Ultrasound imaging guidewire with static central core and tip
AssigneeBoston Scientific Corporation
InventorsDavid A. White, W. Martin Belef
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasound imaging guidewire, that is inserted into a patient's body. The guidewire has a static central core and an imaging guidewire body comprising an acoustical scanning device. The acoustical scanning device can be rotated to obtain 360 degree acoustical images of a site of interest in the patients body. Furthermore, the imaging guidewire includes a connector that permits the imaging guidewire body to be disengaged from the static central core tip so that the imaging guidewire body can be axially translated to obtain multi-position imaging. The imaging guidewire body is axially translated without losing the original guidewire positioning because the static central core maintains its position in the patient's body.
Claims32
An ultrasound guidewire comprising:
- an imaging guidewire body having a lumen provided along the central axis therof;
- a static central core provided within the lumen of the imaging guidewire body;
- an acoustical transducer coupled to the static central core;
- and
- a detachable connector coupling the imaging guidewire body to the static central core and the imaging guidewire body is capable of translation and rotation about the central static core.
A method of imaging tissue within a body, the method comprising the steps of:
- inserting a guidewire having an imaging guidewire body and a static central core into a first site of interest in a patient's body, the imaging guidewire body having an imaging device and a central axis along the length of the imaging guidewire body;
- using the imaging device to obtain an image at the first site of interest;
- detaching the imaging device from the static central core by disconnecting a connector therebetween;
- and
- translating the imaging guidewire body of the guidewire along the axis of the imaging guidewire body to a second site of interest without axially translating the static central core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.