Method and apparatus for localizing an ultrasound catheter

• US 10,639,004 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories)
• Original Assignee: St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc. (Abbott Laboratories)
• Inventors: Byrd, Charles Bryan, Dala-Krishna, Praveen, Jenkins, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roy, Baisakhi
• Application Number:
  US14/308,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20140364719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/06 Devices, other than using radiation, for detecting or locating foreign bodies for removing same A61B17/50 ; determining position of probes within or on the body of the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/063 using impedance measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/064 using markers A61B5/062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4263 using sensors not mounted on the probe, e.g. mounted on an external reference frame
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device

Abstract

An imaging system is provided with an ultrasound catheter and a controller coupled to the ultrasound catheter. The catheter includes a localizer sensor configured to generate positional information for the ultrasound catheter, and an imaging ultrasound sensor having a restricted field of view. The controller co-registers images from the imaging ultrasound sensor with positional information from the localizer sensor.

Claims

1. A medical apparatus for co-registering x-ray and ultrasound images, comprising:

a controller adapted to couple to an ultrasound imaging catheter and an x-ray imaging source, the controller configured to;

establish a frame of reference with the x-ray imaging source;

determine a location of the ultrasound imaging catheter within the frame of reference;

receive an x-ray image containing the ultrasound imaging catheter and a tissue surrounding the ultrasound imaging catheter;

receive at least one ultrasound image of the tissue from the ultrasound imaging catheter;

co-register the x-ray image with at least one ultrasound image from the ultrasound imaging catheter;

generate on a display device a graphical representation including the x-ray image from the x-ray imaging source, the at least one ultrasound image from the ultrasound imaging catheter, and a visual indicator corresponding to the co-registration of the x-ray image with the at least one ultrasound image;

generate a model of a geometry of an anatomical structure and highlight one or more features on the model corresponding to a location for which the at least one ultrasound image has been captured by the ultrasound imaging catheter; and

generate a spatial representation of a field of view of the ultrasound imaging catheter onto the model, wherein the spatial representation indicates a portion of the anatomical structure that is or will be imaged based upon the location of the ultrasound imaging catheter.

2. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator indicates that the at least one ultrasound image is co-registered with the x-ray image.

3. The medical apparatus of claim 2, wherein the visual indicator comprises a highlighted section of interest of the tissue.

4. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to co-register at least one additional image from a second imaging catheter.

5. The medical apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to correlate the at least one ultrasound image to an anatomical structure located within a field of view of the ultrasound imaging catheter.

6. A method for imaging tissue within the body of a patient, comprising:

establishing a frame of reference with an x-ray imaging source;

determining a location of an ultrasound imaging catheter within the frame of reference;

receiving from the x-ray imaging source an x-ray image containing the ultrasound imaging catheter and a tissue surrounding the ultrasound imaging catheter;

receiving from the ultrasound imaging catheter at least one ultrasound image of the tissue;

co-registering the x-ray image with the at least one ultrasound image from the ultrasound imaging catheter;

outputting to a display device a graphical representation including the x-ray image, the at least one ultrasound image, and a visual indicator corresponding to the co-registration of the x-ray image with the at least one ultrasound image;

generating a model of a geometry of an anatomical structure and highlighting one or more features on the model corresponding to a location for which the at least one ultrasound image has been captured by the ultrasound imaging catheter;

displaying the highlighted model on the display device; and

projecting a spatial representation of a field of view of the ultrasound imaging catheter onto the model, wherein the spatial representation indicates a portion of the anatomical structure that is or will be imaged based upon the location of the ultrasound imaging catheter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the visual indicator indicates that the at least one ultrasound image is co-registered with the x-ray image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the visual indicator comprises a highlighted section of interest of the tissue.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising correlating the at least one ultrasound image to an anatomical structure located within a field of view of the ultrasound imaging catheter.

10. A system for co-registering x-ray and ultrasound images of a patient'"'"'s body, the system comprising:

a field emitter configured to generate an electrical field within the body;

an ultrasound imaging catheter, comprising;

an elongate body including a proximal section and a distal section;

at least one annular ultrasound imaging sensor disposed on the distal section of the elongate body and configured to image tissue within a field of view surrounding the ultrasound imaging catheter; and

a plurality of positional sensors configured to sense the electrical field generated by the field emitter; and

a controller adapted to couple to the field emitter, the ultrasound imaging catheter, and an x-ray imaging source, wherein the controller is configured to;

establish a frame of reference with the x-ray imaging source;

determine a location of each of the plurality of positional sensors within the frame of reference;

receive an x-ray image containing the ultrasound imaging catheter and the tissue surrounding the ultrasound imaging catheter;

receive at least one ultrasound image of the tissue from the ultrasound imaging catheter;

co-register the x-ray image with the at least one ultrasound image from the ultrasound imaging catheter;

output the x-ray image and the at least one ultrasound image to a display device;

generate a model of a geometry of an anatomical structure and highlight one or more features on the model corresponding to a location for which the at least one ultrasound image has been captured by the ultrasound imaging sensor; and

project a spatial representation of a field of view of the ultrasound imaging catheter onto the model, wherein the spatial representation indicates a portion of the anatomical structure that is or will be imaged based upon the location of the ultrasound imaging catheter.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to generate on the display device a visual indicator corresponding to the co-registration of the x-ray image with the at least one ultrasound image.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to project onto the display device a three-dimensional position of the ultrasound imaging catheter.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to correlate the at least one ultrasound image to an anatomical structure located within the field of view.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one ultrasound imaging sensor comprises a phased-array transducer.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the field emitter comprises an external magnetic field emitter, and wherein the positional sensors are magnetic positional sensors.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the field emitter comprises an external electric field emitter, and wherein the positional sensors are resistive or impedance positional sensors.