Surgery – Truss – Pad
Patent
1991-04-16
1992-04-21
Jaworski, Francis
Surgery
Truss
Pad
128 4, A61B 812, A61B 100
Patent
active
051058197
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention is in regard to an ultrasound endoscope device for scanning the patient's organ in question, in particular, for use in transesophageal echo cardiography with an ultrasound converter which is electrically connected via an ultrasound diagnostic device to an image processing system for producing multiplanar tomograms, and which is arranged in a mobile manner in the endoscope's distal end section.
BACKGROUND ART
Such an arrangement is known from the publication by Roy W. Martin et al., "An Endoscopic Micromanipulator for Multiplanar Transesophageal Imaging, Ultrasound in Med. & Biol., Vol. 12, No. 12, pp. 965-975, 1986", and is used for three-dimensional reconstructive ultrasound imaging of the heart by taking multiplanar, sectional images with the help of an ultrasound converter which is located at the endoscope's front end and capable of a slewing motion perpendicular to the endoscope's longitudinal axis. The planes of the sectional images obtained in this manner are at oblique angles to each other. The result is that the imaging data gained lacks the necessary quality for some applications and the scanned volume is small and its distribution unfavorable. Above all, the scans are not precise enough for reproduction and the images generated are unsuitable for comparative studies.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,738, an endoscopic process as well as a device for Ultrasound-B-Image scans are known. The ultrasound converter is arranged in the rigid front end of an otherwise flexible hose. In order to generate multiplanar tomograms, position changes are required which are difficult to reproduce, and as a consequence, exact three-dimensional reconstructions of the scanned organs are not possible.
From EP-A1-0 234 951, a catheter with an ultrasound converter is known which allows the scanning of blood vessels by slewing the ultrasound converter on its longitudinal axis and/or by its lengthwise extension. However, the reproducibility of the tomograms obtained in this manner is equally poor and, consequently, exact three-dimensional reconstructions of the scanned organs are not possible.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,963, an inspection instrument with a long flexible body is known which has a number of hollow links arranged in axial alignment, forming a guiding channel for fibre-optic strands. In order to give the device rigidity, a tension wire runs through the links and presses them together.
In GB-A-2 143 920, an endoscope shaft is described which also consists of a number of vertebrae-like links surrounded by a flexible hose.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Departing from the state of the art, the invention is based on the task of creating an ultrasound endoscope device as described above which will allow very precise multplanar scans of a large volume of the organ's area in question and to obtain image sections which will permit an exact reconstruction of the scanned organ.
The problem of creating such an an endoscope device is solved by the fact that a flexible hose with a balloon envelope serving as a water supply line surrounds the endoscope's distal end section and contains a number of axially aligned rigid guide links which have hollow spaces open to one side in the direction of the sound projection and side walls which form a continuous guide channel for a mobile carriage carrying the ultrasound converter led by guide elements through the one-sidedly open hollow spaces, and that a tension wire runs through the guide links by which the guide links can be pressed together at their faces, and that the proximal end of the endoscope's tube is connected to a manipulator device by which a Bowden cable assigned to the tension wire, and a Bowden cable assigned to the carriage, can be activated, and that the manipulator device has a water supply fitting through which water can be supplied to the distal end section via a tube.
By making the distal end of the ultrasound endoscope a flexible hose surrounding and containing a number of rigid guide links, it is possible to insert the endoscope device in
REFERENCES:
patent: 4543960 (1985-10-01), Harui et al.
patent: 4561446 (1985-12-01), Hetz
patent: 4756313 (1988-07-01), Terwilliger
patent: 4819650 (1989-04-01), Goldstein
patent: 5002059 (1991-03-01), Crowley et al.
Klein Hans-Peter
Wollschlager Helmut
Wollschlager Susanna
Zeiher Andreas
Hughes Michael J.
Jaworski Francis
Kon-Tron Elektronik AG
LandOfFree
Ultrasound endoscope device does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Ultrasound endoscope device, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Ultrasound endoscope device will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1578970