FIBER OPTIC SYSTEMS FOR MRI SUITES AND RELATED DEVICES AND METHODS

• US 20140046167A1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Clearpoint Neuro, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MRI Interventions, Inc. (Clearpoint Neuro, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vij, Kamal, Piferi, Peter, Kail, Richard James
• Granted Patent: US 9,610,048 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/410
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0046 Arrangements of imaging apparatus in a room, e.g. room provided with shielding or for improved access to apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7475 User input or interface means, e.g. keyboard, pointing device, joystick

Abstract

Fiber optic systems with an MR compatible mouse in an MR scanner room that connects to a fiber optic computer mouse interface that is attached to a fiber optic cable that connects to a USB port of a computer in the MR control room to allow the mouse in the MR scanner room to move a cursor on a monitor in communication with the computer in the control room of an MRI suite during an MRI guided surgical procedure. The fiber optic cable(s) can be routed though a conventional RF wall waveguide and avoids the need for additional holes in the penetration panel for connectors. The fiber optic systems can also include up converters and down converters for providing fiber optic video signals from cameras in the MR scanner room to display video signal on the monitor.

Claims

1. A surgical system for an MRI suite, comprising:

an MRI compatible mouse residing in an MR Scanner room of the MRI suite;

a fiber optic mouse interface in the MR Scanner room in communication with the mouse; and

a fiber optic cable attached to the fiber optic mouse interface configured to connect a computer outside the MR Scanner room so that a user is able to move the mouse in the MR Scanner room to (i) move a cursor and (ii) select functions or actions in drop down menus presented by the computer to at least one monitor.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an up-converter device in the MR scanner room in communication with a down-converter device outside the MR Scanner room, wherein video to fiber optic signal is converted and transmitted by the up-converter to the down-converter which converts fiber optic signal to video and transmits the video to a monitor outside the MR Scanner room.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic cable is routed through a waveguide in an RF shielded wall that extends between the MR Scanner room and an MR control room of the MRI suite.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a length of RF shielded cable attached to the mouse and extending between the mouse and the fiber optic mouse interface.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the up-converter device comprises a DC power supply that is configured to power the fiber optic mouse interface.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the up-converter device comprises a housing having a perimeter with at least a portion having a ground shield to suppress EMI.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic mouse interface comprises a USB to optical converter and non-ferromagnetic housing with EMI grounding, power input and one or more USB mouse connectors.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the fiber optic mouse interface comprises a housing with a perimeter having a ground shield on walls thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mouse has a single operational external tactile switch allowing for left click input.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the mouse has non-ferromagnetic screws holding a primary circuit board in a mouse housing, and wherein the mouse includes an EMI ground shield under the primary circuit board.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mouse further comprises a second circuit board holding DC power supply filter wires and serial data lines that connect to the primary circuit board.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video to fiber optic up-converter device in the MR scanner room, the up-converter device comprising at least one camera connector port, a mouse power port, a fiber optic output port and an AC voltage power input port, wherein the mouse power port is configured to engage a power cord that supplies DC voltage to the fiber optic mouse interface.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a fiber optic to video down-converter device outside the MR scanner room, the down-converter device in communication with the computer and at least one monitor, the down-converter device comprising at least one optical input port configured to engage a fiber optic cable, at least one fiber optic video receiver, and at least one BNC video output.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a monitor in the MR Scanner room that is connected to a VGA switch outside the MR Scanner room via a fiberoptic monitor cable, and wherein the mouse is not attached to the monitor in the MR Scanner room.

15. A method of controlling an MRI guided surgery, comprising;

accepting user input from a mouse in an MR Scanner room of an MRI suite;

converting signal from the mouse to a fiber optic mouse signal in the MR Scanner room;

transmitting the fiber optic mouse signal to a USB port on a computer outside the MR Scanner room via a fiberoptic cable that is routed through a waveguide in an RF shielded wall between the MR Scanner room and an MR control room of the MRI suite; and

electronically moving a cursor and/or selecting actions or functions on a monitor with the computer using the transmitted fiber optic mouse signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the monitor is outside the MR Scanner room, and wherein the moving step is carried out to control actions in a defined programmatically controlled workflow associated with an MRI guided surgical procedure provided by the computer outside the MR Scanner room,

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting fiber optic signal from the computer outside the MR Scanner room to a monitor in the MR Scanner room, wherein the mouse is not attached to the monitor in the MR Scanner room.

18. A surgical system for an MRI suite, comprising:

an MRI compatible mouse residing in an MR Scanner room of the MRI suite;

a fiber optic mouse interface in the MR Scanner room in communication with the mouse;

a fiber optic cable attached to the fiber optic mouse interface connected to a computer in communication with at least one monitor outside the MR Scanner room so that a user is able to move the mouse in the MR Scanner room to (i) move a cursor and/or (ii) select functions or actions in drop down menus presented by the monitor outside the MR Scanner room; and

an up-converter device in the MR Scanner room in communication with a down-converter device outside the MR Scanner room, wherein video to fiber optic signal is converted and transmitted by the up-converter to the down-converter which converts fiber optic signal to video.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a monitor in the MR Scanner room that is connected to a VGA switch outside the MR Scanner room via a fiberoptic monitor cable, and wherein the mouse is not attached to the monitor in the MR Scanner room.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a transmitter interface assembly residing in the MR control room in communication with the down converter in the MR control room and a monitor in the MR Scanner room.

21. A MRI compatible fiber optic mouse suitable for operation in a an MRI Scanner room of a medical MRI suite holding a high field magnet, comprising:

an MRI compatible mouse housing comprising non-ferromagnetic screws holding a primary circuit board therein;

a single operational external tactile switch allowing for left click input held by the mouse housing; and

an EMI ground shield residing in the mouse housing under the primary circuit board.

22. The mouse of claim 21, further comprising a second circuit board in the mouse housing holding DC power supply filter wires and serial data lines that connect to the primary circuit board.

23. The mouse of claim 21, wherein the mouse is sterile for use in a surgical environment, and wherein the mouse further comprises first and second EMI suppressors, one with a ground input connected to the EMI ground shield and one with a ground input connected to a shield of a cable attached to the mouse and extending external thereof.

24. A surgical system for an MRI suite, comprising:

an up-converter device in the MR Scanner room in communication with a down-converter device outside the MR Scanner room, wherein video to fiber optic signal is converted and transmitted by the up-converter to the down-converter which converts fiber optic signal to video and transmits the video to a monitor outside the MR Scanner room.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the up-converter device comprises at least one camera connector port, a mouse power port, a fiber optic output port and an AC voltage power input port.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the mouse power port engages a power cord that supplies DC voltage to a fiber optic mouse interface that resides in the MR Scanner room, the system further comprising a fiber optic mouse attached to the fiber optic mouse interface and a monitor in the MR Scanner room, and wherein the fiber optic mouse is not attached to the monitor in the MR Scanner room.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the down-converter device is in communication with a computer outside the MR Scanner room and at least one monitor, the down-converter device comprising at least one optical input port configured to engage a fiber optic cable, at least one fiber optic video receiver, and at least one BNC video output.

28. The system of claim 24, further comprising a monitor in the MR Scanner room that is connected to a VGA switch outside the MR Scanner room via a fiberoptic monitor cable.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the up-converter device comprises a housing having a perimeter with at least a portion having a ground shield to suppress EMI.

30. The system of claim 24, further comprising at least one camera in the MR Scanner room positioned to be in visual communication with a patient in a magnet and connected to the up-converter.

31. The system of claim 24, further comprising a transmitter interface assembly with a housing shielding a transmitter that is in communication with the down converter and is configured to convert HDMI video signal from the down converter to fiber optic signal.