Intracardiac therapeutic and diagnostic ultrasound device
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorsJeremy Stigall, Princeton Saroha, Robert Emmett Kearney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems, methods, and devices for using ultrasound for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are provided. Ultrasound signals may be transmitted and/or received by ultrasound transducers in an ultrasound device positioned within the anatomy of a patient. The ultrasound transducers may be arranged in an array such that a first segment of the array is configured to transmit ultrasound pulses and receive ultrasound echoes for diagnostic procedures and a second segment of the array is configured to transmit ultrasound pulses for therapeutic procedures. The received ultrasound echoes may be used to generate two- or three-dimensional images of the anatomy.
Claims20
An ultrasound system, comprising:
- an ultrasound device, comprising:
- a flexible elongate member configured to be positioned within anatomy of a patient, the flexible elongate member comprising a proximal portion and a distal portion;
- and
- an ultrasound transducer array positioned at the distal portion of the flexible elongate member, wherein the ultrasound transducer array includes a plurality of transducer elements arranged in a first segment and a second segment, wherein the first segment is configured to emit a first ultrasound signal with a first frequency and the second segment is configured to emit a second ultrasound signal with a second frequency different than the first frequency.
A method of transmitting ultrasound signals, comprising:
- transmitting, with a first segment of an ultrasound transducer array of an ultrasound device positioned within anatomy of a patient, a first ultrasound signal with a first frequency to image an area of interest of the anatomy;
- receiving, with the first segment of the ultrasound transducer array, ultrasound echoes reflected from the anatomy and associated with the first ultrasound signal;
- and
- transmitting, with a second segment of the ultrasound transducer array, a second ultrasound signal with a second frequency to an area of interest within the anatomy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.