Angioscopic system and method for dimensional measurement including measurement of the distance from angioscopic ends to designated planes
First Claim
1. A system for angioscopic dimensional analysis comprising:
- an optical fiber angioscope having a tip for insertion into the interior of a vessel;
a video camera connected to said angioscope;
a monitor to display images of the interior of a vessel from the tip of the angioscope; and
a computer connected to process data from said video camera, said computer having storage means with stored coefficients for conversion of pixels into dimensional units for feature planes at any distance within an operational range of said tip; and
wherein said computer includes input means to receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image and processing means to quantify the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units and by taking into account an actual distance, within said operational range, between said tip and the dimensional feature.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An angioscopic system includes image processing so as to determine the dimensions of an unknown dimensional feature within the field of view of the angioscope. The system is calibrated by placing a series of known images at known separation distances from the tip of the angioscope and measuring the size of the image which is produced upon a video monitor. This provides a series of data indicating the relationship between the actual size of the feature, the apparent size in pixels on the image, and the known separation distance from the tip of the scope to the feature plane in which the dimensional feature is disposed. Collection of this data allows one to generate, by curve fitting techniques, a functional relationship such that the size of an unknown dimensional feature may be determined when the angioscope is used upon an actual patient. The coefficients generated by the calibration technique are stored in the computer and called up during the measurement process which involves viewing a scene from several different points and using a Newton-Jordan or other minimization technique in order to generate the actual area or other dimensional aspect of the feature of interest. A modified system uses a stereoscopic angioscope in order to provide depth information with respect to an image without the necessity of moving an angioscope tip. A calibrated guidewire may be used to orient and stabilize the tip of the scope. Markings on the guidewire allow one to determine the amount of change in position of the tip.
-
Citations
26 Claims
-
1. A system for angioscopic dimensional analysis comprising:
-
an optical fiber angioscope having a tip for insertion into the interior of a vessel; a video camera connected to said angioscope; a monitor to display images of the interior of a vessel from the tip of the angioscope; and a computer connected to process data from said video camera, said computer having storage means with stored coefficients for conversion of pixels into dimensional units for feature planes at any distance within an operational range of said tip; and wherein said computer includes input means to receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image and processing means to quantify the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units and by taking into account an actual distance, within said operational range, between said tip and the dimensional feature. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A system for angioscopic dimensional analysis comprising:
-
an optical fiber angioscope having a tip; a video camera connected to said angioscope; a monitor to display images from the angioscope; and a computer connected to process data from said video camera, said computer having storage means with stored coefficients for conversion of pixels into dimensional units for feature planes at different distances from said tip; and wherein said computer includes input means to receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image and processing means to quantify the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units; and
further comprising a guidewire for guiding the angioscope; and
wherein said guidewire has indicia marked thereon and separated by known distances for viewing by way of the angioscope, and wherein said input means to receive is operable to receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image with the tip positioned at a plurality of distances from a feature plane; and
said processing means is operable to determine the distance from said tip to the feature plane based on changes in the data corresponding to moving the position of the tip an unknown amount, quantify this unknown amount of movement from changes in the image of the guidewire by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units, and quantify the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units; and
said guidewire is operable to stabilize the angioscope and/or orient the angioscope such that the method of angioscopy is improved.
-
-
4. A system for angioscopic dimensional analysis comprising:
-
an optical fiber angioscope having a tip; a video camera connected to said angioscope; a monitor to display images from the angioscope; and a computer connected to process data from said video camera, said computer having storage means with stored coefficients for conversion of pixels into dimensional units for feature planes at different distances from said tip; and wherein said computer includes input means to receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image and processing means to quantify the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units; and wherein said input means is operable to receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image with the tip positioned at a plurality of distances from a feature plane, and said processing means is operable to determine the distance from said tip to the feature plane based on changes in the data corresponding to moving the position of the tip an amount, and quantify the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7)
-
-
8. A method of measuring angioscopic dimensional features using an angioscopic dimensional analysis system having:
-
an angioscope having a tip and two image-guiding fiber optic bundles spaced apart for providing a stereoscopic image by combining two images, one from each of said fiber optic bundles; a video camera connected to said angioscope; a monitor to display images from the angioscope; and a computer connected to process data from said video camera, said computer having stored coefficients for conversion of pixels into dimensional units for feature planes at different distances from said tip; the steps comprising; having the computer receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image, the dimensional feature being at an unknown distance within an operational range from said tip; determining the distance from said tip to the dimensional feature by use of difference in images supplied by the two fiber optic bundles; and quantifying the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units.
-
-
9. A method of measuring angioscopic dimensional features using an angioscopic dimensional analysis system having:
-
an angioscopic having a tip; a video camera connected to said angioscope; a monitor to display images from the angioscope; and a computer connected to process data from said video camera, said computer having stored coefficients for conversion of pixels into dimensional units for feature planes at different distances from said tip; the steps comprising; having the computer receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image; and quantifying the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units, and further comprising the step of determining the distance from the tip to the feature plane. - View Dependent Claims (10)
-
-
11. A method of measuring angioscopic dimensional features using an angioscopic dimensional analysis system having:
-
an angioscope having a tip; a video camera connected to said angioscope; a motor to display images from the angioscope; and a computer connected to process data from said video camera, said computer having stored coefficients for conversion of pixels into dimensional units for feature planes at different distances from said tip; the steps comprising; having the computer receive data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscopic image; and quantifying the dimensional feature by use of at least one appropriate coefficient to convert from pixels to dimensional units, and wherein the computer receives data representative of the number of pixels corresponding to an unknown dimensional feature of an angioscope image with the tip positioned at a plurality of distances from a feature plane and further comprising the step of determining the distance from said tip to the feature plane based on changes in the data corresponding to moving the position of the tip an amount. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method for use with an angioscopic dimensional analysis system having:
-
an angioscope having a tip; a video camera connected to said angioscope; a monitor to display images from the angioscope; and a computer connected to process data from said video camera; the steps comprising calibrating the system by; placing at least one known pattern at a series of known distances from the tip of the angioscope such that the video camera generates a corresponding series of images composed of pixels; measuring the number of pixels in a dimensional feature of the pattern having known dimensions for each image;
having the computer calculate at least one coefficient for each known distance, each coefficient useful for conversion of pixels to dimensional units; and
storing each of the coefficients. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-
25. A method of obtaining an image from a vessel in a patient by an angioscope, the steps comprising:
-
inserting a guidewire having an end into the vessel; inserting the angioscope into the vessel with the angioscope having a tip which is coupled to the guidewire; and maintaining the tip of the angioscope spaced from the end of the guidewire such that the angioscope is oriented to provide a desired image, and further comprising the step of determining a distance relative to the tip of the angioscope by viewing indicia on said guidewire. - View Dependent Claims (26)
-
Specification