Patent ID: 6425869
Filing Date: 2002-07-30
Classification: A61B,G01S

Abstract:
A method for detecting an ultrasonic harmonic response of a contrast agent comprising:introducing at least one contrast agent into tissue targeted for imaging; insonifying the tissue with a pressure wave having a fundamental frequency of less than approximately 1.5 MHz to accomplish homogenous destruction of the at least one contrast agent; and measuring a non-integer harmonic response to the pressure wave, wherein the steps of insonifying and measuring are accomplished with a wideband phased-array transducer having a bandwidth comprising a transmit and a receive bandwidth and a center frequency, the bandwidth greater than 70 percent, where percent bandwidth comprises the difference between a high corner âˆ’6 dB frequency and a low corner âˆ’6 dB frequency, the difference divided by a center frequency of the transducer bandwidth.