Phased Array Transducer 2

The phased array transducer was developed in the 1970s. It consists of many piezoelectric crystals that can transmit/receive independently at different times. By varying the timing, for instance by pulsing the elements one by one in sequence along a row, the beam can be steered electronically. The beam is swept like a search-light through the tissue being examined, and the data from multiple beams are put together to make a visual image showing a slice through the object. The key benefit of the phased array transducer is its small footprint. In a cardiac preset it also optimizes the machine settings to give you the best possible image production particular for moving vascular structures.

This transducer typically has a frequency range of between 1-5 MHz. The evolutionary pathway of echocardiography has been different than conventional ultrasound. When the cardiac preset is selected the default marker position is to the left i.e. the marker on the probe should be orientated to the left side of the patient and the marker indicator on the screen image will be opposite to what you would normally expect.