Apparatus and method for ultrasonic imaging of the uterus and fallopian tubes using air and saline

摘要

An apparatus for sonographically observing a location and condition of the body. The apparatus has a pump assembly and a catheter assembly fluidly coupled to the pump assembly. The pump assembly includes a first pump for pumping a solution of sterile saline into the catheter assembly and a second pump for pumping micro-filtered air into the catheter assembly. The catheter assembly injects the solution of sterile saline and the sterile saline mixed with micro-filtered air into a location of a body. Further, a method for sonographically observing a location and condition of a body using the above apparatus. The method comprises the steps of inserting the catheter assembly into the location of the body, injecting the solution of sterile saline into the location of the body using the first pump of the pump assembly and the catheter assembly, injecting the micro-filtered air into the saline using the second pump of the pump assembly and the catheter assembly to generate air bubbles in the saline; injecting the saline with the air bubbles generated therein into the location of the body using the first and second pumps of the pump assembly and the catheter assembly; and ultrasonically imaging the location of the body to sonographically observe the location of the body using the bubbles generated in the saline.