| 摘要 |
The invention provides a probe (1) and method for measuring parameters of fluid flow in a conduit within a human or animal body, with specific application to non-invasive measurement of the cross-sectional area of blood vessels, particularly the ascending aorta (24). The probe (1) contains an ultrasound transducer (2) and an acoustic reflector (4) drivable in an oscillatory manner by an electric motor (8). A narrow ultrasound beam (3) is directed downwardly via the suprasternal notch (26) and swept by the reflector through an arc. The probe (1) has an external dimension transverse to the ultrasound beam path (3) which reduces substantially from the region of the transducer to the region (14) where the beam exits the probe. The invention has application in monitoring cardiac output. |
