Navigated microprobe

• US 6,694,162 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2001
• Issued: 02/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Original Assignee: Brainlab AG
• Inventors: Hartlep, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Peffley, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROANE, AARON F
• Application Number:
  US10/005,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20030078485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• Field of Search: 600/378, 600/373, 607/116, 128/899
• US Class Current: 600/378
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/107 Visualisation of planned trajectories or target regions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/25 User interfaces for surgical systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/064 using markers A61B5/062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/685 Microneedles
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/721 using a separate sensor to detect motion or using motion information derived from signals other than the physiological signal to be measured
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for electrophysiologically localizing target areas in the brain, comprising a multi-channel microprobe (10) which at its active end comprises a multitude of tightly packed microelectrodes arranged axially in rows, via which electrophysiological efferences are obtained in the target area and forwarded to an evaluating unit, wherein the microprobe (10) is assigned to a tracking device (5) which allows the microprobe (10) to be positionally detected by means of a neuronavigation system (1, 2, 3, 8) and the insertion of the probe to be stereotactically planned.

Claims

1. A device for electrophysiologically localizing a target areas in the brain, said device comprising:

a multi-channel microprobe including;

a multitude of microelectrodes said microelectrodes being operative to obtain electrophysiological efferences in the target area and forwarded the electrophysiological efferences to an evaluating unit; and

a tracking device;

a neuronavigation system operative to positionally detect the microprobe via the tracking device and thereby localize the target area; and

a computer unit that links data indicative of the electrophysiological efferences of functional areas of the brain and navigational data with one another and outputs the linked data.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

a screen output on which evaluations of electrophysiological localization and navigational data are shown together.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the microprobe (10) includes 25 to 32 microelectrodes.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computer unit links data indicative of the electrophysiological efferences of functional areas of the brain and navigational data with one another and adapts navigation by way of positional data and information from the electrophysiological efferences of functional areas of the brain.

5. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tracking device includes an arrangement of reflection markers.

6. The device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the neuronavigation system includes a patient tracking device for detecting a current position of a patient'"'"'s head in real time.

7. The device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the tracking device includes an arrangement of three reflection markers.

8. The device as set forth in claim 5 wherein the neuronavigation system is an optical navigation system including at least one camera for detecting spatial positions of the arrangement of reflection markers.

9. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the tracking device includes an arrangement of coils.

10. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the tracking device includes an arrangement of at least two miniature coils.

11. The device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the neuronavigation system is a magnetic navigation system for detecting spatial positions of the arrangement of coils.

12. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the computer unit links data indicative of the electrophysiological efferences of functional areas of the brain and navigational data with each other and works positional data and information from the electrophysiological efferences of functional areas of the brain into anatomical data available to the neuronavigation.

13. The device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the computer unit links data indicative of the electrophysiological efferences of functional areas of the brain and navigational data with each other and works positional data and information from the electrophysiological efferences of functional areas of the brain into anatomical data available to the navigation system for producing a brain atlas.