Ultrasound catheter

An ultrasound imaging catheter for insertion into a vasculature and emitting ultrasonic acoustic waves and providing transduced electrical signals arising from ultrasonic echoes of the ultrasonic acoustic waves, said imaging catheter comprising:

• a shaft containing at least one lumen;
• and
• an ultrasound probe mounted upon the shaft, said imaging device comprising:
• a multi-sectioned body having distinct sections for independently supporting a transducer array and integrated electronic circuitry, the multi-sectioned body comprising:
• a first section, comprising a first material, serving as a transducer backing and having a relatively high acoustic energy absorption in comparison to a second section, comprising a second material, for supporting integrated electronic circuitry;
• a transducer assembly, mounted upon the first section of the multi-sectioned body, including the transducer array for transmitting the ultrasonic acoustic waves into the vasculature and generating first electrical signals in accordance with the ultrasonic echoes of the ultrasonic acoustic waves;
• integrated electronic signal conversion circuitry, mounted upon the second section of the multi-sectioned body, for receiving the first electrical signals from the transducer assembly, converting the first electrical signals to second electrical signals, and transmitting the second electrical signals to an environment external of the vasculature via a cable including at least one signal channel for transmitting the second electrical signals;
• and
• a plurality of electrical transmission paths between the transducer array and the integrated electronic signal conversion circuitry for communicating the first electrical signals from the transducer array to the integrated electronic signal conversion circuitry.

A method for assembling an ultrasound intravascular catheter probe having a multi-sectioned body for independently supporting a transducer array and integrated electronic circuitry, the multi-sectioned body having a first section consisting of a transducer backing and a second section for supporting the integrated electronic circuitry, said method comprising the steps of:

• mounting upon the first section of the multi-sectioned body a transducer assembly including the transducer array for transmitting ultrasonic acoustic waves into the vasculature and generating first electrical signals in accordance with ultrasonic echoes of the ultrasonic acoustic waves, said transducer assembly including a set of transducer contacts coupled to a plurality of conducting electrodes and extending laterally from the transducer array;
• mounting upon the second section of the multi-sectioned body integrated electronic signal conversion circuitry for receiving the first electrical signals from the array of transducers and converting the first electrical signals to second electrical signals transmitted by a cable connecting the integrated electronic signal conversion circuitry to an environment external of the vasculature and including at least one signal channel for transmitting the second electrical signals;
• bringing the first and second sections in proximate position so that ones of the set of transducer contacts overlap corresponding ones of a set of conductor lines communicatively connected to the integrated electronic signal conversion circuitry;
• and
• applying a localized electrical current source to overlapping transducer contacts and conductor lines, thereby fusing ones of the transducer contacts to ones of the conductor lines.