Importance

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Abstract

This invention relates to a method for measuring uterine artery blood flow characterized by non-invasively positioning a transducer crystal capable of generating an ultrasonic signal within the vagina of a human female at the lateral aspect of the cervix underneath and in close proximity to the uterine artery, measuring the internal diameter of the artery by sweeping the transducer thereacross through an arc lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the flow of blood therethrough for the purpose of determining its cross section, redirecting the transducer along the artery at an acute angle opposing the direction of blood flow therethrough while impinging upon the latter a pulsed series of ultrasonic signals of known frequency, detecting the reflections of the pulsed signals and measuring the shift in the frequency of the reflections for the purpose of determining a mean velocity of the blood flowing through the artery by applying the Doppler Effect principle, and determining the blood flow volume based upon the aforesaid velocity and cross-sectional area measurements. The invention also encompasses the novel apparatus for measuring the internal diameter of the uterine artery and the velocity of the blood flowing therethrough which includes a cervical cup sized to fit the subject's cervix and define a stable platform for supporting the transducer in substantially fixed position underneath the artery, a transducer carrier mounted outside of the cup for movement relative thereto about at least one axis of rotational movement, and a remote actuator subassembly for shifting the position of the transducer located externally of the subject's body and operatively connected to the carrier through the vagina.

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First Claim