Combined 2D array transducers/deployment kits for real-time 3D ultrasound guidance of interventional devices
We have described and fabricated 2D array transducers for many real-time volumetric imaging applications. These applications include transducers operating up to 7 MHz for transthoracic imaging,1-3 up to 15 MHz for intracardiac echocardiography (ICE),4-6 5 MHz for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and intracranial imaging,7,8 and 7 MHz for laparoscopic ultrasound imaging (LUS).9 Now, we have developed a new generation of miniature 2D array transducers integrated into the deployment kits for interventional devices to enable real time 3D ultrasound scanning for improved guidance of minimally invasive procedures. We have constructed three new transducers. The first consists of 54 elements operating at 5 MHz. Typical measured transducer element bandwidth was 25%, and the 50 Ohm round trip insertion loss was -65 dB. Average nearest neighbor cross talk is -23.8 dB. The second is a prototype 108 element 7 MHz transducer. The transducer center frequency was actually 9 MHz, with a -6 dB bandwidth of 25%. The third is a prototype 108 element transducer operating at 5 MHz. All transducers were constructed on a flat piece of copper clad polyimide and then wrapped around an 11 French catheter of a Cook Medical, Inc. vena cava filter deployment device. This creates the forward viewing ring array transducer. The elements are attached to the system imaging cable through W. L. Gore & Associates MicroMiniature Ribbon Cables. The interelement spacing is 0.2 mm for the 54 element transducer, and 0.10 mm for the two 108 element transdcuers. © 2007 IEEE.
