Transesophageal echocardiography device

US5295486A · kind A · utility

Inventors

• Helmut Wollschlager · Glückstadt, DE
• Susanna Wollschlager · Glückstadt, DE
• Andreas M. Zeiher · Glückstadt, DE
• Hans-Peter Klein · Nussbaumen, CH

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 18, 1991
• Grant date: Mar 22, 1994
• Expiry date: Oct 18, 2011

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S128/916
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

In a device for transoesophagal echocardiography, an ultrasound transformer (1) is used to make a sequence of layer images for a plurality of parallel sectional planes with the aid of an ultrasonic diagnostic device (8). The layer images made during one cardiac cycle with the image repetition rate of the ultrasonic diagnostic device (8) are stored in a buffer store (34) and transferred to a main store (48) with the aid of a selection stage (49) to generate three-dimensional sets of images only when a locating device (13), and ECG device (24) and a respiration detector (54) generate release signals which are allocated to a constant spatial probe position, a constant R--R interval distance and a constant respiratory state. The content of the main store (48) is evaluated with the aid of an image processing system (56), whereby sectional images may be calculated, especially for any sectional plane, and displayed on a monitor (31).