Ultrasonic scanner and shock wave generator
First Claim
1. A device for spatial location and destruction of a concretion in a bodily cavity of a patient, comprising a focussing shock wave transducer means for producing ultrasonic waves and having an axis of symmetry and a focus alignable with the concretion to be destroyed, a B-scanner arranged to generate a B-section image of bodily tissue of the patient traversed by the ultrasonic waves from said transducer means, a displaceable support means for mounting the B-scanner to move with the transducer means, said support means having first means to displace the B-scanner relative to the transducer means along a displacement axis that extends between the B-scanner and the focus of the transducer means, a monitor means for displaying said image, means for defining at least one target mark on said monitor means indicating the position of the transducer focus, and means for effecting relative movement between the patient and the device to bring the concretion depicted in said image into coincidence with said target mark, said shock wave transducer means adapted to generate ultrasonic shock waves in a pulsed manner to destroy the concretion at said focus.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for spatial location and destruction of concretions in bodily cavities by application of pulsed ultrasonic shock waves generated by a shock wave transducer focussed on the concretion in question, the shock waves being transmitted to the patient by a coupling fluid. This transducer may also be operated under reduced power if appropriate during the locating operation, as an A-scanner, according to the pulse echo mode. A B-section image of the bodily tissue traversed by the ultrasonic field is generated on a monitor by means of at least one B-scanner, so that the concretion present in the section image may be placed in coincidence with a target mark present on the monitor and indicating the position of the transducer focus by a relative displacment between the patient and the device, and the shock wave transducer may thereafter be placed in operation under corresponding high power for destruction of the concretion. A support carrying the B-scanner is displaceable with respect to the symmetry axis of the shock wave transducer during the locating operation, so that it is possible to have a plurality of different section images and thus a high degree of spatial resolution of the section scanned during the locating operation.
231 Citations
16 Claims
- 1. A device for spatial location and destruction of a concretion in a bodily cavity of a patient, comprising a focussing shock wave transducer means for producing ultrasonic waves and having an axis of symmetry and a focus alignable with the concretion to be destroyed, a B-scanner arranged to generate a B-section image of bodily tissue of the patient traversed by the ultrasonic waves from said transducer means, a displaceable support means for mounting the B-scanner to move with the transducer means, said support means having first means to displace the B-scanner relative to the transducer means along a displacement axis that extends between the B-scanner and the focus of the transducer means, a monitor means for displaying said image, means for defining at least one target mark on said monitor means indicating the position of the transducer focus, and means for effecting relative movement between the patient and the device to bring the concretion depicted in said image into coincidence with said target mark, said shock wave transducer means adapted to generate ultrasonic shock waves in a pulsed manner to destroy the concretion at said focus.
- 9. A device for spatial location and destruction of a concretion in a bodily cavity of a patient, comprising a focussing shock wave transducer means for producing ultrasonic waves and having an axis of symmetry and a focus alignable with the concretion to be destroyed, a B-scanner arranged to generate a B-section image of bodily tissue of the patient traversed by the ultrasonic waves from said transducer means, a displaceable support means for mounting the B-scanner to move with the transducer means, said support means having first means to displace the B-scanner relative to the transducer means along a displacement axis that extends away from the transducer means on the side of the transducer means that includes the focus such that the B-scanner is displaceable away from the transducer in a direction that includes a component parallel to the symmetry axis, a monitor means for displaying said image, means for defining at least one target mark on said monitor means indicating the position of the transducer focus, and means for effecting relative movement between the patient and the device to bring the concretion depicted in said image into coincidence with said target mark, said shock wave transducer means adapted to generate ultrasonic shock waves in a pulsed manner to destroy the concretion at said focus.
Specification