Method and system for registering an image with a navigation reference catheter

• US 20060116575A1
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed, Inc. (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Willis, N. Parker
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,520 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/434
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3929 Active markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/287 Holders for multiple electrodes, e.g. electrode catheters for electrophysiological study [EPS]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/503 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5247 combining images from an ionising-radiation diagnostic technique and a non-ionising radiation diagnostic technique, e.g. X-ray and ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• 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 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for

Abstract

Methods and systems for processing and/or superimposing a medical image of an anatomical body (e.g., a heart) with graphical information are provided. Reference elements and/or reference catheter are placed in contact with the anatomical body. A physical structure within a navigational coordinate system is located using the reference elements and/or reference catheter. An image reference within an image coordinate corresponding to the physical structure is located. Location of the image reference can be accomplished, e.g., by displaying the medical image and electronically marking the displayed image reference, or by automatically locating image data corresponding to the image reference. The navigational and image coordinate systems are then registered based on the location of the physical structure within the navigational coordinate system and the location of the image reference within the image coordinate system, which allows graphical information to be accurately merged with the medical image data.

Claims

1. A method of processing a medical image of an anatomical body containing image data arranged in an image coordinate system, the method comprising:

placing a plurality of reference elements into contact with an anatomical body;

transmitting signals between the reference elements to establish a navigational coordinate system internal to the anatomical body;

determining the location of a physical structure within the navigational coordinate system;

determining the location of an image reference corresponding to the physical structure within the image coordinate system; and

registering the navigational and image coordinate systems based on the determined location of the physical structure within the navigational coordinate system and the determined location of the image reference within the image coordinate system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a preoperative image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a computed tomography (CT) image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference elements are placed inside of the anatomical body.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the anatomical body is a heart.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the reference elements is placed within the coronary sinus of the heart.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference elements are carried by at least one catheter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational coordinate system is a three-dimensional coordinate system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference elements are ultrasound transducers, and the transmitted signals are ultrasound signals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the navigational coordinate system is established based on times-of-flight of the transmitted signals.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the physical structure within the navigational coordinate system is determined based on the location of at least one of the reference elements within the navigational coordinate system.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

moving a location element within the anatomical body;

transmitting signals between the reference elements and the location element to determine the location of the location element within the navigational coordinate system;

determining the location of another physical structure within the navigational coordinate system based on the determined location of the location element within the navigational coordinate system;

determining the location of another image reference corresponding to the other physical structure within the image coordinate system; and

wherein the navigational and image coordinate systems are registered further based on the determined location of the other physical structure within the navigational coordinate system and the determined location of the other image reference within the image coordinate system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical structure comprises an anatomical structure.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical structure comprises at least one of the reference elements.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the image reference location determination comprises displaying the medical image and electronically marking the displayed image reference.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the image reference location determination comprises automatically identifying image data corresponding to the image reference.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the coordinate system registration comprises calculating a coordinate transformation function and applying the coordinate transformation function to one of the image and navigational coordinate systems.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

moving a catheter within the anatomical body; and

transmitting signals between a location element carried by the catheter and the reference elements to determine the location of the catheter within the navigational coordinate system.

19. A medical system for processing a medical image of an anatomical body containing image data arranged in an image coordinate system, the system comprising:

one or more catheters carrying a plurality of reference elements;

control circuitry configured for conditioning the reference elements to transmit signals between each other; and

one or more processors configured for establishing a navigational coordinate system based on the transmitted signals, determining the location of a physical structure within the navigational coordinate system, determining the location of an image reference corresponding to the physical structure within the image coordinate system, and registering the navigational and image coordinate systems based on the determined location of the physical structure within the navigational coordinate system and the determined image reference within the image coordinate system.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising an imaging system configured for generating the medical image.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the imaging system comprises a computed tomography (CT) imager.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the navigational coordinate system is a three-dimensional coordinate system.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the reference elements are ultrasound transducers, and the transmitted signals are ultrasound signals.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the control circuitry comprises ranging circuitry.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors determines the location of the physical structure within the navigational coordinate system based on the location of at least one of the reference elements within the navigational coordinate system.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a catheter carrying a location element;

control circuitry configured for conditioning the reference elements and location element to transmit signals between each other;

wherein the one or more processors is configured for determining the location of another physical structure within the navigational coordinate system based on the location of location element within the navigational coordinate system, determining the location of another image reference corresponding to the other physical structure within the image coordinate system, and registering the navigational and image coordinate systems further based on the determined location of the other physical structure within the navigational coordinate system and determined location of the other image reference within the image coordinate system.

27. The system of claim 19, wherein the physical structure comprises an anatomical structure.

28. The system of claim 19, wherein the physical structure comprises at least one of the reference elements.

29. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors is configured for determining the location of the image reference in response to an electronic mark made by a user.

30. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors is configured for determining the location of the image reference by automatically identifying image data corresponding to the image reference.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors is configured for registering the navigational and image coordinate systems by calculating a coordinate transformation function and applying the coordinate transformation function to one of the image and navigational coordinate systems.

32. The system of claim 19, further comprising a functional catheter carrying a location element, wherein the control circuitry is configured for conditioning the location and reference elements to transmit signals between each other, and the one or more processors is configured for determining the location of the functional catheter within the navigational coordinate system based on the transmitted signals.

33. A method of superimposing a medical image of an anatomical body and graphical information, the method comprising:

placing a reference catheter in contact with the anatomical body;

moving a functional catheter within the anatomical body;

acquiring location information with the functional catheter by transmitting signals between the reference and functional catheters;

generating the graphical information based on the location information;

locating a physical structure spatially correlated to the reference catheter;

identifying an image reference corresponding to the physical structure; and

merging the graphical information and medical image based on the located physical structure and the identified image reference.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the image is a preoperative image.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the image is a computed tomography (CT) image.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the anatomical body is a heart.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the reference catheter is placed within the coronary sinus of the heart.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the transmitted signals are ultrasound signals.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the location information is determined based on times-of-flight of the transmitted signals.

40. The method of claim 33, further comprising moving the functional catheter within the anatomical body, wherein the location information is acquired during movement of the functional catheter within the anatomical body.

41. The method of claim 33, further comprising acquiring medical information with the functional catheter, and deriving the location of the medical information from the acquired location information, wherein the graphical information is generated from the acquired medical information.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the medical information is electrophysiology (EP) data, and the graphical information is an EP map.

43. The method of claim 33, wherein the graphical information is generated subsequent to location of the physical structure.

44. The method of claim 33, wherein the graphical information comprises a representation of the functional catheter.

45. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

locating another physical structure spatially correlated to the functional catheter;

identifying another image reference corresponding to the other physical structure; and

merging the graphical information and medical image further based on the other located physical structure and the other identified image reference.

46. The method of claim 33, wherein the physical structure comprises an anatomical structure.

47. The method of claim 33, wherein the physical structure comprises at least a portion of the reference catheter.

48. The method of claim 33, wherein the identification of the image reference comprises displaying the medical image and electronically marking the displayed image reference.

49. The method of claim 33, wherein the identification of the image reference comprises automatically identifying image data corresponding to the image reference.

50. The method of claim 33, wherein the medical image contains image data arranged in an image coordinate system, the reference catheter is used to establish a graphical coordinate system, whereby the location of the physical structure within the graphical coordinate system is determined, the signals are transmitted between the reference and tracking catheters to determine the location of the acquired medical information within the graphical coordinate system, the image reference identification comprises determining the location of the image reference within the image coordinate system, and the merging between the medical image and the graphical information comprises registering the graphical and image coordinate systems based on the determined location of the physical structure within the graphical coordinate system and determined location of the image reference within the image coordinate system.

51. A medical system for superimposing a medical image of an anatomical body and graphical information, the method comprising:

a reference catheter;

a functional catheter;

control circuitry configured for conditioning the reference and functional catheters to transmit signals between each other; and

one or more processors configured for acquiring location information with the functional catheter based on the transmitted signals, locating a physical structure spatially correlated to the reference catheter, generating the graphical information based on the location information, identifying an image reference corresponding to the physical structure, and merging the graphical information and medical image based on the located physical structure and the identified image reference.

52. The system of claim 51, further comprising an imaging system configured for generating the medical image.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the imaging system comprises a computed tomography (CT) imager.

54. The system of claim 51, wherein the transmitted signals are ultrasound signals.

55. The system of claim 51, wherein the control circuitry comprises ranging circuitry.

56. The system of claim 51, wherein the one or more processors are configured for acquiring medical information with the functional catheter, and deriving the location of the medical information from the acquired location information, wherein the graphical information is generated from the acquired medical information.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the medical information is electrophysiology (EP) data, and the graphical information is an EP map.

58. The system of claim 51, wherein the one or more processors is configured for generating the graphical information subsequent to locating the physical structure.

59. The system of claim 51, wherein the graphical information comprises a representation of the functional catheter.

60. The system of claim 51, wherein the one or more processors is configured for locating another physical structure spatially correlated to the functional catheter, identifying another image reference corresponding to the other physical structure, and merging the graphical information and medical image further based on the other located physical structure and the other identified image reference.

61. The system of claim 51, wherein the physical structure comprises an anatomical structure.

62. The system of claim 51, wherein the physical structure comprises at least a portion of the reference catheter.

63. The system of claim 51, wherein the one or more processors is configured for locating the image reference in response to an electronic mark made by a user.

64. The system of claim 51, wherein the one or more processors is configured for automatically identifying the image reference.

65. The system of claim 51, wherein the medical image contains image data arranged in an image coordinate system, and the one or more processors is configured for establishing a graphical coordinate system with the reference catheter, whereby the location of the physical structure within the graphical coordinate system is determined, determining the location of the acquired medical information within the graphical system based on the signals transmitted between the reference and tracking catheters, determining the location of the image reference within the image coordinate system, and registering the graphical and mage coordinate systems based on the determined location of the physical structure within the graphical coordinate system and the determined location of the image reference within the image coordinate system.

66-124. -124. (canceled)