Forward-looking IVUS transducer with front-end ASIC for 3D imaging

摘要

Forward-looking intravascular ultrasound (FL-IVUS) transducers are needed to image complex lesions in the coronary arteries, such as chronic total occlusions (CTOs). To achieve 2D and 3D FL-IVUS imaging, transducer arrays can be integrated at the tip of the catheter. However, connecting the elements is challenging due to the limited space available. In this work, we present a FL-IVUS matrix transducer consisting of 16 transmit and 64 receive elements, which are interfaced with an ASIC that requires only 4 micro-coaxial cables. The transducer performance was characterized by hydrophone measurements and FL imaging of three spherical reflectors.