Ultrasonic instrument with a micro motor

• US 5,375,602 A
• Filed: 08/27/1993
• Issued: 12/27/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ENDO Sonics Europe BV
• Original Assignee: Du-Med, B.V.
• Inventors: Lancee, Charles T., Bom, Nicolaas
• Primary Examiner(s): JAWORSKI, FRANCIS J
• Application Number:
  US08/113,721
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 128/660.1, 128/662.06, 310/40 MM, 310/156, 310/162, 310/184, 310/DIG. 6
• US Class Current: 600/463
• 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 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 21/14 with magnets rotating within the armatures
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 3/26 consisting of printed conductors

Abstract

The disposable intra-luminal ultrasonic instrument comprises: a catheter having an elongate axis and a hollow distal end portion; an acoustical mirror face; structure for mounting the acoustical mirror face for rotation in the distal end portion of the catheter with the acoustical mirror face arranged at an angle to the elongate axis of the catheter; a transducer; structure for mounting the transducer in the distal end portion of the catheter in a position to propagate acoustic waves toward the acoustical mirror face; a micromotor having a length no greater than approximately 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than approximately 2.4 millimeters; structure for mounting the micromotor in the distal end portion of the catheter; structure for connecting the micromotor to the acoustical mirror face; conductors for connecting the micromotor to a source of energy for energizing the micromotor to rotate the acoustical mirror face; and, conductors for connecting the transducer to a source of energy for energizing the transducer to produce and supply sound waves to the rotatable acoustical mirror face.

Claims

1. A disposable intra-luminal catheter probe type ultrasonic instrument for the examination and/or treatment of blood vessels having a small transverse cross-section, said instrument including a catheter comprising a body and a tip having a distal end and a distal end portion adapted to be introduced into a lumen of a blood vessel and a proximal portion, said catheter having a diameter no greater than 3 millimeters, a rotatable member mounted for rotation in said tip and having a rotatable acoustical mirror face, and a micro motor in said tip having a length no greater than 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than 2.4 millimeters and being coupled to said rotatable member for rotating said rotatable member at a selected rpm, and means for generating and supplying sound waves to said mirror face of said rotatable member.

2. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said motor has a side which faces toward said distal end and includes a drive shaft on said side facing said distal end, and said rotatable mirror face lies in a plane that intersects at an angle the axis of the drive shaft and the axis of the propagation of sound waves from said means for generating sound waves.

3. The instrument of claim 2 wherein said means for generating sound waves comprises a transducer mounted in said tip facing said mirror face and having a central passageway therethrough through which said drive shaft extends.

4. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said motor is mounted in said distal end portion and includes a drive shaft extending rearwardly from said distal end, said rotatable member is mounted to said drive shaft, said acoustic mirror face lies in a plane which intersects at an angle the axis of said drive shaft and the axis of said propagation of sound waves from said means for generating sound waves and said means for generating sound waves is positioned in said tip opposite said mirror face.

5. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said motor has a length no greater than approximately 4 millimeters and a diameter no greater than approximately 1 millimeter.

6. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said motor is operated at a speed of rotation synchronized with a raster across a visual display to which the echoes of the sound waves received by the mirror are supplied and the rotation of the acoustic mirror is oriented with respect to the raster.

7. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said catheter includes electrical conductors for supplying electric power to said motor and to said sound wave generating means.

8. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said catheter has a central channel that also extends through said sound wave generating means and said shaft through and to said distal end of said tip distal portion.

9. The instrument of claim 8 including a flexible guidewire which is extendable through said central channel.

10. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said means for generating sound waves are constructed and arranged to generate sound waves at a frequency no greater than 60 megahertz.

11. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said means for generating sound waves are constructed and arranged to generate sound waves at a frequency of between approximately 15 and 45 megahertz.

12. The instrument of claim 1 wherein said means for generating sound waves are constructed and arranged to generate sound waves at a frequency of approximately 30 megahertz to obtain a sufficient depth of field with sufficient resolution to determine the makeup or constitution of the matter, such as tissue or plaque, in the space being investigated around the catheter tip.

13. A method for examining a blood vessel using a disposable intra-luminal ultrasonic instrument including a catheter having an elongate axis and a hollow distal end portion, said method comprising the steps of:

mounting, for rotation in the distal end portion of the catheter, an acoustical mirror face;

positioning said acoustical mirror face at an angle to the elongate axis of the catheter;

mounting a transducer in the distal end portion of the catheter in a position to propagate acoustic waves toward the acoustical mirror face;

constructing a micromotor having a length no greater than approximately 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than approximately 2.4 millimeters;

mounting the micromotor in the distal end portion of the catheter;

connecting the micromotor to the acoustical mirror face; and

,

energizing the micromotor to rotate the acoustical mirror face while at the same time energizing the transducer to produce and supply sound waves to the rotating acoustical mirror face.

14. A disposable intra-luminal ultrasonic instrument comprising:

a catheter having an elongate axis and a hollow distal end portion;

an acoustical mirror face;

means for mounting said acoustical mirror face for rotation in said distal end portion of the catheter with said acoustical mirror face arranged at an angle to said elongate axis of the catheter;

a transducer;

means for mounting said transducer in said distal end portion of said catheter in a position to propagate acoustic waves toward said catheter in a position to propagate acoustic waves toward said acoustical mirror face;

a micromotor having a length no greater than approximately 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than approximately 2.4 millimeters;

means for mounting said micromotor in said distal end portion of said catheter;

means for connecting said micromotor to said acoustical mirror face;

means for connecting said micromotor to a source of energy for energizing said micromotor to rotate said acoustical mirror face; and

,

means for connecting said transducer to a source of energy for energizing said transducer to produce and supply sound waves to said rotatable acoustical mirror face.

15. A disposable intra-luminal instrument ultrasonic instrument for insertion into a blood vessels having a small transverse cross-section, said instrument comprising an elongate including a body having a distal end and a distal end portion adapted to be introduced into a lumen of a blood vessel and a proximal portion, said body having a diameter no greater than 3 millimeters, a rotatable member mounted for rotation in said distal end portion and having a rotatable acoustical mirror face, a micro motor in said distal end portion having a length no greater than 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than 2.4 millimeters and being coupled to said rotatable member for rotating said rotatable member at a selected rpm, and means for generating and supplying sound waves to said mirror face of said rotatable member.

16. A method for examining a blood vessel using a disposable intra-luminal ultrasonic instrument comprising an elongate body having an elongate axis and including a hollow distal end portion, said method comprising the steps of:

mounting, for rotation in the distal end portion of the elongate body, an acoustical mirror face;

positioning said acoustical mirror face at an angle to the elongate axis of the elongate body;

mounting a transducer in the distal end portion of the elongate body in a position to propagate acoustic waves toward the acoustical mirror face;

constructing a micromotor having a length no greater than approximately 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than approximately 2.4 millimeters;

mounting the micromotor in the distal end portion of the elongate body;

connecting the micromotor to the acoustical mirror face; and

, energizing the micromotor to rotate the acoustical mirror face while at the same time energizing the transducer to produce and supply sound waves to the rotating acoustical mirror face.

17. A disposable intra-luminal ultrasonic instrument comprising:

a elongate body having an elongate axis and including a hollow distal end portion;

an acoustical mirror face;

means for mounting said acoustical mirror face for rotation in said distal end portion of said elongate body with said acoustical mirror face arranged at an angle to said elongate axis of said elongate body;

a transducer;

means for mounting said transducer in said distal end portion of said elongate body in a position to propagate acoustic waves toward said acoustical mirror face;

a micromotor having a length no greater than approximately 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than approximately 2.4 millimeters;

means for mounting said micromotor in said distal end portion of said elongate body;

means for connecting said micromotor to said acoustical mirror face;

means for connecting said micromotor to a source of energy for energizing said micromotor to rotate said acoustical mirror face; and

,

means for connecting said transducer to a source of energy for energizing said transducer to produce and supply sound waves to said rotatable acoustical mirror face.

18. A disposable ultrasonic instrument for the examination of blood vessels or for the treatment of blood vessels or for the guiding of an interventional device through blood vessels and similar lumina having a small transverse cross-section, said instrument comprising a distal end portion and being adapted to be introduced into a lumen, said distal end portion having a diameter no greater than 3 millimeters, a rotatable member in said distal end portion, a micro motor in said distal end portion having a length no greater than 6 millimeters and a diameter no greater than 2.4 millimeters and being coupled to said rotatable member for rotating said rotatable member at a selected rpm, and means for generating and supplying sound waves to said mirror face of said rotatable member.