Harvard College

Jonathan Thierman

Nicola J Ferrier

Roger W Brockett

Surgical probe for use in minimally invasive surgery. The probe includes an elastic membrane tip portion which deforms upon contact with an object. The elastic membrane forms an enclosure containing fluid and an inside surface of the membrane includes a plurality of visible markings such as dots. A CCD camera forms an image of the dots and the image of the dots or a representation of the image of the dots is displayed on a video monitor. The probe also includes an ultrasound transducer which responds to frequency shifts to indicate motion of an object reflecting ultrasound energy. A speaker generates sounds related to the frequency shift as an indication of motion. The probe thus provides information about the surface of an object encountered during a minimally invasive procedure and also about motion of structures within the body.

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Cambridge, MA, United States of America

Jonathan Thierman