DESIGN OF AN ULTRASOUND PROBE HOLDER TO MINIMIZE MOTION ARTIFACT DURING SONOGRAPHY.

Abstract

Standard diagnostic ultrasound imaging procedures heavily rely on the human operator for image acquisition. This may lead to unnecessary artifacts in the images, since involuntary hand movement is unavoidable. Certain surgical procedures also involve "jump" movement of the subject on the operating table, further exacerbating image quality. In this study, we attempt to mitigate the problem by designing an ultrasound probe holder using 3D printing. This holder would potentially be light enough to attach to surgical retractors, thus eliminating operator intervention and relative motion between the probe and the patient.