System for determining the position of a medical instrument

• US 20090281419A1
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: amedo Smart Tracking Solutions GmbH
• Original Assignee: amedo Smart Tracking Solutions GmbH
• Inventors: Groenemeyer, Dietrich, Hasenau, Laszlo, Troesken, Volker
• Application Number:
  US12/308,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20090281419A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/0233 Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00035 pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00084 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00411 actuated by application of energy from an energy source outside the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00734 battery operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3975 active
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• 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 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/98 using electromagnetic means, e.g. transponders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/765 with exchange of information between interrogator and responder
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for determining the spatial position and/or orientation of a medical instrument (1), comprising a transmission unit (3) for transmitting electromagnetic radiation (4), at least one localisation element (2) that is arranged on the medical instrument (1) and which captures the electromagnetic radiation (4) transmitted by the transmission unit (3) and produces a localisation signal (5), and an evaluation unit (9) which determines the position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1) by evaluating the localisation signal (5). The invention is characterised in that the localisation element (2) has a transponder that comprises an antenna (13) and a circuit (12) that is connected to the antenna (13). The circuit (12) can be excited by the electromagnetic radiation (4) of the transmission unit (3) captured by the antenna (13), such that the transmission unit emits, via the antenna (13), the localisation signal (5) as electromagnetic radiation.

Claims

1. A system for determining the spatial position and/or orientation of a medical instrument (1), comprised of a transmission unit (3) emitting an electromagnetic radiation (4), at least one localisation element (2) arranged at a medical instrument (1) which receives the electromagnetic radiation (4) emitted from transmission unit (3) and generates a localisation signal (5), and comprised of an evaluation unit (9), which determines the position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1) by evaluating the localisation signal (5), wherein the localisation element (2) is comprised of a transponder which is comprised of an antenna (13) and a circuit (12) connected to the antenna (13) for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic radiation, with said circuit (12) being excitable through the electromagnetic radiation (4) from the transmission unit (3) received via the antenna, in such a manner that it emits the localisation signal (5) as electromagnetic radiation through antenna (13).

2. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transponder is configured as a passive transponder, with the power supply to said circuit (12) being provided by the induction current generated on reception of the electromagnetic radiation (4) emitted from the transmission unit (3).

3. A system as defined in claim 2, wherein the transponder for power supply to the circuit (12) is comprised of a capacitor (14) which is charged by the induction current generated in the antenna (13).

4. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transponder is configured as an active transponder, with a battery being provided for power supply to said circuit (12).

5. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation of the localisation signal (5) differs from the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation (4) emitted from the transmission unit (3).

6. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the circuit (12) is provided to generate the localisation signal by modulation of the electromagnetic radiation (4) emitted from the transmission unit (3).

7. A system as defined in claim 1, comprising at least one receiving unit (6, 7, 8) connected to the evaluation unit (9), with the evaluation unit (9) being properly provided for determining the position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1) based on the phase relation of the electromagnetic radiation of the localisation signal (5) at the relevant site of the receiving unit (6, 7, 8).

8. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the circuit (12) is provided for generating the localisation signal at two or more different frequencies.

9. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transponder is connected to at least one sensor element (15), with the circuit (12) of the transponder being properly provided to emit the sensor signal of the sensor element (15) as electromagnetic radiation via the antenna (13) of the transponder.

10. A system as defined in claim 9, wherein the sensor element (15) is a temperature sensor, pressure sensor, pH sensor or position sensor integrated into the medical instrument (1).

11. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the medical instrument (1) is an intravascular catheter, a guidance wire or a biopsy needle.

12. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transponder is an RFID tag.

13. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein at least two localisation elements (2, 2′

) with two transponders allocated to them are arranged at the medical instrument (1).

14. A system as defined in claim 1, comprising at least one additional localisation element (2″

) not arranged at the medical instrument (1) with a transponder allocated to it which can be affixed in detachable arrangement at a patient'"'"'s body.

15. A system as defined in claim 14, wherein the additional localisation element (2″

) can be affixed by means of a glued, adhesive or suction disk connection in detachable arrangement on a patient'"'"'s skin surface.

16. A system as defined in claim 14, wherein the transponder of the additional localisation element (2″

) is integrated in a self-adhesive foil or tissue strip.

17. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmission unit (3) is the transmission unit of an MR device which is comprised of a transmission/receiving antenna (coil) to generate a high-frequency electromagnetic field in the investigation volume of the MR device.

18. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein the transponder is configured as a passive transponder, with the power supply to the circuit (12) being provided by the induction current generated in the antenna (13) on reception of the high-frequency electromagnetic field during the MR imaging.

19. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein the evaluation unit (9) is linked to the MR device, with the determination of the position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1) being effected based on the localisation signal (5) received via the transmission/receiving antenna (coil) of the MR device.

20. A system as defined in claim 19, wherein the evaluation unit (9) to determine the position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1) based on the phase relation of the electromagnetic radiation of the localisation signal (5) is provided at the site of the transmission/receiving antenna of the MR device.

21. A system as defined in claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit (9) is provided for selecting valid position and/or orientation data from a plurality of position and/or orientation data redundantly determined from several localisation signals (5).

22. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the localisation element (2) is comprised of a plurality of transponders which can be excited in parallel or consecutively for transmitting localisation signals (5).

23. A system as defined in claim 22, wherein the transponders are configured to generate localisation signals (5) at different frequencies each.

24. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein several localisation elements (2) are arranged at the medical instrument (1) to generate redundant localisation signals (5).

25. A medical instrument, more particularly an intravascular catheter (1), guidance wire or biopsy needle, wherein at least one transponder is integrated into the instrument (1), which is comprised of an antenna (13) and a circuit (12) connected to the antenna for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic radiation, with the circuit being excitable through electromagnetic radiation (4) received via the antenna to transmit electromagnetic radiation (5).

26. An instrument as defined in claim 25, wherein the transponder is connected to at least one sensor element (15), with the circuit (12) of the transponder being so provided that it emits the sensor signal of the sensor element (15) as electromagnetic radiation via the antenna (13) of the transponder.

27. An instrument as defined in claim 26, wherein the sensor element (15) is a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a pH sensor or a position sensor.

28. An instrument as defined in claim 25, wherein the transponder is an active or a passive RFID tag.

29. An instrument as defined in claim 25, wherein the circuit (12) of the transponder is comprised of a data memory in which identification data can be saved, and that the circuit (12) is properly provided to transmit identification data as electromagnetic radiation via the antenna (13).

30. An instrument as defined in claim 25, wherein at least two transponders are integrated in the instrument (1).

31. A use of an RFID tag for integration into a medical instrument (1) for the purpose of determining the spatial position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1).

32. A use of an RFID tag for integration into a self-adhesive foil or tissue strip for detachable affixing on a patient'"'"'s skin surface.

33. A use of an RFID tag for transmission of sensor signals from a sensor element (15) integrated into a medical instrument (1) or implant.

34. A use as defined in claim 33, with the sensor element being a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a pH sensor or a position sensor.

35. A method for determining the spatial position and/or orientation of a medical instrument (1), wherein electromagnetic radiation (4) is emitted by means of a transmission unit (3) which is received by at least one localisation element (2) arranged at the medical instrument (1), whereupon the localisation element (2) generates a localisation signal (5) and wherein by means of an evaluation unit (9) the position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1) is determined by evaluating the localisation signal (5), wherein the localisation element (2) is comprised of a transponder which is comprised of an antenna (13) and a circuit (12) connected to the antenna (13) for receiving and transmitting electromagnetic radiation, with said circuit (12) being excited by the electromagnetic radiation (4) from the transmission unit (3) received via the antenna, whereupon it emits the localisation signal (5) as electromagnetic radiation via the antenna (13).

36. A method as defined in claim 35, wherein the position and/or orientation of the medical instrument (1) is determined based on the phase relation of the electromagnetic radiation of the localisation signal (5) at the site of at least one receiving unit (6, 7, 8) connected to the evaluation unit (9).

37. A method as defined in claim 35, wherein the localisation signal (5) is generated by means of the transponder at two or more different frequencies.

38. A method as defined in claim 35, wherein the medical instrument (1) is an intravascular catheter, a guidance wire or a biopsy needle.

39. A method as defined in claim 35, wherein the transponder is an RFID tag.

40. A method as defined in claim 35, wherein at least two localisation elements (2, 2′

) including their relevant transponders allocated to them are arranged at the medical instrument (1), with the orientation of the medical instrument (1) being determined from the localisation signals (5, 5′

) of the at least two localisation elements (2, 2′

).

41. A method as defined in claim 35, wherein valid position and/or orientation data are selected from a plurality of position and/or orientation data redundantly determined from several localisation signals (5).

42. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein the localisation element (2) is comprised of a plurality of transponders which are excited in parallel or consecutively for the transmission of localisation signals (5).

43. A method as defined in claim 42, wherein the transponders emit localisation signals (5) at different frequencies each.

44. A method as defined in claim 41, wherein several localisation element (2) are arranged at the medical instrument (1) which generate redundant localisation signals (5).