Navigable catheter

• US 6,947,788 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2001
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Covidien LP (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Super Dimension Ltd.
• Inventors: Gilboa, Pinhas, Blecher, Danny
• Primary Examiner(s): Mantis-Mercader, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jung, William
• Application Number:
  US09/879,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20020042571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,560 Days
• Field of Search: 600/435, 600/407, 600/433, 600/437, 600/459, 600/466
• US Class Current: 600/435
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic 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 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 6/032 Transmission computed tomography [CT]
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient

Abstract

A catheter, including: a housing having a transverse inner dimension of at most about two millimeters; and a coil arrangement including five coils and five solid cores. Each of the coils is wound around one of the solid cores. The coils are non-coaxial. The coil arrangement is mounted inside the housing.

Claims

1. A catheter, comprising:

(a) a housing having a transverse inner dimension of at most about two millimeters; and

(b) a coil arrangement including at least five coils and at least five solid cores, each of said coils being wound around one of said cores, said coils being non-coaxial, said coil arrangement being mounted inside said housing.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein said solid cores includes ferrite.

3. The catheter of claim 1, wherein said coils have an axis, said axes of at least three of said coils being substantially mutually perpendicular to each other.

4. The catheter of claim 1, wherein each of said coils has a center, said centers of said coils lying on a substantially straight line.

5. A probe for interacting with a body cavity, comprising:

(a) a substantially cylindrical catheter;

(b) a satellite;

being part of a sensing probe;

(c) a flexible pocket having an aperture therein, said flexible being rigidly, attached to said catheter, said flexible pocket being configured for receiving said satellite therein; and

(d) a tether passing through said aperture, said tether being attached to said satellite, such that, after said catheter and said satellite have been inserted into the body cavity, said tether is withdrawn, thereby pulling said satellite into said flexible pocket so as to reversibly secure said satellite at a fixed position and orientation relative to said catheter.

6. The probe of claim 5, wherein said mechanism includes:

(i) a sleeve, rigidly secured to said tether and adapted to slide along said catheter.

7. The probe of claim 5, wherein said sensor is configured for sensing a position and orientation of said catheter.