Instantaneous ultrasonic measurement of bladder volume
US8308644B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 1, 2003 |
| Grant date | Nov 13, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 30, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/30004
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An apparatus and methods to quantify the volume of urine in a human bladder with a limited number of acoustic beams is disclosed. In a first version the apparatus is composed of a transducers assembly that transmits a plurality of narrow ultrasound beams in different directions towards the bladder and receives the returning ultrasound signals; a receiver detector for processing the returned signals; an analog-to-digital converter; a memory to store the digitized data and a volume display allowing to define the optimal position of the transducer assembly. The apparatus also includes a signal processing software that automatically determines the bladder Depth D and Height H and computes the volume of urine using an empirical formula corrected by specific, empirically measured, filling dependant correction factors. In a second version a single wide angle ultrasound beam transducer transmitting ultrasound signals at fundamental frequency is used to quantify the urine volume. Return signals originating from a depth beyond the usual position of the posterior wall depth of a filled bladder are analyzed for presence of higher harmonic signals which in turn are related to presence or absenc…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.