Transducers in medical ultrasound: Part Three. Transducer applications in echocardiology

A comparison is made between phased arrays and mechanical sector scanners in transcutaneous echocardiographic applications. Aspects such as contact area, beam control, side lobes, grating lobes and image quality are discussed in the context of transducer frequency. The incorporation of simultaneous acquisition of Doppler velocity information and display of M-mode signals is considered. Transoesophageal and intraoperative scanning systems for cardiology are also compared, in particular linear arrays, phased arrays and mechanical scanners, and their advantages and disadvantages in relation to the above mentioned aspects are discussed. The general conclusion is that electronic sector scanners may have a considerably improved cost/benefit ratio in the near future and thereby will become the leading systems for echocardiography.