Imaging of interventional devices in a non-stationary subject

• US 5,730,129 A
• Filed: 04/03/1995
• Issued: 03/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Darrow, Robert David, Dumoulin, Charles Lucian, Souza, Steven Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casler, Brian L.
• Application Number:
  US08/415,410
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 128/653.1, 128/897, 128/898, 128/899, 128/653.2, 378/63, 378/62, 378/8, 378/68, 378/69, 378/95, 378/98.5
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/055 involving electronic [EMR] or nuclear [NMR] magnetic resonance, e.g. magnetic resonance imaging
• 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 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1127 using markers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1128 using image analysis A61B5/1127 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7289 Retrospective gating, i.e. associating measured signals or images with a physiological event after the actual measurement or image acquisition, e.g. by simultaneously recording an additional physiological signal during the measurement or image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038

Abstract

A tracking system monitors the position of a device within a subject and superimposes a graphic symbol on a diagnostic image of the subject. Registration of the tracked location with the diagnostic image is maintained in the presence of subject motion by monitoring subject motion and adjusting the display to compensate for subject motion. Motion monitoring can be performed with ultrasonic, optical or mechanical methods. The display can be adjusted by modifying the displayed location of the device or it can be adjusted by translating, rotating or distorting the diagnostic image.

Claims

1. A method for providing an image of a subject with a correctly registered image of an invasive device employing the steps of:

a) acquiring a reference image corresponding to a specific point of a periodic motion cycle of said subject;

b) measuring a physical parameter indicative of a point in the periodic motion cycle at a time t_i substantially simultaneously with the acquisition of the reference image;

c) measuring said device location at a time t_d ;

d) measuring the physical parameter at time t_d ;

e) distorting the reference image according to a change in the measured physical parameter between times t_i and t_d ;

f) superimposing a representation of the device at the measured device location on the distorted image; and

g) repeating steps "c"-"f" to produce a correctly registered real-time motion picture of the device and reference image.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the periodic motion cycle is a respiratory cycle of the subject.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference image is comprised of a plurality of pixels each at a location (x,y), the measured physical parameter is chest height h₁, h₂ of the subject at times t_i and t_d, respectively and adjusted y'"'"' coordinates of each pixel is determined by:

##EQU3##

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the reference image is comprised of a plurality of pixels each at a location (x,y), the measured physical parameter is width w₁, w₂ of the subject at times t_i and t_d, respectively and adjusted x'"'"' coordinates of each pixel is determined by:

##EQU4##

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the periodic motion cycle is a cardiac cycle of the subject.