Method for localizing a medical instrument introduced into the body of an examination object

• US 7,778,689 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Healthcare GMBH (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Boese, Jan, Sandkamp, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Long V
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOFFA, ANGELA MARIE
• Application Number:
  US11/524,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20070066889A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,426 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/424
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2053 Tracking an applied voltage gradient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/17 Comprising radiolucent components
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/053 Measuring electrical impedance or conductance of a portion of the body
• 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 5/063 using impedance measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7207 of noise induced by motion artifacts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/12 Arrangements for detecting or locating foreign bodies

Abstract

A method for localizing a medical instrument introduced into the body of a patient, comprising:

• • arranging at least four electrodes on the body of the patient,
  • recording three-dimensional image data of a region of the patient,
  • determining a conductivity model of the patient via the image data,
  • determining electric field distribution when a voltage or current is applied for at least three electrode pairs formed from the four electrodes via the conductivity model and spatial positions of the electrodes, not all the electrodes lying in one plane,
  • applying a voltage or a current at each electrode pair and determining three voltage values at an electrode of the medical instrument for the three electrode pairs, and
  • determining the spatial position of the medical instrument as the intersection of equipotential surfaces assigned to the three voltage values at the electrode of the medical instrument.

Claims

1. A method for locating a medical instrument introduced into a body of an examination object, comprising:

arranging at least four electrodes at the body of the examination object;

recording a three-dimensional image data of a body region of the examination object by an imaging medical examination device;

determining an electrical conductivity model of the examination object as a function of the three-dimensional image data;

determining an electric field distribution, including a respective location of a plurality of equipotential surfaces having a constant voltage, of the examination object as a function of the electrical conductivity model and spatial positions of the electrodes based on a voltage being applied for at least three different electrode pairs formed from the four electrodes which do not all lay in one plane;

applying the voltage at each of the three electrode pairs respectively;

determining three voltage values at an electrode of the medical instrument for the applied voltage at each of the three electrode pairs respectively;

determining a spatial position of the medical instrument as a point of an intersection of the equipotential surfaces assigned to the three voltage values at the electrode of the medical instrument;

and wherein more than three voltage values are determined at the electrode of the medical instrument, the spatial position of the medical instrument is determined by averaging the voltage values from the equipotential surfaces.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrical conductivity model is determined as a function of an assignment of an intensity value of the image data to a conductivity value.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least two different tissue types with differing conductivities are differentiated in the body of the examination object for determining the electrical conductivity model.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the different tissue types are selected from the group consisting of:

bone tissue, organ tissue, air-equivalent tissue, and water-equivalent tissue.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional image data is recorded by a method selected from a group consisting of:

a rotational angiography, a computer tomography, a magnetic resonance recording, and an ultrasound recording.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein different image recording methods are combined for recording the three-dimensional image data or for determining the spatial positions of the electrodes.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spatial positions of the electrodes are determined from the three-dimensional image data.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein X-ray transparent electrodes or electrodes with an X-ray absorbing marker are used when the image data is recorded using X-rays.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the medical instrument and the spatial position of the medical instrument are displayed at a display unit.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrodes comprise skin electrodes and inside of the body electrodes.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the skin electrodes are electrodes implementing an electrophysiological method and the inside of the body electrodes are electrodes of a fixed-position medical instrument inside of the body.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electrode pair is formed from one of the skin electrodes and one of the inside of the body electrodes.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes is arranged in an area of the image data recording.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the electrodes is arranged outside an area of the image data recording and a voltage drop outside the area of the image data recording is determined by a calibrating method or by information of at least one other electrode pair.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein a medical instrument comprising more than one electrode is used for calibrating.

16. A method for locating a medical instrument introduced into a body of an examination object, comprising:

arranging at least four electrodes at the body of the examination object;

recording a three-dimensional image data of a body region of the examination object by an imaging medical examination device;

determining an electrical conductivity model of the examination object as a function of the three-dimensional image data;

determining an electric field distribution, including a respective location of a plurality of equipotential surfaces having a constant voltage, of the examination object as a function of the electrical conductivity model and spatial positions of the electrodes based on a current being applied for at least three different electrode pairs formed from the four electrodes which do not all lay in one plane;

applying the current at each of the three electrode pairs respectively;

determining three voltage values at an electrode of the medical instrument for the applied current at each of the three electrode pairs respectively;

determining a spatial position of the medical instrument as a point of an intersection of the equipotential surfaces assigned to the three voltage values at the electrode of the medical instrument; and

wherein more than three voltage values are determined at the electrode of the medical instrument, the spatial position of the medical instrument is determined by averaging the voltage values from the equipotential surfaces.

17. A device for locating a medical instrument introduced into a body of a patient, comprising:

a patient supporting table which supports a patient having at least four electrodes arranged at the body of the patient;

a unit connected with the electrodes which generates and detects signals of the electrodes;

a medical imaging device which records a three-dimensional image data of a body region of the patient; and

a processing device which;

determines an electrical conductivity model of the patient as a function of the three-dimensional image data,

determines an electric field distribution, including a respective location of a plurality of equipotential surfaces having a constant voltage, of the patient as a function of the electrical conductivity model and spatial positions of the electrodes based on a voltage being applied for at least three different electrode pairs formed from the four electrodes which do not all lay in one plane,

determines three voltage values at an electrode of the medical instrument after applying the voltage at each of the three electrode pairs respectively,

determines a spatial position of the medical instrument as a point of an intersection of the equipotential surfaces assigned to the three voltage values at the electrode of the medical instrument; and

wherein more than three voltage values are determined at the electrode of the medical instrument, the spatial position of the medical instrument is determined by averaging the voltage values from the equipotential surfaces.