This invention is an ultrasound imaging guide wire (10) that is inserted into a patients body. The guide wire has a static central core (20), and an imaging guide wire body (12) comprising an acoustical scanning device (18). The acoustical scanning device (18) can be rotated to obtain 360 degree acoustical images of a site of interest in the patients body. Furthermore, the imaging guide wire (10) includes a connector (26) that permits the imaging guide wire body (12) to be disengaged from the static central core tip (14,20) so that the imaging guide wire body can be axially translated to obtain multi-position imaging. The imaging guide wire body (12) is axially translated without losing the original guide wire positioning because the static central core (20) maintains its position in the patients body.
