Catheter

摘要

The internal examination of a human organ is made by means of an ultrasonic probe 19 on a catheter 17 inserted into the organ, analogue echo signals from the probe being converted to digital signals which are then stored in a digital computer where they are manipulated to produce a variety of three-dimensional representations of the interior of the organ for display on a terminal or as hard copy. The probe includes an array of piezo-electric elements 31 disposed in one or more annuli. Each annulus may be of piezo-electric material having axially extending grooves which define the elements. The elements are electrically connected to the proximal end of the catheter by means which either incorporates a multiplexing/de-multiplexing circuit or comprises a wiring arrangement which has the effect of acting in a multiplexing or demultiplexing way. In one embodiment, the array is rotatably mounted on the catheter and has means for driving the array.