Category: Transient Plane Source
Author(s): Alban L. T. Killingback, Dariush K. Nassiri, Mohamed A. El-Brawany, Valentine R. Newey
Keywords: Diagnostic ultrasound transducers, Embryonic/fetal tissues, Frequency, Pregnancy, Pregnancy care, Speed, Temperature, Thermal Conductivity, Thermal properties testing, Thermal test object (TTO), Tissue mimicking material (TMM), Transient plane source (TPS), Transient plane source (TPS) method, Transvaginal transducers, Volumetric Heat Capacity
Abstract: Intracavity transducers are probes used in early pregnancy scans. To ensure the transducers do not exceed the maximum temperature threshold when in close contact with embryonic and fetal tissues, a thermal test object (TTO) was designed to measure the temperature of the transducers when in contact with soft tissue. A tissue mimicking material (TMM) was fabricated in place of real human tissue and coupled with the transducer. A Thermal Constants Analyser measured the thermal properties of the agar based TMM using the transient plane source (TPS) method. Results showed that the thermal properties of the TMM were in agreement with properties of biological tissue, and could therefore be used to successfully calibrate the TTO.
Reference: Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 34, 12 (2008) 2035-2042
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2008.06.002