New, mobile-tip ultrasound probe for laparoscopic sonography.

A new ultrasound probe (type 8555) especially constructed for laparoscopic sonography has been developed in collaboration with B&K Medical A/S, Naerum, Denmark. The probe is 9.5 mm in diameter and the usable length of the rod is 39 cm. At the tip a convex scanner of 5-7.5-MHz frequency can be angled 90 degrees up and 45 degrees down. The scanner is capable of both real-time sonography and color-flow doppler. Our first trials showed that the scanner not only facilitates sonographic examination of the biliary tree but also permits visualization of the entire liver, the pancreas, the spleen, and other intraabdominal organs.