Seeing Within The Heart: Intracardiac Ultrasound

In the face of modern medical miracles, we have lost sight that it was not that long ago that the idea of open heart surgery was the height of fantasy. Opening a living heart, fixing it, and then reviving the patient was the stuff of dreams.

Now that this is a reality, there became a new wrinkle – how can be know what is going on in the heart before it is laid open? Could we fix abnormalities as we discover them? Fortunately, ultrasound is giving us both of those abilities.

Catheter technology has been around for a while, but that had to be combined with external radiographic techniques to get a picture, and that was at times only a precursor to more invasive procedures like open heart surgery. And, as amazing as that surgery can be, there should be other, less dramatic options.

This used to be the province of external ultrasound machines only. Even catheter based ultrasounds radiated sound in a circle, a good technology for circular structures like the esophagus or arteries. But in order to image a structure with the complex volume of the heart, there had to be something better.

Fortunately, the researchers at Acuson Corporation of Mountain View, CA have developed an intracardiac ultrasound catheter. It will allow surgeons to see the structures within the heart with greater clarity than ever before. They can now precisely determine any affected area. Gone is the radial pattern of the ultrasound. This new sixty four element transducer projects a sideways wave. Normally, there is some form of focusing lens to direct the ultrasound. That would be too big for the tip of this catheter. This new ultrasound transducer has no need of that to maintain a tight focus that is ideal for such a tight area.

This new technology works across a wider range of sound waves. This allows a cardiologist to determine the amount of penetration they need. The upshot of this is that, even if the catheter is on the right side of the heart, you can still visualize the left side just as well. It just depends on where you set the machine.

This new ultrasound machine technique will undoubtedly provide greater diagnostic specificity for cardiac patients, leading to better care and better outcomes.

Ultrasound Machine Tags: ultrasound machine, Ultrasound Machines, ultrasound transducer