ULTRA-THIN ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCER AND BALLOON CATHETER USING SAME IN IMAGING ARRAY SUBASSEMBLY

摘要

An array of miniature ultrasound crystals mounted on preassembled subassembly which is, in turn, mounted on a small lumen catheter provides dimensional and other quantitative information relating to arterial wall geometry and character at disease or obstruction sites. Balloons also mounted to the catheter make it possible to use the catheter for the angioplasty (PCTA) procedure while actually imaging, in real time, the artery being dilatated and unblocked by the procedure. Efficient, highly miniature transducers are presented along with several different configurations for catheter structures containing fluid lumen, through-lumen, and electrical microcable assemblies for conducting electrical signals to and from the transducers.