Endoscopic examining apparatus particularly useful in MRI, a probe useful in such apparatus, and a method of making such probe
First Claim
Patent Images
1. Endoscopic examining apparatus for examining the interior of a body cavity, comprising:
- a probe movable through said body cavity;
coil assembly including a plurality of coils carried by said probe, said coil assembly including at least one imaging coil and a separate set of at least two orthogonal tracking coils;
and a control system for controlling said tracking coils to sense and indicate the location and orientation of said probe within said body cavity, and said imaging coil to image selected areas within said body cavity.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Endoscopic examining apparatus, particularly useful in MRI, includes a probe movable through the body cavity; a set of tracking coils carried by the probe; and a set of imaging coils carried by the probe. A control system controls the tracking coils to sense and indicate the location and orientation of the probe within the body cavity, and controls the imaging coils to image selected areas within the body cavity. Also described are a novel probe particularly useful in such apparatus, and a novel method of making such probes by a printed circuit technique.
102 Citations
35 Claims
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1. Endoscopic examining apparatus for examining the interior of a body cavity, comprising:
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a probe movable through said body cavity;
coil assembly including a plurality of coils carried by said probe, said coil assembly including at least one imaging coil and a separate set of at least two orthogonal tracking coils;
and a control system for controlling said tracking coils to sense and indicate the location and orientation of said probe within said body cavity, and said imaging coil to image selected areas within said body cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. MRI apparatus for examining the interior of a body cavity, comprising:
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means for providing a main magnetic field through the body cavity to be examined;
a plurality of gradient coils for generating gradient electromagnetic fields within said body cavity;
a probe movable through said body cavity and carrying a coil assembly including a set of at least two orthogonal tracking coils and at least one imaging coil;
and a control system for controlling said gradient coils to generate said gradient electromagnetic field, said tracking coils to sense and indicate the location and orientation of said probe within said body cavity, and said at least one imaging coil to image selected areas within said body cavity. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A probe movable within a body cavity for examining the interior of selected areas thereof;
- said probe comprising;
a set of tracking coils including at least two orthogonal coils constructed and oriented on said probe to sense the location and orientation of the probe when moved within the body cavity;
and a set of imaging coils including at least two orthogonal coils constructed and oriented to image selected areas within the body cavity. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
- said probe comprising;
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30. Endoscopic examining apparatus for examining the interior of a body cavity, comprising:
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a probe movable through said body cavity;
a coil assembly including a plurality of coils carried by said probe;
and a control system for controlling the coils in said assembly to sense and indicate the location and orientation of said probe within said body cavity, and also to image selected areas within said body cavity;
wherein said coils are carried by at least one dielectric substrate which is formed into an annular configuration. - View Dependent Claims (31)
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32. Endoscopic examining apparatus for examining the interior of a body cavity, comprising:
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a probe movable through said body cavity;
a coil assembly including a plurality of coils carried by said probe;
and a control system for controlling the coils in said assembly to sense and indicate the location and orientation of said probe within said body cavity, and also to image selected areas within said body cavity;
wherein said coil assembly includes a single set of coils; and
wherein said control system includes a tracking sub-system, an imaging sub-system, and a switching circuit for selectively utilizing said single set of coils for sensing and indicating the location and orientation of said probe within said body cavity, and also for imaging selected areas within said body cavity. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35)
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Specification