Ultrasonic diagnosis system assembled into endoscope
AssigneeOlympus Optical Co., Ltd.
InventorsToshitaka Suwaki, Otaro Ando
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasonic diagnosis system includes an ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving transducer which is rockably disposed within the distal end of a portion of an endoscope which is adapted to be inserted into a coeliac cavity. The transducer emits ultrasonic wave from within the coeliac cavity and directs it toward internal tissues of a physical body, thereby enabling an ultrasonic tomographic image to be obtained. The endoscope also includes an observation optical system which permits the location of the ultrasonic transducer within the coeliac cavity to be visually recognized.
Claims42
An ultrasonic diagnosis system located in an endoscope, said endoscope having a distal portion which is adapted to be inserted into a coeliac cavity and a proximate operating portion adapted to be located externally of said coeliac cavity, said system comprising:
- a housing formed in the distal end of said portion of said endoscope, said housing having an opening therein;
- an observation window and an illumination window of said endoscope located in the vicinity of said opening;
- an ultrasonic wave transmitting and receiving transducer rockably disposed in said housing for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves through said opening;
- drive means for causing a rocking motion of said ultrasonic transducer for the purpose of scanning internal tissues of a physical body;
- scan angle transducer means disposed entirely in said distal portion of said endoscope for detecting the scan angle of said ultrasonic transducer and for generating an output responsive to said scan angle;
- and
- an imaging apparatus for reconstructing a B-mode sector scan image of said internal tissues in response to an output transmitted by and an echo received by said ultrasonic transducer as well as said output of said scan angle transducer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.