Navigable catheter

• US 20020042571A1
• Filed: 06/13/2001
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Super Dimension Ltd.
• Inventors: Gilboa, Pinhas, Blecher, Danny
• Granted Patent: US 6,947,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/429
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient

Abstract

A catheter for intra-body navigation. The transverse inner dimension of the catheter is at most about two millimeters. A receiver inside the catheter includes sensors of three components of a transmitted electromagnetic field, with sensors for at least two of the three components being pairs of sensors, such as coils, disposed symmetrically with respect to a common reference point. In one variant of the receiver, the coils are collinear and are wound about cores that are mounted in pairs of diametrically opposed apertures in the housing of the catheter. In another variant of the receiver-catheter combination, the catheter is configured with an inner and outer sleeve connected at their ends by one or more flexible elements on which the coils are mounted. A scheme is provided for retrofitting an apparatus such as the receiver to a prior art catheter.

Claims

1. A catheter, comprising:

(a) a housing having a transverse inner dimension of at most about two millimeters; and

(b) at least one coil, wound about a solid core, mounted inside said housing.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein said solid core includes ferrite.

3. The catheter of claim 1, including a plurality of mutually perpendicular said at least one coil.

4. The catheter of claim 3, wherein said plurality of coils are collinear.

5. A catheter comprising:

(a) an outer sleeve having an end;

(b) an inner sleeve having an end and slidably mounted within said outer sleeve;

(c) a first flexible member connecting said end of said outer sleeve to said end of said inner sleeve; and

(d) a first coil mounted on said first flexible member.

6. The catheter of claim 5, wherein said first flexible member includes a first lateral edge, the catheter further comprising:

(e) a second flexible member connecting said end of said outer sleeve to said end of said inner sleeve and having a first lateral edge;

said first coil being mounted on said first lateral edges of said first and second flexible members.

7. The catheter of claim 6, wherein said inner sleeve intervenes between said flexible members.

8. The catheter of claim 6, wherein each of said first and second flexible members has a second lateral edge, the catheter further comprising:

(f) a second coil mounted on said second lateral edges of said flexible members.

9. The catheter of claim 6, further comprising:

(f) a third flexible member connecting said end of said outer sleeve to said end of said inner sleeve and having a lateral edge;

(g) a fourth flexible member connecting said end of said outer sleeve to said end of said inner sleeve and having a lateral edge; and

(h) a second coil mounted on said lateral edges of said third and fourth flexible members.

10. The catheter of claim 9, wherein said inner sleeve intervenes between said third and fourth flexible members.

11. The catheter of claim 6, further comprising:

(f) a second coil within said inner sleeve.

12. The catheter of claim 11, further comprising:

(g) a third coil within said inner sleeve;

said second and third coils being mounted eccentrically with respect to a point within said inner sleeve;

said inner sleeve being operative to assume, alternately, an extended position with respect to said outer sleeve and a retracted position with respect to said outer sleeve, such that when said inner sleeve is in said retracted position, said point is about half-way between said end of said outer sleeve and said end of said inner sleeve.

13. The catheter of claim 12, wherein, when said inner sleeve is in said retracted position, said flexible members are bent into circular arcs concentric with said point.

14. The catheter of claim 5, wherein said first flexible member includes an outer surface, said first coil being mounted on said outer surface.

15. The catheter of claim 14, further comprising:

(e) a second coil, mounted on said outer surface of said first flexible member parallel to said first coil.

16. The catheter of claim 15, wherein said inner sleeve intervenes between said first and second coils.

17. The catheter of claim 14, further comprising:

(e) a second coil within said inner sleeve.

18. The catheter of claim 17, further comprising:

(f) a third coil within said inner sleeve;

said second and third coils being mounted eccentrically with respect to a point within said inner sleeve, said inner sleeve being operative to assume, alternately, an extended position with respect to said outer sleeve and a retracted position with respect to said outer sleeve, such that when said inner sleeve is in said retracted position, said point is about halfway between said end of said outer sleeve and said end of said inner sleeve.

19. The catheter of claim 18, wherein, when said inner sleeve is in said retracted position, said first flexible member is substantially spherical and concentric with said point.

20. The catheter of claim 5, further comprising:

(e) an electrode mounted on said end of said inner sleeve.

21. The catheter of claim 5, further comprising:

(e) an electrode mounted on said first flexible member.

22. A probe for interacting with a body cavity, comprising:

(a) a substantially cylindrical catheter;

(b) a satellite; and

(c) a mechanism for reversibly securing said satellite at a fixed position and orientation relative to said catheter after said catheter and said satellite have been inserted into the body cavity.

23. The probe of claim 22, wherein said mechanism includes:

(i) a tether for withdrawing said satellite relative to said catheter after said catheter and said satellite have been inserted into the body cavity; and

(ii) a sleeve, rigidly secured to said tether and adapted to slide along said catheter.

24. The probe of claim 23, wherein said mechanism further includes:

(iii) a flexible pocket, rigidly attached to said catheter and adapted to receive said satellite when said satellite is withdrawn relative to said catheter.