DEVICE WITH INTEGRATED ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCERS AND FLOW SENSOR

• US 20120123270A1
• Filed: 07/26/2010
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Klee, Mareike, Van Heesch, Christianus Martinus, Dirksen, Peter, Mauczok, Ruediger, De Wild, Nico Maris Adriaan
• Application Number:
  US13/384,879
• Publication Number:
  US 20120123270A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/453
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00106 ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/489 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6848 Needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0816 using echo-encephalography
• 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 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface

Abstract

The invention proposes to equip the tip of a surgical instrument such as a needle or catheter or any other instrument with an ultrasound transducer array to measure flow just in front of the tip by means of time and frequency differences between the sent and received pulses. Since no image is required, only a few transducer elements are required. The transducer elements generate a pressure pulses in specific directions and receives its echo'"'"'s without the use of imaging techniques and complex driving electronics. Using the frequency shift and time delay of the received signals the proximity and lateral direction of the blood flow may be detected, thus identifying blood vessels.

Claims

1. An interventional system comprising

a device (100) including a tip portion (160), wherein an array of ultrasound-transducers (120, 122, 124, 126, 128) is formed at the tip portion, and

a processing means (140, 142, 220) connected with the array of ultrasound-transducers, wherein the processing means is adapted to measure a frequency shift and a time delay between data sent and received by the array of ultrasound transducers.

2. The interventional system of claim 1, wherein the processing means comprises a processing sub-unit (140) which is integrated in the tip portion (160) of the device (100).

3. The interventional system of claim 1, wherein the processing sub-unit (140) is integrally formed with the array of ultrasound transducers (120, 122, 124, 126, 128).

4. The interventional system of claim 1, wherein the array of ultrasound transducers (122, 124) is arranged in form of a circle.

5. The interventional system of claim 1, wherein the array of ultrasound transducers (126, 128) is arranged in lines.

6. The interventional system of claim 1, wherein the array of ultrasound transducers (120, 122, 124, 126, 128) is processed on a separate cattier and is mounted at the tip portion (160) of the device (100).

7. The interventional system of claim 1, wherein the array of ultrasound transducers is covered with a biocompatible material.

8. The interventional system of claim 1, wherein the processing means (140, 142, 220) is adapted to determine the spatial orientation and distance of a fluid flow relative to the tip portion of the device (100), on the basis of the measured frequency shift and time delay.

9. The interventional system of claim 1, further comprising a monitor (240) for visualization of the processed data.

10. The interventional system of claim 9, further comprising an imaging device (500).

11. A device (100) for use in an interventional system according to claim 1.

12. A computer software when executed on a processing means (140, 142, 220), causing an interventional system according to claim 1:

to send an ultrasound pulse by means of ultrasound transducers (120, 122, 124, 126, 128),

to record data received by the ultrasound transducers, and

to measure a frequency shift and a time delay between the sent pulse and received data.

13. The computer software of claim 12, further causing the interventional system to determine a spatial orientation and a distance between a fluid flow and the ultrasound transducers (120, 122, 124, 126, 128).

14. The computer software of claim 12, causing an interventional system to visualize the processed data on a monitor (240).

15. The computer software of claim 12, causing an interventional system to visualize the data processed by the processing means together with the image data received from an imaging device (500).