TRANSESOPHAGEAL ULTRASOUND PROBE WITH AN ADAPTIVE BENDING SECTION

摘要

When transesophageal echocardiography is used to obtain a transgastric short axis view of the left ventricle of the heart, the best place to position the transducer is in the fundus of the stomach, aimed up through the left ventricle. The probes disclosed herein facilitate placement of the transducer in the optimum position within the fundus, despite wide variations in the distance between the lower esophageal sphincter and the fundus among different subjects. In one preferred embodiment, the ultrasound probe uses a bending section with a series of vertebrae and stiffening that is more flexible proximally and less flexible distally, which causes the probe to bend relatively sharply at the point where the probe exits the lower esophageal sphincter.

主权项

1. An ultrasound probe, comprising:
a shaft; a distal section with an ultrasound transducer housed therein; a bending section disposed between the shaft and the distal section, the bending section having a proximal portion and a distal portion, wherein the distal portion is flexible and the proximal portion is more flexible than the distal portion, and wherein the bending section comprises a plurality of axially-arranged vertebrae; and a bending mechanism configured to bend the bending section when actuated, wherein the bending section is configured such that when a part of the bending section is distal to a constraint that prevents bending and the bending mechanism is actuated, a proximal section of the part articulates before more distal sections of the part articulate.