METHOD OF CATHETER TRACKING USING IMAGE INFORMATION

• US 20080281191A1
• Filed: 07/21/2008
• Published: 11/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Scimed Life Systems Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Sathyanarayana, Shashidhar
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10068 Endoscopic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30101 Blood vessel; Artery; Vein; Vascular
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/55 from multiple images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches

Abstract

An improved method of tracking a catheter'"'"'s position within a human body does not rely on x-rays, but instead calculates the position of the catheter'"'"'s imaging head by analyzing image data. Such an analysis is able to determine the position of the imaging head in 3 dimensional space, relative to an arbitrarily selected reference image. An image is compared with the reference image, correlation data between corresponding points on the two images are gathered, and a correlation loss rate in a particular direction is determined. This correlation loss rate is modeled to an exponential function, which is evaluated to estimate an angle of separation between the image and the reference image. One or more angles of separation are used to determine a position in three dimensional space of the image, relative to the reference image. By repeating this process for a series of images being gathered by a catheter, the position of the catheter can be determined. Additionally, a 3 dimensional map of lumens in the human body can be created.

Claims

1. A method of tracking the position of an imaging head of a catheter in three-dimensional space within a human body, the method comprising:

receiving a first image captured by the catheter;

receiving a second image captured by the catheter;

comparing the first and second images to determine first correlation loss data between the first and second images;

determining first position data for the second image, relative to the first image, using the first correlation loss data; and

outputting the first position data.