The acoustic lens design and in vivo use of a multifunctional catheter combining intracardiac ultrasound imaging and electrophysiology sensing

A multifunctional 9F intracardiac imaging and electrophysiology mapping catheter was developed and tested to help guide diagnostic and therapeutic intracardiac electrophysiology (EP) procedures. The catheter tip includes a 7.25-MHz, 64-element, side-looking phased array for high resolution sector scanning. Multiple electrophysiology mapping sensors were mounted as ring electrodes near the array for electrocardiographic synchronization of ultrasound images. The catheter array elevation beam performance in particular was investigated. An acoustic lens for the distal tip array designed with a round cross section can produce an acceptable elevation beam shape; however, the velocity of sound in the lens material should be approximately 155 m/s slower than in tissue for the best beam shape and wide bandwidth performance. To help establish the catheter´s unique ability for integration with electrophysiology interventional procedures, it was used in vivo in a porcine animal model, and demonstrated both useful intracardiac echocardiographic visualization and simultaneous 3- D positional information using integrated electroanatomical mapping techniques. The catheter also performed well in high frame rate imaging, color flow imaging, and strain rate imaging of atrial and ventricular structures.