Ultrasonic Catheter Integrating Temperature Sensor for Intravascular Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ultrasonic imaging systems fail to simultaneously generate intravascular tomographic images and measure intravascular temperature accurately, making it difficult to identify the location of temperature data within blood vessels and detect plaque formation.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasonic imaging system with an ultrasonic catheter equipped with a transducer and a temperature sensor that scans the blood vessel in a direction perpendicular or parallel to its longitudinal axis, allowing for simultaneous generation of tomographic images and temperature measurements, with the temperature sensor positioned alongside the transducer for accurate data correlation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an ultrasonic catheter is used for scanning blood vessels, then intravascular tomographic images can be obtained, but temperature measurement capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the ultrasonic transducer and temperature sensor into a single integrated catheter assembly. The temperature sensor is positioned within the catheter body at a location that corresponds to the ultrasonic imaging region, allowing simultaneous acquisition of both tomographic images and temperature data from the same intravascular location.
Solution Approach 2:
The ultrasonic catheter is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both an imaging device (via the ultrasonic transducer) and a temperature measurement device (via the integrated temperature sensor). This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate catheters for imaging and temperature monitoring.
2Measurement precision
If temperature sensor is added to the catheter, then temperature measurement is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor is nested within the catheter body structure, specifically positioned inside the catheter tube at a location that aligns with the ultrasonic imaging region. This nesting approach integrates the temperature sensing capability without adding external components or significantly increasing the overall catheter diameter.
3Ease of manufacture
If temperature sensor is positioned away from transducer, then manufacturing is easier, but data correlation accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor is positioned at a specific location within the catheter body that corresponds to the region of interest for ultrasonic imaging. This localized positioning ensures that the temperature measurement is spatially correlated with the tomographic image data, allowing accurate association of temperature readings with specific vascular structures or plaque regions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the simultaneous visualization of intravascular tomographic images and temperature data, improving the identification of plaque formation and allowing for more accurate diagnostic imaging by correlating temperature and image data in real-time.
Implementation Method 1
the ultrasonic transducer 9 emits and receives ultrasonic waves reflected from the inner wall of the blood vessel
Implementation Method 2
measuring the temperature of the introduced blood with a temperature sensor
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasonic imaging system includes an imaging catheter and an imaging apparatus. The imaging catheter has an insert for being inserted into a blood vessel, a transducer disposed in the insert, and at least one temperature sensor disposed in the insert. The temperature sensor measures the intravascular temperature in a radial direction of the blood vessel and rotates to measure an intravascular temperature distribution in a transverse cross section of the blood vessel. The diagnostic imaging apparatus has an ultrasonic signal receiver for receiving an ultrasonic signal measured by the transducer, a temperature signal receiver for receiving an intravascular temperature signal measured by the temperature sensor, and an image constructing unit for constructing an image to be displayed from a tomographic vascular image generated from the ultrasonic signal and intravascular temperature information generated from the intravascular temperature signal, in relation to positional information of the ultrasonic signal and the intravascular temperature signal.