Method of monitoring cervical dilatation during labor, and ultrasound transducer particularly useful in such method

• US 5,713,371 A
• Filed: 07/07/1995
• Issued: 02/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avner Aduram, Dani Sherman
• Original Assignee: Avner Aduram, Dani Sherman
• Inventors: Sherman, Dani, Aduram, Avner
• Primary Examiner(s): Tucker, Guy V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RASCHE, PATRICK WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US08/499,785
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 128/774, 128/778, 128/775, 128/661.02, 128/660.01, 128/660.02, 128/660.06, 128/662.03, 128/662.06, 128/675, 128/660.08
• US Class Current: 600/436
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/033 Uterine pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1107 Measuring contraction of parts of the body, e.g. organ, muscle apparatus for measuring work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/435 Assessing cervix alteration or dilation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0866 involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby

Abstract

A method for monitoring cervical dilatation during labor by attaching an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver to opposite sides of the cervix and monitoring the input signal to the ultrasound transmitter and the output signals from the ultrasound receiver to provide a measurement of the distance between the transmitter and receiver. The method is characterized in that the ultrasound transmitter produces a divergent ultrasound beam received by the ultrasound receiver. Also provided is an ultrasound transducer device including a clip having a pair of jaws spring-urged to a close position and an ultrasound transducer mounted to one of the jaws, characterized in that the ultrasound transducer has a piezoelectric transmitter surface producing a divergent ultrasound beam.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring cervical dilatation during labor by attaching an ultrasound transmitter and an ultrasound receiver to opposite sides of the cervix, wherein each said ultrasound transmitter and said ultrasound receiver includes a clip having a pair of jaws spring-urged to a closed position, at least one of said jaws in one clip including said ultrasound transmitter, and at least one of said jaws in the other clip including the ultrasound receiver, and monitoring the input signal to the ultrasound transmitter and the output signals from the ultrasound receiver to provide a measurement of the distance between said transmitter and receiver;

characterized in that the ultrasound transmitter produces a divergent ultrasound beam received by the ultrasound receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitter has a transmitter surface which is convexly curved for producing said divergent ultrasound beam.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitter surface includes a flexible plastic film piezoelectric transducer bonded to a convexly-curved substrate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said flexible plastic film piezoelectric transducer is a polarized homopolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitter has a transmitter surface which includes a convexly-curved piezoelectric transducer bonded to a substrate.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitter has a planar piezoelectric transmitter surface and a diverging acoustic lens thereover.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said transmitter includes a convexly curved substrate and a transmitter surface attached thereto.