Endoscope carrying a source of therapeutic ultrasound
AssigneeSiemens Aktiengesellschaft
InventorsGerhard Buchholtz, Ulrich Schaetzle
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Abstract
An endoscope includes a carrier which can be inserted into a living examination subject, having a distal end which is advanced into the subject, the carrier carrying an optical examination apparatus by means of which an image from the interior of the subject can be obtained and transmitted to the exterior of the subject, and the carrier also carrying a source of therapeutic ultrasound at the distal end. A body region exhibiting a pathology which is treatable with therapeutic ultrasound can thus be insonified with the therapeutic ultrasound in the same surgical intervention which is used to obtain the endoscopic images.
Claims10
An endoscope comprising:
- a carrier insertable into a living examination subject, said carrier having a leading end which advances into said examination subject;
- optical examination means carried on said carrier for obtaining an image of an interior location in said examination subject and for transmitting said image to an exterior of said examination subject;
- and
- a source of therapeutic ultrasound including an ultrasound transducer and means for operating said ultrasound transducer to emit therapeutic ultrasound, said ultrasound transducer being disposed at and emitting said therapeutic ultrasound at, said leading end of said carrier.
An endoscope comprising:
- a carrier insertable into a living examination subject, said carrier having a leading end which advances into said examination subject;
- optical examination means carrier on said carrier for obtaining an image of an interior location in said examination subject and for transmitting said image to an exterior of said examination subject;
- a source of therapeutic ultrasound including an ultrasound transducer, said ultrasound transducer, being disposed at said leading end of said carrier, means for operating said ultrasound transducer for emitting said therapeutic ultrasound at said leading end focused to a focus zone;
- and
- means for emitting and for receiving diagnostic ultrasound comprising means for generating an ultrasound image of a region in said examination subject containing said focus zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.