LOCATION TRACKING OF A METALLIC OBJECT IN A LIVING BODY

• US 20160213321A1
• Filed: 04/07/2016
• Published: 07/28/2016
• 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: BERNSTEIN, Assaf, WEINSTEIN, Uriel, COHEN SHARVIT, Vered, OPPENHEIM, Dov
• Application Number:
  US15/093,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20160213321A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/143 for coupling microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/164 the sensor is mounted in or on a conformable substrate or carrier
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0507 using microwaves or terahertz waves
• 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 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/318 Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6833 Adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/42 Details of probe positioning or probe attachment to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/543 involving acquisition triggered by a physiological signal

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for determining and tracking location of a metallic object in a living body, and then directing a second modality such as ultrasound waves to the determined location. The metal detector may be a radar detector adapted to operate on a living body. The adaption may include disposing a transfer material having electromagnetic properties similar to the body between the radar detector and the living body, ECG gating the radar detector, and/or employing an optimal estimator with a model of expected stent movement in a living body. Applications include determination of extent of in-stent restenosis, performing therapeutic thrombolysis, or determining operational features of a metallic implant.

Claims

1-51. -51. (canceled)

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

a transmitting RF antenna configured to transmit RF waves into the body of a patient;

an RF detector configured to receive scattered RF waves in response to the transmitted RF waves from the body of the patient;

a patch comprising at least one of the transmitting RF antenna and the RF detector, the patch configured to couple to and conform with skin of the patient; and

processing circuitry for determining information related to a target feature of the body of the patient by analyzing a characteristic of the received scattered RF waves.

53. The apparatus of claim 52, further comprising an interface configured to facilitate the coupling of the patch to the skin of the patient.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the interface comprises an apparel to be worn by the patient.

55. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the interface comprises a transfer material configured to reduce reflection of the transmitted RF waves at the skin of the patient.

56. The apparatus of claim 55, wherein the transfer material comprises one or more of a gel, a liquid, an adhesive and a solution of ethylene glycol and water.

57. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising a container for enclosing the interface, the container configured to allow the coupling of the patch to the skin of the patient.

58. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the RF detector is configured to operate in a bandwidth of several GHz in a range of about 1 GHz to about 10 GHz.

59. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the antenna is a multi-element antenna.

60. The apparatus of claim 59, further comprising a switching matrix configured to switch elements of the multi-element antenna into one or more receivers to receive the scattered RF waves.

61. The apparatus of claim 52, further comprising a modulating matrix configured to modulate the received scattered RF waves.

62. The apparatus of claim 52, further comprising a tracking element configured to provide a location of the patch.

63. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the information related to the target feature includes target location and target orientation.

64. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the characteristic of the received scattered waves includes spectral characteristics, temporal characteristics, amplitude information and/or Doppler velocity of the received scattered waves.

65. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the characteristic of the received scattered waves includes amplitude information, and analyzing the characteristics includes evaluating amplitude ratios to determine target location.

66. The apparatus of claim 64, wherein the characteristic of the received scattered waves includes temporal characteristics, and analyzing the characteristics includes evaluating arrival time differences of the received scattered waves to determine target location.

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

a transmitting RF antenna configured to transmit RF waves into the body of a patient;

an RF detector configured to receive scattered RF waves in response to the transmitted RF waves from the body of the patient;

an electrocardiogram (ECG) device configured to monitor an activity of the heart of the patient; and

processing circuitry for managing a duty cycle of the transmitting RF antenna and/or the RF detector based on the monitored activity of the heart.

68. The apparatus of claim 67, wherein the processing circuitry determines information related to a target feature of the body of the patient by analyzing a characteristic of a duty-cycled received scattered RF waves.

69. The apparatus of claim 68, further comprising a sensor for measuring a breathing motion of the patient, and wherein the processing circuitry uses breathing motion information from the sensor to monitor a location of the target feature.

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

a transmitting RF antenna configured to transmit RF waves into the body of a patient;

an RF detector configured to receive scattered RF waves in response to the transmitted RF waves from the body of the patient;

an electrocardiogram (ECG) device configured to monitor an activity of the heart of the patient;

a patch comprising at least one of the transmitting RF antenna, the RF detector and the ECG device, the patch configured to couple to and conform with skin of the patient;

a transfer material configured to surround and/or enfold the antenna so as to reduce reflection of RF waves at the skin of the patient; and

processing circuitry for managing a duty cycle of the transmitting RF antenna and/or the RF detector based on the monitored activity of the heart, and determining information related to a target feature of the body of the patient by analyzing a characteristic of a duty-cycled received scattered RF waves.

71. The apparatus of claim 70, wherein the transfer material has electromagnetic properties similar to the body of the patient.