Ultrasound probe for use with transport catheter and method of making same
First Claim
1. An ultrasound probe for use within a transport catheter, comprising:
- a probe body having a distal and a proximal end; and
a transducer portion attached to the probe body distal end, the transducer portion further comprising;
a piezoelectric crystal hollow cylinder having a distal end and a proximal end, and further defining an inner surface and an outer surface,an inside lead connected to the inner surface of the crystal cylinder,a conductive material having an inner surface and an outer surface coupled to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder and extending proximally in a plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface; and
an L-shaped outside lead coupled to the inner surface of the conductive material, wherein the L-shaped outside lead has a short portion and a long portion, wherein the short portion of the L-shape is positioned in close proximity to the proximate end of the crystal cylinder in the plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface, such that the long portion of the L-shape extends toward the probe body and is positioned within the cylindrical volume defined by the crystal cylinder and extending proximally thereto.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A probe for use within a catheter is disclosed. The probe transducer portion is constructed of a crystal hollow cylinder with an inside lead attached to the inner surface of the crystal cylinder. One end of the outside lead is positioned close to the outer surface, in a plane tangential to the outer surface, and is coupled to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder by a thin sputtered layer of conductive material. The probe transducer also includes a layer of acoustically absorbing material on the proximal end of the crystal, and layer of acoustically coupling material on the distal end of the crystal cylinder. The transducer element simultaneously generates an axially oriented signal beam at one frequency and a radially oriented signal beam at 2 different frequency. The signal beams are analyzed to calculate the blood flow area and the blood flow velocity, the product of which is the blood flow rate.
102 Citations
39 Claims
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1. An ultrasound probe for use within a transport catheter, comprising:
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a probe body having a distal and a proximal end; and a transducer portion attached to the probe body distal end, the transducer portion further comprising; a piezoelectric crystal hollow cylinder having a distal end and a proximal end, and further defining an inner surface and an outer surface, an inside lead connected to the inner surface of the crystal cylinder, a conductive material having an inner surface and an outer surface coupled to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder and extending proximally in a plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface; and an L-shaped outside lead coupled to the inner surface of the conductive material, wherein the L-shaped outside lead has a short portion and a long portion, wherein the short portion of the L-shape is positioned in close proximity to the proximate end of the crystal cylinder in the plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface, such that the long portion of the L-shape extends toward the probe body and is positioned within the cylindrical volume defined by the crystal cylinder and extending proximally thereto. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of manufacturing an ultrasound probe comprising the steps of:
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forming an elongated probe body having a proximal and a distal end; providing a crystal hollow cylinder having an inner surface, an outer surface, a proximal end, and a distal end; connecting an inside lead to the inner surface of the cylinder; forming an outside lead into an L-shape having a short portion and a long portion; applying a thin layer of conductive material having an inner surface and an outer surface to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder and extending proximally in a plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface; positioning the short portion of the outside lead in close proximity to the proximal end of the crystal cylinder outer surface and coupling the short portion to the inner surface of the conductive material in the plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface, such that the long portion of the L-shape extends toward the probe body and is positioned within the cylindrical volume defined by the crystal cylinder outer surface and extending proximally thereto; and connecting the probe body distal end to the crystal cylinder proximal end. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A catheter for accepting an ultrasound probe and other probes, and for introducing fluid through the catheter and into a body cavity comprising:
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a catheter, the catheter comprising a catheter body having a continuous outer edge surface with a corresponding maximum outer dimension and having a proximal end and a distal end and having walls defining in transverse cross-section, lumens including; a first wall defining a first lumen having a cross-sectional dimension approximately half the outer dimension of the catheter body; a second wall defining a curved lumen wherein the lumen occupies at least a quarter of an arc around the catheter body; and an ultrasound probe for use within the first lumen, the probe having a cross-sectional dimension less than the first lumen cross-sectional dimension and including; a probe body having a proximal end and a distal end; a transducer portion attached to the probe body distal end, the transducer portion further comprising; a piezoelectric crystal hollow cylinder having a proximal end and a distal end, and further defining an inner surface and an outer surface; an inside lead connected to the inner surface of the crystal cylinder; a thin layer of conductive material having an inner surface and an outer surface coupled to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder and extending proximally in a plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface; and an L-shaped outside lead coupled to the inner surface of the conductive material, wherein the L-shaped outside lead has a long portion and a short portion, wherein the short portion is positioned in close proximity to the proximal end of the crystal cylinder in the plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface, such that the long portion of the L-shape extends toward the probe body and is positioned within the cylindrical volume defined by the crystal cylinder outer surface and extending proximally thereto. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A transducer for use in an ultrasound probe comprising:
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a piezoelectric crystal hollow cylinder having a distal end and a proximal end, and further defining an inner surface and an outer surface; an inside lead having a first end connected to the inner surface of the crystal cylinder; a thin layer of conductive material having an inner surface and an outer surface coupled to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder and extending proximally in a plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface; an outside lead having a first end coupled to the inner surface of the conductive material, wherein the outside lead first end is positioned in close proximity to the proximal end of the crystal cylinder in the plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface, such that substantially all of the outside lead is positioned within the cylindrical volume defined by the crystal cylinder and extending proximally thereto. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An ultrasound probe for measuring the blood flow rate in a blood vessel comprising:
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a single cylindrical transducer element defining an axis and a radius; means for providing electrical energy to the transducer element; means for generating a radially oriented ultrasound signal beam at a first frequency from the transducer element; means for generating an axially oriented ultrasound signal beam at a second frequency from the transducer element; means for analyzing the radially oriented signal beam to calculate the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel; means for analyzing the axially oriented signal beam to calculate the blood flow velocity in the blood vessel; and means for analyzing the cross-sectional area and the blood flow velocity to calculate the blood flow rate in the blood vessel. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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38. An ultrasound probe for use within a transport catheter, comprising:
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a probe body having a distal and a proximal end; a transducer portion attached to the probe body distal end, the transducer portion further comprising; a piezoelectric crystal hollow cylinder having a distal end and a proximal end, and further defining an inner surface and an outer surface, an inside lead connected to the inner surface of the crystal cylinder, a conductive material having an inner surface and an outer surface coupled to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder and extending proximally in a plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface; and an L-shaped outside lead coupled to the inner surface of the conductive material, wherein the L-shaped outside lead has a short portion and a long portion, wherein the short portion of the L-shape is positioned in close proximity to the proximate end of the crystal cylinder in the plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface, such that the long portion of the L-shape extends toward the probe body and is positioned within the cylindrical volume defined by the crystal cylinder and extending proximally thereto; means for providing electrical energy to the transducer element; means for generating a radially oriented ultrasound signal beam at a first frequency from the transducer element; means for generating an axially oriented ultrasound signal beam at a second frequency from the transducer element; means for analyzing the radially oriented signal beam to calculate the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel; means for analyzing the axially oriented signal beam to calculate the blood flow velocity in the blood vessel; and means for analyzing the cross-sectional area and the blood flow velocity to calculate the blood flow rate in the blood vessel.
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39. A transducer for use in an ultrasound probe comprising:
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a piezoelectric crystal hollow cylinder having a distal end and a proximal end, and further defining an inner surface and an outer surface; an inside lead having a first end connected to the inner surface of the crystal cylinder; a thin layer of conductive material having an inner surface and an outer surface coupled to the outer surface of the crystal cylinder and extending proximally in a plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface; an outside lead having a first end coupled to the inner surface of the conductive material, wherein the outside lead first end is positioned in close proximity to the proximal end of the crystal cylinder in the plane substantially tangential to the cylinder outer surface, such that substantially all of the outside lead is positioned within the cylindrical volume defined by the crystal cylinder and extending proximally thereto; means for providing electrical energy to the transducer element; means for generating a radially oriented ultrasound signal beam at a first frequency from the transducer element; means for generating an axially oriented ultrasound signal beam at a second frequency from the transducer element; means for analyzing the radially oriented signal beam to calculate the cross-sectional area of the blood vessel; means for analyzing the axially oriented signal beam to calculate the blood flow velocity in the blood vessel; and means for analyzing the cross-sectional area and the blood flow velocity to calculate the blood flow rate in the blood vessel.
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Specification