Patent ID: 8784321

Claim:
An imaging probe, comprising: a hollow shaft; an imaging conduit at least partially residing within said hollow shaft, said imaging conduit including a fiber optic and an electrical conductor, wherein said imaging conduit is connectable, at a proximal end thereof, to a hardware image processing system, a source of light, and an ultrasound signal generator; an imaging assembly mechanically coupled to said imaging conduit at a location remote from a proximal portion of said imaging conduit, said imaging assembly including: an optical emitter/collector including an optical deflecting element, wherein said optical deflecting element is in optical communication with a distal end of said fiber optic for directing light imaging energy out of said distal end of said fiber optic and directing reflected light energy signals into said distal end of said fiber optic; and an ultrasound transducer for emitting ultrasound imaging energy and receiving reflected ultrasound imaging energy signals, said ultrasound transducer comprising an acoustic substrate and a backing, wherein said ultrasound transducer is connected to said electrical conductor, and wherein at least a portion of said optical deflecting element resides within said backing; wherein said imaging assembly is configured to deliver the light imaging energy from said optical emitter/collector and the ultrasound imaging energy from said ultrasound transducer out of said hollow shaft; and wherein said ultrasound transducer and said optical deflecting element are positioned and oriented relative to each other to enable co-registration of the reflected light energy signals and the reflected ultrasound imaging energy signals during scanning of a region of interest.