Patent ID: 7658715

Claim:
A side-looking intravascular ultrasound apparatus comprising: an elongate member having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein at least a portion of said distal end is at least transparent to ultrasound energy; an actuator mechanism disposed in said distal end, said actuator mechanism comprising a first anchor, a second anchor, at least one movable element, a first shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator connected to said first anchor and a movable element, and a deformable component connected to said second anchor and at least one movable element, wherein said anchor elements are secured to said elongate member; wherein said first anchor, said second anchor, said at least one movable element, said first SMA actuator, and said deformable component of said actuator mechanism are disposed along a longitudinal axis that is oriented substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of said elongate member; and an ultrasound transducer connected to said movable element, said transducer oriented to transmit ultrasound energy through said ultrasound transparent portion of said distal end at an angle of between about 15° to about 165° relative to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member; wherein said first SMA actuator has an activated and a deactivated state; and wherein said movable element and transducer move in a first direction relative to the elongate member upon activation of said first SMA actuator, wherein said first direction of movement is selected from the group consisting of rotation of the movable element in a direction around an axis that is substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member, longitudinal movement of the movable element substantially parallel to said longitudinal axis of said elongate member, and a combination thereof.