Quantitative imaging performance of frequency-tunable capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer array designed for intracardiac application: Phantom study.

Commercially available intracardiac echo (ICE) catheters face a trade-off between viewing depth and resolution. Frequency-tunable ICE probes would offer versatility of choice between penetration or resolution imaging within a single device. In this phantom study, the imaging performance of a novel, frequency-tunable, 32-element, 1-D CMUT array integrated with front-end electronics is evaluated.

Electrifying catheters with light.

Smart minimally invasive devices face a connectivity challenge. An example is found in intracardiac echocardiography where the signal transmission and supply of power at the distal end require many thin and fragile wires in order to keep the catheter slim and flexible. We have built a fully functional bench-top prototype to demonstrate that electrical wires may be replaced by optical fibers.