Patent ID: 7691060

Claim:
An ultrasound probe for scanning a direction and focus of an ultrasound beam along an azimuth direction and an elevation direction normal to said azimuth direction in a three-dimensional space, comprising: an ultrasound transducer array for electronic directional scanning and focusing of the ultrasound beam in the azimuth direction within a two-dimensional azimuth plane, said array being mounted to a shaft on a distal end of a rigid elongated device, a handle being disposed at a proximal end of said elongated device, said array being rotatable by a motor arranged in said elongated device or said handle for scanning of the ultrasound beam in said elevation direction through rotation of said array, said elongated device and said array being configured for insertion into a body through one of a vagina, a rectum, and a minimal invasive surgery trocar, and through combined electronic steering of the direction and the focus of the beam in said azimuth direction with mechanical rotation of said array in said elevation direction and with electronic steering of the focus in said elevation direction, directional steering of the beam in a volume region, with electronic steering of the beam focus with depth both in said elevation and said azimuth directions is obtained, and wherein an axis of rotation of the array is at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of said elongated device, said angle being greater than zero and less than 70 degrees.