Patent ID: 6695786
Filing Date: 2004-02-24
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
An apparatus for coupling an invasive medical instrument to an imaging probe, the imaging probe having a substantially planar scanning field, comprising;a substantially rigid first link member that hingeably couples to the imaging probe such that relative movement of said first link member and the imaging probe is restricted around a first hinge axis substantially perpendicular to the scanning field plane; a substantially rigid second link member that hingeably couples to the medical instrument such that relative movement of said second link member and the medical instrument is restricted around a second hinge axis substantially perpendicular to the scanning field plane; and at least one substantially rigid intermediate link member hingeably coupled in a serial manner between said first and second link members, said apparatus substantially confining movement of the medical instrument to the scanning field plane while permitting movement of the medical instrument within that plane from a first orientation parallel to an axis of the imaging probe to a second orientation perpendicular to the axis of the imaging probe.