METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR TRACKING IN A MEDICAL PROCEDURE

• US 20120089014A1
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Sabczynski, Joerg, Schulz, Heinrich
• Application Number:
  US13/378,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20120089014A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/05 characterised by the image sensor, e.g. camera, being in the distal end portion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/2676 Bronchoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2048 using an accelerometer or inertia sensor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/364 Correlation of different images or relation of image positions in respect to the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 5/0013 Medical image data A61B1/00011, A61B6/56, A61B8/56 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 5/067 using accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• 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 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/36 Image-producing devices or illumination devices not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/37 Surgical systems with images on a monitor during operation

Abstract

A tracking system for a target anatomy of a patient can include a medical device having a body (281) having a distal end (290) and at least one channel (292) formed therein, where the body is adapted for insertion through an anatomy (105) to reach a target area (430); an accelerometer (185) connected to the body and positioned in proximity to the distal end; an imaging device (295) operably coupled with the body; and a light source (297) operably coupled with the body, where the accelerometer is in communication with a remote processor (120) for transmitting acceleration data thereto, where the imaging device is in communication with the remote processor for transmitting real-time images thereto, and where an orientation of the medical device with respect to the anatomy is determined by the processor based on the acceleration data.

Claims

1. A method of tracking in a medical procedure, the method comprising:

receiving acceleration data (750) from an accelerometer (185) that is integrally connected to a medical device (180), the acceleration data being received at a remote processor (120), the medical device being moved through an anatomy (105) of a patient towards a target region (430); and

determining an orientation of the medical device with respect to the anatomy based on the acceleration data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining an image of the anatomy;

calibrating the orientation with the image;

at a first bifurcation of the anatomy, determining directions into bifurcated bronchi using the image; and

comparing the determined directions to an expected direction based on the determined orientation.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing real-time images of the anatomy using the medical device (180) and displaying the captured images on a display device (130) operably coupled with the processor (120).

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising overlaying an orientation indicator with the captured real-time images of the anatomy (105), wherein the orientation indicator represents the orientation of the medical device (180) with respect to the anatomy.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing real-time images of the anatomy (105) using the medical device (180);

displaying the captured images on a display device (130) operably coupled with the processor (120); and

presenting the orientation on the display device, wherein the orientation is presented by rotating the captured images on the display device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting the orientation on a display device (130) operably coupled to the processor (120).

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting bifurcations in the anatomy using an image of the patient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the image of the patient is obtained using at least one of computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising overlaying a current position of the medical device (180) on the image of the patient.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining an image of the anatomy;

determining a target region in the image by selecting a corresponding slice of the image;

segmenting a portion of the image using image processing; and

planning a path from a trachea into a bronchial tree to the target region.

11. A computer-readable storage medium in which computer-executable code is stored, the computer-executable code configured to cause a computing device, in which the computer-readable storage medium is provided, to:

receive orientation data (750) from a orientation sensor (185) that is integrally connected to a medical device (180), the orientation data being received at a remote processor (120), the medical device being moved through an anatomy (105) of a patient towards a target region (430);

determine an orientation of the medical device with respect to the anatomy based on the position data;

capture real-time images of the anatomy using the medical device; and

present the captured images and the orientation of the medical device with respect to the anatomy on a display device (130) operably coupled to the processor.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the orientation sensor (185) is one of an accelerometer and a magnetometer, and wherein the orientation data is acceleration data.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer-executable code for causing the computing device to overlay an orientation indicator with the captured real-time images of the anatomy (105), wherein the orientation indicator represents the orientation of the medical device (180) with respect to the anatomy.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer-executable code for causing the computing device to detect bifurcations in the anatomy using an image of the patient.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising computer-executable code for causing the computing device to overlay a current position of the medical device (180) on the image of the patient.

16. An endoscope comprising:

a body (281) having a distal end (290) and at least one channel (292) formed therein, the body being adapted for insertion through an anatomy (105) to reach a target area (430);

an accelerometer (185) connected to the body and positioned in proximity to the distal end;

an imaging device (295) operably coupled with the body; and

a light source (297) operably coupled with the body,

wherein the accelerometer is in communication with a remote processor (120) for transmitting acceleration data thereto, wherein the imaging device is in communication with the remote processor for transmitting real-time images thereto, and wherein an orientation of the medical device with respect to the anatomy is determined by the processor based on the acceleration data.

17. The endoscope of claim 16, wherein imaging device (295) and the light source (295) are positioned in proximity to the distal end (290) of the body (281).

18. The endoscope of claim 16, wherein the at least one channel (292) is a first and second channel, the first channel being adapted for providing suction to the target area, the second channel being adapted for passing a surgical device therethrough.

19. The endoscope of claim 16, wherein the accelerometer (185) is in communication with the remote processor (120) through a wireless link.

20. The endoscope of claim 16, wherein the imaging device (295) is in communication with the remote processor (120) through a wireless link.