A new transesophageal probe for newborns.
Current transesophageal probes are designed for adults and are used both in the operating theatre for monitoring as well as in the outpatient clinic for patients with specific indications, like obesity, artificial valves, etc. For newborns (<5 kg), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is not possible because the current probes are too big for introducing them into the esophagus. There is a clear need for a small probe in newborns that are scheduled for complicated cardiac surgery and catheterization. We present the design and realization of a small TEE phased array probe with a tube diameter of 5.2mm and head size of only 8.2-7 mm. The number of elements is 48 and the center frequency of the probe is 7.5 MHz. A separate clinical evaluation study was carried out in 42 patients (Scohy et al. 2007).
Scohy
Thierry V
TV
Department of Anesthesiology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Matte
Guillaume
G
van Neer
Paul L M J
PL
van der Steen
Antonius F W
AF
McGhie
Jackie
J
Bogers
Ad
A
de Jong
Nico
N
D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014188:Transposition of Great Vessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery