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Endoscopically deliverable ultrasound imaging system

  • US 4,802,487 A
  • Filed: 03/26/1987
  • Issued: 02/07/1989
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1987
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A system for ultrasonically imaging internal tissues through the biopsy channel of an endoscope, comprising:

  • a catheter having a diameter that is sufficiently small to pass through said biopsy channel;

    an ultrasound probe mounted at one end of said catheter, said ultrasound probe having a maximum transverse dimension that is sufficiently small to pass through said biopsy channel, said ultrasound probe having a transversely directed beam pattern;

    position measuring means coupled to said catheter and adapted to be coupled to said endoscope for generating an ultrasound probe position signal indicative of the longitudinal position of said catheter with respect of said endoscope;

    latch means actuatable to manually disengage said catheter from said position measuring means so that said catheter can move longitudinally without varying said ultrasound probe position signal; and

    imaging means connected to said ultrasound probe by conductors extending through said catheter, said imaging means generating an ultrasound signal that is applied to said probe to generate an acoustic signal, said imaging means further receiving an ultrasound signal from said ultrasound probe corresponding to ultrasound acoustic signals reflected from said tissues to said ultrasound probe, said ultrasound imaging means generating said ultrasound image from said received ultrasound signal and from said ultrasound probe position signal.

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