ULTRASOUND CATHETER HOUSING WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC SHIELDING PROPERTIES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE

• US 20100249602A1
• Filed: 03/25/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Buckley, Donald Joseph, Lee, Warren, Griffin, Weston Blaine, Wildes, Douglas Glenn
• Application Number:
  US12/410,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20100249602A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/467
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/182 Electrical shielding, e.g. using a Faraday cage
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 29/106 Inorganic materials other than carbon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/025 Metallic sublayers
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/20 on organic substrates

Abstract

An ultrasound catheter housing with electromagnetic shielding properties and methods of manufacturing is provided. The ultrasound catheter housing comprises a an inner thin wall polymer tube extruded using an ultrasonically transparent polymer, a thin metalized layer deposited on the outer surface of the inner tube, and an outer thin wall polymer tube, which may be the same or a different ultrasonically transparent material. In another embodiment an ultrasound catheter comprising the ultrasound catheter housing is provided.

Claims

1. An ultrasound catheter housing with electromagnetic shielding properties comprising:

an ultrasonically transparent inner polymer tube;

a metal layer deposited on the outer surface of the inner polymer tube;

an ultrasonically transparent outer tube deposited on the outer surface of the metal layer; and

wherein the metal layer is embedded between the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube.

2. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 1 wherein the metal layer comprises copper, aluminum, gold, silver, or combinations thereof.

3. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 1 wherein the metal layer has a thickness between 0.1 and 10 microns.

4. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 3 wherein the metal layer has one or more openings.

5. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 1 wherein the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube have sound velocities in the range 1.0 to 3.0 millimeters per microsecond, and acoustic impedances in the range of 1.0 to 3.0 MegaRayls.

6. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 5 wherein the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube independently are comprised of polyester or polymethylpentene.

7. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 1 wherein an adhesion layer is situated between the metal layer and at least one of the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube.

8. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 7 wherein the adhesion layer is comprised of an organic oxide or a metal oxide.

9. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 1 wherein the metal layer comprises a high permeability magnetic shielding alloy.

10. An ultrasound catheter comprising:

a catheter housing said catheter housing comprising an ultrasonically transparent inner polymer tube, a metal layer deposited on the outer surface of the inner polymer tube, an ultrasonically transparent outer tube deposited on the outer surface of the metal layer, and whereby the metal layer is embedded between the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube;

a transducer array disposed at least partially within the catheter housing;

a motor coupled with the transducer array, said motor being configured to rotate the transducer array in order to image a three-dimensional volume; and

a tracking element adapted to provide an estimate of a position and/or orientation of the distal end of the catheter housing, said tracking element disposed within the catheter housing.

11. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10, wherein the tracking element comprises at least one of a magnetic field sensor or a magnetic field generator.

12. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10 wherein the metal layer comprises copper, aluminum, gold, silver, or combinations thereof

13. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10 wherein the metal layer has a thickness between 0.1 and 10 microns.

14. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10 wherein the metal layer has one or more openings.

15. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10 wherein the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube have sound velocities in the range 1.0 to 3.0 millimeters per microsecond, and acoustic impedances in the range of 1.0 to 3.0 MegaRayls.

16. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10 wherein the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube independently are comprised of polyester or polymethylpentene.

17. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10 wherein an adhesion layer is situated between the metal layer and at least one of the inner polymer tube and the outer polymer tube.

18. The ultrasound catheter of claim 17 wherein the adhesion layer is comprised of an organic oxide or a metal oxide.

19. The ultrasound catheter housing of claim 10 wherein the metal layer comprises a high permeability magnetic shielding alloy.

20. The ultrasound catheter of claim 10 wherein the catheter is an intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) catheter.

21. A method of manufacturing an ultrasound catheter housing comprising:

creating a polymer inner layer supported on an inner form or mandrel;

coating the polymer layer with metal;

adding a polymer outer layer over the metal layer; and

removing the inner form or mandrel.