The clinical application of the new versatile high-powered ophthalmic contact A-, B-Scan equipment

Summary

A versatile ultrasonic device has been developed for investigation of the structure of the human eye. The equipment consists of a hand-held probe head with a mechanical 40 degree sector scan of 10 MHz focused transducer, and an electronic display unit. In addition to the conventional A- and B-mode pictures, a three-dimensional D-mode can also be displayed in real time. The unit includes an interval caliper for accurate measurements of axial distances in all three modes. The ultrasound examination is carried out by means of the focused transducer with a 40 degree mechanical sector scan which is pressed either against the eyelid or directly against the sclera. The real-time display is obtained by either A-mode. B-mode or D-mode scanning. In clinical applications, both the resolution and the sensitivity of the device are good. A-mode scanning gives the greatest accuracy in amplitude measurement, while the B-mode and D-mode yield the most concrete topographic picture of the target.