Lithotripsy work station

• US 4,819,257 A
• Filed: 09/21/1987
• Issued: 04/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Oppelt, Sylvester, Grasser, Franz
• Primary Examiner(s): Fields, Carolyn E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Porte, David P.
• Application Number:
  US07/098,568
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 378/51, 378/62, 378/53, 378/99, 378/205, 358/111, 128/328
• US Class Current: 378/98.5
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/2255 Means for positioning patient, shock wave apparatus or locating means, e.g. mechanical aspects, patient beds, support arms, aiming means positioning of patients for radiation diagnosis A61B6/04; positioning of locating means inside shock wave apparatus A61B17/2256
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/0487 Motor-assisted positioning

Abstract

A lithotripsy work station has a patient support table which is adjustable in three dimensions by a position control unit. The support table has an opening therein through which a shock wave generator can be coupled to a patient on the support table for disintegrating calculi in the body of the patient. An x-ray system is provided for identifying the position of the calculi within the patient, and a video chain is connected to the output of the x-ray system for providing a visual display of the calculi within the patient. A unit is connected to the table control unit which identifies the current position of the support table, and an arithmetic unit calculates the limits of the area or range within which the shock wave generator can be effectively coupled to the patient, given a particular table position. A video signal generator generates a video signal from the output of the arithmetic unit which is mixed with the patient image on the display, providing a visual representation of the range limits on the display screen.

Claims

1. A lithotripsy work station for use in disintegrating a calculus disposed in the body of a patient, said work station comprising:

a support table on which said patient is disposed, said support table having an opening therein;

means for three-dimensionally positioning said support table;

x-ray means for generating at least one visually displayable image for identifying the position of said calculus in said patient;

a shock wave generator having a focus, said shock wave generator adapted for coupling to said patient through said opening in said support table for disintegrating said calculus;

means for identifying a current position of said support table;

means for generating a signal based on the position of said opening within said patient support table corresponding to range limits for effective coupling of said shock wave generator to said patient;

means for mixing said signal corresponding to the range limits with the viewable image of said patient; and

means for simultaneously displaying the mixed signals.

2. A lithotripsy work station as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for displaying has a display screen with a center, and further comprising means for generating a graticule identifying said center of said display screen, and means for mixing said graticule with said mixed signals.

3. A lithotripsy work station for use in disintegrating a calculus disposed in the body of a patient, said work station comprising:

first x-ray means for generating a first x-ray image of said patient through a first plane of said patient;

a first video chain for generating a first video image from said first x-ray image;

a second x-ray means for generating a second x-ray image of said patient in a second plane of said patient;

a second video chain for generating a second video image from said second x-ray image, said first and second planes intersecting in a line containing said calculus;

a support table on which said patient is disposed, said support table having an opening therein;

means for three-dimensionally positioning said support table;

a shock wave generator having a focus, said shock wave generator positionable for coupling with said patient through said opening in said support table to disintegrate said calculus;

means for generating a signal corresponding to a current position of said support table;

means for generating a signal based on the relative positioning of said opening in said support table identifying a range within which said shock wave generator can be effectively coupled to said patient;

means for generating a video signal corresponding to said range;

means in each of said first and second video chains for mixing said video signal into each of said first and second video images;

means in said first video chain for displaying said first video image mixed with said video signal; and

means in said second video chain for displaying said second video image mixed with said video signal.

4. A lithotripsy work station as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said means for displaying has a display screen with a center, and further comprising means for generating a graticule corresponding to said center of each of said display screens and for simultaneously mixing said graticule with said video signal for respective display with said first and second video images.