Method and apparatus for localizing an ultrasound catheter

• US 20060122514A1
• Filed: 11/23/2004
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: St. Jude Medical (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Ep Medsystems Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jenkins, David A., Dala-Krishna, Praveen, Byrd, Charles Bryan
• Granted Patent: US 7,713,210 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/466
• 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. An imaging system, comprising:

an ultrasound catheter including a tubular body, comprising;

a localizer sensor adapted and configured to generate positional information for the ultrasound catheter; and

an imaging ultrasound sensor positionable relative to the tubular body so as to have a first restricted field of view; and

a controller coupled to the ultrasound catheter for co-registering images from the imaging ultrasound sensor with positional information from the localizer sensor,

wherein the first restricted field of view spans less than 360 degrees about the tubular body.

2. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the localizer sensor comprises:

a first annular sensor positionable relative to the tubular body so as to sense first omni directional position information;

a second annular sensor positionable relative to the tubular body so as to sense second omni directional position information, the second annular sensor being displaced from the first annular sensor along a length of the tubular body; and

a directional sensor positionable relative to the tubular body so as to sense positional information along a second restricted field of view,

wherein the second field of view spans less than 360 degrees about the tubular body, and

wherein the directional ultrasound sensor is circumferentially positioned relative to the imaging ultrasound sensor about the tubular body at a known angle.

3. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein the known angle is within a range of about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees.

4. The imaging system of claim 3, wherein the directional sensor is positioned substantially opposite the imaging ultrasound sensor about the tubular body.

5. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first annular sensor and the second annular sensor comprise a cylindrical array of positional sensors.

6. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the first annular sensor and the second annular sensor are positioned within a flexible portion of the tubular body.

7. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein the imaging ultrasound sensor is positioned between the first annular sensor and the second annular sensor along the length of the tubular body.

8. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein the first annular sensor, the second annular sensor, and the directional sensor each comprise one of an ultrasound sensor, a magnetic sensor, and a resistance/impedance sensor.

9. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein the first annular sensor, the second annular sensor, and the directional sensor each comprise a magnetic sensor.

10. The imaging system of claim 2, wherein the first annular sensor, the second annular sensor, and the directional sensor each comprise a resistance/impedance sensor.

11. The imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein the controller is further configured to project a determined 3D position of the ultrasound catheter onto a wire-frame depicted on the display.

12. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the imaging ultrasound sensor comprises a longitudinal phased array of imaging ultrasound sensors.

13. The imaging system of claim 12, wherein the imaging ultrasound sensor comprises at least sixty-four imaging ultrasound sensors.

14. The imaging system of claim 1, wherein the imaging ultrasound sensor is positioned within a resilient portion of the tubular body.

15. A method of displaying medical images from a catheter-based imaging ultrasound sensor having a first restricted field of view, the method comprising:

generating at least one image with the imaging ultrasound sensor;

calculating a position of the imaging ultrasound sensor;

coregistering the calculated position with the at least one generated image; and

displaying the at least one generated image based on the calculated positional information,

wherein the first restricted field of view spans less than 360 degrees about a body of the catheter.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein coregistering the position of the imaging ultrasound sensor with the at least one generated image comprises coregistering a section of a heart imaged in the at least one generated image, and

wherein displaying the at least one generated image based on the positional information comprises:

displaying a three dimensional (3D) model of the heart; and

highlighting a section of the 3D model of the heart which corresponds to the coregistered section.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the 3D model of the heart is displayed in a first color, and wherein the highlighted section of the 3D model is displayed in a second color different from the first color.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying the imaging ultrasound sensor in the 3D model of the heart based on the calculated positional information.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein calculating the position of the imaging ultrasound sensor is based on first, second, and third positional measurements by positional sensors, a frame of reference, and a known angle between the imaging ultrasound sensor and a positional sensor having second restricted field of view about the body of the catheter.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising

sensing a first omni directional position information with a first annular sensor positionable relative to the body of the catheter;

and

sensing a second omni directional position information with a second annular sensor positionable relative to the body of the catheter.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first restricted field of view is substantially the same as the second restricted field of view, and the known angle is substantially zero.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising sensing a third position information with the imaging ultrasound sensor.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising sensing a third position information with a directional sensor positionable relative to the body of the catheter.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the known angle is within a range of about 90 degrees to about 180 degrees.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein displaying the at least one generated image based on the positional information comprises:

rendering at least part of a three dimensional (3D) image of a structure from a plurality of generated images based on the positional information; and

displaying the rendered image on a display.

26. An imaging system, comprising:

means for generating a plurality of two dimensional (2D) images of a structure;

means for determining a section of the structure corresponding to each of the plurality of 2D images; and

means for displaying a three dimensional (3D) display of at least a portion of the structure from the plurality of 2D images.