Piezo micro-markers for ultrasound medical diagnostics
OwnerBruce Toweinventor
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Abstract
An imaging system is disclosed that uses piezoelectric markers. The piezoelectric fields in combination with ultrasound reflections can be used to construct an image of an otherwise difficult to detect feature within a subject's body. In one embodiment, the invention includes a piezoelectric marker, including at least one piece of piezoelectric material, an ultrasound transducer connected to an ultrasound pulser and a receiver, a computer sequencing control connected to the receiver and the ultrasound pulser, a display connected to the computer sequencing control and electrodes connected to the computer sequencing control via amplification circuitry.
Claims18
An imaging system comprising:
- a piezoelectric marker embedded in a subject's body, wherein the piezoelectric marker comprises at least one piece of piezoelectric material;
- an ultrasound transducer configured to excite the piezoelectric marker with an ultrasound signal;
- and
- electrodes configured to detect an electric field generated by the piezoelectric marker.
A method of detecting an object embedded in a subject's body, comprising:
- exciting a piezoelectric marker embedded in a subject's body with an ultrasound signal;
- generating electric fields in the piezoelectric marker in response to the ultrasound signal;
- and
- detecting the electric fields using electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.