Method and apparatus for three-dimensional translumenal ultrasonic imaging
First Claim
1. Apparatus for multi-planar translumenal ultrasonic scanning, said apparatus comprising:
- (a) An ultrasonic scanning probe;
said ultrasonic scanning probe being fixed in position and stationary relative to a first probe coordinate system;
said ultrasonic scanning probe including a transducer for generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic scanning pattern and means for rotating said transducer relative to first and second coordinate axes of said first probe coordinate system, said means for rotating said transducer in turn selectively rotating said two-dimensional scanning pattern relative to said first and second coordinate axes of said first probe coordinate system;
said ultrasonic scanning probe further including electromagnetic sensor means mounted in a fixed orientation for providing signals responsive to a magnetic field that is generated external of said ultrasonic scanning probe, said magnetic field defining a second probe coordinate system having an origin that is spaced apart from said probe, said electromagnetic sensor means for providing a signal representative of the position and orientation of said electromagnetic sensor means and said first probe coordinate system relative to said second probe coordinate system;
(b) An endoscopic shell having a distal end interconnected with said probe and a proximate end that includes a handle, at least a portion of said endoscopic shell that extends between said handle and said distal end being flexible to the extent required for positioning said ultrasonic scanning probe for multi-planar translumenal ultrasonic scanning; and
(c) Control means located in said endoscopic shell, said control means being operable for selectively rotating and positioning said ultrasonic scanning pattern about said first and second coordinate axes of said first probe coordinate system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed is an arrangement for use in transesophageal ultrasonic imaging of the heart (and other translumenal applications) in which both the position and orientation of an ultrasonic probe that generates an ultrasonic scanning pattern is determined in terms of a three-dimensional coordinate system that lies outside the patient'"'"'s body and is produced by a magnetic field generator. The arrangement provides two-dimensional multi-planar scanning in which the ultrasonic scanning pattern is selectively positionable relative to rotation about two orthogonal coordinate axes that are mutually orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the ultrasonic scanning probe. Provision is made for generating electrical signals indicative of rotational position of the scanning pattern relative to each of the two axes of rotation. The signals representative of the rotational position of the scanning pattern allow registration between the two-dimensional multi-plane ultrasonic images for purposes such as a computer generation of three-dimensional cardiac images. The ultrasonic probe also includes a flexure region for selectively positioning the probe in the esophagus or other lumen and a heart sound microphone for use in temporal registration of the ultrasonic imaging relative to one or more events in the cardiac cycle.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. Apparatus for multi-planar translumenal ultrasonic scanning, said apparatus comprising:
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(a) An ultrasonic scanning probe;
said ultrasonic scanning probe being fixed in position and stationary relative to a first probe coordinate system;
said ultrasonic scanning probe including a transducer for generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic scanning pattern and means for rotating said transducer relative to first and second coordinate axes of said first probe coordinate system, said means for rotating said transducer in turn selectively rotating said two-dimensional scanning pattern relative to said first and second coordinate axes of said first probe coordinate system;
said ultrasonic scanning probe further including electromagnetic sensor means mounted in a fixed orientation for providing signals responsive to a magnetic field that is generated external of said ultrasonic scanning probe, said magnetic field defining a second probe coordinate system having an origin that is spaced apart from said probe, said electromagnetic sensor means for providing a signal representative of the position and orientation of said electromagnetic sensor means and said first probe coordinate system relative to said second probe coordinate system;(b) An endoscopic shell having a distal end interconnected with said probe and a proximate end that includes a handle, at least a portion of said endoscopic shell that extends between said handle and said distal end being flexible to the extent required for positioning said ultrasonic scanning probe for multi-planar translumenal ultrasonic scanning; and (c) Control means located in said endoscopic shell, said control means being operable for selectively rotating and positioning said ultrasonic scanning pattern about said first and second coordinate axes of said first probe coordinate system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An ultrasonic translumenal scanning system for providing multi-planar images of internal tissue and organs from a single lumenal location within the body of a subject, said ultrasonic translumenal scanning system comprising:
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(a) a magnetic field generator located outside the body of the subject, said magnetic field generator for supplying a magnetic field having three orthogonal field components that define a first coordinate system; (b) an ultrasonic endoscope for lumenal insertion in the body of the subject, said ultrasonic endoscope including an endoscopic shell, a probe mounted to the distal end of said endoscopic shell, and a control handle mounted to the proximate end of said endoscopic shell;
said probe including a magnetic field sensor for detecting the magnetic field strength of each of said three orthogonal field components of said magnetic field supplied by said magnetic field generator, said magnetic field sensor for supplying a signal representative of said field strength of each of said three orthogonal field components supplied by said magnetic field generator, said magnetic field sensor being mounted at a fixed position within said probe;
said probe further including transducer mounting means and an ultrasonic transducer for generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic scanning pattern, said ultrasonic transducer being mounted to said transducer mounting means with said transducer mounting means being positioned in said probe at a predetermined location relative to said magnetic field sensor, said transducer mounting means including means for rotating said ultrasonic transducer about two orthogonal axes of a second coordinate system in which the first of said two axes lies in the plane of said two-dimensional scanning pattern and the second of said two axes is substantially perpendicular to both said first coordinate axis and the axial center line of said probe;
said control handle including first and second manually operable actuators interconnected with said transducer mounting means, said first manually operable actuator being operable for rotating said two-dimensional scanning pattern about said first axis of said second coordinate system, said second manually operable actuator being operable for rotating said two-dimensional scanning pattern about said second axis of said second coordinate system;
said probe further including first and second rotational sensors mounted to said transducer mounting, said first rotational sensor for supplying a signal representative of the amount by which said two-dimensional scanning pattern is rotated about said first axis of said second coordinate system, said second rotational sensor for supplying a signal representative of the amount by which said two-dimensional scanning pattern is rotated about said second axis of said coordinate system; and(c) electrical conductors for coupling said signal supplied by said magnetic field sensor and said signals representative of said rotation about said first and second axes of said second coordinate system through said endoscopic shell to a location external of said ultrasonic endoscope, said electrical conductors including conductors also for supplying signals to said ultrasonic transducer for producing said two-dimensional scanning pattern and for supplying imaging signals generated by said ultrasonic transducer to a location external of said ultrasonic endoscope. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification