Light beam locator and guide for a biopsy needle

• US 5,320,111 A
• Filed: 09/14/1992
• Issued: 06/14/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Livingston Products, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Livingston Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Livingston, Troy W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pellegrino, Stephen C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tucker, Guy V.
• Application Number:
  US07/944,474
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 128/754, 128/753, 128/752, 128/751, 128/749, 128/664, 128/665, 128/653.1, 128/662.05, 128/663.01, 606/130, 604/116, 378/37, 378/204, 378/205, 378/206, 359/618, 359/629
• US Class Current: 600/567
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3403 Needle locating or guiding means guides for suture needles A61B17/0482; guiding or tracking by nuclear magnetic resonance G01R33/285
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/2025 with a pilot laser
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/13 guided by light, e.g. laser pointers

Abstract

Method and apparatus for locating and guiding a biopsy needle with respect to an X-rayed specimen having a tumor to be engaged by the needle. Intersecting laser beams are utilized to mark the location of the tumor and to guide the biopsy needle in a vertical path. The laser beam source is movable in orthogonal paths while compensating means redirect the beams to maintain them within a target area or eliminate any parallax. That is, the angular position of the laser light beam is adjusted to different angles at different coordinate positions to have the needle follow along a portion of a straight line path from the X-ray point source through the lesion and to the X-ray film. Thus, the needle tip should not be displaced to one side of a small lesion.

Claims

1. A device for locating and guiding a biopsy needle during a procedure in which abreast lesion has been identified by X-ray examination from a substantially point source of X-rays and a specimen of the lesion is to be obtained, said device comprising:

a laser head including first laser source for radiating a first focused beam in a first plane visible as a first line on the breast and a second laser source for radiating a second focused beam in a second plane visible as a second line on the breast, said beams intersecting and radiating visible as a continuous cross hair;

traversing means for moving said first laser source perpendicular to said first line and for moving said second laser source perpendicular to said second line;

means for directing toward the specimen said focused beams and their intersections as the continuous cross hair for marking an insertion location for a biopsy needle in said target area and at an angle to align the needle during insertion to the lesion; and

adjusting means for adjusting said focused beams to different angles to the vertical as the laser head traverses to different angles to the vertical as the error between the laser beams and the point source of the X-rays.

2. A method of locating and obtaining a biopsy of a lesion in a specimen comprising the steps of:

clamping a specimen with clamping means in a fixed position in an X-ray machine;

radiating the specimen with X-rays to form an X-ray picture of the specimen to locate a lesion;

providing indica means associated with the clamping means for locating a lesion on said X-ray picture by means of coordinates;

generating a laser beam in a continuous cross hair pattern emanating from a location along the line of the X-ray radiation;

positioning the continuous laser beam in accordance with the coordinate locations of said lesions as shown by the X-ray picture;

adjusting the inclination of the laser beam for different coordinate locations of the lesion and directing the needle along these different inclination at each the respective locations, and

applying the tip of a biopsy needle to the intersection on the specimen of the lines formed by the laser beam and taking a biopsy sample of the specimen.

3. An apparatus for locating a point of entry for a biopsy needle on a person'"'"'s body and for guiding the biopsy needle to obtain a specimen which has been located on an X-ray film by an X-ray of the specimen, said apparatus comprising:

a frame for mounting on an X-ray machine for generating an X-ray from a point source;

a light source in the frame for radiating a focused beam to provide a visible beam along which the biopsy needle may be guided;

positioning means for shifting type light source relative to the frame to locate the light beam at a number of predetermined locations defined by coordinates above the specimen;

shifting means for positioning the light beam along an angle simulating the angle from the X-ray point source through the specimen at the coordinate location to the film to reduce parallax error so that the biopsy needle may be guided at the approximate angle from the X-ray point source to the specimen, the light source including a laser for generating a light beam in the form of a cross hair which is to be centered at the point of entry for the biopsy needle and as a cross hair on a distal end of the biopsy needle.

4. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which openings are provided in the frame through which the X-ray beam may pass without hitting the frame, and the light source is shifted by the shifting means to a position in which the X-ray beam will not strike the light source when an X-ray is taken through the openings in the frame.

5. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which the shifting means shifts the light source to a home position, and sensor means for sensing the positioning of the light source at the home position for enabling the shooting of the X-ray beam.

6. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including a calibrating means to align the laser beam with a portion of the X-ray beam at a predetermined coordinate position.

7. An apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which the calibrating means includes a diaphragm to direct a vertical portion of X-ray beam as a small beam to a predetermined coordinate position;

and in which the calibrating means includes an orientating means to orient the visible laser beam to the same coordinate position thereby calibrating the light beam with the X-ray beam.

8. An apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including a computer controlled drive motor means to turn the angle of the laser light beam for the different coordinate positions to align the laser beam along a path from the light source through the lesion and to the X-ray film at each of the different coordinate positions designating a lesion.

9. Apparatus for use in X-ray examination and diagnostic procedures using a biopsy needle having a hollow first end to take a sample of a specimen and having an opposite end, the apparatus comprising:

an X-ray machine having an X-ray radiation head mounted in spaced relation to a specimen supporting platform for providing a substantially point source of X-rays, a clamping plate mounted in spaced parallel relation to said platform to clamp said specimen against said platform, said clamping plate having an opening exposing a portion of said specimen;

a laser head on said X-ray machine between said X-ray radiation head and said specimen supporting platform;

first and second laser sources mounted on the laser head and radiating focused beams to provide a continuous cross hair line intersecting on said portion of said specimen and lying within said opening;

a carriage for supporting said first and second laser sources carriage for movement in two orthogonal directions, said cross hair line formed by said beams being perpendicular and intersecting, said carriage being movable in directions parallel to each of said lines;

the opposite end of the biopsy needle receiving the cross hair line and locating the axis of said needle at an angle with respect to said specimen during insertion and removal of said core sample; and

cam means for camming the laser head to a position so that the angle of the cross hair line reduces parallax errors.