according to claim 1.