System and method for treating select tissue in a living being

• US 6,058,323 A
• Filed: 08/20/1997
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Original Assignee: Jerome H. Lemelson
• Inventors: Lemelson, Jerome
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, SHAWNA JEANNINE
• Application Number:
  US08/915,356
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 600/407, 600/408, 600/473-478, 600/427, 128/920, 128/922-925, 395/924, 395/86, 395/85, 901/3
• US Class Current: 600/408
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/320758 with a rotating cutting instrument, e.g. motor driven A61B17/320725, A61B17/32075 and A61B17/320783 take precedence; for removing intra-ocular material A61F9/00763; endoscopic rotatable cutting instruments A61B17/32002
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/1492 having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation A61B18/1477 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2010/045 Needles pointed biopsy devices with vacuum aspiration A61B10/0283
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/003 Steerable
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/22077 with a part piercing the tissue A61B2017/22044 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/320004 abrasive
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/3614 using optical fibre
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0057 Catheters delivering medicament other than through a conventional lumen, e.g. porous walls or hydrogel coatings
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0089 Single injection needle protruding axially, i.e. along the longitudinal axis of the catheter, from the distal tip
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2025/0091 the single injection needle being fixed
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0068 Static characteristics of the catheter tip, e.g. shape, atraumatic tip, curved tip or tip structure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0082 Catheter tip comprising a tool
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0084 being one or more injection needles
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0138 having flexible regions as a result of weakened outer material, e.g. slots, slits, cuts, joints or coils
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0147 with movable mechanical means, e.g. pull wires
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 25/0158 with magnetic or electrical means, e.g. by using piezo materials, electroactive polymers, magnetic materials or by heating of shape memory materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/925 Neural network

Abstract

A computerized imaging system (such as CAT scan, MRI imaging, ultrasound imaging, infrared, X-ray, UV/visible light fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy or microwave imaging) is employed to sense the position of an endoscopic treatment system within the body of a patient. In a preferred embodiment, the system provides real-time computer control to maintain and adjust the position of the treatment system and/or the position of the patient relative to the treatment system; and also provides (if desired) real-time computer control of the operation of the treatment system itself. Other embodiments include scanning mechanisms for directing laser light or other radiation under controlled conditions at select locations within the body.

Claims

1. A system for positioning a medical instrument device in the body of a patient comprising:

a computer and a medical device;

a scanning system including an imaging device for generating image information defining select anatomical regions of the patient'"'"'s body;

a location sensing system for sensing the relative positions of said medical instrument device and said select anatomical regions and feeding coded signals representing the sensed positions to said computer;

said computer programmed for calculating location coordinates of select anatomical regions defined by pixels of images produced by said scanning imaging device and using the coded signals representing the sensed relative positions of said medical instrument device and said select anatomical regions; and

a medical instrument device steering mechanism and a medical instrument device steering controller operable under control of a neural network of said computer, said neural network trained to recognize a select anatomical region and to maintain the medical instrument device within said select anatomical region in real time despite patient movement and changes in the sensed appearance of said select anatomical region.

3. The medical instrument device positioning system of claim 1 wherein said medical instrument device steering mechanism is located within said medical device.

4. The medical instrument device positioning system of claim 1 wherein said medical instrument device steering mechanism is externally located with respect to the body of said patient.

5. The medical instrument device positioning system of claim 1 wherein said neural network is a feed forward backprogation neural network.

6. The medical instrument device positioning system of claim 1 wherein said neural network is a Hopfield neural network.

2. A system for positioning a medical instrument device in the body of a patient comprising:

a computer and a medical device;

a scanning system including an imaging device for generating image information defining select anatomical regions of the patient'"'"'s body;

a location sensing system for sensing the relative positions of said medical instrument device and said select anatomical regions and feeding coded signals representing the sensed positions to said computer;

said computer programmed for calculating location coordinates of select anatomical regions defined by pixels of images produced by said scanning imaging device and using the coded signals representing the sensed relative positions of said medical instrument device and said select anatomical regions; and

at least one patient positioning motor assembly operable under control of a neural network of said computer, said neural network trained to recognize a select anatomical region and to maintain the medical instrument device within said select anatomical region in real time despite patient movement and changes in the sensed appearance of said select anatomical region.