LOCATING FEATURES IN THE HEART USING RADIO FREQUENCY IMAGING

• US 20160198976A1
• Filed: 01/14/2016
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ZOLL Medical Israel Limited (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kyma Medical Technologies Ltd. (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Weinstein, Uriel, Bernstein, Assaf, Cohen, Eyal, Sharvit, Vered Cohen
• Application Number:
  US14/996,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198976A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0412 Low-profile patch shaped housings
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0217 Electrolyte containing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/14 Coupling media or elements to improve sensor contact with skin or tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/166 the sensor is mounted on a specially adapted printed circuit board
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0507 using microwaves or terahertz waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/061 Determining position of a probe within the body employing means separate from the probe, e.g. sensing internal probe position employing impedance electrodes on the surface of the body A61B1/00158 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/085 for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36578 controlled by mechanical motion of the heart wall, e.g. measured by an accelerometer or microphone

Abstract

Diagnostic apparatus (20) includes an antenna 32, which is configured to direct radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves into a living body and to generate signals responsively to the waves that are scattered from within the body. Processing circuitry (36) is configured to process the signals so as to locate a feature in a blood vessel in the body.

Claims

1-58. -58. (canceled)

59. A radio-frequency (RF) monitoring and/or diagnostic apparatus, comprising:

a planar antenna configured to direct RF electromagnetic waves into the body of a patient and to generate signals responsively to the waves that are scattered from within the body, wherein a first surface of the antenna comprises a printed circuit board; and

processing circuitry configured to process the signals so as to determine a feature in the body responsively to a difference in a dielectric constant of the feature relative to surrounding tissue;

wherein, the antenna is configured to be positioned in close proximity to a surface of the body of the patient.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein close proximity to a surface of the body of the patient comprises the antenna being in contact with the skin of the patient.

61. The apparatus of claim 59, further comprising a first material configured for arrangement between the body of the patient and the antenna.

62. The apparatus of claim 61, wherein the first material comprises at least one of an adhesive, a gel, and apparel.

63. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein determining the feature in the body comprises identifying and tracking a movement of the feature in the body.

64. The apparatus of claim 63, wherein tracking the movement of the feature in the body includes imaging the feature and estimating a trajectory of the feature based on analysis of the image of the feature.

65. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the feature comprises a tissue in the body.

66. The apparatus of claim 59, wherein the RF electromagnetic waves are in a frequency range of from about 400 MHz to about 4 GHz.

67. A radio-frequency (RF) monitoring and/or diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a planar antenna configured to direct RF electromagnetic waves into the body of a patient and to generate signals responsively to the waves that are scattered from within the body, wherein a first surface of the antenna comprises a printed circuit board;

processing circuitry configured to process the signals so as to determine a feature in the body responsively to a difference in a dielectric constant of the feature relative to surrounding tissue; and

a first material configured for arrangement between the antenna and the skin of the patient during use.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the first material comprises at least one of an adhesive, a gel and apparel.

69. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the first material is configured so as to substantially affix the antenna in close proximity to the skin of the body.

70. The apparatus of claim 67, further comprising a cavity proximate the antenna and configured to at least increase overall gain of the signals.

71. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the cavity comprises a waveguide.

72. The apparatus of claim 71, wherein the waveguide includes dimensions configured such that a cutoff frequency of the lowest propagating mode in the waveguide exceeds an upper band frequency limit of the antenna.

73. The apparatus of claim 67, further comprising a case for sealing the planar antenna against the first material and/or a liquid.

74. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the RF electromagnetic waves are in a frequency range of from about 400 MHz to about 4 GHz.

75. A radio-frequency (RF) monitoring and/or diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a planar antenna configured to direct RF electromagnetic waves into the body of a patient and to generate signals responsively to the waves that are scattered from within the body, wherein a first surface of the antenna comprises a printed circuit board;

processing circuitry configured to process the signals so as to determine a feature in the body responsively to a difference in a dielectric constant of the feature relative to surrounding tissue; and

a wearable element comprising at least one of the planar antenna and the processing circuitry, the wearable element configured to abut skin of the body of the patient.

76. The apparatus of claim 75, wherein the planar antenna is a multi-element antenna, and further comprising a switching matrix configured to switch elements of the multi-element antenna between a transmitter and a receiver.

77. The apparatus of claim 75, wherein determining a feature in the body comprises identifying and tracking a movement of the feature in the body.

78. The apparatus of claim 75, wherein tracking the movement of the feature in the body includes imaging the feature and estimating a trajectory of the feature based on analysis of the image of the feature.

79. The apparatus of claim 75, wherein the planar antenna includes a plurality of antenna elements, the plurality of antenna elements positioned about the body of the patient such that a first antenna element receives reflected waves and a second antenna element receives the scattered waves.

80. The apparatus of claim 79, further comprising one or more position sensors configured to determine respective positions of the plurality of antenna elements.

81. The apparatus of claim 75, wherein the RF electromagnetic waves are in a frequency range of from about 400 MHz to about 4 GHz.