| abstract |
A medical device is disclosed that includes: a support shaft (12) (e.g., catheter, tubular member, etc.), a sensing member (16), wherein a distal end region (20) of the sensing member is coupled to a distal end region (14) of the support shaft, one or more ultrasound sensors (18) disposed along the sensing member, and a support member (22) (e.g., support arm, tether, etc.) having a first end (24) coupled to the sensing member and a second end (26) coupled to the support shaft. The sensing member is configured to shift from a first configuration in which the sensing member is adjacent to the support shaft to a second configuration in which at least a portion of the sensing member extends away from the support shaft. The ultrasound device may e.g. permit a physician to image the interior surface of a bladder while in close proximity to the surface. |