CT integrated respiratory monitor

• US 20030188757A1
• Filed: 10/25/2002
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Yanof, Jeffrey H., Johnson, Peter C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,182,083 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/541 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/916 Ultrasound 3-D imaging

Abstract

An integrated respiratory monitor and imaging device apparatus (10) is provided. The apparatus is useful for establishing pre-operative and intra-operative breath hold congruency in patients and for other interventional work. The apparatus (10) includes a respiratory monitor system (12) and an imaging device (14). The respiratory monitor system is adapted to engage a patient and generate a respiratory signal representative of a breath hold level of the patient during a breath hold. The imaging device (14) is adapted to scan the patient during the breath hold and generate a volumetric image data set of the patient. The respiratory sensor and imaging device are operatively connected to associate the respiratory signal representative of the breath hold level of the patient together with the volumetric image data set of the patient. A data storage device (64) is provided for storing a set of respiratory signals in association with a corresponding set of volumetric image data sets in the subject apparatus (10). A scanner gating function is provided to center the image acquisition time at selected points in the respiratory cycle such as at a minimum to minimize motion artifacts in the resultant image.

Claims

1. An integrated respiratory monitor and imaging device apparatus comprising:

a respiratory sensor adapted to engage a patient and generate a respiratory signal representative of a breath hold level of the patient during a breath hold; and

,

an imaging device adapted to scan the patient during said breath hold and generate a volumetric image data set of the patient, the respiratory sensor and the imaging device being operatively connected to associate said respiratory signal representative of the breath hold level of the patent together with said volumetric image data set of the patient.

2. The integrated apparatus according to claim 1 further including:

a human readable patient display device observable by the patient for displaying visual indicia of said breath hold level.

3. The integrated apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said visual indicia is an animated representation of a physiological structure of said patient.

4. The integrated apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said visual indicia is a bar graph.

5. The integrated apparatus according to claim 1 further including:

a data storage device for storing said volumetric image data set and data representative of the respiratory signal in association with the volumetric image data set.

6. The integrated apparatus according to claim 1 further including:

a human readable operator display device observable by an operator of said integrated apparatus for displaying visual indicia of said respiratory signal during said breath hold together with an image of the patient developed from said volumetric image data set based on said volumetric image data set.

7. The integrated apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said visual indicia is a graphical display of said respiratory signal on said operator display device.

8. The integrated apparatus according to claim 1 further including:

a breath hold determining circuit receiving said respiratory signal and generating a breath hold interlock signal when a level of said respiratory signal is within a predetermined range for a predetermined time period.

9. The integrated apparatus according to claim 8 further including a parameter storage, wherein:

said predetermined range is selectable by an operator of the integrated apparatus based on a percentage of patient vital capacity values set in said parameter storage of the apparatus; and

,

said predetermined time period is selectable by the operator of the integrated apparatus by setting time values in said parameter storage.

10. The integrated apparatus according to claim 8 wherein said predetermined range is 5% vital capacity VC of said patient and said predetermined time period is 2-4 seconds.

11. The integrated apparatus according to claim 8 further including:

a gating circuit operatively associated with said imaging device and responsive to said breath hold interlock signal to initiate said scan of said patient.

12. The integrated apparatus according to claim 11 wherein:

the apparatus includes a first input for use by an operator of the apparatus to selectively request initiation of a scan of the patient; and

,

the gating circuit is responsive to said first input to initiate said scan only in a presence of said breath hold interlock signal.

13. The integrated apparatus according to claim 8 further including a visual breath hold interlock display to provide an operator of the apparatus with visual indicia that the patient has sustained a breath hold for said predetermined time period at a level within said predetermined range.

14. The integrated apparatus according to claim 8 wherein:

said breath hold detecting circuit is adapted to generate a breath hold sustained signal after said predetermined time period indicating that said respiratory signal remained within said predetermined range during said predetermined time period, the breath hold sustained signal being associated in said apparatus with said volumetric image data set of the patient.

15. The integrated apparatus according to claim 8 wherein:

said breath hold determining circuit is adapted to change the logical level of said breath hold interlock signal when a level of said respiratory signal is outside of said predetermined range; and

,

said imaging device is adapted to interrupt said scan of the patient in response to said change in logical level of said breath hold interlock signal.

16. The integrated apparatus according to claim 15 wherein:

said imaging device is adapted to resume said scan of the patient in response to a further change in logical level of said breath hold interlock signal.

17. The integrated apparatus according to claim 8 wherein:

said breath hold determining circuit is adapted to change the logical level of said breath hold interlock signal when a level of said respiratory signal is outside of said predetermined range; and

,

said imaging device is adapted to associate indicia of said change in logical level of said breath hold interlock signal together with said volumetric image data set of the patient.

18. The integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the respiratory sensor includes a belt worn across the abdomen or chest of the patient, the belt generating said respiratory signal in response to motion of said patient during breathing.

19. The integrated apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the respiratory sensor includes a probe member adapted on a first end to contact the abdomen or chest of the patient and adapted on a second end for operative attachment to said imaging device, the probe member generating said respiratory signal in response to motion of said patient relative to said imaging device during breathing.

20. An integrated respiratory monitor and imaging device apparatus for establishing pre-operative and intra-operative breath hold congruency in patients, the apparatus comprising:

a respiratory sensor adapted to engage a patient and generate a first respiratory signal representative of a pre-operative breath hold level of the patient during a pre-operative breath hold and a second respiratory signal representative of an intra-operative breath hold level of the patient during an intra-operative breath hold;

an imaging device adapted to scan the patient during said pre-operative breath hold and generate a pre-operative volumetric image data set of the patient, the respiratory sensor and the imaging device being operatively connected to associate said first respiratory signal representative of the pre-operative breath hold level of the patient together with said pre-operative volumetric image data set of the patient;

a data storage device for storing first data representative of the first respiratory signal in association with the pre-operative volumetric image data set; and

,

a human readable display device observable by the patient for displaying first visual indicia of said pre-operative breath hold level based on said first data from said data storage device, together with second visual indicia of said intra-operative breath hold level generated by said respiratory sensor.

21. The integrated apparatus according to claim 20 wherein:

said human readable patient display device displays said first visible indicia in a non-moving fashion as a target for said patient, and displays said second visual indicia and a moving image representative of said intra-operative breath hold level of the patient.

22. An integrated respiratory monitor and imaging device apparatus comprising:

a respiratory sensor adapted to engage a patient and generate a respiratory signal representative of a respiratory cycle of the patient during normal breathing;

an imaging device adapted to scan the patient during said normal breathing and generate a volumetric image data set of the patient, the imaging device having a characteristic projection acquisition time interval T and being responsive to a trigger signal to initiate said scan of said patient during said normal breathing; and

,

a processor adapted to calculate an average minimum of said respiratory signal and estimate a time MIN of a next occurrence of said calculated average minimum, the processor generating said trigger signal at a time in said respiratory cycle MIN-T/2 to substantially center said projection acquisition time interval about said average minimum of said respiratory cycle to minimize motion artifacts in said volumetric image data set.