Piezo micro-markers for ultrasound medical diagnostics
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents
InventorBruce Towe
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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.
Claims17
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 connected to an ultrasound pulser and a receiver, where the ultrasound transducer is configured to excite the piezoelectric marker;
- a computer sequencing control connected to the receiver and the ultrasound pulser;
- a display connected to the computer sequencing control;
- and
- electrodes residing outside the subject's body and connected to the computer sequencing control via amplification circuitry.
A method of imaging an object embedded in a subject's body, comprising:
- exciting the object with ultrasound;
- generating electric fields through the use of a piezoelectric marker;
- and
- forming an image using information collected from reflected ultrasound and information collected concerning electric fields by electrodes outside a subject's body.
An imaging system comprising:
- a piezoelectric marker adapted to be embedded inside a subject's body and configured to generate an electric field in response to an ultrasound pulse;
- and
- a plurality of electrodes outside the subject's body, wherein said electrodes are configured to detect said electric field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.