Deployable ultrasound medical transducers

• US 7,473,224 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Issued: 01/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Makin, Inder Raj. S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casler; Brian L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cattungal; Sanjay
• Application Number:
  US10/153,122
• Publication Number:
  US 20030013970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,421 Days
• Field of Search: 600/437, 600/439, 600/459, 600/455
• US Class Current: 600/439
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0233 Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22012 in direct contact with, or very close to, the obstruction or concrement for removing obstructions in blood vessels by laser A61B18/245
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2202 the ultrasound transducer being inside patient's body at the distal end of the catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320093 additional movable means performing cutting operation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3784 both receiver and transmitter being in the instrument or receiver being also transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3929 Active markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3975 active
• 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 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2007/0078 with multiple treatment transducers
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 7/022 intracavitary

Abstract

An ultrasound medical system includes a tube and resiliently flexible fingers. The tube has a distal end insertable into a patient and has a lumen with a distal opening. The fingers are extendable out of the distal opening of the lumen creating a deployed state and are at-least-partially retractable into the distal opening of the lumen creating a stowed state. Each finger includes an ultrasound transducer, wherein the distance between the transducers of adjacent fingers is greater in the deployed state than in the stowed state. In one example, at least one of the transducers is an ultrasound imaging transducer, an ultrasound medical-treatment transducer, or an ultrasound imaging and medical-treatment transducer.

Claims

1. An ultrasound medical system comprising:

a) a tube having a distal end insertable into a patient and having a lumen with a distal opening; and

b) a plurality of resiliently flexible fingers which are extendable out of the distal opening of the lumen creating a deployed state and which are at-least-partially retractable into the distal opening of the lumen creating a stowed state, wherein each finger has an unattached distal end, wherein each finger includes an ultrasound transducer having an ultrasound-emitting non-convex surface, and wherein the distance between the transducers of adjacent fingers is greater in the deployed state than in the stowed state.

2. The ultrasound medical system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the transducers is an ultrasound imaging transducer.

3. The ultrasound medical system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the transducers is an ultrasound medical-treatment transducer.

4. The ultrasound medical system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the transducers is an ultrasound imaging and medical-treatment transducer.

5. An ultrasound medical treatment system comprising:

a) a tube having a distal end insertable into a patient and having a lumen with a distal opening; and

b) an end effector having a plurality of resiliently flexible fingers which are extendable out of the distal opening of the lumen creating a deployed state and which are at-least-partially retractable into the distal opening of the lumen creating a stowed state, wherein each finger has an unattached distal end, wherein each finger includes an ultrasound medical-treatment transducer having an ultrasound-emitting non-convex surface, and wherein the distance between the transducers of adjacent fingers is greater in the deployed state than in the stowed state.

6. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 5, wherein the transducers each have an ultrasound-emitting concave surface.

7. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 6, wherein each concave surface is concave as one moves along the corresponding finger.

8. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 7, wherein the fingers are at least four in number and wherein the concave surfaces together have a substantially common focal zone when the fingers are in the deployed state.

9. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 8, wherein the fingers define an open-hand finger array in the deployed state.

10. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 8, wherein the fingers define a clawed-hand finger array in the deployed state.

11. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 5, wherein the end effector is an endoscopic end effector, a laparoscopic end effector, a catheter end effector, or a needle end effector.

12. An ultrasound medical treatment system comprising:

a) a tube having a distal end insertable into a patient and having a lumen with a distal opening; and

b) an end effector having a plurality of resiliently flexible fingers which are extendable out of the distal opening of the lumen creating a deployed state and which are at-least-partially retractable into the distal opening of the lumen creating a stowed state, wherein each finger has an unattached distal end, wherein each finger includes an ultrasound imaging and medical-treatment transducer having an ultrasound-emitting non-convex surface, and wherein the distance between the transducers of adjacent fingers is greater in the deployed state than in the stowed state.

13. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 12, wherein the transducers each have an ultrasound-emitting concave surface.

14. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 13, wherein each concave surface is concave as one moves along the corresponding finger.

15. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 14, wherein the fingers are at least four in number and wherein the concave surfaces together have a substantially common focal zone when the fingers are in the deployed state.

16. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 15, wherein the fingers define an open-hand finger array in the deployed state.

17. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 15, wherein the fingers define a clawed-hand finger array in the deployed state.

18. The ultrasound medical treatment system of claim 12, wherein the end effector is an endoscopic end effector, a laparoscopic end effector, a catheter end effector, or a needle end effector.