MULTI-MODALITY IMAGING AND TREATMENT

• US 20070167806A1
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Government of the United States of America, Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Kruecker, Jochen, Li, King, Wood, Bradford, Yanof, Jeffrey, Bauer, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/563,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20070167806A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4417 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities
• 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 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4218 characterised by articulated arms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4416 related to combined acquisition of different diagnostic modalities, e.g. combination of ultrasound and X-ray acquisitions

Abstract

A probe includes an ultrasound imaging transducer and a high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) transducer. The probe is operatively connected to a localizer which provides information indicative of the position and orientation of the probe in relation to a CT scanner. Information from the ultrasound imaging transducer and the CT scanner is used to assist in planning and performing a HIFU treatment.

Claims

1. An apparatus including:

an ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound transducer having a field of view and adapted to generate substantially real time ultrasound data indicative of the interior of an object;

a treatment apparatus connected to the ultrasound transducer for movement therewith, wherein the treatment apparatus is adapted to treat a treatment region located in the field of view;

a second imaging system having a temporal resolution less than that of the ultrasound imaging system and adapted to generate second imaging system data indicative of an interior of the object;

a localizer adapted to determine a relative position of the ultrasound transducer and the second imaging system;

a human readable display operatively connected to ultrasound imaging system and the second imaging system, wherein the display presents a series of human readable images indicative of the ultrasound data and spatially corresponding human readable images indicative of the second imaging system data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the treatment apparatus includes a HIFU transducer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the HIFU transducer and the ultrasound transducer are disposed in a probe.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the HIFU transducer and the ultrasound transducer are disposed in a coaxial relationship.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the second imaging system includes a CT system.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the HIFU transducer generates energy for deposition at the treatment region and wherein a location of the treatment region is displayed on the human readable images indicative of the second imaging system data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the object is characterized by a periodic motion, wherein the second imaging system generates second imaging system data corresponding to each of a plurality of phases of the object motion, and wherein the display presents the series of human readable images of the ultrasound data and physically corresponding human readable images indicative of the second imaging system data.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the ultrasound imaging system, the treatment system, and the second imaging system are characterized by respective spatial coordinate systems and wherein the apparatus includes:

means for registering the coordinate systems;

means for extracting the spatially corresponding human readable images from the second imaging system data.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the localizer includes a mechanical arm operatively connected to the ultrasound transducer.

10. A method including:

using a first imaging apparatus to obtain first volume space data indicative of an internal characteristic of an object under examination;

positioning a probe including an imaging transducer and a treatment apparatus in a position with respect to the object;

using information from the imaging transducer to generate a substantially real time stream of second volume space data indicative of an internal characteristic of the object;

determining a spatial relationship between first and second volume space data;

generating human readable images indicative of the stream of second volume space data and a spatially corresponding portion of the first volume space data;

repeating the steps of positioning the probe, using information from the imaging transducer, determining the spatial relationship, and generating human readable images a plurality of times.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the treatment apparatus is used to apply a treatment at a treatment region, and wherein the method includes indicating the position of the treatment region on the human readable images.

12. The method of claim 11 including using the first volume space data to identify a treatment target and indicating a position of the target on the human readable images.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the treatment apparatus applies ultrasound energy to the treatment region.

14. The method of claim 13 including:

using the treatment apparatus to apply ultrasound energy to the treatment region;

using human readable images indicative of the stream of second volume space data to evaluate a result of the treatment;

adjusting a characteristic of the treatment apparatus as a function of the results of the evaluation;

using the treatment apparatus to apply additional ultrasound energy to the treatment region.

15. The method of claim 14 including indicating on the human readable images a region to which the ultrasound energy has been applied.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the treatment apparatus causes localized heating of a treatment region.

17. The method of claim 10 including adjusting the first volume space data in response to a periodic motion of the object.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein adjusting includes warping the first volume space data.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein adjusting includes selecting first volume space data which corresponds to a phase of the periodic motion.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of generating includes generating a blended image indicative of the first and second volume space data.

21. The method of claim 10 wherein the treatment apparatus includes a HIFU transducer.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the imaging transducer includes a 3D ultrasound transducer.

23. An apparatus comprising:

an object support;

means for generating first volume space data indicative of an object;

means including a transducer for generating substantially real time second volume space data indicative of the object, and wherein the transducer includes a field of view;

means for depositing energy at a target, wherein the means for depositing energy is operatively connected to the transducer for movement therewith, and wherein the target is located in the field of view;

means for spatially registering the first and second volume space data;

means generating human readable images indicative of the registered first and second volume space data and the target.