ULTRASONIC CATHETER WITH ROTATING TRANSDUCERS

• US 3,779,234 A
• Filed: 06/30/1971
• Issued: 12/18/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Albert W. Weidner, Reginald C. Eggleton
• Original Assignee: Albert W. Weidner, Reginald C. Eggleton
• Inventors: Eggleton, Reginald C., Weidner, Albert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/158,154
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 128/2A,2M,2R,2S,2V,2.5D,2.5E,2.5F,2.5R,2.5S,2.5V,4,6,8,10,24A 339/118RY 335/206
• US Class Current: 600/466
• 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 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• 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: A61M 25/005 with embedded materials for reinforcement, e.g. wires, coils, braids
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/04 Systems determining presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/894 by rotation about a single axis

Abstract

An instrument and method which allows real time examination of internal organs of the body such as the heart comprising a catheter which has a rotating tip in which a number of ultrasonic transducers are mounted and which can be selectively connected to a pulser to transmit a ultrasonic pulse into the body and receive an echo from such pulse and including commutating, indexing and presentation means such that display of the conditions within the body may be obtained.

Claims

1. A clincal instrument for noninvasive ultrasonic examination of the dynamic aspects of organ activity on a real time basis comprising:

a catheter for insertion into a body opening;

driving means for rotating said catheter through 360*;

a plurality of ultrasonic transducers mounted on said catheter and rotated at speed sufficient to produce a data acquisition rate which comprises normal movie speed;

ultrasonic pulsing means connected to said plurality of transducers to sequentially excite individual ones of said transducers to scan a sector;

receiving means sequentially connected to said plurality of transducers to receive ultrasonic echoes from individual ones of said transducers; and

a presentation means connected to said receiving means for displaying two dimensional traces of organ activity from said echoes at a data acquisition rate which comprises normal movie speed.

2. A clinical instrument according to claim 1 wherein there are four ultrasonic transducers mounted equally spaced in a plane normal to the catheter and on one end portion of said catheter.

3. A clinical instrument according to claim 2 comprising commutating means electrically connected to said pulsing means, said receiving means and said plurality of transducers to sequentially connect each of said transducers to the pulsing and receiving means.

4. A clinical instrument according to claim 3 comprising a radial sweep timing generator connected to said pulsing means and said presentation means and a sine-cosine resolver connected to said catheter and said presentation means.

5. A clinical instrument according to claim 3 wherein said commutating means comprises a plurality of switches which rotate with said catheter and with their first sides respectively connected to said plurality of transducers and their second sides connected to said pulsing and receiving means and means for selectively closing said plurality of switches.

6. A clinical instrument according to claim 5 wherein said plurality of switches are magnetically operated reed switches and said means for selectively closing them comprises a magnetic field producing means.

7. A clinical instrument according to claim 6 wherein said magnetic field producing means comprises a permanent magnet which sequentially closes said switches as the catheter rotates.

8. A clincal instrument according to claim 5 including rotating electrical conducting means to which the second sides of said switches are connected and an electrical conductor electrically connected to said rotating electrical means and connected to said receiving and pulsing means.

9. A clinical instrument according to claim 8 wherein said rotating electrical conducting means comprises a mercury-filled container.

10. A clinical instrument according to claim 1 wherein said catheter includes a non-rotatable shield means which surrounds it and said shield means includes a portion about said transducers which transmits ultrasonic energy.

11. A clinical instrument according to claim 10 including a first sound transmitting fluid between said shield means and said transducers.

12. A clinical instrument according to claim 11 including an inflatable portion connected to said shield means about said transducers and a second sound transmitting fluid receivable in said inflatable portion to inflate it.

13. A clinical instrument according to claim 12 wherein said first and second sound transmitting fluids have sound transmitting characteristics similar to that of animal tissue.