SYSTEM AND CATHETER FOR IMAGE GUIDANCE AND METHODS THEREOF

• US 20100152590A1
• Filed: 12/08/2009
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACIST Medical Systems Incorporated (Bracco SPA)
• Original Assignee: Silicon Valley Medical Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Buech, Stephanie J., Waters, Kendall R., Zelenka, Robert, Moore, Thomas C.
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/466
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00082 Balloons
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/233 for the nose, i.e. nasoscopes , e.g. testing of patency of Eustachian tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/2733 Oesophagoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/3137 for examination of the interior of blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00243 cardiac
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00557 inflatable A61B2017/22051 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00991 Telescopic means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00577 Ablation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/00982 combined with or comprising means for visual or photographic inspections inside the body, e.g. endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/0212 using an instrument inserted into a body lumen, e.g. catheter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3784 both receiver and transmitter being in the instrument or receiver being also transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0841 for locating instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0883 for diagnosis of the heart
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/445 Details of catheter construction
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4466 involving deflection of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4494 : characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements devices for short-range imaging using particular transducer elements arrangements under G01S15/8909; arrangements of transducers in generation of mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency B06B1/0607
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5223 : for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5253 : combining overlapping images, e.g. spatial compounding
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 : Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/30 : for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment

Abstract

A catheter-based imaging system comprises a catheter having a telescoping proximal end, a distal end having a distal sheath and a distal lumen, a working lumen, and an ultrasonic imaging core. The ultrasonic imaging core is arranged for rotation and linear translation. The system further includes a patient interface module including a catheter interface, a rotational motion control system that imparts controlled rotation to the ultrasonic imaging core, a linear translation control system that imparts controlled linear translation to the ultrasonic imaging core, and an ultrasonic energy generator and receiver coupled to the ultrasonic imaging core. The system further comprises an image generator coupled to the ultrasonic energy receiver that generates an image.

Claims

1. A catheter-based imaging system, comprising:

a catheter having a telescoping proximal end, a distal end having a distal sheath and a distal lumen, a working lumen, and an ultrasonic imaging core, the ultrasonic imaging core being arranged for rotation and linear translation;

a patient interface module including a catheter interface, a rotational motion control system that imparts controlled rotation to the ultrasonic imaging core, a linear translation control system that imparts controlled linear translation to the ultrasonic imaging core, and an ultrasonic energy generator and receiver coupled to the ultrasonic imaging core; and

an image generator coupled to the ultrasonic energy receiver that generates an image.

2. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter is adapted for intracardiac use.

3. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter is adapted for transesophageal use.

9. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic imaging core comprises at least one transducer.

10. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic imaging core comprises at least one transducer array.

11. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the linear translation control system comprises an ultrasonic piezoelectric motor.

12. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the linear translation system comprises a gear and linkage arm.

13. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the patient interface module comprises a linear translation position sensor.

14. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, further comprising an identifier that provides identification of susceptible substrates responsive to ultrasound tissue classifiers.

15. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a temperature monitor that monitors luminal esophageal temperature responsive to ultrasound tissue classifiers.

16. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a titrator that maps contiguity and transmurality of ablative lesions responsive to ultrasound tissue classifiers.

22. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter distal end comprises a septum, an atraumatic tip, and a septum puncture port.

23. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter distal tip comprises a short monorail guidewire receiver.

24. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter comprises an over-the-wire guidewire receiver.

25. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter comprises a steerable section.

26. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter comprises a second working lumen.

27. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic imaging core comprises a magnetic tracking sensor.

28. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1, wherein the catheter distal sheath comprises a radio-opaque marker band.

29. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1 wherein the linear translation control system imparts continuous controlled translation to the ultrasonic imaging core.

30. The catheter-based imaging system of claim 1 wherein the linear translation control system imparts controlled bidirectional translation to the ultrasonic imaging core.

4. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, further comprising a compliant balloon at the catheter distal end.

5. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, wherein the catheter comprises an inflation lumen in fluid communication with the balloon.

6. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, wherein the catheter comprises a deflation lumen in fluid communication with the balloon.

7. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, wherein the catheter distal end is in fluid communication with the balloon.

8. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, wherein the catheter is dimensioned for transnasal delivery.

17. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, further comprising a stage that stitches scanned image sub-volumes into a large scanned image volume.

18. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, further comprising a stage responsive to the ultrasonic imaging core for providing synthetic aperture imaging.

19. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, further comprising a stage responsive to the at least one transducer array for providing synthetic aperture imaging.

20. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, further comprising a stage responsive to the ultrasonic imaging core for providing synthetic aperture beam steering.

21. The catheter-based imaging system of claim, further comprising a stage responsive to the at least one transducer array for providing synthetic aperture beam steering.