Body lumen junction localization

• US 10,172,538 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3DT Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: 3DT Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Kassab, Ghassan S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CERIONI, DANIEL LEE
• Application Number:
  US14/010,169
• Publication Number:
  US 20130338530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,961 Days
• Field of Search: 600547
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/00 Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body eye surgery A61F9/007; ear surgery A61F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00404 Blood vessels other than those in or around the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00541 Lung or bronchi
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00875 Resistance or impedance
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0212 using an instrument inserted into a body lumen, e.g. catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0538 invasively, e.g. using a catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/068 using impedance sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1077 Measuring of profiles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6853 with a balloon

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for the localization of body lumen junctions and other intraluminal structure are disclosed. Various embodiments permit clinicians to identify the locations of intraluminal structures and medical devices during non-surgical medical techniques, such as cardiac ablation, by determining the intralumen conductance and/or cross-sectional area at a plurality of locations within the body lumen.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a display;

a catheter device having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the device for placement into a body lumen, the distal end including a pair of electrodes to collect relative conductance values,

wherein each electrode of the pair of electrodes serves an excitation function and a detection function, and

wherein a delay occurs between performance of the excitation function and performance of the detection function; and

a processor coupled to the sensor and the display, the processor configured to construct a profile illustrating a first relative conductance at a first location within the body lumen based on first relative conductance values of collected relative conductance values and a second relative conductance at a second location within the body lumen based on second relative conductance values of the collected relative conductance values,

wherein the profile illustrates a junction of the body lumen when a change in relative conductance between the first location and the second location is detected by way of the electrodes, the first location being different from the second location.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the body lumen comprises a lumen selected from the group consisting of, at least a portion of:

an atrium, a pulmonary vein-atrial junction, a blood vessel, a biliary tract, or an esophagus.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pair of electrodes are immersed within a fluid within the body lumen and the fluid comprises blood.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a proximal end of each of the pair of electrodes are communicatively coupled to the processor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor executes one or more instructions for analyzing the collected conductance values and constructing the profile.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the pair of electrodes are configured to collect the first relative conductance values at a first time and the second relative conductance values at a second time.

6. A system, comprising:

a display;

a catheter device having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end of the device for placement into a body lumen, the distal end including a pair of electrodes to collect first relative conductance values from a first location within the body lumen and second relative conductance values from a second location within the body lumen, the first location different from the second location,

wherein each electrode of the pair of electrodes serves an excitation function and a detection function, and

wherein a delay occurs between performance of the excitation function and performance of the detection function; and

a processor coupled to the sensor and the display, the processor configured to construct a profile illustrating a first relative conductance based on the first relative conductance values and a second relative conductance based on the second relative conductance values,

wherein the profile illustrates a junction of the body lumen when a change in relative conductance between the first location and the second location is detected through the electrodes.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the pair of electrodes are configured to collect the first relative conductance values at a first time and the second relative conductance values at a second time.

9. A system, comprising:

a display;

a catheter device having a proximal end and a distal end, the distal end including a pair of electrodes configured to detect relative conductance while the device is advanced along a body lumen, wherein;

each electrode of the pair of electrodes is configured to perform an excitation function and a detection function, and

a delay occurs between performance of the excitation function and performance of the detection function; and

a processor coupled to the sensor and the display, the processor configured to construct a profile illustrating the relative conductance as a function of location along the body lumen, the profile including at least a first relative conductance at a first location along the body lumen and a second relative conductance at a second location along the body lumen that is different than the first location, the profile indicating a junction of the body lumen when a change in the relative conductance is detected by the electrodes between the first location and the second location.