Ultrasound eye scanning device
The present disclosure is directed to an apparatus for an improved ultrasound eye scanning device wherein the size of the scan head is reduced significantly and the entire instrument can be placed on a desktop. The improved ultrasound eye scanning device also utilizes imaging goggles to enable better coupling between the patient and the instrument. The imaging goggles also allow both eyes of the patient to be scanned without the patient moving. Another innovation of the ultrasound imaging system according to the present disclosure is the use of the contralateral (opposite) eye for fixation and focusing during scanning.
1 . An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
a scan head having a guide track and a carriage movable along the guide track;
imaging goggles configured to maintain the eyes of a patient in a fixed location relative to the guide track; and
an ultrasound transducer operatively connected to the carriage, wherein ultrasound pulses are emitted into an eye of the patient to generate an image of an ocular structure in the eye; and
a fixation light; wherein:
in a first operating mode in which a first eye of the patient is imaged by the ultrasound imaging system, the fixation light is viewable by a second eye of the patient, but not the first eye, during imaging; and
in a different second operating mode in which the second eye of the patient is imaged by the ultrasound imaging system, the fixation light is viewable by the first eye, but not the second eye, during imaging.
2 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the guide track comprises an arcuate shape, wherein the imaging goggles and ultrasound transducer are positioned relative to each other such that, at a plurality of positions of the carriage along the arcuate shaped guide track, a focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned within an anterior segment of the eye, and wherein the focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned in a cornea of the eye as the carriage moves along at least most of the arcuate shaped guide track.
3 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the guide track comprises an arcuate shape, wherein the imaging goggles and ultrasound transducer are positioned relative to each other such that, at a plurality of positions of the carriage along the arcuate guide track, a focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned within an anterior segment of the eye, and wherein the focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned in an anterior segment of the eye as the carriage moves along at least most of the arcuate shaped guide track.
4 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the guide track comprises an arcuate shape, wherein the imaging goggles and ultrasound transducer are positioned relative to each other such that, at a plurality of positions of the carriage along the arcuate shaped guide track, a focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned within an anterior segment of the eye, and wherein the focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned in a lens of the eye as the carriage moves along at least most of the arcuate shaped guide track.
5 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the guide track comprises an arcuate shape, wherein the imaging goggles and ultrasound transducer are positioned relative to each other such that, at a plurality of positions of the carriage along the arcuate shaped guide track, a focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned within an anterior segment of the eye, and wherein the focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned in a cornea of the eye as the carriage moves along at least about 75% of the arcuate shaped guide track.
6 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the guide track comprises an arcuate shape, wherein the imaging goggles and ultrasound transducer are positioned relative to each other such that, at a plurality of positions of the carriage along the arcuate shaped guide track, a focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned within an anterior segment of the eye, and wherein the focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned in an anterior or posterior chamber of the eye as the carriage moves along at least about 75% of the arcuate shaped guide track.
7 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the guide track comprises an arcuate shape, wherein the imaging goggles and ultrasound transducer are positioned relative to each other such that, at a plurality of positions of the carriage along the arcuate shaped guide track, a focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned within an anterior segment of the eye, and wherein the focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned in a lens of the eye as the carriage moves along at least about 75% of the arcuate shaped guide track.
8 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the guide track comprises an arcuate shape, wherein the imaging goggles and ultrasound transducer are positioned relative to each other such that, at a plurality of positions of the carriage along the arcuate shaped guide track, a focal plane of the ultrasound transducer is positioned within an anterior segment of the eye, and wherein a center of curvature of the arcuate shaped guide track is positioned between a posterior surface of lens and a retina of the eye of the patient.
9 . An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
a scan head having an arcuate guide track and a carriage movable along the arcuate guide track;
imaging goggles configured to maintain the eyes of a patient in a fixed location relative to the arcuate guide track;
an ultrasound transducer operatively connected to the carriage, wherein ultrasound pulses are emitted into an eye of the patient to generate an image of an ocular structure in the eye, and
a fixation light, wherein:
in a first operating mode in which a first eye of the patient is imaged by the ultrasound imaging system, the fixation light is viewable by a second eye of the patient, but not the first eye during imaging; and
in a different second operating mode in which the second eye of the patient is imaged by the ultrasound imaging system, the fixation light is viewable by the first eye, but not the second eye, of the patient during imaging.
10 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 9 , wherein, in the first operating mode, a visual field of the first eye is maintained in darkness and, in the different second operating mode, the visual field of the second eye is maintained in darkness.
11 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10 , wherein, in the first and second operating modes, the ultrasound imaging system provides no viewable object to the visual field of the eye being imaged.
12 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 9 , wherein the imaging goggles comprises one of a ridge and slot that is received by the other of the one of the ridge and slot of an instrument.