A drive shaft for constituting an imaging core of an image diagnosis catheter includes: a coil shaft having a distal end fixed to a proximal end of a housing that accommodates a signal transmitter and receiver; and a shaft member fixed to a proximal end of the coil shaft and having higher torsional stiffness than torsional stiffness of the coil shaft. An image diagnosis catheter includes: an imaging core including the drive shaft, the housing fixed to the distal end of the coil shaft, and the signal transmitter and receiver accommodated in the housing; and a sheath into which the imaging core is inserted.

A handle for maneuvering a catheter, comprises: a handle body having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a tubular passage extending along a longitudinal axis from a proximal end to a distal end of the handle body. The handle includes a coupling mechanism at the proximal end and a strain relief sleeve at the distal end of the handle body. The strain relief sleeve is adapted to irremovably secure a flexible catheter sheath to the handle; and the coupling mechanism is adapted to detachably connect the handle to a patient interface unit (PIU). The handle body is ergonomically sized and shaped for grasping by a single hand of a user, and is configured to linearly engage to and disengage from the PIU via the coupling mechanism. When the handle is attached to the PIU, an imaging core moves linearly inside the tubular passage without bending.

A catheter includes: a shaft for insertion into an organ of a patient, and first and second position sensors. The shaft includes: (a) an inner shaft, which is configured to be deflected relative to an axis of the shaft, and (b) an outer shaft, which is coupled to a distal tip of the catheter and is configured to be: (i) coaxially disposed around the inner shaft, (ii) deflected together with the inner shaft, and (iii) rotated about the axis relative to the inner shaft. The first position sensor is coupled to the distal tip and is configured to produce a first signal, and the second position sensor is coupled to the inner shaft, and is configured to produce a second signal.

An ultrasonic oscillator unit including an ultrasonic oscillator array in which a plurality of ultrasonic oscillators are arranged; an electrode part having a plurality of electrodes electrically connected to the plurality of ultrasonic oscillators, respectively; a circular-arc backing material layer disposed on a rear surface of the ultrasonic oscillator array; three or more wiring boards electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes of the electrode part; and three or more connectors to which a plurality of cables are connected, respectively. The three or more wiring boards are respectively mounted to the three or more connectors and electrically connect the plurality of electrodes of the electrode part to the plurality of cables. The three or more connectors are arranged on a rear surface side of the backing material layer in a width direction.

An ultrasonic endoscope includes a distal end rigid portion that is located at a distal end of an insertion section; a treatment tool lead-out portion that is disposed on a proximal end side of an ultrasonic transducer and that includes an erecting base housing portion that has an opening whose opening direction is toward one side in a first direction, an opening forming surface in which the opening is formed, and a treatment-tool erecting base that is disposed in an inside of the erecting base housing portion and that changes a lead-out direction of a treatment tool; and an observation window that is disposed in an observation means forming surface located on the proximal end side of the opening forming surface. The position of the observation window in the first direction is located on one side in the first direction relative to a one-side opening position of the opening.

A sheath assembly is adapted for an ultrasonic probe and includes a plug portion and a sheath portion connected to each other. One end of the plug portion of the sheath assembly is used for detachably and fixedly connecting with a connecting butt joint portion of the ultrasonic probe, so that the plug portion and the connecting butt joint portion are detachable after the ultrasonic probe is used. An inside of the plug portion communicates with an inside of the sheath portion to receive a torque transmitting portion of the ultrasonic probe.

In one embodiment, a medical system includes a catheter configured to be inserted into a cavity of a body of a living subject, and including an inflatable balloon comprising electrodes, the inflatable balloon being configured to press the electrodes against tissue of the cavity and at least partially block blood flow in the cavity, an ultrasound probe configured to provide velocity measurements of the blood flow in the cavity over time, a processor configured to assess a quality of contact of the electrodes with the tissue responsively to at least one of the velocity measurements of the blood flow in the cavity, and output an indication of the quality of contact to an output device, and a power supply configured to provide at least one electrical signal to the electrodes in order to ablate the tissue of the cavity.

Apparatus for calibration includes a mount and one or more acoustic targets. The mount, which is adapted to hold a medical probe, includes an acoustic imaging device that emits ultrasonic beam in a plane, while permitting an orientation of the plane of the ultrasonic beam to be adjusted. The one or more acoustic targets are arranged to continuously intersect the plane of the ultrasonic beam over a given range of orientation angles.

In one embodiment a system includes a ultrasound probe to capture 2D ultrasonic images of a body part of a living subject, a process to generate a 3D anatomical map of the body part, the 3D anatomical map and the 2D ultrasonic images being registered with a 3D coordinate space, add a 3D indication of an anatomical structure to the 3D anatomical map, render to a display the 3D anatomical map including the 3D indication of the anatomical structure, and render to the display a given one of the 2D ultrasonic images with a 2D indication of the anatomical structure on the given 2D ultrasonic image responsively to the 3D indication of the anatomical structure.

A system and related methods for performing nerve detection during surgical access using ultrasound testing during surgery.